365th Revolution

As the Earth makes its 365th revolution

to complete an orbit

Re

flect

Re

count

Re

volve

Like time travelers

Weaving together

baskets of

past,

present,

and future

Rapping and Unlocking Language

I am not an expert in brain development but it makes me wonder about the mysteries that are occurring as children unlock language and sound. We often take articulation for granted. The act of speaking is a very complex function that requires a coordination and transmission of information from the brain to the muscles in vocal coords and lungs to create sound. This video is a great example of a child unlocking and exploring sound and language. He seems to recognize music and rhythm and that it is pleasing to one's ear.

-ARISTYLES

Re-imagining Black Male Identity

A fruitful discussion on Black Male Identity. There needs to be more spaces like these where people can examine masculinity and begin to construct a positive male identity. The panel includes Lupe Fiasco, Nick Cannon, Russell Simmons, Jordan Coleman, John O'neil, and more.

Here is the link: http://fora.tv/2010/12/06/The_Black_Male_Re-Imagined

I am from

I am from cassette players

Blasting old tunes from my parents’ time

The white curtains

Hanging in the living room

As a back drop for a green couch

Familiar with bodyslams and full nelsons

I am from Tagalog curse words

Echoing through the house in a percussive rhythm

Seemingly appropriate for a household of nine

I am from bedtime stories

That started with “Back in my days…”

Hand-me-downs, top ramen,

$5 dollar haircuts, and a busy street intersection

In the city

Where a blend of Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, and English

Resonate through corner stores and Muni stops

An anthem of working class immigrants and citizens

I am from those pixie sticks

That came in different colors and flavors

Bounded, constricted--tightly with a rubber band

Cramped

Like a family in pursuit a dream

Narrated to them in photographs

Carefully planned and placed into albums

Negatives nowhere to be found

Or perhaps forgotten

Because trauma

Hurts the head

Resulting in...

Historical amnesia

Rhymes of Color Mixtape

LINK: FREE download of Aristyles "Rhymes of Color" mixtape

aristylesmixtapes.bandcamp.com

aristyles.bandcamp.com

As promised, the Rhymes of Color Mixtape is now available for download. Please forward widely as I am not one to sit in front a computer for too many hours. Much love and appreciation.

Not Extreme (Video)

Peace to the brutha Ryan Reyes of 151 Productions for beasting this in out in day. Check out his channel by clicking HERE. The instrumental in this video is to Nottz's "Cars" (No copyright intended).

Mixtape is on the way soon. Just narrowing down the tracks. As always I appreciate the support. I am truly blessed to be able to create music. I am thankful for the relationships that I have been able to build through art. Let's keep it moving and continue to stay connected.

-ARISTYLES

Conscious Cops

For those who haven't heard me say this before, I would like to officially introduce all you good folks to the term: CONSCIOUS COP. Oh yes, I've said it and have been saying it for quite some time now. A CONSCIOUS COP is quite simply a person who addresses ignorance or some sort of oppressive action (small or large) in an extremely non-constructive and non-effective way. Non-effective meaning that the person they are addressing or more like angrily accusing of perpetuating oppression is done so in a fashion that results in zero progress. What comes out of this conscious cop(ing) or policing is nothing more than a negative interaction, in which the person being addressed is shut off from any perspective you may have, even if those perspectives are valid and logically sound. What is remembered by the accused as a result the interaction is not so much the validity of the points being made but rather how condescending and angry that the conscious cop presented him/herself. What the accused is often left with is a bad taste in their mouth and a distaste of conscious folks.

Many of us "conscious" people have taken this role at one point in time (or more) and some only know how to be a conscious cop. However, there is always hope for a conscious cop to instead transform into a conscious comrade. Below are some (not all) things to remember to help kill the conscious cop in all of us and around us.

1. Breathe. Not everyone went to college, read Marx, look up "revolutionary" blogs, got a Sociology degree or saw some dry ass documentary on something troubling. I'm not saying let ignorance slide, I'm just saying don't be quick to curse a person out because you are angry. Some people are ignorant or oppressive because that is all they know. It is normal to them. Therefore, cursing someone out does not usually (only sometimes) work.

2. Choose your battles. Sometimes you cannot persuade everyone. Folks are at different places in their lives constantly evaluating their own personal values. Use that energy on people who you feel can really connect and convince to reevaluate their values and beliefs.

3. Maintaining and building relationships is most important. Building relationships with people, even those that you may perceive as very ignorant is very important. By building relationships, people will like you more and it is more likely that they will take your words more seriously and not as an attack.

4. Timing is key. Know when the right opportunities opens up to address oppression. People have been taught to think a certain way all their lives, therefore addressing all kinds of oppression is not a one day event or a single conversation, but an ongoing process. Criticism is often difficult to take, so bombarding people with constant conscious coping is will often result in negative feelings.

5. Dialogue. Don't be condescending. And yes, using an arrogant tone and flowery language can be perceived as condescending. Even the conscious cop can learn. Understand that even conscious folks, themselves, have contradictions, especially if you are part of a 1st world country like the U.S. Dialogue is about having humility and openness. A conscious cop that slams a person so he/she can feel morally superior and the other inferior is one who is not open to dialogue and should really reflect on their purpose as someone committed to combating oppression (or if not, get slapped upside their head--*joking*).

