inspiration

so my musical inspiration comes from a lotta places these days and i get asked on what gets me going quite often. i can never really answer so im going to post things that that spark me a lil (and hopefully do more blog post). This is called paths of hate! i ran across this on hypebeast. I'm a tremendous animation fan and love comics so this was right up my alley. It's by polish director Damian Nenow and i cant wait to see the whole thing. so much narrtive in these first images but no explanation (i love that). any way peep more inspiration coming up!

PATHS OF HATE long trailer from Platige Image on Vimeo.

Good Sin and TH my doods dope cut DL that joint here !!!

Khingz presents Khake & Khool-Aid

mwwwuaaah ha haaaa.

ohai. this is kitty wu and this my first ever post on Flying Dragon Punch. since this is my inaugural creation at FDP let me take a minute to let you know what you can expect from my lil additions on this fine blog:

1. good music - i like it.

2. lowercase letters - i like them. Khingz said i can do what i want here, so humor me.

3. bragging on Khingz - i like him. he makes good music and he always tells me the truth. i like that.

4. bragging on our people - our people are cool, they make good music and do good things. i like to brag about them.

that's about it. *ahem* now for my first brag on:

KHINGZ PRESENTS KHAKE & KHOOL-AID

Khingz is a prolific music maker. he's always working on something. 2010 the focus has been the upcoming full-length album with Vitamin D called FILTH, his new group Hi-Life Soundsystem, and the (Fre)EP you are about to have in your happy hands.

Khake & Khool-Aid is my favorite Khingz album since Spaceships. i hope you enjoy as much as i am...get it here for FREEEEEE:

http://khingz.bandcamp.com/

hi_life and lyrics born!!

IJWB PHYSICS

God Like

This is God Like. I wrote this during wanna my low points this year. I left this off the Pho 99 along with the other more Edgar Allen Poeish cuts because i wanted pho 99 to be a celebration of summer's last hottest month. But it is important to be well rounded so here we are godlike. Listen enjoy and download.

No regrets the video!

can't believe i never posted this. sluffer!

no regrets live!

A cut i did with my homies up in Van. We performed t radio park in calgary it was dope here checc it!

no regretssicky from dirty south on Vimeo.

supercalifragalisticextrahellaDOPE!!

SOTA - "Extrahelladope" (Official Music Video) from Stephan Gray on Vimeo.

Pho 99 mxtape!!!

This is prelude to my upcoming ep Khake and Khool-aid. Which will be my only solo releas for 2010 (tho keep your eyes out for hi-life this fall).

download here

damn i have day dreams like this

to be able to cut out that level of noise interference would be magical aww technology.

Digable planets in seattle

You have no idea how excited for this show i am!!

get your advanced ticcets now!!

lemme share some of my favorite digable moments!






I know I'll see you there!

this is why i ride bmx

you should to for defence

Post-It Mario

Studio Ghibli’s PS3 Game

this looks pretty cool from the makers of Spirited Away, Ponyo, and Princess Mononoke!



yep that dailybento!

for Gabe and all my veggie lovers. your cruel

would you sex with these?

again with the dailybento

big brother

off that dailybento

Storm troopers day off

from dailybento

YES i am excited come on out people!!!

astro boy and freestyle

Where is this shirt at!! I been searchin for years! This mite be the last time I actually saw it. Well its at least documented I loved Astro-boy before the mivie dropped SON!

Khingz from Chris Wiggles on Vimeo.

