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So who is DJ Rob Stacks? We took some time to find out.

http://www.djrobstacks.com/

MVRemix: For those that are now hearing about you for the first time, tell us about yourself.

DJ Rob Stacks: Well I am DJ Rob Stacks. Member of the Future Star DJs and the Derrty DJ. Born and raised in VA. I been DJing since 1999 and other than my family music is my life.

MVRemix: How did you first get into DJ’ing?

DJ Rob Stacks: I got into DJ’ing as a Freshman in college. I was hosting a weekly campus radio show and working as a college rep for a couple record labels. One day, they needed someone to spin at a listening party and I stepped up. From there, I flipped my student loan money and bought some equipment, kept perfecting my skills, and the events kept coming.

MVRemix: Which DJ’s inspired you?

DJ Rob Stacks: I would have to say Ron G, Kid Capri, and DJ Clue.

MVRemix: Was there a particular song or mix that brought you in?

DJ Rob Stacks: I like the fact that Ron G and Capri were party DJs but at the same time they had skills. Blending, Scratching, and they could control the mic at the same time. I liked Clue because he always had the newest music.

MVRemix: Which turntables do you usually use?

DJ Rob Stacks: I have two Technics 1210′s that I carry with me when I DJ, and 2 Technics 1200′s that I keep at the house.

MVRemix: Any mixer preferences?

DJ Rob Stacks: I don’t have a particular mixer preference. It just has to have the right feel- layout, features, the faders, etc. I do try to stay away from certain brands however. My three mixers I have now are made by Stanton, Denon, and Vestax.

MVRemix: Describe the ideal show.

DJ Rob Stacks: I usually start off or warm up to some old school hip hop, then I go to some exclusives or up tempo R &B. After that I go to reggae to get the ladies on the floor. After that it just depends on the crowd or what kind of mood I’m in. I have so much music on my hard drive so I can pretty much go in any direction.

MVRemix: Any location you prefer performing at?

DJ Rob Stacks: I like DJ’ing at places where the majority of people are ages 25-35. When you got this age group you can really go deep in your records. A lot of times people 18-21 get stuck on whats hot at the time. They are however more apt to new music and party hard.

MVRemix: You refer to yourself as “VA’s Hottest DJ,” what’s this based upon?

DJ Rob Stacks: Depending on where you travel in VA the music tastes differ. I can say that because I have DJ’ed in the biggest cities and clubs and the smallest country-est places too. and I rocked. I can honestly say that there aren’t too many DJs that can move a crowd like I can.

MVRemix: DJ’ing has changed a lot over the years. Is a CD-DJ a real DJ in your eyes?

DJ Rob Stacks: It just depends. I seen some dudes get busy on CD’s. Its just not my thing. I know how it is to carry heavy ass record crates and go hunting for exclusive records, white labels, and throwbacks. Technology just makes it too easy for someone to call themselves a DJ. You buy some type of CD set up, put all of CD’s and bootlegs in a case, and now you’re a DJ overnight.

MVRemix: Do you prefer vinyl or have you moved along with the trends and gone with Scratch or Serato?

DJ Rob Stacks: I been using Serato with my turntables for close to 3 years now. I still have my records though. I like Serato because you can have all of your music in one place and not have to carry 5-10 crates to club. At the end of the day It’s a no brainer.

MVRemix: Tell me about the scene in Richmond, VA. Where should I head for the best nights?

DJ Rob Stacks: Wherever I am of course. Seriously though Richmond has clubs for all taste. I would recommend After 6, the Paradise Lounge, or the Martini Kitchen for those thats looking to party with a mature crowd with good looking women.

MVRemix: What are you currently working on?

DJ Rob Stacks: My main projects are my mixshow “Got Stacks Radio” and pushing my artist Jewlybonz. Other than that just spinning at weekly events, and kicking it with my family.

MVRemix: What separates you from other DJ’s? Why should I opt to listen to your sets above others?

DJ Rob Stacks: The thing that separates me from other DJs is that I am the total package. Some DJs can scratch, some can blend, and anybody can play whatevers on the radio. To me DJ’ing is an art, and every night I try to paint the perfect picture. Some people don’t realize how important the DJ is as a part of our lives. Think about how many couples and children there are that were created because a DJ was doing his thing that night. That’s what I do. I’ma take you on a ride for four hours while cutting, mixing, and playing the hottest songs you’ve heard and need to hear at the right time, all while being my own hype man.

MVRemix: Have fun with this one, a la “Fight Club” – “If you could fight any celebrity, who would you fight”?

DJ Rob Stacks: George Bush… Does he count?

MVRemix: Would you win?

DJ Rob Stacks: Well hell yeah! [laughs]

MVRemix: Do you have any non musical aspirations?

DJ Rob Stacks: To be the best parent to my son Kian and my daughter that’s on the way.

MVRemix: What next do we have to look forward to from you?

DJ Rob Stacks: I’m working on a few things but I will keep them under wraps for now. Let just say big thangs.

MVRemix: Any last words?

DJ Rob Stacks: I just want to say thanks for the interview and to the world don’t settle. If you in a club and the DJ wack slap the shit out of em. Just kidding. For the hottest mixshow on the check out Got Stacks Radio on RadioNHB.com and the6fm.com and be on the look out for my artist Jewlybonz. Shout to all the Future Star DJs and the Derrty DJs across the globe.

Who are Fame and Chizz? MVExpose took some time to talk with them to find out…

To hear more of their music, head to www.myspace.com/FameandChizz

MVRemix: For those that are now hearing about you for the first time, tell us about yourself.

Fame: Well we are Fame & Chizz ya dig! Fame hailing from Bed Stuy, Brooklyn and Chizz repping that Jamaica Queens. We are indeed the illest duo out right now, hands down.

MVRemix: How did the names Fame and Chizz come about?

Chizz: It was basic and to the point. He is Fame and I am Chizz. We could have spent all day thinking of a name of a group but nothing describes who we are better than our artist names. It shows two different people combining styles to generate something new and something hot.

MVRemix: Do you feel because of your New York locations, your styles contrast?

Chizz: I feel they do at times. I feel that every borough in NY has their own style. You can look at some dudes and know exactly where they are from simply because of how they are dressed. That comes out in our music also. There are certain things that I may rap about because of what I was exposed to in my hood and the same goes with Fame. To the untrained eye, we may appear the same, but our cultures are somewhat different in my opinion. All in all, when we get on that mic or hop on the stage we compliment one another. The haters hate it, the real people love it.

MVRemix: What is it about the New York sound that the world loves so much?

Fame: I think its just that rawness, originality, hunger and passion that is instilled in every NY rapper. I mean if you can make it in NY you can make it anywhere! I mean after all Hip Hop was born in NY.

MVRemix: How does living in New York shape your attitude towards music, art and culture in general?

Chizz: I think that living in NY made me understand the business in a different way. I believe if you are a artist in NY, no matter how talented you are, you aren’t going to be able to cause an impact lyrically unless you go see the rest of the world and come encounter with other cities and their cultures. If I stayed in NY my whole life and didn’t travel I think my songs and lyrics would be bland. When I spit I talk about things to inspire people in the hood to find a way to get out of the hood to go see it. Broaden their horizon. We have traveled all over the place and have found out that every city has their own style.

MVRemix: You’ve both interned with some major labels, what did you learn whilst under Roc-A-Fella and Ruff Ryders?

Chizz: When I worked at Ruff Ryders under Mimi and G-Roc, I learned the importance of promotion. Being that I worked in the office I learned how they ran a label and how to conduct business. I had the advantage at learning this at a young age because I was only 16. In addition to that I had the opportunity to go to the video shoots and gain access to the VIP and listening parties. This showed me the process of starting and completing a project. There are certain steps you have to take to promote and have the best possible outcome. Working at Ruff Ryders showed those steps, and gave me a glance at the good life…

Fame: Under the Roc-A-Fella umbrella I learned timing is everything. You never want to wait too long to execute your next move but you always plan strategic in your moves. Watching Jay[-Z], Dame and Biggs run the Roc was phenomenal. I was glad to see firsthand what really goes on at a successful record label.

MVRemix: You were originally known as The Commission, why the name change?

