Hip Hop & Soul Artists Call for End of the Iraq War thru Music

Respect The Culture, LLC, a Philadelphia-based record label and multi-media company have released of a hip hop song calling for peace and the end to the U.S. war in Iraq. Hip hop artists Nex Millen/Retrospective and Poesh Wonder collaborated with soul songstress taragirl on the new single. The release comes just weeks before a heated Presidential primary between Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Clinton in Pennsylvania.

The song’s chorus requests that the "Commander in Chief" bring our troops home. Its verses tell the story of three people intimately involved with the Iraq war – a child whose mother is on active duty, a soldier fighting in Iraq and a grandmother concerned about her grandson’s interest in enlistment after having lost her son in the Gulf War. Throughout the song, the repeated cry is, "We’re just looking for peace Mr./Ms. President."

The song’s feature artist, Nex Millen, says, "We believe that hip hop culture has a voice in the Pennsylvania primary, other primaries and caucuses and in the general election. The song is an expression of the will of a majority of Americans, and I consider myself the ‘Hip Hop Super delegate.’"

"Music has always been an important aspect of American culture and a means of political expression. ‘Troop Song’ goes beyond mere politics and gets to the heart of the issues facing our troops, their families and our country-at-large," said Marci Krufka, the single’s Executive Producer.

"Troop Song (Cause Unknown)" is available for purchase via Itunes, cdbaby and other distribution outlets. A free stream of the song is available on www.myspace.com/troopsong . Free mp3 files of the song are available for download to the press upon request.

Respect The Culture released the following statement regarding Troop Song: "We support our troops in Iraq and throughout the world and thank them for their hard work, dedication and service as they preserve, protect and defend the United States. But after five years, the time to end the war is long overdue. For the sake of the troops, their families and friends, and the future of our country, we ask the President and Presidential candidates to please, ‘Bring Our Troops Home.’ Our country is at war. We can’t continue to ignore that our troops risk their lives every day. Nearly 4,000 U.S. troops have died and tens of thousands have been injured – not to mention all of the personal sacrifices that our military and their families have made for the sake of freedom. Tens of thousands of Iraqis have perished and continue to live with the repercussions of war daily. Yet our network news broadcasts begin nightly with politics and Hollywood antics, while updating us on the war in their last story, if at all, almost as an afterthought. Our cable news features political debates, celebrity interviews, financial news and sensational stories that get ratings. Most of us believe the war should end and our troops should come home as soon as possible."

Nex Millen/Retrospective is a Philadelphia-born hip hop artist, producer and DJ. He was a co-founder of Camden, New Jersey-based Breakbread Projects and a member the critically-acclaimed group Nuthouse. Millen has performed across the United States and throughout Europe and was the Music Coordinator for the Digable Planets 2005 Reunion Tour UK.  Formerly an engineer with Sony Studios (New York) and Sigma Sound Studios (Philadelphia) and Artist Development Representative for EMI/Capitol, he has released several recordings as an artist with former groups, produced numerous singles, albums and mix tapes for other artists and was the Music Supervisor for the very successful And1 B-ball mix tapes.

Poesh Wonder is a New Jersey-born hip hop artist. He has two solo albums, "Like This," and the recent release, "No You Haven’t And You Never Will Again (The Motion Picture). His current single, "Selectah" (El Chavo/Juno Records UK) was a featured release on Itunes Hip Hop. Poesh Wonder has made guest appearances numerous recordings including "Breakbread Radio," "Balance is Back," and "Almost Famous." His work has resulted in worldwide acclaim, resulting in featured appearances on "Historias De Q," the latest CD of Spanish hip hop phenom Quiroga and starring with Quiroga in the video for "Wah/Fuego en tu Interior."

"taragirl" is a Philadelphia-based soul artist. She has shared the stage with legendary artists, including Chaka Khan, Angie Stone, Jill Scott, Chrisette Michele, the Brand New Heavies, and Amy Winehouse. Her album, "The 26th Power," produced by Simon Illa, is currently available on Itunes.

Respect the Culture LLC is a Philadelphia-based record label and multimedia company – globalizing hip hop culture through music, fashion and art.

For more information contact Marci Krufka at Respect the Culture at 610-550-9705 or marci@respecttheculture.com  or see www.respecttheculture.com .

How the World Views America

For the past year, twenty-something Washington Post reporter Amar Bakshi has traveled across the globe talking to ordinary people of his generation — farmers, rebels, rappers, laborers — whose primary experience of the United States has been with George W. Bush at the helm.

What he found was eye-opening. Having just returned to the U.S. this month, Amar will offer some new perspectives on the texture of pro- and anti-Americanism at the local level.

