My second, albeit brief contribution to The Stream on Al Jazeera was on a show about black women and natural hair. Check me out with @Afrobella around the 16:08 mark!
Celebrating our African historical personalities, discoveries, achievements and eras as proud people with rich culture, traditions and enlightenment spanning many years.
Monday, September 3, 2012
SARAH FORBES
BONETTA DAVIES,
AN AFRICAN PRINCESS
IN BRITISH MONARCHY
WHO CAPTURED THE HEART
OF QUEEN VICTORIA
The Story of Sarah Forbes Bonetta Davies
(Circa 1863 - 1880)
The extraordinary life story of Sarah Forbes Bonetta is the stuff of romance novels. Born an African Egbado princess around 1843, she was captured as a small child by rival Dahomans, who had killed her parents, and taken to Dahomey to be killed eventually in a ritual sacrifice. A British naval officer, Frederick Forbes, commander of HMS Bonetta, on a mission in the autumn of 1849 to negotiate an end the slave trade among the Dahomans, interceded for the child with King Gezo, demanding her as a gift for Queen Victoria. Commander Forbes had the child baptized Sarah Forbes Bonetta, and sailed with her to England, where she was presented to Queen Victoria and thereafter raised under the Queen's protection in England and Sierra Leone, then a British dependency.
Sarah Forbes Bonetta as a child by British watercolorist Octavious Oakley (1800-1867)
The story of the charming and highly intelligent little princess was covered widely by the newspapers of the day. One report, under the title Presentation of a Dahomean Princess to the Queen , describes her visit to Windsor Castle on November 9, 1850:
"Capt. Forbes, of her Majesty's ship Bonetta, lately brought with him to this country a young African Princess, presented to him by the King of Dahomey. Her Majesty, having been informed of the circumstance, graciously signified her intention of taking charge of the child, and, having appointed Saturday last for the presentation of the Princess, Captain Forbes, accompanied by his interesting charge, accordingly attended on that day at Windsor Castle for the purpose, when the young Princess, who is not more than eight years of age, was presented to the Queen and the Prince Consort, in the presence of . . . the Royal Household. The gallant Captain . . . had been engaged in negotiating ta treaty with the King of Dahomey, having for its object the termination of the export of slaves from that kingdom. This interesting child, considered to be of high rank, had been captured by the King from a neighboring ruler with whom he had been at war, and having been detained as a close prisoner, not having been disposed of (as is the custom of his Dahomean Majesty with captives of inferior rank) to the Portuguese and Brazilian slave dealers. She had been closely confined for nearly two years, when she was presented (as a mark of the highest respect and as an especial favor) to Captain Forbes by the King. After the formal presentation of the little Princess to her Majesty at Windsor, she returned with Captain Forbes to Winkfield Place, where she will remain until the necessary arrangements be made for her future education, under the auspices of her Majesty. Since her arrival in the country, she has made considerable progress in the study of the English language and manifests great musical talent and intelligence of no common order. Her hair is short, black, and curling, strongly indicative of her African birth; while her features are pleasing and handsome, and her manners and conduct most mild and affectionate to all about her."
Sarah Forbes Bonetta Davies
She returned to England with Forbes who presented her to Queen Victoria, who in turn gave her over to the Church Missionary Society to be educated. Sarah suffered from fragile health and in 1851 she returned to Africa to attend the Female Institution in Freetown, Sierra Leone. When she was 12 years old, Queen Victoria commanded that Sarah return to England, where she was placed under the charge of Mr and Mrs Schon at Chatham.
Queen Victoria was so impressed by the girl's natural regal manner and her gift for academic studies, literature, art and music that she gave her an allowance for her welfare and Sarah became a regular visitor to Windsor Castle. Sarah's genius became admired throughout the royal court and she continued to outshine her tutors with her advanced abilities in all studies.
