SANY PITBULL & DUDA do BOREL @ PORI JAZZ FESTIVAL 2007

I haven't forgotten about you Baile Funk!!! Love this ikkle!

How being an Albino can shatter "Big Brother" and teach a lesson to all you traditional race-thinkers...

Chris Scarborough (Nashville, TN)

As an Albino, I imagine myself liberated from assumptions that color is a part of race. The blood of my ancestors runs through me as much as any other Mestizo. My cheekbones, eyes, and nose tell me so, yet I do not have the dark hair or skin that my bloodline usually dictates for me. As a result, I see and feel my understanding of race as a true social construct. Therefore, I consider myself a somewhat victor over the device of separation that race was built upon.

It is a lonely place to be as an outlier. Many people feel sorry for me because of my "condition." But, I am also glad that I do not suffer their fate of normalcy that clips their wings of consciousness. A huge irony is that as I type this, I can't help but notice that the individuals that feel the most sorry for me are those who I would say have body, color, and facial structures that are "typical" of their race (obviously), and get shitted on from society because of it. I am outside of the games of "oh, they look white" or "damn, he's dark as shit" as many others are scrutinized over. Paper bag tests are pointless, and passing has been a device imposed upon me rather than chosen. Yes, there have been times where I chose to speak English over Spanish to Latinos and Spanish speakers, but that was more of an issue of acculturation and context rather than pretending to be something I am not. In the end, I speak English. And, there are plenty of Latinos that are as brown as the earth, but can't speak a lick of Spanish if a million dollars were placed on the table in case they pronounced their last name properly.

I do get jealous that I cannot represent on the outside the brownness and color celebrated by my brothers and sisters in poetry, books, and media. I feel left out on certain experiences that would draw me closer to my people. But trust me to the fullest when I tell you that racism and discrimination are some devious bastards and they will find a way to fuck up the day of the whitest colored Mestizos and Blacks. We all got our issues to deal with.

I began dating a white woman for the first time this year. As a person of color, I concerned myself of this notion of being "down" among my brothers and sisters for the very first time in my thirty-three years of life on this planet. These concerns go back to my earlier statement about wanting to feel a part of a shared experience with my brothers and sisters, not an indictment on who I am seeing. I spoke about this with a great friend of mine, another person of color and social activist who is seeing a white person. We shared how we feel a sense of scrutiny by our own people, perceived or real, from those who see racial identity from the function of their "typical" dark skin and hair. What I conclude is that obviously this should not be of any concern. My indictment towards those who think any less of me because of this, is that they are taking on the same act of purification and segregation their oppressors have imposed upon everyone. A preservation of social or cultural purity is completely nonsensical as each "race" has had social, genetic, cultural exchanges with one another since time began. The notion that my values will become affected, that my treatment of others will change, or that I feel that I am "moving up", is absolutely ridiculous. As I mentioned earlier, racism is a bitch. One if its keen tricks is taking on new forms to meet the nomenclature and framework of the day. The Jim Crow of yesteryear is the Prison Industrial Complex of today.

So after writing all this, maybe I do have my own crap to deal with. It may not be the same as the majority of Blacks, Latinos, Native Americans, or Asian Pacific Americans, but I think it provides an opportunity for all of us to expand our notions of what this race thing is about. I feel like living proof that race is made up on silly measures and rules. I challenge every white, Black, or Latino to think about their understanding of race, whether its based on seeing it as a social construct or a genetic and biologically based categorization system. In the end its about how you treat others and leaving enough room to know there are other ways of seeing things.

My quick thoughts on MTV's True Life: I am an Albino"

True Life - MTV Shows

For once, my "man, fuck this shit!" meter wasn't as high as it usually gets with mainstream shows about Albinism. I don't watch MTV True Life series often, so I couldn't tell you if its approach is typical of other episodes, but I appreciated the large amount of airtime the three were given to explain themselves, and not a voice-over explaining what Albinism is in a medical-kinda-a-way (it eventually does later in the show). I connected strongly with the guy who went to the convention and his initial nervousness about being with so many other folks with Albinism. Overall it was as good as it can get from a commercial/MTV lens. It could have been worse.

This is the second time I've seen a white female concern herself about "passing," a topic I heard mostly among African Americans, which I find REALLL ironic. She also brings up the notion of being called "An Albino" versus "Someone with Albinism" and the implications it has on her esteem. IMO, we're screwed if you take it that way. I've been on some message boards and folks can really get into this particular topic. There may be some valid language and social identity politics at play, but as a Latino, I cannot see such discussions anywhere related in the same vein as ethnic groups going on about "Latino vs. Latin@" or "Black v. African American". In the end, uses of such terms are contextual. And, moving fluidly among these names is an act against the Eurocentric approach of rigid categorizations and psycho/social/identity segregation. I often play with the negative connotations when interacting with people, just to fuck with them a little... so no matter how I present myself, I keep in control of the naming at all times.. (oops, I gave away a secret).

I also found the lunchroom discussion quite fascinating as the African American male told Zack (the African American with Albinism) that he was shocked, and the white dudes were all "I just saw you as who you were man" SOOO much to be said right there about how this exemplifies the continued stagnation of how fucked up race issues are in 2010... As a Latino with Albinism/Albino Latino/Latino Albino (ha!), I had my share of acceptance and rejection by whites, blacks, and Latinos... too bad this wasn't explored more to show intra-group issues, and cross-group issues, and how it takes social anomalies to bring this out.

In all, its a decent episode, not the best... and not everyone has such a great ending to their lives as these folks do. Again, this calls for more exposure of Albinism, and a heightened complexity of understanding the identities of "others," which I doubt we'll see about Albinos again anytime soon.

Holidays 2010

Rap of the year - "Right Here" by Mellowhype

I notice that as much as I hate on Hip Hop, I sure post a bunch of it! I feel like Mickey to Rocky, pushing for my scarred champion to keep fighting. "Right Here" is a wonderfully placed punch. Even tho Kanye is getting the best reviews for 2010... nothing excites me more than this minimal funky loop of a track... its repetitive to absolutely hypnotic levels and succeeds in dropping clever words and imagery along the way. "Swag" is the word of the day and I think track beats Kanye.

Since I'm on a roll - here are some more books on that AmericanPupusa tip

My thoughts on the recent piece on Rosa Parks, the passing of Elizabeth Edwards and making heros in the United States in 100 words

After reading this recent piece on Rosa Parks's myth reframed to include her long work in social activism and the simplification of the legacy of Elizabeth Edwards' passing in mainstream media as "Mother", "Caring" and other singular nouns and adjectives, I'm noticing how pitiful we/media/society frame our American "Heroes." If having heroes means using small words, simplifying a person's actions to describe how great they are. Or reduce their character to a 1 positive word and remove the contradictions, faults and complexity, then I have no heroes. I'd rather admire people for being human beings than statues in a museum

The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip Hop - Dan Charnas

The book got a feature on NPR.

I haven't read the book, but I am glad the thought is out there. Hip Hop is no different from any other cultural product in the sights of money making. What I find unique is the overt and covert relationship people in Hip Hop have with capitalism ranging along "Its not about a Salary its all about reality" and "Stacking Paper" and "Mo Money Mo Problems" No matter how you slice it yo...ur "revolutionary conscious" and "getting paper" rappers live on a continuum of ducket grabbing. I hope this phenomenon is explored thoroughly in this book. I think it's quite important to hold a mirror up to a genre that also contains aesthetics of social responsibility and "reality" to its audience.

An ill.selection Roots Mixtape – Movement of Afro Funk and Soul

An hour and a half mix of organic, old-school 60s and 70s Roots music that spans genre, nationality, race, and language. They are all hybrids and manifestations of Afro musical influences that pay tribute to our African roots and transnational movements across land, sea, and social borders. Inside the mix you’ll find: Cumbia, Salsa, Funk, Afrobeat, Rara, Carnival music, Congotronics, Merengue, Calypso, Batucada, and Reggae from Africa, the Caribbean, and America.

This mix lets me pay homage several pillars of my musical vocabulary. The first is my tribute to my Latinidad and the rich and turbulent history that brought us here, the sounds of Merengue, Cumbia, and Salsa that make up a link and memory to my family and my cultural heritage. The second tribute is to the polyrhythm, bass, and syncopation these musical blueprints provide to current musicians and artists; amazing that with as much education of our past is ignored from our schools and books, I can still see how new urban dance music like Footwork, House, Jungle, and Hip Hop gather so much from their Afro and Afro-Latino past. The third piece this mix brings is my newest fascination with Transnationalism, the study of communication and movement among peoples beyond the boundaries and walls set by others. It’s the latest fad that strikes close to me as a 1st Generation U.S. Born, Segment-Acculturated, hybrid, pan-everything individual that I am

This is for those who know their past, but are not regulated by its rules and boundaries… the border-crossings I enjoy the most are found within cross-pollination, hybrids of hybrids of musical ideas and sharing found deep within the complex beat patterns and bass work. They may not be found individually, but when in groups they shine bright.

Download the mix here, Stream it at my Mixcloud, or just tune in below

A Roots Mixtape – A Transnational Movement Of Afro Funk And Soul by Illselection on Mixcloud

Gade Yon Rara - Roots Of Haiti
La Agarradera - Johnny Ventura
Who're You? - Fela Ransome Kuti & The Africa 70
Esto No Lleva Bata - Los Papines
Real Rock - Sound Dimension
Hankuri - Madman Jaga
Old Buzzard - Los Silvertones
90% Of Me Is You - Amral’s Trinidad Cavaliers Steel Orchestra
Cumbia Cienaguera - Conjunto Tipico Vallenato
Dom Sou Nare Bakh (feat. Youssou N'Dour) - Etoile De Dakar
Cherry Oh Baby - Eric Donaldson
Tito On Timbales - Tito Puente
Nana Nina - Bush Y Sus Magnificos
Together - Ray Barretto
Truths and Rights - Johnny Osbourne
La Piojosa - La Sonora Cienaguera
Give It Up and Turn It Loose - James Brown
Carnival Brass Band - Afro-Cuban musicians
Bam Bam - Byron Lee And The Dragonaires
Ba-Tu-Ca-Da - Par Ney De Castro
Cantos De Yuka - Afro-Cuban musicians
Unknown - Domincan Merengue
Salsa Na Ma - Fruko Y Sus Tesos
Rara in Haiti - Bizoton Unspecified
Mama Liza - Konono No.1