PHASE 2’s Party Flyers
- By u.net
- Aug 02, 2019
In the South Bronx in the 1970s, hip-hop culture was just beginning to form at large musical gatherings called jams. In abandoned buildings packed with people, a group of DJs developed techniques like sampling, breakbeats, scratching, cutting, and backspinning. But news of a jam didn’t spread by word of mouth [...]
From Prodigy to KDot
- By u.net
- Aug 01, 2019
Legendary photographer Estevan Oriol has taken more than a half-million photos throughout a career that has spanned over 25 years. The legendary photographer sat down with us to talk about his most iconic shots.
Born at Saint John’s hospital in Santa Monica, Estevan Oriol, a Mexican-American photographer and music video director, [...]
DO THE RIGHT THING
- By u.net
- Jul 03, 2019
Spike Lee’s third feature, “Do the Right Thing,” returns to movie theatres this weekend in honor of the thirtieth anniversary of its release. Lee dedicated the movie, in the end credits, to the families of Eleanor Bumpurs, Michael Griffith, Arthur Miller, Edmund Perry, Yvonne Smallwood, and Michael Stewart—six black people, five [...]
PROJECT SURREALISM
- By u.net
- Jul 03, 2019
As a season of 1990s cinema kicks off at BFI Southbank, we look back at the suburban landscapes of Mathieu Kassovitz’s vital portrait of the Paris suburbs
Mathieu Kassovitz’s award-winning drama, La Haine (1995), follows a day in the life of three young men from immigrant families in a poverty-stricken Paris suburb. Fizzing [...]
FIGHT THE POWER
- By u.net
- Jul 03, 2019
In the first episode of Ava DuVernay’s Netflix drama When They See Us, a couple of dozen black teenagers pour into Central Park on the night of 19 April, 1989. Five of them will end up spending years in jail for a rape they didn’t commit, but for now they’re [...]
How Gil Scott-Heron made way for a generation of rap revolutionaries
- By u.net
- Apr 11, 2019
Even if you’re not familiar with Gil Scott-Heron, it’s likely you’ve unknowingly encountered his work in some form. The late artist’s poeticisms have taken on a life beyond their architect, from his extensive sampling in hip hop music, to cover versions like soul singer Leon Bridges’ recent resurrection of “Whitey On The Moon” [...]
Kurt Cobain’s Undying Influence on modern Hip Hop
- By u.net
- Apr 01, 2019
In 2019, rappers idolize Kurt Cobain more than they idolize rap legends. The art form has been heavily influenced by SoundCloud rap; a subgenre which makes use of DIY aesthetics and shrill vocals—decades after Nirvana mastered those qualities without really caring to. Many of its stars see Cobain as an [...]
The Self-Destruction Video
- By u.net
- Jan 25, 2019
From AmbrosiaforHeads - In the late 1980s, Rap music had a problem. At the time the genre was exploding with national and overseas tours, incidents were taking place at some of those concerts that were smearing the reputation of the Hip-Hop culture. As the safety of show-goers was a significant concern, [...]
Angela Davis Speaks Out
- By u.net
- Jan 12, 2019
In a Democracy Now! exclusive, legendary activist and scholar Angela Davis speaks out after the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute rescinded a human rights award for her, reportedly due to her activism for Palestinian rights. In September, the institute announced that it would award Davis the Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights [...]
From Beyoncé to Sorry to Bother You.
- By u.net
- Dec 22, 2018
THE GUARDIAN ///// From psychedelic sketch shows to far-out satire, black artists are expressing the absurdity of life in a racist society by embracing the disturbing and bizarre. ////// There he was, dangling into the void. Sinking, arms outstretched, helplessly clawing at the air. Jordan Peele’s satirical horror Get Out [...]