Ice Cube..Tells New Jacks He’s Not Here to Make Them Famous

Ice Cube drops offers up words of wisdom to new jacks

I got alot of questions since my last blog. I’ll answer a few.

What’s up with these local MC’s in L.A. who keep disrespecting me? They’re just mad cause I don’t fuck with they wack-ass. They ain’t on my level, why should I waste my time. I don’t even remember ever meeting these clowns or even being in the same room with any of ’em. They can’t make a name for themselves so they need help from the O/G’s. I refuse the throw’em a life line. Fuck’em. It ain’t my job to make nobody famous. And for the record, I ain’t scared of no nigga. Especially, no rappers….seriously people.

Age-ism in rap? Age-ism is everywhere folks. In the work place, in sports and of course in hip-hop. We are a out with the OLD in with the NEW world. But as we go through life we realize NEWER ain’t always better. We find ourselves saying, “Back in the day, bah, bah, bah….” All young MC’s should route for old MC’s to have long careers. If you play us out, what kind of future do you have in hip-hop when you get 40?

Advice for young rappers: You gotta be hot on your block first, then your city, then your state, then your country, then the world. If you can’t make your block notice you. The world is a tall task.

Ice Cube continues… http://icecube.com/users/icecube/blogs/227401

Bragging and boasting: When I was coming up. Every rapper had a attitude like Kanye. Now when you say you the best and act like you the best. Niggas get their feeling hurt.

Battling: If you scared to test your skills up against any MC in the game. Quit right now. Become a fuckin’ ghost writer and go hide in the corner of the studio. Now they’re 2 ways to battle. Freestyle live: To me this is like a slam dunk contest. Or battle on wax: I call this the Finals. That’s Hip-Hop.

Question: Why don’t I produce up and coming rappers like I use to? I got burnt out. Niggas couldn’t take the baton and run wit it. I was sick of babysitting grown ass men and walking them through the industry. I felt like Dr. Frankinstein building uncontrollable monsters. How? If you DON’T make’em a star, they blame you.
If you DO make’em a star, they leave you. I got sick of that ungrateful shit.

Continued here: http://icecube.com/users/icecube/blogs/272061

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Activists Beat Down by Police At Tavis Smiley Roundtable

Got hit up by some activists who attended the Tavis Smiley roundtable in Chicago last week. According them they went to see what was really happening with a Black Agenda being put forth and got beat down and removed by state police.. Thats crazy considering the caliber of people in the room who no doubt speak to this sort of incidents..  Here’s the series of videos they recorded along with their written commentary

THIS INTERVIEW IS WHAT MANY BELIEVE TO HAVE IRRITATED THE STATE POLICE AND LATER CAUSED WILLIE JR FLEMING TO BE VIOLENTLY ASSAULTED.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWuqjMUu4x4

aCTIVIST WILLIE J.R. FLEMING BEING ASSAULTED BY POLICE FOR BEING PRO OBAMA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USK-ulSNXJY

MORE FOOTAGE OF ACTIVIST BEATING AT BLACK AGENDA TOWNHALL FOR BEING PRO OBAMA,POLICE WERE TOLD TO VIOLENTLY REMOVE ANYONE WHO DISAGREED WITH TAVIS SMILEY OR JESSE JACKSON WHO SOME HAVE SAID PRE-SIGNED A COMPLAINT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xrm7PJPJkik

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Is the Healthcare Bill Racist Toward Rich Socialite & Poor Redneck Women?

I read this article and could only shake my head and say wow.. wow wow wow.. and shake my head again..

Davey D

http://www.examiner.com/x-6996-Louisville-Economic-Policy-Examiner~y2010m3d25-Healthcare-Reform-Taxes-Are-Racist

In a previous article I had written about how the Democrats in Washington had driven me into a state of depression caused by their relentless attacks on our nation’s Constitution, freedoms and optimistic spirit.  After Barack Obama signed this disasterous healthcare reform plan into law, one of my good friends called me to ask if my depression was better since I now had mandated healthcare insurance to help care for it.  My answer was that I was still depressed but at least now my care was so much cheaper than it had been in the past.  Right…

During that phone call, my friend also stated that I must be happy that I decided buying a tanning salon that I was thinking about buying a year or so ago.  That is of course due to that new revenue-producing 10% tax on indoor tanning salons.  Of course, the rational is that since the tanning can lead to skin cancer which can lead to a need for healthcare services, then the Democrats must do everything they can to discourage people form tanning in the first place.  There means to that end is of course ‘targeted taxation.’

