Breakdown FM w/ Davey D

Breakdown FM: Arab Hip Hop in Full effect-The Nakba pt1

Thu, 15 May 2008 20:10:01 GMT

So this year Isreal celebrated its 60th anniversary and many western world leaders including our tyrannical president George Bush went over to the middle east to celebrate. While all the hoopla and bells and whistles are going off, there’s another side to the story.

This past weekend Palestinians from all over the world look at this time not as a celebration, but as a time to acknowledge when their land was taken away and destroyed-The Nakba

In San Francisco Arab Hip Hop artists from all over the country gathered at Civic Center plaza to let their voices be heard. They used music as way to bring people together communicate their anger and frustrations. The day long festival was a one of a kind event and we captured many of the moments.

In the first of this multipart interview you will hear from well known producer Fredwreck who in addition to producing tracks for Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube and many others, now hosts a Arab Hip Hop Show for MTV out in Dubai.

We also hear from bay Area artists Patriarch and the P-Stine Ryders.

We also share with you some of the performances and sounds from the stage.. So kick back and enjoy.

To understand better about the Nakba we have included this article. There are two sides to every story-This is the otherside.

Forget the two-state solution Saree Makdisi, The Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2008

Two peoples, one ruler: a Palestinian woman walks past an Israeli tank, Gaza Strip, July 2007. (Wissam Nassar/MaanImages)

There is no longer a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Forget the endless arguments about who offered what and who spurned whom and whether the Oslo peace process died when Yasser Arafat walked away from the bargaining table or whether it was Ariel Sharon’s stroll through the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem that did it in.

All that matters are the facts on the ground, of which the most important is that ~~- after four decades of intensive Jewish settlement in the Palestinian territories it occupied during the 1967 war -~~ Israel has irreversibly cemented its grip on the land on which a Palestinian state might have been created.

Sixty years after Israel was created and Palestine was destroyed, then, we are back to where we started: two populations inhabiting one piece of land. And if the land cannot be divided, it must be shared. Equally.

This is a position, I realize, which may take many Americans by surprise. After years of pursuing a two-state solution, and feeling perhaps that the conflict had nearly been solved, it’s hard to give up the idea as unworkable.

But unworkable it is. A report published last summer by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs found that almost 40 percent of the West Bank is now taken up by Israeli infrastructure ~~- roads, settlements, military bases and so on -~~ largely off-limits to Palestinians. Israel has methodically broken the remainder of the territory into dozens of enclaves separated from each other and the outside world by zones that it alone controls (including, at last count, 612 checkpoints and roadblocks).

Moreover, according to the report, the Jewish settler population in the occupied territories, already approaching half a million, not only continues to grow but is growing at a rate three times greater than the rate of Israel’s population increase. If the current rate continues, the settler population will double to almost one million people in just 12 years. Many are heavily armed and ideologically driven, unlikely to walk away voluntarily from the land they have declared to be their God-given home.

These facts alone render the status of the peace process academic.

At no time since the negotiations began in the early 1990s has Israel significantly suspended the settlement process in the occupied Palestinian territories, in stark violation of international law. It preceded last November’s Annapolis summit by announcing the fresh expropriation of Palestinian property in the West Bank; it followed the summit by announcing the expansion of its Har Homa settlement by an additional 307 housing units; and it has announced plans for hundreds more in other settlements since then.

The Israelis are not settling the occupied territories because they lack space in Israel itself. They are settling the land because of a long-standing belief that Jews are entitled to it simply by virtue of being Jewish. “The land of Israel belongs to the nation of Israel and only to the nation of Israel,” declares Moledet, one of the parties in the National Union bloc, which has a significant presence in the Israeli parliament.

Moledet’s position is not as far removed from that of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as some Israelis claim. Although Olmert says he believes in theory that Israel should give up those parts of the West Bank and Gaza densely inhabited by Palestinians, he also said in 2006 that “every hill in Samaria and every valley in Judea is part of our historic homeland” and that “we firmly stand by the historic right of the people of Israel to the entire land of Israel.”

Judea and Samaria: these ancient biblical terms are still used by Israeli officials to refer to the West Bank. More than 10 years after the initiation of the Oslo peace process, which was supposed to lead to a two-state solution, maps in Israeli textbooks continued to show not the West Bank but Judea and Samaria—and not as occupied territories but as integral parts of Israel.

What room is there for the Palestinians in this vision of Jewish entitlement to the land? None. They are regarded, at best, as a demographic “problem.”

The idea of Palestinians as a “problem” is hardly new. Israel was created as a Jewish state in 1948 only by the premeditated and forcible removal of as much of the indigenous Palestinian population as possible, in what Palestinians call the Nakba, or catastrophe, which they commemorate this week.

A Jewish state, says Israeli historian Benny Morris, “would not have come into being without the uprooting of 700,000 Palestinians. ... There was no choice but to expel that population.” For Morris, this was one of those “circumstances in history that justify ethnic cleansing.”

Thinking of Palestinians as a “problem” to be removed predates 1948. It was there from the moment the Zionist movement set into motion the project to make a Jewish state in a land that, in 1917 ~~- when the British empire officially endorsed Zionism -~~ had an overwhelmingly non-Jewish population. The only Jewish member of the British government at the time, Edwin Montagu, vehemently opposed the Zionist project as unjust. Henry King and Charles Crane, dispatched on a fact-finding mission to Palestine by President Wilson, concurred: Such a project would require enormous violence, they warned: “Decisions, requiring armies to carry out, are sometimes necessary, but they are surely not gratuitously to be taken in the interests of a serious injustice.”

But they were. This is a conflict driven from its origins by Zionism’s exclusive sense of entitlement to the land. Has there been Palestinian violence as well? Yes. Is it always justified? No. But what would you do if someone told you that there was no room for you on your own land, that your very existence is a “problem”? No people in history has ever gone away just because another people wanted them to, and the sentiments of Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull live on among Palestinians to this day.

The violence will end, and a just peace will come, only when each side realizes that the other is there to stay. Many Palestinians have accepted this premise, and an increasing number are willing to give up on the idea of an independent Palestinian state and embrace instead the concept of a single democratic, secular and multicultural state, which they would share equally with Israeli Jews.

Most Israelis are not yet reconciled this position. Some, no doubt, are reluctant to give up on the idea of a “Jewish state,” to acknowledge the reality that Israel has never been exclusively Jewish, and that, from the start, the idea of privileging members of one group over all other citizens has been fundamentally undemocratic and unfair.

Yet that is exactly what Israel does. Even among its citizens, Israeli law grants rights to Jews that it denies to non-Jews. By no stretch of the imagination is Israel a genuine democracy: It is an ethno-religiously exclusive state that has tried to defy the multicultural history of the land on which it was founded.

To resolve the conflict with the Palestinians, Israeli Jews will have to relinquish their exclusive privileges and acknowledge the right of return of Palestinians expelled from their homes. What they would get in return is the ability to live securely and to prosper with ~~- rather than continuing to battle against -~~ the Palestinians.

They may not have a choice. As Olmert himself warned recently, more Palestinians are shifting their struggle from one for an independent state to a South African-style struggle that demands equal rights for all citizens, irrespective of religion, in a single state. “That is, of course,” he noted, “a much cleaner struggle, a much more popular struggle—and ultimately a much more powerful one.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Saree Makdisi is a professor of English and comparative literature at UCLA and the author of Palestine Inside Out: An Everyday Occupation, out this month from W.W. Norton. This essay was originally published by The Los Angeles Times and is republished with the author’s permission.

BDFM-Song of the Day-May 15th-Immortal Technique-Payback

Thu, 15 May 2008 13:21:42 GMT

Immortal Technique has finally delivered the first singles from his long awaited album ‘The Third World’. Tech has been talking about this project for a couple of years now and upon listening-it was well worth the wait. This particular track features Diabolic and Ras Kass who laydown the types of scenarios that would suffice as proper payback for all the drama those who run this country have caused oppressed and marginalized peoples.

Ras Kass verse is ill and Tech brings it home by talking about how he would raft the sons and daughters of congressmen for the War in Iraq and why it would be a good idea if our current President do us all a favor and kill himself…

Check out the cut and let us know what you think…

Breakdown FM: NY Oil Speaks pt 2

Tue, 13 May 2008 19:04:11 GMT

We continue our interview with New York based rapper NY Oil. Here NY talks about Hip Hop activists and the relationships they have with artists. He feels there are some critical steps that need to be taken to strengthen the bond including how we mutually support one another.

He noted that it gets frustrating to see activist groups and organizations breaking their necks to chase down Hip Hop artists who aren’t really down for the cause. They kick a line or two in a song which sounds nice, but they ultimately offers little or no substance in terms of their actions. He encourages activists to build strong alliances with the artists who have demonstrated through their actions that they are down for the cause.

