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The Otherside of Hip Hop w/ Ernie Paniccioli

June 23, 2009 By

daveydbanner

 

We recently sat down with pioneering Hip Hop photographer Ernie Paniccioli to get some insight into his long career which began years before the first rasps were being kicked in the Bronx. He broke down a lot of stuff for us. he also let us know about his new movie called ‘The Otherside of Hip Hop‘ which chronicles his life. The movie which has already been shown in festivals around the country to rave reviews and features Chuck D, MC Lyte and Afrika Bambaataa to name a few will be showing at the Tribeca Film Festival this weekend; Saturday November 17th, 2007 2pm Tribeca Cinemas NYC Laight and Canal St.
info and tickets available at www.bigapplefilmfestival.com

Davey D

Davey D: Lately there are a number of books and exhibits coming out highlighting the works of pioneering Hip Hop photographers.. What do you think is behind this resurgence? In what ways do these works add to or take away from the Hip Hop’s history?

Ernie Paniccioli:When a book is done from within the culture by someone like Joe Conzo (“Born In The Bronx”) or myself (“Who Shot Ya?”) or an exhibit shows the work of Harry Allen or a Martha Cooper “Hip Hop Files” it can only deepen the history and knowledge of Hip Hop Culture. When a “Culture Vulture” does a book or tries to lay claim to be “The Bible of Hip Hop Art and Politics” style magazine or a trick ass radio station claims to be “Where Hip Hop Lives” then things get ugly and commercially distorted.

Davey D:Contrasted with Rock-N-Roll and other genres what challenges are unique to the Hip Hop photographer? What has been your biggest accomplishment? What has been your biggest gripe?

Ernie Paniccioli:Rock and Roll is bought by, financed by and nurtured by White America and is simply Rock Music. Hip Hop is from the streets, ghettos, inner-cities and is comprised of 5 Elements. A Rock Photographer only has to shoot rockers and is usually paid by a record company or big money magazine.

A Hip Hop Photographer has to capture the DJ, Hip Hop Dance, Graf, Emcee, and be aware of and respond to the Cultural aspects of Hip Hop. If all they do is shoot Rappers then they are at best a Rap Photographer. In it’s 33 year His-Story there have only been a handful of photographers that can be called “Hip Hop Photographers”. My legacy is secure because I have been called that by Afrika Bambaataa, Chuck D and KRS1 as well as Nas and Rakim.

My greatest accomplishment has been staying true to the culture decade after decade and my biggest gripe is seeing this amazing art form, that gave us a global voice, being used instead of addressing survival issues, selling sneakers, rims, cars, burgers and really crappy clothes.

Davey D:What sort of equipment did you start off using? What are you using now? Does new technology make things easier? Is their something loss with all the photo-shopping and digitizing of photos?

Ernie Paniccioli:I started out with a Canon AE1 and a 50MM lens. I now use Leica and Nikon 35 MM Digital and Mamiya Medium Format. I personally love PhotoShop for cleaning up and restoring old photographs. If you suck or have no soul, Photoshop will not help you, if you are dope all of these photo aids will only make your work more profound.

Davey D:You served in the Vietnam and there you took lots of photos and made collages capturing the social and political climate of the time.. How did your experiences in Nam help you when you started doing Hip Hop photography?

Ernie Paniccioli:Having the experience of life and death and discipline, training for war and being responsible for the safety of others gave me a sense of responsibility which I came to understand meant a response to the best of your ability. It also prepared me to go anywhere to shoot my subjects, either in a dark club full of drunk or stoned and often violent rap fans or in a project hallway or gang banger territory.


Davey D:Talk about the importance of archiving history through photography and other means.With you being a Native American brother what lessons can the Hip Hop generation learn from the trials and tribulations experienced by Native people?

Ernie Paniccioli:Edward Curtis is my greatest influence. He shot the tribes across the continent under almost impossible odds but always with pride, intelligence and dignity. Without him the visual legacy of native Americans would be greatly diminished. I have always tried to do the same by infusing my work with dignity, pride and a sense of honor and one of the ways is to keep in mind that we are all spiritual being with a soul and an inner power and beauty.

Forgive me for getting too deep but just as Native People were considered “savages” and not worthy of land or protection of law (look up the writings of the amazing Professor Robert A. Williams of The University of Arizona) after nearly a decade of dehumanizing music videos, CD’s and movies portraying Black Southeners as subhuman, sexually deviant, drug addled and shiftless drug dealers and pimps along comes Katrina and the non reaction of FEMA and America tolerates the sight of swollen Black bodies floating like debris in the water.

Davey D:Creating photo collages shows you have an artistic side, are there any other areas that you have talents and skillz especially as it relates to Hip Hop? i.e. Did you rap, b-boy or dj?

Ernie Paniccioli:I was a painter, and drew thousands of pictures before I even picked up a camera, art , museums, and creativity always was part of my flow decades before I even held my first gallery show. I was never B-Boy or DJ, but have rocked hundreds of mics lecturing on Human Rights, Native Rights and Survival.

Davey D:Who was the first person you photographed within Hip Hop? What do you feel is your most important photo? What is your most haunting photo?

Ernie Paniccioli:My first Hip Hop images were of Graffiti masterpieces and they were what drew me in to Hip Hop. My most important photo has not been shot yet. My two most haunting photos are both of BIG. One is of him going up a flight of stairs with angels in the background and the other is him sitting next to me in his Jeep holding his fingers in the form of a gun.

Davey D:The other side of Hip Hop is a movie based on your life. What are 2 or 3 keys aspects you want people to come away with after seeing this movie?

How to make something out of nothing and survival based upon your love of your environment. Back when I started it was hard to make a living as a photographer so I single handedly created the job title of Hip Hop Photographer

Davey D:
In your book Who Shot Ya? you wrote a powerful essay about the Hip Hop being colonized. First what did you mean by that? Do you still feel like that is happening even with artists like Jay-Z, 50 and Diddy having so much money? Is this a concept you focus on in your new movie?

Ernie Paniccioli:In “Who Shot Ya?” When I warned of the coming (it was written in 2001) colonization of Hip Hop I was referring to the consolidation of broadcast media and how we went from independent media outlets to the complete control of all forms of media by three or four superpowers including Clear Channel, Viacom, BMI, Rupert Murdoch, Vivendi etc.

