Thursday, July 29, 2010

Bambu "Old Man Raps" Music Video

heres some behind the scenes of the video with interviews from Bam himeself.
I've been a fam of Bam, through out all his music, and its a honor to call him a homie.
Bam stays making raps for the kids, with all his music, this is scene the album titled
"I scream Bars for the children" and tracks directed towards his son.
On this song he captures the struggle that most reformed parents have when they see there
children taking a risky path that they once fell into themselves.
Check It:

Friday, July 23, 2010

I heart the Bay



Recently I have been practicing the idea that I can play tourist in my own city (not by spending money on crap thats not worth it) but by appreciating where you live with brand new eyes like you've never seen it before. And the second part of this (kind of like this ideas reflection of itself) is to find home where you go when traveling.

Right there might just be the key to Happiness, or at least a great way to pursue it...
Here a few flicks i took from a day spent biking all over the bay including over the Golden Gate bridge:




after being uprooted from my homeland of Oakland while being in college in the LBC since 18 I've been in the Bay (living) for about a year and i have started to grow some roots. I'm moving towards creating my perfect home here, still not a place where i feel like creating at my full potential, so i got some work to do, but slowly but surely getting there...

Thursday, July 15, 2010

reflections::: opening up my sketchbook


Art is Music: Music is Art





Above is from a series of different Perspectives:
A reflection capturing a few moments from all angles



Mirror Image: Reflected





two expressions feelings and moments
Reflected into one picture

These images are all toned down with the sepia mac book camera...as to shock you when you see the finished pieces and remind you these are just sketches. Some of the images from this series I have started painting - I have some writing to go along with the sketches and eventually I will have a whole package of all types of art created under the title :::REFLECTIONS::: I am in a reflective space right now, building myself up for a transition into a new phase of my life. The inspiration for these pieces is you, life, struggle, my reflection when i look in the mirror, the beautiful, the ugly, love, music...




Tuesday, July 13, 2010

38thnotes Presents : the Bay Abridged

(special shout to 38notes founder CoolHandLuke for choosing me to create some visuals for this project)

via 38thnotes:
DOWLOAD 'THE BAY ABRIDGED'
TRACKLISTING:Track Listing
1. "Foxy Girls"-Rafael Casal & Daveed Diggs Ft. Chinaka Hodge
2. "Slick Talk"- ST Spitta & GQ
3. "Sweet Shop"- Miss Haze, Denise Wallace, & DJ Shred One
4. "Oakland Clap"- The Swapmeet Ensemble Ft. Mr. Town & I.V.A.N.
5. "Who You Shootin At"- BRWN BFLO Ft. Rebel Diaz & JR Minister of Information
6. "Streets is Hot"- Clif Soulo
7. "Tu Gial Esta Ready"- Los Rakas Ft. Chapp
8. "Night Life"- League 510 Ft. J-Billion & 1-O.A.K.
9. "Dreamin California"- The Freshman
10. "Abrazame (UpRoot Andy Mix"- Los Rakas
11. "Glamorous Life R&Bmix"- Netta Brielle
12. "Classy"- Jay Ant
13. "Here and Now"- Sandman
14. "Right Now"- Do D.A.T.
15. "Regular Shit- Vell4Short Ft. Moe Green
16. "Cashin In"- Nio Tha Gift
17. "Can't Stop Now"- Erk Tha Jerk Ft. P-Child
18. "Spend the Night"- E-40 Ft. Laroo, The DB'Z, Droop-E, & B-Slimm
19. "Rider"- Samm Ft. Erk Tha Jerk
20. "DoYouDoNotSee?"- iLL-Literacy
21. "I Got Soul, I'm So Wasted"- Wallpaper
22. "Vibrator"- Gucci Mane Ft. The Cataracs
23. "I'm On"- League 510
24. "It's A Shame"- Raphael Saadiq
25. "Legs"- Darondo
26. "Lovin What I Got"- 1st Place & DJ Mike Czech
27. "Summer Time"- League 510 Ft. Way-D
28. "I'm Gone"- Nio Tha Gift

Take a listen to the dope and diverse offerings we produce monthly. There are a couple cuts on this June edition that came out last month, but by and large, this is what June in the Bay sounded like in our neck of the woods. To those of you unfamiliar with our steez, check us out with an open mind. Love it or leave it, you will have to respect it. In a region known for our unique everything and independent core, we continue to do us, so perhaps it's time you tuned in and took another listen.

They really went in on putting together a mix that I can play on repeat. They got intrigued with the first track: Foxy girl, where Oakland's own Chinaka Hodge spits it for the Town, with Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs giving props to the bay areas plethora of wonderful women. Fast forward to Clif Soulo with Streets is hot and I really can't stop, ever track makes for a great mix, all together doing what I believe 38notes does best, showing the talent and diversity that Oakland and the Bay Area as a whole has naturally.





Sunday, July 11, 2010

the Burnerz-No Justice ft. Kev Choice & Bambu

Words By Dom Jones to the Daughter of Oscar Grant





Dear Tatiana:
to Oscar Grant's Daughter
I was a little girl when my father died of cancer
So when I learned of you... I cried
We both lost our knight and shining armors to diseases
Yours taken as a result of diseased humanity
I cried 'cause I don't want it to be your legacy
To grow up knowing he was stripped of loving you
Through your first broken heart
Your last day of high school
Your walk down the aisle
Your first child
This is not a club I ever wanted you to join
I don't know you
I just know the gaping hole you'll end up carrying
For more than the 2 to 4 his murderer will get
I wish I could carry your grief
Could have been on the platform
Could have taken the bullet
I would have taken the bullet
So neither one of us would have to live a fatherless life
I'm caught between rage and guttural pain
Screaming high pitched, inaudible, something like opera
All 'cause I can't forget Oscar, no Academy
I just wanna put you back with your family
And I don't know you
I just know the unanswered questions that will eat at you
Wondering why racism is why he ain't seeing you
Wondering how a human life is only worth a deuce and a letter
After the fact, after the shot, after the stormy weather
I hope you never have to hop a train
Wish you never had to face the bitter taste of knowing all you have is pop's remains
I wish you could feel his embrace
I wish it was last year, he was still here, wish it all erased
I wish I could make this tragedy right
And neither one of us would have to live a fatherless life...


WRENAGADE RESPONSE

Injustice has many layers.
We sleep on it and then it wakes up up on another perspective of the tragedy
I had almost let my rage for the incident that occurred atFruitvale Bart station become dormant
I was so clear how I felt about it
so active in the moment close to it
That with time I numbed myself from thinking
I still had more to learn about how injustice
continues
Months later after hundreds of people have said
this Murder is not OK, no longer can in be so systematic
So normal for a young innocent life to be taken away
Based on his race, and then based on that the murderer is trained to kill, no consequence.
This tragedy was like a wound in every body's heart that had just begun to heal,
But then a jury to a few moments to continue the injustice.
Rip my heart out.
So tell Tatiana who now is fatherless
What her pops is worth to you
You may have tried to succeeded at dehumanizing
Oscar who now is a poster who everyone claims to be
As a way to honor his memory
But you cannot paint his daughter as less than human
This is not just about BART
or a slap in the face verdict
Its how to sustain hope when the tides are against you
And not just hope but belief turned to action
To spark a change.
We are not all on the front line
But I pray we still are awake
to have warrior heart
Beating in our chests
Like drums
Never giving up until
The battle is won
Until that day comes...



Friday, July 9, 2010

Keep Spitting Spitta

For all those that feel your voice is not heard. If you have something to say keep speaking, the crowd may not be as skilled at speaking back but speak enough to the masses and you will have an impact trust. Today seems like just another day in the town after yesterday with the streets filled with robots (police in riot gear) and people rightfully angered by the slap in the face verdict. Music and expression of any art is what gets people through. I want to make timeless art and I respect those that do it correctly.

this Lady has been doing it correct for some time and I don't think I've written a post about just her. She is ridiculously talented and different. The industry may try to put her in a box or compare her to other greats to try and label and capture what make her fresh, what shines through all of that is her raw talent and that she stays true to herself.






Thursday, July 8, 2010

Too many Men killed and Cops off the hook


THE PENALTY FOR INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER IS 2-3 or 4 years (and they didn't acknowledge the fact they can charge him for using a gun)

I feel a little that I got burned out after giving my all in the
original protests over a year ago, I am not able to be at the Oakland gatherings. Speaking with friends everybody i know is filled with emotion. Very big lesson learned because I plan to sustain my artivist. It does feel like a big ass slap in the face, because not only to the family of Oscar Grant but the whole Oakland community and all people who have been effected by this kind of Police Injustice.

Watching everyone come together and speak out again as we all did in the few weeks right after the murder. Since then I have seen hella people nationally speak out against this Murder. I came to a place where everyone has a role, instead of feeling negative that not everyone could protest and show support in those first gatherings, I can see that some people take other roles but we all stand in solidarity wishing praying and working for equality, so no more Oscar Grants get killed.

Channel your anger and find your gifts in this struggle. Siaira Shawn's song is the comforting harmony to demand that we take other means to fight and vent our anger of this faulty system that kills black people.





Art from the Heart





I make art from my heart (sometimes drawn into the piece) sometimes abstractly seen, but always put into it. This summer marks the second collaborative art show i have done where "HEART' was in the title, a lil bit more evidence to prove I am claiming my big ol heart to the fullest. The marketing and sell able decisions come much later after the piece has been sketched, re-sketched, inked, and painted (or whatever medium i chose). Sometimes this makes it tricky to sell art: looking back i have sold some pieces (of my heart) without really thinking about how much energy, thought, time, and love i put into the piece, more just thinking about eating that week.

So as i lean toward the only option i feel is my chosen path (the life of an artist: in every sense of the word) I start to feel the pull from the question: How will I do this to sustain (make money money).

The answer in part is with you (the folks that hold me down whether you read this or not) if you like my art you can either request it on a t-shirt or a print, or commission as custom piece. And definitely Right now I have three customers waiting on some very large pieces. I barely have a place to paint but I am steadily creating my space and with the vision of all my dreams working towards a place to call my own and all beautiful means to sustain...

I am more than happy to send Care Packages or Art Pieces to you where ever you may be.
Heres some pieces I made for the amazing miss Ruby who is currently living it up in Brooklyn. For those of you sleeping and don't know Ruby is a published author, Spoken Word artist (who's performed internationally) Fashionista, all around Fly Woman.
CLICK HERE to read her sweet post about the package i sent her (you can request one like it for some mula--->>(mostly to cover delivery and materials)


Thursday, July 1, 2010

Playing Photographer and Introducing Lady Spitta::: Plane Jane




ALERT: Plane Jane will be on the RADIO

...Woah woah woah on the radio, rhymes aint slow beats that go, different kinda sound, hug it like surround, hella energy, she's rocking a fresh cut and rep'en for that have nots make something out of nothing mentality like a pot luck, on the come up ready to make thangs happen, with the way she's living and rapping...

I am not the most avid radio listener these days but today I am excited to say the Homie PLANE JANE and ST SPITTIN will be bumping on 106 KMEL. These two are really going in and Plane Jane and myself are in the works with some collaborations as well. For now tune in at 11 and check her blog. I recently did a photo shoot with her out in Richmond California and I wanted to finally share a few of the photos with you.