FNV NEWSLETTER July 26 2002
In this week's issue:

*GW THEODORE CELEBRATES 27 YEARS
*SLICK RICK VS THE INS... WILL HE BE DEPORTED?
*HIP HOP HATIN' THAT HATE PRODUCED by Minister Paul Scott
*ONE MAN ARMY-FIRST ROUND DRAFT  by Dove 

The FNV Newsletter c 2002
Send comments to: mailto:mrdaveyd@aol
peep the websites 

www.daveyd.com
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============================

GW THEODORE CELEBRATES 27 YEARS
by Davey D

Lots of stuff to peep out this week..  It's hard to know where to
begin.  First, lets start off by pay tribute to one of Hip Hop's
greatest pioneers..  Grand Wizzard Theodore-the inventor of the
scratch.  This Sunday July 28th at SOB's [204 Varick St @W.Houston] in
Manhattan, GW Theodore with dozens of other Hip Hop Legends will be on
hand to honor Theodore as he celebrates his 27th Anniversary.  It's
hard to believe Hip Hop has been around this long.

For those who are unfamiliar, GW Theodore is the younger brother of
pioneering Hip Hop DJs Mean Gene and Corey 'Cordio' Livingston.  They
were known as the L Brothers and in their crew was another DJ named
Grand Master Flash.  At that time [1974-75] Theodore was too young to
go out and party with his older brothers.  So he used to practice
while at home.  According to GM Flash, he taught Theodore some of the
basics about deejaying.This was done in secret because Theodore's
older brothers didn't want him playing with the equipment.

For those who are unfamiliar, GW Theodore is the younger brother of
pioneering Hip Hop DJs Mean Gene and Corey 'Cordio' Livingston.  They
were known as the L Brothers and in their crew was another DJ named
Grand Master Flash.  At that time [1974-75] Theodore was too young to
go out and party with his older brothers, so he used to practice while
at home.  According to GM Flash, he taught Theodore some of the basics
about deejaying.This was done in secret because Theodore's older
brothers didn't want him playing with the equipment.

One day Theodore was playing around with the music when his mother
came knocking on his room door.  She wanted him to turn down the music
as she spoke with him.  Theodore turned the volume down but could
still hear through his head phones.  As he listened with one headphone
off to his mother speaking, he could hear the scratching noise in the
other ear as he held the record.  The unique sound inspired him to
experiment and soon Theodore developed what we know as the scratch.

Theodore eventually made his public debut at a block party at the
young age of 11.  He was so short that he had to stand on milk crates
to be seen by the crowd which was shocked to see the younger brother
of then then legendary Mean Gene do his thing, including scratch on
the turn tables.

Theodore eventually became a part of the L brothers which at one point
not only included GM Flash, but also included pioneering rapper Chief
Rocker Busy B.  He later broke off and formed his own group Grand
Wizard Theodore and the Fantastic Five.  The Fantastic Five was made
up of original L Brother emcees, Kevvy Kev, Dot-A-Rock and Master Rob.
Later a dou named Salt-N-Pepa joined the group.  That dou consisted of
Whipper Whip and Dot-A-Rock.  The rest as they say is history.

I recall the first time I heard Grand Wizard Theodore was around '77
when I got this tape and heard this routine that sticks with me to
this day and has been emulated by many including myself.  He took the
popular record 'Apache' which was dubbed the B-Boy anthem.  He would
play the beginning with the rolling drum beats and just as the guitar
would kick in, Theodore would cut over to the beginning of another
popular break record-'Children Growing'.  The mixture of those two
records just blew everyone away and was indicative of GW Theodore.  He
was always innovative.

Today Theodore can be found traveling the country lecturing about Hip
Hop.  He also still spins and has kept himself up to speed and
competitive.  He recently was featured in the Scratch Tour.  He made a
grand entrance and did not disappoint the crowd.  We wish Theodore
nothing but the best.  Had it not been for him Hip Hop would not be
what it is today-a vibrant artform that is embraced by folks from all
over the world.

Here's the official rundown courtesy of Tools of War..

Grand Wizzard Theodore's 27th Anniversary Jam
Sunday, July 28th, 2002
S.O.B.'s 204 Varick St @ W. Houston New York
212-243-4940
(Take the 1 or 2 to Houston) 
Doors at 6:30 / Show at 8 (18+ Bring ID)

Featuring Guests include:  Grand Wizzard Theodore (L Brothers, Fantastic 5) The
Original Jazzy Jay (Jazzy Jay Prod., Soul Sonic Force, Zulu Nation)
Kool DJ Red Alert (Red Alert Prod., 98.7 Kiss FM, Zulu Nation) DJ
Charlie Chase (Cold Crush Brothers) Shabazz (Masters of Ceremony)

GrandMaster Caz, Reggie Reg, Rahiem &
Whippa Whip, Steve Dee (founder of the X-Men & inventor of "the funk"
(media term: beat juggling), The Rock Steady Crew (celebrating their
25th Anniversary go to www.RockSteadyCrew.com, The
Crash Crew (Reggie Reg, Mike C.  Lashubee, Yoda, House Rocker and D.J.
Supreme) D.O.A.  (vocal percussionist - seen in SCRATCH movie and
heard on Wrigley's commercials!)

Plus a special Scratch Tribute featuring: 
Mysterio: "the Harry Houdini of Hip Hop DJing" 
Excess: one of the dopest scratchers on the EastCoast 
Mista Sinista: 96 East Coast DMC Champ / formerly of the X-ecutioners 
IXL: 2002 DMC East Coast Battle for World Supremacy Runner up 
Toadstyle: Stylus Wars DJ Marz: (Bullet Proof
Scratch Hamsters / Space Travelers coming in from the Bay area)
Esquire: Brooklyn's Best Kept Secret and more!

For more info email: Toolsofwar@aol.com

=================================

SLICK RICK VS THE INS... WILL HE BE DEPORTED?

Six weeks after his arrest in Miami by the Immigration and
Naturalization Service (INS), the rapper Slick Rick was denied bail in
a deportation hearing held in Bradenton, Florida on July 12.
Asserting that the English-born rapper represents a "flight risk," INS
Officer in Charge David Wing told Alex Solomiany, Rick's attorney,
that Rick needed to remain in custody while his case is being
adjudicated.  Immigration Judge Kevin R.  McHugh denied bail, noting
that he had no jurisdiction in this matter.  Mr. Solomiany immediately
appealed the court's decision and has asked the INS to reconsider
Rick's custody status.

Rick's problems with the INS are longstanding.  Although he moved from
England to America with his family when he was 11 years old and has
been a legal resident since 1976, Rick never became a naturalized
citizen.  This oversight complicated his legal woes when he committed
a felony in New York in 1990 and went to prison in 1991.  The INS
moved to have Rick deported to England upon the completion of his
sentence in America.  Rick's family and friends fought to have him
stay here.  (He has no remaining family ties to England.) In June of
1995 Rick was granted the right to remain in America.  When the INS
appealed that decision to the Board of Immigration in November of
1995, their appeal was dismissed.  When the INS appealed again, in
March of 1997, their appeal was sustained.  The Board of Immigration
Appeals then ordered Rick to be deported.

Meanwhile, in January of 1996 Rick had been released from prison - he
served exactly five years and 12 days - and promptly returned to his
home in the Bronx.  Informed in 1997 of the deportation order against
him, Rick hired an attorney and appealed.  He was never informed that
there was a standing INS warrant for his arrest.

During the last six years Rick got married, resumed his recording
career, and met all the obligations of his parole.  He is a property
owner and the supportive father of two children.

On May 28th of this year, Rick was hired as an entertainer on the Tom
Joyner Foundation's Fantastic Voyage 2002.  The floating show cruised
the Caribbean - including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands - on a
ship called The Explorer of the Seas and featured such other
well-known performers as Erykah Badu, Angie Stone, Yolanda Adams,
Earth, Wind & Fire, the O'Jays, the Gap Band, Third World, and the
Baha Men.  When the ship docked in Miami on June 1, Rick was arrested
by the INS.  The agency charged Rick with deporting himself and
illegally re-entering the United States.