Also colonization means the selling of a culture, where once you were judged cool or hip by your visual individuality now you are considered cool if you wear pre-packaged-New Era style, Vibe endorsed over priced corny crap.
The money that Russell Simmons, Jay Z and Diddy/Puffy/Puff/ Puff Daddy have means nothing to the culture itself and realistically is only pennies in the total income of those who pimp Hip Hop in the name of corporate interests.
The film “The Other Side of Hip Hop” deals with individual freedom, collective responsibility and the unique set of circumstances that connected me to the birth of Hip Hop.

Davey D:Also in your book you stated that the most groundbreaking group in Hip Hop was Arrested Development. You said they were important because their name reflected the current state of Hip Hop. Can you elaborate on that?

Ernie Paniccioli:I saw that name as a vibrant metaphor for what Chuck D calls “being stuck on stupid” I did not mean they were in and of themselves groundbreaking, even though they did feature women, men and an elder as part of a rhythmic collective.

And yes the current state of Hip Hop is pitiful as least the Rap component that shows 30 or 40 something year old men acting like overeager, horny teenagers and the women portrayed as less than dignified, classy, smart or even interesting for anything more than their cup size.

Davey D:You are obviously older then Hip Hop which just celebrated its 33rd anniversary. As an elder did you see the handwriting on the wall that would lead to Hip Hop being birthed? In other words did you see this coming or was it a sudden explosion that caught everyone off guard?

Ernie Paniccioli:First, I have to go against the prevailing dogma and state that even though all of the elements were there they were not known collectively as “HIP HOP”. Bambaataa and Kool Herc created the consciousness of the disparate elements as essential parts of a whole.

Back then everyone knew something was happening, Disco was dying, Punk was a little too White and a little to over the edge, Rhythm and Blues had run their course and the kids were restless and conditions in our cities were simply too horrible for them to believe in anything not reflecting or created by them. As Dylan said “You know something is happening, but you don’t know what it is, do you Mr. Jones?”

Davey D: You now have movie out? Was it difficult to get this up and running? What are you next steps?

Ernie Paniccioli:The movie “The Other Side of Hip Hop” is going to be shown in film festivals, then used to teach in the college and high school lecture circuits and even as a fund raiser for worthy causes. Dion Ashman created it and he simply had to follow his vision and respect what I have tried to stand for in my life. Dion is an Alpha and had to measure up to the standards of his organization.

Koe Rodriquez wants to finish a film called 1Love which deals with the creative forces of myself, Joe Conzo and Jamal Shabazz. And I am trying to get a five volume set of books published covering the first ever 30 year retrospective of my photography but have so far not met up with the right set of circumstances. The five volume set is already completed and has essays by most of the creative forces in Hip Hop. Perhaps Jay, Diddy or Russell would like to invest in something culturally powerful and make me an honest offer.

Davey D: any last words or food for thought..

Ernie Paniccioli:As KRS1 said so clearly……….”When you walk, walk with authority……..tell the negative people don’t bother me”
Peace, Bro. Ernie Paniccioli

The Otherside of Hip Hop is now available on demand for more informationcheck out the website http://hiphopotherside.com/welcome-to-hip-hop.php

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Filed Under: 2009-Daily Hip Hop News, Artist Interviews Tagged With: , , ,

Hip Hop Offers Up A Special Father’s Day Message

June 21, 2009 By

daveydbanner

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Today we salute those men who have stepped up to the plate and held it down by doing the right thing-Taking care of their kids.. These videos should remind folks exactly what they should be doing.. Be a Father to your child. Below is the classic  EDOG and the Bulldogs– Be a Father to Your Child’

 

Here is the new NY Oil ‘Be a Father’

 

How can we forget Shaquille O’Neil’s ‘Biological Didn’t Bother

Below is probably one of the most heartfelt exchanges between father and son I have ever witnessed. It was during a book signing for our book BAF  (Be A Father) and it took place between Rhymefest and his 10 year old Solomon

 Here’s the excerpt 

Rhymefest showed and proved how a father should be building with his son.. The exchange below will fill you up..

Rhymefest showed and proved how a father should be building with his son.. The exchange below will fill you up..

Last night (June 2 2008) at the book release party in Brooklyn for ‘Be A Father’, Rhymefest who is one of the co-authors was scheduled to Freestyle. He was initially viewed as the person who could help lighten up the mood a bit and give us some breathing space since the night was filled with heartfelt testamonies and heavy readings on a topic we rarely address openly. Being a father, Father son relationships, manhood and healing from the abandonment of our dads were a few of the topics many of our distinguished people had dwelled upon.

 The mood was serious when Rhymefest took the floor. He told the capacity crowd that rappers always freestyle and that they need to do more. He said it was important to strive to be great and not successful. So instead of freestyling he said he wanted to take his time and show the type of conversation a father should have with his son.

He said before coming to the floor he had asked his 10 year old son named Solomon to write down 5 questions that he would like answered that he had never asked before. Rhymefest would do the same and together they proceeded to open up and have a heartfelt, deeply personal conversation in front of us all.

By the time the two were done there wasn’t a dry eye in the place. To say the least it was groundbreaking and the audio doesn’t do this justice. The spirit in the room was moving as evidence by grown men being touched so much that they broke down and I’m sure many made a decision to strengthen the bond between them and their own children. Peep the audio, reflect and step foward…

Click the link below to listen to the father-Son exchange w/ Rhymefest

The Father-Son Exchange Between
Rhymefest and His Son Solomon

 

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A Message to Hip Hop-We Need to Do More than Just Wear Green

June 20, 2009 By

 daveydbanner

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A Message to Hip Hop-We Need to Do More than Just Wear Green

by Davey D

daveyd-raider2Here’s a message to the Iranian Youth…Hip Hop is with you. We understand that what is going on in Iran is not about what America wants. We understand that this is not about the dictates of those who have a particular foreign policy agenda to push that at the end of the day may be calling for Iran to be destabilized. 

