Chris Burger: Bay Area Emcee

“Homemade Cafe” by Tuffgyal808

Q#1: Are you a Bay Area Native? and if not, how long have you lived in the Bay? CB: Yes I am a Bay Area Native. I was born in Oakland California.. my father was a black marine helicopter pilot in Vietnam, my mother, a Mexican telephone operator living in Oakland who decided to give me up for adoption when I was born. I was picked up and raised by a wonderfully loving family in beautiful Berkeley California.

Q#2: When did you start on the creative path you are currently on? CB: My first performance was literally in diapers (it’s funny cuz I remember them sagging) but being the youngest of 10 children (as if my adoptive family didn’t have enough already) and the only non-biological, I was always striving for attention. I started playing trumpet around age 9 or 10, and I started with the lyrics around age 13. My first song was a reggae song about love and peace. I just do it with a lot more style and meditation now; many of my lyrics are introspective as a way to change my environment from the inside out. Like Gandhi said, “we must be the change we want to see in the world.”

Q#3: Where do you find your inspiration? CB: My inspiration is from life. Meditating, trying to slow all the clutter that whirls around our lives. And the best way for me to make sense of it all is through word, power and sound. But usually the producers or live musicians I work with – their sound is motivation enough.

Q#4: What was the first piece of vinyl you ever purchased? CB: the first piece of vinyl I bought was “fantasy” by Earth Wind and Fire… man that was everything to me.

Q#5: Anything else you’d like to share? a joke/quote? CB: yeah, I was listening to spoken word artist, Kamau Daaood, and he was talking about the artist as a healer and an agent for change.. he talked about our responsibility to the sound (or idea as inspiration) and it reminded me of what the producer IronMonk once said concerning the human voice, in regards to speaking and the recorded word. He said the individual human voice is the one thing we all have that is original-it sounds like no other-so we should develop that, so striving to be a healer and an agent for change with regards to being original, as an artist, that is key. Bless up, and one love.

Mariafatima Urbi: Visual Artist

Q#1: Are you a Bay Area Native? and if not, how long have you lived in the Bay? Mariafatima: I emigrated to US when I was 10, moved around alot but I grew up in SF.

Q#2: When did you start on the creative path you are currently on? Mariafatima: I’ve been drawing most of my life, but professionally pursued it about 10 years ago.

Q#3: Where do you find your inspiration? Mariafatima: I’m very visual person so I like to people watch…creativity and innovation drives to inspire me, as well as traveling.

Q#4: What was the first piece of vinyl you ever purchased? Mariafatima: Beastie Boys “license to ill” album.

Q#5: Anything else you’d like to share? a joke/quote? Mariafatima: I love this quote by Audre Lorde and it sums up who I am… “if i didn’t define myself for myself i would be crunched into other people’s fantasies of me and eaten alive…”

Erin Yoshi: Muralist, Activist

“Yoshi slaps” by Tuffgyal808

Q#1: Are you a Bay Area Native? and if not, how long have you lived in the Bay? Yoshi: I am a L.A. native but I have lived in the Bay for 12 years.

Q#2: When did you start on the creative path you are currently on? Yoshi: I started taking my creative path seriously in about 2002. My mom was an artist and she taught me to draw, paint and shoot photography when I was a kid. We used to make comic scrolls, make up a story and illustrate them. I used to get into trouble as a kid, because I drew on the walls in my room, so my pops lined one wall in my room with huge erasable boards. I used to stand on my desk chair to reach the high parts I couldn’t touch. I still drew on the furniture…

Q#3: Where do you find your inspiration?
Yoshi: I find my inspiration from life, nature, creative weirdoes and comrades, and from stories of resilience, struggle and victories.

