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Live From Detroit:The USSF-An Intv w/ Adrienne Maree Brown-Why Detroit?

June 22, 2010 By

Long time organizer Adrienne Maree Brown speaks about what to expect at this week’s USSF here in Detroit. She talks about why Detroit is a such a significant city in terms of movement building and being solution oriented. Much of Detroit’s resilience has come as a result of having to endure economic hardship for the past 30 years.

Adrienne also talks about the misperceptions many have when looking at Detroit, in particular those from the coastal cities who act and feel like Detroit’s problems can be solved by them and not from residents of the city. This is truly a bottom up led city in terms of movement building where consensus building is the name of the game and not charismatic personality.

For more info check out USSF.org

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qidy1a6qM0w

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2 Hip Hop Videos Everyone Should See & Think About-Where Do We Go from Here?

June 15, 2010 By

We need more Hip Hop like this Vinnie Paz ‘End of Days’..returns us to Hip Hop being prophetic.. I wanted to contrast that with the new video by Gucci Mane, because I think it hammers home the point of where we’re at in 2010 and what sort of challenges we have before us..Both videos underscore reflect stark realities that exist in our communities..Question-Where do we go from here? Are we being Hypnotized?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWgVhg0d2bg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6Q4s_ZdvAQ

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Cynthia McKinney Mourns the Dead of the Freedom Flotilla to Gaza

May 31, 2010 By

Cynthia McKinney Mourns the Dead of the Freedom Flotilla to Gaza:

People of the U.S. and the world must end Israeli impunity now!

by Cynthia McKinney

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSFwyWyVo74

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZenysNLAfc8


I am outraged at Israel’s latest criminal act. I mourn with my fellow Free Gaza travelers, the lives that have been lost by Israel’s needless, senseless act against unarmed humanitarian activists. But I’m even more outraged that once again, Israel’s actions have been aided and abetted by a U.S. political class that has become corrupted beyond belief due to its reliance on Zionist finance and penetration by Zionist zealots for whom no U.S. weapons system is too much for the Israeli war machine, and the silence of the world’s onlookers whose hearts have grown cold with indifference.

I recently visited the offices of IHH, the Turkish humanitarian organization that sponsored one of the Freedom Flotilla boats, and that was targeted by the Israelis for its murderous rampage. Reports are still coming in as to the full extent of the senseless Israeli violence. Of course, I expect Israel’s apologists in the press and in the United States government to shift into high gear to support Israel’s lying machine. Take note of their names. The 12,000 internet squatters/written word grenade throwers, hired by the Israeli Foreign Ministry to defend Israel and attack peace activists online, are already busy spreading their orchestrated disinformation in cyberspace. Be very careful what you read and believe from special interest press and the internet. You could be reading one of Israel’s hired hacks. As a news diversion from what Israel has just done, I suspect that we can also expect to see a lot of historical footage of war’s atrocities on television: today is Memorial Day in the United States, a day long ago set aside to remember the sacrifices of U.S. war dead.

I encouraged and supported U.S.S. Liberty veteran Joe Meadors’s participation in the Freedom Flotilla. Unfortunately, the fate of the U.S.S. Liberty innocents on the high seas, while in international waters, has now been visited upon the participants in the Freedom Flotilla, in large measure because of the Congressional- and Presidential-level cover-up of the 1967 Israeli attack on that U.S. surveillance ship. Combined with the failure of just about every other effort to hold Israel accountable for its crimes against humanity, war crimes, genocide, and crimes against the peace. Belgium and Spain changed their domestic laws of universal jurisdiction after Israeli appeals to do so. The entire musical chairs gang of rotating Israeli leadership are war criminals. During my imprisonment in Israel for attempting to take crayons to the children of Gaza, I called Israel a failed state. If Israel is threatened by unarmed, humanitarian activists to the point of massacring them, then Israel is a failed state. Israel is a failed nuclear state.

Obama’s most recent granting of an additional $205 million for Israeli “missile defense” is unconscionable, when in the same week, reports revealed for the first time, Israel’s offer of nuclear weapons to apartheid South Africa. Just last week, a paper bearing the signature of former Israeli Prime Minister, Shimon Peres, was released by South Africa, revealing that in 1975, Israel could offer South Africa nuclear weapons “in three sizes.” South Africa’s then-Minister of Defense, P.W. Botha, was South Africa’s signatory to the letter. This information would make the entire Obama Administration look sadly farcical as it points an accusing finger at Iran, except that U.S. obeisance to the Israeli bloodthirst is deadly serious. With deadly outcomes.

