Thursday, June 29th, 2006

PBS Blog: Hip-Hop Activism Arrives + More Gratuitous Plugs

Hey fam, been dealing with health and home, so I apologize for the delays in getting the next entry together for this and the PBS blog. But now it’s live!

For those of you who have been around me for a minute, this may be some old stuff, but it’s a prelude to some killer interviews on Native American hip-hop and the National Hip-Hop Political Convention coming next…

Here’s the teaser:

Hip-hop is hardly the sum of the images you see on video shows or the sounds you hear on commercial radio stations. The truth is: at its most elemental, hip-hop remains a lived, local culture. It’s not just a CD or DVD being hawked by well-dressed folks posing in a magazine. It’s a culture practiced — and evolved — daily by millions of young people all around the world.

So it makes perfect sense that the young woman or man who goes to the poetry slam, the b-boy/b-girl competition, the turntablist exhibition, or is just hanging in the park playing the latest jams on the weekend, would on Monday be angry with the way their school has been turned into a series of security checkpoints, the way the plant next to their house is spewing toxic fumes, or the fact they have no place to gather in their city without harassment from authorities. Hip-hop provides a way for young people to express not only joy and a love of life, but pain and a desire for change…

Also, just wanted to mention that the great Linyee Yuan put together a very cool piece on your boy for Theme. I was already a mangous fan of the Theme crew, but then they went and did this. I’m super humbled.

Big shout out to the AMC and Clamor Mag crew and everyone I met (the dog was mad cool) for an awesome weekend. Big love to Detroit Summer and Invincible. You’re my heroes. And thanks to all for putting up with my general incoherence. Finally, to Amanda with the cool stretching advice, I never went to Antioch! I checked. I think you meant Oliver. Ha!

What’s up, Bakari! Another big shout out to the good people at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for hosting me on Monday. Dr. C, holla. Edmonton native power in the house. It was a wonderful way to end a tour. Del Fuegos, baby!

Finally if anyone has any more good tips on dealing with travel-induced sciatica, holla! Right about now I just feel like I want to amputate my ass. Which would be a shame, because it’s the best part of my body and I talk out of it so much.

posted by Jeff Chang @ 2:45 pm | 1 Comment

One Response to “PBS Blog: Hip-Hop Activism Arrives + More Gratuitous Plugs”

Jeff says:

July 2, 2006 at 12:16 pm

thanks to jeff osbourne, here’s some tips. the shock therapy sounds a little ramones-ish. i still wanna be sedated.

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