From Allegro Open mic, cir.2007

soompi.com geo interview

a show 2maro and nice words from Larry

Specs Wizard, Hi-Life Sound System, Waves of the Mind, Yirim Seck & LaRue

(Chop Suey) I've been a fan of NW hiphop for a while now. I remember when Khingz was Khalil Crisis of the Maroon Colony crew, and even then he was one of my favorite spitters in the whole of the '6—a vicious MC adept with punch lines and superior cadence. Since then, the Crisis has ended (no DC Comics), and Abyssinian Creole, his group with Gabriel Teodros, has seemingly come and gone, but Khingz still rules. His newest endeavor, with MC B-Flat and producer Crispy of the Godspeed crew, is called Hi-Life Sound System. While I'm a fan of Khingz's dope solo work, I do love hearing him in a group setting, and Hi-Life more than demonstrates why. LARRY MIZELL JR.

available now

This is the email my guy sent me! I'm on 2 of these songs the album goes pretty hard. It's nice to see this beginning for a new producer good start homie!

here is the link to the new album that dropped today...http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/dont-look-back/id365846939...if you guys post them on your blogs and such that would be a real good look!

Album is also available at Sonic Boom, Wall of Sound, Silver Platter, Urbanity, Easy Street Records, most local record stores etc.....and through me!
Thanks....and please forward to anyone else that might be interested.

All of the support is greatly appreciated!

www.jacktherippermusic.com dropping later today!

Sincerely,
Jack

more birds!!!

Air to a birds (amos miller and gabriel teodros, they made love work) have they're next show comin up for free peep!!!

Me and gabe in CT

Man i am slow with updates huh? Sorry. Kinda. Love ya'll, this is just a quicc somthin somethin i did. We didn't actually have to picc up thee sat in new haven which was tite Thanx Alex!!! Post more if i find what i did with it all.

khingz and gabriel teodros the life we live ep 1 from khalil equiano on Vimeo.

this is me and gabe in our CT hotel and my observations on Hartford. simple and swift.

spring Classic

here we go again!!!!!!!!!!!! This is gonna be dooooooooooooope!


here's a lil promo video for ya'll too



aaaaand the article !



Big World Breaks' House Music
The collective's upcoming spring jam is already a classic.
Comments (0) By Nick Feldman Wednesday, Apr 28 2010

Tucked into the basement of a house on the edge of Leschi's Frink Park, a recording studio serves as home to One Family Inc. Productions and its understated "house band" Big World Breaks. Whereas most bands have some sort of frontman, this one has a drumming director: Aaron Walker-Loud.


Introduced in 2001 to Seattle break-dance crew Massive Monkees while working with bands Iguales and The Flood, he was later surprised by an invitation to back up a series of break-dance battles and workshops at Bumbershoot in 2004. Meshing extensive jazz training and hip-hop influences, Walker-Loud involved the newly formed Big World Breaks with dancers, then singers and eventually rappers, acting as studio musicians and live concert instrumentalists for local artists from Blue Scholars and Gabriel Teodros to Helladope and Dyme Def. In 2009 they released their debut album, 4 Those Lost, which featured nearly 30 guest artists.

"There are always going to be different types of featured vocalists or dancers or DJs that rotate in or out, but Big World Breaks enjoys being the home base for helping our town enjoy each others' art," he said, "and creating a place where all the different followers from different neighborhoods and cultures join each other on neutral ground through the music."

Now employing a "rotating but tight-knit family" of musicians, Big World Breaks has been involved with large-scale concert collaborations since 2007. In 2009, its Summer and Winter Classic shows featured some of Seattle's best and brightest hip-hop artists. This Saturday's Spring Classic at Nectar Lounge includes longtime partners like Hi-Life Soundsystem and Spaceman, who hosted the first Classic. Helladope and Tiffany Wilson are newer additions, which Walker-Loud called "a long time coming."

"I try to weave together a presentation where the artists are rotating and the product is more of a collection of themes and moods that everyone weaves in and out of," says Walker-Loud. "It's good to see heavyweights in the town being more interactive."

Though combining MCs and backing bands has become more frequent in recent years, Walker-Loud is confident of the continuing potential of instrumental involvement in a continually evolving scene.

"Hip-hop was born out of people reinterpreting and re-envisioning musical tapestries to support new types of movement and new types of vocal work," he said. "There's a lot of potential for great hip-hop to happen when you blend live instruments with digital. The sky's the limit—it just depends on the way the culture moves."

nfeldman@seattleweekly.com

most make my life worse. this makes it better.

