The Liberator: Blog

A Philly Style celebration [event]

2010-02-08T14:01:00.007-05:00

This Friday, February 12th Live From the Planet Earth, and the city of Philadelphia... The Liberator Magazine presents Philly Style, the celebration. wsg/DJ Rocdaspot +Photography by Kalima Thomas +Chocolate Buffet At: Elena's Soul 4912 Baltimore Avenue 8pm-12am No Cover in conjunction...

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A Little While by Edwidge Danticat [haiti]

2010-02-07T15:06:00.001-05:00

Was gonna wait till Monday to share this. But football preparations can be set aside for a meditation so eloquent and touching. (SOURCE: New Yorker) A Little While by Edwidge Danticat My cousin Maxo has died. The house that I called home during my visits to Haiti collapsed on top of him. Maxo...

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The African Cities Reader

2010-02-06T15:00:00.000-05:00

African Centre for Cities & Chimurenga Magazine present The African Cities Reader #1 (read/rightclick+download): /////"In many senses African cities are amongst the most generative and vibrant places on the planet. Yet, we know next to nothing about what goes on in the places. Not that there is...

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Avatar: A Pop Culture Band-Aid in 3D

2010-02-06T14:58:00.000-05:00

{liberatormagazine.com exclusive feature} Avatar: A Pop Culture Band-Aid in 3D review by Angus McLinn, Liberator Mag Intern [Editor's note: Contains some mild spoilers] "Avatar," James Cameron’s special effects-laden box office hit, has garnered quite a bit of attention worldwide. It is now the...

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Dancehall Queen [film]

2010-02-06T12:37:00.003-05:00

(Watch in playlist mode)

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The Story of Cap & Trade

2010-02-06T02:26:00.000-05:00

This is an interesting film from Annie Leonard (the creator of "The Story of Stuff") that attempts to put the less talked about details of "Cap & Trade" environmental law proposals into a common sense perspective.

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Alice Walker: Goodbye to Howard Zinn

2010-02-04T12:24:00.004-05:00

(SOURCE: Boston Globe) On hearing the news of his death. Me: Howie, where did you go? Howie: What do you mean, where did I go? As soon as I died, I went back to Boston. I met Howard Zinn in 1961, my first year at Spelman College in Atlanta. He was the tall, rangy, good-looking professor that...

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BBC Radio 1: Essential Mixes (All of them!) [mp3]

2010-02-02T20:09:00.000-05:00

Essaywhuman?!!!??! Yes, this is true. BBC Radio 1: Essential Mixes (download them)

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An awkward interview with Nneka

2010-02-02T17:49:00.007-05:00

Nneka's beautiful U.S. debut album drops today: Concrete Jungle (she's also performing at S.O.B.'s tonight in New York for $15). Click the topic "Nneka" below to browse some of the free tracks we've shared with Liberator readers in the past. The lady has the magic in her as you'll glimpse in this...

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New tracks from Sade [+ video]

2010-02-01T03:09:00.003-05:00

Soldier Of Love (rightclick+download) Skin (rightclick+download) In Another Time (rightclick+download) Moon and the Sky (rightclick+download)

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Mos Def + K'naan on Austin City Limits

2010-02-01T02:42:00.002-05:00

PBS' music series Austin City Limits reserves an entire night for master emcees Mos Def and K'naan. Catch the entire episode below, including live performances and some high quality conversation-style interviews with both artists. Austin City Limits f. Mos Def + K'naan (watch full episode)

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Dolphin: Mono vs Stereo [ep/mix]

2010-02-01T02:34:00.001-05:00

Funky electronica. No one is f*ckin with D'Angelo. Or Steve Spacek either for that matter. But as far as young folk in the apprenticeship tradition Dolphin is puttin in some serious work, sincerely. I'll be sharing much more of his work in the coming weeks. After reaching out to him, he dropped a...

