tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78805752245528352262024-03-07T13:24:43.568-08:00the playgroundJamilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291434727158884556noreply@blogger.comBlogger402125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7880575224552835226.post-7493689976794553032010-10-05T22:36:00.000-07:002010-10-05T22:37:00.038-07:00Jubilation!<div id='gzw_88e9def95'></div><script language='javascript' src='https://qwocmap.givezooks.com/w/88e9def95'></script><br /><br />TICKET SALES BUTTON:<br /><a href="https://qwocmap.givezooks.com/events/jubilation-qwocmap-10th-anniversary-celebration"><img alt="learn more" height="30" src="https://www.givezooks.com/images/buttons/buy_tickets/100x30.png" width="100" /></a>Jamilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291434727158884556noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7880575224552835226.post-74671924834180198122009-10-12T15:31:00.001-07:002009-10-12T15:31:42.035-07:00Reflection Eternal<a href="http://postbourgie.com/2009/10/07/random-midday-hotness-back-again/">They're back.</a><br /><br /><font face="Verdana" size="1" color="#999999"><br/><a href="http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=59255085" style="font: Verdana">Talib Kweli + Hi Tek-Reflection Eternal -Back Again-Vid Premiere</a><br/><object width="425px" height="360px" ><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"/><param name="movie" value="http://mediaservices.myspace.com/services/media/embed.aspx/m=59255085,t=1,mt=video"/><embed src="http://mediaservices.myspace.com/services/media/embed.aspx/m=59255085,t=1,mt=video" width="425" height="360" allowFullScreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed></object><br/><a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=428875681" style="font: Verdana">Reflection Eternal</a> | <a href="http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=videos" style="font: Verdana">MySpace Music Videos</a></font>Jamilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291434727158884556noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7880575224552835226.post-89908999057665447222009-10-05T15:20:00.000-07:002009-10-05T15:46:38.142-07:00Wallace Thurman, the 'Mediocre Journalist'<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wo84ZA81Ucs/Ssp1dhE5EKI/AAAAAAAAArk/kSNCOF4Z2BM/s1600-h/thurman2.gif"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 166px; height: 161px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wo84ZA81Ucs/Ssp1dhE5EKI/AAAAAAAAArk/kSNCOF4Z2BM/s320/thurman2.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389249054057762978" /></a><br />I'm still smitten with the Harlem Reniassaince. Dug Wallace Thurman's "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blacker_the_Berry">The Blacker the Berry</a>" from my moms library and have been surprisingly engrained in it for the past two days.<br /><br />Thurman's writing doesn't grab me. Not like Langston's, or Bruce's. His prose is too formal -- the kind of writing that makes you more aware that the writer is trying hard to sound smart instead of letting the characters come to them. It's the kind of writing that's unashamed of its agenda. But for some reason, I can't put this book down.<br /><br />For me, <a href="http://aalbc.com/authors/wallace.htm">Wallace Thurman</a> has always been an intriguing character of the Harlem Renaissance for me. For one, he doesn't stand out too much. He as the book agent who attracted some of the New Negro Movement's most iconic figures to Harlem: Langston Hughes, Jessie Fauset, to name a couple. Whereas Langston Hughes may have been the soul, Wallace Thurman was a sort of master orchestrator, the main editorial impetus behind the publication of <a href="http://firepress.com/fire/fire.html">Fire!</a> and engrossed in a predictably complicated relationship with white money man <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Van_Vechten">Carl Van Vecten</a>. <br /><br />After all that, he ultimately ended up alienated from most of his friends, cut off from Harlem's literary pulse, and dead of alcohol poising by age 34.<br /><br />There's a scene in the film <a href="http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/brothertobrother/film.html">Brother to Brother</a> that I think captures perfectly Thurman's tortured identity as a writer. In the film, Langston Hughes is irate, pointing out to Richard Bruce Nugent where Wallace had allegedly ripped off chapters of an unpublished manuscript. In Thurman's defense, Nugent basically says, "So What?" Then points to a place in the prose where he suspects Wallace subconsciously let out his insecurities, saying he feared he'd never be more than a "medicore journalist."<br /><br />For me, it brings up intriguring questions. For lots of writers these days, who usually have to do without fancy arts endowments and, if they're lucky, actually <i>do</i> get jobs as journalists, what price does art play? For instance, I'm great at meeting deadlines. But when it comes to the actual mental and creative energy it takes to come up with a work of fiction, or poetry, I'm often stumped. It's easy to fool yourself into thinking that writing as a job can suffice for the writing you really wanna do.<br /><br />How much did that figure into Thurman's demise? Into his work?<br /><br />Aside from the obvious comparisons, Thurman still catches my eye. For one, he was raised in the West, went to USC, and undoubtedly draws on that complicated racial experience in his work. In the book I'm reading now, Thurman uses the Black communities in Boise, Idaho and Los Angeles as the backdrop for the main characters ultimate escape to Harlem. To me, that's fascinating. He veers away from the predictable Negro-from-the-South narrative and comments almost exclusively on how racism has shaped Black Amerca's relationship with itself. <br /><br />I can feel that. In fact, I think it's a much more apt representation of race for today's racial landscape than the majority of the up-from-slavery narratives of lots of Harlem Renaissance literature.Jamilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291434727158884556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7880575224552835226.post-74809227611604738872009-10-02T11:08:00.000-07:002009-10-02T11:12:44.713-07:00Juve on New Orleans<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Wo84ZA81Ucs/SsZClLzNU6I/AAAAAAAAArc/7PHxaNBEYCw/s1600-h/arfX_BU3.