Hip Hop is with you above and beyond a rap song, a dope video or meaningless swagger. Hip Hop is with you beyond a slogan or a shout out. Hip Hop is with you beyond the ignorance of some of our artists who wanna brag about having ‘Arab Money’.  Hip Hop is with you by honoring the 5th Element-Knowledge. Hip Hop is with you in solidarity and hoping to uplift our collective humanity.

We understand that what we’re seeing in Iran is a student movement, a women’s movement and other reform movements that have been simmering in Iran for some time. We can trace some of this back to 1999 when we here in the US were watching our own Presidential elections between George Bush and Al Gore which was tossed into dissarray  while students in Tehran University were out in the streets of Iran getting killed and student organizers were being snatched off the streets never to be seen again.  A few years ago I met students who had been jailed and beaten up by the Iranian government for protesting. They had a lot of heart. They were at a conference on censorship in Beirut in spite of knowing that their speaking out could get them serious trouble again.

What were seeing our people who feel that there should be more personal freedoms, where women don’t have to cover up, be searched and beaten on the streets. What we’re seeing are folks who want to have more then just state run press.  Part of the fights that students were dealing with in ’99 was the shutting down of a newspaper.  Most of us don’t even blink an eye when our own newspapers and radio stations are hijacked.  What we’re seeing don’t want to adhere to long standing traditions and they’re challenging long standing traditions which has been inspired by the Western education and understanding that many have received outside the country and from understanding the world is much smaller place.

Before CNN started talking about Iran, many of us ignored or didn't even know about the student & woman's movements in Iran. We spent more time focused on the drama between 50 Cent & Rick Ross.From this day forward we've got to do better...

Before CNN started talking about Iran, many of us ignored or didn't even know about the student & woman's movements in Iran. We spent more time focused on the drama between 50 Cent & Rick Ross.From this day forward we've got to do better...

Sadly most of us never pay attention to foreign affairs unless it shows up on CNN.  Hence when there were no lights cameras and action and Iranians were demanding certain changes most of us were concerning ourselves with 50 Cent vs. Rick Ross. Most of us were talking about Chris Brown vs. Rihanna. Do folks know any of the movement leaders?  Do we know the name of any of the student organizations?  Do any of know about the jail time that many have endured to speak out? Is this really about them backing the opposition candidate Mir Hussein Moussavi or is about stepping to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei? How many of us know the role the president plays in relationship between the Supreme leader?

Let’s use this opportunity to embrace Hip Hop’s 5th element and do the knowledge.  Part of that knowledge means for us to start listening closely and resist framing the story so it fits our own limited parameters. When we say things like most of the people marching are middle-class what exactly does that mean? Is it the same thing as middle class here in the US? Are the people marching Muslim or Christian? Are they westernized or traditional? Is Iran a modernized country or does it fall into a stereotype where it’s underdeveloped with folks riding camels through a desert?  Folks better think again and note that in many regards we here in the US may actually be behind.

I said this in my last essay-Are the Protests in Iran Real or a CIA backed Exercise? this is much bigger than the two leaders. They happen to be stepping stones and stops along the way to something much larger and much more deeply felt.  How about this folks… if we’re gonna wear Green in solidarity with the Iranian people and their struggle, how about stepping our personal game up? If we’re gonna wear Green and say we want change how about committing ourselves to stay up on foreign news long after CNN stops covering this? How about making Iran, Darfur, Congo and Haiti which just experienced a horrific blood bath two days ago between funeral marchers and UN Peacekeepers, be a topics we tweet about and comment on via Facebook? Can we make a promise amongst ourselves to educate ourselves each day on a variety of foreign issues?

If we can’t do this at the very least take down our Green avatars and stop bullshitting ourselves and disrespecting the people who are out on those streets not just in Iran but all over the world really risking getting their heads cracked. There’s no excuse for Iranian people to know more about President Obama’s policies then we do and they live in Iran. If we’re gonna wear Green, let’s not do this part time. Let’s not be casual trendy observers. This struggle in Iran is not going to be over and neatly wrap up at a particular time and date like a television show. It’s gonna be on going.  

If we're gonna wear Green to show solidarity, how about taking it a step further & educating ourselves on US Foreign policy-For example, what's the real motivation behind Senator John McCain and the GOP in condemning Iranian leaders? Is it really to support the student & women's movement or to merely use them?

If we're gonna wear Green to show solidarity, how about taking it a step further & educating ourselves on US Foreign policy-For example, what's the real motivation behind Senator John McCain and the GOP in condemning Iranian leaders? Is it really to support the student & women's movement or to merely use them?

If we want change in Iran let that change be right here at home. If we want to wear Green lets take a closer look at the rhetoric being pushed by our Republican minority in the Senate and in Congress.  President Obama is taking a measured tone saying let’s not become the topic at hand  be seen as meddlers while Senator John McCain and others are basically saying ‘Fuck that.. We gonna jump right on in there and start smashing because they have an agenda that they’re trying to push that has very little to do with the student movements’. The GOP will use those movements and temporary align themselves, but it’s not about making sure students a free from any oppression. Are they helping, hurting or leading us in another direction?

If we’re wearing Green, we need to be asking ourselves what’s’ up with our own government and its foreign policy-not just in Iran but throughout the entire Middle East. Maybe if more of us wearing Green committed ourselves to do the knowledge, Iran wouldn’t be in this predicament because we would be electing leaders who have a deeper, more holistic approach toward the Middle East -starting with us not green lighting everything Israel does. Yes, folks at the end of the day let’s deal with the 800 pound gorilla in the room much of what we are seeing is connected to US/ Israeli foreign policy…

That’s a few things to ponder…

 -Davey D-

It's cool to wear Green in solidarity but ideally we should show solidarity by being as bold as those students on the streets by fearlessly challenging and asking our own government some hard questions especially around the issue of foreign policy

It's cool to wear Green in solidarity but ideally we should show solidarity by being as bold as those students on the streets by fearlessly challenging and asking our own government some hard questions especially around the issue of foreign policy

PS..As I’m writing this I’m watching TV and noting that the big networks are claiming they can’t cover the events in Tehran because of a news media blackout imposed by the Iranian government…Its  kind of funny hearing this, because  we seem to always have our own  media blackout here in the US. Of course those blackouts are  imposed by the news directors and owners of these big networks-but let’s not digress.  My question is what happened to all those expensive spy satellites that are supposed to be able to see the head of pin from thousands of miles away? What’s up with Google Earth? There’s no excuse for us not to be able to see whats going on? Why aren’t we using all this technology we brag about having?

