Rude is the New Black

I wish I were like Dave Choe, who has embraced the haters by including his favorite insults as part of his book project .. If only I could revel in receiving a message from an editor I have never met stating:

You've pretty much trained me not to look at your release, which are too plentiful and almost never relevant. Please take me off of your mailing list.

I wonder why he used the word "please" .......

the eye of truth

so you know with everything I am up to these days I should be headed for a nervous breakdown but I am calmer, cooler, and more collected than I have ever been in my life which makes me wonder—why the hell did I used to freak out over every last lil thing ? I mean, I've always been a busy lil bunny, but I am doing about five times as much as I ever did, and yet here I am chill like a popsicle ..

okay, that's not totally true .. it seems that in place of my previous spazz attacks, my body has developed strange ways of manifesting stress .. instead of yelling and stomping and smoking weed, I now get strange symptoms like .. stress foot .. yes, you heard me, stress foot .. my feet alternately hurt in the most weird way—the top gets tense, it might come on suddenly, last for a day, then disappear like nothing .. then two weeks later it's back for a couple of hours on the other foot .. I mean, it's weird, it's annyoing, but it's not like anyone knows I've got stress foot ..

but now, aii, I have this new thing: the twitchy eye .. that's not a good look .. ever since Monday my eye has been twitching whenever I say something that bothers me on some unconscious level .. now this is not cute because I am paranoid people can see it .. it's been settling down a bit, fortunately, and now feels more like a hum than a twitch .. nevertheless it is the weirdest thing to have my body react negatively to the words I am saying ..

strange how your unconscious mind has these powers to move your body in ways that your conscious mind cannot control ..

Superfriends

so I was with friends asking them if they remember the Superfriends cartoon and the answer was a resounding No. One girl was from Berlin, another Amsterdam, and Miss Yonkers was too young to have caught it. So here I am, the only one with a reference to the Hall of Justice, carrying on about how cool it was for Wonder Woman to team up with Aquaman or some shit when one of them said, "What if we were superheroes?"

I think it was Miss Amsterdam. She continued, "I could wear a leopard cat suit and have long nails like Wolverwine!" ('cause she gets em done by Chinese girls at the local nail shop).

Then Miss Yonkers said, "And I would be the one who breaks everything!" ('cause she flies into walls).

And Miss Berlin said, "And I could be the one that's like, 'umm maybe I don't go. I'm scared my cape won't work.'"

And I was like, "Hmm .. I would just narrate the whole thing: Here comes Miss Amsterdam, she's got the look but none of the power. And, wait, is that Miss Yonkers on crutches? I think it is. But where is Miss Berlin? Has anyone seen her? What? Under the table in the broom closet back at the Hall of Justice?"

Not quite the way I remember the show but fuck it, I ain't got no invisible jet, no magic lasso, no—what was it—a boomerang headband?

But you better believe I can talk em into complete and total submission.

No Sleep 'til Brooklyn

It's an Exhibition (The powerHouse Arena, 37 Main Street, Brooklyn: October 13–November 19, 2006)
It's an Event Series (The powerHouse Arena, October 13–16, 2006)
It's a Magazine (available October 2006)
It's all that and a bag of chips.
Except .. I don't eat chips.
So hmm .. It's all that and a bag of cherries.
For real ..

Photo by Boogie

Mmm Love to Hate You Baby ..

I have always wondered about why people love to hate on others, particularly when they make a point of putting it in print. They say there is no such things as bad press and perhaps this is true—if all you care about is getting your name out there.

But this should not detract from the fact that haters sit at keyboards and espouse their indignation at—at what? At others efforts to do something they love? To show their readers their inherent superiority over both the subject at hand and their readers' ability to assess the situation for themselves? Is hating on others a way to distract themselves from a distinctly foul odor that lurks close under their own nose?

One might say, if you dish it out you should take it. And that's where I draw the line. I don't dish it out in print (and rarely in person). I make it a point of honor not to spread negativity. By this I am not saying I kiss ass. Far from it. If I ain't feelin' it, I don't see it. It's hard to be shady when you don't exist.

And so to those who have taken it upon themselves to "critique" our collective efforts to bring forth something that celebrates and honors a culture that we love, know this: Hate comes from hate. Your disgust/disappointment/disdain only advertises your own. It's apparent. Transparent. And sad.

If ya missed it ..

.. my moms didn't ..

We B*Girlz at Lincoln Center Out of Doors


Rowdy representing London. Flowzaic ladies rocked it !!


