MUSIC IS LIFE P.XXIII :AYITI:THE DIASPORA

"HEARTBEAT" -

NNEKA

"New York City has the largest concentration of Haitians in the United States as well as the oldest established Haitian communities of the country. The conservative estimate of the legal Haitian population in the New York City Metropolitan Area, as recorded by INS is approximately 156,000. However, community leaders and directors of community centers, who come in constant contact with the illegal population, strongly believe that the actual number is closer to 400,000." -

Wikipedia

Z.A-Post Haiti's earthquake the world still wacthes as the poorest country in the western hemisphere rebuilds and restores the ediface of society and life. Today's A.L.I.H.S.T feature briefly looks at haitian diaspora through the beat of survival, and culture as expressed in examples as the dispersal in America:


"The largest communities are found in Brooklyn where the legal population is placed at approximately 88,763, and in Queens where the number of Haitians is believed to be around 40,000. Members of the community who are of working-class background tend to establish their residence in Brooklyn, primarily in the neighborhoods of Flatbush, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, and Canarsie; many are apartment dwellers many homes in the area are duplexes and triplexes. Middle-class Haitians who choose to stay in Brooklyn own brownstone homes in the Park Slope area and single family homes in the Midwood section."

Wikipedia

A description of one of the tri-state area haitian communities. Between refugee camps, U.N control, and government centers, the people of haiti, one are strengthening the ties that bind:


"The country needs to go from the uncertainty of the moment, to some normalcy. We have waited too long after January 12, 2010 to build and rebuild the new Haiti, which must be decentralized."-

Wyclef Jean


Words from Recording artist/Politician Wyclef Jean. Among the diaspora, in places as the Domenican Republic and france, the struggle of this people has encountered everything from poverty to discrimination; to political strength to a thriving culture. One voice to close this brief outlook is the international entity of "Negusworld Enterprises"(Clothing line/Multimedia). My brother/associate Johwell Baptiste(co-founder), also of haitian descent expounds on J.E.M.B.H.A; A movement/train of thought launched last year that communicates to diaspora's within urban communities, and nations.



THE URBAN CRY LLC 2011

MUSIC IS LIFE P.XIX :POLITICAL GRAFFITI

"I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves".

- Ernesto Che Guevara


















From the BP oil spill, to every political agenda pre and post 21st century, in america the one element that remains is the voice of a people(freedom of speech). American politics is at times the drive, the progression and the butt of mainstream media and entertainment. From the atrocities of 9/11, conspiracy theories, and international propaganda, the high's and lows of every presidential administration effect every class and nationality in america. In one A.L.I.H.S.T blog, the term "The Breadbasket", references america being the breadbasket of pop culture to the world. Music is life, the exclusive series "Russia Today" recently spoke with one leading artist concerning the most significant era's post 21st century- "The Obama Age":





“In America, with all of its evils and faults, you can still reach through the forest and see the sun. But we don't know yet whether that sun is rising or setting for our country.”

- DICK GREGORY

-The many faces of the element of freedom of speech. One reflection of the times is the movements of the legendary collective "The Roots" in collaboration with singer /songwriter John Legend. "Hard Times is one element of their progressive project based on social consciousness.



THEE URBANPRIESTHOOD GROUP LLC 2010

THE ARCHIVE P. VII : BLACK HISTORY: WATTSTAX

"EVERYTHING REMAINS THE SAME" -


OTIS RAY REDDING JR.

"The concert was held at the Los Angeles Coliseum on August 20, 1972, and organized by Memphis's Stax Records to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the Watts riots. Wattstax was seen by some as "the Afro-American answer to Woodstock". To enable as many members of the black community in L.A. to attend as possible, tickets were sold for only $1.00 each. The Reverend Jesse Jackson gave the invocation, which included his "I Am - Somebody" poem, which was recited in a call and response with the assembled stadium crowd. In the film, interspersed between songs are interviews with Richard Pryor, Ted Lange
and others who discuss the black experience in America"-

Wikipedia

http://www.wattstax.com/

"
Black Power"- a term coined by the late pan african socialist/activist kwame ture(stokley carmicheal) in the 60's serving as prime minister of the black panther socialst party. In the african diaspora, the time between the late 19th century and the mid 2oth held progressive movements to empower blacks and people of color; from the scars and generational effects of the atlantic slave trade, and the oppression of institutionalized slavery. It resonated between movements and global influence of leaders as marcus garvey(pan africanism), to the highlights of the civil rights movement(king, Black theology, N.O.I, black nationalism). The early seventies carried the torch with progressive pride in black culture..heavily infuential in entertainment and the arts. With stax being a major record label in this time, the sound of soul reflected all points of the african diaspora in america, from ghetto, to politics. The archive reflects on "Wattstax".."the black woodstock":

- STAPLE SINGERS

-"Wattstax" came to my attention about 5 years ago, in its airing through a public television documentry. Though pop culture in 2010 has a new face, this landmark is still relevant, as relevant as the importance of social consciousness, as relevant as preservation of any culture and diaspora:

THEE URBANPRIESTHOOD GROUP LLC 2010.

MUSIC IS LIFE P. XII : SIDEWALK PROPHETS

"THE EXTENSION OF A MAN"-


DONNY EDWARD HATHAWAY







Monday opens in reflection to yesteryear-and its relation to the present. A retrospective look at some of the socio-political issues of race, economy and black america. Revolutionary movements and collectives of the late 60's, and reflections of the african diaspora at this time brought about pro-black consciousness; mainly through culture(blaxploitation films, music etc.), foreign relations(war), socio-political ills and race relations. This era is one of the biggest influences and inspirations to modern day artists ie: common, lupe fiasco, mos def, jill scott:













-Below are two features, one of the icons of soul and social consciousness, Gil Scott Heron and the legendary "Last poets" ; a report and documentry on the voices who raised awareness for that and the coming generations:







-We close with the movements of a group of whom they regard themselves as the "Little brother" of the late 80's early 90's hip hop groups. The north carolina collective takes you into their world of beats rhymes and life.

THEE URBANPRIESTHOOD GROUP LLC 2010.

THE ARCHIVE P.V :HARLEM RENAISSCANCE,BLACK GLORY

"The Challenge of Race.” -

DR. Cornel west

Latter june showcases a legendary dispensation in american history; the harlem renaisscance. One of the highlights of the deep struggle and pain of the african diaspora, the entire era held a heavy musical, social, and even political influence. Places in time like the harlem renaiscance are similar to the "black wall street" of oklahoma. Where blacks thrived in socio-economic prosperity, and made legendary prescence in entertainment, and literary accomplishment:

"The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s and 1930s. At the time, it was known as the "New Negro Movement", named after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke. Though it was centered in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, many French-speaking black writers from African and Caribbean colonies who lived in Paris were also influenced by the Harlem Renaissance.[1]
Historians disagree as to when the Harlem Renaissance began and ended. It is unofficially recognized to have spanned from about 1919 until the early or mid 1930s. Many of its ideas lived on much longer. The zenith of this "fertowering of Negro literature", as James Weldon Johnson preferred to call the Harlem Renaissance, was placed between 1924 (the year that Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life hosted a party for black writers where many white publishers were in attendance) and 1929 (the year of the stock market crash and the beginning of the Great Depression)."-

WIKIPEDIA

-In the modern day of 21st century, the generation today still gleans from this era, from every nationality and backround. History was made during a time of cultural and systematic rascism. The archive series of the A.L.I.H.S.T blogspot gives proggressive insight to landmarks in history to aid in any social unrest and societal ills of today. Below are two features, stars and legends of the jazz genre, and the african diaspora itself; Bille holiday and dinah washington, credible throwbacks in the strecth of black glory, followed by an interview of one of today's voices, mos def (dante smith) on the current industry.

THEE URBANPRIESTHOOD GROUP LLC 2010.

STREETS CONSCIOUSNESS P.XI : THE BEAST

“Only God can judge me”

~Tupac Amaru Shakur

"The United States has the highest documented incarceration rate in the world.[1][2] The U.S. incarceration rate on December 31, 2008 was 754 inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents, or 0.75%.[3] The USA also has the highest total documented prison and jail population in the world.[1][4][5]
According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS): "In 2008, over 7.3 million people were on probation, in jail or prison, or on parole at year-end — 3.2% of all U.S. adult residents or 1 in every 31 adults"-

Wikipedia

"More than 60% of the people in prison are now racial and ethnic minorities. For Black males in their twenties, 1 in every 8 is in prison or jail on any given day. These trends have been intensified by the disproportionate impact of the "war on drugs," in which three-fourths of all persons in prison for drug offenses are people of color." -

http://www.thesentencingproject.org/

Crime and politics have close relation; right here in america. Today's features of Philadelphia black journalist Mumia Abu jamal and recent interviews of artist Felipe coronel(immortal technique) are self- explanitory. Mumia states the true active nature of the "prison industrial complex":

-In closing is an unadulterated interview of immortal technique about his personal account, and a socio-political view of the criminal justice system, and an exclusive track from the roots recent project "Rising down" Ft. Mosdef and Styles P.






the roots - rising down feat. mos def, styles p

THEE URBANPRIESTHOOD GROUP 2010.

MUSIC IS LIFE P. VII STREAM OF CULTURE

"We can come from our own particular point of view and lay it down. We should not be throwing verbal rocks at each other. We're all responsible to continue the growth of Hip Hop."-

Grandmaster Flash






"MCing, DJing, break-dancing, and graffiti writing. Other elements include beatboxing, hip hop fashion, and slang. Since first emerging in the South Bronx, hip hop culture has spread around the world.[6] When hip hop music first began to emerge, it was based around disc jockeys who created rhythmic beats by looping breaks (small portions of songs emphasizing a percussive pattern) on two turntables, which is now more commonly referred to as sampling. This was later accompanied by "rap" (a rhythmic style of chanting or poetry more formally in 16 bar measures or time frames) and beatboxing, a vocal technique mainly used to imitate percussive elements of the music and various technical effects of hip hop DJs." -wikpedia





The second week in may visits the foundations of a culture, that exceeded far past the boundaries of a sub-culture for the last 30 years. Monday gives insight to the ediface of the new hip hop museum, located in new york:

"For at least 15 years, the New York City community, as well as an international hip-hop fan base, has sought to establish an institution that celebrates and commemorates the accomplishments of the various professionals who have helped to pave the way for the development, progression and regional/global expansion of the hip-hop industry. The Board of Governors for the National Museum of Hip-Hop, a museum organization that has been chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, has responded to this by arranging for the development of this facility."-

http://www.hiphopmuseum.org/

-Peep info from recent media coverage, and a social discourse from "the teacha" himself live at the museum, discussing the institution and current artists role.

THEE URBANPRIESTHOOD GROUP 2010

1917 -2010