Hip Hop Caucus

Hip Hop Caucus targets young voters with Respect My Vote!

The Hip Hop Caucus is a national non-profit organization that aims to empower the hip hop community to participate in the civic process. This year, they have launched its non-partisan voter registration and education campaign dubbed Respect My Vote! to get young people to participate in the 2016 general election. The program targets voters in urban communities and on college campuses around the ages of 18-40 to register and get out and vote.

Acting as the spokesperson for the event is radio personality on Power 105 and on MtV2's Uncommon Sense, Charlamagne Tha God. "“I’m honored to be a spokesperson for the 2016 Respect My Vote! campaign, and to be a part of a movement where the community of Hip Hop can come together to promote empowerment through political participation," said Charlamagne Tha God. "Furthermore, I am an ex-offender and without initiatives such as Respect My Vote! I and many other people would be unaware of our ability to vote and the steps we need to take.”

The campaign hopes to reach those disenchanted with the voting process or those who feel their vote won't make an impact. It also educates people on voter laws, such as how ex-offenders have the ability to vote in most states in the country. Starting next month, Respect My Vote! will begin on-the-ground voter registration drives in cities and campuses across the country. Those who want to join the campaign and submit their pledge to vote can register at www.respectmyvote.com.

The campaign has been successful in the past. It previously mobilized hundreds of thousands of voters in 2008 and 2012 with T.I. and 2 Chainz as spokesmen. More celebrities for this year's campaign will be announced soon.

"Respect My Vote! is about how voting is personal and the decisions that elected officials make are personal to us. Justice and opportunity are too often denied to our communities,” stated Hip Hop Caucus President and CEO, Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr. “That’s why it’s important to get celebrities and influencers such as Charlamagne Tha God involved in the campaign to convey the seriousness and importance of voting as a tool for change. We want to make lifetime voters out of this generation and encourage them to be active in advocacy on the issues that matter to them and their futures.”


Jhene Aiko to headline Tumblr's SXSW Event

[SXSW 2016] Tumblr to Host Feminism-Themed Night

Tumblr is returning to SXSW 2016 Music with an entirely new Feminism-themed event this year that's certainly catching a lot of buzz. In effort to highlight gender inequality in the US Wage Gap, their event, 79 Cents, will headline Jhené Aiko, Tacocat, Little Simz, and Empress Of, a full lineup of almost entirely female musicians, "feminist art installations", and even a guest appearance from former Texas state senator Wendy Davis. (Davis shot to national renown in 2013 when she staged an 11-hour filibuster to block a bill heavily restricting abortion in the state.) A SXSW event filled with nothing but strong female voices, for sure.

At the 2015 festival, Tumblr occupied four full days of performances and collaborative visuals at the Ironwood Hall, not only bringing together an array of great musicians but creating an overall art filled experience. When asked about such a change in focus in this year's event, Tumblr’s head of music, Nate Auerbach, stated "We’re celebrating the female voice in many contexts.", leaving much to anticipate.

The event is being held on March 16th, at 9pm, at the Historic Scoot Inn, and you can RSVP here.

Tumblr SXSW 2016


30 years of SXSW

[SXSW 2016] Celebrating 30 Years of Music

[youtube id="hpmcSwe318g"]

In the height of America's booming music festival business, it's time for SXSW to celebrate 30 years of music goodness with tons of exciting lineups in store. According to Twitter Analytics, one in ten Americans attended a music festival in the past year, and social media conversations around music festivals spiked 34%. There's no question Millennial's love a good music fest and this year SXSW isn't looking to disappoint.

SXSW is truly a unique convergence of music, film, and emerging technologies, and continues to grow every year, gaining international recognition. Having originally stemmed from music, Austin’s  music festival is rapidly approaching (March 15 through March 20), providing a long list of music lineups, with tons of surprise guest appearances.

Beyond the music, simply walking around to different venues and bars, you're met with excited locals and fest-goers from around the globe, many of which are eager to share their art. This is alongside the occasional pop artist sighting, casually strolling amongst the crowd. Last year, walking from Austin's infamous 6th St. to Rainey St. I literally bumped into Wiz Khalifa, while shooting a random group of dancers from Brooklyn. Later that night, I ended up backstage at the Fader Fort, meeting Chicago's very own Chance the Rapper and Comedian Hannibal Burress, after shooting Timbaland's surprise performance with Tink, after Travis Scott. Austin certainly doesn't stray from it's rock roots, providing endless indie lineups and special appearances as well.

Take a look back at 30 Years of SXSW here. Also check out a few upcoming events that I'm personally excited about below:

Santigold & Crystal Castles at Stubbs
Deftones, CHVRCHES, Vince Staples & More with SPIN
Nas, DJ Khaled, Yo Gotti & Just Blaze
Anderson .Paak & BJ the Chicago Kid at the Spotify House
Guac-N-Roll with Culture Collide
Miike Snow, Baio, The Kills, Bloc Party, Ghostland Observatory, X Ambassadors, Polica & more


John Legend headlines SXSW 2016 Axe Collective

[SXSW 2016] John Legend to Share Stage with Five Handpicked Musicians at AXE Collective

Days away from SXSW Music, AXE and SPIN announce their return with yet another exciting SXSW lineup that headlines Grammy & Oscar-winning musician John Legend. In addition, there will be live performances by Rae Sremmurd, electronic pop duo AlunaGeorge, LA-based singer Gallant, and former “Glee” vocalist Alex Newell. And if this isn't enough, in a nationwide search for the best and brightest talent, John Legend handpicked five musicians to join the AXE Collective to accompany him on one of music’s biggest stages with debut performances.

The AXE Collective is a yearlong music and film mentorship program that included sessions with John Legend himself. With support of SPIN and the opportunity to perform at SXSW, the AXE Collective giving a very opportune platform for each artist to share their voice and story with the world.

The event will be held on Thursday, March 17 at The Belmont Austin (305 W 6th St, Austin, TX 78701), from 12pm to 5pm, and I'm thrilled to cover it all.


Marvel Comics' Hip Hop Variant Covers

Hip hop has become an undeniably large influence on pop culture; the same can be said for comics, especially in light of Marvel Studios' takeover of Hollywood over the last decade. With the level of artistry behind the hip hop's lyricism and comic books' increasing level of illustrative talent, it was only a matter of time before one of the Big Two (Marvel and DC) paid homage to hip hop in an official capacity. While Ed Piskor's Hip Hop Family Tree has been nominated for the Eisner Award and was named one of New York Times' Graphic Books Best Seller, it doesn't have the same level of visibility as Marvel.

Beginning this October, Marvel will be paying homage to hip hop with its line of Marvel's Hip Hop Variants. Marvel Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso had this to say about the line of variant covers:

"For years, Marvel Comics and Hip-Hop culture have been engaged in an ongoing dialog. Beginning this October, we will shine a spotlight on the seamless relationship between those two unique forces in when we unveil the first of more than fifty variant covers, each of which pays tribute to an iconic album cover from the past 30 years that shaped pop-culture over the past three decades."

You can find 12 of the hip hop variant covers in the gallery below. Can you name them all?

The first wave of Marvel's Hip Hop Variants will be released in October:

Amazing Spider-Man # 1- HIP-HOP Variant by Mike Del Mundo
Angela: Queen of Hel #1 - HIP-HOP Variant by Annie Wu
The Astonishing Ant-Man #1 - HIP-HOP Variant by Mark Brooks
Contest of Champions #1 - HIP-HOP Variant by Denys Cowan
Doctor Strange #1 - HIP-HOP Variant by Juan Doe
Extraordinary X-Men #1 - HIP-HOP Variant by Sanford Greene
Guardians of the Galaxy #1 - HIP-HOP Variant by Shawn Crystal
Invincible Iron Man #1 - HIP-HOP Variant by Brian Stelfreeze
The Mighty Thor #1 - HIP-HOP Variant by Mike Deodato
Sam Wilson, Captain America #1 - HIP-HOP Variant by Mahmud Asrar
Spider-Gwen #1 - HIP-HOP Variant by Humberto Ramos
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1 - HIP-HOP Variant by Phil Noto
Uncanny Inhumans #1 - HIP-HOP Variant by Damian Scott
Uncanny Avengers #1 - HIP-HOP Variant by Jason Pearson

Another wave of Marvel's Hip Hop Variants will be released later in the fall:

All-New All-Different Avengers #1 - HIP-HOP Variant by Jim Cheung
All-New Wolverine #1 - HIP-HOP Variant by Keron Grant
Carnage #1 - HIP-HOP Variant by Ariel Olivetti
Howard the Duck #1 - HIP-HOP Variant Juan Doe
Ms. Marvel #1 - HIP-HOP Variant by Jenny Frisson
Old Man Logan #1 - HIP-HOP Variant by Tim Bradstreet
Spider-Man #1 - HIP-HOP Variant by Adi Granov
Spider-Man/Deadpool #1 - HIP-HOP Variant by Dave Johnson
Squadron Supreme #1 - HIP-HOP Variant by Mike Del Mundo
Star-Lord #1 - HIP-HOP Variant by Tradd Moore
The Totally Awesome Hulk #1 - HIP-HOP Variant by Mahmud Asrar
Web Warriors #1 - HIP-HOP Variant by Damian Scott


Photo of the American Megabot from Megabot

America and Japan Are Going to Have a Giant Robot Duel

[youtube id="XVJTGLL2SnI"]

When I was a kid, I used to love the Gundam anime series (G Gundam, for life). Giant robots punching each with laser light fists just spoke to me. Humanity's been chasing that impossible dream for years, but now it's just a wee bit closer. Last week, American company Megabot showed off footage of a real working mecha (that shot paintballs of course) with the intention of fitting someone inside for giant robot battles a la Pacific Rim or Robot Jox. Footage of their robot came with a challenge to Japanese robotics company Suidobashi Heavy Industry for their robots to fight in 2016.

This week, Suidobashi replied with their own video. Draped in a Japanese flag, CEO Korgoro Kugata had some awesome trash talk claiming the American machine could have been cooler (and has too many guns because America). All the while accepting the challenge to fight their robot, Kuratas, against the American Megabot. Unfortunately we don't have any details of the big "fight," and the whole thing screams publicity stunt. Perhaps it's to draw attention to Megabot's once failed Kickstarter campaign to start an entire league of mecha fights. Whether or not it's a coordinated stunt, why has it taken this long for us to get to this point? Something like this should've happened a long time ago. When will our lives go full anime?

Hilariously enough, this was all around the time of a notable World Cup match between America and Japan where Japan was decimated as USA scored four goals in under sixteen minutes (three of those belonging to superwoman Carli Lloyd). To top if off, Independence Day was last weekend so everyone's far more patriotic than usual. I'm sure the American robot will win just because I don't see any other outcome being possible. It's running on bald eagle power right now.

[youtube id="7u8mheM2Hrg"]

[via Popular Science]


Warren Ellis To Write New James Bond 007 Comic Series

Dynamite Entertainment has revealed that Warren Ellis is to pen an ongoing James Bond comic book series launching this November. The series will see Bond returning from an assignment in Helsinki to follow up a mission which resulted in the death of a fellow Double-O. Ellis, one of the most esteemed writers in the comic medium and veteran of such classics as Hellblazer, TransmetropolitanGlobal Frequency and various superhero series for Marvel and DC, will be teaming up with artist Jack Masters, of Marvel's Wolverines, to mark Bond's return to the format after an absence of over twenty years.

The series is a result of a partnership between Dynamite and the Ian Fleming Estate, announced nine months ago, which is rumoured to also include adaptations of the original Bond novels. Ellis described his delight at the opportunity to 'tell visual narratives with the original, brutal, damaged Bond of the books', a welcome and reassuring recognition for fans that Fleming's character was considerably more melancholy and troubled than the one-dimensional superhero depicted in most of the movies. The 'brutal' description is an interesting one, as while Fleming's Bond was undeniably cold and professional in his duties, part of the damage that Ellis describes stemmed from a clear awareness of the ugly nature of his work and the cost it exacts on his soul. Daniel Craig's Bond has picked up on Fleming's unironic violence without, post-Casino Royale anyway, delving much into how it has shaped Bond's personality and outlook.

Even Bond's attitude towards women is rooted in his troubled relationship with his profession. He indulges his appetites with the voraciousness of a man who doesn't believe he will live to see the following morning - in the Moonraker novel, Bond describes how he never saves money, believing it pointless - but is also something of a frustrated romantic, genuinely falling in love with several of his Bond girls even though it invariably ends in tragedy. Ellis is a hugely accomplished character writer and it will be fascinating to see which elements of Fleming's character he chooses to employ in his own interpretation. It will also be interesting to compare it to how Bond is depicted in SPECTRE, the movie scheduled for release in the same month which promises to delve into the character's past.

[via Comic Book Resources]


Donald Trump giving a political speech

Donald Trump is Suing Univision for $500 Million

Never one to quietly fade away, Donald Trump has neither apologized for his comments nor let any of it go. When Univision publicly reprimanded him after his bid for the presidency led to tirade of awful comments (most directed toward Mexican immigrants and how they're terrible people), it led to a landslide of consequences as I predicted earlier in the week. Univision refused to air Trump's co-owned Miss Universe pageant, most of the program's hosts and co-hosts left the show, and all of that led to NBC Universal cutting all their ties with him and his programs like The Celebrity Apprentice. Trump has essentially marred his brand even further...if that was even possible.

But, now he's choosing to fire back. Claiming breach of contract and suppression of free speech, Trump is suing the Spanish language company for $500 million:

Under the contract, Univision is required to broadcast the pageant live on television in Spanish. While Univision claims its decision came solely in response to comments by Mr. Trump during a June 16 campaign speech announcing his candidacy for President of the United States, the decision was, in reality, a politically motivated attempt to suppress Mr. Trump's freedom of speech under the First Amendment as he begins to campaign for the nation's presidency.

Speaking with Politico, Univision is fighting the suit:

We just reviewed Mr. Trump’s complaint for the first time, and it is both factually false and legally ridiculous. We will not only vigorously defend the case, but will continue to fight against Mr. Trump’s ongoing efforts to run away from the derogatory comments he made on June 16th about Mexican immigrants. Our decision to end our business relationship with Mr. Trump was influenced solely by our responsibility to speak up for the community we serve.

This looks like it's getting uglier as it rolls on. But at least it means Trump's candidacy is losing any semblance of legitimacy it might've had. We'll keep an eye on this as it rolls on.

[via BBC]