PUB: The Rogue Rose: Second Annual Rogue Bud Writing Competition

Second Annual Rogue Bud Writing Competition

Second Annual Rogue Bud Writing Competition Sponsored by
Rose Audrey In Honor of Joel Muska

First Place Prize
I will Publish your Book!

Let me take your words and transform them into a work of art. I can help you to produce a quality product and it will be yours to do with as you like. I will design a cover for your creation and I will format your words into a book. Then I will set you up with your own account with Lulu.com and you will have a world wide web storefront featuring your very own book!
*ISBN purchase winner’s responsibility as well as copyright.

Do you have an unfulfilled vision of some day becoming a published author?
Do you have an outstanding work ethic? Do you have a great attitude?
Are you a team player? If so this contest is for you! I am now accepting submissions for novels to consider for publication. See contest guidelines.

Contest Guidelines:

Please email me an 800 word or less essay on why I should select your novel or memoir to be considered for publication. Include a one page synopsis of your completed book with the entry essay. (One page synopsis will not be included in word count.) I will review the submissions and select up to ten people whom I will then request to see more of their work. I am a Christian and the work must reflect high moral values.

I will only consider completed manuscripts for my competition this year. I will also only consider polished work. Please send me your best, and I will give you my best!

Joel Muska was my co-worker and I wanted to do something to honor his persistence, reliability, great attitude and stellar work ethic.

If you feel that you have something substantial to offer please contact me!!!

Initial Submission Deadline:
September 15, 2011

No late entries will qualify

Email Contest Entries to:
Joyfulnoizministries@yahoo.com
Subject line must say: Rogue Bud Competition

 

 

EAST AFRICA: Drought, Famine or Man-made Disaster?

Somalia famine:

UN warns of 750,000 deaths


Somali mother and child
Some 750,000 could die in Somalia unless aid is stepped up, the UN warns

As many as 750,000 people could die as Somalia's drought worsens in the coming months, the UN has warned, declaring a famine in a new area.

The UN says tens of thousands of people have died after what is said to be East Africa's worst drought for 60 years.

Bay becomes the sixth area to be officially declared a famine zone - mostly in parts of southern Somalia controlled by the Islamist al-Shabab.

Some 12 million people across the region need food aid, the UN says.

The situation in the Bay region was worse than anything previously recorded, said senior UN's technical adviser Grainne Moloney.

"The rate of malnutrition [among children] in Bay region is 58%. This is a record rate of acute malnutrition," she told journalists in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

This is almost double the rate at which a famine is declared.

"In total, 4 million people are in crisis in Somalia, with 750,000 people at risk of death in the coming four months in the absence of adequate response," the UN's Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) says.

Half of those who have already died are children, it says.

Neighbouring Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda have also been affected by the severe lack of rain.

'Not short-term'

Previous Major African Hunger Crises

  • Niger: 2010 - Food shortages affect more than 7 million people after crops fail; 2005 - thousands die following drought and locust invasion
  • Ethiopia, 2000: Three consecutive years of drought leave millions at risk, with famine declared in Gode, the Somali region
  • Somalia, 1991-1992: Drought and war contribute to famine across the country; the US Refugee Policy Group estimates at least 200,000 famine-related deaths in 1992
  • Ethiopia, 1984-1985: Up to one million people die in famine caused by conflict, drought and economic mismanagement
  • Biafra, 1967-1970: One million die in civil war and famine during conflict over Nigeria's breakaway Biafran republic

But 20 years of fighting and the lack of a national government mean that Somalia is by far the worst affected country.

The UN-backed authority controls the capital, Mogadishu but few other areas.

Unni Karunakara, head of medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), says al-Shabab's restrictions on aid workers mean many people in Somalia cannot be helped - and says aid agencies should be more open about this when appealing for more money.

"The grim reality of Somalia today is we are not able to get to south and central Somalia, which we consider to be the epicentre of the crisis," he told the BBC World Service.

"What is needed is a better representation of the challenges that aid agencies, including MSF, face in delivering assistance in Somalia today.


At the scene

In a sandy clearing surrounded by leafless bushes, people queued up for help.

Food aid is reaching Kenya's Wajir district but not enough of it. The demand is overwhelming and so the religious leaders have to pick out the most vulnerable - only they are given the sought-after parcels of rice, sugar, beans, flour and oil.

Schools are supposed to be reopening this week but there will be many empty benches as some children are too weak to make the long walk to school.

"The children are demoralised and many will not go. Also the UN has reduced the school feeding programme and the children can't learn without food," said father of five Mohammed Abdulahi.

In Griftu hospital a mother lay beside her terribly malnourished four-year-old daughter. Listless and stick-thin Ahado was being fed through a tube. The nurses are hopeful that within a month she will be out of danger.

"On the ward we now have an average of six to 10 severely malnourished children each week. The numbers have gone up. The drought is still getting worse," said Doctor Kosmos Ngis.

"Even if we are able to get food and supplies to the main ports of Somalia, I think there is a real challenge in being able to deliver that assistance - what I call the 'last-mile' problem.

Some officials from al-Shabab, which has links to al-Qaeda, have accused Western aid groups of exaggerating the scale of the crisis for political reasons.

Tens of thousands of Somalis have fled their country to seek help.

BBC East Africa correspondent Will Ross says that even if there is rainfall in October or November, people will need food aid for several more months until the crops have grown.

"This isn't a short-term crisis," said UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia Mark Bowden.

In Kenya's Wajir district, just across the border from Somalia, health workers are reporting an increase in the number of malnourished children.

Weakened by the lack of food they are more susceptible to disease.

The drought is still taking its toll on the livestock - people living in the arid areas of Kenya depend on their animals for their livelihood and with no rain expected for several weeks the crisis is still deepening despite the presence of aid agencies, says our correspondent.

Map of food shortages in Somalia
__________________________

 

 

 

Author Thomas Keneally won the Booker Prize in 1982 for Schindler’s Ark, later made into the film Schindler’s List. His latest book Three Faminesexamines three historical famines and their causes.

 

(CNN) – Imagine if long-term drought were to strike a part of the rural United States, Wyoming say, or Montana.

There would be bank foreclosures as the price of cattle would fall because there was too many of them on the market, families would tragically lose their farms, and grocery lists would be trimmed.

But would people starve, actually waste away until their bodies began to devour themselves?

In Southern Somalia, Djibouti, parts of Ethiopia and in refugee camps in Kenya at the moment, up to 12 million people, basically half a Canada, are facing death.

In Somalia, the people already in crisis number about four million. Mothers, for example, are again making the Sophie’s choice of how to share the small resources of remaining food amongst their children.

And the tired old terms to explain it all are again repeated. The cause, we are told, is drought. The “caused by drought” formula is not only lazy journalism. We’ve heard that song sung so often in the past that it may now make us immune to the famine’s claim on us.

Certainly, drought is a trigger of famine. And global warming might be extending the length of droughts. But Amartya Sen, the Nobel Prize-winning economist famously said that no substantial famine has ever occurred in a liberal democracy. I believe Sen is right.

Famines occur in places where people are tyrannized over either by governments or, in the case of Southern Somalia, by private armies and militias. They occur in places where even in the lead-up years to famine, farmers are not always able to plant crops with security, without the likelihood that they might be confiscated, or that the village granary will be burned by armies, private and government.

Famines, above all, occur in places where people get by on a few food items. Though in the cities, including Mogadishu, Somalia, people might eat canned food and a range of other food, for farmers in East Africa, the normal foods are lentils and the bread made out of dhurra, millet or a grain named teff.

