Archives for February 2013

Grape Street Crips are teaming Up w/ the KKK to Fight Other Klan Members

Heatherellis-KKK

I’m at a loss for words on this one folks…I’m just shaking my head..The Grape Street crips of Memphis and an Alabama KKK group are working together to stop the KKK at a rally next month in Memphis after the Confederate parks in Memphis were renamed. I thought it was BS, but what can I say.. we seen such alliances happen in prison.. I guess we living in a new date and time..I know one thing if both the Crips and KKK really looked at who was running the show, they would ban together to fight the 1% who pit poor folks of all races against one another..Better yet maybe the Crips and KKK are teaming up tp fight the KKK forces that find their way into police departments ..I’m just saying

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWNN8xPRn6M

Too Short: It’s Ok to Expand.. Speaks on Humanity Within Hip Hop..

Long time friend Rebecca ‘B-Fresh’ McDonald of City Pages caught up with Oakland’s own Too Short Too Short Minneapoliswho was in Minneapolis on tour with E-40..They were at Epic.. Here Short describes the characteristics and philosophy behind Too $hort the performer, the humanity of Hip Hop, as well as women in history he admires in honor of the upcoming Women’s History Month.

http://vimeo.com/60534720#

 

Free Speech TV…Davey D Intv w/ Legend Amiri Baraka (OLM News)

Amiri BarakaThis is our Free Speech TV show OLM News w/ Davey D where we sat down w/ educator, activists, Black Arts Movement founder Amiri Baraka.. There’s so much to talk w/ this legend about and we covered a lot of ground..including art and activism, the connection between Hip Hop and the Black Arts Movement that proceeded it.. the political state of our country..

It’s important to build with elders like Amiri to get a sense of history which allows us to make important connections between movements they started and current happenings.. This is eye-opening and compelling. It was shot at Eastside Arts Alliance in Oakland.. enjoy

You can catch our weekly Free Speech TV show on Sunday nights w/ repeats 3 times during the week.. Check local listings..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fbQVIErafU

Free Speech TV… Davey D Interview w/ Blackalicious (OLM News)

Chief XL of BlackaliciousThis is a our recent Free Speech TV show  OLM News w/ Davey D where we sat down and chopped it up with Oakland based rappers Blackalicious. It’s always a pleasure to build with Gift of Gab who is by far one of Hip Hop’s most underrated emcees and Chief XL who is a producer’s producer..

During our convo we covered a variety of topics like them working with the late Gil Scott Heron, the current state of Hip Hop and them rocking mics internationally… They note one of their favorite places to get down is in various countries throughout Africa. We also focused on their longevity in the game which now spans over 20 years..

You can catch our weekly TV show on Free Speech television on Sunday nights..and the repeats which air 3 times each week.. Check local listings

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFD-NooIo9M

A Blistering Open Letter to World Star Hip Hop…

Zulu_Nation symbol

RE: FALSE ADVERISEMENT AND MISLEADING INFORMATION ABOUT HIP-HOP CULTURE

Mr. O’Denat,

On behalf of the thousands of members of the Universal Zulu Nation, of which I am Minister Of Information, I write you this letter in peace and hope these words find you in the best of health and spirits. Brother, we at UZN have the utmost respect and love for all who choose to take our Culture to new heights, and we thank you for your part in creating new media that preserves our culture. It is with great sadness that we bring to your attention the obvious ills of your site, WorldStarHipHop.com. Mister O’Denat, you are well aware, or should be well aware that many are viewing your site’s content as very graphic and extremely violent. Before you brush this off as just another person’s opinion of your site and
the content you publish, please do not get it confused. This is not the case.

As I mentioned earlier, Mr. O’Denat, I am a representative of the Universal Zulu Nation, and we take our Culture quite serious. You are a Black man who has accomplished quite a lot without a formal education, and I’m quite sure when you dropped out of New York’s Grover Cleveland High School, you would never have imagined that you’d be as successful with your company, World Star, LLC. Doesn’t it bother you just a little that another Black man (that man being yourself), has “made it” out of the “ghetto”, only to display unnerving images and videos of young adults berating, belittling, and beating each other solely for the purpose of the enjoyment of who you are led to believe are “millions of Hip-Hoppers?”

