Bambu's Rants

...coming to your city in the spring...

2011-02-17T23:56:00.000-08:00

2011...

...there's something crazy out in the street...

2011-01-29T19:45:00.000-08:00

...the sale is on now!

2011-01-20T19:21:00.000-08:00

...dj who?!

2010-12-02T15:09:00.001-08:00

DEVIL'S PIE
...soul by the slice...

3rd Wednesdays Soul Party

***DECEMBER 15, 2010***
TR-808 TRIBUTE!

Featuring:
BAMBU

This month, we have Pilipino American revolutionary emcee, BAMBU, in his first ever DJ set, showing love to his favorite drum sound: the 808. The Roland TR-808 drum machine redefined the meaning of bass when it came out in 1980 and became an essential tool for every hip hop producer. From its beginnings in songs like Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" to its overuse on almost every song played on Power 106's rotation today, the 808 is undeniably one of the greatest inventions and sounds of our time.

With Residents:
DJ RAICHOUS + DJ PHATRICK

9pm-2am
FREE!
21+

VERDUGO BAR
3408 Verdugo Rd
Glassell Park, Los Angeles
90065

RSVP ON FACEBOOK!

...los angeles, philippines...

2010-11-22T13:26:00.000-08:00

click cover to download

...to the rock and back...

2010-11-16T14:06:00.000-08:00

man. fun trip. landed in honolulu last sunday afternoon after the grand concordia/araquel wedding, which happened right after a great in-store at backside records in burbank for the dj muggs x bambu mixtape release -- thanks to everyone who came out and congratulations to my kasamas, my comrades, mi familia, johneric and christine. anyway, back to the program...

the road manager, c-knowledge, got to the island before i did, so he scooped us in the push-to-start nissan altima to begin our adventure... adventures. first stop, zippy's with geologic, kiwi, manila ryce and professor rod. rode around the city for a little bit before ending the night at tantalus overlooking honolulu! great start. i crashed early, but the other guys went out to mai tai's.

**preface to the week: EVERYDAY we ended up at the in4mation store at ward... don't know how, but we did! what's up to the whole in4mants family!!!

monday morning, we hit the beach really quick before we were off to farrington high school in the majority filipino community of kalihi. we were the lunchtime show and we had a great time. seph one, creed, big mox, k-luv, kiwi, geo and i took to the quad area platform and knocked out a few verses before jetting out. it was great to have all those young people out there having fun with us! of the 2400 students there, 70% are filipino... in case y'all didn't know, hawaii is at the bottom of the united states' education system (right above that is new orleans), so fighting the dropout rate is a serious struggle here -- making this trip to visit these youth more important to us. monday night was full of ridiculous party hunting consisting of mai tai's and... well, other spots - for the most part, fail.

tuesday morning and we went straight to the university of hawaii to sit on a few panels for professor rod's class. probably not a good idea to hang out and act a fool before attempting to hang with academics... bad look. but, regardless, the panels went well and i finally got to see kiwi's film, "sounds of a new hope." i'll write about it in a different post, but i dug it. the last thing on our agenda for the day was a studio session! geo and i (along with manila and c-knowledge) went over to see the homie osna, who has a dope studio setup in the crib! let's just say that we recorded a very short, but fun project that we'll be dropping on y'all soon. stay tuned! peace to rashida jones. after a brief rest in the hotel, we met back up to hit mai tai's... again. this time though, it was battle of the bands so the spot was jumping! had a great time moving out of the way of giant locals holding pitchers of beer like they were shot glasses. good time.

next morning, we prepared to go back to farrington high school to have a formal talk with about 135 students in the school's library. we spoke to them mostly about the challenges they may be facing in and out of school that make graduating more difficult. the objective was to aid in their awareness of those issues and attempt to prepare them for those challenges in the future -- with the goal of obviously getting them successfully out of high school and into college. during the talk, we got a chance to listen to faith pascual do a spoken word piece for the group and KILL IT! she's an amazing young person doing big things on the hawaii spoken word scene... look out for her. from there, we (geo and i) shot over to visit and do a workshop with youthspeaks hawaii. it was great!!! geo put together a really great workshop and we had a lot of fun facilitating it -- the talent pool there is phenomenal! we managed to find our way over to ktuh for bone's show, "got rice," but hosted by the homie seph one. we definitely got seph in trouble with our uncouth manner in which we dealt with irate callers and promoting our show against ktuh regulation (you can't tell people to go to your event or tell them how much it costs). sorry bone, sorry seph. after that, we had a freestyle session in the parking lot, took off on a search party for geo's misplaced iphone, hit up next door to catch ahmad, uno mas and the homie, scarub for their show in chinatown and finally ended up at jazz minds - where we freestyled on stage with the dead beats. the night ended in a parking lot - freestyling. oh, and manila ryce kicked a rap!

thursday morning, we went to the beach again before starting our day. can't remember what happened between the beach and pearlridge center, but whatever - we hit up pearlridge for our in-store at the in4mation store there. 4pm rolled around and nobody had shown up. it was looking like a fail for us. after setting up, we went down to the eatery for a bite. the in-store was scheduled to start at exactly 4:30pm. we got upstairs at 4:30pm to a surprisingly packed store! dope, dope, dope! the performances went real good, the audience seemed to dig it and after hanging out at the store to take pictures and build with folks, we took off... to the studio again to put some finishing touches on the records! after the studio, i turned in early and spent that night asleep, because i had to get up to do an interview with professor rod for his upcoming book on filipino-americans in hip hop music.

In4m-Pearlridge-Instore Show from TIZZY on Vimeo.

friday - met up with the professor and knocked out a 3 hour interview, starting at 8am. talking with professor rod is always great, because he gets it! most academics i know don't - so, its really dope to be able to connect with a brother on many different levels of this awkwardly labeled subculture of "filipino-american hip hop." i have a feeling this book is going to flip shit on everyone! after the interview, we met up with jun jo at ward and took off for a much needed trip to the north shore! i've never been to pipeline, so i was hype to be going with a pro surfer, who knew the area so well and even showed us where all the pro's stay (like a dorm for surfers) when they're in town. very dope. the pipeline was craaaazy! the waves were perfect, the sun was perfect, the water was perfect... everything was perfect. phat (who had joined us on thursday night), jun, k-luv and i hit the waves! hella fun. from there it was off to soundcheck, but not before hitting up the shrimp truck - where we ran into david cross from mr. show and arrested development!

show time. this post is already too long as it is, so let's keep it short and simple by saying fresh cafe was packed to the brim with people and EVERY performer rocked the rock (you like that?)... til' next time, hawaii. mahalo.

disclaimer: i left out two very important stories involving a massage and a supercut. you'll have to wait for those - don't hold your breath.

peace to riana for the awesome pictures! peep her stuff here.

yes, that is me with my shirt off... note to self: stop losing bets to geo.

...give that man a shirt...

2010-11-04T06:02:00.001-07:00

...rebolusionario, holmes...

2010-10-24T18:24:00.000-07:00

...pig food...

2010-10-18T02:15:00.000-07:00

"...while judges pass numbers out to kids like rolled dice..."

...down south for a3c...

2010-10-11T10:13:00.000-07:00

...behind a gattling gun...

2010-09-23T22:36:00.001-07:00

...all things in moderation...

2010-09-17T22:26:00.000-07:00

...and once again...

2010-08-16T03:37:00.000-07:00

...shaking my head at these kids...

2010-07-22T02:00:00.000-07:00

the list of people to thank runs too long for 2am. so, i'll just post it and say - thank you to everyone involved in the creation of the song, the video and promotion/publicity of the video and ep. thank you from the bottom of mine...

...before the verdict...

2010-07-06T18:33:00.000-07:00

...when the east is in the house - oh my god!

2010-06-01T17:01:00.000-07:00

...what happened to my submission for the queen video?

2010-05-20T10:15:00.000-07:00

thank you all for the great response! the blogs, the fans, the fam and even the bloggers who normally don't fuck with me are showing great support for the video. so, thank you all.

anyway, i'm writing this post to let all the women who submitted personal videos for the original concept that i really appreciate it and i'm sorry that it didn't work out that way. originally, the entire video was going to have clips of women in their homes or out and about speaking on the topic... i got some really good submissions and it hurt me to have to drop the original concept. the reason we made the adjustment was because for every 1 great submission, we got 10 submissions that just didn't work. at the sake of offending some people, we got submissions of women dancing (in a not so flattering way) in their rooms, women singing karaoke-style to the song (i got 6 of those) and i literally had one woman submit a video of herself giggling for 3-minutes (sorry landie, i had to put it out there -- it was cute, but...). so, the pieces just didn't work for the length of the video.

again, thank you to all who submitted. especially, leilani (los angeles), ivy (hawaii), jasmin (san diego), kelly (san diego), jamie (new york) and mia (atlanta). i really loved your guys' submissions.

til' the next one!

...i don't feel like a king...

2010-05-19T17:04:00.000-07:00

...the old man video coming soon...

2010-05-19T17:03:00.001-07:00

Bambu "Old Man Raps" (Music Video TEASER) from Kid Heroes on Vimeo.

...the tour that happened by accident...

2010-04-19T16:14:00.001-07:00

i know this recap of recent shows is long overdue, but i've been pretty busy. here's the chronological order of things that have gone down since the end of march:

march26 - showbox in seattle with blue scholars
march 27 - pag asa in chicago
march 28 - showbox in seattle with blue scholars
april 2 - wow hall in eugene with grynch, macklemore and blue scholars
april 3 - hawthorne theatre in portland with grynch, macklemore and blue scholars
april 13 - slim's in san francisco with blue scholars
april 16 - viper room in hollywood with blue scholars
april 19 - the queen is dead music video

in between those dates i've been busy writing and recording for these projects that seem to have no end in sight. so, i write all this down not just to show you that i've been doing shit, but to gain some sympathy from y'all before i say this: i'm sorry. i've been slow to post and for that i apologize.

here go my updates with some pictures i stole from other folks. i'll post the official pics when the homegirl lauren gathers them all up and sends them my way. until then...

all of the shows in the northwest were amazing. every single one sold out! i had little to do with that fact, but that's not the point -- the sets with dj phatrick were some of our best to date. the audiences were all with us. grynch made it hard to hit the stage after he and nfared put it down! grynch is one of the next -- trust me! macklemore. hmmm... he's responsible for one of my favorite songs highlighting cultural pride, irish celebration. dj phatrick said, via twitter, that macklemore's set was the best live show he's seen in 7 years! i do not disagree! he and ryan lewis had me standing out in the crowd in admiration. of course, it goes without saying that the blue scholars were the top dogs of each of those nights. i've been fortunate enough to have been around these dudes and watch them grow as artists and performers. i, along with the thousands of others in attendance, were given samples of the material that may or may not make the next blue scholars album! the future of hip hop sounds like the new material prometheus brown and sabzi are piecing together... so, in summation, the northwest shows were perfect! from getting brick-sized brownies hurled at us onstage by fans to spending 3 hours in a vintage megastore, this tour that happened completely by accident was a great success and one that i'll remember for many years.

then we headed down south to california. san francisco is a place that consider my second home. suprisingly, i haven't performed there a lot in the past few months, so i was excited to get there and showcase some new material. sold out show again. dalorean and jern eye opened up the night with great sets before i hit the stage. i knew that whatever show followed the northwest was going to be lackluster in comparison -- gotdamn was i wrong. no disrespect to the northwest, but i was home this night. hella fam in the building and it was truly a party. thank you for all the love bay area!

la la land. viper room. okay, since this memory is a little fresher in my mind, i can give a better recollection of the night. the scholars and i pulled up to the viper room parking lot right at 10pm. when we pulled up, the look of concern immediately took over. there were a bunch of bearded white guys rocking leather vests with "hell's angels" patches along the back of them... hmmm... we got inside and it was the same shit. a whole bunch of residual attica (the band headlining the early show) fans scattered inside the viper room. the viper room security announces that they are about to start letting the 'next' show in, so they wouldn't be allowing re-entry into the venue -- which immediately made us assume that they were letting the attica fans who wanted to stay and drink remain inside. not cool. i was supposed to go on at 10:30pm... 10:30pm came around and the stage wasn't clear, the white bikers were still milling around and no fans had gotten in yet. now i'm starting to trip. but, right at about 10:32pm, the venue turns the lights on and really start to herd all the "angels" out. whew. now we can start to focus. right at 11pm i hit the stage. the first song of the set is supposed to be real chill, but it was hard for me to contain myself. the crowd was right there with me and by the second song i was so hype that i ended up straining my voice from screaming over the crowd. hella fun and yes, the rumors are true, i was rocking a tight diamond supply company cardigan. this was the perfect way to end this series of shows with the northwest's finest! thank you, my fellow angelino's, for making it out and showing the scholars how we get down.

i want to really thank the blue scholars for allowing me to be a part of their movement. my brothers -- i truly believe in your music and know that greater things are coming your way. til' the next round...

also, i want to think my sidekick, dj phatrick for loyally rolling with me and complaining all the way! ha. can't do this shows correctly without you, brother. of course, kat carrido, the woman behind the business, was there with me all the way. thank you for your loyalty, hard work and support.

on to the next one.

...still on the road with these two scholars (rock fresh)...

2010-04-07T11:23:00.000-07:00

i promise that i will give a recap of the entire series of shows that i've been doing with the blue scholars x macklemore x grynch as soon as we finish up in los angeles. but for now, don't miss these two shows coming up in the following weeks. trust me, you will not be disappointed! get more information about presale tickets, location and times at bluescholars.com.

...the long march...

2010-03-25T02:06:00.000-07:00

unfortunately, this post is going to be short and definitely won't do justice to this past weekend's events. the fruition of both saturday and sunday will hopefully do a better job of showing appreciation for the work than this blog will.

saturday morning started at 9. my brother dre came over to the house so that we could begin filming for the music video for "sondalo." not a concept heavy video, but hopefully a content heavy video. we filmed the journey to and into the anti-war rally at hollywood boulevard and vine street in hollywood. once we got there and saw all of our friends, comrades and family massing up and getting ready for the mile long march toward highland avenue. the brothers and sisters of kabataang maka-bayan, pro-people youth los angeles put together a chariot that was to carry wendy in a barack obama mask, wearing a suit with all of the major american corporate sponsors logos attached and being pulled (via chains) by a representative of a few countries: haiti, palestine, philippines, etc. at the moment i don't have any pictures to show you, but we did hear that the image was blasted on some major new stations! and we had samurai flags on our backs! yes, samurai flags!!! the march started and ended with great energy and it really did a great job of showing the public that there is still a need for this rally. kmb san diego came out to lend a hand and march alongside us -- and we needed that strong 619 energy to keep us moving. at the ending point of the march, i hopped on stage to open the closing-rally of the march. i did two songs ("sondalo" and "chairman mao"). peace to gabnet, answer coalition and all the other organizations that came out in solidarity against a war that doesn't seem to have an end in sight... isulong!

after getting the very heavy chariot onto a vehicle and getting the whole squad out of dodge, we headed over to my house to barbecue, relax and just talk 'til sunset. it was a great way to end a great day.

the next morning started at 6am for me. i got up, got dressed and got out the door to get to the video shoot for "old man raps." another kid heroes/xylophone films music video! there isn't much more to say than, "amazing work!" i'm not going to give away the video's story, but i will say that the youth came out in full strength -- from san diego to the valley and everywhere in between. i can't wait to see the finished product.

that's it for me for now. got some shows lined up. dj phatrick and i are leaving for seattle on friday to perform for the blue scholars' sold out double feature show. then we leave the next morning for our show in chicago -- we also got a studio session with new york's own, rebel diaz while we're in the chi. then again, sunday morning, fly back to seattle to open up the encore show of the double feature show with the blue scholars and the homie macklemore. busy weekend... but i ain't complaining!

oh, don't forget to go to the armory website to get the exclusive line of collaboration shirts i did with them! you won't be disappointed! click here to see what i mean...

...liberation remix...

2010-03-22T10:01:00.000-07:00

the homeboy, nick james (the man responsible for "crooks and rooks") did a few remixes -- but this one is my new shit! click the picture to get on the blog and listen!

...the bar is set high...

2010-03-16T19:07:00.000-07:00

this is the first remix i got for slow down by the homies digital martyrs! who's next?!

click the picture to download

...producers: you're welcome...

2010-03-15T12:29:00.000-07:00

click picture to download

...the queen is dead music video call...

2010-03-11T10:13:00.000-08:00

this post is really for the sisters, but if some brothers want to jump into the video too, i ain't mad...

Hi.

As you may or may not know, I released a song called The Queen Is Dead on my recent EP, ...paper cuts... The song orbits around the use of the word, "Queen," as a reference to women. It challenges the use of the word by men who do not treat women as the term should dictate they do. Though this topic is one that can always be further explored by both men and women, I only had 4 minutes to explain myself in song, but I do hope that the dialogue happens and continues to happen among our folks. Now, on to the matter at hand -- the music video.

The music video for The Queen Is Dead is going into production now and we need you to help us complete it! The video will be a compilation of women telling us what it means to them to be truly loved and respected by men. This will hopefully challenge men to put down their male privilege for a second and try to understand the effects their actions can have on women.

So, with that said, we would love to have you in our video. All we ask is that you get in front of a video camera (digital point-and-shoot with video, your computer's video camera, a camcorder, etc.) and give a brief statement (1-minute long) about a) a personal experience that affected you in a way that is pertinent to the song topic b) a word of advice to other women c) a reason why you would rather be considered a soldier than a queen d) anything as simple as you saying, "i am a mother, daughter, sister and teacher," (just an example, you can put whatever you want in there). I think you get the idea. Our deadline is April 1, 2010. Please send your video to TheQueenIsDead@bambu.la -- if the video is too big, we suggest you use Megaupload.com or YouSendIt.com to get the clip to us.

With LOVE: BAMBU

Download the song here.

...it wasn't easy leaving the 808 this time...

2010-03-10T10:08:00.000-08:00

last time i was out in hawaii it was with the almighty blue scholars camp on their island-hopping oof! tour. i had one of the most memorable experiences of 2009 with those folks and it really helped me put a solid imprint on the island. during the tour we visited oahu, kona and maui. we were there for a good two weeks, but there was plenty of time to hit the beach, jump off rocks and build bonfires. while i was out there i performed for tad nakumura's song for ourselves hawaii premiere and i met folks at the university of hawaii's law school and more specifically, professor rod labrador of the ethnic studies department. it was a brief encounter, but his name stood out. about a month off the island, i got an email from professor rod who was planning the pamantasan week at uh for 2010 and he was interested in bringing me out. how could i say no? professor rod came through! christine, his wife and one of the main folks at uh's women's center helped us get the tickets and we were all set to go back. i can't thank them enough.

dj phatrick, kat and myself hopped a plane on march 3rd, honolulu bound. as soon as we got in, we hit the ground running. zippy's first (which would become our everyday meal source), then off to meet up with folks and establish the mandatory "no fun, all business" plan that i set for the team -- kat and phat made fun of me for it, but they rode with me the whole way. unfortunately, my plan didn't work... we hit the ward center to see how the promo for the weekend's show was going over at the in4mation store and as soon as we saw james, mike and jun, we were at home and "business" was out the door! i met jun on the last trip and found out that he was this world-class big wave surfer who now owned the in4mation brand.

i'm used to clothing company "owners" barking orders at their folks and burying their heads in their blackberry, and jun is the complete opposite. the last time i was here he had paint all over his clothes and hands because he was opening a new store in pearl ridge and painting the fuckin' place himself! on this trip, he had paint all over his clothes and hands because he was painting the upstairs office at ward center. he sat and chatted with us about everything from kids, a little bit of business and local scrappers on the island. not once did he touch his phone or rush us out, even though he needed to take off to handle stuff. beside the fact that the brand puts out amazing gear, i would fuck with in4mation on the strength of knowing that the people behind the brand are genuine family-oriented folks! after jun bounced, james and mike kicked it with us at the store. i was hoping to cop the vans chukka x in4mation collab shoe that just came out, but it was sold out. BUT, james managed to find a pair of size 10 denim half-cab x in4mation collab shoes in the back! score! big up the homie james and jun for really making the team feel at home. also, big up the rest of my in4mant fam: zen, ryan and keith! look out for an in4mation x bambu project!

that night we met up with bone and eli of the got rice radio show at ktuh. while there, rocky rivera and team joined us to do some promo for her show (march 5th) and our show (march 6th). it was a fun time!

day 2 started with professor rod scooping us up and walking us over to the university for my "talk" about art and activism with the ethnic studies students and whoever else would listen. i spoke to the students and professors about my experience in music and how i went from someone struggling with my identity into the artist i am today. i spoke of art being used as a tool to raise self awareness, but stressed to them that raising awareness by itself does not create concrete change -- i pushed the students to do some searching that would hopefully lead them to organizing. they were very attentive and had great questions and comments for me.

afterward, we hit the studio to record the slow down 808 remix with local emcees, big mox and k-luv. let's just say, they killed it. the homie osna, who is a wild boy on records, but is actually a really mellow guy in person engineered the session and even hopped on it do the intro -- the dude is amazing with that. we knocked that joint out in a few hours and we were out the door for a dinner meeting with honozooloo, carol, eric, ara, sonny, chris and the rest of the fam. again, we were met by the entire rocky rivera entourage for dinner. the food was okay -- sorry aaron, i ordered the "oriental" salad and it sucked. everyone skated off to party for the night, but i wanted to go back to the hotel and send some emails off.

day 3 shot us back over to the campus for an afternoon performance. rocky rivera and irie eyez met us there and rocked their set first. unfortunately, rocky couldn't do her whole set because she needed to rest her voice for her show later that night. i did my set, which was cut off by the school because we were loud and interrupting meetings in nearby classrooms. sorry. the students were great and really helped keep the energy up despite the fact that they refused to stand up. just kidding, ya'll -- you guys were dope. after the set, we kicked it with professor rod, little miles (my newest homeboy), christine and some students before shooting over to a panel discussion with the ethnic studies students.

the panel consisted of kat (manager), phat (dj) and me. we spoke about our work as organizers and educators outside of the music business, then we opened the floor to questions. really good questions. one in particular was from a mom, who's 16-year old son was a fan and was also sitting in the room somewhere (what's up, matthew!), asking me about the use of profanity in hip hop and more specifically my music. tough question -- hopefully i answered it well, tita!

after the panel, we hit the town for a second before having to get ready to catch rocky rivera's show at fresh cafe! i regretfully missed sylen's set, but made it in time to catch hopie spitshard's set. she did a good job of holding it down and getting the crowd involved with no dj -- a difficult task for any emcee. after a brief wait, rocky rivera hit the stage to an eager audience. dj roza, irie eyez and rocky put together a crazy set, complete with acapella intro, drill instructor skit and dance routine! the whole baywaii fam was there, including elayne (sf), my cousin david and arlene (sf x nyc)! other than the sound issues and the whole bar talking through the whole set (which whom rocky decided to dis during her set), the show definitely solidified the strength of her fanbase in hawaii. she'll be back soon.

everyone wanted to go party afterward, but if you know me, i ain't with that scene, so i dipped. prep for day 4.

day 4 started out with a trip up to diamond head for the music video shoot of the slow down 808 remix. mic-3 (my visayan homeboy and another dope up-and-comer on the 808 hip hop scene), styles, bone, b-boy dan and the rest of the clan came out for the shoot. it was brief, but very productive. who would've known that big mox could direct too! stay tuned for the release of that video.

after the video, we split up and i had some time to explore the island. met up with kat, phat, steph and elsie at weimeia bay to enjoy some water and sun, before breaking out for solo time on the island. saw a waterfull in a giant hole -- which i jumped in briefly. i could've died. then drove around the island before heading back to prepare myself for the show later that night.

next door. man, y'all did me up nicely! the venue was packed, despite the 21+ door restriction. it felt good to see all those people there. an ocean of brown folks vibing out with me. the openers did an amazing job of getting the crowd hype for me -- the prolific unknowns (big mox and k-luv -- dj jah was out due to an emergency; hope everything is good with you, homie) went on first and the precedence was set -- this group will be the next, i promise! crowd was up!!! creed chameleon, another local emcee killing it right now on the blogs and on the local scene, went on next. creed and his partner, dj packo actually went on that oof! tour with us the last time i was out here and we built a good relationship and recorded a really dope song with prometheus brown... so, i knew he was going to do some damage; but, i honestly didn't expect to see how much he's grown as a performer as much as he did. awesome set!

my turn. not much i can say beside except that it was humbling. to know that the locals had my back was all i wanted. i'll be back soon.

we hit the airport the next morning and flew back to smog city and my son, kahlil. thanks for everything, 808... til' next time: cheee-hu!

...sun go up, sun go down...

2010-03-02T14:46:00.000-08:00

...213619...

2010-03-02T00:24:00.000-08:00

i'm overwhelmed by the weekend's events. both release parties, los angeles and san diego, were by far the best release celebrations i've ever had. there's a long list of folks to thank, so forgive me if i miss your name in this blog -- but, believe me, on everything, i appreciate everyone who helped make both release events a remarkable success: kat carrido, faith santilla, ree obana, dj phatrick, manila ryce, wes gabrillo, felt1, jaba, ernie tamayo, erica eng, tad nakamura, david cordero, kabataang maka-bayan (kmb) los angeles and san diego, search to involve pilipino americans, queen bee's, xpo fraternity, gabnet los angeles and san diego, imix bookstore, the park's finest, armory massive, fanatix and all the artists who performed alongside me. again, if i forgot to list you on this blog, i apologize.

los angeles came out and packed the search to involve pilipino americans community center wall to wall, despite the rain (that's a big deal for los angeleno's). dj phatrick and i threw down for over an hour for a crowd that kept my energy boosted up the entire time. i was also assisted by my former partner in rhyme, kiwi illafonte and one of los angeles' best up-and-coming rap groups, u-n-i. not much more to say about it then that. i'm sure there are youtube videos out of the event, but if you wait for this summer, you'll be able to get the whole experience via dvd -- which we filmed during the show. "...i, i, i, i be on it, i, i be on it, i be on it all day, straight up, pig if you want me you can find me in l.a.!"

after a really fun afterparty at blu monkey, i was too tired to take off my shoes. i rolled out to my mom's house and curled up next to my son for a minute, before having to roll out to san diego for the 619's release party.

as soon as we got to queen bee's in north park, we could feel the hive buzzing with activity. kmb sd youth moving in and out of the community center setting up, breaking down and creating the perfect environment for the get down. all the acts killed it! made it very difficult for me to concentrate on my job! the youth opened up the show with a great theater piece that touched on youth violence and police brutality (a recreation of oscar grant's murder), followed by a very touching video put together by kmb sd's mon. though dj phatrick and i were cut short of our full set due to time constraints, we still felt the crowd enjoyed the show and he and i enjoyed performing our set for the 619. we'll be back!

there's no way a blog could describe what my team and i went through this past weekend! again, overwhelming... brrrrrrrrrat!

...paper beats rock...

2010-02-25T12:38:00.001-08:00

what's up, everyone! let me start by apologizing to the 5 returning readers who have probably taken me off their google reader for rappers who update much more frequently than i -- and probably post better material.

i promise my hiatus from this has been for good reason. i've been feverishly working on a few projects to keep music in your ipods and in your cars. one of these projects, ...paper cuts... came out this week and i hope y'all go out and get it when it lands in your local "mom & pop" record store, or right now digitally on itunes. you can also get the hard copy via mail over at www.beatrockmusic.com.

speaking of beatrock music, i'd like to take the opportunity to thank my new label for the tremendous support they've given me with this release and the great passion they've put behind pushing the new ep. in my entire career as an emcee i've been very fortunate to have the ability to put out my own music and still garner some minor success as an artist, but being at the mercy of bootleggers, the speed of the blog-world and the general wear and tear the independent route has had on me and my team at fourelevenmedia/community kitchen recordings, we felt the need to lock into a label to aid us in our releases from here on. i've tried the major independent route, the private investor path and even explored possible corporate deals -- but, being over at beatrock music has given me more freedom to be an artist and really feel like i am a part of the business that is pushing my music, so i'm thankful to be here. be sure to give the site a visit and stay tuned for more music from the label.

...paper cuts... took me a solid 4 months to complete and i must say, i'm very happy with the result. here's a little breakdown of the ep, song for song:

1. paper thin (with chace infinite of self scientific): anon, the producer and someone i consider my younger brother, gave me this beat right before we went in on the last album, ...exact change... and i instantly knew that i needed to do something with it. at the time it didn't feel right on ...exact change... so i just held on to it. i found the opportunity to revisit, write and record to it with this project.

i met chace through my homeboy, nick diamond of diamond supply company and we checked in with each other on and off about working on stuff. after visiting him in new york city over at prohibit nyc, we built a little bit more about a possible collaboration and the rest is, as they say, history. i sent chace the instrumental and a reference with my verse and he proceeded to show me why he's one of the most respected emcee's in los angeles' underground scene. look out for a new self scientific (chace and dj khalil) album this year -- you won't be disappointed.

2. slow down (with prometheus brown): during my trip up to seattle for the ...exact change... tour, i paid a visit to a recording studio where ra scion (of common market), thig of the physics, fatal lucciano, geo (prometheus brown of blue scholars) and a producer named mtk were having a session for an upcoming project. after watching them record, mtk slid a beat cd into the computer and played us back to back gems -- no lie. i would've taken every beat if i had the budget! mtk is responsible for lacing some pretty well known artists and after listening to this beat cd, i knew why! the beat for slow down was the last beat he played for us. i remember looking around the room and wondering who was going to jump at it first... like the last piece of corn on a dinner table. i mustered up the nerve to say, "yo, mtk, i'll take that one, g!"

i didn't touch the beat for a good month or two. i knew i wanted a feature on there and i knew i wanted some type of double-time rap over it. of course, in my mental rolodex, i went through my list of obvious choices: do d.a.t from oakland, mikah 9 of freestyle fellowship, sevenes or los angeles or olmeca... then it dawned on me. everyone's going to see that one coming... who do i know can kill it, but would blindside folks with a feature on the record?

prometheus brown is one of the most well-rounded emcee's in the game -- hands down. but, in my honest opinion, he don't get to stretch those legs out too many times -- please correct me if i'm wrong! we hear the geologic/prometheus brown on blue scholars records - the brother who becomes another instrument over a sabzi beat and who poetically completes songs (not just dropping verses over a beat) - and some don't realize that this brother really comes from an emcee background of just ripping (see the battle footage from brainstorm). after hearing him go stupid on new people from the oof! ep, i had to let him lace this track. i, along with many of you twitter heads who responded with their favorite joint off the ep all agree that slow down is one of the killers on the ep. this is me patting myself on the back for choosing pro-brown to feature on this. video drops later this week.

