My homie DJ Paradime finished up a compilation of Illmind beats for the world to hear. If you don’t know who Illmind is, I suggest you Get Familiar (c) clinton sparks. Better bring a neck brace…
except the weed part since I don’t smoke. But still, I feel happy.
I was going to write this long drawn out post about what Dr. King did should be appreciated by EVERYONE in America, and how some parts of his dream still have not been realized/are being destroyed. Then I saw a video/read the speech that Barack Obama gave at Dr. King’s church in Atlanta. Perfect.
Remarks of Senator Barack Obama: The Great Need of the Hour
Atlanta, GA | January 20, 2008
The Scripture tells us that when Joshua and the Israelites arrived at the gates of Jericho, they could not enter. The walls of the city were too steep for any one person to climb; too strong to be taken down with brute force. And so they sat for days, unable to pass on through.But God had a plan for his people. He told them to stand together and march together around the city, and on the seventh day he told them that when they heard the sound of the ram’s horn, they should speak with one voice. And at the chosen hour, when the horn sounded and a chorus of voices cried out together, the mighty walls of Jericho came tumbling down.
There are many lessons to take from this passage, just as there are many lessons to take from this day, just as there are many memories that fill the space of this church. As I was thinking about which ones we need to remember at this hour, my mind went back to the very beginning of the modern Civil Rights Era.
Because before Memphis and the mountaintop; before the bridge in Selma and the march on Washington; before Birmingham and the beatings; the fire hoses and the loss of those four little girls; before there was King the icon and his magnificent dream, there was King the young preacher and a people who found themselves suffering under the yoke of oppression.
And on the eve of the bus boycotts in Montgomery, at a time when many were still doubtful about the possibilities of change, a time when those in the black community mistrusted themselves, and at times mistrusted each other, King inspired with words not of anger, but of an urgency that still speaks to us today:
“Unity is the great need of the hour” is what King said. Unity is how we shall overcome.
What Dr. King understood is that if just one person chose to walk instead of ride the bus, those walls of oppression would not be moved. But maybe if a few more walked, the foundation might start to shake. If a few more women were willing to do what Rosa Parks had done, maybe the cracks would start to show. If teenagers took freedom rides from North to South, maybe a few bricks would come loose. Maybe if white folks marched because they had come to understand that their freedom too was at stake in the impending battle, the wall would begin to sway. And if enough Americans were awakened to the injustice; if they joined together, North and South, rich and poor, Christian and Jew, then perhaps that wall would come tumbling down, and justice would flow like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.
Unity is the great need of the hour — the great need of this hour. Not because it sounds pleasant or because it makes us feel good, but because it’s the only way we can overcome the essential deficit that exists in this country.
I’m not talking about a budget deficit. I’m not talking about a trade deficit. I’m not talking about a deficit of good ideas or new plans.
I’m talking about a moral deficit. I’m talking about an empathy deficit. I’m taking about an inability to recognize ourselves in one another; to understand that we are our brother’s keeper; we are our sister’s keeper; that, in the words of Dr. King, we are all tied together in a single garment of destiny.
We have an empathy deficit when we’re still sending our children down corridors of shame — schools in the forgotten corners of America where the color of your skin still affects the content of your education.
We have a deficit when CEOs are making more in ten minutes than some workers make in ten months; when families lose their homes so that lenders make a profit; when mothers can’t afford a doctor when their children get sick.
We have a deficit in this country when there is Scooter Libby justice for some and Jena justice for others; when our children see nooses hanging from a schoolyard tree today, in the present, in the twenty-first century.
We have a deficit when homeless veterans sleep on the streets of our cities; when innocents are slaughtered in the deserts of Darfur; when young Americans serve tour after tour of duty in a war that should’ve never been authorized and never been waged.
And we have a deficit when it takes a breach in our levees to reveal a breach in our compassion; when it takes a terrible storm to reveal the hungry that God calls on us to feed; the sick He calls on us to care for; the least of these He commands that we treat as our own.