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 245px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Wo84ZA81Ucs/SsZClLzNU6I/AAAAAAAAArc/7PHxaNBEYCw/s320/arfX_BU3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388067210785543074" /></a><br />Does anyone remember <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juvenile_(rapper)">Juvenile</a>? <br /><br />Well, he's back in the news with two new singles, and some words on the gentrification of his hometown, New Orleans:<br /><br /><blockquote>If you g go through the ghettos of New Orleans and you ride around, you'll see stuff being rebuilt. You'll see houses but the problem is who's moving in them. The people who actually lived in those areas are not getting the opportunity to move back in them. So that's why I say it's still messed up in a sense. Not by the naked eye it probably won't look like that but it is still messed up.</blockquote><br /><br />Read more <a href="http://hiphopwired.com/11347/hhw-exclusive-juvenile-speaks-on-hot-boys-reunion-turk-the-gentrification-of-new-orleans/">here</a>.Jamilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291434727158884556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7880575224552835226.post-4516916296897729252009-09-29T20:58:00.001-07:002009-09-29T21:01:51.308-07:00Gentleman's Kool-Aid: New iLL-Literacy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wo84ZA81Ucs/SsLXgSqaTMI/AAAAAAAAArU/zAhNQ5kZeH8/s1600-h/koolaid_single_cover-400x400.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wo84ZA81Ucs/SsLXgSqaTMI/AAAAAAAAArU/zAhNQ5kZeH8/s320/koolaid_single_cover-400x400.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387105054054042818" /></a><br /><br />Check out the first track off <a href="http://www.ill-literacy.com">iLL-Literacy's</a> <i>iB4the1</i>! <a href="http://illshare.net/koolaid/">Download here</a>.Jamilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291434727158884556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7880575224552835226.post-57770939385535321372009-09-25T20:46:00.000-07:002009-09-25T21:19:50.174-07:002pac: Academic Research Subject<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wo84ZA81Ucs/Sr2UJ4zJCQI/AAAAAAAAArM/zyKQYluW-6A/s1600-h/1103_2pac_old_label_c.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wo84ZA81Ucs/Sr2UJ4zJCQI/AAAAAAAAArM/zyKQYluW-6A/s320/1103_2pac_old_label_c.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385623626991601922" /></a><br />Last week I had a talk with a longtime Bay Area high school teacher who incorporates hip-hop pedagogy into this lesson plans. After 18 years in classrooms throughout California and having toured schools in several different countries, he was adamant about one thing: 2pac is the most influential musical icon to young people, hands down. <br /><br />As a teacher, Pac's influence became especially important for him when it came to translating the lived experiences many young people of color face to ideas in the classroom. According to this teacher, it doesn't matter the classroom or continent, wherever there's a community in struggle, 2pac is the most enduring musical icon for young folks because his music speaks, in a very real way, about struggle. <br /><br />And it looks like the same can also by said for the ivory tower.<br /> <br />Recently Pac's work was back in the news when his mother, Afeni Shakur, <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090925/ap_en_ce/us_people_tupac_s_writing">donated</a> over 150 of the slain rapper's writings to Robert W. Woodruff Library at Atlanta University Center. The collection includes rough drafts of raps, poems and a photocopy of the the rapper's original contract with Death Row records.<br /><br />The library is home to Atlanta's historically Black colleges, including Spelman, Morehouse, Clark Atlanta, and the Morehouse School of Medicine.<br /><br />I can't think of any other artist of our generation who's had such a profound impact, both culturally and academically. Off the top of my head, there's maybe Thelonious Monk and, later, Billie Holiday. But even then, it took decades for Black music to gain legitamacy as a topic worthy of scholarly research.<br /><br />So why's 2pac so relevant? Check out this video, which I first peeped over at Colin's blog. It's as relevant today as it was back in '92. At least, I think so.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LQ4FvfM9Ftk&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LQ4FvfM9Ftk&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Jamilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291434727158884556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7880575224552835226.post-48379688236214725832009-09-25T17:01:00.001-07:002009-09-25T17:01:44.994-07:00Cutest Lakers Fan Ever<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8wDgJ3AjLbw&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8wDgJ3AjLbw&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Jamilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291434727158884556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7880575224552835226.post-90646158251828199962009-09-23T12:29:00.000-07:002009-09-23T12:39:43.927-07:00Reaching Out to Raider NationI'm a niners fan by blood. Born and raised in the city, remember the pride of walking to the bus stop before school the day after they won the '94 Super bowl. I love me some 49er football.<br /><br />But there's something about those Raiders.<br /><br />Maybe it's because I'm living in Oakland these days. Maybe it's also the anti-displacement work I've been immersed in lately and how much more aware I am of the 49ers complicated place in Bayview's history. But I know I always like to root for the underdog, and let's face it, the 49ers have never really been known as the "people's team."<br /><br />That claim goes to Oakland, and its football team. No, JaMarcus ain't exactly killing them, Darren McFadden seems to have gotten lost in the Black hole, and Al Davis manages his team about as well as I manage my personal finances. But even with all that drama, the Raiders have got hella fight in them.<br /><br />How else can you explain their fans' ride-or-die attitude? I'm not saying that I'm on the bandwagon, and I don't think my niner allegiance will ever fully allow me to embrace Raider Nation.<br /><br />But after <a href="http://ta-nehisicoates.theatlantic.com/archives/2009/09/running_with_the_night.php">this post</a>, it takes me one tiny step closer.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oPrm4PpOStA&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oPrm4PpOStA&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Jamilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291434727158884556noreply@blogger.com157tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7880575224552835226.post-88095993979629057332009-09-18T16:03:00.001-07:002009-09-18T16:25:28.452-07:00Reading For Colored Girls<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wo84ZA81Ucs/SrQWozljvKI/AAAAAAAAArE/j3ntnhAEm9E/s1600-h/1977+Paul+Davis+For+Colored+Girls.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 163px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wo84ZA81Ucs/SrQWozljvKI/AAAAAAAAArE/j3ntnhAEm9E/s320/1977+Paul+Davis+For+Colored+Girls.