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Harry Allen Hip-Hop Visions looks at the way media and advertising affect our understanding of gender, race, identity, and power. It's a compact, economical program that deeply involves both young and adult audiences by utilizing the music and imagery of rap -- the compelling sound of today's youth culture -- to drive thought and inspire. Harry Allen, hip-hop activist and media assassin, writes about race, politics, and hip-hop for Vibe, Spin, The Source, The Village Voice, Billboard, Essence, Newsday, and XXL, among other publications. Widely hailed as one of hip-hop culture's most original minds, he has been quoted as an expert in The Wall Street Journal, on National Public Radio, and on CNN. Well known for his association with the seminal band Public Enemy, Allen also founded the world's first not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization for hip-hop culture, the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame & RhythmCultural Center, Inc. (d.b.a. RCI: The RhythmCultural Institute) in 1994. He further satisfies both his musical and political interests through service on the advisory board of the Archives of African-American Music & Culture at Indiana University, in Bloomington IN, and as a segment producer at the Pacifica Radio Foundation's WBAI-NY/99.5 FM, where he covers film, media, art, science, literature, and other subjects. Allen is currently developing a book on architecture, researching a documentary on hip-hop, and building the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame. He lives in Harlem.
Dahlak Brathwaite Dahlak Brathwaite is a 19-year old emcee, actor, poet and playwright originally from Sacramento, California. Since entering the spoken word scene in 2003, Brathwaite has won the San Francisco Youth Speaks Teen Poetry Slam two years in a row (2004 & 2005). He was also a member of the Berkeley Slam Team that won the Brave New Voices' International Slam in 2004. A member of Ill-Literacy, a San Francisco-based spoken word collective, Brathwaite has performed at universities including Stanford, Loyola Marymount and Berkeley, and has opened for such esteemed artists as Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Goapele, Michael Franti, and Dead Prez. He is also a mentor at Youth Speaks, the San Francisco-based spoken word collective, where he recently helped launch the organization's First Word Productions arm with the release of Innerworks Mixtape Vol.1 - a compilation of hip-hop and R&B songs featuring Brathwaite and two-time Def Poet Rafael "A.D." Casal. He also helped co-write and perform in Scourge, a play by Broadway vet Marc Bamuthi Joseph, which headlined the San Francisco Hip-Hop Theater Festival. In 2005, Brathwaite will be touring with the Scourge Company, releasing a solo hip-hop/spoken word album on First Word Productions, and continuing to write and perform poetry, music, and plays.
Jennifer Calderon As a writer, her cutting edge articles on hip hop culture, white privilege, and social justice have appeared in The New York Times, Self Magazine, The Source Magazine, among other traditional and new media outlets. Her fourth book, Till The White Day Is Done: White Privilege, Hip Hop, and Social Change, promises to be as provocative as her personal politics. Due in 2009, the anthology will feature contributions from Sonia Sanchez, Tim Wise, Talib Kweli, and other respected voices.
Dr. Benjamin Chavis When Russell Simmons established the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) to empower the Hip-Hop community to utilize their commanding cultural influence for freedom, justice and equality, he needed someone with a strong mind and commitment to youth, national civil rights experience, political skills, vast spiritual knowledge and an adept human touch to head up the organization. That man was Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, also known as Minister Benjamin Muhammad, who had already proved his mettle by organizing the historic New York Hip-Hop Summit in 2001. That two-day event an unprecedented meeting, according to the Los Angeles Times found Chavis and Simmons guiding industry hip-hop leaders, artists, and civil rights and political organizations towards an agreement on a series of initiatives and commitments that will affect the artistic and social landscape of American society and the global community, as a whole. One month later, the HSAN was born and Dr. Chavis was named President and CEO. Chavis comes to the HSAN with a professional history of solid principles, demonstrated courage and immense diversity. A native of Oxford, North Carolina, he holds a number of prestigious degrees: He received a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from University of North Carolina; a Master of Divinity, M.Div., magna cum laude, from Duke University; a Doctor of Ministry, D.Min., from Howard University; and completed course requirements for a Doctor of Philosophy, PhD, from Union Theological Seminary.