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"The Revival": Conversations with Roxanne Shante and Bahamadia on disillusion, family and re-emergence [short film]

2010-02-01T02:14:00.001-05:00

Life is a wonder. The human connection makes it wonderful. The American music entertainment industry has a proven, severely habitual history of riding talent until technology can enable sexual and violent appeal to overshadow it with either no profit decline or a profit increase. So it's no...

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Le Da Soul: 20 yrs of De La Soul remixed [ep/mix]

2010-02-01T02:13:00.000-05:00

Some of the hardest working folks in the underground "pay respects to the kings" over funky remixes of De La classics presented by mixtape masters Mick Boogie & Terry Urban. Features by Tanya Morgan, Homeboy Sandman, Phife Dawg, Talib Kweli, Asheru, Camp Lo, Tabi Bonney, Big Pooh, etc. Le Da Soul:...

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Hype! [film]

2010-02-01T02:10:00.000-05:00

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Graph Nobel: Something 2 Die 4 [ep/mix]

2010-02-01T02:01:00.000-05:00

Graph's raspy vocal tones are simply beautiful. Something 2 Die 4 (download it)

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On Beauty: Dawn Okoro [visual art]

2010-01-23T15:39:00.001-05:00

{"Saturday's Best" © Dawn Okoro} {liberatormagazine.com exclusive feature} While the next few issues of The Liberator are cooking, we'll be sharing snippets of our Visual Arts interviews and articles. For the full versions, be sure to subscribe to the magazine for $10 a year. (Less than the cover...

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"Slow-motion hypnosis": The Liberators [visual art]

2010-01-23T15:35:00.003-05:00

{liberatormagazine.com exclusive feature} While the next few issues of The Liberator are cooking, we'll be sharing snippets of our Visual Arts interviews and articles. For the full versions, be sure to subscribe to the magazine for $10 a year. (Less than the cover charge at most clubs!) Novelist....

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The Pharcyde Suzu [visual art]

2010-01-23T15:31:00.001-05:00

I received this audio slideshow in my inbox a few days ago and I couldn't be happier. Narrated by the photographer, Suzu, and Slimkid Tre of the legendary hip-hop group The Pharcyde, The Pharcyde Suzu traces the group's reunion and performances in Japan and at the Rock the Bells tour in...

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Liberator/Haiti fundraiser [Poet's Lounge: Jan 21]

2010-01-20T21:19:00.001-05:00

The Liberator Magazine is partnering with Inner Truth Collaborations to present a special one-year anniversary edition of Brooklyn's Poets Lounge Open Mic. There is a $5 cover, with all proceeds benefiting The Liberator Magazine. We're also collaborating with House of Art to collect donations for...

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What you're not hearing about Haiti (but should be)

2010-01-20T18:21:00.002-05:00

(SOURCE: Common Dreams) What You're Not Hearing about Haiti (But Should Be) by Carl Lindskoog In the hours following Haiti's devastating earthquake, CNN, the New York Times and other major news sources adopted a common interpretation for the severe destruction: the 7.0 earthquake was so...

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The ARE: Manipulated Marauders [ep/mix]

2010-01-20T17:51:00.000-05:00

A sweet sounding blend of A Tribe Called Quest remixes featuring production by The ARE. Definitely not your average remix project. It's no easy task to make ATCQ sound better than it already is. Manipulated Marauders (download it)

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Adult Swim/Beaterator: ATL RMX [ep/mix]

2010-01-20T17:50:00.000-05:00

It's ultimately a promo for a new Timbaland-inspired video game (Beaterator), but this free project features talented electronic production-folk like Flying Lotus, El-P, Hudson Mohawke, and Starkey remixing tracks from some of Atlanta's most popular hip-hop heroes (Cee-Lo, Lil Jon, Young Jeezy,...

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Frantz Fanon's "Black Skin White Masks" (Ch. 3) [finger on the page]

2010-01-20T17:40:00.000-05:00

{liberatormagazine.com exclusive feature} The goal of these posts will be to conduct a chapter-a-week close reading of Frantz Fanon's Black Skin, White Masks, while analyzing, summarizing, and dialoguing with the text to provide readers with a better understanding of this crucial contribution to...

