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!


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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