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Prototype Issue

We The People Festival Brings Hip-Hop Full Circle

By Kamren Curiel

(page 1 of 1)

Just when I thought I was over hip-hop for a minute and began cruising the streets of LA to a strict soundtrack of 60s and 70s soul and R&B, I fell back in love with it; hardcore. I thank April's We The People festival for reuniting me with the genre.

Hosted by Fidel Rodriguez of KPFK’s Divine Forces Radio and Brother J of X-Clan, a Brooklyn-based group that formed in the early 90s as a revolt against police brutality and racism, the lineup included the RZA, GZA, Dead Prez, Psycho Realm and Sick Symphonies, DJ Muggs, Sabac Red, 2Mex of the Visionaries, Medusa, Los Nativos, Hasan Salaam (shown at right), Georgia Anne Muldrow, Qunito Sol, Cihuatl Tonali and Miktlan.

It was refreshing to see a predominantly black and brown crowd gather mostly peacefully in one space, which for this year’s Project Sweatshop-sponsored event was The Watts Labor Community Action Committee (W.L.C.A.C.), a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for residents of South Central LA. While hip-hop shows have a tendency to attract a crowd that doesn’t necessarily reflect the artists themselves, this event brought together local folks from Watts and other LA ‘hoods whose passion for the music flows deep in their blood.

Surviving the drive through the heavily police-patrolled streets of Watts, we arrived at The Center unfortunately at the end of Georgia Anne Muldrow’s set. The decadent soul singer from Pico-Fairfax just stepped into the solo scene last year when Stones Throw Records put out her EP Worthnothings, a collection of poignant bedroom-produced tunes documenting Muldrow’s struggle for inner-peace. What I did catch from her was enough to know that I have to listen to more.

Although the majority of the crowd sported Fuck Love T-shirts to show solidarity with local Pico-Union tribe Psycho Realm, whose 1993 ‘End Barrio Warfare’ concert on Olvera Street created a path for their eccentric blend of hardcore rap and politically-driven music, it was a Muslim MC from Teaneck, New Jersey named Hasan Salaam who caught many in the audience off guard.

Salaam, 26, addressed everything from the root of the word lynching to the need to respect women as “the first teacher of the child” that they are. In an interlude on his Tales of the Lost Tribe: Hidden Jewels album, he’s schooled by an elder on who Willie Lynch was—a racist British slave driver whose 1712 speech in Virginia instructed his audience how to make an effective slave.

“When we fight over blocks we don’t own, we’re doing exactly what the slave owner taught us,” Salaam said between sets. “We need to be at peace with one another. We are not the enemy. There ain’t no reason to have division because of color.”

Salaam, who gave props to the West Coast, saying that according to the Koran, the sun should rise from the West, births music that stems from a place of struggle, real life experiences and honesty. He writes about his own personal imperfections and reaches out to the youth through tracks that melodically uplift us as a people. He’s more of a spiritual messenger than he is rapper.

He gave shout outs to OG freedom fighters The Brown Berets and The Black Panthers before exploding into a song called “Angel Dust”, which tells the story of a female friend from Jersey who scattered like dust and blew herself over to LA only to get caught up in the porn industry. The song is less about him feeling sorry for the woman and more about wanting to reach out and help redirect her path in life.

I caught up with Salaam backstage after he finished politickin’ with M-1 of Dead Prez, who he opened at a show for last year. We talked about the state of hip-hop and his upbringing. He credits his mother, a college professor, for providing him with an education that high school failed to (he dropped out) and showing tough love when he was falling off (she eventually kicked him out of the house).

His mother, who was in the Peace Corps and marched with Dr. King back in the day, listened to jazz, soul and Motown while he was growing up. It was her influence that taught Salaam music appreciation and politics.

“America is a white supremacist country,” he said. “We’re all political prisoners. If you know something you got to share it.”

Salaam, whose father is white and mother is black, made an appearance on local MusicPlusTV.com hip-hop show Grab Tha Mic and spit a cappella at Da Poetry Lounge on Fairfax while in LA. He told M+ host Diabolic that for him, the highlight of Saturday’s festival was when he brought up 12-year-old Rico, a youth from Watts who’s involved with The Center’s tutoring program, onstage. It was Rico’s first time performing in front of an audience so at first he was hesitant, but the positive energy from the crowd allowed him to kick a meaningful flow about staying in school.

“I’m trying to make music for the people and educate the children,” Salaam said. His advice to those trying to make it in the music industry: “Get knowledge of self and read as much as you can.” Salaam walks his talk; he organizes food and clothing drives in Jersey City every third Sunday of the month.

Representing the 5th Column crew, a family consisting of Hicoup, Rugged N Raw, Impaq and Badsportt, Salaam said he prefers being an independent artist because he doesn’t have the weight of corporate control on his shoulders.

"There ain't no reason to have division because of color." —Hasan Salaam

But no doubt major labels will be blowing up his cell as he’s appealing both on a conscious and mainstream level. He’s already appeared on Showtime at the Apollo and has performed on the same bill as Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaata, Curtis Blow, Wyclef, Naughty by Nature, Busta Rhymes, Black Moon, Floetry and Common.

“It’s really important for the culture to start taking it back to the foundations—graffiti, DJ and B-boying,” Salaam said. “People think jazz is Kenny G and Rock n Roll is Elvis. That’s how a lot of our culture has been stolen from us.”

The festival, which included a Danza Azteca ceremony and spoken word by Mario Rocha, who recently spent 10 years incarcerated for a case now being retried, helped bring that culture back. Frame, a local graffiti artist, spray painted the words “We The People” onstage during a contagious Psycho Realm set that featured a popping duo and proved that we, the people, are hip-hop.

For more on Hasan Salaam and the We The People fest, check out www.MusicPlusTV.com/HasanSalaam and www.myspace.com/hasansalaam.

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