A community-oriented art & graphic design collective. We make graphic apparel, hand-crafted accessories and produce events. And most importantly, spew randomness about important and non-important topics.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

My So Called Entourage Life

Okay so somehow I'm dreading this Halloween weekend. Not because of scary masks and bloody clothes, but because there is a lot going on. Last weekend was hectic fun. Checked out some classes from Congo week out in Oakland, 90s birthday party & Dj Mpenzi's Major @ Somar Bar.

Saturday went by to check out Muisi-kongo Malonga & Regina Califa teaching a Congolese dance workshop at Malonga. It was fire, I just watched because I slacked and went hella late, but it gave me so much satisfaction cos it was mad beautiful seeing the dancing and drumming...I think I was in a trance. And I love Regina so it made my day just watching her do what she does best. Bought some ginger juice & hibiscus from the GEENjerrrr Jooose woman and then attempted to find a place to get some ethnic mid-priced decent meal. This turned out to be more of a task than we predicted....everything half decent in a 4-5 block radius was closed. I was wanting for some Ethiopian, 'West African', Thai or Vietnamese...something with a little grease & flava. Downtown Oakland dining on a weekend = dead. I was so pissed off because I had this fantasy of like just puttering around the city discovering corners & crevices...but all I ended up with was the option of panda express, quiznos, burger king, subway or church's chicken. i won't even say what I ended up eating... I was mostly mad because I may as well have gone home and cooked or eaten at the places in my neighborhood. but i had my fantasy and by the time we had hella walked around we were so hungry we settled. i felt sick after.

onward.
Went to my friend Nic's 90s birthday party @ Cafe Amsterdam. Mehn it had been a minute since I've been out in SF, and it kinda reminded me a bit about when all my Bay Friends hadn't deserted me and move to LondonItalyEcuadorFranceJapan...and we used to 'run that town' lol. Okay saturday night was HILARIOUS, that's all I gotta say. Was kicking it with my loved folks, we went through the routine dance dance, get some greasy ass but good ass pizza at 1:30am, then why did we post up in the car watching people on the sidewalk for like 40mins making up theories about why they were there, and who they were trying to do. FUN night.

Sunday
got a bunch of projects (coming soon on the website) & domestic work done. then went out again to Somar Bar for Dj Mpenzi's birthday party and mix cd release. Mehn. Okay so 90s music was the theme for the weekend...I'm dating myself, but it was bananas fun. I relived my glory days as danceslave... lol. Okay not quite but I did dance much especially when Mpenzi did what he did and threw in some African, Brazilian and Latin classic floorfillers.

All this to say...all of Monday I had the biggest migraine & eye falling out ever. I'm too old for this or something. It was fun weekend but I paid for it.

sooo I'm dreading this weekend 'cos there's a lot going on and I may just end up doing like I do and say feck it, and stay home posted up.

We'll see.

A few pics from Nic's 90s Birthday Party @ Cafe Amsterdam in SF by my dear friend Kola Shobo and one stolen from another friend.


 
 
 
 
 
 

 



PEACE & Chicken Grease!!!

uhuh,
N

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Taxi!! Taxi!!

Oh my gosh. So I can be seen randomly championing a black cause and hating on white people. But I have to say I am relatively sheltered and naive about certain realities that apply to Black people in the United States, even as a Black person myself (possibly more on this in a way in the future post).

So a teenage black boy at my job asks for a taxi number. I absentmindedly reel off a 333333 number to him. A few minutes later he walks out the door and seconds later walk backs in like "shit what the #@!* that mofo drove off..."

I was distracted browsing facebook (of course) so it took me a few seconds after my coworker started laughing for things to register...

and i was like "what..? what?"
and it clicked
..."the driver left?"

and he replies "yeah"...
I say to the boy "Oh maybe you should have taken that black hoodie off..."

My coworker goes "yeah right! I tried to catch a cab the other day and I was dressed sharp too!! Cab driver drove OFF! They don't like black people, you see me I dress nice all the time. He did not care! As soon as he saw I was black he was gone!"

My mouth agape. "You lying!"

He goes on to say "I already had the car door opened and everything, that cab driver turned around and was like no no no and next thing I knew he was gone!"

This whole time my co-worker is laughing relaying his story, but I know he's not making it up.

I on the other hand really I'm floored. I mean I've heard all the jokes about how a black man can't get a cab. Shoot I've even had difficulties finding cabs in the wee hours in Oaktown. Eight or more cab companies in a row have hung up on me when I rattle off a certain address.

But somehow I have been in this cocoon. I thought this is 2009. This is San Francisco... Somehow I just always thought it was a joke that the Funny Black Man sure banks on for laughs while he's on stage.

Somehow...it never made say "damn" with my head hung low.



Speaking of Black Men... Here's some photos from one Black man who's doing things. Suru is a clothing line from Baba Afolabi; he introduced us to it 20 days ago on October 2 in Downtown Oakland. Photos by Kola Shobo

Suru Introduced







das all,

N

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Buuuuuy Chocolateeeee. One One Dollaaaaar!!