Portrait of Sarah Forbes Bonetta Davies photographed by Camille Silvy in 1862
At the age of 18, Sarah received a proposal from James Pinson Labulo Davies, a 31 year old Yoruba businessman of considerable wealth who was living in Britain. She initially refused his proposal and it is reported that in order to persuade her to accept Sarah was sent to live with two elderly ladies in Brighton whose house she described as a "desolate little pig sty".
Queen Victoria sanctioned Sarah to be married in St Nicholas Church in Brighton in August 1862. The wedding party, which arrived from West Hill Lodge, Brighton in ten carriages and pairs of grays, was made up of "White ladies with African gentlemen, and African ladies with White gentlemen" There were sixteen bridesmaids. The newlyweds moved back to West Africa and Sarah was baptised at a church in the town of Badagry, a former slave port. They settled in Lagos where her husband became a member of the Legislative Council from 1872-74 (in which year Lagos Colony was for a time amalgamated into the Gold Coast).
Victoria daughter of Sarah Forbes Davies
Shortly after her marriage, Sarah gave birth to a daughter and was granted permission by the Queen to name the child Victoria - the Queen also became her Godmother.
Sarah Forbes Bonetta about the time of her marriage to James Davies, 1862
Sarah visited the Queen in 1867 with her daughter then returned to Lagos and had two more children. Later, upon Sarah's death the Queen wrote in her diary: "Saw poor Victoria Davies, my black godchild, who learnt this morning of the death of her dear mother". So proud was Queen Victoria of Sarah's daughter, that when she passed her music examination, teachers and children had one day holiday. Throughout her life Sarah had a long lasting cough that was caused by the climate change between Africa and Britain. In 1880, suffering from tuberculosis, she went to convalesce in Madeira off of the coast of West Africa. She died, around the age of 40, in 1880 and was buried in Funchal, Madiera.
Her daughter Victoria was given an annuity by the Queen and she continued to visit the royal household throughout her life.
Sarah Bonetta
The most important aspect of Sarah`s story that is very revealing is where Captain Forbes tells the Queen about the exceptional intelligence of Sarah Bonetta Forbes Davies who prefer to call herself INA.
In his journal Captain Forbes gave an account of his mission with relation to Miss Bonetta:
"I have only to add a few particulars about my extraordinary present The African child". In a former portion of this journal I have mentioned the Okeadon war; one of the captives of this dreadful slave-hunt was this interesting girl.
It is usual to reserve the best born for the high behest of royalty and the immolation on the tombs of the diseased nobility. For one of these ends she had been detained at court for two years: proving, by her not having been sold to slave dealer, that she was of a good family.
So extraordinary a present would have been at least burden, had I not the conviction that, in consideration of the nature of the service I had performed, the government would consider her as the property of the crown.
To refuse, would have been to have signed her death warrant which, probably, would have been carried into execution forthwith. Immediately on arriving...
Of her own history she was only a confused idea. Her parents were decapitated; her brother and sisters she knows not what their fate might have been .
For her age supposed to be eight years. She is a perfect genius; she now speaks English well, and has a great talent for music. She has won the affections, with but few exceptions, of all who have known her, she is far in advance of any white child of her age, in aptness of learning, and strength of mind and affection."
Miss Forbes
Her photographic portraits can now be seen at the National Portrait Gallery, London throughout October.
This is Sarah Forbes Bonetta. Her daughter Victoria became the god-daughter of Queen Victoria of England. She was popularly known as the "African Princess". This portrait was taken by the French photographer Camille Silvy (1834-1910) at his London studio in 1862, a month after her marriage to James Labulo Davies, a West African merchant.
A portrait of Sarah Forbes Bonetta (aka Sally Bonetta Forbes) popularly known as the "African Princess". A detail of a portrait by the French photographer Camille Silvy (1834-1910) taken at his London studio on 15th September 1862, a month after her marriage in Brighton to James Labulo Davies, a West African merchant.
