Empire of Funk: Filipino American in the Cipher of Hip Hop is taking submissions for publication on our website! Deadline for submissions is on Monday, November 28th.  This is an exciting project me and DJ Kuttin Kandi have been formulating for some time now.  Big ups to all our contributors (who include DJ Icy Ice, DJ Niel Armstrong, Kimmy Maniquis of Kaba Modern, DJ Nasty Nes, literary award winner Patrick Rosal, and many, many others!) and supporters for being with us the whole way. Can't wait to see everyone's submissions! Here we go!

Description of Empire of Funk:
Empire of Funk: Filipino Americans in the Cipher of Hip Hop is a project that seeks to highlight the history and talent of Filipino Americans in hip hop. Long overdue, this endeavor attempts to demonstrate the intimate and meaningful link between the Filipino American experience and hip hop. Sometimes seen as a culture separate from the Filipino American experience, Empire of Funk provides a forum to foreground the exact opposite: hip hop culture has been integral to the Filipino American community, functioning as a legitimate part of the Filipino American experience well before hip hop gained mainstream popularity.

Furthermore, we believe that rather than spreading negative "pathology," hip hop provides a cultural medium for spreading knowledge and exploring cultural consciousness.

Empire of Funk serves as an artistic and literary canvas, gathering the talent of multiple generations of artists, writers, performers, photographers, scholars, educators, and activists.

We want your talent! We will be reviewing visual art, photography, fiction, and poetry submissions to be published on our website.

The theme for submitting original work is: Knowledge of self. Priority will be given to work that relates to Filipino American experiences in hip hop.

Submission procedure:

1. Email a jpg (less than 5MB) sample of your piece or a word document of your writing to EmpireofFunk [at] gmail.com.
2.Type Art Submission and your name in the Subject of line of your email.
3. Include your name, email, location, and website (if available) in the body of your email.
4. Submit your work by Monday, November 28th.

Although we are eager to review all submissions, we cannot guarantee acceptance of your work on our website or in future publications. Please note that artists whose work we accept and publish will retain ownership of their material.

In addition, we are looking for eager and talented minds to join us in the planning and growth of Empire of Funk, including web designers, print designers, and publication liaisons. Please contact us if you are interested.

Sunday Cipher: In the Trenches with the 5th Platoon

Just wanted to switch coasts and give a little taste of what was happening in the East. 5th Platoon definitely represented for the New York turntablist scene. As you know, we at Hip Hop Lives try to give better representation for Filipino Americans who are NOT on the West Coast. I'm always sad that many West Coast Filipinos (or...people in general) don't even know about the 5th Platoon.

This short video definitely exemplifies the spirit and the loyalty of the underground hip hop community that Kuttin Kandi speaks about in her tribute to Fat Beats.

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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Mixtape bizz with the Rizz

Yo karaoke machine better not eat me.

The mixtape is a lost art. Only a few DJs are still dedicated to the creation of the musical journey called the mixtape, and DJ Mike Rizzy (Virginia Beach) is probably one of the most prolific with the gift, pumping out mixes like every week (or so it seems)!

I already spotlighted Mike Rizzy in May of last year, but since this guy is making new moves with a radio show in Greece (and is my companion as my soundtrack at the gym), I thought it'd be fun to catch up with this VA Beach pinoy.

Here at Hip Hop Lives, the mixtape is an important artifact. For one, it breathes life into older music. If you grew up in a certain generation, then you will likely not hear music from a prior generation unless you 1) listen to an old school-oriented radio station, 2) get lucky on Pandora Radio, 3) are a record crate-digger, 4) or are a mixtape fiend. Mixtapes move you through time and space, they are a collage of moments embodied in a single, coherent form (don't you miss the actual tape you have to rewind?). And DJs who do it right, do it with style--mixing new music with old favorites, providing a theme to all the songs on the playlist, mix-matching instrumentals and vocals, mixing genres, excavating an original song and the hip hop song that samples it, following a popular sample re-used/re-stylized in various hip hop songs (like "Apache" or Betty Wright or that infamous "Buddy" sample)... it's like a time machine decked out with a disco ball on the rearview and subwoofers stashed in the trunk. I'm still convinced that Filipino four track DJs who remixed love ballads with electrofunk/bass beats in the early 90s influenced So So Def All Stars and Destiny's Child.