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Haiti's Earthquake = France's Problem

2010-01-15T12:02:00.013-05:00

In Mumia Speaks. Haiti: The Power of History Mumia Abu Jamal states: "History is important, it teaches us why things are the way they are. It teaches not only about yesterday, but about today." While this might seem obvious, there is much to be discovered in this statement. Why are things the way...

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Haiti: Ways to Help

2010-01-14T14:58:00.006-05:00

© Ivanoh Demers/AP Here is a list of organizations accepting donations to assist the relief effort for earthquake survivors in Haiti. Also, be sure to follow these tips so you don't get scammed by fake charities. Donate to reputable organizations. I'll update this list as I get more information....

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Hayti: In Context

2010-01-14T12:32:00.010-05:00

Let the Ancestors Speak: From A Vindication of the Capacity of the Negro Race for Self-Government, and Civilized Progress, as Demonstrated by Historical Events of the Haytian Revolution; and the Subsequent Acts of that People Since Their National Independence James T. Holly (1857) "Our Brethren...

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The Corporation [film]

2010-01-07T22:30:00.002-05:00

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"New America Media"

2010-01-07T22:00:00.000-05:00

There aren't enough spaces where "free speech" connects with critical thinking and the issues affecting all people are explored equally. JR (Liberator contributor, also of blockreportradio.com) put me on to New America Media and the site seems a lot more balanced then most mainstream media outlets....

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The case of Myron Rolle [athleticism+academics]

2010-01-06T12:18:00.009-05:00

{liberatormagazine.com exclusive feature} “The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line,” wrote W.E.B. Dubois in 1903—a prophetic statement. I believe that the 21st century will be characterized by the paradigm shift (or the lack thereof) from individual achievement to...

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Black Star: "History" [video + mp3]

2010-01-06T10:43:00.000-05:00

History (rightclick+download)

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African Booty Scratcher [short film]

2010-01-06T08:04:00.004-05:00

Nikyatu Jusu, an up-and-coming filmmaker from Atlanta (born to Sierre Leonean immigrant parents), has crafted a lovely short film. African Booty Scratcher is a humorous, gorgeously shot meditation on culture clash and assimilation.

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Foreclosure forcing homeowners into shelters: One hardworking great-grandma's story

2010-01-02T20:28:00.000-05:00

{via Flickr} (SOURCE: NY Times) CLEVELAND — The first night after she surrendered her house to foreclosure, Sheri West endured the darkness in her Hyundai sedan. She parked in her old driveway, with her flower-print dresses and hats piled in boxes on the back seat, and three cherished houseplants...

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Style Wars [film]

2009-12-31T22:34:00.000-05:00

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Dr. Gerald Horne bibliography

2009-12-31T22:32:00.000-05:00

{Mau Mau in Harlem?: The U.S. and the Liberation of Kenya (2009)} Dr. Gerald Horne is certainly one of our most important scholars today, pioneering scholarly research in subject areas relevant to African folk that are otherwise neglected. Per Dr. Greg Carr's instruction to "read everything by...

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Dr. Greg Carr's Recommended Reading (#001)

2009-12-31T18:04:00.002-05:00

{Black Marxism by Cedric Robinson} Howard University Afro-American Studies Chairman Dr. Greg Carr is one of the most important living teachers in America. I am extremely excited to share this first collection of his recommended titles with you. It is titled "Dr. Greg Carr's Recommended Reading...

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Fred Hampton Jr. on Derrion Albert + Chi. politics

2009-12-31T11:40:00.002-05:00

{liberatormagazine.com exclusive feature} "Non-Independent People Don’t Make Independent Decisions": Chairman Fred Hampton Jr. Speaks on Derrion Albert, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and Media Propaganda (Part 1) Original Interview Date: October 13, 2009 Liberator Magazine: Could you tell us a...