Kool Moe Dee Rapper Kool Mo Dee thrived during hip-hops nascent years as a vocalist whose tongue-twisting rhymes and speedy delivery put his counterparts to shame. Educator, entertainer, speaker, actor. Three platinum albums. Has appeared on many talk shows. A few of his many topics are: Gang Violence, Being black in America, Understanding Our White Brothers and Sisters and Visa Versa. On his 1987 album, How Ya Like Me Now, Kool came up with a hip-hop report card: a method of rating MCs (Emcees, Masters of Ceremonies, Master Communicators, or rap vocalists) as a way of separating the premier MCs from their often one-dimensional, overrated counterparts (“Sucka MCs”). Building on this original list, Kool has put together an extensive rating system to compile the definitive list of the greatest MCs of all time. Kool rates each MC based on seventeen different categories, ranging from the artist’s lyricism, vocabulary, and freestyling ability to his longevity, body of work, and social impact. Each artist is given a numerical score from one to ten in each of the seventeen categories, as well as an explanation for how this rating was determined.
Daymond John Daymond John Founder and CEO of FUBU Program Title - The Business of Hip-Hop Culture: An Evening With FUBU (For Us, By Us ) FUBU CEO Daymond John is all about endless possibilites. What began in 1992 as a hat business run by John and his friends from a basement in Queens, NY is today a $450 million enterprise that's revolutionized the fashion industry and helped define the look of young America. John is a product of a young child's aspirations to be more than a storeowner, but rather the head of a corporation. He has come a long way since owning a commuter van service to being the CEO and president of a much celebrated retail enterprise. But it didn't happen overnight! John took out a $100,000 mortgage on his mother's house and moved his operation into the basement. With the help of neighborhood friends Alexander Martin (VP) Keith Perrin (co-founder) and Carl Brown (co-founder), who shared his vision, Team FUBU was born. FUBU gradually expanded their line to include hockey jerseys, T-shirts and baseball caps. After finding it difficult to market their clothing through traditional advertising channels, they succeeded in promoting its line by using celebrities and hip hop artists, most notably LL Cool J. FUBU represents determination, excellence, and boldness - characteristics that the company's CEO embodies as well. John oversees the organization's production flow, which involves dealing with every aspect of the FUBU structure. "My job is to take our ideas and funnel it all together. We are the consumer making for the consumer." That uncomplicated approach is the force behind the company's success. It is also why FUBU continues to grow and evolve. John is always receptive to pursuing different ventures. The word risk and entrepreneur go hand-in-hand. Making the FUBU name synonymous with the music and entertainment industry, as it is with the fashion world, is an objective for John. However, longevity for FUBU is his main goal. "We are in this for the long run." FUBU has received numerous honors for entrepreneurial achievements including - NAACP's "Entrepreneurs of the Year" Award; Congressional Achievement Award for Entrepreneurship; the Essence Award; N.Y. African American Business Awards' "Outstanding Business Achievement" Award; and a Citation of Honor for "Team FUBU" from the Office of the President, Borough of Queens, City of New York.
Chuck Klosterman CHUCK KLOSTERMAN More than anyone else in his generation, Chuck Klosterman captures what it feels like to live in—and express ourselves through—our Pop-obsessed, media-saturated culture. One of the most talked-about writers today, he shows us why Pop is a conversation anyone can join in on, and why it's worth talking about in the first place. "Writing about pop culture doesn't get any better than this, or any funnier." That's Stephen King talking about Chuck Klosterman's brilliant debut, Fargo Rock City. Though ostensibly about Heavy Metal, the book uses the genre as a framework to discuss larger topics, such as the effects of popular music on shaping a young person's identity. This strategy—to discuss culture at large and reveal greater truths by focusing on seemingly insignificant, often discounted subject matter—has made Klosterman (pronounced Close-ter-man) one of the most influential and controversial journalists of our time. In Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs, he draws in all corners of the Pop culture universe and, with deceptively simple and often hilarious writing, he shows us how Pop intermingles and ultimately becomes inextricably linked with our memories and our lives. He asks what our cultural choices—the songs we love, the movies we pay to see, the television we can't stop watching—say about us, as individuals and as a society. The Onion calls Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs, a New York Times bestseller, "one of the brightest pieces of pop analysis to appear this century." Klosterman has written two other bestsellers. In fact, he is in that top rank of writers who have had two titles simultaneously on the hardcover and paperback lists. In Killing Yourself to Live, he takes a road-trip across America, in the spirit of Hunter S. Thompson and Jack Kerouac. His latest book, Chuck Klosterman 4: A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas, is a collection of his best interviews and most infamous magazine columns. He pens a popular column for Esquire, "Chuck Klosterman's America," and is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. Klosterman lives in New York, and is currently working on his first novel.