Nuff a that. Here is Mike Rizzy, the sequel. And if you (the loving reader) have any suggestions on who Hip Hop Lives should spotlight next, I'm all ears (and eyes). You can click on the spotlight label to look at other artists/scholars I've highlighted.
Welcome back to the funk, Mike Rizzy. In our other interview, we talked about the Virginia Beach scene a bit since here at Hip Hop Lives, we make it a mission to highlight a non-West Coast Filipino experience. How is VA Beach nowadays? Whats your thoughts about the crowd and music there?

There's definitely a big difference to the scene in Virginia Beach now than say 5 years ago. I'm thankful I came up when I did and got to experience real hip hop at it's peak. Nowadays people don't even party with the same energy. A lot of it has to do with what's on the radio though because how many songs out now are actually 90 bpm's (beats per minute) or higher? So everything's too slow and gets boring. That's why I envy cities that can constantly do 80's or 90's parties. In Virginia Beach it's all business and most club owners don't want business from the hip hop crowds.

You seem to be pumping out these new mixes every other week, man! What inspires you to make them? Who are some of your favorite mixtape DJs?

The music I play inspires me. I don't make mixes just to play what's hot or to please any crowd. Everything I play is all about my personal taste and the type of music I enjoy listening to. I'm just trying to reach everybody that enjoys the same thing. I can't really fall into trends because it all gets old fast and there's no heart in it, but genuine soul music is timeless. I've been inspired by a lot of mixtape DJ's. Dirty Harry i've always been a big fan because his mixtapes are like movies. More of the old school DJ's like Rello & Jadel, Clue, Mister Cee, Ron G, Premier. New school I listen to J Period, Neil Armstrong, Mick Boogie. The mixtape game definitely isn't what it used to be though.

The internet changed the mixtape game because the market just became flooded with mixtapes. Suddenly everybody's a DJ but most of them don't even mix. They just play songs and exclusives. Neil Armstrong's dope because of his creativity. All of his mixes carry on a certain theme. It's not about what's new or old it's all about your song selection and how you put it together. If you put your heart into your work it definitely shows. I take a lot of pride in my song selection and I can say you'll never find any filler tracks in any of my mixes. I get emails from all over the world and not once has anyone bashed my song selection so hopefully i'm on the right track.

You have this radio show in Greece called the "Get Fresh Mix Hour." How did that happen and how has that experience been?

Basically the main DJ at Mango Radio Anastasis just emailed me and asked if I was interested in having my own slot and of course I agreed. I'll pretty much play anywhere I won't be restricted to a certain play list. It definitely is opening me up to a whole new European audience. I'm just glad to be able to expose more people to good music that they normally wouldn't get a chance to hear. I've also been able to learn from them and more about their style and what they're into.

I listen to a lot of the other DJ's on Mango Radio and what I respect about the Greek DJ's is that they support a lot of their local acts and throw them in their mixes. But for the most part they play the radio hits from here which is why I'm grateful that they let me do what I do. I sound like nothing else on there and try to show them we have so much more to offer beneath the surface. I still don't really now how they found me but I'd love to do shows for anybody that would listen really. I'd love to do something for the Philippines if I got the chance. I might have to talk to Christine Gambito (Happy Slip) about that one haha. I catch TFC sometimes and it upsets me because it seems like all of their shows are just knockoffs of ours here in the US. I think to myself how are we going to get respect from other regions if all we do is copy everybody else? That's just my humble opinion though.

You recently dedicated a mix to Virginia's own Nottz Raw. You say that Nottz is your favorite producer from Virginia. What qualities do you like about his music? Why do you think Virginia is not really seen as a hip hop state?

Nottz just really gets it. He really understands what hip hop is about and he doesn't compromise his sound for anybody. I remember hearing an interview from him and he said that's what J Dilla told him to never change for anybody. His drums and bass lines really just hit you hard. Also the way he chops samples. I'm always going to be biased to sample based producers because sampling is the backbone for the hip hop sound.

Honestly I'm not really sure how Virginia is perceived because I'm on the inside. Musically we have Timbaland, Neptunes, Nottz, Bink, Chris Brown, Trey Songz, Clipse, D'Angelo, Skillz, Teddy Riley spent a lot of time here. If we're not known for hip hop and soul music what are we known for? Better yet you'd be hard pressed to find a region that's had a bigger impact on hip hop sound especially on radio in the last ten years or so.

You seem to put a lot of Little Brother in your mixes. Why do you admire this group so much?

