“One Bad Cop” is the second single from the upcoming album “Post-Post-Race,” the debut collaboration from Twin Cities MC/poet Guante and producer Katrah-Quey. Featuring quotable guest verses from G.P. Jacob and Tish Jones, the song tackles not just police brutality in general, but one very specific element of it: how so much of the conversation in media focuses on the specific details of each individual case, while failing to make connections to the broader trends of police violence, institutional racism, and mass incarceration. Like the duo’s first single, “White People on Twitter,” this song is about digging deeper and striving to think critically– especially important considering the current #justice4jamar protests growing in the artists’ backyard, Minneapolis. Music: Katrah-Quey: @kqbeats Words: G.P. Jacob: @GP_Jacob | Guante: @elguante | Tish Jones: @TheTishJones Mixing: Katrah-Quey and Graham O’Brien
That’s the official blurb. But a few further thoughts:
The whole album is on its way; as things generally go, it’s taking longer than the original plan. But it’ll be worth it. There’s a song on there with Jayanthi Kyle that might be one of the best songs I’ve been part of. A bunch of other tracks we’re excited to share too. We’re in the mixing/mastering phase, so we’re probably looking at a January/February release. But as always, it’s done when it’s done.
The album delay is one of the reasons we wanted to release another single. Another reason, however, is the context. The #justice4jamar protests and #4thprecinctshutdown were and are watershed moments in the movement for racial justice here in the Twin Cities. So regardless of whether you listen to the song, here are some links you should know about (as always, these links aren’t about saying that these are the only organizations or entities involved; just good places to start to get more info):
A few photos (and commentary) that I took at the occupation site
A million other links and resources; I’ve tried to keep up on my Twitter, but your best bet is probably a mix of the organizations linked to here, plus the two hashtags, plus any other on-the-ground activists you find through them. Stay informed.
Finally, one last link: this will be my last show of 2015: Sunday, December 13 at the 7th St. Entry for Aym Telos’ album release party; w/ Sarah White, EJ and more!
Just announced: on Friday, November 6, I’ll be performing at the U of MN Coffman Union’s Whole Music Club at 8pm along with Tish Jones, members of the Be Heard MN Youth Poetry Slam team, plus a couple of special guests TBA. 7:30pm doors, all ages, free. (Facebook event page).
I’ve visited more than a dozen colleges just this Fall, and have had the opportunity to both perform for and build with students, staff, and faculty all over the country. Using art as a jumping off point to have deeper discussions about issues of power, identity, activism and more, it’s been a great time, and this capstone event will be yet another chance to explore how art can respond to injustice in concrete, meaningful ways.
While I’ll be performing a mix of poetry and music at the event, I thought I’d make a quick playlist of some of my favorite “political” songs of mine, all available for free download (though you do have to click through on the individual track you want to download to get to the link) for anyone interested:
“I don’t believe that the song/ is all we have to offer; I believe the singers are strong.”
That line captures a lot of what I think when people ask me about the role of artists in social movements. It’s all part of this brand new track from Jared Paul’s new album featuring both me and Ceschi Ramos (I’m the second verse). Pre-order his album here via Sole’s Black Box Tapes label. Jared and Ceschi have both been real leaders when it comes to radical, DIY poetry and hip hop, so it’s cool that we got this chance to do a song together.
More new music soon; if you missed it, here’s a link to “White People on Twitter,” the first track from the upcoming Guante & Katrah-Quey project.
“White People on Twitter” is the first single from the upcoming album “Post-Post-Race,” the debut collaboration from the Twin Cities’ Guante & Katrah-Quey. Over Katrah-Quey’s disarmingly subtle, contemplative beat, Guante (a two-time National Poetry Slam champion in addition to a critically-acclaimed MC and social justice activist) lays out all of the common complaints and evasions from white people whenever the subject of racism comes up, building from a clever, laugh-to-keep-from-crying deconstruction of #AllLivesMatter tropes to a devastatingly serious look at the consequences of those attitudes. Music: Katrah-Quey: @kqbeats | Words: Guante: @elguante Mixing: Evan Bakke and Graham O’Brien
…so that’s the official blurb. A few more thoughts:
My biggest worry with releasing this song isn’t trolls or that white kids might “un-like” my Facebook page. It’s that the song is very much part of the album, and the album has a specific thing that it’s trying to do. This is the first track, so even though it has its own self-contained “breezy-half-funny-intro-transitioning-into-a-serious-point,” it’s also very much the setup to a larger arc.
