Archives for 2012

Music Notes: First we wanna pay respects and offer condolences to the passing of a Hip Hop legend Ms Ramona Parker aka Ms Melodie. Sadly until yesterday she was written out of the minds of many Hip Hop fans who forgot her being one of the first commercially released female emcees.

She was a powerful figure who rolled w/ the BDP (Boogie Down Productions)Crew. Some suggested she was put on because she was married to Blastmaster KRS-One, but Ms Melodie could spit flows with the best.

Her best shining moments was the bars she spit on the landmark song Self-Destruction and her signature song ‘Live on Stage‘… My personal favorite was off the Diva album.. the Soul Train inspired Remember When ? .Ms Melodie will be missed..along with icons like Donna Summers, MCA and Chuck Brown who we also lost this year..

Brother Ali got arrested over some real beef.. Beef with bankers

Props go out to Minneapolis artist Brother Ali for getting himself arrested a couple of weeks ago. No Ali wasn’t doing the Chris brown/ Drake number and tossing bottles in a club. He got arrested for standing up and helping Occupy a House that was scheduled to be foreclosed on by greedy bankers. That’s who we need to be tossing bottles at. bankers who have made record profits and yet still insist on fraudulently foreclosing on homes.

In this recent case, the Cruz family in Minneapolis attempted to make a payment online, which the bank refused. This triggered the bank to impose a two month fine, which the family couldn’t pay which then led to foreclosing proceedings. Such tactic are not unusual and in this particular case, lots of folks came out to help the family keep their home. One of them was Brother Ali who wound up being charged with trespassing when he refused to walk away and let the bankers keep the house.

This week we have a couple of joints featuring this hard-hitting Rhymesayer including ‘Shine On‘ featuring him and singer Nikki Jean and Living Under Seige‘ featuring his label mate I Self Devine.

Since we’re on the conscious tip, I wonder if San Francisco rapper Dregs One will show up at Oakland’s Fox Theater this Monday and perform his song ‘Letter to the President‘ which is a scathing critique of the president and some key issues he dropped the ball on. Dregs has been making a lot of noise both as a rapper and a commentator. He goes around with a camera and gives these great on the street commentaries called the Wake Up Report, like this one he did on gentrification.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJdcU-4cqQ8

Lord Finesse

Moving along, many of y’all have heard about the beef between legendary producer Lord Finesse and Mac Miller, the up and coming superstar out of Pittsburgh.. For those who don’t know, Finesse is suing Mac Miller for $10 million because Miller used the beat to his song ‘Hip 2 Da Game‘ for a mixtape song he titled ‘Kool Aid & Frozen Pizza‘.

I gotta be honest, I ain’t feeling the lawsuit.. In fact I think it’s wack for a number of reasons. We can start with how the music industry got lawsuit happy when it came to Hip Hop artists and went way overboard with licensing, regulating samples and just being anal over who owns a particular beat or riff. At the end of the day the music industry established a lucrative cottage industry that made a whole lot of non-music makers rich, while really short-changing and many cases handcuffed not just Hip Hop artists, but musicians in general.

When I heard Finesse wanted to sue Miller for using his 15-year-old song for a mixtape, I couldn’t separate his actions from that of record executive Aaron Fuchs of Tuff America music who came under fire when he went after the Beastie Boys in a lawsuit for music used in their landmark album Paul’s Boutique just days after MCA passed. many of us thought his behavior was mad shady.

Mac Miller

One would hate to see Finesse as shady, but its hard not to when it appears he’s going for a big payday vs defending some sort of egregious violation of his art..

From what it appears Finesse is upset for a couple of reasons. First, he wasn’t credited for his creation and two, even though it was a mixtape which was given away for free, Miller was able to make money off the song via his Youtube account which had 20 million views. I say tough shyt.. Unless folks rapping over the beats to your song is a big issue, then I say brush it off and move on….As Hip Hoppers I say lets find another way to work these things out..

With respect to Lord Finesse, one might ask ‘did he give proper credit and share money with the late Oscar Peterson who he sample?’ Did he have Peterson come on tour, play live on any future creations? Did he shout out his name and make his music known to folks far and wide back in ’95 when he dropped the song?

I’d be the first to argue that Finesse did what good musicians have always done.. He took a creation, flipped and made a name for himself off it. I understand that and accept it as a being part of Hip Hop.. However, over the years I’ve come to know and see the discomfort and unhappiness many musicians from past generations felt when they heard their music sampled and they didn’t get not even a handshake.. Many in my generation have been pretty callous and have literally told those elders, they ought to be happy because they were having their music exposed to new generations.. ironically, that’s pretty much what Miller been about when it comes to Finesse. He feels he’s exposing the DITC producer to a new generation of rap fans..Maybe he is, maybe he isn’t..

Both Miller and Finesse owe Oscar Peterson some props

At the end of the day, I think Mac Miller’s fan got to know about Lord Finesse about as much as we who came up on Lord Finesse got to know about Oscar Peterson and any other music great he sampled. In other words we didn’t.. The name of the game for both Finesse and Miller was to create something for themselves. Finesse being a producer, flipped Peterson’s work and made a tight beat that he later used on his album. His end game was to show off his producer skillz..

