B.G.C.AMERICA

BGC: Music

2011-01-05T16:29:00.000-08:00

Check out my girl Dom Jones! Dope mixtape. Dope words. Dope person and artist. She is a force to be reckoned with! p.s. she's NIICCEE with the harmonies!!

http://domjones.bandcamp.com/
twitter.com/iamdomjones

BGC: Music and Words

2011-01-05T13:57:00.000-08:00

I believe it is part of our job as artists to speak out against issues in our human community and speak to the human condition in all it's forms. Everyday is not a party or a romp in the sack.lol..sometimes very real things happen and we must be the documentarians, the archaeologists, the excavators of the heart; of what it means to be human;the joy and the pain.

I commend Marsha, for writing such a heartfelt song and being brave enough to visually represent it by spotlighting a very real issue in our human community; suicide and the unfortunate amount of people ending their lives because of persecution and beatings as a result of their sexuality. Too many young people have seen suicide as an option, I hope that the work being done in this world will take that option off the table for many young people. Life can be so full and to imagine someone cutting it so short because of something that is innately them and something that can serve as empowerment in their future is beyond sad.

Suicide from multiple issues, by a diverse group of young people, has continued to be too prevalent. While the news a few months ago would have you think something is in the water; it was and is an ongoing issue and we must talk about it and fight against it, even when it feels uncomfortable. The video below is by the artist Invincible. It was actually set to be aired on MTVU I believe, but they didn't air it because of the "subject matter" thank god we have the Internet and don't have to count on major outlets to send out our messages. I'm sure this video and Marsha's will help a lot of young people. Good Job and Thank you!

Monsterous

2010-12-30T15:18:00.000-08:00

So...I used to RIDE for Kanye.. I can not ride for this video and frankly for his lyrical performance on the album. But, that's another post.lol.

Aesthetically there were some awesome things about this video, but I can not accept women dead and hanging in the first 30 seconds. Some male rap artist often show their blatant disregard, contempt, and subjegation of women in videos and songs, but this video has taken it to a whole other level. I know some will argue it is in the name of art, etc., which in some cases I can get down with. The different interpretations of a monsters in the video, shown by the portrayal of vampires, zombies, even the allusion of violence in the form of Rick Ross going into the room with a chainsaw; those images are a lot for something not on cable, but for better or worse they are now a very ingrained part of our pop culture and entertainment.

Yet, I don't think I will ever be ready to see a woman, any woman, but especially a black woman hanging as an artistic statement or to see a bed with two dead women being played with like dolls. It's been interesting and somewhat disturbing to see the reactions to the video, mostly by males who seemingly didn't even think to critique the video from any sort of lens, besides an aesthetic one. Besides Clutch(http://clutchmagonline.com/newsgossipinfo/kanye-drops-trailer-for-‘monster’-what-do-you-think/)

I haven't seen any woman bloggers comment yet. Also, Nikki Minaj's part was actually not bad, but I know the argument could be made that she condoned it because she was in it. I can't say that because I don't know her and the way things are shot, maybe she didn't know about the particularly disturbing parts. In any case, I think women must speak up in many ways, not just with our words, but in our actions and associations.

In the name of "art" which is up for interpretation; I feel like some people have excluded the blatant,violent misogny on display here and in other mediums. It needs to be critiqued and spotlighted because if not; as we already contend with in our lives, it doesn't just stay in our "art" it bleeds into how we treat and interact with each other.

We have enough real life monsters to contend with as evidenced by the recent news of the "Grim Sleeper" http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/f/lonnie_d_franklin_jr/index.html?scp=1&sq=serial%20killer&st=cse and

Thoughts?

The Originals

2010-12-08T21:16:00.001-08:00

The original, tatted up, sisters for life, we are the start of BGC, Love you BE!! We just rocked it with art and education at Sarah Lawrence last weekend! Click the title to see all the dope performers.

Black Girls and everyone what do we think??

2010-12-08T19:47:00.000-08:00

I will reserve my judgement until the video premieres,but..
How do u feel about this? The portrayal of women looks extremely problematic

BGC: Music

2010-12-08T13:58:00.000-08:00

MC..that happens to be a woman

RAPSODY - IMAGINATION from Pricefilms on Vimeo.

BGC: Music and Words

2010-11-03T15:55:00.000-07:00

So, I love all types of music, I mean all types! Anyone who knows me can tell you that. But, my bread and butter is soul and r&b and sometimes I don't need complex arrangements and esoteric or just plain obscure references.lol. Sometimes I need good music and a great vocal and a slight message, cause that's what good r&b does. I think Fantasia accomplished this on this song. She went through a lot, with a very private heartbreak being blasted in the public, one of the unfortunate prices of fame sometimes. But, in this song, she extols the virtues of putting yourself first,not being the "ride or die chick", not accepting someones bad behavior and staying with them. Even in her song "Bittersweet" she admits she still loves him, but the video and the song show she is moving on. Yet, a pet peeve of mine in a lot of recent r&b songs,with singers who can either sing very well or at least pass, has been the need to sing about being treated terribly and staying in that terrible situation. What R&B does best is talk about, spotlight, offer solutions to our struggles. And while that is a real struggle some of us have, it is not a healthy one, it is not one that should be a trend in songwriting, especially when the primary audience is young girls and women of color. Dysfunction should never be normalized, as much as I might like the song.

New Fantasia Vid: Doing Me
http://www.youtube.com/user/FantasiaVEVO#p/a/u/0/n0YrpnpaWSY

Jasmine Sullivan: Circles
It's a great song, just wish their was light at the end of it's tunnel.lol

And my least fav.lol. Melanie Fiona

a writer at Clutch also talks about it here
http://clutchmagonline.com/lifeculture/feature/holdin%E2%80%99-you-down-the-circle-of-insanity/

BGC: Music

2010-10-25T12:39:00.001-07:00

One of my fav singers,Muhsinah, doing a Kings of Leon cover. BGC at it's finest. She's a singer/ songwriter/ producer/ dope individual :) Check it!

Use Somebody
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y2M0Cyy-vU&p=7A4154ADB8F5B15B&playnext=1&index=10

And this is an interview and performance of her
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Y4idd_6764

This is a new chick I just discovered from the UK, Szjerdene. She sounds pretty good on this live song below. Not sure what I think yet, but she's worth a watch.
http://soulukblog.com/2010/10/14/video-pinboardblog-com-presents-rehearsal-rooms-with-szjerdene-lead-the-way/

Black Girls what do we think??

2010-10-05T19:48:00.000-07:00

Hmm..to this article.It's about what the writer coins as the "Black Box" the "box" black people, specifically black women find themselves being placed in, climbing out of, or half way entrenched.

While I think the article jumped all over, I was heartened by this sentence at the end, "Thankfully, women like Zora Neale Hurston, Audre Lorde, Ntozake Shange, and a myriad of others, have given us examples of Black girls who’ve broken out and have claimed their freedom.Instead of giving our quirky sistas the side-eye, we should celebrate their fierceness and jack a little bit of their fresh. By being themselves and pushing the boundaries of what it means to be Black, they help us all get just a little bit more free."

I have discussed this issue extensively on my blog, in my life, with my work, as I am probably a Black girl outside of the box :), but I am still very proud of being a Black woman,and everything I am is intersected, I cant separate one from the other and I don't just because I'm "quirky."

As this is the first post I have done in a while, I wanted to open it up to my peeps to weigh in. So, what do you think?

http://clutchmagonline.com/lifeculture/feature/the-black-box/

Last vid in Cool Kid Series

2010-08-04T13:02:00.000-07:00

This is the last video in The Cool Kid Series on youtube. I will of course be making more videos, but now these songs will be on a actual mixtape! I'm in NY and prob won't be able to record, but I'm going in when I come back! So, stay tuned, it will be FREE, so spread it around! More info to come on the mixtape and my happenings in NY soon!

2nd Photoshoot!

2010-07-21T12:28:00.000-07:00

The 2nd shoot went great! I love my friends, they are all so sweet and down and made the shoot lovely. We were at the perpetually gray Ocean beach in San Francisco, but the sun was trying to fight through.lol. Michelle was awesome as usual and my fellow Virgo Christian Eddings took photos documenting the shoot. They are below, 3rd shoot coming this weekend and then New York here we come!

The Outsiders

2010-07-15T14:02:00.000-07:00

So, I've always felt a little different, my thinking, my style; a little off center. Definitely, have always felt very grounded in my identity as a black woman, a person of color, but my aesthetic and interest were not always in line with the cultural box that society likes to put us in or that we put ourselves in, especially women of color.

So, that among other reasons is why I have always felt like an outsider, but not an outcast, so I coined the term, "The Outsider Inside" it's how I think of myself and others who relate. That is why it is also the name of my debut album, which is coming soon and a new project I am producing.

Along, with singing,writing, and performing; I am really into aesthetics and how images can shape and influence how we see ourselves and our world. Images are very powerful, so I want to be a purveyor of aesthetics; meaning fashion styling and image consultation, being in creative control of my image, and producing images in many arenas that show different, positive, and unique images of women of color. Which brings me to the new project called, "The Outsiders Inside." It is a photo project I am producing that is spotlighting and celebrating my friends who are beautiful,but do not have conventional aesthetic expression and to spotlight their passions and talents. So, my girls with dope haircuts, tatts, piercings,and unique style. ;)

This is my mission, this is BGC's mission, so enjoy some of the shots I took with my phone as a preview and more to come from this weekend. Official website coming soon and maybe launch party!

Say you will (cover)

2010-07-14T18:39:00.000-07:00

4th Song in Cool Kids Series, one or two more coming. Feeling real interesting about love and life, this is what came out at 2am.lol

Reach For The Sky

2010-06-28T19:02:00.000-07:00

4th song in the Cool Kid Series: Dedicated to Yemaya

DOpeness from Toronto ;)

2010-06-25T11:53:00.000-07:00

Brown peeps in Toronto doing lovely things ;) Check below. I wanna do something similar, with several different groups of people.lol. BGC in full effect is coming soon, shot out to Belinda!! I'm plunging head first into my art, I wanna come up soaking in it! Join me?

I'm Fiending(Im Beaming)

2010-06-08T11:33:00.001-07:00

2nd song from the youtube mixtape "The Cool Kids Series" I'm Fiending(Im Beaming)

Tid bit Perfomance :)

2010-06-07T14:45:00.000-07:00

Check out a tidbit of me performing "The In Between" last night and then cop it below!
http://bgcamerica.blogspot.com/2010/05/in-between-extended-mix.html

Eras(h)er

2010-06-04T00:38:00.000-07:00

Decided I'm going to do Youtube mixtapes until I know someone who can get me instrumentals to do the actual mixtapes I want :) So enjoy my first installment. For lack of a better name, I'm going to call this "The Cool Kids Series" it consists of instrumentals from Kanye, Lupe, and Pharrell. The first song is their song together, where they rapped over Thom Yorke's Eraser instrumental. Enjoy!

New Rihanna Vid

2010-05-28T15:59:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Video..check my previous post.lol, "Is Bisexual the new Black?"