Jame Pinson Lsbulo Davies husband of Sarah
Sarah Forbes Bonetta (Sarah Davies) by Camille Silvy
Sarah Forbes Bonetta (Sarah Davies) by Camille Silvy.albumen carte-de-visite sized print.15 September 1862.Black Victorians.Black People in British Art 1800-1900.Manchester Art Gallery.To be used solely in connection with the exhibition "Black Victorians: Black People in British Art 1800-1900" (1 October 2005 - 8 January 2006).
King Gezo of Dahomey who gave Sarah as gift to the Queen upon negotiation by Captain Forbes
Nina Simone sings about feelings in this autographical rendition of Stars. As always she has the audience in the palm of her hands including stopping her song to demand one of them “Sit Down”! The song is full of stories from her life, all our lives. Stories of loneliness, stories of lust for power and fame, of pain of betrayals, of pretense. Some make it young before the world gets to do its dirty job. Some may make it when they’re old only to be told to move out of the way…
These are the stories we love to recite knowing deep down we never owned the names we gave ourselves or others gave to us. Most of all it’s about Nina’s life as she lived it
Brother Ali projects poignancy to screens as he debuts the music video for the Jake One-produced title track from his forthcoming album, Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color. As the Rhymesayers emcee puts it himself, the first part of the clip highlights (albeit through a black-and-white filter) the dire situation of today’s violent and murderous society, while the latter half aims to draw attention to wider opportunities and inspire change.
Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color is scheduled to be released on September 18th. You can pre-order the album via Fifth Element, and purchase the “Mourning In America” single over on iTunes.
Extended deadline for Abstracts is September 15, 2012.
Final completed piece deadline: February 15, 2013.
You can email me your abstracts (approximately 2 paragraphs) at the email address sistahvegan(at)gmail (dot). Com
Click on the above video to hear about Brotha Vegan , the sibling to Sistah Vegan book.
This anthology isn’t only about veganism. It’s actually critical perspectives and arts coming from a black male vegan consciousness. You can talk about veganism, but you can also talk about other topics that intersect with your vegan consciousness. What are the ways in which black vegan males think about:
Hip hop culture and vegan activism
Environmental and nutritional racism
Meat eating as a “masculine” stereotype
Class and food access
Structural racism’s effects on food acces
“Obesity” and diabetes in the African American community
Access to clean water as a race, class, and gender issue.
PETA
Going Green; green jobs; green economy
Fatherhood
Teenhood
Ageism
Sexism
Food sovereignty
Occupy movement
Experiencing life as a black male who is queer and vegan
Disabilities studies and race
Prison industrial complex
Afrocentricism
Spirituality and consumption
Critical analysis of Afrocentric and Afrikan Holistic Health movement
Decolonizing the body
Animal liberation
Raising vegan children
This volume will be loving and open-minded. I am not going to accept media that is sexist, homophobic, or anti-trans. This volume should be a safe artistic space for all black men, but in particular, marginalized black males such as sexuality minorities (black males who are gay, for example) and black men living with disabilities.
Using the platform of the 50th Uganda independence anniversary, UWONET is organizing and hosting a national women’s week under the theme; UNITED WOMEN CAN: Celebrating 50 years of women’s contribution to Uganda’s development; Reflect, Review and Revive. This is to re-mobilize, reflect, restructure, rethink and rebuild the 21st century women’s movement in Uganda.
In that regard, Uganda Women’s Network (UWONET) has thus launched an essay competition for the youth as part of 50 years of Uganda’s independence celebrations with the theme/topic: “Is affirmative action still a relevant tool for youth empowerment?” Through this competition we aim to promote and showcase innovative thinking by the youth of Uganda.
The competition is open to all youth aged 15 – 25 years old and it closes on 21st September 2012. All essays must be submitted via email in Microsoft Word format (2500 words). Please email submissions to dradrimiyo@uwonet.or.ug clearly stating in the subject line, Essay Competition.
