MalikONE S.P.E.E.K.S. REAL NEWS FOR REAL HIPHOPPAS

ENDORSE HIP HOP'S DECLARATION OF PEACE NOW!

2007-07-30T11:28:00.000-07:00

By MalikONE ~HIP HOP KULTURAL SPECIALIST~

Peace and much love.

ARE YOU HIP HOP? Do you see the value of preserving Hiphop's culture? Have you ever invested in any of its billion dollar industries? Furthermore, are you concerned with how Hiphop will be documented in world history? Right now, Hiphoppas around the world are working to change the way governments, businesses, security organizations, media, religious, educational and civic organizations and institutions view Hiphop; as consciousness, culture, elements and expression. However, everyone does not see the vision of a unified, self governed and prosperous Hiphop Kulture. Most people can only understand and accept Hiphop as rap music. Some people prefer to only use the elements of Hiphop to satisfy their own self interest.

As prescribed by the HIP HOP DECLARATION OF PEACE, certain times during the year have become a time to reflect upon our roles as citizens of the International Hip Hop community. If HIP HOP is to survive WE MUST recommit ourselves to Hip Hop's core principles of peace, love, unity and safely having fun! May 3rd is Rap Music Day. Hiphoppas are encouraged to dedicate their own time and talent to self-development and for service to their communities. Every third week in May is Hiphop Appreciation Week. During this time, Hiphoppas are encouraged to honor their ancestors, reflect upon their cultural contributions and appreciate the elements and principles of Hiphop Kulture.

Every November is HIP HOP HISTORY MONTH. During this time Hiphoppas are encouraged to participate in the creating, learning and honoring of Hiphop's history and historical cultural contributors. Hiphoppas have set aside these times to assess the progress of the ‘conscious' Hip Hop movement as well as one's own role within such a movement. May 16th 2001, during HIP HOP Apprecieation Week (every third week in May), The HIP HOP Declaration of Peace was established and presented at the United Nations by HIP HOP Pioneers, Founders, Teachas, Educators, Clergy, Activists and Kultural Specialists.

This Hiphop Declaration of Peace guides Hiphop Kulture toward freedom from violence, and establishes advice and protection for the existence and development of the international Hiphop community. Through the principles of this Hiphop Declaration of Peace we, Hiphop Kulture, establish a foundation of Health, Love, Awareness, Wealth, peace and prosperity for ourselves, our children and their children's children, forever. For the clarification of Hiphop's meaning and purpose, or when the intention of Hiphop is questioned, or when disputes between parties arise concerning Hiphop; Hiphoppas shall have access to the advice of this document, The Hiphop Declaration of Peace, as guidance, advice and protection.

RIGHT NOW... WE HIP HOP KULTURE respectfully request every Hiphoppa and ALL SUPPORTERS to review this document at (www.templeofhiphop.org) and SIGN our petition to endorse HIP HOP'S 18 principles of Peace! RIGHT NOW advocate against privatization and corporate greed and the selfish exploitation of Hip Hop's intellectual properties. Such greed and exploitation is the root cause of why "rap music" looks and sounds the way it does right now. RIGHT NOW YOU can make a difference and JOIN the conscious, responsible Hiphop community. Together, we must not allow those who think and see Hiphop only as "rap music" to continue to demean and reduce our culture to products and the artistic equivalancy of poison, sex, violence and materialism. We sincerley thank you in advance for your time, interest, support and ACTION!
For more information email IAMHIPHOP1970@YAHOO.COM AND REMEMBER, we are not just doing Hiphop; WE ARE HIP HOP!

SIGN PETITION USING THIS LINK:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/964883009.

There it is.

MalikONE
Global Advocate
Temple Of Hiphop

HIP HOP MISSION: POSSIBLE

2007-07-24T12:31:00.000-07:00

By MalikONE ~HIP HOP KULTURAL SPECIALIST~

Peace and much love.

For well over 12 years now, I have organized and preserved Hiphop campaigns, Hiphop conferences, Hiphop studies, Hiphop classes, Hiphop concerts, Hiphop exhibits, Hiphop panels, Hiphop radio shows, Hiphop websites, Hiphop video shows and Hiphoppas themselves! Since 1996, I have been an active member and supporter of The Temple Of Hiphop; Hiphop's preservation society whose mission is the very preservation and empowerment of Hiphoppas themselves. Hiphop's consciousness and its modern presentation is almost 40 years old; and were it to be personified, I would liken it to an adult woman or man, slightly grey but with an organic, street-wise, savy, advanced, intellectual, youthful mind, body and spirit. Not just on the surface, but deep down to the core this creative consciousness, this alternative behavior and "mind-set" has undoubtedly learned and been developed from its unique experiences in life. As a result, it multiplied exponentially and constructed and manifested a way, where there was no way. By and large, this way of life has transformed subjects, objects and circumstances and produced prosperity and life, where there was nothing but self destruction and death! Much like many of us in our earlier stages of life, we too were once ostricized, isolated and outcast because we did not fit in with what society dictated and deemed acceptable. However, for those who follow their hearts and refuse to give up on what we believe in, have faith in and where we come from; we saw that there was another way! A better way! So with maturity, adversity and discipline we grew to overstand our circumstances and have become the very strategies to our own successes. In 2007, never before is this Hip Hop mission more necessary, more essential and above all more possible. For both young and old, parent and child, rich and poor, conscious and unaware, revolutionary and loyalist, national and International, Hiphoppas by the droves are seeking a better way to do what we do best... SURVIVE, ADAPT AND OVERCOME!

For those of us who claim Hiphop as our lifestyle and culture; everyday we see the constant growth and exploitation of our citizens and resources. On any given day, a new mix is mastered and a new RIAA copyright law enforced. A new rhyme is completed and a advertising strategy is marketed. A new style of dress is made cool and a fashion designer developes a successful line of clothing. It goes on and on, identically like many other business markets. Since the advent of Hiphop deep in the South Bronx, NY sometime in 1970, Hiphoppas have not learned the value of our innate, intuitive independence. For the most part when a Hiphoppa is inspired to be innovative and creative, someone else is still the benefactor and profits on the fruits of another's labor and intellectual property. However, what I am getting at is simply; why is this still the case? In the overwhelming majority of circumstances when it comes to Hiphop; Hiphop culture, its elements, expressions, gross domestic product of 10(+) billion dollars annually and its intellectual property; those outside of this culture continue to reap the benfits and profits of our labor. This is a problem because many of the issues facing our culture could be rectified with the control of some of the finances we generate. For example, you have an aspiring Emcee and DeeJay, but they have no viable method to develop there skill, presentation, product and then distribute that product without the support, resources, validation and approval from major record labels, radio and distribution conglomerates. Know this in Hiphop's early days, this is actually counter to the original recipe and way it was done! Not that there is absolutely no place for corporate structure, professional grooming and the good old fashion "know how" from that corporate structure. But what we continue to see is yet another generation of new artists, engaging in predatory contracts that ultimately leave artists in debt, with no responsible and accountable system in place to protect and support the development of the Hiphop artists, Hiphop products and ultimately Hiphop culture. By and large, considering the American way, many would agree as the creator of a product; the creator should maintain the rights and ownership to his or her own products as well as the lion share of what profits that product produces. Be clear, I am not suggesting that Hiphop culture in itself is nothing more than product. Again, we know and acknowlede that Hiphop is consciousness! However, for decades now most have suggested that this is merely because of a lack of knowledge or awareness on the artists behalf; in signing and negotiating such contracts where these circumstances occur. Well if this were in fact true; why have we no accountable representation or guidelines established for the expressed protection and benefit of our intellectual properties when dealing with corporate structure? Or do we? Furthermore, as a community we also have all seen the long term effects of this type of business being conducted, not just in Hiphop, but Jazz, Blues, Rhythm and Blues, Rock and Roll, education, agriculture, real estate, medicine, politics, etc.

In addition, what we also continue to see is the over representation of corporate interests and no representation of cultural, community or artistic interests. Which brings me to another question. What does it take for there to be an acceptable, equitable balance between cultural and corporate interests? What does it take for there to be a balance between public interests and corporate interests? Can we co-exist? Can we all just "get along?" How do we as a culture engage these isssues and begin to bring what is in obvious disparity and imbalance into balance? Considering the impact of socio-economic conditions of this country since the 1970's all the way to today, we have witnessed communities deeply entrenched in crime and poverty, produce very creative individuals with fresh, pioneering and ground breaking ideas and utilize Hiphop as a means of spiritual, self, and political expression. So clearly there is more here than just beats, rhymes, hooks and loot. Hiphop has also served as a means of social commentary, while steering through a hostile environment of mass media and rap music exploitation and commercialization. This environment is increasingly unsympathetic due to policies like the Telecommunications Act of 1996. For eleven years this policy has proven to limit such soical and political expressions, with the number of major corporations that dominate television, movies, music, radio, cable, publishing and the internet plummet from 50 to less than 24. Hence, power has concentrated chiefly in 10 enormous conglomerates. According to the Free Press the six largest media companies and their earnings in 2005 are General Electric (157.2 billion), Time Warner( 43.7 billion), Walt Disney (31.9 billion), News Corp (23.9 billiion), CBS (14.5 billion) and Viacom (9.8 billion). For this reason as a Hiphop cultural specialist I have suggested along with many others that this imbalance has threatened the nature and overall productivity of not only our Hiphop culture, but to democracy in the United States. furthermore, in plain terms this salient issue requires knowledgable, capable Hiphoppas to articulate and address these matters. After studing this issue what Hiphop culture must demand is honest, authentic and bona fide market competition. Subsequently, in 1996 during the same time that the historic Hiphop unification movement was being formed and ownership of radio and television stations was becoming more consolidated with passing of the Telecommunciations Act; we now know that it is increasingly complicated for owners from communities of color, many of which are single station operators to compete with larger corporations. In fact, by 2001 people of color owned only 3.8 percent of full power commercial radio and television stations in the United States, the lowest number since the National Telecommunications and Information Administration began reporting the statistics (Free Press).

