Above is the masterly work of Artist DavidChoe. Currently, he is working on a wu-tang inspired comic book. Though there is no release date for this work, fans can rest assure that with art like this, the wait will be certainly worth it. And who knows, maybe David will link with Rza and get an soundscape made for the comic, now wouldnt that be a brave new collaboration?
“time & space – time to be alone,
space to move about – these may
well be the greatest scarcities of
tomorrow” – edwin way teale
Janelle Monáe is almost finished limbering up in Studio 1 on the first floor of the Atlanta Ballet’s building on West Peachtree, doing her stretches in black leotard and black-and-white floral-print skirt. She has the figure of a ballerina, with a face of brown porcelain and her trademark hair pulled back in a bun.
But this is a world alien to even the interstellar-inspired Monáe. She’s no ballet dancer; she’s a pixie-sized, big-voiced singer from the world of OutKast’s hip-hop and soul. Monáe stares into a wall-to-wall mirror, her reflection moving not to a selection of Tchaikovsky or Prokofiev, but her own song, “Sincerely Jane.”
for the rest of the article check out: http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/big_boi_does_the_ballet/Content?oid=458411
its telling that true hiphop has fallen shy, not dead. Although death does seem like a glamorous tragedy with lil’ wayne riding its ass to the bitter end. With the lack of bahamadia’s, lauryns, commons, nas’s & aesops, I hope this turn of hip-hop events means that the underground youth are pushing their pens, as they harbour the gifts of those who are already long gone, or at least on their way out.
The piece below is by jay electronica, a man who never even wanted his album played on the radio. He had his shit blasting online for years with this first project before it was ever scooped and from an article in urb magazine, it was better that way… because in the end he had the chance to link with Erykah Badu, one the games legendary. Though, only time will tell where the trend will go and grow to.
She said she never fell in love with a superman
Christian, Muslim, Protestant, Lutheran,
I told her that being a mortal is a portal to the true nature of growth; the Christ like Buddha man
That’s why I never spit the traditional garbage of a night fight, bright lights, white ice to the fans
The radio is just a stereo, like a house and a home, a chair is just a chair, ask Luther Van
Go to work; go to church let your dreams die
Bow tie, final call, and a bean pie
yarmulke for Hanukah, wish list for Christmas
This is the jist of the life that we lead, why?
So you can fit in, with the close minded in the sit-ins, and clothes lined ed-end
I could care less about a plaque and Benz and get Punked on TV by my friends
Don’t get a nigga wrong, I get tempted by the rewards that all come along with nigga songs
But what does it mean if I’m a Muslim and you a Jew and because of that alone we don’t get along
And when you talk like this, and try to walk like this the radio stations’ll never put a nigga on
Just Mims, just 50, just Wayne, just Jeezy, Dem Franchize Boyz, and Jimmy Jones
Fuck that, fuck rap this God-hop,
King-dom mu-sic for the hard rocks
Imma spit it till TRL get it and Hot97 hear the nigga with a bomb drop
Ask Flex, ask Slay, ask Who Kidd
Just blaze said Jay is the new kid
I took Eternal Sunshine and I looped it
No drums no hook just new shit
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Uh-huh, uh-huh, motherfucker, uh-huh
Yeah, I see that, I see that
All y’all fake motherfuckers up in the joint, huh?