Miller used Finesse’s beat for a mixtape where his goal was to show off his rhyme skillz. He wasn’t making beats. he was showing off his lyrics. so its ridiculous to somehow expect Miller to have flipped the beat like Finesse. Now if Miller bit rhymes from Finesse or Big L who Miller admired, then I could see the beef.

As for folks making money off the song.. In 2012 both Miller and Finesse have access to Youtube to exploit their works. Just so happens Miller got 20 million fans who probably could care less about the beat and were interested in what Miller had to say.. Yes, Miller may have gotten money from Youtube, but it’s not like Finesse doesn’t have access to the same outlets where he could post his work and get paid. In Hip Hop we have long jacked beats for our own come up projects.. We can’t get upset when someone snatches a 15-year-old song.. same way we didn’t want Peterson or any other artist upset with Finesse when he used their 15, 20-year-old songs.

In any case I think moving forward artist should develop some sort of code of conduct.. It would’ve been nice if Miller shouted out Finesse, included him in a video or had him produce a future track.. That’s a way to pay homage and give exposure. It’d be nice if Finesse did something for all the musicians he sampled. Maybe do a song with them or very deliberately expose them and their works to his wide fan base. Perhaps do a project with Peterson’s family..Don’t emulate and become like the industry executives who messed up the industry by suing everyone.. Miller and Finesse can come up with innovative ways to resolve their concerns and set a standard for others to follow. That’s my 3 cents..

Nas has just released one of his best albums ever..

As for this week’s chart, other highlights for the week are Nas‘ song ‘Daughters‘. His new album..Life is Good delivers on so many levels.. Nas is by far one of the best of the best and this is one of his best albums ever.. Songs like Stay produced by Large Professor and Where’s the love are works of brilliance.. Nas keeps improving his flow as he gets older.. .

Jasiri X of Pittsburgh is on fire with two songs we featured on this week’s chart including a great remake of Notorious BIG’s classic cut 10 Crack Commandments .. This is called 10 Frisk Commandments . The other song making noise is a militant anti-police brutality song called ‘Do We Need to Start a Riot?‘

If you’re not up on Chilean born emcee Ana Tijoux you need to be..Homegirl routinely sells out shows and kills it on the mic with every song and every performance. She’s been on the east coast in New York and Boston wooing large crowds.. She’s also been keeping her finger on the pulse by addressing key social issues. For example, in Chile there have been huge student led protests around the issue of education and proposed cuts.. Ana gets busy with this video and song called ‘Shock‘ The song is big in Chile..

She recently went to Arizona and was appalled at whats been going on around the issue of immigration and SB 1070. Hence Ana did a an acoustic reworking version of her hit song to address the issues facing Brown communities in Arizona.. props for stepping up and representing..

written by Davey D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkvgAXkd7yM

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Filed Under: 2012 Daily News Tagged With: Brother Ali, Jasiri X, lord Finesse, Mac Miller, Miller vs Finesse, Ms melodie, Ms melodie Davey D top 21 charts, Music Notes

The 10 Frisk Commandments & Other Songs Fighting Against Police Brutality

July 18, 2012 By mrDaveyd

I love when Hip Hop steps up and flips classic songs to fit a modern-day scenario.. In this case its Stop and Frisk… props to Pittsburgh artist Jasiri X and comedian/activist Elon James White for this joint called 10 Frisk Commandments.. It’s a play on Biggie’s infamous cut Ten Crack Commandments..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhHYN7uw3AM

On another tip..Here’s a couple of other songs addressing the issue of police violence and how and why we should stand up against it.. The first is a video to the song Do We Need to Start a Riot by Jasiri X It was filmed in several cities including LA where Henry Rollings one of the LA 4 from the 1992 Rodney King rebellions showed up and gave a few words.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcSm6EX1coo

The other song is from Bronx based Rebel Diaz who did a song and video called Stop! Stop and Frisk..which addresses the issue and shows folks in the Bronx demonstrating against out of control police..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-duTrV9hSg

The other is from Killer Mike who talks about the police and their No Knock warrants and what would happen if they tried that on him.. The name of the song is ‘Don’t Die‘

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ze1_vkSyPDY

Filed Under: 2012 Daily News Tagged With: Hip Hop, Jasiri X, Killer Mike, New York City, New York City Police Department, Police brutality, rap music, Rebel Diaz

Mayor Ed Lee Clarifies his position on Stop & Frisk Policy In San Francisco

July 17, 2012 By mrDaveyd

In recent days SF Mayor Ed ‘Emperor’ Lee has come under fire about his public admiration of New York City’s infamous Stop and Frisk Police..The idea that he might adapt that policy led to a series of angry denouncements, demonstrations, lots of emails and phone calls to his office. Topping all of this was this recent stinging rebuke from Glen Ford of the Black Agenda Report..

MAYOR LEE’S STATEMENT CLARIFYING “STOP & FRISK POLICY”
AND SAN FRANCISCO

Mayor Ed Lee

Mayor Edwin M. Lee today issued the following statement on San Francisco and “Stop and Frisk Policy”:

“The month of June in San Francisco experienced a spike in shootings and homicides in our Southeast
neighborhoods. This is unacceptable and while I take this issue extremely seriously, I want to be clear that I
have not considered implementing a policy in San Francisco that would violate anyone’s constitutional rights or
that would result in racial profiling. I have stated that I am willing to look at what other cities are doing to
reduce gun violence, including cities like New York and Philadelphia that both have stop and frisk programs.