Rokafella !! you know that shoulder shimmy shimmy y'all ..


KR3Ts !! Spanish Harlem in the House !!


you know what it feels like to walk on the Plaza at Lincoln Center and see a big ass banner that says WE B*GIRLZ (done by Lady Pink, Toofly and Muck and made possible by Deitch Projects) ..

You don't. I know. I'll tell you.

I went to high school across the street from Lincoln Center. Every day we'd be walking through the complex—underground from the train, up the stairs to smoke cigarettes and hang out til we figured out where we were going, across the Plaza if we wanted to go to Roy Rogers and order fries and smoke more cigarettes and pour salt on ice cubes and watch them dissolve while throwing pickles on the mural of the southwest on the wall and watched them stick, fossilize, and eventually disappear. We graduated with a ceremony at Avery Fisher Hall. Billy Dee Williams was the guest speaker. He stumbled through his speech. He sounded drunk. Some girls jumped up and started singing, "Colt 45. Malt liquor. Colt 45 is the dynamite taste."

Every day for four years, four weirdass high-school years in Manhattan in the late 80s, I was at Lincoln Center and never once did I think I would be at Lincoln Center in any other capacity. Over the past 15 years (ahahaha eek !!) I have had cause to venture back. An opera here. An opera there. But not enough to really make an impact. Not like the first time I bought Public Enemy's Fear of a Black Planet at Tower Records and sat by that pool outside the Vivien Beaumont, listening to it on my walkman ..

So here I am, 25, 15 years later thinking, Well goddamn. Ain't life grand ..

Rock on til the Break of Dawn

No Sleep ’til Brooklyn
A powerHouse Hip Hop Retrospective

Event Programming During VH1 Hip Hop Honors Week: October 13–16, 2006

The powerHouse Arena, 37 Main Street, Brooklyn, New York 11201
For more information, please call 212-604-9074 x100

Exhibition Open Daily to the Public: October 13–November 19, 2006
No Sleep ’til Brooklyn is a 30-year retrospective of hip-hop culture documenting its humble beginnings in the South Bronx through its glorious rise to global domination. The group exhibition represents every element of hip hop—from the breakers, graffiti writers, emcees, and djs to the photographers, writers, personalities, and fans who have made hip hop the greatest single force in pop culture. But this is by no means a story of celebrity, fame, and mass-market names. As KRS-One said, “Rap is something you do, hip hop is something you live.” And so we dedicate No Sleep ’til Brooklyn to the people and to the streets, paying tribute to the founders, the innovators, and the next generation.

The show will feature works by artists including Bob Adelman, Charlie Ahearn, Patti Astor, Janette Beckman, Peter Beste, Le Bijoutier, BLADE, Boogie, Martha Camarillo, Henry Chalfant, Vincent Cianni, Claw Money, CYCLE, Martha Cooper, DAZE, Martin Dixon, DR.REVOLT, ELLIS G., Delphine Fawundu-Buford, Carol Friedman, Ruediger Glatz, Hamburger Eyes, Lisa Kahane, Brenda Kenneally, Brian Kenny, Seth Kushner, LADY PINK, Maripol, NATO, Charles Peterson, Mark Peterson, Ricky Powell, QUIK, Lee Quinones, Carlos “MARE 139” Rodriguez, Joseph Rodriguez, Randy “KEL 1st” Rodriguez, Thomas Roma, Jamel Shabazz, STAY HIGH 149, Peter Sutherland, TEAM, TOOFLY, Craig Wetherby, David Wong, and David Yellen.

Friday, October 13, 2006, 6:00–10:00 pm
Hip Hop: By All Means Necessary
New York premier screening of the first documentary film by acclaimed photojournalist Brenda Kenneally
The film is a graphic and gripping journey inside the rap game. Featuring the members of the MMO clique based in Brooklyn, including Big Trigg, Sha, Skinny Minnie, and Foogie, the film travels around the city and across the country to explore how young black youth are hustling hop hop as a way to make something of their lives. But this is by no means a sugar-coated story; the film opens with a young man killed by the police; it takes you on stage with Ol’ Dirty Bastard at one of his final performances; it shows life in the projects as they are lived. Hip Hop: By All Means Necessary appearances by Brooklyn’s own MMO clique; Bushwick Bill (Geto Boys), Kurupt (Tha Row), Old Dirty Bastard (Wu Tang Clan), LA Confidential, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Funkmaser Flex, and Kante West, among many others.
Panel discussion featuring MMO clique members Big Trigg, Foogie, Sha, Skinny Minnie, and others to follow.

