For lovers of urban art, the streets of New York City offer some of the freshest examples of contemporary work. Curated by legendary Bronx-bred graffiti artist, Cope2, Come Correct is where street aesthetic meets legal gallery walls. Put on your swagger and check out the latest crop of the international street art scene. The exhibition showcases works by several established street artisans, such as Claw, Fafi, Cope 2, T-Kid, Kaws, Indie and West One. Expect crowds, so make sure to reserve!

Opening Reception - April 3rd 2008
7:00 - 10:00pm
117 2nd Avenue, New York City.
RSVP only: comecorrectRSVP@gmail.com

For those of you who love contemporary art, the place to be this weekend is New York City’s extensive annual Art Fairs. Yesterday, I headed down to Chelsea’s Waterfront to first check out the Bridge Art Fair (The Waterfront; 222 12th Ave. & 269 11th Ave.), known for stellar shows of emerging contemporary art in London, Chicago, and Miami.

Marking the transition of Bridge from a national to an international art fair, this year’s spotlight is on never-before-seen contemporary work from Asia. Invited galleries are participating from Taipei, Singapore, Shanghai, Tokyo and elsewhere across the Pacific Rim.

One of the best showings was the Ark Galerie from Jakarta, Indonesia, which brought a brilliant installation by young Indonesian artist, Eko Nugroho (see image below). The Yogyakarta-based, politically savvy artist is known for his humorous visual commentaries on the socio-political tip and is at the forefront of a new generation of rebellious Indonesian artists who mark the departure from the gloomy, violent aesthetics that characterized the arts during the tumultuous 1980s and 90s in Indonesia.

Blending classic Chinese painting techniques with a 21st-century pop aesthetic, the works of Taiwan’s leading artist, J. C Kuo (Asian Art Center; Taiwan) were also remarkable. Given the focus on Asia, two pieces of Warhol’s Mao series were also on display. Sweet.

After feasting on the eye candies at the Bridge Art Fair, I also checked out the LA Art in New York fair (125 & 135 W. 18th St.). Here, I would highly recommend the collection of Roberts & Tilton and the Mary Goldman Gallery for an edgier, more daring collection of multimedia works. The Roberts & Tilton gallery featured, among others, a lovely piece by legendary street-artist Barry McGee, as well as representative work from LA’s thriving pop surrealist scene.

The exhibitions will run from March 27, 2008 through March 30, 2008.

“I heard “Sucker MC’s” for the first time. It was a wrap. I had to rhyme.” But for RepLife, a.k.a. Daniel Gray-Kontar, it has never just been about rhyming. He’s even tried to put down the mic and start new projects several times since his first engagement with rhyming on Cleveland’s streets at the age of 12.

An MC, poet, publisher, award-winning journalist for The Village Voice and The Source, youth mentor, and advocate for public education, RepLife belongs to the generation of musicians who actually walk the walk by being actively involved with improving the lives of underserved youth and fighting for social justice.

Lucky for us, RepLife’s childhood passion kept calling him back to the world of rhymes and music production. Since 2004, he has been busy recording his solo album — to which Belgian producer Cris Prolific has contributed a track –and working on other collaborative projects, appearing on a couple of songs on Montreal-based, nu-jazz producer Don-Ray’s forthcoming album, and is planning to release a joint EP with Mark de Clive-Lowe this year.

The hip hop, future soul, broken beat and nu-jazz culmination of RepLife’s solo efforts, The Unclosed Mind, released this week and is one of the most innovative musical projects of this year.

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With the demise of the major record industry’s omnipotence and the simultaneous explosion of independent music labels, underground music has begun to see an unprecedented renaissance. Online guerilla marketing tactics have allowed dynamic DIY artists to pave their way towards a well-deserved takeover, creating fresh new ways to experiment with music production.

The Politik, a project of UK’s lovely chanteuse Bembe Seque and cohort Mark de Clive-Lowe, is just such a phenomenon of subtly rewriting the way albums traditionally get to be produced. A familiar name in the US future soul/broken beat scene, Mark de Clive-Lowe is the musician and producer behind hundreds of collaborations with the likes of Omar, Platinum Pied Pipers, DJ Spinna, Dego, or Kenny Dope.

The Politik’s self-entitled debut album featuring a stellar line-up of guest producers and MCs, such as Blu, Bahamadia, repLife, Waajeed (Bling47), Daz I-Kue (Bugz in the Attic), and Jason Yarde, has already received critical acclaims and will no doubt be written into future musical lexicons as one of the foundational records of the growing future soul movement.

And here is the revolutionary twist they put on their first baby: the album is up for grabs for anyone who feels up for the challenge to redress it. Yes, that’s right, ya’ll are invited to participate in The Politik Remix Album & Artwork Competition. The deadline to submit your work is April 14, 2008.