 

 

 

 

 

  Below is a video that my homie Paradise of X-Clan tunred me onto it’s by Weapons X

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Filed Under: 2009-Daily Hip Hop News, Davey D-Words to Ponder Blog, Political articles, Southern Shift Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Time to Emancipate the Airwaves

June 19, 2009 By

daveydbanner

 Time to Emancipate the Airwaves:
The Airwave Abolition Movement

by Paul Scott

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PaulScott-225Back in 1865, two years and some change after Abe Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, the slaves in Texas finally got the memo that chattel slavery had been abolished. Better late than never I suppose. However, if the right wing talking heads had their way, black folks would still be picking cotton in 2009.

Next week , marks the beginning of Juneteenth week (June 15-19th) a time when African Americans celebrate the end of the last vestiges of that peculiar institution. It is a time to celebrate the freedoms of this country that were so long denied African Americans.

But some things are still in bondage; the airwaves.

While this country prides itself as being a diverse melting pot of ideals and a plethora of differing opinions, the airwaves have long been dominated by a right wing conspiracy to control all conversations concerning race, class and all things political.

There is not a city in America where you can’t hear the melodramatic, melodious voice of Rush Limbaugh taking shots at the Left or Sean Hannity’s arrogant whine espousing the doctrine of Conservative white world domination.

What is rarely discussed is the amount of political power that comes with the privilege of having unlimited access to the airwaves.

So when Rush Limbaugh says that he hopes President Obama fails, he ain’t just whistlin’ Dixie. He has the ability to galvanize millions of Rush-o-holics to do his evil biddings and make his anti-Obama dream turn into reality.

Despite the Right’s wolf crying of victimization since the last election, make no mistake about it, the hand that controls the golden microphone rules the world.

It is past time that we seize control of the airwaves and I cannot think of a better time to do it than Juneteenth (the Black Independence Day.)

Although the Conservatives have had their panties in a bunch over the possible reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine (or similar legislation) that will allow folks like me to verbally pimp slap the smirk off of Bill O’Reilly’s face every time he disses Hip Hop, this has not been a major topic in the African American community.

Also, many African Americans are totally in the dark when it comes to understanding the possible impact of a FCC Diversity Advisory Committee that could have Shaka Zulu’s “Black Power Hour” going head to head with Mike Savage’s “Savage Nation.”

While this lack of information may be dismissed by the Right Wing as evidence that black folks would rather listen to Lil Wayne songs instead of the news, in reality, the ultra Conservative media have abused their powers to control the dissemination of information.

But no more!

Black folks need some Affirmative Action airtime.

We have to teach members of the Right a lesson that they should have learned back in kindergarten. Sometimes you have to share your toys.

This Juneteenth , the black community will start an underground railroad to get the information out about the various initiatives to insure African American access to the airwaves. The word will spread from city to city that there are new initiatives available under the Obama administration that could level the media playing field.

It is imperative that members of the African American community use the week of June 15th to contact their Congress folks and demand that the Fairness Doctrine be re-energized and make phone calls and send letters and emails to the FCC throwing our total support behind the Diversity Advisory Committee.

While more access to the media may not guarantee our making it to the Promised Land it will ,at least, supply us with the GPS navigation system to help us get there.

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Filed Under: 2009-Daily Hip Hop News, Industry news & Views, Southern Shift Tagged With: , , ,

Paul Porter: Black radio Speaks w/ Forked Tongue

June 19, 2009 By

daveydbanner

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Black Radio Speaks with Fork Tongue

by Paul Porter of Industryears.com

Paul Porter is a 30 year industry vet and former music programmer for Radio One & BET

Paul Porter is a 30 year industry vet and former music programmer for Radio One & BET

It is time that broadcasters start telling the truth. The recent flood of one sided information by radio on the pending “HR 848 – Performance Rights Act” is uncovering a much larger problem. The First Amendment calls for “Freedom of Speech”, but unfortunately broadcasters continue to feed misinformation to millions of Americans, without a murmur of opposing opinion.

Radio One, Founder Cathy Hughes has rediscovered her microphone after a ten year hiatus. While shaping the Performance Rights Act as an end to Black Radio, Hughes and her staff have done a great job of concealing the facts.

In a series of PSA annoucements, Hughes has framed HR 848 as the end of Black radio. Broadcasters, in this difficult economy have not allowed advertising dollars to be spent by denying air time to supporters of this Bill.

In Detroit, on Tuesday, Congressman John Conyers held a hearing on HR 848 at Wayne State University. While Joyner, Baisden and Hughes have continued to deliver blatant lies on air, the forum was the perfect situation to finally hear both sides.

Although invitations were extended to the entire broadcast community, only one representative stepped up to the mic. Rev. Al Sharpton, who’s syndicated Radio One show airs nationwide, presented his side and left without listening to the audience that pays his check.

Sharpton, on his show later that day only mentioned the forum as “one-sided” and failed to mention any of the stories shared by a short list of living legends, Dionne Warwick, Mary Wilson of the Supremes, Sam Moore, Duke Fakir, George Clinton and writer performer Rhymefest informed those in attendance of the simple facts on why performers should be paid for radio airplay.

Maybe if Sharpton, Baisden, Hughes or Joyner stop talking they might take the time to listen to some alarming facts.

*Performers are paid in over 30 countries, for radio airplay. Only the U.S., China, Iran and North Korea do not pay performers for radio airplay.

*Performers are paid for television, satellite radio, cable stations and Internet radio but not paid for terrestial (AM & FM) radio airplay.

*An additional $70 to $100 million will be paid to American artists for airplay from foreign countries.

What Black Radio is not telling you:

*Urban radio continues to be the most syndicated music format. While limiting voices and local issues, Black adults are 25 times more likely to hear syndication than Whites. Eliminating the messengers, by limiting the voices.

*Radio One, the nation’s largest African American broadcaster, has cut staff and 401k benefits for staffers, while awarding CEO Alfred Liggins a 10 million dollar bonus.

