Bocafloja in Seattle to launch his new book "Prognosis"

Excited to announce my family Bocafloja is coming back to Seattle next week to release his new book “Prognosis: Descarga Poetica Decolonial // Decolonial Poetic Exhale” and we'll be doing 2 different kinds of events around town to celebrate the release! All the details are posted below.

Also on Monday, November 18th be sure to listen to El Sonido at 7pm on KEXP 90.3 FM in Seattle or worldwide at www.kexp.org for an exclusive in-studio performance & interview with Bocafloja.

Thank you to everyone who's helping make these events happen! It is truly a community effort.

Thursday, November 14th

Bocafloja
“Prognosis: Descarga Poetica Decolonial // Decolonial Poetic Exhale” Book Release
(spoken word set + q & a)
with special guest Gabriel Teodros

Time: 6pm - 8pm.
Free. All Ages.

El Centro De La Raza
2524 16th Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98144

Friday, November 15th

Bocafloja
Gabriel Teodros
JusMoni
si dåko’ta
DJ Tecumseh

6pm - 9pm | All Ages

$5 presale / $10 at the door
Advance tickets can be purchased at http://livehiphop.eventbrite.com/

UW Samuel E Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center
3931 Brooklyn Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98195

Co-sponsored by University of Washington OMA&D Ethnic Cultural Center, El Centro De La Raza and Uzuri Productions.

“The stethoscope in place: 'Exhale!' What do you hear? Is it the rumbling of the accumulation of pathologies that have debilitated the body politic of the colonized, les damnés de la terre (the wretched of the earth). Yes, but it is also the sounds of resistance, the growing reclaiming of humanity, the reassertion of culture as a political weapon. It is the sound of rap, of poetry of music, of the rhythms of liberation. Thus far, the extraordinary music, poetry and rap of Bocafloja has not been available in English. Prognosis will be an eye-opener for many. But it can only give a flavour of what it is like to watch Bocafloja perform, sing, connect, and enable the audience to transcend their oppressions and be inspired to organize.” - Firoze Manji

Pieces of my last 2 weeks on camera: Debo Band x LoveCityLove x Octavia's Brood

On Friday I had the honor of opening up for my extended family, Debo Band at The Triple Door in Seattle. Scott Macklin was there to film some of the magic. Before the show started I said "it's not a Debo Band show if Bruck doesn't jump off the stage at some point and start dancing with people" before the show was over he did just sat, standing up and singing from the top of a table in the process. It's in the video. I love this group. I also got to go up to Vancouver over the weekend with them and sat in during their set at the Folk Festival, where we ran into another one of my favorite groups anywhere, Nomadic Massive! with special guest, our sister Sarah MK. Beautiful weekend.

Also here in Seattle, on Wednesdays there has been some unfiltered, unplugged improvised magic happening every week at LoveCityLove. Viliv Studios caught some of that magic along with conversations about what's happening in the city right now, featuring some of the Town's finest. (Sidenote: I was quoting Royal Alley-Barnes from Langston Hughes in the video.)

The Indiegogo campaign to publish Octavia's Brood: Science Fiction Stories From Social Justice Movements has been going great! We have 15 days left to reach all the stretch goals. My sister Walidah Imarisha and myself went to a park in Seattle that may be named in Octavia Butler's honor, just to envision that possibility, as a part of an ongoing video series her and Adrienne are doing with all the Octavia's Brood writers. Check all those videos out in the indiegogo gallery!

JusMoni x WD4D (pictures)

Earlier today I got to sit in on a beautiful recording session with my homies JusMoni & WD4D. I took some cool photos, and even cooler video! I got this camera recently and I'm officially off the instagram... so I'll be posting photos here and on Flickr from time to time.
peace fam
-- gt

"Sangre Nueva"

to feel like curtis mayfield and heal with words
i was held in this verse that soothed my hurts
wounded, now my love does walk the earth
for the young ones searching to build their church, inside
away from religious little lies to convert, no
we decolonize, realize our true worth
see school didn't work for all, we unearth
our true stories, freedom fighters and glory
the system tries to ignore the significance of these brilliant
young minds who innovate to survive
who make a way and thrive
society acts like it wants you to die
twomp-six, nirvana, the land of suicide
always was an outsider, now i'm still alive
so always have the courage to use your own mind
cause you do fulfill our dreams unrealized
and my love for you is impossible to recite
it'd be the sweetest note ever spoke upon a mic

my generation, is like a nation, that spans nations
nothing you build can ever contain them
when fighting for liberation
i'm free as my mind can see
think out the box, stay alive young g
i'm free as my mind can see
think out the box
stay alive