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382952344912903330" /></a><br />One of the few candid pictures I have of my sister as a teenager is probably from 1989. I like it because it's goofy. She's wearing an oversized yellow t-shirt with her arms crossed, her head tilted to the side and she's sticking out her tongue at whoever's taking the picture. Behind her on the wall is a poster for Ntozake Shange's For Colored Girls. <br /><br />When I was really little, I was drawn to the bright colors that contrasted with the sad look on the mysterious Black woman's face. As I got older, the title's invocation of death drew me in more, made me realize that in a haunting kind of way, all of us are carrying around the baggage of losing someone too soon.<br /><br />I always thought it was fitting. Long before I knew of the play's significance for Black girls across the country, I knew it would always make me think of my sister. <br /><br />For some reason, I appreciated the tragic irony of it all: Black girls naive (or strong) enough to smile before they died, and Black girls like me, ten years later, searching their faces for clues about our own futures. I liked the nuance of it, the thought that my sister wasn't just a statistic or a sad story or even a martyr, but a girl who, at 14 or 15, already knew she had to be her own hero. <br /><br />Despite the everyday evidence I saw around me, the picture showed me that there as something tremendously powerful about being Black and female and that even if it had tragic endings, it was never tragic in and of itself; hell, people wanted to make art out of it. <br /><br />More than anything, it made me realize that my family's greatest tragedy was also our greatest strength, and that we weren't alone.<br /><br />Maybe it's that visceral connection that's kept me away from the actual book for so long. To date, I've never actually read Ntozake Shange's work. I've seen and held copies and at times borrowed versions have collected dust on my bookshelf. I've had friends perform it on stage and, like everyone else, rolled my eyes when I heard Tyler Perry was trying to bring it to the big screen.<br /><br />To be real, I'm afraid to read it. Afraid to be disappointed, maybe. Afraid that I won't see what my sister saw. Afraid that in the hoopla over it being required reading for Black girls many moons over, I won't be in the mental or emotional space to take it in. Afraid that I won't "get it." And, in a lot of ways, afraid because I know it'll never bring me any closer, physically, to my sister.<br /><br />So, here I go. I'm headed to the library this evening to pick up a copy. My first time actually reading it. Have others read it? What's been your experience?Jamilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291434727158884556noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7880575224552835226.post-32163792100814195322009-09-17T17:37:00.000-07:002009-09-17T17:52:16.553-07:00On WritingI hate to admit that I'm lazy when it comes to my creative writing, but I am. I've heard countless times that the only way to improve your writing is to keep writing, and when it comes to journalism, I'm on board.<br /><br />But when it comes to my creative work, I get blocked. Author <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Barnes">Steven Barnes</a> told me this summer that if you spend 10,000 hours doing anything, you'll master it. Me and my VONA peers bought into it, but <a href="http://www.the10000hourmission.blogspot.com/? ">still struggle</a>.<br /><br />Here's an interview with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Edgar_Wideman">John Edgar Wideman</a>. Dude's written like a gazillion books and despite the fact that his fiction is generally regarded by some readers as being hella -- sometimes unyieldingly -- dense, he keeps writing. (Try to ignore the "Fanon" mispronunciation; bet she'd know how to pronounce "Faulkner" though!)<br /><br /><script type="text/javascript" src="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/www_publicradio/tools/media_player/js/swfobject.js"></script><div id="minnesota_news_programs_2009_02_06_midmorning_midmorning_hour_2_20090206_64s_player"></div><script type="text/javascript">/*<![CDATA[*/var so = new SWFObject("http://minnesota.publicradio.org/www_publicradio/tools/media_player/s_player.swf", "minnesota_news_programs_2009_02_06_midmorning_midmorning_hour_2_20090206_64s_player", "319", "83", "8", "#ffffff");so.addParam("quality", "high");so.addParam("menu", "false");so.addParam("wmode", "transparent");so.addVariable("name", "minnesota/news/programs/2009/02/06/midmorning/midmorning_hour_2_20090206_64");so.write("minnesota_news_programs_2009_02_06_midmorning_midmorning_hour_2_20090206_64s_player");/*]]>*/</script>Jamilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291434727158884556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7880575224552835226.post-34636069823004108982009-09-17T17:07:00.000-07:002009-09-17T17:29:52.149-07:00Two REAAAALLY Dope Queer MoviesHere's the typical queer people of color story line: girl (or boy) falls in love with girl (or boy). First girl (or boy) goes on some long hero's journey toward accepting their "identity" before coming out to their family and being promptly put out on the street. Being queer is like the their biggest, most pressing life issue so when the originally girl (or boy) they fell in love with plays straight and breaks their heart, they either a) kill themselves, b) renounce their queerness and join a gang, or c) make their traditional mother happy by getting pregnant.<br /><br />The end.<br /><br />Obviously, the movies I like are a little bit more nuanced than that.<br /><br />Here are two of my fav's:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0384504/">Saving Face</a>:</span><br />(Try to ignore the croaky white lady lesbian voice in the background)<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1UkSg_B62mQ&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x402061&color2=0x9461ca"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1UkSg_B62mQ&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x402061&color2=0x9461ca" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />Despite the fact that I've been on a <a href="http://jaysplayground.blogspot.com/2009/09/lynn-chens-pissed.html">Lynn Chen kick lately</a>, I really dig this movie. Why? Because it's cute and awkward, which pretty much sums up every queer relationship I've ever seen or heard about. The two Asian American leads play their roles spectacularly. Neither goes through an overt "coming out" phase, and coming out is never positioned as something they have to do outside of their community.<br /><br />Some of my friends have critique's, though. One said that it has a sadly typical representation of gender and too easily falls into the butch/femme narrative. I think it's more complicated to them. I mean, yes, the two main characters are a ballet dancer and surgeon, BUT I think there's important complexity in each representation. The so-called "butch" character isn't particularly emotionally powerful or sure of herself. The dancer (Chen), on the other hand, is kinda badass and advocates dramatic public displays of affection.<br /><br />For both characters, family is important. And of course, there's the character of the mom, who turns queerness and acceptance on its head. Love. It.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451176/">Quinceañera (2006)</a>:</span><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SxnuwI6Xqbg&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x402061&color2=0x9461ca"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SxnuwI6Xqbg&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x402061&color2=0x9461ca" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Not only does this film have a nuanced take on queerness, but it's probably one of the most honest and skillful critique's of gentrification I've ever seen. So. Fucking. Dope.<br /><br />And it was made for only $40,000 in the filmmakers' neighborhood (not sure if <i>they're</i> the ones gentrifying East LA...)Jamilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291434727158884556noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7880575224552835226.post-3161839488482155032009-09-17T16:40:00.000-07:002009-09-17T17:07:24.215-07:00Back to Middle SchoolI spent the earlier part of today doing my first in-depth reporting at a middle school in Oakland. I observed a sixth grade math class, and on top of feeling dumb as shit for not remembering a damn thing about algebra (except for PEMDAS: Please Excuse My Dumb Ass Sister).<br /><br />Lots to observe, of course, but what I couldn't get over was how <i>tiny</i> the kids were. I've been racked by a serious case of nostalgia recently. Maybe it's the fact that hella people from my middle school days have somehow found me on Facebook. But with all the adult pressures of jobs, bills and housing, I've been yearning to get back to when shit was relatively simple: make the basketball team, do my homework, worry about what to wear to school the next day. I know retrospect is a biatch, 'cause in reality I know middle school was filled with bubbling insecurities and the helplessness of seeing friends and fam struggle while feeling powerless to help out.<br /><br />But what struck me today is looking at the boys (I hope that doesn't read as pervishly as it does in my head). The class was filled with kids of color, and it looked a lot like I remember mine looking, back then I wasn't worried about what white kids might think or how state standards defined me. When I saw the boys in this class, they looked engaged, even excited. Even when you could tell the math was pushing their nerves, they didn't necessarily buck authority.<br /><br />I remember how much changed for me in middle school, especially in terms of how I viewed race and gender. In sixth grade, two of my best friends were guys. One was Black and Japanese, the other was Chinese, and all we'd talk about was football, Southpark, and Mrs. Vorsanger's science experiments. By the time we hit 8th grade, they weren't friends; the former seemed to understand what it meant to be Black at a San Francisco public school, and the latter only kicked it with the kids in the local Asian Gang. Meanwhile, my awkward ass was giving up on basketball and trying to figure out how to walk comfortably in skin-tight flare jeans. They went to the same high school and, as far as I know, never spoke again.<br /><br />I know it sounds hella cliche, but when exactly does innocence fade? To my recollection, none of us experienced any dramatic, life-changing encounter that made us look at how we related to one another differently. It was gradual. As far as we knew when were entered middle school, we all had the same dreams.<br /><br />It seemed like the most profound transformations happened in the boys I knew. Sure, the girls changed too; some played stupid, some got pregnant, some fell off, and some I still kick it with to this day. But it seems like the boys understood intuitively somewhere between sixth and seventh grade that you don't usually earn cred by being smart or kicking it with girls you're not trying to get with.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">"... So now I pout like a grown jerk, wishing all I had to do now, was finish homework."</span><br /><br />Aaanyway, in typically cheeseball fashion, I'll leave with you with a classic:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SVgTeHhpsYM&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SVgTeHhpsYM&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Jamilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291434727158884556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7880575224552835226.post-82912251706511223162009-09-15T13:48:00.000-07:002009-09-15T13:54:22.446-07:00Lynn Chen's PissedLynn Chen, star of the super cute queer film <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saving_Face">Saving Face</a>, is awesome.<br /><br />Here she is, promoting her new comedy, <a href="http://whiteonricethemovie.com/main.html"><i>White on Rice</i></a>:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/d70-s0HBHV8&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/d70-s0HBHV8&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Oh, and <a href="http://movies.about.com/od/savingface/a/savinglc052505.htm">she's pretty smart, too</a>.Jamilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291434727158884556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7880575224552835226.post-82884172867462249792009-09-12T19:40:00.000-07:002009-09-15T14:09:11.691-07:00On Going to Grad SchoolJust read the good homie <a href="http://colinresponse.wordpress.com/2009/09/11/september-tupac-me-shutting-up-listening-me-shutting-up-listening-to-tupac/">Colin's amazing post</a> and was inspired to write about my education, or lack thereof.<br /><br />Basically, I'm terrified of school. Terrified of not being in school. Terrified of confronting how I've been institutionalized to expect to be in a classroom every September. And mostly terrified that after all of that socialization -- 17 years, not including summers -- I still don't know shit.<br /><br />I've been thinking a lot about applying to grad schools recently. Part of it is due to the fact that it's my "fall back plan." But I'd be kidding myself if I didn't admit that I've felt this overwhelming need to theoretically understand the parts of myself I've been running from all these years. For me, school has always been a liberating experience, even in its most demoralizing times. I was always that introverted kid with a book (or documentary) stuck beneath my arm. I absolutely love the process of learning, of being challenged, of feeling like I'm growing.<br /><br />The problem recently is that I've realized how much of my schooling was bullshit. Most times it didn't challenge me. It royally fucked me up in terms of thinking about race and class and privilege, just in its structure. So there's the practical part of me that looks at school as the most "productive" next step, one that I hope, if approached in the right way, will be liberating and fulfilling and challenging as fuck. <br /><br />Then there's the other part of me that knows that schools will invariably reinforce all the shit I've always hated anyway: who can speak the loudest, who's the sassiest, who takes up the most space, who uses the most obscure words or can pull some random theorist out of their ass.<br /><br />But maybe that's just my experience?<br /><br />And then there's the cynic in me. I hate how competitive school is. I hate how, no matter the program or its intention, it's inevitably set up to make you feel like shit. I have a hard time thinking of myself "studying" the life and death circumstances of me and my communities, especially when it's caught up in my own and other people's insecure bullshit. I have a hard time chatting it up about what conferences I want to attend or papers I want to present. Yes, I know education is a business. It's like a job. And for me, that's exactly the problem.<br /><br />So the obvious answer is that going to school doesn't mean shit about getting an education. But right now, it's the only reasonable alternative I can think of that would allow me to sit around and read books all day.<br /><br />...To Be Continued (I'm sure...)Jamilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291434727158884556noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7880575224552835226.post-77431340640937709362009-09-12T18:59:00.000-07:002009-09-12T19:08:22.456-07:00Why Sports Are Always Gender Queer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wo84ZA81Ucs/SqxRIPW999I/AAAAAAAAAq8/ueK6xctUyq0/s1600-h/caster-semenya-gener-dispute-1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 231px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wo84ZA81Ucs/SqxRIPW999I/AAAAAAAAAq8/ueK6xctUyq0/s320/caster-semenya-gener-dispute-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380764856804571090" /></a><br /><br />Let's face it: sports is perhaps the most prominent arena for challenging conventional gender norms. Unfortunately, in the high profile case of South African runner Caster Semenya, she had no choice in the matter.<br /><br />The record-setting 18-year-old South African runner became the target of international controversey after the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) forced her to take a gender test. Well, the results were leaked to the press: she "failed", whatever that means. According to them, she's intersex. <a href="http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090910/semenya_runner_090911/20090911/?hub=TorontoNewHome">Read more about the details here</a>.<br /><br />The details aren't really important. What makes this so intriguing -- and sad -- is that the controversy generally glosses over how sports have always been a site of both intentional and unintentional reisistance to gender norms.<br /><br />First, there's the blatant homoeroticism of most major male-dominated sports, like wrestling and American football. Although both sports are brutal physical expressions of masculinity, they're also aesthetic and social examples of male bonding. Whether it's the tight uniforms, constant physical contact or on-and-off field comraderie, they all fall somewhere along the line of gender non conformity.<br /><br />With self-identified women, this is especially true. I'm a life-long basketball nerd who was drawn to the sport at least partially because it allowed me to express an aesthetic queerness that I wasn't quite comfortable doing in other social situations. On top of loving the game, I was also drawn to the baggy clothes that also served as an excuse to get out of rigid gender norms at school. I could comfortably wear sweatpants and hoodies to school without people constantly asking me why I was trying to dress "like a boy." Most times, they'd just shrug their shoulders and say, "Oh, she's on the basketball team, that's cool."<br /><br />Granted, there's still an huge underlying assumption that most atheltic self-identified women are queer, to some degree. But for the most part, it's socially acceptable. Sports have always provided relatively safe spaces for queer women to bond, interact and take on leadership roles. It's a huge deal to be a confused queer kid and finally feel like you're worth something on the playing field.<br /><br />Obviously, Semenya's case is different. She self-identifies as a woman. She's being shamelessly humiliated by the international media. She's being forced to confront her gender identity when perhaps, it was never a question for her before.<br /><br />In a similar case, Indian runner <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santhi_Soundarajan">Santhi Soundarajan</a> also failed a gender test back in 2006 and was stripped of her silver medal at the Asian Games. She reportedly attempted suicide because of the controversy back in 2007.<br /><br />I can't help but feel an overwhelming sadness for what she's going through. Recently, she <a href="http://www.timeslive.co.za/incoming/article95613.ece">withdrew</a> from an upcoming race because, according to her coach, "she wasn't feeling well." For someone so young to go through something so humiliating in such a public way, I hope she has the support around her that she needs.Jamilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291434727158884556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7880575224552835226.post-56079846714804020512009-09-10T12:15:00.000-07:002009-09-10T12:16:06.294-07:00ikeepmoving: Steven Lopez<a href="http://www.ikeepmoving.com">steven lopez</a> is another reason to love LA:<br /><br />On Sade:<br /><object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=4978720&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=ffffff&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=4978720&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=ffffff&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/4978720">Lovers Redux</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/ikeepmoving">Steven Lopez</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p><br /><br />With Erykah Badu:<br /><object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3932582&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=9c9c9c&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3932582&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=9c9c9c&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/3932582">Erykah Badu and Artist Steven Lopez collaborate for social change</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/ikeepmoving">Steven Lopez</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wo84ZA81Ucs/SpmHBiFxMKI/AAAAAAAAAqg/6nV-Ei-8SQ4/s1600-h/5730_115353713998_543778998_2329136_408684_n.