Sunspot Jonz of Living Legends Speaks About New Film ‘Isis Dynasty’

Sunspot Jonz

Sunspot Jonz

We got a chance to catch up with Sunspot Jonz of Mystic Journeymen and front man for Living Legends to talk about his latest venture. Many have long know Jonz as a dope emcee who has put out countless albums and helped personify what it means to be an independent and corporate free within the music arena.

Not too many, know Sunspot for his work in education and his work as an accomplished film maker.  He had long been writing screenplays and had attracted quite a bit of interest for some of his projects. He also was behind the cameras for the Living Legends video ‘Now You Know’ . He also did a short called ‘Resin‘. and a documentary about the Living Legends called ‘Street Legendz‘. He also did a film called ‘Dreamweaver‘ which has yet to be released

Sunspot’s love of film was one of the factors that led to him leaving his native East Oakland for LA. The goal was to bust down the doors to Hollywood. In our recent interview he explained that unfortunately, many of the stereotypes and pitfalls that we’ve heard about La La Land  manifested themselves, which led him employing the DIY ethos that made him successful within music.

This new film Isis Dynasty is the product of a film company called CorFat he founded with co-director Fatima Washington in 2010. It’s about the challenges facing a young woman who has 30 days to make it in Hollywood . If features some well-known actors like; Faizon Love (Couples Retreat, Friday, Who’s Your Caddy), Golden Brooks (Girlfriends, Beauty Shop) and Paula Jai Parker (Hustle & Flow, She Hate Me, Friday). Jonz will also be starring in the film, putting his acting chops to the test…

Below is our Hard Knock Radio Interview with Sunspot Jonz

Click the link below to download or Listen

Click link below to download or Listen


 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6RfXcv-gM8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oithV6xkno

Hard Knock Radio (HKR) Intv w/ West Coast Legend & Pioneer Sir Mix-A-Lot

Sir Mix a Lot

Sir Mix a Lot

Sir Mix-A-Lot aka the JR Ewing of Seattle does not always get his just do for his contributions to Hip Hop. For many he’s simply the guy who did the pop, fun-loving anthem ‘Baby Got Back’. The reality is Mix is pioneering figure in West Coast Hip Hop.. He was one of the first to come out and put Seattle on the map. His career was built on and independent label he co-founded called Nasty Mix.. His deejay at the time Nasty Nes was one of the first people in the country to do a Hip Hop radio show..He was one of the first to have his own TV series ‘The Watcher‘.

When Mix’s first single Square Dance Rap dropped, many immediately thought he was a new artist from LA or down south.. It was later discovered that Sir Mix A Lot was from Seattle and what appeared to be a gimmick type song was actually the first stone in a long career that has gone over 25 years..

In our Hard Knock Radio interview we talked with Sir Mix-A-Lot about what it took to make it in music and how he’s managed to keep himself on top. He offers up keen advice for artists just getting in the game. We talked to Mix-A-Lot about the way the industry is changing and what he finds exciting about it.

He talked about the success of Seattle’s latest star Macklemore and his relationship to the indy artist. They are good friends. Mix-A lot talked at length about the importance of being independent and what that meant when he started vs what it means now with respect to an artists like Macklemore. He gives a nice history lesson about how rap especially in the West Coast was always about being independent. He noted that there was no other way for folks to get on but to put out music on an indy label.

We talk to Mix-A-Lot about the story behind his landmark songs Posse on Broadway and Baby Got Back.. He says both were homages of sorts.. Posse on Broadway was tribute to all the cities that have a Broadway where folks gather to show off their rides and check out the scene. It was initially inspired when he visited Arizona and saw they had a Broadway similar to what was in Seattle..

Sir Mix-A-Lot In Baby Got Back, he said he wanted to have a fun and respectful way to let women know it was ok to have curves and show them off. he explained at the time of him doing the song, many women were being told to slim down and hide their curves, especially if they wanted to ‘make it’ in Hollywood or the world of modeling.. Sir Mix-A-Lot’s song changed the perception as he intended. He said his song has stood the test of time, because it had a bit more substance and wasn’t exploitative.

