"Let Righteousness.... Cover the Earth! Like The Waters... and The Trees, and the Birds and the Bees, yah!" ~ Bob Marley
Hasan Salaam @ TowerRecords.com
Order the NEW album, "Children Of God" @ CDBaby.com
"When the world was in darkness and darkness was ignorance.. along came Ra." ~ Sun-Ra & His Jazz Arkestra
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About Me?
I go by many names, depending on what cypher or circle of rotation you know me from. For the purposes of this page, you may simply call me: Presidente. I basically build; nothing too complex. I love my people with all my infinite BEing, meaning it is an undying Love. Wherever I am needed, wherever I am able to provide a service, I strive to do so.
Rites of Passage is my passion. Much love to The Imani Foundation and Manhood/Womanhood Thru Uplift Rites of Passage, Norfolk VA. Every region should have one. It's ESSENCE-IN-ALL (ESSENTIAL) to the Growth and Development of our Children; especially for those who don't have time to be home and deal in the science of everything in life with their babies as much as they would like to, it's good to have a support system in place for them.
Flyer design and event management are two other areas of focus for me. I've done flyers, web design, and web maintenance for many organizations, primarily those dedicated to uplifting the sistas and the babies, but a diverse group nonetheless. Petra Genesis, Women In Shared Ministry, GrandnannyBooks.com, Minds About Progress, JaNaye Renea Productions, The ODU/NSU Virginia Beach Higher Education Center, as well as various artists, check out brotha Hasan Salaam and my brotha J. Major.
I do a bit of marketing and promotion for those artists whom I really have confidence in. Hasan Salaam, J. Major, Stacy Epps, Masta Killa (Wu-Tang), and NY Oil to name a few whom I've participated in various advertising campaigns with. The former, by volunteer and out of love. The latter two, through an organized street team type of deal, via Nature Sounds and P.E.M.G respectively.
But, my passion is putting together community festivals, workshops and HipHop, Reggae, Soul, Ol' School shows and parties. It's all towards building this nation; we have to utilize our talents in this day and time, more than ever. For the love, but, for elevation as well. Our expression and understanding our power is our key to better conditions, first and foremost.
Soul of a Generation is a movement, it is a not-for-profit mechanism that is meant to capture the essence of all of the elements of Original culture, as it pertain to "The Arts," and add-on a healthy dose of Knowledge, Wisdom and Understanding. The Renaissance Entertainment and Management Group is our in-corporated branch, which deals with artist management, development, event planning, event management and just generally throwing the dopest HipHop events around. Soul of a Generation adds onto that, the spirit of the documentarian, the griot, the teacher, the explorer, mathematician, and philosopher. REM is the body, SOG is the heart and soul. It is, essentially, the means by which we merge talent with responsibility, business with community service, past with present, streets with the Temple.
Dig. We as an original and whole-istic people never separated our various portions of self, until we came in contact with outside forces. Or, rather, they came upon US. The mission is to bring all our various pieces back together, so that upcoming artists WON'T be afraid to be leaders, voices of truth or role model; so new record companies and independent media will not owe anything to any entity that would have them practice anything contrary to organic and healthy business principle and ethic.
In short, we are The People, for They are what make the world go round, truly.
~* Peace ~ Pax ~ Paz ~ Paix ~ HETEPU ~ AlaáfÃa ~ Amanà ~ Ashtee ~ Ets'a'an Olal ~ Shalam ~ Shalom ~ Salaam ~ Salam'ta ~ Salem ~ Ãrq ~ Heiwa! ~ Wolakota ~ PE AC E! *~
J. Major: True Saveyah... savin' the game from the WACK
J. Major: "No Make Believe"
J. Major: The Greatest (Muhammad Ali Tribute).. Parental advisory
Hasan Salaam: 15 Minutes
Zanillya, Esperanza & Tash : "Living the Dream"
Stacy Epps - DEEP
Universal Family! Whattup!? All welcome to My humble space. Peace, I AM glad to be of Service to you, original people, members of the Community, my siblings from the Ab Antiquo Family of Nations. This Renaissance is not one solely of mind or reason, poetry or prose, music or visual art; instead, it is a whole and organic expression of life ever-flowing and changing and twisting and turning. My partners, family, and I look forward to collaborating and making things happen wherever the good work is being Done by positive people with open hearts and minds.
There are 2 new joints up here for you. First, "Still Breathin," by my man Major. I almost lost a good friend, and dedicated comrade. Gun violence from one brother against another, for trying to spark the minds of the youth, and bring them up out of a negative situation. Fortunately, your mission has not yet been completed brother. next evenin... Still Breathin! From one soldier to another, I love you like an older brother. Real tidalk. Second, "15 Minutes," from my man Hasan's new project "Children of God," trust me, I've heard some of my brotha's new material, and anyone will tell you I'm a super critic when it comes to music, but he is making classic music. I do not use that term lightly.
Also, I and I must give thanks where thanks is due. Peace to my VA family. I've learned much from all of you, the work of my hands is but a reflection of your smiling faces and loving reproaches. 7-cities for a reason.
Special thanks to the brotha Ason Unique (some know him as Ol' Dirty), who put me onto a very inspiring scroll:
"They insist on putting out GOD's light with their mouths, but GOD insists on perfecting his light, despite disbelievers." (Q 9:32)
Chamber Number 9, Verse 32, bruh! I cee you!
More information about myself and The Renaissance Movement and The Renaissance Entertainment and Management Group//Soul Of A Generation below:
To give you the short explanation, I consider myself an asset and ambassador for artists and grassroots organizations. Flyer design and event management are my two areas of focus. I do a bit of marketing and promotion for those artists whom I really have confidence in, but my passion is putting together community festivals, workshops and HipHop, Reggae, Soul, Ol' School shows and parties. It's all towards building this nation. Our expression, understanding our power is our key to better conditions, first and foremost.
I have been involved in so many events and organizations, just in the past 3 years, not even looking beyond, it amazes me at times. I give thanks for being able to have such endurance and opportunity. To give an example of some of the events I've organized, co-founded, been a part of, collaborated on, OR contributed to, here is a brief list with short explanations:
THE Ol' School ____ Party is a series of social events brain-stormed by myself and my partner Ramel. We've done every theme imaginable, including tributes to Dilla, James Brown, the Nation of God and Earths, Bob Marley and more. It has become a 757 institution, and I hope to take its format around the world and back again. Shouts to The Soul Students, Derek 320, Jhunnipuz, Kazi, League of Extraordinary Breakers, Lyricist Project, Sima-Lee, Hasan Salaam, Amir, I-Culture, DJ Fingatipps, DJ Raheem, DJ Aron, DJ Disko Dave, Meen, I Self Ra and everybody who made it what it has been. Womb of Wisdom is a Celebration that WE the Brothas of Hampton Roads Virginia lovingly created to celebrate Our women and show our appreciation. Of course, a sista named it. Shouts to DPE. Also, have to give my love to Jeanie Bryson, the daughter of Dizzie Gillespie, who blessed our First installment. We jad a show featuring some of the best and brightest female artists in R&B/Soul, HipHop, Jazz, Poetry. Of course, the brothas represented and gave love, as well. Shouts to Godchild. It was in celebration of Women's History Month the first time around, last year. However, I don't want it to be bound or pigeon-holed. We will have WOW events anytime and any month, our women are to be celebrated year-round and as such, it will probably be in a different month each year. Though, March (WHM) is certainly a staple.