Enter your essay for a chance to win an award. UWONET will recognize the winner of this essay competition during the award giving ceremony at the national women’s week event to be officiated by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Uganda.
The End is an international call for artists’ projects in any media, curated by the US-based art critic and curator Gean Moreno. It aims to see what new forms the idea of 'the end' can generate in our particularly turbulent historical moment.
THEME Once, the notion of the end traded in simplicity. Things were over. In popular culture, 2012 was its year. The apocalyptic imagination would finally find its prophesies fulfilled. The Book of Revelations was leaving the page. But of course the end is rarely about the end, and it seems to be much less so these days. 2012 was ushered in by a wave of social unrest--the Arab Spring and the proliferation of Occupations--and this may just force us to imagine the idea of endings in more complicated ways. Somewhere George Steiner wrote that we are the children of an autumnal age. Endings and exhaustion should be our things. But now it seems that, with the upswell of dissatisfaction boiling into action, with the electricity that’s in the air, our collective historical imagination has been given an opportunity to reconfigure itself. The idea of the end may now take different routes, flesh out unexpected intersections. It can still mark the course of dissolution and disaster. Visions of a scorched planet still harbor their chilling seduction. Cataclysm always has its charms. But the end is now, also, a space of critical gateways. Things are torn down to build anew on the ruins, to test better ways of living together, to lay a bet on a different kind of future. The idea of the end lends itself increasingly to a broader range of programs.
More than straight apocalyptic depictions or bushy-tailed activist projects, what I’m really interested in are strange juxtapositions, weird syntheses, inexplicable mutations between the seductive drive of destruction and imaginative processes of renewal. Think utopian colonies living in a landfill. Think the Black Panthers operating out of a junkyard, as in Godard’s One Plus One (Sympathy for the Devil). Think Beckett’s wastelands occupied, brightened by rows and rows of tents and grating drum circles. Think Mad Max remade as the story of Oakland’s angry communards. Think T.S. Eliot reporting from Madrid or Tahrir Square. Think, of course, beyond any of these examples, dazzle with weirdness. To be concise, the projects selected for this exhibition will orbit around an imaginative reconfiguration of the idea of the end as an equivocal, slippery, elusive, but inspiring thing, pregnant with new and unexpected potentials, bleak and bright at the same time.
Gean Moreno
July 2012
Details in brief:
° Deadline for submissions is 15 October 2012.
° Open to artists, photographers, designers and architects worldwide, without limits of age or experience.
° 10 projects will be exhibited 5-8 December at the Miami-Beach Regional Library during the Art/Basel/Miami Beach Fair.
The End is an international call for artists’ projects in any media, curated by the US-based art critic and curator Gean Moreno. It aims to see what new forms the idea of 'the end' can generate in our particularly turbulent historical moment.
THEME Once,
the notion of the end traded in simplicity. Things were over. In
popular culture, 2012 was its year. The apocalyptic imagination would
finally find its prophesies fulfilled. The Book of Revelations was
leaving the page. But of course the end is rarely about the end, and it
seems to be much less so these days. 2012 was ushered in by a wave of
social unrest--the Arab Spring and the proliferation of Occupations--and
this may just force us to imagine the idea of endings in more
complicated ways. Somewhere George Steiner wrote that we are the
children of an autumnal age. Endings and exhaustion should be our
things. But now it seems that, with the upswell of dissatisfaction
boiling into action, with the electricity that’s in the air, our
collective historical imagination has been given an opportunity to
reconfigure itself. The idea of the end may now take different routes,
flesh out unexpected intersections. It can still mark the course of
dissolution and disaster. Visions of a scorched planet still harbor
their chilling seduction. Cataclysm always has its charms. But the end
is now, also, a space of critical gateways. Things are torn down to
build anew on the ruins, to test better ways of living together, to lay a
bet on a different kind of future. The idea of the end lends itself
increasingly to a broader range of programs.