THE IN BETWEEN (EXTENDED MIX)

2010-05-26T13:57:00.000-07:00

LATE POST.LOL.THE EXTENDED MIX OF MY TITLE TRACK "THE IN BETWEEN" ENJOY!

Seat Filler Remix

2010-05-24T19:55:00.000-07:00

Spur of the moment randomness! Seat Filler is a song on my e.p. "The In Between" http://siairashawn.bandcamp.com/album/the-in-between. I decided randomly to see if it would go to the Usher "Lil Freak" song that I previously berated.lol..Love the beat tho :) Freestyled singsongy rap and all, check it!

Find Your Love

2010-05-24T19:51:00.000-07:00

Feeling musical today, one more vid coming! I think I'm going to do a series of response records, to the young rappers sensitive side.lol. I'm just tired of one song telling women about our life and struggle or talking about how all they wanna do is love us and then the next song is calling me a bitch! Get some therapy! lol

Is Bi-Sexual the New Black??

2010-05-12T21:13:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to figure out how to write about this; Bisexuality being all the rage like a fashion trend. I have had many conversations and I started seeing the trend a while ago. It's the new fade to be bisexual in all aspects of the media, particularly for women. (note: Bisexual men still are not apart of these images and won't be largely because of male supremacy and the need to control men and keep them in strict roles, especially sexually. Any threat to the stereotype undermines the power structure. Women are not seen as much of a threat because we do not control the system)

There was the Katy Perry song, then actress Megan Fox "came out" as bisexual, then Lady Gaga, Nikki Minaj, hip hop, r&b,pop, rock music; Rihanna's next single is "Te Amo" her song about a foreign young woman who has a crush, she can't quite reciprocate. Homo-eroticism running rampant! It just keeps coming!(lol) But, most of these images and people seem to be bisexual for fun, for publicity,and in music, mostly for the sake of the male protagonist.

On the one hand, the fact that queerness has become such a part of the pop culture landscape is interesting and could be beneficial to sparking real conversations and making young people especially, more comfortable and more apt to explore who they are and accept who they are if they are having these feelings. It can have a normalizing affect. However, rarely are the images or discussion lead by the bisexual woman in question. If it is a woman exclaiming her queerness it is largely exaggerated and more of a performance or the woman is just a sexual conquest or challenge for the male.

NEWS FLASH: If a woman is down to get down with you and another chick, that's great for ya'll as long as it's done safely and it's consensual. However, that doesn't mean they are bi-sexual. To identify as anything in the queer spectrum comes with your personal history attached and it is within the historical and societal context of queerness as a whole. You don't get your bisexual card just because you have a threesome.

2nd NEWS FLASH: You are not irresistible and all women do not love you and want to have sex with you and if she is a LESBIAN in a RELATIONSHIP, your dick is not appealing!

This thinking also suggest that just because you are bisexual you are promiscuous, ready, and willing to get down with a man whether you have a significant other or not. It perpetuates stereotypes and devalues and belittles peoples identities and further subjugates women, particularly women of color in most cases. And frankly, we don't need anymore of that! Especially, if you are a woman, of color, and queer! These artist have such a public persona and it would be great if they could find another subject to write about or explore this in a real way. But, exploring things in a real, vulnerable, and honest way is lacking in most pop culture offerings, so again it must be our task to tell our stories, advocate for others, and fight for ourselves!

Click the title for the link to a dope article on the subject. And check out Ushers "Lil Freak" vid.

"Te Amo"

Nikki Minaj "Massive Attack"

Radio Interview!!

2010-05-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

This just might be my first radio interview! Yay!

My peoples Wonway, Dion Decibels, and Angela(don't know how to spell her DJ name.lol) have this dope radio show called Think Beat Radio on www.alldayplay.fm It was really fun and I think I did aite.lol! Listen up http://www.alldayplay.fm/episodes/epsiode-20

RED BIKE AND GREEN!

2010-05-06T15:31:00.000-07:00

What's good beautiful people!

First, I want to thank you all for making the kick off event such a success! It was a blessing to grace Oakland's streets with all of you, and I am looking forward to seeing you all on more rides to come..like Friday, ha!

Yup, Red, Bike and Green is riding this Friday! Same place different time:

Friday, May 7
6:30pm
Lake Merritt, Grand and El Embarcadero (across from Gold's Gym)

Keep in mind that this is our monthly ride. It's an evening ride, so it won't be as kid-friendly as the event that took place two weeks ago. This is our "ride with the flow of the evening and just kick it with good folks" type of ride - the beauty of the mass.

Also, drop me a line if you still want a t-shirt. We can bring it on Friday.

Bless!

RBG

YAY for good blog post!

2010-05-05T10:43:00.000-07:00

The homey, writer/blogger extraordinaire Niema did a wonderful post on my e.p. She is a contributing writer to one of the best bay area blogs out there, 38thnotes.com and she also has her own blog http://renaissance20.blogspot.com/. She made my e.p. the soundtrack to her blog.lol because I sing and write about real things, that people, particularly people of our generation go to. So thanks for the love, check out my post and these dope blogs. :)

http://www.38thnotes.com/2010/05/music-siaira-shawn-in-between-ep.html

Beyonce is a beast!

2010-05-05T10:39:00.000-07:00

So, I have been on this song for like a year! Apparently this video is just for her fans, thanks Be! Vocally beasting, lyrically fun, musically beasting! lol. Listen to her vocal arrangements and the breakdowns in this. I believe my other fav Knowles, Solange, wrote or co-wrote. The video is not my fav, but I like how she used a 50's aesthetic to point out the message of the song! Not, that deep, but pay attention kids, you might learn something.lol

Why Don't You Love Me?

2nd installment of my NY Adventure!

2010-04-26T21:12:00.000-07:00

'It's the God in Me'

2010-04-26T21:01:00.000-07:00

One of my fav gospel songs ever by Mary Mary feat. Ki Ki Sheard. All awesome vocalists! Didn't know there was a vid, thanks Nick.lol .. Partying for the lord! lol

But, def check out their album, they cover every genre singing about positivity and God, so no matter what or how you worship, it's a great album.

Mary Mary "God In Me" from Secret History on Vimeo.

The Art of Love

2010-04-21T19:46:00.001-07:00

Dope indie film," Art of Love" written and directed by Bayaan Bakari, starring some of my homeys and featuring one of my throwback songs "A Taste" Check it!

Art of Love Teaser Trailer from Akoben Entertainment on Vimeo.

aRCHaNDROID PREVIEW!

2010-04-17T15:21:00.000-07:00

Janelle Monae video preview for her new Album out May 18th!!

The In Between EP is Here!

2010-04-13T00:32:00.000-07:00

<a href="http://siairashawn.bandcamp.com/album/the-in-between">In Between intro by SiairaShawn</a>

About The In Between

The In Between EP is a prelude to Siaira Shawn's debut album, "The Outsider Inside." This five song EP with bonus acapella showcases the wide vocal range and talents of one of the Bay Area's budding R&B stars. The "Intro" and "Outro" narrates what would usually be complex subject matter for the typical R&B album. Shawn's songwriting depicts the battles we endure searching for love as well as the trials we face defining ourselves in a world bent on conformity. Musically speaking, the up-tempo tracks such as "Seat Filler" produced by Mr. Know-It-All to the sonically progressive ballad, "Where You Are," tightropes the energy and imagination of a Janelle Monae with the soul and depth of Donny Hathaway. The In Between infuses futuristic soundscapes with the maturity and vulnerability contemporary R&B audiences have been yearning for.

Production Credits
Nick James, George Hearst, T.K. Top Kat, Mr. Know-It-All, and Will Bracy
All songs written by Siaira Harris | Mixed by George Hearst at Gehea Music Studios | Art Design by Nick James

New York Diary vol. 1 ;)

2010-04-03T17:41:00.000-07:00

So, while I am in New York I am choosing to document my trip through video diary entries. Yay! Good times! lol. So, you all will be subjected to my musings, observations, and happy times.This will all be done on my phone, so bear with the editing and such.lol. Check it out below!

NEW NEW

2010-04-02T13:41:00.000-07:00

Hey, so I am about to turn this blog into my personal blog. Which means, that bgcamerica will be the name of a blog where I will probably have many people, namely Ms. B Bell contributing. My blog will have similar content, but it will also have more about the goings ons of SiairaShawn( that rhymed.lol). So, this new blog will be called "The Outsider Inside" also the name of my debut album.

Below is a video of a show I just did. I am covering "Karma Police" by Radiohead. They are one of my favorite bands and I have always wanted to sing this song, so check it out and let me know what you think :) Also, I am in NEW YORK, yay! I will be trying to document my trip through pictures and video and first video coming up in a few. Toodles!

Sea2Sea Summit!

2010-03-30T23:19:00.000-07:00

I have been privileged to join a contingent of dope artists on a pilgrimage to Sarah Lawrence University in New York! The homey Katiana has set up this great conference where will do political education workshops and performances! My sister from another mister and future blog collaborater Belinda will also be doing a workshop. I will also be selling my new e.p. "The In Between" !!! I will be in NY until the 10th, so holla at me!! Info Below and click on title for link to blog on the event.

Sea2Sea Summit

Sarah Lawrence College

Saturday April 3rd Workshops Begin @ 9am Open Mic and Performances in Reisinger begin @ 9:30pm Join Us A day dedicated to the education and exploration of systems of oppression related to race, gender, sexuality, cycles of violence, social representations and more!
We will focus on institutions, interpersonal relations and the internal self. Through writing, discussion and information we will take risks and say YES to forward movement!
Build Community Stretch Yourself Workshops lead by artists from Coast to Coast To close the night out we will hear from the various artists/facilitators hailing from the
BAY TO BK
Cavalier (New Rap Order), SupaNova (New Rap Order), Aerosol Love Letter Campaign,
M.C. K~Swift (Zulu Nation), Trezure (New Rap Order), iamani i. ameni, Do D.A.T. (FreshVibe Media), SiairaShawn (FreshVibe Media), Chinaka Hodge, SandMan, Felice Archbold (FreshVibe Media - A&R//Brand Strategist), Belinda Bellinger, and Faro-Z
Space is Limited RSVP to Katiana Carey-Simms: kcarey@gm.slc.edu

A little self promo.lol

2010-03-23T20:32:00.000-07:00

Just a little self promotion. Please check out my reverbnation.com/siairashawn. I have an e.p. coming out on April 1st! It is called "The In Between" and it is the precursor to my debut "The Outsider Inside". All songs written by moi and production by all local producers and homeys. So, check me out! Video posts on album coming soon from my phone.lol. Click link for page.

Osborn Shoes

2010-03-01T15:16:00.000-08:00

I was put up on these wonderful shoes by Jenna's( my boo.lol) coworker.lol. I then put fashionista and one of my fav virgos Layidua(http://laaficionada.blogspot.com/)on to them and she posted them, which reminded me to post them! That was a round-about way of saying these shoes are dope.lol. The company is a husband and wife team who work with local artisans in Guatemala. The shoes can get a little expensive, but for handmade, sustainable, and fair trade merch. you can't go wrong. Go to the site frequently or join mailing list;shoes seem to sell out fast, at least in my size dammit! lol.

