In an effort to raise awareness of Aerosol Art as an authentic and viable artform, and to provide legal alternatives for the positive application of aerosol/spray paint as a medium, Seattle Art Together and 206 Zulu Nation partner to create a unique, ground breaking event that is sure to raise brows.
Sunday, August 29th, some of Northwest's finest aerosol artists will come together for one of the most anticipated event of it's kind, a 4-on-4 crew/team competition entitled "Off The Wall". This all day paint-off will showcase 8 finalist crews who will be working diligently for the 7 hour duration in an attempt to not only earn the recognition and respect of the crowd, but to take home the $500 prize and the 1st place title as the 2010 Off The Wall champions!
To add to the extravaganza, this all-ages/family event will consist of an Urban marketplace/fair with clothing, Hip Hop specialty booths, vendors, artist showcases as well as sounds resonated by 206 Zulu's own; DJ's Cues, Gumbeaux and Seabefore!
The festivities will take place on the backside of F.C. Bloxom Company, located at 2250 Occidental Ave South about 2 blocks from the Starbucks/Sears building in the Sodo District. Although this event is free to the community, we are accepting cash and food (non-perishable) donations that will go to feed those in need via NW Harvest. In an effort to be enviromentally concious, all power for this event will be generated by solar panels.
Off The Wall is brought to you in part by Seattle Art Together, 206 Zulu, F.C. Bloxom Company, Graf Cards, Onestaa.com, Art Primo, Painting In Peace, Upperplayground, Silver Nozzle, Silver Platters.
For more information log onto www.206zulu.com/offthewall.html or email 206zulu@gmail.com. Limited vendor booths available- contact grafcards.com@gmail.com or (206) 371-8671 for rates.
Seattle Art Together & 206 Zulu presents:
OFF THE WALL: 4-on-4 Aerosol Art Crew Battle
1st Place - $500 prize & gifts
DJs Cues, Gumbeaux, Seabefore & Guest Performances!
Sodo Wall
2250 Occidental Ave S, 98134
12-7pm - Free - All Ages
Accepting cash & food (non-perishable) donations for NW Harvest!
Info: www.206zulu.com/offthewall.html
Vendors: grafcards.com@gmail.com
The Universal Zulu Nation is a pioneering force that has been in effect since the inception of Hip Hop itself and continues to represent and innovate while striving for worldwide peace, equality and empowerment.
206 Zulu, the Seattle chapter of the UZN, is a community centered collective of activists and artists who are engaged in promoting local talent as well as mentoring youth.
Equinox is a group show about each artist's interpretations of what the zodiac means through their different cultures and perspectives.
Opening Reception
Thursday August 5, 2010 from 7-9pm
Location
Ver(a)rt Gallery at The Vera Project
Seattle Center West (Warren Ave N & Republican St.)
-Special thanks to everyone who made it to Cypha 10 and Zulu Jam at Festival Sundiata last weekend!
-Members of 206 Zulu participated in a two-hour forum and performance at South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia today (Thursday, May 27th). Panelists delved into the origins of Hip Hop as a platform for social change and it's positive affects on diverse communities worldwide. King Khazm elaborated upon the challenges the youth of today face and how many are able to overcome them with Hip Hop, such as the founders of the culture did in the 70's and 80's. Julie-C explains how media consolidation played a large role in the commodification of mainstream music. Suntonio Bandanaz and Inkubiz shared there experiences as long-time participants in the local Hip Hop community, and there reflections on its current state. DJ's Sureal and Seabefore energized the lunchroom cafeteria with Hip Hop, Funk and various blends. The afternoon culminated to live performances which demonstrated the underlying discussion themes and was well received. Special thanks to James Schneider and the staff at S.P.S.C.C. for inviting 206 Zulu to participate!
Welcome to 206zulu.com, a multifaceted resource for Seattle, Washington and worldwide Hip Hop, news, networking, music, upcoming events, and community projects. 206 Zulu is the Universal Zulu Nation Seattle Chapter. With members from all corners of the Pacific Northwest, 206 Zulu carries the vision and commitment to unify, preserve Hip Hop culture, educate, and empower our communities.
The Universal Zulu Nation, or UZN is a pioneering force that has been in effect since the inception of Hip Hop itself (1974) and continues to represent and innovate while striving for worldwide peace, equality and empowerment. The four main elements of Hip-Hop are deejaying, emceeing, b-boying/b-girling, and graffiti.
These elements can be expressed both individually and/or collectively and can benefit the community on both local and global levels. These goals however are by no means limited to the art forms of Hip Hop and we look forward to sharing information of health, social awareness and other human resources.
Friday, October 1st
PRE PARTY
7-12am
Freak City (Hollywood)
6607 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, California 90028
$5
* Graff Crew Battle, Live Painting, Gallery
* Footwork Battle
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Saturday, October 2nd
BBOY SUMMIT DAY 1 Block Party!
noon-8pm
Pershing Square (downtown)
532 South Olive St. Los Angeles, CA 90013
free
* Dance Workshops: Bboying, Rocking, Waacking, Locking, Popping, Strutting, Freestyle, House (location tba)
* Panel Series: Hip-Hop Dance NOW; Hip-Hop Culture Panel Present 4 the Future
* Block Party! With the best party deejays playing for all styles of dance! Each Hip-Hop street dance style
will have its own time to shine with deejays playing special sets just for that style of dance!
* DJ MC PRODUCER TALENT SHOW CASE: The sounds in what's happening in music now !
* Funk Styles Battles
ROCK YOUR SOUL AFTER PARTY 10-2am Location TBA
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Sunday, October 3rd
BBOY SUMMIT DAY 2 Battle Day/Theatre Show
noon-8pm
Avalon
1735 N. Vine St. Los Angeles CA (Hollywood)
$25
* Bgirl Action Panel
* She Got Game Event; Bgirl 2 on 2 International Competition (from Australia)
* MZK Color Warz Crew Battle; Calling out all Crews, show your skills to save your shirts! All Crews must
enter in gear (shirts, hoodies, whatever). Battling for other Crews shirts, Paper n Props!
* Street Dance Theatre Show; Pieces inspired and performed by the best of the best in street dance now!
* Soul Styles Battles: Locking, Popping, Waacking, House
Fat Beats Announces Closing Of New York And Los Angeles Retail Stores
(August 18, 2010 - Brooklyn, NY) After 16 years, Fat Beats has announced the closing of the legendary label's two remaining retail locations in New York and Los Angeles. Fat Beats will celebrate the legacies of the stores, which are scheduled to close in early September (New York: September 4th, Los Angeles: September 18th) by throwing a series of blow-out sales and tribute parties open to the public during their last weeks. Fans can check www.FatBeats.com for updates.
Fat Beats’ longest running and most famed location is at 406 Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan. Since the 1994 opening of Fat Beats' flagship retail location, hip-hop fans have traveled far and wide to visit the iconic store. With locations soon following in Los Angeles (7600 Melrose Ave.), Atlanta, Amsterdam, and Tokyo, the record stores were a place to experience hip-hop culture and its legacy, which became a global phenomenon. “The closing of Fat Beats is just like one of my friends passing away. They promoted vinyl at its highest degree for the culture of good music and that makes it more difficult to say goodbye," says DJ Premier.
The announcement of the closings is a reflection of the woes that have been plaguing the industry for years. Global chain HMV closed their last US location in 2004. Tower Records shuttered in 2006. Last year saw the close of the last Virgin Megastore, and the story is no different in 2010. For Fat Beats, maintaining two stores well into 2010 is a testament to the stores' importance to the music and to fans and consumers continuing to support independent hip-hop.
While news of the stores' closing marks the end of an era, the future is not doom and gloom. Digital sales continue to increase industry-wide; for Fat Beats, currently operating a profitable and growing online retail store, this has provided a boon to business as fans continue to order mp3s, vinyl, and CDs from FatBeats.com. Although digital sales continue to grow, executives at Fat Beats understand the importance of independent retail stores and are planning to re-open a brick and mortar hip-hop lifestyle location sometime in the near future.
The future looks just as bright for Fat Beats Distribution and the label. Fat Beats Distribution, which has been renamed FB Distribution, continues to strike noteworthy distribution deals with independent and major labels worldwide and is now working with different genres of alternative music. Fat Beats Records will continue to release notable albums from their own impressive roster of artists including ILL BILL, TruMaster/KRS-One, Black Milk, Trinity, Sha Stimuli, Q-Unique, and more. Fat Beats owner and President Joe Abajian says, “This is the start of a new era for Fat Beats. We’re adapting to meet the needs of our demographic by revamping and improving our existing systems. While our website, which stocks everything available in our retail stores, continues to do very well, we’re still exploring our options for alternate retail locations in the future. We’re proud of our legacy and will continue to re-invent ourselves. For now, we’ll see you online at FatBeats.com”
Fort Knox Five, 'Shift' Feat. Afrika Bambaataa and Mustafa Akbar
The song 'Shift' by Washington, D.C.'s Fort Knox Five is pretty infectious all by itself, but the video is simply out of this world -- almost literally.
The next-level special effects, animation and surreal cinematography aren't groundbreaking by accident -- they're the result of months of hard work and intensive labor by a team of technicians. While the song itself was conceived last year during President Obama's inaugural ceremonies, the video fittingly represents a new chapter for what is possible to accomplish with music videos. Hats off to directors Stu-Mackay Smith and DJ Ball, who combined live action -- filmed in HD Oakley Red -- with sharp animation for a video that, like we said, is otherworldly.
Oh, and did we mention that there's dancing involved? The choreography is no joke, as sports cinematographer Christian Begin was brought in to capture Vancouver's Now or Never B-Boy crew in action alongside the Hybrid Movement Parkour crew -- and then there are the go-go dancers. Graphic designer John Langdon even created a special Fort Knox Five ambigram for the video. You'll just have to watch the clip below to see what we mean.
KENNEDY HEIGHTS – Before there was Bootsy, there was Catfish.
The older brother of Cincinnati’s legendary funk icon, Phelps “Catfish” Collins was a jovial guitar player with a huge smile, a mentor who helped shape his brother’s musical career as well as his life.
“He was a father figure to my husband,” said Patti Collins, William “Bootsy” Collins’ wife. “He’s the reason why Bootsy is who he is.”
Phelps Collins died Friday after a long battle with cancer. He was 66.
Mr. Collins was a lifelong musician and Cincinnati resident. He was born eight years before Bootsy, who gave him the nickname “Catfish” because he thought he looked like one. He was fiercely protective of his family, once threatening to kill his father with a butcher knife if he saw him hurt their mother again, Bootsy told the Enquirer in an interview last year.
In 1968, Phelps and Bootsy Collins helped form local R&B band the Pacemakers, which became the rhythm section at the renowned King Records in Evanston. They played with James Brown, backing him on such songs as “Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine” as part of a group that became known as the J.B.’s.
In 1971, the brothers formed a flashy funk group called the House Guests with band mates including drummer Frankie “Kash” Waddy and former Pacemakers singer Philippé Wynne. Wynne went on to lead a group called the Spinners, and the rest joined the free-wheeling Parliament-Funkadelic.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame keyboardist Bernie Worrell played with the Collins brothers in Parliament-Funkadelic. Worrell said he and Catfish were the elders of the group.
“He was a loving, caring person, but at the same time, he wouldn’t take any bullcrap when it came to business,” Worrell said. “He was a hell of a musician. He taught me a lot about rhythms. People seem to forget that the rhythm guitar behind James Brown was Catfish’s creative genius, and that was the rhythm besides Bootsy’s bass.”
Phelps Collins later joined Bootsy’s Rubber Band and would go on to play rhythm guitar on albums by Deee-Lite, Freekbass and H-Bomb. He also performed on the soundtrack to the 2007 Judd Apatow comedy “Superbad” with Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell and other original members of the J.B.’s.
“He was one of probably the most underrated musicians in R&B and funk history,” said Cincinnati bassist Chris “Freekbass” Sherman, who cites both Collins brothers as influences. “He’s such an amazing guitar player. No one did it like him.”
Patti Collins said her brother-in-law, a father of two who lived in Kennedy Heights, made a life of music and continued to collaborate with Bootsy as the brothers grew older.
About a month ago, local musicians gathered at Celebrities in Roselawn to perform a tribute to Catfish, said Lincoln Ware, who hosts a daily radio show on WDBZ-1230 AM.
Ware said Mr. Collins, always a boisterous and smiling presence, clearly wasn’t feeling his best that night. But he sat back anyway, soaking in the music that had always meant so much to him.
