The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust
A project by Saul Williams, produced by Trent Renzor of NIN.
Saul told my partner Tyren once that he wouldn’t need music to get heard.
I don’t know about that, but this definitely prove that he doesn’t need a record label.

Head over to www.niggytardust.com for all the details.

The long story short:
Users can download a 192kbps MP3 version of the entire album for free, or pay $5 to support the artist and be given the choice of downloading 192kps MP3 version, 320kbps MP3 version or lossless FLAC version.

This what Trent Renzor had to say:

There are obvious similarities in how Radiohead just released their new record and the way we’ve chosen to. After thinking about this way too much, I feel we’ve improved upon their idea in a few profound ways that benefit you, the consumer. You obviously will be the judge of this in the end. One thing that IS very different in our situation is that Saul’s not the household name (yet!) that Radiohead is, and that means we need your support on this more than ever. If you like what you hear, spread the word.

Saul Williams not a “household” name? In what households?
He was the star of the movie Slam, which won both the Sundance Festival Grand Jury Prize and the Cannes Camera D’Or, introducing Williams to international audience.
His album Amethyst Rock Star was produced by Rick Rubin.

This just proves my point that with traditional and non-traditional promotion, this will be THE way music will be released by both independent and major artist, and killing the preferred CD format at the same time.

I was invited to attend this years,UNA-NY 2007 Humanitarian Award is presented each year in observance of United Nations Day. It;s on October 25th, which I cant make but I figured I’d post something about it.

This year’s theme is the “Global Water Crisis,” recognizing that 1.1 billion people lack access to clean water resulting in disease and premature death, particularly amongst children. A portion of the proceeds from the dinner will be donated to organizations working to alleviate the water crisis.

The scope of the Global Water Crisis is staggering. Every 15 seconds, a child dies from drinking contaminated water. Water scarcity already affects every continent and more than 40% of the people on our planet, and more than 2.2 million people, mostly in developing countries, die each year from diseases associated with poor water and unsanitary conditions.

it’s a good cause, click here to donate

Just an update the the Jena 6 situation that I wrote about last month.
Thank you for the email and the comments on that blog.
If you haven’t signed the petition, please sign it here.

Today, David Bowie has donated $10,000 to a legal defense fund for six black teens charged in an alleged attack on a white classmate in the tiny central Louisiana town of Jena.

“There is clearly a separate and unequal judicial process going on in the town of Jena,” Bowie said Tuesday in an e-mail statement. “A donation to the Jena Six Legal Defense Fund is my small gesture indicating my belief that a wrongful charge and sentence should be prevented.”

(I wrote about MY brief David Bowie encounter in ’02)

Bell was found guilty on second-degree battery charges June 28 by a six-member, all-white jury. Before the case was overturned by the state 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal, his sentencing had been set for Thursday.

The court said Bell, who was 16 at the time of the alleged December 2006 beating, shouldn’t have been tried as an adult.

As Danny Charles wrote in his comment:
‘When the Duke lacrosse case was going on, the media had something on the news on a daily basis, while the Jena Six case has been basically swept under the rug….”

Where is everyone else with the donations and support?

There will be a Jena 6 rally in Brooklyn tomorrow morning:

DEMAND JUSTICE

FOR THE
JENA 6!
“Justice for Jena”
Rally for Peace & Justice
THIS THURSDAY
September 20, 2007
9:30 am

Steps of BROOKLYN
BOROUGH HALL
209 Joralemon Street • Downtown Brooklyn
(2,3,4,5,A,C,F,M,R trains to Borough Hall)

No More Jim Crow Justice!
In Jena, Louisiana, white students hung nooses in a tree at the public high school, to warn black students not to sit under the “white tree.” The school dismissed this hate crime as a harmless prank. When black students protested, the local District Attorney threatened to take their life away with a “stroke of my pen.” After a schoolyard fight broke out between black and white students, the District Attorney responded by charging six black students with attempted murder. This does not just happen in Jena, Louisiana. Youth of color are treated this way all over America. Help us build a justice system that truly serves all our children.

The organizers of the rally, Assemblyman Karim Camara, Ms. Donna Nassor of Friends of Justice, and NYC Council Member Al Vann, will speak and have invited a number of other leaders to participate, including NYC Council Member Charles Barron; Rev. Herbert Daughtry of House of the Lord Church; Rev. Dr. Johnny Ray Youngblood of St. Paul Community Baptist Church; Hazel Dukes, President, NAACP New York State Conference; and activist/writer Kevin Powell.
There will be commentary, healing prayers, artists, and words of solidarity from various leaders and activists.

Info about various ways to support the Jena 6 will also be available.

To Learn More:
Friends of Justice website:
http://friendsofjustice.wordpress.com/jena-6

Watch Democracy Now
http://www.democracynow.org

Questions? Contact:
For more general information, please contact
Lauren Baranco of Assemblyman Karim Camara’s office
at 718.756.1776 or barancl@assembly.state.ny.us.

All media inquiries are directed to
AKILA WORKSONGS Public Relations
at 718.756.8501 or at pr@akilaworksongs.com

It’s almost hard to believe that blatant racism still runs rampant in America in the 21st century.
But it’s complete “Jim Crow” down in Jena, Louisiana that includes:
“a tree for ‘whites only and nooses,
and a black high school student who was involved in a fight with a white student was convicted by an ALL white jury and faces a sentence of 22 years….
Watch the report and see the facts for yourself

So far 26953 people , including myself have signed an online petition to the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Please sign the petition
by clicking here

I just received this from my man Kevin Powell, so i figured ‘d post it to get the word out

Please join, Kevin Powell, and other members of moveon.org, from the Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens councils of moveon.org, for an IMPORTANT rally and press conference against the War in Iraq

THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2007
1:00 pm
City Hall Park (right near City Hall in Manhattan)
Park Row and Lafayette Street, facing the Brooklyn Bridge
NEW YORK CITY

ABOUT THE RALLY AND PRESS CONFERENCE
We are told, in billion dollar increments, the escalating cost of the war but never in terms of what the war is costing each of us, what price we all paying for this unending war. At this event we will announce the actual dollar price we are all paying for this unending war in Iraq— money taken from local healthcare, education, infrastructure, and other basic needs of our everyday lives. With over 100 other moveon.org councils across the country holding their own press conferences on the same day, we expect to raise wide-ranging public consciousness about the cost of this war right here at home to each and every one of us.

And we will hear from 2 individuals who will speak of the cost of this war on a very different levels:

Nasreen, an Iraqi schoolteacher and one of only 133 to get a visa to the U.S. this year, helped begin an email exchange four years ago between her students and those of a Brooklyn teacher. Despite significant hardships they have been sending messages on the very real costs of war to ordinary people like you and me living (and sometimes despairing and wishing to die) in Baghdad. Kevin Powell is widely considered one of America’s most important voices in these early years of the 21st century. Legendary feminist Gloria Steinem asserts that “as a charismatic speaker, leader, and a very good writer, Kevin Powell has the courage…to be fully human, and this will bring the deepest revolution of all.” Kevin will speak about the war from the perspective of someone who organizes and lectures across America.

Please join us at this very important event to learn more about the toll this war is taking on us all and the price we are all paying. And please invite friends, family, co-workers, everyone needs to hear this.

Directions:
2, 3 to Park Place A, C to Broadway-Nassau Street
J, M to Fulton Street
R, W to City Hall
4, 5, 6 train to the Brooklyn Bridge station or Fulton Street station

Host: Jill Howell
Status: Free, open to the public

For more information about moveon.org, visit www.moveon.org

After attending a few meetings and also stopped by the Prefab Supima Premium Fabric Show, I spent the rest of the afternoon chilling out in
Bryant Park.
Whats not to love about this park? It’s big, has plenty of chairs and tables (with umbrellas) ,must be one of the best people watching venues in NYC and did I mention the free WiFi?

I even know a few secret spots for you to power your laptop when your battery is running low.

This older women was shuffling chairs next to me in an effort to “share” the umbrella.
After about an hour she asked me to watch her pink sweater while she went to go get coffee.
(She did take her purse and notebook though, weird!)
I agreed just as Dan Rather walked by with 2 other people.
I started to stop him and said hello and tell him that one of my reasons to upgrade to HD was to get his show “Dan Rather Reports” on HDNET. Really good, it’s REAL News stories in high definition.

Click here to download an episode where he talks to both congressional and former military leaders about what is shaping up to be one of the most important weeks on Capitol Hill in years.

I screened Micheal Moore’s new movie “Sicko” this past weekend.

It investigates the American health care system with a focus on the behavior of large health insurance companies and contrasts the U.S. system with those of other countries with universal health care coverage.

I must say while not as powerful as ‘Fahrenheit 9/11″, it does have the same lasting impact.
A guy here in America gets 2 fingers cut off and because of his insurance he is given a CHOICE to get his index finger put back on for $18,000 or his ring finger for $12,000 NOT BOTH.
While a guy in Canada get all 4 finger sliced off and has them all put back for FREE.

At the end of the film he takes some people without adequate healthcare to Havana, Cuba.
One woman who was a 9/11 worker has lung problems and her prescription for asthma pills is $120/per bottle.
He Cuba she can get the SAME EXACT prescription for .05 CENTS

Looking at how universal healthcare WORKS in other countries like Canada, France and the UK makes you wonder what is really up in this country.

Micheal Moore is a true auteur and I’m glad I had the opportunity to meet and his and get his advice/insight to a film project I’m working on.

Everyone should go see this movie

SICKO opens in theaters nationwide June 29!

Finally getting some work done on that exclusive hybrid, podcast-mixcd 128kilobyte listening experience I’ve been “working” on well since…last winter…lol
stay tuned!

My man Darryl Hell and his company s6k Media, Cynthia McKinney & All Things Cynthia McKinney came
together to create Good Hair Gone Bad; The Roots of the Politics of Hair.

This webpage is dedicated to the appreciation of natural Black
American hair styles, braids as well as naturally curly hairstyles of
ethnicities everywhere. We felt it was important to address this
head-on…all pun intended!

Check it out by clicking here :
www.s6k.com/goodhair

My favorite online radio station SOMAFM is in jeopardy once again.
It’s my favorite for Three reasons:

1. They keep the Jonn Nubian and ViceLounge tracks on the playlist,
2. I get inspired by the many other artist that they play, COMMERCIAL FREE!
3. I would have never read Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, if I wasnt curious about what SOMA was.

Here is a letter I received in my Inbox from Rusty Hodge, the General Manager/Program director.
Please read, forward and sign the online petition:

This doesnt just have an impact on this online radio station, but EVERY online radio station.

You may have heard, but once again internet radio is facing huge additional royalties for broadcasting music. These royalties are in addition to the ones that we pay to ASCAP and BMI, and are a royalty that is only paid by internet broadcasters. Over-the-air (AM/FM) broadcasters are explicitly exempt from this royalty; it only applies to internet broadcasters and subscription music services.

In the past, we paid royalties based on a percentage of our revenues, in our case 10% of our revenue. But the new royalties don’t allow that percentage of revenue factor, and instead charge us for each song we play times the number of people listening. This works out to about $8 per average concurrent listener per month. In 2006, we averaged over 6000 average concurrent listeners per month, and the royalties we will have to pay for 2006 is about $628,000, over 4 times the amount of money we brought in.

And these rates go up drastically each year, until 2010, where they are 2.5 times their initial rate: by then we will have to pay over $1 million dollars a year in royalties if we want to stay on the air.

So you can see that this puts us in an impossible position. And to make it even worse, the rates are retroactive to 2006.

It doesn’t seem fair that a small radio service like SomaFM has to pay all these additional royalties, when over-the-air stations who reach much larger audiences are exempted from paying them.

If you are in the USA, we would appreciate it if you could sign this online petition which will be presented to members of Congress.

It’s important for us to let Congress know that independent internet radio is about to be forced out of business.

We need to keep our existing “percentage of revenue” royalty rate structure, or better yet, have Congress extend the exemption to internet radio stations as well as terrestrial (over-the-air) stations.

http://www.petitiononline.com/SIR2007r/petition.html

Thanks for all of your support for SomaFM in the past. We will do what we need to do to keep SomaFM on the air and broadcasting. We love you!

Rusty Hodge,
General Manager and Program Director
SomaFM.com