Untitled Issue Vol 5 Issue 2 Words Beats & Life Journal

POETRY BY Kevin Coval | Thomas Sayers Ellis | Jade Foster | Tony Medina | Joseph Ross

COKE RAP AND NIHILISM | GENTRIFICATION AND HIP-HOP IN DC CULTURE AND MYTH IN LATIN HIP-HOP | RAP MUSIC IN KAZAKHSTAN

12

Letter From The Editor

14

The Ellis Report: The Man Behind

“This Ain’t Hip-Hop”

84

Featured Artist: Jake Green

90

Art Under Pressure: Puttin’ In

By Jade Foster

The Eyedea

By Sage Francis

21

83

Coke Rap & Nihilism: An Exploration

By Christine Larabie

39

“The Helicopter”

43

“From The Curb To The ’Burbs”:

By Thomas Sayers Ellis

Gentrification & Washington, DC Hip-Hop

Work - Searching To Find Public Name Writing’s Lost Working Class Roots

By Cory L. Stowers

103 “Graffiti Poem”

By Jade Foster

By Jamie Benson

55

“If Tupac Had Read Ethridge Knight’s For Black Poets Who Think Of Suicide”

104

Ver Y Ser Visto: To See And Be

118

Bum Rush The Boards:

By Kevin Coval

56

“Cool Disco Dan1” “Cool Disco Dan 3”

Seen: The Function Of Culture And Myth In Latin Hip-Hop

By Theodore Ransaw

Redirection

By Lester Wallace

By Joseph Ross

58

Let’s Get Free: A Hip-Hop

120 Real Enough?:

Methodological Authenticity

Theory of Justice

Throughout Michael Eric Dyson’s Hip-Hop Corpus

By Paul Butler Review By Brandon Q. White

63

By Dr. Tommy J. Curry

Donald Goines: Coming of Age In 1960s Street Literature

By Melissa Castillo-Garsow

130

Featured Poet: “Hip-Hop Hurts Sometimes” & “Things To Blame Hip-Hop For”

By Tony Medina

72

Bling/блинг: : Ethnicity, National Identity And Listening To Rap Music In Kazakhstan

By Angelita D. Reyes

134

Interview with Miguel Atwood Ferguson

By Jef Tate

STAFF Founder/Executive Director Mazi Mutafa Editor-in-Chief Jef Tate Managing Editor Simone Jacobson Layout Cory L. Stowers Mia D. DuVall Arts & Culture Editor Nick Schonberger

PEER REVIEWERS Jared A. Ball - Morgan State University Chris Brown - University of New Mexico Antonio Cuyler - State University of New York (SUNY), Purchase College Thomas Sayers Ellis - Sarah Lawrence College Murray Forman - Northeastern University Kyra Gaunt - Baruch College Scott Heath - Georgetown University Akil Houston - Ohio University Gaye Theresa Johnson - University of California, Santa Barbara Michael Ralph - New York University Mary Sies - University of Maryland, College Park Katina Stapleton - Independent Scholar Nancy L. Struna - University of Maryland, College Park Bryon Turman - North Carolina A&T State University Psyche A. Williams-Forson - University of Maryland, College Park

Book Review Editor Daw-Nay Evans Literary Editor Fred L. Joiner Editorial Staff Jamie Benson Marilyn Alexis Braxton Alexander Haddad Renina Jarmon Nate Mathews Akoto Ofori-Atta Ashton Wingate Karlena Walker Copy Editor Eric Berlin Contributing Photographers Marlene Hawthrone Thomas Rich Hama Azul Amaral Graphic Designers Katrina Paz-Stowers Mia D. DuVall

PUBLISHING Words Beats & Life, Inc. 1525 Newton St. NW Washington, DC 20010

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mr. Mark Lawrence Ms. Autumn Saxton-Ross, PhD. Mr. Zack Pryor Ms. Esther Coleman, Esq. Ms. Tiffany P. Townsend, MA. Ms. Tiffany Branch Mr. Lawrence V. Cosby, Esq. Ms. Shalonda Lincoln Ms. Nia Hightower Ms. Toby Jenkins, PhD. Mr. Ronald Rose Mr. Mr. Bill Vaughn

CHAMPIONS OF WBL, INC. Busboys and Poets The Prince Charitable Trusts The Jacob and Charlotte Lehrman Foundation The Historical Society of Washington, D.C. Executive Office of the Mayor, District of Columbia The Lois and Richard England Family Foundation The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation The Global Fund for Children The Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation The New York Avenue Foundation The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities The Center for Neighborhood Enterprise The Office of the City Administrator, District of Columbia Catalog for Philanthropy: Greater Washington Nathan Cummings

SUBSCRIBE You can subscribe online at www.wblinc.org or become a journal “Friend” for just $50 per year! Friends of Words. Beats. Life. receive a one-year subscription and recognition in our “Friends” section. To become a journal friend today, please call (202) 667-1192 or e-mail Executive Director, Mazi Mutafa: mazi@wblinc.org

ATTENTION, LIBRARIANS! Words. Beats. Life. is available online via EBSCO Humanities International Complete database. Please contact your local EBSCO representative for further information about purchasing the journal.

S/O TO THE UNIVERSITIES USING THE WBL JOURNAL IN THIER CLASSROOMS! American University Bryant University Morgan State University The University of Michigan The University of Maryland Ohio State University

Occidental College The University of Oregon Penn State University Temple University, Japan Syracuse University Virginia Tech University

ABOUT THE ARTISTS Cool Disco Dan is a Washington, DC native and go-go graffiti legend. He is subject of the documentary film The Legend of Cool “Disco” Dan, a collaborative project between urban culture expert Roger Gastman and music video director Joseph Pattisall.

Jake Green

is a portrait photographer living and working in East London. Jake Green is co-founder of a photographic collective based at Response Studios. His work with Big Smoke Magazine in the early 2000s established Green as a regular face amongst the close knit UK hip-hop fraternity. Green now serves as Creative Director of MVP: Ultimate Basketball, a magazine he co-founded, and is researching a documentary piece on the Jamaican Dancehall Queen Competition.

Jati Lindsay is a regular contributor to Words. Beats. Life. His work can be found online at jatilindsay.net

ABOUT THE POETS Kevin Coval

is the author of Slingshots: A Hip-Hop Poetica, Everyday People, and the forthcoming L-vis Lives! (Haymarket Books, Fall 2011). Coval is the co-founder and artistic director of Louder Than A Bomb: The Chicago Youth Poetry Festival and also recently founded New School Poetics, a small press and online resource that publishes works from the cutting edge of new American letters. Coval lives and teaches in Chicago.

Thomas Sayers Ellis is the the author of Skin, Inc. (2010),The Maverick Room (2005) and is currently working on a book of photography, The Go-Go Book: People in the Pocket in Washington, D.C. His poems and photographs have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including Wax Poetics and Callaloo. Ellis’ photos also accompany the article, “From the Curb to the ’Burbs,” in this issue. He lives in Brooklyn.

Jade Foster is an enigmatic 20-something who is a DC-born creative phenom. Her work has been featured in various poetry anthologies.

Joseph Ross is a Washington, DC-based poet whose poems have been published in

many anthologies and journals including Poet Lore, Beltway Poetry Quarterly, and Sojourners.

He currently teaches in the College Writing Program at American University and blogs

www.muralsdcproject.com Mural Sites have been selected in collaboration with the Department of Public Works’ (DPW) assessment of areas with high incidents of illegal graffiti. Each mural reflects the character, culture and history of the neighborhoods in the District.