I have been meeting with community leaders, have attended services to meet with congregants and have met
with law enforcement about this issue. We share grave concerns about gun violence and its disproportionate
impact on communities of color and youth in San Francisco. We need to do more.

Public safety can only be achieved through collaboration and partnership between law enforcement and the
communities we all serve. Community policing and community development efforts have important roles to
play in the prevention of violence, and I will continue to meet with community leaders and faith based
organizations to advance these priorities.

I want to be very clear. As a former human rights director and civil rights attorney, I hold the individual
protections afforded to us all under the 4th Amendment as sacrosanct. As we continue our discussions to reduce
violence and get guns out of our communities, I will not support, nor will I put forward any proposal that will
violate any such protections, but I am willing to move forward with bold ideas that get to results.

I will continue to work with the community to end gun violence in San Francisco.”

7.17.12 Clarifying Stop & Frisk Policy Statement

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Filed Under: 2012 Daily News Tagged With: Ed lee, gun violence, Racial profiling, San Francisco, San Francisco mayor, Stop and Frisk

AeroSoul3 Healing the Hood from Khemet 2 Aztlan (Hip Hop Pioneers Return to the Bay)

July 10, 2012 By mrDaveyd

Refa One

Bay Area legend Refa One is no joke when it comes to fighting for the people in our community. He is uncompromising in the face of white supremacy and oppression. He’s clear about holding himself and all of us in the community accountable when it comes to setting fast and hard guidelines for the youth he works with to follow.

When there’s a problem in the hood, Refa is not one to sit around waiting for the Mayor, the NAACP or some other messianic leader to come along and solve it. He and the Northstar Zulu Nation chapter he rolls with are quick to step up and show and prove.They show love.. Demonstrate skillz and speak to the importance of connecting back to the essence of who we are as a people and what Hip Hop ultimately is..

“Youngstas on the block should not have to go downtown and leave the neighborhood to see artist put in work designed to address issues and bring about social change”.. Refa would often say. He notes its important that him and others stay rooted in the hood and be visible to the community when they do their work. Over the years its made a difference. Places where Refa and his crew have painted have been claimed by the community as respected spaces where folks can gather and be free of drama.

Last year he brought several dozen African-American graf pioneers from NY and all over the world for AeroSoul 2. their goal was to build and work on ways to take back our neighborhoods and redirect Hip Hop culture which they felt was hijacked and misdirected by corporate interests..Aerosoul 3 is set to jump off this week.. It has abigger goal of not only using art to touch the masses and help heal, but also to connect and build bridges to various Black and Brown communities all over.. Hence the name from Khemet to Aztlan..

We got a chance to sit down and talk w/ Refa as well a Docta, a well-known artist from Senegal. Here’s our convo which aired on Hard Knock Radio.. In this interview you hear incredible music from Bay Area legend Bas1. Later this week we’ll be speaking with some of the pioneering graf writers out of NY..

For more info go to website where you can watch the trailer

http://www.refa1.com/1/post/2012/06/refa-one-feature-artist-in-aerosoul-3july-13th-2012.html

Below is information Refa posted about the historic gathering of AeroSoul 3

That’s right ‘chall… AeroSoul, the world’s most comprehensive body of work focusing on the African/Black experience in Spray Can Writing Culture is coming to San Francisco California this summer July 13th-15th.

The Exhibit will break historical ground at the prestigious African-American Art & Culture Complex in San Francisco’s Fillmore district. 2012 marks the 3rd year for this annual Pan-African Spray Can Art Festival.

AeroSoul 3, “From Khemet to Aztlan” will feature a body of work accentuating the African presence in art from Ancient Africa to the early African presence in the western hemisphere through the style lens of HipHop Calligraphy and iconography. This collection work and artifacts will represent some of the worlds most skilled muralist and illustrators in the African Diaspora.

AeroSoul3 will chart the historic evolution of Spray Can Writing Culture from it’s East Coast (New York City/Philadelphia) origins to it’s style successors world-wide through the narrative of the African experience. Artist from across the United States, Europe and West Africa will converge for this annual festival to celebrate the African Legacy in Spray Can Writing Culture as well as joining together to paint a Mural in the tradition of the HipHop genre. The Gallery exhibit will run a full 6 month period from July 2012-February 2013.

During the Opening weekend an Artist panel from around the globe as well as representatives from different dynastic periods will speak about the state of the art and their rich experience. This year AeroSoul 3 is proud present the Youth edition of the exhibit that will run congruently at the AAACC.

The Youth show will highlight the young and upcoming masters of the craft that have been engaged in programs provided by AeroSoul Art instructors. The AeroSoul line up is very impressive this year with a cast of writers from NewYorks 1970’s & 80’s era, Riff170, Slave TF5, Butch2,Tean TMT, Kade TMT,Chain3,Skeme, Shame125, Sak MBT, and Soon1 to name a few. Mark your calendars folks, this historic event to promote the legacy of writing culture and end youth violence through art is not to be missed. For more info go towww.AeroSoulArt.com and www.AAACC.org

HipHop Lives!

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Filed Under: 2012 Daily News Tagged With: AeroSoul3, African Diaspora, Grafitti, hiphop, Refa One

Jasiri X Releases New Song addressing MXGM Report Police Violence against African-Americans

July 9, 2012 By mrDaveyd

People are buzzing about the explosive report that was just released by the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement which showed the increased rate of police violence against African-Americans.. The report which is titled Report on Extrajudicial Killings shows that every 40 hours an African-American is shot and killed by police..Since the brutal slaying of Trayvon Martin police have shot and killed over 80 African-Americans.. Cities like New York, Atlanta and Dallas are the leading the charge with officers killing Blacks..

You can read the article we wrote on this topic HERE

Pittsburgh rapper Jasiri X who was recently in Oakland and LA shooting a video and attending a special gathering put together by the family of Oscar Grant for mothers who lost loved ones to the police just released a song addressing this issue of increased police violence.. Its called ‘Riot‘

Jasiri X

Another song folks may wanna check out that speaks to the high police shooting rate in New York and Atlanta is off the new album by Killer Mike called Anywhere But Here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_nVBo8T6yE

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Filed Under: 2012 Daily News Tagged With: African American, Extrajudicial killing, Jasiri X, Malcolm X Grassotts Movement, Riot

Explosive Report from MXGM Reveals: Every 40 hours Police in the US Kill a Black Person

July 9, 2012 By mrDaveyd

Some of the families of loved ones slain by police in Northern California

This past weekend at Everett & Jones restaurant in Jack London Square, there was a gathering of more than 10 mothers and members of their family who have all lost sons, daughters and husbands to police violence over the past 2 years…It was sobering, powerful and healing. It was also shocking to see so many families and hear story after story of how they lost loved ones to police terror. We heard from the mothers of Kenneth Harding, Derick Jones, Derrick Gaines, Rahiem Brown Jr, James Rivera and Oscar Grant..all gunned down by police.

The families came together for the second anniversary of Oscar Grant Verdict Day.. This was the day that a jury in Los Angeles, handed down their controversial decision about Johannes Mehserle, the killer cop who shot an unarmed handcuffed Oscar Grant in the back at point-blank range in front of hundreds of BART subway riders in Oakland, Ca on New Years morning 2009. Millions of people all over the world saw the shocking video and just knew that Mehersle would go to jail for a long time over his egregious actions.

On July 8th 2010, the LA jury came back with a verdict of involuntary manslaughter which left thousands of people who had gathered in downtown Oakland stunned. Adding insult to injury, the Grant verdict was overshadowed by another ‘controversial decision’ being made that day-What basketball team NBA star Lebron James would choose. Many in the national media gave their time and attention to James and the NBA while folks in Oakland and the Bay Area were left pondering the injustice that was served before them after 18 long months of organizing and jumping over legal hurdle after legal hurdle.

Many that day walked away thinking that while the verdict was unjust that hopefully police got the message and would change their ways. There would be more caution and concern exercised by police departments, not just in Oakland, but all over the country. This weekends gathering was proof that if anything the Grant verdict emboldened police to act with reckless abandon.

Unarmed Rekia Boyd was shot in the head by a Chicago Cop

Instead of a decline in police violence we seen a marked increase. Since the Grant verdict day, we’ve seen an outrageous 680 thousand people stopped and frisked in New York with over 90% of those stops being Black and Brown men with less than 5% resulting in any weapons recovered. Stop and Frisk led to the shooting death of unarmed Ramarley Graham We’ve seen police shoot a motorist Hernendez L Dowdy in Memphis, Tn after someone falsely accused him of car jacking. We’ve seen police in Pasadena shoot 19-year-old Kendrec McDade falsely accused of stealing a computer. We seen an officer in Chicago shoot an innocent bystander named Rekia Boyd after he mistakenly thought the man standing next to her had a gun.. We seen police in White Plains New York shoot unarmed army vet, a senior citizen named Kenneth Chamberlain Sr.. who accidently set off his medical alert pendant. The officer at the center of the killing has a sordid history of brutality and racism. .. We seen Oakland police shoot high school senior Alan Bluford in the back and then lie about the self-inflicted wound the officer suffered. He shot himself and blamed Bluford. OPD has still refused to officially identify the officer.

We could go on for days citing story after story along with the fact that in many cities all over the United States police brutality incidents and police killing civilians are on the rise..For example, in Los Angeles which was supposed to have drastically reformed their police department, we seen a huge increase in police shootings. The department tried to blame it on citizens attacking them more. That assertion has since been disputed.Whats crazy about LA is that police pushed to get the city council to support a law that will keep officers records sealed from the public.

The bottom line is this.. Police are out of control and when it comes to Black people they are even more so..Today the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement released a Report on Extrajudicial Killings …Its pretty detailed and extensive.. It shows that since Jan 1 2012 , they have documented 110 Black people being killed. That amounts to one Black person being killed by police every 40 hours.. Since the shooting death of Trayvon Martin police and shot and killed over 80 Black people..This is outrageous and unacceptable..

Here’s the official press release and links to the report..

“Report on Extrajudicial Killings of 110 Black People since January 1st, 2012.”

Every 40 hours in the United States one Black woman, man or child is killed by police, and by a smaller number of security guards and self-appointed vigilantes. These are the startling findings of a new Report on Extrajudicial Killings of Black People released July 9, 2012.