Incarcerated at the INS center in Bradenton, Florida, Rick applied
immed iately to the INS for bond but was denied.  In court on Friday,
July 12 he renewed his request for bond and was again denied because
the immigration judge at the hearing had no authority to grant bond.
In fact, in April of 1996, bond-granting authority was removed from
immigration judges and given directly to the INS itself in an effort
to strengthen America's internal security following Timothy McVeigh's
attack on the Federal Building in Oklahoma City.

Mandy Aragones, Rick's wife, has decried the INS's decision to keep
Rick in jail.  "Ricky presents absolutely no 'flight risk,'" she says,
"I can guarantee my life on that.  Ricky is a man of good character,
he is hard-working, honest and humble and he would never jeopardize
his life again.  All his loved ones are here in America.  His home is
here and his family needs him, especially his daughter and son.  He
should be allowed to return to his family in New York while sorting
out this matter with INS."

Rick "Slick Rick" Walters was born in London in 1965 and moved with
his family to the Bronx in 1975.  As a 19-year-old in the summer of
1985 he scored his first big hits, "La Di Da Di" and "The Show."
Three years later Def Jam Recordings released Rick's first full-length
album, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick.  Hailed as a showcase for
Rick's extraordinary writing and rapping skills, it quickly achieved
"platinum" status for sales in excess of one million copies and has
since established itself as a rap classic.

At the height of his fame in July of 1990, Rick shot and wounded two
people in an ill-advised attempt to protect himself against a violent
predator.  Convicted of attempted murder in the second degree, he
began serving his sentence of three-to-ten years in 1991.  While he
was in jail, he released "The Ruler's Back" (1991) and "Behind Bars"
(1994).  In 1999 he released "The Art of Storytelling."  All three
albums were certified gold.

Letters of support for Slick Rick have poured in from entertainers,
activists, and politicians alike, including the Reverend Jesse
Jackson, New York State Senator David Paterson, Russell Simmons, and
comedian/actor Chris Rock.

In a letter to the INS in Bradenton, actor and rapper Will Smith
wrote, "I have known Rick for over 15 years, not just as an artist,
but as a friend.  He has always been professional, reliable and
trustworthy.  While I am aware of his past problems, I've also had the
pleasure to watch him develop into a good person.  His many ties to
this country, and his family in particular, assure that he will not
flee.  I respectfully ask that he be allowed to stay in this country
and released to his family as soon as possible."

For more information, call Kymberlee Norsworthy at 201.985.8892 or
Bill Adler at 212.645.0061.

=======================================

HIP HOP HATIN' THAT HATE PRODUCED
by Minister Paul Scott

This year has seen the resurgence of the Hip Hop Wars with the
much-heralded Jay Z vs.  Nas, KRS vs.  Nelly, Dre vs JD; etc.  While
some of the rhetoric com ing from artists such as Nas and KRS may seem
revolutionary to 16 year old kids, if the dialogue is not put in the
context of the struggle for the survival of Afrikan people, it quickly
becomes counterrevolutionary.  The fight that the more conscious
rappers must rage is to put Black consciousness back into Hip Hop and
not allow these so called Hip Hop Wars to divert attention away from
the real issues facing, not only the Hip Hop Generation but Afrikan
people, in general.  In post 9/11 America, where the issues that are
exclusive to the Black community have all but been forgotten by the so
called mainstream, Hip Hop must play a major role in shoving these
issues in America   s face.

We must also hold our brothers and sisters in the rap game accountable
for their actions.  Yeshua (misnamed Jesus) once said    he who is
without sin, cast the first stone.    This can be applied to Hip Hop,
as all have come up short when their ways and actions are weighed
against that historical struggle for Black Liberation.  So, it seems
somewhat hypocritical for a rapper who has never owned up to the
contradictions in his own music to point fingers at another rapper
whom he considers less conscious than himself.

The message that this is sending to the young brotha   s and sista   s
is also problematic as they will see the insanity of disunity among
Afrikan people as not only normal but as a cause for celebration and
admiration.  This will later manifest itself into them developing the
same intense hatred and mistrust of other Black folks from which many
of us are suffering.  Malcolm X once pointed out that the media is so
powerful in its image making role that it can make your enemy seem
like your friend and your friend seem like your enemy; so it is in Hip
Hop.