NY Oil also talked about the role each of us can play in the liberation struggle. He feels that everyone in the community is important and each of us can do good by playing their respective positions to the fullest.

He noted that a father who takes his kid and his kids friends to a baseball game while sharing knowledge, wisdom and understanding is just as important as the leader who organizes a mnarch or gives a rousing speech

NY Oil took time to clarify his position on Nas and his new album ‘Nigger’. recently NY Oil wrote a blog that expressed his concern about the use of this word for an album title and the types of problems it causes average ordinary folks who are fighting the good fight yet don’t have the celebrity, money and social insulation of a superstar like Nas. he feels Nas is being irresponsible and causes problems that he’s not ready to clean up.

Finally NY Oil shares his vision for the future. he says he wants to bring about a wolrd that is better then the one he is experiencing for his kids.

Breakdown FM: NY Oil Speaks-Sean Bell Ain't a Nigga & Neither Are You

Mon, 12 May 2008 16:23:14 GMT

NY Oil Speaks: Sean Bell Ain’t No Nigger & Neither Our You pt 1 By Davey D

Controversial rapper NY Oil comes at us hard with a two part interview that focuses on the aftermath of the Sean Bell verdict and Hip Hop’s collective lack of reaction to it.

He addresses a number of important issues including how the soul of NY has been broken and that a lot has been lost especially among Black people. He says many of us have lost our dignity. He noted that New York City in its war on terrorism post 9-11 has become a serious police state that has been pretty much accepted by all who live there. The daily routine for the average New Yorker now includes seeing police patrolling the streets and subways with military style weapons and performing random searches on any and everybody. He says people have been trained to conform and submit.

NY Oil went on to talk about the mentality of the average New York cop who he feels has been given too much leeway with little oversight. NY Oil’s mom was one of the first Black police sergents on the force so he clearly understands what’s going on, both from personal experience and from his mom. He notes that some of the most wicked people are on the force.

NY Oil goes into great detail explaining why we have not seen a huge amount of reaction from the Hip Hop community. He says a lot of mainstream artists are frauds who have perfected the skill of acting and now that they are needed to step up and be seen and heard, they gone to embracing a self serving attitude where making money is the end game.

NY Oil says that fans and the community have got to ideally start empowering artists who are really down for the community. You can’t keep chasing 50 Cent and expect him to come back and be a leader if that’s not what he’s about. He says that people would do better to align themselves with community minded artists like Immortal Technique, Mos Def,Rebel Diaz, Wise Intelligent and so many others.

Lastly in this portion of the interview NY Oil gets deep as he talks about the value of self image. He talks about how the police are often portrayed as opposed to us within Hip Hop. He pointed out how the police no matter what they do are seen as heroes while we in Hip Hop insist on seeing ourselves as ‘niggers’. He notes that heroes die a dignified death that results in our collective outpouring of support while Sean bell is simply a ‘nigger who got shot 50 times’. He noted that in many people’s minds, ‘niggers always get shot and sadly too many of believe its something we deserve to have happen to us. The biggest irony is that so called niggers seem to always reach out to help heroes as was the case post 9-11 where so many within Hip Hop stepped up and rallied in defense of the cops killed in the twin towers. In the aftermath of Sean bell Jay-Z was the only mainstream artists who we’ve seen step up and offer concrete help for the Bell family.

In part 2 of our interview we talk about the relatioship between conscious Hip Hop artists and activists and what can be done to tighten our bond. We talk about the types of steps conscious Hip Hop artists need to take to become more appealing. We also address the concerns that NY Oil has with Nas and his new song and album titled ‘Nigger’.

Peep the NY Oil Interview Here;

http://odeo.com/audio/19186933/view

Breakdown FM: Immortal technique Interview pt2

Mon, 05 May 2008 10:20:11 GMT

Obama Drama, Sean Bell & the Latino Vote

This is pt2 of our interview with Immortal Technique. Here he starts off by talking about his goals with his newly launched ‘Police State Chronicles’ project. This is the endeavor Technique has which involves him collecting stories of police abuse which he hopes to deliver to the United Nations. Drop him an email at policestatechronicles@yahoo. comfor more information.

Next, Immortal gives a serious run down on the recent drama surrounding Presidential hopeful Barack Obama. He talks about the importance of Obama’s formner pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright speaking his truth about America’s oppression and how historically America has crushed perspectives like his by labeling them anti-American, pro-communist or ridiculous.

Immortal talks about the corner Obama has been backed into and lays out why he thinks Hillary Clinton and the Republicans have worked together behind the scenes to try and cripple and ultimately take away Obama’s presidential bid.

Immortal concludes this interview by talking frankly about the Latino vote and the role it will play in the 2008 elections. He talks about the meetings Republican candidate John McCain has had with California governor Arnold Scwartznegger and how that may possibly lead to McCain obtaining a sizeable portion of the Latino vote. He noted that slowly but surely McCain has been making moves behind the scenes and Obama will have to do a lot more than have New Mexico governor Bill Richardson at his side to attract those voters.

Breakdown FM Immortal Technique-Sean Bell & Police Terrorism

Thu, 01 May 2008 15:13:17 GMT

We caught up with Immortal Technique who gave us an incredible 2 part interview. The first focuses on the recent Sean Bell verdict and New York’s lack of reaction. He breaks things down and talks about how and why the big apple has become a police state.

Immortal makes the connection to what has been happening with out of control police here in NY and the growing facism throughout the rest of the world-in particular Latin America.

Immortal also talked about his new project called the Police Abuse Chronicles. He is currently collecting first hand accounts of police abuse and plans to bring them before the United Nations. He is hoping to hold some sort of Tribunal.

We end the first part of the interview on that note. Part 2 will deal with Brack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Jeremiah WSright and the election

Breakdown FM: Dead Prez & Other Freedom Fighters React to Sean Bell Verdict

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:02:46 GMT

We caught up with dead prez two days after the horrific Sean Bell verdict which acquitted the police officers who shot him r5o times. The group had just given a rousing performance in Amhearst, Mass.

Also with DP was activist Rosa Clemente, Hip Hop Pioneer Popmaster Fabel and former Presidential candidate Jared Ball. All of them offered up keen insight and overstanding to the Sean Bell situation and police terrorism..

Rakaa Speaks on The Election, Black-Brown Tensions & Racial Diviersity

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 01:27:18 GMT

We caught up with Rakaa Iriscience of Dilated Peoples at the recently held Hip Hop and Chess Tournament here in the Bay Area.

I love catching up with dude because he always has some keen socila and political insight to offer. Before 9-11 Dilated had released a song called War. The one minute and half song summed was prophetic as it seemed to suggest a direction that we as a country was headed. At the time I asked Rakaa why they did that song and he stated that when you start traveling the world, you become intuned to the people. He said you could sense something was going to happen.

When I asked Rakaa what he was tuned into this time around, he somberly said the World is Big Business and that it was evident by so many of us are no longer valueing life.

He then went on to break things down about the upcoming presidential election. He noted that it was good that so many people are excited and are actually coming out and being a part of the process. He said it does no good to be sitting on the sidelines complaining. While he recognized the historical significance of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton possibly being the next president, he cautioned that righteousness and wickedness doesn’t have a color. He went on to add that we should not put all our hopes in one man or woman, but instead participate by really knowing who they are and what they’re about.

We rounded out our meeting by tackling the sticky subject of race. We started out by talking about the Black-Brown tensions in Los Angeles. Dilated Peoples had done a song on this topic long ago when things were first starting to surface. In that song ‘Big Business’ Rakaa raps about how much of the Black-Brown conflict is a spill over from prison life. He went on to note that there’s a difference between beefs that happen in all urban environments versus outright racial conflict. He said many of the fights going on between Black and Brown in LA are people just fighting. He said the consistent mainstream media hype has downplayed actual racial beefs and blurred them with things that have nothing to do with race. He said at the root of all this is two groups of people fighting for crumbs cast off the table and not focusing on the feast sitting above them. He said we all need to be concentrating on having a real seat at the table.

We then went on to talk about race in general and the success Barack Obama has had in winning over white voters in places that many would least expect. What came out of that conversation was a breakdown of how for the past 10 years groups like Dilated along with numerous others ranging from Living Legends to Jurassic 5 to Hiero to the Roots to many others have been touring in small towns and winning over legions of fans for years. On many levels Obam’s ability to connect in these white enclaves has direct correlation to work that was put in for years by so called underground/ packback groups where they tour. What’s interesting to note is that many of the aforementioned groups have always had a political bent and have not been shy about speaking out. So in essence fans that they started attracting 10 years ago as teenagers and young adults are now older and at least open to hearing new ideas or at the very least might not find it out unusual to support a Black man running for office. Obama in many ways is a beneficiary of the serious bridge building his Hip Hop brethren had been doing for years.