Stealin my light, huh? Watch me, duke, watch me
Yo, check these up top murderous
Snowy in the bezzle as the cloud merges
F.B.I. try and want word with this
Kid who punked out bust a shot uip in the becon
Catch me in the corner not speakin
Crushed out heavenly, U.G. rock the sweet daddy long fox minks
Chicken and brocolli, Wally’s look stinky
With his man straight from Raleigh Durham, he recognized Kojak
I slapped him five, Masta Killa cracked his tiny form
E’rybody break bread, huddle around
Guzzle that, I’m about to throw a hand in your bag
Since the face been revealed, game got real
Radio been gassin niggaz, my imposters scream they ill
I’m the inventor, ‘86 rhymin at the center
Debut ‘93 LP told you to Enter
Punk faggot niggaz stealin my light
Crawl up in the bed with grandma,
beneath the La-Z-Boy where ya hid ya knife
Ghost is back, stretch Cadillacs, fruit cocktails
Hit the shells at Paul’s Pastry Rack
Walk with me like Darthy tried to judge these
plush degrees, said the cow, wrap the fees
Gettin waxed all through the drive-thru
Take the stand, throw my hand all on the Bible
and tell lies too, I’m the ultimate
splash the Wolverine Razor Sharp ring, dolomite
student in role holdin it
[Chorus: Ghostface]
Aiyyo, this rappin’s like Ziti, facin me real TV
Crash at high-speeds, strawberry, kiwi
As we approach, yo herb, the Gods bail
These Staten Island ferryboat cats bail
Fresh cellies, 50 thief up in the city
We banned for life, Apollo kids live to spit the real
[Ghostface]
A pair of bright phat yellow Air Max
Hit the racks, stack ‘em up Son, $20 off no tax
Street merchant tucked in the cloud, stay splurgin
Rock a eagle head, 6-inch height was the bird
Monday night Dallas verse Jets, dudes slid in with one hand
Two culture-ciphers, one bag of wet
Heavy rain fucked my kicks up
Wasn’t lookin, splashed in the puddle
Bitch laughin, first thought was beat the bitch up
Mossied off gracefully, New York’s most wanted tee-ball hawk
Seen the yellow brick road, lust of pastries
Same Ghostface, holy in the mind
Last scene: Manhatten Chase
We drew the six-eight digit in the briefcase
Rawness, title is Hell-bound
Quick to reload around faces, surround look astound
[Raekwon]
We split a fair one, poker nose money
Gin rummy with glare, spot the lame, bit his ear
Yo, you taste a tea-spoon, 300 goons, stash baloons
Locked in lab rooms, hit with glock, stashed in Grant’s Tomb
Clocked him like a patient, his stock’s full, hustle invasion
Knowin now, we cocked a block off, the chain tri-color
Freezin in valor, ice-sicle galore
Gas station light gleamin on the wall
Cop WiseGuy jams, James Bond vans
Niggaz flipped Timbs, rock boats under water, watch clams
pose at the stand-off, mad timid
hopin that the gun fall, guess him like lottery balls, yo
Caught in a North by North East downpore of artists, i found myself frontrow at the Grand Analogue concert at the Reverb. The venue alone brought back some nostalgic memories of working at concerts for promoting giant R.E.M.G founded by Jonathan Ramos. And though, i have beared witness to many concerts at the venue like murs, jedi mind trixs and others, I was dually impressed by the Peg City band.
I personally i admit that i have heard of the group, but never once took the time to check out their myspace page. I know, it’s horrible, but being at the show inspired my mind. The lyrical content of front rapper impressed me, especially because earlier that day, i was speaking to a street artist J.C. about the lack on content in art these days. I particularily enjoyed the fact that he was rapping about things that many would consider to be the content of an underground backpacker. Which leads me to the question, could artists like grand analog find true success, in terms of generating wealth from the music that he is creating? are the people ready to be challenged? I think so and the fact taht there are more hip-hop groups coming up and out of the woodworks, there is no saying where the trend will go, let alone the quality of the work.
The song that stuck out for me the most throughout the show was “Ill Walk Alone”.. with a chorus that says “when you loose your mind, it’s just the right time/when you loose your mind, pick it up, start it over again”. Unforuntately, I couldnt find a good youtube video to accompany this post, but I think that this is an interesting line because, mental sanity is something that we all deal with on a daily basis and for creative people, this probably comes to you more than one time in a day. But in this society, mental stability relates to many things everything from the respect you get from peers to the way that you are treated by the government and other institutions. Although, it is often clear to see the signs of ones mind being lost, but when it comes to the arts, there is a very thin line between the genious and the insane because they run in parallel. And there have been a slew of artists, that have actually created their best works when they have come close to loosing their mind, throughout early centuries, to the guy next door who not only has the mind of an engineer but also a maniac. so when you loose your mind, could it really be the right time?
then, on the way out of the concert hall, my counsin (who attended the event with me) stumble across a punk rock band, performing outside of ali baba’s queen west. Although, i was not thrashing out like some of the kids around, who looked like they were loosing their minds, i was also impressed by the talent that was taking over toronto.
A weekend back in June of 2008, i had the honor of volunteering along some wonderful community leaders, artists and professionals. The circustance that brought us all together, was House Painting one part of a collaborative project between Luminato Festival for Creativity and Manifesto Community Project Group. The day was hot, beyond belief leaving our only options for seclusion from the sun was a plywood house, fournished with a red cotton couch, tables, lamps and even wall paintings. It was an oasis away from the oasis that was being developed outside, the thin wood walls. On the outside of the house, artist Patrick was diluting his mark, literally. Growing up in a farming community and witnessing the change and destruction that comes along with urban sprawl into rural areas, has only reaffirmed Patricks love for the planet and inspires the depth of his work.
From there i found myself, lounged out on a beat up leather chair under a plastic canopy flipping through a National Geographic Magazine that one of the artists had brought for referencing. Although, i did not get the chance to read to cover article, i do know that it was about the mind. Which makes me wonder, what about the mind makes an individual creative? is there any singular part that can be understood as the breaking point between a visualization and the ability to re-create that vision into a tangible form?