Reminicent of Hiphop's Golden Age and the conscious rap movement in the 1980's; Public Enemy's Chuck D, said "Radio... suckas never play me"! This was an obvious statement towards the refusal of radio and media outlets to play the music Hiphoppas themselves wanted and demanded. Hiphoppas wanted music from emcees who voiced and reflected the social conditions of our society, community and country such as institutional racism, unemployment, healthcare, drug abuse, violence, political discourse and tagible, fruitful education and sustainable economic development. Nowadays, we see these messages have become completely absent in the media presentation of Hiphop. This is not because emcees and rappers do not think its important anymore to address such matters. But because its now known that along with the current presidential administration, congress, supreme court and lack of regulation in the business market in general, finance and distribution is scarce for "conscious" music. Even in the Golden Age, these messages were heard but during that time there was a progressive march towards some degree of balance with these messages. In contrast, now that the rap music industry's demographic is larger and more diverse, rap artists have chosen to reflect corporate interests (consumption and profits) and ignore the responsibilities to the very Hiphop cultural community which has created the foundation for success. Not to mention the age old argument that controversy, conflict, sex and violence sells. As a result, the rap that dominates the air waves, publications and internet today is uncharateristically, displaying a monoscopic one sided version of what rap music has to offer. Consequently, as documented by the New York times we have also seen major cities like New York City's police assign special surveliance and tatical units for Rappers and Hiphoppas. Primarily because of the lifestyle being promoted by media conglomerates without a balanced interpretation of Hiphop; so that it can be clearly known that Hiphop culture is not all pimps, all hoes, all bitches, all thugs, all gangstas and just criminal and deviant in nature. So here we are again in 2007 being strategically shut out while a public saftey issue has evolved to the point where rap and Hiphop are steadily becoming synomous with criminality, violence, misogyny and homophobia. Accordingly while many who represent the conscious rap movement are vocal about the lack of representation in public formats, one thing that has been very well communicated is that they do not support an outright ban or complete shut out of other forms of rap music, much like what is being played. They have merely stated that since Hiphop's inception what is imperative is a balanced media presentation consistent with Hiphop's founding priniciples of peace, love, unity and safely having fun. Moreover, while most media outlets and stations only play music consisting of lyrics that promote misogyny, homophobia, sex and violence; they also have indirectly supported claims that these are the core values and worth of not only rap music but Hiphop as a culture and a people.

Currently, we have a window of opportunity to make significant advancements to our culture and our communities. Remember, when speaking of advancing Hiphop culture, I am directly speaking of the attitudes, behavior and charectaristics of Hiphoppas themselves. If you know of a Hiphoppa, this advice should be passed on to that individual or read to them to assist them with direction and guidance in achieving the productive Hiphop lifestyle. Furthermore, for those who live Hiphop, teach Hiphop and prosper from Hiphop, its elements and expressions this is once again our time to "grow" Hiphop past the disfunctions and disorders of ourselves and an absent minded American society riddled and inundated with contridiction and corruption. During Hiphop History Month (every November) 2006; Hip Hop Statesman Afrika Bambataa announced a "call to consciousness" to bring balance and order and "TAKE BACK HIP HOP!". This November 2007 will be one year since this directive was announced. How much progress has been made? What steps have we as Hiphoppas made to achieve this goal, which is clearly in the best interest of Hiphop culture? Yes I know many are still struggling. I know people still have to go to work and slave for your pay. I know there is a War still raging and we still have a rogue administration in the White House and people are scarred to "do" and "be"! I know you DeeJays dont want to lose your jobs and Grafitti Artists dont want to go to jail. But, remember, procrastination is opportunities assassin and as we think..., so Hiphop is! The hands that help, are holier than the lips that prey. So as a Hiphop Cultural Specialist, whose duties include teaching the principles of Hiphop to Hiphop culture. As well to accurately interpret and answer the sensitive cultural questions reguarding the principles and proper presentation of Hiphop; and deciphering and articulating the salient issues facing our culture, I offer and present an initial solution. Right now, we still see many confuse rap music with Hiphop. On a fundamental level rap music is a combonation and hybrid primarily between two Hiphop elements, Emceein and DeeJayin. It has also included beatboxin, beat machines, live instruments and at times acapella. Again, for all those who do not know, after the first ever Hiphop census in 1996, we as Hiphoppas have spoken up and defined ourselves. So we now say with pride and dignity, conclusively and decisively; Hiphop is NOT rap music! Rap is something we do, Hiphop is something we live! This is edified by none other than the Teacha KRSONE. Those few who do not claim Hiphop, and do not understand Hiphop which is their choice; are still under the impression that Hiphop is menacing and criminal in nature. Some ask how can this notion be asserted even after the 1974 Bronx River House meetings organized by Afrika Bambataa and the Universal Zulu Nation to organize a peaceful, loving, unified Hiphop culture. Furthermore, dispite the even more famous and memorable "Stop the Violence" movement in the late 1980's, followed by "All in the same Game" on the west coast. Coupled with the manifestations of organizations like the Hiphop Political Convention, Hiphop Congress, H2A Film Festival, Hiphop Ministries, B-Boy Summit, and Hiphop Summit Action Network many still wonder how do these notions persist that all of Hiphop is delinquent and corrupt? So with careful consideration, and much debate I offer the advice and guidance found in the Hiphop Declaration of Peace.

This Declaration of Peace was established and presented May 16th, 2001 at the United Nations, during Hiphop Appreciation Week (every third week in May). The Hiphop Declaration of Peace guides Hiphop Kulture toward freedom from violence, and establishes advice and protection for the existence and development of the international Hiphop community. Through the principles of this Hiphop Declaration of Peace we, Hiphop Kulture, establish a foundation of Health, Love, Awareness, Wealth, peace and prosperity for ourselves, our children and their children's children, forever. For the clarification of Hiphop's meaning and purpose, or when the intention of Hiphop is questioned, or when disputes between parties arise concerning Hiphop; Hiphoppas shall have access to the advice of this document, The Hiphop Declaration of Peace, as guidance, advice and protection. When we as a culture begin to collectively take responsibility for how Hiphop looks and acts in society, by instituting the 18 principles found in this document, we consciously begin to speak in one voice, live as one community and operate in one spirit.

TO VIEW THE HIPHOP DECLARATION OF PEACE PLEASE VISIT WWW.TEMPLEOFHIPHOP.ORG

Mayor of Detroit Honors Hiphop Appreciation Week 2007

2007-05-15T18:48:00.000-07:00

Peace and much love.

As the Temple Of Hiphop, a Hiphop Preservation Society, it is our duty to further advance the promotion, protection and preservation of Hip Hop, Hip Hop Kulture, its elements and expressions. For a few years now, a small organized assembly of "true" Hiphoppas who advocate, under the direction of MalikONE the Temple of Hiphop's Global Advocate, have advanced Hiphop's movement in cities where the productive Hiphop lifestyle is still in great demand! These advocates have worked to develop tangible, productive relationships and measurable results with members of the business/finance, governmental and city officials to properly educate society at large about Hiphop and eventually influence public policy.

The most recent development directs our attention to Detroit Michigan. Inundated with crime and the long term effects of hatred, ignorance and poverty, Detroit has long been singled out for its structurally violent communities, producing victims with ties to Hiphop culture. Detroit has not only seen a dramatic decline in socio-economic promise or enterprise; but the decline of hope, inspiration and guidance has only corroded what opportunity does still exist. Just after the Hiphop Declaration of Peace was established, it has been the goal of organizations like Zulu Nation, the Hiphop Association, the Universal Federation for the Preservation of Hiphop and the Temple of Hiphop, to bring balance to the air waves and communities at large as stated by Afrika Bambataa this past November during Hiphop History Month.

One such victory secured by Hiphop Kulture itself, can be witnessed by the presentation of a Proclamation from the Mayor's Office on behalf of the City of Detroit. Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick acknowledged and honored every 3rd week in May as
Hiphop Appreciation Week and "a time to focus on the core principles of peace, love, unity and safely having fun." This was just one example of the hard work of Hiphop's kultural specialists to further sustain Hiphop's historic preservation and the public documentation of it. It is also reported that after conferences with the Global Advocate, Councilman Kwame Kinatta has organized Town Hall meetings to further advance the dialog and participation. These efforts were prompted by a large demand of Hiphoppas, businesses and concerned citizens in the city of Detroit who wanted a more conscious responsible presentation of Hiphop.

When presenting and initiating the strategies and processes to furthering Hiphop's movement I often say “We are developing Hip Hop as a productive lifestyle capable of raising families and producing peace in the world. Hip Hop is capable of being lived and not just performed. As a sustainable lifestyle, and not as just a form of entertainment, the “ I am Hip Hop” philosophy confirms the strength of an international, unified Hiphop voice – a voice that is politically aware, spiritually minded and socially active. This “conscious” Hiphop community consists of those who acknowledge and participate in Hip Hop beyond entertainment.

Everywhere you turn, the media's open assult on "rap music" has Hiphop culture re adjusting and reconsidering their positions on responsibility and accountability. This is why the Temple of Hiphop's message of peace, love, unity and safely having fun is the response to any of Hiphop's critics or admirers. Our movement has been well documented to preserve Hiphop culture, by decriminalizing Hiphop's public image. As culture, we as Hiphoppas must not be "ONLY" viewed and/or portrayed as pimps, whores, thugs and criminals. We are also parents, teachers, ministers and city officials. So we advocate and demand a more balanced approach to the way Hiphop is marketed, promoted and presented in the world community.