More than
straight apocalyptic depictions or bushy-tailed activist projects, what
I’m really interested in are strange juxtapositions, weird syntheses,
inexplicable mutations between the seductive drive of destruction and
imaginative processes of renewal. Think utopian colonies living in a
landfill. Think the Black Panthers operating out of a junkyard, as in
Godard’s One Plus One (Sympathy for the Devil). Think Beckett’s
wastelands occupied, brightened by rows and rows of tents and grating
drum circles. Think Mad Max remade as the story of Oakland’s angry
communards. Think T.S. Eliot reporting from Madrid or Tahrir Square.
Think, of course, beyond any of these examples, dazzle with weirdness.
To be concise, the projects selected for this exhibition will orbit
around an imaginative reconfiguration of the idea of the end as an
equivocal, slippery, elusive, but inspiring thing, pregnant with new and
unexpected potentials, bleak and bright at the same time.
Gean Moreno
July 2012
Details in brief:
° Deadline for submissions is 15 October 2012.
° Open to artists, photographers, designers and architects worldwide, without
limits of age or experience.
° 10 projects will be exhibited
5-8 December at the Miami-Beach Regional Library during the Art/Basel/Miami
Beach Fair.
When the mean streets of Chicago, spills over on to Twitter…
Yesterday, Lupe Fiasco announced via his Twitter page that he may be done with rap after a small spat with fellow hometown rapper Chief Keef. You see, there were more than 152 killings in Chicago between June and the end of August alone this year with 38 of them being teenagers, and unfortunately up and comer Chief Keef (who’s only 17) glorifies that ‘Bang Bang’ lifestyle. If you follow, Chief Keef on Twitter, he tweets with the hashtag “300,” which is a reference to the Chicago Street gang, the Black Disciples. Police started monitoring Chief’s account earlier this week after another 16 year old rapper (by the name of Lil Jojo) was killed in Chicago who had a known beef with the street gang. And to make matters a little worse, Chief Keef sent out an unsympathetic tweet after the rapper was shot to death that read,”‘Its Sad Cuz Dat Ni–a Jojo Wanted To Be Jus Like Us #LMAO.” [As in 'Laughing My Ass Off'.]
But it didn’t stop there. A day after Lil Jojo’s murder, Chief Keef also sent a threat to Lupe Fiasco via Twitter:
“Lupe fiasco a hoe azz ni–a And wen I see him I’ma smack him like da lil b-tch he is #300″.
Chief Keef was more than likely responding to a comment that Lupe made last week during an interview with Baltimore’s 92Q. When Lupe was asked for his opinion on Chief Keef, he responded, “Chief Keef scares me. Not him specifically, but just the culture that he represents–specifically in Chicago…. The hoodlums, the gangsters, and the ones you see killing each other and the murder rate in Chicago is skyrocketing and you see who’s doing it and perpetrating it — they all look like Chief Keef.”
Lupe responded to Chief Keef’s threatening tweet by stating he wasn’t interested in indulging in beefs. And although he’s remained positive on records, he hasn’t received anything but malice in return. So he is considering leaving the rap game.
“i love u lil bruh @ChiefKeef…i really really do from the bottom of my f-cking heart. I know that street sh-t like the back of my hand. I’ ve seen it in every way you can possibly imagine and its nothing to be proud of @ChiefKeef it TAKES and TAKES till there is nothing left. I choose not to indulge becuz its lil guys that look up to me so i try and show them a better way @ChiefKeef i aint try to be BE better. I’m trying to DO better @ChiefKeef as we all should. We were born with no expectations to make it. born in the hood, live there die there. I cant go 4 that @ChiefKeef & i cant let the people i love, including you my n-gga, go 4 that either. We kings not f-cking savages and goons”
“My father I have spoken the truth to them yet it has only made my life in this world more troubled. i can bear this no longer… I have spoken peace only 2 receive vitriol and malice in return. My brother seeks destruction my sister seeks attention paths to nothingness. I’d die for them…but they’d probably spit on my grave…i still will die for them…just bury me in a place far from their reach…Amin.