So that made me wonder why the Democrats did not include a tax in their healthcare reform package against the Sun.  After all, the Sun surely causes more cases of skin cancer than all of the indoor tanning salons combined.  The Sun is very powerful – some people even claim that it is the leading cause of warming the Earth.  Of course, Al Gore and others like him claim that warming on the Earth is man-made.

Therefore, it would make much more sense to have  a Sun tax than an indoor tanning tax, so why would the Democrats not have included that in their plans?  Then it hit me – their ‘targeted’ indoor tanning tax is racist.  That is because it will disproportionately affect whites but have very little impact on some of the Democrats favorite constituencies like blacks, Latinos, Muslims and other people of color.

On the contrary, it directly targets some of the Democrats least favorite groups such as women, especially wealthy socialite women and poor redneck women – two groups that seem to make up the bulk of the indoor tanning customer base.  Democrats and liberals have shown their misogynistic views toward women in their treatments of Hillary Clinton in the most recent presidential primary and Sarah Palin since she has become a household name.  And this tanning tax hits my area of the country particularly hard.  Another friend of mine often comments that he sees more tanned women in the Kentuckiana than he saw in the years when he lived in an area of New Mexico which had a high Latino and Native American population.

But this tanning tax does not just affect women it also affects white men as well, like myself.  I admit that I use indoor tanning services myself at the advice of my doctor to treat some occasional flare-ups of psoriasis.  That is pretty much my one and only medical need at this time in my life.  So thanks to the Democrats’ healthcare reform plan, my healthcare expenses will go up by 10% in the near future.

So clearly this healthcare reform plan is racist and discriminatory against whites and should therefore be deemed (since it is so easy to just ‘deem’ things these days) unconstitutional.  At the very least, this legislation should be sent back and amended to include a Sun tax which will can be applied failrly to people of all color.  Plus, just think about how happy Al Gore will be because if we can somehow tax away the effects of the Sun then he will finally be able to prove that humans are the cause of planetary warming.

Rob Binsrick

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3 Revolutionary Videos to Get U Hyped-Sista Souljah, Paris, Aztlan Nation

Looking through some old videos and decided to post a few to put you in the Revolutionary spirit.

I remember this video and this album 360 Degrees of Power.. The beats, made by the bomb squad  were incredible and Sista Souljah who was an activist made the nice switch into the rap world. I wish they promoted her album a bit more and gave her more of a shot… definitely a nice cut.. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neNboHZ3paQ

This was one of my favorite songs from Paris the Black Panther of Hip Hop. I remember when the video was shot.. we had no idea how powerful those images would be, especially when since they were being shown on MTV.. We need more songs like this and outlets to accommodate them.. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHXy4K2isr8

Aztlan Nation made a lot of noise back in the early 90s. This Oakland based group were activist who used Hip Hop as a way to get their messages across..loved this video they did back in the days..‘Home of the Brave’ was a dope album

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

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Where are the Real Terrorists? Right Here at Home! Members of Congress Threatened with Violence

This is coming on the heels of the racial epithets being hurled at Black congressmen like John Lewis and anti gay epithets hurled at lawmakers like Barney Frank. Right now we’re spending a lot of time looking over our backs at Muslims and people from the Middle East as possible terrorists.. The way things are going now, we need to be looking in the Mid-west down south and back East  with some of the terrorists right here in the good ole US of A..

I wonder if they’re gonna start doing all the profiling that many of us have been subjected to..I wonder if we’re gonna start hearing the word terrorists used to describe those who dare threaten Congress over the passage of a bill.. At the same time, lawmakers have at their disposal the Patriot Act and other laws that allow for secret surveillance..

I wonder if those laws will be enacted and misused while searching for the culprits who made death threats..I get the feeling that there is some real concern going on, but I am also thinking of Naomi Kline‘s ‘Shock Doctrine’.. I’m paying close attention at the moves made behind the moves.. While folks are shocked at the brazenness of Tea Party types and nut cases threatening Congress people over a Healthcare Bill, what moves will be made to overcompensate? Will laws be tightened or will there be a push to create total chaos-a race or class war of sorts?  pay close attention because this ride is just beginning. Once we start talking about Immigration Reform that’s when it’s really gonna get ugly..