We not only take responsibility for how Hiphop looks and acts in society but, if we are serious about the restoration and the enhancement of OUR present quality of life, the preservation of OUR artistic elements and freedom from negative corporate exploitation, and a Hiphop way of life rooted in peace and prosperity; if these are the goals, we are going to have to think more of ourselves as a group than as simply a music genre. Academicians are going to have to take Hip Hop more seriously and adopt and practice Hip Hop’s elements more completely in order to write about any part of Hiphop’s cultural expressions. We have to take our group just a little more seriously.

As adult Hiphoppas with adult responsibilities we have an opportunity to live a better quality of life than that which we may have been born into. With our Hiphop activity in the world we have an opportunity to cause world peace through our internationally shared alternative behaviors and elements. Today, with our assortment of entertainment products worth over 10.5 billion dollars annually, our overwhelming influence upon many of the world’s institutions, and our rebellious popularity around the world, “Hip Hop” has become more of a worldwide movement toward better living than simply a form of entertainment. Today, “Hip Hop” is more of a lifestyle, an alternative behavior, a collective consciousness than simply a music genre. Yes, we have our birth in the Arts and in the entertainment industry but our success in both of those fields have clearly grown our group beyond the confinement of those fields.

Since 2001 Temple of Hiphop has been promoting the Hiphop Declaration of Peace and teaching its principles to all interested Hiphoppas. The Temple of Hiphop inspires Hiphoppas to reach for their higher selves by exploring Hip Hop not just as a rhyme, dance and/or art skill, but as a life skill capable of raising one’s own self-worth. The real question is do you have the courage to be you? Do you have the skill to actualize the YOU that is in your dreams? Even more than your own failure; you may be even more afraid of your own success?” In closing, our work is cut out for us in every city in and outside of this Union. Our goals are to continue to develop and cultivate these relationships to raise the overall quality of the collective Hiphop lifestyle. For those interested in more information, supporting, volunteering or participating in your local areas to preserve Hiphop contact MalikONE at the Temple Of Hiphop.

There it is.

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MalikONE
Global Advocate
Temple Of Hiphop
www.malikone@templeofhiphop.org

THE ANNUAL HIPHOP APPRECIATION WEEK 2007

2007-03-14T09:49:00.000-07:00

Peace and much love.

May 14th-21st 2007, is the 10th Annual Hiphop Appreciation Week. Every year during the third week in May, conscious Hiphoppas come together to discuss Hiphop beyond entertainment. However, even in 2007 such a discussion is not for everyone. Everyone does not see the vision of a unified, self governed and prosperous Hiphop Kulture. Most people can only understand Hiphop as rap music. Even more people prefer to only use the elements of Hiphop to satisfy their own self interest. Hiphop Appreciation Week is a time set aside to show one's appreciation for what Hiphop has done to advance the quality of one's life. Such a vision is reserved for those who truly care for the further development of Hiphop-the culture. We believe in Hiphop's ability to prevent sickness, hate, ignorance and poverty while producing health, love, awareness and wealth. Hiphop Appreciation Week is our time to publicly manifest such a vision. How will you support?

Since 1998 the third week in May has become a time to reflect upon our roles as citizens of the international Hip Hop community and to recommit ourselves to Hip Hop's core principles of peace, love, unity and safely having fun!
Every year during Hiphop Appreciation Week the Temple of Hiphop presents a series of events, concerts, retreats and cultural conferences throughout the United States, aimed at addressing some of Hiphop's more pressing issues. In past years we have reflected upon such themes as; Peace (2001), Freedom (2005) and Action (2006). In an effort to further decriminilize Hiphop's public image, this year from May 13th to the 20th 2007, we encourage all Hiphoppas to perform "Communication". Hiphoppas MUST be aware of what we are communicating to the world. Be mindful of every word, thought, and action that you communicate to others. Most attuned Hiphoppas perform "Communication" to create productive arenas via the performance of what they communicate to others. Each spoken idea creates an awareness around the Hiphoppa. This awareness attracts people, places, and things that further help create its existence.

We are commited to exploring ways in which Hiphop can direct community attention (especially youth) toward excellence in civics and community preservation. We know that it is the power of Hiphop that authenticates people, places and makes things "cool" and appealing to those youth influenced by Hiphop. We know that it is Hiphop that is actually speaking to our youth. This year due to the salient issues facing our community, as a suggestion from our Kultural Specialists, the focus of our Hip Hop cultural communication should be concentrated in furthering Afrika Bambaataa's call to boycott commercial "rap" radio, and the Temple of Hiphop's call for the proper preparation of our communities for future natural disasters and/or terrorists attacks. At a time when lawlessness, corruption, wrongdoing and misconduct are the norm, concerned conscious responsible citizens must communicate the peace, love, unity and fun capable of rendering victory over these oppressive cirmcumstances. For more information on Hiphop Appreciation Week, volunteering, promoting, organizing, registering and/or conducting a local event in your area visit www.templeofhiphop.org or contact MalikONE at IAMHIPHOP1970@YAHOO.COM

There it is.

KRSONE

2007-02-02T12:04:00.000-08:00

MalikONE S.P.E.E.K.S. .... REAL NEWS FOR REAL HIPHOPPAS!!

Peace and much love.

In the movement of preservation, honor and memorium of those who have come before us, we celebrate the advancements of Dr. Carter G. Woodson. His accomplishments are veiwed as paramount to Hiphoppas in modern times. With the advent of Black History Week in 1937, Hiphoppas are deeply encouraged to discover and review why his vision has led not just the United States, but the world over to expand the vision to Black History Month.

With that said... I offer the following as direct information to begin your study. You may visit various websites and search engines to find more indepth, materials. Being from Chicago, his influence was one that I have come to appreciate and use as motivation during Hiphop Appreciation Week, Hiphop History Month and other honored days, births etc. Remember, we are not just doing Hiphop, WE ARE HIPHOP!!!

There it is.

Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history.

These are the words of Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson, distinguished Black author, editor, publisher, and historian (December 1875 - April 1950). Carter G. Woodson believed that Blacks should know their past in order to participate intelligently in the affairs in our country. He strongly believed that Black history - which others have tried so diligently to erase - is a firm foundation for young Black Americans to build on in order to become productive citizens of our society.

Known as the "Father of Black History," Carter G. Woodson holds an outstanding position in early 20th century American history. Woodson authored numerous scholarly books on the positive contributions of Blacks to the development of America. He also published many magazine articles analyzing the contributions and role of Black Americans. He reached out to schools and the general public through the establishment of several key organizations and founded Negro History Week (precursor to Black History Month). His message was that Blacks should be proud of their heritage and that other Americans should also understand it.

Carter G. Woodson was born in New Canton, Buckingham County, Virginia, to former slaves Anne Eliza (Riddle) and James Henry Woodson. Although his parents could neither read nor write, Carter G. Woodson credits his father for influencing the course of his life. His father, he later wrote, insisted that "learning to accept insult, to compromise on principle, to mislead your fellow man, or to betray your people, is to lose your soul."

His father supported the family on his earnings as a carpenter. As one of a large and poor family, young Carter G. Woodson was brought up without the "ordinary comforts of life." He was not able to attend school during much of its five-month term because helping on the farm took priority over a formal education. Determined not to be defeated by this setback, Carter was able "largely by self-instruction to master the fundamentals of common school subjects by the time he was seventeen." Ambitious for more education, Carter and his brother Robert Henry moved to Huntington, West Virginia, where they hoped to attend the Douglass High School. However, Carter was forced to earn his living as a miner in Fayette County coal fields and was able to devote only a few months each year to his schooling. In 1895, a twenty-year-old Carter entered Douglass High School, where he received his diploma in less than two years.

From 1897 to 1900, Carter G. Woodson began teaching in Winona, Fayette County. In 1900, he returned to Huntington to become the principal of Douglass H.S.; he finally received his Bachelor of Literature degree from Berea College, Kentucky. From 1903 to 1907, he was a school supervisor in the Philippines. Later he traveled throughout Europe and Asia and studied at the Sorbonne University in Paris. In 1908, he received his M.A. from the University of Chicago, and in 1912, he received his Ph.D. in history from Harvard University.

During his lifetime, Dr. Woodson developed an important philosophy of history. History, he insisted, was not the mere gathering of facts. The object of historical study is to arrive at a reasonable interpretation of the facts. History is more than political and military records of peoples and nations. It must include some description of the social conditions of the period being studied.

Woodson's work endures in the institutions and activities he founded and promoted. In 1915, he and several friends in Chicago established the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. The following year, the Journal of Negro History appeared, one of the oldest learned journals in the United States. In 1926, he developed Negro History Week and in 1937 published the first issue of the Negro History Bulletin.

Dr. Woodson often said that he hoped the time would come when Negro History Week would be unnecessary; when all Americans would willingly recognize the contributions of Black Americans as a legitimate and integral part of the history of this country. Dr. Woodson's outstanding historical research influenced others to carry on his work. Among these have been such noted historians as John Hope Franklin, Charles Wesley, and Benjamin Quarles. Whether it's called Black history, Negro history, Afro-American history, or African American history, his philosophy has made the study of Black history a legitimate and acceptable area of intellectual inquiry. Dr. Woodson's concept has given a profound sense of dignity to all Black Americans.

CHRONOLOGY of DR. WOODSON'S LIFE
DATE

EVENT

1875, Dec. 19

Birth, New Canton, Virginia

1892

Left home to work on the railroad and then in the mines

1893

Family moved to Huntington, West Virginia

1895-1896

Attended Douglass High School, Huntington, West Virginia

1896-1897

Attended Berea College, Kentucky

1897, Sept.-Dec

Attended Lincoln University, Pennsylvania

1898-1900

Taught, Winona, West Virginia

1900-1903

Principal, Douglass High School, Huntington, West Virginia

June 18, 1902-Dec. 1903

Attended University of Chicago

1903

Bachelor of Literature from Berea College

1903-1907

Taught in the Philippines

1907

Traveled in Europe and Asia; attended the Sorbonne, Paris, France

1907, Oct.-Dec.

