My homie hipped me to this video of investigative reporter, Michael Ruppert letting the CIA’s dirty secret out about dealing crack.

I’m gonna let Masta Ace speak for himself on this one:

Black boy, black boy turn that shit down
You know that America don’t wanna hear the sound
Of the bass drum jungle music go back to Africa
Nigga I’ll arrest ya if ya holdin up trafffic
I’ll be damned if I listen, so cops save your breath and
Write another ticket if ya have any left and
I’m breakin ear drums while I’m breakin the law
I’m disturbin all the peace cause Sister Souljah said war
So catch me if ya can, if ya can here’s a donut
Cause once ya drive away, yo I’m gonna go nut
And turn it up to where it was before nice try
But ya can’t stop the power of the bass in ya eye
I wonder if I blasted a little Elvis Presley
Would they pull me over and attempt to arrest me
I really doubt doubt it, they probably start dancin
Jumpin on my tip and pissin in they pants and
Wigglin and jigglin and grabbin on they pelvis
But you know my name so you never hear no Elvis
Strictly the hardcore dirty street level hits
God’s on my side so watch what the devil gets
Positivity hittin 50 levels deep
Comin out, they comin out the woofers in my Jeep

On Saturday, my crew screened Wattstax, the definitive documentary of the legendary 1972 music festival in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. The festival commemorated 7 years of rebuilding from the Watts riots.

In the doc, Ted Lange, who played Isaac on the Love Boat is interviewed. He says that “up until the point that we had a riot, everybody said: ‘Those Suckas are alright.’” The consensus was that as bad as the riots were for the physical environment of Watts, they at least marked a real and sincere anger within the people that lived there. As one Chinese man said today in an interview about separatist violence in Western China, “where there is oppression, there will be resistance.”

The performances are brilliant. But that is not what made this movie so unforgettable. I think the hook is that more than any blacksploitation flick or any sit com, this document draws you in to the spirit of the times. The longer the doc goes on, the closer you feel to the people in it and the pain, and hope they are living; the easier it becomes to imagine yourself wearing a tassels, bells, a long afro, and maybe even a pink short suit, with knee-high, white, vinyl boots.

My mom, saw the film. We talked about it. She said it reminded her of a more innocent time. She was thinking specifically of the moment in the film when, after causing a rush of dance energy that brought the crowd to the middle of the stadium field, Rufus Thomas (of “Funky Chicken” fame) has to ask all the festival goers to leave go back into the stands. They do. Nicely. Could that happen today?

The rapport between the audience and the artist was so deep. The laughter, the knowing head knods, the call and response reminded one of a family gathering. This is especially true when Isaac Hayes takes the stage as the closing act. He leads the crowd through the chorus shouts of “Theme from Shaft.”
Everyone in the room where I was watching the film yelled out in accord. “Watch your mouth..” But we knew he was “just talkin’ bout Shaft.”

The next day, Isaac passed away. Oh dolce vita is short. RIP sir Isaac.

In this clip the Barkays epitomize the openness and progressiveness of the times. Their hair, their clothes, and their style of funk was on the cusp of dawning Aquarian age:

My goal is to carve out a night at this new venue for a chill zone where my folks and my folks’ folks can  gather, unwind, and build.  I am aiming for Fridays, but this Saturday is a tryout for me with the management at Radio - a way to get my foot in the door.  I am inviting everyone I know to come through and check out the spot.  It’s really chill and the sound is lovely.  It’s a great place to sip a drink, contemplate life, chat up cuties, or just slouch in a booth and soak up the sounds.

Last Saturday Ricardo, Starr, and the Bay Sessions crew screened Wattstax, the definitive documentary of the legendary 1972 music festival in Los Angeles.  I hadn’t seen the whole doc before.  I was blown away.  The film begins with a serious introduction by Richard Pryor and ends with an epic performance by Isaac Hayes.

We watched that on Saturday night.  Sunday morning, Isaac Hayes, Black Moses, made the transition.

Come through, Saturday and help me take this spot over.  Also, help me celebrate the spirit of ‘72, Isaac Hayes, and the generations of folks who created vibes and community that have been passed down to us.

Call me.  We can meet for dinner across the street at Golden Lotus before hand and head over to Lucky Lounge for Magic Milkcrates after.

Study addresses underlying cause of the Black exudus from San Francisco:

San Francisco’s black population has dropped faster than that of any other large U.S. city’s.

Read the article

The resistance of the civil rights generation to Barack Obama’s candidacy reveals a generational divide in African-American politics.

Read article

I am not sure exactly who is behind this, but the Encyclopedia Pictura but it seems to be based in SF. There’s something for everyone in here including an sun drenched subversive piece of work by the Bay Area’s own Zion I. Bjork’s collabo with choreographer Chris Elam of Misnomer Dance, the Wanderlust video, is featured currently. For those of you who need a fix of only slightly referential, almost abstract expressionism, check out the “Grizzly Bear” joint. This one is just incredibly irreverent, funny, and somehow quite poetic.

My homie, Rafael asked me for some broken beat. He was the one who introduced me to it in the first place and continues to be my source of inspiration on all sorts of levels. You’ll find some broken in here as well as some stuff that eludes classification but clearly references West London. Most importantly, if you have not tasted some of the sweetness coming out of Puerto Rico involving the likes of Orin Walters, there is a nice preview in here for you. I am gonna make it a mission to get a hold of that stuff and get it out there to the folks that I know are hungry for new music that honors the timeless roots.

1. Move Aside (AE Remix) - Bugz in the Attic - AE001
2. Time - Nick Holde Feat. Sacha - NRK
3. The Passage - Kid Sublime & Wouda - Dopeness Galore
4. Mighty Dub - Zed Bias Feat. Randolph - Defected
5. Uepa - Stereotyp Feat. Joyce Muniz - Man
6. Um Korpo - Ku Bo Feat. Joyce Muniz - Man
7. Comparsa - Afronaught vs Broki - Bitasweet Candela
8. Song for Letta (Broken Mix) - The Afro Jazz Pioneers - Early
9. I Exist Because of You (Henrik Swartz Love Version)- Henrik Swartz & Amampondo - Innervisions
10. Revolution (Real Live Revolution Remix by Kid Sublime) - Robb Scott - Sunshine Enterprises