If the grain crop is destroyed by drought or locusts or undue human intervention, there goes the chief nourishment.

The coastal fishermen of Somalia are themselves reduced in what they can eat because the price of grain is escalating out of their reach. The semi-nomadic people who own cattle have a diet of milk and meat. The livestock die for lack of pasture, are stolen or have to be sold or eaten, and there goes life.

In liberal democracies, as much under pressure as they might be at the moment, if one food source is removed from us, we have the ability to turn to another. Not so for the 12 million the U.N. has declared in immediate peril of starving.

So the question arises: Why are people on Earth now, in the 21st century, still surviving on one staple — just as the Irish did with the potato in the 1840s?

Governments maintain unjust systems of land tenure, that is one reason. Governments put money into arms instead of into infrastructure — into roads, for example, by which aid can easily transported, or into storage facilities.

One is entitled to ask why, after all the development and emergency aid spent on Ethiopia, there is a food crisis there every time there is a drought? Is this a failure of rain or a failure of government?

We see the above-mentioned “undue human intervention” in East African people’s welfare in the fact that in the case of Southern Somalia, the Obama administration has had to give aid agencies a guarantee of freedom from prosecution even if some of the aid has to be given, virtually as a protection bribe, to the fundamentalist military group called Al Shabaab.

Al Shabaab has preyed on the Southern Somalis year after year. Charities must pledge their best efforts to prevent Al Shabaab from hoarding food and charging tax on it.

These realities of famine are as much, if not more, the cause of famine than natural disaster. In some cases it is misgovernment, and in the case of Somalia it is warlord-ism.

The question arises, should this reality stop us from coming to the aid of our fellow world citizens in East Africa? In my opinion it makes it more urgent.

As the old aid song from the 1980s goes, “We are the world.” In the meantime we’ll only learn to understand and address this deadly phenomenon if we stop citing “caused by drought” every time something like this calamity comes to our notice.

 

 

 

INTERVIEW + VIDEO: Wanuri Kahiu & Blitz The Ambassador—Two Views On African Cinema

Wanuri Kahiu


“Pumzi” Director Wanuri Kahiu

Talks Female Lead Characters

Telling *Our* Own Stories

A reminder that Focus Features’ Africa First short films are currently available to “watch instantly” on Netflix. So if you have a Netflix account, as I know a lot of you do, you really should check out this compilation of short films by up and coming African filmmakers - one of them being a sci-fi short titled Pumzi , from Kenyan filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu.

But before you do (or even after) here’s a recent interview with Wanuri that was posted on YouTube today.

It’s about 13 minutes long, and worth listening to, as she talks about subjects that have come up frequently on this site - most recently, the presence of women (in this case black women) in unconventional lead roles on screen, and the fertile ground for stories that is Africa. It’s a good interview, though I could have done without the background music:

 

__________________________

Blitz the Ambassador


Blitz the Ambassador


and film-making in Africa


Blitz the Ambassador, one of the most interesting Ghanaian artists on the scene today, talking about his twin passion, film-making, and the need for Africans to tell their own stories in film.

He's right; we do need to tell our own stories if we want to see fully-formed characters on our screens. As the Zimbabwean proverb has it: Until the lion tells his side of the story, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter. That said, it's not that we aren't telling our own stories on film. It's that, for financial and practical reasons very few films are being made for the cinema; the ones that are tend to come from the Francophone-African countries, and these are financed with French money. That, at least, has been the case since the 1980s.

One place where lots of movies are made is Nigeria, whose movie industry, the second largest in the world in terms of the number of films produced, goes by the informal name Nollywood. 

Nollywood, however, specializes in film, rather than Cinema. This is not a bad thing; it works. As Producer/Director Mahmood Ali Balogun notes in the documentary This Is Nollywood, film-making in Nigeria works on a subsistence model: Shoot something that's likely to earn you your returns very quickly so you have money to eat and make the next one, and so on. And, with film-making being the financially-risky business that it is, you shoot cheaply, for as wide an audience as possible, and for mass distribution. Mass distribution in a country that has far fewer cinemas per head than anywhere in Europe or America means you shoot with DVD distribution in mind. Traditionally, a mass audience has meant stories and characters without too many shades of ambiguity. And shooting cheaply meant, and still means, you don't shoot on 35 mm film (still the most commonly used film gauge for cinema worldwide), you don't aim for art house aesthetics, and you shoot in regular homes, hotel rooms, offices and on the streets, with a small crew, and wrap up your shoot within a week or two.

 

Film actress Adaobi Enekwa playing a woman attacked by vigilantes on the set of a Nollywood movie production (©Tadej Znidarcic)

The Nollywood model is very successful because its operators understand the reality of the environment/market. But the objective is not Cinema, and this is what Blitz is referring to. We need Cinema, too. It'll come. With the shift from celluloid to digital, it's inevitable.

As Nollywood Producer/Director Peace Piberesima says, "[Right now] we're doing films for the masses … at the moment it's not about quality; the quality is coming." 

In fact, it's already starting to come, and not only from Nigeria. 

Blitz mentioned Viva Riva by the Congolese writer/Director Djo Tunda Wa Munga, and Pumzi by and Kenyan Director Wanuri Kahiu (this won a Best Short Film award at the Cannes Independent Film Festival). 

Also keep an eye on Ugandan filmmaker Caroline Kamya, who shot the multi-award-winning Imani, actor/director Kunle Afolayan (Nigeria) whose shot The Figurine, Lonzo Nzekwe (Nigeria) who shot Anchor Baby (trailer below), and Newton Aduaka, whose film Ezra won the Grand Prize at Ouagadougou Panafrican Film and Television Festival in 2007.

All in good time.

 

CULTURE: Cuba’s Audacious Trova Music > Havana Times.org

Maria Teresa Vera

Cuba’s Audacious Trova Music

August 25, 2011 
by Dariela Aquique 

HAVANA TIMES, August 25 — I heard a comment on the news about the “Festival of Political Song” (Spanish: Festival de la Cancion Politica) an event held annually in Guantanamo at the beginning of August.  To me, the name of this event seemed to be in poor taste.  I wondered: Do people make political songs in Cuba?

To dispel my concerns, I raised this question to some festival participants who were themselves trova musicians, most of them fairly young.

This triggered a whole review of the history of trova in our country, from its beginning with “old trova” or “traditional trova,” continuing on to the “nueva trova” movement, through its two stages until finally getting to “novisima trova” (or “post-trova,” as some aficionados call it).  This article is a result of those conversations.

Some history behind its creation 

The musical style called “trova” was born in Santiago de Cuba.  It emerged from bohemian musicians, each with a guitar under their arm, wandering through their streets, playing their songs in parks, plazas, bars or street corners.

A regular in those spots, a composer and guitarist named Jose “Pepe” Sanchez, became the father of Cuban trovadoresca song, followed by artists like the brilliant Sindo Garay, the Matamoros Brothers, the Hierrezuelo Brothers, Maria Teresa Vera and an entire illustrious group who helped originate this style.

Sara Gonzalez (l) with Marta Campos. Photo: Caridad

 

It had a repertoire that was novel for its time – songs of love, but also picaresque and satirical lyrics and even songs with double meanings, like those of Ñico Saquito.  All of this served to form the songbook of Cuban trova.  Though it wasn’t their preference, these musicians had to compete with other styles that were generally taken more seriously, ones like son or bolero.  Nevertheless, they ended up winning the public’s acceptance.