3. correctly done (with thurzday of u-n-i): chris london is my homeboy from way back. he used to manage another los angeles great, trek life and together they made some serious moves in the l.a. underground scene in the earlier part of the last decade. fast forward to about two years ago -- a group from inglewood starts to pop up in publications, websites and in between shows on mtv... thurzday and y-o, the duo better known as u-n-i. like a usain bolt out the blocks, these brothers took off. they had a unique sound and an undeniable appeal that put them leaps ahead of their peers on the emerging los angeles hip hop scene, dubbed the new west. now, fast forward a little bit more (trust me, i'm going to link all these) to a stop in los angeles for the common market tobacco road tour in 2008. on the bill at the now shut down knitting factory on hollywood boulevard were common market, bambu and u-n-i. now, i'll be honest, i don't watch the opening acts - not because i'm an asshole, but because i'm usually in the green room preparing myself for my set. well, this particular room that the show was in didn't have a green room, so i was forced to sit at the bar and go over my lyrics to myself... i didn't get to go over shit. instead, i was nodding my head to the duo who threw down on stage and had me whispering to myself, "damn, i gotsta' step it up tonight!" come to find out, these inglewood residents were managed by chris london! i was in! i knew that i would be working with them soon enough.

as their buzz grew around their debut album release, a love supreme, they decided to get with mick boogie and drop a mixtape to keep the fans happy and really solidify their stake in the game as true contenders in the new west's rise to notoriety. i got a text message from mr. london, i end up in the studio with thurz and y-o and the rest, as they say, is history. i laced two songs on the mixtape and a new friendship/alliance was built.

super, super-fast forward to an email from darnell of digital martyrs about 6 months ago. i got my hands on the beat for correctly done via email and this email single-handedly pushed me to do this ep. so, if you run into the digital martyrs up in the bay, and you're a fan of ...paper cuts... give them a hug and thank them for kick starting the project. immediately after getting this, i shot it over to thurzday with a reference, waited for about two weeks and i had the verses i needed to start the song's completion. unfortunately, because of the distance of y-o's residence, i couldn't get him on there (but no worries, a remix is coming soon). for the hook, the original plan was to get rob roy to rock it, but let's just say it didn't work out. i did the hook myself and the end result is one of my favorite songs in my entire catalog. that's how it's done, yeeeeah?!

4. rather seen (with malcolm & martin): i've been really fortunate in this rap game -- straight up. i did the wake up show back in 2004, and at the risk of sounding kanye-ish, i killed that shit! me and homeboys used to drive around l.a., 8 deep in a sky blue 1983 toyota tercel hatchback, looking for girls to yell to from the car... during these adolescent escapades, we would turn the radio to 92.3 the beat (it used to be a real hip hop station back in the day - trust) and wait for the wake up show to come on. all of us aspiring rappers, we would pretend sway, carmelita and tech were interviewing us, and we would answer as such. when dj revolution would do his mixes, we would freestyle over the songs, pretending we were in the studio with them -- going in. so, when i got that opportunity to do my homeboys proud and rip the wake up show, i did... the one solid relationship i built coming out of there (me and carmelita were really good friends outside of the radio show) was my working relationship with the world famous dj revolution. rev is one of the best turntablists in the world and his beats are worthy of top tier comparison - no lie! rev and i started to work together on some songs - a couple ended up on ...i scream bars for the children... and one in particular, sound check, ended up pissing some industry folks off. this was to be our niche. sound check was a 3-minute long verse just dogging mainstream artists who we felt deserved it. ouch. check dj phatrick's blog for an archive of it.

anyway, to save you some time, let me shorten this up... rev was also working with two emcee's he had met on the wake up show named, styliztik jones and kbimean, who he link with to create the super group, malcolm & martin. everytime i got into the studio with rev, he would play me their music... i was floored. they were unlike any "conscious" rap group i'd ever heard before, because they actually made music and could really, really rap! the work was amazing. i ended up doing a feature on their debut album (which isn't out yet) on a song that highlighted the black and brown conflict that has plagued los angeles for too long -- the song is crack!

nick james is responsible for the ...exact change... hits spare change and the single, crooks and rooks. he's also the producer who laced the majority of my homeboy ise lyfe's latest, prince cometh. the brother goes in on the beats! this particular beat was a remix to nas' ether. he was good enough to let me rock it and i couldn't have picked a better feature for this one! malcolm & martin sent it back to me and i knew we had the ep's sleeper hit! the biggest challenge to this song was trying to find the right sounds for the hook. i wanted a robot-like voice to do half and i think fatgums did a good job of making that come to fruition. here's a funny fact - i actually tried doing the hook wearing the optimus prime mask with the voice-changer to give it that sound. fail.

5. the queen is dead: "one of these things is not like the other... one of these things does not belong..." this one came out of left field, huh? this is the one song i knew did not fit on the ep. the content didn't fit. sonically it belongs on ...exact change... to me, it honestly doesn't belong on this ep -- but, it wouldn't be the same ep without it. i've been wanting to do a song on this topic for a very long time. i have people in my personal life that this song addresses and many peers of mine in the "conscious" hip hop community who need to keep this joint on repeat in the whip. i really started hammering the nails in when a very close friend of mine decided to cheat on his wife. it really struck something in me. i've made mistakes as a youth (especially in the matters of the heart vs. lust) and i know many of my friends have done the same -- but we've hopefully learned from them. this brother did not and he is much, much older, and someone i considered much, much wiser. he failed to live the life i was hoping to use as a guideline.

i played this song for kiwi when i first recorded it and he made a great comment about it. he said, "that's dope, but i wish it came from a woman's perspective." word. i agreed and still agree. but, this is not a song for women. this is a song really geared towards the brothers... especially the ones who hide behind the blanket of "revolution" and "progressive thought." this is the challenge. rocky rivera has a song called, macktivist on her mixtape, married to the hustle that addresses this topic. its a dialogue that needs to continue among us men, because as men of color we carry a giant burden. a burden that makes us feel as though we are at the bottom of the hill, trying to fight so many conditioned ideas and practices, that we dismiss our male privilege. we forget that women of color deal with those same issues with the added bonus of gender oppression. so, this is a song that hopefully sparks a little dialog -- again, more so among the brothers.

oakland rapper mystic hit me up and wanted to make sure that i clarify and not think that it was okay for me, a man, to take the title of "queen" away from a woman. word. ironically, the young woman who's featured on the hook is queen herstory, an up and coming emcee from carson. i think she's actually doing a response track over the same beat for her upcoming ep, broken crowns.

6. sondalo: 6fingers for the win... again. 6 is going to be name that hip hop heads will place alongside the jake one's and alchemist's soon enough. i've been working with 6fingers since ...exact change... and to watch him build as an artist is a privilege for me. on kiwi's upcoming album, 6 has a beat that is guaranteed to fuck your face up when you hear it. on a sidenote, we're working on a 5-song ep for the diamond supply company.

the song is pretty self explanatory. the workers, the students, the youth, the organizers... soldiers. marching, mobilizing and rallying in great numbers against an oppressive system. enough said. what i would like to address is a line in the song:

"from the teachings of lenin, mao, marx and trotsky..." i know my comrades will hear that and say, "trotsky?! what the shit?!" listen, i am not a trotsky'ite. i know the history. i know the problems that this man stirred and the principles he broke. the mistakes made by the players in past uprisings are ones we can and should learn from. all their writings, their mistakes and their conflicts should all be taken into account in order see to it that we do not repeat these and that in our protracted struggle, we are precise and educated in our climb to victory. no, i am not a trotsky'ite. any questions.

7. old man raps: another digital martyrs gem. this was originally the beat for a song dealing with the topic touched on in the queen is dead, but i hit the brakes on that quick. i started writing this song with no real concept to begin with. i just started to write. the further into the song i got, the more it seemed as though i were speaking from the perspective of the old guy on the block, telling you about his glory days in the hood. here i am. i'm old... (old)er, and i've had the honor of growing up with hip hop. being able to watch hip hop mature into what it is today. i've watched the world around me grow up and it isn't something i want to hide from. this is me celebrating my "old man" status. deal with it, kids.

on this song i also bring up some old demons. the deaths of some of my friends. the shooting of a very close childhood friend, ralph. the addiction that put a bear-hug on more than a few of my friends. the wonder and disaster of growing up in los angeles.

oh, and yes, only one more full-length album. the album is dead. the art of creating a solid, cohesive body of work is no longer appreciated. music is so accessible and so easily digested that taking myself away from my family for months at a time to attempt to create something that will just get lost among the ocean of "mixtape" songs and "freestyle" joints is not worth it to me anymore. i'll still make songs here and there and continue to do shows every so often, but to start, create, manufacture, finish and then market a whole new album is beyond me. i want to be with my son more and more, and be on the road less and less. beside that, i want young fans to hunt for new artists and discover new talent that actually speaks to and from the perspective of the youth. so, after a few choice collaborations (sabzi, keelay & zaire, 6fingers, nick james, steez, mystic, etc.), i'm going to get in the lab with the brother i started with asi friedman and put a period at the end of my work as bambu. but until then...

8. smog city's own (with diz gibran): this was the last beat picked for this project. again, digital martyrs on the track! this is another "los angeles" song. sorry. the biggest challenge with this song was trying to lock a hook down. i had my sister come into the studio and try some singing, but that didn't work out as well as i hoped -- mainly because my writing for the hook was kind of lazy. in the original first draft mix of the song, darnell of digital martyrs put in a vocal sample of a weatherman speaking about the weather in los angeles. dj phatrick and fatgums suggested we expand on that and do it for all the hooks. so, i looked for a different period pieces to sample. the first is an old news segment feature about a man who was buying "smog points" from refineries and selling them to people who wanted to save the enviornment by ridding the refineries of these "smog points." look it up, because it's going to take me forever to explain. the second is from the los angeles uprising/rebellion/"riots" in 1992. the third is from the northridge earthquake back in 1994 (i think)... and the last one is the original weather sample that darnell put in there.

i don't even really remember how i met diz gibran, but i knew he was tied into the budding street fashion scene in los angeles. i knew he rapped too, but wasn't sure if he was trying to make it a career or if he just did it because he could... well, that was answered when the blogs started really dropping his name heavy. after hearing the leaks over the blogs, how could you not enjoy listening to this dude. his flow is unique, yet reminiscent of classic golden era hip hop. he released his street album, soon you'll understand, produced entirely by new york producer munshine and put out through the power clothing brand that is crooks and castles. it's a free album, so download it and enjoy -- trust! i threw the track to diz via email and he knocked it out for me quicker than most and really stuck to the theme of the song (which is hard to get guest rappers to do -- i was fortunate to have every feature on the ep do this). killed it. diz can go and he's a really down to earth brother that i hope finds his success in whichever one of his many ventures he decides to roll with. get hip.

that's my breakdown for now. i might expand on some of these thoughts, so stay tuned. please go pick up ...paper cuts... at your local independent record store or online at either itunes or beatrockmusic.com.

if you're in los angeles this weekend, you don't want to miss the los angeles release party. i will be doing new songs and retiring a bunch of old songs. try and make it out!

if you find yourself in san diego this sunday, the 619 release party is happening in north park. stay classy, san diego!

...from la la land, to day-go, to the mighty 808...

2010-02-25T03:49:00.000-08:00

...soon...

2010-01-27T08:43:00.000-08:00

...boom bye-bye...

2009-12-28T19:28:00.000-08:00

click on picture to download the song

...before year's end...

2009-11-22T16:22:00.000-08:00

got some gigs coming up before the year's end... this past friday night, the counterparts celebrated their album release with a great show at the dakota lounge! buckshots to all the performers and those in attendance!

i'll be in san diego this weekend for kmb san diego's rights, rhymes and resilience event on the 27th. it's going to be a bittersweet visit to one of my favorite cities, because i'll know that "pops" is gone and when i visit the pnoy apparel house, his presence will be sorely missed. my fondest memory of pops comes by way of new york city. after a great show at the rebel nyc, we moved the afterparty upstairs where pops spent the rest of the night cutting up the rug with several young ladies surrounding him! the last time i saw him was here in my home, where he fondly watched kahlil run around. things won't be the same without him. sleep easy, pops!

YOU WILL BE MISSED, NONITO "POPS" JAMINDANG

also, kmb los angeles is proudly celebrating 10-years of solid work with the people's carnival! if you love me at all, you'll be there!

...i got the homie, nick james on it!

2009-11-12T09:08:00.000-08:00

here's some new music from one of the bay's most talented producers, nick james! nick james produced one of the records that pushed me up a notch on mainstream airwaves, crooks and rooks... mtvu, mtv2, myx tv, the blogs -- they all love the record! i haven't heard any music from this dude yet that i haven't liked. pay attention to this dude... don't be the guy in the conversation saying, "man, i've heard that name somewhere!" school yourself!

click on the cover to download

also from nick james: the nas remixes and the american gangster remixes! music to ride to...

...hey shorty!

2009-11-10T11:37:00.000-08:00

...videos to blog...

2009-11-09T23:17:00.000-08:00

i've been meaning to put these up for a minute! enjoy!

this is the latest video from vox merger, "american pie." the video was put together by the same team that brought "crooks and rooks" to life, kid heroes/xylophone. i like this video and these brothers are solid! i stand behind these dudes!

this is a video that came out during the summer from my homeboys, deep foundation out of new york/new jersey! amazing visuals!!!

one of l.a.'s premiere up and coming artists... dizzy. look out for his appearance on the new ep, "...paper cuts.."

my peoples, keelay & zaire put this out in the summer too, but i didn't get a chance to throw it up on the blog -- so here it is! be on the lookout for the keelay & zaire x bambu ep, "...banana clip sunday..." coming out early 2010!

...hallow's eve...

2009-11-02T02:00:00.000-08:00

this is how it started...

...and this is how it ended.

...new tattoo...

2009-10-30T00:59:00.001-07:00

...laughing my ass off...

2009-10-29T19:28:00.001-07:00

...i beat them charges like rocky...

2009-10-28T11:43:00.000-07:00

rocky rivera album
official release date: february 2, 2010

click here download the single, mrshmlo

...it's on-doy...

2009-10-28T00:16:00.000-07:00

please come through to either or both of these fundraisers!

...daygo, sea-town, frisco and sac...

2009-10-20T20:59:00.000-07:00

photo by geologic aka prometheus brown

i'm back home. as you hopefully are aware of by now, there was a terrible storm (typhoon) that landed in and flooded the philippines. what's left of the big city, manila, is mud and ruined homes. obviously, the main culprit here is the month's worth of rain that dropped in a matter of hours over the city -- but, the mudslides, the weakened infrastructure of buildings and damns that resulted in hundreds of lost lives are secondary to the abuse of natural resources in the surrounding vegetation of manila. the rerouting of money that should've been spent on securing proper drainage for the city and strengthening damns instead went into the pockets of a few. but, that's beside the point right now, we need aid. the people are in genuine need of assistance! this is what my past few weeks have consisted of -- doing benefit shows and helping spread the word about the many relief efforts going on throughout the country... and i'm still going! please visit: www.stp-relief.org and follow me on twitter to find out where the next drop-off spot for donations will be and when the next fundraiser is happening.

on saturday, october 3rd, i was honored to take part in san diego's filamfest! i said it last year and i'll say it again -- the youth at this festival get me hype! like last year, the youth came out in the thousands. i also got a brief chance to catch up with the many friends and fam i have out in daygo: ree obana, zar, grace and the rest of the pnoy ap family, cros, mike, bee, felt and the rest of the armory clan, gabnet san diego, backroom podcast, heavy rotation, pst, know your roots and of course, all the organizers of the festival (great job y'all)! i also got to meet someone that i'm a big fan of, brandon "the truth" vera! before i went on, gabnet san diego got a chance to speak on the typhoon relief efforts and really got the youth in the proper mindset for what i went there to do. thank you to everyone who came out and got a chance to build with me! daygo!

photo of filamfest by lily prijoles

yup

october 9th had me, phat and steph in glendale. the minx. eeehhh... well, i got to chill with my homeboy roscoe umali and fam, icey ice and see some old friends from baaaack in the day! the event raised money.

off to seattle the next day. october 11th was a special night. native guns reunion. now, kiwi and i have done a few songs together here in los angeles, but nothing worthy of calling itself a "reunion" show. seattle was a perfect warm up for what may or may not come to a city near you... keep guessing. it was like riding a bike! as soon as phat, kiwi and i got on that stage, we were on again. the energy was great and i couldn't get the smile off my face. kiwi is still someone i look up to in the rap game and i always look to learn something from the guy! the acts that went on before us killed it: daps one, jfk, rocky rivera and jerneye all brought the a-game! pro-brown hosted. geologic for president. oh, and the cypher that took place outside of the venue -- wow! language arts is that dude! look out for this guy! i spent the next 3 days out in the 206, just spending quality time with my northwest familia: bee, pro-brown, sabzi, nam, khingz, gabriel, chev, chera, ajani, chel, arjay, hov, jans, sin and the guest from hawaii, carol! spent a lot of time going back and forth with bee about life, love and business -- i love that fucking guy!

photo of native guns reunion in seattle by d-skzl

photo of me, bee and doc by geologic aka prometheus brown

photo of me opening the blue scholars' in-store at goorin brothers store, seattle... by aj ragasa

then it was off to san francisco. business and relaxation all rolled up into one. look out for the keelay & zaire x bambu ep coming soon, "...banana clip sunday..." also, be on the lookout for the rocky rivera album! ouch! she brings honor to nikki d, yo-yo, mia x, boss, conscious daughters, queen latifah, miss melodie, sister isis... you get the point! the album is awesome -- there's something for every type of hip hop fan on the 13-joint product!

on october 15, i rolled up to sacramento for my first real bambu show (which was also a typhoon fundraiser and homeless shelter drive). crack! loved it. got a lot of love in the 916 and i plan on making sacramento a regular stop from now on! got to see my sister, b-girl shasta (who's shouted out on my first album), who moved back up to sac from la, and i'm glad she's doing great! big up to hip hop congress for a great show and to my girl nina for bringing me out and holding me down while i was there! sac-town! pictures to come...

now i'm home. enjoying some chill time with my boy and his momma. writing and re-writing for some new shit. breath, homeboy.

next up, october 28th. stay tuned.

...f**k the system...

2009-10-07T15:25:00.000-07:00

Andy Samberg - I Threw it On The Ground - watch more funny videos

...help...

2009-10-06T20:39:00.000-07:00

...from the rock to the mainland...

2009-10-04T01:43:00.000-07:00

forgive me for not updating in a minute. i came home to the news of a month's worth of rain hitting manila in a day! so, i've been gearing up for the many fundraisers that i'll be taking part in and also spreading the word here!

hawaii treated the oof! tour very well! it's safe to say that the blue scholars and i had a great time. thank you to everyone we got a chance to post up with and made us feel at home on the rock. special shout outs to honozooloo, in4mation, alligator funkhouse, http://asongforourselves.blogspot.com/ creed chameleon, packo, the deadbeats, the spacifics, k-love, tassho, contrast magazine, request record store, carol, eric and everyone else who might've failed to list out that made our trip as pleasant as it was... so, rather than do a whole breakdown of the tour, i'm going to simply direct y'all to my homeboy aaron's site, put up a video and a few pictures down below... oh, and a little disclaimer: i only had one pair of swim shorts for the 2 weeks i was there. deal with it. chee!

big thank you to the blue scholars for letting me come along!

...more footage coming soon!

...it's the rock...

2009-09-16T21:14:00.000-07:00

naturally, while i'm on the island, i'm going to avoid as much technology as possible. so, this might be my last post until i get back on the mainland. hawaii, come through!

...community festival...

2009-09-15T23:38:00.000-07:00

my weekend was packed with work, family, friends, community and culture.

if y'all have been keeping up with me, you should know that the past three months have been dedicated to organizing the 18th annual festival of philippine arts and culture as the programming director. the festival, for my fellow staff members and volunteers, began on friday night with the final preparations for game day! 5am crept up on me and we were off. i got to the park at 6am to the sound of stages being erected and vendors setting up their tables. i was immediately handed on a walkie/headset and the labor of love began.

saturday saw a few snags, but for the most part, the first day of the festival was great! my programming worked well only because i had great crews working all of the stages and pavillions -- especially jen, gerry, telly, anneli, jay, sonny and mary rose! without them the programs would have failed with a bang! so, thank you. all the performances were great! our saturday headlining block was flawless -- opened up by my brother in arms, geologic (aka prometheus brown), the crowd was stacked. the transition right into the dance groups kept the crowd engaged!

saturday night. the dent in an otherwise perfect weekend. let me start by apologizing to the counted 200+ fans that came through and got turned away for bullshit reasons like not adhering dress code (which we were told would NOT be a problem), being extorted for another $25 to get in, etc. so, fuck the social in hollywood. for the fans that made it beyond the douche-nozzles that run the social, the short set of performances did offer a brief piece of redemption. oneson and ashley robles from san diego hit the stage with a great set (despite the faulty sound system and very small stage). rocky rivera jumped on there next to a crazy reception -- the ladies were definitely amped. the night finished off with deep foundation from new york city, performing their signature hit, "children of the sun." i bounced before they finished, because another second in that spot would've seen me punching a promoter in the mouth! on behalf of myself, all the performers, fpac and pnoy apparel, i apologize for the fiasco.

sunday. same as saturday for the morning setup. dion, charles and i got to the park ready to tackle the issues we anticipated from the previous day's problemas. not much to say about the day except that it went perfectly. every issue encountered got resolved quickly and without slowing down our festival flow. the headliners began with the fighting cocks! the lead singer, farmer john, who also happens to be the head chef and owner of the park's finest bbq found enough energy to kill the set! good job, brother! kiwi walked on to the stage next to an overwhelming response. the crowd was thick! i watched from the side of the stage as my brothers took off! dj phatrick decided to dress up for the occasion in brand new kicks, a clean hat and the beatrock anthony bourdain shirt... he never dresses up for my shows! wtf?! anyway, i watched and the bug hit me. phat looked down at me from the stage and signaled for me to grab the mic... none of which was planned! i promise! gerry grabbed me a mic and as soon the native guns' single, "champion" came on, i hit the stage -- but not before yelling into my walkie headset that i was going on break! haha. kiwi killed it. right after kiwi came a legend of fpac that i don't need to comment too much on, because his name is synonymous with entertainment, rex navarrete! enough said. the next set of performers threw the soul into our festival this year. there have been a flood of artists who've utilized youtube.com to showcase their talent and i managed to grab the best of them. mike isberto, melissa polinar, jr aquino and aj rafael! because of some issues on the other stages, i didn't get to catch all the sets, but the ones i did see made me pat myself on the back for bringing them out!

other highlights of the festival were harvey drive and all the first time performers on the generations stage, imb academy, ijo ija academy and mark munoz in the martial arts pavillion and the giant vegetable in the senior village! too many great things to list out. great weekend.

also, hanging out with deep foundation, irie eyes, mai and the whole seattle fam gave my weekend the extra points needed to be a complete win.

special thanks to dion, charles, missy, ben, kat, jilly, vanessa, joe, girlie, anthony, noel and the rest of the fpac staff and volunteers. next year..?

okay, let's move forward. hawaii. so, this weekend i leave for a 5 show tour with the blue scholars in hawaii. half vacation and half work for me! i'm excited about the gigs -- see y'all on the islands, bruh! oof!

OAHU
Where: Loft, 115 N.Hotel St, Honolulu, HI 96813
When: Friday, September 18, 2009
AND Friday, September 25, 2009
Ages: 18+
Prices: $20 General Admission
Tickets on sale NOW at The Loft

MAUI
Where: Hard Rock Cafe Lahaina, 900 Front St., Lahaina, HI 96761-2335
When: Saturday, September 19, 2009
Ages: 21+
Prices: $20 General Admission
Tickets on sale NOW at Hard Rock Cafe Lahaina Maui

BIG ISLAND
Where: Kona Rockstarz, 74-5484 Kaiwi St., Kailua-Kona, HI, 96740
When: Saturday, September 26, 2009
Ages: 21+
Prices: $20 General Admission
Tickets on sale NOW at Kona Rockstarz

oh, and one last thing -- we won! congrats to the whole cast and crew of the "crooks and rooks" music video! it won best video at the chicago hip hop film festival!

...the festival is around the corner...

2009-09-09T14:53:00.000-07:00

peep.

FPAC from Prometheus Brown on Vimeo.

...it's been a long time...

2009-09-06T02:39:00.000-07:00

...i shouldn't've left you -- wait, is that right? "shouldn't've?" or is it, "shouldn't have?" anyway, i've been busy. working on some projects before the year's end. i'll list them out for you in order of how much it's driving me mad.

1. festival of philippine arts & culture. i love this festival. i love the staff! when this position (program director) was offered to me, i knew i wouldn't be accepting it for the money. i knew i would have to find the strength to do this off of sheer love for my community and for the culture that this festival represents. every year i watch the organizers and volunteers run around the festival grounds, taking care of my needs as an artist and really trying to hold themselves together emotionally as the world around them seems to be chipping away. i knew that it must've been tough on them, but i didn't really understand it until now. the volunteers, the builders, the board and the directors (myself included) have a love for this event that i find tear-jerking almost. every phone call, every meeting and every sigh of frustration i witness makes me truly admire the folks behind this. i'm certain that this will be the one and only time i do this job, but i say that with the utmost respect and as humble as an ant. with all this said, i look forward to another great festival and i hope to see all of my friends an family out there, enjoying the day in celebration of our ancestors and our roots as a people. oh, and before i end this paragraph, let me say that i am in serious "check-yourself" mode after dealing with some of these artists. i understand the need to be compensated and to be treated fairly, but some of y'all take this artist shit too far! i really wish i could call these folks out! zero sense of community!

2. the ...paper cuts... ep. on a whim, i decided to throw together an 8-song ep for the holiday season. released exclusively through itunes, i hope to make my deadline. nothing too crazy, just something to keep the family with good music for the cold air. on this project i took a louder sound on with the help of nick james, anon, dex beats, amani, mtk and digital martyrs. the mtk joint really inspired me to take this project on. trust when i say, the mtk joint is a great way to set off the push of this project. hopefully we'll be able to release that joint by october... hopefully. fingers crossed for this ep.

3. more projects. i've been trying to organize all the projects i took on after ...exact change... dropped, but the challenge with these is that there are other people involved in partnership, and with scheduling it makes it hard to lock things down as quickly than a solo project. let's make a quick list shall one:

- keelay & zaire x bambu "...banana clip sunday..."
- sabzi x bambu
- cadillac rebellion (do dat x bambu)
- fobbdeep x steez x bambu
- rhettmatic x roscoe umali x bambu
- mystic x bambu
- kronic plague x bambu
- johnny 5 x bambu

yeah, i know, huh? well, i was pretty wide-eyed and high off the success of ...exact change... and wanted to take on anything proposed... not too smart -- especially when i gave myself a goal to have the first 4 of those projects (above) out before christmas. so, this is also why i decided to get ...paper cuts... out. i'm excited about all of these projects and each one promises to show a different bam on each one.

4. more shows. pretty self explanatory. i'm really excited about the blue scholars hawaii tour to celebrate the very successful release of OOF!. i never get tired of watching the growth of these two dudes on stage... pause. plus, who the fuck doesn't want to do 5 shows in hawaii?! also, right after that we got san diego for filamfest (really dope event) and seattle for something my homeboy, kiwi-impersonator, fellow devil dog, 4-hour session master and my northwest arch nemisis, brian myers put together. since kahlil's birth, i like to take it easy in december on the show tip, because everyone i love seems to be a sagittarius... wtf?! so, keep checking that sidebar for the shows.

5. ready, aim, speak. i'm bringing my afterschool writing workshop back to the old stomping grounds. i learned a lot from last year, and i'm hoping to take those lessons and apply the changes into this year's batch. i'll probably start up in october, so, there's another thing to add to the bag of "what makes bambu insane."

6. tira muna philippine martial art/stick club. over the years, as i've studied with the different masters of the beautiful and effective martial arts of the philippines, i've found what my future has in store -- the good and the bad. after this rap thing is done, i plan on opening a community space to give our community cultural art programs and to be able to share my knowledge of the martial arts of our country. why stamp a new name on and not just take the name of one system? i will gladly explain. but first, let me say that i have the utmost respect for every guro who's every let me swing a rattan stick in their presence and guide my art into what it is today -- for this i am forever grateful and humble to you. BUT, in that same breath, i would like to address the guro's that i've studied under that have found the need to inject their disdain for other schools into a space that is meant to build unity, discipline and modesty. i can't stand the politics of the martial arts. this school doesn't like this school, this guro hates this guro, blah, blah. settle it in the circle. it's disheartening and is what continues to perpetuate the negative machismo that is stamped onto such an intriguing art. so, i wanted to separate myself from it all, study what i have picked up, dissect it as much as i am capable and share it to those who wish to try. you'll be hearing more about this in the future. for now, let's concentrate on rap.

so, without saying, my family has been patient throughout this. krish has been great at balancing our lives out -- but it ain't easy. she's finishing up her album and is bouncing between the bay and l.a. in preparation. through it all though, she always makes sure our son is taken care of. life is good. see y'all this weekend.

oh, and (*ehem ehem) i wouldn't miss the shirt the kids los angeles show... trust me.

...never been...

2009-09-01T10:37:00.000-07:00

MRSHMLO from Mikhail Shapiro on Vimeo.

...xicana moratorium...

2009-08-29T08:25:00.001-07:00

...we want our money back...

2009-08-24T10:06:00.000-07:00

i have my very strong criticisms of michael moore. often times i feel his white-privilege goes overlooked in his own work. his statements about mumia abu jamal's guilt in the book, "dude, where's my country" really put this into perspective for me. during an amy goodman sit down interview, he did backtrack a little and say this it was satirical and that he doesn't think mumia got a fair trial... but, that shit ain't funny. if i were on death row, i wouldn't want anybody using my trial as a jump off to be funny. anyway, in the bigger picture, i appreciate his fat-ass presence in mainstream media, because this very non-threatening caucasian is asking his people to try and check their shit at the door. i thought the awful truth was genius at times. i really do like all of his work, but I'm also very critical of it at the same time. the LEFT ain't got all the answers either y'all... don't believe the hype. anyway, here's the preview of his latest work, "capitalism: a love story." i'll be watching.

...awesome kid...

2009-08-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

...these ain't the dancing prisoners...

2009-08-20T21:31:00.000-07:00

ran into this cool photo blog on filipino prison gang tattoos.

click picture to go the blog

...watts up...

2009-08-20T21:09:00.000-07:00

gotdamn. the homie, jay rock did it with this one! glasses malone hurt this muthuhfuckuh too: "...next time i yell, 'shoot,' bullets fly in your direction..." ouch. watts up.

...saturday in little tokyo...

2009-08-18T17:37:00.000-07:00

...from animal chin to this...

2009-08-18T17:25:00.000-07:00

skateboarding videos have come a long way.

...legendary...

2009-08-13T15:32:00.000-07:00

finishing up some guest feature spots for the homies, mike dash e, sha king allah, codeen and umali. i think the sabzi x bambu project is all ready to be recorded in the big studio, so i have to plan for a seattle trip very soon!

in the meantime, the majority of my days are spent finalizing the programming for the 18th annual festival of philippine arts & culture happening on september 12th and 13th! on the headliner bill we got rex navarrete (who wasn't there last year because he had a baby - congrats, brother), prometheus brown, aj rafael and supreme soul. also blessing the mainstage we got kiwi, camile velasco, melissa polinar, deep foundation, ashley robles, mike isberto, kaba modern, pac modern, justin rivera and sheroes!!!

come out to the event, it promises to be fun. also, on the 27th of this month (august), come out for this:

...808, 808, 808 (update)...

2009-08-10T08:03:00.000-07:00

it's official, i'll be joining my northwest familia, blue scholars on their hawaii tour this september -- so tell your cousins on the island to be ready! i recently took a trip up north early in july to visit seattle with the family and during the trip i got to catch up with my brother, pro-brown who was kind enough to let me load a copy of the new scholars ep, "oof!" into my ipod. it hasn't stopped playing since. i promise that on release day, august 24th, if you cop this, you'll be more than happy with what comes out of your speakers... or headphones. my personal favorite? "new people!" i remember eavesdropping on sabzi and geo rehearsing backstage for a show we did in l.a. -- geo did the verse for "new people" while sabzi played the beat on his iphone. i was instantly drawn to the verse! geo went in! so, be on the lookout for the new ep, the new video and geoloic's performance at this year's festival of philippine arts and culture!