I actually had no plans to release an album this year. But then I got a folder of beats from Katrah-Quey, spurred by a relatively random Twitter exchange between us and Lydia Liza. While brainstorming song ideas, I found myself only being able to write about race, based on all of my Twitter conversations, real-life conversations, and the work that I do as a touring artist/facilitator. The danger in that, of course, is assuming that “writing about race” is automatically a good thing, especially coming from someone who looks like me. I’ve written songs about race before (like “The Invisible Backpacker of Privilege” and “Other”), but never an album-length analysis/deconstruction/exploration/whatever.
So I decided to run with the impulse to write songs about race, racism, whiteness, and racial justice activism in the age of #BlackLivesMatter, but did it only under two conditions. First, it had to be a platform for multiple voices, and not just me. So there are a lot of guest artists on the album, each bringing their own perspectives to the project. Second, it couldn’t just be “songs about race.” It had to have something more specific to say, something deeper to contribute to the conversation.
Which brings us back to this single, which doesn’t necessarily illuminate those two important points. What it does, hopefully, is set the stage for them. We don’t have a release date yet (just trying to record a couple more guest appearances and finish the mixing/mastering), but this is work that I think is as conceptually grounded, as lyrically focused, and as musically engaging as anything I’ve done yet. Excited to share it. Lyrics after the jump: White People on Twitter White people on Twitter are angry saying “why does it always have to be about race?” They never owned slaves and they only say the n-word when they’re drunk and never to anyone’s face White people on Twitter are offended by the fact that anyone anywhere’s offended The outrage about the outrage when it’s about race is endless White people on Twitter are defensive, playin’ devil’s advocate in your mentions and they’ll probably check out before they empathize ‘cause white people on twitter don’t like to be generalized That’s the greatest sin you can commit; groupin’ people together is at the source of all of this— or so the white people on twitter say: just stop talkin’ about racism and it will go away, right? Love and light, it’s not complex like a Martin Luther King quote out of context Yeah they got a lot of quotes lined up like dominoes arguin’ with Ta-Nehisi Coates White people on twitter have feelings White people on twitter have FEELINGS so many FEELINGS, so it’s doubtless that every conversation is in orbit around them And I can hear ‘em sayin’ right now: whatever dude, you’re white too, I’m like true I ain’t full-blooded but I am a little bit enough that white kids still listen to my shit White people on Twitter are my fanbase White people on Twitter self-deprecate But this is bigger than saying the right things on the right platform; this is about how we transform When police kill a black child, white people on twitter stay quiet Funny how they got so much to say soon as you mention a racial bias or soon as a protest turns to a riot- that’s when they’ll talk about violence, but not a peep for the blood in the street or the ave when it’s drawn by a thug with a badge, and I know white people on Twitter aren’t evil Racism’s bigger than bigotry; it’s a history, but white people on Twitter tell me all lives matter the newspaper disagrees the nightly news disagrees the statistics disagree the lived experience of millions of our neighbors disagrees so who do you believe?
This song is included on my latest release, a free sampler mix pulling together some of the songs I’ve written that are most important to me. Big Cats produced the original version (here), and Graham O’Brien produced this one, which mashes up two verses from that song, a third verse from another song, and a hook from yet another song. I like the overall effect, and love this beat (especially the outro– listen to the whole song!)
My “political” writing tends to be pretty specific– a song about sexual politics, a song about whiteness in indie hip hop, a song about language & bullying, etc. At first glance, this song might seem like a departure from that, more of an all-purpose “conscious MC ‘political’ song.” And there are elements of that in here, but I wrote this song to make another fairly specific point: that change comes from organized struggle, from everyday people working together to build the world that they want. It isn’t just about electing the right people, or hoping things will inevitably work out; it’s about actively shaping history through intentional activism and solidarity.
“Marching around with signs doesn’t really change anything” is such a shallow analysis of what “marching around with signs” represents. Of course, on a literal level, a single protest doesn’t change the system. But protest organizers know this. A march is never about magically fixing everything; it’s about a range of tactical considerations: plug-in points for new activists, media coverage and narrative-shaping, a public show of force to foreshadow future electoral (or extra-electoral) power, a space for solidarity and emotional release, a jumping off point for even more intentional organizing inside & outside systems, etc.
The same could be said for social media– a hashtag along doesn’t change the world. But it can be an incredibly useful tool for raising awareness, coordinating multi-city efforts, shifting the larger narrative, and building a movement. Movements are, after all, complex machines, with gears of many different sizes turning simultaneously to accomplish different functions. It’s personal, interpersonal, institutional, and cultural. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and the real world has reflected this idea quite a bit lately. A few good links:
“The #BlackLivesMatter movement is already making a difference. We’re clearly nowhere near where we need to be, but these recent cases played out differently than they would have a year ago, or five years ago, or ten years ago because of all the work and all the noise that young people have been making while we keep saying that they don’t have a plan.”
Jay Smooth is the best. I think a lot of people know that already. But this video in particular is super important, in that it recognizes how much still needs to done while affirming that the work being done right now is already starting to bear fruit, that “that mountain is moving.” More proof:
“Who said protesting is ineffective? Since Michael Brown, an unarmed black teen in Ferguson, Mo., was shot and killed Aug. 9, 2014, by white then-Officer Darren Wilson, lawmakers in nearly every state have proposed changes to the way police deal with the public, according to the Associated Press.”
“Yet, the refrain I hear far too frequently is, ‘Protests don’t produce change.’ Technically and practically, this just isn’t true. First and foremost, offline protests are a way for people of like minds to join together to express their shared pain and frustration. This solidarity is wildly significant but is too often dismissed, mainly by people who don’t protest, because they don’t haven’t experienced it to understand its value. Online, tens of millions of people are now better connected with one another and with the issues around police brutality in ways that are markedly different than anything we saw in 2013 or earlier. While it’s despicable that every person killed by police ends up as a hashtag and trending topic, the reality that people killed by police are often the No. 1 trending topic in the world signifies a sea shift in solidarity and awareness of the issue.”
“Those who argue that forceful demonstrations only serve to entrench people in the positions they’ve already taken are wrong. People are changing their minds. Just like it did for the suffrage movement 100 years ago or civil rights in the ‘60s, public protest is working in 2015. Now all we need is some meaningful policy change.”
“What’s sad is it often takes a tragedy,” Oates said. “What happened in Ferguson wasn’t unusual — which is awful, but true. The response was unusual, and the depth and breadth of the protests was unusual. And you could kind of see it coming from Trayvon Martin … This rising awareness [about] race and unfairness, and this real question about what was really going on.”
…and if you’re looking for a super concrete example, check out this story by Scott Heins at Okayplayer. A lot of people shared this because of the Kendrick Lamar angle, but I think there’s a bigger story in this quote:
“Today after the ending of the convening as everyone was walking down the street CPD arrested a 14 yr old,” wrote uploader Blake Piffin. “While everyone was demanding his release an officer pepper sprayed the crowd and further escalated the situation. In unity and solidarity everyone was demanding that he be released, and we stayed and protested until they released him!” Again, no one is arguing that the struggle is over, or that “marches and rallies” alone are all we need. None of the new laws being passed will end police violence. But this is what movement-building looks like. Here in the Twin Cities, the Black Liberation Project just organized a successful #SayHerName solidarity action, Neighborhoods Organizing for Change (one of the most active, effective orgs in the community) are raising money to literally rise from the ashes, and there’s more coming from #BlackLivesMatter Minneapolis, Voices for Racial Justice, Communities United Against Police Brutality, TruArtSpeaks, and countless other organizations and individuals are doing good work. As always, it starts with knowing what’s going on, then plugging in and getting involved.
On Wednesday, May 20, this consent-themed spoken-word show will be happening at Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis. Performers include Keno Evol, Thressa Isobel, Kevin Yang, Simone Williams, Kenny Ngo, Sophie & Ally, and See More Perspective, as well as Chava Gabrielle and me. Here’s the FB event page.