Trova, though always popular, wound up being popularized through the radio.  From its beginning it had many dissimilar exponents, making it even richer and more diverse.  The inheritance of those early bards — who in their lyrics and refrains reflected love, emotion, the reality of their epoch and that eminently musical genesis of what Cubans have been gifted — was well received by later generations.  These subsequent players continued the style, renovating it but without denying the sound; this is how we got “new trova.”

New tendencies 

Pablo Milanes, photo: cubadebate.cu

 

In the 1960s and ‘70s, there were countless styles and musical rhythms in fashion all around the world.  Among these appeared a specific type of song, one that came from the popular folklore where the artist was from to create new compositions fused with other sounds.

This type of “nueva cancion” (new song) always implied true social commitment and it was frequently related to political, nationalist and leftist movements in vogue at those times because of existing conflicts.  This was what made it different from the rest of the “modern” songs.

Cuban “nueva trova” arose in the late 1960s and early ‘70s, and it could well be related to the so-called “nueva cancion” style.  The creators of this movement were a group of singer-songwriters whose compositions didn’t follow the precepts of customary songs.  They were influenced by traditional trova, “feeling” (a genre of Cuban song that was called this because of the manner in which it was sung), British rock, Brazilian bossa nova and Spanish pop music, as well as some elements of Latin American folklore.

Gerardo Alfonso. Photo: Irina Echarry

 

The employment of rock elements was not held in high regard by the officialdom since in that period everything Anglo-Saxon was considered ideologically incorrect (diversionismo).  This led to the TV censorship of some of the performances by these artists in the late 60’s.

However, soon the lyrics and creative attitudes of the principal exponents of this movement evidenced that they were motivated by everything that had happened in those first years of the revolution, though they never stopped making certain criticisms around specific issues of society, however subliminally.

In around 1967, some of these musicians became associated with the Casa de las Americas (an important cultural center of the country) and they recorded their first records, which were initially collective works.  A concert that was held at that institution on February 18, 1968, and whose hosts were Silvio Rodriguez, Pablo Milanes and Noel Nicola, was the beginning of official acceptance of these artists and their artistic style.

In 1969 the Grupo de Experimentacion Sonora del ICAIC (the Cuban Institute of the Arts and Film Industry) was created, directed by musician Leo Brouwer.  This group was made responsible primarily for creating the music for documentaries and movies that ICAIC produced.  It was made up largely of musicians who at that time were part of the new trova movement.

The record made by this group was titled: Cuba va, Fusil contra fusil, Un hombre se levanta, La nueva escuela o la Canción de los CDR (Cuba advances, Rifle against rifle, A man arises, The new school or the Song of the CDR).  The music of this group is in fact a sample of what could be called the “political song,” though it was no more than a reflection of the time.

William Vivanco

 

They constituted themselves publically and legally as El Movimiento de la Nueva Trova (the Nueva Trova Movement) in the city of Manzanillo on December 2, 1972, after a long march from Playa Las Coloradas (the place for where the yacht Granma landed) to the center of town.

The members and founders of this renowned movement were Silvio Rodriguez, Pablo Milanes, Noel Nicola, Vicente Feliu, Sara Gonzalez and a little later Augusto Blanca and Amaury Perez, among others.  All of them wrote and sang songs that were committed to the revolutionary process, and consequently they were broadcast widely over the air.  There was even a television program called Te doy una cancion, the title of one of Silvio’s songs.

This first stage of Nueva Trova unfolded in the 1960s and ‘70s, but in the ‘80s and ‘90s there also emerged a series of important figures within the movement.  But — possessing a different form of expression and feeling — they didn’t have the same luck as their predecessors in being accepted by the officialdom.

The moles 

Youth were faced with new worries in the extremely difficult conjunctures of the 1980’s, when the second greatest mass exodus in the country’s history (after that of the ‘60s) was experienced.  The events at the Peruvian embassy, the Mariel boat lift, “acts of repudiation,” the war in Angola, the scholarships to Eastern Europe, internationalist missions in Libya and Nicaragua and Russian cartoons formed the context in which Nueva Trova developed in its second phase.

Silvio Rodriguez. Photo: Caridad

 

The most notable exponents were Carlos Varela, Frank Delgado, Gerardo Alfonso, Santiago Feliu, Pedro Luis Ferrer, Alberto Tosca, Xiomara Laugar and a little later Raul Torres, Polito Ibañez and Alejandro Bernabeu.

These latter ones — like all Cuban protagonists of the distressing ‘90s — experienced the harshness of Special Period crisis, life after the fall of the socialist camp and the third mass exit (known as the “balsero” exodus).

Their songs reflected this reality with urgent social critiques and fine sarcasm, what had been used by the old traditional trova musicians in the ‘50s when they jeered at the society of their epoch.  This had as a consequence incomprehension of their words by the ruling group and censorship that prevented the popularization of their songs (this included their songs being banned from the media and these artists not being allowed to record).

Until recently the diffusion of these artists works was minimal, in some cases more than with others (like in the cases of Frank Delgado and Pedro Luis Ferrer).  Currently there is more of an opening for their music, but it cannot be said that they enjoy the same level of promotion as others do, including those whose artistic creations are of inferior quality but who don’t entry into the fray – instead they hide behind the classic line: “Don’t say what you shouldn’t…”

This group deserves an alias: “The Moles,” because their music and their lyrics are buried much of the time.  And of course since “according to some” they’re not committed to the revolutionary process, they don’t deserve the epithets, the politics or anything else.

Those of today 

Like the perfect cycle of things in life, everything returns to its original place, renovated, but with a common accent; as such, current Cuban trova has returned to its roots.  Today’s trova musician goes into a little of everything, fusing their sounds with the richest international musical tendencies of the moment as well as those of the past.

Kelvis Ochoa. Photo: Caridad

 

They sing to the fullness of life, not anything partial or schematized.  These are no longer the years of revolutionary effervescence, when some youths identified with the historical moment and made songs of a political nature to a certain measure.  Nor are these times of social revelation and changes in Cuban society and its mentality; there now appears resentment and frustration over unrealized promises.

This is a more detached but awakened generation, one that struggles, sings and pays homage to the old trova musicians, to the anthological songs of Silvio, Pablo or Noel.  This is a generation that gives continuity through the intelligent and now indispensable writings by Cubans such as Carlos Varela, Frank Delgado or Raul Torres.

Gema y Pavel, Rolando Berrio, William Vivanco, Karel Garcia, Kelvin Ochoa, Boris Larramendi, Atanay Castro, Vanito Brown and many more make novisima trova an indispensable part of our music and the national culture.

But “political song”?  I don’t believe such a thing exists in Cuba.  That perhaps was a stage of enthusiasm.  That’s why I find it obsolete to label an event with the name “Festival of Political Song”.  If we can attribute anything to trova of any time, it’s that it has been and always will be audacious and provocative.

 

REVIEW: Film—The Creators: When Art and Activism Collide in South Africa > Ceasefire Magazine

Film Review

The Creators:

When Art and Activism

Collide in South Africa

 

-->
The Creators – A documentary by Laura Gamse and Jacques de Villiers

 

<p>The Creators Trailer from invisible sessions on Vimeo.</p>

“If you are looking for Hell, ask the artist where it is. If you cannot find an artist, then you are already in Hell”
Avigdor Pawsner

After a gorgeous Friday evening at the theatre I came home to find an eagerly awaited package from South Africa lying on my bed. I was tired but couldn’t wait to watch ‘The Creators’, a documentary that explores the reality of post-apartheid South Africa through its artists.

My first visit to Cape Town back in 2009 left me winded, I was falling in love with a city that was jaded, uncomfortable, and ugly as it was beautiful. As a postcolonial British student dedicated to undoing systems of domination, the reality of South Africa was profound to me.

Cape Town and its inequalities were stark; traces of apartheid were visible and still strung across its landscape, the people that inhabited it, and the socio-political sphere that was once home to many anti-apartheid leaders. My love affair with South Africa as a whole had begun and now nearing my third visit, I’ve become impatient to dig deeper into a country with a history that retains a heavy hold on its present.

When Laura Gamse, one half of the duo that directed this powerful documentary, contacted me earlier this month I was excited; little did I know that it would leave me feeling overwhelmed and inspired.

The Creators takes viewers through a dynamic journey, bridging the lives and stories of very separate and different artists from all over South Africa. It begins with unearthing their very distinct gifts and the narratives that accompany them. Graffiti artist Faith47 brings dilapidated townships alive creating murals centred around the ANC Freedom Charter, a testament to not only keep post-apartheid governments in check but to evoke a sense of empowerment that the Charter was once grounded upon.

Afro-blues band Warongx reveal the reality of struggling African Xhosa artists in an increasingly Westernized music industry, to tell stories that can only be really understood in their mother tongue, a message that can’t be diluted. B-Boy Emile Jansen uses Hip Hop as a platform to nurture young people into personhood, a self-actualization outside of material depravity forcing them to express themselves in ways they can take ownership over their own lives, particularly in white spaces traditionally outside of their comfort zone.

One of the most powerful tales for me, however, was that of tenor singer Mthetho Mapoyi who discovers Opera through a CD his father had owned growing up. In tentatively watching him record a few songs in the hopes of attracting a sponsor, his producer proclaims “singing is supposed to make you happy”.

Gamse juxtaposes Mapoyi’s state of loss, sadness and socio-economic hardship with a talent that is often deemed racially and economically exclusive, a high culture and luxury that comes with White Supremacy and Capitalist wealth. As he uncovers his own life experiences, what has brought him this far, he gently clings onto what faith music has left him with: “let me just live with my voice, do things with my voice, trying to see if my voice will be my mum, my father, my everything”.

Opera for Mapoyi becomes not only about creation and transcendence, it becomes a way of working through the pain that is definitive of a life familiar to over half of the South African population currently living below the poverty line.

Co-director Gamse came to South Africa on a Fullbright Scholarship from the U.S. in the hopes of exploring the ways in which underground arts had communicated messages once stifled by apartheid censors. Curious to see if they still served and participated in activist frameworks, she uncovered a much deeper reality than she had initially anticipated. “When I got here, I realized slowly that the impact of the Bantu education system was so much more drastic than I could have understood from the various books and documentaries I had read and watched in the U.S,” she says.

As a result, Gamse and her South African team ended up looking at South Africa’s attempt to reconsolidate itself after fifty years of destructive oppression, critically engaging and giving voice to those who actively attempt to address a raw and what seems septic wound.

The Creators draws on not only narrative reconstruction and historicizing disparaging experiences in a country that remains divided, but creating a space in which cultural resistance becomes crucial in conceptualizing a volatile, collective history. What becomes evident in some essence is continuity; where art and cultural formation create/challenge identities based on multiple but shared, converging histories.

There is no break; the end of apartheid in 1994 did not signal the end of a system that had formally and informally governed South Africa for centuries. For all these artists, however, there was no ‘discovery’ of South Africa: its entire conception was born of theft, a theft that has been reshaped and reinvented over decades be it through land, labour, freedom, wealth or human life.

We witness brutal scenes of buildings being torn down, Afrikaaner tanks rolling through the streets and opening gunfire on coloured and black peoples, as Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd speaks on the ‘good neighbourliness’ of Apartheid policy as managing racial differences plays in the back ground. Emile speaks painfully of his youth, a time in which he was but a teenager and was shot at by the police.

A few scenes earlier we are introduced to Blaq Pearl, a spoken word poet who finds solace in creative writing after the brutal murder of her hip hop activist brother Mr Devious several years earlier. Systematic and physical violence are but a daily reality for many, and widespread deprivation clearly shows the interconnectedness of race and class as systems of domination that are maintained in different but similar ways today.

Less than a decade on from the first multi-racial democratic elections and there is much work still to be done, and even more healing to be found. Cultural resistance becomes an ideal space to consolidate identities and difference, to transcend many of the boundaries South African history has attempted to solidify. These artists not only carry their own stories but acknowledge the collective responsibility that accompanies their gift, we see activists immerge: reminding, inspiring, teaching and empowering where those in power fail to do so.

Radical electro/new rave/rap black and white duo Sweat.X re-envision a path of contemporary activism that is proactive in the current socio-political climate; Marcus Wormstrom sees creation as intrinsically linked to manifesting change: “If you, as a human, as an artist, can create something out of nothing and it takes shape for so long that it eventually becomes physical”.

Laura Gamse and Jacques De Villiers beautifully capture the subtleties and complexities of individual lives and broader framework within which they operate. This is seemingly achieved by giving the artists agency, voice and place whilst retaining a constant sense of context.

Art becomes a gift, a way of humanizing one another as individuals and as collectivities in the face of an oppression that attempts to undermine this very same thing. It actively engages some of the most disenfranchised segments of society and what becomes evidently clear in this process is that in carving out spaces for their artistry, these creators simultaneously effect a pertinent type of change: one that breeds empathy, compassion and understanding between, across and beyond the inequalities that remain entrenched even post-apartheid.

If this documentary achieves anything, it is convincing us of the endless possibilities of transformation as these artists take it upon themselves to determine the future of the world around them. If we judge South Africa by its artists, the struggle may continue but change is happening- we definitely aren’t in hell yet!

Hana Riaz is a black muslim feminist, writer, blogger and believer in the transformatory power of love.

To order a copy of the documentary or find out about any local screenings log on to http://thecreatorsdocumentary.com/

 

 

HISTORY: Hip-Hop Timeline - Hip-Hop History

Hip-Hop Timeline:

1925 - Present

The History of Hip-Hop Music


By , About.com Guide

 Hip-Hop Timeline: 1925 -&nbsp;Present

James Brown

 

1925: Earl Tucker (aka Snake Hips), a performer at the Cotton Club invents a dance style similar to today’s hip-hop moves. He incorporates floats and slides into his dance style. Similar moves would later inspire an element of hip-hop culture known as breakdancing.

 

1940: Tom the Great (a.k.a. Thomas Wong) uses a booming sound system to please his audience. Wong also utilizes hip American records to steal music-lovers from local bands.

 

1950: The Soundclash contest between Coxsone Dodd’s “Downbeat” and Duke Reid’s “Trojan” gives birth to DJ Battling.

 

1956: Clive Campbell is born in Kingston, Jamaica. Campbell would later become the father of hip-hop.

 

1959: Parks Commissioner Robert Moses starts building an expressway in the Bronx. Consequently, middle class Germans, Irish, Italians, and Jewish, neighborhoods disappear in no time. Businesses relocate away from the borough only to be replaced by impoverished black and Hispanic families. Along with these poor people came addiction, crime, and unemployment.

 

1962:James Brown records Live At The Apollo. Brown’s drummer Clayton Fillyau influences a sound that is now known as the break beat. The break beat would later inspire the b-boy movement, as breakers danced to these beats at block parties.

 

1965: In a historic boxing bout, Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Clay) defeats Sonny Liston in the 6th round. Before the bout, however, Ali recited one of the earliest known rhymes:

Clay comes out to meet Liston
And Liston starts to retreat
If Liston goes back any further
He'll end up in a ringside seat.
Clay swings with a left,
Clay swings with a right,
Look at young Cassius
Carry the fight.
Liston keeps backing
But there's not enough room
It's a matter of time...