This album will probably be my last. It’s been a pleasure to have all my fans provide so much love an inspiration for me and my family, but my heart is broken and I see no comfort further along this path–only more pain. I cannot participate any longer in this…My first true love was literature so i will return to that…lupe fiasco ends here…peace and much love 2 ya!….”
To gain a little perspective on Lupe Fiasco’s stance (which seems a little bit deeper than a tweet threat), just last month during a filming of MTV’s Rap Fix, Sway played an old clip of Lupe showing him around his old neighborhood on the Westside Chicago. When the clip was finished, Lupe broke down crying and it was very hard for him to finish the interview as he talked about the ghosts of old friends and his reality back in Chicago.
Some of them dudes are dead. Chicago is the murder capitol. The dudes in that video are in prison, a couple of fed cases, and then there’s ghosts. You see people that ain’t there. You just trying to make it better and come up out of it. Nothings changed. Some of them kids aren’t gonna make it out of there. You just feel so helpless. That was six years ago and stuff is the same. You feel hopeless. It’s a terrible thing.
To see myself six years ago surrounding by people who aren’t even here, repping the hood, it’s a sober thing to me. It’s sobering because you know your mother was right. Your father was right. Stick to what you know and get out because if you stay here, you are going to die. You are not going to die for anything heroic or meaningful, you are going to die for something worthless and no one will remember your name. And it hurts. It’s a painful thing.
I cant go 4 that @ChiefKeef & i cant let the people i love, including you my nigga, go 4 that either. We kings not fucking savages and goons
Following Lupe Fiasco‘s comments regarding the much-hyped (zero talent having) teenage rapper Chief Keefa little while ago, the Chicago hailing youngster took to twitter to threaten to smack Lupe like a bitch (see tweets above). After diplomatically responding to Chief Keef, Fiasco took to his twitter to get a few things of his chest,
“my father i have spoken the truth to them yet it has only made my life in this world more troubled. i can bear this no longer.
i have spoken peace only 2 receive vitriol and malice in return. My brother seeks destruction my sister seeks attention paths to nothingness.
i’d die for them…but they’d probably spit on my grave…i still will die for them…just bury me in a place far from their reach…Amin
This album will probably be my last…its been a pleasure to have all my fans provide so much love an inspiration for me and my family. but my heart is broken and i see no comfort further along this path only more pain. I cannot participate any longer in this…My first true love was literature so i will return to that…lupe fiasco ends here.”
But before leaving twitter for the night, Wasulu delivered a gift to his loyal supporters at LupEND Blog in the form of an unfinished version of the much anticipated “American Terrorist Pt 2″, the almost mythical 2nd part of the American Terrorist trilogy that began on Lupe’s debut album Food & Liquor (“American Terrorist III” appeared last year). Press play below.
“It’s getting hard to seperate the saints from the satanic.” – Lupe Fiasco If Lupe does in fact follow through with ‘retirement’, what will mean for the albums that were set to follow Food & Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album, Part 1, Food & Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album, Part 2 andSkulls? Would Atlantic Records go ahead and release them without his direct involvement? Stay locked for developments.
Food & Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album, Part 1 is out on September 25th, let’s pray it’s not really his last.
Tuesday night saw more bloodshed in Chicago as the city clocked two more murders making 2012 one of the deadliest in the city’s recent history. This time one of the victims was an up-and-coming rapper, and his murder may have deep consequences for the music world.
Eighteen-year-old rapper Joseph Coleman, known as Lil’ JoJo, was shot while he rode a bicycle Tuesday night; the teen later died on the street. As his mother dealt with the loss of her son, Coleman’s rap rival, Chief Keef, seemed to make light of his competitor’s demise.
A message posted to Chief Keef’s Twitter account read, “Its Sad Cuz Dat N***a Jojo Wanted To Be Jus Like Us #LMAO.”
