Tea time in Hackney...Day 1 oh yeah!

So I finally arrived at Appl Juic's crib in Hackney 3 1/2 hours after landing at Heathrow. My first trip on the Tube was pretty uneventful, and had it not been for a transit strike on the Overground, I probably would have arrived an hour earlier. Appl Juic immediately offered me a beer and he and I preceded to spend the next 4 hours sitting in his backyard talking about UK Hip Hop, Grime, British cultural sensibility and of course . . . Hip Hop education. Appl Juic, besides being a sick emcee, is a Supply Teacher (subsitute) here in Hackney. He's wholly dedicated to using Hip Hop as a means to teach disaffected and marginalized youth. ***Keep an eye out for the Trans-Atlantic youth project. Heck we're personally building on Hip Hop, no reason that our students shouldn't be...



Kernel of knowledge for the day: In many ways Grime developed independently of Hip Hop, and quickly became a way to distinguish UK emceeing from American-style rapping. Hip Hop in Germany had the German language, Hip Hop in France had French. The Brits had to create a new vocabulary, borrowing from the rhythms of Drum 'n Bass, to create something unique to the struggles and identity of its early pioneers. Check out The Barcodes DVD on-line for more info.

After walking 30 minutes in steady-rain, Appl Juic and I finally showed up at the Pangea Project. The spirit of the space quickly reminded me of the Bowery Poetry Club--independent culture for independent artists and thinkers. I'm a firm believer that there is at least one Pangea Project in every major city throughout the world. Our job is to find 'em and nurture the network...



Rabbi D showed up late last night and within 3 hours of his arrival we had already written a song, which brings me to the end of this post. ZaJazza (arriving from Lyon, FR this morning) is firing up Ableton and we're about to record. Then we're off to Pangea for tonight's show! Say Word! Until next time...growth...