We ended the interview by noting that Obama needs to write Hip Hop a big fat check or at least come to the studio and kick 16 bars..

The Dream Reborn-Rev Yearwood Meets Dr King-The remix

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:26:54 GMT

Rev Yearwood Meets Martin Luther King-The Dream Reborn

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 03:17:12 GMT

This is the incredible keynote speech that Rev Yearwood of the Hip Hop Caucus delivered the other week in Memphis at the Dream Reborn conference. In this speech Rev talks about the important role the Hip Hop generation plays in the freedom movement. he reminds those listeing that we are not side bars to the struggle. The speech is very moving.. we remixed it to give it some extra flava.. Please enjoy

Breakdown FM-Afeni Shakur Speech in Memphis Dream Reborn Conference

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 05:13:42 GMT

Breakdown FM- Interview w/ Brothas Keepas-pt2

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 05:04:15 GMT

This is pt2 of our interview with Memphis based, revolutionary rappers-Brotha’s Keepa. In this second part we talk about the role of the Black church and how its been compromised and Barack Obama’s bid for presidency

Breakdown FM- Interview w/ Brothas Keepas pt1

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 04:51:35 GMT

There are two types of people in this world, those who put in work and those who ‘really’ put in work. When you closely examine those who put in work, you often find that their work whether its reporting to a 9-5, hustlin’ on a corner or taking out folks for their set, is designed to keep the plantation functioning and the masters that run it happy.

Those who ‘really’ put in work are committed to and constantly finding new ways to destroy that plantation. That clearly fist the description of the hardest group from Memphis, Tennessee-Brotha’s Keepa. Group members J’Malo and Ayele are the types of cats you always wanna have in your corner. They’re loved by the community and feared by those who wish to exploit and terrorize the hood. These are the types of cats who don’t run from police, they run to them and will put them in check when they try to punk and put fear into the community.

They don’t run from the homeless, they run to them and find resources to feed and cloth them which they have done every Sunday for the past few years.

They don’t run from gangstas, they run to them and show them the proper way to put in work. Over the years, through their Youth Prison Prevention Program, they been successful at getting scores of young men and women to redirect their energy, change their lives and stay out of the the nation’s largest public housing projects/concentration camps better known as prison.

Oh yeah, and at the end of the day Brotha’s Keepa are also gifted emcees and spoken word artists. As J’malo bluntly put it; “We’re revolutionaries first. We just happen to rap which allows us to make money to pay for the various programs we developed that serve the community”.

We sat down with Brotha’s Keepa the other week while visiting Memphis for the Dream Reborn conference and 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination. J’malo and Ayele were quite candid as they let us know the progress or lack of progress that has occurred in Memphis and Black America ion general since King’s assassination. Their words were sobering to say the least.

The first thing they let us know was that 40 years ago Dr. King came to Memphis to support Black sanitation workers and to make sure they were given safe working conditions and a pension. For the 40th anniversary thousands of people came to the city from all over the world to talk about King’s legacy, see how much of his dream had been fulfilled and put forth a lot of pomp and circumstances. Sadly when everyone left the garbage workers that King came to help still don’t have a pension. Brotha’s Keepas noted that there were no marching orders or agenda laid out to make sure King’s mission to help out those garbage workers were executed. Part of the challenge facing Black America is holding our own folks accountable when they get into office.

Ayele noted that Memphis is a city that has a Black mayor, Black police chief and numerous other African Americans in power but they have not been as effective as they should. He talked about a crippling mindset held by many that has resulted in progress being stagnant as those in high profile positions try and do only for self. He cited the recent decision by city officials to close down public libraries while devoting more money to prisons. He noted that as typical backwards ass behavior. He talked about how many of the Black leaders are puppets who are are controlled by powerful families that have long called the shots from behind the scenes in Memphis.

Both men went into great detail about the historic role of the Black church and how it had been severely compromised by individuals who fit the description of ‘Reverend Porkchop’, a faulty preacher who tells his people to calm down and happily accept oppression in the name of God while lining his pockets with money from the church offerings of his congregation. This new prosperity based religion as personified by people like TD Jakes and Creflo Dollar has compromised and weakened the Black community. They laid out how today’s Black Church has stiffled the movement. The two talked about the prophetic/liberating tradition which has been best personified by Barack Obama’s embattled preacher Jeremiah Wright

Speaking of Barack Obama, our conversation concluded with an in-depth discussion about the Obama campaign and what it means to Black America. They noted that while they are proud of his accomplishments, their concern is that he isn’t dealing with a lot of issues troubling the community. They felt that Cynthia McKinney who is running for nomination with the Green Party has a much more solid Black Agenda.

To get a hold of Brotha’s Keepa peep out their website www. brothaskeepa. com or drop them an email at jmalo@brothaskeepa. com. There you can find out more about their two albums including the ‘Re-Education of the Negro’ and ‘Ressurrection’. You can also find out more about their community programs including; Youth Prison Prevention Program, Summer Youth Theatre Camps and the People’s Fund which goes to feeding and clothing the homeless in Memphis

Breakdown FM: Interview w/ Jasiri X & 1 Hood

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 04:38:41 GMT

Pastor Amos Brown Speaks About Rev Wright and His Remarks

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 20:53:10 GMT

Former SF supervisor and 3rd Baptist Church Pastor, Amos Brown gave us an important history lesson and much needed insight intpo the Jeremiah Wright drama.

Pastor Brown was not only one of the first prominent pastors to catch hell for speaking out and questioning our foreign policy around 9-11, he was also invited to the White House along with Senator Barack Obama’s pastor Jeremiah Wright to help then President Clinto pray during the Monica Lewinski scandal..

In this interview Brown gives full context of how we should hear Pastor Wrights speech on 9-11 and on race.

Breakdown FM: Interview w/ Omar Cruz

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:09:27 GMT

We sat down with LA rapper Omar Cruz to talk about the plight of Latino MCs and which direction he hopes to take things.

We talked at length about the history of LA Hip Hop and the often overlooked involement and contributions of Latinos. We talked about Cruz’s longetivity in the game. We also got down on the political tip and spoke about Black-brown relationships in LA and how it will impact the presidential campaign.

Davey D vs Fox News

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:02:19 GMT

This is a recent confrontation I had with the idiots over at Fox News.. Good thing i recorded the entire incident..because when they ran it on the Bill Oreilly show they left out my questions.. here’s what really went down… The reporter is Griff jenkins who crashed the event and tried to whoo-ride after Jesse Jackson gave a presentation..He and the Faux News family were on the rampage trying to pull down Senator Barack Obama by associating him with his Pastor-Jeremiah Wright. They tried to add fuel to the fire by getting Jesse Jackson to repudiate Pastor Wright as well

I decided to step to him and flip the script

The Gangsta Goddess Medusa-The Godmother of LA Hip Hop pt2

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:52:53 GMT

This is pt2 of our interview with medusa. Here we start off by talking about the difference between spoken word and emceeing. We later morphed into a discussion about emceeing techniques including the skill it takes to truly ride the rhythm. Medusa also spoke about the challenge many emcees have in terms of keeping their egos in check. Far too often emcees overshadow the beats that are provided to them.

We talked about battling and Medusa let us know how she had to test lyrical skillz against a few of her Good Life comrads. Her most memeorable battle came against Peace from Freestyle Fellowship. She beat him.

Medusa also broke down the challenges one faces doing the independent hustle. She feels the grind is necessary but a good thing in the end. The trick to being successful is to be consistent.

We talked about the Good Life Cafe and how it was spawning ground for West Coast freestylers out of the LA area and sought to see if the Upper Room here in the Bay Area ever hit the radar. Medusa said she was aware of the legendary hotspot which gave birth to Hip Hop theater, but she never got a chance to visit.

During our interview we talked about Medusa and her back up band and her larger group Feline Science. She said it’s important to use band versus just two turntables, because it allows so much more freedom. She also noted that since she came out of the ‘funk era’she longed to fuze her love of hip hop and funk together.

With respect to Feline Science-who are her back up vocalists, she said that came about after she was rejected to be a member of a group called ‘Masked Men’. Years later she realized she wasn’t being rejected, but instead being encouraged to start her own group which would and did become an entity on to itself. Everyone who got down with Feline Science bot men and women all took on cat names with Medusa being ‘Top Cat’.

We concluded that poirtion of the interview by talking about the way the music industry has seemingly only given a platform to one female emcee at a time. Much of this has to do with so called critics claiming that listeners can’t really tell the differences between female emcees. It’s an idea that Medusa soundly dismissed.

