black arts

Black Shesus and Her Disciples

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This is an exciting time in the artistic community. We had the pleasure of interviewing and spending the day, and in the case of Dream, a few days with the incredibly talented emcee, performance artist, and thoughtful visionary, BFLY.

The emcee and first lady has been expanding her artistic expression and has started a movement with what I’m calling the Black Shesus Experience. We were going to originally post this interview prior to her showing at the Force Field Project in Philadelphia, PA. Unfortunately, some technical issues and changes to the weekend’s format delayed our posting of the video.

However, undeterred and determined to do what good performance art requires–confront, provoke and begin conversation–BFly and the Baltimore Girls, traveled to Force Field anyway, where they transformed into Black Shesus and the Disciples. The goal was to have the audience think about images of black womanhood and to really explore what each audience member knows, thinks and feels about the individual black women in their lives. BFlY through her character of Black Shesus, explores the divinity of black womanhood and the dichotomy between the holy and unholy, the good and the bad, and the all and the nothing that makes up the human experience. She takes stereotypical images of blackness, sporting a stylized, beautiful version of black face, and flips them on their head with a flick of the hand of the silent goddess that is Black Shesus. Taking this a step further than her earlier installations, she took on the crowd at the only part of Force Field that remained in effect, a dance party. Adding to the impact of the moving installation, she included a collective of amazing woman artists in their own rights, the Baltimore Girls, all donning gold flecked black faces as their Disciple selves. Show on or not the art must go on.

To understand the motivation and how BFly developed Black Shesus watch our interview with BFLY here.

For more on Black Shesus, please visit http://www.blackshesus.com
For more on BFLY, follow her on twitter @THEREALBFLY
For more on the Baltimore Girls, visit their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BaltimoreGirls

Love LOVE

India Arie and the Grammys

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India Arie recently wrote an open letter about the Grammys on facebook. She had a lot to say about the lack of diversity in the award show both in performances as well as in nominations/winners. I’ve always thought that the Grammys got the categories I care most about for this show wrong–hip hop and R&B. She suggests having groups who make music in each genre nominate for that genre. I think this sounds like a good idea. What do you think? Do you agree with her thoughts about diversity? Nominations? See her thoughts below.

The 2014 Grammy’s: Open Letter from @IndiaArie

@Kendricklamar WAS robbed, BUT he was not the only one who was robbed. Personally, I was pleased he was able to perform and they KILLED! IT! One of the FEW moving moments of the night for ME.

Though it’s called “Music industries biggest night” the #Grammys are NOT about the music, it’s a popularity contest. The voting process allows people, to vote on name recognition alone – the music industry politics is a whole NUTHER conversation. Too much to go into here.

The American Music Awards is a show that awards sales and popularity – the #Grammys are SAID to be about the music.

If the hip hop community voted on hip hop – r&b COMMUNITY the same – same for each category – we’d see winners that reflect the MUSIC ITSELF. We all know that’s just not the way it goes.

NOW the BIGGER losers, are ALL of black music. Where was the black music community represented in last nights #Grammy show? Performers and Winners (or not) … Where were the black artists?

And this isn’t the first time the #Grammy’s has had a show all but excluding young black America and black artists in general, although we set the worlds musical trends. Why NOT televise the lifetime achievement awards of the Isley Brothers? SURELY they deserved to be on televised stage LAST NIGHT! While other artists were on stage TWICE?

The truth is in a perfect world diversity would matter, and respect would be rampant, but the TRUTH is, The #Grammys is a television show, and in THAT world ratings reign supreme. So, in general, bigger names take the stage, and sadly the biggest names often times ARE BIGGER drawn along racial lines from the release of an album. i.e. marketing dollars, and just general support. It’s unfortunate.

I don’t even get surprised any more, but, it still hits my sense of fairness, because I KNOW many of the artists who are overlooked. I LIVE in that world. We keep showing up and subjecting ourselves to the game, hoping MAYBE we’ll win. I was so HAPPY to see @Kendricklamar take that stage – because it is a FORM of winning, at LEAST, he was SEEN.

Speaking of diversity, congratulations to my PERSONAL favorite albums of the year – @I_GregoryPorter #LiquidSpirit @Realsnarkypuppy and @lalahhathaway on your win and THANK YOU! @pharrell for acting RIGHT in the presence of the greatness that is @Nilerodgers and #StevieWonder

Love to all #SoulBirdsWorldWide

@IndiaArie

P.S. No mention of Nelson Mandela at ALL? … and THIS is why we NEED the Image Awards AND the BET awards.

This Dude is Mad as a Hatter: Femi the Drifish

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Do you take your Doom, with a side of Kool Keith and the thrash of Jack White’s guitar? That’s as close as I can currently get to describing what Femi the Drifish brings to the stage, to music, and to art in general. And yes that’s a question not acutally a description. The album art gives you an indication of the challenge; he’s the mad man artist you meet that makes you question whether it really is the rest of us that are crazy. This isn’t music for the faint of heart not the faint of mind.
The Drifish has created his own niche that incorporates rock, spoken word, and hip hop into a delicious mix. This is music for those who love lyrics, love the unexpected and love live music. You’ll be tempted to just rock out with the melodies and sing along with his band the Out of Water Experience. Do that but then go back and listen to lyrics. This is where you see the real genius of Femi the Drifish. Those lyrics at first blush sound as if he were simply spitting nonsense ala Lewis Carroll or the actual hatters high off of factory fumes but very much like DOOM everything makes perfect sense.

Tune in; don’t miss our interview of the high energy, skillful lyrical wordsmith. Hopefully we don’t end up tied up or in straight jackets 🙂 Listen to the live interview Saturday @11 am EST here: http://listenvision.com/listen_live/index.html

Yes it’s live so tweet questions, comments, and thoughts to @GMGPShow and @TheDrifish!

Matter of fact for now you just have to hear him for yourself:

and



Pick up the albums Mad as a Hatter and The Clown with No Circus here:
http://stinkifacemusic.com/thedrifish.cfm or on ITunes. Femi the Drifish and the Out of Water Experience will be at the Fells Point Festival today Oct. 6, 2012 in Baltimore, MD. Check them out if you’re in the area.

The Evolution of the Emcee and Poet

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Call 911! Alert the authorities. The hosts have been kidnapped and a takeover is happening. Matter of fact just tell everyone you know to tune in! Ananamas and Eight sense will be holding down the host spots and taking you on a journey. The Last Born child will share his projects The Consumer 360 Project and The Evolution of the Emcee. The Evolution of the Emcee does as promised and takes the listener through time and space. This is a head nod, listen carefully, he said what, some real lyrical nest, shit. Interspersed throughout the EP are interludes that include the beats behind classics like “Memory Lane”, “98 Till Infinity”, “Chiefrocker”, “Reminisce” and more. Last Born takes you inside the soul of an emcee and the soul of all true hip hop heads through descriptions of falling for this form and connects it to other elements like djing, poetry and more.He’s also featured on The Consumer 360 Project which is another one to cop. I know you all heard that “Passing Me Boy-2012” joint. There is much more on this mixtape.  Check it out here:
http://www.last.fm/music/Consumer+Voice+360%C2%B0+Project/Consumer+Voice+360+Project

And if that’s not enough his big sis who he credits for introducing him to the form, Miss Sharon “IMATELLMUVA” herself will be in the studio! She is a writer, poet, artist, and jewelry designer. She has made leather cuffs and accessories for Craig G, Captain Lou of Consumer Voice, OOH of Brownfish, Kane Mayfield, Eightsense, our Shameeka Dream and other notables. Check out more about her art and writing here: http://imatellmuva.com/, here: http://imatellmuva.hubpages.com/ and here: http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-0538-545e-94a3?ln

Don’t miss this show. Calling all Hip Hoppers! Ring the Alarm!!!!! The fire is coming!

Take a sneak peak: http://djblackwizard.podomatic.com/player/web/2010-12-31T17_19_08-08_00
Check out “Baltimore Son”:

The Warrior Poet: Love the Poet Interviewed

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She speaks about pursuing your passion. Her advice is simple, start with waking up. We talk about the “16 shining light beams”. She says the story of Christ is repeated throughout time. Why? She talks about the complexity of sexuality and how there is more to us than just being gay or straight. We exist in a spectrum. She does what every good writer should, leaves you thinking about her words long after you’ve heard them. She also creates sonically beautiful poetry that you will sing/speak with as loud as any song. She’s written a book, Black Marks on White Paper. She’s working on a new project, Gemini Moon. She’s released the first single from the project called “Like Gold”. She’s running a kickstarter campaign to make this project a reality. For more about her art and how you can support visit her website http://www.lovethepoet.com.

Listen to the interview. Click play!

Introduction video to her book Black Marks on White Paper: