Features

The Ru Report #157

The "Art" & Soul Of Hip-Hop
Hip-hop media architect Bill Adler is now a curator of art.

Well, in a sense, the Detroit-reared hip-hop connoisseur has always been a keeper of the culture. As hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons's first and foremost public relations practitioner, Mr. Adler has always had his finger on the pulse of what's hot.

Nowadays, he's cultivating it--as opposed to unscrupulously hawking it.

The beloved husband of one of my favorite Food Network personalities, chef Sara Moulton, is the founder and proprietor of the Eyejammie Fine Arts Gallery in the West Chelsea district of New York City. It's at the low-key art-house where his passion for hip-hop comes alive in a non-musical way.

"It just seemed like a relatively inexpensive way to showcase the work of the photographers and other artists whose work I admired, Mr. Adler told "The RU Report" this week. "I hope to develop an art market for hip-hop-influenced art, to have fun doing it, and to make enough money to stay in business for years to come."

The former "Boston Herald" pop music critic invited me to a private showing of his latest exhibition; Jackson Brown's captivating "Follow The Leader: Portraits of the Hip-Hop Avant-Garde," now showing through April 2.

The works are comprised of larger-than-life paintings and drawings of such notable figures of hip-hop such as Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, Fab 5 Freddy, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Russell Simmons, Run-DMC, KRS-One, and Flavor Flav.

"Follow The Leader" is Mr. Brown's love letter to hip-hop. And it's a damn good one. The exhibit, which is a world premiere, is a rich and vibrant walk through time.

He says the artists painted were chosen for their uniqueness.

The works would be perfect as a traveling exhibit, and because hip-hop transcends cultures it can even do well overseas.

"Rap music made me think I wanted to be a deejay," Mr. Brown revealed about his motivation. "But, like a lot of families in the 80s, mine was broke, so dee-jaying was out of the question. Also, I was too laid back to rap. So the next closest thing was graffiti -- and that became like dee-jaying to me."

Mr. Brown (born Michael Jackson Brown) is a native of the Flushing section of Queens, New York. The 29-year-old has been an artistic fixture in New York City's renowned nightclub scene, creating large paintings live at parties for nearly a decade. He was the "artist in residence" at the G-Force parties held at the Chameleon Lounge between 1995 and 1997 and then at the infamous roving Bang the Party events held from 1997 to 2003.

In some of his masterpieces, influences from artistic greats such as Picasso, Basquiat and even the famed Surrealist painter Salvador Dali are clear. But rap is the would-be lawyer's driving impetus, despite the current crop's lack of distinctiveness.

"Where's the individuality?" Mr. Brown asks. "Rap used to be about ingenuity. Today everybody looks and sounds the same. I can't tell State Property from the G Unit. I don't mean that it's all shit. But I do think that there's something fundamentally wrong."

Well an artistic expansion of expression for the art form and genre is the right way to go.

And we can't be mad at that.

"It feels good to know that someone has faith in my work," Mr. Brown, who's currently painting pieces on Public Enemy and Kool G Rap, added.

The works are available for purchase with prices ranging from $195 to $340 for prints.

Mr. Adler said that the next exhibit he will mount is a 20th Anniversary retrospective of Def Jam Records. He also plans to continue the Eyejammie Books publishing imprint, which saw the release of last year's "Frozade Moments -- The Street Photography of Ricky Powell."

"There will be more books, t-shirts, posters, and, of course, more exhibits," he concluded.

Eyejammie Fine Arts Gallery, 212-645 0061 (www.eyejammie.com)

Sweet Home Alabama
I recently got the opportunity to leave the chill of the Northeast for a brief tour of the South. And when I say tour, I'm not referring to urban hot spots such as New Orleans, Atlanta and Miami--all places I've frequented before--either. I mean the deep and dirty south: Alabama.

Long known as the cornerstone of the racist injustices inflicted on people of color before, during and after the Civil Rights Movement, Alabama is rebounding on the tourism front. Well, at least some parts.

I was invited to familiarize myself with the rich southern hospitality of the city of Mobile, Alabama, which sits on the Gulf of Mexico and has a colorful history and a rich culture rooted in revelry and celebratory tradition.

A pal of mine asked me "What the hell is in Mobile?" while chatting it up on the mobile phone during my stay at the Riverview Plaza Hotel, which is currently undergoing a multi-million dollar expansion.

That's a great question. A lot of folks don't know anything about Mobile.

Here are some brief facts: The historic and distinctive coastal city goes by the name of Mobile Bay. The population is roughly 250,000 people. Some of the many unique attractions include the legendary Bellingrath Gardens and Home and the USS ALABAMA Battleship, which is the winner of nine World War II battle stars. Most people don't realize that Mobile is the birthplace of the nation's Mardis Gras, attributable to its French Catholic Roots. 1703 was the year of the country's first Mardi Gras celebration--in Mobile. Not New Orleans! Mobile also boasts America's newest cruise terminal, which has been the gem of Carnival Cruise Line Fun Ship's sail iniative of the western Caribbean. Being on the coast allows the city to feature fresh delicious seafood. One popular spot is Wintzell's Oyster House, a tourist attraction established in 1938. And you can't go down south without some down-home barbecue. Saucy Q B-B-Que is the spot.

And just who's from Mobile? Who can they claim? How about baseball greats like Hank Aaron and Satchel Paige? Or how about former U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman, just to name a few? The city also boasts this year's "American Idol" contestant scandal, Leroy Wells. The high-spirited 22-year-old Mobile native was arrested on January 5 on charges of assault and firing a weapon. According to published reports, jail records showed that he was also awaiting trial on drug charges and has pleaded guilty to marijuana possession in 2004 and disorderly conduct in June 2003. His bizarre performance aired on Fox while incarcerated. His much buzzed about antics have also made him a celebrity of sorts--on the Internet.

But the natives--albeit their fame, or infamy--are just one aspect of the city. It's a beautiful and quaint spot that has the potential to be fantastic tourism destination with the revitalization of their downtown waterfront.

And it's in the Bible Belt… so it's only apropos that The Bible comes there. On January 20, portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls--the ancient manuscripts whose discovery in 1947 was viewed by many as the archeological find of the 20th century--went on display at the cozy Gulf Coast Exploreum. The supernatural exhibit has attracted sizable daily crowds of educators, students, seniors, retirees and church groups eager to see what is believed to be the oldest biblical fragments ever unearthed. The display consists of small portions of the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Isaiah and Jeremiah are dark brown, inscribed with Hebrew text in words little bigger than a grain of rice. It's something to see. The traveling exhibit is on display in Mobile until April 24. (www.scrollsmobile.com)

Overall, Mobile has a warm, small town feel. And there's a lot more to the city than meets the eye. (www.mobilebay.com)

And on March 6, "Essence" magazine's editorial director Susan Taylor will serve as the guest speaker at an event honoring women of the movement, to be held at the Selma Convention Center. Co-sponsored by the local Sister Circle chapter, the early morning affair will also feature women from across the southeast, including Coretta Scott King, Congresswoman Maxine Watters, Cynthia McKinney and other giants from the Civil Rights movement. The event will end in a Washing of the Tears Ceremony that will be conducted by Dr. Adelaide Sanford, vice-president of the Board of Regents for the State of New York.

Music Notes
That Mariah Carey is surely on a roll. The interracial best-selling diva has a hit song with "It's Like That," which is masterfully co-produced by hip-hop hit man Jermaine Dupri (I hope he saved some good songs for his lover Janet Jackson's next album). The track is the first one to yield from her latest offering, peculiarly titled "The Emancipation of Mimi," which is due out on April 12, according to her record company spokesperson Laura Swanson. "Mimi" is Miss Carey's nickname that family members and close friends refer to her as. Sort of like Whitney Houston's "Nippy." "Rush Hour" director and Serena Williams's latest love interests Brett Ratner lensed the video for the single, which features cameos from Mr. Dupri, and actors Wentworth Miller and Eric Roberts. Miss Carey will grace the April issue of "Essence" magazine (a career first) and will also pop up on "America" and "Blender." Last week, she showed up in the windy city for a taping of "Oprah." According to production insiders, Miss Carey will grant a lucky viewer their biggest wish for a "wildest dreams" segment, set to air on March 1.