NOTES FOR CONTRIBUTORS Words. Beats. Life: The Global Journal of Hip-Hop Culture is a peer-reviewed, hybrid periodical of art and hip-hop studies published by the 501(c)(3) non-profit, Words Beats & Life, Inc. The journal is committed to nurturing and showcasing the creative talents and expertise of the field in a layout that is uniquely hip-hop inspired. We publish issues twice a year with the intention of serving as a platform where the work of scholars and artists can appear in dialogue with one another. Since 2002, Words. Beats. Life has devoted its pages to both emerging and established intellectuals and artists. As the premier resource for hiphop theory and practice, we hope that the scholarship we publish will serve as a resource for the field of hip-hop studies and the work of hip-hop nonprofits, helping each to elevate to the next phase of their respective growth in America and around the globe.

CONTRIBUTIONS Submissions to Words. Beats. Life will be forwarded to a member of the editorial board or other reviewer for comment. Manuscripts must not be previously published, nor should they be submitted for publication elsewhere while being reviewed by Words. Beats. Life. It is requested that the author confirm this fact in writing when transmitting the manuscript for publication consideration.

Submissions are considered by specialist reviewers familiar with the specific topic of the work and the field of hip-hop studies. Preference will be given to pieces that are challenging, original, as well as clearly and persuasively written. Anonymity is accorded to both authors and reviewers.

Length Scholarly research papers Critical essays Scholarly reviews Editorials Prose

3,000 to 5,000 words (max., incl. endnotes and ref. list) 1,500 words (maximum) 2,000 words (albums, films, etc.)

1,500 words (maximum) 3,500 words (maximum; memoirs, narratives, fiction, etc.)

Poetry Artwork Interviews

6 poems, author bio and photo 7-10 pieces, artist bio and photo (.pdf, .jpg, .tiff 1,500 words (maximum)

BOOK REVIEWS Unsolicited book reviews are not accepted. Please contact the book review editor, Daw-Nay Evans, at daw-nay@wblinc.org to find out about the review process and to inquire about books available for review.

Authors wishing to submit manuscripts below or exceeding these guidelines must consult with the editor-in-chief prior to submitting work.

E-mails should be sent to submissions@wblinc.org

AUTHOR’S NOTE A brief note on the author(s) is required, including name, title, institutional affiliation and contact information (preferably an e-mail address).

The preferred mode of submission is by email attachment to: submissions@wblinc. org

STYLE/FORMAT Manuscripts for scholarly research papers should be typed and double spaced with at least one-inch margins. They should be prepared for anonymous reviewing, with any selfidentifying references removed. If a cover sheet including identifying information is sent, this must be a separate document/file.

For documentation, punctuation, capitalization and other style formatting, Words. Beats.

Life follows the APA style guide. This style calls for a References section, with parenthetical in-text citations of author/year of publication/page.

Authors must check, correct and bring manuscripts up to date before final submission.

Authors should verify facts, names of people, places and dates, and double-check all direct quotations and entries in the References list.

NOTES Notes will appear as endnotes at the end of scholarly articles, but the numerical sequence runs throughout the article. These should be kept to a minimum (not normally more than twelve) and be identified by a superscript numeral. Please avoid using automatic footnote/ endnote functions; simply append the endnotes to the end of the article.

ILLUSTRATIONS/PHOTOGRAPHS/GRAPHICS Illustrations, photographs and other graphics can be included with an indication of placement in the text. Authors are responsible for obtaining permissions for all copyrighted materials. Sources must be indicated. All illustrations, etc. should be accompanied by a caption and an acknowledgement to the copyright holder.

Any illustrations, etc. submitted electronically should be at least 300 dpi (600 dpi is preferred) in .jpg or .tiff format.

Submission Format The preferred format for electronic submissions is Microsoft Word (.doc). Please include your full name, any affiliation, and the title of your paper in the body of the email.

NOTES FOR CONTRIBUTORS (CONTINUED} Contributions may also be submitted in hard copy to the address below. In this case, three copies should be submitted; papers will not be returned. Authors should note that hard-copy submissions will typically spend longer in review. If a hard copy submission is accepted for publication, the author will be required to prepare an electronic version using Words. Beats. Life format and style and submit it by e-mail.