...penn state...

2009-08-09T23:33:00.000-07:00

i woke up in high spirits after the great fights put on last night at ufc 101. i got invited by the homie, jay to come out and watch the fight with the legends gym guys at big wangs. i got there just in time! let's cut right to it -- silva was something ferocious! i like forrest griffin. i think he's had a good career in the cage and he's remained humble through it all. but, last night silva made him look amateur at best. after a couple of aggressive attempts to rush anderson, forrest got caught with what looked like a tap on the chin. as silva was skipping backwards out of range, he threw, no, he placed a punch right on forrest's chin. dropped his ass! done. as soon as he regained composure, forrest ran out of the ring before the announcers had a chance to raise silva's hand in victory.

but forget all that! i came to see baby jay do his thing! i felt the fight was lackluster from an "audience" perspective. primarily because ken-flo's strategy was to remain out of range, throw a few kicks and make very weak attempts at taking bj down. this repeated for 3 rounds. it was obvious that florian did not possess the strength to knock penn out. in the 4th round, bj finally decided, at the advice of his brother, to take kenny to the ground. from half guard, to full mount, to taking florian's back -- from there, rear naked choke. done.

congratulations to my favorite fighter in the game, bj penn! baby jay for governor!

...back to square one...

2009-08-08T11:34:00.000-07:00

so, that new format i tried to make work? didn't work. my schedule is way too hectic to be trying to update my joint that regularly. let's just pretend it never happened... cool?

what's new, what's new... hmmm... let's start with the london trip. i went out to london with pnoy apparel during the weekend of july 17th for 2 shows. the first set was a short set for a festival attended by about 20,000 people, the barrio fiesta. this is europe's biggest annual festival of philippine culture and the event didn't disappoint. deep foundation went up first to set the pace, and set the pace they did. with only a short amount of time, they managed to bring out a singer and throw in a posse cut of their hit single, "children of the sun." this is when i jumped on stage to make the transition. i wasn't sure how i would be received in london. wasn't sure how my politics (or the way i delivered my politics) were going to translate in the uk, but my motto has always been, "fuck it, when you get a chance to have your voice heard, speak truth." i started slow. talked about america's war on islam, imperialist interest, blah, blah... then i moved toward the philippine government's violations on human rights under the reign of gloria macapagal arroyo. guess what? the filipino community in london know what's up! from my perspective on stage, the crowd was with me. i was elated. the rest of the festival was spent hustling gear at the pnoy apparel booth and getting to know the community. our hosts, london baby and her pops, uncle rusty took care of us during our stay and i honestly don't think the trip would have been a complete success without them. after breaking down for the first day of the festival, we rushed to hopefully catch a shower before the next gig, shirt the kids!

now, because the crew was primarily from the states, we didn't understand the dj's selection -- we found out that funky house is the business in london, so we weren't that thrilled about the tunes being played as the crowd gathered into the club. after a brief delay, the show got started. london locals kyd, aziatik, ningning and d-rexx pulled the trigger with a great set. london baby killed it with a few of her joints right afterward and then mc zani, the 2008 uk beatbox champion, showed us why he holds that belt. zani tore it down! how do you follow up someone who had the crowd up in arms? with another local spitter, clencha! this dude had the floor shaking with his fusion of london rude boy and straight emcee skill. now the americans. deep foundation hit the floor with one of the best performances i've seen from them (even minus one of their hard hitters, ro - if ro was there, i might not have had a chance to get on)! last -- me. typical bam set.

the night ended with me celebrating my birthday in london with my birthday comrade, jenn! birthday cake, shots, etc. everyone who made the trip's success possible is familia now. zar and i hopped the plane home tallying up a total of 7 hours of sleep in 4 days. easy.

after a very short recovery with the boy and his moms, it was back to the grind. as the program director for this year's festival of philippine arts and culture, my plate is so full its starting to crack in half. that's a whole 3 page blog, so we'll leave it at that.

daluyong! the daluyong consultation was another amazing 3 day event with kasamas, family and the park's finest bbq. the conference touched on issues ranging from forced migration, systemic racism and strengthening solidarity among youth and students here in the states and back home in the philippines. rewarding 3 days. amazing job by the organizers! thank you to all the organizations that came out to make this possible: kabataang maka-bayan pro-people youth, ugnayan nj/ny, bagwis collective, damayan, gabriella network, jfav, committee on pilipino issues and all the youth and students who found the time and energy to take part in it.

...*sigh...

2009-08-01T03:48:00.000-07:00

july 4 - july 10, 2009

2009-07-10T09:43:00.000-07:00

june 27 - july 3, 2009

2009-07-03T23:22:00.000-07:00

...raising the funds...

2009-06-30T02:45:00.001-07:00

BAMBU, DJ PHATRICK, and IMIX BOOKS present:

OFF THE BOOKS

Open Mic @ IMIX Bookstore
with monthly feature artists

8pm-10pm, Doors 7pm
$5-$10 donation.
YOUTH FREE!

IMIX BOOKS
5052 Eagle Rock Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90041

OPEN MIC SIGN-UP:
imixopenmic@gmail. com

NEXT OPEN MIC:
Thursday, July 9, 2009!

FPAC 2009
(FESTIVAL OF PHILIPPINE ARTS & CULTURE)
FUNDRAISER!!

We need all of Socal's Pilipino musicians, poets, emcees, comedians, singers, etc. to come out and sign up for the open mic in support of the West Coast's biggest and longest running Pilipino arts & culture festival!

WITH A FEATURE PERFORMANCE FROM:
BAMBU

RSVP ON FACEBOOK!

...stupid busy -- sorry...

2009-06-24T09:42:00.000-07:00

so, because of all the great stuff happening over here, it's been hard to update. i'm going to switch it up a bit and relaunch in july. i'm going to do weekly updates from now -- maybe every sunday. i appreciate y'alls patience. in the meantime, here's the newest video (hella late):

Bambu - "Quit" Produced by iLLMind

...you better quit while you're a...

2009-06-17T08:35:00.001-07:00

...that windbreaker goes...

2009-06-16T09:51:00.001-07:00

...i just realized something...

2009-06-11T23:42:00.000-07:00

i give a whole lot of love to kid heroes and xylophone films for the very successful (by independent musician standards) music video "crooks and rooks" -- and rightfully so -- but, the one guy i always leave out (mainly because i consider him part of the kid heroes/xylophone family) is the cinematographer of the music video. the look of the video is amazing. what this guy did with the resources we had is everything short of miraculous! anthony ignacio is the best cinematographer i've had the pleasure of working with -- and i've worked on indiana jones! but, let's say the video's mtv success was secondary to the fan votes... okay. well, when we needed that 2% boost in the poll, this guy stayed up voting until that 2% pushed us in for the win (with or without clothes... we'll never really know).

tony, you're the truth, brother! stay gold.

...khallin isaiah barbera...

2009-06-11T23:17:00.000-07:00

meet me godson, khallin! he was born on june 10th at 3:04am... he's doing great and is loving the rest he's getting with mom and dad! welcome to the earth, godson.

...can't believe this slipped my mind...

2009-06-09T19:49:00.001-07:00

we're on mtv's rotation! the xylophone/kid heroes music video for "crooks and rooks" is now on mtv's on-air rotation... and it is all due to my fam -- you! thanks for all the support. i promised a party, and a party y'all shall have!

...big apple love...

2009-06-09T16:34:00.000-07:00

because of the two pictured above, i was able to make my way out to new york city this past week. we had a few events, radio shows, interviews, 2 music videos and too many meetings to count! still waiting on photos from lyrics for literacy 2 event... but, in the meantime, here's some pictures from pnoy apparel's shirt the kids charity showcase!!! shout outs at the end...

los angeles in new york city (brian catacutan)

pnoy apparel's shirt the kids charity showcase (brian catacutan)

ashley robles opened it up for the night (chris huang)

kiwi doing what he does best -- murder (chris huang)

deep foundation (chris huang)

phatty and kj butta [nyc's finest host -- cerritos!] (chris huang)

ruby hosted the night's events (chris huang)

doing it. (chris huang)

deep foundation and yours truly at the afterparty (illpoe)

grace and i doing the "great success" celebration (jenn vela)

pnoy apparel show (jenn vela)

live and direct (kat amidar)

yes... it was inevitable -- native guns. (kat amidar)

shouts to zar, grace, kj, freddy, roger, df, ruby, pablo, chace, edz, stunt squad, manny, chris, rise up radio, mugs, kiwi, ruby, ashley, pops, pnoy apparel, lauren, jamie, fat fingaz, arlene, ugnayan/damayan, ephniko and of course, mi familya: phat and kat...

...help a brother out...

2009-06-01T09:22:00.000-07:00

help me get into regular rotation over there at mtv/mtvu by clicking the link below! this is a pretty big deal for me, because we're doing all this completely independent!

big up to my homeboy and publicist, carl gillespie at freshmlk for making this happen -- freshmlk is the truth!

...a bay area battle not to miss...

2009-06-01T07:52:00.000-07:00

my homeboy kronic plague has killed every verse i've heard him on -- i'm sure you thought the same when you heard him on native guns', "kombat" and the song, "riches to rags" off ...i scream bars for the children... he killed it every time he popped up on the wake up show and now he's going to take grind time by storm. bay area, please come out and support my homeboy, kronic plague!

...put a shirt on that kid!

2009-05-25T07:59:00.000-07:00

...the white boy still got it...

2009-05-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

...save a life...

2009-05-24T10:11:00.000-07:00

...a t-shirt's life. donate your iron to the SDPWT foundation now!

...ain't nothin' like a brooklyn -- *wop!!!

2009-05-23T02:02:00.000-07:00

i never use this acronym, but i must for this: LMFAO!

when i first saw this, i thought, "oh, cool, she's rocking the diamond 'dmnd' hoodie!" second, i realized it was the homies over at hoodnews who were doing the filming. lastly, after the punch, i thought, "damn, that's fucked up (giggle)!" it brought back a memory for me that i'd like to keep buried deep down there... when i was in junior high, this really tall and husky girl, who's name we'll leave out, bum-rushed me in the hallway. she just started throwing fists all over my dome... haha. instinctively, i wanted to scrap back, but, one, she was way bigger than me, and two, mama said to never hit a girl. so, i just sat there and got lumped up -- oh, and the reason she thumped me was because a rumor got started around school that i made out with her little sister... not true. anyway, after seeing this and laughing my ass off (sorry) i did some research on the drama. i found out that homegirl who socked charles hamilton's ass is actually mary j. blige's step-daughter! also, that charles hamilton and homegirl arere rumored to be pregnant or had been pregnant at one time -- which is why the "abortion" line in his freestyle set her off. there is such a thing as going too far... and sonic the hedgehog just found out where that line was. i mean, the sister's verse (the one she read off of her phone) was about their bad relationship, and this idiot approached it like he was battling at fight klub or something.

charles hamilton: owned. hahaha.

i got the lowdown on necole bitchie's blog regarding the incident. peep...

