By Annie Jay
Staff Writer

Photo By Kendaru Photography

Well, lets sea hear. I am a creation that is true. There are stars in my blood stream circulating through my solar system so I have no time for Nation, I am my Own. At night tropical, green ivy grows from my spine, pollinated by humming birds yes of course with translucent wings iridescence being their thing. Oh My I must confide that I don’t give a damn about politrix just a waist of my god damn time. Mass distraction innate reaction I have my own universe to tend to, the ebb and flow of oceans of my own. No one owns me. And that is true. Torture me with taxes, unemployment. Foreclosure and all that bullshit. But the sun is free, yeah man you can pay for oxygen or you can just breathe. That’s Right take a deep breath I suggest you do so in a park of trees cuz the air on these streets are full of disease. Inhale exhale now your getting somewhere oxygenating the body and blood, awareness is clear. So whats all this about politics when were filling our bodies with damage. All a game to keep you and I lame but I see and I breathe. All You can do is protect your family and keep it together because broken homes is what most of us are suffering from. Ashe.

Classified Wordsmith Ghostwrites Himself to Local Stardom

By Aaris A. Schroeder
Editor-In-Chief

Sean, also known as Reflective Intelligence in the local hip-hop scene was born in Sacramento, CA and raised in Dallas, TX, attending church regularly with his mother of whom he says was really good about getting him and his brothers, Brandon, Jay and Eric ready for Sunday school.  When he was 13-years-old he moved back to Sacramento with his father and attended Encino High School thereafter where he played baseball. 

Sean was involved with his church choir growing up; this is where he learned how to read music terminology and was interested in writing music.  When Sean was 14-years-old he was already writing poetry but expanded into writing rap-style lyrics.  He got more involved with writing raps and r&b music when he was 19.

Sean’s uncle, who was also a pastor, became an investor for up-and-coming musicians.  After receiving an opportunity for a joint venture with Sony, he was looking for songwriters.  Attending American River College for Music Engineering with fellow classmates and young emcees, Aman “Wyzdom” Smith [Verbal Venom], Floe Montana & Tone Malone – making hip-hop beats and lyrics at China Man’s home studio, Sean emerged as Reflective Intelligence [A.K.A. R.I.] and his uncle heard he was good at writing music.  R.I. sent him music within 30 minutes and very quickly, contracts were signed, funds were deposited into his bank account and R.I. was officially a ghost writer for Sony Records. 

“[Ghost writing] is obviously more for r&b artists, not emcees.  I didn’t realize it happens so often in the music industry. How high of a demand that it is,” says R.I. 

Photo By Kendaru Photography

Between ’07 and ’08 he began writing hooks for local performers and continued ghost writing.  At this point in his life, he was determined to make it, raising three children and being a single father, he feels that he has to do this for himself and for them. 

“When I didn’t have kids, I could do what I wanted, sleep in.  I was very selfish.  Now that I have kids, I can’t imagine not having them.  I didn’t care about what people thought about me.  I had a chip on my shoulder, didn’t have respect for women.  I was arrogant,” confesses R.I. over the phone.  You can hear him greeting his kids and helping one of them with their English and Math homework.  You can tell he is a wonderful father as he attends to everything they need and plays with them as well.

His new publishing company, Brain Bright Publishing emerged as a way to help himself to support his own music independently, “As far as the industry is concerned, it is designed for the artist to be in debt.  Labels want the rights to publishing your music to recoup their investment.  You don’t want to compromise your art or music.  Major artists have their music, name and identity taken from them.”

On a different day, R.I. took me to his recording studio.  He poured me a drink and had me step inside of the place where magic happens.  The studio was quite professional and when we walked into the roomy sound booth, you could literally hear nothing.  He has his flat screen set up to swivel around backwards so that if he wants to record from the sound booth himself, he could swivel the screen and grab his cordless keyboard and mouse and play producer and emcee at the same time.

R.I. goes on to explain the difference between indie and major labels is corporate backing and power but indie labels are grass root movements that allow the artist to choose their audience, sell their music and understand how to get grants and resources.  He says independent artists need to support themselves; get the backing from their community. 

“You can have a great product but if you don’t have the correct marketing you aren’t going to make it. We need to really assimilate and support the djs and artists and not piggy back off people,” says R.I.

The thing about Sacramento; he believes, is that there are pockets of unity here, giving examples of organizations or emcees collaborating together even though writers, musicians and djs usually associate themselves with their peer group, there is some cross-promotion to some extent.   

Photo By Kendaru Photography

R.I. has global goals with his music.  He doesn’t want his sound to be restricted to any specific region.  Listening to his songs, one can relate to this message – hearing dirty south, indie hip-hop; a little east a little west coast all intertwined together with clean hip-hop, gospel, soul and blues sounds.  Some of his favorite artists are OutKast and Mos Def.  He has current goals of bringing in a live band to back his emceeing at shows. 

The G.I. Joe Project is a collaborative effort where he features new artists such as Omatic, Ditty the Dogmatican, Odd Knots and more as well as arrived artists like Floe Montana, Theek [Righteous Movement] and Tone Malone in six-hour music recording sessions.  The whole effort was completed from start to finish in just 45 days.  R.I. says that he recorded two-to-three songs a night, literally.  Being involved with organizations and being an asset in the community is the first part of making it happen, R.I. believes. 

“Being a part of Hip-Hop Congress, we [can] help people understand what hip-hop really is and how artists can be educated on the business side of it.  It can’t be one person; it has to be a contingent.  I obviously represent myself and my talent and share it with the community,” explains R.I. who feels he should reflect intelligence, hence his name, “I let my life shine with the kind of music I put out that provokes thought and entertains.  The artists I most connect with are people that do things in their community.  Hip-hop is not rap, it is a culture.  Rap is a type of music.

“I purposely use personification or phraseology [word-choice] – it may be a concept or a philosophy    I will talk about religion, relationships [gender roles], mathematic concepts, about socio-economic status, political terminology – all because I like to learn, I like to read and I am regurgitating that in an artistic form when I make my music,” continues R.I. whose newest album, R.IVAL to be released in the first quarter of year ‘10 will cover these subjects.  The R.IVAL will feature female crooner, Aris emcees Wyzdom and Theek among others.

“Some artists are just plain ignorant but those of us that understand the importance of spoken word and the influence it can have on people – everyone does it, McDonalds does it – these are the things that captivate people.  It is all about understanding the business.  The average listener will pay attention to certain phrases, word-choice, sounds – then you can drop in the jewels.  It happens with beats, song sampling, word-choice – this helps you to grab a certain demographic to allow them to hear your message as well.”

For more information about R.I. and how you can get your hands on some Reflective Intelligence, Twitter him at www.twitter.com/refectiveintelligence or visit www.myspace.com/macksinc for event updates and album release dates.

M1 of dead prez on Six-City Speaking Tour on Gaza

By Aaris A. Schroeder
Editor-In-Chief

M1, one part of political hip-hop duo dead prez has been on a speaking tour, “From the Ghetto to Gaza;” in an effort to educate Americans about his experience and the reality of what is going on in the region, Sept. 23-29, ‘09 throughout Northern-CA visiting Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Cruz and Sonoma County, starting off in Sacramento at the Capitol Garage, a café-style venue that is known for hip-hop and reggae events. 

The cost to hear M1 speak was only $5 at the door and benefited local Hip-Hop Congress Community Chapter for Sacramento as well as S.F. Bay View Newspaper and BlockReportRadio.com.  M1’s goals are to stop the war that is at hand in the Middle-East and help the poor and oppressed people of the world, he says. 

Photo Courtesy of M1

Photo Courtesy of M1

“The main purpose of the tour is to politically educate our community about what is happening on a international scale. The Block Report, the Bay View and dead prez have international world views,” says [Prison of Conscious Community] P.O.C.C. Minister of Information JR.

M1 was to meet up with others to begin a caravan in Cairo through the Gaza strip to provide resources to people who had been held under an Israeli embargo.  Once the caravan arrived at their hotel, there were Egyptian government agents who were told to “follow and document every word and action taken by the Viva Palestina group” according to M1. 

According to M1 the government wasn’t making it easy for his group, which included British Parliamentarian George Galloway, organizer of the mission, Green Party presidential nominee who ran against Barak Obama; Cynthia McKinney who was previously arrested and jailed by the Israeli government for seven days and freed by the Lebanese; Charles Barron, former Black Panther and emcees S.O.U.L. Purpose of the U.S. and Iran and Lowkey of Britain to obtain entrance to Palestine.  The agents made it nearly impossible for the group to leave the hotel room and also, according to M1 relieved them of “thousands of dollars and pounds” of humanitarian aid, including mattresses, medical supplies, school supplies, books and more without the caravan’s knowledge.  Finally, the group was allotted only 24 hours to be in and out of Gaza and told not to bring supplies. 