*Radio consistently makes millions from the recording industry, requiring Free promotions, Free product and Free performances that get charged back to the artist bottom line.

No matter what the color of radio ownership — serving local audiences with better music, information and content is the key to thriving business model. American radio must finally catch up with the rest of the free world and pay performers their just do.

It is time that radio broadcasters allow audiences to hear both sides of this important issue.

Paul Porter

www.IndustryEars.com

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Feds Say Ex-NBA Star Tipped Off Drug Kingpin

June 19, 2009 By

daveydbanner

Feds Say Ex-NBA Star Tipped Off Drug Kingpin

By Casey Gane-McCalla June 18, 2009 10:44 am

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Former NBA player Jerome “Pooh” Richardson passed along a tip from a police officer friend that federal agents were about to raid the home his half-sister shared with a drug kingpin, according to an indictment unsealed Wednesday.

Richardson, 43, is not charged in the indictment, which accuses only the Philadelphia detective with criminal wrongdoing. The officer, Rickie Durham, is a longtime friend of Richardson’s who received a car, event tickets and other expensive gifts from the athlete over the years, the document said.

Prosecutors declined to say whether Richardson is cooperating or whether he broke the law in relaying the tip.

His alleged 3 a.m. phone call to Asya Richardson and drug kingpin Alton “Ace Capone” Coles prompted Coles to make a flurry of calls hours ahead of the huge two-state raid on Aug. 10, 2005. Police nonetheless recovered more than $500,000 in cash, 10 guns and 450 grams of cocaine in searches of the couple’s Mullica Hill, N.J., home and other properties linked to Coles’ group.

The indictment refers to Richardson as “J.R. Jr.” FBI spokesman Frank Burton Jr. confirmed the reference is to Richardson. It was not clear if Richardson had a lawyer representing him in the case, and a telephone listing for him could not be determined Wednesday.

Durham, also 43, was one of about 250 officers who gathered at 2:30 a.m. that morning in 2005 for the takedown, preparing to search 23 properties and 11 vehicles in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Months earlier, Durham had called Richardson, a Philadelphia native who lived in Los Angeles, to report that half-sister Asya Richardson was dating a drug dealer. In the Aug. 10 call, he allegedly told his friend, “We’re going to take her down too.”

Durham called on his FBI-issued cell phone, authorities said. After a grand jury probe was under way, he told authorities he had been trying to aid the investigation by getting Asya Richardson’s phone number, the indictment said.

Coles was convicted last year of running a violent drug enterprise and is serving a life sentence. Asya Richardson was convicted of money laundering but remains free pending her sentencing.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Bresnick said that Durham’s tip could have cost officers their lives.

“It could have been tragic,” he said.

He will seek to detain Durham at a hearing Thursday, the same day Durham’s lawyer expects him to be terminated from the Philadelphia Police Department.

“He’s not the corrupt cop they make him out to be,” defense lawyer Fortunato N. Perri Jr. said after his client’s brief initial appearance before a judge. Durham plans to fight the charges, he said.

Richardson, a first-round draft choice out of UCLA in 1989, spent more than a decade in the NBA, playing for Minnesota, Indiana and the Los Angeles Clippers.

source: http://newsone.blackplanet.com/nation/feds-say-ex-nba-star-tipped-off-drug-kingpin/comment-page-2/#comments

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Is there a Warrior Gene that causes Gang Bangin’

June 19, 2009 By

daveydbanner

Gang-Banging May Be Genetic

By Associated Press June 17, 2009 3:45 pm

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<br />

Bad neighborhoods and lack of opportunity are usually blamed for boys joining violent street gangs. But a new study finds that the urge to join gangs might lie, at least in part, in their genes.

Boys who have a variant of the gene monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) — otherwise known as the “warrior gene” — are not only more likely to be in gangs than boys without the variant, but they tend to be among the most violent members.

Boys with the MAOA variant are also more likely to get into fights and use weapons, according to the study.

Though the drive to join gangs is typically blamed on socioeconomic and environmental factors, from poverty to unstable families to boys’ quest for a sense of belonging, the study found that joining gangs also has a genetic underpinning.

“While gangs typically have been regarded as a sociological phenomenon, our investigation shows that variants of a specific MAOA gene, known as a ‘low-activity 3-repeat allele,’ play a significant role,” the study’s lead author, Kevin M. Beaver, a biosocial criminologist at Florida State University’s College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, said in a university news release.

“Previous research has linked low-activity MAOA variants to a wide range of antisocial, even violent, behavior, but our study confirms that these variants can predict gang membership,” Beaver said. “Moreover, we found that variants of this gene could distinguish gang members who were markedly more likely to behave violently and use weapons from members who were less likely to do either.”

The study is available in the online edition of Comprehensive Psychiatry.

For their research, Beaver and his colleagues analyzed DNA and lifestyle data from more than 2,500 teens who participated in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.

The MAOA gene is believed to affect levels of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin that are related to mood and behavior, according to the study. Previous research found that the “warrior gene” is more prevalent in cultures that are typified by warfare and aggression.

Though the study included both boys and girls, only boys with the MAOA gene variant showed an increased propensity for violence. The gene variant had little impact on the girls, possibly because the MAOA gene is located on the X-chromosome, the researchers said.

“As a result, males, who have one X-chromosome and one Y-chromosome, possess only one copy of this gene, while females, who have two X-chromosomes, carry two,” Beaver said. “Thus, if a male has an allele (variant) for the MAOA gene that is linked to violence, there isn’t another copy to counteract it. Females, in contrast, have two copies, so even if they have one risk allele, they have another that could compensate for it.”

He added, “That’s why most MAOA research has focused on males and probably why the MAOA effect has, for the most part, only been detected in males.”

source: http://newsone.blackplanet.com/nation/gang-banging-may-be-genetic/

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RIAA Loses Minneapolis File Sharing Case

June 19, 2009 By

daveydbanner

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 RIAA Loses Minneapolis File Sharing Case

Friday, June 19, 2009

By Jerry Del Colliano

The Recording Industry Association of America lost its $2 million lawsuit in a retrial against Jammie Thomas-Rasset even though a jury handed them the verdict they wanted.

Guilty.