 

1967: Clive Campbell migrates to the United States at the age of 11. Because of his size, kids at Alfred E. Smith High School nickname him Hercules. He would later become a writer and change his name to Kool Herc.

1968: A gang named Savage Seven would hit the streets of the East Bronx. Savage Seven later transforms into Black Spades, before eventually becoming an organization known as Zulu Nation.

 

1969: James Brown records two songs that would further influence the drum programming in today’s rap – “Sex Machines” with John Starks playing the drums and “Funky Drummer” with Clyde Stubblefield on the drums.

 

1970: DJ U-Roy invades Jamaican pop charts with three top ten songs using a style known as toasting. The Last Poets release their self-titled debut album on Douglas Records combining jazz instrumentations with heartfelt spoken word. (The Last Poets would later appear on Common’s 2005 rap anthem, “The Corner.")

 

1971: Aretha Franklin records a well-known b-boy song “Rock Steady." The Rock Steady crew would go on to rule in the world of break-dancing, with members all across the globe.

 

1972: The Black Messengers (a group that staged performances for The Black Panthers and rallies relating to black power movement) feature on The Gong Show.
However, they are only allowed to perform under the alias "Mechanical Devices," because of their controversial name.

 

1973: DJ Kool Herc deejays his first block party (his sister's birthday) at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, Bronx, NY. Herc would often buy two copies of a record and stretch the break parts by using two turntables and mixing in both records before the break ends. The Zulu Nation is officially formed by a student of Stevenson High school named Kevin Donovan. Donovan later changed his name to Afrika Bambaataa Aasim in honor of an ancient Zulu chief.

 

1974: After seeing DJ Kool Herc perform at block parties, Grandmaster Caz, Grandmaster Flash, and Afrika Bambaataa start playing at parties all over the Bronx neighborhoods. Around this time, DJ/MC/Crowd Pleaser Lovebug Starski starts referring to this culture as "hip-hop."

 

1975:

  • Herc is hired as a DJ at the Hevalo Club.
  • He later gets Coke La Rock to utter crowd-pleasing rhymes at parties (e.g."DJ Riz is in the house and he'll turn it out without a doubt"). Coke La Rock and Clark Kent form the first emcee team known as Kool Herc & The Herculoids.
  • DJ Grand Wizard Theodore accidentally invents 'the scratch.' While trying to hold a spinning record in place in order to listen to his mom, who was yelling at him, Grand Wizard accidentally caused the record to produce the “shigi-shigi” sound that is now known as the scratch. Scratch is the crux of modern deejaying.

 

1976: DJ Afrika Bambaataa performs at the Bronx River Center. Bambaataa’s first battle against Disco King Mario sparks off the DJ battling that is now embedded in the culture.

 

1977:

  • The Rock Steady Crew (the most respected b-boy crew in history) is formed by the original four members: JoJo, Jimmy Dee, Easy Mike, and P-Body.
  • DJ Kool Herc is nearly stabbed to death at one of his parties. Although the assault placed a permanent dent on Herc's career, Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, Disco Wiz (the first Latino DJ), and Disco King Mario kept performing around town.

 

1978:
  • Kurtis Blow, who was being managed by Russell Simmons, decides to hire Simmons’ brother, Run, as his DJ.
  • Run was so-called because he could cut so fast between two turntables.
  • Kurtis would later become the first rapper to be signed to a major record deal.
  • Music industry coins the term "rap music," and shifts its focus toward emcees.
  • Grandmaster Caz (aka Cassanova Fly) and Bambaataa engage in a battle at the Police Athletic League.

1979:
 The History of&nbsp;Hip-Hop 

Grandmaster Flash

  • Grandmaster Flash forms one of the most influential rap groups ever, The Furious 5: Grandmaster Flash (Joseph Saddler), Melle Mel (Melvin Glover), Kidd Creole (Nathaniel Glover), Cowboy (Keith Wiggins), Raheim (Guy Williams), and Mr. Ness (Eddie Morris).
  • Around the same time, another great rap crew – The Cold Crush Four – was formed, comprising of Charlie Chase, Tony Tone, Grand Master Caz, Easy Ad, JDL, and Almighty KG.
  • The first rap record by a non-rap group “King Tim III” is recorded by the Fatback Band.
  • Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper's Delight” would go on to become the first known rap hit, reaching #36 on Billboard.
  • Various obscure rap singles were also released: Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5’s “Super-rappin” and Spoonie Gee’s “Spoonin’ Rap” both on Enjoy Records, Kurtis Blow’s “Christmas Rappin” on Mercury Records, and Jimmy Spicer’s 13-minute long storytelling track “Adventures of Super Rhymes” on Dazz Records.
  • Mr. Magic’s ‘Rap Attack’ becomes the first hip-hop radio show on WHBI.
1980:
  • Afrika Bambaata and the Zulu Nation release their first 12" called Zulu Nation Throwdown Pt. 1 on Paul Winley Records.
  • Kurtis Blow, the first rapper to appear on national television (Soul Train), releases "The Breaks" on Mercury Records. The record goes on to sell more than a million copies. Hip-hop gradually evolves into big business.
  • After meeting Fab 5 Freddy and others, Blonde releases "Rapture" featuring rap vocals by lead singer Debbie Harry.
1981:
  • Grandmaster Flash releases “The Adventures of Grand Master Flash on the Wheels of Steel," the first record to ultimately capture the sounds of live DJ scratching on wax.
  • On February 14th, The Funky 4 plus One More perform their classic hit, “That's The Joint” on NBC's Saturday Night Live becoming the first hip hop group to appear on national television.
  • The Beastie Boys are formed. The group consists of Adam Horovitz (King Ad-Rock), Adam Yauch (MCA), Michael Diamon (Mike D).
1982:
  • Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force release the techno-heavy “Planet Rock” on Tommy Boy Records. The record samples portions of Kraftwerk's "Trans-Europe Express."
  • Grandmaster Flash & the Furious 5 release “The Message” on Sugarhill Records.
  • Kool Moe Dee humiliates Busy Bee in a spontaneous rap battle. Since then, emcee battling has become an inseparable part of hip-hop.
  • Fab 5 Freddy and Charlie Ahearn co-produce Wild Style, a hip-hop film featuring Cold Crush Brothers, Grandmaster Flash, Grandwizard Theodore, DJ AJ, Grandmixer D.S.T, graf writers Lee, Zephyr, Fab 5 Freddy, Lady Pink, Crash, Daze, Dondi, and members of the Rock Steady Crew. Wild Style has since inspired several other hip-hop-themed movies.
1983:
  • Ice T helps pioneer gangsta rap in the west coast with his rapcore singles “Body Rock" and "Killers."
  • Grand Master Flash and Melle Mel (Furious 5) record the anti-cocaine single “White Lines (Don't Do It)," which becomes a rap hit.
  • Grandmaster Flash later sues Sugarhill Records for $5 million in royalties. The dispute causes the group to break up, signaling the looming danger of corporate control in hip-hop.
  • Run DMC releases “It's Like That" b/w "Sucker MC's."
1984
  • Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin team up to launch one of the most important record labels ever, Def Jam Records. Def Jam releases its first record, “It’s Yours” by T La Rock, followed by LL Cool J’s “I Need A Beat."
  • Hip-hop discovers that touring is a great way to generate income, as the Fresh Fest concert featuring Whodini, Kurtis Blow, Fat Boys, and Run DMC, reels in $3.5 million for 27 dates.
  • Battle rap assumes the spotlight in hip-hop, as UTFO’s “Roxanne Roxanne” diss song attracts over 100 responses.
  • The most popular response came from a 14-year old female named Roxanne Shante. Shante’s “Roxanne’s Revenge” allegedly recorded in Marley Marl’s living room sold more than 250,000 copies.
  • Dougie Fresh (aka The Entertainer) releases The Original Human Beat Box (Vindertainment Records).
  • Michael Jackson does 'the moonwalk' at the Grammys, borrowing b-boy dance elements from LA breakers.
1985
  • Sugarhill Records goes into bankruptcy and is forced out of business.
  • Salt ‘n’ Pepa make their first appearance on Super Nature’s “The Show Stopper."
1986
  • The Beastie Boys release Licensed To Ill on Def Jam (executive-produced by Rick Rubin).
  • James Smith, a native of Houston, Texas, assembles The Geto Boys. The original lineup consisted of MCs Raheim, Jukebox, DJ Ready Red, and Sir Rap-A-Lot.
  • The group also featured Little Billy, a dancing dwarf who later picked up the microphone as Bushwick Bill.
  • Following a short break-up in 1988, Smith invited local emcee Willie D and multi-instrumentalist Akshun (later known as Scarface) to complete the lineup.
  • The Geto Boys (now made up of Scarface, Willie D, and Bushwick Bill) was a driving force in the evolution of southern rap.
1987
  • Following the release of Boogie Down Productions’ Criminal Minded LP, Scott LaRock is shot and killed in the South Bronx while attempting to settle a dispute.
  • Public Enemy stuns the world with their introductory album, Yo! Bum Rush The Show, signaling the genesis of politically-charged hip-hop.
  • The original members of the group include Chuck D (Carlton Ridenhour), Flavor Flav (William Drayton), Professor Griff (Richard Griffin), and DJ Terminator X (Norman Rogers).
1988
  • After years of being neglected by the mainstream media, hip-hop gets its own show on MTV, "Yo! MTV Raps."
  • N.W.A pioneers the gangsta rap movement with their gold album, Straight Outta Compton.
  • Def Jam founders Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin part ways; Simmons opts for distribution through CBS/Columbia Records, while Rubin goes on to found Def American.
  • Landmark album releases: Ultramagnetic MC’s – Critical Breakdown, and Big Daddy Kane –Long Live The Kane
    .


1989
 The History of&nbsp;Hip-Hop 

Wu-Tang Clan

  • After a life-long battle with crack addiction, Cowboy, a member of Grandmaster Flash’s Furious 5 dies at the age of 28.
  • A group of high school friends join the Native Tongues as promoters of the Afrocentricity Movement to make African-Americans aware of their heritage.
  • These Manhattan-based friends would later form A Tribe Called Quest (Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Phife Dawg, and Jarobi). 
  • A Dallas-based protégé of Dr. Dre known as D.O.C releases No One Can Do It Better. While the album was making rounds on the charts, D.O.C. found himself in a severe car crash.
  • While D.O.C. survived the accident, his rap career didn't.
1990
  • 2 Pac joins Digital Underground as a dancer and a roadie.
  • The "Stretch & Bobbito Show" is launched.
  • Both a Florida record store owner and Luther Campbell are arrested over 2 Live Crew’s controversial album, As Nasty as They Wanna Be.
1991
  • N.W.A’s sophomore album N****z For Life sells over 954,000 copies in its first week of release, reaching #1 on the pop charts. The album paves way for many more hardcore rap albums that would follow.
  • Busta Rhymes appears on A Tribe Called Quest’s “Scenario.”
  • Cypress Hill (B-Real, DJ Muggs, and Sen Dog) release their self-titled debut, and initiate a campaign to legalize hemp.
  • The Notorious B.I.G. is featured in the “Unsigned Hype” column of The Source magazine.
1993
  • A Tribe Called Quest release their third album, Midnight Marauders, featuring a who-is-who-in-hip-hop album cover.
  • Dr. Dre’s The Chronic attains multi-platinum status.
  • Wu-Tang Clan release 36 Chambers. The line-up consists of Prince Rakeem (The RZA), Raekwon, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Genius (GZA), U-God, Master Killa and Inspectah Deck.
  • Mobb Deep (Prodigy and Havoc) release their debut LP, Juvenile Hell.
1994
  • Nas’ first entry, Illmatic goes gold and is widely received as one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever.
  • Common releases Resurrection and is lauded as an intelligent lyricist.
  • Warren G’s Regulate: The G-Funk Era is certified 4x platinum.
  • 2 Pac is robbed and shot 5 times in a New York recording studio. He recovers from the shooting. Pac is later sentenced to 8 months in prison.
1995
  • Queen Latifah wins a Grammy award in the "Best Rap Solo Performance" category for her hit “Unity.”
  • 2 Pac signs a deal with Death Row Records after Suge Knight posts a $1.4 million bail.
  • Eric Wright (Eazy-E of N.W.A) dies of AIDS on March 20th at the age of 31.
1996
  • The Score, a fusion of conscious lyrics with reggae-tinged soulsonics, becomes The Fugees' biggest album. The album debuts at No.1 and grabs two Grammys, thus, breathing a new life into socially aware hip-hop.
  • The Music of Black Origin (MOBO) Awards are launched in the U.K. The Fugees walk away with two trophies.
  • Jay-Z drops his highly-lauded debut, Reasonable Doubt. His "charismatic rapper" approach would later spawn throngs of emulators.
  • 24-year old Snoop Dogg and his bodyguard McKinley Lee are acquitted of the murder of Philip Woldemariam, a 20-year-old Ethiopian immigrant gunned down in August 1993.
  • On September 7th, Tupac Shakur is fatally wounded after sustaining multiple gunshots as he rode in a car driven by Death Row Records CEO Marion "Suge" Knight near the Las Vegas strip. Tupac died 5 days later. His death rekindled the debate on whether rap promotes violence or just reflects the ugly side of the streets.
1997
  • The Notorious B.I.G. (born Christopher Wallace), is shot and killed March 9, after a party at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. Like Pac's murder, Biggie's death is still an unsolved mystery.
  • Missy Misdemeanor Elliott redefines hip-hop and R & B with her first album, Supa Dupa Fly. Having broken barriers as a successful female producer, Missy would go on to become the highest selling female rapper of all time.
  • Parent company Interscope Records sells its interest in Death Row Records and severes ties with the label.
  • Chicago MC Juice defeats Eminem on his way to winning the year's Scribble Jam competition. (Scribble Jam is the largest showcase of underground hip-hop in the United States.)
  • Roc-A-Fella sells a 50 percent stake to Island Def Jam for $1.5 million.
1998
  • Dr. Dre inks Eminem to his Aftermath imprint.
  • Lauryn Hill's solo debut, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, scores her 11 Grammy nominations and 5 wins, including Album of the Year and Best New Artist.
  • "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" marks the beginning of Jay-Z's mainstream breakthrough and helps move 5 million units of Vol 2: Hardknock Life. The chorus is sampled from the Broadway play "Annie."
  • Shyne (born Jamal Barrow) signs a lucrative record deal with Diddy's Bad Boy Entertainment.
1999
 The History of&nbsp;Hip-Hop 

Jay-Z and Nas

  • Backed by producer Dr. Dre, Eminem zooms past racial hurdles and sells 4 million copies of his debut, The Slim Shady LP.
  • Production duo The Neptunes (Chad Hugo & Pharrell Williams) dominate the airwave with a string of radio hits, including Kelis' "Caught Out There," ODB's "Got Your Money," Noreaga's "Oh No," and Mase's "One Big Fiesta." Their infectious, bling-tinged sound would later become an unofficial requisite on hip-hop albums.
  • Dr. Dre puts the west coast back on the spotlight with his comeback LP 2001.
2000
  • Dr. Dre files a lawsuit against MP3-swapping firm Napster.
  • Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney holds the first Hip-Hop Powershop summit to address the various political, economic, and social issues affecting the youth.
  • DJ Craze wins the Technics DMC World DJ Championship 3 consecutive times.
  • Eminem, through the release of his well received second album Marshall Mathers LP, solidifies his place as rap's future great. The title sells 1.76 million copies in its first week and later scores two Grammys for the rapper.
2001
  • Puff Daddy reveals in an MTV interview that he will now be known as P. Diddy.
  • Eminem pleads guilty to one of two felony charges from an incident in 2000 when he pistol-whipped a man caught kissing wife Kim Mathers.
  • Prosecutors drop the felony assault charge in exchange for Eminem's guilty plea on carrying a concealed weapon.
  • On the heels of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York, two of the city's most revered rappersJay-Z and Nas are in a different New York state of mind. After years of subliminal sniping, they finally take the gloves off and engage in a highly controversial lyrical face-off.
  • After Nas dropped "Ether," an earth-shattering response to Jay's equally venemous "Takeover," Jay re-emerges with "Super Ugly," (rhymed over Nas' "Got Yourself a Gun") in which Hov spilled his sexual relationship with Nas' baby-mama to disgusting effect. New York's Hot 97 FM asks call-in voters to decide a winner.
  • As votes are being tallied, Jay rushes to Hot 97 and offers an apology for the kiss-and-tell lyrics. His apology fails to deny Nas an outstanding victory. Regardless, fans would forever debate the battle.
2002
  • DJ Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC is shot and killed in a Queens studio on October 30. No one has been convicted of his murder.
  • Hip-hop feuds: Nelly vs. KRS-One, Eminem vs. The Source magazine, Jermaine Dupri vs. Dr. Dre, etc
  • The rapping member of TLC, Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes, dies in a car crash while traveling with seven other people.
  • Malik B is booted from The Roots following a drug use problem.
2003
  • Eminem becomes the new focus of a debate on hip-hop and racism after some unidentified friends of the rapper submitted a tape of him using the N-word and making several derogatory remarks about the African-American community.
  • Sample lyrics from the Eminem tape: "Black girls are b****es/ That's why I'ma tell ya you better pull up your britches/'Cause all that cash is making your a** drag. On another song, he rhymes: "Black girls and white girls just don't mix/Because Black girls are dumb and white girls are good chicks."
  • The Source uses the tape to renew their anti-Eminem campaign, even releasing a CD version of the "racist tape." In response, Eminem apologizes publicly and claims the rap was done out of teen angst following a break-up with a black girlfriend.
    "I did and said a lot of stupid s**t when I was a kid, but that's part of growing up," said Eminem in a statement. "The tape of me rapping 15 years ago as a teenager that was recently put out by The Source in no way represents who I was then or who I am today."
  • Federal investigators raid the New York offices of Murder Inc., the record label home of Ja Rule and Ashanti, as part of an ongoing investigation into label head Irv Gotti. Authorities were looking into allegations of money laundering and an alleged financial link between Gotti and a New York drug gang called the "Supreme Team."
  • ODB, fresh out of jail, signs to Roc-A-Fella Records and changes his name to Dirt McGirt.
2004
  • In the middle of the 2004 Vibe Awards ceremony, a man named Jimmy James Johnson approaches rap legend Dr. Dre, who was preparing to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award, and punches him in the face. A full-on brawl ensues during which Johnson gets stabbed.
  • After reviewing tape of the melee, authorities identify the stabber as G-Unit rapper Young Buck, a member of Dr. Dre's entourage. Suge Knight, who also crashed the event, later denies allegations that he had promised Johnson $5000 to assault Dr. Dre.
  • P.Diddy's "Citizen Change" campaign adopts the slogan 'Vote or Die' in a bid to convince young people to vote in November's U.S. Presidential elections.
  • Wu-Tang member ODB dies inside a recording studio two days before his 36th birthday.
2005
  • The "Miss Jones Morning Show" crew on Hot 97 FM sparks outrage by playing the "Tsunami Song," a racist parody of "We Are the World" that ridicules victims of the South Asian tidal wave that killed almost 300,000 people. The "Miss Jones" is temporarily yanked off the air.
  • Jay-Z and Nas end their long-running feud at the former's Power 105.1 concert in New York.
  • A 24-year-old Compton, CA native identified as Kevin Reed is hospitalized after a shooting outside the Hot 97 offices, as 50 Cent was making an appearance at the radio station to announce that The Game had been booted from G-Unit. The Game, who had appeared on Hot 97 earlier that evening, reportedly returned to the station with an undisclosed number of men and was denied entrance into the building.
  • Jay-Z Dame Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke sell off the remaining 50% stake of Roc-A-Fella Records to Universal's Island Def Jam for less than $10 million and go their separate ways.
2006
  • Nas inks a joint-label deal with Def Jam and Columbia.
  • Detroit producer/MC Jay Dee (James Yancey) dies of complications from lupus (the autoimmune disease) on February 10, 2006.
  • D-12's Proof (Deshaun Holton) is shot and killed at CCC Club on East 8 Mile Road on April 10.
  • Jay-Z ends his three-year break from active recording and bounces back with Kingdom Come. The album includes a diss track to Cam'ron and Jim Jones.
  • Nas' Def Jam debut, Hip-Hop Is Dead, dusts up controversy and debate over its title.
2007
  • Inspired by the movie 'American Gangster,' Jay-Z records a concept album by the same name.American Gangster
  • On November 12, Donda West, mother of Kanye West, dies from the complications of surgery.
  • KRS-One and Marley Marl put two decades of rivalry behind them and collaborate on an album titled Hip-Hop Lives
  • Dipset/Byrd Gang rapper Stack Bundles (born Rayquon Elliott) is shot and killed outside his home in Queens, New York.
2008
  • In the months leading up to the 2008 presidential election, Democratic nominee Barack Obama galvanizes hip-hop artists into action, leading to a slew of Obama rap tributes.
  • Jay-Z becomes the first rapper to headline Glastonbury, the largest greenfield music and performing arts festival in the world.
  • Brooklyn MC Jamal "Gravy" Woolard is recruited to play the Biggie Smalls in the biopicNotorious.
2009
  • Eminem ends his four-year sabbatical with the release of Relapse. The album debuts at No. 1 and scores a Grammy win for Best Rap Album.
  • T.I. is sentenced to 12 months in federal prison for illegal weapons possession.
  • DJ AM is found dead in his New York apartment, following a series of ominous tweets.
  • Four revered MCs Detroit's Royce da 5'9", California's Crooked I, New Jersey's Joe Budden, and Brooklyn's Joel Ortiz join forces to form a supergroup named Slaughterhouse. Their self-titled debut re-energizes the lyricism movement in hip-hop.
2010
  • Gang Starr co-founder and hip-hop icon Guru dies on April 19 after a grueling battle with cancer.
  • Bun B's third solo album, Trill OG, becomes the first album in five years to receive The Sourcemagazine's 5-mic award.
  • Wyclef Jean declares for presidency of his native country Haiti. Jean's candidacy is eventuallyrejected by the electoral council.