These are the original lyrics I wrote for "Sangre Nueva", a collaboration with Bocafloja and Danny Beat that ended up on the Colored People's Time Machine album. You never know where else your words might end up... for example, my sister Moni got a tattoo! (pictured above) And a while back my friend Hari Alluri asked if these lyrics could be included in this piece he was working on for a book. I said "sure!" not knowing how big of a book project it would be. Now I just got my advance copy of Stay Solid! A Radical Handbook For Youth from AK Press and wow! I can't believe something I wrote is published with so many of my favorite people and inspirations: Luam Kidane, Angela "El Dia" Martinez Dy, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Adrienne Maree Brown, Alexis Pauline Gumbs and so many more! This is a huge project. But to my disappointment the lyrics I sent were not what ended up in print. What I wrote, and the way I write, is posted above. For the book it looks like someone just listened to the song and transcribed what they heard... something always gets lost that way. In this case a few lines lost meaning. I'm still excited about the rest of the book tho! For more information check AK Press.

Photos from Wayna x JusMoni x Gabriel Teodros @ Chop Suey on Saturday Night...

Love to Choklate Music, The Town Entertainment & Hidmo Entertainment for putting on such a beautiful evening... to Wayna, JusMoni, Big World Breaks, Mikaela Romero, Khingz, DJ's Introcut & WD4D, Lulu, Rogue Pinay, and everybody who came thru... Classic show... so much love in the building that night. More soon! Photos by Avi Loud.

1.15.11 :: Wayna LIVE in Seattle, WA!!!

Saturday, January 15, 2011
Choklate Music, Hidmo & The Town Entertainment present..

Grammy Award Nominated Singer
WAYNA
(Pacific Northwest Performance Debut)

with JusMoni
backed by Big World Breaks
and DJ WD4D
hosted by Gabriel Teodros

8pm :: ALL AGES, Bar w/ i.d.
$12 advance tickets here

Chop Suey
1325 E. Madison St.
Seattle, WA

Audio: Wayna "Billy Club" Remix feat. Wale
Video: Wayna - Official My Love Music Video
Side Project: The Kafa Beanz (Burntface, B. Sheba, Wayna, AP, Gabriel Teodros)

Hidmo's Goodbye Jackson Street Party :: VIDEO

So if you haven't heard the news by now, Hidmo closed it's doors on 20th & Jackson last week. Before moving the ENTIRE restaurant in one day (and i mean everything... including several kitchen sinks) we celebrated 4 years and one month of life at Hidmo on Monday night. A classic celebration i hosted with DJ's OC Notes & Seabefore on the wheels, that at one point turned into an Eritrean dance party. It was the winter solstice (a.k.a. longest night of the year) and a lunar eclipse at the same time... which only happens every 450 years or so. Believe it or not, this video only captures a lil bit of the magic of that night (a huge statement coming from me, as this video gives me hella goosebumps... it was just so epic.) Peace to Scott Macklin for the documentation (...for years now) and everybody that came through that night, ESPECIALLY everyone who helped move the next day... and to all the lovely people in this video: Rahwa Habte, JusMoni, Felicia Loud, Dakota Kamacho, Storme Webber, Suntonio Bandanaz & Julie C., THEESatisfaction, Alberto Mejia, Luzviminda Uzuri Carpenter, Arielle Davis, Mark Gonzales... and really thanks to everyone that helped make Hidmo what it is. More information about Hidmo NEXT is at http://www.hidmo.org

PS: If anyone has photos of ALL of us outside during the eclipse... e-mail me. I'm trying to see those!

JusMoni "Ready For Life"

JusMoni "Ready For Life"

JusMoni... the truth. Never Too Late with Khingz is one of my anthems of life right now. This album means so much to me. Moni is easily one of the dopest artists and inspiring human beings i've ever met... and she turns 18 the day before i turn 30. Her son turns 1 the day before that. When i think about JusMoni... i think she's gonna take what we've been doing with music in Seattle, farther then anything we can imagine right now. Pay attention. http://jusmoni.bandcamp.com