This Week With Jasiri X: G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh

Jasiri X: The Only Color That Matters is Green

Jasiri X reboots This Week With Jasiri X with a solid response to the recent G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh.

Thousands of Police Occupy Pittsburgh for the G-20 Summit
Jasiri X: City of Steel

I smells bacon! But it's been standing in the sun and gone rancid. That's the smell of fear when the King's rubber hits the road.

From The Dharma Eye of d.a.levy:

Really
the police try to protect
the banks - and everything else
is secondary

It's Time for Democrats to Start Destroying Republicans

I've been impressed by the Democratic Party's attempts at bipartisanship led by the first U.S. President I've ever called "my President" but the Republicans have made it clear that they aren't having it and it's time to start making them pay for their obstinence and ill will.

I think an important first step would be removing all concessions made to gain bipartisan support for a health care bill and to refocus on the wishes of those who put Obama in office.

Some of my readers may recall that when Ronald Reagan came into office he clearly stated that he was not the President for all Americans, only for those who supported him, and the sheep applauded. Multiple Bush regimes have made it clear that such a perspective is status quo for the Republican Party.

It's time to take off those white dress gloves, President Obama, and lead your people into battle.

Support Your Local Food Bank

Even if our current economic collapse has bottomed, the long slow rise to recovery will leave many there, struggling to survive.

According to a new report from Feeding America, 99% of the food banks they surveyed reported a "significant surge" in demand driven by first-time users and newly unemployed.

56% report seeing more children while 55% report having turned people away at some point over the last year.

There are more numbers but if you can't see what's up, there's no point in throwing numbers at you.

Don't wait for the government to act. Please support your local food bank now. The people need you.

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
FTP Movement: Food, Clothes & Shelter: The Street Album

The 9/11 Conspiracy: Edited by James H. Fetzer

The 9/11 Conspiracy - Edited by James H. Fetzer

The 9/11 Conspiracy is a collection of studies that consider such questions as:

Why did the Twin Towers, specifically designed to withstand the impact of airliners, completely disintegrate, something that has never happened to any skyscraper building before or since?

Why were there explosions in their sub-basements before the airplanes hit these buildings?

Why did Building 7 come down late that afternoon, even though not hit by any aircraft and enduring no jet-fuel-based fires?

Joe "Big Dummy" Wilson Breaks the Rules of His Game and Gets the Smackdown, Yay!

I know what's it like to say something that you strongly believe in ond to then get into in trouble because you said it at the wrong time or in the wrong way according to those who have more power than you.

Nevertheless, given my hatred for the Republican Party, the party of death and destruction, I gotta say that the fact that "Rep. Joe Wilson’s “You lie!” outburst" against Obama led rapidly to donations of "$100,000 from 3,000 people" in less than 24 hours to his 2010 Democratic opponent makes me smile.

I guess the money's talking and it's telling us that the bullsh*t will be walking at the next electoral battle for Joe "Big Dummy" Wilson.

FTP Movement: Food, Clothes & Shelter: The Street Album

FTP Movement - Food, Clothes & Shelter

The FTP Movement's Food, Clothes & Shelter: The Street Album, produced by Amond Jackson and Kalonji Changa, is available for preorder. "Proceeds go towards Political Prisoners and The Feed The People Program".

Artists include The A-Alikes , Soul Flower ft KRS-ONE, Scienz of Life, J-Live, Nappy Roots ft A Leon Craft, Bun B ft. Cory Mo, StaHHr, Clan Destined, Ekundayo, Hasaan Salaam, Akrobatik, Arophat prod by Illastrate, Arablak, Kam Moye, Boog Brown, Cymarshal Law, Uno the Prophet, Mojo Swagger, Mocha B, Life Long, C.H.O.S.E.N, Kelly Love Jones, Kil Ripkin, Living Proof, The Smile Rays, Kumasi ft Mailik Yusef-Adam Levine & Kanye West, Sha King, Lone Catylsts, Floyd the Locsmif, Dolldaze, Ozy Reigns ft Dillon, Senor Kaos, Kendra Foster, Mike Flo, Imhotep Kushan ft the Dubber, The Welfare Poets, Rita J, Khalilah Ali, Precise Science & More.

MySpace: FTP Movement

ColorOfChange: Post-Katrina Shootings, Aid Black Farmers

I want to point to a couple of campaigns currently in progress at ColorOfChange.org that are well worth your consideration and support.

Demand justice in post-Katrina shootings:
"In the weeks following Hurricane Katrina, White vigilantes hunted down Black men who entered Algiers Point and even tried to expel their Black neighbors. Louisiana's broken law enforcement agencies have refused to investigate these crimes."

Demand justice for Black farmers denied USDA aid:
"For decades the U.S. Department of Agriculture discriminated against Black farmers, denying them critical aid. When a technicality prevented many Black farmers from benefiting from an eventual settlement, Barack Obama put forth legislation to ensure all farmers were compensated."

"Obama's actions helped him win over Southern Black members of Congress and gain the support of rural Blacks in the Democratic primaries. Now it looks like the Obama administration may be trying to avoid fairly compensating these Black farmers."

It's still time for change and that ain't gonna change.

Ukamau y Ke: Tupak Katari Music Video

Ukamau y Ke - Tupak Katari

Bolivian rappers blend "ancient Andean folk styles with politically charged rap lyrics."

Via World Hip Hop Market.

MySpace: Ukamau y Ke

Oakland Riots: Pictures, Videos, Personal Accounts

I'll be posting links to documentation of the riots here from an activist perspective with a particular focus on hip hop and revolution.

Hip Hop Responds to the Death of Oscar Grant and the Oakland Riot:

KPFA Friday Night Vibe, 1/10/09
"KPFA Radio Interview w. Minister Christopher Muhammad from the Nation of Islam, Pro-Black rapper Paris and Adisa Banjoko discuss the aftermath of the Oscar Grant murder at the BART station. WARNING: This gets intense"

Davey D :

Hip Hop Holds It Down & Speaks Out for Oscar Grant in Oakland
three videos featuring a variety of Bay Area artists

An Interview w/ Oakland Lawyer John Burris
Preriot, good background.

Oakland Rebellion pt1 Videos from Last Nights Demonstrations
demonstrators question riot cops, Eric Arnold interview

Mayor Ron Dellums Gets Confronted in the streets of Oakland

Footage from the Oakland Riot:

demonstrators head into riot zone

random auto destruction in action

tense moment with line of cops

The BART Shooting Downtown Oakland Riot - Zennie's Account
talking to people in the street during the demonstrations

Background: The Murder of Oscar Grant

BART shooting captured on video

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Oakland Riots Take the Idiot Path

Oakland Riots Take the Idiot Path

This is what happens when folks don't understand the strategies and tactics of insurrection.

And that includes idiots from groups like the Revolutionary Communist Party who have a long history of showing up at demonstrations, acting "heroic" because they are the "vanguard" and getting other people hurt.

But they're ultimately a side show.  There are lots of forces at work.

Update:
Just because somebody is wearing a black mask and displaying anarchy symbols doesn't make them an anarchist, as commie vanguardists and police infiltrators well know.

But, then again, not all street-fighting anarchists have it together either.  I'm getting reports of white rioters hijacking this thing so I'll be following up on that as well.

REMEMBER OSCAR GRANT!

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Oakland Riots: Pictures, Videos, Personal Accounts

Quick Note on the Israel/Gaza Madness & Anti-Semitism

I had somebody drop an angry comment about Israel's bombing that killed a bunch of kids.  I would have left it up but they followed with two anti-Semitic comments so I nuked that nonsense.

Let me make a few things clear:
I've been a supporter of the Palestinian people and anybody else that Israel f*cks with since the 1980s.  Back then, Israel was supplying both South Africa and Guatemala with war supplies that Congress had cut off the U.S. government from supplying.  Israel just put some of its massive U.S. aid to work and seamlessly took over U.S. supply efforts.

So I don't support most of the actions of Israel yet, at the same time, I am not anti-Semitic.

One of the things I discovered when I got involved with these issue back in the 80s is that lots of people, not just Jews, would claim you were anti-Semitic when you said anything negative about Israel and that's when I realized that you have to separate the issues to understand what's going on and to avoid being manipulated.

So those of you in the hip hop community who are attacking Jews and requiring them to show their anti-Israel card to keep their hip hop card are just about as bad as those calling opponents of Israel anti-Semites.

To clarify:
I oppose anti-Semitism and I oppose the terrorist tactics of the Israeli government.

So don't bring your nonsense here cause it's getting deleted.

ProHipHop Adds Barack Obama Category

Since I've posted quite a bit about the election, I've decided to gather up all related posts in a Barack Obama category, including those that were formerly included in the Politics category.

Remixing the Art of Social Change: A Hip-Hop Approach

Remixing the Art of Social Change: A Hip-Hop Approach

The folks at WORDS BEATS & LIFE Inc. are organizing Remixing the Art of Social Change, a "teach-in":

"dedicated to capacity building for hip-hop non-profits, non profits using hip-hop and non profits that self identify as working with the hip-hop generation. Organizations from throughout California have been invited with the express intention of "Remixing the Art of Social Change" by outlining the tools and resources necessary to build sustainable field of organization..."

"Remixing the Art of Social Change" is...designed not just to look at hip-hop as an esthetic, but at the organizations that develop, track, measure and deliver curriculum, information, develop campaigns, organize rallies etc. This teach-in is for organizations ready to move to the next stage of their development."

The hip hop nonprofit and community activism sphere is developing all over the country, often in informal settings, so building sustainable organizations is key to taking care of the business as well as the art of social change.

Remixing the Art of Social Change: A Hip-Hop Approach takes place at San Francisco State on October 4th.

Keith Olbermann & Chris Matthews Replaced as Coanchors

Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews have been replaced as coanchors at MSNBC by David Gregory and demoted to analysts for upcoming election coverage.

I'm really going to miss Keith Olbermann wilding out so brilliantly but I'm sure he'll get plenty of moments in the spotlight in the days ahead.

Anti-M.I.A. Sp@m Games E! Online

Anti-M.I.A. sp@m has been hitting blogs and websites that write about M.I.A. as I realized this week from my posts about the Paper Planes single and the Pineapple Express soundtrack.

In the Pineapple Express post, the first commenter acts like she's turning people on to a new M.I.A.video mix:

Yeah, I love this song!I also want to check the movie, it seems pretty cool.

Found this video in a new version:

http://srilankantube.com/item/72YJRHBK94YN1B8C

It seems that she's got power($$)

Posted by: sharon | August 03, 2008 at 09:18 PM

Then another expresses concern:

That new version is worrying. I liked M.I.A before but now I'm not so sure. Is this true?

Posted by: Kim | August 05, 2008 at 05:11 AM

These comments and similar comments on the other post are followed by a rather traditional political attack on M.I.A. based on the belief that her father was a terrorist and/or a freedom fighter [that always seems to depend on which side you're on], that some of her lyrics and imagery appear to support such activities and that she has not distanced herself from terrorism in an acceptable manner.

You, dear reader, are going to have to make up your mind on that part.

Idolator points out that one of the fake messages of concern showed up in an E! Online blog post that's now circulating as a news piece so they've gamed the mass media with this one.  Guess that's why sp@mmers keep sp@mming!

But let's assume that these folks who are doing this sp@mming and who presumably are part of the forces that Sri Lankan rapper DeLon is mobilizing against M.I.A. are sincere in their struggle.

If that's the case, they've chosen to deceitfully introduce their concerns to the American public in a manner that suggests that, in their minds, the means justify the ends that they want, which I thought was part of the problem they were fighting against.

But let's not equate this rather transparent sp@m campaign with terrorist tactics.  That's too heavy handed even for me.

And let's not imagine that Delon has any similarity to American rappers who would typically use such promotional devices to further their own careers.

Let's set cynicism aside for a moment and just say, sp@m sucks.  I don't want it on my site cause I don't like liars.  This conversation is over.  Your issues are not going to be on my frontburner.

Bottom line: people are dying and suffering everywhere.  Bringing tired tactics to a new environment is just not going to work in the long run and, in the end, your own people will suffer for your deception.

Sounds overly dramatic?

People die everyday cause they can't get the attention of somebody who'll help them.  Only the delusional can't recognize that fact.

If you're serious about saving lives, don't be blasting out deception in the hope of catching attention cause then you're just another propaganda machine refusing to participate in the real conversations of the people you hope to reach.