Darryl McDaniels Of Run DMC Darryl McDaniels, or DMC as most of the world knows him, helped transform the musical landscape as one-third of the trailblazing, multi-platinum rap group Run-DMC. They sold more than 30 million album and singles worldwide and the rest is now a matter of musical history. Since forming the legendary band with Joseph (Rev. Run) Simmons and the late Jason (Jam Master Jay) Mizell, DMC has remained in the public eye. He is recognized as a pioneer in stoking the popularity of rap and hip-hop into the best-selling and most influential musical genre that it is today. DMC, along with Run-DMC bandmates Run and Jam Master Jay, grew up in Hollis, Queens, New York, a relatively stable, comfortable black community not unlike many others across America. He attended Catholic schools in the city and enrolled at St. Johns University in Queens in 1982. He nurtured his dream of being a performer and not long after the friends parlayed a connection (Runs brother, Russell Simmons), as well as a ton of talent, into their first album, 1984s, Run-DMC. Their impact was immediate. Run-DMC became the first true hip-hop superstars and the group succeeded well beyond anyones wildest dreams their own included. They embodied the endlessly creative subculture of a young black New York. They were the first rappers to earn a gold album, the first to earn a platinum album and go multi-platinum, the first to have their videos played on MTV, the first to appear on Saturday Night Live and American Bandstand, and the first to grace the cover of Rolling Stone and Spin. It would be hard to overstate Run-DMCs influence on the evolving hip-hopification of pop culture and DMCs contribution to that legacy is profound. Albums including Raising Hell, Tougher Than Leather, Down with the King and King of Rock, are some of the musical genres best. For DMC however, recording studios and concert halls would not be his only platforms for expression. Television appearances on Soul Train and the pilot episode of Yo! MTV Raps led to those on such sitcoms as 227, The Ben Stiller Show and recently The Jamie Kennedy Experiment. Along with countless award shows, specials and documentaries, he appeared on the big screen in such period films as Krush Groove, L.A. D.J. and the Run-DMC project Tougher Than Leather. Verifying his talent rather than his celebrity alone, his songs were also featured in such films as Boyz n the Hood and Die Hard. Then, in October 2002 when bandmate Jam Master Jay was suddenly killed, McDaniels and Simmons retired Run-DMC. Having lost his friend and the band that was his livelihood, McDaniels decided to rededicate his talents. It was also during this time that DMC was told by his parents that he was adopted. Suddenly everything he thought he knew about himself changed and he began to question his purpose and place in life. DMC invited VH1 on his journey to track down this other family he never knew was out there. DMC: My Adoption Journey documents that search, and illustrates DMCs search for his biological roots, as well as his spiritual journey of self-discovery. Currently, DMC is working on a new, follow up documentary titled DMC: Deliver My Children, which aims to shed light on the foster care system in the United States. DMC achieved another milestone in his career by winning an Emmy Award for his critically acclaimed VH1 "Rock Doc" documentary DMC: My Adoption Journey. After more than ten films, this is the first Emmy awarded to the VH1 "Rock Doc" production staff as well. Both the legendary rapper and VH1 topped a number of critically acclaimed documentaries at the 28th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards black-tie dinner held September 25, 2007. With a new sense of destiny and understanding of the events that had taken place in his life, DMC put pen to paper and started to write Just Like Me, a personal interpretation of Harry Chapins Cat In the Cradle. Just Like Me also features a “motherly” vocal by Sarah McLachlan, whose Grammy-winning album Surfacing had a profound and timely effect on DMC. During a time when I was in a bad place in my life, I discovered Sarah’s album and listened to it every day, he says. When he met McLachlan at the Grammys and told her that it had deeply affected him, she replied, That’s what music is supposed to do. When DMC approached McLachlan about performing on the song, not only did she agree to provide the vocal for Just Like Me, she offered her home studio in Vancouver to record the project. She also appears in the song’s video. DMC released the singles Watchtower and Lovey Dovey from his first solo album, Checks Thugs and Rock n Roll (RomenMpire Records/Rags 2 Riches Records). Four years in the making, Checks Thugs and Rock ‘n Roll features a virtual who’s who of artists from various musical genres. They include Sarah McLachlan, Run, Doug E. Fresh, Gary Dourdan (CSI), Romeo Antonio, Kid Rock, DJ Lethal, Ms. Jade, Sonny Black and Napoleon (Outlawz). The music of Checks Thugs and Rock ‘n Roll is sure to introduce DMC the solo artist, to a younger audience that challenges those in his own generation to re-embrace hip-hop. Musically rich, the title of the album eviscerates the lifestyle-driven mentality that has come to dominate the rap world at the expense of authenticity. In addition, the album celebrates some of DMC’s own musical influences including Bob Dylan, Harry Chapin and Jimi Hendrix. DMC is currently working his second solo album for which he gave two titles, The Return Of The Son Of Byford and Hip Hop Is Alive
Adam Pascal Adam Pascal The performer, singer, and songwriter, best known for the hit Broadway musical "Rent" as well as the movie.
