Sunday, January 31, 2010

SHOT OUT FROM MISTAH FAB

I saw MISTAH FAB out here in this Oak-Town traffic and had to stop him because I knew that he was an 82 baby too. For those of you that don't know 1982 crew is the crew that unites all born in the year 82. If you were born in 82 odds are you rep it.

For more info on who MISTAH FAB is, clique the title of this blog to be sent to his myspace page;
http://www.myspace.com/mistahfab

Saturday, January 30, 2010

DRUM CIRCLE AT STREET ACADEMY


(Photo of Ali)

Yesterday we had a drum circle at a high school that I teach at in Oakland called STREET ACADEMY! The circle kept about five people playing consistently at a time, and the energy was very good. Manny student's passed through and beat the drums with us. Some student's like Marco, Ali and Tao got deep into it and stayed in the circle for a very long time. Others would come pick up a drum for a short while just to feel it out for the first time or leave their mark in the groove. We even had a young lady from the girls rigor room come and join us for a bit. Over all, the circle was a big success and is something that we all agreed would be fun to do at least once a month. Here are a few images I shot with my camera phone.
Peace-
U

Marco

Tao

Unity

Max

The Circle

Friday, January 29, 2010

URBAN PROMISE ACADEMY

In the Fall of 2000, I moved to the Bay Area were I completed my Bachelors degree in Fine Arts at the California College of the Arts, and the teachers credentialing program for single subject art at Mills College. For the last ten years, I have taught in schools and community centers across the Bay Area and on the island of Guam, where the Guam Legislature in 2005 awarded me a Resolution for my contribution to students’ lives. I am currently continuing at Mills College for a Masters Degree in Education.

One of the schools I teach at is a Jr. High called URBAN PROMISE ACADEMY, or UPA for short. They recently had an opportunity to be featured on the TODAY SHOW (clique the title of this blog post to check it out)! I run a class called BEATS AND RHYMES through the after school program called OAKLAND LEAF. My students view themselves as the future of this movement called Hip-Hop. I can sincerely say that they make some of the most slapping music that I have heard come out of these bay area schools. I will be posting their first album and their latest album that is currently in the works at some point later this year. Stay tuned in. For now, enjoy this live performance of them rocking their winter assembly!

beats & rhymes

!GUY! | MySpace Video

Thursday, January 28, 2010

MICHAEL JACKSON SHINING SCREENS AT THE SAN DIEGO BLACK FILM FESTIVAL THIS WEEKEND!

mj_flyer_front

We are on our way to San Deigo this weekend to attend an award ceremony at the SAN DIEGO BLACK FILM FESTIVAL. We have been added as an official selection and hope to win at least one award for SHINING. Wish us success and all the best as we continue to keep the spirit of Michael Jackson shining this weekend! For more information on this film festival, clique the title of this blog post to be sent to their website; http://www.sandiegoblackfilmfestival.com

For more information on our video SHINING, clique one of the images above or below to be directed to our website;
http://michaeljacksonshining.com

mj_flyer_back_v2a

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

A NAPALM CLIQUE CLASSIQUE THROWBACK

DO YOU REMEMBER THE TIME...

I interviewed Fred Hampton Jr. in front of 2232 MLK in Oakland. That was a classique moment. Check it out.



Clique the title of this blog post to be sent to my youtube channel. Follow me to stay posted! 1

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

A NAPALM CLIQUE CLASSIQUE THROWBACK

REMEMBER WHEN...

Pia and I had to beat up the cops? That was a classique moment.
Check it out.

Monday, January 25, 2010

A NAPALM CLIQUE CLASSIQUE THROWBACK

This is a live music video for the Napalm Clique performing "Napalm Clique Ball" at an event called Cypher that took place at the Uptown in Oakland.

The Unsmokables Band is backing us, and thats Lee West, Mic-G and myself rocking the lead vocals. In the background you can see and hear Sok The Virgo, K.E.V, and F.L.O. This show in a way, was the official CD release party for the NAPALM CLIQUE CLASSIQUE MIXTAPE and took place December 28, 2006. It is also the NAPALM CLIQUE'S first music video to be posted on youtube.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

NEW MUSIC VIDEO FROM TOBY DICK

I would like to take the time to introduce you to a few close friends of mine. Meet Arlen Hart and Lee West. Together, they form a group called TOBY DICK. Lee is the first official member of THE NAPALM CLIQUE'S bay area chapter. We have been rocking together ever since I touched down in Oakland. I met Arlen a few years later through a group that him and a few other friends of mine were in called the Unsmokables. Napalm Clique and the Unsmokables eventually joined forces to rock many live shows together. It was a powerful tone that we held down on the planet for a cool minute. But eventually the group, The Unsmokables became no more. What ended up happening after was the formation of smaller collaborations between members of THE NAPALM CLIQUE and members of the group formerly known as The Unsmokables. TOBY DICK is one of these collaborative efforts that has really developed into something big!

TOBY DICK has just released their first music video debut to the world! Check it out and leave a comment! They will also be performing live tommorow night on www.justin.tv. Copy the link in your browser to check it out and chat with them live at 5:00 pm, pacific standard time! This is going to be huge folk's.

Also, for more general information on the group, clique the title of this blog post to view their myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thetobydick

I hope you all enjoy the video. Spread the word!
1

Saturday, January 23, 2010

TREVOR PARHAM ACCEPTS AWARD FOR REVOLUTION AT THE ARIZONA BLACK FILM SHOWCASE

TREVOR PARHAM, of EKLECTYK CREATIVE MEDIA and THE NAPALM CLIQUE gave this interview at the 2008 Arizona Black Film Showcase about the Revolution music video. They just posted it to YouTube this week though.

Watching this interview gets me excited to attend more film festivals on behalf of the Michael Jackson Shining music video. Shining has already won 5 film festivals, but I still haven’t attended a single one for it. Thankfully this weekend will be the first– The San Diego Black Film Festival. We’re screening at two different times throughout the weekend, so I’m assuming we’ll have opportunities to do more interviews like this.



For more information about TREVOR PARHAM, clique the title of this blog post or copy the following link to be sent to his website: http://trevorparham.com/

Friday, January 22, 2010

MICHAEL JACKSON TRIBUTE WINS YET ANOTHER AWARD!

mountain film fest

With a mission to entertain, enlighten and enrich through film, the MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL fosters appreciation for the art of movie making and its power to inspire and communicate a richness of ideas and cultures. They accept films of all genres and especially encourage films with an emphasis on mountain culture, action sports, and, environmental issues. This marks the fith victory for our Michael Jackson tribute thus far. Stay tuned in as SHINING continues to climb to new heights;)

PS-
To download the NAPALM CLIQUE track, SHINING: A MICHAEL JACKSON TRIBUTE, clique the image or link posted below.

MJ_shining_cover
download_song

Thursday, January 21, 2010

UNITY INTERNATIONAL IN AMSTERDAM WITH GARETH JOHNSON

I am starting a new series of youtube videos about the amazing places I see, people I meet and things I do when I travel around the world! I want to give you all a sense of who I am and how I get down. The series is called UNITY INTERNATIONAL.

In episode one we find me in the Netherlands, kicking it with my good friend Trevor and two new friends, Grant and Gareth Johnson, two bothers whom Trevor had introduced me to. Grant attended college with Trevor and now resides in Amsterdam. His brother Gareth had just come in from New York, traveling to tour his music.

Gareth is considered a prodigy. As far as reputation goes, you can say he is the Jay-Z of the classical violin world. The man rocks Carnegie Hall on a regular and plays for king's sultans and presidents (Clique the title of this blog post to check his resume out yourself at his website: http://garethjohnson.org). On top of that he is a real down to earth soul brother who knows whats happening. Although he is a master of classical, he now wants to expand in the realm of Hip-Hop. Best believe that a collaboration with the two of us is coming your way in due time...

He busted out a few pieces for us in Grant's living room and left us all floored.
Check Gareth out in the first episode of UNITY INTERNATIONAL posted below.
-U

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

BROTHA MICHAEL IS SHINING!

Winning four film festival awards in December and January, Napalm Clique's music video "Shining," triumphantly continues to keep the spirit of Michael Jackson alive. If you haven't been to the website, clique the title of this blog to view www.michaeljacksonshining.com and find out more about the music video that is going down as the definitive MJ tribute! If you still have not seen the video I posted it below. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Rest in Power MJ. We miss you.



THEAccoladeTelevisionAwardsWinner1 copy

Entering its seventh year, The Accolade is an international, non-traditional, virtual venue. Awards go to those television producers who produce fresh, standout entertainment, animation and compelling documentaries. The Accolade is a showcase for cinematic gems and unique voices.

Annually, awards are given to filmmakers, television producers or videographers who make significant contributions to social change or a humanitarian effort. We are honored to win an award at a festival that represents the same values that Michael stood for!

ion-fest

The ION International Film Festival is a touring festival that is dedicated to promoting independent film, documentary, animation, music video and movie trailers. Each year ION is held in a different international location in an effort to promote global awareness and unity. ION strives to bring awareness to individuals and organizations who are creating socially relevant films to positively impact our worlds. In an effort to fully engage an array of transglobal creativity the festival hopes to provide a forum for everyone’s ingenuity to be premiered.

This marks Shining’s third film festival award, and its African premiere! Michael always loved visiting Africa and seeing how much all the little children had that same rhythm he discovered back when he was a kid. We’d like to thank the ION International Film Festival for its continued efforts in spotlighting socially relevant films, and more importantly… for helping to Keep Michael Shining!

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The festival screening dates were on January 15th and 16th. This marks the second film festival award for Shining. In particular, we are pleased to see that Shining was recognized for its intricate editing and visual effects… something Michael himself would have been very proud of!

umff

Founded in November 2001, the mission of the Urban Mediamakers is to promote and support a diverse independent media arts community in metro-Atlanta and worldwide. The annual signature event is the Urban Mediamakers Film Festival (UMFF), showcasing independent films with a strong emphasis of work produced by or featuring people

Shining screened on opening night along with Q: The Man, a documentary that looks at the “Godfather” role of music legend Quincy Jones in the lives of today’s top young artists. What better film to screen before the Shining music video than a documentary about Quincy Jones, the man that helped Michael Jackson produce Thriller and some of the best MJ tracks of all time!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

REVOLUTION THE VIDEO

Just checked my twitter feed to find folk's sending me mad love as they vibed with the NAPALM CLIQUE'S first music video, REVOLUTION for MLK Day! It's good to see that this video is serving it's purpose; to educate people about the importance of black history and activism in general and show them how this knowledge applies to the culture of Hip-Hop, and to inspire, generate and produce more positive revolutionary ideas, actions and people! Take a look and leave a comment. For further info on this award winning music video, clique the title of this blog post to visit www.revolutionthevideo.com
Power to the people.
1 Love

Monday, January 18, 2010

FIGHT: TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY EDITION

fight cover for upload cleaned

Just wanted to let you all know, just in case you were ever looking for it, FIGHT, my first release is available all over the web. To get it clique the title of this blog post. Fight was originally released on CD in the summer of 1999. It sold about 400 copy's across California, at festivals and shows, on the street and in stores like Amoeba and Rasputin's, then I had to pay rent (or something like that) and couldn't re-up. I re-released it in 2004 as a part of my four album hand-crafted box set, which are only one hundred in edition. Last year on 9/11/09 I launched the official internet release to celebrate the album's ten year anniversary. Let this revolutionary truth-rap nourish your consciousness. Happy MLK Day. Enjoy!

PS-
Here is some recent footage of me performing a few songs from Fight at a small show my brother Tai-Chi threw at the Element Lounge in San Francisco.


Sunday, January 17, 2010

THE COLLECTIV WIRE PRESENTS 31 DAYS OF NAPALM!!!

This Blast recently went out from The Collectiv about a feature that www.collectiv.com is doing on our cru, The Napalm Clique! I must say, they have put together a really good playlist of some rare and classique Napalm Clique tracks. Big Ups to mi bruduh Sokrates for putting this together. Check it out....

HAPPY NEW YEAR, and welcome back to The Collectiv...

We are celebrating the relaunch of our website, with new music, features, and a streamlined design! Since our launch in 2001, Collectiv.com has been a true hub for the Hip Hop Community, bridging the gap between cyberspace and street-level music communities across the globe... before Myspace, before Facebook, before Twitter!

To kick off 2010 with a BANG, we present to you the first installment in a series of monthly features on the site:

“31 DAYS OF NAPALM”

Today, and everyday in January, we will feature a different song by the Napalm Clique and it’s members. Special guests include Stic.Man of dead prez, Planet Asia, Marvaless, and many more!

If you don’t already know about the Clique, that’s OK. Just stop by for a few minutes everyday this month, and by the end of the month you’ll be an expert... just in time for Black History Month, right?

Click this Blog posting's title to be sent to www.collectiv.com

Saturday, January 16, 2010

NAPALM CLIQUE MEETS FLYING LOTUS: THE MIXTAPE

Here it is! Napalm Clique's first mixtape release of 2010! Download it free by clicking the blog title above. Leave a comment and let us know what you think. Enjoy, and stay tuned in.




PS-
For those of you who don't know who Flying Lotus is, he is one of the rawest beat producers out and about. Here is a good youtube interview I found of him from XLR8R TV. Study up. FLY LO is not only the present, but the past and the future.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

BACK FROM PROMOTING NEW SINGLE, "GANGSTA" IN EUROPE AND AFRICA


Welcome to my blog. Here you can get the latest downloads, and information about me, UNITY. I will be posting multiple projects every month on this site so stay tuned in.

We will crack of 2010 with a tale about my recent adventures to Europe and Africa to promote the physical release of my new single GANGSTA ft. FLO ( B-Side: LETS RIDE ft. STIC.MAN). This is the first release from my AUDIO VeVe album, produced by ORGANIZED ELEMENTS. It is also the first installment in a series of internet releases through SOUND VISE scheduled to launch this coming February. As I said, stay tuned in.

For now, lets take a real life journey across the globe in my new video, GANGSTA.

ENJOY
-U