Mr. O’Denat, the followers of your site are impressionable young men and women who “follow” you for a reason. As salacious as you may want your site to be, our youth are looking for answers and solutions to the many problems that plague our communities. The young people use your site as an outlet to escape the world they are living in, only to find that you place them right back at the starting point. Brother, you are well aware, or should be aware of the way Haitians are treated all over the world, including their own country. After all, Mr. O’Denat, you are Haitian, and you have even labeled yourself as a “Haitian Ghetto Nerd”, to gain God knows what kind of accolades. I am not Haitian, but I find it deplorable for a Haitian to associate such a dignified people with the “ghetto”, when Haitians come to this country to escape ghetto life.

Brother, I am sure you heard God speaking to you when the earthquakes in Haiti destroyed so many lives, and many of us di a fair share of work to help those in need. The repair for the damage done physically, emotionally, spiritually and financially will be an ongoing process that will take decades. But one of the brilliant brothers of Haitian decent is instead showering the world with what you call “the CNN of the Ghetto”. Brother, you are sadly mistaken if you would like the world to believe that hype. If you understand journalism 101, news is reported with two sides. Your excerpts of ghetto life, your lack of morality when accepting uploaded material, and your drive to maintain a site for the sole intent to destroy our Culture’s standing in these Americas is both uncouth and unacceptable by all of us at UZN. We are hereby separating ourselves and our followers from your site and what it supposedly stands for. Brother, if you were in fact the “CNN of the ghetto”, then you, as a former resident of Queens, NY should already know who Zulu is and what real Hip-Hop Culture is. Mr. O’Denat, there are many real Hip-Hoppers from Queens who laid the brick in the wall that you are trying to tear down.

You should already know about Run-DMC, Larry Smith, Salt-N-Pepa, Nas, MC Shan, LL Cool J and the founders of FUBU Clothing, to name a new. These men and women purposed to create a platform of expression for our Culture, and through the years, they have maintained and preserved that Culture. Mr. O’Denat, you are a Haitian, so you should know how serious Haitians are about their Culture. We are just as serious.

This is a new year, and the Universal Zulu Nation has begun a movement against anyone who is against us. Mr. O’Denat, either you are for Hip-Hop Culture, or you are not. There is no in-between, and no matter how many people have hyped you to believe that WorldStarHipHop is anything close to what this Culture is, they told you a lie. Mr. O’Denat, Hip-Hop Culture is FOUNDED on four spiritual principles. In case you haven’t already been schooled on what those principles are, they are: Peace, Unity, Love and Havin’ Fun. Mr. O’Denat, I pray that you do become a “CNN of the ghetto”, and that you someday get a camera and go to the ghetto yourself to record both sides of our neighborhoods. We still do have neighborhoods, brother.

Mr. O’Denat, can you imagine how much more hits WorldStarHipHop would have if you were intuitive enough to record rising Black political stars and activists, and some of the issues they discuss when trying to fix our problems nationwide? Or videos of Black political superstars like Barack and Michelle Obama. I would have loved to see the behind-the-scenes footage of the President at home with the wife and kids – on your website. I invite you to meet me in The Bronx, Boston, Virginia, The Carolinas, Chicago, DC, Maryland, Detroit, or any place that you feel more comfortable, so we may discuss the realities of “the ghetto” and how you can be better involved.

Mr. O’Denat, in closing I am asking you to remove the footage of the young man being forced to strip naked outside while people look on and another young man beats him with a belt while the camera man pours water on his fully naked body.

This is the link in question, Mr, O’Denat:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=375073675924908&set=vb.100002668367738&typ
e=2&theater

This is not the first time you have posted content that has been of this nature, and from the looks of it, this is probably Child Pornography. Therefore, I will forward the link and the video to the proper authorities to be sure that these young people are in fact of age and in full consent of being on your site in such a demeaning fashion. I’m unsure if this will bring about any charges, as there is a huge rumor on the streets that you are in fact working for the feds and are using your site as a cover up. But who knows? Mr. O’Denat, I again ask that you look into the fact that you and your site have misused our Culture’s name, committed fraud and falsely advertised your site as “Hip-Hop”. You have forced the hand of the Universal Zulu Nation to take further action should you continue to promote your “CNN of the ghetto” as “Hip-Hop”, and we are asking with all due respect that you include a disclaimer at the bottom of the front page of your website concerning your company and Hip-Hop Culture. A great
footnote on your site should be:

“World Star Hip-Hop is in no way affiliated with real Hip-Hop Culture or its’ founders or the Universal Zulu Nation. This site solely for entertainment purposes, and does not promote Hip-Hop Culture”

Mr. O’Denat, you are free to use the above language, or you may use any language you see fit that parallels the language above. Please contact me at your earliest convenience, should you have any questions or concerns. I can be reached at quadeershakurmedia@gmail.com or 617-297-7423.