We concluded the interview with Medusa talking about how women need to go about striking a balance between maintaining control of their art, but being willing to confidently work with folks and giving way to other ideas and psrepectives when working on a project. Medusa talked about how being so rigid and controlling may have led to her not being able to work with Dr Dre. In retrospect there was a way to maintain ones credibility and still turn over control to a dope producer.

The Gangsta Goddess Medusa-Godmother of LA Hip Hop pt-1

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:43:16 GMT

We sat down with Medusa, who many of you as part of the legendary pioneering group Feline Science.

This Godmother of west coast Hip Hop took us down memory lane and spoke in great detail about her early days when she was popper in the group Groovathon. She talked about the Funk era which gave rise to west coast Hip Hop and she breaks down what it was like during LA’s Golden era at the Good Life Cafe.

Interview with Del tha Funky Homosapien

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 18:50:23 GMT

We sat down and spoke with Oakland legend and Hiero frontman Del tha Funky Homosapien. He just released a new album called ‘The 11th Hour’ as the collective just celebrated its 10 year anniversary.

Del noted that he’s ambivalent and that he doesn’t really pay too much attention to anniversaries although he does appreciate all the fanfare being made about the group being around for so long.

“Actually we been around longer”, Del notes.

He then walks us through his long career which goes back to 1991 when he hooked up with Sir Jinx of Da Lench Mob. He talks about how Jinx was connected to his cousin Ice Cube’s original group CIA. He also talked about being a rapper in high school here in ‘Tha town’-Oakland.

Del went on to talk about how Hiero eventually formed. He noted that the collective formed with him A Plus and Taje who were in a group called Rhythm and Excellence which later became known as Souls of Mischief. A few years latewr they adapted the name Hieroglyphics.

Del spoke to us about how and why he studied music theory and how it made him a better emcee and and song writer. He talked about his love of funk music as defined by Parliament/ Funkadelic and the long relationship Hip Hop especially out here on the West Coast has had with that genre.

Del also talked to us about his relationship with his cousin Ice Cube and how he was given his first shot by his famous cousin. He later went on to pen some of the lyrics to Cube’s biggest hits including ‘Gangsta Fairytale’ and ‘Who’s The Mack?’. He later wrote songs for Yo Yo.

Del revealed that early on his career there were so called Hip Hop purists who hated on him and claimed that the music he was doing both on his own album ‘I Wish My brother George Were Here’ and with Cube was NOT real Hip Hop. He rebelled and moved in another direction. Its something he regrets because he eventually realized that Hip Hop was not this big fraternity or family the way people made it out to be. He noted that many who talked out and tried to define were full of contradictions and at the end of the day, it was not about trying to appease other ‘Hip Hoppers’ but to appease his audience and fans. Del concluded that he had focused far too long on being technical i.e. being a dope lyricist and not being a good artist who connects with people.

Del talked about the fervent fan base that he and the mighty Hiero Crew has and got his take as to why they can routinely sell out shows, sell lots of albums, yet not recieve any commercial airplay. This topic was the subject of a recent cover story here in the Bay Area in the SF Weekly. Del drops some serious science onto that phenomenon. He says he wants to change that practice and move things to another level.

Del gave us the real scoop behind the hit song ‘Clint Eastwood’ which he rapped on with the group the Gorillaz. Apparently Del was not supposed to be the original rapper for that project. Producer and long time friend Dan the Automator wasn’t feeling the first rapper and turned to Del who happen to be in the studio that night. Unbekwonst to Dan, Del had recently purchased a book called ‘How to Write a Hit Song’. The purchase was supposed to be a joke but Del soon discovered the book had lots of game that he was able to apply to the Gorillaz track which went on to be nominated for a Grammy.

We concluded our interview by talking about the art of battling and who is the best emcee amongst the Hieros. We also went into great detail about the infamous battle between Hiero and Hobo Junction. del explains why he didn’t show up that night on the Wake Up Show and the conflict he was having in trying to calm things down.

Del ended our interview by talking about how he would love to do a song with hometwon heroes Too Short and E-40.

Breakdown FM-Interview w/ Blu-LA Hip Hop is Back

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 03:29:47 GMT

Whoever said Hip Hop was dead, obviously had not peeped Blu, a South Central LA native who defies any and all stereotypes we like to associate with cats from the hood and West Coast emcees.

For starters we have to take special note to the way the tall lanky emcee spells his name. There is no ‘E’ at the end and its a oversight that he often rhymes about. Second, Blu got hip to Hip Hop late in life. He is the stepson of a strict pastor who forbade him from listening to Hip Hop while he was growing up. His biological father is a member of the Bloods who listens to gangsta and Bay Area turf raps. To this day Blu’s dad calls him him ‘Flu’ instead of Blu. Thats how deep it gets.

According to Blu, he got turned onto groups like De La Soul only after hearing DMX. His musical upbringing and ultimate influences before being introduced to Hip Hop was centered around a diverse collection of artists ranging from Al Green to Thelonious Monk to Bob Dillon. It’s no mistake that the lead song off his ‘Below the Heavens’ album is a remake of the Del’s classic ‘My World is…’

Blu says he regrets missing the Golden era of LA Hip Hop which was personified by legendary spots like the Good Life and Hip Hop staples like Freestyle Fellowship, Jurassic 5, Project Blowed and the late Bigga B to name a few. However there’s no denying that his lyrical prowess and charismatic style kicks in where those legends left off.

Blu acknowledges that it was people like Charli2na of the J5 who sat him down and laced him up with lots of info and tales surrounding the scene of that bygone era. Much of what 2na told him was underscored by radio shows like The Wake Up Show and Friday Nite Flavas before it was unceramoniously taken off the air.

As Blu honed his emcee skills he cites Inspectah Deck of the Wu-Tang Clan, LA legend Cashus King and Planet Asia as being big influences. With respect to Deck, Blu says that he’s the illest emceee when it comes to kicking off a song. He cites the track Triumph as the one where Deck truly shines. Blu’s one regret with the new debut album ‘Below the Heavens’ was not having Deck on. However when peeping songs like ‘Simply Amazing’ you can clearly hear how he was inspired.

During our interview in which Blu walked us through a variety of songs including ‘Narrow Path’, ‘Simply Amazing’, ‘Show Me the Good Life’ featuring singer Aloe Blacc of the Dirty Science Crew and ‘Bullet through Me’ off an upcoming album called ‘Piece Talks’, he admits that he has a lot to say and his feverishly working to put out 6 different projects which will allow him to get everything off his chest. He refuses to be limited by industry driven categories and limitations.

For example, in the song ‘Bullet Through Me’ which is off the Piece Talks album produced by Ta’arach, Blu does an experimental cover of a Paul McCarthy song. He admits that upon first listens many will question where he is going and what he’s doing, but folks will learn to get passed any hesitations. His ultimate goal is to put fun back into Hip Hop and be creative. He also wants to help bring national attention back to LA and west coast Hip Hop. In 2008 where everyone is talking about Change, Blu’s attitude and outlook is right in step. This looks to be a big year for him.

Looking in the Mirror with Rhymefest

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:12:52 GMT

We interview Chicago Rapper Rhymefest about his thoughts on fellow Chicago native Barack Obama, his political beef with Lupe Fiasco and the politics of music in the windy city and how they added soul and spirituality to the mix..

Breakdown FM: the Orgin & Evolution of the Hip Hop Police pt 3

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:10:17 GMT

We conclude our three part conversation with retired Sergeant Ron Stallworth. Here we talk about the 4 books he’s written on Hip Hop and Gangsta Rap. We pay particular attention to the book he wrote on Hip Hop activism.

He spoke about the things he saw and heard within Hip Hop that predicted what would eventually take place during the Rodney King rebellion in 1992.

Stallworth noted that today rap music has been neutralized and has lost a lot of its urgent message. He says today kids are all about making money and that’s clearly reflected in many of the songs that are commercially viable. Says we live in a time when people want to escape poverty.

We spoke about the Stop Snitching Movement. He personally finds it disgraceful; however he understands the sentiments behind it. He says people in the community are getting the wrong message when they are being asked to tell while Congressmen remain silent when they are asked to speak out.

We talked about studio gangsters. Stallworth said there are a number of rappers who say lots of things in records that don’t add up when he checked them out. He cited Snoop Dogg and Ice T are glaring examples. He also talked about the 2Pac case and Suge Knight. He said if he was running the investigation into Pac’s killing he would start with Suge. He then talked about the Death Row organization and it being a unique in the sense that it was represented by both Bloods and Crips.

Lastly we talked about the music industry and the role that street gangs played and how they are perceived by law enforcement versus traditional organized crime like the Mafia. We talked about how and why the street gangs came under surveillance and why we don’t hear as much about the mob.