Later on in the shift i found myself locked in a profound conversation with an artist who currently recides in Barcelona, Spain. He goes by the name of Jaun Carlos and could be considered one of the veteran painters that were part of the streetscape project. My inpromtu conversation with J.C consisted of the importance of substance in the messages that art carries through, the stake that art plays in the game of change, the imporance of artists challenging themselves to develop & find their style, community roles, the importance of travel & risk-taking, poverty, culture, poli-economics, wisdom, knowledge, children and future generations. though our conversation was not documented and its essence is lost to the universe, the main thing that holds with me remains. The fact of the matter is, at the age of 40, J.C. is coming into many fundamental realizations about life, that one can only meet through struggle and now he is at a place where he is comfortable, confident, and able to create art for a living. Although, it was not an easy road to travel, especially after making the riskiest decision of his life by selling all of his material belongings and moving to Barcelona, only then was he finally able to seek out what he was looking for. But it was the risk that got him there first. Much of J.C’s work is a satirical commentary of the economic systems that rupture the organic development of communities. And though our conversation was cut short, by the obnoxious sound of a broken fog horn by the bayside, I left the conversation feeling proud for my own bravery. Though, i am sure of what i want to accomplish in my life, fear always plays a big role that makes me second guess myself and wonder if my ideas are practicle. But after talking with J.C. i realized that bravery comes from doing something and putting your heart into it, even if it scares the shit out of you. I walked away from J.C. and his peice with reflections of questions in my mind. that he created in particular used bankers as a figure of capitalist ideologies. J.C himself, can be as humour driven as the images that he creates. One thing that i Never got the chance to ask him, is how long it took him to develop the style that he is now working with.
Future generations have the power to change existing societies, but the thing that holds back change, is the fact that there are many people that are not willing to take a risk. There is an inherent fear that has been developed and been developing in richer countries that plague younger generations to think that they can not know true success if they follow their heart. But, J.C. even though he is an older guy, is a prime example that if you do follow your own path, you are more likely to be satisfied with every day of your life. J.C is also a prime example, that no change is ever too late and we as individuals must recognize that by opening up ourselves to the ultimate risk, following our dreams, we will begin to see life take on new meaning, shape and in some cases appearance.
The House Painting Project, brings me to another artist, who was painting portratures of homeless people. The images were touching because they were not fully realistic, but real in the sense that they captured the emotion of poverty. given the context of the project, i think that it is interesting that he would choose to draw homeless people because, it speaks to the infair nature of the economy, that people are able to fall so far behind on a quality of life that they deserve, like proper shelther. The fact that we live in a country that experiences all four seasons, it is unfathomable to think that the human body can actually make it through the harshest of natures seaon’s, that is one risk that people shouldnt be taking. This leads me to the importance of organizations like Habitat for Humanity, which i had the honour of making a collaborative fundraiser for. It is important to support organizations of this nature because if you are not going to do it yourself, then help out those that are willing to.
Some of the other artists that were featured in this project include….and you can find out about more of them and the artists that i mentioned in this drop at…
I came across this clip back in the summer time and the first thing that it made me think of is Paris is Burning, one of the best and to my knowledge only queer oriented documentaries about the Voguin’, Ball extravaganza’s of the 80’s where fashion, dance and attitude were the only thing that meant shit to anybody and everybody who was apart of the community and attended the balls. Since the 80’s though, there hasn’t been much of a recreation of this trend of creating a “house” of clever and creative people in Canada. Back in the day, a house by virtue was a family consisting of a mother and father (all of which are gay or transgendered) who literally lived for the glitz and glamour of the show life. All these people did was create fabulous lifestyles for themselves in order to win competitons at “Ball”, which is like a gala of the queer. Below, House of Dangerkat does something a bit different, they have created a house of creative minds, but use all of their talents to produce dance performances. The idea has turned out to be lucrative, not only do the leads live recreationally, but they travel as well to places like london and paris. It is about time that Toronto starts creating these similar houses, because there are too many creative that should be putting their forces to good use to create something fabulous in our tiny screw-face, no love givin’ city of T.O.
The footage of the brother below is brandan phillips, an artist from toronto. The first time i met him was at afro-fest about 3 years ago and i distinctly remember him for his universal style and demeanor. Since then he has performed in numerous venues in the city of toronto and below is evidence of that. Although, I missed this performance, I think that its important to share good music with good people.
Thomas Pridgen of the mars volta, along with Abe Laboriel Jr. and Terry Bozzio jam out on the drum channel. Certainly some exiciting footage for lovers of infinite sound.