Words Beats & Life, Inc. Attn: Journal Staff 1525 Newton Street NW Receipt of manuscripts will be acknowledged promptly by e-mail. Authors will be notified of acceptance or rejection in a timely fashion. Please note that the review process can take up to six months.

DISCUSSIONS Brief comments on work published in Words. Beats. Life are welcome. In the case of acceptance, the original author will be invited to make a very brief reply, and normally the exchange will be closed at that point. acceptance, the original author will be invited to make a very brief reply, and normally the exchange will be closed at that point.

Inquiries For all queries concerning possible submissions, interview ideas, etc., please e-mail submissions@wblinc.org.

For visual artists, graphic designers and illustrators interested in collaborating on future issues, please contact our Arts & Culture Editor, Nick Schonberger, at nick@wblinc.org.

DISCLAIMER Contributors to Words. Beats. Life: The Global Journal of Hip-Hop Culture express their own opinions, which should not be interpreted as the official views of any organization with which they are affiliated. The views expressed in the journal do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Words Beats & Life, Inc. With exception of fair use, no part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means either wholly or in part without prior written permission of Words Beats & Life, Inc. If you intend to use this publication for educational purposes, please contact us. Manuscripts, artwork and photographs can be accepted only with the understanding that neither the organization nor its agency accept liability for loss or damage.

For detailed information, terms and conditions, quotations and international inquiries, please e-mail submissions@wblinc.org or call (202) 667-1192.

BACK ISSUES AVAILABLE

The Global

Journal of

Hip-Hop Culture

The Sex Issue: Deeper Than Misogyny

1

IT AIN’T MY FAULT: BLAME IT ON HIP-HOP THE SEX ISSUE

www.wblinc.org

Back orders are available online via EBSCO Humanities International Complete database. Please contact your local EBSCO representative for further information about purchasing backorders of the journal.

Subscriptions and Back Issues For questions about subscriptions and back issues, please contact Mazi Mutafa at: mazi@wblinc.org (202) 667-1192

G

ood day, passengers! My name is Jef Tate and I will be your captain on today’s journey. This will be WBL’s first trip without a stated destination. As you may already know, hip-hop culture has been acquiring passport stamps since Afrika Bambaataa n’em began matriculating the five elements around the globe in the early ’80s. Since then, hip-hop has made a name for itself in out-of-the-way lands like Kazakhstan; Angelita D. Reyes will show us how hip-hop is adjusting in such less familiar environments. A little closer to home, Christine Larabie examines the self-destructive overtones in the lyrics of coke rap auteurs like Norfolk’s own, brothers Thornton, Malice and Pusha T. At the intersection of go-go and hiphop in the DMV (DC-MD-VA), Jamie Benson investigates the important role that gentrification plays in hip-hop’s diminishing land holdings in the U.S. capital.

When we touch down in the District, we will be joined on board by Joseph Ross and Thomas Sayers Ellis to honor and livicate Cool Disco Dan, and to memorialize the legacy of Lil’ Benny.

Once we reach cruising altitude, I will turn off the “fasten seatbelt” sign as we travel across the pond to visit featured artiste Jake Green’s photography studio. Look out the window and take in the sights of Green’s acclaimed portraiture of U.K. grime artistes. Our next stop on the tour de force is the American West Coast, where we’ll check in with Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, who will discuss his involvement with the timeless “Suite for Ma Dukes.” Also charting new territory is Theodore Ransaw, breaking down the use of Chicano culture and mythology in Latin hip-hop.

Before our final touchdown in Washington, DC, we’ll have a quick layover in the Midwest, where Sage Francis shares a heartfelt eulogy for Eyedea. For final fuel up, we’ll fly through Detroit’s Metropolitan Wayne County Airport with Melissa Castillo-Garsow as our guide, riffing on coming-of-age themes in the literary works of Donald Goines.

Then, we will make our final descent into Washington National Airport. We ask that you please remain seated as we taxi to the gate. Thank you for flying Words.

Beats. Life. Enjoy the rest of your evening.

Peace.

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WORDS BEATS & LIFE

SUPPORT WBL IN THE COMBINED FEDERAL GIVINGCAMPAIGN (CFC) IN THE NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION.

# 59522 EVERYONE WHO BECOMES A CFC CONTRIBUTOR WILL RECEIVE AN

“I

WBL” T-SHIRT

THE ELLIS REPORT

THE MAN BEHIND THE EYEDEA: A TRIBUTE TO MICHEAL LARSEN 1981-2010

By Sage Francis

Photo by Jules Ameel / Courtesy of Rhymesayers

L

ast night I dreamt I was sitting with Mikey on a public park bench somewhere. I interrupted him as he was talking to me and said, “You know … people think you’re dead.” A flood of sorrow overtook me.

I broke down into tears and said, “I thought you were dead.” I patted him on the back to make sure he was really there. He grinned mischievously, but there was also a look of shame–as if to admit that he felt bad for pulling this horrible prank on everybody.

He stood up, stepped into a bear costume and then pressed play on a boombox set to slow-motion so it sounded like a bear growl. When I awoke, it took a good 30 seconds before I realized that my sense of relief was a hoax of my mind’s own doing. This is the fourth day in a row that I’ve had to remind 14

WORDS BEATS & LIFE

COKE RAP AND NIHILISM: AN EXPLORATION

By Christine Larabiee Photo by Jati Lindsay

INTRODUCTION

F

rom the time of its inception in the 1980s, rap music has been a highly controversial aspect of popular culture. Concerns over meaning, behavior, values, censorship, violence, and the question of its influence, particularly on Black male youth, continue to be the source of broader moral panic. The height of this concern was seen in the 1990s through the popularization of gangsta rap, which sought to reflect the violent reality of inner-city life (Johnson, 1993; Watts, 1997).

Gangsta rap was condemned for promoting destructive beliefs and behavior surrounding violence, misogyny, homophobia and drug use. However, rap has since transformed, experiencing a surge in various other styles and trends, both attempting to move beyond the negative preconceptions of gangsta rap, and continuing to engender them. In recent times, rap music has seen the development of a specific sub-genre cenTHE GLOBAL JOURNAL OF HIP-HOP CULTURE

21

THE HELICOPTER

Anthony “Little Benny” Harley September 26, 1963––May 30, 2010 For Kayla, Tiara, Jasmine, Kelita, Brandon, Bryan, Torian & Benny Harley, Jr.

By Thomas Sayers Ellis

Born busy and still busy, the hit and run hovering, a silhouette in the moon’s spotlight.

One, two, three shows a night, fingers pressing and releasing the rooftops of valves.

Take off and land vertically, hover, fly forwards, backwards and laterally.

Like a red and white air ambulance, trumpet––a propeller, spinning. Southeast, next Northwest, weekday gigs split in the private rooms where rotors are kept, Panorama and Maverick.

Once he landed, leg in a cast, outside the historic Howard Theater, lunchin’ hard.

All passengers transported safely, Carter Barron to Club LeBaron, homecoming to stadium, Inter-High proms.

THE GLOBAL JOURNAL OF HIP-HOP CULTURE

39

FROM THE CURB TO THE ’BURBS GENTRIFICATION AND WASHINGTON, DC HIP-HOP

By Jamie Benson

Photo by Thomas Sayers Ellis

S

ince the late 1980s, hip-hop has been a heavily debated genre of music in Washington, DC: fiercely independent, full of resentment and without a distinct sound of its own. The urban genre evolved from go-go, one of DC’s earliest forms of music that emerged in the late 1960s as a product of African rhythms and jazz. Both of the city’s genres have experienced and indirectly reflected on gentrification, a term that has just recently received wider recognition, especially in the hip-hop community. With this form of urban renewal increasingly visible in hip-hop’s original birthplace of New York City, many socially conscious

artists based in other urban centers have begun to critique what they view as a type of urban destruction.