Respectfully,

Quadeer “M.C. Spice” Shakur
Minister of Information
Universal Zulu Nation

Hip Hop’s Universal Zulu Nation Call on Elected Officials to Step Up

Universal Zulu Nation Requests Aide of Elected Officials

Zulunation-afrika-finalNew York, NY—Hip-Hop Culture’s oldest activist group seeks help from elected officials, law enforcement and the media on denouncing and disbanding so-called “Hip-Hop” websites, radio stations and promotion companies which blatantly disrespect Hip-Hop Culture and its true origins and principles.

The entire Hip-Hop Community worldwide has spoken up against various companies that have used the term “Hip-Hop” to cause Americans to view the culture as one of violence, illegal drugs, homophobia, child pornography, and illicit sexual behavior. Zulu Nation founder, Afrika Bambaaata and, outspoken member Mick Benzo, Grandmaster Melle Mel and Minister Of Information, Quadeer “M.C. Spice” Shakur have pledged to ‘publically dismantle’ those companies and individuals who use Hip-Hop as a tool to carry out the destruction of a culture through media. We believe this is false advertising and a deception and cover-up for an ulterior motive to destroy Hip-Hop Culture.

City Councilors, State Representatives, US Representatives, Mayors, Law Enforcement, and activists from New Jersey New York and the tri-state area: YOUR VOICE IS NEEDED! Many of you have grown up on and in Hip-Hop Culture, so you are well aware of the many contributions Hip-Hop Culture has made to American Culture in general. Our four spiritual principles are the main foundation of our existence, and those principles are: Peace, Unity, Love and Havin’ Fun. And The Fifth Is Knowledge we have always believed that if these principles are not evoked, it isn’t Hip-Hop.

You may have, or should have seen the disgusting and disturbing video of a young man being stripped and beaten on a public street with onlookers cheering on the culprit as he swings a belt at the young man’s totally naked body. During the ordeal, the onlooker pours water on the body of the young man who was being beaten because his father owed the culprit a mere $20. What makes it more disturbing is the fact that the website in question which aired this horrific act, brands itself ‘WorldstarHipHop”. Many greedy companies and individuals use “Hip-Hop” to get over on unsuspecting consumers, viewers, listeners, and young children with impressionable minds.

WorldstarHipHop is just one of many of these companies that are flat-out promoting some of the most serious and heinous acts of violence and sex and calling it “entertainment”. We, however, do not condone or represent such reprehensible behavior, nor do we see these videos as what some call ‘entertainment’. We are asking your help in investigating the viral videos that may very well contain underage sex acts, and that your office seek to censor some of these websites and their ability to allow viewers into their sites without limited access, thus giving our children open access to  the gory and outlandishly violent videos they have uploaded.

We would like to meet and discuss avenues of censoring this website and holding the owner Lee O’Denat and others responsible for the content that has continued to shock and cause stress to our children who look to Hip-Hop as a means of communication and that uplifts, not tears down. Your help on this very serious matter will be greatly appreciated, as we move forward with celebrating 40 years of service to our community and the world during this milestone in History (the re-election of a true Hip-Hop President, Barack Obama).

Universal Zulu Nation:
The Universal Zulu Nation is an international hip hop awareness group Was Founded By hip hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa. Originally known simply as the Organization, it arose in the 1970s as reformed New York City gang members began to organize cultural events for youths, combining local dance and music movements into what would become known as the various elements of hip hop culture. By the 1980s, hip hop had spread globally, and the Zulu Nation has since established (autonomous) branches in Japan, France, the UK, Australia, South Korea and the Cape Flats in Cape Town South Africa.

For more information, visit www.zulunation.com.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JO75LRi5X_Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FadzGGJiLTg

It Ain’t EZ by Dlabrie w/ San Quinn, Keyanna Bean and Aviel

D'Labrie San QuinnA year ago a young innocent black teenager named Trayvon Martin was killed because of the color of his skin, the cowardly killer has been thus far protected and coddled by the “law”.