The legendary former fanzine editrix Debi Fee reached out to me last week to let me know that R&B crooner Freddie Jackson was honored with the City of New York's Humanitarian Award. The Grammy-Award nominated chart-topper of the 1980s also recently re-teamed with his former management company Hush Productions, which was co-founded and once co-owned by Tony Award winning chanteuse Melba Moore.

Although many people didn't realize it, legendary song stylist Nancy Wilson won a Grammy Award at least week's 47th annual ceremony. And as far as yours truly is concerned, it did not go unnoticed. Winning the award in the "Best Jazz Vocal Album" category for her latest gem "R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal)" had to be a career achievement for the divine diva. It's been over 40 years since she won her last lone gramophone and that was in 1964 for the ballad "How Glad I Am," which won the award for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording. Ms. Wilson, who released some remarkable music since then--especially some of her Columbia Records R&B fusion throughout the 1990s, has toured the world and has been a best-selling staple at popular jazz clubs, most notably The Blue Note chain. The 68-year-old chanteuse has gone into semi-retirement. But we can only hope that after besting sublime offerings from Al Jarreau and Queen Latifah this year she will possibly make a return from retirement ala Cher, Tina Turner and Jay-Z.

Grammy Award winning darling Alicia Keys, and neo-soul musical prodigy John Legend are amongst the celebrities in New York City this weekend taping the new season of Def Poetry Jam. According to production insiders, the Russell Simmons-helmed series, hosted by Mos Def, will premiere this summer.

Lastly, I peeped this year's presentation of BET's "Celebration of Gospel" last week. It was a real pleasure to see the annual tour-de-force, which features the best and the brightest in gospel music. Five years in the making, the two hour musical extravaganza, hosted by comic-actor and radio personality Steve Harvey, features Kirk Franklin, Fantasia, Mary Mary, Ruben Studdard, Yolanda Adams, Angie Stone, Deitrick Haddon, Smokie Norful, BeBe Winans, Fred Hammond and the honorable pastor Shirley Caesar. The biggest highlight of the showcase was a tribute to the late great international Minister of Music for the Church Of God In Christ (COGIC) Mattie Moss Clark. Her gifted granddaughter Kierra "Kiki" Sheard opens the tribute, which also includes a performance by her nephew J. Moss and the long-awaited reunion of her daughters The Clark Sisters. That was a real treat to see. Simply wonderful. "Celebration Of Gospel" also airs on March 8, March 13 and March 27. Check your local listing for times.

Stages
Hollywood heartthrob Blair Underwood, Tony Award winning darling Anika Noni Rose, Broadway powerhouse Lillias White and comic-actor Doug E. Doug have all reportedly signed on to star in the Encores! presentation of "Purlie"--the long-overdue revival of the Ossie Davis-inspired racial farce. The staging of the legendary musical, directed by Sheldon Epps, is scheduled to run at New York's City Center from March 31 through April 3. "Purlie" features music by Gary Geld and lyrics from Peter Udell. It's based on Mr. Davis' 1961 play, "Purlie Victorious," which was turned into a movie in 1963 starring Ruby Dee, Godfrey Cambridge, Alan Alda and Beah Richards.

I caught the Great White Way's latest production of "Fiddler On The Roof" recently and was literally blown away. My favorite cross-dressing Tony Award winning actor Harvey Fierstein recently stepped in the lead role of Tevye, replacing accomplished thespian Alfred Molina, who opened this latest revival this week last year. Mr. Fierstein and his raspy voice were excellent in the nearly three-hour show, which revolves around the tradition of family ties during the changing of the world--and the guard--in the Ukranian ghetto village of Anatevka. Well directed by David Leveaux, the moving musical also stars "Oklahoma!" actress Andrea Martin. After experiencing the legendary story for the first time, I still don't get what the title of the show means. "Fiddler On The Roof" is playing at Broadway's roomy Minskoff Theater.

