Sitting in El Paso
I'm sitting in El Paso, Tejas. I'm sweaty like a puppy that's too stupid to realize that his tail is never going to detach from his body. More tired than than a kid thats had waaayyy too much cake a bday party and decided that he wants to do just one more lap in the pool. But that's what being on tour is all about. It's about not caring how you feel and doing all you can to set a microphone that hasn't done anything to you on fire. As you may have noticed I am very behind on blog entries. It's been a busy few days and I have a Queen ill back at our kingdom. I will do my best to push these blog entries out like refried beans from a Tex-Mex restaurant (it's funny because they make a lot of refried beans...come on people follow me I won't let you down.
The next day in Houston I woke up with Manchita (my quadruped girlfriend...S's dog kept laying next to me) chilling next to me on the hard wood floor that I claimed as my bed. Graham's feet were to the left of me and according to him I played footsie with him all night. In reality every time I'd move my leg some how our feet would meet and I'd reverse punch the floor out of despair. That past night is yet another night that I won't mind forgetting lol. S and her sisters came out of their room and they and Graham made breakfast. They made some great food and a Pico De Gallo that would smack the smile out of any unsuspecting hot food aficionados. One taste of that in the morning equals 10 cups of coffee. Your eyes are open until they can be open no more. S mentioned that her sister had made it and that she chilled with the hotness since we weren't used to it. DAMN! I wonder what it would taste like if she hadn't recalled that our tongues were made of flesh and not steel. After breakfast S asked if anyone wanted to go with her to run some errands. Everyone had gotten themselves set in their work so no other me signed up. S smiled when she realized that not everyone wanted to go and mentioned that her mother didn't want anyone in the house without S being there. She mentioned it and then we laughed as we joked about her hopes that we'd all want to sign up to go run errands lol. We decided that we'd go to the local YMCA for a few hours while S did her thing. We prepped and embarked on our journey to the YMCA.
On route to the "Y" the rain came down like it was angry at everyone on the Highway. We quickly realized that the damage we had sustained the night before (we ran into the Tex-Mex restaurant's roof) had created a leak. Well actually it was more like a little waterfall. The interesting thing about it is that as it hit the engine cover on the inside of the bus it emitted the not so sweet smell of cat urine. Who knew that a hot engine over and rain water would cause such a stench on a bus with 8 persons. But it did...ohhh it did! Fortunately, by the time we had gotten to the YMCA the rain had stopped. Most piled out and headed to the Y while Decora and J-man stayed behind to work on repairing the artificial waterfall. Cuttz and DJ H20 practiced Capoeira, Corina, walked around, and Graham steamed himself while Free and I allowed wireless internet to flow freely into our computing systems. In other words we had some work to do online. This Y was niiiizzziice. They even gave us some Free ice cream which put them on Free's top 3 places to go under hair braider and performance venues. Decora and J-man got there later when we had to head out. Decora wasn't happy because he wanted to do his workout going but we had to go since S and her mother asked us to pick up some chicken while they cooked some comida.
We brought the chicken and they had the rice and refried beans going just like I had dreamt of. Needless to say I was hungry and the feeling was mutual. Free cooked the chicken and when she was done we all got our eating thing goin. Some chicken, rice, refried beans and Pico De FIRE... I mean Gallo later we were "red" to go. We got to "Bohemios" (the venue we were performing at) and were ready to set the mic ablaze....until the host said he wanted to cut our set to three 15 minute intervals. Say WA!!! we attempted to negotiate one 15 minute and a 30 but wasn't having it. He said that he was a slam poet and that his poems were 3 minutes long. We said that we weren't there to slam and that we create a dialogue with the crowd (Edutainment) before our pieces and perform Hip Hop as well. I sat down while Free spoke to him and told S about our situation. She freaked....stood up and walked over there with the strength of her corazon (heart) and spoke with the host. Lupe later got involved and the set was confirmed...one 15 and one 30. We opened up with a few pieces and I improved a funny Intro poem promoting the tour and our merchandise. We needed the help because we were running low on the dinero. Afterwards the poets of the "Word Around Town" fam came strong again and had the crowd amped. At the end we wrapped up with our 30 mins set and called it a night with a standing crowd that clapped as we spoke of how beautiful we all (as a people) are and that all we need to do is connect with each other to free ourselves from mental slavery. Deep huh? Soon after DJ H20 did what he does and some boogied while others break danced (this is when I realized Marlin was more than a breaker he's a creator) and even still others Capoera'd. The Word Around Town fam and the Front Lines Tour crew chilled and chatted for a while until it was time to hit the road again over to S's house.
When we got there Graham, Cuttz and S headed out again cause their adrenaline was still pumping and Steven one of the Word Around Town poets had offered to give us some gas money since we had gone to pick him up to take him to the event. He was a real cool dude and poet (he even finished one of his poems while on the bus) that kept telling me to find him after midnight cause that's when he'd be getting paid lol. While they headed out to chill with Steve the rest of us got ready to hit lay our heads down to rest. S's family was wide awake so Corina and I stayed up with them hablando. During the day Manchita (the dog) was caught being violated by a neighborhood dog so that was one of the big subjects of the night lol. S's sisters also asked questions and DEMANDED stickers lol. It's amazing how much teens love stickers. From now on parents just get them some stickers for Christmas...don't tell them I recommended it though. After we chatted up the night we all headed to bed. Then I heard the family laughing in the kitchen and heating up some comida...suddenly I was hungrier than I was sleepy. I walked in the kitchen and they laughed as they placed a plate of rice and uncooked bananas in the microwave for me. I had never eaten rice and uncooked bananas before but it was gooooood. After I finished up my newest favorite dish (next to anything Mami or my Queen Sofia cooks for me) my head plopped down on the solid wood floor like it was the softest pillow I had ever felt and my eyes slowly shut. We woke up the next morning prepped to leave and headed out.
We'll all miss S and her family. S always has a smile on and no matter what happens all is chill. Her sisters made us laugh as they talked about their many sibling battles. S's mom made some AWESOME food and her bf even recited a poem to us about home that reminded us to keep home in our hearts. We're all very greatful for the time we spent in Houston with S and her family and appreciate all of their love and hospitality.Hasta La Proxima
-Latin
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
New Orleans Opened Their Hearts
New Orleans showed Love!
I'm on the bus recalling our stop in New Orleans while Cuttz works on editing some footage, Decora drives, and others get some much needed rest. The air in New Orleans was thick with heat and judging by the wetness of our clothes we were all slowly melting under the sun. After leaving the hotel without the information we'd hoped for we headed towards our host house. There we met Jocelyn. We'd been put on to her through Keifu from N.C. We'd received word that our goal of assisting in the construction of houses would not work out. However, we still had a performance to handle over at the Lion's Den and Jocelyn was the one that hooked us up with it. She works at a local Hooka bar and works with Fusicology. An online org that helps in the promotion of artists throughout the country and soon overseas as well. Be sure to check them out at Fusicology.com. We were all looking forward to a spot where we could take some showers and cool off. We all called off a spot in the shower (1st, 3rd, 5th...) and while one was in the shower others either napped or worked on their computers. I took a much needed nap because "Mr. Grumpy Wumpy" (the man in my head that gets angry when I'm hungry and or sleepy).
After we rested and showered up we searched for something to eat. We couldn't find many spots that served anything other than Po'Boys (Subs, Hoogies) but we finally found a spot that had some good ole greasy seafood. Lee's Seafood...not the cleanest of places but they sure make some good ole spicy cajun comida. After the food we headed back to the place to prep for our performance that night at the Dragon's Den. When we arrived there was some confusion in regards to where we were going to perform. Some said we had to set up our equipment upstairs and others said we had to set up downstairs. Of course we didn't want to haul equipment upstairs to merely bring it back downstairs. So we sat to discuss it with the event "promoter". After 20 minutes of discussing we realized that the promoter was very confused because he kept saying "If you guys want to do it downstairs then fine but we usually do it upstairs". All of us took turns stating that it had nothing to do with us wanting to perform downstairs we just needed to know where we had to set up. An additional 15 minutes after we decided to just set up downstairs and get ourselves going. He kept saying "Fine if ya want to set up downstairs"...so we did lol. After we set up the host got on and mentioned the event and its purpose along with one by one calling up the local performers that one going up before us. The likes of "One Eyed Willie", Cleopatra, Hieroglyphics, Truth and more did their thing on stage.
Afterward we went on and did a set that we'd been working on for a while. Set went great and we sold a bunch of shirts and CD's that we hoped would get us to the next spot. It wasn't much but it was just enough to get some gas in the bus and get us moving to the next spot. While we were packing up and heading out some happy intoxicated folks decided that we were their friends for the next half hour. Except for one...for some reason she hated the bus. She kept "air slapping" the bus and yelling "F#$% the bus". Actually maybe she liked us and just hated the bus lol. So some of the drunk males offered to race J-man. J-man accepted and neglected to mention that he'd beaten all of us and ran track in High School. He of course beat them all and we got some footage of the race to show our kids one day. The heat was suffocating and our clothes had become glued to our bodies. We all got on the bus (Jocelyn had come to check us out and now was navigating us back) and headed home.
The next day we get ourselves ready and headed towards the 9thWard. An air of sadness entered our souls as we drove in to the area that had received the most destruction. We drove up to where the levees had breached. From there we could see the destruction. There was still some debris in the area. Homes that once stood now only have a set of stairs and grass the grows tall with the pain of those that are no longer there. At times the silence in the area was piercing. All that could be heard was the sound of hammers and power tools in the distance. Those that can afford it are rebuilding and giving hope for a better tomorrow. Taking a look at the "new levees" we could see that the Marine Corps didn't really do much to make anything better. Instead of making the levees stronger with distinct materials and more powerful as they are in other parts of the world...they made them a few feet higher. It's not a levee...it's a cement wall that's a little higher than the previous one. In fact, the money that was meant to be used to build up the levee was relocated and used to build the border wall via the Rio Grande. Jocelyn had mentioned to us that the 9th ward should not have been populated anyway. It's next to a canal! Normally communities are not built next to a canal because of the possible danger of flooding. As we drove by and saw what seemed to be ghost towns we could see the places where children once ran. The places where families once convened and the where voices could once be heard. They could still be there...
We performed that night at Sweet Loraine's, held it down and headed back to our sauna (hot living room). Graham had disapeared so we had to search for him through New Orleans...we stopped at a bar to order some food that tasted like the cook has a personal vendetta against us. Graham some how appeared next to us, kept quiet and then disappeared again. We called him a couple of times and then somehow found him in New Orleans sitting down and talking with a pianist that was a bit too curious about who was in the bus lol. He kept gazing inside the bus until we pulled away. Graham got in the bus and fell asleep. All I could think of was "Not all who wander are lost".
-Latin
I'm on the bus recalling our stop in New Orleans while Cuttz works on editing some footage, Decora drives, and others get some much needed rest. The air in New Orleans was thick with heat and judging by the wetness of our clothes we were all slowly melting under the sun. After leaving the hotel without the information we'd hoped for we headed towards our host house. There we met Jocelyn. We'd been put on to her through Keifu from N.C. We'd received word that our goal of assisting in the construction of houses would not work out. However, we still had a performance to handle over at the Lion's Den and Jocelyn was the one that hooked us up with it. She works at a local Hooka bar and works with Fusicology. An online org that helps in the promotion of artists throughout the country and soon overseas as well. Be sure to check them out at Fusicology.com. We were all looking forward to a spot where we could take some showers and cool off. We all called off a spot in the shower (1st, 3rd, 5th...) and while one was in the shower others either napped or worked on their computers. I took a much needed nap because "Mr. Grumpy Wumpy" (the man in my head that gets angry when I'm hungry and or sleepy).
After we rested and showered up we searched for something to eat. We couldn't find many spots that served anything other than Po'Boys (Subs, Hoogies) but we finally found a spot that had some good ole greasy seafood. Lee's Seafood...not the cleanest of places but they sure make some good ole spicy cajun comida. After the food we headed back to the place to prep for our performance that night at the Dragon's Den. When we arrived there was some confusion in regards to where we were going to perform. Some said we had to set up our equipment upstairs and others said we had to set up downstairs. Of course we didn't want to haul equipment upstairs to merely bring it back downstairs. So we sat to discuss it with the event "promoter". After 20 minutes of discussing we realized that the promoter was very confused because he kept saying "If you guys want to do it downstairs then fine but we usually do it upstairs". All of us took turns stating that it had nothing to do with us wanting to perform downstairs we just needed to know where we had to set up. An additional 15 minutes after we decided to just set up downstairs and get ourselves going. He kept saying "Fine if ya want to set up downstairs"...so we did lol. After we set up the host got on and mentioned the event and its purpose along with one by one calling up the local performers that one going up before us. The likes of "One Eyed Willie", Cleopatra, Hieroglyphics, Truth and more did their thing on stage.
Afterward we went on and did a set that we'd been working on for a while. Set went great and we sold a bunch of shirts and CD's that we hoped would get us to the next spot. It wasn't much but it was just enough to get some gas in the bus and get us moving to the next spot. While we were packing up and heading out some happy intoxicated folks decided that we were their friends for the next half hour. Except for one...for some reason she hated the bus. She kept "air slapping" the bus and yelling "F#$% the bus". Actually maybe she liked us and just hated the bus lol. So some of the drunk males offered to race J-man. J-man accepted and neglected to mention that he'd beaten all of us and ran track in High School. He of course beat them all and we got some footage of the race to show our kids one day. The heat was suffocating and our clothes had become glued to our bodies. We all got on the bus (Jocelyn had come to check us out and now was navigating us back) and headed home.
The next day we get ourselves ready and headed towards the 9thWard. An air of sadness entered our souls as we drove in to the area that had received the most destruction. We drove up to where the levees had breached. From there we could see the destruction. There was still some debris in the area. Homes that once stood now only have a set of stairs and grass the grows tall with the pain of those that are no longer there. At times the silence in the area was piercing. All that could be heard was the sound of hammers and power tools in the distance. Those that can afford it are rebuilding and giving hope for a better tomorrow. Taking a look at the "new levees" we could see that the Marine Corps didn't really do much to make anything better. Instead of making the levees stronger with distinct materials and more powerful as they are in other parts of the world...they made them a few feet higher. It's not a levee...it's a cement wall that's a little higher than the previous one. In fact, the money that was meant to be used to build up the levee was relocated and used to build the border wall via the Rio Grande. Jocelyn had mentioned to us that the 9th ward should not have been populated anyway. It's next to a canal! Normally communities are not built next to a canal because of the possible danger of flooding. As we drove by and saw what seemed to be ghost towns we could see the places where children once ran. The places where families once convened and the where voices could once be heard. They could still be there...
We performed that night at Sweet Loraine's, held it down and headed back to our sauna (hot living room). Graham had disapeared so we had to search for him through New Orleans...we stopped at a bar to order some food that tasted like the cook has a personal vendetta against us. Graham some how appeared next to us, kept quiet and then disappeared again. We called him a couple of times and then somehow found him in New Orleans sitting down and talking with a pianist that was a bit too curious about who was in the bus lol. He kept gazing inside the bus until we pulled away. Graham got in the bus and fell asleep. All I could think of was "Not all who wander are lost".
-Latin
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
New Orleans
"They never came back after the storm..."
We're in New Orleans and that's what the woman behind the counter of the Avalon Best Western Hotel told us when we asked about the men we'd befriended the last time we were there. When I asked her and the man behind the concierge counter if they knew where they were now they both shook their heads and said no in a solemn tone.
A few years ago when the ReadNex was made up of only Cuttz, Decora and myself (Latin) we went on a tour throughout the U.S.A. We stopped in New Orleans and after telling "the Reverend" (Manager on Duty that day that was also a reverend) about our music and our tour he let us stay at a discounted price. We were later introduced to Joseph (concierge and shuttle bus driver). He took drove us around New Orleans, told us where to go, where to be extra careful and even picked us up. That night, after he drove us back to the hotel we all (Cuttz, Decora, the Reverend, Joseph and myself) sat down in the lobby for hours and talked about society, God, Faith, determination and following ones dreams. When none of us could keep our eye lids open we began to say our good byes. Before Joseph said goodbye to me he looked me in the eyes, pulled out $25 and said that God had told him to give them to me. He said that he didn't know what I'd need it for but that I would definitely need it for something. I was left without words. When I could muster up something to say I said thank you, hugged him and headed to our room.
The next day while on the road our van decided that it didn't want to work anymore. After further inspection we realized that it was the water pump. Fortunately, we were right next to an auto part shop and got the van over there before it decided to stop running completely. They had the parts that we needed and Decora and I decided that we were somehow going to get the pump on with over the phone instructions from his father later from his brother. We spent the entire day there and every now and then the guy in the auto part shop would come out and give us some pointers. He was also kind enough to lend us some tools. We were traveling with extremely limited amount of money so we had to keep expenses to a minimum. In addition, we had to hit the next event in Texas. The guy at the auto part shop had called a well known town mechanic they called "Super Dave". But Decora and I tried to get it the van fixed ourselves in an effort to save time and money. The sun had gone down and the money crept up in the sky when we finally got the broken water pump off. We still had to get the new one on and were having trouble figuring it out. The auto part shop was soon going to close and we were going to have to return the tools soon. Fortunately, the guy told us we could leave the tools somewhere hidden since we were in a bind and that he'd pick them up in the morning. Right before the auto part shop closed "Super Dave" pulled up with his wife smoking a cigarette in the passenger seat. He was was wearing tanned overalls and that had seemingly been soaked in oil and grease for years. It difficult to say whether his hands, face, overalls or shoes had the most oil and grease on them so lets just say he was reeeaaallly dirty. He walked over to the car introduced himself and mentioned that he'd been called but the guy in the auto part shop hours ago and that he'd heard our situation. He'd been there earlier but he'd spent the day working on other cars. His van was similar to ours only his was full of tools, parts, oils and other car necessities. He told his wife what he needed and with cigarette still in mouth she began arranging the tools. As he prepped for work we all worried how much he'd charge us. It was late, he was obviously experienced and we were just a few young out of towners. Within 20 minutes "Super Dave" had the pump on and the van revving. What took Decora and myself to take out had taken him minutes to replace. While the bus revved Decora came up to me and said "ummmm I need those $25 bucks Joseph gave you". I quickly raised my voice and told him "No....Joseph told me I'd need these $25 bucks and I'm saving them for that moment. Decora laughed and said "Yeah...uhh Super Dave is charging us $20 and I say we give him the other $5 as a tip... At first I didn't believe him and then was amazed at what had happened. We all thanked "Super Dave" and he drove off while we stood mystified but what had happened.
This all happened not long before Hurricane Katrina. As we pulled into New Orleans I saw the hotel sign and my heart began to pound. DJ H20 drove in and parked while Decora, Cuttz and myself walked into the lobby with hopes that we'd see either "the Reverend" or Joseph. Part of me didn't want to get off of the bus. I kept thinking to myself...What if they're not there? My thoughts were confirmed and what we had hoped to be a joyous reunion became a quiet walk back to the bus as the three of us made sense at what had just occurred.
Wherever they are...we hope that they are well...and are as blessed as we were the day we met them. They will always circumnavigate our memories as we push forward and follow the teachings they bestowed upon us that night. Because of the words they told us and the situation that we all participated in...we'll always remember "[To] trust that God will guide us in the right direction".
-Latin
We're in New Orleans and that's what the woman behind the counter of the Avalon Best Western Hotel told us when we asked about the men we'd befriended the last time we were there. When I asked her and the man behind the concierge counter if they knew where they were now they both shook their heads and said no in a solemn tone.
A few years ago when the ReadNex was made up of only Cuttz, Decora and myself (Latin) we went on a tour throughout the U.S.A. We stopped in New Orleans and after telling "the Reverend" (Manager on Duty that day that was also a reverend) about our music and our tour he let us stay at a discounted price. We were later introduced to Joseph (concierge and shuttle bus driver). He took drove us around New Orleans, told us where to go, where to be extra careful and even picked us up. That night, after he drove us back to the hotel we all (Cuttz, Decora, the Reverend, Joseph and myself) sat down in the lobby for hours and talked about society, God, Faith, determination and following ones dreams. When none of us could keep our eye lids open we began to say our good byes. Before Joseph said goodbye to me he looked me in the eyes, pulled out $25 and said that God had told him to give them to me. He said that he didn't know what I'd need it for but that I would definitely need it for something. I was left without words. When I could muster up something to say I said thank you, hugged him and headed to our room.
The next day while on the road our van decided that it didn't want to work anymore. After further inspection we realized that it was the water pump. Fortunately, we were right next to an auto part shop and got the van over there before it decided to stop running completely. They had the parts that we needed and Decora and I decided that we were somehow going to get the pump on with over the phone instructions from his father later from his brother. We spent the entire day there and every now and then the guy in the auto part shop would come out and give us some pointers. He was also kind enough to lend us some tools. We were traveling with extremely limited amount of money so we had to keep expenses to a minimum. In addition, we had to hit the next event in Texas. The guy at the auto part shop had called a well known town mechanic they called "Super Dave". But Decora and I tried to get it the van fixed ourselves in an effort to save time and money. The sun had gone down and the money crept up in the sky when we finally got the broken water pump off. We still had to get the new one on and were having trouble figuring it out. The auto part shop was soon going to close and we were going to have to return the tools soon. Fortunately, the guy told us we could leave the tools somewhere hidden since we were in a bind and that he'd pick them up in the morning. Right before the auto part shop closed "Super Dave" pulled up with his wife smoking a cigarette in the passenger seat. He was was wearing tanned overalls and that had seemingly been soaked in oil and grease for years. It difficult to say whether his hands, face, overalls or shoes had the most oil and grease on them so lets just say he was reeeaaallly dirty. He walked over to the car introduced himself and mentioned that he'd been called but the guy in the auto part shop hours ago and that he'd heard our situation. He'd been there earlier but he'd spent the day working on other cars. His van was similar to ours only his was full of tools, parts, oils and other car necessities. He told his wife what he needed and with cigarette still in mouth she began arranging the tools. As he prepped for work we all worried how much he'd charge us. It was late, he was obviously experienced and we were just a few young out of towners. Within 20 minutes "Super Dave" had the pump on and the van revving. What took Decora and myself to take out had taken him minutes to replace. While the bus revved Decora came up to me and said "ummmm I need those $25 bucks Joseph gave you". I quickly raised my voice and told him "No....Joseph told me I'd need these $25 bucks and I'm saving them for that moment. Decora laughed and said "Yeah...uhh Super Dave is charging us $20 and I say we give him the other $5 as a tip... At first I didn't believe him and then was amazed at what had happened. We all thanked "Super Dave" and he drove off while we stood mystified but what had happened.
This all happened not long before Hurricane Katrina. As we pulled into New Orleans I saw the hotel sign and my heart began to pound. DJ H20 drove in and parked while Decora, Cuttz and myself walked into the lobby with hopes that we'd see either "the Reverend" or Joseph. Part of me didn't want to get off of the bus. I kept thinking to myself...What if they're not there? My thoughts were confirmed and what we had hoped to be a joyous reunion became a quiet walk back to the bus as the three of us made sense at what had just occurred.
Wherever they are...we hope that they are well...and are as blessed as we were the day we met them. They will always circumnavigate our memories as we push forward and follow the teachings they bestowed upon us that night. Because of the words they told us and the situation that we all participated in...we'll always remember "[To] trust that God will guide us in the right direction".
-Latin
ATL HELD IT DOWN!!!
Another crowd moved!
We finally made it to ATL! When we got there we headed straight toward the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. It was an amazing experience to write the least. To see all that he had to deal with and the exhaustion he must have experienced was overwhelming. It was a beautiful and inspirational experience that reminded us that the struggle is indeed worth fighting. But it was also a chilling reminder of how far we've come as a people and how long the road ahead of us still is. Throughout the building we read, saw images and even watched videos about his life and all that he did for the civil rights movement of the 1960's and humanity. His words pierced each one of our souls leaving us with a general "watered eyed" feeling that served as a testament of our appreciation for him and all that he'd done. Here was a man that stood when others needed him. A man that spoke when he knew it was necessary. Walked with pain in his legs and even with all of the hatred towards him and his goals he remained peaceful in his defiance of "our sick brothers and sisters". We were honored to have been in a place dedicated to his life and the recollection of his dreams of equality, freedom and justice. For he is the reason that the world exists as it does today.
After our time at the memorial we decided to hit the road towards the venue we were going to perform at. Cuttz was in need of a cell phone because he lost his so we headed to the Sprint store see if they could give him a credit for one.. While he and Free did that Decora, DJ H20, J-Man and myself headed to the sandwich and smoothie spot next door. When they were done we got on the road to hit up the event. Graham had been dropped off because he has a friend in ATL that wanted to hang out with him. When we were all done we tried finding a YMCA before we hit up the event to take some showers but we had no luck finding it and kept driving around ATL. We decided to just hit up the venue and get set up. We headed towards the Project South headquarters and got there a couple of hours before the event began. There we met up with Corina (our second intern until we get to Salt Lake City) and got our things settled. Corina is also the person that put the event together with Project South. Project South is an organization that has been working with the surrounding Atlanta community for years. It's because of organizations like these that various populations are not forgotten. After we set up we did a mic check and ironed out some aspects of our performance. Corina later held a meeting with all of the nights performers (ABYSS, Big Nel, Black Male, and Sharod Allen) to make sure we were all on the same page. A few minutes before the event began the ReadNex met up to prep and discuss a few aspects of the upcoming performance. Each performer there threw it down with a crowd that was loving every minute of it all. Be sure to check out the Front Lines Tour web page to check out some of the photos.