The controversial process of gentrification in Washington’s historically Black and lower-to-middle class neighborhoods, most notably along the U Street Corridor, is reflected in the lyrics, production and sampling of the metro area’s independent hip-hop scene. It has led emcees, producers and promoters to question changing themes in hip-hop in relation to the shifting landscape of their city, such as authenticity and space. While independent DC hip-hop artists have

THE GLOBAL JOURNAL OF HIP-HOP CULTURE

43

IF TUPAC HAD READ ETHRIDGE KNIT’S FOR BLACK POETS WHO THINK OF SUICIDE he woulda crossed the Brooklyn bridge, grabbed B.I.G. and squashed beef with the Hebrew Israelites over BBQ tofu and corn bread. he woulda lived. he woulda sought a sit down with Cornel West and Sonia Sanchez, had the Hughes brothers stand up from their beat down and shoot the movie version of Robin Kelly’s Freedom Dreams. he woulda just married Jada. he woulda excised that Bishop in him, and become a trumpet for Black Warriors not a commercial death row sentence for young, black and ghetto, a video game cartoon where the wildest exit quickest. he woulda been poet laureate of Oakland and got around and around to more schools where fifth graders recite his words like Langston and fifteen year old girls recite his words like Church, keepin they head up in front of a mirror that refuse to see them. he woulda pulled suge knight’s card, said no more work selling Black Death no more work with FBI, CIA, No Judas, No Brutus, No Leviathan. he wuz and woulda been the heart of Black Sorrow, he wuz and woulda been the funk lick of Black Lovers, he did and woulda lived, a trumpet, screaming raw horn ghost from the grave of lost records.

THE GLOBAL JOURNAL OF HIP-HOP CULTURE

55

BOOK REVIEW

By Brandon Q. White

L

et’s Get Free traces the personal transformation of Paul Butler, a former prosecutor who uses hip-hop as a canvas to critique America’s obsession with mass incarceration and outline solutions that will make our communities safer. Butler is an African American who was raised on the South Side of Chicago. By any account, Butler is a model of success whose accomplishments (Yale, Harvard Law, clerkship, federal prosecutor) remind you of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. Butler, however, possesses a deep love for hip-hop and justice. In the book, Butler pieces together hip-hop, justice and prison reform in a mosaic that leaves the reader with a broader grasp of urban crime and the promise of implementing common sense solutions.

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WORDS BEATS & LIFE

DONALD GOINES:

Coming Of Age In 1960s’ Street Literature

By Melissa Castillo-Garsow

A

ccording to Greg Goode (1984), one of the few scholars to write on Donald Goines’s prolific body of work since the author’s death in 1974, “There have been imitators, almost all better writers than Goines. But no writer, before or since, can be compared to Goines in the breadth of criminal experiences, and the prolific intensity with which he put his experience to paper” (p. 48). This statement was written in 1984, far before the resurgence of street literature by such authors as Sister Souljah and Terri Woods in the late 1990s, who claim to tell stories of the ghetto. Nevertheless, there is something to be said for the fact that despite the large number of popular authors that came both before and after Goines, Goode set him apart as a crucial figure in defining this popular narrative sub-genre. From Goode’s quote, it is clear that he finds two important and unique characteristics of Goines’s writing: his wide range of experiences and his passion for his subject matter.

This combination of an appeal to biographical authenticity (“the breadth of criminal experiences”) and realism in their depiction (“put[ing] his experience to paper”) is significant not only because Goines resonated and continues to resonate with readers today, but also because he serves as a forerunner to today’s increasingly popular street literature, which also largely relies on an implicit biographical authentication to underpin the presumed validity of their gritty realist fictional style as well as a reflection of similar tropes in hip-hop.

