Felipe Coronel, better known as Immortal Technique, is the closest thing we have to a one-man revolution in music today. Long before the slew of Obama-centric rap that has emerged in the past few months, Technique has been educating and urging listeners to become active participants in their politics and global community. While the line in hip hop seems to be a delicate one when it comes to politics (Ludacris, anyone?), Immortal Technique spits it like he sees it.

I catch up with Technique about twenty minutes after he performs his politically-charged, passionate set from his new album, The 3rd World. Marching directly offstage to the main entrance area to sign autographs and greet fans, clad in military fatigues, Technique stays until every last fan has a chance to take a picture and meet him. I barely introduce myself before he motions to fellow NPR intern Carina and me to follow him. Opting not to enter by way of the proper entrance to the food services tent, Technique has us winding through a sea of artists and managers as we bust onto the mainstage where Wale is performing. We hop over wires and equipment, squeezing through people backstage as we finally make it out and into the tent, where Technique makes a beeline straight for the buffet. As he sits down and starts to eat, he beats us to the first question. “So, before we start anything, tell me about yourselves. Where are you from, what do you do?” He wastes no time with small talk and warns us to ask tough questions or “I’m going to have to start insulting you,” though he utters this with a glint of mischief in his eye, trying to push our buttons.

But intimidating or not, he’s got a soft heart. While his past may be characterized by violence and aggression, for which the Peruvian-born emcee spent a year in a New York prison, his rapping persona has always been one about awareness and progress. Growing up in Harlem, where he still resides today, Technique’s frustrations with social inequality and racism were expressed in sometimes violent altercations that eventually landed him in a prison for aggravated assault. It was there that he was able to study up on the issues that had been causing him anguish for so long; he read extensively about his native South America and its revolutionaries, and got in touch with his Latino and African roots. He started writing with newfound focus, reflecting on his past experiences and of the oppressed people from his native cultures, creating music at rapid speed.

After his release, he quickly rose to the top of the underground hip hop battle scene in New York City. Famous for his hard-hitting, raw style, Technique emerged from the circuit winning every major underground battle. Unable to appeal to major record labels when attempting to put out the music he had developed while he was incarcerated, he took matters into his own hands and released Revolutionary, Vol. 1. He eventually created his own label, Viper Records, through which he released Revolutionary, Vol. 2. His latest album, The 3rd World, was released June 24th, and its release marks an important next step for Technique and his efforts in bringing change to the underrepresented people and issues he’s been rhyming about for years [details below the interview].

From creating a high school essay contest centered around America’s relation to “third world” countries to promote writing and critical thinking skills, to putting together a hip hop benefit concert to fundraise for his latest project in Afghanistan, Technique works a different type of hustle. While today’s hip hop scene is seeing a coming-up of socially conscious, backpack-rappers (or the exact opposite, à la Lil’ Wayne…there doesn’t seem to be a happy medium), looks can be deceiving. Rather than speaking the truth from the safety of a studio or a security-enforced club, Technique is one of the rare few in hip hop, and the entertainment industry at large, to actually do something about it.

Click play for Immortal Technique’s thoughts on the relationship between art and politics

On Revolution:

Read on for the full interview with Immortal Technique:

Were politics always a part of the subject of your rap?

I think it was always a part of my persona, [it’s] just [that] when I was a kid I was a little more ignorant…A lot more violent, for no reason. I was very misdirected. Like I said on The 3rd World, what good is a good education without direction, you know? I [was] still robbing and stealing. So, I stepped away from doing that, and I took a long hard look at myself, and endured a lot of self-criticism and self-analysis to deal with what I needed to change about my life. So, from there, I began to redirect a lot of the anger and fury that I had toward random people in the street that I would get into drama with […] and I decided that I wanted to always be rapping, but at the same time, the political aspect of what was naturally a part of me began to seep through. I was a battle rapper at first, but then I made the transfer from just being a battle rapper to writing music, It was naturally that progression. When I was in prison, that was the kind of music I was writing.

Do you think art and politics should always go hand-in-hand, or is there a place and time for it?

