Yasiin Bey drops a public service announcement to bring attention to the Floyd Trial and the controversial Stop-and-Frisk law that prompted it. The video arrives as Floyd vs. The City of New York comes to a close following months of testimony in Federal District Court in Manhattan. The trial brought by four plaintiffs questions a policy affecting millions of citizens with complaints against the NYPD related to profiling that they consider to be a direct violation of their fourth amendment rights. Their complaints are supported by NYPD officers who have acted as whistle-blowers, providing audio evidence of departmental orders to meet profiling quotas. The Stop-and-Frisk law has drawn criticism because of its failure to reduce crime as it raises frustration amongst citizens who have been targeted by a policy they feel is racially motivated, unnecessarily invasive and largely ineffective. While she has heard closing arguments in the case, Judge Shira A. Scheindlin is not expected to reach a decision for several months. Keep your eyes peeled for the final word on this controversial argument. Peep the public service announcement from Yasiin Bey below. Scroll down for excerpts from a recent NPR report on the proceedings.

“I remember squad cars pulling up; they just pulled up aggressively, and the cops came out with their guns drawn,” Pert says.

“Threw me against the wall,” Ourlicht says. “Took everything out of my pockets, threw it on the floor, dumped my bag on the floor, my books and everything.”

“It left me embarrassed, humiliated and upset,” Pert adds.

Other testimony by whistle-blowing cops provided recordings at the trial where supervisors told officers to push up the number of stops.

“The police are told to get numbers,” says Jonathan Moore, a lawyer for the plaintiffs. “This is not what stop-and-frisk should be. Stop-and-frisk is a legitimate tool for law enforcement to use. It should not be the way you measure an officer’s future in the New York City Police Department.”

Lawyers for the plaintiffs argued that very few of the stops led to arrests or even the discovery of illegal guns. And even though the number of stops went down significantly in 2012, there were almost 5 million stops in 10 years.

Plaintiffs are asking Judge Scheindlin to put the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk policies under judicial oversight, something the city and the NYPD definitely oppose.

The trial is really about two different questions. Police have the authority to stop someone, but at what point does that stop and that search violate the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution? Secondly, is the pattern of stop-and-frisk a form of racial profiling?

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World Puh-puh Premiere! OKP is amped to bring you this banging re-work of Yasiin Bey fka Mos Def‘s “Quiet Dog Bite Hard” from DJ Preservation–Bey’s DJ and Producer (Tru3Magic, The Ecstatic) not to mention our homie and something of a secret weapon in the world of hip-hop. Even better we get to break the news that Preservation has taken on the mission of fully remixing The Ecstatic album from top to bottom, from the outer groove to the inner. The official remix album–The REcstatic–is presented by Pres in conjunction with Downtown Records and will feature re-imaginings of all 16 tracks from the original plus one bonus cut, an unreleased vocal take of Bey’s hit single “Casa Bey” (featuring production by Minnesota). The full album download will be available mid-May…so Yasiin obsessives mark your eye-calendars with a big fatty marker.

BUT WAIT…it gets better. The REctatic is only one of a series of projects Preservation has been perculating on like a quiet dog waiting for the right moment to go full Baha-Men with it. Specifically: following closely on the heels of The REecstatic is the a debut compilation from Preservation, titled Old Numbers and featuring (yes) Yasiin Bey, as well as  Jean Grae, Edo G, Jemini the Gifted One, Jim Jarmusch, Minnesota, 32 FX, Yahzeed, & Milly Mango. Preservation came by the secret underground OKP headquarters earlier this year to play us some of the stuff he’s got in the works so I can say from firsthand knowledge this is going to be a banger…the album drops on Pres’ newly-established Mon Dieu Music imprint this summer–scroll down to watch a trailer for the comp with more info. Beacoups respects everytime to Yasiin, Preservation & Downtown Records–and to the rest of you, you are all very welcome.

The post Audio Premiere: Yasiin x DJ Preservation – “Quiet Dog Bite Hard” Remix + The REcstatic appeared first on Okayplayer.

Okay players, it appears to be that time of year again. Instead of inundating you with clichés about summer in the city and the good things warm weather brings, we’ll get right to the good stuff: free music and arts series Summerstage NYC has announced its 2013 lineup, and lucky for the dwelling in the rotten apple (or passing through this summer) it’s action-packed with lots of free music and films to enjoy those oh-so-amazing summer evenings with. The best part is, most events are at 7:00PM or earlier, meaning beginning in June, you now have the perfect outdoor pregame situation lined up for your after-work / pre-party shenanigans.

