4.9.13 - !!!Bomba Estereo con Maracuyeah, Empresarios, y Selecciones!!

See you there D.C.!!! I got two songs for you!!

"The AmericanPupusa Show" on Radio CPR (97.5) - every Thursday from 5-7

I'm too lazy to retype this... so here you go!! Please tune in!!

A call for artists - for the new "AmericanPupusa" show on Radio CPR!!!!

Later this month, the mighty Radio CPR will present The AmericanPupusa show, hosted by Hugo Najera aka “Selecta.” The weekly show will feature the latest riddims and beats in Tropical and Global Bass; a hybrid of classic riddims, samples, technology, and current dance culture outside of the Western margins. As part of a family of musical genres rooted in Dub Soundsystem culture such as Hip Hop, Kuduro, Jungle, Tropical, House, Baile Funk, etc., each can trace their origins to the mobile sound systems of 50s and 60s Jamaica. It was in these soundsystems where music, wordplay, bass, and technology began to synergize and create a culture that strove for escapism, liberation, and celebration – achieved by manipulating music production with the echo, rewind, scratch, juggle, delay, and bass; creating fashion and language that we see with B-Boys and B-Girls; competition among chatters/MCs/toasters who lively up the crowd on day-to-day issues that speak directly to the community. It’s musical futurism for us workers, strivers, sufferers, and survivors.

A Call for Features:

A strong part of the AmericanPupusa show is creating a space for others to highlight and provoke along these same lines of futurism. One of my biggest frustrations with our cultures is how we tend to get stuck in formerly-outsider art, thinking it is still provocative, but in fact has been co-opted by society and given back to us as a Trojan horse. What hurts is how we make icons of our heroes, removing their life and spirit, and turn them into museum pieces that we can no longer touch. It is great to celebrate our past; I have all the love for Kahlo, Guevarra, Chavez, ATCQ, Basquiat, and Dondi – but where are our new code-breakers, innovative thinkers, and our new provocateurs?

The AmericanPupusa Show is calling for all artists (words, visual, sound, and performance) to submit their name/website/sample for future interviews or features on Radio CPR. Please send an email to hnajera@gmail.com, tweet @juicenajera, or inbox me on Facebook. I can include you on a list for potential artists to feature. This is open all year, so please feel free to drop a line anytime.

Girls Keeping it Real, and Not So - From NY Times (May 11, 2012)

Nice article discussing the continuing path into ubiquity that hip hop is taking. This time, in the comparison of two white female "rappers" Interesting read

Article Here

OkayAfrica: Diplo and Chief Boima (Repost)

Ohhh... and if you don't know, now you know....

Article

Micachu and the Shapes talk Jungle

I'm a fan of Micachu and the Shapes - Art-Rock with a lighthearted bump bump that is sucked up by the Indie heads. But I dig the balance of avant with simple... sort of what I try to do... They talk about the influence of Jungle/Drum and Bass and make a crack against Dubstep, which quite alright by me. I was pleasantly surprised and so I want to share. I mean, I've told you a gazillion times about the transnational dub vibes coming at you... might as well hear it from some Classical Music drop out white kids from England.

From Jack to Juke: 25 Years of Ghetto House

From Jack to Juke: 25 Years of Ghetto House from Sonali Aggarwal on Vimeo.
Vid on the whole thing that stirs in the water of the north Midwest... this is no different from the Blues, Jazz, and Hip Hop when it comes to Black U.S. dance.

Slate Magazine: Dubstep's Breakout Year in One Info Graphic

In Tumblr fashion, Slate Magazine shares some links and jumps about Dubstep's takeover of 2011 based on MTVs infographic of how the genre did this year. It's informative and provides enough coffee table fodder for conversations amongst hipsters and sophistos.

I still am wondering how the transition took place from the old guarde of DMZ, Chef, and all them crew, to the post-Dubstep crew to the Brostep/Mainstream/Skrillex crew... I can only trace it to Dub Police's mid-range sound, then Rusko jumping ship to the Diplo camp, and Skream and Benga's natural trajectory towards mainstream formats. But it still seems that Skrillex has no ties to all this... hmmmm... 

Anyway, as much as I didn't enjoy Dubstep this year, I'd rather have had that selling me cereal and diapers than anything else... then again, there wasn't anything else besides Dubstep this year.

Critic’s Notebook Social-Minded Hip-Hop Is Making a Comeback - NY Times

Good article that brings up the generational gap in Hip Hop - particularly calling of a rise in socially conscious Hip Hop in the mainstream. I like how the article distinguishes the generational gaps taking place, noting how this isn't the same as before... and the failure of the older socially conscious rap to entertain. I don't know if one rapper signifies a monumental shift, as thug and party rappers have always thrown in a socially conscious rap once in a blue moon. I do agree that the distance the mainstream version of the genre has made with these types of lyrics is to note.

The question is if this trend is a function of marketing and media interest? Or is there a true surge taking place? I imagine that the first go round of socially conscious Hip Hop was a by-product of the Civil Rights/Black Power Movements, as many early rappers were a part, or direct descendents of these movements. With Post-9/11 kids taking up the mic, they are surrounded by a type of social fabric that can rival the disparity of poverty and class of the time before the Civil Rights era.

I pray that old-fart Hip Hop people aren't going to start saying "finally, the REAL Hip Hop is back"... there are two reasons why this is a dumb statement. 1. The social consciousness current rappers are bringing up is HIGHLY different from your rap music from 1993. In certain respects, I give Kanye and Blu the title of socially conscious rap as they are aware of their surroundings and reflect on it. Plus, they are interesting to listen to... truth is, Immortal Technique, Killer Mike, Mr. Lif, Dead Prez are all nice but shoving cultural analysis is not that interesting to me. 2. Hip Hop was party music first... a lack of "social consciousness" in a rap song does not make it less authentic. Remember old-farts, we were dancing to Biz Markie rapping about picking boogers... so lay off the mightier than thou.

Hip Hop is a medium, an artform, that can be filled with whatever you want. I am a very socially conscious person, and I enjoy rap where people are aware and comment on their surroundings... but when you are not entertaining, I'd rather you just write an article for me to read.

Repost from HipsterRunoff - "James Blake is a Dubstep Classist: The Problems with Modern Indiecentrism"

Kinda reads my mind exactly.... and I don't consider myself a Hipster...

"Dubstep: before and now" - So true!!!

 

So true!! hahaha

NY Tmes - Lex Luger Can Write a Hit Rap Song in the Time It Takes to Read This

A nice read on the newest template of Hip Hop production. Again, it seems like minimal is the way of Hip Hop... but taking these spacial elements to new directions, and cutting into the tastes of Hip Hop audience is still a magical mystery that occurs every few years. I have the Juicy J and Lex tape, and while I'm not a big fan of Trap music, its bangz...

Repost from The Stranger, Seatle WA - "I Was There When Acid House Hit London and This Is How It Felt"

A piece about one person's journey into Acid House - bumping along and making connections across House, Hip Hop, Electro, and all things during the 80s. Its quite cool as it speaks of a journey across genres, at a time where jumping ship and moving along was considered being a "sellout" from your tribe. A precedent set for all of us in Post-modern times...

Perculator Remixes out soon! Teaser Video with cute kids dancing their ass off!

Little kids being cute

Hip Hop Dancing

The Perculator

I couldn't resist!

From the details section on the Youtube:

http://www.facebook.com/cajualrecords feat. FUTURE FUNK, FOOTWORKINGZ, KID SISTER. Percolator Remix album out Aug. 30th.

Video shot & produced by Sombionx & Tiger Deluxe @ Q Studios Chicago

Remixes include Major Lazer, DJ Chuckie, Claude Vonstroke, Riva Starr, Mixin Marc, Bad Boy Bill, DJ Gantman

Special Thanks to: Future Funk, Footwork Kingz, Kid Sister, Dj Gantman,Sombionx & Tiger Deluxe @ Q Studios

Percolator is on the new "It's Time" album.

Album Tracklist: 1. Brighter Days (feat. Dajae-Underground Goodie Mix '93) 2. Percolator (Reworked '10) 3. U Got Me Up (feat. Dajae-Underground Goodie Mix '93) 4. Horny '94 5. Re Ah Do Da Da Da '94 6. Brighter Days (feat. Dajae '92) 7. Say U Will (feat. Dajae '05) 8. Feelin' Kinda High (feat. Terence FM '94) 9. Midnight (feat. Walter Phillips '04) 10. I Need U (feat. Dajae '04) 11. God Sent (feat. Jamie Principle '10)[Bonus Track] 12. Brighter Days (feat. Dajae-Underground Trance Mix '92) 13. Let Me Be '92 14. Feelin' Kinda High (feat. Terence FM-Dub '94) 15. Get Up Off Me (feat. Dajae-Dub '95) 16. Stay Around (feat. Terence FM-Dub '95) 17. Dancin' '97 18. Freaks & Stars (feat. Walter Phillips '02) 19. Stay Around (feat. Terence FM '95) 20. I Need U (feat. Dajae-Mark Grant Remix '05) 21. Just For (feat. Walter Phillips '10)[Bonus Track] 22. Sometimes I Do (feat. Walter Phillips '02)

Available for purchase at iTunes, Amazon, Beatport.com, Stompy.com,

Woo hoo! AmericanPupusa shows up on Racialicious!!!

Oy oy!!! My piece "Elements of Diversity" is featured on Racialicious, introducing me as a guest contributor! Shouts to Latoya Peterson and the rest of her crew as they bring in very cool intersections related to the discourse of social issues and race that you don't normally see. Drawing pop culture, comic books, and sci-fi will be covered inna bit when I write my next piece on Junot Diaz's visit to Georgetown earlier this week.

boh!!!

Tyler the Creator (OFWGKTA) on Race, Art, Subjective Success....

Tyler opens up about his family, lyrics about rape, hypocrisy in celebrating Quentin Tarantino's violence towards women in movies and haitng on similar imagery in his music.. and many other points that will leave culturlaists, Hip Hop heads, and other conscious folks taking for a minute. I applaud him and agree with his stances on the constraints of expression and identity, even from within your own community.