Hip Hop Congress

NEW CHAPTERS
I would like everyone to welcome two new chapters to the Hip Hop Congress family. The school’s administration has recognized Columbia College in Chicago as a chapter. Currently led by Arkitek, email DjArkitek@tmail.com, I am sure this chapter will add to the great unity the Chicago chapters have. The second chapter is from NIGERIA!!! This chapter is being led by Nnaemeka Amaefule, blak.cuffy@yahoo.com, and is the first chapter in West Africa (or really all of Africa) for Hip Hop Congress. There is already a core of about a dozen active members! Congrats and welcome to both chapters. Hip Hop Congress continues to take over the world.

WEBSITE
I’m making the last changes of the new version (yes, another) of HipHopCongress.com, especially the Chapters and Artists section. Would all Chapterheads and/or board members please send me the following information to trishgutierrez@gmail.com, por favor. Thanks to Cal State Fizzzzerton, Wash U, and Indy for the speedy reply.

Short Description
City, State
Active since
Meeting Day/Time/Location
Current Board (position, contact info)
Chapter contact info (email, website, facebook, etc)
Mailing List
Media (pictures, URLs to articles, YouTube links, etc)

Also, will all HHC Artists please send the following to trishgutierrez@gmail.com:
Short Description
City, State
Influences
Website
Contact Info
Media (pictures, MP3s, etc)

This is a great way to be represented on the website. In the next couple of weeks, expect some emails/calls. And if that doesn’t work, I’ll just fill in the blanks myself, and trust me, you don’t want that. I appreciate it, y’all.
Peace.
Trish

WOMEN’S PROJECT
How goes it, HHC? Hope the New Year’s progressing well for everyone…This is an update on the Women’s Project. Over the next six months, the Women’s Project will be blessed by all the chapters that are able to contribute information on the females involved in Hip Hop in their area. This won’t require any extra research on the chapters’ part – one example is a brainstorm session at one of your meetings with someone taking notes and then emailing in the findings. The exact details on this action will be sent to all the chapterheads within the next two weeks. It will be followed up with phone calls to all the chapterheads in order to check in and personalize/individualize it a bit more. Check ins with the regional directors will be taking place to talk about the artists and happenings in their regions. More on the down low (time permitting), I’m working with Tachelle from Femmixx (check out femmixx.com) to publish a book of letters from females to Hip Hop, continuing to contact females involved in Hip Hop from across the country to be included in the listing (which already includes 35+ members), posting the Women’s Project info (revised mission statement and goals) on my Myspace page (myspace.com/djseriah) and playing with the idea of making a Women’s Project Myspace, and looking at establishing a regular community-based HHC Women’s Project event in the Bay Area, having found someone interested in organizing and coordinating events. And that’s what’s up with the Women’s Project….

Sarah Harris

UC IRVINE
WHAT IT DO?!?!? This quarter seems like it’s going pretty well so far. It’s time for some new heads to step up and take notes on how to keep things alive by working with the student government who supplies all our funds anyway. Right now we are all working together with ASUCI on a show for March 1st, with live art, a crew b-boy battle, a dope dj (still lookin around, anyone got any ideas?) and Blackalicious headlining. It will be a closed UCI event but students can buy guest tickets for anyone interested in rolling through. So ROLL THRU! I’ll buy your tickets…maybe….hahah!

What else….oh, a couple of us went to see Music Man Miles from the Breakestra hold it down at this bar in Downtown Fullerton and surprise! Special guest CUT CHEMIST (who kinda looks like that guy who bugs us every week for HHC updates) got on the tables and caught the speaker on fire! It was THAT HOT. Whoo! Then Jazzy Jay came out last Friday and spun at a bar too. Good local events.

Mad love to all y’all.
peeeeeeace.
anh
ED NOTE: Cut Chemist must be one attractive and highly talented person.

CAL STATE FULLERTON
This Monday marks the first day of the Spring 2007 semester! We’re participating in the organization/club showcase: Discover Fest, to bring awareness to our presence on campus as well as recruit, recruit, recruit! Even if we had a five-week break, our core has been busy preppin for the upcoming semester as well as our ginormous event tentatively on Saturday, March 31st. We have already booked two headliners as well as two openers. Who are they? You’ll find out soon!

We also have an office on campus this semester. We plan on pimpin it out and using it as a meeting/sleeping/eating/studying/etc. space. Also, All Your Bass Are Belong to Us, a weekly jam we threw last semester, is being threatened to become defunct. It’s because of a lot of administrative red tape and “complaints,” but we think it’s because they don’t like our taste in music and wardrobe. Heh. We plan on fighting for AYB’s continuation, so more on that later.
Trish

SACRAMENTO
Wus good yall its ya girl lady vex coming through to give you the SAC chapter weekly up date well lets get started last weekend there was two underground hiphop shows and one slam poet competition. As of now we are working on or next projects a BBOY COMP and 2 hiphop shows. A slam poet competition feb is gonna be off the huc 4 us. Just ta let ya’ll know 2 of the things I have a lot of love and pride in are my chapter and my city. Every one in our chapter is true school hip hop heads. We have all put in our work out here..and work wonderful together..I love them catts..we all got mad love 4 each out here. #2 SACRAMENTO have a very heavy and healthy hip hop scene out here trust we keep the culture going in our city…if you would like to know more about or city fill free to hala @ me 916-370-3846…and I would love to hear more bout your chapter…one luv yall. KIT……………..LADY VEX.

WASH U
Wash U chapter is moving along with plans for the roundtable on prisons in our society. We received full funding for a joint STL/WU artist showcase, and we are taking part in the activities fair to generate some interest for the chapter.