The Underachievers, Yasiin Bey, Shuggie Otis, Femi Kuti are but a few of the names you’ll find listed on the following pages of our Summerstage selections and that’s not even mentioning the epic DJ Premier vs Pete Rock DJ Battle closing out the summer–in fact there are so many Okayplayer-friendly acts this year we had to make this listing a Top 20. More information on park locations and a full list of all activities and performances can be found here. To find out where and when Okayplayer will be doin’ it in the park this summer, check out our list below.

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On Saturday we posted a live performance clip of Yasiin Bey performing a new song “Black Jesus” produced by Mannie Fresh from a show in Arizona last week. 24 hours later we have the CDQ of the song. Stream the song below and revisit our post about the OMFGOD’ LP in this post her…

… “Mannie Fresh Confirms ‘OMFGOD’ LP w/ Yasiin Bey Is Ready”.

The post Listen to “Black Jesus” – Yasiin Bey x Mannie Fresh appeared first on Okayplayer.

Kanye West is naming his new album I Am God, or maybe it’s I Am (A) God, or maybe that’s just the name of his single or maybe those stories are just tabloid linkbait fodder. What we can say is Yasiin Bey just debuted a new song at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix Arizona on 3/21/13. For lack of current title we’ll go with “Black Jesus” judging by the lyrics. The feel good singalong style tune is supposedly produced by Mannie Fresh, from their upcoming collaboration album. Jesus is in the air, and not just because it’s Easter Weekend, we understand it as ubiquitous in principle. No matter your beliefs, believe in Yasiin.

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Solidifying the BK – NOLA connect, Mannie Fresh and Yasiin Bey prep for the release of their highly anticipated collaborative project OMFGOD. News of their acquaintance and subsequent studio work has done well to set the world on fire as the finished recording was preceded by a series of videos documenting their creative process. A proposed dream team that suddenly became a real possibility following Bey’s relocation to New Orleans, where Louisiana rapper Dee-1 – a mutual acquaintance and collaborator – made the connect. Here we are over a decade after the Hotboys and Blackstar, with the Berlin Wall of coastal rap battles broken in large part by the forces of maturity and social media, to find Brooklyn melding with New Orleans bounce. Mannie Fresh spoke to HipHopDX about the 10-track project:

We recorded way more than that. But rather than to [just] have somebody say like, ‘Oh, wow’ – I think a lot of times when you do that you throw away music. So, I just wanna give people like ten bangers and let’s be out.

Mos is a Hip Hop head, so it kinda came easy. And, by him being a Mannie Fresh fan, and me being his fan, it came real easy. And I think that’s the way the process should be. We should have fun. It was no stress; we didn’t have no budgets from nobody, we didn’t have nobody hanging over us, no A&Rs. It was just something that we decided to do.

If you think this is not major, you are crazy. Their shows are going to sell out. It is probably safe to assume that had they not chosen to release this project independently via digital download, retailers would potentially run out of product. This collaboration is shaping up to be hip-hop’s answer to the everlasting gobstopper – something no one knew they wanted, but everyone suddenly has to have. Do not sleep.

Spotted at 2DB

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When Joey Bada$$ was recently interviewed on The Breakfast Club, he neglected to mention some pretty exciting news. The 18-year old rapper has been named the Creative Director for fashion company Ecko Clothing. In a separate interview, he gives Fuse TV a tour of Ecko’s office and discusses how this affiliation came about. Joey Basa$$ says that he’s “taking what I like to rock, and seeing what appeals to the youth right now, just freaking it on some next, creative, different shit.”

Speaking of young creatives, an unreleased track has surfaced that sees Joey Bada$$ rewinding back to two years ago, you know back in the days when he was a teenagre–back when he went by JayOhVee spittin’ over the “Umi Says” beat from Yasiin (back in the days when he was still the mighty Mos Def).  Suffice to say, Bada$$ really brings it; while he’s definitely grown over time, his flow was on point even then. Listen below and scroll down for the Fuse TV piece.

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Throwback Thursday is not all about starter jackets and gumby fades, kids. Today, at least, it is about horn-rimmed spectacles and a bow tie, a look that’s “less about style and more about purpose.” I am talking of course, about Malcolm X, who was assassinated on this day in 1965 at the Audobon Ballroom located in Harlem, USA. In remembering his life and words, I cannot think of a better TBT than okayplayer Yasiin Bey–then known as Mos Def–reciting the words of Malcolm’s famous “Message to The Grass Roots” speech, originally delivered at the King Solomon Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan in 1963. Enjoy it below and scroll down for the full text and audio of the original speech. And see if you don’t get goosebumps as soon as you hear the words ”We want to have just an off-the-cuff chat…we want to talk right down to earth in a language that everybody can understand. We all agree tonight–all of the speakers have agreed–that America has a very serious problem…”

I would like to make a few comments concerning the difference between the Black revolution and the Negro revolution. There’s a difference. Are they both the same? And if they’re not, what is the difference? What is the difference between a Black revolution and a Negro revolution? First, what is a revolution? Sometimes I’m inclined to believe that many of our people are using this word “revolution” loosely, without taking careful consideration [of] what this word actually means, and what its historic characteristics are. When you study the historic nature of revolutions, the motive of a revolution, the objective of a revolution, and the result of a revolution, and the methods used in a revolution, you may change words. You may devise another program. You may change your goal and you may change your mind.

Look at the American Revolution in 1776. That revolution was for what? For land. Why did they want land? Independence. How was it carried out? Bloodshed. Number one, it was based on land, the basis of independence. And the only way they could get it was bloodshed. The French Revolution — what was it based on? The land-less against the landlord. What was it for? Land. How did they get it? Bloodshed. Was no love lost; was no compromise; was no negotiation. I’m telling you, you don’t know what a revolution is. ‘Cause when you find out what it is, you’ll get back in the alley; you’ll get out of the way. The Russian Revolution — what was it based on? Land. The land-less against the landlord. How did they bring it about?Bloodshed. You haven’t got a revolution that doesn’t involve bloodshed. And you’re afraid to bleed. I said, you’re afraid to bleed.

[As] long as the white man sent you to Korea, you bled. He sent you to Germany, you bled. He sent you to the South Pacific to fight the Japanese, you bled. You bleed for white people. But when it comes time to seeing your own churches being bombed and little Black girls be murdered, you haven’t got no blood. You bleed when the white man says bleed; you bite when the white man says bite; and you bark when the white man says bark. I hate to say this about us, but it’s true. How are you going to be nonviolent in Mississippi, as violent as you were in Korea? How can you justify being nonviolent in Mississippi and Alabama, when your churches are being bombed, and your little girls are being murdered, and at the same time you’re going to violent with Hitler, and Tojo, and somebody else that you don’t even know?

If violence is wrong in America, violence is wrong abroad. If it’s wrong to be violent defending Black women and Black children and Black babies and Black men, then it’s wrong for America to draft us and make us violent abroad in defense of her. And if it is right for America to draft us, and teach us how to be violent in defense of her, then it is right for you and me to do whatever is necessary to defend our own people right here in this country.

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Talib Kweli sat down with Aiko Tanaka for an in-depth interview, the latest in her I Don’t Camouflage series. In 8 minutes and some seconds Kweli talks about balancing his roles as artist and activist with being a father (and compulsive Homeland viewer, apparently)–and generally being more strategic and adjusting the way he does things as he gets older. Specifically he talks about coming out the other side of ‘The Red Stage’ of revolutionary consciousness where the main activities are a) soaking in information and b) getting mad about it. He also speaks at length on how his frequent collaborator Jean Grae has influenced his own approach to making art.

At the other end of the interview spectrum, MTV just released this clip of Kweli being questioned about the impresario formerly known as Sean “Puffy” Combs (that’s Diddy if you’re under the age of 18) and his differences with Mos Def (that’s Yasiin if you’re under the age of 2) about his version of “Children’s Story” which seem to directly reference Puff and Notorious B.I.G. within the lyrics of its cautionary tale. Watching both interviews back to back really highlights two completely different approaches to rap journalism. But on the other hand taken together the two feel like book-ends on the same discussion; the problematic division between ‘conscious’ and ‘commercial rap’–and how its changed over the years. Food for thought and of course, very much at the heart of the themes explored in Kweli’s forthcoming album, aptly title Prisoner of Conscious. Watch below and then below:

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