Vee Bravo, Media Activist :: 120 Seconds
Vee Bravo, a volunteer in the Riker's Island prison system for 10 years, misses facilitating dialogue with incarcerated youth on life, culture and freedom.
Vee Bravo, a volunteer in the Riker's Island prison system for 10 years, misses facilitating dialogue with incarcerated youth on life, culture and freedom.
Vee Bravo, Media Activist :: 120 Seconds from friendswelove.com on Vimeo.
Estilo Hip Hop :: Directed by Vee Bravo + Loira Limball
Estilo Hip Hop is a feature length documentary that chronicles the lives of three hip hop enthusiasts from Brazil, Chile, and Cuba who firmly believe that hip hop can change the world. As we delve into the lives of Eli Efi, Guerrillero Okulto, and Magia, we learn of three inspirational leaders responsible for mobilizing young people to become politically active. However, the personal issues affecting the three protagonists prove to be as overwhelming as the challenges posed by their political work. As the stakes assume a greater risk, Eli Efi, Guerrillero, and Magia make life-altering decisions that ultimately impact the course of their lives and that of the hip hop movement.
Links: Estilo Hip Hop
K’Naan, MC + Musician :: 120 Seconds
Somali MC & musician Knaan shares his views on language as not only a tool for communication but also as a cultural carrier and its influence in the way we view ourselves and our surrounding environment.
Somali MC + musician Knaan shares his views on language as not only a tool for communication but also as a cultural carrier and its influence in the way we view ourselves and our surrounding environment.
K'naan, MC + Musician :: 120 Seconds from friendswelove.com on Vimeo.
About K'naan:
Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, just as the civil unrest that rocked the country was beginning, rapper K'NAAN spent the early years of his life trying to avoid death and listening to the hip-hop records sent to him from America by his father, who had left Somalia earlier. When K'NAAN (whose name means "traveler" in Somali) was 13, he, his mother, and his two siblings were able to leave their homeland and join relatives in Harlem, where they stayed briefly before moving to Rexdale, Ontario, where there was a large Somali community. As soon as his English started improving, he began rapping, and in tenth grade he dropped out of school and traveled around North America for two years, performing occasionally. Through his friendship with Sol Guy, part of promotion team Direct Current Media, K'NAAN was able to perform at the United Nations' 50th anniversary concert in 1999, held in Geneva, where he used his platform to publicly criticize the United Nations' handling of the Somali crisis in the 1990s. One of the audience members, Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour, was so impressed by the young MC's performance and courage that he invited him to contribute to his 2001 album Building Bridges, a project through which K'NAAN was able to tour the world. In 2002, he met Jarvis Church, part of the Track and Field Productions team that helped propel Nelly Furtado to fame, a connection that eventually led to a record. The Dusty Foot Philosopher came out in Canada in 2005, and was followed with tour spots with Mos Def and Talib Kweli, as well as a performance at Live 8. In 2007 the live album On the Road appeared and then, two years later, the album Troubadour became K'NAAN's first for the major label A&M. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide
For more info on K'Naan, please visit:
J. Period, Mixtape Assassin :: 120 Seconds
With an impressive list of mixtapes under his belt, J. Period expands on the history of hip hop through the eyes of the DJ and breaks down how the mixtape is the last vestige of the culture.
With an impressive list of mixtapes under his belt, J. Period expands on the history of hip hop through the eyes of the DJ and breaks down how the mixtape is the last vestige of the culture.
J. Period, Mixtape Assassin :: 120 Seconds from friendswelove.com on Vimeo.
About J. Period:
With DJ & Remix work for Grammy-winners Lauryn Hill, The Roots, Kanye West and Mary J. Blige under his belt, J.Period has become one of Hip Hop’s undisputed Mixtape Kings and most respected DJ/Producers. In 2009, his massive mixtape marketing campaigns for artists including Q-Tip, K’NAAN, and rising star Nneka earned over 500K+ downloads (over 700K+ total impressions), and have been widely cited among the year’s Top Mixtape releases. Praised by The New Yorker for his groundbreaking Bob Dylan remixes, and named one of “the world’s top DJ’s” by The New York Times in October, J.Period is currently featured in Activision’s blockbuster video game, DJ Hero, alongside a short list of DJ legends: Grandmaster Flash, Jazzy Jeff, Shadow, Z-Trip & DJ AM. As a producer, J.Period has scored several blockbuster film trailers (Universal’s American Gangster 2007, Fox’s Street Kings 2008) and video games (Activision’s Tony Hawk’s Motion 2008). And on stage, J.Period’s crowd-rocking skills have earned high-profile tour appearances with Kanye West, Lauryn Hill, P. Diddy and De La Soul in venues around the globe. Rising through the ranks of hip hop’s elite DJs, J.Period is undeniably one to watch in 2010!
For more info on J. Period check out: jperiod.com