Embassy Rehearasals

Was over at Soundclash studios the other night shooting the Embassy Emsemble rehearsal session for the show this saturday at 92YTRIBECA. I'm having a lot of fun putting together these video projects for Blitz.

Been taking on the shooting & editing role lately with a few different projects, even used the skills in my Summer School sessions, my kids put together some dope videos. I still gotta get those up to show ya'll. I guess I'm transitioning a lil bit. I'm still interested in putting together my own lil feature too. So watch out for that!

Check out this lil number, we shot this wed night and I edited it together for thursday night, Still a lil rough but we wanted to get it out to promote the show for tonight, Hope you guys can make it, its gonna be a really dope night! Plus FRESTHEIC TURNS 2 today, yea i'm a little amazed at that also. But I'm writing a whole separate special thing for that experience. Stay Tuned and let me know what you think about my editing techniques so far.

ON MY MIXTAPE SH*T

Had fun shooting this the other night at the MVMT office

FREE DOWNLOAD!!!!
Get the Official Blitz the Ambassador Mixtape
"ON MY MIXTAPE SH*T"
Download here!

Static Stereohead Spotted: AFRO PUNK

Just finished editing this the other night check it out!




be sure to visit http://blitztheambassador.com to hear more tracks and order the album!!!

America Eats It's Babies- Love you Michael

AMERICA EATS IT'S BABIES


Four years ago, I designed this t-shirt that I didn't really release or make a lot of, in fact I think I only made like 5 t-shirts with it. I kinda designed it to just to get it outta my system. I believe Michael was in a trail or something, It was June 2005. And it was in reaction to the media's and the public's BETRAYAL, not portrayal of this living legend.

"We wanted to consume this lil boy so much that we decided his childhood and innocence was collateral damage."

I Heard Tupac actually use that term "America Eats its Babies" in an interview after one of his many court hearings. And it was relating to the artist and celebrities that we build up and support. It was always interesting how as soon as they show they are human and make mistakes just like everyone else, we eat them alive. Michael Jackson had never really known a normal life, and we stole his childhood away from him for our entertainment. We parented this man. We loved him from the moment he stepped on the Ed Sullivan Show and let him into our hearts. We chased him everywhere he went, did not let him sleep, did not let him play with his friends, did not let him enjoy his beautiful life. We wanted to consume this lil boy so much that we decided his childhood and innocence was collateral damage.

It perplexed me how people could turn their back on him as soon as rumors and alleged charges were brought up against him. For once he needed us more than we needed him. We failed him. All his antics, trials and tribulations were not products of him, they were products of us. We are responsible for the man that he became. We were his support system and easily pulled that plug too many times in his life. Michael Loved children because he wanted them to be children, something he couldn't do. He wanted to live his childhood thru them.

We will never ever know the amount of depression, stress and anxiety we put this man thru.

This man did truly die of a broken heart.
The world mourns for this man and I have no idea how the soundtrack to our lives will continue without him. Every aspect of my life can be put against a Michael Jackson song. He is my namesake, my parents named me after him, I was born to thriller.

We as a society have put so much emphasis on being perfect that at the slight evidence of our children's mistakes, we scold and surround them with disappointment. Please let your children make mistakes. Please don't turn your back on them ever. You have no idea how strong the look of betrayal and disappointment can devastate a life.

Michael is not dead, he lives on in each of us, in every dance move, on every dance floor, in every melody, and in every lover...


"Won't you please let me back into your heart"
-Michael Jackson

“Love is stronger than death even though it can't stop death from happening, but no matter how hard death tries it can't separate people from love. It can't take away our memories either. In the end, life is stronger than death.”

Wheres Mars tees printed!!!

1SOUL MVMT on NBC

Homegirl Sallome representing with the brand new 1SOUL tee from the The Story of Right Hand, Left hand Collection.


Check out the Video here!!!
http://WheresMars.com

NBC Features “The Players” of Brooklyn Honors Spike Lee

Friday, June 19, 2009

Everyone in this city has a Spike Lee story, whether you’ve seen his films, watched him advocate for causes or watched him cheer on the Knicks. His influence has spread far and wide and Brooklyn thinks that’s cause for celebration.

To read the story online, click here.