Earlier this month, Israel was granted admission to the Organization of Economic and Community Development (OECD), a direct affront to ongoing Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) efforts across the world. Once again, Israel has thumbed its nose at the global community–with bloody results–because it can.

I am proud to serve on the Bertrand Russell Tribunal on Palestine. Its next sitting will be in London, where we will examine corporate complicity in Israel’s crimes against Palestine. The Tribunal will sit from November 5 – 7. Please put this on your calendar. We all must do what we can, where we are to end wars against the people at home and wars against human rights abroad.

Finally, a friend just sent a message to me saying that the Israelis had lost their minds. Sadly, based on the past, the Israelis could very well conclude that they can do anything–imprison me for trying to take love to the children of Gaza and kill humanitarian activists trying to do the same–because they know, in the end, they’ll get away with it. Instead, I would suggest that we are the ones who have lost our minds, our souls, our spirits, and our human dignity if we allow the Israelis to get away with murder–again–and we do nothing.

I am calling on the people of the United States to change course now.

On this Memorial Day 2010, I am stunned and outraged beyond belief while mourning the dead of the Freedom Flotilla to Gaza.

Filed Under: 2009-Daily Hip Hop News, Essential videos to peep, Political articles, Southern Shift Tagged With: , , , ,

Hip Hop News: Jeru Speaks on Guru/ This is How Immigration Laws Should Work

May 26, 2010 By

A few thoughts for today…First here are a few articles to peep:

Second, I just wanna go on record and say the CEO of BP Tony Hayward is a real dip shit. Saw him on the Today Show and he just seemed too smug and arrogant for aguy who just destroyed 40% of the country’s wetlands.

he seemed pretty dismissive when it was brought to his attention that there are scientist proposing more effective ways to cap the leak which has know larger than the state of Delaware. Dude showed no sense of urgency and his apology was weak..

I don’t think people realize that once everything is said and done we’re gonna have real big problem including food shortages. Sit on that for a minute and we’ll build on that in another column.

Caught Nas and Damien Marley last night..It was sold out at Oakland’s historic Fox Theater. The show was very, very, very  mellow. I’ve seen Nas at least a dozen times over the years and when he hits the stage the crowd is usually amped. Song after song usually results in loud applause. Last night, people were jovial. They smiled a lot which is cool…but the whole vibe was  laid back. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised considering the Fox is in the heart of what we call Oakstradam. Right around the corner is Oakstradam University and it apparently many in the crowd paid a visit before coming to the show. As for the show from what I could see through the haze… it was pretty good..

I also caught up with Jeru Tha Damaja last night. He was at 330 Ritch in San Francisco celebrating the 16th anniversary of his landmark album ‘The Sun Rises in the East’. Folks who attended were treated to Jeru performing all the songs. It was streamed live from Hip-Hop.com.

I sat down with Jeru and talked to him about a variety of topics including the recent passing of his good friend and mentor Guru of Gang Starr. Jeru explained that Guru saved his life. Prior to hooking up with the Gang Starr Foundation, he was out in the streets living on the ‘wrong side of the tracks’. He noted he did it all but Guru was able to pull him up and put him on the right path. For that he will forever be grateful.

Jeru also explained that one of the reasons he spit such conscious lyrics on that first album was because he was coming to a place where he realized his wrong doings and didn’t want those coming behind him to follow suit.  We’ll be posting the entire interview in the next few days. Until then enjoy this classic joint.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B5dOCSBBEI

Moving on.. Things are heating up in Arizona as thousands of people are expected to touch down over the Memorial Day Weekend for 3 days of activities which will include a Friday night concert and a huge march on Saturday. Sunday will be spent exploring ways to put forth strategies…Check out http://www.altoarizona.com/

Lastly I came across this video that squarely puts the Immigration debate in perspective.  This may be hard for a lot of folks to take, but I think we all need to pause  and take along hard look and sincerely reflect. Something to ponder..Nuff said

-Davey D-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gkBP2RCbo4&feature=player_embedded#

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Hip Hop & Political News: Freeway Rick Set to Sue Rick Ross/ Latina Professor Booed at Arizona Graduation

May 25, 2010 By

Like everyone I’m watching this Gulf Oil Spill and seeing all the dead oil slicked animals and hearing endless pronouncements about how BP is going to try one failed method after another to cap the leak. Of course nothing is working, everyone is pointing fingers and at the end of the day, I see more political posturing than I do genuine concern for the destruction of the environment and the Gulf Coast Economy.

