The Holy Rollin’ of BAPTAZIA: culture jamming at its finest…

In the beginning was the DRUM,

and when it spoke it said:

SRSLY folks…I have been sleeping on this for awhile, watching it blossom and grow. Been tracking its slithering patterns as it makes its way virally across the interwebs. Been reading all the comments people are writing about this particular phenomenon…everything from the religious right to the club kids. However, today it kinda came back around full circle and found its way back to me via a myspace blog update from Flying Lotus. The title of FlyLo’s post was simple enough, it just said one word, “Church”. That is when it kinda hit me hard and I came to the realization of what I was witnessing in the guise of the movement that is media in the Obama era. Yeah, I know it sounds confusing to some of y’all. You got that dazed look on your face considering just what I mean when I say media IS a movement…not only that but oddly enough it is a movement that exists below the level at the grassroots…something akin to source material when dealing with sampling. After you get over the smug recoil of the cleverness tag embedded in this media, you can start to get a feel for its actual texture. It is a very complex texture to be sure. Not yet convinced? 

Have another bite then…this time chew a little bit longer…

*feel free to hit the replay button before reading further.

Of course, Ishmael Reed had this to say in ‘Mumbo Jumbo’:

“The Jes Grew epidemic was unlike physical plagues. Actually Jes Grew was an anti-plague. Some plagues caused the body to waste away; Jes Grew enlivened the host. Other plagues were accompanied by bad air (malaria). Jes Grew victims said that the air was as clear as they had ever seen it and that there was the aroma of roses and perfumes which had never before enticed their nostrils. Some plagues arise from decomposing animals, but Jes Grew is electric as life and is characterized by ebullience and ecstasy. Terrible plagues were due to the wrath of God; but Jes Grew is the delight of the gods.”

Hmm, a cultural impulse or imperative? 

Duke Ellington writes in his libretto to “The Drum is a Woman:”

Rhythm came from Africa to America.
Do you know what it does to you?
Exactly what it’s supposed to do.

Methinks the Duke was onto something…have another look…

So the questions hangs, ever lingering in the air, as MC GQ put it, “who wants IT, who WANTS it?!?”. I can almost imagine the chorus of nodding “yes-we-can-ers” chanting “WE DO, WE DO!”. Cut to Obama’s graceful and sincere smile and fade to black…

make no mistake, this ain’t no coincidence, this is emergence. (now puzzled faces muse, “Do we?”)

Perhaps this media movement has a leg up on us and we lost the quick draw? So now what?

The byproducts of BAPTAZIA are destined and bound for commercial upkeep and brand name pre-cognition for sure. I have to before I forget give a MASSIVE shoutout to the entity or crew known as Airloaf (the creators of the meme). In the most recent creations, Airloaf has made sure to impart the virus back unto itself with some clever insertions of composited graffix, the runtime equivalent of digital graffiti. This will have to suffice for now lest they figure out a way to encode beats with IR data or some such…

Have one final taste and remember the word FlyLo used: Church

oh well guess “it jes grew!”…

 

btw, read this in case you haven’t

stay tuned…

Found on the 1nt3rw3b5…

 

worth more than a thousand words...

I know, I know…been a nanosecond since there has been a new post. working on that. meanwhile, came across this just now on the interweb…this playing nicely off the *new ipod/itunes* shuck and jive routine from Apple as they announce their new consumer media products today. so I had to post it.

trying now to figure out the “Genius” *feature* in the new iTunes. SRSLY APPLE? aww shucks.

just when I thought things were getting better, I see now that they are in fact getting worse…

***as a bonus make sure to read the full EULA before starting up the “Genius“. All your media are belong to Apple, haha!

 I normally stick images in the gallery so if you haven’t clicked through the links above, go ahead and make yourself at home.

Toussaint: A Danny Glover film featuring Mos Def

Nah, I ain’t joking either. Check here for yourself!

The cast list has some heavy hitters, with Don Cheadle and Angela Bassett playing Toussaint Louverture and Suzanne Louverture respectively. Oh and of course, Danté (aka Mos Def) too on the bill. Sounds hot, right?

rebel

I know most of you out there sleeping on Haiti, so here is some history for you:

François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture (born 20 May 1743 – died April 8, 1803) was an important leader of the Haitian Revolution. Born a slave in Saint-Domingue, in a long struggle for independence, he led enslaved Africans to victory over Europeans, abolished slavery, and secured native control over the colony in 1797 while nominally governor of the colony. He expelled the French commissioner Léger-Félicité Sonthonax, as well as the British armies; invaded Santo Domingo to free the slaves there; and wrote a constitution naming himself governor for life that established a new polity for the colony.

His name, translated from French, would mean “all the saints awakening.”

Toussaint Louverture played a key role in what was the first successful attempt by a subject slave population to throw off the yoke of Western colonialism. He defeated armies of three imperial powers: Spain, France, and Great Britain. The success of the Haitian Revolution had enduring effects on the institution of slavery throughout the New World. Haiti became the second independent republic in the Western Hemisphere.

Of course, there is mad drama surrounding this production. First and foremost is the fact that Danny ain’t shooting the film in Haiti, instead he is shooting it in Venezuela. Next is the fact that Hugo Chavez wants to support this project so much he has given Danny 18 million dollars to complete the film. (which has a 30 million dollar budget) Native filmmakers of Venezuela were no doubt miffed at this generous gesture. Politically speaking, it is kinda crazy for a leader of a country to do something like that; then again, the subject of Haiti itself is a ticking time bomb for most people. So in that way, it makes sense…

It will be very interesting to see if this project actually gets finished and how it will be received internationally. Haiti is pretty much synonymous with REBEL and all things anti western dominance. You just don’t mess with Haitians as a rule of thumb. Africa is flowing through their veins in a very potent manner. I’ll be following this one closely for sure…just imagine a film like this coming out with Obama as president (don’t forget the Wyclef meme angle either!)…think about it….

Toussaint

I think Haiti’s plight and struggles may finally surface in this country. People need to wake up.

Lets hope they will…

DJ Rupture’s Negrophonics Jesgrew

eshu stylee

Mastermind Sound Bwoi Rupture is back on tour again!

He will be accompanied by vocalist Jahdan Blakkamoore:

jahdan

the lyrical gun gourgon!

Jahdan just dropped a new album with Rupture too:

We Are Raiders

It will be available in CD, digital and 12″, with instrumentals and a bonus tune on the CD and digital, vinyl is the four vocals only (CD cover pictured). Here is the tracklist:

The CD EP tracklist is as follows:

1. Buss It Pon Dem (Produced by Chancha Via Circuito, Buenos Aires, Argentina)

2. Nice Green (Produced by me, Matt Shadetek, New York City, USA)

3. Go Round Payola (Matt Shadetek)

4. Pon Time (Produced by Stereotyp, Vienna, Austria)

5. Pure Riddim (Bonus Instrumental, Matt Shadetek)

6. Payola Riddim (Matt Shadetek)

7. Nice Green Riddim (Matt Shadetek)

8. Varela (Chancha Via Circuito)

Don’t sleep, buy now here!

Anyway, back to Rupture and his tour which is only happening across the pond in the UK.

3 tables deep in da mix

Wed 9th July Swansea Monkey Club

Thu 10th July London Corsica Studios

Fri 11th July Birmingham Supersonic Festival

Sat 12th July Bristol Ruffnek Diskotek @ The Croft

Wed 16th July Brighton Freebutt

Fri 18th July Belfast Diston @ The Black Box

Sat 19th July Sheffield C90 @ The Shakespeare Sun

20th July Berkshire Glade Festival

“Above you see the cover of my summer mix CD (”Porque Soy Sonidero Y Voy A Muchos Lugares”) available only at live shows!! Shout to Sonido Martines & Vampiros for the cover artwork. I did this mix on Saturday, brought it to my Chinese Harlem bootleggers on Sunday, and got em back less than 24 hours later. gotta love NYC efficiency! heaps of exclusives on there too..”

from Jace’s Mudd Up!!! blog…

*actually the illest flip on all this comes from Rupture himself commenting on his arrival to Londontown,

yessai! seen?  (guerreros by your side…)

AFROFUNKING WITH AFROPUNKS

So there is this music/culture/film festival happening right now in my native Brooklyn NYC and I have to give it a shout out. Homeboy James Spooner has been pushing his film and this scene for awhile now and I think this may be the biggest get so far, they are expecting over 30,000 this time around! Anyway, here you go:

afropunk flyer front

afropunk flyer back

Afro-punk, BAMcinematek, Toyota & Mountain Dew present
THE 4TH ANNUAL AFRO-PUNK FESTIVAL

featuring Film, Music, Art, Skateboarding and Independence

July 4 – 13 in Brooklyn, NY

This summer Afro-Punk, BAMcinematek, Toyota & Mountain Dew will present the 4th annual Afro-Punk Festival, taking place July 4th – July 13th, 2008 in the heart of Brooklyn, NY. The festival is the definitive destination for the global Afro-Punk community and audiences yearning to experience true AP culture. Last year 30,000 people attended the festvial, and this year is expected to be even bigger, featuring 40 bands, 15 films being screened, a visual art exhibit and a skate park featuring 30 pro BMX riders/skaters.
Afro-Punk Festival 2008

