Even long after we left the house she insisted on putting one up, all the little ornaments, tambien. This display irked me as I got older. She had a Christmas tree until she was 9 and in New York City; and not again until she was a young lady, as my Abuelo brought the entire … Read More
3BallMTY & Los Rakas LIVE IN LOS ANGELES @ The Regent in DTLA THIS Friday Night! Doors 8PM | Los Rakas 9:30PM TICKETS HERE “Doing whatever feels right in the moment is often easier said than done. Oakland’s Los Rakas has been doing just that, turning heads with its unique mélange – hip-hop, plena, soul, … Read More
I love the energy right now of women around the world breaking the chains of patriarchy and supporting other women without question. Whether it’s one of my favorite online agitators and writers/editors Ayesha Siddiqi – seriously do yourself a favor and follow her on Twitter as @PushingHoops – of The New Inquiry telling the Guardian, … Read More
Eric Garner was a part of my community when I lived back on my hometown of Staten Island, NYC the past 2 years. The man greeted me on the daily while walking to my favorite commune-run used bookstore & cafe on a street called Baby Bay Street (which me and my homegirls renamed Baby Bae … Read More
I had a chance to get to know San Francisco a little bit more over the holiday weekend and even had the privilege of seeing some homegrown theater. Wanting to expose myself to more of the art form – my mother was a theater actress before getting pregnant with us in New York City – … Read More
Quick news run-down of Los Rakas latest mentions in the press. The group is on the road now with Mexican supergroup, 3BallMTY as part of the Honda Civic Tour (FULL DATES). Don’t miss the show in your town!“15 Latino Artists You Should Know To Get Ready For The Latin Grammys“ “Oakland bred Panamanian-American bilingual rappers … Read More
…well, for this exact reason: “By the way, I came to the realization today that I’ve learned more through you than I’ve learned in school this semester. So thanks!!!” …no, thank you Michelle Herrera! Aka the best media assistant ever! We gotta grow the next generation of storytellers…and be grown by them.
Today I’ve been enjoying La Mecanica Popular on WNYC’s Soundcheck and their live in-studio set! Band director Efrain Rozas (aka DJ Oshun) discussed his fascinating academic work at NYU, re-imagining music technology beyond western hegemonic logic: “I’m doing a PHD about how music technology has been developed with a western logic of rhythm…that’s why it’s … Read More
AYO! TOO EXCITED to hear, feel and see LA band Chicano Batman in Oakland this weekend performing as part of this benefit show for migrant children: “Did you know that children are not provided with lawyers in immigration court? And 9 of 10 youth without attorneys will be deported even though more than half qualify … Read More
Raka Rich and Raka Dun just got back from Panama and Miami, where they were working on material for their as-yet-titled 2015 project. They release brand new video for “Asi Me Gusta” on November 18th and prepare to get on the road for a while. In the meantime, this is their latest: Los Rakas + … Read More