Q#4: What was the first piece of vinyl you ever purchased? Yoshi: The first piece of Vinyl I ever purchased was Thriller. I used to practice moonwalking in my room. But the first piece of vinyl I remember playing with was the Little Old Lady (from Pasadena) by Jan and Dean. It was a 45 and I would play it on my hand-me down plastic briefcase turntable… I think it was the only record I had at that time…

Q#5: Anything else you’d like to share? a joke/quote? Yoshi: Why is it, as Tom Goldtooth of the Indigenous Environmental Network has said, “So much easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism?” (Big thanks to Movement Generations for sharing this gem with me.)

http://www.erinyoshi.com

Crayone: Graff Writer

“Estria Graff Battle” by Tuffgyal808

Q#1: Are you a Bay Area Native? and if not, how long have you lived in the Bay? Crayone: I was born in NYC and was raised in Korea till I was 7. I moved to SF and I’ve been living there ever since. I lived in the East Bay for about 10 years from 1998 to 2008.

Q#2: When did you start on the creative path you are currently on? Crayone: I started by break dancing and one of the early SF writers by the name of Fury brought in a sketch that said “Omega” in graffiti style on paper and said, “This what they do in NY”… woooooowwwwww! I think I might have been 16, and I was sprung!

Q#3: Where do you find your inspiration? Crayone: Sometimes its walking in comic book stores, or book stores looking at a collection of art books. Now I get it from my life. I get it from hearing from people with my open ears. I see. I look around. The human struggles are still continuing… so picking a content is my next biggest challenge.

Q#4: What was the first piece of vinyl you ever purchased? Crayone: I think it was either rappers delight or Kurtis Blow’s “These are the breaks”… it was a 45. My sister and I remembered the whole damn rap! haha.

Q#5: Anything else you’d like to share? a joke/quote? Crayone: Art is for life. you might take a break trying to get that living status under control but whenever you can you try to express yourself through music, dance and art. And always record your process, because your never gonna know if you ever get famous cause they will want a detailed documentation of your experiences.

http://www.crayone.com/

Karen Seneferu: Visual Artist

“Black Woman is God” by Tuffgyal808

Q#1: Are you a Bay Area Native? and if not, how long have you lived in the Bay? Karen: Yes, I was born and raised in Oakland. I was raised in Oakland during a time when it wasn’t cool to say you were from Oakland. Now, there is such a wide range of people with different interests for Oakland that the once thriving African and African American Community that shaped identity has now an exodus of over 30,000 people who have left for Oakland because they can no longer afford to live in Oakland. This lost is not just people but the culture associated with that lost.

Q#2: When did you start on the creative path you are currently on? Karen: Consistently, I would say my artwork has been shown in gallery and museum spaces for about 5 years. I have been very fortunate. I understand that there are those before me that did the work necessary for me not to struggle getting my work in the world.

I have not always known that I was an artist. It was my husband, Malik Seneferu, a well-established artist and one who has put in the work, who first told me I was an artist by the way I decorated my space. Prior to meeting Malik, people would ask if I was an artist because of the way I dressed, but it was Malik who declared I was an artist and has been my most important teacher in guiding my direction both in my art and the business of art.

Q#3: Where do you find your inspiration? Karen: Initially, my inspiration comes from ancient and ancestral forms. I then incorporate found and recycled objects that I get at local reused stores to advance the imagery in some way. Additionally, it can be from music, reading, and images I see around me. However, I am most interested in ways the African presence in the world becomes dualistic, paradoxical, and truncated. I focus on how the male and female presence appears static and yet fluid, how the global society shapes African identity, and then how that identity informs the world.

Q#4: What was the first piece of vinyl you ever purchased? Karen: Ah, I remember this like today, lol. It was Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, you know the one with the big, red lips on it. I bought it at Eastmont Mall when the Mall had a record store; I go way back in Oakland. I was 12 years old, and brought her album home, and stared at the album cover, it felt like, for hours. Yes, the artistry during that period in music was creative, but for me, a 12-year girl who was constantly teased because boys viciously said my lips were too big, that cover was transformational. It was the first time I understood I was beautiful because of my lips, and not freakish, or ugly. Of course, like most young girls who were listening to Chaka Khan, I would dance in the living, trying desperately, to imitate Chaka Khan’s dance moves while mimicking her lyrics. It is funny stuff when I look back on it.

