Wednesday, May 19th, 2004

WRITE ON

Chris Ryan’s Chauncey Billups obsession will be appearing in SLAM Magazine. Dave Tompkins’ Vocoder obsession will be appearing in book form early 2005. The Ego Trip crew with clips loaded for fall. Bill Adler doing a 5-part documentary on hip-hop for VH1 and opening an incredible graf photo exhibition tomorrow with Ernie Pannicoli. K. Sanneh on Madonna. SFJ with a hot fuckin new band. Don’t it feel wonderful when the good guys win? I’m in love with the world.

posted by @ 7:06 pm | 0 Comments

Tuesday, May 18th, 2004

The great Elvin Jones has passed. This from Adam Mansbach, hip-hop author and close friend of Jones: “If you’ve ever heard the music of the John Coltrane Quartet, or listened to any of the countless other albums on which Elvin has played over the last fifty years, then you have without doubt been touched by the man. Elvin’s playing was a perfect reflection of who he was: vigorous, brilliant, beautiful and full of love.”

Adam’s penned a magnificent tribute to Jones, covering his last dates at Yoshi’s in Oakland. Hopefully it will appear on his website soon. Til then, you can get excerpts at Jon Caramanica’s site and here which speak to the drummer’s singular power to move:

“The communal intensity of Elvin?’s performances was breathtaking. Each set, each song, each brushstroke, had the potential to uplift or sadden. At his weakest, during the sets when he elected to play without an oxygen tank, Elvin tired quickly. The characteristic muscularity of his sound withered; he sometimes missed the ride cymbal because he lacked the reach to hit it. During such songs, the entire audience strained toward the stage, willing his hand forward ?straightening with relief when wood tapped metal, and cringing when it missed. But the week was also full of moments of incredible uplift, moments when Elvin rallied and played his ass off, moments when the triumph of the human spirit was so clear to everyone in the club that grown folks were in tears at almost every table.”

posted by @ 8:17 pm | 0 Comments

Tuesday, May 18th, 2004

Belatedly: Me, Davey D, Aya De Leon, and KRS-One on hip-hop and the elections. (Real Player required.)

posted by @ 8:17 pm | 0 Comments

Tuesday, May 18th, 2004

Got this sad news just today…we got to interview her for ColorLines in 1999 in Santa Cruz and were just floored by her brilliance and generosity.

Internationally recognized cultural theorist and creative writer, Gloria Evangelina Anzaldúa, passed away on May 15 from diabetes-related complications. She was 61 years old. A versatile author, Anzaldúa published poetry, theoretical essays, short stories, autobiographical narratives, interviews, children’s books, and multigenre anthologies.

As one of the first openly lesbian Chicana authors, Anzaldúa played a major role in redefining contemporary Chicano/a and lesbian/queer identities. And as editor or co-editor of three multicultural anthologies, Anzaldúa has also played a vital role in developing an inclusionary feminist movement. Anzaldúa is best known for Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza (1987), a hybrid collection of poetry and prose which was named one of the 100 Best Books of the Century by both Hungry Mind Review and Utne Reader.

Anzaldúa’s published works also include This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color

(1981), a ground-breaking collection of essays and poems widely recognized by scholars as the premiere

multicultural feminist text; Making Face, Making Soul/Haciendo Caras:Creative and Critical Perspectives

by Feminists-of-Color (1990), a multigenre collection used in many university classrooms; two bilingual children’s books–Friends from the Other Side/Amigos del otro lado (1993) and Prietita and the

Ghost Woman/ Prietita y la Llorona (1995);Interviews/Entrevistas (2000), a memoir-like

collection of interviews; and this bridge we call home: radical visions for transformation (2002), a

co-edited collection of essays, poetry, and artwork that examines the current status of feminist/womanist

theorizing. Anzaldúa has won numerous awards, including the Before Columbus Foundation American Book

Award, the Lamda Lesbian Small Book Press Award, an NEA Fiction Award, the Lesbian Rights Award, the Sappho Award of Distinction, an NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) Fiction Award, and the American Studies Association Lifetime Achievement Award.

Anzaldúa was born in the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas in 1942,the eldest child of Urbano and Amalia

Anzaldúa. She received her B.A. from Pan American University, her M.A. from University of Texas, Austin, and was completing her doctorate at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

She is survived by her mother, Amalia, her sister, Hilda, and two brothers:Urbano Anzaldúa, Jr. and Oscar Anzaldúa; five nieces, three nephews,eighteen grandnieces and grandnephews, a multitude of aunts and uncles, and many close friends.

A public memorial will be planned at a later date.

posted by @ 6:55 am | 0 Comments

Sunday, May 16th, 2004

MORE SEPARATE, STILL UNEQUAL

My man Greg Winter on the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education.

Also, please read this extremely important report from Harvard on the resegregation of American youths.

posted by @ 7:05 pm | 0 Comments

Sunday, May 16th, 2004

DON’T CALL IT A THROWBACK

I know I’ve been jocking here, but for those of you who didn’t get it: Nominee for funkiest, most poignant and moving intergenerational hip-hop dialogue ever: B+ and Eric Coleman’s Keepintime DVD. Brasilintime? Even more wow and flutter.

Nominee for best liner notes for a hip-hop record ever: Egon in The Third Unheard. Certainly one of the best hip-hop albums of the year. Don’t front, ’cause I’ll bet you probably never heard the stuff the first time around.

posted by @ 1:31 am | 0 Comments

Sunday, May 16th, 2004

Big up to Carlos Mena for two great release parties in the Bay this weekend. Super sorry I missed Gab’s release party. Both albums are out–cop ’em!

Spun Saturday night at Carlos’ party. Great vibe, great crowd, the Oakland Box is just a great vibe place. So is I rusty? Ohhhhh yeah. It was lots of fun, tho’ I had so much fun spinning 45s I still didn’t get to bus the whole go-go set. Soon come, I’m sure.

By the way, if anyone reading this is working Tanya Stephens’ 45 “Power of A Girl” (Pow Pow), you’ve got a hit on your hands.

Out of town again, and probably off the grid for a minute. Work for peace…

posted by @ 1:24 am | 0 Comments

Thursday, May 13th, 2004

STILL SWEATIN ME FOR MY DRESS CODE

For the record, there has been no confirmation to the rumor that this New Orleans legislator is having an affair with old C. Delores “Why Can’t I Get None? Gangsta Rap!” Tucker. All apologies to Dub C and The MAAD Circle–hey that’s how Coolio spelled it.

posted by @ 8:31 pm | 0 Comments

Wednesday, May 12th, 2004

Four words of advice for Simon Cowell (and everyone else): NEVER. FUCK. WITH. HAWAI’I.

Jasmine deals with her self-doubts. Diana settles into her entitlements. Fantasia and LaToya–God bless the children who’ve got their own. You always have home.

posted by @ 9:08 pm | 0 Comments

Wednesday, May 12th, 2004

Here’s a piece I did on my man Carlos Mena, in today’s BG. The full disclosure is kinda embarrassing but the story isn’t. If you’re at either of the shows this weekend, come holla.

posted by @ 12:37 pm | 0 Comments



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