What motivated the round-the-clock research for this new Report? More than two years ago, on New Year’s Eve, police killed two innocent men: Oscar Grant in Oakland, Adolph Grimes in New Orleans and shot Robert Tolan in a Houston suburb. Based on research started in 2009 after those murders, we learned there were a lot more killings that had not yet been uncovered. Then, after Trayvon’s murder, there was a huge public outcry and a few headlines about more killings. More grieving families and more calls for investigation. Further research became urgent and it demonstrated that Trayvon’s death was not an isolated tragedy. Between January 1, 2012 and June 30, 2012, at least 110 Black people were killed by police and their “deputies”.

“Any one of these people killed could have been my son or your husband or daughter”, says Arlene Eisen, member of the Malcolm X Solidarity Committee and co-author of the Report.

Rosa Clemente of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement elaborates, “Nowhere is a Black woman or man safe from racial profiling, invasive policing, constant surveillance, and overriding suspicion. All Black people – regardless of education, class, occupation, behavior or dress – are subject to the whims of the police in this epidemic of state initiated or condoned violence.”

The Report, produced by the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement (MXGM) and the “No More Trayvon Martins” campaign, is part of a larger effort. Kali Akuno, MXGM member and report co-author explained, “The Report shows how people of African descent remain subjected to institutionalized racist policies and procedures that arbitrarily stop, frisk, arrest, brutalize and even execute Black people. The killing will continue despite calls for investigations and lawsuits. We urge people to read this Report and join us in demanding that the Obama administration implement a National Plan of Action for Racial Justice to stop these killings and other human rights violations being committed by the government”.

To read the report visit www.mxgm.org. For information on the petition visit http://www.ushrnetwork.org/content/webform/trayvon-martin-petition.

Jasiri X

On Tuesday July 10th we will be doing a special broadcast on 94.1 fm KPFA at 8am PST.. www.kpfa.org This broadcast will include members of MXGM as well as family members who lost loved ones to police violence.. There will also be information on upcoming actions to take place around police violence. We will also be premiering a new song from Pittsburgh rapper Jasiri X called Riot which addresses the police violence and this report..

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Filed Under: 2012 Daily News Tagged With: Alan Bluford, BART Police shooting of Oscar Grant, Every 40 Hours, Kenneth Chamberlain Sr, malcolm X Grassroots Movement, Oscar Grant, Police brutality, Ramarley Graham, Rekia Boyd, Rosa clemente, Stop and Frisk

A Few Thoughts on Frank Ocean ‘Coming Out’ -Don’t Forget Those Who Came Before Him

July 5, 2012 By mrDaveyd

As Frank Ocean steps up and talks about being a bi-sexual, all sorts of folks are reacting and proving that no matter what folks say or think, there is still a fascination with the sexual preference of those who entertain us… On one level we can unpack that and ask whats really going here? It’s not like gay folks haven’t been around.. There’s something about gays in Hip Hop that touches a cord with folks..This more than most other topics seems deeply personal and each person will eventually have to grapple with why this garners strong reaction..

In Hip Hop and the music industry in general, we’ve long had folks with ‘colorful’ backgrounds. Some sold drugs. Others have been members of gangs. Some have been wife beaters, while others have murdered. And while I would never equate being gay w/ being ‘criminal’ or one expressing their sexuality with the activities mentioned above, it’s interesting to note how so many of us don’t seem to have the same fascination or supposed concern about what I mentioned vs Frank Ocean’s revelations. Him coming out should never have been a big deal. Sadly it is because there’s been a climate of intolerance, which makes someone speaking or expressing their personal truth in this arena noteworthy and in some instances even dangerous.

Frank Ocean

While its good that there are many who have publicly stated they don’t have a problem, they aren’t tripping and have given Frank Ocean kudos, there are still those who express anger, outrage while going all Biblical on folks… They are quick to tell you all about God’s commandments, ‘universal laws’ and what’s ‘natural’ and ‘unnatural’. The contradiction is their deafening silence and in many cases acceptance of other acts and actions that seem to go against such laws and Biblical tenets. We can rap along and dance to misogyny, incarceration and other pathologies that compromise our collective humanity, but then wanna say the sky is falling because we have a LGBT community. The selective intolerance makes no sense.

With respect to those praising Frank Ocean for coming out there’s a few things to keep in mind. First, lets recognize that there have been LGBT folks in Hip Hop for a very long time.. many are framing this as the first time someone in Hip Hop has ‘come out’.. Frank may arguably be one of the most well known, but that shouldn’t erase history. There are many LGBT artists and practioners who proceeded Ocean who are very outspoken and doing quite well for themselves in this culture called Hip Hop. Some are authors. Some are professors. Some are bloggers.. Some are program directors at major radio stations that play your records..Some are incredible organizers who speak out daily to injustices around them.. Most can rock a mic, rock the tables, hit up a wall or execute dope dance moves with the best of them..I think its important that we don’t rewrite history or ignore their tremendous contributions as they’ve been breaking serious ground for minute..