Nowadays everyone seems to be pointing a finger at President Obama, accusing him of being too cool, too relaxed and not moving fast enough. I agree Obama needs to be putting the smash on BP in a big way even if they have given him lots of money in the past.  After all, this is bigger than one’s relationship with campaign contributors. At the same time I hear a deafening silence from the wing nuts who showed up in New Orleans a little more than a month ago talking all that ‘Drill Baby Drill‘ nonsense. For those who don’t remember take a look at this… http://www.srlc2010.com/

That was the Southern Republican Leadership Conference where you had all sorts of folks not only championing off shore drilling, you also had folks talking about how we needed less government and how Obama was right up there next to ‘socialism‘ as if that’s really a bad thing. Of course now that we have this catastrophe we have many of those same people including Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal damn near crying on TV demanding the government step up and do something. He needs to be smacked upside the head and told made to take his words back that Drill Baby Drill mantra. I haven’t forgotten while serving Congress Jindal was riding hard for H.R. 4761: Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act of 2006 which would’ve lifted the moratorium on off shore drilling. The bill never passed, but Jindal was a still a rider along with just about every other Gulf Coast State governor. I wonder if they’d be pushing for those off shore drillings now?

Big shout out to Talib Kweli and Public Enemy for stepping up and dropping songs dealing with the immigration bill in Arizona. Talib has a new song called ‘Paper’s Please‘ and Public Enemy and DJ Johnny Juice who had already released a song addressing the issue remixed it.  ‘Tear Down That Wall’-(Aztlan remix) .They join other artists who released songs like Swindoe-(Roadrunner vs the Coyote), Toki Wright- (By the Time I Get to Arizona 2010) and a coalition of Arizona artists who dropped the song ‘Back to Arizona Rappers Against SB 1070‘ .

Its good to see artists stepping up and using their talents to address these important issues. We had a slew of artists ranging from Jasiri X to Beeda Weeda, Mistah FAB & Jennifer Johns and Zion I aka the Burnerz who all came with songs after  an unarmed Oscar Grant was murdered by a BART police officer in Oakland.

Prior to that we had everyone from David Banner and DJ Shadow to Juvenile to Jay-Z step up to address issues around Hurricane Katrina. It’s just a matter of time before we start hearing songs around the killing of 7 year Aiyana Stanley Jones.

-Davey D-

Here are some stories to peep..

Rick Ross To Sue Rapper Rick Ross Over Name

The real Rick Ross could face off against the rapper Rick Ross (William Leonard Roberts II) in court this summer, over the usage of the name “Rick Ross.”…Ross claims that Miami rapper Rick Ross (William Leonard Roberts II) signed a multimillion dollar deal in 2006, based on his image and likeness as a drug dealer.

Rick Ross claims that he protested the use of his name in 2006 by sending cease-and-desist letters to Def Jam, which were allegedly ignored.

Sources told AllHipHop.com that Ross’ lawsuit will claim that the rapper stole his identity and based it on Rick Ross’ real drug dealer image in the black community.

According to sources, Ross is planning to sue Def Jam, Universal, William “Rick Ross” Roberts II and others.

continue reading here http://bit.ly/dhTR15

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Latina professor jeered, threatened for speaking against immigration laws….

Arizona Professor Sandra Soto

Last week, Arizona University’s professor of Latina studies Professor Sandra Soto took the stage to address 2010 graduates of the school’s Social and Behavioral Sciences program. Naturally, her words were timely and touched upon the state’s recently passed immigration laws that allow police to question and detain anyone who they suspect of being an illegal immigrant.

Then, she called the measure “the strictest anti-immigrant legislation in the country” that is “explicitly intended to drive undocumented immigrants out of the state.”

Her summary, while quite accurate, elicited a wave of boos and insults from the audience.

In a video of her speech published to YouTube, either the camera man or someone close by seems amused at her characterization.

That’s right!” he said. “This is ‘merica,” leaving out the ‘A’. “Cut your hair!”

“…to a whole lot of people, myself included, it appears to not only invite but require the police to engage in racial profiling,” she continued, eliciting another wave of boos.”

“Bitch!” a man near the camera shouted.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSppVDbEZkg&feature=player_embedded

continue reading here  http://bit.ly/d6TPlM

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Hip Hop Wisdom: Bambu Speaks on Filipinos in Hip Hop & Gang Life in LA

We caught up with Bambu at SxSW last year  and he spoke to us about the Filipinos in Hip Hop and gang life in LA. He noted that he doesn’t say gang life is wrong.. He says it needs to be redirected and folks need to use their talents and intelligence to really owning their blocks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYgW5h95wuw

In our other clip Bambu talks to us about the gender politics and deeper meaning behind his song and video the ‘Queen is Dead’

continue reading here: http://bit.ly/dkAtge

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Wall Street Reform Turns Out Great for Wall Street — Why Aren’t the Big Banks Being Punished?

You would think as this 1,500 page “reform” went through (anyone want to bet if its strongest provisions will survive the reconciliation process?) the banks would be quaking in their boots. After all, they funded what President Obama called swarms of lobbyists to kill it at birth. They denounced it with doomsday language with their rhetoric helping to drive the market down. Oh, the fear! Oh, the consequences!

But then, what happened? Were bankers jumping out of windows like their predecessors did when the market crashed in ’29? No way.

WSNS reported what happened:

Bank stocks soared on Friday, with the share price of JP Morgan Chase, one of the biggest finance houses, surging 5.9 percent and helping drive the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 125 points. Other bank stocks rose sharply: Bank of America up 4.7 percent, Goldman Sachs up 3.3 percent, Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo and Citigroup. The S&P financial sector index was up 3.6 percent overall.

The Wall Street Journal reported the rise in prices under the headline, “Financial Stocks Turn Higher After Senate Passes Reform Bill.”

continue reading here: http://bit.ly/9wcSHL

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Hip Hop Wisdom: Bambu Speaks on Gender Politics, Filipinos in Hip Hop & Gang Life in LA

May 24, 2010 By

We caught up w/ Bambu who was on hand at Delores Park for the Eco-Fest 2010. He broke down the inspiration and the meaning behind the song ‘The Queen is Dead’. He talked to us about brothers using flowery words like ‘Queen’ and ‘Sista’ and not really meaning it. It called such cats ‘Macktavist’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O27eLnXc3rI

We caught up with Bambu at SxSW last year  and he spoke to us about the Filipinos in Hip Hop and gang life in LA. He noted that he doesn’t say gang life is wrong.. He says it needs to be redirected and folks need to use their talents and intelligence to really owning their blocks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYgW5h95wuw

Below is a pretty cool video for the song ‘Pull It Back‘

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0PispXSUaM

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Rachel Maddow & Rand Paul Square Off Over Civil Rights & Racism

May 20, 2010 By

Last night Rachel Maddow and newly elected Tea Party icon Rand Paul son of Congressman Ron Paul square  off over the Civil Rights Act..

This should give you some keen insight into the political mindset of the Pauls and what they are ultimately about..

Here’s a brief summary from Mediaite

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/rand-paul-and-rachel-maddow-debate-the-civil-rights-act-in-theory-and-practice/

Since last Tuesday, it’s been morning after week for Kentucky Senate Republican candidate Rand Paul. While he recorded interviews at NPR and The O’Reilly Factor today, he didn’t waste any time booking himself for the toughest interview he could find. Tonight, that interview was on The Rachel Maddow Show. Don’t be deceived by the lack of shouting– this was by far the most heated exchange of the night across cable news.

It wasn’t the first time Paul was on the program– in fact, he had announced his candidate for Kentucky Senate on The Rachel Maddow Show months before. But last night’s interview was almost like a science experiment: put two of the most ideologically pure people in the politi-media world together to challenge each other on one of the issues they each care about the most. For Paul, that issue is the rights of the individual and the danger of the federal government stepping over them. For Rachel Maddow, the issue is institutional discrimination and the moral obligation to abolish it. That, at least, is how each one of them saw the respective problems and successes of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which Paul had been coming under attack for allegedly opposing.

While, as he has before, Paul reiterated that he personally hates racism and, for the most part, likes the Civil Rights Act, he is definitely giving people the space to assume that he would be ok with segregated businesses, because he expects the practice to negatively affect a business so much that the market wold take care of eliminating racism without the government getting in the way. It’s a consistent application of his ideology, but Maddow counters that, in practice, the market just hasn’t proven enough of a detractor to ensure that racism will not be institutionalized.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3O2rBz9gwo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS_qya7w0hs

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Davey D Interview w/ Common: Music, Movies, Politics & Life

May 18, 2010 By

I caught up with Common a few weeks ago when he came to NASA Aimes Research Center in Mountainview and headlined a huge concert for Yuri’s Night. We talked to him about his career and his upcoming movie with Queen Latifah ‘Just Wright’ which opened up this weekend. Here Common plays the role of an injured basketball player.

http://vimeo.com/11458830

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The History of Rap: The Story of DJ Hollywood

May 18, 2010 By

The Golden voice of DJ Hollywood was his handle. DJ Hollywood was the first rythmic rapper for Hip Hop. A Master of the crowd response, Hollywood inspired a countless number of early MCs. Here is a sneek preview of the DJ Hollywood story from the movie “The History of Rap” written and Produced by Kurtis Blow Walker. Email us at kbkrushgroove@aol.com for your promo copy of the film..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSM8RfPno6Q

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This is Not Good-LA’s Gang Problem Just Got Worse-Homeboy Industries Lays off Most Employees

May 14, 2010 By

This is such a troubling story..We have to find a way to make sure Homeboy Industries doesn’t shut down.. Can’t we get some of these radio stations to do a a few summer jam concerts? cant Hollywood have a fund-raiser?

Gov Arnold Scwartznegger is setting us up to fail.. 300 unemployed gang members and next month he’s releasing a few thousand folks from over crowded jails .. No jobs, no money.. meanwhile we have greedy bankers getting billions-I repeat BILLIONS in bonuses..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoyMGtlC-do

L.A.’s Homeboy Industries lays off most employees

The institution dedicated to helping gang members quit lives of crime has been unable to raise the $5 million it needs. A quarter of the staff will remain.

May 13, 2010: Young man after young man hugged Fr. Greg Boyle and shoock his hand and Homeboy Industies in Los Angeles, CA May 13, 2010.

Homeboy Industries, the Los Angeles institution whose mission for more than 20 years has been to turn jobs into a recipe for saving the lives of gang members, laid off most of its employees Thursday because of crushing financial problems.

Father Gregory Boyle, who started Homeboy Industries in Boyle Heights during the height of the city’s gang wars, said 300 people were laid off, including all senior staff and administrators. Boyle said he has stopped taking a paycheck.

“We let people know so they could apply for unemployment, which I’m going to do as well,” he said.

Inside the organization’s headquarters at Alameda and Bruno streets in Chinatown, employees — many of them former gang members — took turns embracing and consoling Boyle. Young men crowded around him and promised to come back even without pay.

“We love you, G. We’ll be here tomorrow,” said one. The 55-year-old priest called it a “Frank Capra moment,” but he was noticeably dejected.

For two decades, Homeboy Industries has offered counseling, removed tattoos and helped gang members find jobs. Its motto: “Nothing stops a bullet like a job.”

But Boyle said no amount of campaigning and fundraising could make up the roughly $5 million the organization needed to operate. He said pleas for donations had resulted in some help, but not nearly enough.

He acknowledged that the people Homeboy Industries helps have always been a hard sell, and more so when the economy is struggling.

“If these were puppies or little kids, we wouldn’t be in this trouble,” he said. “But they’re tattooed gang members with records. So I think a lot of people love this place, but not the folks who can write the big checks, the ‘Save the Hollywood sign’ check.”

The only employees not laid off were more than 100 who work in the organization’s businesses, including its store, bakery and Homegirl Cafe. Boyle said that for the moment, the social services offered would continue, precariously, only because employees said they would keep coming. Eventually, like others left in the lurch by the worst economic downturn since the 1930s, many would need to find work elsewhere.

“We cobbled together payrolls since November. But it was not enough to save us,” Boyle said. “Hope has left the building a little bit. Miracles happen. They just haven’t happened for us lately.”

Still, the priest emphasized to his staff that this was not the end for Homeboy Industries.

Boyle acknowledged some blunders. When he embarked on a campaign to raise money to buy the building on Alameda Street, the organization did not factor in enough money to pay for operations that serve more than 12,000 gang members and former gang members a year, he said.

The $5 million “should have been included in our capital campaign, and it wasn’t,” Boyle said. “And that was our error…. We sort of forgot that we were going to put a program in this place.”

Homeboy Industries probably would have weathered that mistake, but then the recession struck — and the organization became busier.

“The recession happened, and everyone and his mother, every ZIP Code that has a gang had people coming here from all over the county,” Boyle said.

Homeboy Industries has gotten plaudits from influential politicians, celebrities and, increasingly, high-ranking LAPD officials — though over the years, rank-and-file officers have been critical, calling Boyle an apologist for gangbangers who don’t always change.

But Boyle has become an L.A. icon because of his work, with some supporters saying he should be considered for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Hector Verdugo, 35, a former gang member from Boyle Heights who became a top administrator at Homeboy Industries, said it was only natural that the priest’s wards would try to comfort him when they saw him crying Thursday. Together, they prayed in the lobby and vowed to return as long as they could, even without pay.

“Everyone just said, ‘Thank you, G, for bringing us this far,’ ” said Verdugo, a father of three. “But this isn’t the end. Like Father G said, this is just a pause.”

hector.becerra@latimes.com

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Filed Under: 2009-Daily Hip Hop News, Essential videos to peep, Political articles
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