Exciting news: you can get “Matches” on vinyl now!
If you don’t know, SIFU HOTMAN is a side project featuring me, Dem Atlas, and Rube. We put out an album in 2014, while I was between projects and also kind of right before Dem signed to Rhymesayers. Luckily, it didn’t fall between the cracks; our song “Matches” got featured on BBC Radio 6, and then as the “weather” on an episode of the wildly popular podcast Welcome to Night Vale, leading a whole bunch of people to discover the project.
Incidentally, “Matches” might also be my favorite song I’ve ever been part of, so it’s been really beautiful to see so many people from around the world connect to it. The Sifu Hotman album is general just turned out so fresh; we’re all known for doing weirder, outside-the-box stuff, so a whole project of boom bap throwback hip hop and punchlines is something I’m really proud of and happy we got to put out. And Rube, our producer and DJ, ALSO screen-printed all of the sleeves. They’re gorgeous.
You can get the vinyl through our Bandcamp page. If you’re in Europe, it might be cheaper to buy it through the UK label that’s putting it out: AE Productions. Quick note– it is the radio edit on the single, in case that impacts whether or not you want it.
The single also features an exclusive remix of our song “Embrace the Sun” produced by MR. FANTASTIC and featuring a knockout guest verse from TALL PAUL. Been wanting to work with him for a minute, and his verse on this song is just bonkers. Even if you’re not a vinyl head, you can still download this track (plus the instrumentals, and an a capella for any DJs out there)! Here’s the new remix: Matches Vinyl Single b/w Embrace the Sun (Mr. Fantastic Remix) featuring Tall Paul by SIFU HOTMAN
AKA “stuff I did while not writing papers or being in class this year.” Check out previous years here: 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014
1. Performances: United Nations, Big Shows, College Gigs
Thought I’d kick this year-in-review off with my brand new booking reel, courtesy of PCP. That was the major theme this year, after all: I performed and/or spoke at 25 different colleges and universities all over the country, and 2016 should see even more of that. I also got a chance to perform at the United Nations (read the recap here), co-keynote the Building Bridges Conference with Jessica Valenti, and perform at the Equilibrium SuperShow with Patricia Smith (and two dozen other incredible poets). As for stuff I had more of a hand in organizing, we sold out the U of MN’s Whole Music Club for the second year in a row with our “Page.Stage.Engage” event, and kicked off a brand new concert series: #YesYesYes: a show devoted to consent and healthy sexuality. Endless thanks to the people who show up to these things.
2. Sifu Hotman’s “Matches” Featured on Welcome to Night Vale
This was unexpected, but also very cool. I actually hadn’t heard of what I now know is the biggest podcast in the world until a friend suggested I submit music. They picked up the song, and the result was a deluge of people checking out our music who would have otherwise probably never heard of us. If you don’t know Sifu Hotman, it’s a hip hop trio featuring me, Dem Atlas, and producer/DJ Rube. Check out our album here.
3. A Love Song, A Death Rattle, A Battle Cry
A compilation album of new songs, remixes, remastered tracks, and basically what I think is all of my best material up until this point, the idea of this album is that it’s an entry point for anyone interested in my work. Drawing from Guante & Big Cats, A Loud Heart, Sifu Hotman, and random solo songs, it collects a ton of songs that I’m really proud of.
It also features guest appearances from Dem Atlas, Chastity Brown, Kristoff Krane and more. On top of that, it’s a promo, so you can download it for FREE.
4. New Poem Videos
I actually recorded a ton of new videos this year, but most of them are slated for a 2016 release. Still, here are a few new ones courtesy of Button Poetry. The first one is a new poem about consent; I shared a few further thoughts on this one here.
First, one of my favorite new tracks; produced by Ganzobean; video by Adam J. Dunn:
Longtime friend and collaborator See More Perspective let me hop on this Star Wars-themed song. We actually performed a version of this at Soundset way back in ’09, so it’s great to finally be releasing something, especially right as Ep.7 is hitting theaters.
Two singles from the upcoming Guante & Katrah-Quey album, “Post-Post-Race.”
A guest verse: me, Crescent Moon (of Kill the Vultures, Mixed Blood Majority), & Judah Boi:
Finally, another guest verse: here’s Jared Paul, me and Ceschi on a song from Jared’s album:
5. TruArtSpeaks, New Writing, and Other Stuff
A huge part of my schedule this year was working with TruArtSpeaks— in-school residencies, hosting the open mic, helping to facilitate the Youth Advisory Board and various workshops, etc. If you’re into hip hop, spoken word, youth power and social justice, you should know about that organization (including two things on the immediate horizon: the “Write to Be Heard” youth spoken word workshops over winter break, and the start of the 2016 Be Heard MN Youth Poetry Slam series in January).
Here are a few things I wrote this year. It isn’t all here, but I wrote a lot this year… actually wrote a whole book, but I’m not thinking about a release for that until 2016. Stay tuned. In the meantime:
I have one semester of grad school left. Will be hitting the road this spring anyway, but then hitting it doubly hard in the Fall. If you want to bring me to your school or city, get in touch.
We’ll be releasing a VINYL SINGLE of the Sifu Hotman song “Matches” pretty soon too. It’s maybe my favorite song I’ve ever written, so I’m glad it’s getting the vinyl treatment. Also, the b-side is a Mr. Fantastic remix of our song “Embrace the Sun” featuring a new guest verse from Tall Paul, and he blacks out on it. Really excited for people to hear it.
The new album, Guante & Katrah-Quey’s “POST-POST-RACE” is being mixed now and should be released in early 2016. It’s all songs about race and racism. Yeah. More on that soon.
Hoping to release the book in 2016 too. It’s done; just figuring out the timing/logistics.
Finally, I have a lot of new videos scheduled for 2016 release, including some of my own work (brand new poems plus re-recordings of some old ones) and some other people’s work that I’ll be hosting on my YouTube page. As always, the shares, the re-posts, the word-of-mouth– all of that is greatly appreciated. Thanks again for the support.
If you don’t know, See More Perspective is the best. We’ve been working together for years, and actually wrote and recorded this song a pretty long time ago. I remember performing some version of it at Soundset way back in ’09.
His brother Nye produced it (one of my favorite beats ever, by the way), and I knew that he had been working on a video for it as well. I just never thought the video would just happen to be done the same week as the premier of Episode 7. Good timing.
Check out everything on See More’s bandcamp page as well; his last album in particular is pretty incredible, and he has a new one coming soon.
“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.
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