Muse: Tossie & A.O

Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria

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New Fela Kuti T-shirts & Hoodies Available Now

It took us long enough but they are here! Just in time for... whatever they're in time for. Get these now, because they are selling way too fast for us to keep up with! More stuff coming soon.

 

 Original Sufferhead Hoodie

 Unisex Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense Track Jacket

"Tropicalia in Furs" Music for ya Work & Play day

 Yea. You can't wait to get up of that seat, and on to the dance floor. Perfect mix to make the transition from seat warmer to floor stomp-er.

This mix by young black and sexy Dj Bisoulah features tracks by James Brown, Sergio Mendes Feat Will.I.Am & Black Thought, Fela , + Sa-Ra Creative Partners, The Funkees and more

Tropicalia in Furs by Bisola Tinman on Mixcloud

The Lijadu Sisters sing and tell

I'm hella late on this but...it's never too late for cool ish.
Now, I don't know which of my emotions to express. Or which of my opinions to blab on about.
fierce. inspiring. sexy. motivating. strong. creative. talented. superfreakingawesomecoolyeah!

Check out these women that make me proud to be associated with the word Nigerian (read the interview, watch the video). Cousins of Fela Kuti, and recording artists from the 70s who made a come-back via Knitting Factory Records.

I was losing hope in the concept of music videos

And then Ramon & Jessica took me to church.

This Show Rocked my World

 Thank you! Our Daily Bread show for being so awesome! Thanks to Amara Tabor-Smith and an amazing cast and CounterPulse for sharing life with us and bringing us amazing shit. I balled my eyes out. This weekend is sold out, but I really think there needs to be a few more weekends of showings. A special bow for my dear dear friend and fierce woman Tossie Long. Her singing makes me want to change my life for the better! 

p.s. this is where the 'Sneeze of Shame' took place. *cringe*

Listen: DJ Edu Mixes

Every Monday, I listen to the mash up mix by DJ Edu. He's a Kenyan DJ based in the UK and his mixes are a blend of Zouk, African and Western pop with a house feel. Listen to this week's mix here. Listen to previous installments here and more of his work on BBC 1xtra

Thelonius Monk’s advice to saxophonist Steve Lacy (1960)

This is old (duh) but the music and design hag in me has a doublemint appreciation for it. My pleasure is definitely doubled. It's on the list of Top things that can make my day.

 

I Hella Heart Las Gidi (Video Post)

I always said that if I even move back to live in Nigeria, I CAN'T live in Lagos again. But this video & song "Ijo" by SIJI makes me want to move back with the caveat that I create a utopia where most days are like this.  I'm a proud Igbo but I rep Lag, and this video makes me lightweight wanna jock my inner Yoruba hard! Lol


SIJI - 'Ijo'(Official Video) from SIJI on Vimeo.


P.S. There are 12 dance signs in this vid...I can do 7 of them...I need to get to work on the 5 and a few that are a bit rusty. Until then...back to my summer romance...

novel.

and framing art work

and watching Instant Star on netflix

and drinking my 32oz

of water

and planning

world domination.

yes i'm all that awesome. multi-tasking queen

-n

I got Freshlyground (Video Post)

Okay I have to officially say that I LOVE summer! And this love has been growing slowly over the past couple of years as I get older. Sure when I was younger I loved school being out and having summer off to travel, but now as an adult I really APPRECIATE it. I feel so free and fearless and welcome the change in life that summer typically brings for me.

I'm not a fan of hot hot weather; so being in the Bay (although it's seemingly gloomy at the time) is perfect for me haha! One thing really exciting in the Bay in the summer is MUSIC. My appreciation for live music is becoming akin to an obsession (okay maybe not yet).  I really don't like big mainstream artist concerts where I-watch-a-screen-projector-and-imagine-that-the-artist/- is/are-actually-on-stage.

I love smaller venues: i.e. Brick & Mortar in SF especially when coupled with bands like the South African group Freshlyground. Thanks to my friend Eboni Senai for alerting me to this show. It was awesome! I remember them from 2003/2004 and was into them, then kinda just fell off the tracks, but seeing them got me juiced again. I knew they would be the kind of group I would love seeing live and they did not disappoint.
The sound at B&M was kinda shit that night, but FG pulled through and still rocked out! That combined with the fact that I went with some pretty cool people I adore...ah!