These are the Kente Booties. Love them!

I love oxfords, we all know this now.lol

These are a third design, The Jazzy

Click title for website.

Maxwell And Jill Scott Join Forces For US Tour!!!

2010-03-01T11:37:00.000-08:00

Maxwell and Jill Scott are going on a 20 city tour starting in May! I can't wait! You know I am there. This is going to be a great concert, real music at its best. These are two artist who have the type of careers I aspire to have. I have never seen Maxwell perform, but of course he is wonderful. This will be my fourth time seeing Jill.lol..She's awesome live! So, please join me and support real music, wish I was opening for them :)

This tour is being produced nationally by Live Nation. Tickets go on sale in select cities at LiveNation.com

Details on dates, venues and on-sale information will be announced shortly for tour stops in 20 U.S. cities including: Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Chicago, St. Louis, Seattle, Oakland, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Miami, Washington DC, Philadelphia and New York.

In other news, Maxwell's 2nd installment is coming this summer and Jill is putting out her upcoming album ‘The Light Of The Sun’ out in Summer as well!

Janelle Monae

2010-02-17T16:43:00.000-08:00

So, excited that one of my favorite artist Janelle Monae, has two new songs out and her album is coming on MAY 18! She and her band/production/record label Wondaland society are soo innovative and talented. She has one of the best voices, pen's, and brains in the biz! For real! Check out links below.

Tightrope
http://www.zshare.net/audio/724414954033d604/

There's also a really dope track Coldwar that you can listen to at jmonae.com( you can click title and get there).

She's also coming to Frisco!!: Cafe Du Nord
Monday, 3/22
Doors: 7:00 pm
Show: 8:00 pm
Door: $12.00
Ages: 21+

I love oxfords! lol

2010-02-16T11:59:00.000-08:00

Yay shoes! lol..Vans is coming out with "The Sophie" sneaker.It's like their version of the ever popular oxford design. I love oxfords, a lot.lol..all variations, so I am excited to see how these look in person. They are priced at $55 which isn't bad. So, we shall see if they will be on my feet :) They come out in the spring and they are already available online at vans.com.

IT'S GOING DOWN!

2010-02-09T17:59:00.000-08:00

It's going down. Cooley High House Party. Brought to you by the conceptual genius of Nick James and moi! More creative collabs to come, but I digress...Come thru! You see the info, $5 to get in $10 to win. Bring your cool ;)

Pay Attention

2010-02-09T14:03:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I feel like it's really hard to affect change when it comes to what we consume and how we dispose of it. This country runs on capitalism and even if you are against it, which fundamentally I am because of how obviously detrimental and nonsensical it has proved itself to be over and over. Yet, there has been a shift happening; with information comes action and the more informed people are, the more they start to examine and shift their habits and ideas.

You may be wondering, "Where is she going with all this?" lol. Well, that rant brings me to this really cool site called http://www.storyofstuff.com/

The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute film that takes viewers on a provocative and eye-opening tour of the real costs of our consumer driven culture—from resource extraction to iPod incineration.

It's not heavy handed or preachy, left-leaning, yes, but factual and dope :) And it shows you and gives you ways to combat the problem and to just be aware of the cost of our consumption on each other and the earth. Peep!

Man Up!

2010-02-08T00:11:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite people Nick James has shown himself time and time again to be a stand up man and an ally and lover of women. I wanted to re-post his indictment of the D-Lo song called, and I quote, "No Hoe". It is a song that I thought was a joke when i first heard it over a year ago and though the beat is that Bay slap.lol..it was never a song I could totally dance to and enjoy because of it's subject matter. Well they have turned out a remix and grown Bay rappers have decided to join in, including E-40. They have condoned this nonsense by adding their enlightening verses on pimping hoes to this 17 year old lost young man's song. I feel that male rappers especially are always making little girl lost songs,but who is leading these little boys. Man up! Thank god Nick did and will continue to do. Thank you honey and thank you to all the stand up men I know :)

"Like my brother Sleepy D, I'd bring Oprah if I could"

No that isn't one of my Du Bois quotes of the day, or even Camp Lo for that matter, this is from D-Lo's, No Hoe Remix feat. E-40, Beeda Weeda, and Jacka. I wonder if this quote will ever find its way to Oprah? It would be great to see a Black woman with power cast her hand down a la Sofia cursing out Harpo. I'm pretty sure Oprah would be the pimp, not the other way around.

First off, seeing E-40 start off the remix threw me for a loop. When E-40 was young, he did have grindin type songs but he also had songs like "It's All Bad," "Things Will Never Change," and "1 Luv." So, even when he had hardcore lyrics it was buffered by songs with a message. 40 is now 40 years old. I always wondered what it would be like to be married with kids and come home to my wife after saying I have women of all races working on the track for me on a song (just a thought). I know E-40 has always done a good job of helping out new artists in the Bay and has opened doors for folks but he could have been a mentor in this case.

The reason for such concern regarding this song is that there are 400 sexually exploited minors in Oakland every day! Our communities have been torn apart by men abusing women violently, sexually, psychologically, and spiritually, as well as by the countless boys that have been lead astray that become broken men due to their exposure to violence and hatred. Seeing women tug on Jacka's shirt as he talks about putting "yo b**** in a choke hold" and then puts a model in the video in a choke hold, is the most surreal sight I've seen in a video in a while. We have to see violence against women for what it is; violence. If a white man had a Black man in a headlock in a video, we would protest from the Bay to New York (at least I pray that we would). The jovial nature of the song makes violence, pimping, and the objectification of women go unnoticed even though the lyrics are so blatant. We must question ourselves as men, why are we always caught in this gender purgatory where we don't act?

This is a classic example of what I call the "Chronic Syndrome." When Dr. Dre released the Chronic, people always talked about how much they "loved the beats." "Bitches Ain't Shit" is the perfect example of a beat becoming a classic even though the chorus is "Bitches ain't shit but hoes and tricks, lick on the nuts and suck the dick." I understand that if you are an adult you can create almost anything and consume almost anything, but "No Ho" has been pushed and praised by extremely young fans. I've seen 8 year-old girls screaming, "We don't give a fuck about no ho," as well as seeing boys attack girls in middle school classes, so this song has direct experiences attached to it for me. I can't differentiate the chorus from the interactions I see on Oakland streets, and in particular and even more distressing, our schools.

I've worked with countless young men throughout West and East Oakland and when I have conversations with them about their relationships and interactions with women and they reiterate the sentiments of this song, I just want to give them a hug because an essential human bond is being severed. We can talk about turf unity all we want but if young men and women are at odds and physical and psychological warfare is normative, we are missing the biggest issue facing our communities. If young and adult men really knew what their mothers, grandmothers, sisters, cousins, aunties, friends, and girlfriends have gone through, they would sing another song. I know D-Lo is young; trying to have fun, and make money but there is a ripple effect. E-40 and Jacka are O.G.s and young men take heed from them. When misogyny is validated by men they see as having made it, they follow the formula.

I'm not writing to make it seem that I am holier than thou because I grew up on Too $hort's Cocktails and Snoop's Doggystyle, but I've had so many Black male mentors (my dad, godfather Bill, Coach Johnson, Coach Booth, Mr. Green, Burl Toler II & I, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Smith, Dr. Wade Nobles, Dr. Goddard, Mr. Cavil, Dr. Akom, Dr. Ginwright, and several others) that I've been demanded to always speak in manner that benefits the welfare of all people, especially those of my culture and background. Refraining from devaluing women is unfortunately a process for men in this country. Even though I don't perceive myself as a disrespectful person or a man that treats women badly, I know that I am still in recovery from patriarchy and hyper-masculinity, thus my daily actions and words must set an example to other boys and men in order to transcend male stereotypes. As older men, we must set an example at all times because we don't know who we can influence or those who have yet had the opportunity to have a mentor or man guide them in the right direction.

This is dedicated to every young man I've taught. Keep treating women, your family, friends, and yourself with the utmost respect and love. Deliver a message of peace because violence and destruction only dimmers the prospects of life.

- Nick James

"I wish I could read every book in the world!"

2010-01-31T13:08:00.000-08:00

lol..I love song parodies! I make them up all the time and never record them and they are usually educational because I work with youth and I'm a nerd.lol..So, this just made my day :) Enjoy!

New Mixtape and New videos!!

2010-01-25T15:16:00.000-08:00

Hola All!

I got some new new for you :) First, I wanted you guys to partake of the wonderful Youth Together mixtape. It was created by the wonderful Nick James and features yours truly :). It includes Erykah Badu, Curtis Mayfield, newcomer Nneka and much more. Click post title for link to mixtape!

Also, my homey and now Freshvibe Media family member Do Dat(http://www.myspace.com/datamen) and the lovely Melina Jones...I know hella links.lol..just released the wonderful video 'The Bridge". This song is from Dat's upcoming masterpiece in the making, "Oakland in Blue." Please check it, it's a quality video directed by Erica Eng and I'm proud of the Bay not just because of the Frisco/Oakland connection(415 stand up!lol),but because it shows the versatility we have to offer.

Also, a young lady from Berkeley who has been grinding, Netta B, also put it out a very good video. She does pop and r&b, pop&b :), but she brings it. Check it below...In short..Bay Area stand up!!

Mother Haiti

2010-01-22T12:19:00.000-08:00

I would be remiss if I did not post something about the tragedy and devastation in Haiti. It is the place that has been routinely attacked and subjected to blatant imperialism, since it won its freedom. It has been paying reparations for it's freedom ever since. I have posted a lot on facebook, donated, and I have wonderful people in my life who have posted and who are doing work as well. I have chosen to post this, as I think it addresses a lot of the issues and gives a way to donate and think about the longterm issues we need to be aware of to support Haiti in the future. In solidarity and love...

January 20, 2010

It has been a week since we all learned of the devastating situation unfolding in Haiti, as thousands struggle to survive and await rescue and humanitarian assistance. INCITE! organizers and human rights activists around the world are mobilizing donations, organizing volunteer relief efforts, and collecting supplies to respond to the urgent humanitarian needs of the people of Haiti.

As these important efforts are underway, we recommend that we also pause and ask the question: How can we intentionally support the long term sustainability and self determination of the Haitian people? When crises of this magnitude occur, we all understandably want to act quickly, but we must also figure out how to act thoughtfully in our efforts to develop a comprehensive, sustainable, and accountable transnational radical feminist response.

The event of an earthquake of this magnitude can be catastrophic for any place. But in Haiti, it also exacerbates decades of poverty, aid dependency, military dictatorship, unsustainable development, invasions, neoliberal structural adjustment policies, corruption, and many other intersecting forms of violence. These political realities increase the multiple and complex forms of marginalization and social vulnerability women and their families will continue to face in the days, months, and years to come.