The RIAA originally won a $222,000 verdict several years ago but the judge in the first case called a mistrial. Rather than settle as over 30,000 others have done, the defendant then known as Jammie Thomas went back to court.

This jury didn’t believe her when she argued that maybe her children used her computer to share files on Kazaa. In the first trial she testified that a file sharing hacker stole her WiFi connection – and, well, you know the rest.

Despite suing 30,000 people over the past five years, the RIAA has not stopped illegal file sharing.

In fact, file sharing has increased and continues to proliferate at a rapid pace.

That’s why the record labels and their legal arm, the RIAA, by and large lost in court yesterday.

The labels are certainly not going to collect on Thomas-Rasset’s judgment.

File sharing continues to elude the labels’ ability to control it.

And all those poor artists are still going to get screwed by a record label near them someday.

What the big national headlines shout out is that the label’s can win in court but that file sharing is unstoppable. Even if you factor in the recession and all those poor lawyers who are unemployed and underemployed, the RIAA can’t argue that this scorched earth strategy was worth it.

I may have mentioned this before, but I once had a student when I was teaching at USC who had been sued by the RIAA. I know that because one day I invited an RIAA rep to speak to the class.

The snagged student was nervous. His classmates openly spoke about stealing music. They certainly were not afraid of the big bad wolf. No matter how the RIAA rep spun it, most of the young folks admitted the next day (when the RIAA was not present) that they were going to continue pirating music.

That was major because this one young man who was still shaking in his boots was very apologetic. Turns out his parents got hammered with the $3,500 settlement and he was not about to steal another tune. I believed him.

So what I observed is that if the labels want to stop file sharing dead in its tracks, they need to sue everybody under the age of 30.

Everybody.

Once you touch the fire, you know how hot it is. But I am convinced that unless everyone is sued and obediently settles, all the court victories in the world aren’t going to get the labels to stop music piracy.

The reason?

The record industry cannot control the front of the store, so to speak.

You know, when you go to a brick and mortar record store you can’t just walk out with whatever you want. You’ll wind up getting arrested.

But there is no way for the labels to stop people from walking out of the virtual record store with whatever they want.

Oh, there is one way, but the labels reject it. We’ll get to that in a moment.

Label execs have their heads so far up the legal system that they just can’t see the end game. I’m sorry they lost control of their music but unless you sue everyone, the RIAA just isn’t going to scare the next generation.

Business execs may cheat on their taxes, steal from the company or otherwise be a greedy executive, but consumers cannot steal music.

I often engage young people in discussions about ethics and file sharing and it may or may not surprise you to know that many do not steal music for ethical reasons. Most, however, admit to it. Some even use the Robin Hood defense – stealing from the rich (the labels) to help the poor (the students).

Ethical considerations are worth an open and honest discussion, but speaking solely in the realm of business – it seems odd that the labels, which are dying each day, fail to realize that the one thing that has made them famous – suing customers – doesn’t work.

What does work is a bitter pill for them to swallow.

You probably wouldn’t want to give up $8 billion in annual CD sales despite the fact that record sales have been dropping almost without exception since 2000.

But the reality is that the labels cannot stop stealing.

They can’t slow it down.

They really can’t even make a future file sharer think twice before they click.

What’s amazing is that the labels, like their brethren in the radio industry, are going down the toilet without a plan B.

No alternative to what happens if they can’t scare their potential customers into paying for music.

Aah, and why?

Because the price of music is the problem.

Not its easy availability on the Internet.

Not a generation of bad dudes.

The labels refuse to enter the digital 21st Century where music is worth nothing when it is stolen in large numbers and somewhere between five and ten cents when you factor in 99 cent legal downloads.

If the labels make music not worth stealing – by offering it in both a convenient and intuitive way on the net at five to ten cents – they can become bulk resellers.

$9.99 is not the going rate for an album even if iTunes charges that price.

Zero is the price.

99 cents is not the prevailing price for a single tune in spite of the fact that Apple has established that price.

Zero is the price.

Label execs don’t want to give away music for next to nothing, I get it.

They apparently would rather give away music for — nothing – as they are doing now when more music is stolen than purchased.

So Jammie Thomas-Rasset may have to clean Clive Davis’ executive bathroom for the rest of her life (or his) to help repay her debt to society.

Proving once again that the labels got out of the record business nine years ago.

Would you buy music from a label that can’t tell a hit from a flop?

Suing customers — a flop.

 http://insidemusicmedia.blogspot.com/2009/06/riaa-loses-minneapolis-file-sharing.html

For those of you who would prefer to get Jerry’s daily posts by email for free, please click here. Thanks for forwarding my pieces to your friends and linking to your websites and boards.

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Why the New I-Phones Suck- Be Warned It’s Not what You Think

June 19, 2009 By

daveydbanner

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Do you want the new iPhone?

Yes it's a nice looking, fast moving device. But sadly it has lots of internet restrictions-Yes folks AT&T is still in the mix and has all but gutted Net Neutrality on your Iphone. Not all that glistens is gold. Time will tell as you start to use these smart phones more and more and find that the internet has lots of limits.

Yes it's a nice looking, fast moving device. But sadly it has lots of internet restrictions-Yes folks AT&T is still in the mix and has all but gutted Net Neutrality on your Iphone. Not all that glistens is gold. Time will tell as you start to use these smart phones more and more and find that the internet has lots of limits.

If so, you’re in for a disappointment. If not, you should be worried anyway. Here’s why:
Apple just released the new iPhone with a promise that it will be “the Internet in your pocket.” If only. The iPhone’s groundbreaking technology has been hijacked by AT&T. The telephone giant has struck an exclusive agreement that ties the hands of all iPhone users, restricts their Internet use and prohibits access to any other network.
 
That’s why Free Press has launched a new campaign to free the iPhone and other “smart” phones like it from attempts to cripple their best features, block full access to the Internet and stick customers with astronomical bills. Please join us:

Free My Phone and Open the Wireless Internet

FreeMyPhone is fighting for affordable new phones that have full access to the Internet. This is vital because handheld wireless devices are becoming the first point of Internet access for tens of millions of Americans.