Chizz: There were a few reasons. When we went on the road with the name “The Commission” people didn’t give us any slack about it. We would go tear down shows and do what we do. However some of the people that were around in the original Commission era didn’t like that we had the name and were going places with it. Some people took it as if we were trying to disrespect B.I.G. That wasn’t the case, “The Commission” never had their chance to shine because of the devastating loss of B.I.G., and no one decided to link up with Jay and make that happen. So we decided to do it, because we were a hot duo. We had a sit down with Jean Nelson, he is a A&R at Atlantic Records, he basically co-signed that the name wouldn’t fly and we couldn’t get it trademarked to own the name. So we basically changed it to Fame & Chizz, something that is ours and something we could own legally.

MVRemix: Does Hip Hop and Rap today leave you jaded, or inspired?

Fame: I think it is a little bit of both. Hip Hop has changed so much from the time that it inspired me and Chizz until now. We still feel inspired because music is in our Bones like for real. There is not a day I wake up and don’t think about a beat, a hook or some bars… Jaded because the industry as a whole has changed so much and shut so many things out. Its like its not about what matters anymore and that’s the music. Its a game of relationships nowadays.

MVRemix: What are you currently working on?

Chizz: Right now we are working on this movie, I am not entitled to share too much information about it, but you better believe its going to be crazy. I would like for everyone to keep an ear and eye out for it and when you see the preview of that movie saying “Starring Fame & Chizz” make you support it. We are also pushing this new single called “Get Off”… Some know it as “Get Off My Dick,” or “Get Off My Tip.” It is becoming more and more popular in the clubs, so listen out for it. If you don’t hear make sure you have a conversation with the DJ.

MVRemix: If I’m coming to a Fame & Chizz show. What is it that I’m going to experience that I wont experience simply from listening to your material on CD?

Fame: Wow. If your coming to a Fame & Chizz show expect to see the most energy you ever saw in your life. Chizz rhymes with such a swagger that will have you hooked from beginning to end. If you can keep up with Fame’s energetic marches and bounces across stage you might b aight. Basically at any of our college shows expect to see flocks of girls huddled at the stage going crazy. And if we are at a NY show you are sure to see the thugs nodding to agreement of our lyrics. From the CD you can hear the distinct passion and reality in our voices on all records.

MVRemix: Any new videos planned?

Chizz: We recently went down to Virginia to shoot the video for “Get Off”. The shoot was about 15 hours long. We were exhausted after it was completed. We recently seen a preview of it and it looks bananas. I know the public will be pleased with this one. Everyone get ready to start requesting this video.

MVRemix: What separates you from other rappers? Why should I opt to listen to your music above others?

Fame: The separation lies with the mere use of word play and song topics we produce. Like we have a song called “Having A Talk” where we zone in on the topic of a mans girl being pregnant and not telling him. So many guys can relate to this. Nowadays so many rappers are out of touch with society. Not everybody can afford the things most rappers speak about. That is the total opposite with us, we have fun in our lyrics and songs but at the same time help the regular folks get through the day and let ‘em know that there are artists out there that they can relate to and do it for the love just not a check.

MVRemix: Have fun with this one, a la “Fight Club” – “If you could fight any celebrity, who would you fight”?

Chizz: If I could fight any celebrity, I would fight one of the robots from Transformers [laughs]

MVRemix: Would you win?

Chizz: Yes, I would destroy him.

MVRemix: Do you have any non musical aspirations?

Fame: Yes. We are also dabbling into acting and screenplay writing. I had a role in a straight-to- video movie called “Endz” that is available in Blockbuster. The movie money is so much longer than music money so it is definitely an interest to us.

MVRemix: Any last words?

Chizz: Just shout out to the whole B.Q.E; G-Money, Kuka, Dave, Taz, Blee, C. Brown, CapOne AG, shout out to Dj Premonition, Ready, Set Go, LGI Entertainment, Talk of DC, Michael K, C tons, Tinman, Mike A, Nick Rice, Cashflow, Esh Coleman, Lo, and everyone who is apart of this movement.

This semester, I’m taking a class at York University called Theorizing Hip Hop Feminisms. I honestly thought my professor would present videos like the Freshest Kids or
something else I’ve already seen.