DJ Page Hodel is a ground breaking DJ on many fronts here in the Bay Area

Here in the Bay Area you had to be sleeping under a rock to not know about DJ Page Hodel who is openly Gay and pioneering figure. She was one of the first women nationally to do a mix show on commercial radio (KSOL)..We’re talking about mid 80s. She was no joke on the tables.. She threw a weekly club called The Box was to this day the longest running Hip Hop spot the Bay Area has ever had…It survived at a time when local police were aggressive about shutting down Hip Hop clubs and concerts. The Box was legendary, was always packed and was a place where many records were broken.. The mostly LGBT crowd was racially mixed and defied the stereotypes of who was into Hip Hop and who wasn’t. Hearing Page rock the tables was a treat, she used to rock a lot of joints that at the time had a harder edge. From 2 Live Crew to Big Daddy Kane, to Marley Marl to NWA and all the dope underground stuff..

Also on the radio in the 80s, was an openly gay cat named Dave Moss who was the Hip Hop buyer for the largest Tower Records in San Francisco. He had a lot of sway as to what records would be exposed to the buying public and he did not disappoint..He was true to the culture. On air Moss was a beast. Whereas Page was prime time coming on at 5 in the afternoon, Moss was featured late nights on then emerging KMEL which would eventually become KSOL’s rival. Moss was allowed to dig deep in the crates and had everyone checking for him as he would rock vintage break beats and unreleased test pressings of everyone from Public Enemy to KRS-One.. Moss would later go onto to be an A&R rep for Profile Records which was home to Run DMC.. Also around that same time you had well respected deejays who were part of the LGBT community but did huge Hip Hop parties at straight clubs like DJ Blackstone and Neon Leon. As KMEL itself emerged to be one of the most influential Hip Hop stations in the country, during its hey days in the early to mid 90s, you had quite a few programmers and deejays within the LGBT community who played key roles helping break and exposing Hip Hop. Quite a few very popular Hip Hop acts owe their commercial success to some LGBT folks who embraced and pushed their music on those airwaves.

In the 90s we had Rainbow Flava a queer Hip Hop group that was breaking ground and making noise..They used to do some big parties, the name of their monthly event escapes me.. By 2000 out of Oakland, we had the forming of DDC (Deep Dickollective ) with founding members Juba Kalamka, Tim’m T. West and Phillip Atiba Goff. They busted on the scene battling as they took on the folks from the spoken word scene and began mocking what they saw as pretentious posturing.They came to the table with keen intellect, skillz and brazen attitudes that demanded respect.

Pioneering group Deep Dickollective (DDC)

They used the name Deep Dickollective because there was a popular women’s spoken word group called Punany Poets and it was a good way to bring queerness to the center of the stage.. I recall Juba noting they didn’t want there to be any mistakes or misinterpretations..It was important for those cats to purposely hit Hip Hop’s third rail in the spirit of whoo-riding and taking space if none was given. They were all about challenging ‘lazy thinking about race, homosexuality and identity’..

Over the next 10 years DDC would encompass more members in a Wu-Tang like fashion.. In addition Kalamka, West and Goff, DDC also had Jeree Brown, Rashad Pridgen, Leslie Taylor, Ryan Burke, Baraka Noel and Marcus Rene’ Vanput. They put out several albums and was voted Best Hip Hop Group via the Bay Guardian in 2004. They were also founding members for a popular Oakland PeaceOUT Music festival which became a major hub for LGBT Hip Hop community all over the country. There was an accompanying festival back east.. They also formed their own record label Sugartruck Recordings where they released a number of recordings. Most recently some of their songs an lyrics were featured in the book Anthology of Rap.

Over the years we’ve seen a number of openly gay emcees hit the scene.. JenRo, Invincible, Katastrophe, Mistermaker, Cazwell, God-dess and She, Deadlee and Dutchboy just to name a few. Many of them were profiled in the 2006 documentary Pick up the Mic.. This is just a small list..

We could go on and on with history, theres so much to tell, but the point being made here its good Frank Ocean stepped up and out..It was courageous. No one should be denied their humanity and their personal truths. Hopefully him being as popular and talented as he is, will open up more folks. At the same time, it’s equally important to understand that within Hip Hop there are many truths, many stories and lots of history yet to be told. We should be cautious about NOT erasing or ignoring the histories of marginalized groups.. Hip Hop came about because we as a group of people were ignored, demonized and marginalized. Why turn around and do that today? Why become like the institutions and forces we fought against? I gave you a few names.. Hopefully all of us will reach out and create space at the table. LGBT folks especially those in Hip Hop aren’t going away anytime soon..

written by

Davey D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tkuUlAQhbY

A video from DDC co-founder Tim’m T. West

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

Filed Under: 2012 Daily News Tagged With: Dave Moss, DDC, DJ page Hodel, Frank Ocean, FrankOcean, Gay Hip Hop, Juba Kalamka, LGBT, Rainbow flava, Tim'm T. West

ADP: Fear of All People Being Free in America…July 4th Holiday Mix

July 4, 2012 By mrDaveyd

This week on All Day Play FM we come at you with a nice little mix to remind you what Independence Day is really about… Should we be shooting off fireworks and singing God bless America? Only after we have true justice and everyone is free of persecution, inequality and oppression, not just here in America but all over the world.. Until then we must remember the struggle continues.. We must never forget the sordid legacy of our so-called founding fathers.. Many of them massive slave owners.. Right Tommy Jefferson? Click the link above to peep the mix..

