Turn Off Channel Zero
Turn Off Channel Zero By Kwan Booth ( April 12, 2007-Whatchusay.com) It's no secret that mainstream media's coverage of African Americans is severely one- sided. From the nightly news to "reality shows" like "Cops" and "Flavor of Love" to almost every music video on...
WOME: The New Writing on the Walls
The New Writing on the Walls Kwan Booth (March 14, 2007-Novometro.com) The bay's graffiti scene has long been one of the hottest in the country with artists like CUBA and TDK Crew laying paint in San Francisco and Oakland for well over a decade. And thanks to...
Festivals Combine Hip Hop and Education
Weekend Festivals Combine Hip Hop and Education By Kwan Booth All across the country, educators are seeing the benefits of using Hip Hop and youth culture as educational tools. While many older institutional figures continue to clamor about the music's social...
Russell Simmons: “Do You!”
Happiness, Success, Hip Hop By Kwan Booth (May 28, 2007-Oakland Post) Last Tuesday in a scene that resembled a southern baptist revival, Russell Simmons, the hip hop entrepreneur behind Def Jam Records, Def Comedy Jam and Phat Farm Clothing, shared the secrets of his...
Hip Hop, Chess and Martial Arts
Power Moves: Combining Hip Hop Chess and Martial Arts By Kwan Booth Staff Writer Ever since the 1993 album "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)" brought kung fu samples and chess metaphors into hip hop's vocabulary, the culture has harbored a deep fascination for both...
Nathaniel Mackey wins National Book Award
Nathaniel Mackey wins National Book Award By Kwan Booth (November 22, 2006-Oakland Post) Staff Writer In a turn of poetic justice, African American poet Nathaniel Mackey has been awarded the 2006 National Book Award for his latest poetry collection, "Splay Anthem."...
Katrina Survivors: “We Want our money”
Katrina Survivors: "We Want our money" Artists and organizers raise funds for victims By Kwan Booth Staff Writer By all estimates the Bay Area houses as many as 2000 families displaced by Hurricane Katrina. They are living in hotels, donated houses, apartments and...
Immigrant Rights? Si, Se Puede!
Si, Se Puede! By Kwan Booth (May 7, 2007-Oakland Post) On Monday, more than a million protesters across the country took to the streets chanting “Si, Se Puede!” (Yes we can!), banging on pots and waving flags from the United States, Mexico, and various South American...
Hip Hop and Activism at UC Berkeley
Hip Hop and Activism at Berkeley Discussion connects 1960's and present By Kwan Booth The political and social activism movements sparked by the 1960's counterculture is still alive, but today's activists are checking more for Chuck D than Bob Dillan. That was the...
Dancing with Language: The Poems of Quincy Troupe
Dancing with Language: The Poems of Quincy Troupe By Kwan Booth (April 15, 2007-Whatchusay.com) For the over 30 years, the poet, professor, biographer and memoirist Quincy Troupe has been fooling around with words. From 1972's "Embry" to the 1996's "Avalanche" and up...