Correspondent
Tracie Strahan

Featuring
Sallome Hralima, PlanIt Brooklyn, Creative Director for Brooklyn Honors Spike Lee
Rasu Jilani, coup d’etat Arts, Co-Curator for “We’ve Gotta Have It!: Art Inspired by Spike Lee”

Sallome’s Wardrobe Provided By
Mikey The Conscious Hustler

Opening 6.18.09: The Story of Right Hand, Left Hand

The Story of Right Hand, Left Hand: An Ode to "Do the Right Thing"

WAAAAAAAAAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP, UP YOU WAKE UP YOU WAKE UP YOU WAKE!!!!!

20 Years later, our social woes remain just as timely as this classic film from Spike Lee. This project is my attempt to bring light and discourse to the same issues that were at the foreground and background of this film and how the parallels and foshadows of a generation of "Love & Hate" has systematically had us battling for our communities and for the future of our colorful youth. Characters that have never died in our community like Buggin Out, Radio Raheem, Mookie, Smiley, Da Mayor, and Señor Love Daddy are given a more social comprhension to their symbolic meaning to us today.

Join us on June 18th for my first solo art exhibit which is also the Launch of a new MVMT and the most anticipated line from 1SOUL. A Soulcial art project.

-Michael Cordero aka Mikey the Conscious Hustler

Breathe Portraits

Was on the set of Blitz & The Embassy Ensemble's New Music Video for "Breathe". Was just hanging taking some behind the scenes flix, and I caught this light setup they had for the video off on the side, and just took advantage, grabbing people btwn takes and getting some dope portraits. Makes me wanna invest in my own lighting setup... soon.

check em'

More Inspiration

2008.1, originally uploaded by izolag.

Inspiration

2008.1, originally uploaded by izolag.

La Perla

So I guess this is the new video from Calle 13 which is filmed in La Perla, and for those of you who don't know La Perla, is the epicenter of HOOD in Puerto Rico. The Favela of PR. The funny thing is that its right next to the biggest tourist district in Puerto Rico, Viejo San Juan. This is where all the cruises dock, all the souvenir shops are, all the outlets, and its like the soho of Puerto Rico. I always found the dynamics of this area very interesting when growing up out there. My family would always fear mention of La Perla like it was some type of boogieman. I mean its kinda dangerous don't get me wrong, but its only dangerous when you act like your more valuable than the people who live there. Which quite essentially is like any hood in America. You see we people "of the slums" smell aristocracy like its the bad odor of spoiled milk, and we do what we can to push it away, always at the sacrifice of our human nature.

"...smell aristocracy like its the bad odor of spoiled milk.."

I remember going down there once in a car and there was like only one way to get down there in a car. You have to go thru this tunnel, and at the end of this tunnel there were all these hustlers with trays and trays of drugs and different marijuana. They just go up to your car and ask you what you want, cuz they dont know your car and they figure your only down there for one thing....drugs. It was a very interesting experience for me and I will never forget it. This sadness came over my heart cuz I couldn't comprehend how people can feel like they have no other choice. How have we as a society instilled this belief, like its a religion, on our youth and on our lower class.

So I was kinda glad to see this video and the way they show the bright side to La Perla, that people grow up here and and kids play in the streets and there is real community despite the bad "Public Relations" the area may have. Plus, Ruben Blades is in it and he is like the freaking man!


DECOLONIZE PUERTO RICO!

Trailer for Memorias de la UP

Check out the trailer I made for Memorias De La UP while in Colombia, on Imovie, with bad sound..lol, Don't trip Pablo, we made that shit hot!

Memorias de la UP trailer from MVMT on Vimeo.

On May 29, 1984, the Unión Patriótica (Patriotic Union) was constituted as a political movement during the peace associations between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the government under the presidency of Belisario Betancourt. During the negotiations the two parts agreed to establish a new political party that would have all the same guarantees as other parties. From the beginning, the party grew in popularity and won many political offices. In the years that came, systematic killings eliminated more than five thousand five hundred of its members.

Memoria Viva en Colombia

Hey folks writing to ya´ll from Cali, Colombia. I´m out here with Yoshi and Bounce from the TYS crew, and also the homie Pablo, who I am helping produce a series of mini docs on the political genocide of the Union Patrotica. Its a real dope project and I will fill you guys in on it a little more later . I´m real excited. Its my first time really editing a full series, so can´t wait to let ya´ll see it. Always wanted to get into production so i guess this is my chance, I will also be shooting some stuff next week. I´m helping them set up a website to distribute all this content from the doc series to the dope photography and murals. The Project is called Memoria Viva.

the weather is beautiful, the food is hella good, we are stayin at a dope pad by the river and around alot of nature.

halla atchu guys soon

the other Cali....COLOMBIA

FLIGHT IS BOOKED!!!!
Colombia Here I come!


View Larger Map

Going out to Cali, Colombia next month to visit my homie Yoshi from the Trust Your Struggle Crew, about two months ago, she hella just Picked up and left nyc, her stable job, and went down to Central & South America to just paint on the walls, Hella envy that. She's been getting up on a bunch of murals and linking up with different crews. Her and the Homie Pablo Serrano have been doing some dope work with some Organizations down there. From her blog it looks like she is living "THE GOOD LIFE" Check it out at: http://nomadictendency.blogspot.com/

CLICK ON PHOTO TO EXPAND:


They Say Cali, Colombia is like the Brooklyn of Colombia, So you know I had to test that statement out. So me and fellow crew member Miguel "Bounce" Perez will be linking up with her in Cali. She has a mural project going down there for like 3 weeks. I will disclose the details of this project soon. But it's gonna be reallly dope, I plan on helping them with some web development stuff while i'm down there, and Yoshi is trying to get me to throw down on some "muraling". I really can't wait and am over-excited about it. I'm trying to be documenting the trip with a few cameras, so I will try my best to make y'all feel like your there with me!

Wonway Posibul "The Push"

FREE MUSIC!!!
Check out this new track from my homie Wonway Posibul from the Bay.

As we head into South by Southwest week, I decided to give you a sneak peak from the homie/twitterellie DJ Whooligan's "40Love Mixtape" that he'll be giving away @ SXSW & the Winter Music Conference in Miami. This is a song the homie Wonway Posibul did for the mixtape called "The Push" produced by The Whooligan & featuring Thinkbeat Radio's own Dion Decibels on the rhythm scratch (& engineering too). The song was inspired by the recent situations going on with law enforcement & Wonway's own recent run in with Oakland's finest. Check it out & feel free to share or throw on your blog if you're feeling it.

Wonway Posibul "The Push"

DOWNLOAD http://www.divshare.com/download/6835459-d46

World Youth Project

Two days a week I teach a T-Shirt design after-school program at Grand Street Academy in Bushwick/Williamsburg. Here students create their own t-shirt brand which includes branding, marketing, promotion, production and selling of their own line of t-shirts which they design. Its a dope program with a bunch of dope students who I am really trying to educate about being entrepreneurs and owning they own businesses. Which is what I think is lacking in today's education system. There is too much focus on getting our youth to work for big companies and corporations.

I always refer to this Sam Greenlee quote who made "the Spook who sat by the door". In an interview he was talking bout minorities begging for crumbs off the white man's table and he said

"We ought to be about building our own tables and baking our own bread!"

That's is quote I live by and tell all my students. We need to OWN more. If we owned more I really believe we wouldn't be affected by this recessions and pseudo depression era.

We are on our second round of designs and this past week I did a photo shoot for my students. They designed and printed t-shirts around the theme of "My World". Photos are for ads and creating a online store with all the products they produced this semester.

Check out more photos on my Flickr

Supported by Urban Arts Partnership and the Leadership Program.

www.UrbanArts.org

Power to The People Youth Project

A few weeks ago Urban Arts Partnership and New Design High School produced a series of 4 Day intensive Workshops with students in grades 9-12. Teachers formed groups of 2 or 3 to co-teach a unique curriculum formulated on their artistic background and education background. I teamed up with Laura Rubin to teach a special Power to the People Poster Project.

The Project consisted of 3 case studies the students performed on Assata Shakur, Black Panther/Young Lords, and The Chicano Walkouts. A person, organization and event. Out of these case studies students were able to create inspirational posters. We created screens of the their designs and silkscreened posters in the class. We used the technique of Wheat pasting to take over a wall in the school.

Here are the flix from the Workshop.

PREREQUISITE in SF 1.30.09 1/2

Watch live video from MVMT TV on Justin.tv

Watch LIVE! TYS Screenprinting Youth Workshop @ Pueblo Nuevo

Watch live video from MVMT TV on Justin.tv

Dope poster from Laura