Saturday, October 14, 2006, 6:00–10:00 pm
The Fun’s Not Over Yet!
Film Screening: Trailer for the upcoming documentary film, Patti Astor’s FUN Gallery (Robert David Films)
The world famous FUN Gallery was the epicenter of the early 80's East Village cultural explosion. The first gallery in that then tenement neighborhood was founded in 1981 by underground film star Patti Astor and Bill Stelling. It showcased the works of artists such as Jean Michel Basquiat, Lee Quinones, Keith Haring, Dondi White, ZEPHYR, Kenny Sharf, FUTURA 2000, A ONE, FAB 5 Freddy, and DR.REVOLT. The gallery provided many artists with their first solo shows and introduced countless others to the established art world for the first time. In 1983 then Citibank art advisor Jeffery Deitch stated in People magazine that the Fun Gallery was „one of the hottest galleries in the city.

FUN! The True Story of Patti Astor, her first book to be published by powerHouse Books, relates her escapades at that storefront pioneering space along with the unique FUN Gallery crew of graffiti artists, rock, rap and movie stars, uptown collectors, scheming Soho dealers and neighborhood kids and hipsters.

The FUN Gallery panel will be moderated by Patti Astor and features some of the influential and original members of the FUN Crew:
• FAB 5 Freddy on the landmark coming together of uptown and downtown for which he was the chief ambassador.
• LEE Quinones as the first FUN artist to be signed to a major gallery (Barbara Gladstone) on making that transition.
• ZEPHYR , like LEE renowned as a King of The Line, on making the move from the yards to the galleries while staying true to his beliefs something he shared with the late Dondi White.
• Diego Cortez who curated the first "outlaw" art shows, "Batman,” "Grutzi Elvis," and the groundbreaking "New York New Wave" on bringing this art to a larger audience.

Patti Astor will introduce each panelist by reading short excerpt from her book. The panel will be followed by a Q&A with the audience.

Film Screening: Wild Style Screening
For those craving the true roots of rap, Wild Style captured the hardcore South Bronx scene at its birth. The stars of Wild Style form the pantheon of hip hop’s pioneers: DJ’s Grand Master Flash, Grand Wizard Theodore, D.St.; rappers Grand Master Caz and The Cold Crush Bros, The Chief Rocker Busy Bee, Double Trouble, Fantastic Freaks and Rammelzee and b-boy champions The Rock Steady Crew. Beat Music by legendary Blondie guitarist Chris Stein and Fred Brathwaite. Wild Style stars the legendary subway artist Lee Quinones and the queen of the graffiti scene, Sandra PINK Fabara. Graffiti Masters DONDI, ZEPHYR, and DAZE also bombed for the movie. Patti Astor stars as Virgiina, the downtown reporter who comes uptown to dig the scene. Fab 5 Freddy, who along with writer/producer/director Charlie Ahearn, helped create Wild Style, shines as the smooth hip-hop impressario Phade. Wild Style follows the outlaw artists through the train yards to the rap/breakin’ clubs. The movie culminates at a massive outdoor jam, definitely the most famous hip-hop party in history!

Sunday, October 15, 2006, 6:00–9:00pm
An Evening with Jamel Shabazz
Hosted by TRACE
Since the 2001 publication of his first monograph, Back in the Days, hip-hop culture’s premier street photographer and documentarian.Jamel Shabazz has inspired a new generation to learn their history and celebrate their heritage. Committed to preserving the community and uplifting the people, Shabazz will host an evening featuring a selection of the music that inspired his work, a slide show and lecture exploring his vast archive covering the past 30 years, host a Q&A session, and screen a trailer from the forthcoming documentary film, 1 Love, on himself, as well as photographers Ernie Pannicoli and Joe Conzo.

Monday, October 16, 2006, 4:00–10:00pm
Women in Hip Hop
Held in conjunction with Black Girls Rock
Hosted by Brooklyn Bodega
All too often, women are overlooked, marginalized, or just flat out insulted in hip-hop culture. This event is designed to give women their due while creating a forum for critical discussion and pro-active and positive approached to problem solving. Featuring a panel discussion with acclaimed female artists and writers, Women in Hip Hop will discuss the challenges they have faced as women setting out to make their mark in a traditionally male dominated culture, providing both inspiration to young women and girls, as well as offering insight of their struggles to the men and boys with whom they work, love, and live. The event will also feature a performance from local Brooklyn songstress, Maya Azucena who most recently performed at the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival, as well as a PSA from Black Girls Rock, and a multi-media presentation for We B*Girlz, the first book of female breakers around the world today by Martha Cooper and Nika Kramer.

The Women in Hip Hop Panel discussion will be moderated by powerHouse Book Publicity Director and No Sleep ‘til Brooklyn curator Miss Rosen and will feature a broad range of women whose work has influenced hip hop for the past three decades including:
• Patti Astor, co-founder of FUN Gallery
• Janette Beckman, photographer of some of the 80s most iconic album covers
• Beverly Bond, Founder and President of Black Girls Rock
• CLAW Money, graffiti glamour girl and fashion designer
• Martha Cooper, legendary hip hop documentarian
• Delphine Fawundu-Buford, street photographer and portraitist
• LADY PINK, legendary graffiti writer and artist
• Joan Morgan, author of When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost
• Rokafella, b-girl extraodinaire
• TOOFLY, hot young urban muralist

Short Film Screening: Redder than Red
Celebrated photographer Martha Cooper and writer Nika Kramer make their directorial debut with the story of Hanifa 'Queen' Hudson aka Bubbles, the pioneering female breakdancer who rose to fame in the early '80s with breakdance crew 'The B-Boys', via appearances on TV and in early Hip Hop films 'Electro Rock' and 'Bombin'. Widely acknowledged as the first female breaker to compete with men in the almost exclusively male emerging Hip Hop culture, Bubbles remains an inspiration to B-Girls all over the world. Bubbles became famous through a line in Electro Rock when the host says: “Check out the one in red—it’s a girl!” Since she is Jamaican-British, we took our title from the old Bob Marley song Redder than Red (which means hotter than hot). Combining vintage and recent footage, the film explores the life history of a talented, now 37 year old, Jamaican-British girl who got caught up in the excitement of Hip Hop in the early 80’s, attained a measure of fame, was virtually forgotten, but has recently re-entered the scene. In the intervening years, Bubbles married, had a son, divorced, and converted to Islam, changing her name to Hanifa. The film captures the excitement of the early days of Hip Hop as it arrived fresh from the Bronx to England in the 80's. The film’s highlight is a reunion of Bubbles’ crew, the B-Boys, in the local community center where they dance together for the first time in nearly 20 years. An interview with Bubbles describing her life and her feelings about it, weaves the segments together.

Drinks courtesy of Brooklyn Lager.

Ya Heard It Here FIRST

(that is, if you are reading this blog. if ya ain't, hell, I'll never know.)

powerHouse Books, VH1, Flavorpill, and Montana are pleased to announce

No Sleep ’til Brooklyn:
A powerHouse Hip Hop Retrospective

The Inaugural Exhibition and Event Series at The powerHouse Arena
to Celebrate VH1 Hip Hop Honors 2006

The powerHouse Arena
37 Main Street
Brooklyn, New York 11201

October 13–November 19, 2006

No Sleep ’til Brooklyn, the inaugural exhibition and event series at The powerHouse Arena’s new location at 37 Main Street, Brooklyn, is the Brooklyn hub for VH1 Hip Hop Honors 2006, a week-long celebration of hip hop’s legends and visionaries held throughout New York City.

“Hip hop music was born right here in our city” stated Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. “During our first ever Hip Hop Honors Week, New Yorkers will have exciting new opportunities to celebrate an art that has influenced generations and reached the farthest corners of the world. For the past two years, VH1 has paid tribute to hip hop’s original pioneers through ‘Hip Hop Honors.’ They’ve chosen New York City as a host and a partner in that tribute and we’re proud to welcome them back.”

Hip Hop Honors Week will kick off on October 12, 2006. That evening, The powerHouse Arena will launch No Sleep ’til Brooklyn, is a 30-year retrospective of hip-hop culture documenting its humble beginnings in the South Bronx through its glorious rise to global domination. The group exhibition represents every element of hip hop—from the breakers, graffiti writers, emcees, and djs to the photographers, writers, personalities, and fans who have made hip hop the greatest single force in pop culture.

But this is by no means a story of celebrity, fame, and mass-market names. As KRS-One said, “Rap is something you do, hip hop is something you live.” And so we dedicate No Sleep ’til Brooklyn to the people and to the streets, paying tribute to the founders, the innovators, and the next generation.