Amar C. Bakshi is currently reporting for the online editions of The Washington Post and Newsweek, traveling around the world looking at how America impacts ordinary lives in a dozen countries. Before launching How the World Sees America, Amar worked with David Ignatius, Hal Straus, and Fareed Zakaria as the first editor of PostGlobal, an international affairs forum. His daily text and video dispatches from England, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, the Philippines, Korea, Venezuela and Mexico can be found at www.washingtonpost.com/america.

Check the shoutout to the Trinity Festival in the 37th minute!

African Hip Hop, Represent

On April 4^th, 5^th and 6^th, 2008, Africa is in the house. Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, presents the 3^rd annual Trinity International Hip-Hop Festival and – just like the first two – African hip hop is heavily represented among the performers.

The Trinity Festival was the brainchild of Trinity alum Magee McIlvaine, who blended international studies with hip hop and film. McIlvaine spent part of his undergraduate time studying in Senegal where he picked up an appreciation for the local hip hop flavor. Homegrown African artists often tend to speak on more political subjects and social injustice, while popular American artists continue to influence with their money, sex and violence ethos.

Chachi, an MC from the west African island nation of Cape Verde, describes hip hop in his homeland like this: “One of the biggest problems I see is identity crisis amongst youths and lack of proper role modeling. [T]he negative portrayal of hip hop culture and the over exposure of violence and materialism through media has a tremendous impact on society as a whole. The violence negatively inspires the youth to become overly aggressive and out of control. Cape Verde is traditionally a very respectful culture. The negative impact of gang culture and violently charged music is making the next generation of youth uncontrollable.”

McIlvine decided to bring this “hip hop with a purpose” to American audiences in 2006. With fellow student Jason Azevedo and Ben Herson, owner of African hip hop label Nomadic Wax Records, and backing from Trinity College, they staged the first hip hop festival in America with an international focus.

In its first two years, the Trinity festival brought in performers hailing from Kenya, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Uganda and Ethiopia. In 2008, they will highlight performers from Zimbabwe, Cape Verde, Senegal, Uganda and Ethiopia.

One of the performance headliners is Zimbabwe Legit. Band members Dumi Right and Akim came to America from Zimbabwe in the early 1990s and released an internationally acclaimed EP on record label Holllywood Basic. They recorded a full album in 1992 with production help from DJ Shadow and Mr. Lawnge (of Black Sheep) but due to label issues it was not released for 13 years. The 2005 album was a throwback to the golden age of hip hop and the group built on their success and released House of Stone in 2007 to excellent reviews.

Playing host of their year’s performances – and also performing himself on Friday night – is Ghana-born Blitz the Ambassador. Now residing in Brooklyn, Blitz seeks to being a conscious message to a mass audience. He has performed with Public Enemy, KRS-One, Rakim, Mos Def and Talib Kweli. He has been profiled in The Source, Vibe and named one of URB’s “Next 1000”. “Hip-Hop is political transformation by nature,” Blitz has said. “We are all transformed by the power it has to uplift our intellect and educate us on basic human and civic rights.”

A highlight of every festival has been the African Underground All-Stars. Nomadic Wax owner Ben Herson – also a producer, DJ and drummer – leads a live band that backs some of the most talented of African MCs. While the band remains mostly the same, African Underground performs shows with a variety of MCs from all over Africa. At the 2008 festival, African Underground will rock with Senegalese rappers Baye Musa and Azbac plus Krukid from Uganda. Krukid was part of 2007’s Rawkus 50, an elite group of amazing underground hip hop artists promoted by the newly re-launched Rawkus Records.

Four MCs representing the West African island nation of Cape Verde will rock together on Friday night. The quartet comprised of Shokanti, Tem Blessed, Chachi and Dje Dje all share a common African heritage and skills on the mic. These guys are not just performers but activists. Shokanti is the Director of Community Cultural Development at The Arts Council of Greater New Haven, Connecticut. Tem Blessed speaks with youth groups about positive living. Chachi addresses the common struggles of Cape Verdian and American youth.

Finally, playing for his second year in a row is Ethiopian-born, Seattle resident Gabriel Teodros along with his Dominican-Haitian partner Khingz Makoma forming the group Abyssinian Creole. The name is a melding of both of their ethnicities to form a unit that exhibits every aspect of them as individuals within an African Diaspora. The duo are a perfect compliment, Teodros’ spiritual approach to an often ugly world beside Khingz also spiritual, but more grimy street ethic.

The Trinity International Hip-Hop Festival will be held April 4, 5 and 6, 2008, at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. Daytime events include panel discussions, films and workshops. The musical performances will be held Friday and Saturday night from 8 pm to 2 am in the Vernon Social Center on campus. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, see www.trinityhiphop.org. 

Trust Your Hustle Tour of Central America

In 2006, the Trust Your Struggle Collective, a Bay Area group of grafitti artists and muralists, spent several weeks traveling and painting in Mexico and Central America. They dubbed their trip the Trust Your Hustle Tour. Check out the video.