Recycled Percussion Members of Recycled Percussion make their instruments from stuff other people throw out: barrels, basement garbage, building site leftovers, pots, pans, stepladders, fifty-gallon drums and even the occasional recycled chainsaw. Then the guys proceed to create heart-pounding beats in an interactive show that is great for all ages. In the four years Recycled Percussion has been together, the group has played with performers such as LL Cool J and entertained crowds during halftime shows of many NBA and NFL games. They have also been featured on television shows such as Late Night and Talk Soup.
Break Show A distinctive American art form with hazy African roots that run deep through the streets of inner cities, Hip Hop defies easy definition. Comprised of five elements - Dance, MC (or rap), DJ, Graffiti, and Fashion - each component is improvised and recombined in a myriad of rhythms and styles so that Hip Hop reinvents itself continually. Though the exact origins of Hip Hop are unclear, dance elements hearken back to an African tradition, involving a variety of footwork patterns, spinning and gymnastic type moves, Hip Hop dancing has been heavily influenced by a number of sources. Some consider James Brown and his 1969 hit: "Get on the Good Foot", one of the starting points. Inspired by his energetic, almost acrobatic dance on stage, many people began dancing on the "Good Foot," often incorporating moves that involved dramatic drops and spins. Martial-arts films, which were extremely popular in the 1970s, contributed some of the more spectacularly muscular and acrobatic elements to this burgeoning urban dance phenomena. The term, "Breakdancing" actually arose with the growing recognition of this art form by the media. The early 80's "battles" between dance crews, attracted the attention of the public and "Breaking" "B-Boy-ing" or "Breakdancing" became associated with other street dance styles such as "Locking" and "Popping". BREAK! The Urban Funk Spectacular traces the history of Hip Hop Dancing over the last thirty years. It is a tribute to this American urban art form. Cast members are supremely talented artists from the world of "Breakdancing", "Locking", "Electric Boogaloo" or "Popping," Power Tumbling, as well as DJ-ing and Bucket Drumming. Many have been featured soloists in performances with such show-business legends as Madonna, Janet Jackson, B2K, 50 Cents, Ringo Star, Whitney Houston, Puff Daddy and Luther Vandross. BREAK! - based in New York City - has received standing ovations across five continents for its sensational show.
Ephren Taylor Ephren Taylor Mogul Activist An Evening with Ephren Taylor At twenty-three, Ephren Taylor has had more business success then most people have in a lifetime. Already a history maker, Ephren is the youngest African-American CEO of a publicly traded company. His empire oversees over $100 million in assets and growing. A hip hop generation, self-made multi-millionaire, financial engineer, real estate investor, ordained minister, and venture capitalist, Ephren is the CEO of City Capital Corporation and owns three other companies. From Wall Street to South Central, Ephren’s diverse client list includes stock market day traders to Hip Hop icons such as Snoop Dogg. Ephren started his historical journey at the age of twelve by rejecting the misconception that young people are powerless. Like most young men, Ephren enjoyed playing videogames; however, his parents lacked the financial means to purchase them. So young Ephren began making videogames and later formulated a company to house his operation. By the age of sixteen, Ephren owned his second company, which became a multimillion dollar enterprise GoFerretGo.com. This innovative website connected high school and college students with employers. Today, Ephren is still making connections—he connects individuals, corporations, and churches to wealth. Beyond his unprecedented accomplishments in the financial industry and real estate market, Ephren is an ordained minister, an author, and public speaker. In his ministerial duties, Ephren talks about vision driven wealth, maintaining faith, and regularly consults with churches to help them plan and finance projects that further their mission. Ephren has authored five e-books and is currently penning his first bookstore release, which is an autobiography. As a speaker, Ephren connects to audiences with an energetic, humble, and interactive style that inspires audiences to expand their visions and move to action. Recently, Ephren expanded beyond the financial field into the entertainment arena. He currently owns a record label and is working on projects with a number of urban premier entertainers. Additionally, Ephren invest in a number of community redevelopment projects including the Kansas City Historic Jazz District revitalization. A true wealth engineer, Ephren is becoming for the hip hop community what Warren Buffet is for baby boomers, the premier financial expert for a generation.
Immortal Technique Immortal Technique (Felipe Coronel)was born February 19, 1978 in a military hospital in South America, Immortal Technique was brought to the United States in the early 80's while a civil war was breaking out in his native Peru. The US supported puppet democracy and Guerilla factions were locked in a bitter struggle which ended like most do in Latin America, with the military and economic aid of the State Dept. through channels like the CIA. Although he had escaped the belligerent poverty and social turmoil of life in the 3rd world, he was now residing in Harlem which had its own share of drama. Growing up on the streets of New York, the young man became enamored with Hip Hop culture, writing graffiti and starting to rhyme at an early age. Although he frequently cut school and ended up being arrested time and time again for his wild behavior, the kid still managed to finish high school and got accepted to a state university. Unfortunately the survivalist and aggressive attitude that was the norm in New York City caused him to be involved in more violent altercations at school, whether it was with other brothers, false flaggers or the relentlessly racist population of an uncultured Middle America.
Black Violin To most people, jazz, hip-hop, funk, and classical are musical genres. But to revolutionary music group Black Violin, theyre nothing but ingredients. Combining a daunting array of musical styles and influences to produce a signature sound that is not quite maestro, not quite emcee, this group of two classically trained violinists and their DJ is redefining the music world-one string at a time. With influences ranging from Shostakovich and Bach to Nas and Jay-Z, Black Violin breaks all the rules, blending the classical with the modern to create something rare-a sound that nobody has ever heard, but that everybody wants to feel. When the members of Black Violin first learned to play their signature instruments-Wil B at the viola 14 years old and Kev Marcus the violin at the tender age of 9-neither could have foreseen that it would become their livelihood, though it was already becoming their passion. The two Florida natives first met while attending the Dillard High School of Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale, a school whose exceptional music programs served to nurture their already budding talents. But it was not until the two were exposed to the work of legendary violinist Stuff Smith that the seeds that would one day become Black Violin were truly planted. Smith, born in Portsmouth, Ohio in 1909, was one of preeminent jazz violinists of the swing era, who went onto perform with names like Alphonse Trent, Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Sun Ra throughout a long and storied career. His final album and most soulful, entitled "Black Violin," so inspired and influenced the young Kev Marcus and Wil B that they would eventually name their band in honor of the man who had shown them that there were no limits to what the violin could do. After graduating from high school, both Wil and Kev were granted full music scholarships to college, Florida State and Florida International University respectively. It was at FIU that Kev first encountered the group's future manager, Sam G, with whom he and Wil soon formed a production company: DKNEX. Now they had a platform for their dream, and the talent and inspiration to back it up. Black Violin was born. Once formed, the group wasted no time in making a name for itself, starting with the rigorous touring that would become a trademark of the group. Black Violin was making ripples in the music industry, but it wasn't long before these ripples became waves. In 2004, the group joined superstar Alicia Keys on stage at the Billboard Music awards, delivering a performance that made the tastemakers and music enthusiasts of America sit up and take notice. Not long after, in 2005, the group was awarded the coveted title of Apollo Legend by the esteemed Apollo theatre in Harlem, effectively confirming what many were beginning to suspect-Black Violin was on its way to the top. The next step in BV's journey came in the form of Mike Shinoda, lead singer of legendary rock act Linkin Park, who had had his eye on the two virtuosos for a while. Impressed by their imaginative composition and finely tuned musicianship, he invited them along on a world tour with his hip-hop side project, Fort Minor. Finally granted the worldwide platform their talents deserved, the members of Black Violin now introduced their own brand of genius to audiences across the globe. In addition to Shinoda, BV has worked with musicians as diverse as P.Diddy, Kanye West, Fifty Cent, Aerosmith, Tom Petty, Aretha Franklin and the Eagles-among many others. But Black Violin is only getting started. The group recently released its eponymous debut album-a record whose top notch production and musical cohesion make it feel like the work of seasoned veterans rather than industry upstarts, as many patrons of the iTunes store and Amazon.com are discovering for themselves. The group continues to tour far and wide, opening for hip hop mainstays like Fat Joe, Akon, and the Wu-Tang Clan in locations as diverse, as Prague, Dubai, and South Africa. The group's rising fame has also made it a highly desired act for celebrity events-Black Violin just recently provided the music at both Minister Lois Farrakhan's 75th birthday and at NFL star Santana Moss's wedding. But beyond all the glitz and glamour, the members of Black Violin just want to give children the same opportunities that they had. With school music programs being culled all across the country, Kev and Wil are concerned that urban youth will not have the benefit of music as a positive alternative to other, more destructive pursuits. With this in mind, they have embarked upon a campaign of social change-using youth orchestras and reinvigorated music programs to show children and teens that they are capable of expressing themselves in ways they have never dreamed. In an age where music is coming to be more and more defined by the labels given to it, Black Violin shows that music does not exist within a box, but rather exists in another space-one as open and unrestrained as the minds that produce it.