In “Why hip-hop heads love Donald Goines,” Tracy Grant (2001) reflects on this very question, asserting: “Goines’s greatest strength is his authenticity” (p. 53). “Having lived among them and witnessed their lives, he captured every dimension of pimps, dealers, THE GLOBAL JOURNAL OF HIP-HOP CULTURE

63

... the transgressive element in music is its nomadic ability to attach itself to, and become a part of social formations, to vary its articulations and rhetoric depending on the occasion as well as the audience …

- Edward W. Said, Musical Elaborations

By Angelita D. Reyes Translations by Yuliya Khlebnikova Image retrieved from www.12ozprophet.com

I

t was early spring along the steppes of Central Asia. The day had been cold, sunny and the air very fresh. We were in a quaint restaurant on the other side of the world from the United States, in Taldykorgan, Kazakhstan, enjoying both the restaurant’s serene Eurasian décor and the wonderful aromas of the Kazakh/Persian dinner cuisine. Two Kazakhstani women were my official host and translator—the older, olivecomplexioned woman was an ethnic Kazakh with black hair and dark brown eyes; and at thirty-something the younger woman, Amala, was an ethnic Russian with blond hair, blue eyes, and a complexion the paleness of alabaster. As we became comfortable travelling companions, I learned that despite their individual ethnic backgrounds of which they were proud, the two women were also nationalistic in their Kazakhstani identity. With amusement in her nonchalance about telling me that she was Muslim because her parents were Muslim in thinking if not in practice, Amala said that she never went to the mosque or prayed. The older woman, Aleksandra Khanum, said

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WORDS BEATS & LIFE

VER Y SER VISTO: TO SEE AND BE SEEN: THE FUNCTION OF CULTURE AND MYTH IN LATIN HIP-HOP

It’s in our blood to be an Aztec warrior/ Go to any extreme/ And hold no barriers/ Chicano and I’m Brown and proud/ Want this chingaso - verbal beat down? Si mon I said let’s get down

(Kid Frost, 1994, side A)

By Theodore Ransaw Art and Photo by Nino “Tselone” Rodriguez

W

hen I lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I was constantly surrounded by cultural images. I saw them every day on T-shirts, murals, graffiti on walls, tattoos and even Lowriders. However, I never really paid attention to the meaning behind the art until I moved away. The cultural influences of the artwork I took for granted as a youth stayed in the back of my mind waiting to be rediscovered. One day, I had the opportunity to attend a hip-hop concert and Lowrider car show. Every image that I could remember as a child I saw on the covers and hoods of the Lowriders were at that show. Although each image was fresh and new and painted by new artists, it was almost as if I had never left Albuquerque. One image stuck out more than the others, though. It was the image of the Aztec princess.

This study originally began as an investigation into the significance of the recurring image of the Aztec princess I had seen as a boy and later rediscovered in Latin hip-hop graffiti art. The Aztec princess is often depicted not only on buildings and walls, but 102

WORDS BEATS & LIFE

INTERVIEW WITH

MIGUEL ATWOOD FERGUSON

Photo by Rich Hama

By Jef Tate

C

arlos Niño & Lil Sci’s Elevation LP (2008) was the the first place I remember seeing Miguel Atwood-Ferguson’s name. Two years later, his name popped up again when a close friend and fellow DJ slid me a promo copy of the TIMELESS trilogy. I was blown away; at two particular moments, I realized a bit of dust was in my eye. The scowl on his face and the bravado in his conducting Suite for Ma Dukes was so representative of hip-hop I wanted to know his back story. After further tracking his discography, I finally caught up with Miguel in a rare interview where he revealed his late discovery of hip-hop, the unexpected collaborators on his bucket list and why you sing it before you write it.

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WORDS BEATS & LIFE

Words Beats & Life, Inc. (WBL) transforms individual lives and whole communities through Hip-Hop Words Beats & Life, Inc. (WBL) began as a five-day hiphop conference at the University of Maryland, College Park in 2000. The conference chair and Black Student Union President, Mr. Mazi Mutafa, went on to become the founding Executive Director of Words Beats & Life.