What we are fighting for is the survival of Afrikan people; not
lyrics; not respect for Hip Hop; not even which Hip Hop radio station
is the best.  If we are not clear on this, we will be forever running
around in a circle, like a dog chasing its tail and wondering why with
all the talking, Black folks are still living in such hellish
conditions.

Despite the strategic placement of Black faces in high places within
the entertainment industry, it is the white owned corporate giants
that control the media images that our children see and ultimately it
is white businessmen who reap the profits from the Hip Hop Wars
(whether the artists themselves survive them or not).  So history
repeats itself; the slave   s fight each other while the slave master
laughs all the way to the bank.

Minister Paul Scott is founder of the Durham NC based New Righteous
Movement and has recently launched the National Hip Hop Reformation
Campaign.  For more information contact: operationmedia@ yahoo.com

=====================================


ONE MAN ARMY-FIRST ROUND DRAFT 
by Dove The Sheepish Lordess of Chaos

Fighting the good fight in Hip Hop isn't always the most popular route
to go in this day of platinum sales and platinum jewelry.  One Man
Army is a visionary leading the way in a battle for correctness in Hip
Hop culture, and is playing his role in protecting a foundation that
has weakened over the years.  His presence is commanding and calming
at the same time - tall and lean, with a silent gaze that remains
thoughtful as he speaks.  His image is mysterious, with several
aliases and intricate philosophies weaved into his music.  He is a
magnet drawing in people from all walks of life and all dimensions of
thought.

Growing up in Pontiac, Michigan, One Man Army began dabbling in music
at an early age, and enjoyed playing basketball.  He was eventually
offered a scholarship in the sport, but his life took a course that
didn't coincide with the opportunities that were laid before him at
that time.  As he begins to explain the stages of his life, his
career, and his relationships with his former Binary Star partner,
Senim Silla, and current crew Subterraneous, the interview takes on
it's own life.  One Man Army takes the helm and positively directs the
discussion into a captivating montage of comfortable speech - to the
point that questions are deemed obsolete.

"Me and Senim went to high school together, and after high school we
went to prison together.  The three years we were in prison, we read
books together and stuff like that - just built.  We got home in '97
and that's when we started recording.  When we came home we had cats
in the crew, but we had been gone for so long - I felt like, 'I'm just
focusing on this Binary Star' stuff.  Cats was like 'we should do
this, we should do that', but I felt like where I was at, just
mentally, as far as wanting to do things a certain kinda way - mainly
independently.

I ain't perfect - I ain't always right.  I got people around me, they
might tell you I'm real commanding, but I ain't.  I could care less
who feels what I'm doin' or agree with what I'm doin' - and I'm not
saying that in an insensitive kinda way.  It's just like, before I
went to prison, which was a big point in my life - just from a Hip Hop
point of view - Hip Hop was a beautiful thing.  I grew up in a time,
specifically '88-'92, these years Hip Hop was crazy.  Little kids
wanted to be like emcees, but the way we wanted to be like emcees, we
wanted to wear African medallions and I was goin' around talking about
stuff that I didn't know what I was talking about - it was 'Red Black
and Green' and 'Fight the power' - and I didn't know what the hell
this stuff meant, but that's who we was tryin' to imitate.

Now these kids, they tryin to imitate rappers still, but it's like
platinum teeth, platinum chains - just garbage.  When I went to
prison, I was stuck in '93 and '94 - Pete Rock, Tribe Called Quest -
just some of the stuff that was out then.  When I came home, I'm like
'who the fuck is Master P?'  - what is this shit?  My connection with
the Hip Hop world wasn't the same, so all I had was all I knew.  This
shit was crazy to me, because the Source Magazine in '93 was a totally
different magazine than it was in '97.  When I first started doing my
thing in '97 I didn't have high self esteem like I used to.  I was
real cocky back in the day - now I'm like, 'I don't think these people
are gonna even feel my shit.  Is this what Hip Hop is?'  Underground
Hip Hop in '93 was not what it is today.