The No Sleep ’til Brooklyn exhibition will feature photographs and art from:

• Bob Adelman, author of Gentleman of Leisure: A Year in the Life of a Pimp
• Charlie Ahearn, director of Wild Style
• Patti Astor, famed underground film star and FUN Gallery founder
• Janette Beckman, photographer of seminal hip hop album covers from 1983 to 1992
• Peter Beste, up-and-coming photojournalist documenting Houston hip-hop culture
• BLADE, old-school graffiti legend
• Le Bijoutier, contemporary street art and graffiti documentarian
• Boogie, hot young urban photojournalist and author of It’s All Good
• Martha Camarillo, photojournalist and author of Fletcher Street
• Henry Chalfant, co-author of Subway Art, author of Spray Can Art, co-producer of Style Wars
• Vincent Cianni, photojournalist and author of We Skate Hardcore
• Claw Money, female graffiti writer, fashion designer, and author of Bombshell
• CYCLE, new school graffiti writer
• Martha Cooper, co-author of Subway Art, author of Hip Hop Files: 1979–1984, and We B*Girlz
• DAZE aka Chris Ellis, old school graffiti legend and artist
• Martin Dixon, author of Brooklyn Kings: New York City’s Black Bikers
• DR.REVOLT, old school graffiti writer and creator of the Yo! MTV Raps and Wild Style logos
• Delphine Fawundu-Buford, young portrait photographer
• ELLIS G., former graffiti writer turned street artist
• Carol Friedman, former creative director of Elektra Entertainment and Motown Records
• Ruediger Glatz, CEO of Montana Germany
• Hamburger Eyes, the best photography magazine on earth
• Lisa Kahane, photojournalist working in the South Bronx in the 70s and 80s
• Brenda Kenneally, acclaimed photojournalist
• Seth Kushner, photographer and co-author of the upcoming book The Brooklynites
• LADY PINK, old school graffiti legend and artist
• Maripol, famed fashion designer, stylist, and author of Maripolarama
• Slava Mogutin, Russian political dissident, sometime porn star, and author of Lost Boys
• NATO, new school graffiti writer and artist
• Charles Peterson, author of Touch Me I’m Sick
• Mark Peterson, acclaimed photojournalist and author of Acts of Charity
• Ricky Powell, “the Fourth Beastie Boy,” author of Public Access, star of Rappin’ with the Rickster
• QUIK, old school graffiti legend and artist
• Lee Quinones, old-school graffiti legend and artist
• Carlos “MARE 139” Rodriguez, former graffiti artist, sculptor, 2006 Webby Award Winner, annual BET Award designer
• Joseph Rodriguez, author of East Side Stores: Gang Life in East L.A.
• Thomas Roma, two-time Guggenheim Fellow, author of nine monographs, director of the Photography at Columbia University
• Jamel Shabazz, author of Back in the Days and A Time Before Crack
• STAY HIGH 149, one of the original graffiti writers from the early 70s
• Peter Sutherland, author of Autograf: New York City’s Graffiti Writers
• TEAM, aka Keene Nelson Carse, old school graffiti writer and artist
• TOOFLY, young urban muralist
• Craig Wetherby, photography editor of Frank151 magazine
• Michael Wong, official photographer for VH1 Hip Hop Honors Week 2006
• David Yellen, author of Too Fast for Love

In addition, The powerHouse Arena will host an event series that will run while the exhibition is up in October and November. Featuring film and television screenings, slide shows, breakin’ classes, and panel discussions including:

• Film Screenings: Wild Style by Charlie Ahearn; Hip Hop: By All Means Necessary by Brenda Kenneally; Redder than Red by Martha Cooper & Nika Kramer.
• Panel Discussions: Rakim: Hip Hop’s Miles Davis? (featuring Chris Atlas, Bill Adler, Ralph McDaniels, Nelson George, Prince Paul, and Talib Kweli); FUN Gallery (featuring Patti Astor, Diego Cortez, ZEPHYR, Lee Quinones, and Fab 5 Freddy); Women in Hip Hop in conjunction with Black Girls Rock (featuring Beverly Bond, Joan Morgan, LADY PINK, TOOFLY, Rokafella, Martha Cooper, Janette Beckman, and Delphine Fawundu-Buford); Hip Hop: By Any Means Necessary (featuring MMO members Big Trigg, Sha, Skinny Minnie, and Foogie, among others).
• Artists’ Conversations and Lectures: Urban Photojournalism with Joseph Rodriguez and Boogie; An Evening with Ricky Powell, hosted by Prince Paul; An Evening with Jamel Shabazz.
• Weekly Classes: The Basics of Breakin’ taught by Rokafella

And, because we all need a little retail therapy, The powerHouse Arena has carefully cultivated a selection of products by the artists featured in the show, and their associates, including:

• Accessories by Claw Money
• Jewelry by KEL 1st
• T-shirts by BLADE
• Rappin’ with the Rickster, Wild Style, and B-Boy Summit DVDs
• Select issues of Hamburger Eyes magazine
• Select titles from powerHouse Books and From Here to Fame

As the Brooklyn hub of Hip Hop Honors Week, The powerHouse Arena is proud to host VH1 programming for television and Internet broadcast during Hip Hop Honors Week.

“Hip hop music defines entire generations,” said VH1 General Manager Tom Calderone. “VH1 believes in the power of the genre, and Hip Hop Honors is our homage to those seminal artists that have defined this cultural phenomenon.”

“New York City is proud to host the first-ever Hip Hop Honors Week which will celebrate the revolutionary impact and influence of hip hop music in New York,” said NYC Big Events President Maureen J. Reidy. “For one week, hip hop history will be highlighted in the City’s five boroughs through a number of promotions in partnership with local retailers, sports teams, and other cultural institutions.”

VH1 Hip Hop Honors will honor Wu-Tang Clan, Afrika Bambaataa, Russell Simmons, MC Lyte, Rakim, Beastie Boys, and Eazy-E. The week of events kick off Thursday, October 12 and will run through Tuesday, October 17 at 9pm ET/PT, when viewers can tune in to VH1 and see Ice-T host the broadcast of the 3rd Annual Hip Hop Honors.

Can You Keep Up

shit was crazy !! got to Lincoln Center at 2:30 pm to assist in setting up and ensuring everything went smoothly .. which it did until a freak thunderstorm at 3:30 that blew a tent across the Plaza, through the chairs, and took down b-girl Severe. Meanwhile the techs are running mad, trying to cover the sound equipment at the rain poured down hard.

Everyone had a look of disbelief: was this happening? Were we going to get rained out? I stood there kinda mesmerized. "It's okay," I told Martha Cooper. "It's not going to rain for two hours. It'll pass."

Then the calls came: was the event still on? Damn straight. The rain started to let up and I was like, let them sit in puddles—the show must go on!

Eventually the sun came back out. and then it got kinda humid as all the water evaporated back into the air. Then the humidity too passed. The sun was bright but not strong. The air was warm but pretty dry. All of this came together around 5, just as the Plaza began to fill it. A spectacular turnout—two thousand seats filled. Standing room only—and there was barely any room. A ring encircled the Plaza—people were standing 10 deep. We killed it.

Then the jump off. Toni Blackmon came on stage, introduced the judges. Slight change of plans as Violet subbed for Asia, and Honey Rockwell and Doze Green joined her, Rokafella, and Aruna. Five old school legends. Niice.

The teams came out representing Jersey, Philly, London, and the hometown favorites—New York City. Before the battle, Rowdy, from the UK crew Flowzaic, warmed up the crowd with her moves, combining popping and locking with straight up get down.

They drew names from a hat. First up Natural Born Killahz from Jersey vs Styles Comes First from Philly. Styles was selected as the winner. Then Flowzaic battled Fox Force Five, repping New York and this was THE battle of the event. Bounce from FFF vs. Sun Sun from Flowzaic. Nice and Nasty, you know what I mean.

I ws shouting, "YEAAAAAA!! BRING IT!!"

I hope my father, who was sitting next to me, wasn't too bothered. Probably not, cause my mother was on the other side carrying on. He kept cool, and decided Bounce was the best dancer at the battle. I'm torn between her and Sun Sun, who pushed up out of a headstand into a handstand.

Ill bitches do ill things.

After long deliberation the judges picked Fox Force Five for the finals, vs Styles Come First. Then KR3TS came out and blew everyone away with my favorite routines—Soldiers. Decked in orange and lime green—you betta believe Spanish Harlem was representing.

Can You Keep Up
Can You
Can You
Can You Keep Up

For real. I gotta take some of those bootie shaking, hard dancing classes. Sundays and Tuesday, Violet told me. Yea. I gotta get that on my schedule.

Then the finals. Styles Comes First vs Fox Force Five ..