WBL becama 501 (c)3 non-profit organization in 2002 by four University of Maryland alumni. Incorporated in 2003, WBL has developed a multi-pronged approach to community transformation that involves teaching, convening, and presenting the core elements of hiphop culture. WBL also exists to motivate DC youth to pursue a post-secondary education. We nourish and support youth by providing them with hip-hop based extracurricular activities through which they hone their artistic and academic talents, and by fostering a national community of hip-hop advocates dedicated to their success as adults.

Words Beats & Life, Inc. (WBL) transforms individual lives and whole communities through the training in and presentation of the elements of hip-hop culture. The WBL staff develops curriculum, projects, and programs to break the cycle of poverty and hopelessness for DC youth, parents, and area hip-hop artists. With our office located in Washington, D.C., our service to the internationalhip-hop community of youth, families, organizations, scholars, educators, artists and activists is fueled by four core values: • EDUCATION: We believe hip-hop is a valuable teaching tool that engages youth and adults intellectually, creatively and kinesthetically.

• OPPORTUNITY: We believe hip-hop culture consists of a set of elements (skills) and experiences that allow its practitioners to transform their personal interests into marketable skills.

• OWNERSHIP: We believe hip-hop artists, scholars, and communities should be the primary owners of the cultural artifacts they create.

• CREATIVITY: We believe hip-hop is a set of forms (elements) that allow harmonious and divergent voices, beliefs, and experiences to be seen, heard, engaged, and valued.

OUR PROGRAMS As an organization, WBL is divided into two main program areas. The first is the DC Urban Arts Academy. This is our after school program for youth ages 5-23, which runs Monday-Friday from 4-9 p.m. Our second program area is The Cipher.

The Cipher builds the capacity of artists, scholars, and organizations using promising practices in five key areas; content development, fundraising & funds management, outcomes measurement, collaboration and innovation by making these topics the foundation of any teach-in agenda, workshop or journal article.

The DC Urban Arts Academy The DC Urban Arts Academy offers FREE classes, to young people ages 5-23 who are interested in learning DJing, beat production, b-boying, emceeing, graffiti, photography, spoken word, and chess from across the Washington DC Metropolitan area. The goal of the Academy is to promote the mastery of a skill, employability, and the pursuit of a post-secondary education by helping students make the connections between art and potential career/education routes that are associated with hip-hop.

The Cipher The staff of the Cipher builds the capacity and measures the impact of organizations, institutions and individuals who use hip-hop as a tool for social change. The Cipher is a one of a kind resource to hip-hop non-profit organizations, artists, activists, educators,practitioners and scholars around the globe. The Cipher develops research-based resources, and convenes scholars, artists, hip-hop educators, foundations, corporations and non-profit leaders to establish promising practices for this field. The members of the Cipher act as advocates on behalf of the field with members of the government, and foundation and corporate communities.

MuralsDC MuralsDC is a partnership between the District’s Department of Public Works and the DC Commission on the Arts and the Humanities. It was created in 2007 to help replace illegal graffiti with artistic works, to revitalize sites within the community and to teach young people the art of aerosol painting.

The goal of this initiative is to positively impact the District’s youth by providing them all the resources they need to engage in this project. Words Beats & Life offers them instruction in proper technique and the supplies that they need to navigate spaces for them to legally practice and perform their developing skills. The MuralsDC project promotes respect for public and private property as well as community awareness for the young people we work with.

INVEST IN OUR WORK Volunteer We have six kinds of volunteers; signature event volunteers, college material coaches, study hall coaches, interns, WBL journal staff & peer review board members and WBL Board of Directors.

For more information about volunteering with us, please contact: volunteer@wblinc.org

Donate Show your love because this investment will allow us to be the difference in the lives of 200 DC youth who need the guidance of a supportive mentor, and the artistic instruction from a master level artist. Your donation makes it possible.

WBL accepts donations by check, made out to Words Beats & Life, by credit card via networkforgood.org and via cash at special events or in-person at our office.

Mailed or delivered donations should be sent or taken to:

Words Beats and Life 1525 Newton St NW Washington DC 20010 (The St. Stephens Church) 202-667-1192

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WORDS BEATS & LIFE