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 318px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wo84ZA81Ucs/SpmHBiFxMKI/AAAAAAAAAqg/6nV-Ei-8SQ4/s320/5730_115353713998_543778998_2329136_408684_n.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375476090644017314" /></a>Jamilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291434727158884556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7880575224552835226.post-59909460517337307832009-09-10T12:13:00.001-07:002009-09-10T12:14:33.499-07:00white queer hipsters astound me.i'm sitting in a cafe on 16th and Valencia in San Francisco. There are these two obnoxously loud white queer women taking up HELLA space. do they not realize how loud they are? do they not care? random thoughts.Jamilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291434727158884556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7880575224552835226.post-33622991506341569802009-08-24T12:28:00.000-07:002009-08-24T12:29:08.396-07:00young lords at 40yesterday marked the 40th anniversary celebration of the the young lords party in new york city. colorlines has a piece up on the <a href="http://www.colorlines.com/article.php?ID=589">mujeres of the young lords</a>, via <a href="http://www.impre.com/eldiariony/noticias/reportajes/2009/6/14/la-mujer-en-los-young-lords-130603-7.html">el diario/la prensa</a>:<br /><br />democracy now also recently ran a dope documentary on the party. check out the first part:<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LsHboFeMwxc&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LsHboFeMwxc&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />see the rest <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVj20PbWOX0">here</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsHboFeMwxc">here</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unoke3N41Fc">here</a>.Jamilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291434727158884556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7880575224552835226.post-86616540432888970112009-05-09T19:00:00.001-07:002009-05-09T19:00:41.043-07:00DJ Zita: Where My Ladies At?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wo84ZA81Ucs/SgYyyV36NmI/AAAAAAAAAlo/x-U_UuGXQcc/s1600-h/Story%2BImage_original%2Bsisters%2Bin%2Bsound.jpg"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 199px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wo84ZA81Ucs/SgYyyV36NmI/AAAAAAAAAlo/x-U_UuGXQcc/s320/Story%2BImage_original%2Bsisters%2Bin%2Bsound.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334006649113425506" /></a><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Check out my latest <a href="http://www.wiretapmag.org/arts/44135/">interview with DJ Zita on Wiretap:</a></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">On political work:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(56, 56, 56); line-height: 16px; font-size:12px;"></span><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(56, 56, 56); line-height: 16px; font-size:12px;">Feminism or gender equality is perhaps most important to me because being a woman in a male-dominated game is a hustle. From club owners/managers to DJs to hip-hop itself, I'm working in a industry that is largely run by men. When you take a glimpse of the big picture, you see men in the highest positions of power running the clubs, running hip-hop, running our country. Hip-hop and the club industry's portrayals of women are also largely negative. I believe that what I represent is a </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(56, 56, 56); line-height: 16px; font-size:12px;">strong, positive female-of-color force in the game of DJ'ing, promoting and hip-hop.</span></blockquote></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">On <a href="http://www.bassladydjs.com/">Everlasting BASS</a>:</span></span></div><div><blockquote></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><blockquote></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(56, 56, 56); line-height: 16px; font-family:helvetica;font-size:12px;"><blockquote>Two years ago, I was discouraged by the fact that I was DJ'ing either as the only woman on an otherwise all-male bill, or DJ'ing with a line-up of all women at an event promoted by men. I realized that the only reason this was possible is because women DJs in the Bay did not have solidarity. We few women were all doing our own thing, and I feel that we needed to come together in sisterhood. These disappointing realities are my inspirations for starting B.A.S.S., short for <a href="http://www.wiretapmag.org/arts/44135/www.bassladydjs.com" style="color: rgb(207, 5, 0); text-decoration: none; ">"Bay Area Sistah Sound."</a></blockquote><blockquote><br /></blockquote><br /><a href="http://www.wiretapmag.org/arts/44135/www.bassladydjs.com" style="color: rgb(207, 5, 0); text-decoration: none; "></a></span><br /></span><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div></div><br /><br />Read the entire interview <a href="http://www.wiretapmag.org/arts/44135/">here</a>.<br /><br />Sure sure to <a href="http://www.wiretapmag.org/subscribe/">subscribe</a> to Wiretap's weekly mailing list to get her exclusive new mix: <a href="http://djzita.com/mixes.html">Where My Ladies At: A Tribute to the Queens of True School Hip-Hop</a>.<br /><br /><div style="font-size: 11px;"><object height="81" width="100%"><param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?show_comments=true&auto_play=false&track=dj-zita-where-my-ladies-at-a-tribute-to-the-queens-of-true-school-hip-hop&color=f337c0&referrer=http%3A//djzita.com/mixes.html"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?show_comments=true&auto_play=false&track=dj-zita-where-my-ladies-at-a-tribute-to-the-queens-of-true-school-hip-hop&color=f337c0&referrer=http%3A//djzita.com/mixes.html" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%" wmode="transparent"></embed></object><div style="padding-top: 5px;"><a href="/">DJ Zita - WHERE MY LADIES AT? A Tribute to the Queens of True School Hip Hop</a> by <a href="dj-zita">DJ Zita</a></div></div>Jamilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291434727158884556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7880575224552835226.post-22680786364626532472009-05-07T19:40:00.000-07:002009-05-07T19:43:31.672-07:00Wax PoeticsA behind-the-scenes look at one of my all-time favorite mags:<br /><br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" id="ce_88881583" width="500" height="400" data="http://current.com/e/88881583/en_US"><param name="movie" value="http://current.com/e/88881583/en_US"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://current.com/e/88881583/en_US" width="500" height="400" wmode="transparent" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed></object>Jamilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291434727158884556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7880575224552835226.post-32767091501521533852009-05-07T08:32:00.000-07:002009-05-07T10:40:04.568-07:00Lost Documentary on James Baldwin's Visit to San Francisco: Take This Hammer (1963)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wo84ZA81Ucs/SgMA7gM0DpI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/DV519cVDAdg/s1600-h/james-baldwin-nyc.