Palestinians were not allowed to leave Cairo nor could they have access from the Gaza Strip on the other side.  M1 explained how it made him feel, seeing families at the border’s checkpoint, trying to cross the border.  “Cairo is one of the dirtiest cities you have ever seen in your entire life,” says M1.

Photo By Kendaru Photography

“Hip-hop is strong in the Middle-East.  They don’t encourage hip-hop to be said or done, it just happens,” says M1 who explains that the government doesn’t control hip-hop so it is a true underground movement.

 “Hip-hop is the right wing of the state [in the U.S.], including hip-hop media – except for Hip-Hop Congress,” says M1 who tells Hip-Hop Congress that they can help out by creating events in an effort to spread knowledge about what is going down in Palestine. 

“A lot of people think they know what is going on,” says M1 who also reports that a lot of hip-hop artists want to make songs about what is going on but it is hard to when they haven’t experienced it first hand.  He gave the example of Sean Bell being gunned down in Queens, NY and not understanding the dynamic of the secret police force. 

Photo By Kendaru Photography

M1 and others realized they were only there to do public relations for the Gaza Government.  He also states that their government was to parade around English and American citizens in a media effort.  M1 believes that the government that runs Gaza is not the best government for Palestine. 

“I found that Hamas was very aggressive [and] uses fear [to control its people],” according to M1.

“I thought to myself [that we were] giving goods and services to the people, in reality, we were giving it to the government,” says M1 who didn’t want to parade around helping Palestine and then to have U.S. media report that they helped a terrorist country.  

In the end, the group was able to drop off the supplies to the people of Gaza and then returned home. 

“I want to be able to tell the truth from a revolutionary perspective,” says M1. 

Want to get involved?  Contact www.blockreportradio.com, www.deadprez.com or www.sfbayview.com.

By Aaris A. Schroeder
Editor-In-Chief

Grind for the Green, a non-profit organization that works with Bay Area youth careers in music provided its second annual four-part series, free of charge that includes a beat and emcee competition, July 12-Aug 30, ‘09 for the final competition at Yerba Buena Park in San Francisco, CA; all happening while caring for the environment utilizing solar panels for energy, sponsored by Solar Living Institute.

“The ecological aspect of it is that all of our materials are made with recycled paper,” says Ambessa Cantave, Co-Executive Director for G4G, “We are trying to instruct the youth on where the world is going and the impact we can make with the choices we make.”

Solar Living Institute has been training communities in environmentally friendly alternative lifestyles; G4G has a relationship with them through their official fiscal sponsor, Global Exchange.

 “More urban communities need access and information on eco-living so they can understand that going green can be cool and not just for hippies. It also provided a learning opportunity for the artists involved in G4G who are learning more about this movement,” states Founder and Executive Director, Zakiya Harris who had nearly 350 in attendance to G4G, double the amount of last year.

Young adults were able to unify and become educated while attending music conference, music workshop, a creative beat battle and a paced emcee competition.  Several workshops went down on July 12 at San Francisco State University where youth learned how to project their voices with song and poetry, improvisation, how to check in with a soundman and more.  July 18 was G4G youth conference featuring speaker M1 of dead prez educating youth on music business and environmental justice. 

“It was inspirational and we were happy that it was all about social justice, activism and then to take it upon themselves to make it happen,” says Cantave.

Photo By Aaris A. Schroeder

Emcee Talib Kweli and vegan soul chef Bryant Terry played the part of celebrity judges.  Young adults are taught dynamics of vocal performance, producing music, mixing and mastering, stage presence correlated while learning how to put the right foods in their bodies and to respect the earth, hence solar-powered hip-hop events. 

“I think that it assisted our community by exposing them to tangible solutions for the planet in a culturally engaging and innovative way. I believe that is the only way to get urban communities excited about climate change,” says Harris who was able to hire and pay youth we also had three interns and various volunteers this year. 

Photo By Aaris A. Schroeder

This year, along with major headliners, dead prez [stic.man and M1] and Mr. F.A.B., Fiyawata, Lil Lo A.K.A. O’Zone and last year’s G4G emcee battle winner along with DJ Anthony Marshall performed with the final contestants that made it through the summer, learning and performing hip-hop in an eco-friendly environment.  August ’09 G4G awarded Tre Pounds, emcee battle winner and Money Alwayz, best beat-maker, judged by the people and announced by local emcee and host for G4G The Jacka.  Each winner received $1000, free studio time and the chance to perform on the same stage as Dead Prez and Mr. F.A.B.

Photo By Aaris A. Schroeder

“Since its inception, hip-hop has been used as a tool of education and community organizing, even though it’s not apparent in the mainstream media.  This fits in line with hip-hop because, [similar to] climate change [which] unites people among all races, class, genders etc, hip-hop is a universal language and going green is a universal movement because if we don’t have a planet what else really matters?” Boldly states Harris.

Sponsors and affiliates to get involved with in the G4G movement; visit online at GrindForTheGreen.com, include greenforall.org, globalexchange.org, consciousyouthmediacrew.org and partners with SFSU MRI Program where events are held cel.sfsu.edu/music.  Other partners are Alliance For Climate Education and Rainbow Grocery.  G4G can be seen spring ’10 at the Eco-Music Festival and are getting ready to be involved with the annual Green Festival, check it out at greenfestival.org.

By Monotone

Staff Writer

Jimmie Reign one of the most dynamic r&b artists to hit the radio, Twitter and every social network around.  With tracks and music videos like, “Make You Wait,” “Different Person” and “Can’t Go” featuring Big Rich, Balance and The Jacka – this girl has every guy mesmerized.  If beauty could kill, then this journalist and track producer’s music studio would become a crime scene right now! 

 Her voice range enables her to grasp lower octaves that most cannot attain and reach for notes with a beautiful touch of falsetto when needed. As I listen to her I get the sense that she might be the by-product of a gospel upbringing.  She sounds like she was brought up singing in the church choirs.

“I sing because it’s one of the few things in life that makes and keeps me happy. Even when I was a little girl, if I got in trouble or something made me sad- I’d go in my room and start singing. It would make me forget about what was going on,” says Reign.

 When she was just 15-years-old, Reign was focused on writing and soon recorded her first track, “Play Brothers” when she was in female group Side2Syde.  Now she is completely focused on her music career, doing it for the love not the money.  When she isn’t creating or performing, Reign listens to Sade, El Debarge, Musiq Soulchild and Amel Larrieux. 

Photo by No. 9580

Reign’s manager handles her social networks so that she can focus on her music production and of course being herself outside of music.  Reign enjoys going out like the next person and films such as “Kill Bill,” which she “can’t get enough of…seriously.” Her down-to-earth nature makes her an approachable young lady.

This young r&b diva spends a lot of time with family as well and on her favorite G1 phone. “I’ve had it since it first came out. I looooove that mother effin’ phone! My sis told me to get a Blackberry and I almost did but couldn’t part with my G1.”

“My favorite app[lication] on it is the EBay app. I’m on EBay like every second and the app makes it easy for me to find things and bid. It even has this thing that turns your phone into a scanner. You can scan a barcode and see if EBay is selling that item online,” says Reign in total excitement.

 Check Reign out on every social network, including myspace.com/jimmiereign1, twitter.com/jimmiereign and search for her name on FaceBook to learn more about her day-to-day, current events and new music.

By Anne Wycoff
Staff Writer

I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Bob Schmidt, Mandolin and Banjo player of Flogging Molly, the seven-piece Irish-American Celtic punk rock band from Los Angeles, CA before their performance in Chico, Sept. 14 at the Senator Theater.  Getting their start at L.A.’s Molly Malone’s, Flogging Molly has been belting out a successful blend of traditional Irish music and pirated bar tunes paired with modern punk since ’97.

UBO: Your fan base seemed to have changed over the last ten years, what do you attribute this to?

BOB: [Laughs] Well, we’re getting a bit older so our fans are too but the reality is [that] most of our fans are increasing in number [because the awareness of our music has increased] and we keep the 20-somethings and teens coming back with our new tunes and the middle-agers.  Also, we are more of an E.P. band as opposed to just cranking out singles, so our music appeals to a gamete of fans. 

UBO: With the download addicts out there, do you think today’s generation is missing something?

BOB: You mean like the experience of buying a CD or record?  There is something to be said for going to the record store and buying a CD, sifting through the selections.  Currently though, record stores are a dying breed, so Amazon and even Borders is today’s version of vinyl pilfering.  And you know, downloads sound lame, compared to the actual CD. 

UBO: Yea, more mechanical, like really bad, boring sex.

BOB: [Laughs} I guess you could put it like that

Photo by Lindsay Hutchens

UBO: “The Devil’s Dance Floor” song and video beautifully illustrates the angst that an abused woman goes through as well as fulfilling every abused woman’s fantasy of ‘offing’ their abusers.  Was this song based on a real character?  Someone in Dave King’s life?

BOB: As a matter of fact, a lot of songs on that album, “Swagger,” out first studio album are based on characters from Molly Malone’s.  “The Devil’s Dance Floor” is loosely composed of a shady cab driver who we call, “Sentimental Johnny” [also the name of one of our songs], kind of a dark, sad guy.  He never displayed an abusive side but Dave just sort of took it to that level.  But the dark, sad shady characters are flaws or rather, defining points of character that Dave will transform into a song.

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M1 of dead prez to Start Six-City Speaking Tour in Sacramento

M1 of dead prez Will Be on a Speaking Tour, “From The Ghetto To Gaza;” Sponsored by S.F. Bay View Newspaper, P.O.C.C., Block Report Radio and Hip-Hop Congress, Beginning September 23-29, Throughout Northern CA.

Sacramento, CA, September 23, 2009 – Starting in Sacramento, CA; M1 of dead prez, one part of well-known hip-hop duo on the underground music scene will be speaking about his travels to Gaza, Ciaro and Europe at local café-restaurant and musical venue, Capitol Garage [1500 K. St., Sacramento, CA].  His speaking tour, appropriately entitled, “From The Ghetto To Gaza” will continue into Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Cruz and Sonoma County as well.  After M1 shares his trip with Sacramento, local Hip-Hop Congress Community Chapter will host its second bi-weekly open-mic by emcee ÉlanMowerMan where local musicians will perform such as Oakland Rapper, DLabrie who will be traveling w the tour, Skurge of Righteous Movement, Verbal Venom and more.

Traveling with nearly 200 people, according to M1, including Green Party Presidential Nominee Cynthia McKinney to Gaza where they brought food, medicine, clothing and other supplies that citizens were in need of.  The trip; in conjunction with donations was created to research Gaza civilians’ day-to-day living circumstances compared to Black communities in the U.S., according to M1 in a story he posted at BlockReportRadio.com. 

“The main purpose of the tour is to politically educate our community about what is happening on a international scale. The Block Report, the Bay View and dead prez have international world views,” says P.O.C.C. Minister of Information JR.
The following day M1 will travel from Sacramento to East Oakland where The Minister of Information JR and Executive Producer of BlockReportRadio.com and Associate Editor of SF Bay View Newspaper will interview M1.  M1’s Speaking Tour is also a fundraiser to keep SF Bay View Newspaper in publication during the recession when print media suffers the most. 

September 25, M1 will be interviewed by Broadcast Journalist, Richard Brown of SF Channel 8.  Then on September 26, Nadra Foster, former broadcaster for KPFA will interview M1.  Her story made headlines when she was beaten up by police inside of the station she worked at after a member of management called the police on her in a lie.  September 27, M1 will be with DE-BUG Magazine, a local San Jose community-based magazine that covers anything from music to politics also affiliated with Hip-Hop Congress. Next week the tour will visit Barrios Unidos in Santa Cruz on September 28 and finish off at Sonoma State September 29.

For additional information about M1 of dead prez and his six-city speaking tour, you can visit sponsors at www.BlockReportRadio.com, www.sbbayview.com or www.hiphopcongress.com.  You can speak with Publicist Aaris A. Schroeder at ubomag@gmail.com, J.R. of BlockReportRadio.com at blockreportradio@gmail.com and Hip Hop Congress Outreach Director, DLabrie at dlabrozia2009@gmail.com.  Also view DE-BUG at http://www.siliconvalleydebug.org for editorial content. 

ABOUT UBO Public Relation Services – Promoting underground, unsigned and independent artists, musicians and independent businesses and services through media.  UBO conducts accurate publicist work, creating press kits, writing press releases, biographies, one-sheets and electronic press kits.  For more information, please view www.myspace.com/ubomagazine and e-mail ubomag@gmail.com for a full list of services.                 

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