After everyone went we grabbed some microphones, gathered on stage and had DJ H20 set the tone. Well known tracks like War, Fight The Power, Bigger Than Hip Hop and other tracks by various artists echoed the airwaves and DJ H20 spun back and forth. Each one of us performed and Decora got himself a standing ovation. We wrapped it all up with our track Wade and had a now standing and fully energized crowd clapping and singing along. It was a great crowd and we had a good time with the people at the event afterwards. There were a few requests for internships that we had to turn down due to lack of space on the bus lol. After packing everything up J-man and DJ H20 gave tours of the bus to people while the rest put the final touches on the take down. We made sure we had everything and chilled out for a bit.
Unfortunately, our VIP guest for the night (Kathleen N. Cleaver) arrived after the event ended but blessed us with her presence on the bus for about an hour. It was an inspiration to have her there speaking to us about a number of subjects pertaining to the social situation we and the rest of the world finds itself in. She made us laugh and reminded us that we all have the power to build a better world. It all depends on whether or not a person embraced that power. Afterwards we traveled to Corrina's place, spent the night and hit up a soul food restaurant for breakfast. Food was great but knocked out J-man. We were then on route to New Orleans.-Latin
We finally made it to ATL! When we got there we headed straight toward the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. It was an amazing experience to write the least. To see all that he had to deal with and the exhaustion he must have experienced was overwhelming. It was a beautiful and inspirational experience that reminded us that the struggle is indeed worth fighting. But it was also a chilling reminder of how far we've come as a people and how long the road ahead of us still is. Throughout the building we read, saw images and even watched videos about his life and all that he did for the civil rights movement of the 1960's and humanity. His words pierced each one of our souls leaving us with a general "watered eyed" feeling that served as a testament of our appreciation for him and all that he'd done. Here was a man that stood when others needed him. A man that spoke when he knew it was necessary. Walked with pain in his legs and even with all of the hatred towards him and his goals he remained peaceful in his defiance of "our sick brothers and sisters". We were honored to have been in a place dedicated to his life and the recollection of his dreams of equality, freedom and justice. For he is the reason that the world exists as it does today.
After our time at the memorial we decided to hit the road towards the venue we were going to perform at. Cuttz was in need of a cell phone because he lost his so we headed to the Sprint store see if they could give him a credit for one.. While he and Free did that Decora, DJ H20, J-Man and myself headed to the sandwich and smoothie spot next door. When they were done we got on the road to hit up the event. Graham had been dropped off because he has a friend in ATL that wanted to hang out with him. When we were all done we tried finding a YMCA before we hit up the event to take some showers but we had no luck finding it and kept driving around ATL. We decided to just hit up the venue and get set up. We headed towards the Project South headquarters and got there a couple of hours before the event began. There we met up with Corina (our second intern until we get to Salt Lake City) and got our things settled. Corina is also the person that put the event together with Project South. Project South is an organization that has been working with the surrounding Atlanta community for years. It's because of organizations like these that various populations are not forgotten. After we set up we did a mic check and ironed out some aspects of our performance. Corina later held a meeting with all of the nights performers (ABYSS, Big Nel, Black Male, and Sharod Allen) to make sure we were all on the same page. A few minutes before the event began the ReadNex met up to prep and discuss a few aspects of the upcoming performance. Each performer there threw it down with a crowd that was loving every minute of it all. Be sure to check out the Front Lines Tour web page to check out some of the photos.
After everyone went we grabbed some microphones, gathered on stage and had DJ H20 set the tone. Well known tracks like War, Fight The Power, Bigger Than Hip Hop and other tracks by various artists echoed the airwaves and DJ H20 spun back and forth. Each one of us performed and Decora got himself a standing ovation. We wrapped it all up with our track Wade and had a now standing and fully energized crowd clapping and singing along. It was a great crowd and we had a good time with the people at the event afterwards. There were a few requests for internships that we had to turn down due to lack of space on the bus lol. After packing everything up J-man and DJ H20 gave tours of the bus to people while the rest put the final touches on the take down. We made sure we had everything and chilled out for a bit.
Unfortunately, our VIP guest for the night (Kathleen N. Cleaver) arrived after the event ended but blessed us with her presence on the bus for about an hour. It was an inspiration to have her there speaking to us about a number of subjects pertaining to the social situation we and the rest of the world finds itself in. She made us laugh and reminded us that we all have the power to build a better world. It all depends on whether or not a person embraced that power. Afterwards we traveled to Corrina's place, spent the night and hit up a soul food restaurant for breakfast. Food was great but knocked out J-man. We were then on route to New Orleans.-Latin
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Kentucky Rocks with the Front Lines Tour!
A few days and an enormous of amount of knowledge
I find myself on the bus alone... typing away. Its 2:48pm in Knoxville, Tennessee and the sun is expressing itself exponentially. The rest of the Front Lines Tour crew is inside "Shoney's" finishing up their lunch. I decided to collect my thoughts and begin documenting our experiences over the past few days. They've been days full of conversations with locals, performances and learning experiences. We've found ourselves looking deep within in order to understand the plight of others in our attempt to make their plights be heard. By doing so we hope that some change may be possible. Many have called our goals as a group idealistic. When I looked up the word idealistic in the dictionary to make sure I had the definition correct, my definition was confirmed. The Oxford American Dictionary defines the word as "the practice of forming or pursuing ideals, especially unrealistically". After looking up the word up in the dictionary I smiled and slowly nodded. Since the inception of humanity plight has been present. Our days are no different from the past. They just seem to be due to our current experience of this day and time. Idealism has often been scoffed at due to the apparent unrealistic views of the idealists. The funny thing is that the reality of the non-idealists is often what is unrealistic.
It was unrealistic of me to believe that I could not go to college and graduate Magna Cum Laude. It was unrealistic to believe that we could not buy a bus and retro-fit it with our needs for a US Tour. It has been clearly demonstrated that it is unrealistic to believe that words do not have the power to move. And it is unrealistic to believe that change is not possible. The examples of why this is true are infinite and would not allow space in between these lines for anything else. All it takes...is a dream....some faith...work and some words.
Now our reality is the reality of others. The other day we arrived in Whitesburg, Kentucky. We got there late due to our being behind schedule (the broken belt incident and other bus maintenance) so we missed our radio interview. However, we got there with plenty of time left to rock out on stage (at the Summit City Lounge) and were told by the locals that it was a radical move for us to have been there. Nick told us that the change would continue for years and that we just wouldn't know about it. He works for Thousand Kites. Thousand Kites is an organization that works towards giving inmates a voice. Its acts a "national dialogue to address the issues of the criminal justice system". Nick is a documentarist that works with the APPAL shop. The APPAL shop acts as place that serves as a multimedia resource for many in the community (especially the youth). There they are able to produce radio shows, documentaries, record, and learn learn learn which is most important. The APPAL shop acts as a place for the youth to walk into a safe environment and leave with works of multimedia art.
After the performance we headed to the apartment that Amelia and her husband Joel so very kindly allowed us to borrow for the night. The next morning we ate breakfast at a restaurant that had opened for the first time two days before. We were better off waiting a few more days till they got their things settled because they weren't doing too well with anything. But our bellies were full and we were "read to go". We met up with Nick and he showed us around the APPAL shop. It's a beautiful space and one can tell they have definitely put in work to keep the place going for about half a century. They're funded by grants and are very big on making connections with others. These are the connections that have kept them going throughout the years. It's a testament to what can be done if we all work together. We talked with some of the people that volunteer there at their radio station, record label and the filming department then checked a documentary. Nick played a documentary that he and Amelia had worked on called "Up The Ridge".
This documentary is all about the U.S. Prison System, it's corruptness and the many lives that it has destroyed. The way these "Super Max" prisons are set up is reminiscent of the slave trade. The state will build a Super Max prison to house all of their prisoners. However, they make them so big that they end up having empty cells. These empty cells mean lost money so the state has to find other ways to fill them up. One way is by "encouraging" judges to increase the sentence of prisoners. Another way is by opening their cells to other states. That way both states make money. States find that it is more beneficial to build large Super Maximum Security Prisons and fill them with prisons than to build and fund the improvement of schools. This is because Super Max prisons make more money than schools. In fact, it's a multi-million dollar business. Some one has to sell boots, weapons, uniforms, food, cells, concrete, security systems, razor wire, vehicles, toilets, clothing, toiletries, televisions, overpriced, phone service, etc. to these prisons. In addition, much of the labor the prisoners do is either free or extremely low paying (going to a commissary account for toilet paper and other toiletries) and then goes to benefit large corporations. For instance, if prisoners make doors they might get paid a few cents and hour. That door however is sold at regular market price.
Each prisoner equals thousands of dollars for the prisons. By sending these prisoners away (transferring them from state to state to fill up prisons) their families are longer able to see them. This along with no educational options further diminishes the prisoners chances of recuperation. Prisoners are sent back and forth on a regular basis with no notice. This further destroys families and creates a increased profit for the "prison trade". In addition, the staff members at these prisons are predominantly white with little training in regards to "peoples of color". All they see day in and day out (due to their small communities) is Black and Brown peoples that are criminals. With no training on how to deal with distinct ethnicities racism kicks in and "peoples of color" find themselves brutalized in place where they are no longer human in the eyes of the staff. The atrocities committed by the prison staff is horrendous. Dehumanization is something that is profoundly practiced in this world of evil for the sake of profit. Many of the staff members find themselves quitting their jobs because they find that the "work" they do is against their morals. Fortunately, organizations such as Thousand Kites work towards giving these enslaved peoples a voice against the evils that they find themselves dealing with. After the documentary all of us reflected on what we had seen and discussed our desire to create a documentary based on the unfortunate truths we see on our journey.
Later on Amelia was kind enough to take time (Owner of Summit City Lounge, Volunteer at APPAL shop and Thousand Kites) from her busy day to show us around. She gave us an in depth tour of the region and answered questions along the way. Some of us had known of the corporate colonization of the Appalachia region by Coal Mining companies but Amelia gave us an in depth up close perspective of the matter. Coal mining companies have maintained a strong grip on the regions for decades and they don't seem to plan on letting go any time soon. They've effectively destroyed much of the environment, until recently refused to admit responsibility for black lung (a disease caused by inhaling coal dust) and have even pushed oxycontin a highly addicting painkilling drug on the people of the drug. In fact, Amelia told us that one of the biggest problems affecting the region is drug addiction to "Oxy" and other pills. Learning about all of this further clarified the truth that we as a people are all suffering similar struggles. They're just a liiiiiiittle different everywhere you go. Amelia even showed us an area on the side of the mountain that had coal that locals seemed to have dug out for their own personal use. There she explained black lung to us and we picked up a few small pieces of coal for ourselves. The views and sights we saw going up and down those mountains were beautiful and left us all pondering how greed could dare inflict such destruction on a region that had naturally developed over centuries. Our final stop on the tour was the coal miners memorial. There we saw a monument remembering those that had given their lives in order to provide for their families. The extraction of black gold had cost not only their lives. It had also left their families with a void that no amount of coal or anything for that matter could fill.
After our tour of the area we dropped off Amelia at her house, picked up some things and headed back to her home for some good ole food and a jam session. DJ H20 set up his equipment, as Graham prepared his recording equipment others tuned their guitars, fiddles and banjo's. We ate and jammed until we couldn't jam anymore. First we had the Kentucky crew do their thing and we did ours (incorporated the two guitars we brought on tour with us). Then we all joined in and had a massive jam goin' on. I even freestyled for a while and made sound effects while Cuttz went from the dome, Free spit her pieces and DJ H20 and Decora kept the vibe DJ'ing. Graham recorded as much of the session he could as he could and pasted instruments to create additional music in his own way. The night ended with all of us being exhausted and the Kentucky crew asking us not to leave. We told them we'd love to but that we had to get on the rode and head to the next stop of the journey. There in Kentucky we were embraced as part of the family thanks to people like Nick, Amelia and Joel. We will forever be thankful for their hospitality and let them know that NY has a few homes for them as well.
-Latin
I find myself on the bus alone... typing away. Its 2:48pm in Knoxville, Tennessee and the sun is expressing itself exponentially. The rest of the Front Lines Tour crew is inside "Shoney's" finishing up their lunch. I decided to collect my thoughts and begin documenting our experiences over the past few days. They've been days full of conversations with locals, performances and learning experiences. We've found ourselves looking deep within in order to understand the plight of others in our attempt to make their plights be heard. By doing so we hope that some change may be possible. Many have called our goals as a group idealistic. When I looked up the word idealistic in the dictionary to make sure I had the definition correct, my definition was confirmed. The Oxford American Dictionary defines the word as "the practice of forming or pursuing ideals, especially unrealistically". After looking up the word up in the dictionary I smiled and slowly nodded. Since the inception of humanity plight has been present. Our days are no different from the past. They just seem to be due to our current experience of this day and time. Idealism has often been scoffed at due to the apparent unrealistic views of the idealists. The funny thing is that the reality of the non-idealists is often what is unrealistic.
It was unrealistic of me to believe that I could not go to college and graduate Magna Cum Laude. It was unrealistic to believe that we could not buy a bus and retro-fit it with our needs for a US Tour. It has been clearly demonstrated that it is unrealistic to believe that words do not have the power to move. And it is unrealistic to believe that change is not possible. The examples of why this is true are infinite and would not allow space in between these lines for anything else. All it takes...is a dream....some faith...work and some words.
Now our reality is the reality of others. The other day we arrived in Whitesburg, Kentucky. We got there late due to our being behind schedule (the broken belt incident and other bus maintenance) so we missed our radio interview. However, we got there with plenty of time left to rock out on stage (at the Summit City Lounge) and were told by the locals that it was a radical move for us to have been there. Nick told us that the change would continue for years and that we just wouldn't know about it. He works for Thousand Kites. Thousand Kites is an organization that works towards giving inmates a voice. Its acts a "national dialogue to address the issues of the criminal justice system". Nick is a documentarist that works with the APPAL shop. The APPAL shop acts as place that serves as a multimedia resource for many in the community (especially the youth). There they are able to produce radio shows, documentaries, record, and learn learn learn which is most important. The APPAL shop acts as a place for the youth to walk into a safe environment and leave with works of multimedia art.
After the performance we headed to the apartment that Amelia and her husband Joel so very kindly allowed us to borrow for the night. The next morning we ate breakfast at a restaurant that had opened for the first time two days before. We were better off waiting a few more days till they got their things settled because they weren't doing too well with anything. But our bellies were full and we were "read to go". We met up with Nick and he showed us around the APPAL shop. It's a beautiful space and one can tell they have definitely put in work to keep the place going for about half a century. They're funded by grants and are very big on making connections with others. These are the connections that have kept them going throughout the years. It's a testament to what can be done if we all work together. We talked with some of the people that volunteer there at their radio station, record label and the filming department then checked a documentary. Nick played a documentary that he and Amelia had worked on called "Up The Ridge".
This documentary is all about the U.S. Prison System, it's corruptness and the many lives that it has destroyed. The way these "Super Max" prisons are set up is reminiscent of the slave trade. The state will build a Super Max prison to house all of their prisoners. However, they make them so big that they end up having empty cells. These empty cells mean lost money so the state has to find other ways to fill them up. One way is by "encouraging" judges to increase the sentence of prisoners. Another way is by opening their cells to other states. That way both states make money. States find that it is more beneficial to build large Super Maximum Security Prisons and fill them with prisons than to build and fund the improvement of schools. This is because Super Max prisons make more money than schools. In fact, it's a multi-million dollar business. Some one has to sell boots, weapons, uniforms, food, cells, concrete, security systems, razor wire, vehicles, toilets, clothing, toiletries, televisions, overpriced, phone service, etc. to these prisons. In addition, much of the labor the prisoners do is either free or extremely low paying (going to a commissary account for toilet paper and other toiletries) and then goes to benefit large corporations. For instance, if prisoners make doors they might get paid a few cents and hour. That door however is sold at regular market price.
Each prisoner equals thousands of dollars for the prisons. By sending these prisoners away (transferring them from state to state to fill up prisons) their families are longer able to see them. This along with no educational options further diminishes the prisoners chances of recuperation. Prisoners are sent back and forth on a regular basis with no notice. This further destroys families and creates a increased profit for the "prison trade". In addition, the staff members at these prisons are predominantly white with little training in regards to "peoples of color". All they see day in and day out (due to their small communities) is Black and Brown peoples that are criminals. With no training on how to deal with distinct ethnicities racism kicks in and "peoples of color" find themselves brutalized in place where they are no longer human in the eyes of the staff. The atrocities committed by the prison staff is horrendous. Dehumanization is something that is profoundly practiced in this world of evil for the sake of profit. Many of the staff members find themselves quitting their jobs because they find that the "work" they do is against their morals. Fortunately, organizations such as Thousand Kites work towards giving these enslaved peoples a voice against the evils that they find themselves dealing with. After the documentary all of us reflected on what we had seen and discussed our desire to create a documentary based on the unfortunate truths we see on our journey.
Later on Amelia was kind enough to take time (Owner of Summit City Lounge, Volunteer at APPAL shop and Thousand Kites) from her busy day to show us around. She gave us an in depth tour of the region and answered questions along the way. Some of us had known of the corporate colonization of the Appalachia region by Coal Mining companies but Amelia gave us an in depth up close perspective of the matter. Coal mining companies have maintained a strong grip on the regions for decades and they don't seem to plan on letting go any time soon. They've effectively destroyed much of the environment, until recently refused to admit responsibility for black lung (a disease caused by inhaling coal dust) and have even pushed oxycontin a highly addicting painkilling drug on the people of the drug. In fact, Amelia told us that one of the biggest problems affecting the region is drug addiction to "Oxy" and other pills. Learning about all of this further clarified the truth that we as a people are all suffering similar struggles. They're just a liiiiiiittle different everywhere you go. Amelia even showed us an area on the side of the mountain that had coal that locals seemed to have dug out for their own personal use. There she explained black lung to us and we picked up a few small pieces of coal for ourselves. The views and sights we saw going up and down those mountains were beautiful and left us all pondering how greed could dare inflict such destruction on a region that had naturally developed over centuries. Our final stop on the tour was the coal miners memorial. There we saw a monument remembering those that had given their lives in order to provide for their families. The extraction of black gold had cost not only their lives. It had also left their families with a void that no amount of coal or anything for that matter could fill.
After our tour of the area we dropped off Amelia at her house, picked up some things and headed back to her home for some good ole food and a jam session. DJ H20 set up his equipment, as Graham prepared his recording equipment others tuned their guitars, fiddles and banjo's. We ate and jammed until we couldn't jam anymore. First we had the Kentucky crew do their thing and we did ours (incorporated the two guitars we brought on tour with us). Then we all joined in and had a massive jam goin' on. I even freestyled for a while and made sound effects while Cuttz went from the dome, Free spit her pieces and DJ H20 and Decora kept the vibe DJ'ing. Graham recorded as much of the session he could as he could and pasted instruments to create additional music in his own way. The night ended with all of us being exhausted and the Kentucky crew asking us not to leave. We told them we'd love to but that we had to get on the rode and head to the next stop of the journey. There in Kentucky we were embraced as part of the family thanks to people like Nick, Amelia and Joel. We will forever be thankful for their hospitality and let them know that NY has a few homes for them as well.
-Latin
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Front Lines Tour Day 7
It's been a week!
We got on the road to drive down to Kentucky. We all got hungry late at night and figured we'd stop at a "Countrywide Restaurant". It's a restaurant that's usually connected to a truck stop. WHO'S IDEA WAS THIS?! We walk in and a lady that looks like she has been awake for way too many hours seats us. On the way she yells at a guy in the kitchen ;I'm gonna warn ya! Ya got 7!...We should have ran away right then and there. The veggies we got were frosted. It was like they took the veggies out of the fridge and put warm water on it. Everyone's food looked either over cooked or undercooked. We...being the courageous group that we are...decided to eat it anyway. We complained throughout the whole meal. Being we hadn't seen another open restaurant for hours we figured we'd suck it up. Not even a group of college graduates that normally avoids "poisonous" foods was able to resist. Another thing that should have warned us was the painting on the wall. It looked like it had been up for the past 200 years...I'm sorry that was a typo. I meant 2,000 years.
After our "inappropriate" meal we figured we'd get some sleep on the bus. The drivers (DJ H2O and Decora) had been going for hours. They needed a break and so did the writers, bloggers and scheduler. Within seconds we'd all claimed a comfy spot. J-Ha,mack, DJ H20-floor, Cuttz-"table/bed", Decora-Chair, Graham-bed, Latin-Fetal position bed. Ok so not all of them were comfy but they were safe places for us to lay our heads down and that's all we needed. In the morning the moans and grans from the previous night's fiasco could be heard for miles. We headed to the bathrooms to freshen up and headed down the road. A few hours later we found a diner called "Nottoway Diner" . We ignored the funny name and went inside while Graham stayed asleep on the bus. It was clean, service was great and the foooood mmmmm fooood. I've never had biscuits like these before. As I ate them a little angel flew down from the sky, sat next to me and said: I knooow!The grits were not the best but were definitely home cooked. We had a great conversation going on there as well. The general idea behind it was about the people in our lives and how some are roots, others are branches and others are leaves. Cuttz added to it by that saying that some are birds. I said that others are twigs and we all agreed that we are the trunks. This conversation went on for hours. That's what happens when you give poets simile's or metaphors to discuss. It could go on for days as each one interprets it differently or adds to the general idea.
We laughed when we realized that the convo could be endless and we hit the road. About 20 mins in to the trip (we had received info from Keifu and Katina from Labor of Love in New Orleans that we could stay at their house in N.C. so we were now headed there) Cuttz realized that he didn't have his phone with him we stopped the bus and looked everywhere. We called the restaurant and they said they didn't have it. We figured we'd go back to check just in case it had fallen outside or something. We looked in there and at the gas station we pumped gas at. I even looked in the garbage! Nothing. Cuttz had officially lost his phone. Free had left her ID in Philly, I left my ring (a ring given to me by a dear friend) and my earring in Virginia and now Cuttz had lost his phone.
We got back on the road and headed to Durham N.C. there we found a beautiful house and an army of mosquitoes. Decora HATES mosquitoes lol. No of like getting bitten by them but he was dancing trying to get them off his legs. Then one bit him on the arm and he started swinging his arms while he stepped up and down. It was a site to see and unfortunately we didn't record it. Keifu got there about 15 minutes after we parked the bus. She's a very sweet and welcoming woman and we greatly appreciated her opening her doors to us. Keifu showed us around the house laid down a few rules and headed to her Yoga class. Cuttz and myself (Latin) stayed in the house while everyone else headed out to get some groceries. Cuttz and I were working online trying to get as much internet work done as possible. As soon as everyone got back we were hoping on eating, hitting up a YMCA to work out and having a rehearsal. The YMCA didn't work out due to time constraints but Free and Decora hooked up some reaalll good food. Everyone did some chores when they got back with groceries. Free and Decora cooked, J and DJ H20 cleaned the bus and Cuttz and I took care about a garbage situation. The house was new and the previous owners had left garbage there that smelled of the most rancid and foul smell a nose and it's receptor sites could every be exposed to. Cuttz and I were of course not pleased and I joked that next time I'm going to get groceries so that I get the cooking job rather than the toxic disposal job.
After a wonderful home cooked dinner we had a rehearsal and added some things to our performance that we'll be putting into work today. We got some rest, shaved, got shape ups and now after some home cooked breakfast we're in Greensboro N.C. where Cuttz is getting a phone. We're on our way to the Reed African Heritage Museum. More on that, the woman at the Organic food restaurant and more.
Peace, Paz, Salaam,
-Latin
We got on the road to drive down to Kentucky. We all got hungry late at night and figured we'd stop at a "Countrywide Restaurant". It's a restaurant that's usually connected to a truck stop. WHO'S IDEA WAS THIS?! We walk in and a lady that looks like she has been awake for way too many hours seats us. On the way she yells at a guy in the kitchen ;I'm gonna warn ya! Ya got 7!...We should have ran away right then and there. The veggies we got were frosted. It was like they took the veggies out of the fridge and put warm water on it. Everyone's food looked either over cooked or undercooked. We...being the courageous group that we are...decided to eat it anyway. We complained throughout the whole meal. Being we hadn't seen another open restaurant for hours we figured we'd suck it up. Not even a group of college graduates that normally avoids "poisonous" foods was able to resist. Another thing that should have warned us was the painting on the wall. It looked like it had been up for the past 200 years...I'm sorry that was a typo. I meant 2,000 years.