Womb of Wisdom. The Womb is symbolic to a cipher, to the the Planet, to the UNIverse itself; to the Mind, to anything containing the intuitive power to receive, nurture, cultivate and then manifest through a cycle. Womb of Wisdom is the cycle we undertake Nowadays, to embrace, empower, explore, celebrate, support, build, encourage, enlighten, and generally uplift our Sistas, at home and abroad. Womb of Wisdom is a concept that WE the Brothas of Hampton Roads Virginia lovingly created, and formulated along with the Sistas of the community into a Celebration, to make Our appreciation Seen AND Heard Check my friends list for the Page. Shouts to DPE. Also, have to give my love to Jeanie Bryson, the daughter of Dizzie Gillespie, who blessed our First installment. We had a show featuring some of the best and brightest female artists in R&B/Soul, HipHop, Jazz, Poetry. Of course, the brothas represented and gave love, as well. Shouts to spoken word poet extraordinaire: Godchild. It was in celebration of Women's History Month the first time around, last year. However, I don't want it to be bound or pigeon-holed. We will have WOW events anytime and any month, our women are to be celebrated year-round and as such, it will probably be in a different month each year. Though, March (WHM) is certainly a mainstay. Inner-, Under-, and Over-standing the paradigm of Today, the Womb of Wisdom is an answer back to the call of this Universe -- growing ever more apparent -- for Supreme Balance to be acknowledged, that it is restored through our due diligence. Khalil Gibran wrote that, "A woman whom Providence has provided with beauty of spirit and body is a truth, at the same time both open and secret, which we can understand only by love, and touch only by virtue" and "From a sensitive woman's heart springs the happiness of mankind, and from the kindness of her noble spirit comes mankind's affection," he was not only attempting to put his own experience into words, but a Principle that has permeated indigenous culture for as far back as We as well as our DNA can remember; Mother is and has been not only a reality, a water-bearer, a creative and cultivative force, but also a symbol and state of contemplation that is so simple and yet so complex in her qualities (both subtle and apparent) she confounds all who think not with heart~and mind~and body~and Soul~and Spirit, harmonized alike to her rhythm. That is like the drum beating, equal to the pulse, that is equally the evidence and evident, instrumental of our Life itSelf. Where it is further explained, "Women opened the windows of my eyes and the doors of my spirit. Had it not been for the woman-mother, the woman-sister, and the woman-friend, I would have been sleeping among those who seek the tranquility of the world with their snoring," it shows and proves that the call to fully appreciate and nurture the Divine Principle called "Feminine," is likewise a call to "Awaken!" even as beautiful as the Griot speak his/her parable or the muezzin calling a nation of many, to bow their heads as ONE, in recognition of a Universal Truth, that we are innately called towards our Justice, which is our job, to uphold what's Right and True. Most importantly, the Womb of Wisdom movement is a movement that says, keep rising and keep shining. Be who You are, the best and brightest YOU, in-fact and in-deed. We Are TRUE And LIVING.
Katrina/Southeast Asia Relief Fund, we collected 9 Large kitchen bags, a few hundred pounds, worth of clothes, toothbrushes, soap, batteries, flashlights, water purification tablets, et cetera. We've done the same for children in Sudan, Haiti, Kenya, Congo, and Ethiopia. Back-To-School is actually a family tradition, which I have done with my mother since I was too young to goto school mySelf. We have bought, raised, and distributed school supplies and backpacks through The World; all over the Eastern United States, the Caribbean, and Africa. Rush Hour 3 was the brainchild of myself and a friend (Peace Raymond), who was president of the local chapter of APASU (Asian Pacific American Student Union) and the president of the local FASA (Filipino American Student Assocation). The two of us, along wit various speakers (Peace to Dan Tres and Ms. Universal), covered the historical interconnectedness of original people's Human rights movements, throughout the world. From the Katipunan, to the Panthers, to the Dalit Panthers, to the Yellow Guard, to the American Indian Movement, including a presentation the Moorish/African presence in the Filipines and Early America. Golden Age of the Moors is an economic and institutional empowerment seminar that I did with my brotha Hakim Bey, focusing on just that: self-sufficient Economic networks, trade lines, and institutions, amongst original indigenous people and nations. The Building Session(s), a series of community discussions, held on Fridays at the African-American Cultural Center, each with a different topic on the floor, moderated by Everyone -- we have done too many of these to count. The aim is healthy debate, indeed. However, tangible plans for immediate and long-term action and solutions is the main focus; even if the plan is only further dialogue, on a more subjective topic. Etymology / Etymology 2.0 is a series of Open Mic Night events, each with a different theme, to break the monotony of your everyday-average Open Mic. Some are strictly poetry, however, each has a feature DJ, with an expertise, we've had "4 Elements of HipHop" Night featuring the League of Extraordinary Breakers and Jhunnipuz Elite, "Reggae Night" featuring Jhunnipuz and Nat Burna, "Ol School Night", Step Show Night w/ the fraternities, Women's History Night, "A Man's Apology" Night, History Night, so on and so forth.