 

AUDIO: J.PERIOD, DJ SPINNA, SPIKE LEE & 40 ACRES PRESENT "MAN OR THE MUSIC 2" (A TRIBUTE TO MJ)

:: OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE ::

J.PERIOD, DJ SPINNA & SPIKE LEE
PAY TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL JACKSON
WITH NEW “MAN OR THE MUSIC 2” MIX! 

Brooklyn, NY (August 25, 2011) – In the history of modern music, few artists have had an impact on the scale of Michael Jackson, touching the lives of fans in every corner of the globe. From age 11, alongside his brothers in The Jackson 5, to the record-breaking sales of Thriller and beyond, Michael Jackson left behind a catalog of music capable of moving any dance floor on the planet. Or a park filled with 50,000 people. 

This Saturday, August 27, 2011, J.Period & DJ Spinna are pleased to join filmmaker Spike Lee & 40Acres.com in paying tribute to Michael Jackson’s incredible catalog of music with Man or the Music 2 (40 Acres Edition). Created in collaboration with world-renown DJ/producer and official BKMJ DJ, DJ Spinna,Man or the Music 2 (40 Acres Edition) delves deeper into the story of Michael’s music with rare, live and remixed gems unavailable anywhere else—including never-before-heard MJ tributes from Erykah Badu & The Roots, Questlove, Stevie Wonder, Yahzarah and more. 

This epic new mixtape collaboration is available exclusively to fans in attendance this Saturday, August 27, 2011 at Spike Lee’s “Brooklyn Loves MJ” event from 12-6pm in Prospect Park’s Nethermead Field. Attendees who sign up for 40Acres.com will receive a FREE LIMITED EDITION 2CD set, including J.Period’s 2010 Man or the Music and this year’s Man or the Music 2 (40 Acres Edition)(while supplies last). 

For fans unable to attend Spike Lee & 40Acres’ “Brooklyn Loves MJ” celebration, J.Period & 40Acres.com will also make Man or the Music 2 (40 Acres Edition)available for FREE DOWNLOAD at http://www.jperiod.com/bkmj and on 40acres.com in honor of what would have been MJ’s 53rd birthday. 

“Working with an MJ aficionado like DJ Spinna has definitely helped elevate this year’s MJ tribute to another level. Fans of last year’s MJ mixtape are in for a real treat when they hear what we have unearthed from the archives for this one,” states J.Period. “Many thanks to Spike Lee & 40 Acres for their continued support, and for giving me another opportunity to share my love of Michael Jackson‘s music with the legions of fans in attendance at BKMJ.” 

“Brooklyn Loves MJ” is brought to you by Spike Lee, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, Spike DDB & the Republic of Brooklyn, and features exclusive artwork by acclaimed graphic artist, Fuse Green, as well as music by DJ Spinna. For more information, please visit http://40acres.com/

J.Period & DJ Spinna’s Man or the Music 2 (40 Acres Edition) is available for FREE DOWNLOAD on Saturday, August 27 at: http://www.jperiod.com/mj. Also tune in via Twitter to @jperiodbk@djspinna and @40acresbrooklyn for additional exclusive releases!


# # # 

For Press Inquiries, Please Contact:
Tasha Stoute
Strong Arm Media & Publicity
press@truelements.com
tasha@strongarmmedia.com





 

 

PUB: The Fourth Annual Life Lessons Essay Contest > Real Simple

The Fourth Annual

Life Lessons Essay Contest 

Find out how to enter Real Simple’s yearly contest. 

 

When did you first understand the meaning of love? Maybe you were a child, witnessing a generous act by your father or mother. Maybe the lesson came later, as you grappled with the challenges of being a friend, a spouse, or a parent yourself. Whatever made you understand love—and yourself—better, tell us about it.

Enter Real Simple’s fourth annual Life Lessons Essay Contest and you could:

  • Have your essay published in Real Simple 
  • Win round-trip tickets for two to New York City, hotel accommodations for two nights, tickets to a Broadway play, and a lunch with Real Simple editors
  • Receive a prize of $3,000

To enter, send your typed, double-spaced submission (1,500 words maximum, preferably in a Microsoft Word document) to lifelessons@realsimple.com. Contest begins at 12:01 A.M. EST on May 3, 2011, and runs through 11:50 P.M. EST on September 15, 2011. Open to legal residents of the United States age 19 or older at time of entry. Void where prohibited by law. (Entries will not be returned.)

Click here for complete contest rules and see below for frequently asked questions. You can also read last year’s winning essay, chosen from 7,453 entries: The Ride of Her Life, by Dorothy Fortenberry, 31, of Los Angeles. The previous year’s winning essay was Beauty in Motion, by Andrea Avery. Our first contest’s winning essay was A Witness to Grace, by Aldra Robinson.


Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How should I format my entry?
A.  Essays should be submitted in English at a maximum of 1,500 words and typed and double-spaced on 8½-by-11-inch paper. Essays exceeding this length or handwritten may not be considered. If submitted by e-mail, we prefer that you send the essay in a Microsoft Word document; however, we will also consider essays that are pasted into the body of the e-mail itself.

Also be sure to include your name, address, and phone numbers (home, work, cell) in the body of the e-mail and on any copies or attachments of the essay itself.

Q. How do I submit my entry?
A. You have two options.

  1. E-mail your submission to lifelessons@realsimple.com.
  2. Mail your entry to the following address:
    Essay Contest
    Real Simple
    1271 Avenue of the Americas, 9th floor
    New York, NY 10020

Each e-mail submission will receive a return message verifying that the essay was received. Please be aware that due to the volume of submissions, we cannot send verification that we have received your specific submission by mail. Additionally, please note that winners and runners-up will be notified in and around January 9, 2012. If you are not contacted, you are free to submit your piece elsewhere.

Q. What happens if I go over the word limit?
A. Your essay can be excluded from consideration. And although there is no word minimum, we strongly encourage all contest participants to submit at least 1,000 words to maximize their chances of winning.

Q. Can I choose to remain anonymous?
A. Unfortunately, we cannot consider anonymous entries for this contest.

Q. My piece has been previously published. Will you consider it?
A. No. All entries must be original pieces of work and not be previously published.

Q. Should I send in photos or other memorabilia that relate to my essay?
A. Please don’t. The essays are judged on the following criteria: originality (25 percent), creativity (25 percent), use of language (25 percent), and appropriateness to contest theme (25 percent). No supporting materials will be considered, and they cannot be returned to you.

Q. Is there anything else you can tell me about how to stand out from the crowd?
A. Certainly. Here are a few pointers from the Real Simple editors who judge the contest.

  • Stick to the theme of the contest. Sounds obvious, right? But every year we get many entries that diverge—sometimes wildly—from the stated topic. You may have an amazing essay in the bottom drawer of your desk, but if it doesn’t cover the contest theme, it’s not going to win.
  • But don’t feel the need to parrot back the exact wording of the contest theme in your essay. For example, if the theme is “What was the most important day in your life?” try not to begin the piece with “The most important day of my life was…”
  • Check your spelling. Double-duh, or so you’d think. But as many as one in five entries has multiple misspellings.
  • Avoid clichés. (And please don’t try to work the phrase 'real simple' into your essay. It almost never works.)
  • Try writing on a less-expected subject. Many submissions cover similar ground: pregnancies, weddings, divorces, illnesses. Many of these essays are superb. But you automatically stand out if you explore a more unconventional event. In one year’s batch of submissions, memorable writers described the following: a son leaving for his tour of duty; getting one’s braces off; and learning that an ex-wife was getting remarried.