Nam on aznraps.com

courtesy of aznraps.com

cool out

Top Left – Coolout (work in progress) from Scott Macklin on Vimeo.

peep specs galactus piece i'm orderin the good wood joint rite now!!

V-O-L-V-O

Please don't die in this car. Less it's 80 years from now. Your the homie

SOTA release

And hi-life's in the buildon!! this is gonna be fun come thru to pravda and kicc it with us.

that mudede shit He's ON IT!!

lets be clear. NO where on here does geo or sabz say they are taking shots at us. That is mudede's interpretation. Media out lets in Seattle have a strange tendency to attempt to place different movements in our city's hip hop scene against each other. They did it with massline and sport n life. than mass line and dime def. and now its massline and the whole next crop of cats. Also No one is under any obligation to like ho we decide to get down. None of us need or look for blue scholar approval of our music. and very few of you give them yours.instead of making this into a beef situation lets recognize it for what it is. A journalist opinion of a song that he wrote up probably with out even consulting the people who made it. Also look at it this way. NO one in they're right or wrong mind would ever diss space, dyme def, cloud nice collective, thee sat and me in one song (except hans millionaire whose name doesn't even sound like real life) that's suicide. Lets not let our scene kill its self over little innuendos.

SOTA lisssssteeeeen

hari's health plan!

yep. still gonna use this health plan

No Regrets

Hooked up with some homies up north! Conscience. We did a lil cut that i think came out nice. Lemme know what you think.

Conscience - No Regrets ft. Khingz, Lyndsay Johnston & Too Phat from Brandon Christensen on Vimeo.

cant fuccing wait!!!!

Trunk (the remixes)

Hopie Spitshard - Trunk (The Remixes) from Aris Jerome on Vimeo.

artist: Hopie Spitshard
2010

love this girl!!

aiit this is proper i love soccer but that world cup shit was week to me. (mainly cuz i really love this song so don't fucc wit it.)

Look Alice

these are my guys we kicced SOOOOO hard at SxSW this last week. i can tell thats fam for life! Here's to showing that Sac is more than bro. lynch hung (who i love tho so don't trip).

Delorean - Look Alice from PostIt Productions on Vimeo.

This is the official music video for Delorean's "Look Alice" track. Visuals inspired by the Alice In Wonderland theme. Shot in various locations in Los Angeles. Produced and Directed by Chris dela Cruz, Produced by Cynthia Quiles, Graphics/Special Effects by Richard Cabatic Edited by Chris dela Cruz Wardrobe by Glenda Mac Sound design by Soundz Mp3 Entertainment, LLC
Soon to be featured on Youtube's HotForWords.com Stay tuned for further announcement.

Hi-Life is Bacc

BLAM!!! HLSS!!!!!!!!!!

Cool out 19 years preview

Top Left – CoolOut from Scott Macklin on Vimeo.

For nearly 20 years, The Coolout Network has visually been the pulse through the body of Northwest Hip Hop, capturing the areas coolest moments through the eyes of director Georgio Brown. The time is now for that pulse of Northwest Hip Hop to make its way through the body of the hip hop world.

Directed by Georgio Brown and Scott Macklin

sxsw 2nd day

oh the shit i been into. shout out baby girl with the homemade waffles i'm sorry but i'm not sorry i can't love you like you want me too. anyway. i will do a full recap some other time as i have lil blog energy rite now (tho i proly wont do it) but safe to say its been crazy! Hi-Lite of my trip so far has been the excellent Detroit showcase headed by Slum Ville and Black Milk. Even tho it was really just T3 it was dope!! Realy the freshest part was how talented Detroit is after i get home and sift thru all the music i got or bought that nite i will post for each person that blew me away starting with Maeday. thanx motor city so inspiring.

I end this transmission with an interview i did of Mister F.A.B. my first day here. aiiiit enjoi!