Lastly we talked about Mix-A-Lot’s other career and love which is high-tech.. Many don’t know that before he started rapping Mix-A-Lot was into high-tech on the hardware side and that he even had his own computer store. He noted that he’s always been good with his hands and his soldering iron game is  ‘sinister’.  He also noted that he makes frequent trips to the Bay Area and spends quite a bit of time in Silicon Valley. Currently Mix-A-Lot is working on a new venture that will help artists who wish to enhance their own music studios. He talks about that new project in our interview..

Mix A lot will be performing at Yoshi’s in San Francisco this weekend..

Sir Mix-A-Lot ‘Posse on Broadway

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBPpy_SVV_0

Sir Mix -A-Lot ‘My Hooptie’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_F76ySzk48

What’s Jumping Off in Mali and Why We Should All Be Concerned?

Dawud Walid

Dawud Walid

There’s a been a lot of drama going on over in Mali and its spread over to Algeria..In the past few days, we’ve heard conflicting reports about hostages, retaliatory strikes to clandestine operations.. Everyone from Al Quada to NATO to our own military here in the US to France’s military are all in the mix.. With so much of our collective attention on scandals involving Lance Armstrong and  Notre Dame player Manti Teo’d its hard to get a grasp of whats going on..

We sat down w/ Dawud Walid of Council on American–Islamic Relations  (CAIR )-Michigan who’s been monitoring this ordeal and is very familiar with the country and many of its main players.. He described what’s going on as a proxy war with all sorts of countries from China to France to the US via its Africom policy all positioning themselves to raid the resources in Mali and in Africa in general.

He painstakingly details those connections and explains how the recent upheavals in Libya have now reverberated and impacted to what’s currently going on in Mali.

Lastly, Walid also talks to us about the importance of Mali historically and currently.. There’s a lot more than natural resources that are at stake and its such that every African-American and people in the world in general should be concerned. Timbuktu’s historic libraries are being raided and destroyed by extremists.. It’s serious and while its good the US media is paying some attention to the region, what they will leave out is the looting of Timbuktu..  Check out the conversation below..

Mali

Below is a recent briefing from and resource guide of sorts from the Green Party about Mali. Hopefully folks will find this useful..

Green Party of the US opposes military intervention in Mali, urges withdrawal of AFRICOM

• The Mali rebellion is blowback from the U.S./NATO ouster of Gaddafi from Libya; efforts to gain control of African resources (oil, uranium, etc.) and competition with China are driving miltiary policies disguised as War on Terrorism, say Greens

• Green Party Speakers Bureau: Greens available to speak on foreign policy: http://www.gp.org/speakers/speakers-foreign-policy.php

WASHINGTON, DC — The Obama Administration is pursuing policies in Africa that threaten regional stability and innocent populations, including military intervention in Mali and establishment of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), said Green Party leaders.

“AFRICOM represents a continuing escalation of U.S. military presence in Africa, imposing economic dependence, political domination, and control over the continent’s mineral and other resources. The U.S./NATO attack on Libya opened the door to further U.S. military actions in Africa. The African Union, which has 17,000 African troops in Somalia, is working for the U.S., under CIA direction. Meanwhile, the war in Congo continues, in which military forces on the Pentagon payroll have perpetrated the worst slaughter since World War II, while the U.S. has blocked efforts to hold the Rwandan government accountable for war crimes in the conflict,” said _______. (See “US Drones over the D.R.C.?” Ann Garrison interviews Maurice Carney, Executive Director of Friends of the Congo, KPFA, January 13, 2013, http://www.anngarrison.com/audio/us-drones-over-the-drc)

Under current plans, troops from the 1st Infantry Division will be sent to Africa to contain al-Qaeda in Mali, but also to conduct training programs, exercises, and operations in 35 countries and set the stage for future military intervention. The troops will have the capability to deploy drones in Africa, if given permission.

“The Obama Administration is using the situation in Mali as an opportunity to bring Africa under the U.S. sphere of influence — to block Chinese influence and win control over precious resources, which include oil, petroleum, diamonds, copper, gold, iron, cobalt, uranium, bauxite, silver, certain kinds of wood, and fruit. U.S. operations are justified by the White House as an extension of the War on Terror and fight against al-Qaeda. Unfortunately, the terror is suffered by Africans who face internal conflicts that are aggravated by U.S. meddling, funding for extremists and oppressive and corrupt regimes, and in some cases air assaults on their homes,” said _______.

