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Watch for Shuffled! every Thursday. Also check out the Shuffled! archive.

Today’s Shuffler: Koba

“…mad-as-hell Koba delivered one of the afternoon’s angriest and most on point performances which drew high praise from the crowd.” - Urb Magazine, April 2005

“Koba recited lyrics that earnestly expressed his grievances with the state of hip-hop.” - The Nation Magazine, March 16, 2005

Koba is an inventive, irreverent and unrepentantly radical hip-hop vocalist slash producer hailing from Brooklyn, NY. For five years he entertained eager audiences from coast to coast as part of the now disbanded Asian-American hip-hop group Kontrast, culminating with the release of their debut album Pencils (which Koba produced and wrote the bulk of). From soulful vocal harmonies giving expression to another world of possibility to a delivery as equally unrelenting as reality itself “from the West Bank to the South Side of Chicago,” Koba creates music with nothing less than the entire globe in his sights. The urgency of Koba’s rhymes are anchored by production inspired by an unimaginably diverse and international range of influences while staying concretely in tune with the pulse of the streets, assisted by Toronto-based co-producer Gamshooter of All Day Productions. The formidable DJ Boo, also of the Juggaknots and Quannum-recording artists ApSci, provides the backbone to Koba’s signature sweat-drenched live show.

Koba has rocked at venues and schools across the country like the future depends on it, sharing the stage with Talib Kweli, Slum Village, dead prez, Last Emperor, DJ Envy, Immortal Technique, Medusa, Vernon Reid, C Rayz Walz, The X-Ecutioners, Outernational and others at such venues as SOB’s, the Knitting Factory, the Wetlands, CBGB’s, NYU’s Skirball Center, the Lion’s Den, the Middle East and elsewhere. He currently is working on his debut solo album Culture War due in 2008. Against the drowning tide of petty materialism and misogyny Koba stands to be at the center of a cultural bridge to an entirely different future.

Check out Koba’s homepage at kobasounds.com.

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Tags: Shuffled!.

with the exception of one month, for three years, every second friday has transformed a tiny bookstore into a magical haven of shared energy—stanzas, lyrics, melodies, rhymes, dances, visuals, fragmented thoughts, reciprocation and appreciation, have been transferred between bodies and spirits.

so i thought it would be fun to take a short look back, in order to look forward.

the bookstore, east meets west, opened october of 2004, with just a small table full of independent apia CD’s and chapbooks. only open on saturdays, the store served as a clubhouse of sorts for boston progress members to catch up, crack jokes, and build together. having an actual physical space available and seeing the potential of our space, it was only natural to program an open mic… but what shape it would take or how it would be actualized, no one really could tell. up to that point, only a few people have actually passed through the threshold of the store and wandered into our world.

in a boba tea spot in the back bay, at a monthly boston progress meeting, the open mic began to form an identity. after several suggestions (ginger-bred, mic-a-saurus rex), vinh the kid said after only a second of thought, east meets words, and the open mic had a name.

first open mic, we had the synchronous fortune of having not just one, but two members of 2 tongues, anida yoeu ali and marlon esguerra, in the northeast. it seems only fitting to have them be the first to bless the open mic as our first co-features. flash forward a year, we had regie cabico telling stories of mini-wooden-penises from men in barrels while humping a stool as a make-shift lover. in between and following, beautiful features from nyc, philly, the bay, LA, minnesota, toronto, chicago, jersee, and locals—all have graced the space.the list of open mic-er seem to be just as illustrious with local poets, musicians, freestylers, youth, passer-byers—all have come thru the space and shared…

to now. we don’t even have to worry about having folks come through… without fail, open mic nights become packed. and the unheated bookstore warms with body heat, which is the only thing that can keep you warm during the cold cold cold boston winters.

on a personal tip, the open mic has opened gates internally, like nothing has before. it’s not just learning the audience banter as a host, or getting over awkward insecurities as an open mic-er, or being brave enough to read from dusty journals as a feature, but i’ve learned that the more i can let go of… speak my mind and heart about, the more room i have to grow… i’ve learned to be open, unguarded—even if just for a few minutes—shed walls and free little pieces of my thoughts with the people. i’ve learned in a deep way the power of words… the unlocking of held breathes i usually choke back, releasing spiritual self into the physical world. even now, three years later, once a month, i still get nervous as i open my black book of secrets and with a shaky voice read out. but i’ve started to see many others, other unidentified poets and writers looking forward, raising their voice at the open mic. in the most obvious way, the open mic was a monthly session to meditate on the state of your union. where would i be if i didn’t have that space… i can’t even begin to assume.

looking back, we realize the open mics really wouldn’t be anything without everyone who supports–reads out on the list, listens in the metal chairs, claps their hands to the beat, yells words to rhyme about, and who shouts—ohhhhhh yeah. so it seems only right to have our three year anniversary feature be east meets words—a super mic of sorts. each and every participant—open mic-ers and audience alike—are the feature.

oh, the only month we did not hold the open mic at east meets west, was august 2005—when boston hosted the 3rd apia spoken word summit. but i guess even then, one can see the community and family showcase as open mics, so yeah, then for three years, boston progress has hosted an open mic, each month… and we’re still holding it down. solid.

Tags: Boston Progress, Commentary, Open Mic.

Today, I’m going to add a few more artists to our play list. It has been awhile since I did an update. I suppose life in the real world has taken over life in the cyberworld.

The radio station has been up and running for about 6 months now and I’m pleased at what we have achieved so far. I still have bigger dreams for the station. I’d like to see our random and totally eclectic playlist morph into well-contained programs. We’d have a hip hop show. A singer/songwriter folk show. And maybe even a spoken word show. As of now, I do not think we have enough artists to do such a thing. And we don’t have enough resources to obtain software to allow us to use such a format, but I can dream right? What would be very exciting is if we were able to have live DJs take requests and play your favorite music. It might take awhile before we get there, but I’m never going to stop dreaming. We should always try to dream big.

New on BPR this week are Cynthia Lin, Dawen Wang, Koba, and Melissa Li.

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Tags: Commentary, Online Radio.