Attended University of Chicago

1908, Jan.-Aug.

Attended Graduate School, University of Chicago; received B.A. in March; M.A. in August

1908-1909

Attended Harvard University

1909-1918

Taught, M Street (Dunbar) High School, Washington, D.C.

1912

Ph.D. in History from Harvard University

1913 or 1914-1921

Member of the American Negro Academy

1915, Apr.

The Education of the Negro Prior to 1861 published

1915, Sept.

Established the Association for the Study of Negro Life & History

1917, Aug.29

First Biennial meeting of ASNLH

1918

A Century of Negro Migration published

1918-1919

Principal, Armstrong Manual Training School, Washington, D.C.

1919-1920

Dean, School of Liberal Arts, Howard University

1920-1922

Dean, West Virginia Collegiate Institute (West Virginia State College); Established Associated Publishers

1921

Received grant from the Carnegie Institution; The History of the Negro Church published

1922

The Negro in Our History published

1924

Free Negro Owners of Slaves in the U.S. in 1830: Together with Absentee Ownership of Slaves in the U.S. in 1830 published

1925

Free Negro Heads of Families in the United States in 1830 published

1926

Negro Orators and Their Orations published; The Mind of the Negro as Reflected in Letters Written During the Crisis, 1800-1860published; established Negro History Week; received Spingarn Medal

1927

Appointed to Advisory Committee, Interracial Relations Committee on Problems and Policy Social Science Research Council; appointed staff contributor Dictionary of American Biography

1928

Negro Makers of History published; African Myths: Together with Proverbs published

1928

Attended summer meeting of Social Science Research Council, Dartmouth College

1929

The Negro as a Businessman, with John H. Harmon, Jr. and Arnett G. Lindsay published

1929-1933, 1938

Established Woodson Collection at the Library of Congress

1930

The Negro Wage Earner, with Lorenzo Greene published; The Rural Negro published

1932

The encyclopedia controversy

1932-1935

Summers in Europe

1933

The Mis-Education of the Negro published

1934

The Negro Professional Man and the Community, with Special Emphasis on the Physician and the Lawyer published

1935

The Story of the Negro Retold published

1936

The African Background Outlined published

1937

Began publication of the Negro History Bulletin

1939

African Heroes and Heroinespublished

1941

Doctor of Laws from West Virginia State College

1950, April 3

Died suddenly

1958

Elected to the Ebony Hall of Fame

Books By Dr. Woodson

THE EDUCATION OF THE NEGRO PRIOR TO 1861: A HISTORY OF THE EDUCATION OF THE COLORED PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES FROM THE BEGINNING OF SLAVERY TO THE CIVIL WAR. New York: Putnam's, 1915. Repr. Ayer Co., 1968 LC2741.W7
A CENTURY OF NEGRO MIGRATION. Washington, D.C.: ASNLH., 1918. Repr. Russell, 1969. E185.9.W89
THE HISTORY OF THE NEGRO CHURCH. Washington, D.C.: Associated Publishers, 1921. BR563.N9W6
THE NEGRO IN OUR HISTORY. Washington, D.C.: Associated Publishers, 1922. E185.9 .W89 1970
FREE NEGRO OWNERS OF SLAVES IN THE UNITED STATES IN THE UNITED STATES IN 1830: TOGETHER WITH ABSENTEE OWNERSHIP OF SLAVES IN THE UNITED STATES IN 1830, ed. Washington: ASNLH., 1924; Repr. Negro Univ. Press. E185.W8873
FREE NEGRO HEADS OF FAMILIES IN THE UNITED STATES IN 1830: TOGETHER WITH BRIEF TREATMENT OF THE FREE NEGRO. Washington: ASNLH., 1925. F185.W887125
NEGRO ORATORS AND THEIR ORATIONS, ed. Washington: Associated Publishers, 1926. Repr. Russell, 1969. PS663.N4.W6
THE MIND OF THE NEGRO AS REFLECTED IN LETTERS WRITTEN DURING THE CRISIS, 1800-1860, ed. Washington: ASNLH., 1926. Repr. E185.W8877 1969b
NEGRO MAKERS OF HISTORY. Washington: Associated Publishers, 1928. E185.W85
AFRICAN MYTHS TOGETHER WITH PROVERBS: A SUPPLEMENTARY READER COMPOSED OF FOLK TALES FROM VARIOUS PARTS OF AFRICA. Adapted to use of children in the public schools. Washington: Associated Publishers, 1928. PE1127.G4 W7
THE NEGRO AS A BUSINESSMAN, joint author with John H. Harmon, Jr. and Arnett G. Lindsay. Washington: Associated Publishers, 1929. E185.8.H251
THE NEGRO WAGE EARNER, joint author with Lorenzo J. Greene. Washington: ASNLH., 1930. Repr. AMS Press. E185.G79
THE RURAL NEGRO. Washington: ASNLH., 1930. Repr. Russell, 1969. E185.86.W896
THE MIS-EDUCATION OF THE NEGRO. Washington: Associated Publishers, 1933. Repr. AMS Press, 1972. LC2801.W6 1977
THE NEGRO PROFESSIONAL MAN AND THE COMMUNITY: WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON THE PHYSICIAN AND THE LAWYER. Washington: ASNLH., 1934 Repr. Negro University Press, 1969. Johnson Reprints E185.82.W88
THE STORY OF THE NEGRO RETOLD. Washington: Association Publishers, 1935. E185.W898
THE AFRICAN BACKGROUND OUTLINED. Washington: ASNLH., 1936. DT351.W89
AFRICAN HEROES AND HEROINES. Washington: Associated Publishers, 1939. DT3525.W66
Periodical Articles by Dr. Carter G. Woodson

"The Negroes of Cincinnati Prior to the Civil War." Journal of Negro History, 1(January, 1916): 1-22.
"Freedom and Slavery in Appalachian America." Journal of Negro History, 1(April, 1916): 132-150.
"The Beginnings of the Miscegenation of the Whites and Blacks." Journal of Negro History, 3(October, 1918): 335-353.
"Negro Life and History in Our Schools." Journal of Negro History, 4(July, 1919): 273-280.
"The Relations of Negroes and Indians in Massachusetts." Journal of Negro History, 5(January, 1920): 44-57.
"Fifty Years of Negro Citizenship as Qualified by the United States Supreme Court." Journal of Negro History, 6(January, 1921): 1-53.
"Early Negro Education in West Virginia." Journal of Negro History, 7(January, 1922): 23-63.
"Ten Years of Collecting and Publishing the Records of the Negro." Journal of Negro History, 10(October, 1925): 598-606.
"Negro History Week." Journal of Negro History, 11(April, 1926): 238.
"Emma Frances Grayson Merritt." Opportunity, 8(1930): 244-45.
"15 Outstanding Events in Negro History." Ebony, 5(February, 1950): 42-46.
"A Health Venture with Negro Management." Southern Workman, 60(1931): 518-24.
"Journalism in Schools." Howard University Record, 14(may, 1920): 356-366.
"The Mis-Education of the Negro." Crisis, 38(August, 1931): 266-67.
"Negro Labor in the United States, 1850-1925." by Charles H. Wesley Ph.D., American Historical Review, 33(1927): 154-56.
"Some Things Negroes Need to Do." Southern Workman, 51(January, 1922): 33-36.
"An Accounting of Twenty-Five Years." Journal of Negro History, 25(October, 1940): 422-431.
"The Anniversary Celebrated." Negro History Bulletin, (June, 1941): 198-199.
"The Negro in New England." Negro History Bulletin, 5(October, 1945): 421-431.
"Notes on the Bakongo." Journal of Negro History, 30(October, 1945): 421-431.
"Egypt." Negro History Bulletin, 13(November, 1949): 39-45; (December, 1949): 62-70; (January, 1950): 95.
"Thaddeus Stevens: Crusader." Negro History Bulletin, 13(December, 1949): 51-52.
Newspaper Articles

THE CHICAGO DEFENDER
April 16, 1932 "The Difficulty of Learning from the Depression."
May 21, 1932 "Is the Educated Negro a Liability?"
June 18, 1932 "Too Much Hindsight; Insufficient Foresight."
September 17, 1932 "Service Rather than Leadership."
October 1, 1932 "The Black Man and Europe."
September 7, 1935 "Future Task of Race History is Outlined."
December 28, 1935 "More Teachers, Texts, Needed for Growth of Race History."
NEW YORK AGE
May 30, 1931 "Why Highly Educated Ministers Preach to Benches."
June 6, 1931 "The Mis-Education of the Negro in Economics."
June 13, 1931 "Politics in the Schools."
August 8, 1931 "The Negro Must Appeal to his Own."
August 15, 1931 "A United Negro Church."
February 10, 1934 "Distinguished Between Significant and Insignificant."
February 23, 1935 "Woodson Misquoted on the Church."
January 4, 1936 "Why the Negro Lacks his Tenth."
February 22, 1936 "Keeping the Record."
PITTSBURGH COURIER
September 3, 1932 "Independent Thinking and Voting is Needed."
December 17, 1932 "Women Should Have More Voice in Our Affairs --Woodson."
WASHINGTON TRIBUNE
December 13, 1924 "Omega Psi Phi Fraternity to Hold Annual Conclave Here."
December 27-31, "Among the Prominent Omega Men Who Will be Honored at this Smoker 1924 is Carter G. Woodson."
Microfilm

THE CARTER G. WOODSON COLLECTION OF NEGRO PAPERS AND RELATED DOCUMENTS, 1803-1936, Washington, D.C., Library of Congress
10 reels, 35mm microfilm
Correspondence, diaries, addresses, legal documents, newspaper clippings, and other papers relating to Negro history, the JOURNAL OF NEGRO HISTORY, race relations, slavery, discrimination, Washington, D.C., employment opportunities, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, State and local politics, and business. The papers of Benjamin T. Banner, Whitefield McKinlay, and John T. Clark are included in this collection.

