How else would you describe what is happening with Tekashi69? A good half-million views and counting on the Tube in a matter of hours. Another two million viewers, in 13-minutes, on IG Live.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF2fzCXz_T0
I had to plug the video. But I’ll save you the two minutes… It’s garbage.
It’s for sure a telltale sign of the times. Everyone has no choice but to be engaged. We stay glued to our phones. And as 20-somethings in quarantine, we hear our moms in the background, somehow questioning and yelling simultaneously, “Do you ever put that thing down?!”
For all the teens and pre-teens, at home in quarantine, your parents have adjusted and know that this is the wave. Watching a screen for hours is “normal.” But what isn’t normal?
“I snitched; I ratted,” he said. “But who was I supposed to be loyal to?”
Watching a rainbow-haired man clout surfing on the snitch wave. I’m 100 percent guilty of tuning in, but after the stream came to an end, why did I feel guilty? In a way, I felt bad for us, for humanity, for Tekashi 69. That this is what it’s boiled down to. For us to get that rush of adrenaline, well at least from the content.
Why can’t this happen regularly for issues that matter or people that matter? Why does it take a shiny object (or rainbow-haired man in this case) to grab our attention? For 13-minutes the earth stopped. For 13-minutes, two million people had their eyes glued to something that will be forgotten about tomorrow. Nevermind the social echo.
And while we watched and were entertained by this strange energy all we were absorbing was fear. A fear that existed inside of 69. One that calls for him to boast his chest like a rooster fresh out of the hen house.
“You know why people so mad?” he added. “Because they thought it was over for me. They counted me out. ‘Oh, you ratted, it’s over for you.’ Y’all could never cooperate with the government and come back. Y’all could never do that. I’m a living legend at the age of 24.”
If you just got out of prison for snitching after being beaten up, kidnapped, wouldn’t you feel just as confused? Tekashi 69 is going through something, that’s easy to see. But it was noticeable before he even went to prison.
From “Gummo” everyone noticed that something was off.
But mans was rare, he had a sound. Still, the interviews would prove that his arrogance was hiding something.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSzyOEg-DMs
We would find out what was really going on after a year of hits with the rap game’s greatest and endorsements from legends. But what do these record-breaking “numbers” really mean? It’s time for a change, fam.
This mans needs help, Mentally, he has no one he can trust. No one should have to go through life like that.
“I snitched; I ratted. But who was I supposed to be loyal to?”
Hopefully, we’ve all learned a meaningful lesson. And, before he goes LIVE next time, we’ll consider this and recognize that everyone has issues and it shouldn’t be entertaining to watch someone arrogantly crumble.
With Rona keeping us indoors, music is the way most of us choose to escape. If that’s the case, keep an eye out for some of these up-and-coming rappers named on Westside Gunn’s new album, Pray For Paris.
The album is a testament to the times and its running themes are high fashion, thug life, and a whole lotta drip.
The album speaks for itself but, still, Gunn took his IG live, the other day to throw some respect towards some names in hip-hop that are absolutely crushing the boards.
There’s nothing more refreshing than an artist shining a light on his colleagues. Times like these are few and far between where we get to see the true fan in an artist. And rapper Westside Gunn is no exception.
For all of you on the prowl for some fresh sounds to beat against those eardrums, artists mentioned by the Roc Nation rapper were:
ESTEE NACK
Estee Nack is “just tryna get paid, man,” the Dominican and Lynn, Massachusetts raps over the latest track from his arsenal of fire drops. Running with his Tragic Allies crew the rapper has been known to spit a bar or two.
The relationship between him and Gunn runs deep. The artists worked together, just last year, when Gunn tapped him for a verse on his track, “Banna Yacht.” But there’s more to Nack as the rapper is a student of the game.
In an interview with Hip Hop DX, he said, “I was obsessed with the American culture, man. [Hip Hop] was my way of connecting with that culture.”
He continued to express how he’s always evolving:
“I don’t feel like I ever had just ‘a sound. I don’t even think I have the same sound that I had last year or the year before. I’ve been a million times evolved. I still haven’t reached my final form.”
Al. Divino
Rapper al.divino needs the asesino for the c-notes. Mans is so raspy. The Boston emcee has been in the game from when he was a teenager and the lethal strikes his punchlines hold prove it.
Staying true to his Spanish heritage the rapper’s name translates to “of the divine.” For over half a decade mans has been going in from the early years dropping one-off freestyles over Lord Finesse instrumentals to building a music catalog so vast that he can’t look back.
In an interview with Bandcamp Divino said, “When I was younger, rap inspired me. But as I got older, I took the initiative to look for more as far as truth, knowledge, knowledge of self.”
“That was kinda a master key for me to open a lot of doors [and to learn things] about myself, about life, about the world.”
Roc Marciano
“Roc and I been making songs forever,” Gunn claimed in a recent interview with Complex.
If you haven’t heard of Roc Marciano you’ll definitely hear him on Gunn’s Pray for Paris. Appearing on “$500 Ounces” alongside Gibbs and Gunn over a horn-heavy backbeat, one can’t help but feel an air of class while listening to the track.
It seems as if Marciano’s habitual rap tactics always find a way to put you in a Godfather-like mood. Truthfully, he is your rapper’s favorite rapper and deserves more than just a shout out.
In the game for a decade long has released several projects but, for him, there’s a lot more brick to be laid for the house he’s built. Plus, you can always trust the multi-hyphenate rap artist is always getting high with one purpose in mind — getting work done.
In an interview with Merry Jane he expressed, “I’ve never been a hardcore pothead, like where I have a blunt on me all the time. I kinda always made sure I got something out of me getting high, meaning I got something done off it.”
“Like when I’m smoking, I try to roll up my sleeves and do some writing, get some work done, get something out of it.”
ANKHLEJOHN
Vetted by some the best in the game, ANKHLEJOHN has a long list of homies he’s worked with including Al. Divino.
Hailing from D.C. ANKHLEJOHN is here to keep you mesmerized with his sinister beats and raspy flows. It’s about time we showed some respect to the deeply rooted emcee. He continues to not only raise the bar for himself but for the underground hip-hop community overall.
Growing up in D.C. he was heavily influenced by our Nothern culture. Still, he’s far from what one would call a “local artist.” In an interview with Deeply Rooted Hip-Hop, he said, “I don’t call myself a local artist. If you were in the DMV area you would know that there’s a big fight for who wants to be the most known or the best DMV artist…”
“Lotta people just wanna box you in and say you a DMV artist type of shit. I’m like fuck that, I’m a hip hop artist. I’m an artist for DC, for New York, for LA, for fuckin Africa, fuckin Italy, for all over the fuckin world, for the universe, ya nahmean, cuz we all can relate to it.”
Rome Streetz
NYC native Rome Streetz’s lyrics come with a price tag. As he weaves between the beats he spits over with hard-hitting punch lines it’s easy to realize why he ranks amongst the best.
Well-traveled, the emcee grew up in London after his mom attempted to keep him out of trouble. But like most OG New Yorkers, it’s hard to stay away. After hitting a rough patch overseas he would return to a city not ready for his pen game.
He told Hip Hop DX, in an interview, “There weren’t any outlets in New York,” he says. “Everybody just started doing the swag rap shit. I wasn’t really into that man. ”
He would regain confidence after hit a major turning point in his career. Streetz realized that he wasn’t alone in this because there were artists just like him and as DX put it, they were beginning to bubble over.
“I was inspired to continue to make the type of music that I’ve always been making because I saw it getting traction somewhere else.”
Eto
Rochester raised rapper Eto serves as the missing link to the Cuban. Using his bars as his weapon of choice, the Hell’s Roof emcee has transitioned into a space where he’s too hot to touch.
Several mixtapes in as Lil Eto throughout the aughts, the now mature lyricist is ready to tackle the new decade.
CRIMEAPPLE
Straight out of Hackensack, anyone with ears would call CRIMEAPPLE a sonic anomaly. Sour to the core and packing a sweet punch, it’s no wonder why the rapper’s name makes so much sense.
Narrating his life through the bars that he spits, it’s hard not to get wrapped up in the lyrical world the emcee creates. He started rapping seriously around three years ago, but in that short span has managed to make more than a name for himself.
Flawlessly he has been able to climb the underground ladder to rap success. He told a New Jersey newspaper,
“I have a plan… But there are a lot of things that can happen. It’s pretty whimsical,” he says. “We just go with the flow.”
For him, spitting bars is just all in a day’s work.
Pray for Paris is available on all platforms to stream. But make sure you put it on for some of the best of the underground.
Here’s something we can all agree on… Being stuck in quarantine is type trash. Still, we have to make an effort to stay inside as much as possible.
But, how Sway? You’ve chilled in almost every part of the crib, popping out for a walk around the block has gotten boring, and face timing your homies seems to be the highlight of your day.
It can be lonely, we know.
However, there are several of our favorite brands holding it down. From free Netflix to free daily live streams of concerts, these brands are giving us the entertainment we need in quarantine.
Dedicated to giving us more than their delicious chicken sandwich, Popeyes has doubled down with the blessings.
Earlier this week Popeyes challenged their fried chicken fans to throw up the hashtag #ThatPasswordFromPopeyes with a photo of themselves enjoying their fave Popeyes bites.
In return, the beloved southern brand dished out their Netflix username and password. Nothing like being embraced by the Popeyes fam.
2. TIDAL hosts free daily at home livestreams
https://tidal.com/browse/video/135318684
There’s nothing like music and TIDAL is making sure we stay entertained.
Starting March 25, the streaming platform will highlight a new genre of music with performances from the biggest names in music, starting with Jennifer Lopez, Daddy Yankee, CNCO, Romeo Santos, and more.
The goal — to help music fans connect with their favorite artists, while still practicing social distancing. Tapping into their archive of over 60 million tracks and hundreds of thousands of videos, TIDAL is committed to helping people through these challenging times.
Check out their schedule of livestreams going down this week:
On March 25, TIDAL will focus on Latin music and will feature artists like Jennifer Lopez, Daddy Yankee, CNCO, Romeo Santos, and more.
For March 26 Pop icons like Lizzo, Rosalia, The Chainsmokers, Bazzi, Dermot Kennedy, and more will grace the digital stage.
Get ready for March 27 as the Electronic music livestreams will feature mega artists like deadmau5, Daft Punk, Kaskade, Marshmello, Cashmere Cat, and more.
And over the weekend Saturday (3/28) and Sunday (3/29), tune in to watch Hip Hop legends and R&B artists like JAY-Z, J. Cole, Lil Wayne, Meek Mill, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Ari Lennox, Trey Songz, Jorja Smith, H.E.R, and more.
Also TIDAL is offering new customers a special limited-time offer of 4 months for any plan for only $4.00 now through April 15. Redeem here.
Taking the hashtag across their multiple outlets and TV shows, MTV is using their content to encourage people to stay at the crib.
From engaging celebrity takeovers to positive news bulletins the legendary music news and entertainment platform is evoking the sense that we’re all in this together.
Always staying in tune with the youngins, the Mexican grill is hosting a series of daily “Chipotle Together” sessions on videoconferencing site Zoom with celebrity guests and as many as 3,000 fans.
Via @ChipotleTweets those looking to brighten up their day can tune into a live stream. Already the brand has hosted “The Bachelor’s” Colton Underwood and band Portugal the Man.
Getting everyone together for a livestream with @portugaltheman on our Instagram at 6pm PT tonight! Reply with the songs you wanna hear.
Recently the video streaming platform took to Twitter and posted a thread of creator videos to help us keep our quarantine cabin fever at bay.
From at-home jerk chicken recipes (lol) and drawing tutorials to cleaning and storytime vids it’s impossible to find boredom after binging these videos.
6. Netflix Party’s Chrome Extension
Now that we’re all in isolation the term Netflix and Chill? is out the window. But like the adaptive species, we are, we’ve figured out a way to still enjoy movies and TV shows with our friends and loved ones.
The Google Chrome extension is pretty easy to install. Simply put Netflix Party synchronizes video playback and adds group chat to your favorite Netflix shows.
To date, over 500,000 people use the extension to link up with the homies.
7. G Suite gives access to advanced Hangouts Meet features
In our commitment to helping employees, educators and students, we are rolling out free access to our advanced #HangoutsMeet video-conferencing capabilities to all #gsuite and G Suite for Education customers. Learn more ↓ https://t.co/KP54hXicFE
Like the thoughtful company, Google has always been Google is helping businesses and schools stay connected in response to Coronavirus.
Starting this week, the search engine will begin rolling out free access to their advanced Hangouts Meet video-conferencing capabilities to all G Suite and G Suite for Education customers.
This is dope, especially if you’re looking to take your small business to the next level.
There a lot of lessons we’ve learned from the rap game, but what is the Nipsey Hussle Effect?
Last year, a Nipsey Hussle fan took to Twitter and in appreciation shared some of the books he’s rapped and spoke about in interviews and compiled them in a post.
If anyone knows Nipsey, the late legend, was a huge fan of books. In several interviews and recorded songs, he would not only highlight the literature he has read but would speak on how it has affected his life.
The compiled list of over 50 books was shown on an unforgettable picture of The Great. Some of the books include “The Invisible Man,” “Between the World and Me” and “Rich Dad Poor Dad.”
The tweet has since then gone somewhat viral and in appreciation of the late rapper’s legacy, many communities have taken it upon themselves to create book clubs.
What the LA Times has dubbed the Nipsey Hussle Effect, now stands to impact not only Black communities across the United States but fans of Nipsey Hussle’s music and the rap genre worldwide.
According to the LA Times, the serge of supporters came by way of Simran Kaleka, a 31-year-old lawyer from Wisconsin who was in search of a way to help Hussle’s fans process the grief of his passing.
Kaleka lost her uncle and five other loved ones to a white supremacist who opened fire inside a Sikh temple in Milwaukee. It was Hussle’s music that helped her cope with the loss of those close to her. And through the legend’s music, it is where she stumbled upon the literature he used to educate himself.
Kaleka told the LA Times,
“I fell into probably the darkest place in my life. Listening to his music was therapeutic and it helped me ascend and helped me navigate.”
Songs like “Bigger Than Life” and “God Got Me” helped the 31-year-old lawyer push through tough times. Still, it was his debut album Victory Lap that revealed to her and pushed her to jot down every single book Nipsey mentioned in his lyrics.
Thus far, the April 12 post has been shared over 8,000 times and has inspired many to pick up the same books Nipsey read. In fact, fliers started to pop up across neighborhoods of South L.A.
Now, chapters of The Marathon Book Club, inspired by the creative meme are not only pushing Nipsey’s message even further but are also putting the culture onto the authors who helped the rapper curate his message.
Kaleka told the LA Times,
“It’s not the end of his victory lap. Maybe the other part of his victory lap is us applying what he taught us.”
Lil Uzi is well known for his amazing music but underneath his musical abilities lies a renaissance man. His swagger alone has shifted a generation. Think of all the post-apocalyptic and naruto influenced drip people wear nowadays.
Not to mention his sound. Everyone wants to sound like Uzi and if they don’t they eventually will. Facts or nah? He sells out shows, fans chase him every time they see him and, in a way, his celebrity presence might remind you of a sparkling glove-wearing legend.
Nonetheless, what are these other talents that Lil Uzi the renaissance man has seemed to somewhat master and how did he get so good at them?
Lil Uzi the Breakdancer
You’ve seen it on Instagram, Tik Tok, and Youtube and what the masses have come to understand is that Lil Uzi can not only dance but he can also BREAKDANCE!
What’s the lite feet compared to a coin drop? A shoulder shake or a whoah to a windmill? Research points to seven years of practice for him to get to the level shown in his latest video for “Futsal Shuffle 2020.” That’s dedication, fam.
Videos of the Philly rapper breaking it down first surfaced in 2013 on Vine (remember that app). Back then he wasn’t doing windmills just pop-locks and splits.
Push it forward a couple of years then mans dead rebranded and dropped his iconic shoulder bop. Then in 2018, he choreographed moves for his song “New Patek.” Lest we forget how nice Lil Uzi is at hitting the shoot.
Now in 2019, he’s created his own dance, the Futsal Shuffle and to go along with the dance he’s thrown in some highkey hot breakdance moves?! What can’t this man do? Crazy ass dude.
Lil Uzi the Snowboarder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDha-_tiHjc
Now we have no idea when Lil Uzi got nice at snowboarding but here’s one fact, there aren’t any slopes in Atlanta. So, how does one just pick up a snowboard and go for it on a bunny slope? Dedication.
The snow sport is not as easy as it looks, any pro snowboarder can tell you that. Still, Lil Uzi was with the shits even if beefed at the end. We don’t know what energy he’s on but, on some real, we should all keep that same eternal atake going into 2020.
Lil Uzi the Rapper
To most old heads this will not sound fire, but to those who keep the ears to the streets, you can’t help but admit Lil Uzi has bars. The most memorable lyrics, his verse on “Bad and Boujee.”
Switchin’ my hoes like my flows
Switchin’ my flows like my clothes
Bet you’ve never heard this song.
https://soundcloud.com/1xv/lil-uzi-vert-6
In fact, anytime he hops on a track, most of the time, he has the most memorable verse. Not to mention, his music has slapped for the better half of the last decade to now. Plus, he has the plaques to prove it.
In 2017, his debut album Luv is Rage 2 went Double Platinum. Before that, his mixtapes The Perfect Luv Tapeand Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World went Gold and Platinum respectively. Not to mention all of the Gold and Platinum plaques he’s received for his singles and features.
It seems as if the only thing he can’t do in 2020 is drop an album. We want Eternal Atake now! Stop playin’.
Celebrating NYE can become a difficult task, real quick, and as 2020 rears its head, it’s best if we all have an escape route back to the comfort of our cribs.
It can be scary out there on your “solo dolo” venturing your way through a sauced crowd of belligerent naysayers, maneuvering around the creatures that dwell in NYC subways, and avoiding the terrifying price hikes of celebration inflation.
Be shook, because you really might not make it back to your crib.
Time and time again, we’ve seen people ultimately fail so hard that their only choice of comfort after a long night of partying was a jail cell, a park bench, the back of a cab (with the meter still running), or on a train that has long passed their stop.
If you don’t want to wake up tight in 2020, take a look at this guide we’ve put together to optimize your NYE celebration and get you back to the crib safely. Peep the true art of just knowing when to dip. Skrrrrrt!
Set a dip alert
Do you find yourself unaware of your surroundings every NYE? Can you not adhere to others when they tell you to go home after a long night of the sauce?
Have you lost the natural motivational skills it takes to trudge through a crowd of drunken people? Well, look no further the dip alert is here, works better than anything else out there, and ensures that you’ll make it to the crib by yourself for yourself.
Before you get too wavy write out some text in an alert and set an alarm at a timely hour where you know you’ll have no other choice but to dip. In all CAPS!
Here are some that work for us on the reg: MAYDAY GET BACK TO THE CRIB; YOU’RE NOT GETTING ANY CHEEKS, BRO; DON’T GET TOO DRUNK DWEEB; PEEP YOUR CHECKING ACCOUNT. Results may vary.
Cook yourself the fire meal before you go out and don’t eat it
This one is a tough but very doable notion. If you think that booze is going to be expensive on NYE wait until you see the food prices. This means for us, “broke boys,” that it is over for eating out anywhere.
So, naturally, we eat before going out so that we don’t die from alcohol poisoning on the first shot of vodka. That is understood but what about the drunk boy munchies. It is a feeling that cannot be conquered until it is satisfied with stupidly spent money on food that would’ve cost pennies to make at the crib.
Thus the pre-cook sauce was born. If we do a sauce meal prep, no more will we be distracted by the neon lights twisted into funky lettering to draw us into gluttonous food shacks of death.
When you’re ready to dip from the club on NYE you’ll have the motivation to return to your comfortable abode. No one will be able to stop you.
Pre-game stupid hard then dip when you cook yourself after one drink at the club
This is the best way to avoid playing yourself. If you are one of those people who can consume a lot of alcohol and you don’t have any bread, cop that double personal of Henny, take that shit to the head, and see how long you’ll last at the bar.
You’ll only make it through one drink and that equals less bread spent. You can trust that drinks at the bar on NYE won’t be the regular slightly overpriced watered down alcoholic beverages you consume with your cronies on the weekends.
No, these will be mega overpriced, super watered down alcoholic beverages that you’ll consume with your homies and buy for strange lovers you just met five minutes ago. Stay wise and sauced.
Get sauced at a ‘dip shelter’
There’s nothing better than planning out wherever you’re staying ahead of time and getting wavy at a place where you can crash. There are several options when it comes to finding the perfect dip shelter.
You can go all in and persuade everyone to pull up to your crib for an NYE celebration and then when it’s time to go, all you have to do is a Bruce Almighty strip down and jump into bed. Too fire.
Other dip shelters may include but are not limited to a bar/hotel hybrid, a trusted friends couch, an Air BnB down the street where you are partying, or even an old local smashpiece’s bed.
Dip 30 seconds before the ball drops
This is the perfect time to finesse your way out of the club without having to exit in some drunken line of people willing to pop off their new year by destroying yours.
Finesse everyone while they are looking at some stupid glass orb in the sky built with our tax dollars to distract us from what we really need to be doing and that is chilling in the crib.
Plus you’ll probably get some great prices on your Uber or Lyft because you’ll beat everyone else to them. Who fucks with surge prices on NYE? Ahem, NO ONE!
Also if you’re traveling on public transportation this could possibly be one of the most peaceful subway rides you’ll ever have.
Listen, it’s time to trust your inner dip senses. This isn’t a fight or flight situation. This is a dip to the crib and conquer lituation. Good luck out there on NYE youngins. You’re going to need all the advice you can get to start out 2020 the correct way. Peace!
No matter what your craft, profession, or passion there’s somethings we all face on the regular — universal doubt, breaking into our respective industries, and staying in the game.
The new Kevin Hart Netflix doc speaks on all of those things. How he stays innit even after the scandals, all of the doubters who say he won’t last, and staying versatile in an industry that’s ever-changing.
But recently, I happened to come across a 2017 Terrence Howard and Oxford Union talk where one student asked him what it takes to break into the business. Terrence Howard’s answer blew me away.
“How do you break into something? It’s a little cunning involved in that and a little violence involved in that. It’s aggression involved in breaking into something. So, there’s passion involved in that and that passion is what’s going to drive you…”
He continued to speak on his intolerance for rivalry,
“I have no toleration for rivalry, whatsoever. It’s not black eyes and bloody noses for me, it’s life or death when I’m inthat ring, and that ring is the set and the stage for me. So, I’m coming in there to dismantle you…”
Finally, he closed his answer and said,
“So, if you can’t come in ready for life or death, you think it’s a black eye or bloody nose, you will lose your life in that game. You go in and you destroy them and you break into that business however you have to.”
As creatives it’s important we take what Howard said and apply it to our drive. For sure it’s a hustle. The arduous journey to your summit won’t be easy and it will come with failure, upsets. Many upsets.
Still, you have to make that craft, you are so passionate about, your boxing ring and territory. Therefore, anyone who dares to step foot into that arena needs to face a contender who is not only on his A-game but also ready to kill at will for what they have worked so hard for.
It’s hard to break into any industry but once you break-in what will you do once you’re there? Lose it all to the next person up? How many times have we seen that happen in history?
It’s rare that we see actors like Terrence Howard, comedians like Hart, wrestlers like The Rock, basketball players like LeBron James, or rappers like Jay-Z come along. There’s one reason why. Anytime anyone stepped into their ring or tried to take their crown they absolutely destroyed the competition.
Or even better they adapted and overcame. In the Kevin Hart Netflix doc, he said:
“You can think you got it all together… Something stupid can happen that can take it all away like that.”
Still, amidst the stress of scandal, criticism from the press, and pressure from overbearing fans, he didn’t let anyone take the crown out of his hands.
So, if you want to be this “mogul” or “break into the industry” there’s one thing you have to know for certain and that you have to ask yourself every day. Is this thing that your chasing life or death?
Because for many others, it is “a life or death thing” and that’s what separates a mogul from a 15-minute-celebrity. It’s what separates a short career from a long one.
And, by design, it’s what separates a king from a peasant. So, in reference, to the Kevin Hart Netflix doc, Don’t F**k This Up.
“It is our collective obligation to shape each generation to control their own thought processes, to have a strong racial/ethnic identity, and to be ‘authentic strugglers’ for the advancement of people of African descent.”
– Dr. Marcia Sutherland, Chair of Africana Studies, University at Albany
The youth are powerful.
Standing next to a 17-year-old activist, you can feel the power, especially when they’re fighting for the rights of black and brown people.
Not to sound like an old head, but back in my day, would you find me raising a fist for any cause except for my own? Probably not. That’s why, when I pulled up on the youngins at the Gathering of the Youth Conference, in Harlem, hosted by Gathering for Justice, not only was I surprised, I was impressed.
They’re so mad. They’re so empowered and they’re hopefully going to fix things. Why? They’re tired. Our current justice system is ridiculously twisted and is set up for Black and Brown people to ultimately lose.
From childhood, our youth are pumped into a pipeline that is designed to nab us from the classroom and put us into prisons. The numbers are scary, the stats are more than surprising, and no matter how much we try, there seems to be little hope of restoring a system that is not designed for us to win.
So, what do we do?
These young adults seem to have an answer and Gathering for Justice is pushing their missions even further. Hand in hand, they are organizing and marching for the rights of those who would otherwise go unheard.
In search of a solution, a three-day “Gathering of the Youth” conference was orchestrated to develop an agenda to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline. Here youth leaders engaged in conversations, panel discussions, workshops, trainings, and more.
Criminalization of the youth
Richard Ross
School policing has made it almost impossible for Black and Brown students to succeed. Once instilled to protect students, the scrutiny and authority of law enforcement have now gotten way out of hand.
According to data released by the U.S. Education Department, Black students were four times more likely to be suspended from public schools and Latino students were nearly one-and-a-half times as likely to be suspended than their white counterparts.
What does that mean?
More research shows that a single suspension in the ninth grade doubles the odds for a student dropping out of high school or ending up in the criminal justice system.
What started out as Zero-Tolerance policies, that were mandated in 1974 (Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act) and 1994 (Gun-Free Schools Act) to expel students who brought firearms to schools, have become a model for a broadly punitive approach to youth behavior in schools.
The rigid enforcement of these “zero-tolerance policies” is not only archaic but it also doesn’t solve the issue. The thing is, these kids are more likely to get into criminal trouble once they are upended from their classroom seats.
Furthermore, the American Psychological Association found that these practices actually harm academic achievement for all students while increasing the chances that those excluded will be held back, drop out, and become involved with the juvenile and criminal justice systems.
It’s been proven over and over again, especially with the heavy presence of school safety officers. That’s another issue that is linked to more student arrests. If you treat kids like criminals in a school, outside of structure they’ll act like that too, and ultimately act like criminals in prison.
Photo Cred: Richard Ross
Last year, Catherine Lhamon, who served as assistant secretary for civil rights in Obama’s Department of Education told a story about one elementary school where a black girl was suspended for poking a student with a pencil.
When a white girl in the same grade threw a rock that hit another child in the head and broke the teacher’s sunglasses. Instead of getting suspended, she was made to help the teacher clean the classroom during lunch.
That’s just one out of thousands of examples, fam.
Overall this gives power to whom scholastic institutions want to educate, deprives the youth of meaningful opportunities for education, future employment, and participation in our democracy.
One of the main figures in the fight for justice against the school to prison pipeline is CEO President of Gathering for Justice, Carmen Perez-Jordan.
Carmen chose to do this work because of her childhood. She grew up on a small farm town outside of L.A. around a slew of negative community and home issues, including gang violence, domestic violence, alcohol addiction, and community unrest.
She credits positive adult influence and father figure, Pat Bell for helping her cope and get out of the negativity in her young life by playing basketball.
For a time, administrative school staff was seeking to expel Carmen Perez, claiming she was a gang member involved in a police investigation.
From a young age, however, Perez knew she wanted to help people. But she really didn’t fully realize her reason to live until her sister, who she viewed as her protector, died in a car accident.
“When I do this work, it’s not necessarily a job. It’s a lifestyle.” – Carmen Perez-Jordan
Photo Cred: @knorealation
Perez-Jordan went on to study psychology in college because she wanted to understand why she did not become a statistic while the people around her did.
She sought to find ways to break the cycle of oppression so many kids fall into, and credits several femtors (female mentors), who were also Latinas, Chicanas. It was those same mentors who made her realize that she could succeed as a Latina as well.
Later, Perez-Jordan met Harry Belafonte, who created the Gathering for Justice organization. As a bridge between youth and elders, Perez-Jordan takes it upon herself to make sure that the youth have the resources that the elders fought for.
Perez is also one of the co-founders of the Women’s March on Washington. Along with Linda Sarsour and Tamika Mallory, Carmen Perez sought to help communities recognize how issues intersected and promote participation in political marches and events that may not seem to obviously connect to all community members.
Gathering for justice
On the third day of the Gathering for Youth Conference, those who were in attendance were able to listen in on a panel focused on “Dismantling the School to Prison Pipeline through Transformative Politics” moderated by Zarina Iman along with Kay Galarza, Luis Hernandez, and Senator Brian Benjamin.
Photo Cred: @knorelation
At 17, Kay Galarza has made quite a name for herself and besides applying for colleges, she’s focused on pushing the initiatives she believes in forward. At the panel, Galarza emphasized the need to go beyond hiring teachers of color to combat race-based disparities.
She is quite aware of the buzz going around to hire more teachers of color. Still, she knows that throwing just any teacher that may look like your son or daughter won’t solve the problem.
We need teachers that are “equipped to handle the school culture.” The high school senior explained the need for anti-bias training for all teachers in order to affect students in a positive way.
“Teachers need training and professional development focused around implicit bias training and tier-one restorative justice training, as well as for the administration and other school staff.”
Photo Cred: @knorelation
Galarza also spoke on the psychology of why students of color are penalized more than their white counterparts, and how this implicit bias manifests.
“I think that they [students of color] do the same things as white children but are getting punished differently because of this idea that whiteness as a social construct is what people should be acting like…”
Galarza continued,
“When teachers or administrations see that students aren’t conforming to this standard of whiteness they automatically think that it’s a criminal activity or that it’s a criminal way of behaving.”
Kay Galarza fights for justice as an activist with the understanding of her own privilege as well as the generational trauma, and ancestral pain that she and others inherited.
In her own words, the reason why she does this work is in order to understand both herself and others. And more importantly, to preserve her ancestral history.
Photo Cred: @knorelation
Alliyah Logan, founder of Growing Naturally and managing director at NYCLU’s TAP program, echoed the need for self-reflection in relation to other identities and how oppression impacts them.
“It’s very important, this idea of understanding your experiences but also being an ally and being an advocate for other communities, to be able to uplift their voices in the movement”
The 17-year old Jamaican-American youth advocate also stated that the most impacted groups and identities should be at the forefront of the moment and should be speaking the most.
Photo Cred: @knorelation
Andrea Gonzalez, director of operations for Youth Over Guns explained that the way to open the lines of communication between races on the importance of issues is through education first and foremost. The 18-year-old sophomore at Baruch College said this about POC being at the forefront of the movement:
“It’s not our [Black and Brown people] jobs to always educate people, but when we do choose to educate people, when we take the time out of our day to retraumatize ourselves and relive our experiences, we expect people to listen.”
Photo Cred: @knorelation
Gonzalez also highlighted the need for media to emphasize the deaths from the hands of police brutality and state violence at the same importance as mass shootings.
“Every single life is a trauma for a community.”
Photo Cred: @knorelation
Luis Hernandez, head of Youth Leadership and Engagement Coordinator for Gathering for Justice and Executive Director of Youth Over Guns lead the Gathering of the Youth conference.
Hernandez’s take on how to help foster communication for the dismantling of oppressive systems focused on the actual language organizations and the oppressive systems use.
Hernandez recalled an anecdote of a mother seeking support for her son who was having legal troubles, who was sent to the district attorney’s office.
Unaware of the district attorney’s role in the criminal justice system, the mother asked for resources for her struggling son and instead, the office advocated for the incarceration of her child at his trial.
Hernandez explained that it’s due to a lack of knowledge of the oppressive system and the language it uses that those most vulnerable have trouble navigating it.
When we first came across Euphoric Supply’s page we were quite stunned. Who could be this clever to make a holographic tradeable card of A$AP Rocky or put Playboi Carti’s Die Lit album cover onto an N64 cartridge?
Only one artist, 23-year-old Julian Armstrong. Known as @euphoricsupply on the gram the young artist has garnered 100K plus followers for his nostalgic perspective on all things collectible.
You’ve definitely seen his toys before. He first grabbed the attention of A$AP Rocky after he took a chance and made sure that he turned on his post notifications. In an interview with Complex, Armstrong explained that after patiently waiting for Rocky’s latest post, the eager creative followed up with a comment that read ‘Please go look at the Testing doll I made.’
This is the tenacity we’re talking about. Mans went above and beyond to ensure that the Harlem rock star saw what he had in his creative chamber. He was ready. Even after commenters threw shade in an attempt to dissuade @euphoricsupply, a member from Rocky’s team ended up reaching out to make not one but 100 dolls.
‘You really think a 30-year-old guy from Harlem is going to care about your stupid toy?’
Lowkey, we’ve been watching you, Julian. Your creative spin on collectibles, we’ve grown to love even more over time, is something we really appreciate. The fact that you first started out as a clothing brand and made the switch up to focus on rare collectibles just goes to show how versatile and innovative you truly are.
It made us proud to see you make your story known on a huge platform like Complex and up your reach. Those are the skills we look to push forward throughout our community. These are the skills creatives need to learn in order to excel.
The fact is that you never know, kulture fam… You never know when that moment will come where you’ll get your time to shine. Still, the most important thing for you to remember — keep grinding.
Peep the flex and come up:
“Originally this was supposed to be a clothing brand. I ended up starting this brand right after I got out of high school. I think I had $250 from my financial aid from college, and I used that to buy T-shirts. I got a few sharpies, drew on T-shirts, and then I started trying to sell them.”
The self-taught designer has made strides to creatively line up with what he wants to accomplish. He met Rocky and the A$AP Mob and got a giant Pokémon card dedicated to the ‘Lil Boat‘ in the hands of Yachty for his birthday.
Now, with toy dolls dedicated to Tyler the Creator’s alter ego Igor, holographic pieces made in honor of Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode,” and LEGO inspired designs of Playboi Carti’s Die Lit tape there’s no telling who Julian will cross paths with next.
In an interview with Complex, @euphoricsupply described how getting his McLaren Hot Wheels toy in the hands of the Creator up’d his standard.
“I think I sold 200 of those little toys that day. It ended up taking us a month to get them done. That’s what really brought me up to a higher standard.”
Under the stress of the demand for his funky collectibles, Julain can now flex around 60 items within a single day. Talk about pushing yourself to the maximum.
If you’re looking to cop some treasures out of Euphoric Julian’s Supply, don’t be shook. Be aware and make sure you know when the younging is gunna drop some flyness.
He does limited drops every now and then. Plus, his stock does run out fast since everything is custom made by him. Hopefully, we’ll see his stuff in stores one day because Julian has dreams to work with Virgil Abloh in the near future.
He told Complex:
“I’m actually trying to reach out to Virgil Abloh… I’ve had this little list of ideas that I want to send to him, but I want him to talk to me personally first. I really want to work with him because I think we could both bring value to making something great.”
Better get to collecting, fam, because this young artist is on his way to the bag.
You know we had to add the Kid Cudi holographic Pokemon card to the stash
Made in America Festival is one of the greatest musical moments that happens each year that passes by. Since 2012, the Philadelphia concert series has put it on for music fans around the world and more importantly emerging artists from the corners of the globe.
Still, we can’t forget that there’s always more to music. Behind the scenes, there is a team of experts that make sure that each stage at Made in America Fest is one to remember. Rain or shine they ensure that everything runs just right, especially when it comes to curating the hottest musical acts of the year.
That’s why we had to connect with TIDAL’s SVP of A&R Jason Kpana and VP of A&R Toshi Kondo. The two have been in the game for a while and when it comes to the music industry both are veterans in the game.
In chopping it up with Kpana and Kondo we found out what it really takes to curate the best line-up of emerging artists for this year’s performances at the TIDAL stage. After all, it takes a tremendous effort on both sides of the fence to execute and make sure the fans are happy and the emerging artists performing are too.
Eyes have to stay peeled and ears must stay close to the streets. Paying attention to who’s up next and what artists are sure to rock the stage plays an important role in a careful selection of great shows.
It’s obvious for this year’s TIDAL stage roster at Made in America Festival 2019 the two went above and beyond to ensure that this line-up will be one to remember. From newcomers like Lil Tecca to star-studded artists like Meg Thee Stallion performing on the TIDAL stage, the musical diversity reminds fans that this was no easy task.
Hopefully, the wisdom from both Kpana and Kondo will give artists and fans more insight into what it takes to make it to the TIDAL stage and to throw a raging concert that wows crowds year after year.
Check out this year’s Made in America Fest line-up for yourself below.