According to reports, the two rappers have been engaged in a verbal war for months and police are looking into Keef’s tweets, as well as local gangs both rappers claimed to be affiliated with, to help crack the case.
In April, JoJo released ”3hunna K,” a track that he rapped “ain’t a diss song, this is just a message” but found him riding Chief Keef’s “Everyday” beat while guns appeared in the accompanying video.
The track was a response to Chief Keef affiliate Lil Durk’s earlier rhymes about JoJo’s Bricksquad crew, which JoJo followed up with an additional track on the subject. A shaky YouTube video uploaded on Tuesday pictures JoJo allegedly driving by Lil Reese — another member of the Keef/Durk crew — and engaging in a profanity-laced verbal argument. “I’ma kill you,” the person claimed to be Reese clearly states in the video. According to the Tribune, police were investigating “whether the shooting was sparked by a gang conflict.” (Read Complex Magazine’s timeline detailing the tweets before and after JoJo was killed.)
JoJo was killed shortly after the video hit the web.
Chief Keef, known for his rhymes glorifying guns and violence, later claimed his account had been hacked after many of his 200,000+ followers took him to task for his seeming insensitivity. But the tweet poking fun at JoJo’s death was never erased; it still remains on the rapper’s timeline.
After Keef posted the callous message, Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco told followers that he was heartbroken over yet another senseless murder in his city.
“Chief Keef scares me. Not him specifically, but just the culture that he represents, specifically in Chicago….The murder rate in Chicago is skyrocketing and you see who’s doing it and perpetrating it, they all look like Chief Keef.”
Amid the controversy surrounding JoJo’s death, Chief Keef sent threatening tweets to Lupe, saying he would “smack him like da lil b*tch he is.” Keef and Fiasco exchanged a series of tweets that culminated in Lupe saying he had lost faith in music and may return to his first love, literature.
Losing Lupe Fiasco’s voice would be a serious blow to hip-hop. These days it seems like gang and gun culture is taking over Chicago (and rap as a whole), despite other rappers like Lupe Fiasco, Common, and Rhymefest offering an alternative perspective.
Many have called out Chief Keef for his violent lyrics and rampant gang references in light of his city’s deplorable murder rate, but the upstart rapper continues to win over fans. Keef earned major kudos when fellow Chicago-bred rapper Kanye West jumped on a remix of Keef’s viral hit, “I Don’t Like,” and the 17-year-old just inked a deal with Interscope reportedly worth millions.
Despite the criticisms many have lobbed at Chief Keef, his buzz, unfortunately, continues to grow.
Chicago rapper Rhymefest, who ran unsuccessfully to be an Alderman in the city’s 10th district, summed up the seemingly lack of concern around the violence in Keef’s music and Chicago’s exploding murder rate.
“I warned you all about this Chicago violence in Hip Hop and I was called a Hater,”Rhymefest tweeted, “now someone else is dead.”
It aired on Channel 4 in the UK, on August 24, just about 10 days ago; and thanks to the miracle of the web, specifically video sharing sites like YouTube, the entire 2-hour documentary is online, and can now be watched by much of the rest of the world.
A quick recap...
The doc is Idris Elba's How Clubbing Changed the World.
Twenty-five years since the birth of Rave, a new generation of British DJs and producers are at the forefront of a global musical revolution. From Trance to Dubstep, the sound of British producers has now become the most sought after commodity for the biggest popstars on the planet. Reaching far beyond the sweaty dance floors of the Hacienda and the Ministry of Sound, this programme reveals how British night clubbing transformed our nation and was exported globally to influence societies across the world, with personal insights and club-raising anecdotes. The entertaining and thought-provoking How Clubbing Changed the World explores how clubbing went from a counter cultural movement that defined a generation to a multi-billion pound business.
Elba serves as narrator and executive producer of the documentary, which you can watch below in full:
