World News
Melvin Van Peebles, ‘Godfather of Black cinema’ dies at 89
Melvin Van Peebles, the groundbreaking filmmaker, playwright and musician whose work helped usher in the “blaxploitation” wave of the 1970s and influenced filmmakers long after, has died. He was 89.
In a statement, his family said that Van Peebles, father of the actor-director Mario Van Peebles, died Tuesday evening at his home in Manhattan.
“Dad knew that Black images matter. If a picture is worth a thousand words, what was a movie worth?” Mario Van Peebles said in a statement Wednesday. “We want to be the success we see, thus we need to see ourselves being free. True liberation did not mean imitating the colonizer’s mentality. It meant appreciating the power, beauty and interconnectivity of all people.”
Sometimes called the “godfather of modern Black cinema,” the multitalented Van Peebles wrote numerous books and plays, and recorded several albums — playing multiple instruments and delivering rap-style lyrics. He later became a successful options trader on the stock market.
But he was best known for “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song,” one of the most influential movies of its time. The low-budget, art-house film, which he wrote, produced, directed, starred in and scored, was the frenzied, hyper-sexual and violent tale of a Black street hustler on the run from police after killing white officers who were beating a Black revolutionary.
With its hard-living, tough-talking depiction of life in the ghetto, underscored by a message of empowerment as told from a Black perspective, it set the tone for a genre that turned out dozens of films over the next few years and prompted a debate over whether Black people were being recognized or exploited.
“All the films about Black people up to now have been told through the eyes of the Anglo-Saxon majority in their rhythms and speech and pace,” Van Peebles told Newsweek in 1971, the year of the film’s release.
“I could have called it ‘The Ballad of the Indomitable Sweetback.’ But I wanted the core audience, the target audience, to know it’s for them,” he told The Associated Press in 2003. “So I said ‘Ba-ad Asssss,’ like you really say it.”
Made for around $500,000 (including $50,000 provided by Bill Cosby), it grossed $14 million at the box office despite an X-rating, limited distribution and mixed critical reviews. The New York Times, for example, accused Van Peebles of merchandizing injustice and called the film “an outrage.”
Van Peebles, who complained fiercely to the Motion Picture Association over the X-rating, gave the film the tagline: “Rated X by an all-white jury.”
But in the wake of the its success, Hollywood realized an untapped audience and began churning out such box office hits as “Shaft” and “Superfly” that were also known for bringing in such top musicians as Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye and Isaac Hayes to work on the soundtracks.
Many of Hollywood’s versions were exaggerated crime dramas, replete with pimps and drug dealers, which drew heavy criticism in both the white and Black press.
“What Hollywood did — they suppressed the political message, added caricature — and blaxploitation was born,” Van Peebles said in 2002. “The colored intelligentsia were not too happy about it.”
In fact, civil rights groups like the NAACP and the Congress of Racial Equality coined the phrase “blaxploitation” and formed the Coalition Against Blaxploitation. Among the genre’s 21st century fans was Quentin Tarantino, whose Oscar-winning “Django Unchained” was openly influenced by blaxploitation films and spaghetti Westerns.
On Wednesday, a younger generation of Black filmmakers mourned Van Peebles’ death. Barry Jenkins, the “Moonlight” director, said on Twitter: “He made the most of every second, of EVERY single damn frame.”
After his initial success, Van Peebles was bombarded with directing offers, but he chose to maintain his independence.
“I’ll only work with them on my terms,” he said. “I’ve whipped the man’s ass on his own turf. I’m number one at the box office — which is the way America measures things — and I did it on my own. Now they want me, but I’m in no hurry.”
Van Peebles then got involved on Broadway, writing and producing several plays and musicals like the Tony-nominated “Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death” and “Don’t Play Us Cheap.” He later wrote the movie “Greased Lighting” starring Richard Pryor as Wendell Scott, the first Black race car driver.
In the 1980s, Van Peebles turned to Wall Street and options trading. He wrote a financial self-help guide entitled “Bold Money: A New Way to Play the Options Market.”
Born Melvin Peebles in Chicago on August 21, 1932, he would later add “Van” to his name. He graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1953 and joined the Air Force, serving as a navigator for three years.
After military service, he moved to Mexico and worked as a portrait painter, followed by a move to San Francisco, where he started writing short stories and making short films.
Van Peebles soon went to Hollywood, but he was only offered a job as a studio elevator operator. Disappointed, he moved to Holland to take graduate courses in astronomy while also studying at the Dutch National Theatre.
Eventually he gave up his studies and moved to Paris, where he learned he could join the French directors’ guild if he adapted his own work written in French. He quickly taught himself the language and wrote several novels.
One he made into a feature film. “La Permission/The Story of the Three Day Pass” was the story of an affair between a Black U.S. soldier and a French woman. It won the critic’s choice award at the San Francisco film festival in 1967, and Van Peebles gained Hollywood’s attention.
The following year, he was hired to direct and write the score for “Watermelon Man,” the tale of a white bigot (played by comic Godfrey Cambridge in white face) who wakes up one day as a Black man.
With money earned from the project, Van Peebles went to work on “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song.”
Van Peebles’ death came just days before the New York Film Festival is to celebrate him with a 50th anniversary of “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song.” Next week, the Criterion Collection is to release the box set “Melvin Van Peebles: Essential Films.” A revival of his play “Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death” is also planned to hit Broadway next year, with Mario Van Peebles serving as creative producer.
SOURCE: CBS News
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Do LaB Announces Learning & Culture and Music Lineups for The Compass at 20th Anniversary of Lightning in a Bottle
Today, Do LaB have announced the Learning & Culture and music lineups for The Compass at the 20th anniversary of Lightning in a Bottle, taking place Memorial Day Weekend at Buena Vista Lake in Southern California this May 24-29, 2023. Each year, the Compass provides LIB attendees the opportunity to gain life-changing lessons to bring back to their day-to-day lives through a series of talks, workshops, and performances from world-renowned visionaries and thought leaders across many important verticals close to the event’s ethos.
In 2023, The Compass will welcome the return of renowned mycologist Paul Stamets as he explores How Psilocybin Mushrooms Can Help Save The World, an increasingly hot topic across the world that LIB has championed since Paul’s debut at the festival in 2017. Forward-thinking programming continues with a Psychedelic State of the Union from MAPS, a talk on Womb Care Love with holistic health practitioner and wellness coach Queen Afua, and Tejon Tribe speaking on the Ancestral Homelands of the Tejon.
Festival-goers can also hear from Compass Director Isis Indriya as she unpacks The Oracle Divination Board and listen to water researcher Veda Austin explore The Secret Intelligence of Water, along with talks from the Center for Integrative Bee Research, Life Enhancement Institute (LEI) founder Kumu Ramsay Taum, and Jai Dev Singh on Kundalini & Tantra.
The Compass musical highlights include The Polish Ambassador who will perform a very special Sunday Service, capping off a weekend filled with splendors that will include performances from Tooker, Little Wolf, Yaarrohs, Mr. Wu, Daniela Riojas, Sweet Anomaly, Calvin Arsenia, FR33SOL, LAVVA, and more.
The Beacon, known as the lighthouse of The Compass, will also host a series of downtempo ambient sessions from artists like Equanimous, Ruby Chase, and more.
The theme for The Compass this year is Yin Phoenix, bringing together elements related to the rise of the Phoenix and Yin Water while highlighting prosperity consciousness and attunement to the intelligence of water as the guide. The phoenix is an immortal bird that cyclically regenerates or is otherwise born again. Associated with the sun, a phoenix obtains new life by rising from the ashes of its predecessor. These themes will be ever-present at The Compass as LIB celebrates its 20th anniversary.
The immersive Compass area offers a diverse array of educational opportunities to engage the senses, expand the mind, and inspire community action with topics that include indigenous cultures, psychedelic medicine, climate change, love & relationships, healthy eating, and more. Attendees can learn from the past and present in order to better integrate, collaborate, and thrive in our world’s future.
More information about The Compass can be found on LIB’s website. This includes details about the unique areas that make up the space including The Beacon, Crossroads, Learning Kitchen, Memory Palace, and more with each area adding to the overall experience and story behind the festival. Additional details about the programming at each location will be announced ahead of LIB.
For those looking for the joy of a camping festival with an elevated experience, LIB will return VIP offerings first introduced during the 2022 edition. VIP pass holders can find reprieve in backstage lounges at Lightning, Thunder, and Woogie, grab refreshments in these areas at exclusive bars, enjoy special pop-up interactive experiences, take advantage of access to the Atlaswyld Beach Club & Bar, and watch headlining performances at the elevated Lightning Stage or enclosed Thunder Stage viewing areas. For more info on VIP tickets, visit https://www.libfestival.org/
20 years ago, a lightning bolt struck and sparked something far greater than anyone could have ever anticipated. Do LaB have created a legacy from the ground up since – one with a loyal community of free spirits chasing the imaginative, boundary-breaking rush felt at its very first celebration. Now it’s time to come together to set the tone for the next 20 years.
Learning & Culture Programming
Tejon Tribe – Ancestral Homelands of the Tejon
Paul Stamets – How Psilocybin Mushrooms Can Help Save The World
Queen Afua – Womb Care Love: From Trauma to Transformation
Veda Austin – The Secret Intelligence of Water
Kumu Ramsay Taum – E Ola Pono Piha: Live Fully w Ho’oponopono
Center for Integrative Bee Research – Keepers of the Bees: Ancient Future Wisdom
SupaNova Slom – The Science of Holistic Living
Snow Raven – Sakha Shamanism
MAPS – Psychedelic State of the Union
Jai Dev Singh – Kundalini & Tantra: Unlocking the Ancient Science
Calvin Arsenia – Beauty For Ashes
Nat Kelley & Special Guests – Land Back: Repatriation on Turtle Island
Adam Apollo – The Ancient Secrets of our Human Origins
Unify – 1000 White Lions Roaring: Global Meditation
An Offering to Ma’at – Rites of Lightning Ritual Theater
Daniela Riojas – Indigenous Curanderismo: Connecting to the Wisdom of Mother Earth
Judah Isvaran – A New Paradigm: Servant Relationships
Izumi Hamagaki – Magical Plant Medicine Elixers
Zach + Kayla of Beloved’s Bread – Flatbreads & Vegan Caesar
Sunali Shanti Sikand – Food as Love: Edible Poetry
Talks & Discussions
The Oracle Divination Board
Our Role in the Soil Food Web
Panel on Ethics In Business
The Technology of Prayer and the Prayer of Technology
The Channeled Transmissions of 2020 Prophecies
Vedic Astrology
Workshops
The Codex of the Magician
Creating Healthy Interdependence
Fusion Bellydance
How to Say No to Cops
Human Design: The New Paradigm
Rose Alchemy: History & Distillation of Roses
Music Lineup
Sunday Service w The Polish Ambassador
Al Wadi
Andreas One
Black Sesame (Timo Granzotti x Little Dinosaur)
BOHEMIAN CRISTAL INSTRUMENT
Calvin Arsenia
D’rok THE menace
Daniela Riojas
DJ K Marie
DRĖĖĖMY
Elijah Badua
Elikenagi
FR33SOL
Free Creatures
Giselle World
Joey Greiner
LAVVA
Maria Tambien
Mr. Wu
Nii Tei
Raeya
Scarlett Dela Torre
Scott Nice
Sukira
Sweet Anomaly
Terrell Brooke
TOOKER (hybrid set)
Wild Choir
Yaarrohs
Yaima
Zeefellaz
Zuri Adia
Ambient Downtempo Sessions At The Beacon
2Melo
Rob Noble
Equanimous
Häana
Jason Baker
Little Wolf
Mr. Wu
Mahzetar
Ruby Chase
Tropo
World News
Iranian-British HipHop Act 021kid Delivers Gritty Bars As He Opens Season 3 Of The UK’s Biggest Freestyle Session ‘THE COLD ROOM’
The highly anticipated third season of ‘The Cold Room’ will premiere on Mixtape Madness’ YouTube channel at 7 pm GMT and will be hosted by founder, Tweeko. Performing the first episode for this season would be Iranian/British Hip-Hop artist 021kid. In his freestyle episode, 021kid ferociously attacks the beat and delivers gritty and hard-hitting bars as he gives a strong impression of why he is the “father of Persian Drill music”. The flow of the Tweeko-produced beat is complemented by the artist’s distinctive pen game on the 3-minute-long song.