...beatrock x fatgums x park's finest x bambu...

2009-05-22T02:29:00.000-07:00

big up the homie, tad nakamura -- i still got a shirt waiting at the crib for you, bruh!

other videos to look at:

i go on at 00:31:26

...malcolm...

2009-05-19T17:17:00.000-07:00

from malcolm little, to detroit red, to malcolm x and finally el-hajj malik el-shabazz -- happy birthday. by myself, in the corner of the los padrinos juvenile detention center day room, i read your book and my life was forever changed. thank you.

...same star, different movie...

2009-05-18T18:32:00.000-07:00

thanks daps!

...i got my quarter up there next...

2009-05-16T00:32:00.001-07:00

here's a more interesting way to watch the pacquiao/hatton fight (if you got 7 minutes to spare)... hey, i'm just doing my job.

courtesy of my homeboy, omar

...2 of my favorites...

2009-05-15T09:57:00.001-07:00

...catch me live -- today...

2009-05-14T12:34:00.001-07:00

...no matter where you live! i'll be on at 7pm -- please watch and record!!!

click on picture to redirect to link

...what the?!

2009-05-10T01:33:00.000-07:00

...my son is stealing my publicity...

2009-05-08T18:47:00.001-07:00

this ad can be seen in the latest issue of ink'd magazine. can you spot the scene-stealer?

...yeah, i might run for mayor...

2009-05-08T14:49:00.000-07:00

about 3 weeks ago, i did a show right on the steps of los angeles' city hall for the mayor's kick-off celebration of asian american history month. when kat, my manager and best friend, first presented the opportunity to me, we were both weary of the invitation. we put it on the back burner and took on other gigs... when the deadline came to making the final decision on the gig, we both thought it would be a great opportunity to grab this platform and address some of the issues plaguing our beautiful city -- so we said yes.

the day of the event was circus-like. we got there and got escorted into the mayor's office building. we were given almost vip treatment into a city hall council meeting (everyone in suits - while phat was in his trademark wrinkled t-shirt, dirty new balances and jeans from his freshman year in high school, and me in a t-shirt, jeans and respectable kicks -- we stood out) and we were ushered into our own little room with a clear view of city hall's front steps. we saw the mayor, the entire council, other pretty important people and, much to our delight, tia carrere. aaaaaanywaaaays, the time arrived for us to take the stage. with the taj mahal painted behind me as the backdrop and a group of shaolin fighting monks to my left, we started our set. the audience was more than i expected (i expected zero people to show up) and right up front, pressed up against the barricade were a group of 10-15 pre-school kids -- this is important to remember for later.

i got through the intro song of the set and started in on the mayor's "war on gangs," and the lausd budget cuts! i wasn't animated, i wasn't even aggressive during my rant, i just told it like it is... so, i said what i said, started into the next song, beach cruising. i got through the first verse, and started in on the second, "...it goes liquor store, church, liquor store, chicken shack..." i realized that phat didn't drop the beat when he was supposed to, so i just figured he fouled up and i kept going. about 4 bars in, my microphone went dead. i looked back at phat and said that they had cut us off. i looked to the stage manager, and she walked me off stage and told me that someone was going to "talk to me." i mean, i figured i got cut off because i went in on the mayor and my camp was ready for that. the woman who had made the decision to cut my mic off approached me with the swiftest of strides. "what happened?" i asked. "we're cutting you off because you used the 'n-word." i tried to explain to her that nowhere in my set do i use the word and if ever in my recent music (from barrel men to exact change) the word was used, it was to critique the word and challenge any word(s) of oppressive nature. she wasn't trying to hear me, ignored me and proceeded to tell the stage manager to bring on the next act. needless to say, once i realized that she was full of shit and wasn't going to listen to me, i began to raise my voice. i wall of people forced me behind the stage and phat and i walked off. pissed.

it's ironic that they would use THAT excuse to cut my set -- because cutting my set off for letting the mayor know how the majority of its citizen's feel is not good enough of a reason (not to mention unconstitutional) to shut me down, they chose to throw in a complete lie to justify it. what are you going to do?! i went to bat against the mayor's office, and he "walked" me. fine. we've been going back and forth with the organizers of the event about the incident, but the mayor's office refuses to chime in. so, kat wrote a letter on our camp's behalf (below). when given the opportunity to have a voice -- use it as though it were your last!

Dear Mayor’s Office,

We are writing this letter to address the censorship of Los Angeles-based artist and activist Bambu at the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month kickoff event which took place on the South Lawn of City Hall on Friday, April 24th 2009.

Bambu accepted an invitation by the planning committee to perform at this event, and donate his performance to celebrate Asian Pacific Heritage Month with the City of Los Angeles. After waiting in the wings for over two hours to perform, Bambu’s set was suddenly cut short, after two event committee members, who we were told are staffers of the Mayor’s office, incorrectly accused Bambu of using the “n-word” in his performance.

Through his music and community work Bambu has brought social issues affecting disenfranchised people in our city, and in our world, from the Filipino Veterans, gang violence, poverty, lack of educational resources, and more. Bambu is a youth community organizer who has taught youth writing workshops in Historic Filipinotown, and currently teaches after school writing workshops at Locke High School. One of his primary lessons to young people is to move beyond using “language of oppression” – such as using words like the ‘N-word’ - to empower themselves to utilize the vast lexicon of the English language to give voice to their experiences.

But the audience unfortunately was unable to experience what his fans and supporters have come to love about Bambu – his engaging performance, hip hop music with a positive community message – because two staffers made a terrible accusation.

Bambu did question the quality of education as well as the effectiveness of the Mayor’s gang solution program while onstage, just prior to starting his second song, which leaves us to wonder if this was the actual reason why he was censored. Everyone in this country is supposed to have the right to free speech and express their viewpoint. Bambu’s views may not have been that of the Mayor’s Office, but as a citizen of this Los Angeles, he has every right to express his views and not be censored.

We were told that the staffers believed they were trying to contain the event to be family-appropriate. We find this to be an excuse, as well as rather offensive to for the staffers to think that Bambu does not understand how to act appropriately. Bambu was well aware of the nature of the event, and has performed at numerous family events over the years. The young children at the front of the stage, who were not much older than Bambu’s own son, were enjoying his set. Bambu knows better than to use offensive language, especially in front of children.

It is very unfortunate that Bambu was unable to share his music at this event. It is also unfortunate that the Mayor is represented by these two staffers whose reactionary and short-sighted actions support censorship of a voice who speaks on behalf of Filipino and all inner city youth of Los Angeles.

Bambu will continue his work as a community organizer and hip hop artist. He will continue to raise his voice against injustice, and teach young people to raise their voices against injustice.

BAMBU
Artist

Katherine Carrido
Manager, BAMBU

...my homeboys from inglewood...

2009-05-07T16:12:00.000-07:00

Episode #4 Music Video Shuffle from Kristina Thomas on Vimeo.

...rest in power, al...

2009-05-04T10:59:00.001-07:00

al robles

on the morning of may 2nd, i spent my first waking hours doing the usual morning routine -- brushing my teeth, preparing my clothes for the day and reciting the lyrics that i would later perform at hip hop in the park (berkeley) and a show later on that evening for BRWN BFLO's album release in oakland. i got to a line in one of my newer verses that i was hoping to try out during one of my sets: "...al robles to the i-hotel, i don't budge..." that line was on repeat for no reason that entire morning. nothing prompted the 'rain-man' like repeating of that particular line, i just really liked it.

the day was wonderful. hip hop in the park produced a great turnout, despite mother nature deciding to take a shower, manny performed so well that we were left with plenty of time to enjoy the rest of the evening before our last show of the day and that show was a perfect cap to it all...

then, i woke up to my internet... i found out on may 3rd that al robles passed away the day before. this struck me in a very different way... a way that can only be described with a deep sigh. i met manong al at the beginning of my career as an artist, and my first conversation with him really changed the music i would make from that day on. i went to a workshop during a filipino-american national historical society (fahns) conference on the kearny street poets of san francisco. now, this came at the height of my journey exploring my heritage and trying to find my place as an artist -- this was the nitro-button that moved me into fast forward. al robles and his kearny street comrades spoke of their work in a community that had just begun to blossom right at the foot of the international hotel. after the workshop, i waited around to catch a moment with al and really just shake his hand and say, "thank you." instead, i got to sit down with al robles and just listen to his funny, sincere and sometimes sad stories about working as a cultural artist during such an explosive time in our history as asian americans. i would continue to see him when i traveled out to the bay area more and more, and everytime he'd see me, he'd make it a point to stop and chat -- and though we haven't seen each other in a good minute, i'm sure he knows that he's influenced me in my work beyond measure. he will be missed...

rest in power, al.
rest in power, bill.
rest in power, richard.

til' the wheels fall off... makibaka.

...dope, crack, fresh...

2009-04-30T09:33:00.000-07:00

...bay area - this saturday...

2009-04-29T10:45:00.000-07:00

this is going to be HELLA fun!

...then i'll take a break to catch the pacquiao vs. hatton fight -- then off to the homies' album release party!!!

come through, bay area! you won't be disappointed!

...lino brocka...

2009-04-28T10:33:00.000-07:00

thank geologic

...this guy...

2009-04-27T17:57:00.000-07:00

...2 dope boyz...

2009-04-24T13:40:00.000-07:00

listen to this exclusive joint phat produced for 2 dope boyz!

leave a comment!!!

...berkeley banging...

2009-04-23T09:57:00.000-07:00

this promises to be a good show! me and phat have some special stuff cooked up for this show, so please don't miss it! try getting there early as it does get packed! see you then!!!

...what a deal...

2009-04-21T10:50:00.000-07:00

if you're going to this big ass show on the 25th, you need to cop this combo pack RIGHT NOW!!! trust me, the bbq alone is worth double what beatrock is charging!

click on the picture to redirect to the bbq pack

...tonight at the cafe...

2009-04-21T10:05:00.001-07:00

...a little late for 4/20, but it wouldn't be complete without...

2009-04-20T23:03:00.000-07:00

...kababayan uci's pcn 2009...

2009-04-19T21:27:00.000-07:00

congrats to my sister, elysha and the rest of kababayan at the university of california irvine on a successful philippine cultural night!!! i really, really, really wish i could've been there to see it! *insert sad face

that's my sister, elysha, second from the left