Greens noted that the U.S./NATO assault on Libya and aid for Libyan rebels empowered radical Islamic movements to threaten neighboring countries. These include the Wahabi rebels in Mali, which are supported by the corrupt Wahabist royal family of Saudi Arabia, which is allied with the U.S. The north African rebel movements are receiving aid from countries outside Africa, including the U.S. France has its own neo-colonial interests in the region, especially access to uranium for French nuclear reactors.

The Obama Administration is thus playing a dangerous and reckless game with the lives of innocent Africans, with blowback that may threaten U.S. security. (See “Mali, Wahabis and Saudis; Following the Money Trail” by Thomas C. Mountain, Black Agenda Report, January 8, 2013, http://blackagendareport.com/content/mali-wahabis-and-saudis-following-money-trail).

The Green Party of the United States opposed President Obama’s military campaign in Libya, opposes intervention in Mali, and continues to promote constructive and humane engagement with African nations instead of imperial policies like AFRICOM, which was authorized by President Bush in 2007.

“The resistance to al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb — which gained more beachheads in Africa as a result of the U.S.-led ouster of Gaddafi — must take place in Africa, led by Africans, without U.S. interference, which will only cause greater damage,” said _______.

“Instead of exercising military might, the U.S. should work with African leaders to promote self-determination and independence and reverse the devastating effects of the West’s racist colonial legacy in Africa. A Green foreign policy regarding Africa would include closing of military bases, increased humanitarian assistance for developing countries, especially aid for the fights against AIDS and other diseases, trade pacts that encourage workers’ rights and a clean environment, and promotion of greenhouse gas emissions reductions that are parallel with reductions in the U.S., since many of the worst effects of climate changes will be felt in Africa,” said SAME PERSON.

See also:

“The Master as “Guest”: The U.S. Military Swarms Over Africa” by Glen Ford, Black Agenda Report, January 8, 2013
http://blackagendareport.com/content/master-%E2%80%9Cguest%E2%80%9D-us-military-swarms-over-africa

“Susan Rice’s defense of Kagame in Congo puts Obama State Department on the defensive” by Ann Garrison, San Francisco Bay View, December 19, 2012, http://sfbayview.com/2012/susan-rices-defense-of-kagame-in-congo-puts-obama-state-department-on-the-defensive/

“The Geopolitical Reordering of Africa: US Covert Support to Al Qaeda in Northern Mali, France ‘Comes to the Rescue’: NATO funding, arming, while simultaneously fighting Al Qaeda from Mali to Syria” by Tony Cartalucci, Global Research, January 15, 2013
http://www.globalresearch.ca/geopolitical-reordering-and-dirty-tricks-us-covert-support-to-al-qaeda-in-northern-mali-france-comes-to-the-rescue/5318614

“Pentagon planning for multinational military operation in Mali”, The Washington Post, December 5, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/apvu7sq
“U.S. weighs military support for France’s campaign against Mali militants”, The Washington Post, December 15, 2013
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-weighs-military-support-for-frances-campaign-against-mali-militants/2013/01/15/a071db40-5f4d-11e2-b05a-605528f6b712_story.html

“Admin Aids French Bombing of Mali After U.S.-Trained Forces Join Rebels in Uranium-Rich Region” (transcript), Democracy Now!, January 15, 2013
http://www.democracynow.org/2013/1/15/admin_aids_french_bombing_of_mali#transcript

HKR… Our intv w/ Educator-Poet Mark Gonzales about the Sandy Hook School Shootings in Newtown

Mark Gonzales

Mark Gonzales

There is so much to say about the massacre took place this past Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Ct. There’s a lot to say about gun violence and the long history it has here in America. There’s a lot to say about mental health and mental illness. There’s a lot to say about how we as a society treat children. How protected are they really?

There’s a lot to say about this tragedy from the perspective of people of color and other marginalized communities. We sat down with scholar, educator and poet Mark Gonzales to have an in-depth discussion about Sandy Hook and how to situate this in the context of other world events..