One of my kids at my job asks me if I want to buy some chocolate that she's selling.
She's a black girl about 7 years of age.

I hesitate...
for a couple of reasons.

One
I am supposed to be promoting healthy lifestyles and so have to role model. Of course one chocolate bar is fine once in a while, but I have to keep a clear message.
Two
I want to know why she's selling the candy.

So I ask her.

Our convo goes as so:

"Why are you selling candy?"
"So I can win something?"
"I know, you'll win something, but why are you selling the candy?"
"So I can finish this box and get another one."
"I know...I know...but what's the candy for?"
"For my teacher, I'm gonna give her the money"
"I- never mind, well I don't have a dollar right now, I work at the ___, you know I'm broke."


On the Flipside. Here's are a few favorite shots from Bacchanal de Afrique 2 captured by Kay S Jay Photography. Hella late, but you know what they say!!





that's it

Uhuh,
N

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Felabration!!



Abeg let us get down into another "Underground Spiritual Game" as we celebrate the life and Music of the "Abami eda" himself. Fela Anikulapo Kuti. Air Lounge (Oakland CA) is the place. October 14 is the date. Time, 10:30 and we shall welcome his presence at 12 o'clock on the dot (His birthday Oct 15th)

October 14
Air Lounge
492 9th St, Oakland

Saturday, October 3, 2009

BLO Bringin' the Love: w/ Loco Bloco & Charming Hostess



Because you BLOw our minds, we want to show love to our community by
thanking you and celebrating with our friends Charming Hostess & Loco Bloco.

Help us continue our community work by coming out, dancing and donating to
the work of the Brass Liberation Orchestra, now in our 7th year! From the
Balkans to Brazil... we will be bringing you Love!!

Show starts at 7pm with Charming Hostess and the Brass Liberation Orchestra
bringing you onto the floor with their beguiling melodies.

From 9pm we will make LOUD with Loco Bloco and the Brass Liberation
Orchestra combining forces to BLOW your Mind. Bring your dancing shoes!

DJ Dance Music Follows: Afro Urban, Dancehall, Brazilian. Party until 12am!

Support us and Have Fun... Bring the Love!!

Thursday October 8, 2009
7pm-12am
El Rio Bar
3158 Mission St San Francisco
$5-$20 sliding scale
RSVP http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=140163942670&index=1

Thursday, October 1, 2009

White People Wonder

sigh okay.

* hater alert*

so there's this youtube video of this cute white girl 'Elyvna' dancing to coupe decale.
I've had this video posted on my FB profile page so many times, or tagged to posted links of them. There's a couple reasons for this...those who know me well enough know that I am a decale head. Like that's all I pretty much listen and dance to (although I'm moving away from that now, another story for another day).


Okay so back to the video. I'm hella mad that there's 362 comments and 113 thousand comments. Lord, okay so she's cute... she's getting it. I watched the video the first time and was like "whoa it's weird cos I think she's more of a mimic genius than a good dancer". As someone who's watched the Jessy Matador video too many time to count, I'm thinking her rhythm is a bit odd/off but her execution of the movements are spot on.

Okay so to my main point. How come when white people do something that we ('colored' folk) do everyday, then all of a sudden they become the shit for it?

Drives me crazy.

lol.. i had to get that off my chest after this convo with my friend i was like alright this is a blog post...

me: that white girl coupe decale is still 'viraling'...it's crazy
facebook doesn't really make the world that small after all
friend: I think "spreading" is an appropriate term.
me: how come my friends are still posting it...lol
friend: "viraling" doesn't make sense. clearly none of them read what you post....
me: lmao. well i'm saying so it's like i haven't posted the video
but hella people have posted and like tagged me on it, or like drawn my attn to it or post it on my page.
friend: 'cause they know you are a white girl?
me: lol mostly it's like especially now that fb is like twitter'ish
no one reads anyone's page. and i keep seeing oooh look at this awesome best dancer
friend: you should be glad that they know you are the originator of coupe decale
me: lol. as if. like there's black kids tearing it up now the white girl is famous
friend: can we get her to dance something about healthcare?
me: for real
friend: well, to be fair, i think the reason the video is intriguing is that it seems so out of place for her to be doing it and she is concentrating so hard
me: lol that's what i'm saying and you're saying but not what most pple are saying
friend: but of course there is a deeply prejudice sentiment underlying that
me: decale is still a novelty to mainstream so most people don't even have a context
to be like she's just copying not creating
friend:
you gonna attach a video comment with the real deal?
me: lmao i'm not the best decale'er...which is my point
friend: oh, I didn't mean you, someone else
me: there's whole countries of hungry African kids ripping it and we not rich enough to video them (lol)
friend: If only all those starving African kids had laptops so they'd be able to share in rich cultural exchange that is you tube...

And of course responses to this will be whatever. I'm a hater (what's new?) but it's not about the girl so much as the responders to the video. That's who I got beef with.

Uhuh,
N