We have been in communication with Zeina Zaatari and Erika Rosas from Global Fund for Women. Their contact from the Dominican Republic, Sergia Galvan, who is currently in Port-au-Prince, reported last Friday that the situation is catastrophic and, at that point, there was no infrastructure by which humanitarian aid could be distributed.

Right now, there are many people, organizations, and governmental agencies mobilized to provide immediate aid relief and rescue operations in Haiti. However, there tends to be more readiness to donate supplies and money in the "immediate" time when things are very chaotic and before we know what the conditions are on the ground and have identified the long-term re-development needs as articulated by those most impacted. The long-term vision is critical because, when the dust settles and the big international relief organizations have left, people’s lives will still be devastated, and the need to rebuild will still be there.

We are researching if and how we can develop an intentional political relationship with local women so we can help mobilize the INCITE! network to support just and sustainable development of a sovereign Haiti, both during the interim and the long term recovery process.

As many of us work to figure out appropriate strategies to support the people of Haiti, it’s important to note that the people most vulnerable--namely, women, LGBT folks, people with disabilities, incarcerated people, children, and elders--can experience a slower unfolding of specific crises that are consequences of the original disaster and the social conditions that preceded the disaster.

For example, women experience the most negative consequences of catastrophic events, particularly with regards to higher rates of injury and death, displacement, unemployment, increased incidents of HIV rates, sexual and domestic violence, increased poverty, and the disproportionate responsibility for caring for others. This is especially true for women marginalized by race, sexual orientation, gender identity, class, health, ability, age, housing, and legal status. Additionally, in times of crises and environmental emergencies, poor and marginalized women, who are least responsible for the horrific conditions in which they live, are often blamed for their poverty and become subjected to regulatory population control policies through family planning, poverty reduction, and so-called environmental protection programs.

So, given what we have learned from Hurricane Katrina and the disasters of war, occupation, neoliberal economic dominance, and neglect that continue to plague and pathologize many of our families and friends internationally, we would like to use this time to organize an effective and accountable response during this interim phase of the crisis. Right now, we are exploring if we can activate the following plan:
Identify a contact with at least one specific local women's organization/network in Haiti
Help mobilize the INCITE! network to organize a response and provide specific resources identified by women in Haiti
Work through INCITE! to sustain a productive and intentional transnational relationship with women in Haiti - this would be our long term solidarity work
We are talking with Zeina and Erika from Global Fund for Women to learn the landscape of women's organizing in Haiti, how their local partners are doing at this point, and if/how we can work with local women directly. We appreciate any feedback and ideas about this process, please respond to the list or at info@whji.org and incite.natl@gmail.com.

In the meantime, we urge INCITE! members/chapters/affiliates and the broader social justice community to:

EDUCATE YOURSELF & YOUR COMMUNITY!
Research Haiti’s amazing history of resistance, resiliency, and self-determination
Educate your community on the colonial history of deliberate impoverishment, control, debt, dependency, and neglect in Haiti
Educate yourself and your community on the intersections of gender, violence, and disaster vulnerabilities
Examine how the crises of disasters and gender-based violence are connected to the social, political, environmental, and economic issues you may work on
Analyze how the violence of disasters and colonial legacies (and realities) undermines the sovereignty and self-determination of a people
Identify patterns of how women, LGBT people, and people with disabilities are particularly impacted by disaster and conflict situations in, for example, Haiti, New Orleans, Palestine, Afghanistan, the Congo, the U.S./Mexico border, Native reservations
ORGANIZE!
Convene organizing teach-ins on the history of Haiti, its historical connection to New Orleans, and the role the U.S. government has played in the underdevelopment of Haiti through invasion, occupation, and neoliberal supported policies
Reach out to Haitian immigrants and Haitian-Americans in your community who may need support
Support progressive democratic and human rights movements in Haiti and campaigns calling for debt cancelation and those to eliminate foreign aid restrictions that privilege US based contractors over Haitian labor
Support the capacity of the Haitian government to rebuild its institutional and physical infrastructure and provide sustainable and equitable public and relief services to its own people free of neoliberal mandates
Ensure that gendered perspectives are mainstreamed within humanitarian programs and long term recovery, both in recognizing the leadership roles and facilities of women and other marginalized communities to guide these processes and the specific vulnerabilities of marginalized communities in times of crisis and national emergency
Mobilize women of color & queer/LGBT people of color in your community to develop and share organizing strategies to address crises like these both abroad and here at home
Share organizing models and build skills to strengthen our grassroots organizing
Connect online using:
o the INCITE! facebook page: http://tiny.cc/incitefacebook
o the new INCITE! blog: http://inciteblog.wordpress.com/

o Stay tuned for other online tools...

DONATE!
The Global Fund For Women currently funds and partners with five Haitian women's organizations. The list of these organizations is below. GFW has a crisis fund they've set up to support their local partners. Contributions to GFW’s Crisis Fund will be directed to the re-building of women-based organizations and their communities after the disaster to ensure long-term equitable and sustainable development.
If you would like to contribute to GFW, you can do so here: https://www. globalfundforwomen.org/ donations/crisis-fund.php
GFW Haiti Solidarity Statement is here: http://www.globalfundforwomen. org/cms/campaigns/campaigns/ solidarity-with-our-sisters- in-haiti.html
Other groups to donate include:...
Partners in Health: http://www.pih.org/ inforesources/news/Haiti_ Earthquake.html
Partners in Health’s Sister Organization in Haiti – Zanmi Lasant Clinic: http://www.pih.org/where/ Haiti/Haiti.html
Dwa Fanm (meaning "Women's Rights" in Creole): http://www.dwafanm.org/
The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC): http://www.iglhrc.org/cgi-bin/ iowa/article/takeaction/ globalactionalerts/1074.html

In Solidarity,

Women's Health & Justice Initiative (WHJI), New Orleans
INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence

List of GFW Partners:
Fondation TOYA [TOYA Foundation], Cité Soleil, Port-au-Prince, Haiti: Fondation TOYA works to raise the standard of living throughout the slum area of Cité Soleil through the empowerment of young women in the community. Members promote women’s entrepreneurship through a micro-finance structure that facilitates access to credit for women in the informal sector. By focusing on vulnerable young women who are unemployed and/or are heads of households, Toya is ensuring that more Haitian women will be financially independent, have access to healthcare and in control of their destinies.
Association Femmes Soleil D’Haiti [Sun Women’s Association of Haiti], Cap-Haitien, Haiti: AFASDA was formed after the three-year coup in Haiti (1991-1994), because as the group states, “after the bloody coup…it was repression. No one could move. It was said that women couldn’t remain with their arms crossed. It was necessary to do something. We began with a little seed of reflection and that’s what became AFASDA.” AFASDA advances women’s rights by organizing campaigns for potable water and creating educational opportunities for street children and rural women.
Organisation Femmes Victimes de Solino [Organization of Women Victims of Solino] (OFVS), Solino: OFVS works with women of the Solino slum who have been victims of violence. Because of social unrest and the proliferation of armed gangs, many women are unable to earn a living.. The majority of the group’s members are single mothers, 90 percent of them affected by violence.. OFSV notes, “The majority of the women have lost all their business activities, and were forced to pay a ransom daily to the heads of gangs that took over the area so as not to be attacked again…the women have been victims of theft, burglary, and rape.” OFVS provides counseling to violence survivors, financial aid to restart businesses, and legal aid to seek redress for the crimes committed against them.
Kodinasyon Solidarité Fanm Djanm Sid, KOSOFADS [Dynamic Women of the South Solidarity Network] (KOSOFADS) Les Cayes, Haiti: KOSOFADS promotes women's economic independence, access to health care, and the eradication of domestic violence. The association brings poor women together in workshops, during which participants are encouraged to discuss women’s rights violations and devise strategies to resolve the abuse. KOSOFADS also produces radio and television programs that focus on women’s rights issues.
Mouvman Peyizan Papay/Fanm MPP (Women of the Peasant Movement of Papay), Pètion Ville, Haiti: Emerging from the Peasant Movement of Papay (MPP), Fanm MPP was created in 1980 to "concentrate on understanding women's unique development needs, advancing women's rights and empowering women to participate in their own development." One of the group's current projects is "Engaging Women in Holistic Health and Environmental Protection" project where women are taught to install family and community composting latrines, family cisterns so families for clean water for household use as well as plant fruits and vegetables for their families.

Women's Health & Justice Initiative
P.O. BOX 51325
New Orleans, LA 70151
504-524-8626
info@whji.org
http://whji.org/
INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence
PO Box 226
Redmond, CA 98073
incite.natl@gmail.com
http://incite-national.org/

Happy New Year!

2010-01-08T17:40:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR! WISHING YOU BLESSINGS AND GOALS ACCOMPLISHED! I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT I RECEIVED LAST YEAR AND THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR THE CONTINUED SUPPORT :) THIS YEAR WILL BRING BIG THANKS, NAMELY, MY ALBUM! "THE OUTSIDER INSIDE" !!! SO, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, LET'S START THIS YEAR OFF RIGHT!

UPCOMING SHOWS

Jan. 15th

This show is going to be dope! Full Band and tons and tons of fresh up and coming artist, including moi :) Info Below:

Jan 22.

Artist-in-residence programs and other residency opportunities allow local or visiting artists to stay and work 'for art's sake'. These programs offer conditions that are conducive to creativity and they provide for working facilities, ready to be used by individual artists.

DivinityVoice music & arts is asking me to put on one show per month as a work in progress...along with one or more free community workshops during the duration of your stay which is Jan/Feb/March 2010!!

I am thinking about doing an ode to the women of jazz accompanied by Maya Kronfeld and for the last show hopefully have some original compositions. So stay tuned... ;)

$8-$10pm sliding scale
3609 Maple Ave @ Mac Arthur BLVD Oakland, CA 94602
8-10pm
http://aspirebettercommunity.com/DivinityVoicemusicarts.html

That's it for now. but some interesting and possibly big things already happening for me this year, more updates to come!!

Black Girls Rock

2009-12-08T14:21:00.000-08:00

Res is dopeness. If you don't know, find out. She put out an album awhile ago, now working with Ilde Warship, a group that includes Talib Kweli. She recently put out this free 10-track album entitled, Black.Girls.Rock! (they surely do). Those of you who fell in love with Res' debut, How Do I, should enjoy the progression on this new project. go to okayplayer.com for the download. I haven't listened yet, but I'm sure it will work out for ya :)

New album from SADE

2009-11-26T00:16:00.000-08:00

Yay, one of my favs! My mom used to play her to put me to sleep as a baby :) She is coming out with a new album finally! Check it out
http://concreteloop.com/2009/11/music-news-sades-new-album-cover-album-news

The Future in Jeopardy

2009-11-25T23:51:00.000-08:00

One of the things I am passionate about are disproportionate incarceration rates, especially for juveniles. These youth are the future of our country and this country has turned our schools and communities in to police states where there are no chances for our youth of color. It is unfair, nonsensical, and detrimental to them, our families, and our communities. Most of these youth are arrested for non-violent offenses and just need worthwhile alternatives and education, but instead money is spent on their incarceration and not invested in them becoming well rounded, productive citizens. Preeminent leader/scholar on the subject James Bell, writes a eloquent, vehement blog post on the subject. I posted one of the recent post. Check it above. Click on title. And check out the work of W. Haywood Burns Institute and check out the work of The Community Justice Network for Youth(cjny.org)

New Alicia Keys Vid

2009-11-19T02:27:00.000-08:00

Fresh Video by Ms. Alicia Keys. I wasn't really feeling the first single, but she made up for it with this song and video. I'm such a nerd, this is so up my alley.lol You will see what I mean. Watch and Enjoy :)

Wale Bonus Single

2009-11-13T13:06:00.001-08:00

So, my boo.lol..Wale put his new album out Tuesday. I'm really feeling it, I appreciate his lyrical ability, metaphors, and subject matter. It's a well rounded, cohesive album and he talks about real shit. He is still a young man, so he says young man things.lol.but overall I don't cringe at every other word :)

Anyway this bonus track is real fresh and relevant; discussing our obsession with pop culture and how we should be focused on reality and not make believe. Check it.

An actual vid of me performing.lol

2009-11-10T13:46:00.000-08:00

From a Blackberry, but you can get the gist :) Me singing "The Way" at Lukas in Oakland, on my bday weekend. Sept. 20th :) Peep it, spread it. Click title to peep.

Nick James: New Mixtape

2009-11-10T13:33:00.000-08:00

Click Cover to Download

My boy, genius, producer extraordinaire Nick James has unleashed a new mixtape. Check it!

On a positive note...

2009-10-27T22:21:00.000-07:00

Mary J. Blige along with Steve Stoute have created this foundation for women called For the Advancement of Women Now, Inc. It sounds great, they opened up a center for women in Yonkers,New York and want to duplicate it all over the country. Check the website and more info below-

Our Mission
To inspire women from all walks of life to gain the confidence and skills they need to reach their individual potential.

We will accomplish our mission to empower and encourage women by shaping and supporting programs that foster education, career development, strong self-esteem, and personal growth.

FFAWN will initially focus its efforts in Yonkers and surrounding communities in Westchester County and then expand its scope to include the Greater New York area and, eventually, the entire country.

AM I INVISIBLE

2009-10-27T20:03:00.000-07:00

I wrote this awhile ago, it was sparked by an incident that happened to a young women who went to Mills and she was attending school in New York. She was living with roommates and they discovered her dead body in the room days later; she had been beaten to death by her former boyfriend and left for dead.

Around this time other violent crimes against Black women were happening as they have for centuries and there was no or little media coverage or outcry. It seems that when something happens to women of color we are supposed to take it and be silenced, we are not valued or respected and that is why things like this young girl in Richmond getting beaten and gang raped while people watched can occur. What are we teaching our men, our women, ourselves? These things things must not be allowed to go on!

What does it mean, if things obscene seen and no help you bring
The song I sing, silenced, the quiet violence or the noisy love
To both you shrug and ignore the blood

Hook-
Am I invisible or do you just not care to look
Am I expendable, do you care when my life is took

Sweep things under the rug, until they have to be dug, from under
Appalled at the plunder, slumber on it, but still condone it
Treat us like enemy or your opponent

Hook-
Am I invisible or do you just not care to look
Am I expendable, do you care when my life is took

THIS MUST STOP!

2009-10-27T11:43:00.000-07:00

I AM OUTRAGED, APPALLED, ANGRY, SAD..THE FACT THAT THIS WAS AND IS ALLOWED TO HAPPEN IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE! OUR YOUNG WOMEN ARE NOT VALUED AND ARE NOT BEING TAKEN CARE OF! WE MUST INSTILL IN OUR YOUNG WOMEN AND OUR YOUNG WOMEN THE VALUE OF THEIR LIVES AND THAT THEY SHOULD TREAT THEMSELVES AND EACH OTHER WITH THE UTMOST RESPECT! AS ADULTS, YOUNG AND OLDER WE MUST PROTECT OUR YOUTH, ESPECIALLY OUR YOUNG WOMEN!
THEFACT THAT THIS YOUNG GIRL WAS RAPED BY SOMEONE SHE KNEW AND ON A SCHOOL CAMPUS IS DISGUSTING, TIME FOR A CHANGE! THIS MUST STOP AND I HOPE THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF MEDIA COVERAGE AND THAT THEY CATCH AND PURSUE ALL RESPONSIBLE AND THOSE WHO STOOD BY!
ARTICLE BELOW-

RICHMOND, Calif. (Oct. 27) - Police believe as many as a dozen people watched a 15-year-old girl get beaten and gang-raped outside her high school homecoming dance without reporting it.
Two suspects were in custody Monday, but police said as many as five other men attacked the girl over a two-hour period Friday night outside Richmond High School.
Skip over this content
Embedded video from CNN Video
"She was raped, beaten, robbed and dehumanized by several suspects who were obviously OK enough with it to behave that way in each other's presence," Lt. Mark Gagan said. "What makes it even more disturbing is the presence of others. People came by, saw what was happening and failed to report it."
The victim remained hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
Manuel Ortega, 19, was arrested at the scene and was being held on $800,000 bail for investigation of rape and robbery. He is not a student at the school.
Richmond police Sgt. David Harris said he did not know if Ortega had retained an attorney.
A 15-year-old student also was booked late Monday on one count of sexual assault, Gagan said.
Police said the girl left the dance and was walking to meet her father for a ride home when a classmate invited her to join a group drinking in the courtyard. The victim had drank a large amount of alcohol by the time the assault began, police said.
Officers received a tip about a possible assault on campus and found the girl semi-conscious near a picnic table.
Marin Trujillo, a spokesman for the West Contra Costa Unified School District, said there were four police officers and three school administrators monitoring the dance, but the assault happened away from the gym.

Another cool blog!!

2009-10-12T14:36:00.000-07:00

My girl Wren has a great blog! She is a dope artist in every sense of the word :)

Check her out!! http://wrenagade.blogspot.com/

I'M ON YOUTUBE!!!

2009-10-12T10:08:00.000-07:00

I AM ON YOUTUBE!! THANKS TO THE WONDERFUL NICK JAMES! HE IS A GENIUS, JACK OF ALL TRADES, I WORK WITH HIM, HE IS MY FRIEND AND YOU SHOULD GOOGLE HIM! :)

I GOT A BLOG PLACEMENT!

2009-10-07T10:57:00.000-07:00

I got a blog placement on a really fresh blog! Yay! I really appreciate them placing me in their buzz artist section, I was placed by a fellow San Franciscan, which is doubly cool.lol. Anyway, check me out and check out the blog!

http://www.yk2daily.net/2009/10/buzz-artist-siaira-shawn.html

Janelle F***ing Monae!

2009-10-06T12:48:00.002-07:00

Kia-yes the car company-seems to be hooking up with all these fresh out of the box artist(like of all kinds) and spotlighting them. Interesante

They have chosen one of my fav artist Janelle Monae to participate and she has given us a new song! I've been waiting, not so patiently for new material, so I'm estatic. It's rock and roll baby, B.G.C. style!

Janelle Monae "Come Alive" (The War Of The Roses)
http://www.kiasoulcollective.com/home/music/

MY girl!
Music « Kia Soul Collective
Source: www.kiasoulcollective.com
We’re pretty sure Janelle Monáe is from the future or from a super cool planet that the rest of us are not up on yet. You know – some spot just over in the next galaxy where the music rules and where everyone rocks their own version of the Kia Soul. ...

YOUTH TOGETHER

2009-10-06T11:14:00.000-07:00

So, I work for this wonderful organization named Youth Together. I had to shout us out! We work with high school students in the East Bay,ca on issues concerning their communities and schools and larger issues of education reform and equity. Check out some info below, check the website, donate or just peruse! Thanks

http://bit.ly/j12cf-video of award we recently won :)

In 1996 Youth Together was formed by youth, community members, parents and school officials in Oakland, Berkeley, and Richmond, California concerned about inter-racial violence and inadequate school conditions.

Because of the organization’s youth leadership programming, student centers, and campaigns, six local high schools are developing positive, long-term solutions to fight social, political, community, and educational inequities in their lives, serving as a model for empowering change in other communities.

BRANDY!!

2009-10-06T10:47:00.000-07:00

So, anybody who REALLY knows me, knows that I LOVE Brandy! Like, growing up, she was my favorite, artist role model. I mean, what chocolate, black girl had number one albums, tv show, dolls! I love her, always will. Looking forward to new album because Never say Never was a classic, I don't care! lol. I know she can do it again :)

So, here she is singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" wrong lyrics, no makeup, killing it!! lol

NEW MUSIC

2009-10-05T16:40:00.000-07:00

So, another UK chick in the sea of UK chicks.lol..But, nice music is nice music. I'm feeling the simplicity and her style, I'm liking that women of color artist are framing how they are looking now and are doing such great, chill, innovative, etc. things with their styles and aesthetic. It's refreshing and hopeful to see the image being blown apart of what you are supposed to look like as an artist who is a woman, especially of color.

On another note, I will be vigilant in posting our Black girls/women who can sing from America as well. The trend seems to be, lets go overseas, like the talent pool(get it.lol) dried up over here. Not the case! No hard feelings, we will find our ways to get out there and bring our originality and perspective to the masses!

B.G.C. AMERICA PEOPLE! :)

Check her out tho-Kerry Leatham-myspace.com/kerryleatham

Kerry Leatham 'A Different Light' from Luke Meadows on Vimeo.

B.T.W.

2009-10-04T23:58:00.000-07:00

I ACQUIRED SAID BICYCLE THANKS TO A LOVELY BROOKLYN PERSON WHO ALSO HAS A COOL BLOG-www.liquidsilverstars.blogspot.com

wonderful poetry and musings for the soul! check it!

I'M A BIKER!

2009-10-04T23:45:00.000-07:00

So, I have been biking and now I am part of a black bike crew called..wait for it...Red Bike and Green! Genius, I know! It was started by another lovely person whose blog is here-redbikeandgreen.blogspot.com

B.G.C. REPPING HARD!!! :)

I am really juiced to be in a crew, we took over the streets of Oakland Friday night, a whole bunch of brown, fresh folks on bikes and the black folks who were all suited and booted were juiced! lol. The crew is about solidarity and not letting things that are fun, healthy, and good for our community(environment) be the domain of those of the paler persuasion. :) I always wanted to take over the streets with my own crew as a kid, so Friday was living a dream.lol..Look out for us next month! And check out the blogs!

Mitrice Richardson Is Just Another Missing Black Woman

2009-10-04T23:22:00.000-07:00

Mitr

The situation is written about extensively on the blog link above and I believe on concreteloop.com, other blogs, and facebook.com.

Another young Black woman lost and no major media coverage that I have seen, so we as young black/brown media makers have taken it into our hands to spread the news.

