boston progress radio

Straight from MC Kabir himself:

Attention Boston folks! Come join us for a night of hip hop madness! DJ Axel Foley and I are on around 11pm or so… Also performing: Gnotes, Conundrum, Goodword and more…hosted by Elemental Zazen Doors open at 9pm. 21+ (ID required). Come through! This will be a dope show.

The show will be at 197 Portland Street (North Station), Boston, Massachusetts. Tickets are $10.

I was sitting in my house last night trying to write something “cool and professional” for this review but everything turned out really corny. So I decided to write whatever comes to mind. When I first read this headline “Giles Li and Bao Phi at UMASS Boston,” without seeing the show I knew this performance would be dope. The trip to UMASS Boston was not an easy one with the scorching Boston sun and the ever pleasant T ride from Northeastern during rush hour. But when I was greeted with fried chicken as soon as I walked through the door, I knew it was all worth the trouble.

This was not the first time I saw Giles Li peform, but I can credit him for my fascination for this form of art. Ever since he peformed at Northeastern, I was drawn in with this kind of performance. Giles opened up the show with “The Worst Poem In the World,” a hilarious yet “makes-you-wonder” poem about practically nothing, as Giles would describe it. The poem “Anna Nicole Smith” followed, paying overdue respect and peace to the late Anna Nicole Smith. The set was concluded with a powerful poem named “1905″ in which Giles Li asked “where was I?” when horrific events that happened in Boston’s Chinatown went unnoticed.

I have heard a lot about the myth that is Bao Phi. I read all about his awards, and achievements. After watching him perform, Bao Phi definitely lived up to the billings. Each of his poems can dictate your every emotion, he can make you die in laughter or die in tears. The “Nguyens,” is a series of characters that Bao Phi made up that address the issues of every Asian American. The characters are not related but their last names are the same, addressing the stereotype that Asians with the last name are somehow related. The “Nguyens” range from a wannabe “L.A.M.B” that is willing to sell her soul to Gwen Stefani to a once bullied victim turned bully out to seek revenge. But the most inspiring “Nguyen” was Katrina, addressing the forgotten victims, more importantly the forgotten race of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

Before the show, I jokingly said “Giles Li and Bao Phi are the yellow version of Blackstar,” comparing them to Mos Def and Talib Kweli. But after watching Giles Li and Bao Phi perform, I have to admit that it was a foolish mistake by comparing them to Blackstar because Giles Li and Bao Phi perform each poem with their hearts. I can see the passion in their eyes and I know money is never an issue for them like for other artists. They are not the “yellow version of Blackstar.” They are Giles Li and Bao Phi - each with their own distinctive style, combining to form a great alliance in spoken word.

Tags: Recaps.

Those lucky folks at Three Imaginary Girls have a review up about the new album from the Blue Scholars. They’re lucky because they got to listen to the album already. And I thought Geo and Sabzi were our friends! Just kidding.

Anyway, the second album from the hip hop duo looks to be another good one. How I wish I were in Seattle! (The CD Release party is Friday, May 11 and Saturday, May 12 at the Showbox in Seattle!) I think it is time for my good friends in Seattle to prove their friendship to me by picking up a signed copy of Bayani and sending it to me…

Tags: CD, News, Reviews.

I’m definitely a fan of the public service announcement as a way of making people think a little bit harder. I like this piece for presenting a (for lack of a better word) diverse picture of who is Asian Pacific American. And yes, we shouldn’t just be focusing on our collective heritage one month out of the year. Life doesn’t segment itself so simply - everything is so much more connected than that.

Tags: Commentary, Video.

In a way, this is a sad day - the Native Guns are an amazing hip hop group. And after next weekend, they will no longer exist.

But the timing of the announcement is very telling. They released their debut CD last year, they just won a high-profile contest for mp3.com, they just released videos for a couple of the songs. They’ve made a name for themselves as a group - in California for sure, but even nationally. They have a significant fanbase all the way out here in cold-ass Boston. Even this kid loves them.

Read more

Tags: Commentary, News.

Usually when I think about political music, hip hop is the genre that comes to mind. Exit Clov, a band based in Washington, D.C., has disabused me of these preconceived notions. Fronted by twin Taiwanese-American sisters, this five-piece indie rock band combines decidedly socialist lyrics with catchy melodies and surreal harmonic vocals. And the guitar, keys, and drums all sound pretty good too.

The latest EP from Exit Clov, entitled Respond Respond, is their first album released by LiveWire Recordings. Of course, it was released back in September 2006, but BPR wasn’t even around back then, so I’m reviewing it now. The EP contains 6 tracks. Some of the songs are re-recordings, but every piece still sounds as fresh and as mesmerizing as ever. My favorite song is Violent Berries, not because Marx and Engels are mentioned, but because the video of Susan stabbing Emily (or is it Emily stabbing Susan) is just so incredibly shocking.

I hope that Exit Clov is working on a full-length album soon because nobody does “kaleidescope pop noir” like they do.

Tags: CD, Reviews.

Underground hip hop legend Lyrics Born - interviewed in the newest issue of Hyphen magazine by Boston Progress and BPR’s very own Vidya Rao - opens for overground hip hop legend The Roots. At the Clark Center; doors will open at 6pm. Tickets can be purchased at Student Life for $25, but for UMass-Boston students, it’s $15.

Kite Operations recently released their second full length album on K. O. A. Records. Personally, I’ve only heard a few tracks, but apparently it is every bit as good as their first album Dandelion Day. According to the folks at LMNOP:

Heart Attacks, Back to Back features the same sort of heady, puzzling compositions that can be found on this band’s previous album (Dandelion Day). Unlike many artsy bands that use the recording process as a diving board for pure experimentation, the folks in Kite Operations always manage to include enough genuine substance in their tracks to ensure the music holds up to many repeated spins.

Check out the full review at LMNOP. And oh yeah, pick up their album here.

Tags: Reviews.