Playwright and performer Gamal Chasten's newest project "The Last Word" has been described as a light-hearted music-theater performance about a dysfunctional family coping with the loss of their father. Mixing the lively pace of a three-ring circus with the soulful spirit of a New Orleans jazz processional, Chasten explores the hopes, dreams and regrets of the family using a series of stylized scenes ranging from Vaudeville to classic musical theater to 50's drama and reality TV. "The Last Word" stars Debra Cardona, LaVonda Elam, Mitchell Bisschop, Monrico T. Ward, Cynthia Addai-Robinson and Christian Thom and is playing at New York's off-off Broadway Performance Space (P.S.) 122. The show will run through March 6.

Tony Award winning entertainer Ben Vereen will return to Broadway this spring as the next Wizard in the hit musical "Wicked." Taking over for current star George Hearn, the "Pippin" star will begin performances on May 31.

Ruminations
Get a load of Queen Latifah on the cover of the March edition of "In Style." To appear on the cover of the ultra-mainstream fashion and cosmetics magazine is an accomplishment for a career that has only gotten more blessed with time. While the plus sized hip-hop superdiva and Cover Girl spokes-model wears a form fitting Zac Posen gown accentuated with bracelets by Daniel K on the white back-dropped cover shot, she's adorning a black polyester frock by Dress Barn for the inside color shots. In true Jersey girl fashion! But she sure dresses it up well with a Doris Panos 18kt white-gold-and-diamond pin and chandelier earrings. Photographed in New York City by Norman Jean Roy, the sometimes Miss Dana Owens looks fierce and fabulous. Although the bulky 540-page periodical contains more fluff than stuff (translation= light on editorial, heavy on ads), it's worth picking up just to hail to The Queen.

Notable/Quotable
"I never did drugs before I would go on the runway because I knew that's when I was an active addict. I knew that they could see my eyes,"
-former supermodel Naomi Campbell regarding her cocaine use.

Something Special
In commemoration of Black History Month, The RU Report has teamed up with Essence Communication Partners to give away copies of the recently released coffee table book "Making It Happen: Creating Success and Abundance."

The beautiful book, which was released last fall, features Mary J. Blige and Beyonce on the cover, with an inset of Oprah Winfrey, Jacqueline Johnson, and Magic and Cookie Johnson. In his introduction, Essence Communication Partners CEO Ed Lewis quotes the late Langston Hughes and talks up economic advancement.

Edited by Patricia M. Hinds, the acclaimed children's book author, "Making It Happen…" features inspiring stories and profiles on BET founder Robert Johnson, designer Tracy Reese, super-duper-model Tyra Banks, political analyst Carlos Watson, boxer Laila Ali, nursing professional Trilby Barnes and basketball star Grant Hill.

This book is perfect for young folks--a perfect celebration of The New Black History.

Get this great giveaway while supplies last! Only a few entrants, selected at random, will receive a copy of the "Making It Happen…" To enter, send your name, mailing address, contact information, email address and daytime telephone number to: TheRUReport@aol.com.

Also Stewart, Tabori & Chang Puiblishing is in the mix for Black History Month. Copies of "Ailey Spirit: The Journey Of An American Dance Company" will be sent out seperately to select entrants. The book is a visual wonderment celebrating more than four decades of sheer artistry, along with insightful text that draws on unpublished interviews with more than 50 key individuals from within the Ailey "family." Wynton Marsalis contributes the foreword. To enter, send your name, mailing address, contact information, email address and daytime telephone number to: TheRUReport@aol.com.

Coming Up

Next week, "The RU Report" will kick off its annual Women's Herstory Month series--a month-long celebration of Phenomenal Women. Stay tuned.

©2005 The Ru Report™. All Rights Reserved~~P.O. Box #25 Bushkill PA 18324

Message Karu F Daniels or email him directly at therureport@aol.com