Mitrice Richardson was arrested in Malibu, Ca for not paying her bill, while exhibiting erratic behavior and then police found a small amount of marijuana in her car. She was brought to the station and released on her own at 1am, with no car, no phone, no wallet. She has since disappeared. Details are still sketchy, but police are now searching for her.Her mother and the family lawyer are blaming police for inconsistencies and negligence.

This is what B.G.C. is; about spotlighting and pushing us and our issues, triumphs, and problems to the forefront because we are still made to feel and be invisible.

Oh Yea-Me.lol

2009-10-02T10:25:00.000-07:00

SO, YEA..I'M AN ARTIST.LOL.I GOTTA DO SOME MORE SHAMELESS PLUGS :)

ALBUM OR E.P. COMING SOON-"THE OUTSIDER INSIDE" IT WILL BE FRESH, I THINK YOU WILL LIKE IT :)

VIDEO COMING SOON-BREAKFAST CLUB SHIT.HAHA..STAY TUNED

CHECK OUT THE MUSIC-MYSPACE.COM/SIAIRASHAWN, http://www.imeem.com/people/Vsagh9, AND THE UPDATES ON FACEBOOK.

PEACE

Forget Me Not

2009-10-02T10:06:00.000-07:00

Hola, Check out this fresh vid by the Noisettes. A great band out of the UK. Shingai Shoniwa(lead singer) is beyond fresh!

Got the vid from a great sister blog-quirkyblackgirls.blogspot.com-check em out

JDAVEY BABY!

2009-09-29T14:36:00.000-07:00

Those who know me know! I love JDAvey! This is my new fav song by them right now :)

Another fresh ass vid!

2009-09-29T14:19:00.000-07:00

Just heard of them right now, from fresh artist, tattoo artist, clothing designer dopeness.lol Corey Davis's blog,he works at City of Ink-Dope Tatt Spot in ATL! I got my rib piece there! They are so fresh! myspace.com/cityofink and twitter. And check out Corey's blog-http://www.greedmontpark.com

Spldout-The Cut

Soldout "The Cut" from SoLab on Vimeo.

MY Homey's earrings!

2009-09-29T14:06:00.000-07:00

Some of my girls do these wonderful earrings. They are expanding and doing big thangs! Check them out!

Head Banger Accessories
Source: www.headbangeraccessories.com
Handmade Custom Accessories

Consequence vid feat. John Legend and Kanye

2009-09-29T13:55:00.000-07:00

One of my fav songs right now

I'M BACK!

2009-09-29T12:44:00.000-07:00

I'm back! I will actually start to use this blog, so to bring it back, I am putting up the free download of "Sustenance"

In other news- I AM GOING TO BE FILMING A VIDEO! MORE NEWS ON THAT COMING SOON!

ENJOY!

FREE DOWNLOAD IS HERE!! FREE DOWNLOAD!!!!! http://www.zshare.net/audio/64618867d94108c6/

VICTORY in the fight to close down youth prisons!

2008-07-24T16:08:00.000-07:00

Next week, California's abusive, expensive youth prison system will be 25% smaller! Join us as we mark the closing of two prisons and call for the remaining facilities to be replaced with humane, effective rehabilitation centers. Click here to RSVP.

July 31st is the official closure date for DeWitt Nelson Youth Correctional Facility in Stockton and El Paso de Robles Youth Correctional Facility in Paso Robles. We're excited that California's youth prison system is shrinking, and that prisons which for years have failed to rehabilitate our youth are closing. But we're not going to stop until all the youth prisons are closed!

Please join us as we commemorate this historic event and call on California to invest in truly rehabilitative centers for youth. To highlight the violence, abuse and neglect that youth still face in the remaining prisons, we're holding a vigil near the DeWitt Nelson facility on Thursday, July 31st. We'll hear from lawmakers, recently released youth, family members, and community leaders.

My Interview

2008-06-25T19:09:00.000-07:00

Bay Area Songstress Cooking Up Hot Ish on Her new Album--"A Taste"....

You may have seen the highly talented Bay Area artist, Siaira Shawn, perform at various venues around the Bay. Well now you have the chance to bring her music into your bedroom—by purchasing her new album, A Taste!

We were able to sit down with Ms. Shawn and talk with her about her new album, her background, and her thoughts about the music industry.

Aida: Where are you from?
Siaira Shwawn: Frisco baby!

Aida: How long have you been singing
Shawn: All my life, since like 3.

Aida: When did you begin to sing professionally?
Shawn: Hmm..I guess like 3 years ago.

Aida: Which musicians and what types of music influence you the most?
Shawn: All kinds, I'm really influenced by vocalist, people who can really sing and have fun with their vocals, also people who are individuals and not afraid to be themselves in their music, so someone like Nina Simone to Jill Scott to Santogold.

Aida: What is your best performance experience?
Shawn: Off the top of my head, I performed at sfstate(my alma mater!) almost a year ago at this youth turf dance event and it was packed with mostly teenagers and I performed one of my songs and I got so much love after and when I was singing these girls in the audience were already singing my hook and dancing, so that was really fun. I fed off the audience, so I had a great time.

Aida: What is the name of your new album?
Shawn: The album is called A Taste.

Aida: What is the theme of this album?
Shawn: The theme is kind of the arc of a relationship, from the start to finish and all the things you can go through and it's just a small taste of me, my voice, my words, I have alot more to give!

Aida: Who produced the album?
Shawn: I had about 3 producers, these young men out of oakland- Mr. know-it-all produced the most, TK, Bracy

Aida: Did you work with any other artists on this album?
Shawn: Well I wrote everything, but I have one feature, this fresh poet/rapper Talia on my song "intimate" and it was mixed by the producer Mezmetic.

Aida: What are some of your favorite tracks on the album?
Shawn: Hmm..prob Be Brave, Rip It Out, What would you do, and Settled, Fall Back, and Intimate..lol..I'm pretty satisfied with them all.

Aida: How do you feel about state the hip hop music industry
Shawn: Well hip hop specifically, I think indie and underground hip hop is flourishing and doing really innovative things. Mainstream is faltering and not making music that is touching people or truly relevant,there's a lot of dysfunction and ignorance being amplified a lot of the artistry is lacking, but production wise, I'm loving the experimentation overall.

Aida: What advice can you give an up and coming artist trying to make it as a singer?
Shawn: Work hard, believe in yourself and your art and do for self, don't wait for anyone to help you or give u a chance, cause you will be waiting awhile! But, when you start doing for yourself, things and people start to come to you.

Aida: Anything else you would like to add?
Shawn: My music is based in love, so everything I do, my art, my activism, my life is based on putting out positivity and love and trying to make change. And I'm trying to raise literacy with my lyrics so listen close!lol. oh and check out bgcamerica. blogspot. com, its my little blog.

You can check out sample tracks of A Taste on Ms. Shawn's myspace page. There will also be a record release party for the album at Eve, Saturday June 7th at the Velvet Lounge in Oakland. Make sure to go check her out and get "a taste" of a Bay Area treat!

New Jersey 4

2008-06-25T18:58:00.000-07:00

Case that happened awhile ago, but finally some results and a little more attention is being paid. Like the Jena6 and SF8, these women were persecuted and wrongly accused by "the law", but they did not get nearly as much attention or public outcry for justice. I'll let you wonder why....

GOOD NEWS! Renata Hill and Terrain Dandridge have had their convictions reversed on appeal! Please see the discussion board for continuing updates on their situations.

In the summer of 2006, seven young Black lesbians from New Jersey—Patreese Johnson, Renata Hill, Venice Brown, Terrain Dandridge, Chenese Loyal, Lania Daniels, and Khamysha Coates—were hanging out on the pier in New York City's West Village when Dwayne Buckle, a man selling DVDs on the street, sexually propositioned Patreese. Refusing to take no for an answer, he followed them down the street, insulting and threatening them: “I’ll **** you straight, sweetheart!”

It is important to understand that all seven women knew of another young woman named Sakia Gunn, who had been stabbed to death under very similar circumstances—by a pair of highly aggressive, verbally abusive male strangers. At least some of the seven had known Sakia personally.

During the resulting confrontation, Buckle first spat in Renata’s face and threw his lit cigarette at her, then he yanked another’s hair, pulling her towards him, and then began strangling Renata. A fight broke out, during which Patreese Johnson, 4 feet 11 inches tall and 95 pounds, produced a small knife from her bag to stop Buckle from choking her friend—a knife she carried to protect herself when she came home alone from her late-night job.

Two male onlookers, one of whom had a knife, ran over to physically deal with Buckle in order to help the women. Buckle, who ended up hospitalized for five days with stomach and liver lacerations, initially reported on at least two occasions that the men—not the women—had attacked him. What’s more, Patreese’s knife was never tested for DNA, the men who beat Buckle were never questioned by police, and the whole incident was captured on surveillance video. Yet the women ended up on trial for attempted murder. Dwayne Buckle testified against them.

The media coverage was savage, calling the women such things as a “wolf pack of lesbians.” The pro bono lawyers for the young lesbians would later have to buy the public record of the case since the judge, Edward J. McLaughlin (who openly taunted and expressed contempt for the women in front of the jury all throughout the trial), would not release it. As of late August 2007, the defense team still didn’t have a copy of the security camera video footage. And after the better part of one year spent sitting in jail, four of the seven women were sentenced in June 2007—reportedly by an all-white jury of mostly women—to jail terms ranging from 3 1/2 to 11 years. The oldest of the women was 24, and two of them are mothers of small children.

JUSTICE!

2008-05-23T19:14:00.000-07:00

JUSTICE FOR SEAN BELL!! THE COPS SHOULD HAVE BEEN CONVICTED!! THEY WERE NOT, BUT NOW THEY ARE UP FOR DEPARTMENTAL CHARGES,HOPEFULLY THEY GET FIRED! IT SHOULD NOT BE OK TO KILL OUR MEN AND WOMEN AND KEEP IT MOVING! JUSTICE!

STOP BIG MEDIA!

2008-05-15T22:19:00.000-07:00

Apparently, the Senate does some things right!

There was a bill by the FCC that was trying to allow big media companies to buy up and take over local media outlets and the senate voted no! (read more at stopbigmedia.com) Of, course Bush is gonna try to veto, but it is up to the House now! The centerformediajustice.org also was fighting against this bill. They are an org based in Oakland that does great,groundbreaking work on media reform and representation!

Lets take our media back folks, search and create, get tired of being fed...

2008-05-15T22:04:00.000-07:00

FREE TUITION TO ATTEND HARVARD! STANFORD IS DOING THIS TOO!

If you know a fam making 60,000 or less with an honor student, holla at em! Supposedly the prez's want education to be for EVERYBODY...so, we shall see, I have mixed feelings, but education is still currency in this country and free education is lovely. Make sure these youth have support systems and culturally relevant peeps and programs, so they can make it thru the muck that can be higher education at these types of elite institutions..

I say it's worth a try, look it up people. www.stanford.edu...and www.fao.fas.harvard.edu

THE LEAGUE 510

2008-05-15T21:29:00.000-07:00

http://www.emergemediafilms.com/videos/new_Bass_Video.mov

The first video from my boys! They are my homeys as well as my production team, my first one! lol They are super talented! This song is awhile ago, they look super young lol. Please look forward to their new material, there song is on itunes- "To the Beat" check out their myspace page-myspace.com/league510...hope the link works, check how oakland does it!