(and my interviews are smarter holla!!)

sxsw 1st day

damn well what to say. So far so good i have walked up and down sixth street and met interesting characters a plenty. the thing that trips me out the most is how many Seattle cats there are. I have run into maclemore, sabzi, kaream, jfk, geo, t'wan(911 arts) grieves, and gonna meet up with dj b-girl and theylive ina sec. then just from the northwest (and southwest Canada) kool nuts, animal farm, dehli 2 dublin (best friends with some of my best friends in the 604), serg severe, mic crenshaw, erik gable (focus noise) and then from other spots eternia, invincible, shawn crystopher the homie narsi from montreal and hella random canadians. its fun but i wish gabe was here. aiit now on to my first night!

New Porch Jams Feat. GT

and i got a cameo. i'ma ask them to do me a video like this. enjoi

porch jams ep 3

by the way amos your a buster for not lettin me embed the video.

Creative Control

Word up some of my favorite shit is on this site!! They do most my guys curren$y's video (sorry tho homie i voted for d.blac like 6 times) and a bunch of other wild stuff very inspireing. here's they're site and a video about the blac ra-scion Stalley.

SOTA boys

these are some of the homies i mess with i the town. Quite ia kept we are all slowly organically forming a a cross coalition of hip hop geniuses (hi-life, hella dope and SOTA especially)! Here's a vid they shot down in long beach that makes me miss the mid 90's when LA was on top of the game. MAAn i miss Dove shacc.

dear sony part 1

go head homie!!

illDocc

hypnotical,folicals,umbelical,miracle,metaphysical,theoretical,medical,genitals!! jejejejejeje!!! thats funny but real talk on this one made me feel better about life.

Black Weido tour

YEA!!! this is what Seattle needs to do! All of us!! yes you who doesn't rap or sing or whatever GO ON TOUR!! I'm excited about this not the least of which is cuz i will be assisting in some of the east coast shows!! Gyeah!!

BAAAAAM

you these 2 are some of my favorite folks in th eworld! both have held me down thru tuff times mnore than once! Me and Gabe performed at the bookstore one time to so please support the effort to hold on to it (not sure how outta towners can but i will find out). It was funny there was this real hipster ass black dude that was kind smug until we spit and then he hella fanned out. haha enjoy

Bambu: Slow Down (with Prometheus Brown of Blue Scholars) from Beatrock Music on Vimeo.

Slow Down (with Prometheus Brown of Blue Scholars) produced by MTK

Beatrock Music presents the first official single off the ...paper cuts... EP, Slow Down, featuring Prometheus Brown of Duck Down Records' Seattle duo, Blue Scholars. The EP also features guest appearances from Chace Infinite of Self Scientific, Diz Gibran, Thurzday of U-N-I and Malcolm & Martin. Pick up the digital copy on iTunes or look for the hard copy sold exclusively at an independent / "Mom & Pop" store near you.

www.bambu.la
www.beatrockmusic.com

Directed by: Luis Ivan Garcia
Cinematography by: Anthony Ignacio
Edited by: Joel Buenavista

also go to bambu's blog and checc out his break down for each song pretty fresh i'ma do that for my next ep. Khake & Khool Aid!

address

CURREN$Y + STALLEY: ADDRESS from Creative Control on Vimeo.

Ain't nuthin' changed but the address.

Directed and produced by: Creativecontrol.tv

I wanna go home

been a minute

i been so bizzy this year so far so blogging is suffering. Got stuff comin up in the next couple lost of shows in the northwest and east coast. first up tho is Olympia with Zion I and blue scholars and GAAAAABE!!!!! plus more stuff i wil holler about in a minute first i wanna post VIDEOS!

happy massacree!!

jk. yea everyone disses valentines day which I understand I used to as well. BUT!!!! It really is the only holiday about love. It's corny half hearted unrevolutionary love (which is more lust and not love at all) , but i still believe!!! Yep like the saxophone guy from the lost boys (movie not rap group). So in the spirit of that belief i do something special every V-day for the folk I love. This year i had so much planned with free downloads and exclusive songs but it just didn't work out. No excuses but the beginning of this year was rough indeed. So i still gotta lil treat tho.This was debuted on cool out a week a go but most folk missed it so here it is readily available for the first time BLAQ HAN SOLO!
shout to Wes Goodlife and KissKissGoodnight. Shout to Mel from the bay for pretending to be my girl friend and saving me from Barry and Ryan. shout to Barry and Ryan for jumping Mel and me. Last but not least Kitty Wu for helping all this to happen!!
BOOM enjoy

Khingz -Blaq Han Solo from Wes Goodlife on Vimeo.