These “exclusive deals” remind me of the days when AT&T held a monopoly over all phone communications. Consumers could only use one phone, on one network, at rates set by one company. No innovations could take place without AT&T’s permission. When federal rules forced AT&T to open its network, an explosion of innovation occurred with new fax machines, Internet modems and answering machines.

Today, the FreeMyPhone campaign seeks to open up the wireless market in the same way:

Free My Phone: No More Gatekeepers
The future of the Internet is wireless and mobile. Eighty-seven percent of Americans have mobile phones. Increasingly, these phones are people’s only gateway to the Internet.
Yet as more phones become Internet-enabled, more users are tied to carriers that don’t actually deliver an open Internet. This is important…

If you care about universal Internet access and closing the digital divide.
If you care about Net Neutrality and protecting an open wireless Internet.
If you care about innovation and fostering new online tools and economic opportunity.
If you care about competition and offering more affordable choices for everyone.
Sign our petition to free your phone and demand the freedom to use new phones on wireless networks that offer true high-speed Internet and real consumer choice.
Thank you,

Josh Levy
Online Campaign Manager
Free Press Action Fund
www.freepress.net

1. Join us on Facebook, follow FreeMyPhone on Twitter, or tell your friends to support FreeMyPhone. Be sure to tweet about FreeMyPhone using the #freemyphone hashtag.
2. Help the Free Press Action Fund continue to fight for wireless freedom. Donate today.

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Black Radio-The History and Demise of WAMO in Pittsburgh

June 19, 2009 By

daveydbanner

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This is a good story that captures a bygone era that is only a dream nowadays for people who have deeper understanding of how important and powerful Black radio could be..WAMO was a legendary station that was known all over the country. Sadly, this station went the way of so many other Black formatted radio stations by dumbing down the audience and playing it super safe.. This is part 1 of a 2 part story… please check the two videos at the end which puts this into better context. The first video comes from Pittsburgh artist Jasiri X who interviewed folks just days after WAMO was sold. The second one is MLK vs the Radio.  Its an incredible speech given by Dr Martin Luther King where he talks about the significant role Black radio played during the Civil Rights Struggle. When you listen to King speak you can clearly understand that what has occurred with Black radio not doing the job is probably by design more so that accident.. . Powerful voices in the Black community through the Black church needed to be diminished
 
A few things to Ponder…
 
-Davey D- 
 
Black radio in Pittsburgh…Search for identity and profits
by Larry Glasco
For New Pittsburgh Courier
(Part one of a two-part series)

The sudden demise of WAMO radio may seem shocking to many, but the station’s trials and tribulations stem from a decades-long struggle to maintain a strong community identity that at the same time would attract sufficient White listeners (and advertisers) to survive and grow. During its “glory” years from the 1940s through the 1970s, Black radio in Pittsburgh emerged as one of the most powerful voices of the community, capturing and reflecting the music and culture of its residents as well as providing a forum where they could discuss public affairs and rally for racial justice. During that era, WAMO, as the flagship of Black radio, maintained listener loyalty and turned a decent profit. For a people steeped more in the oral than the written tradition, the case could be made that during those “glory” decades, WAMO was at least as important as Black Pittsburgh’s other media giant, the Courier.

Small crowd gathered at corner outside Studio Dee, WHOD radio station, Herron and Centre avenues, Hill District, Aug. 1, 1951.

In the 1980s, this successful cultural and economic model began to fall apart. BET and MTV offered music that competed successfully for young listeners, and older listeners tuned in to the Black-oriented public affairs programs offered by mainstream radio and TV stations. Disco, and later hip-hop, attracted increasing numbers of White listeners, which helped boost ratings and secure needed advertising revenue. But as WAMO reoriented its programming toward an “urban contemporary” format to attract more such cross-over listeners, it risked alienating Blacks, who worried that the station was losing its racial identity and historic role of voice of the community. The story of WAMO from the 1980s to the present is one of increasingly desperate efforts to find a programming formula that would maintain its racial base and at the same time expand its white listenership.

The Rise of Black Radio: 1948 through the 1970s

Man and WHOD disc jockey Mary Dee, standing in front of Western Electric broadcasting equipment in WHOD radio station, c. 1948-1956.

The story of Black radio in Pittsburgh begins in the late 1940s, not long after the end of WWII. The Courier’s “Double V” campaign for democracy abroad and racial democracy at home made Whites more amenable to racial change, and Blacks more insistent.

Reflecting this new mood, in August 1948, Roy Ferree, a young White navy man returned from the war imbued with the ideals of racial and ethnic democracy, and founded WHOD, a small, 250-watt multicultural station. Called the “Station of Nations,” WHOD aired the voices of Homestead’s immigrant, blue-collar residents.

Men including disc jockey Porky Chedwick on microphone, in WAMO broadcast booth, with Mary Lou Williams records on display, sandwich board identifying disc jockeys Sunny Jim Kelsey, Porky Chedwick, Bill Powell, Sir Walter (Raleigh), next to Breakfast Cheer coffee booth at trade show, c. 1956-1965.

Upon learning of WHOD, a young Pittsburgh gal fresh out of Pittsburgh’s St. Mann Radio School named Mary Dudley, the daughter of William Goode, owner of the Hill’s 24-hour pharmacy, approached Ferree about adding a Black voice to the broadcast. Ferree agreed to do so if she could find a sponsor, which she quickly did. On Aug. 1, 1948, when WHOD went on the air, Mary broke racial and gender barriers and became the nation’s first Black female disk jockey.

Mary’s show quickly gained an enthusiastic following. Despite some angry phone calls early on, 860 on the AM dial won many listeners as the novelty of a Polish, Italian, Croatian, Negro, German, Slavish, Grecian and Jewish program format appealed to many Pittsburghers. “Jewish Gems,” “Tony Ortale’s Italian Hour,” “Chester’s Polka Parade,” “Alex Avlon’s Grecian Melodies” and “Movin’ Around with Mary Dee” ultimately caused other stations to include ethnic and racial voices in their programs.

Woman, John “Sir Walter” Christian and Rev. Bill Powell at the WAMO microphone in an office with pennants for the Pittsburgh Branch NAACP and WAMO, c. 1956-1970.