VANS and Pumas!

2008-05-15T20:51:00.000-07:00

New shoes I had to post! I want them! These pumas are freeesshhh! the black and green ones are of the Tetris series, suede and leather..yes! and the other ones are called the Mid-Decade! All I can say is..I'll let you guess..frreesshh!!

Black perforated leather with croc! From Vans japan, so we'll see if we get em! Also white leather perf vans, three versions, love it! I need to put out this album and buy a car over! So I can freaking go shopping! lol

B.G.C. GOES TO COLLEGE!

2008-04-11T18:57:00.000-07:00

SO, my partner in crime, Belinda, is leaving me! :( I am very sad about this development and frankly I don't know what I'm going to do with myself when she leaves. However, I am also very very happy because she is leaving me for better, tho colder pastures.lol... She will be attending a prestigious university in the Fall of 2008! The one she will probably be blessing will be Sarah Lawrence.

This has been a long time coming for Belinda. She is a brilliant mind, but work and activism took up most of her time and so she was not able to focus on college. Going to city was not prosperous for her and was not helping the process of moving on to a four year, which is supposed to be the purpose 90% of the time when you attend a city college. As many of us know, usually city colleges can be a BLACK HOLE! But, my girl finally fought the space time continumm(lol) and broke free! She deserves this! She will finally have the privilege of being a FULL TIME student. She will get to concentrate on herself, something she has not ever done.

While in New York(more post coming soon) we visited Sarah Lawrence and Barnard College. She got accepted to Sarah Lawrence on the spot, just on the strength of her application letter! Its a very rural campus, but it seems very supportive. It reminds me at first glance of a larger, more academically challenging version of my high school( School of the Arts), but that may work out for her because she is kind of a hippie :) Barnard is right in the city, by Columbia and like 3 or 4 other colleges, also small, seems supportive, but def more metropolitan. So, we shall see!

This is our year! I've told her that 2007 was incubation, 2008 is birth baby.lol We are growing and flourishing and making dreams come true! Either way it looks like I'll be visiting my girl in the east and I could not be prouder!!!

YES ON F!!

2008-04-11T18:27:00.001-07:00

FOR FRISCO!! AFFORDABLE HOUSING NOW!

Fresh Shit!

2008-04-06T17:37:00.000-07:00

Two guys and a girl.lol..make these really fresh creations! Their hoods, not hoodies are the freshest! I had a chance to buy one back in the day, but I slacked off or shucked as Belinda would say.lol. We saw them in ny, but we couldn't see the price, but we should have just bought them. Alas, I have to search for one now. But, check out the website-isthatot.com

MIA rocking one with Santogold, two of fav ladies!

The Collapse of American Power

2008-04-06T15:34:00.000-07:00

Very informative, interesting article on the collapse of American Power. Not really clear on what this means in the long run for the American people, but I think were already getting a taste of it. Check it out!

The Collapse of American PowerBy PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS

In his famous book, The Collapse of British Power (1972), Correlli Barnett reports that in the opening days of World War II Great Britain only had enough gold and foreign exchange to finance war expenditures for a few months. The British turned to the Americans to finance their ability to wage war. Barnett writes that this dependency signaled the end of British power.From their inception, America's 21st century wars against Afghanistan and Iraq have been red ink wars financed by foreigners, principally the Chinese and Japanese, who purchase the US Treasury bonds that the US government issues to finance its red ink budgets.The Bush administration forecasts a $410 billion federal budget deficit for this year, an indication that, as the US saving rate is approximately zero, the US is not only dependent on foreigners to finance its wars but also dependent on foreigners to finance part of the US government's domestic expenditures. Foreign borrowing is paying US government salaries--perhaps that of the President himself--or funding the expenditures of the various cabinet departments. Financially, the US is not an independent country.The Bush administration's $410 billion deficit forecast is based on the unrealistic assumption of 2.7% GDP growth in 2008, whereas in actual fact the US economy has fallen into a recession that could be severe. There will be no 2.7% growth, and the actual deficit will be substantially larger than $410 billion.Just as the government's budget is in disarray, so is the US dollar which continues to decline in value in relation to other currencies. The dollar is under pressure not only from budget deficits, but also from very large trade deficits and from inflation expectations resulting from the Federal Reserve's effort to stabilize the very troubled financial system with large injections of liquidity.A troubled currency and financial system and large budget and trade deficits do not present an attractive face to creditors. Yet Washington in its hubris seems to believe that the US can forever rely on the Chinese, Japanese and Saudis to finance America's life beyond its means. Imagine the shock when the day arrives that a US Treasury auction of new debt instruments is not fully subscribed.The US has squandered $500 billion dollars on a war that serves no American purpose. Moreover, the $500 billion is only the out-of-pocket costs. It does not include the replacement cost of the destroyed equipment, the future costs of care for veterans, the cost of the interests on the loans that have financed the war, or the lost US GDP from diverting scarce resources to war. Experts who are not part of the government's spin machine estimate the cost of the Iraq war to be as much as $3 trillion.The Republican candidate for President said he would be content to continue the war for 100 years. With what resources? When America's creditors consider our behavior they see total fiscal irresponsibility. They see a deluded country that acts as if it is a privilege for foreigners to lend to it, and a deluded country that believes that foreigners will continue to accumulate US debt until the end of time.The fact of the matter is that the US is bankrupt. David M. Walker, Comptroller General of the US and head of the Government Accountability Office, in his December 17, 2007, report to the US Congress on the financial statements of the US government noted that "the federal government did not maintain effective internal control over financial reporting (including safeguarding assets) and compliance with significant laws and regulations as of September 30, 2007." In everyday language, the US government cannot pass an audit.Moreover, the GAO report pointed out that the accrued liabilities of the federal government "totaled approximately $53 trillion as of September 30, 2007." No funds have been set aside against this mind boggling liability.Just so the reader understands, $53 trillion is $53,000 billion.Frustrated by speaking to deaf ears, Walker recently resigned as head of the Government Accountability Office.As of March 17, 2008, one Swiss franc is worth more than $1 dollar. In 1970, the exchange rate was 4.2 Swiss francs to the dollar. In 1970, $1 purchased 360 Japanese yen. Today $1 dollar purchases less than 100 yen.If you were a creditor, would you want to hold debt in a currency that has such a poor record against the currency of a small island country that was nuked and defeated in WW II, or against a small landlocked European country that clings to its independence and is not a member of the EU?Would you want to hold the debt of a country whose imports exceed its industrial production? According to the latest US statistics as reported in the February 28 issue of Manufacturing and Technology News, in 2007 imports were 14 percent of US GDP and US manufacturing comprised 12% of US GDP. A country whose imports exceed its industrial production cannot close its trade deficit by exporting more.The dollar has even collapsed in value against the euro, the currency of a make-believe country that does not exist: the European Union. France, Germany, Italy, England and the other members of the EU still exist as sovereign nations. England even retains its own currency. Yet the euro hits new highs daily against the dollar.Noam Chomsky recently wrote that America thinks that it owns the world. That is definitely the view of the neoconized Bush administration. But the fact of the matter is that the US owes the world. The US "superpower" cannot even finance its own domestic operations, much less its gratuitous wars except via the kindness of foreigners to lend it money that cannot be repaid.The US will never repay the loans. The American economy has been devastated by offshoring, by foreign competition, and by the importation of foreigners on work visas, while it holds to a free trade ideology that benefits corporate fat cats and shareholders at the expense of American labor. The dollar is failing in its role as reserve currency and will soon be abandoned.When the dollar ceases to be the reserve currency, the US will no longer be able to pay its bills by borrowing more from foreigners.I sometimes wonder if the bankrupt "superpower" will be able to scrape together the resources to bring home the troops stationed in its hundreds of bases overseas, or whether they will just be abandoned.Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration. He was Associate Editor of the Wall Street Journal editorial page and Contributing Editor of National Review. He is coauthor of The Tyranny of Good Intentions.He can be reached at: PaulCraigRoberts@yahoo.com
Freedom Archives522 Valencia StreetSan Francisco, CA 94110415 863-9977www.Freedomarchives.org

ON a lighter note.lol

2008-04-04T23:36:00.000-07:00

I LOVE SHOES AND FASHION IN GENERAL! And frankly I haven't posted enough about it. I think because I try to make my blog a lil different and post stuff that's not on every fashion website and/or gossip blog. But, it's a big part of my life, it should be a bigger part of my blog.lol..I'll start with introducing the new Shmack shoes. They are a "street/urban" wear brand, mostly known for their colorful and interesting images on t-shirts and I guess now they are doing shoes. I really like these shoes, kinda high top van-ish, and the bottom has the little versions of their logo embossed. There are a lot of little detailing surprises on these shoes, which I appreciate. Check out the back!

CRACK IS WACK

2008-04-04T22:24:00.000-07:00

Something I feel very passionate about is our backward justice system, especially the juvenile justice system. One of the many things wrong with our "justice" system are the unfair drug laws. Go to colorofchange.org for more info on fighting these unfair crack laws! 1 and 9 Black men are in jail and it's not because they commit more crime, it is because our society and therefore our laws are backwards! Research for yourself..

www.drugpolicy.org/drugwar/mandatorymin/crackpowder.cfm

Great Video-Imagine

2008-03-21T12:21:00.000-07:00

Great song and video, by local artist KIWI. Hella cameos from my folks :)

WE WILL NOT LEAVE WITHOUT A FIGHT!

2008-03-10T12:08:00.000-07:00

All over the country, gentrification is happening. It has hit my beloved San Francisco extremely hard. There are continued, varied, and powerful forces and efforts pushing people of color, especially black people and low income residents out of the city. The black population in SF, has continually gone done over the last 10 years to the tune of thousands of families having to move out because of home prices, lack of jobs, and forcible removal. The officials of this city are doing nothing, most are cashing in.

But, we are fighting back! Don't let them take your community without a fight! We won't!

WE DID IT!
AFFORDABLE HOUSING INITIATIVE FOR BAYVIEW
ON ITS WAY TO THE JUNE BALLOT!

It’s true! Today, the San Francisco Department of Elections certified that we met the requirements to go to the June 2008 ballot! For more than a week, staffers at the Department of Elections painstakingly checked each of the 11,811 signatures that we gathered to make sure that they were registered voters.

Again, we couldn’t have done it without you—and the fight is FAR from over. Join us this FRIDAY for a victory/thank you party at POWER, and to learn the next steps to win in June!

http://www.bayareagirlsrockcamp.org/aboutus.html

2008-03-07T15:28:00.000-08:00

FRESH CAMP!! GIRLSROCKCAMP! It started off in Portland, now they are popping up all over and we have one out here now!! Yay! check out the website and there is a great movie opening today on the camp in Portland. Check it out. I'm going to go see it, you should too and bring all the little and big girls you know! :)

Good and Bad times for Black Women

2008-03-05T10:57:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK - This is a triumphant time for black women: Condoleezza Rice in the global diplomatic spotlight, Michelle Obama captivating campaign crowds as a potential first lady, billionaire Oprah Winfrey playing political kingmaker.

It’s also a traumatic time: Rutgers University basketball players disparaged by radio host Don Imus, a black woman kidnapped and tortured by whites in West Virginia, the home-owning dreams of black women disproportionately dashed by foreclosures.

That remarkable mix is the focus of this year’s State of Black America report, issued Wednesday by the National Urban League. It features essays looking at the array of challenges faced by African-American women: economic, social, psychological and medical.

“The one thing that is certain is the need to hear and amplify the voices of black women,” longtime civil rights activist Dorothy Height writes in the foreword. “Too often, our needs, concerns, struggles, and triumphs are diminished and subordinated to what is believed to be the more pressing concerns of others.”

Julianne Malveaux, the president of Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, N.C., contends in the report’s opening essay that the image of black women in popular culture has barely improved in the year since the Imus incident.

White men continue to dominate on TV’s Sunday morning news shows, she writes, while “the gyrating, undulating image of African-American women in rap music videos and, by extension, on cable television is as prevalent as ever.”

Working harder, suffering more
The report delves deeply into economics, noting that black women are more likely than white or Hispanic women to be running a household and raising children on their own. According to Malveaux, black women hold more jobs nationwide than black men, yet — despite their breadwinner roles — earn less on average, $566 a week compared to $629 for black men.

In an essay about the home loan crisis, Andrea Harris, president of the North Carolina Institute for Minority Economic Development, suggests that black women have suffered disproportionately. Assessing recent federal data on subprime loans, which are a main culprit in the foreclosure epidemic, Harris says black women received far more of these loans in 2006 than white men.

Click for related content

Report: State of Black America 2008 (pdf)
Gut Check: How are race relations changing?
Special NBC report: Where African American Women stand

“It is easy to imagine the devastation that is headed toward African-American women and their communities,” Harris writes.

An essay by Dr. Doris Browne, a public health expert, details the above-average rates of cancer, diabetes and heart disease among black women.

On the success path
On an upbeat note, former Labor Secretary Alexis Herman notes in her essay that black women are making huge strides as entrepreneurs. The number of businesses owned by them increased by 147 percent between 1997 and 2006, compared to an overall business growth rate of 24 percent, she wrote.

Another of the essayists, Melanie Campbell of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, said in an interview that disparities in health care and economics are the paramount issues for black women as the election campaign unfolds.

Exit polling shows that black women have become a larger force within the Democratic electorate compared to 2004, and Campbell said their expectations for policy changes also are rising.

“We want to go beyond being thought about,” she said. “We want action.”

'Backbone of the black family'
The president of the Urban League, a 98-year-old black empowerment organization, hailed women as “the backbone of the black family” — constantly surmounting obstacles. Marc Morial called for expansion of programs that would assist black women in starting businesses, protect more of them from predatory lending schemes, and provide more of them with affordable, high-quality child care.

“When black women hurt, the American family suffers,” Morial wrote. “But by uplifting black women, especially those struggling hardest to keep their families together and their dreams on track, we lift up every American community.”

A year ago, the Urban League focused its State of Black America report on the difficulties facing many young black men, including their high rates of crime and imprisonment. This year’s theme was welcomed by black women who believe their particular concerns often are overlooked.

“I’m heartened that we’re delving into this issue in depth in a way that we haven’t in the past,” said Avis Jones-DeWeever, a public policy expert with the National Council of Negro Women.

“For us, it’s two steps forward, one step back,” she added. “But we do have a lot to be proud of.”

Where my ladies at? sexuality and women in hip hop

2008-03-03T15:15:00.000-08:00

Interesting website on women in hip hop- wheremyladiesat.com, check it out

Coporate evil strikes again

2008-02-27T14:51:00.000-08:00

Just got this email about ExxonMobil trying to mess with Venezuela's oil because they want to own (gasp) THEY'RE OWN RESOURCES! Jesus! Read on.

Support Venezuela’s right to sovereignty!

United States oil giant ExxonMobil Corporation has launched a major attack on the Venezuelan people’s right to independence and self-determination.

In January and February, ExxonMobil used the courts in Britain, the US and the Netherlands to get injunctions that freeze up to $12 billion in assets of Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), in those countries. The British injunction, granted on January 24 without any prior notice to PDVSA, will be heard again on February 22. The US injunction was upheld by a February 13 ruling of the US Federal Court.

ExxonMobil’s economic thuggery is an attempt to undermine and reverse the Venezuelan government’s decision last May to nationalise ExxonMobil’s 41.7% stake in the Cerro Negro project in the Orinoco oilfield. The nationalisation was part of the revolutionary government’s efforts to recover Venezuela’s sovereignty over its natural resources. ExxonMobil rejected the Venezuelan government’s offer of compensation, instead using the legal system in various First World countries to punish the country. In contrast, France’s Total and Norway’s Statoil have agreed to accept from Venezuela close to $1 billion compensation for part of their holdings in the oil project.

ExxonMobil is the world’s largest oil company, and was a key “stakeholder” in the US’s bloody invasion and occupation of Iraq. The corporation’s attack on Venezuela is a continuation of its aggressive response to any government daring to assert its nation’s right to own and control their natural resources. More fundamentally, the attack also aims to destabilise Venezuela and undermine the socialist revolution being constructed by the Venezuelan people.

PDVSA accounts for some 90% of Venezuela's foreign exchange and half of its federal tax revenue, and it is the crucial source of funds for the Venezuelan government's programs that provide free education and health care to the poor. In 2006, the state-owned oil company spent $13.3 billion on such programs, up from $6.9 billion in 2005 and more than double the $5.8 billion it invested in new domestic gas and oil projects.

ExxonMobil’s actions have angered poor Venezuelans, who have held protests around the country. As oil workers’ union leader Luis Carvajal said: “This transnational has exploited our wealth, has exploited our workers and violated our rights. All the workers in the Orinoco oil belt support the nationalisation.”

Venezuela supplies about 10% of the US’s oil. On February 14, PDVSA halted oil supplies to ExxonMobil and the government is now considering suspending oil supplies to the US. As Venezuela's energy minister, Rafael Ramirez, has emphasised, the interests of the Venezuelan nation are more important than any corporation, and Venezuela will not back down from its policy of full oil sovereignty.

In light of these events, we the undersigned:

· Support the Venezuelan government’s efforts to defend and extend the Venezuelan people’s common ownership and control over Venezuela’s natural resources, and defend the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela’s right to assert its social, political and economic sovereignty.

· Condemn ExxonMobil’s economic blackmail against Venezuela and call for it to immediately withdraw its legal campaign against PDVSA.

· Reject as illegitimate and immoral the British, US and Dutch courts’ order to freeze PDVSA’s assets. Only Venezuela, through its own courts and in accordance with its own Constitution, has the right to decide the ownership and control of the resources in its territory. So-called “international arbitration” on Venezuela’s resources via courts in the First World countries is colonialism.

· Stand in solidarity with the protest actions of Venezuela’s people, trade unions and social organisations against ExxonMobil and the US government’s economic and political thuggery, and commend the words of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez: “They will never rob us again, those bandits of ExxonMobil”.

For more information, contact the Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network at info@venezuelasolidarity.org

The death of hyphy and fuck radio!

2008-02-21T13:15:00.000-08:00

So, really interesting article on sfweekly.com about the death of hyphy and how KMEL had something to do with it and how they are the puppet and pawn of clear channel and how they do not support local artist, unless they are getting cashed out or Big Von-program manager, happens to like you! OUTRAGE, DISGUST, ALL THAT!

RADIO SUCKS! Unless it's internet or satellite because you can play whatever. And furthermore as the article mentioned towards the end; hyphy was far from the only thing the bay was offering, can offer, and will be offering in the future. Clear Channel is the devil, we must use other outlets, as many of us do already to get our artistry heard and as listeners and consumers we must support our local music scenes and artist. DEATH TO THE MACHINE.

Real Shit!

2008-02-19T21:38:00.000-08:00

New Talib, beautiful and simple!

After going on xxlmag and seeing silly, b.s videos by Flo Rida and Jim Jones, my roommate and I watched the new Talib Kweli video-"Hostile Gospel" Real hip hop..that's all I have to say!!

check it out!

Angela Davis

2008-02-14T17:52:00.000-08:00

I had like three pics, but only this one showed up.lol. But, that is Angela Davis! If you don't know who she is, shame on you and look her up!!

She spoke at Mills on Monday. It was phenomenal, hella people, packed house, they had to turn people away. She talked about what Black History really means and who and why we should honor certain people for uplifting, empowering, making a contribution to black people and not just honor them because they are black!

She touched on many subjects with intelligence and keen and interesting insight, she would have had a captive audience for three hours I think.lol. But, she only spoke for about an hour. Her new campaign/passion is extreme prison reform, meaning "abolishing prisons!" She works with Critical Resistance a prison reform group, look them up and look up the prison industrial complex! She connected prisons and slavery and racism, capitalism, all to how are prisons work and why everything else in this country is fucked up. Also, she called for multigenerational, multicultural, multigendered, multi-sexuality, multi multi.lol.coalitions to sustain any real change.

We must work together!

Artist who are under the radar or bubbling at the surface

2008-01-24T15:41:00.000-08:00

There are many proclamations about the state of music. About this is dead and this is watered down and yadda yadda! However, I know many an independent artist, including myself :) and some who are on majors, who are keeping music alive. Check them out below!

Raheem Devaughn
JDavey
Eric Roberson
Janelle Monae
Jazmine Sullivan
Tanya Morgan
Keri Hilson
PJ Morton
Anthony David
Georgia Anne Muldrow
Jaiden
IndiaShawn
Ryan Leslie
Drake
Little Brother
Ra-Re Valverde
Rashaan Patterson
Bilal
Kudu
Hope
Alice Smith
The Cool Kids
Mateo
Matthew Santos

All my local hip hop and other homies
League 510
SeanBo
Bracy and ID
Simon T
Mezmetic
The Attik
Trackademics, the whole Honor Roll crew

and many more to come, those are just off the top of my head and I'm at work.lol
go to myspace.com and you will find them all!! especially myspace.com/siairashawn

HATERS ARE DUMB!

2008-01-23T20:58:00.000-08:00

Hola, this is my first post! I decided to finally create a blog! yay!

My first post will be the statement; Haters are Dumb!

It is true! You should not be a hater! It waste everyones time and it makes you a loser and (drum roll) DUMB! How do you have time to worry about what someone else is doing with their life, if they are not hurting anybody?? Being critical and holding people accountable are totally acceptable. Questioning and being a critical thinker is needed more more, but HATERS ARE DUMB.

sidenote: BGC is Belinda(friend/sister from another mister) and I's company. One facet of our company will be fashion, first t-shirts. One of our first designs will be the HATERS ARE DUMB t-shirt. Look out for it and cop it!