Conscious cops can be anywhere and everywhere. The key is not to conscious cop the conscious cop, but to use the appropriate action to effectively confront the conscious cop among us and in ourselves. It is about changing minds, not insulting them.

-ARISTYLES

Art and Language

Lounge

Ain't nuthin' like making beats to take your mind off of the cold Frisco weather.

One,

ARISTYLES

Learning from Egypt

Now the story of a corrupt ruler that robs and oppresses his own people and then gets ousted by the people in an epic struggle for freedom is nothing new. We’ve actually seen, heard, and read this kind of narrative in history books, movies, and so on. Some of us may have even been or are a part of these kinds of struggles. What has been inspiring for me from watching the people of Egypt get rid of a dictator is not so much the story mentioned above but the power of a united people.

While some media reports may describe Mubarak’s overthrow as a result of an 18-day-long protest, what really was happening was the result of not only oppression and worsening living conditions but also many years of organizing and educating of the people. Everyday people. We’re talking working class, poor, “I just want to feed my children”, people. As simple as that… Nothing extra-ordinary or romanticized. No magical savior or so called “chosen-one”.

From watching the live footage to videos on my network feeds, what was truly inspiring was the unison in which people acted to pursue something as simple as just wanting to live. Something that should be so easily attainable but is not because of the manipulation and abuse of the greedy few in power. The Egyptian people spoke a language who’s message was so simple and so easily understood that no dehumanizing military training could cause them to ignore the people’s cry. In fact, it caused them to question and even recognize their role in either working for the people or working for Mubarak. What the Egyptian people have displayed is a faith in humanity’s ability to reason, to differentiate between right and wrong, to recognize one’s own power as a individual and as part of a collective. A faith that transcends hegemonic programmed thinking that reproduces compliance and replaces real reasoning with moral deficiency.

While the rest of the world, including myself, reflects on Egypt in amazement, it is important to remember that what the people of Egypt have done was nothing short of what a people under government should do. The people reacted in a way that people are supposed to react when a government fails to provide for its people, when a leader steals from the pockets and tables of the workers, and when the voice of the people are belittled or silenced. They say that there is only fight or flight when one feels threatened. So when there is no place to flee to, there is no choice but fight. It is nature’s rule and the people’s will.

The work in Egypt is obviously not over as they enter into a new phase of their struggle. Watching the process of rebuilding is just as important watching the people oust their government. I look forward to continue learning from the Egyptian people.

Humbled and Inspired,

-ARISTYLES

Captivating the Masses

While blindfolds, dark rooms, and ropes often come to mind when we hear the word “captive”, the word “captivating” often implies the opposite… that is… within the context of organizing or social movements. Often used to refer to key figures and leaders in power movements, I began to ask myself, “Who is captivating the masses today?” or better yet, “What makes someone captivating?” Now I am not referring to captivating in a way that Drake or whoever is relevant on E News or Perez Hilton’s blog, is captivating. I am referring to captivating in a way that the “average” person can become indignant about where we are at as a society and move towards improving the collective’s present and futures. While I may find Malcom X or Angela Davis captivating (that’s just me, I’m nerdy like that), I have seen that for most people, to them, they are no more than a name in the history books, a person, no longer relevant or relatable to their present.

While the present conditions somewhat mirrors that of the 60’s and 70’s (Arizona’s ban on ethnic studies, anti-immigrant legislation, anti-gay marriage, war, unemployment, and so on…), the way in which we, the masses have responded, has been quite the opposite. Now I am not talking about the same people you see march at anti-war rallies yearly or the same folks you see at educational meetings where the presenters are often reporting on something that the audience already has a good grasp of, I am talking about those everyday people. Those got-to-work-everyday-never-studied-Marx-or-went to-a-leftist-college, not-impressed-by-revolutionary-chants type people (yes, I said wrote it).

While, I am fairly young and too poor to travel much, I have come to notice a sort of pattern in which some, not all, people have become involved in working towards social justice in the Bay Area and amongst Filipino Americans. While this statement may be off-mark or may open up new doors and questions relating to resources and opportunities, the question I would rather like to return to is, “What is captivating” or “How do you captivate those who are different from you in terms of experience, perception, privilege, etc.?” While I do not have the complete answers to these questions, I believe that part of the answer lies in creativity and relationships.

When I say creativity, I am not referring to simply creating art, because even art can be non-creative (that’s called the music industry, ha). I mean a kind of creativity that isn’t just art but is new, refreshing, and breaks patterned, re-runned, approaches that have been used to try and captivate the masses. Complimentary to this approach is also being able to build relationships, even with people who may not be as “conscious-makibaka-revolutionary-buck-buck-burn-down-babylon-i-have-a-serious-face-while-raising-my-left-fist-in-every-picture” as a some folks might to view themselves. There are too many times in which I’ve heard stories of people being turned off by people who are condescending, dismissive, cliquey, and impatient because they aren’t as “conscious”. While many of us may have embodied some of these characteristics in the past, it is important to remember that building relationships requires patience, humility, love, and genuine interest. Lacking these qualities only dehumanizes the work that many would claim to “die for”.

As we move through time, it will be interesting (or not) to see how the masses will (or not) be captivated.

-ARISTYLES