I think that […] people who don’t like politics have to realize that that’s part of art all the time. Why did Michelangelo paint Jesus white? Because the Pope told him to. Why are certain songs made, and certain lines edited out of songs? I was watching an old tape about race, and they were saying that Frank Sinatra sang a song back in the day [where] he was talking about how all races should be together, even the black people. And Hollywood decided that was a little too much for them to deal with back in the 50s, so they cut that part out of the song. You know, we have to realize that [it’s political] whether you like it or not, whether you sit there like “oh I don’t want to hear this political s—.” Well, then don’t listen to music. The fact that there’s a certain artist that’s out from a record label and [another one] that’s not…that’s political, you know?

You speak often about revolution. What is revolution to you, and how is it different from its previous incarnations?

For many years, it bothered me that as much as people complain about fake gangster rappers, I don’t really find them disturbing. I mean, everyone knows they’re a fraud, people in their hood know they’re a fraud, the problem with fake revolutionary rappers, is people are so impressionable, they’ll […] believe that. So, all the work that I try to do, I do myself, and try to get as much accomplished as I possibly can, whether it’s working for immigrant rights, or fundraising for children’s hospitals in Palestine, whatever it is that I’m involved in—but I felt like using the power that I have and the voice I have, I can really bring other people who are interested in that type of project, to it. So, I came up with this idea of the Green Light Project, where I would hook up with a human rights organization, or another revolutionary org, and really live that dream and make it happen, and not only commit myself to it, but commit as many people as I can find who share the similar objectives to the same thing. So that was one aspect of it. Then, of course, in terms of revolution, I think that definitely it’s something that’s very romanticized here in America. they have to understand that revolution is not an easy thing, it’s not something you just readily accept. It’s a very difficult, arduous process. In every revolution, even for the most righteous of goals, innocent people are murdered, innocent women get raped, innocent people’s property is stolen. And yet, the people are willing to endure that, the risk of that happening to them personally, because the central government has become so unbelievable, because it’s become so corrupt, because it’s become so abusive to them, they’re willing to risk all that and gamble with their future for a better life, not just for them, but for their children. And it’s not something to ever take lightly, and it’s not something that I take lightly.

What projects do you have in the works?

The orphanage in Afghanistan is definitely one that I’m very heavily committed to, that’s the one that’s going to be on my mind, fundraising and working on for the next six months, and I’m going out to Afghanistan either next year or beginning of next year to oversee construction myself. Its not like it’s never been done before, I’m sure you know Hollywood actors need a tax rideoff, Oprah, and the rest of them… [but] this is done with underground hip hop money. I ain’t no […] millionaire, I’m doing this out of my own pocket, and I’m trying to get as many people who are like-minded to help me. It’s time to put up a shutup. I see a lot of motherf—— that talk it, but I don’t ever see them do it. But since I’m not the type of person to fill myself with bitterness for other people, I just worry about me and what I can do and what my people can do. I have a lot of [people] that roll with me now, I have a squadron of ten to twenty men, and not everyone rhymes about the same s— I do, but they all stand for the same s— that I do. And they’re willing to die for this. That’s what it is.

On the same day of the release of his new album, Technique announced “Project Green Light” on his MySpace blog. He outlines what he calls the “first stage” of a series of projects to which he is committing, the most major of which is his partnering with a non-profit human rights organization, Omeid International. Technique will be working closely with the organization, pledging $10,000 of his own money to build an orphanage/clinic/school in Kabul, Afghanistan. In his blog, Technique explains, “This is not a Middle Eastern issue. It is not a Muslim issue. It is a Human Rights issue…to some people this music is just entertainment, and even if it is that for many people, entertainment can inspire, it can brighten people and it can feed their imagination. It can also pacify it, it can placate and distract it, it can shadow and mask real problems around us we cannot see. But for me this is not about entertainment, it never has been. It has always been a mechanism for delivering so much more.”

The festivities kicked off at 11 a.m. at Georgia and Missouri Avenues, and continued down to Banneker Field by Howard University. Each year the “De Savvanah” festival grounds hosts an international marketplace packed with vendors featuring Caribbean food, crafts, and entertainment. Live music can be caught throughout the day, both during the parade and at De Savvanah. Headlining this year’s live entertainment were Fay-Ann Lyons & Bunji Garlin, and The Soca Queen Alison Hinds.

The DC Carnival is made possible through DC Caribbean Carnival, Inc., a non-profit organization based in the District. According to its website, the carnival is intended to “develop and encourage cross-cultural program within the Washington Metropolitan Area” in the “expansion of Caribbean culture, and educate youths and adults in the Caribbean arts, crafts, and culture.”

In just 13 years, the carnival has grown from nine bands, representing different Caribbean islands, and 150,000 spectators to 25 bands and nearly 300,000 visitors. The carnival not only attracts Caribbean immigrants living in DC and the greater east coast, but from Canada, Australia and the Caribbean islands themselves, most notably Jamaica and Trinidad.

While enjoying the tail-end of the parade on the first day of the Carnival, I spotted a group of guys covered in mud, laughing and joking on the side of the street. Reflective of their inviting and inclusive culture, they called me over and I had the chance to spend some time with this hilarious bunch as they cooked food and wound down from the day’s festivities. All immigrants from Trinidad and Tobago, they made their way from various parts of the country to enjoy their annual journey to the DC Carnival. Below, you can hear from the guys themselves about why they come to the carnival and their thoughts on being a member of Caribbean immigrant community.

Selwyn Williams, NY resident, on why he keeps coming back each year, and explains why he’s covered all over in mud:

Dexter Griffith, on his role in the Carnival, and what being a Caribbean immigrant in America means to him:

Harvey Neptune, a professor at Temple University, describes how he prophesized Obama’s run for the presidency, and how he “convinced” Michelle to let him do it:

New York City just held the “mother of all U.S. carnivals,” as Harvey Neptune puts it, called the West Indian American Day Carnival. The festivities draw in over 3 million people each year for a weekend celebrating Caribbean crafts, music, and food. To get a peek into what went on during the event, click here.

If you missed the DC or NYC carnivals, you have another chance to join in the festivities at the Broward Caribbean Carnival in South Florida, October 12th. Get all of the details here.

Who knew upon starting my internship this summer that wigs would become such a key element of my life? For the last 2 months while researching my Intern Edition piece on wigs and why people wear them on a daily basis, wigs have consumed and intrigued me. I interviewed avid wig wearers, from drag queens to working professionals with little time to fix their natural hair. I learned two very important things: both of these very different groups of people use wigs to form and enhance their identities. And, unfortunately, they are both judged by non-wig wearers. I must admit that I was one of the skeptics who questioned: if it’s not Halloween, and you don’t have a medical condition that results in hair loss, what’s the point?

It wasn’t till I took the plunge and tried on a professionally-made wig at Kay’s Wig Shop in downtown D.C. that I fully understood how empowering wearing a wig can be. Picking one out can be a bit daunting—multiple pairs of eyes from mannequin heads stare you down while you browse the aisles. And how do you pick the right one? For me, it was easy; I wanted something completely different from my own dark brown bobbed hair. I picked out a long blonde wig with lengthy layers and waited for giggles to erupt out of my friends mouths as I tried it on.

The owner of the shop, Kay Kim, first put this skull cap-looking hair net on my head—which is not at all flattering but creates a smooth surface for the wig to rest upon. She slowly pulled the wig over my now temporarily bald head, taking care to curl any excess hair under the cap. Having ditched long hair about a year ago, I’d forgotten what it was like to be able to pull your hair back in a ponytail or flip it to attract attention. I hadn’t dyed my hair since high school, when experimenting with pinks and purples seemed like a good idea. The biggest difference between the wig and my natural hair? The wig looked perfect–and my natural thick wavy hair rarely does unless I spend some time on it.

The heat didn’t cause the wig to frizz. It remained perfectly in place. Kay smiled at me and said: “You look so good!” I stared back in astonishment because , I must admit—I looked great. And I felt good, too. The way the wig made me look boosted my confidence and made me feel…different–just like when I get a hair cut and feel new again. But with a wig, you never have to worry about your hairstyle growing out.

As I admired my new hair and flirted with the idea of buying the wig, Kay said, “And you look so much younger too!” That’s when I knew I’d had enough. At the age of 21 looking like a teen again was my not my intention—I’m finally at the point when people don’t stare for several minutes at my ID questioning whether I’m of legal drinking age or not. Thinking back, I probably gave Kay a bit of a look when she said this—exactly how old did I look to her?

For drag queens, a wig completes their feminine transformation, making them look like a woman. For working professionals with no time to fix their hair, it gives them confidence to know they can easily slip on a wig and be ready a day at the office or a night on the town. But for me, there was something a little unnerving about the smiling blonde in the mirror, who looked a little too comfortable in my clothes.

There were a fair number of people around, but the building wasn’t packed. Those wandering through the concrete cathedral mostly looked detachedly amused, walking slowly, heads back staring at the rafters or down, lazily searching for noisy radiators and pipes. There was a general sense of wonder visible on the faces of all present, from small children there with families to middle-aged men who could only be befuddled musicians.

I wandered a bit before getting in line, taking in all the sights and sounds of the place. Vast concrete floors stretched through every hall, with large horizontal windows looking out toward the Staten Island Ferry terminal. A few floors up from the entrance, I found the installment’s center: a room that looks like an entire abandoned warehouse, blue wires flying out the back of a lone organ to connect to steel support beams fifty feet overhead. After a few minute’s wait, I finally got a chance to lay my hands on the old pipe organ’s keys. I poked around and pushed some buttons, but my orchestra was less than sonorously extraordinary, producing some banging, clanging, and lots of unidentifiable dissonant rumbles.

But, according to Byrne, the installation was created with an aim toward democratizing the playing of an instrument: the sounds that happen when you press a key don’t actually correspond to the notes of a piano or any other instrument, so it’s just as strange and difficult to play for a gifted musician as for an amateur. And if you look at it that way, my discordant symphony on the architectural organ was a total success, if only for the nature of its happening, and the fun of being part of the process.

Shauna and I left Maryland around 1 p.m.  It was July 13 and a hell-hot day. 

I’ve never owned one of those thick, spiral-bound Thomas Guide-thingies and I don’t have a portable GPS. So I Googled the route to Winton, North Carolina.   I find it interesting that all those computer generated route-makers such as Mapquest and Yahoo disclaim every path they chart.  I think Google should include some sort of backwoods disclaimer. 

“Warning… this route will take you through winding country roads with no street lights.  Cell-phone reception will not exist.  Beware of farm machinery on two-lane roads that only fit one car.  Don’t get lost.”   

We drove by many a cornfield and past dilapidated wooden structures with trees growing through the windows, the roofs. There were a few historical markers, the most notable marking Nat Turner’s Insurrection that took place during the 1830s. 

The drive was very picturesque. I think there’s something artistic about old, abandoned houses…  leaning to the side, overgrown with brush… almost heaving with fatigue from a life on their feet, before laying down a final time.  Other structures such as one church-like building seemed to stand mostly upright.  They just appeared a tad bit worn after a lifetime of sheltering worshipers wearing their Sunday-go-to-meeting best. There was another church with a tin-looking red roof, looked like a long, tired old horse that had carried one heavy load too many, its poor back permanently sloped in the middle, kind of like the letter C on its back.

While driving in D.C. is not my favorite activity, I loved traveling through those wide open spaces.  Even the windy roads were peaceful. 

These photos were captured on the drive back from Winton, North Carolina. Shauna and I took awhile to get back to Maryland because we kept stopping along the way to take photos of slanted and abandoned houses and what I now call cemetery clumps or mini-cems:  Collections of graves with 10 headstones or less.   

Sohodolls | Ribbed Music for the Numb Generation | Released October 18 2007 in US

Somehow the British electro trio escaped my attention since their most recent album earned them radioplay, but fortunately one of my favorite trash-rock duos remixed the Sohodolls this summer, bringing them much-deserved limelight this side of the Atlantic. Singer Maya van Doll is unabashed in her aims of bringing sex and self-awareness into synthpop, and pulls it off without a hitch, amalgamating disco-era uptempo hooks with punk attitude and just enough postmodern sleaziness to work.

Of course he was talking about ticket broker sites like StubHub, where I eventually traded my tax refund for Thom Yorke. The next question is inevitably, “Well, was it worth it?” and the answer an equally inevitable and resounding, “DUH.” So does that mean those slimy scalpers are right – that they play a fair game in an open marketplace, that whatever someone will pay is what a ticket is worth?

Parents of pre-teen Hannah Montana fans would beg to disagree. Getting to see the Disney pop princess in the flesh on her 2007 tour was the biggest ticket of the year, with the biggest cash-in for scalpers, too. Tickets regularly sold out in seconds (sound familiar?) and would instantly and suspiciously appear on ticket broker, a.k.a. scalper, websites with markups of hundreds (sometimes thousands) of dollars. Diva moms of divas-in-training caused such a stink about being outclicked at ticketmaster.com that they inspired several states to pass the Hannah Montana law. Seriously. This piece of common sense legislature prohibits “ticket brokers” from using software bots to snatch up large blocks of the best seats in the house, getting around queues and ticket limits, in order to resell for a disgusting gross profit.
The Hannah Montana law may have satisfied a few Disney fans, but doesn’t mean much when taking into account the legislature allowing scalping adopted by several states just a few months before the frenzy, establishing a laissez-faire approach to the ticket marketplace.

Artists like Radiohead’s Thom Yorke have spoken out against these broker sites, but not just because of a moral issue – if they can’t stop them, they want a cut of the profits, too (and in an era of 360 deals and nonexistent record sales, can you blame them?). Late last year, a group called the Resale Rights Society united over 400 bands who wanted to collect fees from sites that resell tickets, but it seems like they’ve made little headway. Radiohead fans were gouged once again by Ticketmaster and their “partner site” TicketsNow on this year’s tour.
The most recent news of artist vs. scalper is Tom Waits’ new photo ID policy that has been met with mixed reactions. Obviously the ticket scalping problem is not going anywhere, and the larger Ticketmaster monopoly issue is certainly a Goliath. However, artists and promoters could certainly price tickets smarter from the get-go and bypass Ticketmaster whenever possible (see: Phish).

While I can’t argue that sometimes seeing your favorite band is virtually priceless, I would much prefer to reward the artist with my hard-earned money instead of a faceless, opportunistic website.

Kid Sister’s radio-friendly Pro Nails featuring Kanye West was fun and infectious and all, but this Control remix made it physically impossible for me to sit in my chair. I swear, one of these days a Kid Sister induced dance party while driving is going to make me crash into a telephone pole. The hook is that transfixing. The Chicago MC has just reminded us all that women in hip hop are alive and well. Listen with caution.

Hear the LA Riots’ remix of “Control” at hypemachine here.

With a little help from the District of Columbia’s Sales Tax Holiday, though, your window shopping dreams could finally come true.

Washington, D.C., is offering the city’s second Sales Tax Holiday of 2008 from Aug. 2 through midnight on Sunday, Aug. 10.  D.C.’s sales tax may not be as obscene as Chicago’s — a painful 10.25 percent — but shopping tax-free is definitely a plus.

With that said, as my 10 weeks in D.C. come to a close, I’d like to offer my two cents on some of the best deals, hot spots and most interesting boutiques I’ve encountered in the D.C. area:

Annie Creamcheese – Vintage for the Future
Located on 32 and M street, in the heart of Georgetown’s shopping district, this boutique offers a variety of new and vintage women’s clothing and accessories. When I heard the 80s music bumping from outside the door, I knew I had to check it out. I picked up a yellow leather bracelet with a peace-sign charm for only $15. On top of a glass case filled with funky bangles, clip-on earrings, and strands of pearls is a framed picture of none other than Nicole Richie and her beau Joel Madden in the store!

An American in Paris – 1225 King Street, Alexandria,VA
Never in my life have I encountered a more interesting woman running a more interesting boutique.  Chic dresses displayed in the window caught my eye, along with the store’s catchy name.  I walked up to the door, hoping to walk right in and was startled — the door was locked.  I looked up, confused since Saturday afternoon is typically prime shopping time.  A sign read:  “The door remains locked for security purposes, please knock and we will let you in!”  Intrigued, I knocked and was let in by a petite Frenchwoman with a vibrant personality.  “Welcome!” she said. “We have the most beautiful clothing you will find in the city … but I have very strict rules,” she said.  She continued to talk my ear off for the next 10 minutes, explaining to me that I was not allowed to touch her “fine clothing.”  She showed me the appropriate way to view the garments, and specifically told me not to grab the clothes, “like most shoppers in this area do.”   She said she’s been open nearly 10 years in Old Town Alexandria, and she appeals to a different kind of customer.  But with the same brands as any high-end department store or boutique, I am still wondering why she thinks she is so special.  How she stays open with a locked door and such strict rules remains a mystery — I was out the door as soon as I could escape her lecture.

Treat – “the sample sale boutique” – 114 S. Royal Street, Alexandria, VA
This is one of the most quaint and fun places I’ve shopped in D.C. – with some of the best prices I’ve ever seen.  Treat offers sample sale prices on apparel that was hand-picked from overstock inventory, end of season merch, and discontinued items from DC-based designers and stores.  Acting as a permanent sample sale, the store has women’s clothing, handbags, and other accessories at discounted prices ranging from 30 to 80 percent off!  The boutique is only open on the weekends, but you can’t miss the amazing deals.