Books About Dr. Woodson

Goggins, Jacqueline. Carter G. Woodson: A Life in Black History. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1993. E175.5.W65

Williams, Alvin L. Carter G. Woodson: Scientific Historian of African American History and Education. Unpublished Ph.D. Diss., Loyola University of Chicago, 1994. E185.97.W77W54
Periodical Articles About Dr. Woodson

"About the Founder." Negro History Bulletin. 23(February, 1960): 120.
Alexander, R.P. "Tribute and Challenge." Negro Digest. 14(September, 1965): 40-51.
Behling, Agnes. "The Father of Negro History." Negro Digest. 12(November, 1962): 6-9.
Bennett, Lerone, Jr. "Chronicles of Black Courage. Father of Black History Changed Vision of Black America." Ebony. 38(February, 1983): 31, 33-34.
Bennett, Lerone, Jr. "Reading, Riting and Racism." Ebony. 22(March, 1967): 130-38.
Bethune, Mary. "True Leadership Is Timeless." Negro History Bulletin. 13(May, 1950): 173.
"Black History: Editorial." Crisis. 82(April, 1975): 113-14.
Brewer, William M. "Fiftieth Anniversary of the Journal of Negro History." Journal of Negro History. 51(April, 1966):75-97.
Brooks, A.N.D. "Dr. Woodson, the Inspiration." Negro History Bulletin. 20(December, 1956): 71.
"Carter J. Woodson Stamp to be Issue in Honor of Father of Black History." Jet. 65(January 23, 1984): 22.
"Carter Godwin Woodson, 1875-1950." American Sociological Review. 15(June, 1950): 441.
Clarke, John H. "Carter G. Woodson and the Importance of Black History Week." Black Collegian. 5(January-February, 1975): 42-43.
"Death of the Founder." Negro History Bulletin. 13(May, 1950): 170.
Du Bois, W.E.B. "Editorial: The Journal of Negro History." Crisis. 13(December, 1916): 61.
Fontaine, William T. "Social Determination in the Writings of Negro Scholars." American Journal of Sociology. 49(January, 1944): 302-313.
Franklin, J.H. "Place of Carter G. Woodson in American Historiography." Negro History Bulletin. 13(May, 1950): 174.
"A Great American." Negro History Bulletin. 13(May, 1950): 180.
"Guardian of the Torch of Black History." Ebony. 35(February, 1980): 94-98.
Holmes, John Haynes. "On Presenting the Spingarn Medal." Crisis. 32(September, 1926): 231-34.
Logan, Rayford M. "Phylon Profile VI: Carter G. Woodson." Phylon. 6(4th Quarter, 1945): 315-21.
Logan, Rayford M. "Carter G. Woodson: Mirror and Molder of his Time, 1875-1950." Journal of Negro History. 58(January, 1973): 1-17.
Meier, August and Elliot Rudwick. "J. Franklin Jameson, Carter G. Woodson, and the Foundation of Black Historiography." The American Historical Review. 89(October, 1984): 1005-1015.
"Prophet With Honor." Negro History Bulletin. 17(April, 1954): 168.
"Newest Member of Hall of Fame. Honor Goes to Historian Carter G. Woodson." Ebony. (February, 1958): 26.
Stuckey, S. "Du Bois, Woodson and the Spell of Africa." Negro Digest. 16(February, 1967): 20-24.
Scally, Sister Anthony. "Over the Mountain." Negro History Bulletin. 17(April, 1954): 168.
White, Alvin. "Godfather of Black History." Sepia. 25(February, 1976): 58-62.
References to Dr. Woodson in Reference Books

CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE NEGRO IN AMERICA, ed. Peter M. Bergman. New York: New American Library, 1969.
CURRENT BIOGRAPHY: WHO'S NEWS AND WHY 1944. New York: H.W. Wilson, 1944.
DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY, Supplement Four, 1946-1950, ed. John A. Garraty and Edward T. James. New York: Charles Scribners & Sons, 1974.
DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN NEGRO BIOGRAPHY, ed. Rayford M. Logan and Michael R. Winston. New York: W.W. Norton and Co., 1982.
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY, ed. John A. Garraty and Jerome L. Sternstein. New York: Harper, 1974.
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BLACK AMERICA, ed. Augustus Low. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1981.
INTERNATIONAL LIBRARY OF NEGRO LIFE AND HISTORY, Robinson, Wilhelmena B. HISTORICAL NEGRO BIOGRAPHIES. New York: Publishers Co., 1967 [under the auspices of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History.]
NATIONAL CYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. New York: James T. White, 1953. Vol 38.
NEGRO ALMANAC, ed. Harry A. Ploski and Ernest Kaiser. New York: Bellweather Co., 1971.
WHO'S WHO IN AMERICA: A BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF NOTABLE LIVING MEN AND WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES. Chicago: Marquis, 1926-1950.
WHO'S WHO IN COLORED AMERICA: A BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF NOTABLE LIVING PERSONS OF NEGRO DESCENT IN THE UNITED STATES. New York: Who's Who in Colored America Corp., 1933, 1937, 1940, 1944.
WHO WAS WHO IN AMERICA: A COMPANION BIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCE TO WHO'S WHO IN AMERICA, Vol. 3. Chicago: Marquis, 1960.

Last Updated: 02/00

2007-01-31T11:33:00.000-08:00

Peace and much love.

To further promote, protect and preserve the principles found in the Hiphop Declaration of Peace, which clearly states in the second principle, Hiphop Kulture respects the dignity and sanctity of life without discrimination or predjudice. Hiphoppas shall throughly consider the protection and the development of life, over and before the individual decision to destroy or seek to alter its natural development.

The following post is to further promote our cooperation with other kultures to inevitably strengthen our own. It was once written in ancient proverb... that, without your roots, you cannot grow. Where are the true Hiphoppas in the D.C., Maryland, VA and PA areas. What goes around comes around. We have more commonalities than what is spoken of. However, one thing that is clear, the Oglala Elders obviously have the same interests and conflicts as Hiphopppas.

There it is.

[YouthDCNews] Benefit to Support Traditional Oglala Elders, Sat Feb 3

Benefit to Support Traditional Oglala Elders

Saturday, February 3, 7:00PM
St. Stephens and the Incarnation Church
16th and Newton Sts. NW (Columbia Heights Metro)

Cultural Presentations by:
• Pam Parker and Friends
• Brazilian Trio
• D.C. Guerrilla Poets Insurgency

Hosted by:
• Penny Gamble Williams, Co-Host of the Talking Feather on WOL
Radio
• Jay Winter Nightwolf, Host of the Nightwolf Show on WPFW Radio

This spring, a group of traditional Tetonwan (Oglala) Lakota from the
Pine Ridge Reservation will visit our community to meet directly with
Congress about the unspeakable living conditions on the Pine Ridge
Reservation. (See fact-sheet below) The group is spearheaded by three
Traditional Elders:
• David Swallow, Traditional Spiritual Leader
• Eli Tail, Traditional Elder and Treaty Advisor
• Harvey Iron Boy, Traditional Elder and Community Health
Activist

The Piscataway Indian Nation and a group of area activists will be
hosting the delegation. To cover the gasoline and transportation costs
of the elders, as well as covering the costs while they are here, our
goal is to raise $2,000. Please try to attend the February 3 cultural
celebration and fundraiser. If you can't attend, please consider making
a generous contribution toward meeting the delegations expenses. We
hope to be able to cover gas and lodging costs for the trip to and from
Pine Ridge, as well as hospitality costs while they are here. Your
tax exempt contributions can be made to Gray Panthers Metro Washington,
1426 9th St. NW, Washington, DC 20001. Please note "For Oglala Elders."

PINE RIDGE RESERVATION FACTS
Excerpted from "The Arrogance of Ignorance; Hidden Away, Out of Sight
and Out of Mind" By Stephanie M. Schwartz,

• Roughly the size of the State of Connecticut, Pine Ridge Reservation
is the second-largest U.S. Reservation

• Pine Ridge is home to approximately 40,000 persons, 35% under the age
of 18.

• 58.7% of the grandparents on the Reservation are responsible for
raising their own grandchildren.

• 97% of the population lives below Federal poverty levels.

• Life expectancy on the Reservation is 48 years old for men and 52 for
women, the lowest in the U.S..

• The Pine Ridge infant mortality rate is the highest on this
continent, about 3 times the national average.

• Alcoholism, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and malnutrition are
pervasive, with the rate of diabetes on the Reservation is 8 times the
U.S. national average. The death rate from alcoholism is 3 times the US
average.

• The tuberculosis rate on Pine Ridge is 8 times the national average.

• The cervical cancer rate is 5 times the U.S. national average.

• Many Reservation residents live without health care due to vast
travel distances, under-funded and under-staffed medical facilities,
and outdated or non-existent medical equipment.

• The Pine Ridge school drop-out rate is over 70%, and the teacher
turnover is 8 times the U.S. national average.

• An average of 17 people live in each family home (which may only have
two to three rooms) and at least 4,000 new homes are needed in order to
combat homelessness.

• 59% of Reservation homes are substandard, with over 33% lacking water
and sewage systems, electricity, and basic insulation or central
heating.

• Many residents must carry (often contaminated) water from the local
rivers daily for their personal needs.

• Most Reservation families live in rural and often isolated areas
where there are few paved roads and most of the rural homes are
inaccessible during times of rain or snow.

• Weather is extreme on the Reservation, with summer temperatures
reaching well over 110*F, and winters that can reach below -50*F. Each
winter, Reservation residents, especially elders, die from hypothermia.