After our "inappropriate" meal we figured we'd get some sleep on the bus. The drivers (DJ H2O and Decora) had been going for hours. They needed a break and so did the writers, bloggers and scheduler. Within seconds we'd all claimed a comfy spot. J-Ha,mack, DJ H20-floor, Cuttz-"table/bed", Decora-Chair, Graham-bed, Latin-Fetal position bed. Ok so not all of them were comfy but they were safe places for us to lay our heads down and that's all we needed. In the morning the moans and grans from the previous night's fiasco could be heard for miles. We headed to the bathrooms to freshen up and headed down the road. A few hours later we found a diner called "Nottoway Diner" . We ignored the funny name and went inside while Graham stayed asleep on the bus. It was clean, service was great and the foooood mmmmm fooood. I've never had biscuits like these before. As I ate them a little angel flew down from the sky, sat next to me and said: I knooow!The grits were not the best but were definitely home cooked. We had a great conversation going on there as well. The general idea behind it was about the people in our lives and how some are roots, others are branches and others are leaves. Cuttz added to it by that saying that some are birds. I said that others are twigs and we all agreed that we are the trunks. This conversation went on for hours. That's what happens when you give poets simile's or metaphors to discuss. It could go on for days as each one interprets it differently or adds to the general idea.
We laughed when we realized that the convo could be endless and we hit the road. About 20 mins in to the trip (we had received info from Keifu and Katina from Labor of Love in New Orleans that we could stay at their house in N.C. so we were now headed there) Cuttz realized that he didn't have his phone with him we stopped the bus and looked everywhere. We called the restaurant and they said they didn't have it. We figured we'd go back to check just in case it had fallen outside or something. We looked in there and at the gas station we pumped gas at. I even looked in the garbage! Nothing. Cuttz had officially lost his phone. Free had left her ID in Philly, I left my ring (a ring given to me by a dear friend) and my earring in Virginia and now Cuttz had lost his phone.
We got back on the road and headed to Durham N.C. there we found a beautiful house and an army of mosquitoes. Decora HATES mosquitoes lol. No of like getting bitten by them but he was dancing trying to get them off his legs. Then one bit him on the arm and he started swinging his arms while he stepped up and down. It was a site to see and unfortunately we didn't record it. Keifu got there about 15 minutes after we parked the bus. She's a very sweet and welcoming woman and we greatly appreciated her opening her doors to us. Keifu showed us around the house laid down a few rules and headed to her Yoga class. Cuttz and myself (Latin) stayed in the house while everyone else headed out to get some groceries. Cuttz and I were working online trying to get as much internet work done as possible. As soon as everyone got back we were hoping on eating, hitting up a YMCA to work out and having a rehearsal. The YMCA didn't work out due to time constraints but Free and Decora hooked up some reaalll good food. Everyone did some chores when they got back with groceries. Free and Decora cooked, J and DJ H20 cleaned the bus and Cuttz and I took care about a garbage situation. The house was new and the previous owners had left garbage there that smelled of the most rancid and foul smell a nose and it's receptor sites could every be exposed to. Cuttz and I were of course not pleased and I joked that next time I'm going to get groceries so that I get the cooking job rather than the toxic disposal job.
After a wonderful home cooked dinner we had a rehearsal and added some things to our performance that we'll be putting into work today. We got some rest, shaved, got shape ups and now after some home cooked breakfast we're in Greensboro N.C. where Cuttz is getting a phone. We're on our way to the Reed African Heritage Museum. More on that, the woman at the Organic food restaurant and more.
Peace, Paz, Salaam,
-Latin
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Front Lines Tour Day 4
Ay Dios Mio
So we wake up and have mosquito bites all over our bodies. Decora drove to a hotel we booked and DJ H20 served as navigator while the rest of us got some sleep. The "Town Place Marriott Suite" was niiiiiiceeee (And surprisingly very very economical). The room had a kitchenette, a nice bed, a sofa bed, a cot and it was cleeeaaann. For the price we paid I expected to see blood stains, dead rodents and flies that kept us up all night. But not this place. It even had an outdoor pool with a lifeguard. Ohhh annddd the coookies...they had homemade cooookkiiess. Mmmmm. Latin like cookies.
Back to the good stuff. When we got to the hotel we had some good ole continental breakfast, (why is it continental breakfast anyway? why not national or countrywide lol) took some much needed showers and some of us got rest while others made phone calls, or caught up on writing. We decided the night before that we'd have a meeting at eleven but we pushed it to noon so that we'd have fresh clear minds. So at 11:55 we all regrouped and began our meeting. We discussed future group goals as well as individual goals in an effort to assure that we build with others as we build within ourselves. In order to create change one must experience change within self. To not do so leaves one at a disadvantage and in turn negatively affects those that one is trying to build with. We developed a number of ideas for the group and future performances that will inevitably leave many breathless.
After the meeting we got ourselves ready and went to fill our bellies We found a restaurant a Mexican restaurant in the area and headed there. Actually, we found ourselves sitting in Bob Evans but we all agreed that we'd rather eat at a "mom and pop" restaurant with better food than microwaved meals. It was our blind hunger that led us to the corporate chemically enhanced nuked food. We made the right decision by going to "El Paso". This restaurant was beautiful. The service was good, food great and portions were amazing. "Steve Prince" should learn a thing or two from them. At the restaurant we relaxed and laughed with each other as we discussed the difference between abstinence and celibacy.
From there we headed to Washington D.C. to pick up Graham. This is where it allllll began. While we were driving along in our happy bus (we realized later it wasn't so happy after all) it stopped running in the middle of fast going traffic. Fortunately, we didn't run into anyone and no one ran into us. Traffic was wizzing by us as we slowly let the car drift in neutral towards the curb. From the engine we heard a loud clacking sound that said; HEY PEOPLE I NEED TO CHILL FOR A WHILE! When we got out we realized that directly to the right of us was the Washington Monument. After popping the hood we saw that the clacking sound was the belt for the engine fan. Without that belt the bus was not going to move. Allow me to paint the picture a little better for you. It's Sunday evening in D.C. across from the Washington Monument and our engine fan belt snapped. There are noooooo auto part shops open on a Sunday evening in D.C. We know this now because we called them all. To get a tow truck we'd have to call a special tow truck for buses that will happily charge hundreds of dollars that we don't have. So the search was on for an auto part shop to be open some where for some reason. Decora and J went on foot while the rest of us stayed home (in the bus) and made phone calls. No luck. As the night reached it's peak of darkness Graham (Producer from Volume 8 Music) stepped to the bus wet and tired. Oh yeah...I forgot to mention that at one point it was pouring rain. When Graham got there it was still raining but fortunately it was no longer a torrential down pour. None of us knew what lied ahead.
We ended up deciding that in order to fix the bus we'd have to rent a car. A cab would be too expensive because we'd have to go from cab to hotel, from hotel to auto parts place and from auto parts place too bus. It was just too risky and inefficient. After seemingly hours of phone calls to rental cars, cabs, and CLOSED auto part shops we Decora and Free hailed a cab and headed towards Reagan airport to pick up a rental car. Reagan airport is the one that had a workers strike years ago. Reagan had the strikers fired and then they named the airport after him. At least that's what I recall. Be sure to look it up for the accurate info. As a matter of fact...don't believe anything I say. Look things up yourself so that you can create your own fountain of information without being tainted by another persons interpretations. Create your own interpretations When Free and Decora got back they decided to take the rental car to a Wal-Mart to see if they would have the part. We called and called but since it was late at night customer service was not picking up. Free, Decora and J headed towards the Wal-Mart but when they got there it was closed. It had closed merely ten minutes before they arrived. The headed back home (the bus) to regroup and plan out the next steps that would be taken. It was agreed that Graham, Decora and J would stay in the bus to get some sleep while Cuttz, Free, DJ H20 and myself (Latin) would head to the hotel room. There we would freshen up, rest a little, use the internet to find out what time the auto part shops would open in the morning (the time was then 2am) and which one would have the part.
We also searched for a YMCA in the area. I'm employed with the New Paltz YMCA and the one in Kingston (their connected) sponsored us by hooking us up with AWAY program memberships. That means that we could use participating YMCA facilities throughout the country for workouts and showers. Being that the guys at the bus hadn't had showers in hours this was going to come in handy. Thanks Lee Anne! The next morning all of us at the hotel cleaned up and had breakfast before we got to work. While I enjoyed my "continental breakfast I worked on sending out an e-mail blast letting everyone know to check out the blog and photo updates on our page. I also searched for a YMCA in the area.
Free and DJ H20 worked on getting the auto part shops on the phone (most of them opened at 7:30am) to figure out who had the part and where. Cuttz was responding to some e-mails and staying in informed with the Free Wi-Fi we had in the hotel. When I was with the e-mail blast I talked to the woman behind the counter (who side I looked like Common....lol) because DJ H20 said that someone told him that there was a NAPA auto parts shop in the area. While I figured out where the NAPA was DJ H20 found a place that had the part fan belt for us on hold. We high tailed (now that's a phrase that makes little sense...high tailed?) over there to pick up the part. Got the part and headed over the guarders of the bus. The doors opened and out came men that looked like they'd been in the trenches of battle. We handed over the part and they got to work. The belt ended up not fitting because it was too short. Sooooo we get on the phone to find the right one. After numerous attempts we find one that says they have the part. J and Free head over there to find the part while some rest in the bus and others take advantage of the opportunity and start trekking D.C. to get photos of the sites.
While the bus is parked a woman in her twenties rammed the side of the bus. The suffered minor scratches and a shake that caught the people still working on loosening parts under the hood. I thought someone had fallen in the bus really hard. She got out of her car startled and Decora asked if she was ok. She was but her car wasn't looking to good. It hard a long white stripe on the passenger side and the rear view mirror fell off. We got some Duck Tape and helped get it back on for her. After a few apologies and informing her about the tour she headed off while we got back to the bus to work on it.
After a few more hours (by now the bus had been parked there for nearly 24 hours) Free and J arrived with the right belt. While trying to get it into place Decora slashed his hand on the alternator (the alternator is what charges the battery). A few more hours of work passed and while some napped, others wrote, while the mechanics kept on working on the bus. Finally, the belt fell into place, it was tested out and we hit the road ASAP. On the road the belt started making the same noise it did right before it broke. So Decora took it niiiiice and eeeeasy. Free and DJ H20 drove the rental car ahead of the bus and we followed so that we could drop off the rental car. That noise was making us all nervous so we stopped and took a look at it but we saw no possibilities of it snapping. J called the shop we got it from and he was told that it needed to be lubricated. We stopped to get some much needed COMIDA (food in español) from another Mexican restaurant called Tostillos. Not as good as "El Paso" but it was till good. There hot sauce was HHOOOOOOTTTT! After our meal we dropped off Free and Graham at a cafe to get some research, and other internet things taken care of. Graham has been searching for housing on couchsurfing.com and needed to find out what the status of some requests were. Couchsurfing.com is website that links travelers with people that are willing to put them up for a night or two in the hops that the favor will be returned one day. It's a network a people helping people...sounds good to me. While Free and Decora worked online the rest of us went Advance Auto Parts to return the belt that didn't fit and get some other things for the bus. All seven of us were now in Alexandria, Virginia and a YMCA was nearby as well. On the way to Advance auto my body began asking if I really needed that much hot sauce on my Pollo El Salvadoreño. I was feeling things that no one should ever feel in their intestinal track. Fortunately Advance Auto had a restroom where I could do some much needed "resting". One of the guys at Advance Auto noticed the bus and pointed it out to his co-workers. He kept yelling; Wow look how cool it is!. Every now then people would walk slowly by the bus and comment on it as well. One guy asked to come in and check it out. He said it was real sixties like and that the journey we had embarked on was real cool. People really appreciate the giving back aspect of the tour. It really feels good knowing that we are giving and not just taking.
An oil change, new oil filter and air filter, new mini mirrors, cleaned windows, adjusted and lubed fan belt later WE WERE BACK IN BUSINESS. The bus was running mmuuuucchhh better than before. We picked up Free and Graham and made our way to the YMCA before they closed. When we found the YMCA we only had 45 minutes to shower. Some worked out, others shaved BUT WE ALL SHOWERED AND THAT... MY FRIENDS... IS WHAT MATTERS ON THIS BUS.
This is another loooongg one...We have another day without performances and then we're in Kentucky people...KENTUCKY!!! WHOOO!
-Latin
So we wake up and have mosquito bites all over our bodies. Decora drove to a hotel we booked and DJ H20 served as navigator while the rest of us got some sleep. The "Town Place Marriott Suite" was niiiiiiceeee (And surprisingly very very economical). The room had a kitchenette, a nice bed, a sofa bed, a cot and it was cleeeaaann. For the price we paid I expected to see blood stains, dead rodents and flies that kept us up all night. But not this place. It even had an outdoor pool with a lifeguard. Ohhh annddd the coookies...they had homemade cooookkiiess. Mmmmm. Latin like cookies.
Back to the good stuff. When we got to the hotel we had some good ole continental breakfast, (why is it continental breakfast anyway? why not national or countrywide lol) took some much needed showers and some of us got rest while others made phone calls, or caught up on writing. We decided the night before that we'd have a meeting at eleven but we pushed it to noon so that we'd have fresh clear minds. So at 11:55 we all regrouped and began our meeting. We discussed future group goals as well as individual goals in an effort to assure that we build with others as we build within ourselves. In order to create change one must experience change within self. To not do so leaves one at a disadvantage and in turn negatively affects those that one is trying to build with. We developed a number of ideas for the group and future performances that will inevitably leave many breathless.
After the meeting we got ourselves ready and went to fill our bellies We found a restaurant a Mexican restaurant in the area and headed there. Actually, we found ourselves sitting in Bob Evans but we all agreed that we'd rather eat at a "mom and pop" restaurant with better food than microwaved meals. It was our blind hunger that led us to the corporate chemically enhanced nuked food. We made the right decision by going to "El Paso". This restaurant was beautiful. The service was good, food great and portions were amazing. "Steve Prince" should learn a thing or two from them. At the restaurant we relaxed and laughed with each other as we discussed the difference between abstinence and celibacy.
From there we headed to Washington D.C. to pick up Graham. This is where it allllll began. While we were driving along in our happy bus (we realized later it wasn't so happy after all) it stopped running in the middle of fast going traffic. Fortunately, we didn't run into anyone and no one ran into us. Traffic was wizzing by us as we slowly let the car drift in neutral towards the curb. From the engine we heard a loud clacking sound that said; HEY PEOPLE I NEED TO CHILL FOR A WHILE! When we got out we realized that directly to the right of us was the Washington Monument. After popping the hood we saw that the clacking sound was the belt for the engine fan. Without that belt the bus was not going to move. Allow me to paint the picture a little better for you. It's Sunday evening in D.C. across from the Washington Monument and our engine fan belt snapped. There are noooooo auto part shops open on a Sunday evening in D.C. We know this now because we called them all. To get a tow truck we'd have to call a special tow truck for buses that will happily charge hundreds of dollars that we don't have. So the search was on for an auto part shop to be open some where for some reason. Decora and J went on foot while the rest of us stayed home (in the bus) and made phone calls. No luck. As the night reached it's peak of darkness Graham (Producer from Volume 8 Music) stepped to the bus wet and tired. Oh yeah...I forgot to mention that at one point it was pouring rain. When Graham got there it was still raining but fortunately it was no longer a torrential down pour. None of us knew what lied ahead.
We ended up deciding that in order to fix the bus we'd have to rent a car. A cab would be too expensive because we'd have to go from cab to hotel, from hotel to auto parts place and from auto parts place too bus. It was just too risky and inefficient. After seemingly hours of phone calls to rental cars, cabs, and CLOSED auto part shops we Decora and Free hailed a cab and headed towards Reagan airport to pick up a rental car. Reagan airport is the one that had a workers strike years ago. Reagan had the strikers fired and then they named the airport after him. At least that's what I recall. Be sure to look it up for the accurate info. As a matter of fact...don't believe anything I say. Look things up yourself so that you can create your own fountain of information without being tainted by another persons interpretations. Create your own interpretations When Free and Decora got back they decided to take the rental car to a Wal-Mart to see if they would have the part. We called and called but since it was late at night customer service was not picking up. Free, Decora and J headed towards the Wal-Mart but when they got there it was closed. It had closed merely ten minutes before they arrived. The headed back home (the bus) to regroup and plan out the next steps that would be taken. It was agreed that Graham, Decora and J would stay in the bus to get some sleep while Cuttz, Free, DJ H20 and myself (Latin) would head to the hotel room. There we would freshen up, rest a little, use the internet to find out what time the auto part shops would open in the morning (the time was then 2am) and which one would have the part.
We also searched for a YMCA in the area. I'm employed with the New Paltz YMCA and the one in Kingston (their connected) sponsored us by hooking us up with AWAY program memberships. That means that we could use participating YMCA facilities throughout the country for workouts and showers. Being that the guys at the bus hadn't had showers in hours this was going to come in handy. Thanks Lee Anne! The next morning all of us at the hotel cleaned up and had breakfast before we got to work. While I enjoyed my "continental breakfast I worked on sending out an e-mail blast letting everyone know to check out the blog and photo updates on our page. I also searched for a YMCA in the area.
Free and DJ H20 worked on getting the auto part shops on the phone (most of them opened at 7:30am) to figure out who had the part and where. Cuttz was responding to some e-mails and staying in informed with the Free Wi-Fi we had in the hotel. When I was with the e-mail blast I talked to the woman behind the counter (who side I looked like Common....lol) because DJ H20 said that someone told him that there was a NAPA auto parts shop in the area. While I figured out where the NAPA was DJ H20 found a place that had the part fan belt for us on hold. We high tailed (now that's a phrase that makes little sense...high tailed?) over there to pick up the part. Got the part and headed over the guarders of the bus. The doors opened and out came men that looked like they'd been in the trenches of battle. We handed over the part and they got to work. The belt ended up not fitting because it was too short. Sooooo we get on the phone to find the right one. After numerous attempts we find one that says they have the part. J and Free head over there to find the part while some rest in the bus and others take advantage of the opportunity and start trekking D.C. to get photos of the sites.
While the bus is parked a woman in her twenties rammed the side of the bus. The suffered minor scratches and a shake that caught the people still working on loosening parts under the hood. I thought someone had fallen in the bus really hard. She got out of her car startled and Decora asked if she was ok. She was but her car wasn't looking to good. It hard a long white stripe on the passenger side and the rear view mirror fell off. We got some Duck Tape and helped get it back on for her. After a few apologies and informing her about the tour she headed off while we got back to the bus to work on it.
After a few more hours (by now the bus had been parked there for nearly 24 hours) Free and J arrived with the right belt. While trying to get it into place Decora slashed his hand on the alternator (the alternator is what charges the battery). A few more hours of work passed and while some napped, others wrote, while the mechanics kept on working on the bus. Finally, the belt fell into place, it was tested out and we hit the road ASAP. On the road the belt started making the same noise it did right before it broke. So Decora took it niiiiice and eeeeasy. Free and DJ H20 drove the rental car ahead of the bus and we followed so that we could drop off the rental car. That noise was making us all nervous so we stopped and took a look at it but we saw no possibilities of it snapping. J called the shop we got it from and he was told that it needed to be lubricated. We stopped to get some much needed COMIDA (food in español) from another Mexican restaurant called Tostillos. Not as good as "El Paso" but it was till good. There hot sauce was HHOOOOOOTTTT! After our meal we dropped off Free and Graham at a cafe to get some research, and other internet things taken care of. Graham has been searching for housing on couchsurfing.com and needed to find out what the status of some requests were. Couchsurfing.com is website that links travelers with people that are willing to put them up for a night or two in the hops that the favor will be returned one day. It's a network a people helping people...sounds good to me. While Free and Decora worked online the rest of us went Advance Auto Parts to return the belt that didn't fit and get some other things for the bus. All seven of us were now in Alexandria, Virginia and a YMCA was nearby as well. On the way to Advance auto my body began asking if I really needed that much hot sauce on my Pollo El Salvadoreño. I was feeling things that no one should ever feel in their intestinal track. Fortunately Advance Auto had a restroom where I could do some much needed "resting". One of the guys at Advance Auto noticed the bus and pointed it out to his co-workers. He kept yelling; Wow look how cool it is!. Every now then people would walk slowly by the bus and comment on it as well. One guy asked to come in and check it out. He said it was real sixties like and that the journey we had embarked on was real cool. People really appreciate the giving back aspect of the tour. It really feels good knowing that we are giving and not just taking.
An oil change, new oil filter and air filter, new mini mirrors, cleaned windows, adjusted and lubed fan belt later WE WERE BACK IN BUSINESS. The bus was running mmuuuucchhh better than before. We picked up Free and Graham and made our way to the YMCA before they closed. When we found the YMCA we only had 45 minutes to shower. Some worked out, others shaved BUT WE ALL SHOWERED AND THAT... MY FRIENDS... IS WHAT MATTERS ON THIS BUS.
This is another loooongg one...We have another day without performances and then we're in Kentucky people...KENTUCKY!!! WHOOO!
-Latin
Front Lines Tour Day 3
As Andrea (Student from the "Nex 2 Be Read Club KHS Chapter") would say OMG!
I'm (Latin) typing away on my keyboard as I take in some of the views to reminisce over what's happened over the past two days. To the left of me I see Cuttz giving Free some guitar lessons. Outside the window (past the curtains ala Moa we put up last night) I see congested traffic full of drivers that let us know their disapproval of our being parked on the side of the road by making sure they slow down and snare at us with every pass. Past the angry drivers is the Washington Memorial. Out the window on my right I see tents pitched up for a previous event that was held over the weekend not far from the White House. Directly in front of me I see Free attentively listening to Cuttz's lesson. Past Free is the windshield and out it I see DJ H2O, Decora and J working on installing the new engine fan belt that some of us picked up this morning. To my rear (not my butt my rear) I see a white Kia Rio that we rented from the airport last night. Above us is a power that has somehow prevented us from crashing, (someone did crash into us though) being towed, fighting with each other, starving, going without showers, dehydrating, being harassed, and arrested for having a bus with curtains and the words "Stop The War" spray painted on the side of our bus a few yards from the White House. Here we are.
A day ago we thanked Decora's Aunt for the warm meals, showers and safe place to sleep in. Her house was beautiful and she opened it up to us as if we'd been living there for years. After our goodbyes we packed up the bus and headed to the headquarters of the Philadelphia Student Union. There we planned on presenting our scheduled workshop. When we arrived we immediately began unpacking DJ' H20's equipment and walked in to a center full of eager High School students. Wassup's were said, the bathroom (with a door that didn't close and only scolding hot water in the sink) was used and equipment was prepped. We presented our workshop and through our mouths flowed lessons of history, self knowledge, the importance of self-worth, writing, speaking, the role of music as a tool for change, the role of female Hip Hop artists and much more. At the end of the workshop we gave pounds to a group of grateful leaders and thanked them for having us. These Youths' were wise beyond their years and deserve to known. Be sure to check out philadelphiastudentunion.org for more information on these power houses of change.
After the workshop we walked over to Dana's house to have some good ole organic foods. She put together a spread of fruits, turkey, breads, tuna, veggies, juice and even cookies for us. We all enjoyed each others company, the food and the laughs while we talked about co-op housing Mac's, the new Zipcar phenomenon and Cutt'z slow motion eating. While everyone else began talking about the road ahead I began a discussion with Dana about some of the social problems that Philly is dealing with. She mentioned that one of them was the issue of Public being threatened to privatize and be more concerned with numbers and money than with the actual quality of teachers and the overall educational experience. From there the conversation led into a discussion about gentrication in Philly.
Philadelphia is predominantly a homeowner city. Although the majority of the people that live there are homeowners the taxes are low. With low taxes there isn't much money reserved for public education. Which explains why some want the schools to be privatized. They also don't have much money left over for fixing up some of the inner city neighborhoods. What is the politicians solution to the problem you ask. Why Gentrification of course you silly billy. Gentrification in the Oxford Dictionary is defined as "renovate and improve so that it conforms to middle class taste". In real life it means to kick people out of neighborhoods they've been living in for years by use of shady tactics. This creates cheap real estate for developers that sell off land to corporations. These corporations then buy cheap land like babies would buy Similac formula...if they had better motor skills...and money...and could talk. They then put up large multinational corporations like Wal-Mart, Supermarkets and others. Or they build restaurants, clubs and entertainment spaces (such as the Newburgh waterfront). These are just a few ways that Gentrification takes place. The bottom line is that they leave the poor without housing when they've had housing of their own for years. For more info on Gentrification type it into Google. You'll find plenty of info.
After leaving Dana's house we drove to a Hip Hop Theater event in D.C. We saw a group out of NYC called the UniVerses. If you don't know about them be sure to check them out because they epitomize Spoken Word Poetry and all that it is. When the show was done we had to the bus for a regrouping session and planned the rest of the night and day. By this time we were all hungry so we decided to make food the next mission. After walking around 14th st. searching for food we decided to just get some pizza slices. In the process of searching for food Free realized she left her ID at Decora's aunt's house. Decora didn't eat because he's lactose intolerant so he decided to wait and see if there was something else in the area. By this time only bars were open so we figured we'd just head to the Hip Hop Theatre After Party. There we danced the night away to some of the best old school Hip Hop and dance music we knew. Every other song would have the crowd yell out (Oohhhhh!). The DJ was playing old school video's with a projector as the music blasted throughout the night. We danced till we couldn't dance anymore and then went back to the bus for some much needed rest. Decora got some food at the after party so we were all good to go. We stopped for some water at a gas station and headed home (the bus).
The bus was parked on the side of a road with reaaaaalllyy nice houses. A road that Decora, J, DJ H20 and myself (Latin) had previously raced on...J won...I was last....SO WHAT! Due to sleep deprivation and exhaustion we all had the giggles. After laughing and joking for an hour or two we all found a space on the bus to fall asleep. The next morning...allllll the drama began. I'll soon write about the engine fan belt snapping, the woman that ran her car into the bus, and how Decora cut his hand. At the moment I'm exhausted so I'll be signing off and hoping that the Mexican food I had a few minutes ago stays in for a little longer.
- Latin
I'm (Latin) typing away on my keyboard as I take in some of the views to reminisce over what's happened over the past two days. To the left of me I see Cuttz giving Free some guitar lessons. Outside the window (past the curtains ala Moa we put up last night) I see congested traffic full of drivers that let us know their disapproval of our being parked on the side of the road by making sure they slow down and snare at us with every pass. Past the angry drivers is the Washington Memorial. Out the window on my right I see tents pitched up for a previous event that was held over the weekend not far from the White House. Directly in front of me I see Free attentively listening to Cuttz's lesson. Past Free is the windshield and out it I see DJ H2O, Decora and J working on installing the new engine fan belt that some of us picked up this morning. To my rear (not my butt my rear) I see a white Kia Rio that we rented from the airport last night. Above us is a power that has somehow prevented us from crashing, (someone did crash into us though) being towed, fighting with each other, starving, going without showers, dehydrating, being harassed, and arrested for having a bus with curtains and the words "Stop The War" spray painted on the side of our bus a few yards from the White House. Here we are.
A day ago we thanked Decora's Aunt for the warm meals, showers and safe place to sleep in. Her house was beautiful and she opened it up to us as if we'd been living there for years. After our goodbyes we packed up the bus and headed to the headquarters of the Philadelphia Student Union. There we planned on presenting our scheduled workshop. When we arrived we immediately began unpacking DJ' H20's equipment and walked in to a center full of eager High School students. Wassup's were said, the bathroom (with a door that didn't close and only scolding hot water in the sink) was used and equipment was prepped. We presented our workshop and through our mouths flowed lessons of history, self knowledge, the importance of self-worth, writing, speaking, the role of music as a tool for change, the role of female Hip Hop artists and much more. At the end of the workshop we gave pounds to a group of grateful leaders and thanked them for having us. These Youths' were wise beyond their years and deserve to known. Be sure to check out philadelphiastudentunion.org for more information on these power houses of change.
After the workshop we walked over to Dana's house to have some good ole organic foods. She put together a spread of fruits, turkey, breads, tuna, veggies, juice and even cookies for us. We all enjoyed each others company, the food and the laughs while we talked about co-op housing Mac's, the new Zipcar phenomenon and Cutt'z slow motion eating. While everyone else began talking about the road ahead I began a discussion with Dana about some of the social problems that Philly is dealing with. She mentioned that one of them was the issue of Public being threatened to privatize and be more concerned with numbers and money than with the actual quality of teachers and the overall educational experience. From there the conversation led into a discussion about gentrication in Philly.
Philadelphia is predominantly a homeowner city. Although the majority of the people that live there are homeowners the taxes are low. With low taxes there isn't much money reserved for public education. Which explains why some want the schools to be privatized. They also don't have much money left over for fixing up some of the inner city neighborhoods. What is the politicians solution to the problem you ask. Why Gentrification of course you silly billy. Gentrification in the Oxford Dictionary is defined as "renovate and improve so that it conforms to middle class taste". In real life it means to kick people out of neighborhoods they've been living in for years by use of shady tactics. This creates cheap real estate for developers that sell off land to corporations. These corporations then buy cheap land like babies would buy Similac formula...if they had better motor skills...and money...and could talk. They then put up large multinational corporations like Wal-Mart, Supermarkets and others. Or they build restaurants, clubs and entertainment spaces (such as the Newburgh waterfront). These are just a few ways that Gentrification takes place. The bottom line is that they leave the poor without housing when they've had housing of their own for years. For more info on Gentrification type it into Google. You'll find plenty of info.
After leaving Dana's house we drove to a Hip Hop Theater event in D.C. We saw a group out of NYC called the UniVerses. If you don't know about them be sure to check them out because they epitomize Spoken Word Poetry and all that it is. When the show was done we had to the bus for a regrouping session and planned the rest of the night and day. By this time we were all hungry so we decided to make food the next mission. After walking around 14th st. searching for food we decided to just get some pizza slices. In the process of searching for food Free realized she left her ID at Decora's aunt's house. Decora didn't eat because he's lactose intolerant so he decided to wait and see if there was something else in the area. By this time only bars were open so we figured we'd just head to the Hip Hop Theatre After Party. There we danced the night away to some of the best old school Hip Hop and dance music we knew. Every other song would have the crowd yell out (Oohhhhh!). The DJ was playing old school video's with a projector as the music blasted throughout the night. We danced till we couldn't dance anymore and then went back to the bus for some much needed rest. Decora got some food at the after party so we were all good to go. We stopped for some water at a gas station and headed home (the bus).
The bus was parked on the side of a road with reaaaaalllyy nice houses. A road that Decora, J, DJ H20 and myself (Latin) had previously raced on...J won...I was last....SO WHAT! Due to sleep deprivation and exhaustion we all had the giggles. After laughing and joking for an hour or two we all found a space on the bus to fall asleep. The next morning...allllll the drama began. I'll soon write about the engine fan belt snapping, the woman that ran her car into the bus, and how Decora cut his hand. At the moment I'm exhausted so I'll be signing off and hoping that the Mexican food I had a few minutes ago stays in for a little longer.
- Latin
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Front Lines Tour Day 2
Day two on our journey through the reality of U.S. !
It's day two on the Front Lines Tour and the sun is burning my hands as a I write to you. I feel as if fire is slowly igniting my hands while UV rays enter our meagerly tinted windows browning my skin. Interestingly enough, that fire is not what's currently causing my fingertips to vigorously caress these keys and distantly guide you on our journey. It's the voices of youthful souls that speak to their local communities and demand a quality education. The voices that stand up daily telling others that education is key to a better tomorrow and without it the cycle of poverty and injustice will continue. I write of the Philadelphia Student Union.
The Philadelphia Student Union (P.S.U.) is a youth led organization (with advise from adults) that actively fights to keep their public schools public. In addition, they work to ensure that their public education is based on quality and not on numbers. A friend of ours (Dana who is formerly from Poughkeepsie) put us on to them. They organized a benefit concert dedicated to Hip Hop/Spoken Word to help raise money for their organization. We were asked to be the headlining act of the event and to present our Hip Hop & Poetry Saved My Life Workshop. Ol Soul had asked if he could jump onto some of the Front Lines Tour so we put him on to the Brooklyn event as well as this one.
We drove from Brooklyn to Philly yesterday morning and made it to Decora's Aunt's house late in the afternoon. Before we got there we stopped by "Steve the Prince of Philly Cheese Steaks" restaurant to get some of the good stuff (the toll booth worker on I76 recommended it). Unfortunately, we didn't find any good stuff there. However, we did find some bad attitude from the four guys that worked there, a landfill that was marked restroom, floors with more food on them than on the stoves, and food that made are stomachs say; COME ON! ARE YOU SERIOUS! Interestingly enough they're in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest Cheese Steak Sandwich measuring in at 395 feet and 7 inches. I have a feeling that's the only real thing Steve is Prince for. Maybe the restaurant patrons revolted and put King Steve out of business so the Prince took over and did what he could.
At Decora's Aunt's hours we welcomed with open arms. She lives in a beautiful home and we glad to have a safe place to clean up and prep for the event. We were all feeling Cuttz's absence and looked forward to seeing picking him up at the bus station. Unfortunately, the only bus he could catch was going to get him into Philadelphia at 9:30pm and the event was scheduled to start at 8:00pm. We did what we could to get the inevitable scent of the road off of us and focus on the event even though it didn't seem like Cuttz was going to make it in time. Then we got into the bus and headed towards the Rotunda (a large community space owned by Penn State). The show actually ended up starting at 8:45pm. Dana (our friend that helped P.S.U. put the event together) asked us to hold it off so that more of the invitees could make it. She asked if we could host the first half as an open mic so that some of the P.S.U. members could perform. Two talented youth were also scheduled to perform. Latin agreed to host the event and made sure to give props to P.S.U. and the young performers. Both of the performers that went on stage (Yates and Passion) rocked the mic with words of truth, love and all the realities their minds could muster.
Afterwards, Latin asked if there was anyone in the crowd that would like to do their thing on the open mic. One young brother (Kaleef) yelled out from the 50+ crowd and asked if he could step to the stage. He did so indeed and freestyled a poem from the top of his "dome". Afterwards Latin introduced Ol Soul to the crowd. Ol Soul made sure to let the people of Philly know that he was in the building. We were hoping that by the time he was done Cuttz would be at least near to the event but after a few phone calls we learned that he was still on the bus and that he'd be getting dropped off nowhere near the Rotunda. DJ H20 (who had been blessing the sound waves with his skills throughout the night) Got back on stage and played Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come". A few verses into the song Decora, Free and Latin walked on stage and began altering minds with their lyrical verses. After a few introductory pieces and some info about the group Decora began explaining to the crowd how he "Love[s] Hip Hip". Free followed with "Chiquita Banana" and "[Latin] Packed His Bags". Decora and Free then got back on stage for "Youth" and Latin followed by letting the crowd know "We All Come From Queens". When he was done he glanced backstage and saw a fireball tearing his bags off and being informed by Decora and Free. Latin was glad to see his 7 year brother Cuttz el Colombiano and gave him the introduction he deserved. Cuttz ran towards the stage along with Free and Decora for "C.O.C.A." Cuttz followed by speaking from his "Arterias". The group then moved into "Useless" and wrapped it up for an amped crowd by letting them know they all "Wade" together.
After the event a woman named Hannah and her friend Jen interviewed the ReadNex and promised to post footage from the event and interview on Youtube.com. (We'll keep you posted about and let you know when you can check it out).
After a job well done we saw a guy with one of our T-shirts who said J had given it to him. (We later found out he stole it but it's all good...maybe he needed it more than we did). J (intern and former member of the ReadNex) had gone to his cousin's house for the night for some much needed family love. Then we headed back to Decora's Aunt's house and we feasted on Curried Chicken, String Beans, Garden Salad, etc. etc. etc. (THE REAL GOOD STUFF). Decora's Aunt was very hospitable and even made us some tea. We sipped on it as we discussed the Rotunda event and a few adjustments that we'd like to make to our performances. Soon after, one by one our exhausted bodies began collapsing into distinct rooms and sofa's throughout Decora's Aunt's house.
Another day in the office down. 44 more to go.
It's day two on the Front Lines Tour and the sun is burning my hands as a I write to you. I feel as if fire is slowly igniting my hands while UV rays enter our meagerly tinted windows browning my skin. Interestingly enough, that fire is not what's currently causing my fingertips to vigorously caress these keys and distantly guide you on our journey. It's the voices of youthful souls that speak to their local communities and demand a quality education. The voices that stand up daily telling others that education is key to a better tomorrow and without it the cycle of poverty and injustice will continue. I write of the Philadelphia Student Union.
The Philadelphia Student Union (P.S.U.) is a youth led organization (with advise from adults) that actively fights to keep their public schools public. In addition, they work to ensure that their public education is based on quality and not on numbers. A friend of ours (Dana who is formerly from Poughkeepsie) put us on to them. They organized a benefit concert dedicated to Hip Hop/Spoken Word to help raise money for their organization. We were asked to be the headlining act of the event and to present our Hip Hop & Poetry Saved My Life Workshop. Ol Soul had asked if he could jump onto some of the Front Lines Tour so we put him on to the Brooklyn event as well as this one.
We drove from Brooklyn to Philly yesterday morning and made it to Decora's Aunt's house late in the afternoon. Before we got there we stopped by "Steve the Prince of Philly Cheese Steaks" restaurant to get some of the good stuff (the toll booth worker on I76 recommended it). Unfortunately, we didn't find any good stuff there. However, we did find some bad attitude from the four guys that worked there, a landfill that was marked restroom, floors with more food on them than on the stoves, and food that made are stomachs say; COME ON! ARE YOU SERIOUS! Interestingly enough they're in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest Cheese Steak Sandwich measuring in at 395 feet and 7 inches. I have a feeling that's the only real thing Steve is Prince for. Maybe the restaurant patrons revolted and put King Steve out of business so the Prince took over and did what he could.
At Decora's Aunt's hours we welcomed with open arms. She lives in a beautiful home and we glad to have a safe place to clean up and prep for the event. We were all feeling Cuttz's absence and looked forward to seeing picking him up at the bus station. Unfortunately, the only bus he could catch was going to get him into Philadelphia at 9:30pm and the event was scheduled to start at 8:00pm. We did what we could to get the inevitable scent of the road off of us and focus on the event even though it didn't seem like Cuttz was going to make it in time. Then we got into the bus and headed towards the Rotunda (a large community space owned by Penn State). The show actually ended up starting at 8:45pm. Dana (our friend that helped P.S.U. put the event together) asked us to hold it off so that more of the invitees could make it. She asked if we could host the first half as an open mic so that some of the P.S.U. members could perform. Two talented youth were also scheduled to perform. Latin agreed to host the event and made sure to give props to P.S.U. and the young performers. Both of the performers that went on stage (Yates and Passion) rocked the mic with words of truth, love and all the realities their minds could muster.
Afterwards, Latin asked if there was anyone in the crowd that would like to do their thing on the open mic. One young brother (Kaleef) yelled out from the 50+ crowd and asked if he could step to the stage. He did so indeed and freestyled a poem from the top of his "dome". Afterwards Latin introduced Ol Soul to the crowd. Ol Soul made sure to let the people of Philly know that he was in the building. We were hoping that by the time he was done Cuttz would be at least near to the event but after a few phone calls we learned that he was still on the bus and that he'd be getting dropped off nowhere near the Rotunda. DJ H20 (who had been blessing the sound waves with his skills throughout the night) Got back on stage and played Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come". A few verses into the song Decora, Free and Latin walked on stage and began altering minds with their lyrical verses. After a few introductory pieces and some info about the group Decora began explaining to the crowd how he "Love[s] Hip Hip". Free followed with "Chiquita Banana" and "[Latin] Packed His Bags". Decora and Free then got back on stage for "Youth" and Latin followed by letting the crowd know "We All Come From Queens". When he was done he glanced backstage and saw a fireball tearing his bags off and being informed by Decora and Free. Latin was glad to see his 7 year brother Cuttz el Colombiano and gave him the introduction he deserved. Cuttz ran towards the stage along with Free and Decora for "C.O.C.A." Cuttz followed by speaking from his "Arterias". The group then moved into "Useless" and wrapped it up for an amped crowd by letting them know they all "Wade" together.
After the event a woman named Hannah and her friend Jen interviewed the ReadNex and promised to post footage from the event and interview on Youtube.com. (We'll keep you posted about and let you know when you can check it out).
After a job well done we saw a guy with one of our T-shirts who said J had given it to him. (We later found out he stole it but it's all good...maybe he needed it more than we did). J (intern and former member of the ReadNex) had gone to his cousin's house for the night for some much needed family love. Then we headed back to Decora's Aunt's house and we feasted on Curried Chicken, String Beans, Garden Salad, etc. etc. etc. (THE REAL GOOD STUFF). Decora's Aunt was very hospitable and even made us some tea. We sipped on it as we discussed the Rotunda event and a few adjustments that we'd like to make to our performances. Soon after, one by one our exhausted bodies began collapsing into distinct rooms and sofa's throughout Decora's Aunt's house.
Another day in the office down. 44 more to go.
Front Lines Tour Day 1
Whoooo!!!
Bed-stuy, Brooklyn stood up and represented in full last night 7/11/08. After a loooong day of technical difficulties with the bus and picking up tour members (Decora, Latin, DJ H20,) we finally made into the Bed-Stuy Block Party (Event put on by 123 Community space) and held it down the way we do.
The original departure from New Paltz was set for noon. During our Wednesday night conference call Latin mentioned that one of his tooth fillings had fallen out and he would have to see the dentist in the morning. There were others that had last minute arrangements to be made so we all decided to postpone the Front Lines Tour departure to 1PM. Latin wasn't able to have his tooth fixed but we still departed late due to last minute packing and bus needs. Decora was dropped off in New Paltz by J where the bus was just waiting to get on the rode. Latin said he heard the bus crying all night because it wanted to stretch it's wheels ASAP. He walked over to soothe it's woes (Latin lives on the property where the bus was parked) but the bus kept telling him to not walk over unless he was ready to roll. When Decora got there he opened the bus up and started to pack it up with J. Cuttz began to bring his things over as well while Latin cleared out all of the garbage and swept up the saw dust that was left over from the retrofitting.
This bus....actually... this temporary home of ours looks real cool now. Decora and his uncle retrofitted it with boxes for equipment, beds, storage areas, and electrical outlets. Soon after our good friend Corey Pane came by and blessed the bus with some of his airbrushing skills. The tour logo and other info is now spread throughout outside of the bus. We are now driving with some oC the faces of our mentors (Malcolm X, Young Lords, Brown Berets, Kathleen Cleaver, and Freedom fighting Native Americans) leading the way and handing us the baton.
After getting Latin's, Cutt'zs and J's stuff on the bus Decora and Latin got on the road and stopped by the 21st Century Office in New Paltz(an organization that "Creates Safe Schools...Building By Building" with after school programing and more) to see Dr. Felicia Watson. She grabbed everyone she could in the office and they all came out to the bus to check it out and give their blessings. After a brief prayer led by Dr. Felica Decora and Latin got back on the road to stop over by Antilogy. There they picked up the tour shirts designed by Ryan and chatted about the tour with Jim. (if you are looking to have shirts or some type of printmaking work done these are the people to talk to) On the way to Antilogy we had to stop because the brakes were smoking and smelling up the bus. After giving them a quick look at and talking to a lunch bus owner we decided that the brakes might have been jammed. We gave a pound to Jim and talked to a man that said our bus needed commercial plates (DMV just gave us residential) drove to Newburgh and picked up DJ H2O. There DJ H2O hooked us up with some iced teas and packed up his equipment. The time was now 5:30pm and we were supposed to be in Brooklyn at 3:00pm.
We joked about how behind schedule we were and put the bus on route to Brooklyn. Cuttz took the FDR and Decora put the bus onto the Cross Bronx Expressway. Both were stuck in traffic for a few hours. The time was then 7:15. The group was supposed to be on stage at 7:30. Freeflowin was at the event calling and checking the rest of the group's location. Latin told her she might have to hold it down on stage by herself. Ol Soul (an amazing Nuyorican poet who performed at the event as well) called Latin to let him know that the performances were running behind schedule. Cuttz got to the event first and soon after Decora pulled up with the Thomas Built/ReadNex redesigned bus. DJ H20 and Latin began to haul out equipment at 8:30 and the event was supposed to end at 8. Latin pulled Decora, Free and Cuttz aside to figure out a lineup and they all agreed that it should be Decora (poem) Free and Decora (Youth) Cuttz (C.O.C.A.) Free (Mis-Ed) and Decora and Latin (Wade). The 200+ crowd roared when Decora yelled; BROOKLYN MAKE SOME NOOOIIIIIISSSSEEE! While the crowd went wild Latin let DJ H2O know what was going down. A few inebriated fans kept getting on stage with us while they unsuccessfully tried to translate some of Cuttz's Spanish lyrics. We just kept going and the crowd came closer with each piece we rocked for them. Pounds were given while heads bopped and DJ H20 kept the crowd bouncin. Brooklyn came out for an event and no one was hurt, robbed or involved in an altercation. Yet another stereotype broken. One of the inhibriated brothers grabbed the microphone at the end and asked everyone to notice that peace was kept and respect was given without violence or weapons.
Even in his intoxicated state he saw what many fail to see. That we as a people regardless of color can come together and enjoy ourselves with music, dance and food. This all without the need to hurt each other out of the desperation we may feel due to the times we live in. Chuck Brown was there (an M.C. and one of Latin's college buddies) holding it down while rockin his "Stop the Violence" shirt and repping with his crew. Maybe everyone saw the shirt and got the message.
When the ReadNex got off stage Cesar and Federico (two amazing graffiti artists) asked to tag up the bus with some more visual love. They did so indeed by tagging the faces of Big Pun, Nas, Bob Marley, Hector Lavoe, Biggie visuals of the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhathan and more. We thanked them, went to get some food and Latin, Free, DJ H20 and Decora spent the night at Free's apt. in Brooklyn. Cuttz had to head back up state and handle some important matters. He'll meet us in Philly. D
Day 1 down! 45 TO GO!
Bed-stuy, Brooklyn stood up and represented in full last night 7/11/08. After a loooong day of technical difficulties with the bus and picking up tour members (Decora, Latin, DJ H20,) we finally made into the Bed-Stuy Block Party (Event put on by 123 Community space) and held it down the way we do.
The original departure from New Paltz was set for noon. During our Wednesday night conference call Latin mentioned that one of his tooth fillings had fallen out and he would have to see the dentist in the morning. There were others that had last minute arrangements to be made so we all decided to postpone the Front Lines Tour departure to 1PM. Latin wasn't able to have his tooth fixed but we still departed late due to last minute packing and bus needs. Decora was dropped off in New Paltz by J where the bus was just waiting to get on the rode. Latin said he heard the bus crying all night because it wanted to stretch it's wheels ASAP. He walked over to soothe it's woes (Latin lives on the property where the bus was parked) but the bus kept telling him to not walk over unless he was ready to roll. When Decora got there he opened the bus up and started to pack it up with J. Cuttz began to bring his things over as well while Latin cleared out all of the garbage and swept up the saw dust that was left over from the retrofitting.
This bus....actually... this temporary home of ours looks real cool now. Decora and his uncle retrofitted it with boxes for equipment, beds, storage areas, and electrical outlets. Soon after our good friend Corey Pane came by and blessed the bus with some of his airbrushing skills. The tour logo and other info is now spread throughout outside of the bus. We are now driving with some oC the faces of our mentors (Malcolm X, Young Lords, Brown Berets, Kathleen Cleaver, and Freedom fighting Native Americans) leading the way and handing us the baton.
After getting Latin's, Cutt'zs and J's stuff on the bus Decora and Latin got on the road and stopped by the 21st Century Office in New Paltz(an organization that "Creates Safe Schools...Building By Building" with after school programing and more) to see Dr. Felicia Watson. She grabbed everyone she could in the office and they all came out to the bus to check it out and give their blessings. After a brief prayer led by Dr. Felica Decora and Latin got back on the road to stop over by Antilogy. There they picked up the tour shirts designed by Ryan and chatted about the tour with Jim. (if you are looking to have shirts or some type of printmaking work done these are the people to talk to) On the way to Antilogy we had to stop because the brakes were smoking and smelling up the bus. After giving them a quick look at and talking to a lunch bus owner we decided that the brakes might have been jammed. We gave a pound to Jim and talked to a man that said our bus needed commercial plates (DMV just gave us residential) drove to Newburgh and picked up DJ H2O. There DJ H2O hooked us up with some iced teas and packed up his equipment. The time was now 5:30pm and we were supposed to be in Brooklyn at 3:00pm.
We joked about how behind schedule we were and put the bus on route to Brooklyn. Cuttz took the FDR and Decora put the bus onto the Cross Bronx Expressway. Both were stuck in traffic for a few hours. The time was then 7:15. The group was supposed to be on stage at 7:30. Freeflowin was at the event calling and checking the rest of the group's location. Latin told her she might have to hold it down on stage by herself. Ol Soul (an amazing Nuyorican poet who performed at the event as well) called Latin to let him know that the performances were running behind schedule. Cuttz got to the event first and soon after Decora pulled up with the Thomas Built/ReadNex redesigned bus. DJ H20 and Latin began to haul out equipment at 8:30 and the event was supposed to end at 8. Latin pulled Decora, Free and Cuttz aside to figure out a lineup and they all agreed that it should be Decora (poem) Free and Decora (Youth) Cuttz (C.O.C.A.) Free (Mis-Ed) and Decora and Latin (Wade). The 200+ crowd roared when Decora yelled; BROOKLYN MAKE SOME NOOOIIIIIISSSSEEE! While the crowd went wild Latin let DJ H2O know what was going down. A few inebriated fans kept getting on stage with us while they unsuccessfully tried to translate some of Cuttz's Spanish lyrics. We just kept going and the crowd came closer with each piece we rocked for them. Pounds were given while heads bopped and DJ H20 kept the crowd bouncin. Brooklyn came out for an event and no one was hurt, robbed or involved in an altercation. Yet another stereotype broken. One of the inhibriated brothers grabbed the microphone at the end and asked everyone to notice that peace was kept and respect was given without violence or weapons.
Even in his intoxicated state he saw what many fail to see. That we as a people regardless of color can come together and enjoy ourselves with music, dance and food. This all without the need to hurt each other out of the desperation we may feel due to the times we live in. Chuck Brown was there (an M.C. and one of Latin's college buddies) holding it down while rockin his "Stop the Violence" shirt and repping with his crew. Maybe everyone saw the shirt and got the message.
When the ReadNex got off stage Cesar and Federico (two amazing graffiti artists) asked to tag up the bus with some more visual love. They did so indeed by tagging the faces of Big Pun, Nas, Bob Marley, Hector Lavoe, Biggie visuals of the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhathan and more. We thanked them, went to get some food and Latin, Free, DJ H20 and Decora spent the night at Free's apt. in Brooklyn. Cuttz had to head back up state and handle some important matters. He'll meet us in Philly. D
Day 1 down! 45 TO GO!
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