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Portraits of Power [visual art]

2009-12-30T22:40:00.001-05:00

The commentary from Platon on his experience photographing world leaders ranges from hilarious, to insightful, to rather dull and unnecessary. I would suggest just looking at the photographs, taking in the expressions of these heads of state shown in uncomfortably close repose, and drawing your own...

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Nneka: "The Madness, Onye-Ala" [ep/mix]

2009-12-24T17:07:00.000-05:00

Nneka is some kind of wonderful. For those of you who have been hearing her singles around the web but have yet to purchase her album, and for those who have no idea who she is, J.Period has helped compile some remixes in this new free mixtape featuring verses from Nas, Talib Kweli, Jay...

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Studio visit with Emory Douglas [video]

2009-12-23T15:46:00.005-05:00

Studio visit with Emory Douglas of the Black Panthers conducted by the now closed bookstore Babylon Falling in SF.

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Lumumba: Africa's view on global climate talks

2009-12-23T13:47:00.001-05:00

"A deal that does not address the historical responsibilities of the world... is not a deal that is worth sealing. It is a deal that must be rejected." ~Lumumba Stanislaus Di-Aping, G77 (Global bloc of 134 developing nations; 80% of world population) ambassador to Copenhagen world climate...

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Dancehall Rock [Live From Planet Earth, MPLS!]

2009-12-20T20:13:00.003-05:00

{official liberator magazine event} The Liberator will be Live From Planet Earth in Minnesota, partying with DJs Omari Omari and Mix.well at Loring Pasta Bar on University Ave in Minneapolis. This Wednesday, December 23rd, come celebrate the release of Liberator 9.1. Complimentary copies, cheap...

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Michael Jackson: Thriller Demos [ep/mix]

2009-12-20T20:02:00.003-05:00

Imagine being in the studio when Mike was laying down rough vocals with colleagues over rough drafts of songs that would eventually end up on his classic Thriller album. Having trouble? Download this. Some will sound like completely new interpretations to you, others will hauntingly sound...

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J.Dilla + Jay-Z: Dilla vs Jigga [ep/mix]

2009-12-20T20:01:00.003-05:00

I almost slept on this because I was tired of Jay-Z mashups. Do not make that mistake. Hearing Jay fit seamlessly over classic Dilla tracks is an experience worth taking time out for. This is a worthwhile addition to your music collection. Dilla vs Jigga (download it)

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Daru: Spirit Drumz Chapter One [ep/mix + review]

2009-12-20T19:30:00.001-05:00

Staying true to his roots of spirituality and musical standpoint, Daru Jones introduces Spirit Drumz: Chapter One to us. A New York transplant hailing from Pittsburgh, Daru knew early that music was something he was going to incorporate into is lifestyle. With thanks to his weapon of choice in...

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"Riffing on the President's House" [dance]

2009-12-19T13:43:00.004-05:00

{liberatormagazine.com exclusive feature} The following performance art review was written and sent to me by Dr. Iya Adjua after she visited the recent "Riffing on the President's House" performance exhibition at the African American Museum in Philadelphia. A Dinner Party for Enslaved Africans?...

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Scratch [film]

2009-12-19T12:30:00.001-05:00

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Liberator Audio Transmission

2009-12-15T17:08:00.004-05:00

New "Keep It On The Download" tracks streaming in the sidebar on the blog, for your listening pleasure.

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The John Henrik Clarke-Cornell West Debate

2009-12-14T22:21:00.014-05:00

This discussion between Dr. John Henrik Clarke and Dr. Cornel West -- moderated by Dr. Gregory Carr -- deserves its own post. It was referenced during this Jazz and Justice Radio interview on the Politics of Cultural Memory. Much thanks to quince3800 for following up and providing the link. The...

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Frantz Fanon's "Black Skin, White Masks" (Ch. 2) [finger on the page]

2009-12-10T20:39:00.003-05:00