Check the latest Trinity festival Trailer by Trinity alum Magee McIlvaine!

Trinity Festival homie Hired Gun asked Italy’s DJ Nio to break it down about Italy and global hip hop.

Please tell the people a little bit about Dj Nio, how you came into the culture, and a quick description of where you are at currently?

I’m from Genoa (Genova), Italy, and I’m a dj, mc, producer and Hip-Hop Activist. I started spinning records and writing my first rap in 1993, after listening to Cypress Hill, Public Enemy and the very first Italian rap groups. I felt in love with Hip-Hop Culture and I started buying records, rapping, making “graffiti” and even b-boyin’ a little. As a dj, I’ve been performing everywhere in my city and in many other towns in Italy since 1996, and I’ve been part of or worked with a lot of groups such Zena Art Core, maybe one of the most important crew in our country. I founded my group, Zero Plastica, in 2001 with my man Lure and since then we made a record, hundred gigs and so many mixtapes… so much music! Actually we’re recording our 2nd cd, while I’m working also with NYC underground label Nomadic Wax and many great artists. In these months I’m working with Ben Herson on “Mo’Glo”, a show on 91.5 New York Radio, where basically I mix world wide rap and reggae music.

What is Triburbana? What is its importance to the hip hop community? Its importance to the community at large?

TribUrbana is a non-profit cultural association I found in 2006 with other hip-hop and reggae artists. Basically we promote Hip-Hop Culture and Reggae good values through events, records and workshops. We made the biggest hip-hop event in Liguria -our region- ever; and we had some very good workshops with teens and youth workers since last year, when Mr.B a.k.a. berlusconi’s government cut almost any kind of financial resources to social activities like these.

We kept on building anway, and now we have a new office and a new studio that is considered the best place to make a hip-hop or a reggae record in our city; plus, we’re planning some big events for 2010.

Give us from your perspective the state of the italian hip hop community? Is it unified? What are the styles/themes going on? How similar or different is it from the American hip hop scene from your view?

Actually, Italy is living one of its worst moment in its history, not only due to berlusoni’s dictatorshit, but also due to people who still believe him and his bullshit. The state of Italian Hip-Hop community reflects the greatest part of the Italian society and it’s a product of a fiction-propaganda going on in the last 30 years through mr.b’s medias: not only the HH heads, but all the Italian community has definitely never been so divided and confused as in this moment. Too many people here aren’t able to see the whole big pitcure we’re living because they’re focused just on themselves as they were into the “Big Brother” TV series; at the same way, Italian rap is basically about braggadocio style, battling, posing, or self-mental-masturbation, and when rap is a little bit conscious and speaks about social problems, it’s seen as “communist”, “populist” or ignorant definitions like these. I know it’s incomprehensible, but it’s like that: after I’ve been travelling so much world wide, I can sadly tell you Italy is the 3rd world of hip-hop. Yo, we had and has very good mainstream and underground rap too, anyway, but it’s so damn rare!

Any kind of comparison between Italian and American Hip-Hop should be inappropriate because here it’s often seen/lived not as a culture but as a fashion or a teen-agers hobby, while there in the U.S. it’s a mass phenomenon, obviously. Well, we def could laugh at that, telling Italian rap is like the worst American soccer team!!!

Can you give us a brief history of the italian hip hop scene? When did it start? Name a few pioneers?

Hip-Hop Culture went to Italy with films like “Wild Style” and “Beat Street” in the early 80’s. Some Old School pioneers were The Next One a.k.a. Maurizio, Emilio & Marcella (Battle Squad), Dj Enzo, Dj Gruff, Mc Shark, Ice One; some of them are still pretty active. In the first 90’s Italian Rap music became a little bit mainstream thanks to artists like Frankie Hi-NRG Mc, Articolo 31 and Sottotono, but maintaining deep roots with punk mentality and the “posse movement” born in squat social centers. Due to Eminem’s “8 Mile”, Italian medias and major labels revamped interests in rap music, but actually our music business is just “floating”, I guess.

Who are some of your personal influences in the culture?

I’ve been influenced by so many artists, dj’s, mc’s and producers! The list is too long, but If you need some American names I can say: Cypress Hill, Public Enemy, Tony Touch, the whole Native Tongues, Gangstarr, Nas, the Dungeon Family, Reflection Eternal, Common, dead prez, KRS One, Non-Phixion, Scarface, Rakim, Wu-Tang, etc. I’ve def been influenced by SensaSciou (that means “Out of breath”), the very first rap/raggamuffin group of my city, who where the first to rap and sing in Italian and in genovese dialect, in the first 90’s.

From your perspective what is the relationship between hip hop from around the globe and America?

Hip-Hop gives voice to people and has been saving so many guys and girls everywhere. U.S.A. are Hip-Hop’s father, but wherever you go around the globe you can see different and beautiful sons growing up! I think that in the beginning Hip-Hop is very tied to the Old School original values wherever it lands, but if and when come the money, any kind of problems follow. HH’s is a philosophy and a way of living, and everywhere there’re scientists and dumb folks, poets and prostitutes, if you know what i mean.

There’s a straight relationship between hip-hop and food, to me: although I’m Italian, I never eat pasta when I go abroad, I’m always looking for local and traditional cousine because I’m curious, I like to try different flavours; at the same way, I love when rap is mixed with local and traditional music, language, dialect and instruments!! That’s originality! That’s true Hip-Hop!!!

How does hip hop in Italy play a role in informing/educating the people on issues happening inside the state?

I wish it was like that! If any Italian mc’s spit a little about our reality, probably we wouldn’t have the mafia at the government!!! I know just some few artists that are pretty conscious and focused on concrete social issues, but unfortunatly they’re totally underground like me and Zero Plastica. Even if Chuck D said that “Rap is the Black CNN”, here it’s seems more an Italian comedy, a bad fiction, an horror b-movie… That’s why I love to deal with International Hip-Hop!

Besides your crew of course, who are some of the hip hop artists from Italy we should look out for?

Actually If you want to listen to some good Italian rap, you def have to hear Colle der Fomento, Tormento, Cor Veleno, Groovenauti, Assalti Frontali, Ghemon, Mistaman, Fabri Fibra; there’re also a lot of dope aerosol-artists, b-boys and dj’s -as the Scratch Busters, IDA World Champions 2009-.

The mixtape combined with the internet is an exciting phenomenon to me. Partially because it enables artists like myself to get music out directly to people who may have the opportunity to listen but also because I see it as the continuation of tradition. This might sound a little odd to some to put the mixtape in the storytelling tradition but bare with me for a moment.

Storytelling like other oral traditions are often based in the reinterpretation of thoughts and ideas. The stories our mothers told us are often the stories their mothers told them. Stories are re-adapted and reinterpreted to suite the teller and the audience. The idea of oral tradition is simple, conveying messages, ideas, news and expression by way of words and the expression of those words. Hip Hop obviously is not stranger to this idea, Hip Hop inspired an entire industry to begin sampling and in fact created an industry around sampling, beat making and DJing, all creative ways using technology to recreate and reinterpret something that already existed by manipulating it. Of course there is a constant debate about this process and whether it is “art” but that’s a topic for another day.

The mixtape (which these days is rarely if ever an actual cassette tape) is a fairly recent version of this idea of reinterpretation. When i was a teenager I used to make mixtapes. Back then a “mixtape” was more of a personal compilation of songs or songs from different artists on a particular theme. I used to make mixtapes on a regular basis. I would go to Sam the Record Man and by a new high quality blank cassette come home and organize my tapes, CDs and vinyl according to what my theme was. I had Hip Hop mixtapes, soul, jazz and tapes that were for a particular mood or occasion. When my boys came over there was a tape for that, when I was feeling down there was a tape for that and if a young lady was coming over, there was a tape for that too.

The mixtape has evolved though, it is something different now. It has become a tool for hip hop artists to reinterpret songs from their perspective, taking instrumentals from other artists (who now readily put them up on youtube and other places on the internet) and changing their meanings. In the last few years mixtapes have blown up not only as a creative outlet but also a means for promotion and with the freedom of communication afforded by the internet artists have been able to become well known in the mixtape world without being signed and without having an actual album out.