-Davey D-

All that is going on reminds me a conversation I had last year..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Dk4_DHXh4U

Democratic members Get Death Threats..
By Jake Sherman
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/34953.html

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer is warning that some of his Democratic colleagues are being threatened with violence when they go back to their districts — and he wants Republicans to stand up and condemn the threats.

The Maryland Democrat said more than 10 House Democrats have reported incidents of threats or other forms of harassment about their support of the highly divisive health insurance overhaul vote. Hoyer emphasized that he didn’t have a specific number of threats and that was just an estimate.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Capitol Police and sergeant at arms briefed Democrats behind closed doors today about the incidents of violence — the most high profile of which have been toward Democratic Reps. Tom Periello of Virginia, Steve Driehaus of Ohio and Louise Slaughter of New York.

Hoyer hinted that Republicans should do more to condemn these threats of violence.

“I would hope that we would join together jointly and make it very clear that none of us condone this kind of activity,” Hoyer told reporters. “And when we see it, we speak out strongly in opposition to it. And I would hope that we would do that going forward.”

Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), the majority whip, said Democrats and Republicans should continue to speak out on these threats. “Silence gives consent,” Clyburn said.

But Minority Leader John Boehner already has condemned threats of violence — and sought to explain why people are so angry.

“I know many Americans are angry over this health care bill, and that Washington Democrats just aren’t listening,” Boehner said. “But, as I’ve said, violence and threats are unacceptable. That’s not the American way. We need to take that anger and channel it into positive change. Call your congressman, go out and register people to vote, go volunteer on a political campaign, make your voice heard — but let’s do it the right way.” 

A Republican aide also pointed out that over the years Republican members of Congress received their fair share of death threats during volatile times. Newt Gingrich after the 1994 Republican revolution and the late Henry Hyde during the Clinton impeachment in 1998 both received numerous death threats. And just last month, Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) received death threats after his filibuster of unemployment benefits, according to a report in Roll Call.

Hoyer said steps are being taken to protect members of Congress. Most lawmakers do not have formal security protection, but if any member feels threatened, they will be getting “attention from the proper authorities.”

On Wednesday, the FBI began a preliminary investigation into fuel lines cut at the Virginia home of Perriello’s brother, whose address was posted online — the poster thought it was the lawmaker’s address.

Driehaus said his address was posted Wednesday on a right-leaning blog.

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Documentaries-Highlight Legendary Hip Hop Nightclubs, The Fever, Latin Quarter, the Tunnel & The Good Life

Looks like 2010 may be the year of the Hip Hop club.. What am I talking about. Since the beginning of this year we’ve had two documentaries with a third on the way as well as book highlighting the legacy of three landmark nightclubs that helped shape and introduce Hip Hop music and culture to the masses. 

The first club that’s been highlighted is The Fever.  Long time writer Mark Skillz, penned an article about this pioneering hot spot in the Bronx. The article which first appeared in Wax Poetics Magazine was called ‘ When The Fever Was Mecca-The Legacy of Disco Fever ‘.  In this piece Skillz focuses on the club’s deejay Junebug who was also a drug dealer. The story was so compelling that it was made into a documentary which premiered the other week at SxSW.. It won a special Jury Award and is expected to be featured in the Tribeca Film Festival.  The Film is called White Lines and The Fever: The Death of DJ Junebug

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZGatUrAvaw 

The story of Junebug‘s double-life as a DJ and drug dealer. Recalling the Bronx in the early 1980’s, this documentary explores the old-school days of hip-hop and the dangerous underworld at the legendary Disco Fever. Never-before-seen footage and interviews with Kurtis Blow, DJ Hollywood and Sal Abbatiello tell the tragic story of one of the greatest DJ’s ever. Based on Mark Skillz‘ “When The Fever Was The Mecca,” published in Wax Poetics.

Featuring: DJ Hollywood, Kurtis Blow, Disco Bee, Sal Abbatiello, Sweet Gee, Vernice and Nydrin Barnes.

Directed by: Travis Senger
Produced by: Michael J. Mouncer
Written by: Mark Skillz and Travis Senger
Director of Photography: Sean Porter
Editor: Michelle Witten
Production Designer: Lucas Senger 

The other legendary Hip Hop night spot that has a documentary surrounding it is The Tunnel which was the destination spot in NY 1994-2001 and held down by DJ Funkmaster Flex.  