• There is no public transportation available on the Reservation and
only a minority of Reservation residents own an operable automobile.

• Much of the water and land on the Reservation is contaminated with
pesticides and other poisons from farming, mining, open dumps, and
mining operations.

• The High Plains/Oglala Aquifer which begins underneath the Pine Ridge
Reservation is predicted to run dry in less than 30 years due to
commercial farming use in south of the Reservation. The Oglala Aquifer
is not renewable and recent years of drought have accelerated the
problem.

2007-01-12T13:16:00.000-08:00

Si, SE PUEDE!

Peace and much love.

After reading this essay on the sociological perceptions of so called "latinos" and African Americans, I was compelled to add to the discussion. Not to mention Ive been a resident of Los Angeles and the Inland Empire, Riverside to be exact where the majority of the tensions exist.

Originally being from Chicago, these tensions were really familiar due to the ever constant violence between, African Americans and Puerto Ricans, African Americans and Dominicans, as well as African Americans and Africans, etc.

However, after relocating to California, being stationed here as a Navy corpsman, and raising my family here. Attending college at a historically "Hispanic" institution, (UCSB), working closely with Mecha, Panche be, as well as the CLYLP Chicano-Latino Youth Leadership Project, I must share these compelling results.

First it must be underscored, that as a proud Hiphoppa, African/Native American, these divisions must be further analyze and addressed as mentioned by the author Tanya Hernandez.

Furthermore, on a historical note, Mexico is not the accurate terminology for the country just south of the so called United States. Remember, this land was also dominated, plundered and pillaged by European Conquistadors. The Mexican, is more accurately pronounced (Ma-shican).

Similar to their English counterparts, the Spaniards sailed west thinking they were landing in India, thus why many Americans and non-Americans, out of ignorance still to this day, call Natives, Indians. So with this said recall, we are speaking of an indigenous people relatively exterminated for the expressed purpose of imperialism.

Over the centuries, cultures have mixed, and many Mexicans identify with the populations hailing from Spain. Consequently, many still, maintain their ties to the land and the indigenous populations who decend from the ancient Incas, Mayans, pueblos, etc.

In Hiphop Kulture, we are a global kulture, beyond race, beyond religion and beyond ethnicity. Due to this I have been able to pierce the veil of discention and structural violence plagueing our communities.
By doing so, discussions with my indigenous brothers and sisters, alerted me to a distinction and difference in terminology.

After several discussions, it had come to my attention that some call themselves "latinos", while others call themselves "chicanos". Out of ignorance, I thought these terms were inter-changeable. Nevertheless, they are NOT! Latinos tend to identify with the Spaniard lineage, while Chicanos identify with the indigenous North American and South American lineage.

It must also be recalled that during the 1960's and 1970's the Brown Beret's were in fact supportive and second in command in various communities to none other than the Black Panther Party. During the turn of the century professional boxer Jack Johnson fled the US, along with an untold number of Buffalo Soldiers, who were black soldiers hired to kill and torment the pueblo peoples, after the 1851 mexican-american war, to Mexico where they were given asylum for rascist charges by the US government.

In essence our communities have a rich history of cooperation of alliance. This is where I may differ with the author, in that these violent confrontations are the results of structural violence, poverty and indicative of the institutional racism deeply rooted in American society, military and its prison industrial complexes. This isolation and segregation has historically cropped when possible windows of opportunity exist.

Finally, I encourage each of you who have interest in this topic, to go beyond the figures, go beyond the rhetoric and get out there and learn more about our very relative and similar cultures. When I did so, my eyes were open to just how much the strings of disention are being puppeted. In 2008, whatever the political agenda, we must include, chicanos, latinos, and whoever else sees the victory in our unity.

As we think, so Hiphop is!

MalikONE
Global Advocate
Temple Of Hiphop

----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: Davey D
Date: Jan 10 2007 11:05 PM

Roots of Latino/black anger
Longtime prejudices, not economic rivalry, fuel tensions.
By Tanya K. Hernandez, Tanya K. Hernandez is a professor of law at Rutgers University Law School.
January 7, 2007

THE ACRIMONIOUS relationship between Latinos and African Americans in Los Angeles is growing hard to ignore. Although last weekend's black-versus-Latino race riot at Chino state prison is unfortunately not an aberration, the Dec. 15 murder in the Harbor Gateway neighborhood of Cheryl Green, a 14-year-old African American, allegedly by members of a Latino gang, was shocking.

Yet there was nothing really new about it. Rather, the murder was a manifestation of an increasingly common trend: Latino ethnic cleansing of African Americans from multiracial neighborhoods. Just last August, federal prosecutors convicted four Latino gang members of engaging in a six-year conspiracy to assault and murder African Americans in Highland Park. During the trial, prosecutors demonstrated that African American residents (with no gang ties at all) were being terrorized in an effort to force them out of a neighborhood now perceived as Latino.

For example, one African American resident was murdered by Latino gang members as he looked for a parking space near his Highland Park home. In another case, a woman was knocked off her bicycle and her husband was threatened with a box cutter by one of the defendants, who said, "You niggers have been here long enough."

At first blush, it may be mystifying why such animosity exists between two ethnic groups that share so many of the same socioeconomic deprivations. Over the years, the hostility has been explained as a natural reaction to competition for blue-collar jobs in a tight labor market, or as the result of turf battles and cultural disputes in changing neighborhoods. Others have suggested that perhaps Latinos have simply been adept at learning the U.S. lesson of anti-black racism, or that perhaps black Americans are resentful at having the benefits of the civil rights movement extended to Latinos.

Although there may be a degree of truth to some or all of these explanations, they are insufficient to explain the extremity of the ethnic violence.

Over the years, there's also been a tendency on the part of observers to blame the conflict more on African Americans (who are often portrayed as the aggressors) than on Latinos. But although it's certainly true that there's plenty of blame to go around, it's important not to ignore the effect of Latino culture and history in fueling the rift.

The fact is that racism — and anti-black racism in particular — is a pervasive and historically entrenched reality of life in Latin America and the Caribbean. More than 90% of the approximately 10 million enslaved Africans brought to the Americas were taken to Latin America and the Caribbean (by the French, Spanish and British, primarily), whereas only 4.6% were brought to the United States. By 1793, colonial Mexico had a population of 370,000 Africans (and descendants of Africans) — the largest concentration in all of Spanish America.

The legacy of the slave period in Latin America and the Caribbean is similar to that in the United States: Having lighter skin and European features increases the chances of socioeconomic opportunity, while having darker skin and African features severely limits social mobility.

White supremacy is deeply ingrained in Latin America and continues into the present. In Mexico, for instance, citizens of African descent (who are estimated to make up 1% of the population) report that they regularly experience racial harassment at the hands of local and state police, according to recent studies by Antonieta Gimeno, then of Mount Holyoke College, and Sagrario Cruz-Carretero of the University of Veracruz.

Mexican public discourse reflects the hostility toward blackness; consider such common phrases as "getting black" to denote getting angry, and "a supper of blacks" to describe a riotous gathering of people. Similarly, the word "black" is often used to mean "ugly." It is not surprising that Mexicans who have been surveyed indicate a disinclination to marry darker-skinned partners, as reported in a 2001 study by Bobby Vaughn, an anthropology professor at Notre Dame de Namur University.

Anti-black sentiment also manifests itself in Mexican politics. During the 2001 elections, for instance, Lazaro Cardenas, a candidate for governor of the state of Michoacan, is believed to have lost substantial support among voters for having an Afro Cuban wife. Even though Cardenas had great name recognition (as the grandson of Mexico's most popular president), he only won by 5 percentage points — largely because of the anti-black platform of his opponent, Alfredo Anaya, who said that "there is a great feeling that we want to be governed by our own race, by our own people."

Given this, it should not be surprising that migrants from Mexico and other areas of Latin America and the Caribbean arrive in the U.S. carrying the baggage of racism. Nor that this facet of Latino culture is in turn transmitted, to some degree, to younger generations along with all other manifestations of the culture.

The sociological concept of "social distance" measures the unease one ethnic or racial group has for interacting with another. Social science studies of Latino racial attitudes often indicate a preference for maintaining social distance from African Americans. And although the social distance level is largest for recent immigrants, more established communities of Latinos in the United States also show a marked social distance from African Americans.

For instance, in University of Houston sociologist Tatcho Mindiola's 2002 survey of 600 Latinos in Houston (two-thirds of whom were Mexican, the remainder Salvadoran and Colombian) and 600 African Americans, the African Americans had substantially more positive views of Latinos than Latinos had of African Americans. Although a slim majority of the U.S.-born Latinos used positive identifiers when describing African Americans, only a minority of the foreign-born Latinos did so. One typical foreign-born Latino respondent stated: "I just don't trust them…. The men, especially, all use drugs, and they all carry guns."

This same study found that 46% of Latino immigrants who lived in residential neighborhoods with African Americans reported almost no interaction with them.

The social distance of Latinos from African Americans is consistently reflected in Latino responses to survey questions. In a 2000 study of residential segregation, Camille Zubrinsky Charles, a sociology professor at the University of Pennsylvania, found that Latinos were more likely to reject African Americans as neighbors than they were to reject members of other racial groups. In addition, in the 1999-2000 Lilly Survey of American Attitudes and Friendships, Latinos identified African Americans as their least desirable marriage partners, whereas African Americans proved to be more accepting of intermarriage with Latinos.

Ironically, African Americans, who are often depicted as being averse to coalition-building with Latinos, have repeatedly demonstrated in their survey responses that they feel less hostility toward Latinos than Latinos feel toward them.

Although some commentators have attributed the Latino hostility to African Americans to the stress of competition in the job market, a 1996 sociological study of racial group competition suggests otherwise. In a study of 477 Latinos from the 1992 Los Angeles County Social Survey, professors Lawrence Bobo, then of Harvard, and Vincent Hutchings of the University of Michigan found that underlying prejudices and existing animosities contribute to the perception that African Americans pose an economic threat — not the other way around.

