Yeah Peeps,
How is everybody? I know its been a long time since Krip-Hop Nation has wrote something but things has been popping in the last two to three months. On top of the events, travels and music making that I'll soon share with you, I've been racially/disabled profiled. So lets get into it.
In case if you are new to Krip-Hop Nation, Krip-Hop Nation Mission is to educate the music, media industries and general public about the talents, history, rights and marketability of Hip-Hop artists and other musicians with disabilities. Krip-Hop main objective is to get the musical talents of hip-hop artists with disabilities into the hands of media outlets, educators, and hip-hop, disabled and race scholars, youth, journalists and hip-hop conference coordinators.
Now in the last two months Krip-Hop Nation has been on the road off and on doing shows, events and lectures. Just like everything else these events were planned out through the year.
The first one was at Georgia State University in Atlanta on October 13th called The Hottest Krips in Hip-Hop, with a panel, films, performances and an award ceremony for the Late Joe Capers who was a music producer and musician. His extensive resume includes production of Tony! Toni! Tone!'s 1988 Gold album Who?, work with the Digital Underground, En Vogue and many others. He was blind. The whole event was sponsored by the Center for Leadership in Disability at Georgia State University, the Satcher Health Leadership Institute of Morehouse School of Medicine, IMPACT of Georgia State University and the Office of African American Student Services and Programs at Georgia State University. I would like to thank all the performers, panelists, the M, the Capers’ family Bethany Stevens and all of her co/workers and volunteers that made this event so great.
Some outstanding highlights of The Hottest Krips in Hip-Hop was the award ceremony honoring the work and life of the late Joe Capers, seeing his family on stage accepting the award and viewing what his family and Bethany put together as a PowerPoint with so many pictures of Joe with his friends and family with his music was a treat. I even had a chance to interview the family on video thanks to W.C. Hairs and his company who was there video tapping the whole event. However there were so many great moments of that event like meeting Hip-Hop artist/author who is newly disabled, Toni Hickman. It’s always a blast to hang out with old friends like Keith Jones and Bethany Stevens. Seeing Krip-Hop artists perform on one stage makes me proud. So excited that the Joe Capers Revolutionary Media Award will go on for others to receive it. We are talking to see if it’s going to be annually or bi annually but for one thing it will go on. Weeeeeeeeee Joe Capers live on!
After ATL Krip-Hop Nation was off to New York City for the Diversifying Hip-Hop: Krip-Hop Homo-Hop on the campus of New York University. Tovah E Leibowitz of NYU who coordinate the NYU Pride Month saw the internet buzz around the 2009 the Diversifying Hip-Hop: Krip-Hop Homo-Hop at U.C. Berkeley and offered to bring it to the campus of NYU. We worked on organizing the event through phone calls and emails throughout the year. Once again I like to thank all the artists/panelists and tech peeps like "Sue-Elise" Peebles. Oh my God, the panel was a mixture of politics some shocking and others trying to bring the two group together. Every time I do this event the panel is the big cheese for more so it keeps on changing. The performer tore down the roof of NYU and the films made people think. It was hot to help bring Diversifying Hip-Hop: Krip-Hop Homo-Hop to NYC. These events really taught me as the holder of the politics and vision of Krip-Hop Nation that I need to do more writing more explaining on what Krip-Hop Nation really is.
I had an opportunity to lecture at CUNNY on Statesisland NY in Terry Rowden’s class. Mr. Rowden is a professor and author of The Songs of Blind Folk
African American Musicians and the Cultures of Blindness on Krip-Hop Nation. Terry and I are planning to write the Krip-Hop book together. Like in all of my Krip-Hop lectures/workshop I have the artists do most of the talking through audio/video interviews. It seems like the students liked it. The last lecture was at another CUNNY campus but this time in the heart of NYC but it was on a topic I used to be involved in a lot, police brutality and other violence against people of color with disabilities. The way I opened the space with the poem I Can’t Rest (Tiny of Poor Magazine ideal) put the students on their toes. It was a great conversation.
Now being back home in the San Francisco Bay getting ready to bring Krip-Hop Nation with Mcees With Disabilities, MWD I look back for a minute and realize that I have to do some more a lot more writing, explaining and talking on the politics, history and vision of Krip-Hop Nation. The good and bad thing of what I’ve been doing with Krip-Hop Nation is that it is out there & that is the bad thing too because at this time it is out there with few political/historical written framework and….
Today is November 5th 2010 and Krip-Hop Nation is packing up again but this time it’s not in the US but for the UK. Krip-Hop Nation was approached by Garry Robinson of one of the biggest disability arts festival in the UK, DADA Festival in 2009. visit www.dadafest2010.co.uk. Robinson, Artistic Director last year commissioned Krip-Hop Nation to bring Mcees With Disabilities, an international project under Krip-Hop Nation to DADA Festival in Liverpool, UK on November 18-29th. For the first time six members of MWD, Lady MJ of the UK, Binkiwoi of Germany, Ronnie of Africa, DJ Dave of Germany, DJ Gezzer of UK and I of US will meet each other face to face and perform together on stage. Also there will be a Krip-Hop DJ Workshop, a Network session, a panel and more. Leroy will also be on a panel talking about Sins Invalid, www.sinsinvalid.org and talking about Disability Studies. Please check out dates, venues and times at www.dadafest2010.co.uk.
On top of all of that with the good comes the bad! In the last two months I was racially/disabled profiled in the San Francisco Bay Area and in New York. My friend, Keith Jones who is also Black and disabled was racially/disabled profiled while in ATL attending the Hottest Krips in Hip-Hop event. I have written poems and detail statement about these profilings. Look below for what happen in NY to me. Keith and I are talking about doing a song/poem about what happened to us. I hope this kind of attitude don’t follow me to Liverpool, UK! We will see.
You are Making Us Nervous!" Profiled Again This Time In NY
Just minding my business but do I have any business as a Black disabled man? In New York City just finished a successful Hip-Hop event bringing disabled and queer Hip-Hop artists together and visiting film makers. You know just doing my thing. I stopped to get my lady and nephews something then BOOM!
A White lady (employee of the book store) walked over and starred me up and down. Minding my own business looking at books laughing thinking that Darla would love the funny twisted book. I put down the book to realize the store security guard in front of me. The lady and security guard stares felt like something felt before you see I was Disabled Profiled twice in the San Francisco's Bay Area but what came out of his mouth (the security guard) made me chuckle inside. He said, "Sir you are making us nervous, what's under your jacket!" The chuckles stopped and my mind shouted "not again!" So I unzipped my jacket to show them my leather pouch . "Oh sorry sorry!", barked the security guard. As I looked up I noticed a Black face with a NYPD uniform on joined the group.
Yes cross country profiling from San Francisco to New York don't matter where you are big city small town can't escape my identity but I don't want to. Knowing there is no melting pot but somebody turned up the heat with more racial/disabled profiling following me from city to city. What to do? Can't bring this hate back home.
In ATL it was disabled profiling throw in class now everything is a mess. Humanity is failing the test but this is life so I'll go on surviving with open wounds. I have to laugh to keep from going insane and I won't go away although it get harder day by day. As I get older I get more and more tiered. However love ones continue to pick me up and dust me off reminding me how much they care.
Walking the streets of Harlem, NY. leaving behind what just happened heading towards a supporting loving nest for the night cause tomorrow is another day.
By Leroy Moore Jr.