Sunday, August 31, 2008

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Smokey Speaks On Black Identity




Grazi Illmami for the intel

The Great African Scandal



I have so much respect for Robert Beckford. His documentaries strike at the heart of truth, fearlessly, fairly, and with an earnest desire for unbiased fact.
The Great African Scandal is a must see. At about the same length as some of the hour long sitcoms many Americans rally around weekly, the viewing time is very reasonable and accommodates most schedules.





It is time to educate ourselves en masse and utilize our buying power. Buy Fair Trade only. Whole Foods is even making is easier for us to do so, enabling us to be a true part of the solution. Look for either the symbols above or below for products that are Fair Trade guaranteed.

Our Whole Trade™ Guarantee




Thankyou Achali for the intel.

Friday, August 29, 2008

Mos Shining His Light



Mos recently displayed his magnificence in a freestyle at the bi-annual Magic convention in Vegas.

Mos Def - A Millie Freestyle


Did y'all know he collaborated with Converse on an air shoe back in '06?

That one slipped past me.

Mos Def Converse


Grazi OKP

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Random Awards For Underground Genius- Coming Soon






The Underground Genius awards can't truly represent the voice of the Underground without your recommendations, yays and nays. To collect your voices, we're accepting your suggestions for each category grassroots style, in the comments before we put up the polls for the popular vote.
Underground Genius Awards will be blessedly random rather than happening only once a year, to give opportunity to emerging artists that may pop up at any moment. The system also allows for the element of surprise that we love so much. Banners for winners will be uploaded and made available when the winners are announced.

The candidates with the most votes will be voted on for a short period and announced in the Modern Myth issues for Purple Mag, as well as onsite here at UltravioletUnderground.com

More than one candidate can win in each category.

Shine on
~~~~~~~~~*


Current Underground Genius
Categories
(Suggestions Welcome)

Indie Genius
Musical Genius
Visual Genius
Grassroots Genius
Communal Genius
Mad Scientific Genius
Fly Vegan Genius
Green Genius
Ingenious Scribe
Militant Genius
Revolutionary Genius
Critical Genius
Cinematic Genius
Indescribable Genius
Budding Genius
Digital Genius
Kinetic Genius
Archetypal


Current Suggestions
(drop them
in the comments or
email purplemag at gmail.com
to send in suggestions
):

Mos Def
Saul Williams
Amanda Diva
Blacksnob.com/SCAN
BlackKool.com
Trezure The Empress
Blackgirl On Mars
BoldasLove.us
Raashan Ahmad
Amalia
ScritchandScratch.com
Tabitha Bianca
Scheme Magazine
Ise Lyfe
Ymib.com
PeopleCouldFly
BlackgirlonMars
Muthawit
Dragons of Zynth
Blk Jks
Blackperspective.net
ElectronicVillage (Blogspot)
Imani Coppola
Noisettes
IllMami & Novamatic (CriticalGenius)
Liberator Mag.
Neet Magazine
Honeychild Coleman
Aunt Keke
UrbAlt
Charles Saunders
Brig Feltus
Afropunk
OriginalThoughtMag/BlacktoNature
ManeandChic.com
C.L.A.T.A
BlackBlogWatch/Courtney Payne (Communal Genius)
Cocoa Lounge

and of course the list goes on...

Stay Tuned For Official Announcements Regarding Random Awards Nomination Gathering, Voting, and Winners.

note: The Archetypal winners are eligible for outofbox giftboxes which incl. Indie DIY toiletries, Previously Loved Items, Cross-Promotional delights, Maji-related goodies, Mixtapes, and the like.

AudioVisual Splendor- Talib Kweli f/KRS, Raphael, Saul Williams, Erykah, Q-Tip, and Kid Cudi




Flavor for thine ear.
Enjoy.


Talib Kweli f/KRS- Perfect Beat




Raphael Saadiq- Love That Girl


Saul Williams- Who is Niggy Tardust
Yay!





Erykah Badu & My Morning Jacket- Tyrone




Qtip- Gettin Up (Unofficial Vid)


Q-Tip - Gettin' Up from Q-Tip on Vimeo.


Kid Cudi- Heaven At Night
(Behind The Scenes)







Common has a new one out to, but a sistah is not feeling the energy in it. I've typically viewed Common as conscious, but now... now he's feeling mainstream in that way. Seems like he's straddling the fence... Never thought I'd not be hyped about Common, but... I'm not hyped and he's getting the side eye.
That said. The video is dope. The song... meh.
Click here if curious.

Grazi OKP

Dope Quote: Spike Lee



Seriously, folks who use the word mulatto need to recognize the reality.
Most African-Americans are bi or multi-racial. Feeding into the separate and divide mentality is a mistake. I very much dig what Spike has to say on the issue:

“First, I go by the ‘one-drop rule,’” he said in Denver, where he has come to see firsthand his man accept the Democratic nomination for President. “One drop [of black blood], and you’re black. The truth is, every African-American is biracial. Go back far enough, and you’ll find the massah was in the slave quarters. You can’t be black and go to Harvard Law School? You can’t be black and be articulate?”
- The Legendary Spike Lee

By the way...
Obama lost my potential vote when he voted in favor of FISA (after I was already giving him the side-eye for chastising the black men of the community as weakening society's foundation despite the fact that the men he was speaking to in that church were actually at-home Fatherly types, but I still won't stand for smack-talking directed at either him or his wife (Queen) the lovely Michelle Obama, based on their race as black people... not a "mulatto" and black couple.

"Mulatto" is an offensive slave term. Mulatto children had white father's by the way, that were their slave masters... Know any of those in this day and age?

The one-drop rule is the reality in Amerikkka folks.

With that said.
Mckinney's got my vote at this point.
The Green party needs to become a more seriously considered party, sooner than later. The Donkeys and Elephants in suits have been playing the same 'ol game for too long. I doubt it will change.

I can respect alot about Obama, but I can't respect that he's okay with compromising our privacy. The attack on our privacy is a step in the wrong direction, and scarily Orwellian (I'm aware 'scarily' is not necessarily a word...yet).

Obamites, I hope we can still be friends. Mckinneyites are pretty cool people too.



Grazi for the intel Miss Diva.

Did We Tell You We Heart Solange?



Solange is real in a way that could elude mainstream fixated types, but will overtime prevail over any that wish to question her shine as an individual. The few performance clips I've seen of her show a high-energy, fluid and intelligent soul flow that is uniquely her own. I won't insult her with comparisons, even though they would be in her favor. Let's just applaud the chic for being bold enough to be herself in an industry with so many who want to be anything but themselves, and stack paper in the 'stead of a true artistic drive.

Her album is now available for public consumption.
Let the love flow in the form of green paper.

Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams

Shine on Solange.

Enjoy Solange's extremely high energy performance on Letterman below.
The girl is not stiff. She definitely inherited a kick a-- set of pipes, and a dancer's prowess.




We also have a link to OKP's feature on Sol for you, here.

Am I Not Human?




Join The Roots of Humanity on the 27th of every month in asking the unified, persistent question that has the answers collectively needed, within it.
We ask on behalf of our human siblings lacking in access to the most basic of communication tools, or barred from communication by their governments:

Am I Not Human?

Download this month's ebook: 'Where Do We Go From Here'



Click the image to download.


Crossposted at RootsofHumanity
and Liberator Magazine

AudioVisual Splendor- Vula 'If You Want It'



Vula
, singer/songwriter behind Basement Jaxx, has stepped into the soloist sunray, and we couldn't be more thankful.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

AudioVisual Splendor- Baby Sol

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/80/233064703_fb1d6f08c2.jpg?v=0

We heart you BabySol.







Janelle Enters The Animated Realm



Is there a Janelle Monae cartoon in the making?
The Wondaland Arts Society seems to be saying: yes.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Audiovisual Splendor- TV On the Radio



We heart them.
Props to Boston Fielder for making us aware.
If only I'd crawled out from my rock sooner...

TV on the Radio are the officially the sh--.

Interviewing Tunde Adibimpe


Tvotr 'Wolf Like Me (Live)'

AudioVisual Splendor- In All The World I Dream In Paper



In All The World I Dream In Paper Starring: Paloma Faith

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Underground Geniuses You're Feeling











































Raphael Saadiq, Lupe Fiasco, Ledisi, Lalah Hathaway, Jessie Boykins, Raashan Ahmad, The Cool Kids, and Anything Afropunk are high on the summer radar of the Ultraviolet Underground. Feel free to submit any Indie (DIY or Commercial Indie) artists walking the starred path of music with integrity for inclusion in future polls to: purplemag at gmail.com

We thankyou for your word. Continue to shine.


Jesse Boykins III
5 (18%)
Amanda Diva
3 (11%)
Raashan Ahmad
5 (18%)
Lalah Hathaway
6 (22%)
Anything Afropunk
4 (14%)
Anything UrbAlt
3 (11%)
Danny Swain
1 (3%)
Peter Hadar
1 (3%)
Raphael Saadiq
13 (48%)
Ledisi
9 (33%)
U-N-I
2 (7%)
The Cool Kids
5 (18%)
Honeychild Coleman
2 (7%)
Lupe Fiasco
12 (44%)
Kid Cudi
2 (7%)
Other (email us with a suggestion and we'll add it
3 (11%)


Votes so far: 27
Poll closed

Modern Mythos in Issue#6 of Purple Magazine





Your Modern Myths (incl. articles on mythic/legendary people, places, and things) are welcome in Purple's Annual issue of Modern Myth for Underrepresented culture. This annual issue was born out of a desired reemergence of celebrated diversity rather than the criminalized image placed upon people from underrepresented cultures. The focus upon subcultural splendor is heavy in this issue, and contributions that celebrate box-breaking imagery, literature (Modern Myths- articles about subcultural underground legends and legends in the making-, and experimental artistry are heralded).

Please remember this issue is dedicated to building new positive non-damaging mythos and cultural splendor for cultures that have been largely demonized by colonized thinkers. This issue is essentially dedicated to healing the trauma imposed by colonization upon native peoples the world over and celebrating the rebirth of people whose traditions have been stripped and mangled. If you're myths mainly cater to over-represented culture, we would have to consider them for another issue.

Submissions are accepted via: purplemag at gmail.com

Photostories are welcome. Send your ideas for them, or if they are already complete send them along.

Images should be 300 dpi or higher. Full page images should be 2550x3300 at 300 dpi.

Text maximum is loosely 7 pages. If you're work is longer than 7 pages, you can still submit it. Exceptions are of course made for exemplary work.
Submit in a word, or openoffice file attached to your email, and please include a short biline that includes you website and any other works you wish to have mentioned (openoffice.com opensource software is downloadable if you need a word processor).

We prefer ideas that need to be developed (ie. photo stories that require models and locations to be organized) be sent by Sept. 6 if possible.

Music for the Bag of Stardust compilation, our annual Modern Myth issue accompaniment, should be sent as an .mp3 by Oct 17, with an emphasis on sooner, to ensure there will still be room.

note:The recent Green Issue is available like all of our past issues, for free download here:
purplemag.com or through Amazon.com (Back issues may be added to Amazon, but there is the challenge of needing to lay them out from scratch which can only been done when time allows).