The competition has two parts, you can either choose to remix any number of the tracks on the album and/or remaster the artwork for the cover. The competition will be judged by an impressive crew of judges, such as The Politik (Bembe Segue + Mark de Clive-Lowe), Benji B (Deviation 1xtra), Phil Asher (restless soul) and Afronaught (coopr8/Bugz in the Attic), and the winning remixes will be compiled into the upcoming official remix album. Don’t sleep on it!

Listen to the original album and download the tracks and artwork to be remixed here and link’em on myspace.

Ove a.k.a. Oveous Maximus’ life as a poet began with a tragedy of the worst kinds. When his only brother and a talented MC himself, Carlos “Ziiinc Blue” Salcedo decided to end his own life in 2003, Oveous found healing and inspiration in continuing where his brother left off.

Starting at the weekly open mic sessions of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York, in a matter of just a few years he had become the accomplished spoken word poet/MC his brother had always wanted to be, eventually starring as one of the four spoken word poets in the documentary, SPIT and collaborating with soulful house masters like Louie Vega, Osunlade, Boddhi Sattva, and Bradford James, his co-founding partner at S.E.E.D records.

Oveous has recently re-released his Oveous Maximus LIVE! 2.0 Album and has teamed up with his long-time friend “Al Be Back” (from Kanye West’s Graduation album) to work on a hip-hop project that aims to “challenge the status quo of what is expected from rappers and lyricist”, according to Ove.

“A lot of rappers that sell units can’t write. We’re trying to sell units too, but we ain’t trying to sacrifice the level of writing and creativity.”

This Saturday at Club Love in New York, check out Ove debuting his first single “I Apologize” (out on Yoruba Records in May) at the second year anniversary of the “One L’Ove Concert”.
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2008 is going to be a year full of treats for those of us who love classic East Coast hip-hop. The Roots are going to release their highly- anticipated record Rising Down in April, Q-Tip’s next solo album The Renaissance drops in June, and Talib Kweli has just released a free (!) new mixtape entitled MCEO. But the album I’ve been waiting on since I heard about it from the man himself last year is Pete Rock’s new album, NY’s Finest.

One of my favorite producers of all time, the legendary Soul Brother # 1 is known for his completely unique, immediately recognizable sound that arguably pioneered NYC hip-hop in the ’90s. His legacy is enormous. Ask Kanye West, Pharrel, Just Blaze, or Timbaland; they’re all indebted to the man for inspiration.

So four years after his last album, Soul Survivor II, we can finally get to taste the fruit of Pete Rock’s undying labor: a joint venture between Soul Survivor Records and NYC indie label Nature Sounds. The record features an intimidating line-up of hip-hop Wu Tang’s Raekwon and Masta Killa, Redman, D-Block, Dipset’s Jim Jones, Max B, Styles P, and Sheek Louch, among others. Satisfaction guaranteed.

For more free stuff, grabbing NY’s Finest at FYE stores for a little while also nets you a DVD of Kanye West, Pharrell, Timberland, DJ Premier, 9th Wonder, ?uestlove and more. Don’t sleep on it.

I wonder how many accomplished R&B or jazz singers are also able to sing opera in seven languages. A member of the illustrious Soulquarians posse along with Erykah Badu, Mos Def, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Q-Tip, and D’Angelo, Bilal has got skills to impress both opera fans and soul aficionados alike. With his incredible debut 1st Born Second (2001), the Philly-bred neo-soul singer has firmly established himself as one of the foremost R&B, neo-soul artists working in the industry today. While his highly anticipated, and much-delayed sophomore album, Love For Sale, has been forced into hibernation, Bilal kept himself busy lending his vocals to several neo-soul and hip hop artists’ projects, including Jay-Z, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and The Roots. He’s also appeared on Guru’s Jazzmatazz, Vol. 3: Street Soul, several of Common’s tracks (U, Black Maybe, The Sixth Sense, and the 2008 remake of The Light,) and has co-produced Erykah Badu’s acclaimed Mama’s Gun.

Now is the chance to get a taste of Bilal’s latest work at an exclusive performance at the Highline Ballroom on Saturday, March 8. Gracing the opening stage, sultry-voiced Seattle-based chanteuse, Choklate will bring the feminine vibe to this special event. Check here for details and ticket info. Hurry up, as tickets may sell out in advance!