01-MLK Meets Dr Dre.. ‘America Is Just a Dream’

02-Piper & Flipsyde ‘US History (original mix)

03–Public Enemy ‘Ain’tNuthing Butter Song’

04-Pete Rock & CL Smooth ‘Anger in the Nation‘

05-Gil Scott-Heron ‘Winter in America’

06-Rev Wright Meets Euphrates ‘America Lied’

07-I Was Born w/ Two Tongues ‘Excuse Me America’

08-Michael Franti & Spearhead ‘Its a Crime to Be Broke in America’

09-Lupe Fiasco ‘American Terrorist’

10-Immortal Technique, Killer Mike & Brother Ali ‘Civil War’

11-Danny Glover ‘Frederick Douglass July 4th Address’

12-Goapele ‘Red, White & Blue

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: 2012 Daily News Tagged With: ADP, All Day Play FM, Breakdown FM, Danny Glover, Frederick Douglas, July Fourth

Today the Beat Junkies Celebrate 20 Years …Here’s Our Vintage Intv w/ DJ Mr Choc

June 30, 2012 By mrDaveyd

Today (June 30th 2012, the Beat Junkies celebrate their 20th anniversary.. If you live in LA and know nothing about this legendary crew of deejays which includes names like Rhettmatic, Shortkut, Babu, founder JRocc, Symphony What?! Icey Ice..etc, then you been missing out.. From the radio to the streets, beat junkies have been everywhere and have yileded a tremendous amount of influence on West Coast Hip Hop.. below is a throwback interview we did w/ Mr Choc who at the time of this interview a few years back, was holding it down on Power 106… Enjoy and salute to the Beat Junkies

One of the most underrated but influential deejays here on the west coast is Mr Choc who hold’s it down every afternoon and Friday nights on Power 106 here in Los Angeles. He also holds it down in the nightclubs as a member of one of the world’s most influential deejay crews The Beat Junkies.

We sat down with Mr Choc and picked his brain about the current state of music, the history and contributions of west coast deejays and the challenge he has in terms of balancing mainstream demands with his underground passion.. We spoke to Choc about how he went from a b-boy and graf writer to joining the World Famous Beat Junkies.

He spoke on the type of proving ground the BJs made him go through. They wanted to make sure he was truly committed and had the skill level to hang…

Choc also talks about how he made the transition into commercial radio where he is now the mixshow co-ordinator for LA’s number one station Power 106.

We also chopped it up with Mr Choc about why he and other west coast deejays have not gotten their full props and recognition. he humbly replied that he prefers to focus on his love for the music and his day in the sun will eventually come.

We dug deep with Choc and we spoke about why we don’t see more African-American turntablist type deejays other than a small handful. We also asked him to break down the specific contributions that the west coast has made to deejaying. Choc noted that the West elevated scratching.

He talked about the legacy of the mixmasters including Joe Cooley, M-Walk, DJ Aladdin, Julio G and Tony G to name a few. Choc also talked about the divisiveness that exists within Hip Hop with regards to underground vs mainstream. He spoke about how he manages to balance the two worlds in his day-to-day work. he also spoke about how he keeps battle ready and stays competitive in a crowded field..

Listen to the interview w/ Mr. Choc by clicking the link…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: 2012 Daily News Tagged With: 20th anniversary, Beat Junkie, Beat Junkies, Breakdown FM, Choc, Hip Hop, Mr Choc, World Famous Beat Junkies

A Few Thoughts on Today’s Supreme Court Ruling on Healthcare-We Need to Score Again!

June 28, 2012 By mrDaveyd

As the dust settles around what many considered to be a surprise Supreme Court ruling to uphold the Affordable Care Act, folks are gonna have to seriously refocus and start thinking outside the box.. If there’s one thing the last few years should’ve made clear, is corporate tyrants, far right zealots and media lap dog pundits eager to make a name for themselves or score political points vs telling the truth, do not sleep.

Again let me repeat.. Those who are on the so-called ‘losing side‘ of this issue will not be taking this lying down.. They are already hard at work drawing up plans and contingency plans to not only knock healthcare reform permanently off the map, but also trying to see what laws they can put in place that will keep the majority forever hemmed up at the mercy of the Medical Industrial complex.

What was handed down today was a ruling that gave folks a bit of breathing room. Hopefully folks are gonna use that time to catch their breath and come up with bold new visions for tomorrow…

The Supreme Court decided the fate of over 30 million people today in their historic ruling on HCR

Let’s refocus on what has thus far taken place.. Key word REFOCUS.. The Affordable Care Act was big compromise from jump street. Many of the facets including the public option were wiped off the table. At this point in time we should be pushing to have Universal Healthcare. We should be focusing our attention and efforts that are underway in states like Vermont and here in California to make sure Healthcare is truly universal..

We should refocus and remember what’s been the big obstacle for all of us having access to healthcare in the first place..Can you say INSURANCE COMPANIES.. It doesn’t matter what today’s ruling said. At the end of the day most of us are still gonna have to deal with an insidious insurance industry that has made record profits over the years and will spend endless time and resources finding ways to get out of giving us adequate Healthcare.