So we have a deficit to close. We have walls — barriers to justice and equality — that must come down. And to do this, we know that unity is the great need of this hour.
Unfortunately, all too often when we talk about unity in this country, we’ve come to believe that it can be purchased on the cheap. We’ve come to believe that racial reconciliation can come easily — that it’s just a matter of a few ignorant people trapped in the prejudices of the past, and that if the demagogues and those who exploit our racial divisions will simply go away, then all our problems would be solved.
All too often, we seek to ignore the profound institutional barriers that stand in the way of ensuring opportunity for all children, or decent jobs for all people, or health care for those who are sick. We long for unity, but are unwilling to pay the price.
But of course, true unity cannot be so easily won. It starts with a change in attitudes — a broadening of our minds, and a broadening of our hearts.
It’s not easy to stand in somebody else’s shoes. It’s not easy to see past our differences. We’ve all encountered this in our own lives. But what makes it even more difficult is that we have a politics in this country that seeks to drive us apart — that puts up walls between us.
We are told that those who differ from us on a few things are different from us on all things; that our problems are the fault of those who don’t think like us or look like us or come from where we do. The welfare queen is taking our tax money. The immigrant is taking our jobs. The believer condemns the non-believer as immoral, and the non-believer chides the believer as intolerant.
For most of this country’s history, we in the African-American community have been at the receiving end of man’s inhumanity to man. And all of us understand intimately the insidious role that race still sometimes plays — on the job, in the schools, in our health care system, and in our criminal justice system.
And yet, if we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that none of our hands are entirely clean. If we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll acknowledge that our own community has not always been true to King’s vision of a beloved community.
We have scorned our gay brothers and sisters instead of embracing them. The scourge of anti-Semitism has, at times, revealed itself in our community. For too long, some of us have seen immigrants as competitors for jobs instead of companions in the fight for opportunity.
Every day, our politics fuels and exploits this kind of division across all races and regions; across gender and party. It is played out on television. It is sensationalized by the media. And last week, it even crept into the campaign for President, with charges and counter-charges that served to obscure the issues instead of illuminating the critical choices we face as a nation.
So let us say that on this day of all days, each of us carries with us the task of changing our hearts and minds. The division, the stereotypes, the scape-goating, the ease with which we blame our plight on others — all of this distracts us from the common challenges we face — war and poverty; injustice and inequality. We can no longer afford to build ourselves up by tearing someone else down. We can no longer afford to traffic in lies or fear or hate. It is the poison that we must purge from our politics; the wall that we must tear down before the hour grows too late.
Because if Dr. King could love his jailor; if he could call on the faithful who once sat where you do to forgive those who set dogs and fire hoses upon them, then surely we can look past what divides us in our time, and bind up our wounds, and erase the empathy deficit that exists in our hearts.
But if changing our hearts and minds is the first critical step, we cannot stop there. It is not enough to bemoan the plight of poor children in this country and remain unwilling to push our elected officials to provide the resources to fix our schools. It is not enough to decry the disparities of health care and yet allow the insurance companies and the drug companies to block much-needed reforms. It is not enough for us to abhor the costs of a misguided war, and yet allow ourselves to be driven by a politics of fear that sees the threat of attack as way to scare up votes instead of a call to come together around a common effort.
The Scripture tells us that we are judged not just by word, but by deed. And if we are to truly bring about the unity that is so crucial in this time, we must find it within ourselves to act on what we know; to understand that living up to this country’s ideals and its possibilities will require great effort and resources; sacrifice and stamina.
And that is what is at stake in the great political debate we are having today. The changes that are needed are not just a matter of tinkering at the edges, and they will not come if politicians simply tell us what we want to hear. All of us will be called upon to make some sacrifice. None of us will be exempt from responsibility. We will have to fight to fix our schools, but we will also have to challenge ourselves to be better parents. We will have to confront the biases in our criminal justice system, but we will also have to acknowledge the deep-seated violence that still resides in our own communities and marshal the will to break its grip.
That is how we will bring about the change we seek. That is how Dr. King led this country through the wilderness. He did it with words — words that he spoke not just to the children of slaves, but the children of slave owners. Words that inspired not just black but also white; not just the Christian but the Jew; not just the Southerner but also the Northerner.
He led with words, but he also led with deeds. He also led by example. He led by marching and going to jail and suffering threats and being away from his family. He led by taking a stand against a war, knowing full well that it would diminish his popularity. He led by challenging our economic structures, understanding that it would cause discomfort. Dr. King understood that unity cannot be won on the cheap; that we would have to earn it through great effort and determination.
That is the unity — the hard-earned unity — that we need right now. It is that effort, and that determination, that can transform blind optimism into hope — the hope to imagine, and work for, and fight for what seemed impossible before.
The stories that give me such hope don’t happen in the spotlight. They don’t happen on the presidential stage. They happen in the quiet corners of our lives. They happen in the moments we least expect. Let me give you an example of one of those stories.
There is a young, twenty-three year old white woman named Ashley Baia who organizes for our campaign in Florence, South Carolina. She’s been working to organize a mostly African-American community since the beginning of this campaign, and the other day she was at a roundtable discussion where everyone went around telling their story and why they were there.
And Ashley said that when she was nine years old, her mother got cancer. And because she had to miss days of work, she was let go and lost her health care. They had to file for bankruptcy, and that’s when Ashley decided that she had to do something to help her mom.
She knew that food was one of their most expensive costs, and so Ashley convinced her mother that what she really liked and really wanted to eat more than anything else was mustard and relish sandwiches. Because that was the cheapest way to eat.
She did this for a year until her mom got better, and she told everyone at the roundtable that the reason she joined our campaign was so that she could help the millions of other children in the country who want and need to help their parents too.
So Ashley finishes her story and then goes around the room and asks everyone else why they’re supporting the campaign. They all have different stories and reasons. Many bring up a specific issue. And finally they come to this elderly black man who’s been sitting there quietly the entire time. And Ashley asks him why he’s there. And he does not bring up a specific issue. He does not say health care or the economy. He does not say education or the war. He does not say that he was there because of Barack Obama. He simply says to everyone in the room, “I am here because of Ashley.”
By itself, that single moment of recognition between that young white girl and that old black man is not enough. It is not enough to give health care to the sick, or jobs to the jobless, or education to our children.
But it is where we begin. It is why the walls in that room began to crack and shake.
And if they can shake in that room, they can shake in Atlanta.
And if they can shake in Atlanta, they can shake in Georgia.
And if they can shake in Georgia, they can shake all across America. And if enough of our voices join together; we can bring those walls tumbling down. The walls of Jericho can finally come tumbling down. That is our hope — but only if we pray together, and work together, and march together.
Brothers and sisters, we cannot walk alone.
In the struggle for peace and justice, we cannot walk alone.
In the struggle for opportunity and equality, we cannot walk alone
In the struggle to heal this nation and repair this world, we cannot walk alone.
So I ask you to walk with me, and march with me, and join your voice with mine, and together we will sing the song that tears down the walls that divide us, and lift up an America that is truly indivisible, with liberty, and justice, for all. May God bless the memory of the great pastor of this church, and may God bless the United States of America.
I really don’t want to know what would happen if the external drive I use for serato stopped working. So last week I bought an additional 500 GB external to backup the main drive. Call me paranoid, but I don’t really care. It’s taking forever to copy though. Then again, 275 GB of music is a lot to move o_O. I guess I should just trust that it will finish with no problems and go to bed. It’s only at 36% after three hours of work. Shit. I’mma finish this bowl of grits and pass out (it is 6 am, after all)
In the mean time…
I’m seein’ so clear these days…
I don’t mean dance-wise. I mean it has a high level of “request annoyance” like the soulja boy track did when it was first heating up. Seriously demandotrons, calm down, I’m gonna play it. Anyways, I must be on to something with my theories cause Travis Barker remixed this one too.
