RADICAL EDUCATION PSU & NORTHWEST ALLIANCE FOR ALTERNATIVE MEDIA PRESENTS
Keys, Beats, Bars: Youth Incarceration & Music Empowerment
Performances and community round table discussion about youth incarceration
and the power of the arts.
Sunday May 20th 2018 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.
Free, all ages, open to the public and disability affirmative
Portland State University
Native American Student Center (Room 110)
Facebook Event Page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/444336412667852/?active_tab=about
Participants
Blaque Butterfly, Mic Crenshaw, Carlos Chavez, Quincy Davis, Libretto, Swiggle Mandela, Talilo Marfil
, Paul Henry Grice III, staff from the Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Relations (Oregon Youth Authority)
Summary
It has become common knowledge that there are over two million incarcerated persons in the United States. However it is way less that the rate of incarcerated youth in the U.S. is also about two million. This panel will feature speakers, presentations and performances by highly regarded Hip Hop artists based in the Pacific Northwest working with incarcerated youth in Oregon. Presenters will discuss the scope and importance of music programming and how music can transform lives and communities.
Blacque Butterfly
Blacque Butterfly is a spoken word artist, singer, songwriter, entertainer and activist. Her love for the arts has allowed her to explore several layers of her calling. Be it spoken word, motivational speaking, singing, theater, event planning or promoting she has allowed the Creator to use her ministry to inspire others to follow their calling. Her art crosses and closes cultural boundaries as she has shared stages with national recording artists from Dead Prez to Peter Yarrow. Her mission is to make good music and to elevate her audience to a higher level of consciousness.. She performs a’capella, acoustic or with a full band. Blacque Butterfly is a native Oregonian, born and raised in NE Portland. She is the author of “Black girl can I comb your hair” and selected poetry. Butterfly mentors troubled youth and single mothers and facilitates a youth based theatre troupe, where she allows youth at risk to use the arts as a tool for social justice. She is also a member of Up and Over Tour a mentoring team of artists that share their experiences and performances to youth via the educational system. She is also a Right Brain Initiative teaching artist. Butterfly has a passion for people and has motivated and mentored women and men of domestic violence. Blacque Butterfly believes in the philosophy that you can be the change that you want to see in the world.
https://www.reverbnation.com/BlacqueButterfly
Carlos Chavez
Carlos Chavez is the co-founder and Director of Morpheus Youth Project. He’s been working as a youth advocate since 2007 providing creative, historical and cultural workshops, events and programs in the Portland community and in youth detention centers in the area. He also presents regularly at Portland State University through their Criminal and Juvenile Justice Capstone courses and has co-facilitated a number of PSU’s Inside/Out courses at MacLaren Youth Corrections. Before pursuing his passion as a youth advocate, he spent 13 years in the financial world as a Project Manager and Consultant. He has also been a radio producer and journalist at KBOO Community Radio since 2001.
Mic Crenshaw
Chicago-born poet and emcee Michael (Mic) Crenshaw fell in love with music at a young age while living in Minneapolis. His teenage years were challenging as he actively confronted white supremacist gangs that were a growing part of the hard-core music scene. He eventually chose to escape the violence and moved to Portland, where he quickly became one of the most respected artists in the Northwest, and his community efforts have had both local and international impact. Mic is Currently the Lead U.S. Organizer for the Afrikan Hiphop Caravan and tours annually throughout Africa with African Hip Hop collectives.
Other links: Link to Tedx talk on the Afrikan hip Hop Caravan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQNQGPoFyI8
Link to Superheroes video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcfLSMupzus
Link to Afrikan Hip Hop Caravan video:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=afrikan+hip+hop+caravan
Link to Free My Mind video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M16-XjuVXNA
Link to website for Mic:
Quincy Davis
Quincy Davis is an independent hip-hop emcee / producer, documentary filmmaker and educator who has travelled the world, spreading his message of inspiration and empowerment, from the center of downtown Portland, to the Oregon State Penitentiary, to Indonesia. He works with high-school students throughout the Portland area as a guest speaker and workshop leader. Quincy’s life story is one of redemption, after a struggle from rock-bottom to make his way out of a negative lifestyle, Quincy committed to sobriety, and found the teachings of indigenous wisdom-keepers and earth-based ceremonies that profoundly influenced and transformed his life. He translates these understandings and experiences through the art-form of music and video, with the intention to inspire, empower and be a spark for the younger generation of visionaries.
Libretto
Libretto reaps elements from both coasts, and knowledge from his life experiences. His father, an ex-Black Panther, came from New York; Libretto grew up in Watts. They both moved here in the mid-’90s, a history he tells on “Slum Funk”: “Ain’t no civilians livin’ inside these buildings/ everybody’s ready, willing to leave your blood spillin’/’95 came/and pops wanted to switch lanes/and move me to the 503… bomb threat: cassettes I spread throughout the projects” and throughout his debut album. “I do what I do,” he explains. “I can come complicated, or I can come for you smart-dumb cats. On the album, it’s all comin’ out. They can’t put me in no box. Only thing I haven’t done yet is make some booty-shaking music… which is part of me I can’t do,” Libretto laughs.
Swiggle Mandela
Swiggle Mandela is one of the most prominent rappers in Portland Oregon. Born and raised in Portland he began recording in 2002 at the age of 12. Since then he has recorded hundreds of songs, shot over 50 music videos and performed hundreds of times. In 2017 he released 15 music videos. He has a huge local as well as international following that continues to grow. In 2017 he released 15 music videos. His style is very versatile lyrical and sometimes simplistic flow, relating to a large audience and many different cultures. His music is fun, deep, consicous, political and radical. He has something for everyone.
Swiggle Mandela -40 Acres And A New Car (Official Music Video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZxmMGZm9oc
Swiggle Mandela Ft. Mic Crenshaw -Kings & Queens Prod. K.Prynce(MUSIC VIDEO): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZBWfGUhlSc
Swiggle Mandela -Locals Only Prod.SunnyTheRapper (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO) :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50LHmMOxI7U
Talilo Marfil
Talilo is a Filipino-American hip hop recording artist known for his quick lyrical delivery and spiritual inspiring lyrics he continues to pursue his dreams of being a world wide known recording and performing artist. Most people relate his quick style to “Bizzy Bone” from “Bone Thugs&Harmony”. After being released from a two year sentence at the age of 21, he came out as a different person influenced by spiritual values that carry him until this day. He has done what he said that he would do once he got out of prison, “Go to school for Music, Start his own Record Label, and find a job”. Talilo has a heart for people who have been through similar things as his self, people that have experienced death, drug abuse, homelessness, imprisonment, abandonment, loss, and regrets he continues to inspire others with his music knowing that his purpose in this life is to help people find their own purpose in life.
“Dedicated” – Talilo Marfil featuring Avian (OFFICIAL VIDEO):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5gVnSlLHz0
CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY FT. LUCK-ONE (MUSIC VIDEO):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSFqnKEeMgc