Cities Fall Down

Bush Street in SF got a redecorating last night, c/o some creative vandals....

Quiet Dog Bite Hard

For tha Mos part, our boy Mighty has been less than billed tha past couple years -- releasing an allegedly "unfinished" LP that came out and was quickly pulled from shelves by Geffen and in general didn't fare much better (critically or commercially) than his generally-disliked "The New Danger" release in '04.

Despite his apparently lackluster career as a recording artist, Mos Def has remained not only a relevant cultural figure, but a compelling one -- an emerging mainstream cinema superstar and articulate spokesperson for tha conscious side of tha hip-hop boulevard keep him in tha news, and he continues to tour and sell out shows across tha globe.

Whether you like Mos' recent music or not, there's no denying that he takes his artistic mission seriously and makes a concerted effort to push his craft forward; in many ways, dude tested outta Emcee High before his first LP even dropped; he simply has few peers as a straight-up lyricist and has continually sought new creative avenues to explore, maybe just to keep himself from being bored. His live shows have followed suit -- i have been either an opening DJ or helped in a live performance DJ capacity for Mos on numerous occasions over tha past several years, starting with his 1999 New Year's Eve show @ tha Justice League. These days, Mos rocks with two DJs and his live shows are either unfocused, low-energy and selfish OR innovative, engaging, and personable (depends on your perspective -- honestly, opinion seems pretty evenly divided, and it often breaks down along gender lines LOL).

I personally hold Mos Def in high regard as an artist, and am eagerly anticipating his '09 release, "The Ecstatic." Tha first release off that LP, "Life in Marvelous Times," was cool but nothing spectacular -- but, it definitely signaled a return to Mos' roots as a Brooklyn-bred emcee. Last week, a new joint leaked and its CRAZY. When I heard it, I immediately wanted to play it for a crowd so I made this DJ-friendly edit of it.

NOTE: tha original version has an intro from Fela Kuti which adds not only meaning but texture to tha song; I removed tha intro for mixing purposes but check tha album version ASAP -- and cop "The Ecstatic" when it drops, I have a feeling its gonna be tha best hip-hop LP of '09.

Mos Def, "Quiet Dog" (Sake1 DJ Edit)


Mos Def rockin live on New Year's Eve, 2008-9 @ Sneakers Required in SF / photo (c) Rehes Creative www.rehescreative.com

NYC tonite & tomorrow

big shout to my BFAM MoMa and Gator Nation representative Scott Melker for having me thru for a set last nite @ Ella. NYC, Soul Glo is tha look on a Thursday nite!!

Tonite rockin' in NY at Kush Lounge for tha big homie Kunal Merchant's bday popoff and tomorrow nite in BK for Ramona's "Sweet Sixteen Plus 14" party @ My Moon. Please come thru to either (or both) if your in NYC and are bored out of your skull ;)

RED OR GREEN PILL?

With tha escalation of Israeli aggression in Gaza, tha world is witnessing a massacre and humanitarian crisis of historical proportions. People around tha world have taken to tha streets to protest this latest illegal action in Israel's part, but much more must be done....

This is a plea to anyone reading this to TAKE ACTION -- history is a harsh judge and i would hate to see any of my loved ones on tha wrong side of it. Conversely, being an active member of on-line communities such as Facebook, Twitter, etc unfortunately confirms stereotyopes of US citizens across tha globe -- more concerned with our clothing, music, food and other consumerist obsessions than genocide, injustice and warfare. Even when we know its happening. Even when we know our government is funding it. Even when we know Obama ain't saying shit about it. It seems that people who criticize tha internet as "tha Matrix" in fact create that reality by avoiding important discussion and debate that needs to be happening there, and everywhere....


WAKE UP. After you wake up, take a shower, and decide what side of history your gonna be on. Sorry if this sounds preacy -- but people are being massacred as i type this. DO SOMETHING...

•Write a letter
•Protest (there is almost certainly a protest in your area if your in a major city)
•Educate yourself on tha situation -- not via CNN and other pro-Israel venues, but more balanced sites such as: BBC, Al Jazeera, Electronic Intifada, and others.