Trayvon would be getting ready for prom and graduation and instead his parents mourn. RACISM and the attempted holocaust of Black people in America still exist in various ways (much of the damage has already been done) this is one of them although may seem suddle and coincidental to sum. ITS NOT ITS HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF..

As if there needs to be any more proof of the Black struggle in the US i guess we must still SPEAK LOUDLY and ACT even LOUDER to fight these types of injustice. dont think for a minute that slavery, black poverty, crack epidemic,, the mass incarceration of black people, the black death rate and Trayvon are not all directly related. Obama or not these things are often swept under the rug or dismissed as Conspiracy Theories.

So if hearing it from Malcolm, Angela , Bobby, Rosa , Nelson , 2pac , Queen Latifah wasn’t enough you gonna hear it from me too til im gone RIP Trayvon Martin and fuck Zimmerman and every other Zimmerman out there rather neighborhood watch, cop, teacher ,government official , confederate flag waver, kkk, skinhead, or just plain regular bitter racist around the way if you got problems with Black people then you got problems with me and all my fam and that includes all my people of many beautiful backgrounds and nationalities.

Its never been JUST A BLACK THING but divide and conquer works very well!! On this day dont get wrapped up in rhetoric and dont turn apathetic. Just play your role and acknowledge whats really going on here!! If i hear one more person blame rap and nba players and the illuminati and gangs IMA GO CRAZY JUST WAKE UP AND CALL IT WHAT THE FUCK IT IS!! WE AINT GOIN OUT LIKE TARGET PRACTICE & SHEEP!!

-D-labrie-

http://youtu.be/5yNUjJMP46A

Christopher Dorner: Former LA Cop Goes on Killing Spree Seeks Revenge

Christopher DornerChristopher Dorner: Former LA Cop Goes on Killing Spree Seeks Revenge ..

In February of 2013, many of us were greeted with the news that a former disgruntled LA police officer named Christopher Dorner had killed the daughter of a fellow cop and a her fiance who he felt done him wrong. He left behind on his Facebook page a detailed Manifesto where he promised to use all his skills and training to take out a bunch more cops who he felt were racist and had done him wrong…Before all was said and done Dorner killed 4 people including 3 police officers and injured several others.

A spooked LAPD while telling the public the manifesto was a bunch of ramblings, took it very seriously and had 50 different officers under protection. They launched a massive manhunt involving a couple of thousand officers that covered most of Southern Cali and Mexico. Civil Rights leader Jesse Jackson penned an open letter to Dorner.. You can peep that HERE

LAPD shoots Blue TruckIn trying to detain Dorner 6 LAPD officers fired over 100 rounds at two unsuspecting Latina women delivering newspapers.. LAPD was looking for a dark grey truck being driven by Dorner who stood 6’4″.. The two petite women, Margie Carranza and her 71-year-old mother, Emma Hernandez were driving a light blue truck of a different model and as they delivered papers near a house that unbeknownst to them was under protection, 6 LAPD officers without warning shot up the truck.. 30 of those rounds missed. To this day thanks to the Policeman’s Bill of Rights the names of the officers who shot the two women has not been released.

A few minutes after the LAPD shooting, a surfer named David Perdue, who is white and was on his way to the beach was stopped by Torrance Police who were looking for Dorner, they somehow mistook him and opened fire after ramming his truck. Torrance police deny any wrong doing..

The pursuit for Dorner ended in Bear Mountain where police cornered him in a cabin, set it on fire and let him burn to death. The media that was on the scene and embedded with the LAPD were ordered to stop tweeting about the event..Dorner’s death coincidently happened minutes before President Obama took to the national airwaves to give the State of the Union address.

This story has been erased from many end of year timelines and it shouldn’t, when you consider the number of people killed by Dorner and the manifesto that he left behind detailing a number of names, dates, times and places he wanted reporters to check out for accuracy. During our coverage of this story, we were contacted by several former and current Black officers who told us both on air and off that much of what was in the Manifesto was true. They provided more info for us to check out. LAPD promised they would check it the Manifesto and concluded there was nothing to it.. We were surprised to see not too many investigative reporters pursued this story and the allegations raised.

Here’s some links to this story..

