Artists Gather From Around the World to Make a Difference Through Hip-Hop
Hartford, Connecticut, March 1, 2008 – Hip hop garnered a lion’s share of negative publicity in 2007 – DJ Drama was arrested for selling mixtapes, Don Imus pointed a finger at hip hop’s misogyny and T.I. was arrested on gun charges – spawning a nationwide dialogue over the future of the culture. But one bright spot was the Trinity International Hip-Hop Festival, now poised for its third annual event on April 4, 5 and 6, 2008, sponsored and hosted by Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. The Trinity Festival is a coming together of artists, activists, pioneers, filmmakers, DJs, graffiti writers, and fans with one thing in common – to make a difference in the world through hip hop.
The first and largest international hip hop festival in the United States, the Trinity International Hip-Hop Festival blends the wisdom of old school pioneers with the passions of hip hop musicians from the far points of the globe. Co-organizer and Trinity College student Zee Santiago said, “This is the first event of its kind that demonstrates how hip hop has become an international culture as well as an accepted academic area of study.â€
In past years, Trinity College has played host to hip hop luminaries such as Fab 5 Freddy, Jeff Chang (author of Can’t Stop Won’t Stop), Byron Hurt (director of Hip Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes) and Charlie Ahern (director of Wildstyle). The 2008 festival will kick off Friday afternoon with a hip hop theatre performance led by Baba Israel and opening remarks from Trinity College President James F. Jones, Jr., and Dr. Xiangming Chen, the Dean of the Center for Urban and Global Studies. This will be followed by a keynote address from Bakari Kitwana (author of The Hip Hop Generation and Why White Kids Love Hip Hop) entitled “Can Hip Hop Make the Transition from Cultural Movement to Political Power?” Artists scheduled to perform Friday night include Baba Israel (Australia/USA), La Bruja (Puerto Rico), Shokanti with Chachi and crew (Cape Verde), Abyssinian Creole (Seattle), Self-Suffice (Hartford), and a Senegalese “Super Crew†featuring several top Senegalese MCs backed by Nomadic Wax’s African Underground live band. The performances will be hosted by Canadian lyricist Eternia and Blitz the Ambassador (Ghana) backed by DJ Boo (of the Juggaknots).
Saturday’s activities will kick off with a panel discussion about the early years of hip hop with old school pioneers Grandmaster Caz and Tony Tone from the Cold Crush Brothers, Grand Wizard Theodore and DJ Disco Wiz. Pop Master Fabel of the legendary Rock Steady Crew will host a 2-on-2 b-boy battle Saturday afternoon with music provided by DJ Disco Wiz and a $500 prize on the line. West coast crew and Trinity-alums Trust Your Struggle will present a Graffiti Workshop and collaborate with other invited artists to create an all new mural in the center of campus. The Beat Making Workshop will give budding producers tips on how to make hip hop beats led by Connecticut production team Kemistree and Zaquan. Saturday night’s performance schedule includes Zimbabwe Legit (Zimbabwe/USA), The Perceptionists (Mr. Lif & Akrobatik – USA), Sam the Kid (Portugal), Jewish emcee Y-Love (presented by Trinity College’s Hillel House), female super-group Anomolies, spoken word collective iLL-Literacy and Rebel Diaz (Chile/Puerto Rico). Performances will again be hosted by Eternia and Blitz with DJ Boo. On Sunday, hip-hop educator Melissa Noel Green will present “The Art of Rhyme†Workshop. Global hip hop DJs will spin at the “Chill Out Lounge†during the course of all three days culminating with an open mic session for MCs on Sunday afternoon.
The event has elicited an enormous response and has been called “the best of the wave of springtime hip-hop conferences” by highly esteemed journalist Jeff Chang. Trinity College has been described as “a point of renaissance for Hartford” by the Trinity Tripod and the BBC reported that the students and artists involved “truly believe they can change the world through Hip-Hop.” The Trinity Tripod declared it “up to events like the [International Hip-Hop] Festival to pierce through the negative, capitalist-driven image now tagged to the Hip-Hop genre.” XXL magazine wrote of “an event that everyone could relate to, regardless of what country they came from or language they spoke.” Festival Sponsors include Trinity College, Nomadic Wax, The Temple of Hip-Hop Kulture and World Hip Hop Market. The festival will be free and open to the public.
Details and schedule information: http://trinityhiphop.org
In a day and age where hip hop is so often declared dead,
watered-down, or nothing more than Carson Daly bubblegum pop, one
might expect the South Bronx to come to the rescue. Not necessarily
the case. Turns out our savior hails from a small European country
known more for legal prostitution and hash bars than it is for the
boom-bap of hip hop. Nicolay, government name Matthijs Rook.
Representing both The Netherlands and the movement to reclaim the soul
and aesthetics of hip hop, Nicolay is today at the forefront of a
movement within hip hop that is preserving the roots and fundamentals
of the music, while at the same time pushing the boundaries of what it
has to offer.
Ever since a young’un, Nicolay has displayed a great love and passion
for music, devouring whatever he could lay his ears upon. A musical
prodigy, over the years he has become skilled at the piano, keys,
bass, guitar, and drums, all of which seem to find a way into eclectic
brand of music. Having honed his chops by playing in several live
bands specializing in hip hop and R&B, Nicolay made the natural
progression to producer around the turn of the century. However, it
wasn’t until a stroke of luck a short while later that he received his
more formal introduction into the American hip hop underground via the
famous Okayplayer website, home to some of the most historic and
passionate hip hop blogging. Phonte Coleman, of Little Brother fame,
and he began conversing on the site. One thing led to another and
Nicolay slid Phonte a beat, which later evolved into “Light It Up”,
the B-side single for Little Brother’s now classic The Listening
(2003). Their relationship continued to grow organically, at least
via the internet, the result being a two man team known as Foreign
Exchange and 2004′s much celebrated collaboration Connected. All of
this chemistry on one record while not even once having met in person,
proving that music truly is a language all its own. For a flavor of
how seamlessly the two made a transatlantic connection, just listen to
“Nic’s Groove”, a perfectly pitched track that sees Little Brother
member Big Pooh join his partner in rhyme Phonte:
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Since 2004′s Connected, it’s been a whirlwind of notoriety, success,
and production credits for Nicolay. His ever expanding discography
now includes a collection of instrumentals called City Lights 1.5
(2005), solo joints Dutch Masters Volume 1 (2005) and Here (2006),
Foreign Exchange’s Connected (2004), and numerous other productions
for various hip hop and R&B artists (Common, Mary J. Blige, Median,
Strange Fruit Project, and Cesar Comanche to name just a few). In
store for the ’08 is Foreign Exchange’s eagerly anticipated sophomore
effort Leave It All Behind and next month’s conceptual album
Time:Line, a collaboration with Houston rapper Kevin “Kay” Jackson.
Listening to Nicolay’s diverse blend of samples with live instruments,
electronic soul and R&B with hip hop sensibilities, and old school
fundamentals with progressive sounds, it quickly becomes apparent how
eloquently a gifted musician can transcend time, and even race, with
just a few soulful melodies and well-placed kicks and snares. For a
parting treat, take a look at the video for Nicolay’s remix to
Common’s “Come Close” featuring Mary J. Blige:
DJ Sho Nuff: Do all of the “what do you feel about the legalization of marijuana?”, “do you like to make beats under the influence of mushrooms?”, and “How has legalized prostitution affected you musically?” questions get annoying? Or do you honestly not get them? I always figured it would be the same as a Brasilian artist being asked about beaches and ass shaking carnival honeys?
Nicolay: Yeah, I do get the weed/clog/windmill/tulip/red light district references a lot, but try not to really get into them even though I am usually kind of relieved when people at least get the ballpark location right. They’ll sometimes think I’m from Denmark, I’ve seen the UK…. Sweden, you name it. I never really bug out over it but… I do expect writers to get their facts straight.
DJ Sho Nuff: Alright, a lot has been made about how you and Phonte worked on Connected without ever having even met. Whatever whatever. What I’m curious about is how did that affect the overall product, or perhaps it didn’t at all with technology being what it is today? Hell, I don’t even speak to half my friends any more since the advent of text messaging.
Nicolay: Yeah, around the time that the album came out a lot was said about the “unorthodox” way in which we made it. Part of that obviously was a hype created by the promo dept., but I think what people were most blown away about was that our “internet” album sounded better than most albums done in huge expensive studios with artists all up in each others faces. For me personally, I don’t think it affected the product in a negative way at all, in fact, it was the only way in which the thing could even be facilitated so we just embraced it. If anything, it affected the album in a positive way in the sense that it gave us a lead as both a frontrunner on the technological side as well as an underdog.
DJ Sho Nuff: Kanye’s Graduation and 50′s Curtis. You buy both, neither, or just one? If neither, is it only cause you downloaded torrents of both?
Nicolay: Neither. In 50′s case… well, his persona is just very far removed from who I am or where I come from, and his music doesn’t really do enough for me to bridge that gap. I don’t particularly like him as an emcee, either. Kanye is hit or miss with me, I love some of his tracks but then other tracks leave me untouched, like that song he did with dude from Maroon 5. I didn’t mess with that one. Stronger was sort of the same for me, I just wasn’t really feeling it. So I guess to summarize, I bought other albums than those two.
DJ Sho Nuff: Now I know you don’t want to see anyone die, but let’s say every past, present, or aspiring hip hop emcee and producer were on board one giant plane, and there were only 7 parachutes, who would you like to see grab a hold of them so as to see the history and culture of hip hop be preserved and even expanded?
Nicolay: It’s ironic because the first person that I’d wanna give a parachute already is no longer with us, J. Dilla. When he died, a lot of creativity and edge died with him, I’m afraid. I’d say Common, for Like Water for Chocolate and Electric Circus, Q-Tip, Phife and Ali share a parachute for pioneering A Tribe Called Quest, Organized Noise for what they did with Outkast and Goodie Mob, Premier and Pete Rock each need to get one, so do the Beatminerz. It would be interesting to see a Lost-type show with all those cats on one island.
DJ Sho Nuff: You watch HBO’s The Wire? If your answer is no, why not? If yes, who’s your favorite character and do you think Omar is gonna make it to see the end of Season 5?
Nicolay: I haven’t watched it yet, no. Phonte keeps telling me it’s the greatest shit ever, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet and I really wanna start at the beginning.
DJ Sho Nuff: In terms of Holland’s hip hop scene, do you see a lot of mimicking of more popular stateside emcees and producers or do you see the country cultivating its own organic scene, addressing its own relevant cultural and social issues? Maybe this is where all the dope, mushroom, prostitute questions can come in.
Nicolay: Right now in Holland it’s almost “not done” to rhyme in English. The cats rhyming in Dutch far outnumber cats rhyming in English, currently. I think in principle that’s a good thing, however certain circles in Holland’s scene have a tendency of hating on cats that rhyme in Engish for no real good reason.
DJ Sho Nuff: What are your favorite pieces of equipment for capturing certain sounds on your records? You don’t have to answer this if I’m asking you to give up any secrets that you don’t want idiots like me to know about.
Nicolay: It really shifts with the days. There’s a lot of different pieces of equipment that I love using on the regular. I still do get a huge kick out of messing with my analogue synthesizers.
DJ Sho Nuff: Do you sample? Why or why not? What do you feel about the current legality of sampling, including the Cincinnati District Court of Appeals 2002 ruling that any sample, regardless of length and whether or not it even is recognizable? How does this affect the indy or aspiring artist as opposed to the major label or established artist?
Nicolay: Yeah, I sample. I do always try to hide it though, I try to stay away from very recognizable loops. Recognizable to who though, is the question… When it comes to the legal connotations, I am kinda in the position where I understand both sides of the coin, but in the end… I come from a hiphop tradition where anything is up for grabs as long as you get away with it.
DJ Sho Nuff: Supposedly you’re the Dutch version of Prince, capable of playing any number of instruments (piano, keys, guitar, bass, drums, anything you touch)? How does this benefit you in the studio? How bout the classical training, do you think it ever hinders you or makes you less flexible in your work?
Nicolay: I think in no way, shape or form am I the Dutch version of Prince, if it was for height alone LOL. I play keys, guitars and bass proficiently, and I get by on the drums. It benefits me in the sense that I do not necessarily need to depend fully on quote on quote conventional beatmaking tools, but that I can add my own basslines, parts, etc.
DJ Sho Nuff: In hip hop it is commonplace for several emcees to be featured on one beat, done by one producer. Have you ever thought about flipping it and have several producers featured on one emcee, meaning you and a couple other beatsmiths get together and string three separate beats together, forcing the emcee to display his versatility and switch up his flow accordingly? Kind of the way DJ Premier will occasionally just completely switch up the tempo, melody, and overall aesthetics of one his beats midway through. I always wondered if Premier used to listen to a lot of Freddie Mercury and Queen as kid. Mercury seemed to be fearless in his approach to the direction in which he would take a song. Anyhow, maybe I’m just really naïve and you’ve been collaborating with other producers like this for years.