Before they announced the winner Henry Chalfant got on stage to recall the setting for the 1981 event .. They came 100 deep. They all got on stage in a cipher. No one from the audience saw a thing. A fight broke out. A winner was never declared.

JoJo Torres of Rock Steady and Eddie Ed and King Uprock of Dynamic came out to say a few words, to remember the original battle and pay tribute to the future of breakin' ..

And then, a winner of We B*Girlz was declared: Fox Force Five.

New York City took it. With Bounce, Tara, and True Essencia representing for b-girlz in the city and worldwide. Because when it comes down to it this aint about some us vs. them shit. This is about all of us. This is about skills, talent, attitude, and energy. This is about hip hop in it's pure form.

Can You Keep Up

~butterflies~

it is only a couple of hours away .. the countdown to lincoln center is on and a flock of butterflies is aflutter in my belly .. not like anyone knows .. I'm playin it cool like, yea you know when you're totally burnt out it's really hard to summon the energy to be nervous so it's like I am truly Zen .. which I WAS (until this morning) .. but now I am like ohhshitgetthefuckoutthisisreallyhappenin!!

it's a good look ..

Coming Soon

powerHouse Magazine
Debuting October 2006

Fusing the worlds of art, photography, design, fashion, pop culture, advertising, music, dance, and film into a glorious magazine unlike anything you’ve ever seen, powerHouse Magazine showcases artists and writers who share our collective vision about culture and its place in our world.

Whether collaborating with the establishment or conspiring with the counterculture, whether presenting the classics or sharpening the cutting edge, powerHouse Magazine provides dynamic inspiration and peaceful meditation of high and low culture alike—because who we are and what we do is based on our passion for exploring truth and beauty, evoking emotion and excitement, and provoking thought and conversation.

A twice-yearly publication launching in October 2006, each issue of powerHouse Magazine will have a single editorial focus inspired by a central group exhibition at The powerHouse Arena, located at 37 Main Street, Brooklyn. But the magazine is more than an exhibition catalogue: it is a stand-alone publication designed to complement the show by featuring a selection of carefully curated work. Featuring never-before-published art and texts, as well as highlights from powerHouse Books’ landmark monographs and the archives of exhibiting artists (who have been selected by powerHouse because of their innovative approach and enduring relevance to the scene), powerHouse Magazine presents a deeply informed collection of work providing unparalleled insight into the world in which we live.

The premier issue, No Sleep ’til Brooklyn, is a 30-year retrospective of hip-hop culture documenting its humble beginnings in the South Bronx through its glorious rise to global domination. But this is by no means a story of celebrity, fame, and mass-market names. As KRS-One said, “Rap is something you do, hip hop is something you live.” And so we dedicate No Sleep ’til Brooklyn to the people and to the streets, paying tribute to the founders, the innovators, and the next generation with works by Charlie Ahearn, Patti Astor, Janette Beckman, Peter Beste, BL. ONE, Boogie, Martha Camarillo, Henry Chalfant, Vincent Cianni, Claw Money, Martha Cooper, DAZE, DG, Martin Dixon, DR.REVOLT, Delphine Fawundu-Buford, Carol Friedman, Hamburger Eyes, JA, JERMS, Lisa Kahane, LADY PINK, Helen Levitt, MISS 17, NATO, Chris Nieratko, Charles Peterson, Mark Peterson, Ricky Powell, Doug Pray, QUIK, Carlos “MARE 139” Rodriguez, Joseph Rodriguez, Randy “KEL 1st” Rodriguez, Rokafella, Thomas Roma, Q. Sakamaki, Jamel Shabazz, SLASH, Peter Sutherland, TOOFLY, QUIK, Craig Wetherby, and David Yellen.

Issue 1 of powerHouse Magazine is edited by Miss Rosen, who recalled the idea first came up during dinner with powerHouse Books publishers Daniel Power and Craig Cohen. “We were discussing how pleased we were with the Fall 2006 book catalogue, and thinking of ways to expand it in new directions. ‘How about a magazine?’ Daniel asked, to which I immediately answered, ‘Ohh! I love magazines!” (not surprising considering I handle publicity). ‘You know,’ I added, ‘people keep asking me if we are doing a catalogue for No Sleep ’til Brooklyn, so perhaps we can use this as the basis for the publication but to go a step further and have it unite the Arena, the books, and our extended circle of artists and contributors.’ They loved the idea. ‘By the way what would be the production deadline?” I asked. ‘About a month,’ Craig answered. ‘Ohh!’ I gasped, realizing that once again, we would be doing this in true powerHouse fashion—straight into the deep end—hope you can swim!”

