Latin Hip Hop is blowin dafukup!

Check out this new article from Inside The Bay Area discussing how Latin Hip Hop is set to blow now that Reggaeton has opened the doors for urban Latin music on the mainstream radio stations. With Daddy Yankee selling damn-near GOLD with Bario Fino and Vico C still killin it with Ecko beats, this is the time to shine for Latin emcees.

Latin labels in the United States are excited by the potential they see for these Spanish-language acts to gain mainstream radio airplay. Until now, radio exposure has been hard to come by, even at Latin stations. -Leila Cobo

Be on the lookout for talent like the Sofla Kings, CTRAFFIK, Platano, Pitbull, and others to rise up and take ova!
(Peace to the pioneers: Cypress Hill)

Dean: the Champ is here!

Props to Daily Kos for pointing out this story on Howard Dean. US News was comparing how Dean is running the Democratic party to his predecessor Terry McAuliffe (an old Clinton fundraiser). Where Terry would take first class, Howard Dean instead flies coach. Terry took the limo, Howard takes the subway... and pays his own ticket. From Hollywood Terry to People's Champ Howard. We're making progress and word is that the D.C. Democrats are warming up to him. Lesson learned: we need to BE the change that we wish to see in the world.

Hip Hop Violence and Feminism

Here are two separate stories to check out:

-> ABC's Nightline talks about Violence in Hip Hop and Al Sharpton's rally to ban violent records on the radio. Is this suppressing the freedom of speech or an honest push to stop our glorification of violence? (Read it here)

-> HIP HOP (FEMINISM) 101 is a tight article dropping knowledge on Women's role in the evolution of the Hip Hop culture. Don't sleep, women need their props too for making Hip Hop what it is today (and not just for contributing booty to the videos). (Read it here)

Nike Air Force Ones Suck!

Ok, now that half of you are offended with the title (especially Nelly fans and you hip hop fashion gurus) we hope you read on. We've all heard rumors and stories about Nike treating their workers unfairly and perpetrating slave labor but now we have concrete proof! A new film called SWEAT documents the lives of the people in Indonesia who are forced to live on about a buck a day because that's all Nike's cheap ass pays them. The film makers set out to prove the harsh conditions of these Nike "employees" by living with them. Here's a quick premise:

In the summer of 2000, he and a friend took off to live with factory workers in a slum in Indonesia and they lived on the workers’ wages, $1.25 a day. They lost 40lbs collectively in the month, but more importantly, by living in solidarity with workers, they built bonds of trust.

The new film SWEAT is almost ready to go, they just need donations to get it out. So go sell your Nikes and donate the money to this project if you care more about changing the world than matching with your shoes. Click here to find out more about SWEAT, lets stop pimpin' slave shoes!

"WHEN YOUR ONLY CHOICE IS TO WORK FOR SLAVE WAGE, YOU JUST DO IT!"
- SWEAT movie poster (Click here to see the poster)

Peace to Pope Benedict XVI

Congrats to the new Pope. The media already wants to create a controversy so that we treat this like a soap opera. Lets give the new Pope the benefit of the doubt, let him prove himself, then we can make a good guess of where he's taking the Catholic church. Lets just pray that the new Pope continues to reach out to other faiths and promotes a sense of solidarity among all human beings. We'd like him to bring more humility to the Papacy by stripping away all of the gold and glitter that makes the Pope seem more like a king rather than a servant. Also, he should continue to fight for life, end wars, end racism, denounce hate & greed, and purify the church from the top down. Oh yeah, and more breakdancers in the Vatican! Lets get some graffiti murals up in the spot too. Leave a comment with your personal wish list and we'll hope for the best. Peace!

Immigrants: Shoot em or Use em?

The Republican party is undecided on whether to shoot or abuse immigrants according to a new story by the Christian Science Monitor. A group of "vigilantes" (as Bush calls them) who go by the name The Minutemen, have volunteered their time to patrol the Arizona / Mexican border, armed and ready to shoot. While Bush and his corporate buddies who benefit from the slave labor of poor immigrants want to continue allowing immigrants in. If Bush really cared about Latinos and immigrant families he'd improve labor laws, raise the minimum wage, and harshly take on corporations who enslave immigrants like Taco Bell and Walmart. But no! No, Bush can't do that because nearly EVERY fast food chain, grocery store, and restaurant in this country donated heavily to his campaign (click here and see for yourself). No, the republicans just want to bamboozle Latinos in to voting for them while they abuse us and shoot us in the back, literally. Don't believe the hype, fight for labor and immigrant rights!

Boondocks vs. White House: Save Social Security

Well its not really Huey vs Bush, but Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder joined the likes of Al Franken to judge Moveon.org's new "Bush in 30 Years" Flash Animation contest. The 10 finalists are now online and they are the cream of the crop. If you're in the mood to laugh, cry, and think a little, check out the finalists. Then sign the petition to save Social Security (click here). Also while you're at it send em' to your friends and help educate your peoples on the latest Bush scam.

Bush & Sharon Cooking up Beef!

Not since the 50 cent and Game meeting has any staged appearance seemed so fishy. Sharon and Dubya have been meeting this week in Texas but finally the real motive is starting to leak out. When two war hawks meet up its only for war-planning reasons. Sure they'll tell the media that they are discussing the west bank and downplaying Iran's nuke threats... but we can smell something stank brewing out of that ranch and it's probably a plan to strike Iran. Remember: "The Bush Administration has been conducting secret missions in Iran since last summer, gathering intelligence on nuclear, chemical and missile sites and isolating targets for precision strikes." If an attack on Iran does happen... who do you think they are going to drag out there to fight a 3rd war? You guessed it, your average 50 Cent fan and low-income US minority. Like the war hawks say: "You Make more money in one day of War than you do in one year of Peace!"

Put Dr. King on our Moolah

If you're like us, you know that Andrew Jackson's Native American Butchering ass has overstayed his welcome on our currency. With Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. having his own birthday declared a national holiday, countless boulevards named in his honor, and the new memorial being built in D.C. (please donate to the project, click here), it's a no-brainer that he deserves to be the next great American to be immortalized on our money. To join the national movement to put Dr. King on the 20 Dollar bill go to www.putkingonthe20.com and show your support.

Now, if only we can convince Dr. King's family to ease up on the copyrights to his speeches so people could spread his message of non-violence and world peace through art, movies, and the web!

Damn Homie! In High school you was tha ...

We as Hip Hop fans need to step our game up and stop disrespecting women. We in some way or another have gotten caught up with this vice of idolizing models and degrading them, while the women allow the treatment and mimic the images they see in the music videos and think it's acceptable. We're not asking the Hip Hop generation to stop having fun all together, naw... we just need to clean up our act and respect women.

This is apparent in the latest SOHH.com report that shows David Mays & Benzino at The Source Magazine were running a ship that reflected that stance Hip Hop where women are sub-par and don't deserve their respect.

Former Source Magazine Editor-In-Chief Kim Osorio and former Vice President of Marketing Michelle Joyce filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, charging Source co-owners David Mays, who serves as Chief Executive Officer, and Raymond "Benzino" Scott, the Chief Brand Executive, of gender discrimination, sexual harassment and unlawful retaliation against women working for the company.

There is a bigger problem here that goes beyond The Source Magazine's business practices, in all of Hip Hop we're now selling flesh and materialism. It a vicious cycle of discrimination and hate among our own people that creates a rat-race where he who hits the most ass and has the most bling is king. Like we said, we need to step our game up and respect women equally in Hip Hop! And ladies fight for your right and don't fall into the negative stereotypes. Its a two-sided effort. Hopefully we can level the field for both genders in Hip Hop. Someday... after Vida Guerra stops modeling. Maybe. God we need help!

We need a Chico Pope!

First of all, aint' it weird that a Solar eclipse coincided with Pope John Paul II's funeral? Also, aint' it strange that:

Two eclipses occurred near Palestine in AD29 and AD33 - events that, for some Christians, give astronomical proof to the biblical account that the sky darkened at Jesus' death on the cross.

Just wanted to start off the post with some paranormal thoughts, now on to the program.


The Atlanta Daily World reports on the need for an African or Latin Pope due to the Catholic church's mixed racial make-up. They report that a non-European Pope would ...

... bridge the Muslim and Christian divide, make battling poverty, the inter-ethnic and religious violence, and the damaging economic side effects of rampaging globalization big priorities, and place strong emphasis on social and economic reforms in poor countries.

The Baltimore Sun reports :

The five most often mentioned candidates from the developing world are Nigerian-born Cardinal Francis Arinze, 72; Cardinal Claudio Hummes, 70, of Brazil; Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, 62, of Honduras; Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, 68, of Argentina, who has Italian ancestry; and Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, 62, archbishop of Mexico City. (look em up!)

Whether or not you agree with the Catholic church or the papacy, you can't deny the power and global influence they have for shaping world policy. Pope John Paul II (R.I.P.) may not be a saint to some, but he was a heck of a hard-working, world traveling, peace loving (he opposed the friggin' Iraq War!!!), breakdancer blessing, religious leader the world needed. Now lets get some "color" into the Vatican this time around guys, and more breakdancers!

Petition Time: Save Checks & Balances!

We only post petitions that are worth the effort, and this one is one of the most important we've seen in the longest! The Republicans want to remove the Senate's right to free speech through tools like the filibuster. These hypocrites used the filibuster back in the day when the Democrats ruled congress and the Dems never moved forward with an effort to remove it. In what they call the nuclear option, the Republicans want no opposition to the crazy ass judges they want appointed to life-time positions. They're drunk with power! We need to keep them in check because as the Terri Schiavo case showed, they can over-step and cause havoc on our lives. Sign the petition and show them you wont stand for it. (Click here!)