As the first Iranian rapper to have tapped into the UK Drill scene with consistency 021kid says,
“I’ve always wanted to collaborate with big names, to build my demographic and widen my audience making my mother language within the Rap, Drill, and hip-hop scene globally.” He is continuously achieving this by collaborating with some of the most prominent names in the UK drill scene.
For the third instalment of the freestyle series, founder Tweeko, Mixtape Madness, project manager Frosty, and Fully Paid Clothing have collaborated to bring The Cold Room Season 3 to life, featuring new and previously unseen pieces from the Fully Paid Clothing catalogue. The sponsorship began in Season 2 and will return for the highly anticipated Cold Room Season 3. Keep an eye out for the new exclusive garments that each artist will be sporting in each episode.
Speaking about the upcoming season, the project manager, Frosty said, “The team is working really hard to deliver season 3, this year is going to be unlike any other season we have dropped. I am excited, watching this space season 3 will write history once again.”
Tweeko’s original idea in 2017, The Cold Room, launched independently in 2020 during the late pandemic, and in 2021 partnered with Mixtape Madness. It has gone on to quickly become a popular freestyle platform for some of the biggest Drill artists leaving its mark on the UK scene.
About Tweeko:
Aspiring Sound Engineer, Producer, DJ, and Artist. Born in Lewisham, Southeast London.
Tweeko has heavily influenced the urban UK, US, European, and Australian rap scenes. He first made his debut appearance in 2014 but has been Mixing records since the age of 11 years old borrowing his mum’s old laptop to practise his craft.
Tweeko is known for his Catchy tag “Tweeko mixed this, it sounds cold!” which features on thousands of tracks across the UK Drill scene including Yung Fi’s “100 Bags Freestyle”, BM’s “London View”, and Jay 1 and Loski’s “Tee”.
About 021kid:
Tony Mohraz (born 11 august 1997) professionally known as “021kid“ is an Iranian / British Hip-hop Artist, songwriter, producer, performer and the owner of the drill Farsi label. He is considered to be the Pioneer of the Persian drill music genre.
With an impressive 400,000 Instagram followers and over 70,000 monthly listeners on Spotify 021Kid is cementing his place in the UK Drill Scene. 021kid writes history making him the first Iranian rapper to feature on the very popular freestyle platform “Plugged in with Fumez the engineer” switching between rapping in his native language Farsi and English he has since racked up an impressive 1.6 million views in just 6 months on the YouTube Visuals.
About The Cold Room:
The Cold Room an original idea formed by Tweeko in 2017, Launched independently in 2020 during the late pandemic, in 2021 partnered with Mixtape Madness the freestyle platform has since collected a staggering 200 million+ Views across YouTube and 22 million+ Streams on Spotify alone and is quickly becoming a popular freestyle platform for some of the biggest Drill artists leaving their mark on the UK scene. The Cold Room is hosted on Mixtape Madness, a pioneering platform for the UK Music industry, with over 1.5 Million Subscribers on Youtube and having hosted various notable releases including Digga D, Savo, and Horrid1’s “Next Up (Part 1)” SL’s “Gentleman”, JBEE’s “Next Up (freestyle)”, and lots more.
About Frosty:
Frosty founded his Talent Management Company “Frosty Management” in May of 2022, the first artist on his roster was a friend of Frosty called K1, who sadly passed away in October of Last year from Cancer. Frosty currently has built a roster of a selection of talents from artists, producers, and engineers. Recently signing Tweeko to the Frosty Family, Frosty is now Project Manager of “The Cold Room” kicking it off with Season 3!
Connect with Tweeko: Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
Connect with 021kid: Instagram | Spotify
Connect with COLD ROOM: Instagram | Spotify
Connect with Frosty: Instagram
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