Chava approached me about collaborating on this event a few months ago, and it’s shaping up to be very cool. Sponsors include great organizations like TruArtSpeaks, The Aurora Center, The Sexual Violence Center, Line Break Media, and Intermedia Arts, and we’ll be doing some audience-centered interactive stuff too. It’s also good timing; if you missed my brand new poem, “Consent at 10,000 Feet,” check it out here.
This past Friday, the Sifu Hotman song “Matches” was featured on Welcome to Night Vale. If you don’t know, Sifu Hotman is a collaborative hip hop project featuring me, producer Rube, and rising indie-rap star deM atlaS. And Welcome to Night Vale, apparently, is the most popular podcast in the world. A friend suggested we submit some music, and we did, not thinking much of it. But now that they’ve played it, the response has been overwhelming. It’s so great to have this project in particular get a big second push, because I think it’s one of the best things I’ve ever been involved with. If you missed it during the first run, you can get it here.
Update: as of right now, Sifu Hotman’s “Embrace the Sun” is also the #1 best-selling hip hop album on Bandcamp. So that’s cool.
Lots of other stuff happening, as always. First of all, thanks to Daniel Rangel for the new header photo; more media coming soon. Also, we’re still pushing the big #7UpForSocialChange campaign over at TruArtSpeaks, and I’m so excited about that work. Lots of new projects in the works. Lots of shows coming up, especially once we get into autumn. In the meantime, I want to plug my Twitter feed, where I try to share not only updates on my own work, but link to as much cool stuff as I can. That’s the best place to keep in touch. Please do.
I hate to make other people’s accomplishments about me, but this was too funny. Every year, City Pages runs a “Best of the Twin Cities” feature, honoring different local artists and establishments. I’ve been in it before, as have lots of people. This year, I noticed something cool; not sure if anyone else has made this connection yet:
Now, aside from these artists being phenomenally talented and wonderful people whom everyone should know about and support, does anyone see the connection between the three of them? I’ll give you a hint:
Me and deM atlaS made an album with Rube under the name Sifu Hotman. Me and Claire made an album called A Loud Heart. And me and Big Cats made two albums together, the most recent being You Better Weaponize. Click the links to listen to and/or buy them.
ALSO, the Re-Verb open mic, organized by TruArtSpeaks (the organization I work with as comm director and as a roster artist), was awarded best open mic!
All of this is less about how much impact and influence I have, and more about how good I am at latching onto talented people before they blow up, haha. Congratulations to everyone!
I wanted to kick off 2015 with something special. That’s the new video for “You Say Millionaire Like It’s a Good Thing,” one of two new Ganzobean-produced tracks on this new album. Adam J. Dunn made it.
The new album is a mix of some old songs, some new songs, some exclusive remixes and re-recordings, and some live poetry recordings. It also features design work by Rogue Citizen. Since I travel so much to perform but don’t exactly “tour” in the traditional sense, I wanted to be able to sell something that captured the best of what I’ve made, and I think this album does that. If you don’t know much about me or my work, it’s the perfect place to start. If you’ve been following me, there are a few surprises (listen for new verses, lyrical change-ups, and more). Either way, it’s free.