I was wrong… she showed something I not only never watched, but never heard of. Yes, I am very ashamed.

Byron Hurt (picture below) is an anti-sexist activist and filmmaker from Boston, Massachusetts. He attended Northeastern University as a quarterback… and get this: after he graduated he was hired by the Center for the Study of Sport in Society’s Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) program, where he became a spokesperson for domestic violence prevention. When he started he had no idea what he was doing, but after much research he became what I would say an expert.

Hurt had a love and passion for the culture of hip-hop. He also realized that in today’s society and hip-hop in particular, there is an excess in hyper-masculinity. Why do men degrade other men by feminizing them (i.e.
emcee battles), or why is this culture in particular so homophobic yet so homoerotic?

He set out looking for the answer by raising money and creating the award winning documentary, Hip Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes, written and produced by Hurt. It explored the issues of masculinity, violence, homophobia and sexism in hip-hop music through interviews with artists, academics, a feminist, aspiring rappers and fans. Just some of those featured in the film include Chuck D, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Busta Rhymes, Fat Joe, Jadakiss, Russell Simmons, Emil Wilkbekin, Stephen Hill, Sarah Jones Carmen Ashhurt-Watson, Dr. Jelani Cobb, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, Kevin Powell, Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Jason Katz, and Dr. James Peterson.

The opening scene captures its audience by first calling hip hop today, a box. No one leaves or goes outside the box because if they did, they’d be called a pussy, a wuss, a homo, a chump (see youtube video below). He’s right. I see it everyday. I see it in my friends, where when they make a sexual pun, they right away MUST say pause or no homo Well fast forward a moment.

The film is not there to attack the hip-hop heads. The film is to make everyone aware of what is going on. Feminists have been doing so since day one. The interesting thing about Hurt is that he doesn’t coin the term feminist. Nor does he give feminists (especially black feminist thought) the credit it deserves for the ideas he uses in film… and for good reason. Feminism has been given a bad rap. The moment you say the word people back off. So before you go judging, this is a feminist film in a man’s perspective, in a non-feminist lecturing way. He also does not attack the individual, in fact, I would say he victimizes the individual rapper by situating him in the reality of white supremacist capitalist society. It sounds weird, but I’ll describe more later.

This film was, how I would describe written, filmed and produced perfectly.

The issues Beyond Beats and Breaks acknowledges are Masculinity, Misogyny & Homophobia and Media Literacy.

Masculinity may sound like a good thing to a man. I mean it is the traditional notion to teach a boy to “be a man.” However, when hypermasculinity go hand in hand with violence, it creates societal and systemic problems seen in our schools, communities and neighbourhoods today. He suggests that one way of counteracting hypermasculinity is develop other ways and notions of “being a man” and by doing so we have to step away from this one-dimensional way of seeing things, and in this case, “we” means hip hop.

At the BET’s annual spring fling in Daytona, Florida, Hurt interviews aspiring rappers. Each and every one of them he encounters rapped about rape, guns, violence, while dominating other men by demeaning and feminizing them.

Another young man, licks his lips at the women in Daytona, in hopes of getting some “bitches and hoes” and explains that women who dress like the women in music videos are not considered sisters but considered a bitch or a ho. Hurt calls the women over dressed in bikinis and asked if they considered themselves as a bitch or a ho. They replied that they are not. When asked about the music videos and how they feel about it, they replied that the music videos are simply not talking about them.

This part is my favourite part. Brace yourself.

Hurt illustrates a hypothetical picture: George Bush doing a speech in front of a nation and calls a group of black men niggers. He asks, would black people respond “oh they’re not talking about me”?

He makes a valid point. A very valid point.

What about homoeroticism in hip hop?

Interviewing three drag queens, they reveal how homoerotic the homophobic hip hop culture really is. A queen explains, when LL Cool J licks his lips or 50 Cent and Ja Rule pose half naked, greased up and muscular in music videos, magazines and album covers, women are not the only ones looking at
that. Now there’s a thought.

“While these images might not have been created as explicitly homoerotic, hypermasculinity in hip-hop, sports and fraternity cultures serve to bond men together, often at the expense of women, gays and men who do not meet strict gender-based roles and expectations”

Like Hurt, I love hip hop myself. In fact, I’m big fans of Talib, Russell Simmons, Mos Def and Busta Rhymes. So it was shocking to me when I saw that not one of them had something conscious or respectful to say about the subject matter. Simmons responded that he simply did not have the “equipment.” Go figure. Don’t get me wrong, I still got respect for him, though, I really want to smack him with my shoe and scream, “Racism isn’t the most important discrimination issue!”

Hurt does recognize that it is not all at the fault of the individuals – the rappers. He does not forget to include the overwhelming influence of the white supremacist capitalist culture – a term coined by bell hooks. In one of my readings for class, it makes the comparison of how black rappers today are still enslaved by the superior white capitalist culture. Money is just the diversion. They are trapped in the box and imprisoned to demean other black men and women through their lyrics.

The slaughter of hip-hop began during its establishment in the mainstream “growing increasingly limited and one dimensional.” When Hurt confronts the aspiring rappers about their unoriginal lyrics, they immediately respond defensively that its what “they” want to hear. It’s how to get a record deal.

A good friend of mine once told me that if you wave a million dollars in a poor man’s face, they’ll do anything you want to get it. It sure looks like he’s right.

Hurt explores how white-owned record labels run their businesses. In 2003, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission lifted the bans on media deregulation, allowing media corporations to own multiple radio stations,
television networks and other sources of entertainment (around the time when Def Jam was bought out). These corporations in turn have expanded their buyers to white consumers, raking in millions more.

A while back, I watched Oprah’s Town Hall Meeting on Hip Hop. A guest compared today’s rap videos to the Birth of a Nation. If you’ve watched it, I hope you hated it. The film was made in 1915 after the Civil War depicting black men as hypersexual, dangerous animals (especially to white women). It was highly racist and was used to recruit Ku Klux Klan members, which worked. When I heard that comparison, I was appalled.

In Hurt’s documentary, he shows clips of Birth of a Nation.With no surprise, I was disgusted.

I don’t normally watch a lot of music videos unless I youtube them myself to specifically watch one. So, when I watched Nelly’s Tip Drill video for the first time in the documentary, my jaw dropped. The man who made the comparison was right. Nelly is a victim of
white supremacist capitalism.

Byron Hurt brings both academia and well-respected artists together, merging both paradigms collectively into a greater understanding for the world. The moment I finished watching the documentary in class I bought it and I encourage every one who has love and respect for hip hop, hyper-emasculated or not, to watch it. It’s one to keep in your collection.

As the hip hop culture diversifies and expands, it is important to expose ourselves to other elements other than the four main sub-cultures we concentrate on today. A local photographer in Toronto caught my eye last year when I attended GIFTED: The Hip Hop Holiday Art Party and witnessed some of the most compelling portraits I have ever come across.

This year is the year for Che Kothari, where he plans to spend his entire being dedicated to his work not only as a photographer but also a filmmaker, managing editor, project manager, event producer and humanitarian. “No sleep and no play until 2008. My work is my play though, it’s all just life…and I love every minute of it.” His passion developed since his infancy in Guelph, Ontario through the life experiences he endured. At the age of 17, he moved to Toronto to attend Ryerson University majoring in Photography completing the four-year program.

Kothari’s work focuses mainly on portraits where he captures a story for all his projects rooted from his ‘nosy’ personality. “I like to get into people’s lives. As a portrait photographer, it gives me very intimate moments with people. I take from each session that person’s essence and try to work and feel with that.” His talent and skills has brought Kothari portrait sessions with celebrities including Buju Banton, Llyod Banks, TI, Common Sense, Faith Evans, K-OS, and Talib Kweli. Although, he emphasizes he does not only focus on celebrities. “I also love to shoot real people, street people, party people, anything real…I just love people.”

Currently, Kothari is affiliated with many projects including Earwaks.com, a showcase to promote lifestyle, art, and music with high end content, photo, and videos; Hightop Studio, a creative services company offering photography, design, web, marketing and event production; and Manifesto, an organization for youth community building through the hip hop culture. This summer Manifesto will be organizing a complete summer events program, concluding with a festival in September.

You can reach Che Kothari through his website http://www.chekothari.com

This Friday, check out Bles-sed, one of my favourite dancers and dj’s in Vancity.

Often seen as shy and modest, bgirl Mars will throw any audience off guard with her talent and skill in dancing. Growing up with a love for the art of dance she took ballet, jazz and tap dance lessons. Mars discovered breakdancing during her years at the University of Toronto when she met a bboy on campus.

“He told me he could teach me some basics. From then, I started attending local practices and going to battles as well as going to various bboy nights around the city.”

Mars continued dancing inspired by other bboys who dedicated their lives to hip-hop and breaking and received very little financial support in return. At most battles, you can always catch Mars on the floor, however in reality she admits she is often reluctant to enter. In the end, no matter the outcome, she leaves every battle with a positive attitude.

“Even if you lose your battle you have gained so much just by doing it.”

Mars’ presence elevates the crowd with her fun-loving personality. Her source of energy comes beyond her love for breaking but her love for all types of dance.

“I love the complete freedom of dancing, how music, a certain song or beat, can just instinctively make you move your body. You can never learn everything in this dance – it is always changing and developing and that is what makes it so addictive.”

You can learn more about Mars on her myspace

Miss Finesse of the Fly Antics Crew in Vancouver is known as one of the best bgirls in Canada. She broke out into the male-dominated arena in 1999, fast developing her skills. Three years later, Fly Antics was born through her efforts with cohorts Invertabrat, Bles-sed, Smoothie and Rhythm.

“I am motivated by all of the women who surpass all notions of inequality and prove to be above and beyond the expected. I am a very competitive person, so the thought of someone being better than me, lights a fire inside!”

Finesse’s defining year was 2003, where she was featured with the Crew at a Talib Kweli show in Vancouver and competed in the Bboy Summit in Los Angeles. The year did not end there. Finesse was placed second in the Bonnie and Clyde competition at the Bboy Masters Pro Am in Miami. Soon after, the Crew was placed first at Los Angeles’ Urban Dance Festival.

When Finesse is not breaking, she can be found on TV. She is the host for Break Life, a segment of Pass Da Mic. The program showcases Vancouver’s hip-hop and urban music scene through interviews, live performance footage, and music videos on Shaw Cable’s Multicultural Channel every Sunday at 11:30 pm and Tuesdays at 12:30 am.

“I strive to preserve the art form through education. Pass Da Mic is Western Canada’s only hip-hop television show focusing strictly on the hip-hop culture. We display all elements of the hip-hop culture: DJing, breakdancing graffiti, beatboxing and emceeing.”

You can find out more about Miss Finesse or the Fly Antics Crew at www.flyantics.com or on her myspace at www.myspace.com/missfinesse. Until next week, stay motivated.

Jim-NASTIC, in my opinion, is one of the most clever bboy names I’ve come across. I know some will rag on me for featuring another member of Maximum Efficiency (MEC) in just under a month, but credit goes out to them for responding to my emails so enthusiastically and rapidly. So here I go again, this time with Nastic. Originally from the Philippines, Nastic moved to Toronto, ON in 1992 at the age of10.

“In the Philippines, I had little knowledge of MTV. The only rap we knew there was MC Hammer. When the running man came in, that’s the first time I experienced hip-hop”

While in Toronto, Nastic’s rebellious brother introduced him to the bad-ass culture of gangsta rap. He didn’t know of any positive aspects of hip-hop until he discovered bboy videos years later. After much convincing, Bigglez – a close friend of Nastic – persuaded him to try breakdancing. He was a member of the bboy crew, Catullus until he started practicing with a crew from Scarborough – Maximum Efficiency. Three years later Nastic started to realize that “bboying and breakdancing were totally different. Bboying has a whole culture to live by while breakdancing is a concept conceived by the media.”

Soon after, MEC added a couple more members, Piecez and Stylewalker. Sound familiar? Nastic’s most memorable experience with his crew was when MEC re-entered the scene in July 2005, competing in Pop, Lock and Load, hosted by Benzo of Bag of Trix.

“MEC keeps it raw on and off the floor. Keep a look out for the MEC promo!”

You can catch Nastic next in London, ON. He will be competing in one of Canada’s largest bboy battles, Rock the Spot, this Saturday, March 24th. You can hit up bboy Nastic at nastic101@hotmail.com for more inquiries.

Until Friday, keep your heads up high… or in the books.

It has been exactly a month since the launch of MVExposé. I want to thank everyone for their love, support and encouragement. Almost 200,000 readers were exposed to eight talented and diverse individuals in February. During the first month of this newborn column, I didn’t know what to make of it. I want to keep this column open for improvement, so any ideas, suggestions or if you know someone that should be featured, hit me up with an email, I’d love to hear from you.

This week is the last chance to get tickets to Breakin’ the Cycle 2 presented by LOVE @ York. Tickets are only available in advance through Piecez, who I will be featuring this Tuesday. Last year, Breakin’ the Cycle was sold out before the show, so make sure you hit Piecez soon. For tickets call 416.938.9693 or email leaveoutviolence@hotmail.com.

MVExposé: Q Boogie a.k.a. Da Poet

A man of many talents, Quadir Habeeb, best known as Q Boogie or Da Poet, is a well-known emcee and Spoken Word Poet in New Jersey. Q Boogie’s passion for basketball early in high school earned him a scholarship to Howard University in Washington, DC, where he found his true calling for poetry.

“While in the Washington, DC area in 2001, I found my writer’s voice that eventually helped me to create intense soul-inspiring poems. I began to perform my original spoken word pieces and soon to the student organizations, sororities, and professors for paid performances.”

However, two years later at the age of 23, Q Boogie dropped out of Howard University after hosting the poetry section of the Youth to Leaders National Summit held in DC.

“I left Howard to pursue my career in spoken word poetry and rap music, published my first spoken word CD entitled “Words of Awakening”, which included a fiery political base of commentary.”

Since then he has performed for the Annual Black Face Awards, the Pre-Tony Award Show for the Def Poetry cast and the BET All Star Tour. In 2005, he released his first hip-hop album, The Unheard of: Volume 1, foreshadowing his upcoming album out this year.

Q Boogie is a devout Muslim and spends his spare time playing chess or with his wife, a soul vocalist and composer, Drea. Keep on the look out for his upcoming album, The Unheard of: Da Block Da Devil Da Deen at www.shalemanagement.com or www.myspace.com/qboogieakadapoet

Thank you to all for your emails of love, support, suggestions, and comments. Keep them coming. I hope you enjoy this week’s two profiles as much as last week’s. Here is today’s profile from mee to you.

Michele@mvremix.com

Normally, one would say that it is not everyday you find someone with a passion for so many talents; however MVexposé profiles a second diverse individual, an emcee, a poet, and a radio show host in Toronto, Ontario: Arowbe Arowbe Arowbe “in recognition of his many selves…”

Known best as an emcee, Arowbe has released four albums and three mixed tapes with close affiliates like Rhythm of the Soul (ROTS) and DJ Mensa. It all started growing up in Vancouver, BC where Arowbe “woke up one night at the age of eight and was possessed to rap.” In 2006, he toured Japan and Cuba promoting his new single “Once Upon a Time

with Toronto songstress, Zaki Ibrahim and the remix featuring the Harlem lyricist Tom Gist of Dip Set.

Outside of the hip hop community he is known as Robert Bolton and hosts a York University radio talk show, Kaleidoscope, focusing on international issues such as a recent discussion on global human trafficking. He is currently working on his bachelors’ degree at York University majoring in Fine Arts Cultural Studies and minoring in Creative Writing.

Arowbe hosts a weekly night, Peachfuzz at Chinadoll on Thursdays along with cohorts DJ Mensa and Rod Skimmins at 587 College Street in Toronto.

You can also catch Arowbe at his best this Thursday, February 8th at the Republik for the Hip Hop for Africa show hosted by Choclair. All proceeds go to the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund (Canada).

For more information on Arowbe Arowbe Arowbe hit up his website at http://www.myspace.com/arowbe.

Next up, MV will be profiling Stylewalker, a bboy from Winnipeg, MB. Feast your eyes this coming Friday.

* Photo’s taken by Owen Scott, republished with expressed consent.