Uptown Notes

Recently, I had the chance to check out one of my brothers weave his craft in the city. Marc Bamuthi Joseph is the truth. Read that again, the man is the truth! I have been familiar with Bamuthi’s musings and deeds since the mid-90s but his recent show The Break/s: A dream journal presented as a mixtape for stage, which headlined the Hip Hop Theater Festival demonstrates not only that he’s a great performer but that he is beautifully human. The battle for balance and transformation are beautifully captured in Marc Bamuthi Joseph’s piece The Break/s, more so than any other performance piece I’ve seen in years. Check it out at LOCATION until Saturday (1/18) in NYC at the New York Public Theater with Under the Radar or catch him on the road as he brings The Break/s to the nation.

The term revolutionary is often batted about and is bestowed upon most anyone who finds their ideas falling to the left of the political mainstream. For that reason we have more coffee shop revolutionaries than I can shake a vegan biscotti at! Now I don’t mean that as pot-shot against coffee shop poets (okay, well maybe I did a mean it a little) but really its about the question, “What does it take to be revolutionary?” I was left deeply reflecting on that after watching Che.

Just in time for some snowfall and to pay rent, I present five quick questions. 1) Now that Kanye and [...]

So I’m often frustrated by what plays on the radio… well actually I don’t even listen to the radio so [...]

So the Biggie movie is almost out and they’re remaking The Last Dragon… I’m scared and excited.

Yesterday, the NYTimes ran a story on the mural being painted in Sunset Park by young women about military recruitment. [...]

The video below is done by Kiri Davis and its entitled “A girl like me.” It’s a short film from [...]

So I was in Montreal this past week for the Association of Black Sociologists and the American Sociological Association meetings. [...]