Within six months “Movin’ Around” expanded from 15 minutes to an hour, and two years later to two hours. To help fill the show, Mary brought in her brother, Mal, to run a daily Courier news segment, which also gained popularity. Blacks responded enthusiastically to Mal’s war against police beatings, Jim Crow, poor housing and prejudiced politicians by phoning in their own tales of personal mistreatment. Mary Dee then added Toki Johnson and Hazel Garland to cover community and women’s issues; in this way she pioneered the basic format of Black radio—music, news and community affairs.

Mary Dee’s coverage of Black music was augmented by Porky Chedwick, a young White enthusiast of Black music. Chedwick had joined the station at its founding and, along with Mary Dee, helped make WHOD’s multi-ethnic programming and especially its Black-oriented programming, an enormous success.

The 1950s: Success, competition and the surprising origins of WAMO

Mary Dee’s success of the 1940s continued into the ’50s. She attracted even national attention when Ebony magazine spotlighted her show which, in addition to playing the latest records, uncovered local talent and interviewed national celebrities like Sarah Vaughan, Cab Calloway, Jackie Robinson and Don Newcombe. In August 1951, “Studio Dee” opened at the corner of Herron and Centre avenues, where Mary broadcast behind a large window as young fans looked in and entreated her to play their requests. By mid-decade, her show grew to four hours, and “Studio D” moved down Centre Avenue into the Courier building, located across from the YMCA.

By mid-decade, however, WHOD was upstaged by a station that saw the market possibilities of an all-Black-format. In 1954 WILY, at 1080 on the AM dial, opened with a proclamation by Mayor David Lawrence and the enthusiastic support of the Courier and local Black leaders.

WILY’s lead deejay, Bill Powell, hailed from Nashville but quickly became a beloved local fixture. Powell and fellow deejay Lee Doris celebrated rural Black culture by, as the Courier phrased it, “dishing it out Southern style,” talking up “anything from chitterlin’s to neckbones” and employing a patter of “hep-cat talk.” The paper added the Black Pittsburghers who were not happy with this approach “and  raised their bushy eyebrows every time the two disc jockeys mispronounced a word,” need to recognized that WILY had become the second-highest rated Black radio station in the country.

By 1956, WILY’s all-Black format and 1,000-watt signal crippled WHOD and siphoned advertisers from its multi-cultural, 250-watt effort. The station’s desperate president, Leonard Walk told unhappy listeners, “We were in business to make money, not lose it,” and WHOD was losing money. In a controversial move that angered the Black community, Walk fired his Black staff and sold WHOD to a new station, WAMO, whose call letters referenced the city’s three rivers and whose programming, ironically, was country and western.

As a frustrated and angry Mary Dee left for Baltimore, WILY solidified its hold on local Black radio. Bill Powell sponsored a record hop featuring the Del Vikings and Deltones that drew more than 2,000 teenagers. In 1957 John Christian, known as “Sir Walter” as in “Sir Walter Raleigh, the gent with the (English) accent,” joined the station and also won a loyal following.

Despite outward appearances, WILY’s position was not secure, for there was a rapidly growing baby gorilla in town, called television. By the mid-1950s, television’s appeal caused many radio stations to scramble for listeners and advertisers, many by switching from “general market” broadcasting to “niche market” narrow-casting. WILY, however, did just the opposite, and in 1957 changed its call letters to WEEP and dropped its “Negro appeal” programming. Most Blacks were outraged, but others, who had objected to WILY’s focus on “hep talk” and sexually explicit rock-n-roll, considered its loss as good riddance.

WILY’s switch left Pittsburgh only briefly without a Black-oriented radio station, for in 1958 WAMO switched from country and western to what it termed a “New Sound” that focused exclusively on Black programming. The station brought in deejays Bill Powell, Sir Walter and Porky Chedwick, billed as the station’s “Big Three,” who catered to a wide range of musical tastes. Sir Walter’s hi-tone accent, impeccable manners and wake-up show featuring urbane, smooth tunes appealed to an older, more middle-class crowd; Bill Powell’s late morning/early afternoon mix of banter, pop tunes and R&B had broad appeal; Porky Chedwick’s anchor spot from 4 p.m. until sign-off appealed to younger listeners with the host’s zany monikers (“Pork-the-Tork, Daddio-of-the-Raddio, Platter-Pushin-Poppa, Boss with the Sauce”) and emphasis on rock-n-roll.

The 1960s: WAMO’s Glory Decade

The 1960s belonged to WAMO, as the station boosted its signal from 250- to 1,000- watts, built two large towers that carried its signal into Ohio and West Virginia, established an FM station for what it bragged was a “Double WAMO,” and by the middle of the decade began broadcasting 24 hours a day.

Mal Goode, the station’s news director, kept a large, loyal audience in Pittsburgh. Goode, as well as other newscasters on WAMO, held their own against mainstream competition because those stations failed to cover news developments with a perspective and thoroughness that informed the Black community.

Other station employees developed their own followings. The quirky deejay “Brother Love” programmed madcap “freakouts” that introduced Pittsburghers to cutting-edge underground, psychedelic rock by groups like The Doors and Jimi Hendrix. The ever-popular Chedwick attracted legions of White as well as Black listeners, and in 1962 achieved fame when he sponsored a monster “Spectacular” at the Syria Mosque that brought in performers like Bo Diddley, the Drifters and Flamingos.

Bill Powell became the public face of WAMO and won the station deep public affection. Powell was active in the community, running for office, heading membership drives by civil rights organizations, and emceeing at banquets and community events. Such community involvement was encouraged by Leonard Wolk, former owner of WHOD, who plunged the station into community work and promoted NAACP voter registration and membership drives. One of the station’s biggest coups was a live broadcast of the massive 1961 Freedom Rally at Forbes Field that featured Martin Luther King Jr., Sammy Davis Jr. and Mahalia Jackson. Indeed, WAMO increasingly became the voice of Black Pittsburgh during the civil rights movement, both because of its dedication and because it filled a growing void. The void stemmed from the fact that during the 1960s the quality of Black Pittsburgh’s flagship newspaper, the Courier, declined to the point that it no longer provided comprehensive coverage of news affecting the Black community. As WAMO increasingly became the voice of the community, the station and its White manager, Leonard Walk, were applauded by community and civic leaders.

 

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