Here’s the official press release with a little more info, plus the lyrics to the song in the video: Since moving to Minneapolis seven years ago, Guante has established himself as one of the sharpest, smartest and most consistently unique voices in the saturated Twin Cities hip hop scene. Now, after six albums, two National Poetry Slam championships, over a million YouTube views, three appearances on Upworthy, and performances at the Soundset Festival, First Ave. Mainroom, Hope Rocks gala, and a hundred other concerts, rallies, benefits, school assemblies and colleges, Guante is looking back in order to look ahead. A LOVE SONG, A DEATH RATTLE, A BATTLE CRY is the capstone on the first phase of his career. Featuring brand new songs, exclusive remixes, a handful of spoken-word poems and a curated selection of the best songs Guante has made, this mix is the perfect introduction to his distinct blend of progressive politics, gallows humor, and storytelling prowess. Stirring, focused calls to action flow into achingly bittersweet love songs flow into meditations on working class identity and much more, through metaphorical lenses as diverse as superheroes, motherhood, graffiti, zombies and getting struck by lightning (literally). Guest appearances include Chastity Brown, deM atlas, Kristoff Krane, Claire de Lune, and Lydia Liza (not to mention a brief appearance from Haley Bonar). There isn’t a lot of “conscious” rap this honest and down-to-earth, nor a lot of “alternative” rap this well-crafted and creative, nor a lot of “political” rap this focused and specific. That’s what the title of the project is all about—creating work that functions on all three levels: human, creative, meaningful. Connected to real emotions, a little bit weird, always seeking to build something. A love song, a death rattle, a battle cry. The mix is available now, for free. It is both the companion piece and opening act for Guante’s book (of the same name), coming soon. For more information, see http://www.guante.info. YOU SAY MILLIONAIRE LIKE IT’S A GOOD THING
This place is a prison and these people aren’t your friends Ain’t no postal service when it’s always Sunday in your head Letters unsent, burnin’ that blunt at both ends In the break room ready to break Halfway to broke, halfway to broken down This job makes you nauseous; you try to hold it down And they will take every opportunity to comment on your luck ‘cause in this economy you got to be like bottom’s up even when you know it’s poison, yo: you feelin’ well? Like a body that’s so hungry it begins to eat itself? Bootstraps so tight you can’t admit to needin’ help, on the real, feel like hell and you want it to all stop Jackass co-workers makin’ small talk Try to stay focused, you casually glance at your watch and see that you are halfway, to being halfway to being halfway done with half of half of your day
Punch that clock ‘til it bleeds It feels like they’re tryin’ to break us They tell you to follow your dreams, but your alarm is going off, wake up
All of my life I been lied to: just found out my boss makes 500 times what I do and still wants to cut my hours back to 39 and three quarters ‘cause 40 gets you a health plan And I got a feelin’ I’m a need it Losin’ feelin’ in my knees and my lower back and I’m going back, trapped like a lower class clown Hold a rat down, so we kill each other over cheddar Keep us hungry so we never organize for nothing better Just make it through the day, make it through the week, make it through the month, make a millionaire another couple bucks What, and like that, the coffee buzz is gone It’s only 9:30, step by step with the other pawns One square at a time, somewhere between the walking dead and the buried alive You can’t steal what’s already been stolen You can’t kill what is already dead So if we got to be zombies, let’s snatch the CEO and see if there is a brain in his head, until then…
Punch that clock ‘til it bleeds It feels like they’re tryin’ to break us They tell you to follow your dreams, but your alarm is going off, wake up
So if you got a dollar in your pocket, put your hands in the air Ten dollars in your pocket, put your hands in the air If it’s a hundred or a thousand that’s fair But there’s no such thing as an innocent millionaire
If you got a dollar in your pocket, eat a taco Ten dollars; buy some peanut butter and some bread If you got a hundred or a thousand you can stock up But a million may as well be human flesh
If you got a dollar in your pocket, drink some water If you got ten, have a beer with your lunch If you got a hundred or a thousand, you can dig your own well And for a million, you can drink all the blood you can suck
That dollar in your pocket is an insult Ten dollars in your pocket ain’t enough The reason that so many of us are have-nots, is that the haves have way too much Let’s get ‘em
As always, this is kind of a journaling space for me. I’m not here to break down everything that was important in 2014, just sharing some of the stuff that I got a chance to be a part of this past year. It’s a way to both celebrate some victories and be accountable to myself and others.
(photo by Monica Rivera)
1. STANDING UP IN FRONT OF STRANGERS AND TALKING
Most of my time and energy this year was spent performing at colleges, conferences and other spaces in every corner of the country. I feel honored to have been able to connect with so many people in so many different places this year. And that’s all on top of local shows like the “Shut it Down” night of speaking out against street harassment, the “Let the Bars Breathe” poetry-of-rap show, the “Page, Stage, Engage” show which sold out the Whole at the U of MN, and other shows I organized or helped organize. Booking for 2015 now.
2. SIFU HOTMAN (Guante, deM atlaS & Rube): EMBRACE THE SUN My last year-in-review also kicks off with Sifu Hotman. But where last year’s three-song suite was a fun little side project, this extended version is one of the best full albums I’ve ever helped create. With support from BBC Radio, Ego Trip, Amazing Radio, Bandcamp’s “New and Notable” feature, and more blog write-ups than I usually get, it also became one of my more successful projects. And with Josh’s new success as part of the Rhymesayers family, I’m hoping even more people discover it; get it here.