Watching the Youtube video of Mos Def’s frustrated reaction to the absence of mainstream media coverage of the Jena 6 rally last September, I was thinking about the effectiveness of this relatively new media in getting the message out there. With its egalitarian, easy-access technology, Youtube is slowly revolutionizing the ways visual information is distributed, and people are beginning to use it effectively as a political tool. A case in point, the Jena rally clearly demonstrated just how closely the success of grassroots activism is intertwined with the support of the media. To have a voice means that you have to find a way to be heard - or nobody will listen.

To find out more about getting your voice out there, go check out the Fifth Annual NYC Grassroots Media Conference at Hunter College CUNY, hosted by the NYC Grassroots Media Coalition (NYCGMC). The conference theme – Speaking Truth to Power: MEDIA JUSTICE IN OUR COMMUNITIES – invites media makers and community organizers to discuss the idea of “Media Justice”, and to explore ways to implement it. Media justice activists will address a range of related issues, including under-representation, lack of access, racial bias, the connections between media justice and visual literacy, and the role of the arts, and complimentary strategies for making change on the streets of NYC. To register and find out more, click here.

Sunday March 2nd, 2008 9am–6pm
Hunter College, North Building, 68th Street and Lexington Ave. (Enter from street or directly from 6 train.)

If you miss the panels, you could still catch participants to network and build at the AFTER PARTY.

Mo’s Caribbean Bar and Grill
1454 2nd Ave. at 76th St.
6pm (1⁄2 off drinks after 7pm)

To counteract the alarming shortage of public art programs, these days women are taking matters into their own hands to make real and lasting changes in the lives of inner city youth. Let’s face it, most public schools are underfunded, teachers are underpaid, and students often feel underappreciated or straight-out neglected. Female artists with grassroots backgrounds recognize the importance of reaching out to kids. Reminding them that their voice matters, showing them that their dreams of becoming poets, MCs, visual artists, or performers can in fact translate into reality.

Renaissance woman and true revolutionista at heart, Caitlin Meissner is living her dream of being an artist on a mission. Spoken word poet, educator, and graphic designer by trade, Caitlin makes things happen. Building on her long standing involvement in activism, and her natural ability as a community builder, she has been successfully running the Lower Eastside Girls Club’s Saturday Performance Series. The series hope to fulfill two objectives, showcasing today’s hottest female poets, singers, and artists in an intimate, free-to-all setting while fulfilling the Girls Club’s mission dedicated to “build ethical, entrepreneurial, and environmental leadership” for the next generation of female movers and shakers.

Since its debut two years ago, the Saturday Series has achieved many goals “making the Girls Club Art+Community Gallery and Café a downtown cultural destination for a socially conscious audience, connecting girls from lower income families with working artists, poets and musicians through the ‘VIP Luncheon’ series before each performance, and providing entrepreneurial training opportunities to Girls Club members through the adjoining café and gift store”, Caitlin explains. Some of the amazing women to grace the series this season included Honey Larochelle, Pyeng Threadgill, The Piper Jane Project, Maya Azucena, Shelly Nicole’s Blakbushe, Erika Rose, HeaVy, and Tamar-Kali. If you missed out on their performances, you can listen to the podcasts of past shows here.

This Saturday, you can check out some of New York City’s dopest female acts: 2007 Grand Slam Champ of the Nuyorican Poets Café, Aja Monet, who has been a favorite of both spoken word devotees and Hip-Hop crowds alike, performing alongside singer-songwriter, Maritri, whose bittersweet lyrics over piano, cello and guitar will take you to an inner space for reflection. I suggest you go early as seats get filled rather fast. Did I mention it’s free? For more info and schedules, visit the Girls Club online, or email Caitlin Meissner for more info at development@girlsclub.org

For those of you who frequently associate the word ‘hunger’ with a craving for soulful nourishment, Hermann Deza aka Hermosdef, the Paris-born photographer with roots in Africa’s Ivory Coast brings a uniquely fresh visual aesthetic to the table. Imagine being hit by the smell of roasting spices, and burning charcoal after you’ve been starved for days. Yeah… that’s the kind of soul food he’s offering you. With rich tones and striking intensity, his fashion and music photography will no doubt feed your lust for something new. There is an unmistakably intimate quality to Hermosdef’s portraits, which clearly draw their power from his deep familiarity with the world his subjects live in. As one of the members of French Hip-hop crew, Jazzeffiq, he’s in fact an integral part of the world he documents.

Photographers working with living subjects must keep their awareness in the absolute moment. They have to be ready to take a slice out of a streaming sense of reality, a frozen image of life, that will be powerful enough to make a lasting trace on our memory. To be able to capture the most open and vulnerable moments of human expression, takes someone who is finely attuned to the subtle realm of emotions and has a deep love for his subjects. Hermosdef has clearly got what it takes. His portraits are fragments of many souls - raw and beautiful. Check’em at his website.