This is an incredible interview that covers a lot of ground and is extremely insightful..

To here the Hard Knock Radio Interview click the link below

Hard Knock Radio logo

Dhoruba Bin Wahad: What Do We Do Now that Barack Obama is Re-Elected?

Hard Knock Radio logoIt’s always a pleasure to chop it up with author, former Black Panther and political prisoner Dhoruba bin Wahad. His political insights and analysis are always astute as he challenges us to not settle for anything less than justice for those who are oppressed.  Because of Dhoruba’s sharpness, we had to include him in our post-election series of  ‘Where Do We Do Now That Barack Obama Is Re-Elected?‘  He did not disappoint..

Below is our Hard knock Radio interview w/ Dhoruba Bin Wahad..

As you listen to the interview, here’s some background. The opening of our interview starts off with an excerpt from a landmark speech Dhoruba gave in the summer of 2008 at the National Hip Hop Political Convention in Las Vegas. We dubbed ‘A Message to the Hip Hop Grassroots‘.  Here Dhoruba talked at length about a 30 year attempt by far right forces in this country to consolidate power and dismantle gains made under the New Deal and later the Civil Rights Movementt.

Dhoruba Bin WahadDhoruba talked about the rise of a police state where the stripping of constitutional rights would seem normal to a beleaguered population. He also talked about what sort of things we could expect  slave ascends to the slave masters house including increased oppression not just from outside forces angry at a Blackening and Browning America, but also from President Obama himself and interests he represents.  Dhoruba notes that Obama is part of a larger scenario (the American Empire) where Black faces are used to get the masses to buy back into an imperialistic system versus oppose it..

Below is part of the 2008 speech  Message to the Hip Hop Grassroots.. We had the music and historic sound clips to enhance what Dhoruba was speaking about…

Glen Ford: Susan Rice’s Political Legacy-‘Genocide in Africa on Her Watch’

Hard Knock Radio logoOver the past couple of weeks there’s been a lot of controversy surrounding UN Ambassador Susan Rice. She’s been under fire, accused of misleading the American public about the circumstances that led up to the slaughter 4 Americans including Libyan Ambassador Christopher Stevens in Benghazi, Libya on September 11th of this year.

Hard Knock Radio weighed in on this issue with an insightful conversation featuring long time journalist Glen Ford of the Black Agenda Report….He breaks down the political legacy of Rice and whats she’s been about long before most of us were introduced to her via the work she’s done under President Obama..

click the link below to listen to the HKR interview w/ Glen Ford on Susan Rice

Susan Rice

Susan Rice

As you listen to the interview here’s a little bit of background. ..Rice was the point person on Sunday morning talk shows in the days that followed those attacks, where she emphatically explained that attacks was the result of enraged Muslims reacting to an obscure anti-Muslim Youtube movie produced in the US. Below is one of those TV appearances she made that has now become the basis for this recent controversy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxf77xQ_NLU

Since that interview, we have come to know that the official story is it was in fact an act of terror carried out by Al Qaeda operatives. Many have questioned how Rice was so off on her assessment. It’s been determined that the intelligence around the Benghazi attacks being the work of terrorists at the time Rice spoke, was classified information. It was kept classified as to not tip-off the assailants. That realization has not calmed President Obama’s political rivals including Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, who have come out swinging, threatening to block Rice’s anticipated nomination to be the next Secretary of State.

John McCain

John McCain

The crassness of McCain and Graham along with right-wing political pundits has led many to see their harsh criticisms of Rice as racially motivated political sour grapes. This in turn has led to many women’s groups and civil rights organizations circling the wagon determined to back Rice to the hilt. That in turn has led to many overlooking or remaining unaware of Rice’s political legacy.

Long time journalist Glen Ford has been following the career of Susan Rice for over 15 years. He’s well aware of her track record and the roles she played when she worked under Bill Clinton all the way up to now. In our Hard Knock radio interview (HKR) Ford gives a very detailed no holds bar breakdown of Rice and the type of impact she and the policies she’s championed have had on countries like Rwanda, Sudan,  Somalia, Libya and the Congo.

