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Bryce DETROIT @ I Do Mind Dying: Live Action Mixtape (VIDEO)

Posted on July 20, 2015

Bryce DETROIT performed “CHOKWE” at Emergence’s “I Do Mind Dying” event last Summer. The song is a powerful dedication to recently gained ancestor Chokwe Lumumba. Learn more about Chokwe Lumumba, a born and raised Detroiter who went on to found the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, and become the mayor of Jackson, Mississippi in this remembrance from Democracy Now!.

This video of Bryce DETROIT is produced by Emergence Media, filmed and edited by Tim Jagielo.

Bryce reclaims the name and turns it into a verb in this beautiful homage:

CHOKWE: definition

1.) [noun] one who demonstrates self-leadership in spiritual/emotional growth, for personal and community empowerment and development.

2.) the attribute, characteristic, or quality of self-determined, pro-active personal & community leadership.

3.) to behave (personally and interpersonally) with the highest degree of spiritual and moral integrity, while working in benefit of self and community.

Emergence presented the "I Do Mind Dying" Live Action Mixtape on July 19, 2014 at Detroit's New Center Park. The event was hosted by and featured performances from Invincible, Miz Korona, and Tunde Olaniran.

About Bryce DETROIT

BRYCE DETROIT is a Record producer, entertainment justice activist, performing artist and native Detroiter. He grows communities and new economies as president of Detroit Recordings Company, member of Oakland Avenue Artists Coalition, and Director of Community Relations for Cass Corridor Commons.

Connect with Bryce

Listen on SoundCloud

Listen on BandCamp

Like on Facebook

ADDITIONAL MUSICIANS FEATURED IN VIDEO

Gayelynn McKinney (drums)
Ibrahim Jones (bass)
Tony Gordon (keys)
C Sharpe and Detroit Urban Stringz (string section)
DJ Los (turntables)

DON’T MISS OUR NEXT EVENT!

“Emergence Media and Dirt Tech Reck presents…Alright!”
Thursday July 30th 6-9pm at New Center Park in Detroit
Free. All ages. Wheelchair accessible.

Insite The Riot @ I Do Mind Dying: Live Action Mixtape (VIDEO)

Posted on July 20, 2015

Insite The Riot performed “The Riot” at the “I Do Mind Dying” event last Summer. “The Riot” is a theme song for her multidimensional approach to music and work in the community. She will be performing at New York’s legendary Nuyorican Poets Cafe in August along with Nique Rhodes as part of the Riots and Revolutions concert series. She has also started a new t-shirt line with Detroit emcee and poet DS Sense called “On My Detroit Everything”.

This video of Insite The Riot is produced by Emergence Media, filmed and edited by Tim Jagielo.

Emergence presented the "I Do Mind Dying" Live Action Mixtape on July 19, 2014 at Detroit's New Center Park. The event was hosted by and featured performances from Invincible, Miz Korona, and Tunde Olaniran.

About Insite The Riot

Insite The Riot is an artist, speaker, change agent and the founder of New Heights, an edutainment company that promotes perseverance, expanding self-awareness and overcoming limited thinking with hip hop as the primary platform. Highly regarded for her engaging and inspiring performances, Insite The R.I.O.T is a play on words meaning to Insite the Revolution In Our Thinking. Through affirming messaging, her work seeks to impact the audience’s perception of our individual and collective worth and potential by inspiring and encouraging people to reach for new heights. Insite has engaged dynamic and diverse audiences through performances, workshop facilitation and speaking engagements. To date she has independently released two music projects, Away With Words EP and Away With Words Mixtape. She is currently recording her latest project which is scheduled for release in the summer of 2015.

Additional Musicians Featured in the Video

Gayelynn McKinney (drums)
Ibrahim Jones (bass)
Tony Gordon (keys)
C Sharpe and Detroit Urban Stringz (string section)
DJ Los (turntables)

CONNECT WITH INSITE THE RIOT

Insite The Riot Website

Like on Facebook

Follow on Twitter

Listen on Bandcamp

Photo courtesy of Stephen Boyle

Don’t Miss Our Next Event

“Emergence Media and Dirt Tech Reck presents…Alright!”
Thursday July 30th 6-9pm at New Center Park in Detroit
Free. All ages. Wheelchair accessible.

Tawana Honeycomb Petty @ I Do Mind Dying: Live Action Mixtape (VIDEO)

Posted on July 17, 2015

Tawana Honeycomb Petty performed her piece “Heal Detroit” at the "I Do Mind Dying: Live Action Mixtape" last summer.

This piece embodies her deep commitment to community-led movement building in Detroit, specifically through her work with the Detroit People’s Water Board and Detroiters Resisting Emergency Management.

This video of Tawana Honeycomb Petty is produced by Emergence Media, filmed and edited by Tim Jagielo.

Emergence presented the "I Do Mind Dying" Live Action Mixtape on July 19, 2014 at Detroit's New Center Park. The event was hosted by and featured performances from Invincible, Miz Korona, and Tunde Olaniran.

About Tawana

Tawana Petty is a mother, organizer, author and poet. She is a past recipient of the Spirit of Detroit Award, Women Creating Caring Communities Award, Women of Substance Award and was recognized as one of Who's Who in Black Detroit in 2013 and 2015. Her work has been featured in magazines and newspapers and she has been a featured on several radio and television programs. Tawana has performed at many prominent events across the globe, including for Broadside Press -- the nation's oldest African American publishing house.

She is the author of Introducing Honeycomb, published in 2011 and is currently working to release her second book by early 2016.

Check out Upcoming Performances

July 21: The ADA Legacy Project Tour. Eastern Market, Detroit.

August 1: 3rd Annual Sidewalk Festival of Performing Arts

August 1 (7:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.): UAW Region 1 performance, 23345 Pinewood St, Warren, MI 48091.

August 8 (7:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.): The Soul Collective of Collaborative Arts. 32905 Grand River Ave, Farmington, MI

Additional Musicians Featured in the Video

Gayelynn McKinney (drums)
Ibrahim Jones (bass)
Tony Gordon (keys)
C Sharpe and Detroit Urban Stringz (string section)
DJ Los (turntables)

Connect with Tawana Honeycomb Petty

Website

Like on Facebook

Follow on Twitter

Don't Miss Our Next Event!

“Emergence Media and Dirt Tech Reck presents…Alright!”
Thursday July 30th 6-9pm at New Center Park in Detroit
Free. All ages. Wheelchair accessible.

Will See @ I Do Mind Dying: Live Action Mixtape (VIDEO)

Posted on July 17, 2015

Check out Will See performing “Take tha House Back”, his dedication to communities fighting evictions and mass foreclosures in Detroit. This song is extremely timely, considering the hundreds of thousands of Detroiters who are currently facing displacement. Will’s call to “Take tha House Back” comes as Quicken Loans mogul Dan Gilbert faces federal charges for inequitable loaning practices, even while benefiting from the image he crafted for himself as the benevolent savior of the city and eliminator of of blight.

Will’s music uplifts the Detroit spirit of resistance, resilience, and land reclamation in the face of these challenges.

This video of Will See video is produced by Emergence Media, filmed and edited by Tim Jagielo.

Emergence presented the "I Do Mind Dying" Live Action Mixtape on July 19, 2014 at Detroit's New Center Park. The event was hosted by and featured performances from Invincible, Miz Korona, and Tunde Olaniran.

ABOUT WILL SEE

Will See is an organizer and cultural worker from Detroit. An MC, spoken word poet, performance artist, and cultural organizer he has flowed throughout the Midwest with the Long Hairz Collective and is featured on their CDs Dreadlocks and Pony Tales, and Burning. He works as East Michigan Environmental Action Council (EMEAC)'s Climate Justice Director. He is one of the founding members of the D.Blair Theater Space and LightBox Youth Media Productions in the space of the Cass Corridor Commons. Will See dropped his first solo hip-hop CD "The Basics" includes Environmental Justice anthems such as "Water Power", "Take tha House Back", and "Respiration" and is available here. His second project is a spiritual mixtape called SOL SWGGR found here.

ADDITIONAL MUSICIANS FEATURED IN VIDEO

Gayelynn McKinney (drums)
Ibrahim Jones (bass)
Tony Gordon (keys)
C Sharpe and Detroit Urban Stringz (string section)
DJ Los (turntables)

CONNECT WITH WILL SEE

Like on Facebook

Follow on Twitter

DON’T MISS OUR NEXT EVENT!

“Emergence Media and Dirt Tech Reck presents…Alright!”
Thursday July 30th 6-9pm at New Center Park in Detroit
Free. All ages. Wheelchair accessible.

JULY 30: "Alright!" at New Center Park

Posted on July 17, 2015

Emergence Media and Dirt Tech Reck are joining forces to present another unforgettable summer event, which will take place July 30th at New Center Park. Alright! is titled after this Church Boy Lou gem (produced by Jeedo X and featuring Paul Randolph):

According to Jeedo, “Alright!” celebrates the resilience and perseverance of Detroiters in the face of so much displacement, erasure, and state violence. It’s also the way many Detroiters greet one another on the street: “Alright”. It is a sign of affirmation and dignity that is uplifted through the frequencies in the music.

This magnificent night will feature a Church Boy Lou and gospel house inspired set by Jeedo, along with special guest vocalists Ideeyah and Steffanie Christi’an. Wes Taylor and L05 will provide original visuals. One Custom City will run screenprinting and button-making stations for attendees to leave with their own custom pieces. Detroit harpist Zena Addae will open up the night with her soothing sounds. The whole night will be hosted by Emani Love and ill weaver.

And did we mention the whole night is FREE and all ages???

RSVP on Facebook

Emergence Media and Dirt Tech Reck presents: Alright!

A celebration Detroiters’ resilience and perseverance
Thursday, July 30, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
New Center Park, Detroit.

Featuring:
Jeedo X
with special guests Ideeyah and Steffanie Christi’an

Live Projections:
L05
Wes Taylor

Hosted by:
ill weaver
Emani Love

Interactive screen printing and button making by One Custom City

EmergenceMedia.org
DirtTechReck.com

Throwback Thursday: “Perfectionists” by Invincible featuring Helixx C.

Posted on July 09, 2015

“Perfectionists” from Invincible’s Last Warning mixtape

Live performance of “Perfectionists” by the Anomolies at the 2008 Allied Media Conference (jump to 6:02, here)

This song (which thanks to a well known plagiarizer was recently featured in Time, Gawker, Entertainment Weekly, Colorlines, Complex, and many other publications) is one of Invincible’s earliest recordings, written and performed in collaboration with Helixx C, and produced by Supa Dav West.

“Perfectionists” was created in 1999, and performed heavily since by the Anomolies crew – a gender-justice hip-hop collective, which in addition to Invincible and Helixx includes Pri the Honeydark, Big Tara, and DJ Kuttin Kandi. After passing on a deal to put the single out as a 12” with Rawkus records, Invincible then leaked the single as part of the Lyricist Lounge’s Underground Airplay mixtape, and eventually self-released it as part of their mixtape: Last Warning.

Since the song has resurfaced and gone viral, there has been outdated misinformation spread about the crew. Kuttin Kandi posted this to clarify any misconceptions:

Anomolies originally started off as an “all female Hip Hop” collective back in 1995 with over 26 members. In the last few years, we have evolved to be inclusive to being a gender justice collective. So, we don’t appreciate the assumptions and the misgendering of any of our crew members. We came together to create a safe space for ourselves within Hip Hop so that we can be all that we are and do what we love without having to worry about ridicule, judgement and overall oppression that many of us so often receive within many patriarchal-dominated Hip Hop spaces.

Here’s how the anchor members of the Anomolies remain active today:

Invincible co-founded Emergence Media and continues to stay active in social justice movement building in Detroit. They are also a member of Complex Movements who are touring their multimedia installation performance work and releasing new music this year. (Invincible now goes by the pronouns they/them and identifies as gender non-conforming).

Pri the Honeydark is currently a photographer, carpenter and set designer. She is owner of Playhouse Pin-Up Photography, Honeydark Studios and founder of The Female Producers Association. Pri is planning a music release within the coming year.

Big Tara is an international teaching artist, fitness specialist and freelance writer. She is founder of Urban Warrior Chic and is engaged in many projects with her two other crews MAWU and Heartbreakerz. Big Tara has new music, international events and video projects in the works for Summer 2015.

Helixx C Armageddon has been a media industry professional for more than 12 years and is working on releasing an album in 2016.

DJ Kuttin Kandi is a writer, pop-culture and political critical-thinking essayist and contributes to several blogs and anthologies. She currently works within student affairs in higher education specializing in programming and provides various lectures on diversity, gender and sexuality, race, disability justice, Hip Hop, Feminism and beyond.

Little Animal @ I Do Mind Dying: Live Action Mixtape (VIDEO)

Posted on July 06, 2015

Little Animal performed “Hands Move Slow” at the I Do Mind Dying: Live Action Mixtape last summer, with a variety of YouTube cat videos prowling on the projections behind them – Rachelle, the vocalist/lyricist, is a big fan of our feline friends. Event co-host Tunde Olaniran had this to say about the dynamic duo and their innovative work:

Probably the cutest couple I've ever met. Lead singer Rachelle is like an anime character come to life, with an always surprisingly-powerful wail of a voice and left-of-center songwriting. Nick's production is expansive and atmospheric one moment then deeply danceable the next. They've filled a vacuum in the music scene here; I'm addicted to their sound!

This video of Little Animal is produced by Emergence Media, filmed and edited by Tim Jagielo.

ABOUT LITTLE ANIMAL

Little Animal emerged from Detroit's indie music scene in 2013, with a beguiling mix of vocalist and writer Rachelle Baker's quirky yet powerful vocals and producer Nick Morrow's dreamy, experimental take on electronic RnB that the duo coined "Ghost Dance." The pair's dark, post-drum and bass, sexy sound immediately caught the ear of tastemakers in Detroit, landing them a spot at 2013 Dally in The Alley and drawing comparisons from Bjork and Little Dragon to Sade. Baker brings her background in performance and art design to bear on her engaging live performance, while Morrow's drums keep hips moving. Little Animal is aiming their sights on the very heart and guts of the dancefloor.

ADDITIONAL MUSICIANS FEATURED IN VIDEO

Gayelynn McKinney (drums)
Ibrahim Jones (bass)
Tony Gordon (keys)
C Sharpe and Detroit Urban Stringz (string section)
DJ Los (turntables)