Khingz
Blaq Han Solo
From Slaveships to Spaceships
Dir: Wes Goodlife

www.khingz.com
www.kisskissgoodnight.com

Support the homies

i heart this pic

almost all my worlds in one.

"slow down" BTS

from my homegirl's Chera's baby's dad and Roccy Rivera's baby dad do some baby daddy's unite to beat up gentrifiers battle raps. This video is gonna be fuccin dope!

Bambu - "Slow Down" Video Behind The Scenes - by Tadashi Nakamura from Beatrock Music on Vimeo.

Video shoot for "Slow Down" by Bambu featuring Geologic of Blue Scholars. This track is off of Bambu's new EP titled "Paper Cuts" which will be released on Beatrock Music on February 23, 2010. Filmed at IMIX Bookstore in Eagle Rock, CA. For more info visit www.bambu.la or www.beatrockmusic.com

Shot & cut by Tadashi Nakamura
www.tadashinakamura.com
www.massmovementtv.com

Bad Brains

one of my influences

Thank You So Much

YOOO tonite was sooo bugged out i wanna thank everyone that came out and helped us sell out Neumos we raised lotsa money and had a great time. personally i can't even begin to say what this means to ma. Haiti is so important to me and i have felt so broken. It was wonderful to see so many support. Thanx and much love to Sol my brotha for putting in so much work sleep in homie you deserve it. I'ma leave you wit Migiity Mos Def at another benefit speaking on why this is important beyond just relief effort. He sums up my feelings well. goodnite pax populi.

Mos Def Speaks On Haiti Live @ The Independent - 2/3/2010 from AlwaysHustle.com on Vimeo.

Mos Def takes a second to speak on a very real problem that was going on before the quake in Haiti. The show raised money for a Haiti relief fund and once it got started was actually pretty entertaining.

Bambu's EPK

GO head BAAAAM!!

the bridge

AAAAAAHHH I miss the BAY!!
NEWAYZ. this is my good homie DoDat and his homie Melina Jones on some real gangster shit from Town to City and bacc again. Loved it!!

"The Bridge" Do D.A.T. ft. Melina Jones from FreshVibe Media ® on Vimeo.

Daicon IV

Lemme geek out for a second (or my whole life whatever) ran across this animation the other day. I believe they used it as the opening to an anime film fes. in the 80's but not sure. What i do now is that daicon (aye kinda raddish) is the old name of the studio that did evangelion (Gainex)!!!! Crazy rite!! (If your an Otaku). Anyway enjoy.





PS. i obviously have some problems with the female portrayal in this.

Feb 4th video

Relief Show Feb 4th. Nuemos

eduardo galeano THE WHITE CURSE

Galeano was pretty formative in my development as a person i mention him on my Spaceships. Read em he's dope. This is an article he wrote bacc when Aristide was ousted the second time. I hadn't come across it before. It illustrates a point how Haiti has continually been punished for daring to be free. It was sent to me as one of the infinity lessons from 206Zulu.

The White Curse [Haiti]

by Eduardo Galeano

The Progressive magazine, June 2004

On the first day of his year, freedom in this world turned 200. But no one noticed, or almost no one. A few days later, the country where this birth occurred, Haiti, found itself in the media spotlight, not for the anniversary of universal freedom but for the ouster of President Aristide.

Haiti was the first country to abolish slavery. However, the most widely read encyclopedias and almost all educational textbooks attribute this honorable deed to England. It is true that one fine day the empire that had been the champion in the slave trade changed its mind about it. But abolition in Britain took place in 1807, three years after the Haitian revolution, and it was so unconvincing that in 1832 Britain had to ban slavery again.

There is nothing new about this slight of Haiti. For two centuries it has suffered scorn and punishment. Thomas Jefferson, a slave owner and champion of liberty at the same time, warned that Haiti had created a bad example and argued it was necessary to "confine the plague to the island." His country heeded him. It was sixty years before the U.S. granted diplomatic recognition to this freest of nations. Meanwhile in Brazil disorder and violence came to be called "Haitianism." Slave owners there were saved from this fury until 1888 when Brazil abolished slavery-the last country in the world to do so.

And Haiti went back to being an invisible nation-until the next bloodbath. During its brief sojourn on TV screens and front pages earlier this year, the media showed confusion and violence and confirmed that Haitians were born to do evil well and do good badly. Since its revolution, Haiti has been capable only of mounting tragedies. Once a happy and prosperous colony, it is now the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.

Revolutions, certain specialists have concluded, lead straight to the abyss; others have suggested, if not stated outright, that the Haitian tendency to fratricide derives from its savage African heredity. The rule of the ancestors. The black curse that engenders crime and chaos.

Of the white curse, nothing was said.

The French revolution had abolished slavery, but Napoleon revived it.

"Which regime was most prosperous for the colonies?"

"The previous one."

"Then reinstate it."

To reinstate slavery in Haiti, France sent more than fifty shiploads of soldiers. The country's blacks rose up and defeated France and won national independence and freedom for the slaves. In 1804, they inherited a land that had been razed to grow sugarcane and a land consumed by the conflagrations of a fierce civil war. And they inherited "the French debt." France made Haiti pay dearly for the humiliation it inflicted on Napoleon Bonaparte. The newly born nation had to commit to pay a gigantic indemnification for the damage it had caused in winning its freedom. This expiation of the sin of freedom would cost Haiti 150 million gold francs.

The new country was born with a rope wrapped tightly around its neck: the equivalent of $21.7 billion in today's dollars, or forty-four times Haiti's current yearly budget.

In exchange for this fortune, France officially recognized the new nation. No other countries did so. Haiti was born condemned to solitude.

Not even Simon Bolivar recognized Haiti, though he owed it everything. In 1816, it was Haiti that furnished Bolivar with boats, arms, and soldiers when he showed up on the island defeated and asking for shelter and help.

Haiti gave him everything with only one condition: that he free the slaves-an idea that had not occurred to him until then. The great man triumphed in his war of independence and showed his gratitude by sending a sword as a gift to Port-au-Prince. Of recognition he made no mention.

In 1915, the Marines landed in Haiti. They stayed nineteen years. The first thing they did was occupy the customs house and . duty collection facilities. The occupying army suspended the salary of the Haitian president until he agreed to sign off on the liquidation of the Bank of the Nation, which became a branch of City Bank of New York. The president and other blacks were barred entry into the private hotels, restaurants, and clubs of the foreign occupying power. The occupiers didn't dare reestablish slavery, but they did impose forced labor for the building of public works. And they killed a lot of people. It wasn't easy to quell the fires of resistance.

The guerrilla chief, Charlemagne Peralte, was exhibited in the public square, crucified on a door to teach the people a lesson.

This civilizing mission ended in 1934. The occupiers withdrew, leaving a National Guard, which they had created, in their place to exterminate any possible trace of democracy. They did the same in the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. A short time afterwards, Duvalier became the Haitian equivalent of Trujillo and Somoza.

And so, from dictator to dictator, from promise to betrayal, one misfortune followed another.

Aristide, the rebel priest, became president in 1991. He lasted a few months before the U.S. government helped to oust him, brought him to the United States, subjected him to Washington's treatment, and then sent him back a few years later, in the arms of Marines, to resume his post. Then once again, in 2004, the U.S. helped to remove him from power, and yet again there was killing. And yet again the Marines came back, as they always seem to, like the flu.

But the international experts are far more destructive than invading troops. Placed under strict orders from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, Haiti obeyed every instruction, without cheating. The government paid what it was told to even if it meant there would be neither bread nor salt. Its credit was frozen despite the fact that the state had been dismantled and the subsidies and tariffs that had protected national production had been eliminated. Rice farmers, once the majority, soon became beggars or boat people. Many have ended in the depths of the Caribbean, and more are following them to the bottom, only these shipwreck victims aren't Cuban so their plight never makes the papers.

Today Haiti imports its rice from the United States, where international experts, who are rather distracted people, forgot to prohibit tariffs and subsidies to protect national production.

On the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, there is a large sign that reads: Road to Ruin.

Down that road, everyone is a sculptor. Haitians have the habit of collecting tin cans and scrap metal that they cut and shape and hammer with old-world mastery, creating marvels that are sold in the street markets.

Haiti is a country that has been thrown away, as an eternal punishment of its dignity. There it lies, like scrap metal. It awaits the hands of its people.

--
206 Zulu - Universal Zulu Nation Seattle
www.206Zulu.com
www.ZuluNation.com

Help for Haiti: UW students offer assistance to quake victims through fundraisers, donations

go hed Sol.

By Kristen Steenbeeke
January 19, 2010

Junior Sol Moravia-Rosenberg was sitting in class when he got a text message about the earthquake in Haiti. He had no idea how big it was, but what he did know was that his family was there ­— most in the heart of Port au Prince, Haiti, where the quake struck the hardest.

At first, he didn’t know much. All communication was down in Haiti, and it was difficult to get information. However, soon after he received the text, his brother — who is a member of a close-knit Haitian-American community — called him from New York to explain the dire circumstances of the situation.

“I was really worried about family,” Moravia-Rosenberg said. “I didn’t even want to turn on the news. I didn’t read anything. I didn’t even want to watch CNN. And the next day, in the morning, all the media and news reporters were finally there, and there were all these really graphic images. Some of the statistics started to come in; I was overwhelmed, and at that point, it hit me, and I was really emotional.”

This intense personal response to the situation stirred something in him, and after a conversation with his mother, he decided to plan a benefit show to support the victims in Haiti.

And, though he soon found out that, despite several collapsed houses, all his close family members survived the quake, this comfort didn’t stop his concern.

“At that point, it’s really just worrying about my countrymen and about the people and the future of the country, ” Moravia-Rosenberg said. “It’s a whole generation and a whole history that was really rocked in a matter of minutes.”

After the initial shock of the quake wore off, he had a meeting with several friends to plan the logistics. They booked Neumos for Feb. 4; the show will include many well-known local artists, such as SOL himself (Moravia-Rosenberg’s stage name), Dyno Jamz, The Physics, DJ Pryme, Common Market, and a break crew called Flying Sneakers. Khingz, another local artist and Haitian-American, will host the event.

In order to get the show going, Moravia-Rosenberg collaborated with Jaleesa Trapp, president of R.E.T.R.O.(an open-mic show run at the Ethnic Cultural Center), and Kayla Huddleston, director of the Black Student Commission. Though they don’t have personal connections to those in Haiti, the spirit of service and empathy is more present than ever.

“It’s different for me because, being African-American, I don’t know where my family is from,” Trapp said. “I feel for all people, no matter where they’re from. People in Haiti — they look like they could be my cousins.”

Along with the benefit concert, those at R.E.T.R.O. are helping to staff the Red Cross booth, which is run by the American Red Cross Club at the UW and set to collect donations from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 pm., today through Friday, in Red Square and on the HUB lawn. As of last Friday’s count, $472.13 has been raised from donations.

“All of us feel really drawn to it,” said Red Cross Club President Jane Lee. “I think a lot of people have just been really touched by what’s happening and really horrified at the devastation.”

While the majority of these people don’t have close ties to Haiti, several have expressed an intimate connection to the situation.

“Some people have been just emptying out their wallets,” Lee said. “We’ve also had people come up to the donation booth saying, ‘I’m from Haiti, and this issue means a lot to me,’ so they’ve been wanting to help out at the booth.”

Moravia-Rosenberg says it’s Haitian pride that keeps him going.

“Being Haitian is something I’ve taken with me every day of my life,” he said. “It’s something I’m very proud of … If anyone can survive something like this, it’s Haitians. The Haitian revolution was inspiring to people all over the world — from Nelson Mandela to Martin Luther King. It’s super important that it comes full circle, and hopefully Haiti can inspire us to reach out when it really hasn’t gotten very much love since the Haitian independence.”

Reach reporter Kristen Steenbeeke at news@dailyuw.com.

Fallin' Bacc On

It was touch and go for a minute. No lie... I wanna apologize to my brotha for stressin him out so deeply ( my bad gabe), but the emails were appreciated. To recap for those not knowin' i got some tremendously bad news related to the recent tectonic activity in Haiti. And quite honestly i lost my mind. I suffered a mild quite and rather intimate nervous break down while trying to separate myself from the feelings I was being drowned in. It felt like being in a sense deprivation chamber that was built around a 13 century racc. Like being stretched to far in the dark. Yea like i said i lost it. and I'm a lil ashamed of it. I became altogether useless for people in greater and more dire situations than myself. I promise i do not react that way in a gunfight. But it's ok cuz i'm bacc. I'm me (just not as much of me as there was before) and I'm ready to work. I will be returning to Seattle for many reasons not the least of which is a benefit show organized by Sol for our cousins bacc home. It will be Feb 4th @ Nuemos, and I urge everyone that can to come out and show your support not for us but for a nation who has been continually punished for the audacity to fight for freedom. Much love thanx for reading hope to see you soon.

Magnitude 7 earthquake Breaks My Life

For a number of reasons i can't even make clear on this blog this recent earthquake in Haiti has broken my heart. I have been sitting around for the last 24 hours or so thinking obsessing over what to do, how to proceed ., what to fel. I got nothing I spent all last night in the shower begging for numbness. just standing there hoping the cold water would freeze me or disconnect my nervous system or something. I just honestly don't want to feel any of this anymore. My once vaunted skills at logical reasoning that pull me and many others outta near madness inducing situations like this are a failure. I got nothing in me but this crushing super gravity. This weight that gets heavyier while i wait for news, and then finnaly over comes what ever i had the strength to handle when the news finnaly comes. They're gone. All of them. Thats it. You officialy have no where else to belong to. Happy new year

Ahhhh finallythe future

20X is here and I'm excited. 2009 was very trying for many people and while there where lil disappointments i look bacc on that year as a full fledged victory and am anxious to continue that trend so I'm posting my new years resolutions right here for the universe to bear witness.

first to release lots of free music.
I gotta bunch of EP and mxtape ideas that i wanna bring to fruition this year. i doubt I'll drop a full length solo record this year but i will make my presence known thru consistent quality releases for FREE! Plus we will be droppin the Hi-Life album and I'ma get my guy Nam bacc out there.

Let Go and Let Love. this mantra is what made 2009 so fulfilling for me and I'ma rocc with this some more. I came up with this after a ruff break up where i really took to heart the statement that G-D is love and that you should let go and let G-D.

TOUR- BOOM that's the big one. If you aint gettin on the road then this isn't your job its your side hustle. Plus i fiend for new experience. I'm at least hittin this whole country but japan is always on the table it's time for me to materialize these blessings that been waitin on me.

Inspire. I really wanna inspire my homies to go for theirs super hard this year. One of the reasons I haven't wanted to live in the city is because i get surrounded by dope artist that arn't pushing them selves to reach they're full potential. Look I love Geo an Sabz but I'm tired of folk thinking that they ARE town music. It's not their fault tho' it's ours for not trying harder to reach beyond the city limits when expanding our music audience. So part of this year I'm pushin everyone to get the fucc outta here and put in work!

That's me this year if you wanna roll like that lets roll together if you can't just don't lay in the road.

pax rex