Artists these days have more freedom to create an audience for themselves then before, taking back power from the record companies that in large part have been exploiting artists from the birth of the recording industry. This and the other major change in the music industry, downloading, has been upsetting to an industry that isn’t quick to adapt to new things. Either way artists now have much more ability to build a direct relationship with their audience and be more independent (for better or worse) then ever before.

Love and Other Struggles (my latest) is the third and final installment of the September Nine mixtape series. Vol. 3 was created as an exploration idea and reality of love. Not simply romantic love (although that is a big part of the topic explored) but love of community, love in friendship, love of family and love of self. This mixtape is an attempt to express many sides of love and the ways in which we deal it. It is the last mixtape that I will be making before my album which I hope to release this summer (finally). See the links below to download Vol.3 Love & Other Struggles.

VOL. 3_ LOVE & OTHER STRUGGLES_ direct link
http://usershare.net/6×74ty5xt5e3

Jackie Reem Salloum is a New York based artist and filmmaker. Drawing on her

Palestinian and Syrian roots, her pop-infused work focuses on challenging the stereotypes

of Arabs in the media.

She has directed several shorts exploring this issue, including

Planet of the Arabs, which received the International Editing Award at the 2005

CinemaTexas Film Festival and was an official selection the 05’ Sundance Film

Festival. After receiving her MFA from New York University, Salloum began directing

her first feature length documentary Slingshot Hip Hop. Five years in the making it

made it’s premiere at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival-Documentary Competition.

Salloum’s work is also the basis of a youth education program on Palestine, and she

frequently speaks at universities and conferences internationally.

www.slingshothiphop.com

They say true love is a beautiful thing. True love that results in

hip-hop is a beautiful thing with a great soundtrack. The Reminders

have been making music for a while now, both individually and
together. In 2005, Big Samir began performing with Aja Black around
the midwest, sharing similar views on life, music and religion, they
decided to come together and work on a concept entitled The ReMINDers.

The sound is best described as “soulful” awareness and positivity
influence their lyrics, with a focus on harmonizing and bringing a
message. After a two year break to raise their children, they are back
with a powerful debut record “ReCollect” that will gain them a solid
position in the music world.

Aja Black, born in Hollis Queens (New York) Raise overseas, 27, sings
and raps on the record while Big Samir, born in Brussels (Belgium)
raised in Zaire, 28, occasionally flips back and forth from French to
English with a dope bilingual flow. The Couple-Duo is very busy
promoting positive vibes and great music for people of all ages in the
world to enjoy. For the past couple of years, they have acquired much
success by sharing stages with such artists as Fishbone, DeLaSoul, KRS
1, Dead Prez, Immortal Technique, Little Brother, Pharcyde, Talib
Kweli, Mos Def, K’naan and have also hit the road with Blackalicious
and OneBeLo.

www.myspace.com/theremindersfam

I was forced to leave Mozambique when I was only 1 year of age, me, my father, mother, and 2 sisters had very little time to plan due to the intensity of the civil war at the time.

Mozambique had gained its Independence from Portugal in June 25, 1975 but 2 yrs later another war kicked off between two Mozambican Political Parties Renamo and Frelimo.

Tell us about the situation that forced you to leave Mozambique. How old were you?

My parents had to react quickly by arranging for us to leave the country as soon as possible with very little clothe and no money, it must have been heartbreaking to see over 900,000 Mozambicans killed by the war and starvation, whilst over 5 million civilians were displaced.

About what time were you in Portugal and how did hip hop enter your life?

I was raised in Lisbon the Capital of Portugal until I was 10 yrs old, Hip Hop came into my life in the late 80’s and it affected us like a musical virus spreading throughout every Ghetto in my area, from How we dressed, to our haircuts to the songs we were rapping along to.

People of African Descent experienced a lot of racism in Portugal but when Hip Hop came, the tables turned and we started becoming the cool Kids, with the cool clothe, haircuts and dance moves.

I remember imitating rappers dance steps and attempting to rap along to their songs even though I couldn’t understand a word they were saying.

What brought you to London?

Due to the high level of racism in Portugal, I often saw my father having to work 18 hrs a day to put food on the table, even though he was the most qualified person to get some jobs he would never get them because he was black, so he was forced to work 2 jobs for most of the time and having to take a bunch of tablets to keep him awake when he was tired.

My parents divorced when i was 9 and because my mother wasn’t financially stabled at the time my father decided to take the children with him to London.

I read that your father was a singer. How did he influence you both as a young man and a musician?

My father has always been a fighter, seeing him struggle for most part of his life and still carry on is one of the biggest inspirations I’ve had. He is very supportive of what i do and i love him for that. In Mozambique he had his own band and even had many radio appearances, my mother also loved music so music was always a part of my household growing up.

You have been in several groups – Geneva Konvention , Blind Alphabetz – and also performed solo. Tell us about that history.

I have been part of so many groups, more than the ones you mentioned, unfortunately I’ve always felt most of the members didn’t see my vision and weren’t prepared to put in the work it requires for an artist to be successful so eventually i decided to go solo.

I’m still in contact with many of the members of my old groups and work very close to some of them BIG UP MY BOY MASIKAH!!!

I recently ran an article about you on World Hip Hop Market talking about you and Lines of Faith in a Jewish-Muslim duo. Tell us what that is about.

Lines of Faith is the 1st ever Muslim/ Jewish Hip Hop Super group in U.K, we usually perform with our 4 piece live band. We met through a mutual friend and respected scholar called Sheikh Michael Mumisa who is a professor in Cambridge University.

He felt me and Daniel were walking on parallel paths and had so much in common; we were both rappers, involved in youth work, and event organisers. We clicked from the first time we meet and that was it. Daniel has become one of my closest friends and we learn so much from one another.

Our music is a fusion of Islamic and Jewish concepts, with jazz, Hip Hop, reggae, funk and elements of rock. The direction of the project is focused on bringing the ancient traditions of both faiths alive in a way that highlights the common ground of the two communities as well as all humanity something that we feel very necessary in the current climate

The United Kingdom has a unique hip hop scene – diverse, influenced by many Diaspora and musical traditions. What do you see as the trajectory of UK hip hop for the future?

I guess the trajectory of Hip Hop in UK will depend on a few things such as the condition of its people because the music is always a reflection of the environment that is born in, so if the people feel angry or oppressed in any way you will hear that in the music.

As for the diversity of the sound I think it’s definitely becoming a lot vaster and now you have a wide range of various Hip Hop movements from the Afro Portuguese rappers to Arab rappers who rap in Arabic and English, sampling sounds from traditional music from their country, and for me that is beautiful because it allows you to express yourself in a way that you can connect with your own a community as well as a wider global community because music is a universal language.

I love your song “Road to Firdhouse”. Can you tell us who produced that song and what it’s speaking to?

The person who produced “Road to Firdhouse” is a very talented individual called TE1; he also produced another track on my new CD “Beyond Conflict” called Nefarious.

The title “Road to Firdhouse” was actually changed to Half My Deen which basically means half of my faith. The message of that song is to focus on the importance of marriage and is speaking to everyone who intends on getting married, everyone who doesn’t feel marriage is important but also empowering our women. (Special Shout out TO WIFEYYYYYYYYYYYY)

As Muslims we believe that a successful marriage becomes half of your faith because of many reasons, and the foundation to a good community is a strong family structure.

You were a founder of Rebel Muzik Arts foundation and you hold monthly cultural events. What’s the purpose behind those activities?

Rebel Muzik events were born from the necessity of a platform where people could express themselves in an artistic way, it has been a real blessing to see it grow monthly and to see all types of people from various ethnicities and faiths pass through and express themselves.

It also provides an alternative to the music we tend to watch in channels such as MTV, it is a grassroots event and what comes out of it is the true voice of the people.

What are your plans for upcoming projects, shows, etc?

I have just completed a new a new CD called Beyond Conflict which will be officially out in April it features some highly talented musicians from U.S such as M1 from Dead Prez and Sean Price from Boot Camp Click as well as some of the most respected names in England.

As for shows I have a U.S. tour in April and another one in England in late April/ early May. I’m also getting booked for some festivals across U.K and will be doing some stuff in Europe.