Peep the frantic drum pace! The track is around 128-129 BPM, which brings me to my next thought: the other night I played this track near the end of my first set, then the second DJ played it right after he got on (literally five minutes later). I go “I JUST PLAYED THAT” and he says “oh, I didn’t think you were playing tracks that slow”. Do you know why he said this? Because he trusts the preprinted BPM numbers on club compilation CDs and Vinyls which had it calculated at half the time (common mistake, and the inverse is true as well). To each one teach one!
It’s been a while where I had a day off from my normal job AND from DJing on the same day. I’m off today. Nothing work related or music related. I am at lunch.
Rent’s Due is going to be a monthly mixtape series (we promise this time!) featuring the freshest real hip-hop that we collect throughout the prior month. No screaming DJs, real mixing, and real music (oh, plus it’s free!). I’ll update this post later with which joints are my favorites (and a backup link as well) but I just wanted to go ahead and drop this now:
01 - DJ Paradime and Skyzoo Intro
02 - Styles P -Blow your Mind (Lox remix)
03 - Freeway - Walk With Me (ft. Busta Rhymes and Jadakiss)
04 - Hell Rell - Swagger Talk (ft. Camron)
05 - Skyzoo Interlude
06 - Red Cafe - Paper Touchin (NC Edition)
07 - DJ Paradime Interlude
08 - Ace Hustle Drop
09 - Ace Hustle - Time Is Money (prod. Khrysis)
10 - Skyzoo Interlude 2
11 - Supastition - It’s All Over (ft. Dan Johns, Finale, and Torae)
12 - L.E.G.A.C.Y. Drop
13 - Big Noyd - Things Done Changed
14 - Supastition Drop
15 - Trae - Smile (ft. Styles P and Jadakiss)
16 - Joell Ortiz - Ups and Downs
17 - Bumpy Knuckles - My Thoughts
18 - Cormega - 718 (ft. Lil Fame)
19 - Ice Cube - Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It
20 - Stewie Griffin - Where’s My Money?
21 - Kool G Rap - On The Rise Again (ft. Haylie Duff)
22 - MC Lyte - Beautiful
23 - Termanology - The Music Industry
I’m in the process of writing my 07 wrap up entry and one about the diamonds benefit…okay I have a lot of catching up to do! But just tonight I rediscovered this gem. Ohhh, Lisette if only I had a time machine :)
This saturday is a really fun gig that I’ve been anticipating for a while now. I’ve been meaning to put up an entry about it, but as you can see from previous entries, I’ve been busy!
Anyway, Saturday I will have Cat’s Cradle all to myself (and not opening for a change) to throw a massive dance party. The best part about the party is that the money is going to support a good cause. I honestly can’t think of a better way to start the new year. Here’s the official press release for the party, which has been dubbed “diamonds are for never”
Saturday January 5th at the Cats Cradle the number one music spot in the triangle comes another dance from Gallagher Music and Chapel Hill’s International Issues Club. The international issue’s clubs first dance party (AIDS Dance) was at Blend and sold out at 11. So were moving up to the largest venue around.
The DJ is different this time around with DJ Forge on the wheels of steel as the DJ for the night, but this dance will be even bigger. DJ Forge can be found at almost every big hip hop show at the cradle as the house DJ as well as all over the area, hes also responsible for producing local artists albums. He is sure to throw a wild party with everyone back for Winter Break.
$10 to get in
So show up and bring any extra money, dollars change anything to make donations for this great cause..
*******Donations go to.. *********
Organization: Global Action Foundation
[helping those that have been effected by the civil war in sierra leone]Programs within GAF
1. Malnutrition Eradication Program
In children under 5, severe malnutrition is a major problem and working toward its resolution. We run a district-wide community outreach program and therapeutic feeding centre. The outreach program involves community sensitization, nutrition surveillance in both villages and primary health units, and retrieval system for identified children as well as their guardians. The current therapeutic feeding centre is a medical unit providing free health services to WHO-classified severely malnourished children while educating their guardians. Since our community outreach program involves 82,400 children under 5, we have decided to build a dedicated medical facility in order to accommodate for an increased patient capacity of up-to 200 severely malnourished children per month. With a program integrating clinical medicine, public health, education, and agriculture and established in collaboration with UNICEF, WFP, and the Ministry of Health, we can reduce severe malnutrition by 80% within the next 5 years in Port Loko District.2. Amputee Empowerment Program in Sierra Leone
In war-disabled communities, we empower amputated individuals from 9 communities in Kono — home of the “Blood Diamonds.” The program supports their self-proclaimed most pressing needs, which ubiquitously includes food security as well as access to health care and child education. As a health-focused organization, we are now running a mobile clinic and building a health center for the amputees. On the launch of the mobile clinic, we encountered 170 patients over two days. Construction on the health center will be complete as of September 2007. In the sectors of food security and education, we advocate for the amputees by developing relationships with other specialist non-profits that can fulfill the needs of the amputees. Our program focuses on health care while integrating agriculture and education in collaboration with the US Embassy, Direct Relief International, and the affiliated Sierra Leonean Ministries. We can empower the amputees to become self-reliant within the next 10 years in the Kono District.
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This party is going to be nuts!
Another free drop to start 2008 off right! Dan and I made this tape in mid December. This is a really solid tape, with top notch production and of course Dan’s insane lyrics. Here’s the press release from the email blast we’ve been sending out. Feel free to share the link with anyone you’d like!
Dan Johns and DJ Forge - “Rebirth of a Dying Breed” Press Release
Fresh off of last year’s release of In The Face of Danger, Dan Johns is back with a new mixtape, teaming up with DJ Forge for Rebirth of a Dying Breed. Building on previous efforts, this mixtape, which is more like an album, reflects the passion and intensity that are cornerstones of Dan as an emcee. Speaking on a variety of topics over all original production, Dan is dropping this gem for free.
Guest spots include Supastition, Chaundon, iCON The Mic King, K-Hill, Villanova, Fat Rat Da Czar, DJ Shekeese The Beast, Amen, and Akshun among others. Production is coming from M-Phazes, DJ Forge, K-Hill, The Returners, LR Hook, and Encornelius.
DJ Forge, who also was on the tables for Dan’s Supply & Demand Mixtape, brings the element of true DJing to the project. 2007 was a good year for Forge, as he toured Europe twice, as Supastition’s tour DJ. Holding down the tables at Cat’s Cradle has allowed him to open up shows for a long list of heavy hitters such as Clipse, KRS-One, Ghostface, Method Man, GZA, Bone Thugs, BCC, Brother Ali, Masta Ace, Souls of Mischief, Aceyalone, Little Brother, and many others.
Rebirth of a Dying Breed is another brick in the foundation that Dan has been laying over the last few years, and certainly not a project that you can afford to miss out on. Download it, check it out, pass it on to someone you know who loves true hip hop and do them,and yourself, a favor…
Download Links:
Dan Johns and DJ Forge - “Rebirth of a Dying Breed”
Tracklisting
01) Top Rhymes
02) How You Gon School Me!
03) The Hoax (ft. Akshun)
04) See The Edge
05) Think Twice (ft. K-Hill)
06) No Rewinds
07) Hall of Fame
08) Scavengers of Hip Hop (ft. iCON The Mic King)
09) We Make The Rules (ft. Supastition)
10) Can’t Kill Me (ft. K-Hill)
11) Hopefully (ft. Fat Rat Da Czar)
12) Why Don’t You Hear Me (ft. Brian Connor of Villanova)
13) Same Page ‘08 (ft. Chaundon)
14) Front Line (ft. Saga Cash)
15) Now I Know
16) Midnight Express (ft. Amen and Akshun)
17)Rest In Peace (ft. Vahid)