Nicolay: The few times I have collaborated with other producers, I have never been comfortable. It just doesn’t work for me. I have very clearly defined views and approaches that I just don’t want to compromise. However, in terms of “switching up” the tempo, melody, etc. well, we do that all the time. I realize that you can’t really consider what we do just “hiphop” but yeah, we try to keep it musically engaging as well, and so especially in the newer material such as the TIME:LINE album or the upcoming new Foreign Exchange album, there’ll be weird meters, tempo and time signature changes, bridges and b-parts, you name it. We are just trying to create records that have a lasting quality, same as the classic records that we listen to and study.
DJ Sho Nuff: Eve of the 2010 All-Time World Cup and Marco Van Basten goes down with a head injury. You’re called in to replace as head coach. Only one spot left on your roster. Cruijff or Rijkaard or Bergkamp or Gullit?
Nicolay: That is a very tough call but I would have to say Gullit. Cruijff is probably our best player ever, but Gullit is from the generation that won the European championship in 1988 and I followed that very intensely at the time. They are all amazing players but Gullit gets called in. He coaches Los Angeles now, ironically.
DJ Sho Nuff: I’ve been checking out the Time:Line sampler on YouTube (MP3 version) and I’m really digging it. Although I must admit I’m not familiar with Kay, I absolutely love the fact that you’re collaborating with a Houston emcee. We hear Houston and rap, we all think Scarface, Ghetto Boys, Rap-A-Lot Records, and gangsters. Don’t get me wrong, none of that is a bad thing. It’s just that it’s been pigeonholed, kind of like the way I feel a lot of critics have been doing with you. “Oh Nicolay, his sounds are just like 9th Wonder’s.” Just ’cause you guys both worked extensively with an emcee named Phonte Coleman doesn’t mean you sound alike. I’ll bet you’re tired of the Pete Rock one too. Anyhow, I’m rambling. Just wanted to say I think it’s fresh that you are refusing to be typecast by working with an emcee from a completely typecasted city. Now to my question. Well, two questions. One, is typecasted actually a word? And two, what drew you and Kay to appreciate one another’s sounds? Sorry, one more bonus question. I can only imagine making a beat catered to one emcee’s particular flow is a completely different beast from creating a soundscape aimed at bringing the best out of another emcee? What did you deliberately do on the record to help Kay bring out the best in himself?
Nicolay: I think what drew us together was a combination of things. Even though we come from completely different backgrounds, musically we have a lot in common, in terms of influences, ideas, etc. I guess it’s a situation where, once you find someone that speaks the same “language” in musical terms, that’s usually all you need. You are right, my approach definitely differs per artist. For this album specifically, I tried to more or less “push” Kay’s envelopes in the sense that I sent him things that were very different from “regular boombap”. Other artists may not necessarily want to really branch out but so far I have been very lucky with the people that I am working with. They are all open-minded, and that’s what’s most needed in today’s climate.
To round out this week’s focus on Dr. Osumare’s book, we’ve got our first ever interview featuring none other than the good Doctor. If you are truly interested in the global aspect of hip-hop, pick up her book. It’s a great read and one of the only texts out there that covers the global spread of hip-hop from an academic perspective. Enjoy!
“Hip Hop here [in Senegal] is different than in the US. People here don’t go to the shows to dance, they go to listen. It’s a performance. And when you listen to the lyrics, it hits you, it hits you right between the eyes.†(Abdou Diop of African Bronx City Youngsters B-Boy Crew)
Dakar, Senegal (West Africa)- February 2007-
Marche [market] Sandaga is full as usual. Hand-made, wooden stalls crowd the already narrow streets as pedestrians and honking taxis alike fight to pass through. Crackly rap music blasts out of a stall stocked with shelves and shelves of cassette tapes. The speaker from which the music comes is as big as the stall itself. The brightly colored Car Rapides (informal public transportation buses) race by, young kids hang off the back of the trucks yelling their respective destinations- Woukam Woukam Woukam – Dakar Dakar Dakar – Pikine Pikine Pikine. On the surface, it is business as usual. I haven’t been in Dakar since 2005 when I was a student, a junior in college, beginning my four month study abroad in a country that, until that point, I had only read about. Two years later, I am back in Senegal, this time with a team of three people, Ben Herson of Nomadic Wax and Chris Moore, my film partner. We are here to make a documentary film about politics and music. Standing in Marche Sandiga, I finally see the changes that had eluded me before. The walls, the lamp poles- every available surface – are covered with pictures of men. One face covers more walls then the rest. I recognize him immediately. Dakar is covered with the political posters of current president Abdoulaye Wade, an 80-something (no one knows his real age) year old who is running for re-election. Paint smears cover the eyes and the face of this elderly president on many of these posters. In some places, the posters have been ripped to pieces.
The Context
Historically, Senegal has been hailed as one of the more stable democratic countries in West Africa. Since its independence in the 1960’s, it has maintained free and fair elections. Despite this, it has had only three presidents. The first two ruled until 2000, a time dominated by one political party, the Socialist Party of Senegal (Parti Socialiste Du Senegal). A response to decades of single party political rule with little attention paid to urban poverty, unemployment, crime, and corruption, rap music and Hip Hop culture began to emerge out of the streets and sprawling shanty-towns suburbs of Dakar in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Emcees, graffiti writers, and DJ’s used their music and spray cans to educate and empower each other.
In early 1994, Positive Black Soul released the first Senegalese hip hop album and almost immediately, the world began to pay attention. The impact on Senegal was bigger than anyone had ever imagined. Positive Black Soul (PBS), fronted by Didier Awadi and Duggy-Tee, blended traditional instruments, songs and singing styles together with Public Enemy-esque rap specific to the Senegalese experience. The very political album was purposely released just after the 1993 presidential elections. The line, ‘We are not the PS. We are not the PDS. We are the PBS,’ a reference to Senegal’s two political parties, started a chain reaction in the country resulting in an explosion in rap crews, radio shows, and studios. PBS had voiced the feelings of frustration of most Senegalese youth and they had done it through Hip Hop. A precedent had been set.
In 2000, rappers galvanized the youth of Senegal (a majority of the population) into action. Abdoulaye Wade, an opposition leader who had run in every Senegalese election since independence, was elected by the hopeful youth. Hip Hop played the fundamental role in this regime change. In fact, Wade publicly thanked the hip hop community for its support in his first speech as President. For many, Wade was a messiah. He represented the country’s hope for a better future. For the youth, it was as simple as the possibility of a stable job, of an income, of a means of survival.
Nearly 7 years later, much of that is gone. The country still operates on a bare-bones and heavily indebted economy, unemployment is massive, and nothing has been done to curb poverty. In addition and perhaps even more frightening, a culture of fear has emerged in response to the recent jailing of opposition leaders, threats to local journalists, and the expulsion of international journalists. This past year in Senegal has been marked by unheard of numbers of Senegalese desperately fleeing the country on rafts as hopeful illegal immigrants to Europe, many drowning on the way, and widespread infringement upon freedom of speech. The youth who had been instrumental in helping to rid their country of single party rule years before, are now afraid to speak out. This explains why political protests against Wade have been rare and yet almost every one of his posters has been painted over.
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The Film
So why am I here? The Democracy in Dakar film is the first part of the African Underground Project, founded by Ben Herson of Nomadic Wax. As I have already mentioned, hip hop played the fundamental role in the regime change of 2000. With the increased tension in the country, the expulsion and harassment of journalists and musicians, and the enormous numbers of youth fleeing the country on tiny fishing boats, the February elections looked like they would be one of the most important and pivotal elections in Senegalese history. ‘Democracy in Dakar’ documents the February presidential elections through the eyes of the country’s rappers, famous and unknown, and the youth who listen to them.
To find out what exactly happened during those tense few days and what has happened since then, log onto www.africanunderground.com and take a look at the episodes we shot and edited while in Senegal.
This is a story of democracy, and the fight for a fair and incorruptible government system. It is a unique look at the role hip hop can play in national politics. If there is one thing that we have learned in making this film, it is that the challenges faced by Senegal’s youth are not too distant from the ones we face today, in the US. The film provides interest answers to questions of music, entertainment verses education, the electoral process, and democracy as a system.
Democracy in Dakar: Episode 3
Episode 3 takes place on election day and follows the group Sen Kumpe (see MP3 above!) through the day and their voting experience on into the immediate aftermath of the election, as people are sensing that Abdoulaye Wade may have won a slim majority in the election. (more)