So sadly no pictures...like a dumb butt I didn't charge my camera battery and lost my spare so even though I ran into Zolani the lead vocalist and Kyla Rose, violinist in the bathroom...all I could do was be like 8yqygf98haaivbeuabvefrack!! I was so heated over how stupid I was not being prepared for a night out of music...

But on the flip side, sometimes it's better to just live the moment and not document it all the time. Hehe...

Exhibit A: @ 3:45

Featuring our very own Nkei

NK Focus 7.7 from 77tele.tv on Vimeo.

If You Ask Me...

Sometimes I find it challenging or hopeless finding the way to bridge that gap: art & social change. A lot of times it gets all fuzzy. What does it mean? Is it possible to have one with the other? Without compromising the other? But then I watch videos like these...and I get rejuiced.

One3snapshot approved. Culture. Art. Expression elopes and gets married to Social Change.

Omawumi is so One3snapshot!

Here's what I said:

" VIDEO OF THE YEAR. I got goosebumps watching this... I used to be light weight not quite feel Omawumi but this song is pretty dope...I love the approach to the issues she brought up, and this video is pretty freaking cool. I wish we would have more naija vids like these as opposed to those useless pop champagne and girls in the club."

 

Art is Health. Health is Social Justice.
Culture. Art. Expression.

,N

 

 

Beyonce is a Damn Fool

In Honor of Black History Month, I'd like to dedicate my post to hating on Beyonce.

Beyonce I hate you.

It's funny 'cos now she keeps claiming that she draws inspiration from Fela...and I'm like since when? Lol now Fela is on Broadway and everybody wanna claim him... it's all good. Haha.

Umm Beyonce, since you love Fela so much, please be reminded that you're EXACTLY the kinda things he talked about that were wack about the system. You embody it all! Sell out oshi...

Our Fela "Teacher Don't Teach me Nonsense" was one of the first shirts we did here at one3snapshot way back before anyone thought of such a strange (but pretty cool) concept of a stage show, because art & social awareness is what we're about.  I wanna be like Beyonce here! can you read this? Can you please wear this? Can you please understand this? (lol don't knock my hustle).

I feel like a hypocrite because I'm working on this show ReVulvaLution which is all about exploring some of the issues that women have, one which is women hating on each other. I can't even believe that I'm writing this post. Because I try to have the if-something-is-rubbish-and-you-give-it-energy-by-saying-how-rubbish-it-is, then you're giving it attention and validating it's existence. But this one is so rubbish that it almost makes me laugh. I have this, I don't know if I'll call it a, love-hate relationship with Beyonce... it's more like a umm. Well here's the thing I appreciate some of her songs, I think single ladies & get me bodied are so cleverly arranged, and she's a hard worker and a pretty awesome entertainer.

As a black woman myself who's trying to do her thing, I admire some aspects of her, but in the same vein she irritates the fuck outta me. Sometimes I just wanna see her and spit in her face just a little bit like "You damn fool!!"

To me she's such a copier and a faker. She's irritated me since she said she was doing 'African dance' in the Baby Boy video with Sean Paul. I just can't explain what it is about how she does things that rubs me the wrong way. Maybe it's how she claims that she 'reinvents' herself and makes different characters when really all the time she's just a sexy blonde girl wanna be. Or how even though she's this 'strong black' woman she does not look like one and more and more is removed from that and messes everything up for the rest of us. Or the fact that she has the stereotypical American persona of capitalism and doing whatever it takes to make it to the top even if it's stiletto'ing your friends in the eyeball.

Chichi even blogged about this in 09 in response to this article

Why is a light skinned middle class Black woman from the suburbs of Houston perpetually singing about needing a baller when she made $87M in 07-08 and what role does this play in normalizing transactional relationships (money for sex) between young Black people? read more

I don't know how I can feel as angry at a 'black' woman  as I do some white/other knucklehead who appropriates our culture.

I just wanna be like BEYONCE SHUT THE FUCK UP and spit in her face. Lol. Gosh! Now she went and did these photos for the French Magazine, and the Blackface thing may not be the most irritating thing about the shoot... Like I can't decide if I'm more offended by that than by the stupidity and absolute wackness of the execution of the concept.

Now Get me bodied that. Idiot! *rolls eyes*

N

Why the hell did Janelle Monae Sign to Bad Boy?

Ever since I was in High School. Ever since Faith, Biggie, Mase, & 112 were rocking my MTV Video music screen. I've always thought that no one should be on the Bad Boy label. Yes...even then I thought that. Ever since we got confused about what dadiddypuffitypapadidi was calling himself at the moment. I thought no one should ever sign to the Bad Boy label.

Today, I hope Janelle has a trick card she's gonna be pulling out somewhere or maybe she doesn't really care about a sophomore album or a sustainable music career at all. *shrug* nehoo...

so I read this article the other day "Don't Sign With Diddy: A History of Bad Boy Fails" and I was like WHOA...someone finally wrote basically what I've known and felt strongly about all this time... Asides from missing listing "The Dream" (lol I used to jam to them "he loves me, he loves me not!")...they forgot to mention the real issue:

What bad boy artist actually DID make it and have some respectable career as a Bad Boy artist? That's the question.

Don't Hate Me 'Cos I'm Beautiful

No I don't think anyone is less for whatever cosmetic & grooming situation they choose. Don't yuck my yum, I won't yuck yours. Some of my best friends are lace front wig wearers & sellers. Some of my best friends love the shit outta some make up. Sometimes I love both too.

On facebook a friend posted Keri Hilson's video for Pretty Girl Rock and I was pretty excited to see it because I think Keri may be pretty interesting. Starting out I thought the general concept of the video was pretty cool: vignettes'/timeline of different popular 'black' women in history rocking pretty. But then something felt off!  And the next thing I thought like my friend T and I say "Damn Beyonce ruined it for everyone"

I say this because although she was doing she was doing impersonations of Josephine Baker, Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, Diana Ross, Donna Summers, Janet Jackson, and TLC: Somehow these days I just see a lot of females artists and I can't shake that they are all re-styled using the same beyonce template. Because beyonce has already copied EVERYTHING and EVERYONE that can be copied. Lol.

And then I thought: Wait most women in there looks like the same kinda woman!

There are SO many iconic women... can I see some others shades & body  & hair types? 

* sad face *

the Janet & TLC were cool!

p.s looks like Keri is pretty good dancer

Night Club Map of Harlem Renaissance

"Perhaps exemplary of that renaissance, this map was drawn by Elmer Simms Campbell (1906-1971), the first African-American cartoonist to be published nationally (in Esquire, Cosmopolitan, The New Yorker and Playboy, among others). The map faces southwest, is bounded by 110th Street (in the top left corner), which runs along Central Park’s northern edge, and concentrates on Lenox Avenue and Seventh Avenue (“or heaven”)."

 Source

I'm digging this map. It would have been cool to happen upon it, while I was planning the May Fly Ball. Lol I don't know if it would have changed anything, but then I was searching for any and everything Harlem Rennaisance.

So I just recently started to NOT be deathly incapable of reading maps. Because someone has been forcing encouraging me to learn how and to use it. I've always just been a written word/oral learning type of person. I mean I've suspected that I have somewhat of a photographic memory, because when I went to school in Nigeria...I would Ace tests by simply scanning the text/notebooks the night before or minutes before the exam. And if you know anything about Nigerian style examinations...you know they were cumulative, happened at the end of the term, had a hundred plus questions and determined your grade for the semester. So no, not your run of the mill 5 question easy A high school 'pop' quiz. Okay why did I just say all this. Back to my topic...

anyway as I was saying I've just recently started to appreciate info-graphics and I'm slowly learning not to be afraid of them, because someone keeps showing them to me and making me interpret information from them *cough*. Fast Forward....to this map. Now this is a map that I adore, I want it enlarged and framed in my future live/work space.

It would be cool to have something like this for say Oakland or any cultural/community setting. I was actually thinking of it in terms of other concepts...like I would like to see something with Non-Profit organizations in the Bay Area that serve youth, or like Mamaput Joints in Lagos (lmao)... that would be cool. Actually what am waiting for?...I know a bunch of artists, data miners and social worker types. I could commission one!

* don't rob my stolen idea yo!