I’ve already working on my new project called Silent Lectures and recording with artists from Brazil to Norway.

Watch the space and check out my myspace page: www.myspace.com/mohammedyahya

How were you called to be hip hop artists?

Muneera: We were called when we realized that in our environment at the time there was really no reflection of us. Women of a certain sentiment who showed concern for world issues. But who were kool and down to earth at the same time.

How did you come together to form Poetic Pilgrimage?

Sukina: Muneera and I went to the same school and later became friends based on our love of knowledge, truth and music. This was about 10 years ago around that time the whole Neo Soul / Hip Hop movement was getting big and we were heavily influenced by people such as Common, Kweli, Mos Def, The Roots, Slum Villa and singers such as Jill Scott, EryKah, Amel Larrieux and others and this inspired us to start writing our own music. I initially had plans to be a singer but Hip Hop got the better of me so we decided to focus on Hip Hop and Spoken Word and officially formed Poetic Pilgrimage in the winter of 2002.

Tell us about the name Poetic Pilgrimage.

Muneera: We are a Hip Hop and spoken word duo hailing from the musical city of Bristol in the UK. Which is also home to Roni Size, Massive Attack and Portishead, Born to Caribbean parents, we now live in London and are pursuing our heART full time. We part run a night called Rebel “Muzik” which we are now in the process of extending it’s parameters into a non profit organization. We have been called by many taste makers for our fresh sound, intelligent lyrics and our fusion of different musical genres all within the spectrum of Hip Hop to illustrate freedom. a unmistakable element of our identity is the fact that we are Muslim.

Have you found it hard being Muslim female musicians?

Sukina: I believe that anybody who pursues a path that they love will encounter some kind of hardship, its just the way it is and it tests you as an individual to see if this path is definitely the one for you and we have definitely been tested. We have a very 50/50 response from the Muslim community. Some people love and celebrate our presence and are so grateful for female representation within a creative context others loathe what we do completely and I’ve found forums with 6 pages worth of criticism towards us! It’s hard but it makes you stronger.

Outside of the Muslim community the response has been very positive, I think because our perspective is new, unique, courageous but fresh and we make sure we give it our all and not ride of the fact that we’re girls with Hijaabs but we actually have skills to back it up.

What types of messages do you convey in your music?

Muneera: You will always find nuances of freedom and resistance in our Music. We try to speak on subjects that people can relate to regardless of color, sex, faith and all the other ism and schism people use to divide. Although we don’t shy away from the fact that we are black, female and Muslims, so it is only natural that these beautiful elements and plights will come out through our music. We try to speak for those who have no voice. Those whose stories may get missed or simply misrepresented. We make music it from our heart. So I guess you could call it Soul music.

You both have Jamaican roots. How does that influence you music?

Sukina: The spirit of resistance that you hear in our music is born out of the legacy of the African enslaved people in the America’s and our fight for freedom through music. Although we are not reggae artists we are heavily influenced by people such as Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Dennis Brown the Abbysinians plus many more who have used music to spread a message. Being Muslim women with a Jamaican backdrop had given us the courage and ability to use our music to fight for our rights because we are not caught up in other peoples cultural misogyny.

There seems to be a building Muslin hip hop community in the UK . Tell us about that.

Muneera: It is beautiful to see. There is some opposition to this growing community, but as Poetic Pilgrimage, we feel it is so essential for a community to define itself. With all the harassment that we face in this harsh islamophobic environment there is the need to express. Some of this tension is being let loose in the form of Hip Hop. It is undoubtedly some of the best social political music being made in the UK. Although we would not class ourselves as Islamic or Muslim Rappers, we are an instrumental part of this community and proud to see our Brothers and Sisters, defining and creating a culture.

What are you looking forward to performing in America ?

Sukina: I’m so excited about coming to the U.S but i’m also a little bit nervous! America is the home of Hip Hop so it’s amazing to be able to return to the land where Hip Hop originated with our representation of what Hip Hop means to us, I just hope we’re well received. Nomadic Wax have worked so hard to get us shows in the East Coast so we are really blessed but I think the most exciting think for me is to be able to perform on the same bill as K’Naan, I am his biggest fan so that for me is a blessing.

Why do you think the Trinity International Hip-Hop Festival is important to hip hop and, specifically, groups such as yours?

Muneera: On so many levels I think Trinity is essential to Hip Hop and groups such as us. Hip Hop can be seen as an American export, but it has now touched the globe made babies and has full grown children in every part of the world. A side from sounding good it communicates the plight of people all around the world and gives that expression that is often neglected. This in turn creates awareness and unity so now I feel the plight of my brother or sister in Gambia or Poland. Hip Hop has become an exchange of cultures and identity equating to fresh perspectives, authenticity and longevity.

What can we expect from you educational workshop/talk?

Sukina: I’m unsure exactly how we’ll structure it but it will definitely be along the lines of Women/Identity/Faith and Music.

Tell us a little about your backgrounds and how you got into hip hop and spoken word.

Ruby: I started off as a writer, engaged in writings from poets like Langston Hughes. When I reached college, my passion for poetry grew alongside my newfound social and political awareness, and spoken word was the perfect medium to bridge those two vital elements together. I was introduced to spoken word during my first year in college when I met Adriel, and we formed iLL-Lit in 2001.

Adriel: I got into hip-hop right before Pac died, which was a really crazy experience…because here I was as an early teen in the late 90’s, with everyone dancing around in shiny suits and getting jiggy with it.  Don’t get me wrong…it was fun and I loved it, but still I had some distant memory of things being different, and of hip-hop being something that I could relate to on a deeper level than exploding Benzes and shit.  Then the Roots came out with "Things Fall Apart," and the Black Star album right after, which introduced me to a whole other scene which at the time was considered "experimental." That sense made me feel like it was okay to create stuff that I could relate to, rather than fitting a mold.  Spoken word came around shortly and I fell in love and haven’t stopped since.

Dahlak:   My older brother got me into hip-hop when I was like 11. When I was about 12 or 13, I decided that I didn’t want to be just a spectator. I started writing, freestyling, and performing as much as I could.  I really developed my skills in my teens.  So when I started to hear about spoken word when I was 17, it just fit me perfectly.  I been doing both ever since.

Nico: I started writing young.  I would watch my older cousin freestyle and wanna be down.  The turning point for me though, was eighth grade when aquemini dropped.  We use to have school wide talent shows and I would always imagine myself spittin big boi’s verse on "skew it on the bar-b". I been trying to do that ever since, in a sense.

How did you all come together to form iLL-Literacy?

Ruby: We wanted to create a forum for artists on our campus, UC Davis, so we formed iLL-Literacy, where, during our peak, we swelled to a 15 person collective. After we graduated, Adriel, Dahlak, and myself were the ones who decided to take it on and carry it through as a profession. When we met Nico through YouthSpeaks, a spoken word non-profit we were all involved in, the cipher was complete. It’s been history every since.

How do you see hip hop and spoken word intersecting?

Dahlak: I don’t look at them as seperate things.  To me, spoken word is inherently hip-hop.  It’s an extension of hip-hop.  An "unofficial" element.

Adriel: I actually see spoken word as its own entity, but definitely a close relative to hip-hop (but in the same way that jazz and afrobeat are…no more, no less).  Spoken word and hip-hop require instant and aggressive affirmation from an audience, and I think that’s pretty unique to the genres.  Recently with Def Poetry and artists like Saul Williams and Ursula Rucker it’s apparent that the two have been naturally grouped together.  But at the same time you see Saul venturing into rock, and George Clinton was playing around with spoken word as far back as the late 60’s, so spoken word has definitely been infiltrating different mediums of music long before its pairing with hip-hop.

You’re a very diverse group. Tell us about your heritage/backgrounds.

Ruby: Yes, we are! Our diversity in our backgrounds is what I’m one of the things I’m most proud of – our diversity offers people a wide spectrum of perspectives that would not normally be heard all at once, and our solidarity stands for a united struggle. Adriel is Chinese, Dahlak’s parents
are from Trinidad and Eritrea, Nico is Black and Chinese, and I’m Filipina and Chinese. So as you can see, we definitely have a lot of history rooted in different places in the world. We do our best to offer our audience our view points coming from where we are from.

Adriel: Yeah, ethnically there’s a bit of a spectrum, and I think it speaks to a lot of people, especially in this country where most people don’t live in a strictly black and white world anymore.  At the same time, I think people are actually drawn to how suprisingly similar we are…we were all raised in northern California, and being on the road much, we’ve all picked up everyone else’s mannerisms.  Like before Dahlak looked sideways at sushi and now he goes off to get some when the rest of us are getting pizza…and Nico’s pants have lost much of their bagginess…and I catch myself doing everyone’s facial expressions.  And Ruby used to go to sleep whenever the rest of us would do our "Illmatic vs. Reasonable Doubt" debates, now she’s got more Jay-Z references in her poems than the rest of the us combined.

Where have you all traveled to perform? What have been the most exciting places?

Ruby: All over the country, mostly in college/university circuits. The big cities: NY, Atlanta, LA, Bay, Seattle, Chicago, Philly, but also states like Vermont, Virginia, Alabama, who don’t normally see very many Black and Asian people interacting. My favorite destination however, is hands down, Paris, France. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to perform in the Philippines someday soon too.

Nico:  I would just add, touring mostly in the college circuit, I always have the most fun in small towns and cities I’ve never heard of.  The experience is always new, and each pocket of the country has its own culture for us to learn.

What has been the response to your performances outside the USA? Was that surprising to you?

Dahlak:  I was surprised by how much they understood some things I was saying and how much they didn’t understand other things.  Really helped me to shape my perception of my American identity.  My black identity.

Adriel: I went to the UK this past summer kind of on a quest…I had heard that spoken word was given more room to "breathe" over there because hip-hop isn’t as big and therefore the two genres aren’t categorized together.  And getting out to London definitely proved that to be true.  There were poets out there that were deeply influenced by jazz, garage, and even heavy metal!  It worked out really nicely though…I got to see a bunch of different styles that I had never imagined before, and the style that I have and that I thought EVERYONE was used to was new to the folks out there.

What can we expect from an iLL-Literacy performance?

Ruby: Interactive, head noddin, spoken word poetry in dialogue with, NOT talking to the audience. iLL-Literacy’s style is unique in that we fuse elements of poetry, hip hop theater, stand up comedy, and music in our sets, so we keep it moving and bouncing. We approach serious issues in an
angle that makes it more accessible by using conversational tones, humor, but also intensity and vulnerability. We aim to keep everyone engaged and present.

Dahlak:  Edu-tainment!

Nico:  Like whoa.

Adriel: Honestly, I don’t even know what to expect!  Within the past year we’ve developed from doing open mic-style rotation sets to off-Broadway theater productions to wannabe acapella hip-hop-styled poetry sets to full-length music sets with a full funk band.  We’re always trying to figure out how to do new shit…next week Nico might call us up and say he wants to start using lasers and mermaids, and at the following show you’ll probably see it happen.

What issues are important to you and do you weave into your lyrics/poems?

Ruby: I write from the heart, so a lot of what I write is introspective and reflective. I take the big picture and find how I, as a 24 year old Filipina American woman who lives, laughs, loves, hurts, and grows can fit into the world. I write a lot of love, of self-growth, concepts of beauty, gender inequality.

Dahlak:  When I write for a spoken word perfomance, the themes are very socially charged.  My music is more personal to me.  I aim my music at the heart and my poetry at the head.

Nico:  My starting place is family, although much of that writing doesn’t make it into spoken word performances.  Most of my poetry attempts to unpack social and political issues of the immediate now, mostly for myself and largely unsuccessfully.  Also, in one way or another, I always come back to the disposable quality of black life in America and the world. That’s poetry, my music on the other hand is sometimes more "ignint". Holla.

Where do you find your inspiration?

Ruby: From reading books, from music. I’m currently influenced by Janelle Monae, Outkast, MIA, Santogold, and always by Stevie Wonder and Mary J.Blige. I also find myself blessed to be friends with all my favorite artists – I’m more influenced by my friends’ work than anyone else, truthfully. I know their art on a more personal level, so the inspiration hits harder. I have an amazing community!

Dahlak:  I find my inspiration from the people I want to reach. My friends inspire me to write about my experiences in Sac. Bill O’Reilly inspires me to communicate something to white people who think he makes sense.

Nico: I eat music like I eat coffee. Need ‘em both. Beyond most legal stimulants and Lil Wayne, I find myself constantly inspired by the people I want to reach and learn from (like Dahlak) and the small community of writers, students, educators, and artists I belong to.

Adriel: Music from other people that I wish I had made. 

What are your future goals, plans, aspirations?

Ruby: I want to pursue a career in television, as a VJ, where I can reach a wider audience through art, fashion, and music. I want to be an example of a true heartfelt artist reclaiming art and music amidst all of the polluted noise we find in popular media. I am also looking forward to finishing and releasing my very first book, Miss Universe, do out later this year, and most importantly, to reach youth, spark change, take part in the movement, build progress with my community, and represent hella, hella hard for Filipino people worldwide!

Dahlak:  To continue to make beautiful art with beautiful people. Maybe spark a couple of minds in the meantime…

Nico:  If I could get some of those, that’d be great. My future plans for the now though, do it moving, maybe put out a mixtape, and if I’m lucky, perhaps begin a national dialogue that recognizes the commonality in struggles for liberation across liberation struggles. Shadidi.

Adriel: Mainly, I want to make Asian kids feel cool. And for everyone else, I just want to keep on coming out with work that people have never seen or heard…never even imagined.  But I want it to be hot, and not go over peoples’ heads. But hey, we’re SPOKEN WORD artists so we thrive completely on engaging in conversation with the people, which keeps us grounded.  I want to destroy that whole concept of poets being super-abstract and off in their own world…that’s when stuff starts being difficult to understand, and as a result difficult to feel. I mean, I definitely want to be off in some other world but I’m trying to take as many as you mothafuckas with me.

For all the real dope on iLL-Literacy, check out www.ill-literacy.com.

Just as hip hop reached out to the world in the 80s and 90s, the world has taken hip hop and is reaching back into America. The influence of non-American hip hop culture is evident and celebrated is music, film and activism. The Global Underground Film and Music Mini Fest will celebrate this international spirit in an all day/all night day global hip hop event on April 26, 2008, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan that will last from 2 PM to 2 AM.

From global hip hop label Nomadic Wax and sponsor World Hip Hop Market, the Global Underground Film and Music event will celebrate world culture and positive hip hop with film screenings drawn from the global Diaspora. The films will be shown from 2:00 PM until about 9:00 PM at The Performance Project at University Settlement, 184 Eldridge Street, New York, NY. This event is free and open to the public. Free wine will be served from 5 PM – 9 PM.

The films shown will include:

African Underground: Democracy in Dakar (Follows the controversial 2007 elections in Senegal from the perspective of youth and Hip Hop artists)

Puedo Hablar (Following the 2006 presidential elections in Venezuela)

Diamonds in The Rough (A group of young people from Uganda use Hip Hop to spread their revolutionary message of hope and change.)

Chocolate City (Explores the rapid gentrification of Washington, DC, through the eyes of a group of local women displaced from their city center homes to make way for massive reconstruction)

Love Bites (Film adaptation of an absurdist play Benign Eleven exploring American society’s issues and the reasons behind the 9/11 attacks)

Estilo Hip-Hop (Hip Hop in Latin America as a voice and an agent of social change)

African Underground: Democracy in Paris (The attitudes and concerns of France’s immigrant and Hip Hop communities during the elections of 2007)

Nomadic Wax will then host the official Global Underground after party at Drom, 85 Avenue A (between 5th and 6th), New York, NY. The live music event will feature MCs, DJ and live percussionists from countries including, Senegal, Mexico, Brazil, Sierra Leone and more. The performance will begin at 10:00 pm. Entrance to the after party will be $10 to the public or $5 for those who attended the free film event.

For more information, contact Ben Herson ben@nomadicwax.com.

Sponsors Include: Nomadic Wax, World Hip Hop Market, Sol Productions, The Performance Project, Drom, Lima Chips, Annansi Clothing, Kamhuri Wear, Zol Lab, H2A, Fusicology.

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.