When asked what word comes to mind when he here’s the name Susan Rice, Glen Ford responded ‘Genocide’.  In a recent column penned by Ford titled A Second Wave of Genocide..he notes;

Susan Rice has abetted the Congo genocide for much of her political career. Appointed to President Bill Clinton’s National Security Council in 1993, at age 28, she rose to assistant secretary of state for African affairs in 1997 as Rwanda and Uganda were swarming across the eastern Congo, seizing control of mineral resources amid a sea of blood. She is known to be personally close to Rwanda’s minority Tutsi leadership, including President Paul Kagame, a ruthless soldier trained at the U.S. Army’s Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and mentored by Ugandan strongman (and Reagan administration favorite) Yoweri Museveni, who is believed to have pioneered the use of child soldiers in modern African conflicts.

GlenfordFord also writes:

Rice is widely credited with convincing Obama to launch NATO’s bombing campaign for regime change in Libya. She parroted false media reports that Muammar Gaddafi’s troops were raping Libyan women with the aid of massive gulps of Viagra, refusing to back down even when U.S. military and intelligence officials told NBC news “there is no evidence that Libyan military forces have been given Viagra and engaging in systematic rape against women in rebel areas.” Yet, Rice said not a word about ethnic cleansing and racial pogroms against black Libyans and sub-Saharan African migrant workers, including the well-documented erasure of the black city of Tawergha.

In our interview Ford describes Susan Rice as some one who is more hawkish and ‘thuggish’ then Condoleezza Rice who served under George Bush. He notes its an act of betrayal for Black leadership to back her nomination in lieu of her track record. Ford notes many have reacted to in such a way that perceived racial comments are more important to push back on than the genocide of millions of people in Africa on Rice’s watch. You can peep the interview by clicking the link at the beginning of this article

HKR: What’s Behind the Unrest in Libya-Is It Really Over an Offensive Film?

Yesterday (HKR) Hard Knock Radio sat down w/ Dawud Walid who heads up the CAIR (Council on American Islamic Relations) chapter in Michigan to talk about the tragic events that have unfolded in Libya. The death of ambassador Chris Stevens and 3 other state department officials has made headlines all over the world. In this interview we sought to answer, ‘Is all the hoopla really about an obscure offensive movie or is there more to the puzzle’?  As offensive as this film may be why would demonstrations against it turn to deadly violence?

Walid gives us a brief history and context about the events that have transpired in Libya over the past year. He notes the intervention by NATO and the US  wasn’t a humanitarian effort as was stated, instead it was more along the lines of Regime Change.. With that in mind, what ever attacks levied on the US Embassy has got to be seen from that perspective.. Walid explains this in greater detail.

Walid also gives us a run down of the forces that may be behind the offensive film. He notes it’s not just one lone film director (Sam Bacile) with an axe to grind against Islam, nor is this the first time an inflammatory film has been released trashing Islam. Walid points out the extremist anti Muslim pro-Occupation Zionist forces who in the past have deliberately sought to inflame tensions in the region and have long used propaganda pieces like this movie to achieve that end.. He suspects that connection exists here..Below is a trailer to this film which was shot in California.. It should be noted that the several of the actors in this film have spoken out condemning the film stating they had no idea of the offensive contents. The script given to them did not add up to the final product.

The other question raised is why didn’t the State Department get out ahead of this film and distance itself and give folks a heads up? The film’s trailer was posted on line back in July..Given the sensitivity and diplomatic experience we have with folks in the region, why wasn’t there a pre-emptive briefing?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAiOEV0v2RM

In listening to this interview and seeing the events further unfold, what’s not lost on me was being at the DNC in Charlotte a couple of weeks ago and seeing that large crowd of political leaders cheer over and over and chant USA USA as everyone from Vice President Joe Biden to Senator John Kerry emphasized how they killed Osama Bin Laden. We’ve long been told and as a country have often insisted that we not cheer death even if we feel that death was justified. It’s bad seed to plant especially when at look at the latest uproar and this incident and believe the updated information from the state department that the attacks on the Embassy were planned and came from al-Qaeda.

Here’s our HKR interview with Dawud Walid..