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

 Flex, Choke No Joke and Streetfunk TV presents the Tunnel Documentary. The Tunnel Nightclub was a club in NYC that was open from 1994-2001. Streetfunk TV and Choke No Joke recorded the biggest names in Hip Hop every Sunday at the club most people feared to enter. Funkmaster Flex was the promoter for this weekly event that went on for seven years. Some of the biggest names in Hip Hop performed here from Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Puff Daddy, Ma$e, Nas, Method Man, Redman, Capone and Noreaga, Shyne, Jermaine Dupri, Da Brat and many more…. 

 The other landmark spot getting alot of attention is the Latin Quarters which had at its helm Paradise Gray of X-Clan who booked many of the acts and had DJ Red Alert and Chuck Chillout rocking the tables.  The spot flourished in the 80s and like the Tunnel which came after it, was a destination spot for Hip Hop lovers all over the world.  It was the spot that launched all sorts of careers from 3rd Bass to KRS to the Jungle Brothers to Schoolly D etc.. Long time Italian Hip Hop scribe Giuseppe Pipitone has teamed up with Paradise and are putting the finishing touches on a book which focuses on the Golden Era of Hip Hop and starts off by talking about the 1987 meeting called by Afrika Bambaataa to encourage the popular artist of the day to become more socially conscious and use their talents for greater good. It was at that meeting that KRS-One was inspired to launch his Stop the Violence Movement. A number of other meetings followed resulting in a strategy to get people to stop wearing Gold chains, replacing them with African medallions. It’s an incredible piece and when I spoke to Paradise he noted that they are lining up dates for a tour.  

Below is some vintage footage from 1986 featuring Philly rapper Schoolly D 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICY45UFakWw 

Below is a two part interview myself and Paradise did two years ago about the ‘The LQ

http://odeo.com/episodes/25663423-The-History-of-the-Latin-Quarters-Nightclub-The-LQ-pt1

http://odeo.com/episodes/25663424-The-History-of-the-Latin-Quarters-Nightclub-The-LQ-pt2

 Of course we be wrong  if we didn’t shout out the excellent documentary ‘This is the Life’ which came out a couple of years ago and chronicled what was going down in South Central LA at the Good Life Cafe during the early 90s.. This was the place that everyone from Jurassic 5 to Medusa to  Freestyle Fellowship to Abstract Rude came and launched their careers. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTNrb3Bln9A

As we start to look at the stories behind some of these landmark destination places in Hip Hop, others will come to life. I’m thinking places like Silks in oakland, Radio in LA, the Rooftop in New York, The T-Connection in the Bronx..The Upper Room in San Francisco  The list is long.. I’m glad the stories behind these 4 places are being told.

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OaklandSeen.com Set to launch This Thursday

Please join us as OaklandSeen proudly unveils its new online destination, OaklandSeen.com!

Official Launch Party for OaklandSeen.com
DJ fflood
Thursday March 25, 6-9pm
Somar Bar / 1727 Telegraph. Ave, Oakland
no cover / cash bar / donations gladly accepted

More About OaklandSeen:
After building a solid foundation through radio and social networks, OaklandSeen presents OaklandSeen.com, a web portal dedicated to sharing genuine voices, striking images, investigative stories, and daily updates by and about our own community.

OaklandSeen forges a pioneering new model for media and community engagement. Its information network highlights issues important to working people, people of color, young people. OaklandSeen links radio broadcasts, social networks, community news, blogs, and web resources to share a compelling mix of Oakland’s most credible and exciting voices — yours!

This spring, OaklandSeen presents OaklandSeen.com, a web portal that will locate Oakland’s multiracial majority in the center of community, political, and social discourse. OaklandSeen.com will celebrate the city’s greatest successes, and shine a spotlight on citizens who innovate to address the city’s most relentless challenges.

We’re looking for reporters, bloggers, interns, video producers, photographers, culture mavens and people who know where to go on a Friday night.

OaklandSeen includes:

Aimee Allison|Aaron Baluyot|Byron Williams|DaveyD|Esperanza Tervalon-Daumont|Favianna Rodriquez|Jakada Imani|Jennifer Pae|Joel Tena|John Knox-White|Justin Warren|Kamika Dunlap|Leda Dederich|Ludovic Blain|Lupita Figueroa|Marc Tizoc-Gonzalez|Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig|Richard Wright|Rosie Torres|Scott Pearson|Steve Phillips|Steve Wright|Taj James|Tracy Watson|Vien Truong|Zach Seal

…and you

Volunteer | Write | Produce: editor@oaklandseen.com
OaklandSeen radio – Fridays 8:05am KPFA 94.1 FM
http://bit.ly/OAKLANDseen

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Suge Knight Accused of Robbing Yukmouth-Yuk Says He’ll Get Last laugh

Suge Knight is a wanted man once again. The former Death Row Records head honcho allegedly beat and robbed rapper Yukmouth last night … law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

Sources say it all went down at around 10 PM at a Ralph’s supermarket in the San Fernando Valley.

