Fight the Power: A New Movement for Civil Rights?

In the following article, Jeff Chang (who is the author of a great history of hip-hop, Can't Stop, Won't Stop) asks, "Can hip-hop get past the thug life and back to its radical roots?"

In one of the more hopeful passages:

But now, with the industry on the ropes and the political sphere energized, the transformative power of hip-hop may finally be reemerging. Over the past decade, hip-hop-based community groups have recharged the social justice movement and launched get-out-the-vote campaigns in neighborhoods most candidates and parties wouldn't touch... Even moguls such as Jay-Z, Simmons, and Sean "P. Diddy" Combs have thrown their weight behind voter outreach. And while the results are hard to track case by case, one massive shift is undeniable: In 2004, half of the 4 million new voters under 30 were people of color—a demographic watershed largely overlooked by the media...

He concludes:

Can hip-hop grow into its potential? Can rap sell activism as well as it has $150 sneakers, bottle service, and grill work? Can the very people who've made vast fortunes off selling stupid help reform the industry? "The thing I love about hip-hop," says Chavis, "is that it is evolutionary. It replenishes itself. I get in trouble all the time for saying this, but hip-hop is doing what the civil rights movement was only dreaming about."

What do you think? Can hip hop find its way back to its roots? Can hip-hop be a force for social change, or is this all a lot of talk? What is the real potential here? Can hip hop untangle itself from the damage and distortion done by its relationship with corporations? Or, can it sell sneakers and activism, as Chang asks? Is hip hop doing what the civil rights movement only dreamed of, as Chavis claims?

And, this leads to a bigger question: How effective is culture as a vehicle for social change?

Here is the whole article:
Jeff Chang, "Fight the Power: A New Movement for Civil Rights" (published in Mother Jones)

What if we had seven fingers on each hand?

File this one under the "things that make you go "hhmmmm..." heading:

Credit where credit is due: This post is originally from the folks over at Creative Think. I liked it so much I decided to post it over here...

What if we had seven fingers on each of our hands?

Would we have two finger-opposing thumbs on each hand? If we did, would we have a better "grasp" on things?

We could name our fingers after the days of the week, and if we didn't like something, we could flip that person a "Wednesday."

If you were clumsy, you could say, "Sorry, I'm all weekends."

How would seven fingers on each hand affect sports? How would we catch balls? Would we be more surehanded? Can't you just see some players, after a good play, saying: "Gimme seven, gimme fourteen."

That raises an interesting point: maybe our number system would be Base 14 instead of Base 10.

Would more people be in the jewelry business? What kind of piano music would be written? What would hand tools look like? What would computer keyboards look like?

Question: What if we had seven fingers on each hand? How would that change things? What would be possible? How would your profession or business change? What new things would come into existence?

NAFTA's no laughing matter...

I have this sneaking suspicion we're going to get fooled again...

Musuem of Bad Album Covers

This one has made the rounds, but the Museum of Bad Album Covers is a never-ending source of amusement. Check it out here:

Museum of Bad Album Covers





Here are a few more choice examples (click any cover to enlarge):

I would have loved to hear the pitch for this one. "Guys, I've got the prefect idea for our the album cover..."

I think these space-age dudes made a reappearance in the 90s in Andrew Lloyd Webber's rollerskating musical, "Starlight Express":

uhm. white guy. there it is. the definition.

Look closely at the guy's head... uh... the one on top of his shoulders... it is the worst cut and paste job I've ever seen!

I bet these ladies know how to paaarrrrrr---ttttttttttaayyyyy!

Just another mom "dropping the kids off at the pool"...

All we are saying...

Reggae's Redemptive Songs

This looks like an interesting book, if you like the reggae riddim!

The teaser...

It's not surprising that a Caribbean spiritual philosophy espousing peace, unity and love -- whose charismatic spokesmen delivered its message via a mesmerizing music, fueled by as much ganga as their lungs could hold -- found so many devotees in a mid-70s America that was still recovering from the divisive Vietnam War and race riots. This was also an America that was embracing gentle Easternisms and toking up with more and more frequency.
Even with the belief that Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie was something akin to the Second Coming, Jamaica's Rastafarianism and reggae music spoke to millions of Americans, including a white guy from Riverdale, New York, with a trust fund and a camera. Thirty years ago he became one of its most unlikely missionaries.

Here is a good article about the project:
Reggae's Redemptive Songs

And, if you like Jamaican music, you should definitely check this site out. There is lots of great music to be had through this one:
Distinctly Jamaican Sounds