It is certainly true that the acrimony between African Americans and Latinos cannot be resolved until both sides address their own unconscious biases about one another. But it would be a mistake to ignore the Latino side of the equation as some observers have done — particularly now, when the recent violence in Los Angeles has involved Latinos targeting peaceful African American citizens.

This conflict cannot be sloughed off as simply another generation of ethnic group competition in the United States (like the familiar rivalries between Irish, Italians and Jews in the early part of the last century). Rather, as the violence grows, the "diasporic" origins of the anti-black sentiment — the entrenched anti-black prejudice among Latinos that exists not just in the United States but across the Americas — will need to be directly confronted.

Hiphop beyond Entertainment!

2006-11-17T12:37:00.000-08:00

Peace and much love.

As we end the month of November showing gratitude and appreciation, particulary to Hiphop History Month, Native American Heritage Month and the Annual celebration of the Universal Zulu Nation, also a bit of relief from the frenzy of passing mid term elections. As well in honorable mention, the VH1/Russel Simmons/Viacom effort last month honoring pioneers Afrika Bammbataa, MC Lyte, Rakim, Ice Cube, Wu-Tang, ect,. I was particularly interested in the increase of various praises, in statements, media programming, propaganda and promotions. However, no matter how content, I am drawn to emphasize the necessity for those of us who are progressively conscious in our communities to begin, continue, and further advance the thinking and being of Hiphop, beyond entertainment.

Furthermore, with the inundating, every day promotion of "rap music", then the subsequent barage of criticisms that comes along with it. It becomes painfully obvious that without a "conscious" balanced, responsible and practical approach to Hiphop, Hiphop Kulture, its elements and expressions "we" as Hiphoppas become short sighted in vision, apathetic in standard, complacent and boring. From television, radio, magazine, and ofcourse blog to blog, in some of the most intellectual, exclusive and popular of circles, from thread to thread, all that is discussed is the same old skewed perspective of rap being the center of Hiphop's universe.

Again not to be repetititve, or to disrespect those who have heard this, and you know word is life; but Hiphop is "NOT" rap music! Rap is something you do, Hiphop is some thing you live!" By and large, its official and globally recognized and accepted, that Hiphop is a creative global consciousness. When this consciousness acts or performs, it is recognized by its elements breakin, emceein, grafitti art, deejayin, beatboxin, street language, street fashion, street knowledge, and street entrepreneurialism. (see Refinitions) Be clear, this is not just another Temple promo. This ofcourse is the very material basis and validation that Hiphop is without question culture, not sub-culture and certainly, not just music.

Granted either as a 14 billion dollar industry, or a never ending stream of special interest promotion, economists agree it is quite certain that it will be here for more than just a few years. Everywhere, from around the world, from Okinawa Japan, Sidney Austrailia, Cairo Egypt, to the South Bronx NY, Altanta Georgia and Los Angeles California; youth are more and more, embracing and responding to the wholesale mass marketing of "hip-hop" oriented strategies. So I inquire, "how many real Hiphoppas are in the place to be...?" Globalization is here, and it should be top priority for many of us who are Hiphop-citizens, or those rap fans sympathetic to our cause; to be responsible for Hiphop's continued establishment and preservation. We must step up as groups, networks, communities and further sustain what has been established, by each of those pioneers we dont hear enough about. So that it may continue to inspire and reach men, women and children across the globe. Provoking them to challenge the status quo, developing dignity and character, becoming educated, considerate and productive people while carrying messages of peace, love, unity, and safely having fun.

Considering the compelling issues either overwhelming or dividing our communities, such as the increased corruption and world wide ethno-political conflicts. Or the unabated structural violence, environmental tragedies, natural disasters, pandemic sicknesses, festering hatreds, widespread ignorances and wrenching poverty that continues to cripple our homes, schools, workplaces, religious institutions, health care facilities, town halls, recreational programs, local, state and federal governments. Motivating and convincing more capable, interested and concerned persons to raise the quality of the Hiphop lifestyle, or just lifestyles in general, by choosing to be "more" responsible, "more" accountable, "more" considerate and thoughtful for how Hiphop looks and acts in society is paramount. This will encourage like-mined citizens of other communities to break down defense mechanisms that perpetuate corrosive ignorances like racism, descrimination, common stereotypes and prejudices which directly and indirectly effect Hiphop Kulture, Hiphop politics, Hiphop economics, business and trade.

In many of our inner city communities, we find our surroundings in utter decay, with little to no applicable direction, knowledge, resources or support systems to alter its destructive patterns. There appears to always be an open availablity for "get rich quick" schemes and no tangible, functional, practical, institutional or entreprenurial strategies to ensure minimal success and gratification. Despite figures that suggest low unemployment (4.3%), millions of us struggle to find stable employment or sustainable income, but constantly find ourselves depending on insufficient sources to maintain our families, finances and lifestyles. Resulting in cycles of under employment for over qualified skilled workers. Every year, more students drop out of high school (50%) and college(24%) with no possibility of return, to join an underpaid, overtly descriminatory workforce to pay for basic necessities. Translation, a 2007 American workforce unprepared, overdemaded and unequipt to compete in a global economy, where education with concentrations in mathematics, all sciences, critical analysis, language, grammar, literature and comprehension are imperative.

Furthermore, with the increasing numbers of young people who look at any one of Hiphop's (9) elements as their most promising way to success, I highly recommend fundamentally sound formal education with skills and training in organization, professionalism, discipline, administration, etc. To all practioners of Hiphops' elements this campaign to decriminalize Hiphop's public image is essential to the progress of your futures, and the very preservation of Hiphop itself. Every day someone new emerges from the confines of a colony, with new messages to offer Hiphop kulture. So each hiphoppa should be prepared, adequately equipt and properly motivated to compete, or sustain their progress while persuing their goals. Therefore, to compete hiphoppas must know the value of their contributions as average citizens. Not just consumers!

For example, consider Hiphop in its beginning stages, when corporate interests, bottomlines, marketing strategies and the like were not a main stay in our young cultural community. Before Dondi, Herc, Bamm, Cowboy and Flash were seen as pioneers. When the days of being Ghetto Fabulous meant that, you were respected and loved by your local community and an artist's success was deeply rooted in the credibility and validity of his or her expression. The days of yes yes yallin'.
However, many of Hiphops original citizens (mostly African Americans) during Hiphop's Dark Age (1971-1981) and the Golden Age (1981-1991), portrayed hip-hop,(the unorganized, immature culture before 1999, not the self aware, empowered, more unified Hiphop Kulture that exists today); as a black thing (so you would'nt understand.)

This was primarily perpetuated because for many of us, we had nothing and Hiphop was definitely something. Something that was capable of transforming objects, subjects and eventually circumstances to better define and articulate our mentalities, economics, socio-political ideas and inner being. Consequently, like many things originating in African-American culture, the resource, credit and rewards are often extracted by coersion to undermine the initial goals and intentions. Which often gives the perception of being like an overprotective parent, not wanting your children to play down the street and be misled, abused and taken advantage of. Most critics accused blacks of "reverse racism" and dismissed the existence of such a creative consciousness. Nevertheless, the committed DJ's still spun, real Emcees still rhymed, and street entreprenuers still hustled. It was not about the dolla dolla bill, because what was valuable was within us!

Furthermore, to quote Grandmaster Caz of the legendary Cold Crush Brothers, during Hiphop Appreciation Week 2001 in New York, "Hiphop is our baby, we created it!" And we created it... because necessity is the mother of invention. At the time, our necessities were peace, love, unity and safely having fun. They still are. However, in 2007, we need to expand these principles and broaden our vision to complement our maturity. A successful, well thought out campaign to assert the fact that we are more than just gangstas, we are more than just bitches, we are more than just con-men, coons and video hoes. We are teachas, doctors, mechanics, active duty military and veterans, city council, mentors, clergy, secretaries, nurses and most of all... MANY OF US ARE PARENTS! Parents who want what is in the best interest of our children and not solely what is in the best interest for corporations. So I challenge any and all corporate sponsors, radio stations, television stations, print media, internet media, music label A&R's, advertising and marketing firms do not be afraid of us. Just because we speak differently, dress differently, and at times think differently, do not merely dismiss us as insignificant. Go beyond what is being promoted now in rap music and see us for what we are. We are not just doing hiphop, WE ARE HIPHOP!
HIPHOP BEYOND ENTERTAINMENT!

There it is.

Hiphop Teaches Stanford University "The Ledge"!

2006-11-16T09:49:00.000-08:00

HIPHOP TEACHES STANFORD UNIVERSITY
“THE LEDGE”

By LeRoi Burns

This past Saturday March 4th 2006, Stanford University invited a cluster of journalists, authors, organizers, professors, activists, rap artists, Hiphop teachas and pioneers to the Wallenberg Hall to discuss Hiphop. Considering that I am in my mid thirties and a Hiphop archivist / journalist who has covered such illustrious events as the “Meeting of the minds” in 1994 at the Schaumburg Center in New York, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Hiphop Exhibit in 1999, and the presenting of the Hiphop Declaration of Peace at the United Nations in 2001, a host of conferences, well known and not so famous; lectures, gatherings and concerts, I was somewhat skeptical to begin with covering this assignment. The reason; to date academia still has not approached Hiphop with the integrity of a scholar or a journalist, to accurately research, document or present, let alone archive. With this said, after the six hour drive from Los Angeles the previous day, I was excited to be a part of such an event considering such participants as Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, Bizzy B., Camilla Westenberg, Bakari Kitwana, the Teaha KRSONE, Angela Ards, Ben Caldwell, Davy D and Derrick Darby to name a few.