New Hip Hop Song feat AshEl & Sticman of dead prez Smashes the Food Industry

Junk Food Food FightI love when Hip Hop artists do songs like this.. The beat is hitting. The lyrics are on point.. The concept is scorching.. What a great way to talk about the evils of the Food Industry.. This song called ‘Food Fight‘ comes courtesy of Oakland artist AshEl “Seasunz” Eldridge of Earth Amplified and Sticman of dead prez/RBG..I like how these cats flip the script and make u wanna put down any and all junk food with this song.. There hasn’t been a food justice song this good since ‘Beef’ by KRS-One.. and dead prez‘s Be healthy

Maybe our good friends at the NAACP who went out and supported Monsanto when Prop 37 came up on the Cali ballot which would require food companies to label all GMO foods, should see this video.. Mad Props

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mu8QthlZ6hY&feature=youtu.be

KRS-One Beef

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86E9cX28jsQ

Dead prez Be healthy

http://vimeo.com/17489151

One Year Ago Trayvon Martin Was Murdered..What Have We Done Since Then?

Davey-D-purple-frameOne year ago today 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was killed by a wannabe cop who was serving as a neighborhood watch captain named George Zimmerman..

Trayvon was unarmed when he was profiled and confronted for looking suspicious even after police told Zimmerman not to pursue him… One year later after all of us wore hoodies and held up skittles, what has changed and where are we both with the case and the way we deal w/ violence, racism and our collective pursuit for justice?

What was bothersome was far too many caked off the Trayvon tragedy..It was a way to get camera time by expressing outrage, but the important follow-up was all but abandoned.. For example, there was a call to push back on ALEC.. The American Legislative Exchange Council which was primary engine responsible for putting Stand Your Ground Laws in effect all over the country. We made promises to dismantle it and stop the millionairs and billionaires like the Koch brothers from using it to their advantage and our detriment

Trayvon Martin

Trayvon Martin

Even if Zimmerman himself will not be using Stand Your Ground, it was the existence of this law that emboldened him to chase down Trayvon and shoot him..Have been people been keeping up w/ ALEC? Have they been following the work of Color of Change which is still in the mix fighting this?

Many have all but forgotten the case of Marissa Alexander, the young mother who was abused by her husband who in defending herself from another brutal attack shot a gun in the ceiling to prevent herself from being beat.. Her actions would’ve been in line w/ Stand Your Ground.. She is now serving 20 years for her actions..

The same DA/State Attorney, Angela Corey who is overseeing the prosecution of Zimmerman is the same DA who prosecuted Alexander.. She is also the same Angela Corey who made history by trying a 12-year-old in adult court..Her term is up this year..What’s the plan of action regarding her? Will she pursue the Trayvon case vigorously? Are we concerned about her mistreatment of Marrissa Alexander?

Jordan Davis

Jordan Davis

Since Trayvon we saw a repeat incident in Jacksonville Florida, when 17-year-old Jordan Davis was shot and killed by a man named Michael Dunn who felt the unarmed teen was playing his music too loud. Dunn was finally charged w/ First degree murder..Davis’ parents are fighting ALEC and Stand Your Ground..They said they will crusade against these laws in honor of their slain son..Have we joined them? Do we care?

Since Trayvon there have been a rash of raced based vigilante attacks and killings from Oklahoma City on down to the some of the border states. For whatever reason many have not connected the killings of Brown folks by anti-immigrant Minute men types in places like Tuscon to what was happened to folks like Trayvon and Jordan..and before that, to folks in New Orleans who were shot and killed fleeing flooded areas after Katrina for higher ground..

Since Trayvon the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement issued a stunning report documenting extrajudicial killings by law enforcement and law enforcement types.. The report revealed that every 36 Hours a Black person was killed. What have we done to follow that up? Most recently a number of organizations met in Oakland to a packed house to update the findings and lay out a number of next steps to hold folks accountable and get justice.. Have we joined those efforts?

Stop the Violence March in Chicago

Stop the Violence March in Chicago

Right after Trayvon was shot there were some who were upset that folks had rallied his killing. Their rationale was Black folks kill each other all the time. They pointed to cities like Chicago as a glaring example of inner city violence..For those folks since Trayvon, what’s been the progress you initiated? Whats the orgs you linked up to that others can join? Whats the legislative path being pursued that others can help out on?

One year ago Trayvon Martin was killed. It angered us. It shocked us..It had us wearing hoodies..But if all we did was wear a hoodie after one year with all that has happened, I dare say we failed Trayvon and failed ourselves..What more needs to happen before the current climate is shifted?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKaJoEyYXyI