soon come

john forté in the studio
album expected july 14 (the anniversary of his arrest)
...can't wait...
www.johnforte.com

soon come

bust a move

it's the 20th anniversary of Young MC's hit 'Bust a Move'

this video is special. the hotpants. the layered high-top fades. dope.

*running man*

bust a move

t.i.a: the adverts

awesome

[african]

adverts

t.i.a: the adverts

Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem

as we celebrate africa day, we also celebrate the life of renown pan African scholar and expert, Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem.

1961-2009

he was a staunch activist, tirelessly promoting and advocating pan-African solutions to African problems. he tended not to dwell on what had gone wrong, but rather sought to find solutions from within.

he was, in the words of Firoze Manji we have indeed lost 'a giant' in the struggle.

i met him once, ten years ago, when i was doing an internship at Rwanda's then-brand-new first English newspaper. he walked into the office, and--although i knew who he was on paper--i did not recognize him in person. he began asking me questions about what i studied, what articles i was editing, etc. we eventually got onto the topic of a pan African solution to the instability in the Great Lakes Region and i wound up quoting him to himself, from an article i had read of his in a Ugandan newspaper the day before. it was not until i met him again a day later, at my parents' home that he laughingly told me who he was.

he was an Afro-optimist. he was great teacher. a true leader who walked as well as talked. a genuine believer in his continent and his people. and he truly considered all Africans his people. he was also a warm, open person who obviously loved engaging others in intellectual debate. he always wanted to be part of the solution. and he has been. he has helped pave the way. i hope we are able to continue the struggle...to live up to the dream he and many others have had for this contine

he will be truly missed.

click here for a portrait of Dr. Abdul-Raheem as painted by Justice Africa, the organization for whom he was a director until this morning, when he was tragically killed in a car accident in Nairobi, Kenya en route to the airport, on his way to Rwanda.

condolences to all those whose lives he touched, particularly his wife Mounira Chaieb and his two daughters, Aisha and Aida.

"don't agonize, organize."--Dr. Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem

Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem

africa day

today we commemorate the anniversary of the creation of the Organization of African Unity in 1963 and the beginning of a long and hard struggle...for liberation and, ultimately, for unity. the struggle continues.

happy africa day!

unite for the benefit of [our] people
unite, for it's later than you think.

africa day

soul food: this is africa!

you don't know hot this is, here.

the streets need this shit, here.

K'NAAN "T.I.A" music video directed by: NABIL from nabil elderkin on Vimeo.

'the rap game just got itself a new day/this is africa.'

debuted by kanYe

soul food: this is africa!

...watch this space...

negrita presents...gifted offspring of the ridiculously talented:

sky larrieux (13-year-old daughter of amel larrieux).
here she is performing radiohead's 'everything in its right place', with amel singing back up (thanks, Buttababy!):



and singer/songwriter india benét, a.k.a indy (16-year-old daughter of eric benét).
here she is performing a duet with her father--an a capella version of his song 'you're the only one':



check out indy's myspace page to listen to some of her original music. especially 'release'. methinks big t'ings soon come for these two. genetically blessed and with so much potential.

(p.s i remember when eric b's 'true to myself' video came out and india was, like, two years old. lawd, i feel old.)

...watch this space...