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 375px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wo84ZA81Ucs/SgMA7gM0DpI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/DV519cVDAdg/s400/james-baldwin-nyc.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333107405992758930" /></a><br />There's a recently uncovered PBS documentary on James Baldwin's 1963 visit to San Francisco. Watch the entire thing <a href="https://diva.sfsu.edu/bundles/187041">online</a>. <div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>From <a href="http://kenyonfarrow.com/2009/04/30/lost-documentary-featuring-james-baldwin-restored/">Kenyon Farrow</a>:<div><br /><br /><blockquote><b>Take This Hammer</b>, follows author and activist James Baldwin in the spring of 1963, as he’s driven around San Francisco to meet with members of the local African-American community. He is escorted by Youth For Service’s Executive Director Orville Luster and intent on discovering: “The real situation of Negroes in the city, as opposed to the image San Francisco would like to present.”</blockquote><br /><br />Money quote: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">"There is no moral distance … between the facts of life in San Francisco and the facts of life in Birmingham. Someone’s got to tell it like it is. And that’s where it’s at.”</span><br /><br />For me, the most interesting part of this documentary wasn't necessarily Baldwin's astute observations or the frank conversations he has with Black residents of the Fillmore and Bayview. It's seeing the fruits of San Francisco <a href="http://www.spur.org/documents/990201_article_01.shtm">urban renewal</a> come into form. Baldwin tours the Fillmore, where some of the 'hoods most notorious projects are in the middle of construction. Crazy to see the despair on people's faces even before they were built; crazier still to see anyone refer to a newly-minted OCP as "marvelous on the outside."</div></div><br /><br /><b>Photos from the film:</b><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wo84ZA81Ucs/SgMD5sMHUcI/AAAAAAAAAko/XvFpSZxLXG4/s1600-h/sf2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 183px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wo84ZA81Ucs/SgMD5sMHUcI/AAAAAAAAAko/XvFpSZxLXG4/s400/sf2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333110673386197442" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wo84ZA81Ucs/SgMEeKrrDTI/AAAAAAAAAkw/PUqEcc535xE/s1600-h/sf4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 206px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wo84ZA81Ucs/SgMEeKrrDTI/AAAAAAAAAkw/PUqEcc535xE/s400/sf4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333111300046916914" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wo84ZA81Ucs/SgMcbTKBwdI/AAAAAAAAAk4/f1U9URAyEPY/s1600-h/sf5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 188px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wo84ZA81Ucs/SgMcbTKBwdI/AAAAAAAAAk4/f1U9URAyEPY/s400/sf5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333137639061176786" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wo84ZA81Ucs/SgMckZMKbKI/AAAAAAAAAlA/NMN28e62Hhw/s1600-h/sf6.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 160px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wo84ZA81Ucs/SgMckZMKbKI/AAAAAAAAAlA/NMN28e62Hhw/s400/sf6.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333137795299568802" /></a>Jamilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291434727158884556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7880575224552835226.post-19353832061379003442009-05-07T07:35:00.000-07:002009-05-07T09:00:08.827-07:00Ancient JiggaBefore <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13350034/">cristal</a>, <a href="http://atlanticyardsreport.blogspot.com/">Atlantic Yards</a> and Beyonce, there was Jay-Z speed rapping about Nubians in a high top fade:<br /><br /><object width="500" height="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/K1thvEtGM5M&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/K1thvEtGM5M&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="400"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />Via <a href="http://ta-nehisicoates.theatlantic.com/archives/2009/05/ancient_jigga.php">Te-Nehisi Coates</a>.<br /><br />====<br /><br />Anyway, had an interesting discussion with KG on gchat yesterday about Jay-Z's complex endorsement of revolutionary figures. Most notably, I was raving after finally having gotten around to listening to Mike Love's <a href="http://www.thefader.com/articles/2008/2/5/freeload-jay-z-roc-boys-mike-love-s-nigerian-gangster-remix">Nigerian Gangster</a>. KG pointed out that that it was ironic that Jay-Z, the unrelenting capitalist, was paired up with Fela Kuti, one of the 20th century's most vehement anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist public figures. It's definitely complex, as is everything in our political and artistic landscape, but ultimately it comes down to the one thing that transcends political allegiances: good music.<br /><br />Jay-Z is easily one of my favorite rappers of all time, and it has nothing to do with his politics, and everything to do with his honesty. And word play. I don't think that any artist should be burdened with touting the views of anyone but themselves.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wo84ZA81Ucs/SgL8nFJQv4I/AAAAAAAAAkI/icZ3qHqSnRs/s1600-h/bradley.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 227px; height: 350px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wo84ZA81Ucs/SgL8nFJQv4I/AAAAAAAAAkI/icZ3qHqSnRs/s400/bradley.