Issue 2, That 70s Show, which will be published in March 2007 to coincide with an exhibition of the same name, a photographic ode to a city long forgotten, one on the brink of bankruptcy and unrivaled anarchy.

Stay tuned sweeties ..

Give It Up

did I mention my cousin is moving to Israel to become a citizen ? I'm sayin tho—who needs to go that far when you can live right here, in the heart of it all ..



Photo by Le Bijoutier

You know there are girls dancing now who weren't even born in 81

Lincoln Center Out of Doors, in cooperation with powerHouse Books, bgirlz.com, and City Lore are pleased to announce

WE B*GIRLZ
A 25th Anniversary Breakin’ Event
at Lincoln Center Out of Doors

Thursday, August 10, 2006
5:30–6:40 p.m.

Josie Robertson Plaza
Lincoln Center, New York City

This event is free and open to the public
For more information, please call 212-LINCOLN

In the beginning, there was the break, that moment in a song when all of the musical instruments drop out, and the drums take over. Nothing but groove. And, while high-stakes competitive dance can be found throughout the African Diaspora, it was the break that brought it to the surface in the United States.

In the late sixties, when Brooklyn teens combined Latin and African-American dance styles with a confrontational attitude and a few insulting gestures to create the first modern battle dance of New York City, they saved their most vicious moves for the break. They rocked the break and called it Uprocking.

In the seventies, when kids began throwing rebel street parties in the Bronx, people from different neighborhoods came together for the first time since the gangs had taken over. There was one thing they all agreed on: the break was their time to shine. In fact, it was so important that DJ Kool Herc even began to play two copies of the same record, repeating the break over and over again, giving the dancers more time to showcase their most devastating moves. Before long, Herc and other pioneering deejays like Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash were playing nothing but breaks. And the dancers responded by creating a new dance form that was nothing but devastating moves: b-boying. Some even began dropping to the ground and spinning around. Hip-Hop music and b-boying were born as twins, and their mother was the break.

Meanwhile, in Central and Southern California, dancers were creating styles that suited their own culture and music. Locking was an upbeat, crowd-pleasing dance style and Popping was its suave, sophisticated cousin, a dance that punctuated smooth flows with crisp muscle contractions. By the late seventies these established West Coast dance forms, know collectively as “Funk Styles”, had arrived in New York to influence the rich culture of street dance that already existed here.

It was this combined dance culture that was presented to the general public for the first time twenty-five years ago at the 1981 Lincoln Center Out of Doors event organized by Henry Chalfant. Little did anyone know that over the next quarter century this underground art would become a billion-dollar industry, and competitive hip-hop dance would continue to evolve as a new generation learns and develops the art.
—Text courtesy of Joe Schloss, Ph.D.

It's OFFICIAL

So I am hanging out with my grandfather's 86-year-old girlfriend. We arrive at their place for lunch at 11:30 am. She tells us has has already taken a nap. My father asks, "What time did you wake up?" She tells him, "Seven. I got up, had breakfast, and went back to bed." I almost started clapping. I have done that on more than one occassion. And I've been calling myself "grandma" for some time but I think I need an official upgrade to "great grandmother."

Greaaaaaaaaaaat.

Desperately Seeking Synonym

So I am hanging out this weekend with my 91-year-old grandfather and he tells me, "I get your press releases every day. And you know, there's one word you use too much. You must come up with a new word."

"Really? What's that?" I ask, appreciating his insights. He once told me he was the author of 9 books, tho he appears to have overestimated. One book, nine editions. The classic treatise on structural engineering. I'm tellin you—that Rosen gene don't half step.

"You use the word 'iconic' too much," he says, a little frustrated. "You know this has a religious meaning?"

"The painted icons," I say, thinking of Byzantine gold leaf numbers, wondering if he thinks this is somehow heretical?

"When I wrote my column," he tells me, reminiscing of his time as a journalist, "I used to sit with a dictionary and a thesaurus. You can't keep using the same words."

"I know. They've got that programmed into computers now," I inform him. "I don't like to reuse words."

"Yes," he agrees. "So I looked up 'iconic' for you. And you know what? There is no synonym."

I laugh. "You know, most people don't read every email. So they may not think I am overusing this word."

"You need to get a new word. I'll let you know if I find one."