LANGUAGE OF ONE P.XXI: CITY OF GOD P.1

"MANY RIVERS TO CROSS"-


THE HON. JIMMY CLIFF OM

"Favelas are complex and vibrant communities. To illustrate, Rio's legendary samba schools were almost all born and raised in favelas. The problems are equally very complex. Most favelas have some drug lord that runs a boca de fumo where they openly sell drugs. When they battle for territory stray bullets always make victims. The police is also sometimes part of the problem, and reports of brutality are not uncommon."-

impanema.com

Brazil: Portuguese: Brasil, IPA: [bɾaˈziw]), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil. A country in the contintent of south america a world apart from the states; but a high percentage share the same cup of poverty as those who do in the global community.

Ricardo (not his real name) lives in Rocinha, one of the biggest favelas in Rio de Janeiro, situated near the well-know tourist area of Copacabana.
We're all hostages of violence and the criminals who rule the favelas.

"Violence is a topic of conversation everywhere, in bars and on the streets. It's impossible not to talk about it or fear it.

-A term i like to use: "The culture of poverty". According to a recent 2007 article, and recent reports the share of the corruption doesnt only belong to the drug lords, but to law enforcement.

We see the news of violence in the Alemao favela and it makes people angry, because we know many of the people who die in the conflicts are reported as being criminals, but we know they are not. "

For decades Rio de Janeiro's favelas, or slums, have been lawless enclaves controlled by gangsters and corrupt police. In recent years, however, the government has begun implementing an innovative community-policing strategy to assert the state's power over them. -

Economist.com

-The culture of Rio's slums reflects the same of the poor, or slums in countries like Bolivia, Colombia, Africa, and worldwide. Some of the above examples are obvious casualties of war. In my studies of slums as San Paulo, and most slums, it struck me to understand that it is a crime to be poor; and birth's or death's arent recorded there. Part of the relief is many grassroots organizations in america that help many people in the favela's, and supply everything from food, clothing medicare and education to the children. One element thats is just as imperative to implement: culture, and the power of music.

In a world of hills and valley's of social ills and tragedy, hope streams in many forms. The face of the favela's reflect the struggle of many, a plight of survival to many degrees from within its inhabitants, a learning experience and eye opener to the rest of the world. In all regards, the face of a generation struggling for better resolve in any troubled community.

THEE URBANPRIESTHOOD GROUP LLC 2011

LANGUAGE OF ONE P.XX : THE EXODUS

"If you stop struggling, then you stop life."-


HUEY P. NEWTON






CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico – The mother of four raised a finger, pointing out abandoned and stripped concrete homes and counting how many families on her street alone have fled the Western Hemisphere's deadliest city.
"One, two, three, four, here, and two more back there on the next block," said Laura Longoria.

"No one knows how many residents have left the city of 1.4 million since a turf battle over border drug corridors unleashed an unprecedented wave of cartel murders and mayhem. Business leaders, citing government tax information, say the exodus could number 110,000, while a municipal group and local university say it's closer to 230,000. Estimates by social organizations are even higher."-

Fox News

21st century Mexico. In research and interest, one word came to mind, borderline anarchy.

an·ar·chy 
–noun
1.
a state of society without government or law.
2.
political and social disorder due to the absence of governmental control: The death of the king was followed by a year of anarchy. -



Dictionary.com



Crossing over 2011, one situation kept my attention as it progressed since its turning point in 2007; The crackdown of mexican drug cartels. Generation after generation the drug market has been one of the profitable/destructive commodity's via the states and international waters. Obvious as this holds, though the drive of cartels thrive on currency, power, and fear to gain further influence and control, the greatest highlight of the war is the plight of the innocents:

"Now the drug war has caused thousands to flee. The stepped-up patrols came after the city's once-thriving commercial strips had been reduced to rows of decrepit, boarded-up buildings. Even with new medical facilities, doctors have closed private practices and staged walkouts to protest kidnappings."-



Californian.com


-The first movement of fleeing residents hail from Ciudad juarez. The preservation of innocent lives, poor to rich, increasingly becomes the theme of the hour. Though never published through mass media institutions, its safe to say mexico is in a state of emergency. The history of mexico..the overall dispersal via its homeland and the states is rich, a unique prescence in the indigenous cultures of latin america. The drug sub-culture, its nature is plainly ruthless. Below is recent CBS report on the clash of power and turmoil, down to why the cartels stay in active buisness.