If they have to increase their lobbying efforts to win over lawmakers both in Washington or at home, they will do so.. If they need to spend a few dollars buttering up ‘community leaders’ to push their agenda, they will do so.. If they have to bombard the airwaves with commercial touting how dope they are.. they’ll do it.. If they have to run their own candidates they’ll do that as well. Rest assured they’ll be trying to find ways to raise rates like Bruce Bodaken CEO of Anthem Blue Cross did a couple of years ago here in Cali when they jumped them up 30-39%.. That should be a stress we should once and for all eradicate

With each step they take you should be asking yourself, why is this industry so hellbent on having their way versus making sure the flood gates are open so each and every one of us can get healthcare? What’s really going on with these companies should be what were asking? How can we remove them from the equation?, should be our second question.

All of us need to be about the business of refocusing our attention on healthcare Being a Human Right. I’m gonna repeat that.. Healthcare is a Human Right not a Business. It should not be only for the rich and powerful…Common sense should tell us all that my untreated ailments can become tomorrow’s untreatable disease or plague impacting you whether you have health insurance or not.. There is sadly a small 1% but vocal and wealthy creed among us who vehemently believe we should be thinning the herd. They believe it’s a good thing if those who are seriously sick, just die off.. Unless their name is God, Allah, Jehovah or Jesus Christ that should not be allowed to happen. Our fight for Healthcare should not end until anyone of us no matter what our station in life can get treated if sick…

And don’t get me wrong.. If there are free market types that have the money to boot and wanna go out and get some high-priced ‘Golden coverage’, I say let ’em.. Spend your hard-earned money as you see fit.. What gets me, why those same individuals are so determined to cripple and handcuff everyone else in the process. There’s seems to be a mean spirit embraced by some that says its only good if they can have while the rest can’t.. Again our mantra should be Healthcare is a Human Right.. It is not exclusive..

We should be thinking outside the box.. Business as usual has made our healthcare a system one big expensive mess. Treatment is expensive, going to med school is expensive.. How about we push to make medical schools free or seriously inexpensive? No one coming out of medical school should be owing 100-200 thousand dollars thus forcing them to work for a large conglomerate that can pay them a salary and those hefty loans. Wouldn’t it be great if folks who have genuine love and concern for the community and wanna give back via their knowledge and skill set be allowed to do so without a concern about paying back a school loan that’ll take a lifetime?

We should have an array of affordable medical schools with an agreement that folks graduating from there give some of their time and knowledge to the community..In short we should make a societal investment in doctors and medical researchers the same way these huge medical corporations are doing.. Historically some of the best medical care in our communities occurred when we had loving and committed individuals who worked alongside organizations like the Black Panther Party to provide Free Health Clinics. In many countries you find incredible Healthcare coming from institutions like the church where they work alongside doctors.. Let’s make medical school affordable and let’s make sure all of us at an early age start getting good information that will help us take care of ourselves for the long haul vs always being dependent on doctors and a medical industry that is in constant ‘sell’ mode, attempting to make us consummate pill consumers

Speaking of which, lets push to remove these huge profits and competition over patents for medicine and cures. Far too often we are finding ourselves being sold something versus getting educated or treatment that will heal us and make our visits to the doctor infrequent occurrences. Thanks to all this medical marketing, today we now have folks rolling up into doctors offices demanding to have the new pill they just saw being hawked while watching their favorite TV show. Many are insistent on having these pills even if they aren’t sick..

We should be expanding ways that we can all can start taking care of an aging baby boomer population who are our parents and grandparents from the 1960s..No one should have to face the daunting task of paying $2000 and 3000 to send an aging parent to a nursing home.. We should be making sure that substance abuse, mental illness, stress caused by poverty or living in a crime ridden neighborhood are all things we can be treated for readily..

“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane” -MLK

I could go on and on with suggestions.. This is not a one size fits all scenario.. What I’m basically saying is that today’s Supreme Court ruling gives us all an opportunity to step up our game and become stakeholders in our collective Healthcare.. I’ve been to Washington many a days covering HCR including when they had the Supreme Court hearings. Everyone I spoke to who heard the concerns that people had in terms of it not going far enough, repeatedly said, that what passed two years ago was just the beginning.. They said over time it would get better and more things would be added. If that’s the case all of us should be pushing to be at the table and working to permanently remove any and all debates around whether we should have Healthcare reform. It was a sad state of affairs that we were even in that dreadful space. As Martin Luther King once famously said “of all the forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane.

Today was not a touch down.. We gained some good yardage.. Somebody missed a block, perhaps it was Justice Roberts who shocked everyone by breaking with his conservative counterparts and issuing the decisive vote to uphold ACA.. In any case the end zone is still before us..When Healthcare is Seen as a Human Right for All, then and only then can we spike the ball and do a celebratory dance.

written by Davey D

We’ll leave you with this song on healthcare that was done by Bay Area rapper Paris. he recorded it during the height of the debates around passing the Affordable Care Act.. What was crazy was some of the footage shown was from a rally here in Danville which is in the Bay Area.. Some guy was chanting F– The Poor. The crowd shown there cheered along..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1R9IKKe0SE

Filed Under: 2012 Daily News Tagged With: Affordable Care Act, Black panther party, Davey D, Health care, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Supreme Court decision, Universal health care

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