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333102657086209922" /></a><br />And, quite frankly, a lot of underground, so-called "conscious" rap bores me to death. Not only is it preachy and, at times, cheesy as hell, but it's also lyrically stagnant. In his brilliant new book <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Book-Rhymes-Poetics-Hip-Hop/dp/0465003478">Book of Rhymes: The Poetics of Hip Hop</a></i>*, CMC English Professor Adam Bradley argues that this point:<br /><br /><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">"Some rap critics, and a fair number of rap fans, have bemoaned the limited thematic range in mainstream rap in recent years. The culprit they most commonly blame is big business -- the record labels, radio comglomerates, and other commercial forces that treat rap as product rather than poetry. Undoudbtedly, rap's growing commodification plays a significant role in limiting the variety of raps we hear, </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"> and yet another answer lies in rap's rhymes themselves. When MC's settle into familiar pairs of rhyme words, they also tend to settle into familiar themes and attitudes. Someone who set out to sound like 50 cent will likely use many of the same rhyme words that 50 cent employs and, as a consequence, end of rapping about the same topics.</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">"</span><br /><br />I would also extend this analysis to underground hip-hop. There's only so much you can do with the word "revolution" in 16 bars. Stylistically, I think it pays to pay homage not to any one person or experience, but to how complex reality can be, and how no opinion ever stays the same. Not only do you have more to say, but you have more ways to say it. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6r4p9MKUE4">Cee-Lo</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzhHNnM0Uls">Outkast</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU0bp_-RQA4">Weezy</a>, hell, even <a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4863514116581808584">Eminem</a>, are good examples.</blockquote><blockquote><br /></blockquote><blockquote><br />*<b>Nerd Alert</b>: <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Book-Rhymes-Poetics-Hip-Hop/dp/0465003478">Book of Rhymes</a></i> is a must-read for any hip-hop head and/or literary dweeb.</blockquote>Jamilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291434727158884556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7880575224552835226.post-74027715954517767622009-04-18T11:38:00.000-07:002009-04-18T11:42:09.317-07:00<img src="http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq256/JayBrown912/bob2.jpg" height="415", width="500"><br /><br /><div style="width:300px;"><object width="300" height="110"><param name="movie" value="http://media.imeem.com/m/SBmeZdUerz/aus=false/"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://media.imeem.com/m/SBmeZdUerz/aus=false/" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="300" height="110" wmode="transparent"></embed></object><div style="background-color:#E6E6E6;padding:1px;"><div style="float:left;padding:4px 4px 0 0;"><a href="http://www.imeem.com/"><img src="http://www.imeem.com/embedsearch/E6E6E6/" border="0" /></a></div><form method="post" action="http://www.imeem.com/embedsearch/" style="margin:0;padding:0;"><input type="text" name="EmbedSearchBox" /><input type="submit" value="Search" style="font-size:12px;" /><div style="padding-top:3px;"><a href="http://www.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=0&ek=SBmeZdUerz" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/152/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=1&ek=SBmeZdUerz" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/153/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=2&ek=SBmeZdUerz" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/154/10/" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.imeem.com/ads/banneradclick.ashx?ep=3&ek=SBmeZdUerz" rel="nofollow" ><img src="http://www.imeem.com/ads/bannerad/155/10/SBmeZdUerz/" border="0" /></a></div></form></div></div><br/><a href="http://www.imeem.com/bobatl/music/F9FzwTdU/bob-ill-be-in-the-sky/">Ill Be In The Sky - B.o.B</a>Jamilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291434727158884556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7880575224552835226.post-38091204342893602102009-04-03T15:50:00.000-07:002009-04-03T16:08:26.190-07:00detroit's underground resistanceah, to be a black girl in the 'hood with a love for techno. 'twas a lonely childhood at times, trying to explain to my basketball friends how <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA52uNzx7Y4">eifle 65</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dBu5X3TvNw">alice deejay</a> ended up in my cd player. but maybe if i had been in detroit, i would've found a place -- or at least, some better techno.<br /><br />i've heard rumblings about detroit's very black, very queer and oh-so-legendary techno scene for years now. and while i'm super excited to go to the city this summer to check it out first-hand, i'm also trying to get my homework in ahead of time. <A href="http://www.undergroundresistance.com/">underground resistance</a> is detroit's premier techno label, where the jazz, funk and rock roots of techno are put on full display.<br /><br /><b>short documentary:</b><br /><object width="650" height="250"><br /><param name="movie" value="http://current.com/e/89891932/en_US"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://current.com/e/89891932/en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="650" height="250" wmode="transparent" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed></object><br /><br /><b>(hilarious) interview:</b><br /><object width="650" height="250"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ju8vU-I6F0w&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ju8vU-I6F0w&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="650" height="250"></embed></object>Jamilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291434727158884556noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7880575224552835226.post-41511915417420675562009-04-03T15:25:00.000-07:002009-04-03T15:45:04.407-07:00favianna rodriguezdon't you wish you could throw down like this? 'cause i do.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.favianna.com/images_port/print_gorda02.jpg" width="450" height="520"><br /><i>"Pasandola de Avión en Avión" (Going from Plane to Plane)</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.justseeds.org/Raw_400.jpg" width="450" height="520"><br /><i>"Raw"</i><br /><br /><img src="http://the217.com/site_media/images/2009/02/4prints_separacion1.jpg" width="450" height="520"><br /><i>"Separación"</i><br /><br />via <a href="http://favianna.typepad.com">favianna</a>. see more images <a href="http://www.favianna.com/port_prints/prints1.php">here</a>.<br /><br />favianna rodriguez is an artist and activist based in oakland, calif. she founded the <a href="http://www.eastsideartsalliance.com/">east side arts alliance</a> in oakland in 1999 and is probably iller than you.Jamilahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291434727158884556noreply@blogger.com2