Khingz releases new album “From Slaveships to Spaceships”
Gun violence. Drug abuse. Disillusionment. Self-hatred. Journey through the mastermind of Seattle-bred emcee Khingz with his highly-anticipated solo album- "From Slaveships to Spaceships", debuting Juneteenth, 2009 on Fresh Chopped Beats / MADK. "From Slaveships to Spaceships" is a testimony of transformation, a voyage through time and space, a continued search for freedom of mind. Khingz breathes life into art with his rapid spitfire delivery, heart-filled thought provoking lyrics and infectiously thriving beats provided by a wide array of producers including Sabzi of Blue Scholars, Amos Miller, Kitone and more.
Khingz transcends the meanings of liberation through music and carries forth his vision to uplift minds in today's society. The album releases on Juneteenth, which is June 19th or Freedom Day- the day observed to commemorate the abolishment of slavery within the United States.
Known for his high energy performances and versatility, Khingz has been motivating crowds for well over a decade across the country and continues to expand his range of supporters. He has shared stages with many Hip Hop greats including Talib Kweli, Lupe Fiasco, K'naan, as well as a host of Seattle luminaries ranging from Blue Scholars to Dyme Def. Khingz often rhymes alongside emcee-partner Gabriel Teodros, combining to form the dynamic duo- Abyssinian Creole.
Khingz's album release party will take place in Seattle, June 20th at Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison (14th & Madison) in Capitol Hill. Additional performances will feature The Physics, Yirim Seck and DJ Daps1 on the wheels of steel. Hosted by Spaceman. $10adv./$12dos. 8pm Doors / All Ages / Bar w/ ID. Tickets available at www.ticketweb.com, Chop Suey, Hidmo Eritrean Cuisine, Sonicboom Records & Cellophane Square.
For full details of upcoming tour dates, music previews, news and further information, log onto www.Khingz.com.
Purchase "From Slaveships to Spaceships" online at CDBaby, Amazon, Napster, Target. Rhapsody and at select independent music outlets in your area.
For media inquiries, interviews, drops, servicing and bookings, email info@khingz.com.
1st Annual Spring Fest at Umoja P.E.A.C.E. Center Brings Hip Hop to the Block For Green
What a great day at the Umojafest P.E.A.C.E. Center this past Saturday! Approximately 150 people turned out for this 1st Annual UPC Spring Fest, a community rally/summit and hip hop fest mini festival fusing music and green initiatives. The UmojaFest P.E.A.C.E. Center is a brand new youth cultural center right in the heart of Seattle’s Central District.
The festivities kicked off with Green Organizers Mixer & Brunch, attended by representatives of over 15 organizations doing work around sustainable living, environmental stewardship and green jobs.
The outdoor show featured spoken word performances by hip hop soul wordsmiths Jamil Suleman, KHMET, Korvus Blackbird. Other performances included, area natives Suntonio Bandanaz and Yirim Seck who grew up within two blocks of the center. Razpy and his Vigilantes took it to another level with a live band. Followed by a firewater set, by bay area native and Hip-Hop Congress Executive Director Shamako Noble. Other special guest appearances by M. Famous, LaRue and Rajnii Eddins who freestyled a whole song over the Mtume Juicy beat, Sean Good and Young Sic. Music was provided by Zecheriah The Barber (All City Chop/Mint Factory Clothing) and DJ Kuhnex.
A special thanks to all the vendors, attendees, entertainers, family, friends and volunteers, well done thanks to everyone. Participating organizations included; Mothers Outreach Movement, Hip-Hop Congress, Life Enrichment Group, Got Green, African American Longshoreman Coalition, Seattle Pea Patch, Sustainable South & Central District, Association for Africentric Development, Nation of Gods & Earths, Bikery, Really Free Market, BikeWorks, Pursuit of A Green Planet, King County Department of Health, Community Coalition for Environmental Justice, African American Clergy and others.
The next event at the UmojaFest P.E.A.C.E. Center will be the Malcom X Day Hip-Hop Fest scheduled for Sunday, May 17th. The event will feature workshops based on the philosophies of the late human rights leader Malcolm X, live performances and more. Former congresswoman and 2008 Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney will be in Seattle to give keynote address. For more information contact Wyking@gmail.com or 206.941.2527.
For more information on the Green Light Initiative for Eco Justice & Equity contact Amber Croyle at green@umojafestpeacecenter.com.
..................................................................................................... Hip Hop Congress, Explicit Ills Takes a Stand for Economic Human Rights
The Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign and Hip Hop Congress are collaborating to promote the award-winning film Explicit Ills, which features an all-star cast including Rosario Dawson, Tariq Trotter (Black Thought of The Roots), and more. The story is about poverty, drugs, and the healthcare crisis in the United States, and is centered on a sick boy and the community that rallies behind him. But unlike many movies on this critical issue, Explicit Ills doesn’t stop at simply portraying, or even analyzing the complex dilemmas people are faced with. Explicit Ills chronicles the real beginnings of a movement led by the poor for Economic Human Rights, and shows how any community can channel their energies into making real change.
Mark Webber, writer and director of Explicit Ills, is the son of Cheri Honkala, internationally renowned human rights activist, and executive director of the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPERC). Cheri’s reputation for getting the job done is driven by her action-oriented tactics which include housing and capital building takeovers, building “Bushville” homeless encampments all the over the country, and organizing tens of thousands of poor people in protests for the past three Republican National Conventions. At the 2008 RNC, Hip Hop Congress teamed up with PPEHRC, Rosa Clemente, and many others to unify thousands in March For Our Lives through the militarized streets of Minneapolis. The march also included students from Hip Hop Congress’s Evergreen State College Chapter and HHC’s Portland head and emcee, Mic Crenshaw. Explicit Ills ends with a scene reminiscent of that march, where movie characters and KWRU and PPEHRC members, leaders, and friends march through the streets of Philadelphia demanding healthcare and other Economic Human Rights. “Working with PPEHRC to get the word out about Explicit Ills is a great opportunity for us,” said D'Labrie, HHC National Outreach Director, “We are trying to get out an important message: that Hip Hop has always advocated for healthy communities, health care, and economic justice for all.”
“What you have in Explicit Ills, the story of the boy, is the fictional depiction of a social catalyst, something that creates a surge of energy from the people, something we are experiencing more and more in our own backyards due to the state of the economy,” said Julie-C, HHC’s Northwest Regional Director, “But the question then becomes who is channeling those energies where and why? If we’re not clear on the political undercurrents, our direction as artists and organizers is always with the wind. This is why relying on the star power of Hip Hop celebrities has never been an effective strategy for building a Hip Hop movement. It’s superficial. But cultivating our own networks to get around the distractions, that’s power. That’s Universal Zulu Nation, Hip Hop Congress, Silicon Valley Debug in San Jose, Global Fam in Portland, the Umojafest P.E.A.C.E. Center and Hidmo in Seattle, J.U.I.C.E. in Los Angeles, the Hip Hop Chess Federation in the Bay Area, Mississippi Artist and Producer's Coalition in Jacksonville, Women in Transition in Kentucky, IMAN in Chicago, that’s a movement. Now, how do we all move as one to create some real changes?” Suntonio Bandanaz, Northwest Outreach Director for HHC added, “The more awareness people have that Hip Hop is actually already a part of this movement, the closer we get to realizing our strength. Hip Hop is not just a bunch of words and rapping [be it on tracks, in the classrooms, on panels, online, or in the magazines], it’s action and community.”
As Hip Hop Congress continues to build towards its 2009 National Conference in Seattle, Washington July 29th- August 2nd, the organization plans to utilize Explicit Ills in education and outreach, and their partnership with Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign as a part of their ongoing mission to provide the Hip Hop Generation and the Post Hip Hop Generation with the tools, resources and opportunities to make social, economic, and political change on a local, regional, and national level.
For more on Explicit Ills, including cities and screening information click HERE.
Updates
-"Rappers Delight", article by Dr Julie Pham of the NW Asian Weekly covers the story on the rise of API Hip Hop in the Northwest.
-Last February, members of 206 Zulu ventured out to Maple Lane (Centralia, WA) and Green Hill (Chehalis, WA) Schools to perform and speak with incarcerated youth in coordination with Evergreen's Gateway Program. The well-received discussions provided a background of Hip Hop's history as a social movement for unity and peace; as well as how it transcends to this day, making direct impacts and empowering the speakers through there first-hand experiences.
-Seattle Hip Hop television is now old enough to be an adult! Georgio Brown's Coolout TV will be celebrating its 18th year this coming Monday, April 6th at the Contour, 807 1st Avenue in Pioneer Square, Seattle. This 21 and up party will begin at 9pm and feature some of the finest DJs and performers from the region.
-206 Zulu will partner with the North Seattle Boys & Girls Club this coming Spring, to host a series of monthly teen dances at the center. These jams are offered as an outlet for the underserved teens to be in a positive atmosphere, while having a space to hang out, dance and have fun. If you're interested in, or have teens who would like to attend, please contact Malika BeLoved at beloved313@gmail.com
-In an attempt to supplement the overly-aggressive and trendy clubs, 206 Zulu brings back Zulu Jam at the Beacon Hill Pub! Listen to real true-school Hip Hop, while enjoying a positive atmosphere, drinks, pool, and dance. The bananza begins at the Beacon Hill Pub, 3057 Beacon Ave on Beacon Hill and kicks off at 9pm.
April 25th with DJ Sean Malik
May 30th with DJ Able
June 27th with DJ WD4D
-Zulu Jam at Folklife Festival! Folklife Festival is one of Seattle's largest festivals that takes place every Memorial Day Weekend. Last year's first Zulu Jam at Folklife Festival was a great success with full capacity and energized crowd. This year's festivity will take place Sunday, May 24th at the Seattle Center's Vera Project and features Silver Shadow D, Mic Crenshaw, Yirim Seck, Dim Mak, Hella Dope, DJ's Grimrock and Gumbeaux, and breakin' cyphers with Raw Action! This ALL-AGES event is FREE and is from 7-10pm!
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.
Seattle Hip Hop artist scores Adidas 2009 MLB commercial
After the release of his stellar debut, Heavy labor, no breaks, the artist known as Tyrone, “the working class hero” got back into another one of his passions; scoring movies and commercials. After the success of Snowboarder Magazine’s “Couching Tiger“ coupled with the momentum of the album, the artist / producer has been called on to add his creative musical touch to score commercials that brand clothing and create the much needed background for a few indie films.
The Adidas campaign is throughout the 2009 Major League Baseball season. The commercials that Tyrone produced / engineered will be featured on Adidas.com, Adidas.tv, Eastbay.com and in Adidas brand stores worldwide. Tyrone is credited for engineering the score for 11 MLB player’s, producing the J.J Putz commercial score and co producing the Ryan Howard’s commercial score.
Tyrone’s discography and client list speaks for itself, with album credits of all genre’s, an album that received great reviews, commercials for all types of products, an extensive engineering background and movie scoring; the artist / musician is well on his way to being a sought after music producer. Tyrone has the creativity to take the clients vision to unimaginable levels.
Tyrone’s debut album “Heavy labor, no breaks”, speaks on subject matters from work, spirituality to the daunting task of positively raising a family in the perils of the inner city through a “blue collar working man’s perspective”. The album was favored by critics and received great reviews… For more info, to hear album, read reviews, see discography and contact, go to www.tyronesmusic.com .