Q#5: Anything else you’d like to share? a joke/quote? Karen: Yes. I teach in the community colleges and at CSU, Eastbay, and this is the way I open my classes because I believe in transgressing. The quote I created is “Space dictates meaning. What enters that space is dictated to by the meaning of the space or can change the meaning of the space.” Also, Malia, I appreciate you giving me an opportunity to reveal myself to the community.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC5pOlEqfi4

Malik Seneferu: Painter

“Art Magnet” by Tuffgyal808

Q#1: Are you a Bay Area Native? and if not, how long have you lived in the Bay? Malik: I was born and raised in San Francisco April 7th 1971 the first of my family to be born outside of the south. My grand mother was allowed to come to the west-coast due to an inheritance from her father John Westley Arnold of the West indies, Jamaica.

Q#2: When did you start on the creative path you are currently on? Malik: Memories of my childhood play a tremendous role in my approach to creating art today. In my early years my mother a single parent lived in fear for my health due to the environmental hazards of San Francisco’s Hunters Point district. I suffered with asthma. Therefore, my innate interest to drawing and painting became that of a marriage over sports modeling my pursuit for constant spiritual mental and physical elevation. Having siblings among others as viewers of my work challenged me to go beyond my limitations. I remember my late grandmother a Barber and tailor sewing for hours at her machine after coming home from work. I would sit at her feet and draw on a paper bag with a pen, marker, crayon or a number two pencil.

Q#3: Where do you find your inspiration?
Malik: Everyday life along with music. Kenya and Haiti are places for instance that influence the bold and dramatic colors in my works. Henry Ossawa Tanner, Aaron Douglas, John T Biggers and Jean-Michel Basquiat (to name a few) has inspired my artistic direction. Being an artist growing up in low-income housing projects, immersed into the start of Hip-Hop, had an immense impact on my ability to create freely. Although this bold life style of music, poetry, art, dance, and intense research today sometimes seems barbaric. It nevertheless has influenced me to be boundless in my creative efforts to deliver messages of empowerment to the indigenous peoples of the world.

Q#4: What was the first piece of vinyl you ever purchased?
Malik: X-CLAN “Raise the flag.”

Q#5: Anything else you’d like to share? a joke/quote?
Malik: REMAIN CREATIVE

Tiffany Golden: Filmmaker, Author

“Forever Golden” by Tuffgyal808

Q#1: Are you a Bay Area Native? and if not, how long have you lived in the Bay? Tiffany: I am originally from Seaside, CA (Monterey) and have been living in Oakland for 20+ years. (dang, I’m gettin’ up there!)

Q#2: When did you start on the creative path you are currently on? Tiffany: I have always loved making things and being busy with my hands. I really started writing seriously in college. That is also when I got involved with filmmaking and theater. I started writing the Midnight stories out of a dream. There’s something powerful about pulling life from other realms.

Q#3: Where do you find your inspiration? Tiffany: I find inspiration in many places; sometimes a flower growing, sometimes a hug from my Dad, and mainly from seeing passionate expressions from people–especially the greats. I find inspiration in children, and mostly just when I see love being shown to others. I’m pretty sentimental. (Water sign for real)

Q#4: What was the first piece of vinyl you ever purchased? Tiffany: The first piece of vinyl I ever purchased was an old “Kind of Blue” by Miles Davis. I fell in love with it.

Q#5: Anything else you’d like to share? a joke/quote? Tiffany:My favorite quote has always been “love like you’ve never been hurt and dance like no one is watching”. I appreciate life helping me stay open-hearted after painful things…believe me, it was a choice, lol.

http://www.midnightstoryseries.net
http://lovingmyselfwithlupus.blogspot.com/

Miguel “Bounce” Perez: Muralist

“Peace, always”  by TuffGyal808

Q#1: Are you a Bay Area Native? and if not, how long have you lived in the Bay?

Miguel: Born and raised in Berkeley. Moved to Brooklyn, NY in 98. Did some bicoastal vagabonding. Spent some time in Guadalajara, Mexico and Los Angeles. I’m half way sorta semi-permanently back in Berkeley now…

Q#2: When did you start on the creative path you are currently on?

Miguel: I start a new creative path everyday.
But more specifically, I’ve been doing art full-time for a living since about 2005 and I’ve been running Pueblo Nuevo Gallery with my boy Plinio Hernandez since 2007.

Q#3: Where do you find your inspiration?

Miguel: I have no bias when looking for inspiration… I find it everywhere.

Q#4: What was the first piece of vinyl you ever purchased?

Miguel: I think it was some underground hip hop from the early 90’s that I would never listen to now.  I started buying vinyl mostly in the dollar section at Amoeba: lots of Sade, Roger and Zapp type stuff. The first CD I bought with my own money was “2pacalypse Now”.  I also remember my mom buying me AMG’s “bitch betta have my money”.

Q#5: Anything else you’d like to share? a joke/quote?

Miguel: my boy Brian’s grandmother would tell him… “if you get bored, that means you’re stupid.” words to live by.

and check out the flickr account for pueblo nuevo. I got hundred of galleries to put up… http://www.flickr.com/photos/pueblonuevo/sets/

Mini Interview with dj fflood

“Lake Merritt” by Tuffgyal808

Q#1: Are you a Bay Area Native? and if not, how long have you lived in the Bay? Richard: I am a Jamaican New Yorker that loves living in Oakland. I moved from The Bronx to Oakland in 2002 (8 years ago).

Q#2: When did you start on the creative path you are currently on? Richard: Wow. Well, I grew up with lots of vinyl in the house, my parents had albums by reggae, calypso and soul greats, as well as classical Spanish guitar and West African music. As a 6-year-old growing up in the 70’s, I think the big Grundig stereo console in the living room became my favorite “toy” besides robots, books and building blocks. I loved the feel, the look, and sound of records. I would put records on, and me and my younger sister Ghenete would dance, and my parents would sometimes watch. I may have to credit Donna Summer’s “Once Upon A Time… Happily Ever After” as the tipping point for me as a young music lover transforming into a DJ. Produced in 1977, the album is a romantic Cinderella-esque fairy tale about a woman struggling to make ends meet, and struggling to find love. The songs flow into each other as a continuous narrative, starting with the song “Once Upon A Time”, and ending with “Happily Ever After”. Emotionally, it travels into dark places of despair (“Now I Need You”– also a blueprint for deep techno– WAY ahead of its time in 1977!) and moments of elation and triumph (“Happily Ever After”). It was the first time I experienced the concept of music being arranged to take the listener on a journey, one that could evoke dancing AND an emotional response. I can see how i apply this to my flow as a DJ today.

Q#3: Where do you find your inspiration? Richard:There are many answers to that, I will mention a few… I find inspiration from spirit and ancestors, and can experience deejaying as an homage to musical ancestors such as Michael Jackson, Alice Coltrane, Bob Marley, Nina Simone, Tupac, Guru, Biggie and more. When I play their music, their vibration fills the room, and I see it as powerful ritual for community. What else inspires me… The spirit and vibration in the music itself, moving me, and telling me what song needs to come on next to raise the collective vibration. The crowd, the dancers, and their openness, their willingness to complete the circuit necessary for us to all flow and embark on a journey together, also inspires me. Innovative music that dares the stretch past formulaic musical expressions inspire me. Music that doesn’t have oppressive messages inspires me. Love inspires me. Justice inspires me. Community inspires me.

Q#4: What was the first piece of vinyl you ever purchased? Richard: That’s hard to say. I know that the first records I owned were gifts from family. Those first albums were Stevie Wonder’s “Songs In The Key Of Life”, Jackson 5 “Anthology”, Earth Wind & Fire “I Am”, and the soundtrack for my favorite Broadway musical, “The Wiz” featuring Stephanie Mills as Dorothy. The first Jamaican album I enjoyed was the “Harder They Come” soundtrack. The first records that I bought for myself? They would have been disco 45’s that I bought with my allowance in the 70’s. It could have been “Enjoy Yourself” by the Jacksons, “Keep It Comin’ Love” by KC & The Sunshine Band, or “Car Wash” by Rose Royce. It was when I was 15 when the person who is now my brother-in-law (David Muir) and I got some barely working turntables and a mixer and taught ourselves to DJ. That was 25 years ago, almost to the day.

Q#5: Anything else you’d like to share? a joke/quote?
Richard: Over the years, I feel that deejaying has taught me many life lessons. One is about making choices. When I select a record and put it on, I am in an intuitive and creative flow, but also committing to a choice. The result of that choice may be wonderful, or not so wonderful. Whatever the response, I have to own the choice, take in the situation, and make another choice to follow-up from that point, with the intention to create a positive situation for all involved. In short, selecting records has become a metaphor for making, owning and optimizing the choices one makes in life, and I apply this to my everyday choices.

https://soundcloud.com/ffloodi
https://soundcloud.com/transdub-massiv

Rachel Konte: clothing designer

“Grand Avenue” photo by Tuffgyal808

Q#1: Are you a Bay Area Native? and if not, how long have you lived in the Bay? Rachel: No I am born and raised in Denmark Copenhagen (Danish mom, african dad). Came to the Bay Area/San Francisco in 1993. I was working as a Designer for Levi Strauss & Co in Helsingborg Sweden and got the opportunity to transfer to Levis Design office in SF. Moved to Berkeley in 1997 and Oakland in 2001.

Q#2: When did you start on the creative path you are currently on? Rachel: After High school 1984 (in Denmark we call it GYMNASIUM), I signed up for a 10-month Sewing school, then a 10-month ART School and the summer of 1986 I was accepted into the Danish School of Design that is a 4-5 year Bachelor education in Fashion design. I didn’t expect to work in the denim industry so many years, but when i got my first design job at Levi’s there was no return. It was a dream job and I was ready to get the most of it.

Q#3: Where do you find your inspiration? Rachel: I love things of the past. I guess I am romantic about the 1960-70-80’s. I love vintage and people who know how to take the small nuances from an era and in cooperate it into their style. I love furniture and things from this same time era. Somehow the quality of the designs and the materials they used back then are very intriguing to me. I can at times get inspired from the “undesired” fashion and designs of that time too…things that represent the 1960-70-80’s in the worst possible way, make me very happy and nostalgic. Right now I am inspired by the simplicity and beauty of functional things. I am working on my first own denim line for my store OwlNwood (www.owlnwood.com). The store concept is to mix good quality vintage with local design and small international and American brands. My little denim line is ultra basic, but will be a great foundation for the other products I carry in my store. I hope I can get it all made locally in the bay Area. The line is call O.N.W. by OwlNWood.

Q#4: What was the first piece of vinyl you ever purchased? Rachel: I actually refused to convert to CD’s in the late 80’s and early 90’s…So I have all my vinyl’s saved before I gave in to the pressure of CD’s. I think my first LP was when I was 8..it was a funny European Rock Band that had used a group of Chimpanzees posing on the cover in place of them. Have no clue on their name. But later as a young Teenager my first LP’s that I would buy for my own money would be Boney M. A black German/African group from the early 80’s. They were always doing cover songs, but had some great hits in Europe at the time..Don’t judge them from their cover’s..ha ha they were pretty out there. “Baby do you want to Bump” was a big Hit.

Q#5:Anything else you’d like to share? a joke/quote? Rachel: Believe in the “Power of Love” is my mantra….it works.