Breakdown FM: The Orgins & Evolution of the Hip Hop Police pt 2

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 17:42:28 GMT

We continue our conversation with Sergeant Ron Stallworth who pioneered the whole Hip Hop police thing. In this podcast we speak to Ron about how and why he got involved with Hip Hop.

He explained that he had no intention to become any sort of expert or to keep tabs on rappers. He’s an old school type of cat who was working in Utah department of Public Safety.

One of the things this department was charged with doing was engaging the youth gangs. In the late 80s and early 90s Stallworth noted that many of the white Mormon kids started to associate themselves with Crip and Blood culture out of South Central LA and Compton and thus formed gangs. This sort of attachment puzzled Stallworth who eventually made trips to Los Angeles and teamed up with gang task force leaders to see first hand how gangs were operating and how and why they had such a hold on white kids in Utah. He eventually discovered that gangster rap via groups like NWA is how these white Mormon kids were getting their leads and cues. They were fascinated with what they concluded was ‘black culture’.

Out of necessity Stallworth had to become an expert in this new subgenre of Hip Hop. The rest they say is history. Stallworth felt it was important to truly understand the culture of He then began to see how police misconduct had fueled a lot of the rage being expressed in the songs. This led to Stallworth writing a ten page paper which contained his conclusions and observations became the basis for his first book.

In this interview Stallworth breaks down the methods he used to gather intel. He said it was all about connecting the dots and that ironically many of the rappers themselves through their lyrics and album covers which showed graffiti, street signs and other key indicators that provided all the information he and other law enforcement officials needed to paint a picture.

He talks about how the biggest challenge he faced was explaining to other officers the perspective of the rappers and how and why law enforcement needed to change some of their approaches. He wanted the police to study the artists, and find common ground which he felt could lead to better relationships in the community.

He admitted that many officers were invested in maintaining a negative outlook and too often over reacted to situations that could best be diffused with better understanding. In our interview Stallworth referenced a situation in Detroit involving NWA where plain clothes officers rushed the stage after the group attempted to perform the song ‘Fuck tha Police’.

In order for Stallworth to maintain what he saw as an objective outlook he would write the books that was issued to the department on his own time and publish them with his own money and resources.

During our interview we discussed the history of surveillance in the Black community in particular Cointel-Pro. Stallworth explained in great detail how and why what he was doing was not the same as Hoover. First and foremost he felt Hoover crossed the line and violated the constitution. In fact he noted that Hoover needed to be jailed. With respect to his operation, he basically listened to the material put out by the artists and then cross referenced things with police resources. In other words if a rapper said he was down with gang, then Stallworth would check that out and see if it was true or not. If an artist took a picture of a street sign and put it on his album cover, he would check it out and see what the deeper significance behind it. In short many rappers were telling on themselves.

Breakdown FM: The Orgins & Evolution of the Hip Hop Police pt1

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 17:32:38 GMT

Many people have long believed the first Hip Hop cop came out of New York City and recently arrived on the scene sometime after 9-11.

Much of this is centered on Hip Hop’s infamous Hip Hop task force which was led by former NYPD detective Derek Parker. He and that task force has been the subject of several high profile news stories, a documentary and a book he authored.

The truth of the matter is that Hip Hop’s first cop is a gentleman by the name of Ron Stallworth who comes out of Utah. he’s the author of 4 books dealing with the topic of gangster rap including; 1)Gangster Rap: Music, Culture & Politics, 2)Significant Developments in Gangster Rap Music Since the Rodney King Uprising, 3)Bringin’ The Noise—Gangster Rap/Reality Rap in the Dynamics of Black Revolution, and 4)Real Niggas: Gang Bangin’ To The Gangsta Boogie in AmeriKKKa.

If that’s not enough Stallworth has testified before Congress and the Senate Judiciary Committee where he submitted some very compelling papers.

Stallworth books were written when gangsta rap first started to come out of Los Angeles in the early 90s and continued to be updated to the day he retired two years ago. His books are department issued self-publications which have been read widely by his fellow officers. They are extremely thorough, very detailed and have a keen political analysis that would actually shock most people outside of law enforcement because of some of the positions and conclusions Stallworth takes.

In addition to breaking down the lyrics, street culture and gang connections behind the songs and groups Stallworth and is Utah based unit (Department of Public Safety) kept tabs on, his books gave prophetic warnings as to what would likely happen if certain suppression based policies and practices weren’t changed or completely eradicated. Stallworth felt that it was important his fellow officers had a clear understanding of the socio-economic and political conditions that gave rise to some of the material put out by so called gangsta rappers and Afro-centric socially conscious rappers. He let his fellow officers know why some of the rap songs being put out advocated for harm and outright killing of police.

In a recent interview Stallworth noted that some of his analyses did not always fit well with his brethren, but he vowed to remain objective and speak the truth.

In this interview which is the first of three parts we talked with Sergeant Stallworth about his unique background in Law Enforcement. His biggest claim to fame is how he as a brown skinned African man managed to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan in Colorado and even be offered the position of Klan chapter leader. His Klan membership card was issued by to him personally by KKK leader David Duke.(that is shown in the picture above). His incredible police work led to the eventual dismissal of Klan members who had joined the United States Army with a couple of members actually working at NORAD. (North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

This is a crazy story that in many ways eclipses his work in Hip Hop and will keep you riveted on the edge of your seat as Stallworth provides the blow by blow details. In parts 2 and 3 we talk about Stallworth work in Hip Hop.

Breakdown FM: Harry Belofonte Keeps It Real at the Gathering

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 23:15:14 GMT

Harry Belafonte Ain’t Nothin’ to F&%k With (Just Ask Colin Powell)

by Davey D

Long time entertainer/activist/ freedom fighter Harry Belafonte came to Oakland the other week for an event he puts on called the Gathering for Justice. It drew more than a thousand people from all over the world including a number of former gang members who are concerned about the high incarceration rates and the increasing challenges besetting our society.

At 82 Belafonte still yields more fire power and courage then people a fraction of his age. Just ask former Secretary of State Colin Powell who got publicly called out and chastized by Mr Belafonte for compromising his principles for the corrupt Bush administration he worked for.

Folks may recall that infamous incident from a few years ago where Belafonte seemed to know ahead of time what his fellow Carribean brother would soon experience. Belafonte tried to warn Mr Powell to get out and save himself and his reputation. Powell didn’t listen until it was too late. The rest they say is history..

What we have today in this Breakdown FM podcast is an incredible speech where Mr. Belafonte kicked some serious science and let folks know the urgency of the day. He let us know in no uncertain terms that here’s no time for us to sit back and not speak truth to power.

During this keynote speech, Belafonte brought alot of people’s feet to the fire including the Congressional Black Caucus who he accused of allowing a long litney of injustices to take place on their watch. He questioned why it was that one or two Republicans are always able to Filibuster but the CBC with their 40 members rarely follow suit in the wake of harsh, crippling legislation being proposed.

Belafonte talked about the Black church selling out the people for 30 pieces of silver. He called them ‘Kidnappers of truth’. who had abandoned their important role of freedom fighting within the Black community only to align themselves with George Bush and his evangelical zealots.

He then talked about the role of artists and how they had long been ‘Keepers of the Truth’ and how that got compromised with today’s click bowing down to their corporate masters..

After Belafonte laid all this out, he then talked about ways in which the gathering could start to repair things. This is an incredible must hear speech..

Included in this podcast is my one on one interview with Belafonte about leadership and the next steps we should be taking. Below is the excellent story written by author Marvin X about the Gathering and Mr B as we like to call Harry Belafonte.

Why was Belafonte’s Oakland star-studded gathering whited out by mainstream media?

by Marvin X

Billed as Harry Belafonte’s Gathering for Justice, the world renowned humanitarian called a national conference of youth to gather in Oakland Saturday to address their pressing issues and spark their consciousness to continue the work of his generation and those before him on the train of justice. Youth flooded into the Oakland Marriot from Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Washington, D.C., Brooklyn, Boston, Chicago and Detroit, as well as California.

Youth from Oakland and the Bay Area, however, did not seem to be well represented, for some strange reason. [Little publicity appeared before the gathering, and the Bay View has been able to find no mainstream media coverage of the event. – ed.]

Nevertheless, the multi-cultural crowd was treated to the likes of Belafonte, Danny Glover, Barbara Lee, Ron Dellums, Walter Mosley, Sean Penn, Santana, Davey D and yes, Marvin X, who was vending his books when the Hot 8 Brass Band called him to the stage to join them in electrifying the crowd.

We cannot praise and honor Harry Belafonte enough for his years in our liberation struggle. Yes, he is in the tradition of our great ancestor Paul Robeson, who defined himself as the artistic freedom fighter. At 81 years old, Harry is showing us that there is no retirement in the battle for justice in America or the world.

Just as the forces of white supremacy are relentless, we must be also and never give up until the last breath. In his keynote address delivered at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning, he talked about the suffering his mentor Paul Robeson experienced as the artistic freedom fighter, but Harry said he is inspired to see Robeson’s spirit alive in actor Danny Glover.

Even though he supported and marched with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Harry was hypercritical of the black church today, calling it the kidnappers of justice, along with a few more choice words. DJ Davey D urged me to write a poem using Harry’s metaphor. Harry criticized the reactionary rappers as well, calling them sellouts to cultural imperialism.

But his main message is that we can overcome the forces of white supremacy by organizing and non-violently opposing evil. A mass movement of conscious youth can be a critical factor in moving the Movement forward out of the lethargy and passivity of the last few years.

Because of its revolutionary tradition, Oakland was chosen for the first in a series of national meetings of the Gathering for Justice movement. Youth and adults in attendance included Native Americans, Latinos, Whites, Pacific Islanders, Asians and African Americans.

We don’t quite understand why more Oakland people were not present, especially with such high profile personalities on the agenda. Did organizers do outreach locally, or did they purposely limit information on the event since Oakland is currently suffering so much violence? Of course violence is nationwide. Someone, maybe Harry, mentioned 16,000 persons were murdered in America last year – yes, far more than have died in Iraq. Maybe conference organizers feared Oaklanders mixing with youth from outside the city.

The Gathering for Justice must present a long-term strategy to confront the myriad problems facing youth, including violence, mis-education, lack of jobs – in lieu of jobs we suggest entrepreneurship and micro credit.

Since there are few Black teachers, we offer peer teaching and independent study. And the prison population should be reduced with a general amnesty.

The problem of the church or faith community can be addressed by noting the liberation theology of Jesus and Muhammad, and perhaps moving beyond religion toward spirituality as the Native Americans spoke about so eloquently and at great length.

If Harry Belafonte, at 81, can involve himself with the Gathering for Justice, surely I can do the same at 63, and so I call upon my generation to become a part of this movement to save our children. Remember that James Brown tune, “Get Involved”?

The highlight for me at Harry’s Gathering for Justice was seeing the new generation of youth embracing each other and us elders. The Creator is telling me every little thing is going to be all ite. It was a blessing hearing and performing with that great group of young people from New Orleans, the Hot 8 Brass Band. “Get Involved!”

The latest book by Dr. M/ Marvin X is “How to Recover From the Addiction to White Supremacy: A Pan African 12 Step Model for a Mental Health Peer Group,” foreword by Dr. Nathan Hare, afterword by Ptah Allah El, Black Bird Press, P.O. Box 1317, Paradise CA 95967, $19.95. www.marvinxwrites.blogspot.com, mrvnx@yahoo.com.

Breakdown FM: Fear of an Arab Planet-Hip Hop in the Middle East pt2

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 22:16:16 GMT

Breakdown FM-Fear of An Arab Planet-Hip Hop in the Middle East pt1

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 21:48:13 GMT

We sat down and spoke with two members of the super group called Arab Summit. They were Tariq a solo artist and Narcy of the Montreal based group Euphrates.

The pair discussed everything under the sun including Arab identity, overcoming stereotypes and Black-Arab Relations. We also talked about the important role Hip Hop has been playing in Arab politics and how it has been used as a socializing and politicizing force throughout the Middle East.

Because Hip Hop has become so powerful in other places where we find people who consider themselves oppressed, one can’t help but wonder if that’s somehow connected to the current attacks Hip Hop is coming under here in the states. We address that issue in this interview.

We also talked about the role Arab women play in Hip Hop and how it coincides with their role in society.

HKR-Conversations with the God-Rakim Allah

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 10:16:14 GMT

A Conversation with the God-Rakim by Davey D

The other night after he simply killed it at San Francisco’s Mezzanine Night club, we sat down and spoke with the man who many consider to be the greatest emcee of all-times. We’re talking about Rakim aka the 18th Letter. No we didn’t get into the over-played conversation about why he and Dr. Dre never completed that highly anticipated album. Instead we got his take on the current state of Hip Hop and how he feels about today’s crop of emcees. He talked about the love he has for artist like Lupe Fiasco. Contrary to what many Hip Hop purists would like to hear him say, ‘the R’ talked about how it was important to hear people embrace and reflect their unique regional backgrounds. In other words its not productive to hear everyone trying to sound like a cat from New York and he wasn’t about to start classifying people as rap vs Hip Hop etc. He agreed with the assessment that much of this labeling comes from journalists who like to act like papparazzi. He talked about the ways in which Hip Hop has evolved overseas.

We talked to Rakim about his upcoming album which will be released on his own independent label. He noted that he put on his CEO cap and brought forth some great surprises that Hip Hop is in dire need for. He wouldn’t offer up too many details, but he promised that folks will be absolutely pleased.

he also touched upon the mindset he has when it comes to writing rhymes. He’s an avid jazz fan and for those who don’t know, Rakim is a trained saxaphone player. He said that he composes songs much like jazz musician and that each word uttered has to fit nicely within the notes of a song. His smoothness is attributed to him rapping the way he feels sax player would blow notes. He also talked about the importance of taking time to write songs and bring forth inspiring and meaningful lyrics.

We also touched upon the topic of gangsterism and gangsta rap. For those who aren’t familiar, when Rakim came up he was around some of New York’s most notorious gangstas. The back cover of his Paid in Full album, show folks like the Original 50 Cent. He explained that he never felt a need to talk about other people’s gang tales because he didn’t want to exploit their situations. Nor did he want to bring unnecessary heat on folks. He said he was well aware of the madness that went on around him but it was important to keep street stuff on the streets and not broadcast it on wax. In other words real bad boys don’t tell no tales.

We concluded with Rakim talking about politics and conscious raising music. he said he wasn’t the type of cat to look at an event and write about it. he said his consciousness was more organic and heartfelt his day to day living.

We felt blessed and enlightened and so should you after you peep this incredible interview that was done by myself and collegue Sam Chennault of SF Weekly and Rhapsody Music.

Breakdown FM: Gza Speaks About the Art of Chess and the Art of Rhyming

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 20:53:03 GMT

Gza fromn the legendary Wu-Tang Clan speaks on rhyming and its relationship to chess

Breakdown FM:KRS-One Speaks at Chicago FCC Hearings

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 14:12:29 GMT

KRS-One Speaks at Chicago FCC Hearing Puts WGCI on Blast

by Davey D

Legendary Hip Hop star KRS One blew up the spot the other week at the FCC hearings in Chicago. It was a contentious session where Chicago’s Hip Hop community made their presence felt. Here in this clip provided by Freepress.. KRS drops serious science about the imbalanced power dynamics that exists between rappers and radio station owners.

He also called for the attendees to not just hold hearings but to actually walk out and surround Chicago Hip Hop station WGCI which he help put on the map by starting a Hip Hop show called Rap Down with the late legendary Chicago icon DJ Pinkhouse but now no longer plays any of his material.

KRS wraps up his remarks by explaining that radio stations like WGCI and other big businesses have criminalized Hip Hop with its continuous negative presentations. This has caused a public safety issue because police officers and others listen to the radio and come away beliving the falsehoods. This in turn leads to increase profiling of all Hip Hoppers and Black people in general.

KRS gets major props for taking time out to attend the hearings even though he was in town just to do a concert.

Breakdown FM: Sights & Sounds of Jena

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 14:40:23 GMT

This is sights and sounds from the historic Jena 6 Rally in Jena, Lousiana

Breakdown FM: Banner, Master P & Dyson at Rap Hearings pt2

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 11:36:27 GMT

This is the explosive Q&A segment of yesterday’s historic hearings on Hip Hop on Capitol Hill.. Banner gets seriously grilled but holds his ground while Master P comes off looking like a superstar

Breakdown FM; Congressional Hearings on Rap-David Banner-Master P -Mike Dyson pt 1

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 19:09:45 GMT

This is the opening statements from David Banner, Master P and Michael Eric Dyson. They make some compelling arguments.. In part 2 you will hear the grilling they get from Congress.. In the meantime enjoy this..

Breadown FM: Congressional Rap Music hearings.. The label Executives

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 16:19:03 GMT

This is the testimony from record label executives that took place this morning in Washington DC … They include Doug Morris of Universal and Ed Broffman of Warner brothers.. As you can hear they try to paint a rosy picture..In fact Morris who heads up Universal which includes Intersscope and Def Jam said rap is only a small part of what they sell.. The current hearings with radio One is even more sickening..

Report Back from Jena... Hard Knock Radio w/ Davey D

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 04:46:13 GMT

This is our Hard Knock Radio Report Back from the Jena 6 rally and March that drew close to 60 thousand people to the small city in central Louisiana. Our HKR show airs daily and is heard all around the country M-F.

On this show you will hear interviews and speeches from Salt-N-Pepa, Mos Def, Cousin Jeff from BET, Al Sharpton, King Downing Jr, Mychael Bell’s father and many more…

The show itself starts about 5-6 minutes into the recording right after the KPFA news updates.

This show first aired on Friday September 21

Free the Jena 6 by Jasiri X

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 13:27:20 GMT

As we prepare for the huge September 20th rally in Jena, Louisiana to help turn the wheels of justice, folks may wanna peep this new song from Pittsburgh activist Jasiri X.

Jasiri who is a member of the organization One Hood, recently teamed up with Paradise of X-Clan who produced this track that contains searing lyrics about the troubling situation in Jena..

Breakdown FM: Hip Hop Speaks Out As We Remember 9-11

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 14:50:02 GMT

We take a look back to that horrific day in September 6 years ago. You’ll hear the music and viewpoints of those who were willing to speak out on the politics surrounding this situation early on. The voices you’ll hear include those of Michael Franti from Spearhead at the Snowpark Rally in Oakland the day after 9-11. Also at that rally was the late June Jordan. You will also hear remarks from artists like M-1 of dead prez, Toni Blackman and Jahi who all appeared on a panel about 9-11 several months after. We finish up with an indepth interview with Michael Eric Dyson who came through two weeks after the tragedy.

We also have hard hitting music and spoken word from Talib Kweli, Immortal Technique, Mos Def, Dilated Peoples, Nas, Society of Soul and Saul Williams. This is food for thought.

Breakdown FM:Meet New orleans Rapper Sess 4-5 Fighting for the Soul of the City

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 21:03:41 GMT

Fighting for Soul of the City: meet New Orleans Rapper Sess 4-5

by Davey D

New Orleans has long been a music capitol here in the US. It has been home to all sorts of jazz and blues greats ranging from the Meters to the Neville Brothers to Louis Armstrong to Wynton Marsalis to Fats Domino. Yes indeed New Orleans has always spoken to us through her music.

In recent years New Orleans has reached out to us through Hip Hop. there’s been a long list of rap stars that have continued in the tradition of bringing attention to New Orleans’ music heritage. Among the more notables are Juvenile, Lil Wayne, Master P, Silk the Shocker, Mystikal, Mia X the Cash Money Millionaires with Baby, BG, Manny Fresh Turk and many more.

Like most areas that have a roster of superstars there are those who are lesser known as far as the mainstream is concerned yet very popular amongst the common folk in the hood. In New Orleans that would include acts like Truth Universal, DJ Jimi, 54th Platoon and the man who lead the big march to kick off the historic International Tribunal for Hurricane Katrina and Rita-Sess4-5

Coming straight outta of the ravaged 9th Ward Sess 4-5 brings energy, a strong sense of conviction and determination to the table when he walks in the room. He’s seen a lot and lost a lot over the past two years but like most people from New Orleans, he’s focused on moving forward. We sat down with him the day during the second day of the Tribunal and he gave us some keen insight into the ins and outs of the Big Easy.

We kicked things off by talking about Sess’ home base the 9th Ward. He talked about the type of communities that existed there before community. He said in spite of the poverty the NO’s largest and most populated ward was thriving. There was a strong sense of family and culture. He noted how the upper 9th Ward was full of apartments and had two public housing units while the lower 9th ward contained thousand of home owners. Two years after Katrina houses remain in shambles for the world to see in a place that is pretty much a ghost town.

Sess explained that new Orleans folks have a spirit that helped them cope with the disaster they all face. Many of the people he knows have lost loved ones to the floods on top of losing all their possessions, however, for most people its about picking up the pieces and moving onward and upward. This is happening in the face of outrageous government neglect.

“There’s no time to mourn”, noted Sess when you have oppression all upon you”. People in New Orleans are about the business of survival.

During our interview we talked about the role some of New Orleans rappers played in the ongoing repair efforts. Sess noted that we can’t expect people like Master P or Baby to shoulder the entire load. Many of them have family and friends that they been helping out. However, Sess noted that he wished they used their celebrity more effectively. He looked at the efforts that David Banner put in the rebuilding of Mississippi and wished that some of the big names could’ve done newsworthy projects that would’ve better shined a light on those left out of the rebuilding efforts underway within New Orleans.

Our conversation expanded beyond rap stars as we discussed the types of contributions or lack of contributions put forth by those parent companies that distribute artists like Master P or Cash Money. It was noted that record labels have made billions of dollars off the music coming out of this region. The question that was raised was how much money did any of those major labels put towards recovery efforts? What sort of big events did these labels put together?

For example David Banner worked tirelessly and with little outside help to put on huge benefit concerts for Mississippi. Did we see anything similar being put forth by big time executives and label owners like Clive Davis, Jimmy Iovine, David Geffen,Lyor Cohen , Rolf Schmidt-Holtz, Doug Morris and others who may own huge catalogues of artists coming from New Orleans? How much money did these companies give? What have they done to help restore the region’s musical heritage and was it comisserate to the type of profits they made over the years?

Our discussion than switched to the role of established Black leaders. Sess 4-5 eloquently addressed the question as to how such catastrophe could take place in a city that is pretty much Black run. N.O. has a Black mayor, Black police chief and other key individuals who run the infrastructure of the this city. How could the aftermath of Katrina happen on their watch?

Sess 4-5 noted that many of those in power see their position as stepping stones to bigger and better things. Getting down and dirty to help uplift the people could be a career killer for many of these Black elected officials who tend to cater to white and corporate power bases. Sess concluded that many of those in office were about the business of looking out and protecting their own interests versus the interests of those most in need. The real heroes of the day were young brothers who stuck behind risking life and limb.

Our conversation next focused on the relationship between the police and poor Black folks in New Orleans. Sess broke down the politics behind how the police department works. It has long been corrupt. He said they have quotas that need to be met in terms of arrests. Officers have an incentive to go out and put cuff people because if they meet a certain number they get bonuses. The end result is New Orleans having one of the highest incarceration rate in the world. In addition it has the highest percentage of people with misdemeanors getting locked up. He noted that any little thing including littering or expired tags can get you jail time in new Orleans.

Sess 4-5 went on to add that the city’s economy is based upon tourism and incarceration. He then went into detail as to how one person getting arrested in a family can quickly drain resources while fattening the wallets of those who run the city. He talked about how residents have to pay for drug tests, court costs and every other service connected to their punishment.

Sess noted that up to 80% of Black males sooner or later will get arrested in New Orleans. The cops make it their business to enegage young brothers and make their presence felt. He himself has been arrested more than 30 times. You will get popped sooner or later for any little thing.

We then discussed the classism and ethnic heirarchy that exists in New Orleans and how even to this day in 2007, there is still a ruling class that rallies around skin color, with light skin Blacks or Creoles dominating the top echelons of political and business arenas. Its almost like New Orleans has a caste system that dates back to slavery.

Sess broke down how Katrina and the large scale displacement has impacted electoral politics. With so many Blacks removed from the city, the GOP for starters now have a fighting chance and a much stronger influence in city politics. Sess 4-5 also gave a run down of the Presidential race. he notes that none of those running have really made their presence felt and even if they did at the end of the day Black people would lose because all of them including Hillary and Barack are carrying out agendas for a power base that doesn’t have the best interest of poor Blacks.

We concluded our discussion by focusing on Black-Latino relations which have intesified during the reconstruction efforts. Sess noted that many of the immigrants arriving from Mexico are getting played by white developers who are paying them below market low wages in an attempt to lock out Black folks who have long been unionized and staples in the construction industry. On top of that these immigrants are getting abused. He also noted that many Latinos are now subject to being new targets for an aggressive police force that works on quotas. He said it would be best if Black and Brown came together and fought for a living wage.

Sess-4-5 is currently finishing up his new album called ‘The Louisiana Purchase’. He has his own record label called ‘Nuthin But Fire’ and he owns a record store. His video Blackman has caused a buzz.

Peep this video from Sess 4-5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQvG_USw0B8

Breakdown FM-Katrina tribunal-White Vigilante Justice-w/ Malik Rahim pt 2

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 15:27:07 GMT

This is part 2 of the testimony given by former Black Panther Malik Rahim. Here we hear excerpts from his eye-opening documentary ‘Welcome to new Orleans’.

Malik continues to outline his case and answer questions possed by the tribunal judges. malik points out these incidents have been swept under the rug by politicians..

