As we fly out on our quest to highlight the real, our paths crossed with emerging Hip hop legend DJ Cavem. Based out of Denver, Colorado, DJ Cavem incorporates all aspects of hip hop culture to the cause he is most passionate about, Food Justice. Check out the trailer from the interview and Check the site out next week for the full interview.
You may have heard this name from Def Poetry Jam or her many publications of fresh poetry, what you might not know is that legendary Poet and artivist Jessica Care Moore is down for the Green and for Checktheweather.net!
We caught up with the world-renown voice in Detroit at the US Social Forum. Check out her plug. Plus you can listen to the whole featured song, The Outcome off of Nas’ 1999 album Nastradamus below.
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Found at The Outcome on Duck.fm |  |
Another quick plug: Jessica Care Moore was featured in the MSNBC’s Grio100 African-American History Leaders in the Making just like Checktheweather.net co-founder Kari Fulton! Check out why the grio.com loves Jessica Care Moore by clicking on the link below
http://www.thegrio.com/black-history/thegrios-100/thegrios-100-jessica-care-moore.php
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Speaking of the Oil Crisis, check out this new video from DC based group The Cornell West Theory. The video features a collage of truth telling images from the gulf coast oil spill and our overall international oil dependency crisis.
THE CORNEL WEST THEORY – OIL AS SLICK from underdog on Vimeo.
The groups bio on their website, http://www.thecornelwesttheory.com states, “With the blessing of Dr. Cornel West, the Princeton University professor and renowned author, the band takes its name from his prolific writings and philosophies that have shaped contemporary thought throughout the world.”
Look out for more real hip-hop and truth from the Cornell West Theory. If in DC check them out at the Black Cat July 31, 2010 For more information on getting tickets visit this link: www.myspace.com/thecornelwesttheory
Checktheweather.net has been following the Hip Hop Caucus’ journey into the world of Green Activism since they launched the Green the Block Campaign last April 2009. One thing we can say is that the Hip Hop Caucus is good at connecting Hip Hop to awareness building. The new Stop Offshore Drilling Mixtape is just one more example. From Black Gold by Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek to classics like Shut em Down by Public Enemy this mixtape is a great soundtrack before you peddle/march/carpool to the next direct action against the Big Dirty Oil Man.
The one thing missing from the mixtape is a track from Green The Block Promoting artist, Drake. In his exclusive interview on the Green The Block Campaign site, the rapper Du Jour discusses how he is taking baby steps for the environment. Hopefully, Drake will be feeling eco-conscious by the time Checktheweather.net drops our 2nd classic mixtape. (Grind for the Green Drake!).
To download the Stop Offshore Drilling Mixtape follow the link below:
Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek returned this month to bring back a little taste of that real hip-hop. You know, that music that came with a healthy dose of knowledge, substance and chill beats. On their latest album Revolutions Per Minute, the artists, also collectively known as Reflection Eternal, take a moment to focus in on the oil industry’s impact on environmental justice and human rights. Kweli mentions in a promotional interview posted on Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner that he was inspired to write the song entitled “Black Gold” after visiting Nigeria and realizing how damaging the oil industry was to the impacted communities in the country. Check out Black Gold below and click read more to watch Kweli and Hi-Tek discuss the concept behind the song.
Check out the interview below:
On February 28, 2010 legendary Boston raised, Brooklyn based emcee Keith “Guru” Elams, member of the hip hop duo Gangstarr, was rushed to the hospital after suffering from cardiac arrest. For three weeks, Guru laid in a coma with his life in question. Fortunately Hiphopdx.com reported yesterday that Guru is out his coma and has been diagnosed with Anoxia, a breathing disorder that can be caused by severe asthma and carbon monoxide inhalation, which are both directly connected to air pollution. Guru’s publicist noted that Guru’s recent diagnosis with Anoxia may be related to the rapper’s history of severe asthma and lung disorders.
Guru’s respiratory issues that lead to his diagnosis is of no suprise to many in Guru’s hometown of Boston, Massachusetts. In 2007, ABC News 5 in Boston reported that Boston had the third highest level of diesel pollution in the country. Throughout Massachusetts this pollution leads to more than 450 premature deaths, 700 heart attacks and nearly 10,000 asthma attacks each year. (more…)
Check out the folk over at the Alliance for Climate Education getting their flow on. Ummm…. not going to lie the cornball factor for this video is pretty high (sorry Ambessa). HOWEVER, the pure hilarity and good points about people being “Green” but not knowing what that that really means makes it worth watching. Find out more on how you can raise your voice and lower your carbon emissions at www.acespace.org
Check it out:
Arrested Development brings a fresh green track from their new album STRONG, speaking on global warming, respecting our earth, not littering and honoring our history. The video is beautiful…. catch the sun & cloud moments at the end (hella cute). Much love to the AD crew for this one!
Produced by Speech, song written by the whole group. Chorus written by Tasha Larae.
Messiah Ramkissoon is more than just an entertainer. Three time Apollo champion and recipient of an Oprah Winfrey Angel Network scholarship, Messiah showcases his understanding of hood and international politics through the use of slick wordplay and exciting similes. On his day grind Messiah is a graduate of Howard University and a educator at Duke Ellington School of the Arts (the same high school Dave Chappelle attended).
This past weekend Check the Weather Co-founder, Kari “MisskGreen” Fulton sat down with the Trinidad born, Washington, DC based poet/emcee as he prepared to dive into promotion for his latest album “The Manual” and a string of benefit concerts in support of recovery efforts in Haiti. The two had an opportunity to chat about everything from guilt-trip donations, the near future of Haiti and why he loves the hood so much.
Take a listen:
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Also check below for a sneak peak of the official video for “Come Back”, the latest single off the Manual and Checktheweather Radio’s featured song!
Share**If you are in the DC area you can check Messiah out this Thursday January 21, 2009 (that means today!)Performing at the Hands For Haiti Benefit Concert featuring Wale, X.O. and many more. Tickets are available via ticketmaster.com click here to purchase!
For more information on Messiah and to cop his latest album, the Manual visit www.Allmessiah.com.**
In case you missed this season’s issue of Race, Poverty & the Environment, the amazing folks at Grind for the Green were featured in a piece about youth of color who are using hip hop to spread environmental awareness in Bay Area hoods. Check it out below.
And in the same issue, ChecktheWeather.net’s co-founder Ellen Choy co-authors an article on Richmond, CA’s Chevron refinery and climate justice organizing! Get the whole issue online here.
The Greening of Hip-Hop: Urban Youth Address Climate Change and Sustainability
By Eric Arnold
Twenty-year-old aspiring rapper Tre Pound was born in San Francisco’s Hunters Point, a predominantly low-income community of color with the dubious distinction of housing the two most toxic Superfund sites in the United States, as well as power and sewage treatment plants. Asthma, cancer, and diabetes rates in that area are all disproportionately higher than in other parts of the Bay Area. “I kinda knew where I was living wasn’t environmentally safe,” says Pound, but the public school he attended provided little information about industrial pollution or climate change.
Pound says he frequently incorporates socially-aware themes into his music, but he had never made an environmentally-aware rap song until he signed up to compete in Grind for the Green’s (G4G) Eco-Rap battle. He ended up winning the competition, earning a $1000 prize and studio time, by outpacing several other contestants with his eco-friendly flow during G4G’s second annual free concert at the Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco.
Pound is just one voice in the growing number of youth voices engaged in community organizing for social change. Millions of young people around the world participate in social activism. According to Wiretap Magazine, there are more than 600 youth-led community organizations currently creating green jobs, removing toxic waste, combating corporate pollution, and fighting against violence in their communities.
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