MELVIN VAN PEEBLES: televised revolutionary

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/RyEPSJZKJKI/AAAAAAAAARw/M0--b_2Rl7A/s1600-h/watermelon_logo2.gif"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5125394655357838498" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/RyEPSJZKJKI/AAAAAAAAARw/M0--b_2Rl7A/s400/watermelon_logo2.gif" style="cursor: pointer;" /></a><br /><br /><br />i recently came across a documentary called<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/RyERJpZKJMI/AAAAAAAAASA/6w3IO5I9ZUQ/s1600-h/mvp_ratedx.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5125396708352206018" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/RyERJpZKJMI/AAAAAAAAASA/6w3IO5I9ZUQ/s400/mvp_ratedx.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (and Enjoy It)"</span> about Melvin Van Peebles, one of the most groundbreaking filmmakers in black cinema. i loved his first big movie, 1971 film Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song...an true gem of underground cinema. this baadasss movie is one of the most surreal, funny, provocative, thought-provoking, liberating avantgarde masterpieces i've ever encountered. <br /><br />Van Peebles's work, which ranges from foundational blaxpoitation flicks from the 70s to spoken word acts, influenced giants such as Gill-Scott Heron, Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino, and countless others. a true agent provocateur at heart, he revolutionized not only cinema, but was also foundational to hip-hop with his unique rapping style. <br /><br />as the documentary's synopsis points out, "Whether making guerrilla-style films, flying Air Force sorties over the Pacific (ferrying the atom bomb, no less), studying astronomy in Amsterdam, writing novels in self-taught French, composing music (by means of a self-devised notation system), writing musical stage plays (for which he received nine Tony nominations), recording seminal rap albums or trading options on Wall Street, Van Peebles has blazed his own path, making a mark in each endeavor he’s pursued."<br /><br />the revolution might not be televised, but his corpus of work is a true exception to that rule...<br />to read more about the movie, check <a href="http://www.mvpmovie.com/">here</a><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mikt0j14yl8&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mikt0j14yl8&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

MELVIN VAN PEEBLES: televised revolutionary

i recently came across a documentary called "How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (and Enjoy It)" about Melvin Van Peebles...

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IS HIP HOP DEAD?..."werewolves know it better"

so i was asked to submit a piece for a halloween-themed T-shirt design contest sponsored by Red Bull... this is what i came up with...teen eddie munster rocking his halloween outfit (vampires and werewolves're gotta dress up on halloween too, right?)...as far as the whole debate about the alleged death of hip-hop...well, just ask a vampire about the world of the dead...they know it first hand! (....it also helps to have transylvanian roots, haha, though i leave the vampire life to the munsters:) <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/RyDvnpZKJJI/AAAAAAAAARo/HWYc_bTOvm0/s1600-h/redbullhallowlichiban.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5125359840352937106" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/RyDvnpZKJJI/AAAAAAAAARo/HWYc_bTOvm0/s400/redbullhallowlichiban.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a>

IS HIP HOP DEAD?..."werewolves know it better"

so i was asked to submit a piece for a halloween-themed T-shirt design contest sponsored by Red Bull... this is what i came up with...teen e...

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SPOKEN WORD:Providence brings heat!

in the midst of all the halloween gore and madness, there is a not-to-be-missed event for all of you out there who love spoken word. on Sunday, October 28th, Providence's Xxodus Cafe will host NYC spoken word poet, OVEOUS MAXIMUS, along with local hip-hop acts, Chachi and Swann Notty. yes, New England, it is worth tracking out to Providence for this...it's the real deal. read more about the event <a href="http://www.prleap.com/pr/99052/">here</a><br /> <br />i always thought that there was a parallel between nomadic tribal societies and communities that have been marginalized by the mainstream establishment. real tribal leaders used poetry to negotiate political deals, preserve their people's cultural memory and to rap about sneaking into some desert beauty's tent... perhaps it is the relentless search for freedom and the struggle for survival amongst the harshest living conditions that bring out a parallel in social patterns, i am not sure (...i could go on, but i don't want to distract from the main point). but like the genuine warrior-poets of nomadic desert tribes whose martial repertoire had to be accompanied by charismatic poetic skills, urban spoken word poets carry on the tradition of giving a powerful voice to the marginalized while fighting to restore the dignity of their people...when it comes from the heart, poetry, like music and other art forms, is a vehicle of social change...one that begins with a transformation on an individual level. so listen...<br /><br /> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/Rx-z_mPpGvI/AAAAAAAAARg/QSapn0D1QFI/s1600-h/OveousMaximusShow.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5125012806150200050" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/Rx-z_mPpGvI/AAAAAAAAARg/QSapn0D1QFI/s400/OveousMaximusShow.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a><br /><object height="366" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5UfEzosE0sE&rel=1&border=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5UfEzosE0sE&rel=1&border=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="366"></embed></object>

SPOKEN WORD:Providence brings heat!

in the midst of all the halloween gore and madness, there is a not-to-be-missed event for all of you out there who love spoken word. on Sund...

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PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE MONTH: urban visionary, Mike Schreiber

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/R5g7DL_7oAI/AAAAAAAAApA/JufWeJsUEaE/s1600-h/1452929657_l.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158938299099488258" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/R5g7DL_7oAI/AAAAAAAAApA/JufWeJsUEaE/s320/1452929657_l.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 241px;" /></a>check out one of my favorite urban photographers, Mike Schreiber's work at <a href="http://www.mikeschreiber.com/">mikeschreiber.com</a>...framed by concrete-colored urban canvases, his black and white portraits are able to capture a level of spontaneity and unmediated presence that make his photographs speak to you directly.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/RxvclmPpGrI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/AmnFE7IiQag/s1600-h/cuba.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123931539543497394" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/RxvclmPpGrI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/AmnFE7IiQag/s400/cuba.jpg" style="cursor: pointer;" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/RxvcTmPpGpI/AAAAAAAAAQs/IvrRQaLdQbU/s1600-h/l_2428ae8282df204fe636532ec6fb1dd0.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123931230305852050" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/RxvcTmPpGpI/AAAAAAAAAQs/IvrRQaLdQbU/s400/l_2428ae8282df204fe636532ec6fb1dd0.jpg" style="cursor: pointer;" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/Rxvca2PpGqI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/KjIt7XWHHl8/s1600-h/mos-def.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123931354859903650" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/Rxvca2PpGqI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/KjIt7XWHHl8/s400/mos-def.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 306px; height: 217px;" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/RxvcIGPpGnI/AAAAAAAAAQc/r9RxhYMZZSQ/s1600-h/1377099539_l.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123931032737356402" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/RxvcIGPpGnI/AAAAAAAAAQc/r9RxhYMZZSQ/s400/1377099539_l.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 318px; height: 211px;" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/RxvcIGPpGnI/AAAAAAAAAQc/r9RxhYMZZSQ/s1600-h/1377099539_l.jpg"><br /></a>

PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE MONTH: urban visionary, Mike Schreiber

check out one of my favorite urban photographers, Mike Schreiber's work at mikeschreiber.com ...framed by concrete-colored urban canvase...

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T-shirts do's and don'ts

T-SHIRTS DON'T s<br />if you weren't already turned off by the uniformly boring designs of abercrombie & fitch, check this out....this is where corporate imagination goes stale with t-shirt design that reeks of bigotry and lacks humor. you can read <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2003-06-17-abercrombie_x.htm"> here</a> about the controversy and the lawsuits filed against the chain for their discriminatory hiring practices and their idiotic designs.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/Rw0sjWPpGcI/AAAAAAAAAPE/5XQDBlnisNI/s1600-h/abercrombiewong200.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119797337168353730" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/Rw0sjWPpGcI/AAAAAAAAAPE/5XQDBlnisNI/s400/abercrombiewong200.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 304px; height: 196px;" /></a><br /><br />T_SHIRT DO's<br />now for design with love and a sexy sense of humor, check out <a href="http://www.iheartboris.com/">iheartboris.com..</a><br />with instructions like "please keep me clean you dirty girl"and "who the hell irons t-shirts anyway", this yellow baby will clearly keep young ladies' hearts burning..haha! who doesn't love Boris, anyway?!?!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/Rw0ummPpGgI/AAAAAAAAAPk/HF00wXHR16o/s1600-h/boristee.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119799592026184194" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/Rw0ummPpGgI/AAAAAAAAAPk/HF00wXHR16o/s400/boristee.jpg" style="cursor: pointer;" /></a><br /><br />if you want to support a good cause, then this is the tee to consider. the <a href="http://%20www.myspace.com/tlmphilly">The Love Movement</a> supports a community in Benin, Africa with the sale of their tees. they are out with <a href="http://store.ropeadope.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=298">Ropeadope </a>for $16.50. type in the code MARIO at the check out to get the deal.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/Rw07YGPpGhI/AAAAAAAAAPs/uHKI-_coIIU/s1600-h/TLM_storefront.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119813636569242130" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/Rw07YGPpGhI/AAAAAAAAAPs/uHKI-_coIIU/s400/TLM_storefront.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a>

T-shirts do's and don'ts

T-SHIRTS DON'T s if you weren't already turned off by the uniformly boring designs of abercrombie & fitch, check this out....thi...

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i've been hard at work....

step one...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/Rw1zFWPpGiI/AAAAAAAAAP0/bhms7TnoE4o/s1600-h/Lichibanskate1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119874887097850402" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/Rw1zFWPpGiI/AAAAAAAAAP0/bhms7TnoE4o/s400/Lichibanskate1.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a><br />step two...part one of the skateboard series is done!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/Rw1ztmPpGjI/AAAAAAAAAP8/g6dAvwxBj6M/s1600-h/Lichibanskate2xx.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119875578587585074" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/Rw1ztmPpGjI/AAAAAAAAAP8/g6dAvwxBj6M/s400/Lichibanskate2xx.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a><br />capturing childhood innocence and beauty...this image has healing power!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/Rw10AWPpGkI/AAAAAAAAAQE/rnWXHn8aMVg/s1600-h/LichibanJonathanx.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119875900710132290" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/Rw10AWPpGkI/AAAAAAAAAQE/rnWXHn8aMVg/s400/LichibanJonathanx.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/sarahwhitesol">sarah white</a>, one of the most majestic women i've ever seen. just watch as she'll take over new york city and beyond with her velvety voice and beautiful presence.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/Rw1072PpGlI/AAAAAAAAAQM/tCCelJdIUlQ/s1600-h/sarahnefertitiblue.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119876922912348754" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/Rw1072PpGlI/AAAAAAAAAQM/tCCelJdIUlQ/s400/sarahnefertitiblue.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a><br />a friend of mine called this one provocative...i actually like that description, even though it wasn't made with provocation in mind...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/Rw11U2PpGmI/AAAAAAAAAQU/6iD7EmBNGek/s1600-h/Wind%26Fire.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119877352409078370" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/Rw11U2PpGmI/AAAAAAAAAQU/6iD7EmBNGek/s400/Wind%26Fire.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a>

i've been hard at work....

step one... step two...part one of the skateboard series is done! capturing childhood innocence and beauty...this image has healing power! s...

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SENA ---Ghana, Hungary, and Music that Bridges

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/RwFSG2PpGbI/AAAAAAAAAO8/AMse7Ip2HCI/s1600-h/l_d48bdd65eb4737d5c9219d44c516a190.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116460929263409586" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/RwFSG2PpGbI/AAAAAAAAAO8/AMse7Ip2HCI/s400/l_d48bdd65eb4737d5c9219d44c516a190.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">If you were asked the question, ‘what do you think Ghana and Hungary has in common?’, you probably wouldn’t think to answer ‘music’ immediately. Well, the truth is that there is a connection between the two countries, manifesting itself beautifully in the person of <a href="http://www.myspace.com/dagadusena">SENA,</a> one of the most talented female MCs out there. The Ghanaian-Hungarian chanteuse is at home in a variety of different genres of music ranging from hip-hop, spoken word, reggae, to broken beat, and has worked with names like </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.myspace.com/djvadim">DJ Vadim</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> (Talk to Me), </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.myspace.com/dzihankamien">Dzihan and Kamien</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">, </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.myspace.com/gimmeshot">Gimmeshot Crew</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">, </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.dizkostu.com/">Dizko Stu</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">, Marcel, </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.myspace.com/colorblindallstars">Colorblind Allstars</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> (Ordinary Culture Bind), </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.myspace.com/teddygakapapastomp">Papastomp</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">, </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.myspace.com/rasmcbean">Ras Mac Bean</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">. I first saw SENA perform while vacationing back in the old country at this venue called Kultiplex (used to be the old Blue Box movie theatre back in the days). I was taking a visiting friend out to check out the Budapest nightlife, and as we were sitting in the Kultiplex courtyard, we noticed the interesting looking characters coming in and out of the theatre room almost hidden inside the place. As we found out, it was the weekly open-mike session of the Gimmeshot crew, where rotating local MCs could jump on the mike and shine for 20-30 minutes. I was completely blown away by SENA’s soulful, Lauryn Hill-esque rhyming style that had a seamless flow, almost as if she was streaming a prerecorded set from her mind. I immediately tracked down her album, entitled First One, and eventually SENA herself.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">L: You have roots in Ghana and in Hungary, right? I heard you grew up in Ghana…when did you move to Hungary?</span><br /><br />S: Yes I have roots in both Ghana and Hungary, my father being Ghanaian and my mother being Hungarian. I was born and raised in Ghana and moved to Hungary in 2001 to study in university. I turned 18 the day after arriving in Hungary.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">L: What is your first musical memory? Have you started singing as a child or planned to become a musician?</span><br /><br />S: My first musical memory? Probably singing Hungarian folk songs with my mother and grandmother. I suppose there has always been music surrounding me, even as a child, in my fathers family my grandmother sang beautifully as did my mother’s mother, there was always traditional drumming and dancing, as well as the radio and my parents eclectic music collection. My dad’s blues and funk, my mom’s classical and world music, my brother with reggae, my sister with hip hop and dancehall.<br />Since the days of kindergarten, I was involved in something to do with the stage, be it poetry recital, dancing, acting or singing. I always enjoyed being on stage. But I don’t think I planned on becoming a musician, per say. I just enjoyed playing.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">L: How did your roots shape your musical development? Could you tell me about the underground music scene in Ghana and in Hungary?</span><br /><br />S: I would have to write a whole dissertation on how my roots shaped my musicality or what the underground scene looks like, but I will try in a few odd ended sentences.<br />I came into contact with Ghanaian underground somewhere around 1998/1999. I met a Ghanaian rap artist called Reggie Rockstone, and though at the time I did not partake in any serious music making, I was introduced to local rap and hip-hop and a few artists who were at the time making what is the Ghana music scene today. That is to say mostly hip hop beats, and rap in Ghanaian local languages. Needless to say at the time this was not at all common and had just started to cause some serious heat waves due to all the reasons we know hip-hop has always been a bit controversial. It wasn’t common in Ghana at the time and this very much appealed to my teenage ears and eyes. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/RwFR02PpGZI/AAAAAAAAAOs/kT2voQIPg6s/s1600-h/senaafrica.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116460620025764242" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/RwFR02PpGZI/AAAAAAAAAOs/kT2voQIPg6s/s400/senaafrica.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" /></a>Right now as I’d go back to Ghana with some musical experience and as a mc and performer myself, I came into contact with much more than even back then. There are countless groups, producers, mc’s, poets and performers who are making their mark in small but very significant ways as compared to the mainstream activity there. People who organize their own gigs and albums and whatnot in order to get publicity and who work with limited resources, diligently putting together new sounds and new combinations of words with brand new meanings that tell tales of a new era in Ghanaian music. I think the best is yet to come and its hot I tell ya.<br />As for Hungary, I was lucky enough to drop in on the underground when it had sprung up already and was just starting to pool a whole generation of avid listeners and learners. I jumped right in with one of the best hip-hop crews, the Gimmeshot crew, who at the time ran a weekly hip-hop/dancehall night alongside love alliance sound system. This turned out to be the hottest night to be out in town and the baddest party to be in. There, we had open mic sessions and serious clubbing up until last year.(the clubs kept changing but the music kept flowing. Apart from dj sets, there is also a lot of movement with regards to live music. Lots of talented musicians live and work here, among them the bands Kamu and Skeg, which for me were and are the underground of underground bands, mixing all forms of music, improvising and just allowing instruments to speak for themselves a new language which I don’t think any of us understood but all loved for it was always so fresh. That for me defines underground anyway, fresh, never hear nor understood, but done nonetheless.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">L: I noticed that African hip-hop is very outspoken about political and social issues. Is their a difference between these two scenes in terms of emphasis about what issues will end up in the lyrics, for instance?</span><br /><br />S: Well, hip-hop in general, especially underground hip-hop always tends to be more daring and outspoken, whatever the theme or issue is. In Africa, where people are very much in tune to their social standing, I guess it is only to be expected that they voice their opinions and their feelings about these things, I’m not sure whether they have more cause because of more social unrest or political instability (Ghana for instance is a rather peaceful country) but they definitely feel very deeply and are probably more emotional in general and that’s why it seems their topics are centered around politics and social issues. But even in Hungary, I hear a lot of underground rap and other music that address these same issues, but often with more humor and with more casings around the words, if you know what I mean. We talk about the same things, in different ways.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">L: Are you involved with the music scene in both countries?</span><br /><br />S: Well as of beginning of this year I made some advances toward the Ghanaian music scene, I started making music here in Hungary and didn’t really have much time, or inside knowledge to hit the Ghana scene before. I finally met up with some very talented producers, djs and mcs in Ghana and did some performing and recording there; I’m planning on making much more though. I always wanted to have my hands in some proper Ghana underground and now it is finally happening. I mean I haven’t really done much but the wheels are finally in motion.<br />And for Hungary as I mentioned earlier I have the honor and the pleasure to be a part of the underground scene amid much support from almost everybody here. Five years under my belt and some good shows, parties and gigs for the good people of Hungary ;)<br />[photo: Gimmeshot Crew]<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/RwFR-GPpGaI/AAAAAAAAAO0/-8MRdXSw13k/s1600-h/l_dcab351fd715a80b56a0224357e5539d.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116460778939554210" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/RwFR-GPpGaI/AAAAAAAAAO0/-8MRdXSw13k/s400/l_dcab351fd715a80b56a0224357e5539d.jpg" style="cursor: pointer;" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">L: I first saw you during one of the Gimmeshot open-mike sessions at the Kultiplex in Budapest. How did you start mc-ing in Budapest?</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/RwFRiGPpGXI/AAAAAAAAAOc/wLR3Hm0dOIg/s1600-h/Sena2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116460297903217010" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/RwFRiGPpGXI/AAAAAAAAAOc/wLR3Hm0dOIg/s400/Sena2.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" /></a>S: I started mc-ing with the Gimmeshot crew at the G spot club in Budapest. (By chance really.) I didn’t have a clue as to what was happening and how to blend in or stand out, or what to say or how to say it…haha. I had already been writing words together that suspiciously sounded like songs, but I had never held on to a microphone in that way before. I had to get a bit drunk actually, I was quite scared. But I had some good friends around and my sister too who more or less pushed me toward the mic and I suppose I did something right because it hasn’t stopped since. This was a year or so before the crew split from love alliance and moved over to Kultiplex.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">L: I see that you've worked with a number of badass producers and musicians, such as Vadim, Dzihan Kamien, Ras Mac Bean, Dizko Stu...how did you guys connect? Do you have future collaborative projects?</span><br /><br />S: I guess I am just lucky or something, I never really go looking for people to work with, we kind of find each other one way or another, our paths cross and take a liking to each other’s work, style, character? I dunno. Considering my lack of knowledge and experience, I regard most musicians and producers I work with as teachers, and if you have a good teacher, you’re bound to learn one or two things in the end. Dizko Stu alias Peter Sabak met me outside Kultiplex one day and asked if I would be interested in hearing his band Kamu at one of their rehearsals, I said yes, and we’ve been working together ever since. (Kamu broke up but we continue with a duo project: Forward Ever),<br />Dj Vadim I met when we played with Gimmeshot before one of his gigs in a local spot and we ended up making tunes on the tables and benches with bottles, glasses, hands, feet, ears and eyes till the dawn. He later invited me to record in his London flat where the track TALK TO ME was born among others.<br />Dj Spider of Colourblind Allstars I met in a small pub where we played with Skeg, and sitting at the neighbouring barstool he asked if I would like to do some recording to some of his music and I ended up in Lyon playing a few gigs with his band.<br />Dzihan and Kamien of Couch records had previously worked with Dj Mango (Gimmeshot) and they needed an mc for their Euro tour. Another male mc (Flame) was supposed to go but he didn’t have his visas sorted so I ended up jumping in for him.<br />Ras Mac Bean I only just met briefly at the Sziget festival this summer where he played with the Irie Ites crew from France. We had played there earlier at the Afro-Latin stage and they asked if I would jump in for a short featuring. I did. I am yet to record with him in October this year and am looking forward to it.<br />I could add some more names especially in order not to piss anyone off, but as I said in the beginning, these things happen almost by mistake, we have a good time and sometimes it continues and new collaborations are born, sometimes not.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">L: You seem to be very busy these days...I see you are heading out to a Europe tour...</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/RwFRsGPpGYI/AAAAAAAAAOk/bGPKnIr97Ck/s1600-h/senablog.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116460469701908866" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OCjPa_mI84o/RwFRsGPpGYI/AAAAAAAAAOk/bGPKnIr97Ck/s400/senablog.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 265px; height: 277px;" /></a>S: Right now I have my hands and feet in a few projects the newest of which is Forward Ever. I sing in the Band Irie Maffia (an 11 man reggae band from Hungary), also in the Barabas Lorinc Ecclectrik Jazz Band, as well as mc-ing to the sets of Djs in Hungary, Ozone, Cadik, Mango,……. And basically anyone willing to take a chance, hahahaha.<br />Of course I have plans, I want to do some more live shows in Ghana with the likes of Reggie Rockstone, Chorkor Heights and Evil Twin and many more. I want to put out another album in Hungary and in Ghana. I guess these plans will take time to materialize and the way all things around and within me constantly change, it might take along time, but I just take each day as it comes, and sometimes put in extra effort to make one thing really happen. One at a time or two at a time…hehehehe.<br /><br />Yeah the Europe tour is dubbed "Budapest underground" and the line-up includes some of the wickedest djs and mcs. (Djs Dr. Dermot, Ozone, Future, Polskie, Mcs Busa, Columbo, freestyle trumpeter Barabas Lorinc and others). It should be fun and interesting to see people’s reaction to our style.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">L: Some of your tracks deeply personal, while some are very political...do you write your own songs? What issues are the most important to you?</span><br /><br />S: I am very stubborn and mostly sing only tracks that I have written myself. I write about a lot of things. Sometimes even I don’t know what the hell I’m trying to say but I say it nonetheless. Most of my lyrics are personal because I write them, and I can only write about things that have to do with my life or something affecting my life. I not sure what is most important to me, I don’t have a scale to weigh the depth of the topics. At the time am writing one particular thing, it is the most important. I guess I just write to get it off my chest, to ease my load.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">L: What are your deepest inspirations?</span><br /><br />S: My deepest inspirations? Oh wow, the thought that there is tomorrow, the feeling that I am loved and that I love back, the fact that everyone has hardships and so mine are almost insignificant but real. The fact that it has all been thought or done before but never by me.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">L: If you had a choice of performing anywhere in the world, where would you take your music?</span><br /><br />S: If I had a choice I would go everywhere, one by one. And I’m not sure if it is I who takes my music anywhere, so far it seems to be moving with a life of its own. Even if I don’t reach where my music reaches, if it gets there, the job has been done.

SENA ---Ghana, Hungary, and Music that Bridges

If you were asked the question, ‘what do you think Ghana and Hungary has in common?’, you probably wouldn’t think to answer ‘music’ immediat...

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