At the top of the morning I arrived as most of the participants did, being overwhelmed by the wealth it must take to coordinate such a campus, with its sprawling lawns, expensive architecture, majestic palms flanking the long driveway towards a structure that reminded me of the antebellum slave south and its flamboyant plantations. Walking up the stairs, I began to feel that same ole’ feeling I always get when I am someplace where I may not be genuinely welcome. Nevertheless, I pressed on into the foyer to discover the event was being held practically in the hallway of this building. Now excuse me, but I have been in several University functions but shouldn’t this type of event at least be in a room of its own. The organizer who greeted me, was somewhat distracted by the members of a Hiphop organization ahead of me in line, who were clearly disappointed that there was no general public or audience, no formal room, no impartial non-participant media sources, which obviously meant, no Hiphop.

After getting my bear claw and starbucks coffee, I immediately made my way to a small table in the corner of the hallway waiting for the first panel to begin, when I noticed a group of well dressed, inner city kids bringing in a large backdrop of the Hiphop Declaration of Peace. Intrigued, I proceeded to ask a charming young Latino woman with them, who they were and was the Hiphop Declaration of Peace apart of the archive? Articulately and politely, she began to tell me that they were with The Temple of Hiphop, and that their kultural specialist / global advocate was giving orientations on the Declaration of Peace during the intermissions. Amazed, considering that no other organization representing liberation Hiphop was present, I thanked her and stood in the hallway as the curator of the archive Marcyliena Morgan began to announce the event was beginning. Surprisingly unorganized, due to the moderator’s late arrival, things kicked off rather sluggishly. Journalist Angela Ards, from the village voice impeded the monotony by providing some much needed contrast to the panelists, self-centric approach to documenting Hiphop’s history. Somewhat unimpressed by hip-hop historian Davy D’s, claim that “he was there” during the culture’s inception, she interrupted saying “I have been a journalist since before their was a term, hip-hop journalism, and that all journalists should express the fundamentals of writing and journalistic integrity, something lacking in the genres documenting.”

Consequently, two panels later, after some very subdued intellectualizing about rap music, pontificating, name dropping and credential ejaculating, we were finally to be given real Hiphop in the form of a panel named “The Artist is the Theorist: I AM Hiphop”. Panelists, Boots Riley, Bizzy B., Ladybug, Angela Ard, Davy D, Adissa Banjoko, Ben Caldwell, Camilla Westenberg, KRSONE, Craig Watkins, Marcyliena Morgan, Martha Diaz, Giuseppe Pipitone, to name a few began to discuss the issue of Hiphop. Pioneer and first solo Emcee Bizzy B., began by stating how honored he and KRS was to be invited, considering much of the conversation was confined to chronicling rap music, its lyrics and its influence, African American gripes, race relations and the prison system instead of the main topic of being Hiphop. At this time, a question was posed to the legends and leaders of Hiphop about what it means to be a rapper in today’s society. Composed and clearly strategic, KRS being the only artist relevant enough to answer, stood up and began by greeting and offering respect to the university and panel, then began to make the distinction that although “rap is something he does, Hiphop is what he lives!”

Furthermore, he began to discern the difference in discussing Hiphop from an objective and skewed perspective, as opposed to the subjective and point of origin. KRSONE immediately addressed a bay area journalist Adissa Banjoko, who for those that do not know, has been slandering KRS on his website to sell a few copies of his book for well over a year. Banjoko has also demanded KRS debate the globally embraced “I am Hiphop” philosophy created by the Teacha in 1994. Expressing some frustration about imposter hip-hop opportunists, KRS said that “he does not debate faith” and their were enemies of Hiphop on the panel such as Mr. Banjoko, who could be a federal co-intellpro agent working towards the dismantling, division and downfall of Hiphop, its cultural character, elements and expressions. He went on to say that after twenty years of supporting every journalist on the panel, including Mr. Banjoko, and those also nationally and abroad, that with such disrespect in direct violation of the publicly presented Hiphop Declaration of Peace at the United Nations, that he felt like “beatin’ his fuckin ass”, for having the audacity to be in such a forum.

By and large, the rest of the event was somewhat therapy for the rap fans present who were compelled to the realization that Hiphop is not rap music! For far too long, Hiphop (including rap music industry) which is a 10 billion dollar industry must continue to demand its respect in every institution, social order, political structure, capitalist endeavor and democratic venue. To the approval and applause of those present claiming Hiphop, this outburst by KRSONE was quite refreshing considering the current state of Hiphop and rap music. Reminiscent of the November call to action by Zulu Nation founder, Afrika Bammbaataa, to take a stand for Hiphop against the scandalous corporate radio stations, record labels and media telecommunications outlets under federal investigation for the past two years, many of us who consider ourselves citizens of the Hiphop nation, were very pleased.

For the rest of the event, the panel, wanted to ease the tensions between Hiphop’s statesmen and those who clearly continue to claim to be hip-hop, whether bishop or historian, but continue to compromise Hiphop’s cultural unity and common spirit for profit, prestige and acceptance. Many of the participants emphatically began to agree with KRSONE and Bizzy B, while offering some much needed understanding and compassion to the discussion. After the panel, KRS and Adissa adjourned to the entrance to further their heated conversation, which seemingly formed clarity when MalikONE, the global advocate of the Temple, began to emphasize the necessary respect when approaching Hiphop’s leadership, culture, and salient issues. I later interviewed MalikONE at a KRS concert filled to capacity in Berkley, who throughout the event, with the support of the Temple of Hiphop, gave an informative presentation on the Hiphop Declaration of Peace, advocated the upcoming 9th annual Hiphop Appreciation Week™ and garnered support for a Hiphop Guild to implement the pertinent developments of the Stanford Hiphop Archive event.

Resonating points by Imani Perry and Ben Caldwell, MalikONE stressed “It’s good that things were shaken up a bit today to affect the apathy of those doing the documenting, and the two things that move politics are money and people.” He also affirmed that “not only is the Teacha acting within the best interest of Hiphop’s culture, but that this is a time for action not acting!” He also gave me some insight to the reason KRS chose this forum to address these issues and Adissa. Apparently as KRS briefly mentioned during the discussion, Adissa was working on a book entitled Chicken Soup for the Hiphop Soul, which KRSONE and the Temple endorsed and financed some $5,000.00, but was never completed, or justified by Adissa Banjoko. When asked about this, Adissa refused to comment. Finally, I must add that Dr. Michael Eric Dyson did not attend, but his assistant did say that he was disappointed that he would not be able to meet with KRSONE, who was the reason he was attending and moderating. Predictably, this entire event will most likely be convoluted and politicized by those who were exposed and only wish to disrespect the cultural character of Hiphop, and build a career on the credibility of those patriots who continue to fight the power.

Organizing Hiphop's Commonspirit

2006-11-15T17:03:00.001-08:00

*NOTE This is being published by popular demand

Malik ONE's report from a meeting between The Teacha and Chuck D.

HIPHOP S.P.E.E.K.S. ...REAL NEWS FOR REAL HIPHOPPAS!

ORGANIZING HIPHOP’S COMMONSPIRIT
By MalikONE

Three months deep into 2004, during yet another U.S. governmental cycle of political-social economic distress, Hiphop’s Teachas discuss the strategies of further organizing, developing and preserving Hiphop Kulture’s common~spirit. Friday night March 12th, the real Hiphop was over here, in Anaheim Hills southern California studio, when KRSONE and Chuck D. convened for a session. On assignment here just south east of Los Angeles, the Statesmen discussed several topics from Chuck’s highly anticipated debut; hosting live talk radio in New York City each weekday, to our Teacha KRS’s invigorating release Keep Right, the planning of the 7th Annual Hiphop Appreciation Week, to the geo-political economic growth of Hiphop kulture since the signing of Hiphop’s Declaration of Peace at the United Nations just three years ago this May.

During the third week of May, the 16th to the 23rd 2004, while Hiphoppas throughout the international community join together and celebrate the positive cultural images of Hiphop, and this year’s theme of performing faith; the cultural common~spirit and its influence continues to show aggregate growth. 52 countries were cited in Chuck’s assessment of his international tours since 1998. Both the Temple of Hiphop and RapStation have reported an increase in registration among international membership. Conscious organizing efforts and activities for spiritual, political, environmental, economic, kultural and social awareness have reached record highs. South America, Western and Eastern Europe, Australia, and Africa were some of the continents duly noted and receptive to not only the establishment of Hiphop as an International culture of peace and prosperity, but Hiphop beyond music and entertainment.

From the attuned perspective of a kultural specialist employing Hiphop’s “sight”, and reviewing current political-social studies, this peak in participation, more than suggests a rise in Hiphop activism, has a direct relation to increased ethno-political conflicts in the international community. Many Hiphoppas have simply chosen to seek a better quality of life, often associated with overstanding Hiphop’s common~spirit.

Furthermore, their discussion served as the framework to lead and intensify the international campaign to further develop participation of Hiphoppas worldwide preserving Hiphop as a lifestyle, community and culture. As Chuck works towards the completion of an upcoming Rap project, he plans a progressive alternative to conservative talk forums citing the necessity for “credibility, integrity and cultural diversity in mainstream intelligentsia.” Check for details at RapStation.com.

The Teacha who is on intercession between a west-to-east touring schedule has motivated several large crowds at lectures, concerts, and book signings from San Diego, Los Angeles, Oakland, Portland, Nevada, and Utah. Thought provoking inquires of self-analysis and mastery, spiritual principle, and the “state of Hiphop” has lead to resonating messages of empowerment and edutainment. The Teacha KRS emphasizes to all who may or may not have the opportunity to attend one of the Temple of Hiphop’s events to recall Hiphop’s founding principles of “peace, love, unity and having fun” as well as “have the courage to be yourself. ”

REMEMBER, YOU ARE NOT JUST DOING HIPHOP,
YOU ARE HIPHOP!