3. DUNGEONS I released this way back in February with no media campaign, no physical copies, no release party– just a mixtape for me to get some stuff off my chest. Over 9 Dungeon Family instrumentals, it’s a concept album about bullying, identity, activism and more. The second verse on “Chain Lightning” is one of the best things I’ve written, as is the song “Greater Shout,” though I think the whole project has its moments. Oh and all of the song titles are level 1-9 D&D spells. And it’s all one 30-min track. And it’s free.
4. MORE SEMI-VIRALITY I was on Upworthy twice this year, back in January for The Family Business, and again in October for Action (which was also featured on Everyday Feminism and the NoMore Project). Between my own YouTube account and my videos on Button Poetry, I reached well over a million views this year. Obviously, the numbers aren’t everything, but when you write sometimes-challenging poems about social justice issues and people actually pay attention to them, you have to celebrate those little victories.
5. NEW SPOKEN-WORD VIDEOS
Via Button Poetry, a poem about the iconography of the Twin Cities, and the importance of digging deeper:
Via Button Poetry, a poem about the “continuum of action” involved whenever we witness injustice; this was written after Ferguson, but relates to a lot of different issues:
A poem about the weight of history, and how that weight can be a burden, but it can also be a source of tremendous strength:
This poem was actually an assignment for class; it documents my experiences with education and systems of education:
6. OTHER NEW MUSIC AND MUSIC VIDEOS
Here’s the video for “First Ave. Funeral” from the Sifu Hotman album. This is one of four videos I’ve been involved with shot by Adam J. Dunn:
We shot a video for everyone’s favorite song from “You Better Weaponize,” the one that talks about whiteness in hip hop. Directed by Patrick “PCP” Pegg:
Here’s a random song about nihilism, aliens and Burger King, produced by the great Katrah-Quey. It’s a free download:
Producer Blamsiss remixed one of the standout songs from the Dungeons mixtape; it’s also a free download:
I’ve worked with Ganzo on a handful of songs now; here’s his remix of “Limb from Limb” from the Sifu Hotman album:
7. Writing (Online and In Real Paper Books) I wrote a ton of essays and op-eds in 2013; some of them got a lot of attention. But I made a point this year to write less and signal boost more, whenever possible. I tried to only go into “thinkpiece mode” when I felt like I had something unique to contribute. A few things I wrote this year:
I also have an essay in the book “Killing Trayvons: An Anthology of American Violence,” which you can purchase here.
I also have an essay in book “Eminem and Rap, Poetry, Race,” which you can purchase here.
8. TEACHING AND FACILITATING + TRUARTSPEAKS
As much as I was on the road this year, it’s also important to me to be building something here at home.
It was incredible to work with TruArtSpeaks again this year on the Be Heard youth poetry slam series plus all of our ongoing programs, both in-school and out. Next year is going to be even bigger. Lots of news coming soon.
I’m also thankful to COMPAS for hooking up a number of in-school residencies this year. Working with them has taken me out of my urban comfort zone into the suburbs, into rural areas and beyond, and it’s always been a great experience.
I finally started my video series sharing tips, tools and tactics for aspiring spoken-word artists. We are three videos in, and more are on the way!
Also facilitated classes or workshops at what feels like a million different conferences, summits, activist events, etc.: Department of Justice conference on preventing gender violence, ACPA national conference, Overcoming Racism conference, the Safe Schools youth summit, TC Daily Planet media trainings, and much more.
9. GRAD SCHOOL
Yeah, I also finished my first semester of grad school at the U of MN. It was a busy year. I’m studying intersections of critical pedagogy, social justice education, and social media, all through the lens of hip hop and spoken-word.
10. NEW BOOK AND NEW ALBUM Both of these projects will see a 2015 official release, but they’re both done. The album is a sampler mix of all of my best songs (plus some brand new tracks and remixes), and the book contains the lyrics booklet to that album, plus all of my poems, plus a bunch of my essays and other writings. They’re both called “A Love Song, A Death Rattle, A Battle Cry,” and will be available soon. I’ll end this with the video to one of the new songs on the album; thanks for listening. Let’s keep building.
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