"MANY MORE WILL HAVE TO SUFFER, MANY MORE WILL HAVE TO DIE"-

The Hon. Robert Nesta Marley(Natural mystic)

By reports numbers of those killed among rival cartels, fallen police have climbed; even the Proverbial blood of the innocent cries out. By seeing the state and movement of Ciudad Juarez in recent days, it foretold a possible increase in mexican refugees, finding their way via other communities and cities; to escape a a constant state of fear of violence that shakes the foundation of the government. The state of the cartels progress with updates, from recent truces among cartels to moving their shops and influence into central american countries. They are left primarly by choice to their ultimate destinies, and possibly the fate of an ongoing conflict, fueled by power and greed. Either way, in the western hemisphere this is one country in crisis. 2011 is another window of time to see resolves to an ugly conflict.

THEE URBANPRIESTHOOD GROUP LLC 2011

LANGUAGE OF ONE P.XIX : SONGS OF PALESTINE P.II

"THIS AIN'T THE LIFE THAT I
CHOSE BUT IM TRYIN TO FINISH"-

John forte

"Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition calls on all its members,supporters and people of conscience to demand that the US administration direct the state of Israel to stop the targeted arrests and immediately release all Palestinian children detained in its prisons and detention centers. The US is bound by its laws and international conventions to cut off all aid to Israel until it ends the institutionalized and systematic abuse of Palestinian children and all of its violations of Palestinian human rights and basic freedoms in a verifiable manner."

Above is an exerpt of a petition letter written by a palestinian activist on behalf of Isreali military abuse. Langauge of one revisits "songs of palestine"; the extension of the historic Palestinian/Isreali conflict, the systematic oppression/exploits of the palestinian territory.

"Minors, defined as anyone under 18, should be questioned by specially trained officers and only during daylight hours. The children must be able to consult with a lawyer and a parent should be present." Ronit Sela, a spokeswoman for the Association of Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), said her organisation had been "shocked" at the large number of children arrested in East Jerusalem in recent months, often by units of undercover policemen."-

Journalist John Cook

http://www.jkcook.net/



-Disturbing as the situation is this is one facet of the political and military oppression in the palestinian territory by the Isreali-Zionist regime. The conflict generally stems from a deep ethnic struggle of race, religion and land. Some of the atrocities committed by Isreal bear as a form of fear tactics to the palestinian community.

"Race Matters"-Cornel West

-One of the factors to fuel my activism in palestinian solidarity via music, information and publishing is seeing the reflection of systematic oppression globally; from the history of apartheid in Cape Town South Africa, to the civil rights struggle, and people of color in america, even post 21st century. The same fuel and views shared in organizations as SNCC:

" After Israel occupied Palestinian territory following the 1967 Six-Day War, some American blacks supported the Palestinians and criticized Israel's actions, for example by publicly supporting Palestinian leader Yassir Arafat and calling for the destruction of the Jewish state.


"The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee's (SNCC) newsletter wrote an article criticizing Israel, and asserting that the war was an effort to regain Palestinian land and that during the 1948 war, "Zionists conquered the Arab homes and land through terror, force, and massacres". This article led to conflict between Jews and the SNCC, but black SNCC leaders treated the war as a "test of their willingness to demonstrate SNCC's break from its civil rights past".-


Wikipedia

- Here in the west its easy to see the conflict in the east/Gaza strip is pretty deep seated. Recent efforts from the Obama administration and Hillary Clinton tried to bridge the gap with peace talks, only to struggle with unstable results. The struggle of the palestinian territory is reckonized by leading progressive artists as M1 from dead prez, and today's feature, a lyricist with a strong underground prescence Narcycist with "Hamdililah" an underground single with cameo's from Jay electronica, and Tragedy Khadafi; a song relative to all people, spoken through an Arabic tongue.



THEE URBANPRIESTHOOD GROUP LLC 2010

STREETS CONSCIOUSNESS P.XV: HOUSING AUTHORITIES

'THE SOULS OF BLACK FOLK"-







W.E.B DUBOIS

"Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the two, usually with the aim of providing affordable housing.
Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, definitions of poverty and other criteria for allocation vary."-

Wikipedia

The group "war" coined a song in the 70's: the world is a ghetto. The housing project is international, from america to asia, but most are relative to poverty. Government owned, the culture of the housing project is usually condusive to crime and poverty. In the united states life in the projects is generational, especially since the mid 20th century. One example of many is one located in chicago:


-9x's out of 10 poverty= social unrest and crime. Currency is part of any livelihood, a great necessity; but among the poor/low income, in a ghetto setting for simple means of survival, most are plauged with the love of money. One respected artist from Stapleton housing in Staten Island, Trife da God explains his worldview; the world in the hands of corrupted politicians.

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. XIII: CONSCIOUS VS. COMMERCIALISM(THE PRELUDE)

"CASA DE MUSICA"-



NNEKA

"Popular music belongs to any musical genres "having wide appeal",[1] and stands in contrast to art music,[2][3][4] and traditional music which was disseminated orally.[2][3][4] Although popular music sometimes is known as "pop music", the two terms are not interchangeable. Popular music is a generic term for music of all ages that appeals to popular tastes";[5] on the other hand, pop music usually refers to a specific musical genre."


"Conscious hip hop or socially conscious hip-hop is a sub-genre of hip hop that focuses on social issues. It is not necessarily overtly political, but it discusses social issues and conflicts. Themes of conscious hip hop include religion, aversion to violence, African American culture and advancement, the economy, or simple depictions of life in the projects/ghetto that reveal the struggle of ordinary people. Grandmaster Flash's "The Message" was an early and hugely influential political and conscious hip hop track, decrying the poverty, violence, and dead-end lives of the black youth of the time."-



Wikipedia



Thursday hosts the prelude to an exclusive blog feature: "CONSCIOUS VS. COMMERCIALISM"; 1/3 part of a U.P.G blog series called "CONTEMPLATION AND RESISTANCE" (Authors Zion Antoni and Cesar "Yedeed" Espinoza). Contemplation and resistance is a blog series that moves in the train of thought to simply "stop, look, and think" at a present situation or circumstance. Conscious vs. commercialism takes a brief view in the contrasts between the two. We start with a video on the reflection of the messages exchanged in pop music, and cultural influence, featuring today's leading figures.

With this.. we conclude with the official "Contemplation and Resistence" series:(click link)

http://contemplationresistance.wordpress.com/

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.

STREETS CONSCIOUSNESS P. X: GENTRIFICATION

"We want decent homes
So dreams we say out loud like speakerphones just to keep em on"



Lonnie rashid lynn(Common) "Real People"

"Gentrification and urban gentrification denote the socio-cultural changes in an area resulting from wealthier people buying housing property in a less prosperous community. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size decreases in the community, which may result in the informal economic eviction of the lower-income residents"-

Wikipedia
To some degree we all bear witness to gentrification; right here in america's backyard. With america being an imperialist world power, this is not only the breadbasket of pop-culture, but the perfect picture of class system. Masses scramble up the economic ladder at any cost, from the upper, middle class to the poor; exceptionally at the hands of systems like gentrification. By overall observation, those of lower economic social class suffer the hardest in the process of gentrification; just by this acknowledgement, this serves as one inspiration for any person from any class to take advantage in a land of economic opportunity, systematically or by means of personal legitimate entrepenuarship: even in a designed capitalist society. Below are two examples of national gentrification, one in atlanta georgia, and east harlem nyc:

-We close with a preview of Michael Sterling Eaton’s upcoming LP, Mictape Vol. 1 featuring the single "White drapes", which voices mos' current view of the industry of the modern day.

THEE URBANPRIESTHOOD GROUP 2010.

STREETS CONSCIOUSNESS P.VI: THE GHETTO

"Little ghetto boy, you already know how proud life can be 'Cause you've seen so much pain and misery"

Donny Hathaway
1945 - 1979


"Ghetto: Originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live, a ghetto is now described as a "portion of a city in which members of a minority group live; especially because of social, legal, or economic pressure." [1]-wikipedia


"The world is a ghetto"- the coined phrase by the early 70's rock band "war", still rings true internationally. The ghetto mindset, social atmosphere, and region all bear the same characteristic. I personally advocate social consciousness and change amongst the urban diaspora, esp. in the minority plight. According to social statistics a ghetto is formed three ways..peep the mindset on a global scale:

Ghettos are formed by:

1.As ports of illegal entry for racial minorities, and immigrant racial minorities.
2.When the majority uses compulsion (typically violence, hostility, or legal barriers) to force minorities into particular areas.
3.When economic conditions make it difficult for minority members to live in non-minority areas.

Ghettos in occupied Europe 1939-1944 where the Jews were required to live prior to their transportation to concentration and death camps.
The definition of "ghetto" still has a similar meaning, but the broader range of social situations, such as any poverty-stricken

The Irish immigrants of the 19th century were the first ethnic group to form ethnic enclaves in America’s cities, followed by Italians and Poles in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Due to segregated conditions black neighborhoods in the United States have been called "ghettos". Many of these neighborhoods are in Northern cities where African Americans moved during The Great Migration (1914-1950) a period when over a million[11] African Americans moved out of the rural Southern United States to escape the widespread racism of the South,



Chinatowns originated as racially segregated enclaves where most Chinese immigrants settled from the 1850s onward. Major Chinatowns emerged in Boston; Camden and Trenton, New Jersey; Chicago; Los Angeles, Oakland; San Francisco, California; New York City; New Orleans; Akron, Ohio; Philadelphia; Portland, Oregon; Seattle; Vancouver; Toronto and other major cities.

Many Hispanic immigrants from Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean concentrated in barrios located in cities with large Hispanic populations such as Orange County, California; Anaheim, Baldwin Park, Chino, Coachella etc.


-Not only in a good percentage of hip-hop, but across all genre's the mind, social climate and emotions of the ghetto have been expressed. Rakim allah expressed this years ago in the early 90's classic song "ghetto". One good throwback LP to see the reflections on the conscious is the compilation " A rose that grew from concrete" by various artists, which features the poetry and writings of tupac shakur. The mindset of the urban struggle is shared from the slums of central america to the back streets of nyc and texas. Though its social ills may plague, having the knowledge, is only half the battle. Power..we close thursday's A.L.I.H.S.T's feature with words from one of the Godfathers of hip-hop.. and a graphic depiction of the ghetto from south philly's beanie sigel..100% actual.





THEE URBANPRIESTHOOD GROUP

STREETS CONSCIOUSNESS P.IIIV: MUSIC & JOURNALISM

-"The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988. The current president of the publication is Jeremy Miller. From humble beginnings, the Source had grown into one of the largest and most influential hip-hop publications in the United States[citation needed]. It had even grown to the point of being called "The Bible of Hip-Hop." [1]-wikipedia



"I think the key to great journalism, is being a great listener"-

Tavis Smiley

Music, and its personal voice to the masses..journalism. I started with the foundations of hip hop journalism in specifics, a publication pre-world wide web and its progressive movement: the source magazine. Journalism constantly bridges communication, though commercial media is relative to the masses, i salute journalism or journalists who come from key perspectives, whether grassroots, journalists centered in an african-american consciousness(tavis smiley, gil noble, tony brown) or music/hip hop journalists ie: harry allen, dream hampton or peter rosenberg. Journalism that comes from a personal view that relates to the people.
Peep some the profiles of some of names mentioned specifically in hip hop:


Harry Allen is a hip hop activist and journalist ("The Media Assassin") affiliated with the group Public Enemy, and is the director of the Rhythm Cultural Institute. He grew up in Freeport, Long Island.[1]
Harry Allen first met Carlton "Chuck D" Ridenhour in 1982, when the two took an animation class at Adelphi University in Garden City. Ridenhour, also a member of hip hop group Spectrum City, introduced Allen to a clique who congregated around university radio station WBAU/90.3 FM on Monday nights (although not all were students), and, in Allen's own words, "looked at hip-hop scientifically - as an analysis of its parts - and took it completely seriously, like I did." -wikipedia


In 1990, Dream hampton became the first woman editor of The
Source Magazine. Hampton penned essays on, among other
topics, misogyny, police brutality and Winnie
Mandela. She also profiled Snoop Doggy
Dogg, early in his career, as well as the
first Source cover story for megastar Tupac Shakur.
As a contributing writer at Vibe
Magazine since the magazine's launch in 1993, Hampton
wrote articles on Jay-Z, Mary J.
Blige and D'Angelo. Her writing has appeared in The Village
Voice, Spin, The Detroit News, Harper's Bazaar, Essence, Parenting
and other magazines. In addition, her essays and articles have appeared in
several anthologies, including Rock She Wrote, The Vibe History of Hip-Hop
and And It Don't Stop: The Best American Hip-Hop Journalism of the Last 25
Years. Hampton co-authored rapper Jay-Z's unreleased autobiography
The Black Book.[1] -wikipedia

-Along with an insightful view to the voice of journalism.. we close thursday with an xclusive interview from peter rosenberg with dj premier..and if u never caught it several months ago..a BET network cipher hosted by premier himself..power.. every one has a voice..let it be heard by who you are..and what you do. Peace.

>

STREETS CONSCIOUSNESS P.IIV ..OF FAITHS AND PHILOSOPHIES

" So what's left when there ain't no God..and a whole lotta pride..you might see a homicide" -SPECIAL ED -Crooklyn Dodgers

Thursday provides insight to the ever streaming influence of spiritual/ philosophical perspectives in the modern day; both in life and music. Thoughts, faiths and idealogies carried heavy influence through the upper and underground forums of the industry, to the heights of commercial success, to the simplicity of "poor righteous teachin". Here's some of the perspectives, and the voices that carried it in retrospect:

"The Nation of Gods and Earths, sometimes referred to as NGE, Allah's Nation, the Five-Percent Nation, the Five-Percent Nation of Islam, or the Five Percenters was founded in 1964 in the Harlem section of the borough of Manhattan in New York City by Clarence Smith, known most commonly to the public at large as Clarence 13X, but referred to by his contemporaries and students as Allah (the Arabic word for God) or the Father. The Nation of Gods and Earths angered religious and political leaders, who viewed the group as little more than an offshoot of the Nation of Islam (NOI), which was already viewed by Muslims as heretical. While the Nation of Gods and Earths is commonly characterized as an organization, an institution, a religion and/or even a gang, representatives of the Nation teach that it is a way of living. The Nation of Gods and Earths teaches that the Original Blackman is God, the Original Blackwoman is the planet Earth, and through the inner esoteric powers of the Gods and Earths, people can transform and possess their true potential" -wikipedia




Rakim gave jewels during the early years of hip-hop that expressed views of the nation..in pop-culture and in hip-hop the nations voice was heard in artists as big daddy kane, brand nubian, and the legacy of the wu tang clan. The culture of the 5 % nation became assimilated with hip hop, so close that it streamed as a trend..especially in the inner city's. Part of my youth, though having my own spiritual foundation, i studied religions...in regards to the mathematics, (5% lessons) i also studied for my own knowledge, out of curiosity to why it had such an impact on hip hop culture. Though its prescence was stronger in the late 90's and early 2000's compared to today, its clearly part ofhip hop history.

The Nation of Islam is a religious organization founded in Detroit, Michigan, by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in July 1930. He set out with the goal of resurrecting the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of the African American men and women of America. The N.O.I. also promotes the belief that God will bring about a universal government of peace.[1] Mainstream Muslims consider the group to be a non-Islamic independent religion that has adopted Islamic terminology rather than an Islamic sect due to differing beliefs about God, race, and prophecy, among others.[2][3]-wikipedia

Clearly the drive of artist as gangstarr's guru, the revelations and reverence of artists like beanie sigel, and the humble refrences of mos def, islam is still a testament of faith to many artists.

"Black Hebrew Israelites (also Black Hebrews, African Hebrew Israelites, and Hebrew Israelites) are groups of people mostly of Black African ancestry situated mainly in the United States who believe they are descendants of the ancient Israelites. Black Hebrews adhere in varying degrees to the religious beliefs and practices of mainstream Judaism. They are generally not accepted as Jews by the greater Jewish community, and many Black Hebrews consider themselves — and not mainstream Jews — to be the only authentic descendants of the ancient Israelites. Many choose to self-identify as Hebrew Israelites or Black Hebrews rather than as Jews."-wikipedia
An historic religious sect, adjacent to the african diaspora, exceeded the walls of subculture. Exemplied through the knowledge and artistry of killah priest, (maccabee house) shabazz the disciple and many others..it is a movement by itself. We close thursday's blog with an introspective look into a possible future "blackstar" reunion, words by mos def himself.. and a throwback from "the teacha" himself, krsone, who shares my train of thought, someone who is aware of the spiritual climate of the culture.





"My philosophy" One of the cornerstones..88' archive..enjoy..

THEE URBANPRIESTHOOD GROUP