Little Brother carried the tradition of the golden era and stood for everything I love about hip hop. They followed in the footsteps of Tribe, Pete Rock & CL, Gangstarr where the DJ/Producer was just as important as the MC's. They just came out at the wrong time when everybody started downloading but if you make heartfelt music people will continue to rediscover it. As a DJ it's my job to educate people to appreciate good music and keep it going.

As we talked about before, you are a part of a group called Kuya Tribe Productions. How is the group doing? Do you all still spin as a crew?

Everybody's still doing their thing individually, and yes we still spin as a crew just not as much as I'd like. The main reason is because most of the spots in Virginia Beach don't want anything to do with you unless you play top 40. I hear from my peers all the time how they hate playing what they do but have no choice. I'm sure the economy has a lot to do with it but I refuse to go that route. If you just play what's on the radio nothing is going to separate you from the crowd.

What did you have for Thanksgiving?

The usual fried turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, etc. I actually didn't have any rice at all. No lechon or anything. Straight American style haha but it was great. Still trying to lose that weight.

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How Sweeet? Part 2

Speaking of Fil Ams in ads, the good folks at SOULFIESTA got me hip to this AT&T ad with DJ Neil Armstrong. The JabbaWockeez got electrolytes, Neil got megabytes.
Also, picked up Neil Armstrong's new Sweeet Part 2 from Fat Beats. As always, Neil delivers a clean and innovative mix of your favorite jams from today and back in the day. Not my most favorite of his mixes, but yall can blast it in your ride or at work. Cabbage patch in yo cubicle. Jerk at the gym. Hollow back in yo Honda. What have you.

For some reason, Neil got a knack with remixing Alicia Keys songs. Remember that Alicia Keys, Beres Hammond, Al Green mix in WarmFuzzy? Those first 4 minutes deserve an award. Sweeet Part 2 remixes "No One" with a Little Brother beat.

Jam tracks for your listening lobes. Click to enlarge. Via Culture Kings.

UPDATE: Interview with Neil Armstrong on BakitWhy:
Artist Spotlight: DJ Neil Armstrong

Who Are You? A Survey of the Fil Am Self

Right after the Association of Asian American Studies Conference, a small group of my comrades formed a loose network called the Filipino Soul Aesthetics Working Group. Basically, we are trying to get like-minds together (students, professors, artists/performers, and community organizers) to begin a dialogue about Filipino "soul" (we are still trying to define "soul"). So far, we are zeroing in on Pin@ys and hip hop culture, but we are also open to including Pin@ys and other Black cultural expressions, such as jazz and funk.

Why Black cultural expressions? Many people may be yelling, "Hey! We look Asian! The Philippines is in Asia!" But after self-reflection and self-research, many of us will realize that Filipinos are a very complicated "Asian" group, especially considering Spanish, White American, and African American presence/culture in the Philippines. Check it! Filipinos are extremely mixed in terms of history, language, culture, and artistic expression! Simultaneously, Filipinos occupy a distinct position in richer Asian nations, as Filipinos are mostly "lower-class" workers (and called pretty horrible things by other Asians...btw, any other folks out there have an uncle/cousin heading to Dubai to do construction work or work as a driver??? holla) and we also tend to be stage performers and entertainers in other Asian countries.

Jota dance by Philippine Performance
Arts Company folks in Florida
What is important to understand is that these influences in Filipino expressions/social positions are closely linked to the intense history of Spanish and U.S. colonization, a unique history other Asian nations do not have (yes it goes beyond the chopsticks thing). So, considering this, how would you classify Filipinos culturally/racially/ethnically? (This framework of colonization anchors the questions we will be asking in the Filipino Aesthetics Working Group.)

There is an abundance of current examples of Filipino artists/performers "pin@ytrating" mainstream public culture-- from the "dancing inmates" (Lorenzo Perillo of our Filipino Soul Aesthetics Working Group writes a mean article on these talented Cebuano prisoners), to Charice Pempengco, JabbaWockeez, and even DJ Neil Armstrong touring with Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige (any other examples?). Gathering from this very visible manifestation of Pin@y talent in the "mainstream", I have a couple of questions for you:

Kiwi and Bambu of the
former Native Guns

QUESTION ONE: What ethnic/racial group do you think Pin@ys most closely resemble? [Among popular choices are Asian or Pacific Islander (as seen in Myspace profiles), but many others (as we know) gravitate towards Latino and African American cultural expressions.]

QUESTION TWO: Why do you think there is a gravitation towards Black American cultural art forms among Pin@ys?*


*This probably applies more to second-generation Fil Ams.