My favorite, the festivals, included Kwanzaa, which the fam has done for nearly the past 10 years, Sankofa, a celebration of World indigenous history, our history, and Unity Fest, each featuring poets, artists, authors, workshops, vendors, speakers, chefs, and other special guests. I have had the pleasure of collaborating with brilliant minds, such as: Mwalimu Baruti, Anthony Browder, Dr. Nettles-Bey, Sh. Hakim Bey, Ashra Kwesi, Keidi Awadu, Capoeira Uhuru Association, Roda Axe Capoeira, Matunde Sakili African Dance, Suwabi African Dance, the Ogun Shrine, the Imani Foundation, Mahood Thru Uplift Rites of Passage, Dr. Yosef ben-Jochannon, ASCAC, the NOI, the NGE, the Universal Zulu Nation, and many other great minds and movements, about the business of uplifting our people. Zulu Analysis / HipHop Tuesday was a collaboration with another one of my own groups, Universal Zulu Nation: Solar Flare Chapter 30, on a panel discussion held the last Tuesday of every month.. we tried to cover topics that the mainstream discourse was very weak on: "Wholistic Health and the HipHop Generation", "HipHop, The Media, and the Representation of Katrina", "HipHop and Gangs, in its History and Present", "HipHop and the New Political Movement", "HipHop and Spirituality???", "HipHop and Responsible Financial Management", "HipHop and the Definitions of Women in Society."
I've done a myriad of Unity Dinners and events with the local Student Unions, the BSA and the Latino Student Alliances, respectively, as well as the African Carribean Association and NSBE and NABCJ, as well as, the Women's Center, Backpacks for Love, Community Care Day, Victory Junction, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, American Heart Association, Battered Women's Center, the Park Place Homeless, Ausar Auset Society, Uhuru Movement, Jhunnipuz Elite Poetry Organization, D.P.E, LIB Radio, shelter among hundreds of other events. Also haffi shout out The Collective, founded by Brother Manifest in Richmond, whose floor I've slept on and planned, plotted, strategized many an event. The Happily Natural History lectures at the Black History Museum of Richmond and many others. Make sure you check out Happily Natural Day, on my friend list. An event I've had the pleasure to help with and attend and see grow and evolve and become one of the hottest joints in the Region.
Love to ALL my comrades. There are too many to name, and I would rather you check the rest of the art and tings on the page, lol.... hit me up with any questions. We can do something in Your area, or You can do something Here, lets get it correct and get it going... ONE
Want to get a signed copy of the album???
Get it here with your purchase of the official HoodTREASON T-shirt!!
MC's, DJ's, B-Boys/Girls, Graff Writers, Painters, Speakers, Investors, Venue Owners, Organizations... we are always open to collaborate and either branch of our multi-faceted system can be a service to you, just hit us up. You don't ask, you won't recieve. Trying to add dates to your tour? Never been exposed on the East Coast? Looking for production? Need affordable studio team? Want to book a venue, but don't know how? Need flyers? Graphics? Got an event, need help promoting? Got funds, looking to invest with a high return, but never been involved in entertainment? Want to book your favorite artist? Whatever your need may be, it's all good...
7-City Cipher Lounge Vol. 1 (DVD) featuring Hasan Salaam, Jhunnipuz, Soul Students, Sima Lee & The Lyricists Project, Kaze, Derek 32Zero, The League of Extraordinary Breakers, Dan Tres Omi, Godchild, DJ Al Bumz, and more... The OFFICIAL Ol' School HipHop Party 2 DVD, with James Brown Tribute.
*Order NOW!!!!!!!*
PREVIEW Footage:
KAZE
HASAN SALAAM
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