I listen to albums and why does every time they rhyme, why they gotta
be hoes and bitches?  Why can't it just be like 'hey Ladies'?  I mean,
you could say ladies - why you gotta say hoes?  Is it to make money or
is that how you feel?  My sister is listening to my shit - I want
females to buy my shit.  It's a catch 22 because Hip Hop is not for
everybody, but it can be.  It's definitely a culture and it's
definitely geared towards the people that's in the culture and the
people that knows what's goin' on, but at the same time a lotta these
emcees put up barriers between them and a certain gender or certain
race of people.

For a long time I used to sit around like 'why is he doin' a song with
them' and 'that ain't Hip Hop', but I started saying - especially when
I seen this Master P shit - I woulda told this guy in '91 'don't even
try it, don't even think about it - you don't have a chance in hell to
even make it'.  When I saw that happen the way it happened [I
realized] I can't tell nobody what's wack.  The only time I say
something is wack is when it's just straight up death or poison -
something that my little brother can't grow off.  I don't even listen
to this new bullshit - I bump X-Clan, old Ice Cube, Public Enemy - I'm
buggin' cuz like ten, twelve, fifteen years later this stuff is still
happening.  It's still real and you can still say exactly what Chuck D
said twelve years ago.

I'm maturing into an adult now, and my views in life are a little
different than when I was sixteen.  I wasn't always thinking about
what I'm thinking about now.  I see that Hip Hop is a tool.  You can
make money from it, you can famous from it, but to me it's a movement.
I really believe that the people who started that movement had the
idea of uplifting the community.  The people who was a part of
starting this movement was tryin to get kids off the street, outta the
gangs, off the drugs, outta the fightin - and these wack emcees is
tryin to take it back to that - sell dope, kill each other, smoke, get
high, get drunk, get fucked up, kill, fuck, stab - and it's like all
of this shit is killin' us.  All of my songs ain't 'be cool stay in
school don't sell drugs', but I do believe from my own life
experiences that have absolutely nothing to do with Hip Hop.

My songs are like a journal for me.  When I listen to my songs, to me
they ain't even songs - it's like 'this is where I was at when I wrote
that, this is who I was with when I wrote that, this is what I was
goin' through when I wrote that', and I'm tryin to just convey that
through my music - just some real sincere shit.  Fuck being famous.  I
mean, I definitely gotta get paid and take care of my family, but what
these wack emcees don't even understand is that you can make a billion
dollars off an album, but you don't gotta exploit Hip Hop, exploit
people, and exploit yourself to do that shit.

Binary Star was a good foundation for me, and Subterraneous - I feel
like I'm more than just a solo artist.  When you ask me, as a man, I'm
trying to change people's lives, and I feel like I'm already doing
that.  It's always that one person who comes back and says 'you
inspire me'.  I used to say 'no, I'm not, yeah right, get outta here',
but I can only believe it because it's people out here - not a KRS One
or a Chuck D - but the guy who works at the gas station, my
grandfather, a schoolteacher, I mean real people can change a life and
impact you to the point where you're like 'she got a nice attitude
every time I come to work, I gotta be more like that', or 'he he got a
nice attitude with his kids I wish I was like that' - so I'm not tryin
to win nobody's favoritism, I just feel like every time I open my
mouth I could say a whole lot.

I'm speaking for me, I'm speaking for the people who feel like me, I'm
speaking for the emcees - that's who I'm spittin' for and that's who I
represent.  When I say I represent Hip Hop, I'm representing the
movement.  I support anybody that's supporting the movement."

One Man Army and his Trackezoids production team - consisting of
Decompoze, Magestik Legend, Malaki, Phrikshun, Chic Masters, Zhao and
Ironiclee - are currently booking performance dates revolving around
their Subterraneous Records' Waterworld Too project, and One Man Army
is finishing up his own solo album entitled L.I.F.E.

For more information on One Man Army and the Subterraneous Crew, check
them out at 
www.subterraneousrecords.com

Dove ~Sheepish Lordess of Chaos~ Courtesy of RIME Magazine
http://www.rimemagazine.com
http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/RIMEmagazine

==================================

The FNV Newsletter c 2002
Send comments to: mailto:mrdaveyd@aol
peep the websites 

www.daveyd.com
www.rapstation.com