CHICAGO
National Conference on Media Reform: Some of the Chicago HHC members were able to attend the National Conference on Media Reform in Memphis, TN from January 12th - 14th. This was a great networking and learning experience regarding Media Justice. Please check www.freepress.net for more info.

Afrika Bambaataa: At the end of last week, Afrika Bambaataa blessed Chicago with his presence. Hip Hop Congress was able to be a part of a special appearance at an Elementary School as well as perform with Bambaataa and the Zulu Nation in both Chicago and Milwaukee (January 18th and 19th). Check the SoundSlam article by Alex Fruchter on Bam’s visit to the elementary school: http://www.soundslam.com/articles/news/news.php?news=070120_bamsch.

Hip Hop Congress Social: We held a city wide afternoon gathering on January 20th for our chapters and extended family in order to connect with each other outside of a meeting or show. The event was successful and gave people a break from having to put work in to an event or campaign.

Upcoming Events
Friday, January 26th
HHC and A8 Crew present
8th Annual Ladies First Event
An all Women Hip Hop Show

Sunday, January 28th
HHC Women’s Summit
1pm - 4pm (Follow up to the show)

Flyer and info:
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g275/goglobal_2006/HIPHOPFINALFLAT.jpg
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g275/goglobal_2006/HIPHOPFINALFLAT2.jpg

Wednesday, January 31st
HHC Columbia Chapter Fundraiser
Featuring Iomos Marad, GQ Da Teacha, Kidz in the Hall
and more! http://www.myspace.com/hhccolumbiachicagochapter

PEACE!
Asad
INDIANAPOLIS
What up .. it’s been a good week for our Indianapolis chapter. On Monday (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day), I spoke to an auditorium full of people at the Indiana Historical Society downtown. With 200-300 people in attendance, ranging from philanthropists to educators to students and other activists in the city, I was able to reach out and establish some well-needed connections for our group and give a run-down on what we hope to provide for the city. Likewise, we are establishing the kick-off of a Friday night weekly event known as “Elements”, which begins March 9th. It will essentially serve as a creative hub where we will help teach and encourage young people to learn about/engage in all the elements of hip hop (as the name suggests) with the help of our members/volunteers. We’re also beginning the grant-writing process as well. Those are the primary updates for Indy. Word.Peace.Life.G’yea.

-Metro

WILLAMETTE
Things are going over here at Willamette. We’re waiting on the school to get back to us on our funding for the Black and Brown Unity Tour and I think reaching our budget goals is just a matter of time. Till then we are also working on scheduling and holding our second annual Conscious Overdose show with headliner Blue Scholars. For the most part were keeping it low key for the month of January and getting ready for the upcoming events.

Austin

USC
Hip Hop Congress is in full swing and we have an event packed semester ahead of us!

Prepared to be blown away by the Massive Monkees break dance crew, a Seattle troupe who beat out 32 teams from all over the world to take the World B-Boy Championship at Wembley Arena in London. They have recently shared the stage with artists such as LL Cool J, Ludacris, Slick Rick, Clipse, and more.

Get ready to see hip-hop on a whole new level, as the group jumps, flips, and spins across the stage with their precisely synchronized routines and mind-blowing freestyle solo performances. The show will feature DJ/MC OneBeLo, with whom the Monkees have toured throughout Europe and the states. Oh, and its FREE Hit up Bobby at (213) 422-1194

For Congress members who wish to attend, please try and wear congress gear. It’s okay if you don’t have any, it just makes the VIP line that much easier!

Following the concert, HHC USC Chapter will be hosting a movie night on campus Wednesday January 31, 2007 at Leavey Library. Want to know what movie?… well come out and see! ITS GONNA BE FRESH TO DEAF!

ROOSEVELT TREASURECHEST
Bandit Uncovers the Treasurechest, Works With DJ To Produce New Podcast Series.

Bandit Productions is proud to announce that DJ Roosevelt Treasurechest is the newest member of the Bandit squad. Hailing from Hyde Park on Chicago’s Southside, Treasurechest brings incredible creativity, versatility, and skill to Bandit Productions. The former CPS teacher brings his mixtape series, A Poor Craftsman Always Blames His Tools, to Bandit, and will also be debuting a new Podcast of the same name in the coming weeks. The podcast will feature music and interviews with local and national Hip Hop artists such as Dilated Peoples, Common, Juice, Busta Rhymes, and more. Treasurechest will also be doing his part to uncover the best independent talent, as up and coming artists will be able to submit their tracks for inclusion on monthly podcasts and mixtapes.

“Roosevelt Treasurechest has his hands in a lot of areas right now, and can be a big asset to Bandit. As soon as you hear a Roosevelt Treasurechest project, or see him live, you can tell he has a passion for this. You’ll see, there are a lot of jewels in the Treasurechest,” said Bandit CEO Eric Sheinkop.

Roosevelt Treasurechest, real name Alexander Fruchter, is also a member of the Hip Hop Congress, a non-profit organization that uses Hip Hop as tool for social change and community building. He currently is on the National Board, and was the first chapterhead of the Indiana University chapter.

He looks forward to integrating all of his interests and showcasing the talent of other HHC artists and their causes as well.

You can check more information about Roosevelt Treasurechest by visiting his new Myspace page, www.myspace.com/roosevelttreasurechest.

LINK OF THE WEEK
If everyone isn’t aware of the DJ Drama mixtape situation, check the article from the New York Times. To summarize, Drama was busted by the RIAA for selling music illegally through his mixtapes. As we all know, mixtapes is big business and many times funded by many major record labels. The way this case goes down could totally change the way DJs introduce music to the general public…

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/18/arts/music/18dram.html?_r=1&oref=slogin