Breakdown FM-Katrina tribunal-White Vigilante Justice-w/ Malik Rahim pt 1

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 09:33:49 GMT

During the International Hurricane Katrina and Rita Tribunal we heard all sorts of testimony about white vigilantes ‘hunting’ down Black folks. This was in addition to the widespread police brutality. In some instances New Orleans police were seen riding with and working with white vigilantes who claimed they were protecting their neighborhoods.

Former Black Panther Malik Rahim of the organization Common Ground was witness to white vigilantes who were roaming his neighborhood in Algiers which is located on the West Bank of New Orleans. This was one of the few places in the city that did not experience flooding. It was the only neighborhood in all of New Orleans that still had safe drinking water.

According to Malik, Black people who discovered the what good shape Algiers was in came over seeking refuge. Sadly they found themselves being chased off or gunned down by mobs of angry whites who patrolled the neighborhood. Black people including Malik who were from Algiers found themselves being threatened by their former neighbors.

During his searing testimony Malik offered up a documentary he and his comrades from Common Ground put together. In the documentary we get to see and hear angry white people bragging about how they were shooting and killing Blacks while they were barbecueing. It seems so outlandish to the point of dis-belief until. They went out at night on what they called ‘pheasant Hunts’. Malik estimates that over 200 Blacks lost their lives to white vigilantes.

During his testimony Malik talked about military occupation and how soldiers who came straight from Iraq were brought over to patrol New Orleans. Algiers was ground zero for many of these troops. Malik talks in great detail about Black neighborhoods being under-seiged and Black people being terrorized as bullet ridden Black male bodies were turning up everyday.

Breakdown FM-Katrina Tribunal-Police Brutality-Massacre on the Danziger bridge

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 10:53:13 GMT

The first day of testimony (Thurs Aug 30th) here in New Orleans about what took place in the days following Hurricane Katrina has been riveting. The incident that stands out is the September 4th 2005 incident on the Danziger Bridge where 7 officers who were not dressed in uniform swooped down on an unarmed African American family and shot the mother, daughter, father and killed one of their teenage sons.

Another African American family that witnessed this massacre saw themselves in danger as the police hunted down a retarded man named Ronald Madison and shot him 5 times in the back.

Roanld’s brother Romel spoke before the packed Tribunal and gave a chilling account of what took place that day when those who were sworn to protect and serve acted like Al-Queda terrorists.

Just to show you how bad things are and were here in New Orleans, the seven officers accused of first degree murder were let out on bail and allowed back to work inspite of being indicted by a Grand Jury. No wonder New Orleans is often referred to as Sin City.

This is only the beginning, wait till you hear the other incidents of police terrorism that went down in New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina.

Our show opens up with excerpts from speeches and interviews with former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, Minister Willie Muhammed of the NOI and Malik Raheim of Common ground.

Breakdown FM: The History of Hip Hop-East-West Coast pt 2

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:11:09 GMT

As we continue with the second part of our Rock the Bells Hip Hop History panel we are joined by the Poetess who offers up a perspective about females in Hip Hop.

We later take questions from the audience and center our discussion on the current state of Hip Hop and whether or not conscious raising music can make it.

We conclude by focusing on the current victories that Hip Hop is enjoying which includes seeing a decline and rejection in so called gangsta music..

Breakdown FM-The History of Hip Hop w/ West Coast Pioneers pt1

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 14:16:22 GMT

During the Rock the Bells Festival in San Bernadino, California, we hooked up with several key Hip Hop pioneers including Universal Zulu nation members DJ Mark Luv, Brother Muhammed who is road manager to Mos Def, The Poetess and Chevy Shank to talk about the origins of West Coast Hip Hop.

We started off with Brother Muhammed who is originally from the Soundview section of the Bronx and came up under Afrika Bambaataa. He joined Zulu nation in ‘79 and was a member of the rap group Dynamic Force.

Muhammed recounted the early days of Hip Hop in the Bronx. He spoke about the harsh conditions of the Bronx and gang life and his involvement in it. He spoke at length about the Black Spades and how they morphed into the Mighty Zulu Nation under the guidance of Blackspade Gang Warlord Afrika Bambaataa.

He talked about how he eventually hooked up with Afrika Bambaataa and the important role music and Hip Hop culture played in helping turn things around.

He also talked about the important role Latinos played in the pioneering days of Hip Hop as he cited key individuals like DJ Charlie Chase, Zulu leader Lucky Strike and emcees Whipper Whip and Ruby Dee.

Muhammed also broke down the important role battling played in sharpening ones skillz and how over the years its degenirated into a patential career ending venture that far too often spawns violence.

Chevy Shank and DJ Mark Luv talked about the pioneering days of West Coast Hip Hop in Los Angeles. Shank talked about his migration to the West Coast from new York and some of the early crews he helped spawned.

DJ Mark Luv an LA native spoke about the dance and music culture that existed on the West Coast and how many of its facets later merged and contributed to Hip Hop culture. Mark Luv went into detail about the LA dance culture and how styles like Popping and locking were West Coast inventions. Luv noted how these early West Coast dance styles were lifted by Michael Jackson who went on to get credit. Luv named off many of the dancers who Jackson got his moves from including his trademarked moonwalk.

Luv also talked about LA gang life and his involvement with it. Like Muhammed, he noted that Hip Hop rescued him from gang life.

Mark Luv also spoke at length about the contributions of West Coast DJs like Jammin Gemini, Unknown DJ, Roger Clayton, Egyptian Lover, Battlecat and numerous others and how they are often overlooked and erased from history.

He talked about the rise of KDAY the nation’s first 24 hour rap station and the KDAY Mixmasters with pioneering DJs like Joe Cooley, Tony G, M-Walk, Julio G, Ralph M and others to name a few. Luv gives up alot of insight about these guys and this groundbreaking radio station.

Chevy Shank and Brother Muhammed spoke about key figures who played important roles in West Coast Hip Hop including Ice T and Afrika Islam. They noted that Ice T was responsible for bringing alot of Zulu members out to LA and Islam later became a key architect alongside the numerous West Coast pioneers in establishing LA’s Hip Hop scene.

During our discussion we spoke at length about the marriage between Hip Hop and Punk and New Wave and how it varied on both coasts. We spoke about the early clubs on both coasts that supported these two scenes and how the punk community opened doors for Hip Hop.

Our conversation also talked about the rise of freestyle music here on the West Coast and how it was derived from Afrika Bambaataa and electrofunk. Luv explained how Latin freestyle was regulary played on KDAY and how it helped introduce Latinos and Asians on the West Coast to Hip Hop.

Luv went into detail about the types of tensions that arose as Filipino DJs started to come on the scene and dominate. He noted that many of the early DJs felt slighted when the Beat Junkies and DJ Q-Bert and others from the Bay started to get recognition while those who proceeded them were forgotten and in some cases completely erased. He talked about how those tensions were eventually eased and reconciled.

Luv also spoke about the freestyle movement as it relates to the landmark spot the Good Life, Luv who used to be the DJ for Pharcyde was a ‘heavy hitter’ at that landmark night spot and spoke at length about the early days which gave birth to Freestyle Fellowship, Jurassic 5, Volume 10 and numerous others.

We conclude pt1 of this panel discussion with an assessment of the Hip Hop community and its history. There appears to be a lack of concern for many who are raised on corporate driven Hip Hop to respect the cultural foundation. Comparisons were made between the Rock-N-Roll community and the Hip Hop community and how both are treated.

Breakdown FM-The History of Public Enemy-professor Griff pt 2

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:45:50 GMT

We contionue our conversation with Professor Griff of Public Enemy. We move from Los Angeles to San Francisco for the recent Rock the Bells concert. Here griff opens up and gives an candid and heartfelt rundown about the difficult period , he and his fellow band members endured when he was kicked out the group.

Griff talks about the types of steps the group took to repair the rift and to heal. He also talks about how he wound up being signed to Luke Skywalker Records which was home to Luther Campbell and the 2Live Crew. he notes that it was Chuck D who actually got him that deal.

Lastly, Griff gives a breakdown of today’s political climate and where the group fits in. Very insightful as Griff offers up rarely heard perspectives..

Breakdown FM: The History of Public Enemy (Professor Griff)

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 03:18:35 GMT

As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Public Enemy, we got up close and personal with the Minister of Information Professor Griff. He dropped some serious bombs and gave us some rarely discussed insight into the group’s humble beginnings and inner workings.

We also discuss the importance of Asa Hilliard who passed away the day we conducted this interview..

Breakdown FM: Interview w/ Harry Allen pt 2

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 13:18:25 GMT

We conclude our interview with Public Enemy’s Hip Hop Activist and Media Assassin Harry Allen. here we talk about race relations, cointel-pro and the impact of the Flava Flav show…