Miami based photographer Noelle Theard and Colombian emcee EPHNIKO spent two months traveling through Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela documenting hiphop culture. The following slideshow of Noelle’s work, done for the Miami Herald, is a testament to the fact that hiphop is alive and well abroad, and pushing creative, political and social boundaries.  Watch!  (View Noelle’s website)

International curator Isolde Brielmaier has organized a show featuring video art in the borough of Brooklyn: INGRIDMWANGIROBERTHUTTER…Select Videos, 2006-2007…Still from Being Bamako, 2007, single-channel video, 16:50 minutes….Wed, 6/20/07 – 7/20/07 at the Rotunda Gallery.  The show also includes, in the Project Space, Duron Jackson – Revered/Reviled.

In the selection of videos exhibited, German based artist collective, INGRIDMWANGIROBERTHUTTER attempts to view Africa through different eyes. Countries within Africa tend to be thrown into one basket, seen mainly through the filters of having a history of colonialism. According to Mwangi, “They are constantly being compared with occidental systems – and are most often found to be lacking. Even as an African, it is difficult to get away from the impressions that the media leave in our minds; rigid ideas of efficiency and the ‘right kind’ of progress, negative examples of misrule, etc. These handily packaged and digestible information bites often have little to do with the reality of how millions of people live and meet the demands of daily life with vigor.” Watch videos! 

Working Playground – Mon, June 4 – Working Playground’s Urban Arts Festival Fundraiser event was held in NYC’s West Village. Student artwork was on display and auctioned, there were live performances in Poetry and African Dance, and a student film was featured. Presenters included NYC legend, FAB 5 FREDDY, and The Wire’s, Michael Kenneth Williams. Guests were treated to sushi, sake cocktails and lots of love. I actually shedded some tears it was so touching…. Watch a student film. (photos: Marcia Moosnick)

Bushwick, Brooklyn – Tuesday, June 19 – Meanwhile on the other side of town….This link was sent to me….Time Multimedia: Hard Times in Brooklyn…..A Serbian photographer discovers the mean streets of Bushwick with music by Dr. Octagon….Charlie Ahearn: Wild Style the Sampler – Friday, June 22 The Powerhouse Arena’sexhibition opening, Charlie Ahearn: Wild Style the Sampler, was off the hook. So much love. The heart and soul of hip hop was alive and well, if only for one night. Grandmaster Caz and Busy Bee got busy and reminded me of how a real hip hop party gets done. B-girls and B-boys rocked all night and legendary hip hop culture aficionados like DOZE and Fab 5 Freddy perculated in the mix. To top it off Ahearn’s, classic hip hop film, Wild Style, was screened live and direct under the stars and the Brooklyn Bridge, making it a perfect evening for all the hip hop lovebirds cozied up on the grass along Dumbo’s waterfront.

3rd Annual Hip Hop Festival – Saturday, June 23 - Another day on the waterfront of Dumbo. Perfect 80 degree, no humidity, weather with a breeze caressed the ample crowd for another day of hip hop history brought to you by Brooklyn Bodegaand hosted by Ralph McDaniels (Video Music Box is still going!). Large Professor, Mad Skillz, Jeru the Damaga, Buckshot, Wu Tang, and more graced the stage. Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz declared the day a Holiday – Brooklyn Hip Hop Day – and busted a rhyme. Dres of Black Sheepperformed tracks from his new album that sounded like they might work for the over 30 hip hop crowd? Could a new genre be born? If so I have to ask, where is Special Ed?…As we rolled out through the cobblestoned high rise streets of Dumbo we saw FAT JOE cruise by driving his white Bentley looking for parking…Later we heard he made a special appearance to co-sign with Ghostface to close out the show…only in Brooklyn. 

Face2Face Project: “When we met in 2005, we decided to go together in the Middle-East to figure out why Palestinians and Israelis couldn’t find a way to get along together.  We then traveled across the Israeli and Palestinian cities without speaking much. Just looking to this world with amazement.  This holy place for Judaism, Christianity and Islam. This tiny area where you can see mountains, sea, deserts and lakes, love and hate, hope and despair embedded together.  After a week, we had a conclusion with the same words: these people look the same; they speak almost the same language, like twin brothers raised in different families. A religious covered woman has her twin sister on the other side. A farmer, a taxi driver, a teacher, has his twin brother in front of him. And he is endlessly fighting with him. It’s obvious, but they don’t see that. We must put them face to face. They will realize….”  Find out more!

Respond to Sound II is a feature documentary depicting the evolution of Black American street dancing from the 1760’s to the 1960’s.  The film demonstrates how Black American street dance laid the foundation for Hip Hop dancing. Respond to Sound II combines rare footage and commentary by today’s Hip Hop Pioneers – Krs-1, Black Eyed Peas, etc. – and yesterday’s Jazz Hoofers – Sammy Davis Jr., Sandman Sims and more. The film offers an educational and avant garde twist to the average Hip Hop documentary….View the trailer!

Respond to Sound II will be screened at the Urbanworld Vibe Film Festival at Loews 34th Street in the Feature Documentary Competition on:

Friday, June 22 @ 5pm

Saturday, June 23 @ 10am

- Peep the Respond to Sound I trailer, covering freestyle dance.  Producer David Wong told Mannequin Mag, “Part 1 focuses more on the LA and Brooklyn experience. Part 2 spans over a century and chronicles the evolution of freestyle or street dance. Part one is also more of a cult thing in LA as far as the dancers and the heads are concerned. Part 1 is also a homage to the LA spots that used to cater to those types of folks who were into dancing, hip hop, emceeing, etc…We talk about places like Lotus Garden, U.N.I.T.Y., Project Blowed, etc.”