whatchusay?! ::: The Coup: Pick a Bigger Weapon

Lead Story

Where is the Love?

Clip of the Month: Classic Remix: Self-Destruction

More... | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) | Clip Archive

WhatchuTHINK: mine your mind

FORWARDEVER MEDIA CENTER

Writer Alex Haley writing The Autobiography of Malcolm X with Brother Malcolm.

"The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses."
- Malcolm X

Mission

The Forwardever Media Center is 100% committed to providing unconventional writing workshops and media literacy training to "at-risk" Black youth, particularly males, ages 14 through 24. Working in partnership with The Mentoring Center in Oakland, CA., the Center's writing workshops, website internship, and film forums, help students develop critical thinking skills and discover their creative talents. We recruit youth for our programs from the California Youth Authority (the state's largest prison for youth) as well as from universities and high schools. This cross-pollination of young minds creates dynamic shared experiences.

Programs

Whatchusay Cinema–A monthly film forum hosted at schools or community centers in Northern California that explores issues such as race, class, gender, and society. Students are joined by a panel of activists, educators, athletes, entrepreneurs, etc. to rate the films and convene roundtable discussions about corresponding relevant issues in society. For info about film screenings and schedules contact: cheo@whatchusay.com

Writing Workshops–We offer intensive seminars in journalism, creative writing, cultural criticism, new media, film production, etc. These seminars are taught at the center, located at 1224 Preservation Park, Oakland, CA, 94612. They are also available on location, at schools, community and detention centers, churches, etc. For info about class schedules contact: cheo@whatchusay.com

Internships–Whatchusay.com offers competitive internships to young writers who have clearly demonstrated a passion for the craft of writing or media production. The 3-month internship covers news writing and reporting, feature writing, creative writing, media literacy and new media. Working in partnership with community based organizations, universities and international and national media outlets, we produce a pipeline of informed journalists of color who will go on to create their own independent media organizations or work for major media organizations.

More...

« Hip Hop has Become a Culture of Death | Main | The Sentinel »

The Coup: Pick a Bigger Weapon

By Maya J. Pope-Chappell

Opening the album with a funky guitar laid over synthesized sounds and a bangin beat that calls the listener to action, Boots Riley of The Coup bursts, "I'm a walking contradiction/ Like bullets and love mixin" as if to get you ready for what's to come.

Pick a Bigger Weapon, which was released this week on Epitaph Records, tells stories of political strife, economics, and everyday life. One of Oakland's premiere underground rap groups, The Coup, made up of Boots Riley and DJ Pam the Funktress, are a unique duo that mesh backpack rap with funk to create that mid-tempo mob-music sound, which is distinct to the Bay Area.

Boots' deft storytelling, shifting delivery, and humor, bleeds over seventies-style P-Funk-influenced sounds, backed by a phenomenal band that includes Dwayne Wiggins of Toni! Tony! Toné!, Audioslave's Tom Morello, members of Parliament-Funkadelic, the Gap Band, Jesse Johnson, and Frankie Beverly and Maze.

"Head (Of State)" derived from a childhood chant, calls out playfully: "Bush and Hussein, together in bed/ Giving H.E.A.D head." It is one of many politically charged songs featured on the album. "My Favorite Mutiny" which features Black Thought of the Roots and Talib Kweli, exudes creative lyricism over funky orchestrated guitars, violins, and piano.

If you're tired of the recycled commercial sound of hip hop and seeking a better alternative, Pick a Bigger Weapon is for you. Stellar in lyrics and sound, The Coup packs bullets that pierce your brain.

Grade: B

Posted on April 21, 2006 12:52 PM