-N

Event: Boa Noite Afro World Dance @ Kitty's Bar

had a fun saturday night dj'ing at Kitty's afro world dance saturdays. from dancehall to coupe decale to cumbia to hip hop to bhangra... the challenge usually is focusing on spinning and not dancing my ass off. just a few shots from my crappy cam.

Event: East Bay Express-Best of the Bay Party

On Friday Aug 6, 2010. The East Bay Express had it's 2010 Best of the Bay Party @ Jack London Square Waterfront. Rolled through, but didn't make it past the dance/dance battle stage. Was pretty much stuck there for hours. Had an amazing time; nice to see street dancing and also get a chance to dance and see folks from all around. Been a while.

The People battle & music set was blazing. After the battle, they had police manning the area and were playing rave music. It was kinda crazy and just a little bit fucked up...but guess what? That didn't stop folks from keeping the dance going and having a blazing time. We danced to rave music...haha it's funny see all these breakers, turfers, housers, african dancers, ballet dancers rocking out to rave music!

Just got a few shots from the evening, but mostly have video clips of people dancing and the dance battle hosted by The People Oakland and yak films. With east bay celebrity guest judges Corey from Newstyle Motherlode, Goapele and Zumbi from Zion-I. Video clips of dancing coming soon our youtube channel!

Culture: Things Trendy People Like Summer 2010

i have been having a lot of people come up to me asking for advice on different topics, one of the ones that have been occuring a lot, has been this question:

 "It's summer 2010, and I need to look trendy, but I don't know how to be. how do I do it?"

well...
you need:

1. a blackberry (specifically one with a color not that is not black or get a colored cover)
2. host or attend a party that has RED VELVET Cupcakes (if you can't get red velvet, other cupcakes may suffice)
3. soulful house, skank, and or  jungle house music

now keep in mind that you may look at this list as hella random. Because my social sphere is such, I span posh razz Nigerian to bay area Hipster-artisty-ambiguously-ethnic folks to grungy-white-activisty types. Hella random... but somehow in this randomness, some occurring themes have come up at certain levels in all of these social scenes as far as trends go. These results are based on my scientific and thorough research (through facebook photos, blogs and passing convos (electronically & in-person)).

i assume the reason for such random social circles overlapping in trend factors is due to the chronic syndrome known as copy-copy.
copy copy is a situation where 'ethnic' folks wanna be white *ahem* posh by force, and white folks can't help but indulge & appropriate 'ethnic' culture. and well... the greedy capitalists just wanna feck us all in the butt by convincing us that we NEED the newest techie fad...

so there my friends I tell ya, to be deemed up with the times, currently you need to

1. casually hold your blackberry  in your LEFT hand,  (see loosely but surely so it doesn't get dropped or stolen)
2. have a prettily decorated mini cupcake in the right (preferably red velvet as it would up your posh status), 
3. while having house music play in the background (and please for the love of God...don't attempt to dance, it will ruin your look).

until next time!

cheese:
n

Sunday Best

Okay so I don't really care about competition/reality shows that are not about dancing. But BET's Sunday Best took it to the 'motherland' lol aka Lagos, Nigeria...and of course I had to watch it. I'm dying laughing yo!


First of from Kirk Franklin saying LEY-GOWS (Lagos), to the first scene of Lagos they showed being a dirty ass stadium shot. Sure they explained why it was that, but I can't help being like "damn it's like that?" Now I'm watching the contestants...generally when they do the outtakes on American Idol showing all the 'off' people...I don't find it exciting or funny 'cos I know most of it is fake! But now watching Nigerians... it's a whole different ball game. I guess 'cos it's one of those things where I'm like "I know someone JUST like that!"

(p.s. a preview of TREME comes on before that/and the BET show is based in New Orleans...omg I don't have cable but can't wait to watch TREME somewhere... like I have an incestuous love soul-deep infatuation with brass bands and second lines, and I can't believe there's a show that is made just for me. I don't know if i'd be able to deal with the drama of the show...maybe someone can make me an edited version that is just of shots of music/dance. )

p.p.s I have to say Globalization is a beeeetch. Everybody got yankee or britico accents.

and that Muyiwa guy is just doing WAAAAY too much. why he gotta talk about stuff not even related to singing...dissing people's shoes and what not! He's annoying me.

okay back to Sunday Best watch it!

-Nkizzzo