Free and open to the public, Afro-Punk Festival 2008 will spotlight some of the most exciting young artists and bands from the US and abroad, presenting live music and films every night throughout the festival, along with several other key events including:

5th July 2008 Festival Launch Party @ AP Skate Park

12pm – 4pm: OPEN Skate Clinic
5pm – 6pm: DJ – Skate Board & BMX Demo

Special Guest DJ: Afrika Bambatta

Millsted
Shawn Hewitt
Janelle Monae
The Apes
Ends 11pm

7th July 2008 @ AP Skate Park

12pm – 4pm: OPEN Skate Clinic
4pm: DJ – Skate Board & BMX Demo

Skyhy
Tim Williams
Shala
Proton
Hollywood Holt
Ends 11pm

8th July 2008 @ AP Skate Park

12pm – 4pm: OPEN Skate Clinic
4pm: DJ – Skate Board & BMX Demo

Echo Jinx
Disaster Us
LIke Gravitiy
McRad
Cipher
Whole Weat Bread
Ends 11pm

9th July 2008 @ AP Skate Park

12pm – 4pm: OPEN Skate Clinic
DJ – Skate Board & BMX Demo

Planet Ubiquity
Voodoo Fee
Lets Go To War
Bazaar Royale
Game Rebellion
Bone Crusher
Ends 11pm

12th July 2008 @ Fort Greene Park
Sophia Ramos
Bermuda
Little Jackie
Tamar Kali
The Dirtbombs

DJ HARD HITTING HARRY
DJ DUSTBIN BROTHERS

8.30 – 10.00: Film Screening in the park
Ends 10pm

13th July 2008 BLOCK PARTY @ Clinton Ave

The Caesarz
The Carps
J*Davey
Kudu

5.45pm – 8.00pm: DJ RICH MEDINA, ARTHUR BAKER, HARD HITTIN HARRY, DUSTBIN BROTHERS
Ends 8pm
The AP Skate Park

A skate park including ramps and a half-pipe will be erected in the BAM car park and open for 5 full days of the festival. Staffed by BMX pro skaters who will give demonstrations, the AP Skate Park will provide free instruction for youth of all ages along with boards, pads, and helmets. Rounding out the Skate Park will be a music stage hosting a high-energy series of DJ sets and band performances.

The AP Art Series

This year AP presents the work of artists chosen from a supremely talented pool of young exhibition hopefuls, including a cooperative graffiti mural project courtesy of the Trust Your Struggle Art Collective. The critically acclaimed, multi-national collective of brilliant young visual artisans will bring more than 25 artists together to co-create a mural over the course of 5 days at the AP Skate Park.

THE BLOCK PARTY

The Afro-Punk Festival marketplaces will feature emerging artisans of the AP movement, representing music, fashion, arts & crafts, and more. And in a special collaboration between Afro-Punk, BAM, and MARP, the bi-monthly open-air Brooklyn Urban Arts Market (exclusively featuring local businesses) will launch during the AP Block Party.

Like every powerful music-based movement, Afro-Punk is deeper, broader, and more complex than a a simple genre designation. AP is a provocative social statement — a remixed global aesthetic that influences youth fashion and personal style, and inspires a multitude of artists in a variety of disciplines as they come together to embrace and celebrate the AP culture. We invite you to join us in this celebration!

Don’t front on this event, if you are in Brooklyn you should go and check it and lend your support. I mean c’mon even Bambata is gonna be there! I do think the whole skate/bmx angle is a bit *commercial* for my tastes, as a die hard bmxer myself I can’t hate. So big up your situation James!

Oh and for those wondering if this is just some bogus hip sounding movement meant to attract dudes with single speed track bikes who like to drink Pabst (I ain’t gonna lie and say thats not EXACTLY who will be there at the party), it goes way deeper and darker. I grew up listening to the one and only BAD BRAINS and H.R. is still a hero of mine. Expression is akin to breathing for most afros…

Anyway, everyone knows Punk is just another vector of the neo West Indian scene in London. That may not be the American perception of Punk of course, that honor goes to bands like Green Day, etc. The Clash’s Joe Strummer knew what was up though…on the real.

Here is a bit featuring another homeboy named Saul Williams performing and breaking it down to the crowd at Austin Texas’ South by Southwest Festival. I think this pretty much speaks for itself…

Punk is *NOT* fashion, it is *SENSE*…