According to a law enforcement source, Suge and roughly 10 members of his posse allegedly beat up Yukmouth and then took $92,000 worth of jewelry from him.

Sources say Suge and his entourage are suspects and cops want to question them.

We’re also told there’s a previous misdemeanor warrant out for Suge’s arrest — which makes it unlikely he’ll visit the police department.

Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2010/03/23/suge-knight-death-row-police-investigation-yukmouth-beating-robbery-grocery-store/#ixzz0j60BraxG

After all this went down Yukmouth sent out a tweet that read as follows

im all good..thankz 4 all my TWI99AZ & TWITCHEZ 4 yall concern..and all u HATEN AZZ NI99AZ..iTS NOTHIN 2 A BO$$..i’ll have the last laugh!!!

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Hip Hop is Worldwide-Meet Chilean Emcee Anita Tijoux

 

We caught up with Chilean emcee Anita Tijoux who made lots of waves during SXSW 2010. It was her first trip to the US as she celebrated the release of her new album 1977. The title represents the year she was born along the pioneering days of Hip Hop in the Bronx.

Anita who is an astute student of Hip Hop music and culture noted that its important to reference and pay tribute to the foundation. Anita through her flows, subject matter and study of other emcees has managed to do just that-pay homage.

For many here in the states Anita Tijoux is a new face in an already packed scene. In Chile she’s abig deal-a superstar. She was born in France to a French mother and Chilean father who was in political exile during the Pinochet dictatorship. She first started to get known in 1997 when she was part of a group called Makiza which featured Seo2, Cenzi and DJ Squat. She later left the group and attempted to go solo and for a while hooked up with Julieta Venagas  a popular pop singer. She later reunited with members of Makiza and then left again to do her solo album 1977

We started off our interview by getting an update on the situation in Chile. She explained that many people in her country are suspicious after the 8.8 earthquake and they fear another shoe is going to drop. Many believe that the shaking was man-made-caused by HAARP… Others are saying, the earth-shaking so violently was God’s way of saying get rid of the president and the fascist regime he represents…Anita noted that while her family is doing ok, many people are not. Chile has privatized everything from water to medical help, hence only those with money are faring well. Others are suffering.

We spoke to Anita about her music and whats influenced her. She says that she mixes traditional folkloric music with Hip Hop. She says she rhymes in Spanish although many insist it’s easier to do it in English.  She says her biggest influence were artist like Bahamadia. She also notes that if she had a magic wand she would love to do a song with KRS-One, Flying Lotus, Peanut Butter Wolf and Madlib.

Anita laced us up on the Hip Hop scene throughout Latin America. She said things are in full gear in places like Bolivia, Venezuela and Peru. Brazil things are really large to the point its an entity on to itself.  She noted how MTV has ‘MTV Latin America’ and ‘MTV Brazil’. She noted that Hip Hop has widespread appeal because it gives voice to the voiceless especially in poorer communities.

We conclude by speaking with Detroit rapper Invincible who is featured on the song Sube which talks about upliftment and using Hip Hop as a tool. Invincible had nothing but praise for Anita who she said she met online and began the process that led to them recording the song which they performed several times during SXSW.

-Davey D-

Here’s the Breakdown FM podcast to our interview w/ Anita Tijoux

Click HERE to Here Full Breakdown FM podcast featuring Anita Tijoux

Anita Tijoux SXSW Intv

———————————————–

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_9Y-4PaU2U

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Minister Farrakhan:Should We As Black People Be Publicly Criticizing Barack Obama?

Last week Tavis Smiley held a summit/ round table called ‘We Count’.. He had anumber of people speaking including Minister Farrakhan. I think this is a series of videos well worth watching.. Minister Farrakhan lays down alot of things for us to keep in mind as we engage President Obama. He speaks to the issue of weather or not we  as Black people should be criticizing him in public..and if so how..This is in 3 parts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L91pAl3XYC8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUuY4VtBDaA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdx76kiU2wg

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