Jeff Donaldson

Jeff Donaldson was an African American Artist during the black arts movement. He graduated with a MFA from the Institute of Design of the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. Donaldson studied African-American art history and discovered his love for art. After studying famous african american artists for so long he decided he wanted to make art his career. He has had a passion for art ever since his brother started drawing when he was three, and he would start to draw cartoons and comic books. This was only the beginning of his momentous future, Donaldson participated on over 200 exhibitions all over the world (Africa, Europe, South America, the Caribbean and the United States). Donaldson also became the vice president of the Barnes Foundation and board of the National Center for Afro-American Artists.  During his involvement with the Organization of Black American Culture, he organized the visual arts workshop that held "Wall of Respect" in 1967. This painting "celebrated the significant African Americans and set in motion a movement  of outdoor murals painted in the United States cities throughout the 1970's. The link below is a link to the mural of "the Wall of Respect" 

http://backspace.com/notes/images/wall_of_respect.jpg

This mural had a huge impact on the people during this time period because it conveyed a message full of his love of African History. 

My Reflection

So this blog has been assigned for me to tell you about what I learned and how I feel about my Poetry class this Winter Term Bell 7. (Get ready for this...)

Where do I start about our bell 7 family? I've never shared my poetry before with anyone besides my small blog that I don't advertise to anyone. Just last week, I read a poem of mine in the Poetry Slam AND our group also got third place. In the beginning of this term I would have never imagined participating in a poetry slam let alone reading a poem in front of my classmates.

But that is just it, we weren't just a class we began to build a trust and bond between one another. We did not judge one another. I can't say that before poetry I didn't know I had a voice in writing, I always had that. However before poetry I never let that voice out, it was always trapped in my personal cage because it was too scared to show itself.

Now-- I'm not scared at all and my voice is completely out of that cage.

My voice in poetry, however, gained many new qualities. Reading poetry by Brooks and Whitman made me reflect their style on mine. Realizing that breaking down my poems to the simplest of text does not take away from the meaning of the poem made me try to cut out "unnecessary" words.

I'm truly and incredibly going to miss my bell 7 poetry class. We were like our own little breakfast club. Now we just need "dont you forget about me" playing...

The Late Great Michael Jackson And The Hip Hop Generation

When looking at the connection between the Black Arts Movement and the Hip Hop Movement in dance, it is pretty apparent that one man merged the gap between the two, Michael Jackson. Though Michael himself would not be considered a part of the Hip Hop movement, he inspired many of the dancers we now know as the Hip Hop greats. One of the moves that led to Jackson's extreme influence is the moonwalk. (If you've never seen the move before, it takes place at 3:51.) Jackson brought great attention to this move on March 25, 1983 during a performance of "Billie Jean" on Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever. It took Jackson two seconds to complete the move, however its impact will live on forever in the dance world. Michael was taking moves from the streets and including them in his videos and performances to embrace the culture from which he came. I would personally recommend you check out these videos to see Jackson's killer moves: "Billie Jean," "Thriller," and "The Way You Make Me Feel." Just remember anytime you watch a show like America's Best Dance Crew, Michael Jackson brought street dancing to the mainstream.

Lil' Kim (The Notorious K.I.M)

So this one... is for the ladies. Without generalizing too much-- Lil' Kim was a huge part of the male dominant realm of Hip Hop. However, we finally have a rapper that has a stage name relevant to her own, Kimberly Jones.

Lil' Kim was the only female rapper in the rap group Junior M.A.F.I.A (representin') Formed by the one and only Notorious B.I.G., this rap group opened the door to her very successful solo rap career. And when I say she was representin'; I mean just that. Lil' Kim was the first female rapper to express the ghetto attitude as a female. She was the voice of all the women living in the ghetto regions also knows as "the hood."

However Kim was a tough, strong, independent woman from the start. At the young age of 9, Kim's parents separated and she was raised by her father until he expelled her from the family home. She struggled, as most of us do through life and came out with an strong attitude and a lot to say. To say the least, however, this was the root of her inspiration to write many future rap songs.

This blog can't be for the ladies unless it includes a love story...(Oh and believe me, it does.)

During these struggling times, Lil' Kim met boyfriend Notorious B.I.G. If you don't know him by now, please come out from under your rock because you're completely missing out. Biggie was a key factor in Kim's live personally and artistically. The awesome boyfriend that he was, he helped get Kim's foot in the door in the rap world and invited her to join the Junior M.A.F.I.A (Biggie was a keeper--must be nice! *sigh*)

After a year of being in the Junior M.A.F.I.A, Kim launched her solo career with her debut album Hard Core. But, was the first lady of the Mafia successful? To say the least! It debuted number #11 on the billboard charts (Huge deal!) #3 on the Billboard Rap/R&B albums chart (Huge deal!) and went double platinum. That is-- 2, count em' 2 MILLION copies. (HUGE DEAL!)

Kim became a popular fashion, hip-hop icon. (We'll let Kim off the hook for the infamous pasty outfit at the VMA's)

Without a doubt, Kimberly Jones or Lil' Kim, was a proud female hip-hop icon with an attitude, and we love her for that.

http://www.lilkimzone.net/

"Ease On Down, Ease On Down The Road"

Alright, let's ease on back to The Wiz. (Sorry for the pun. I've been spending too much time with Mr. Lewis.) This time, rather than talking about the differences between The Wizard of Oz and The Wiz, I'm going to talk about the choreography and its relation to the Black Arts Movement. It's honestly just a reason for me to boast about the great choreography in this movie. (THANK YOU, Louis Johnson!) Johnson was the choreographer for the film and, let me tell you, he had some great dancers to work with. (Cough, Michael Jackson, Cough) Along with the four primary actors, Johnson had a cast of 120 dancers at his disposal, every choreographer's dream. Although "Emerald City Sequence," "You Can't Win," "Slide Some Oil To Me," and "He's The Wiz" have really great dance sequences, "Brand New Day" stands out as the greatest dance number in the film. (I've been looking for a video of it to link, however I can't find a video or pictures, so you'll have to deal with my visual imagery. It's really great though, so you should rent The Wiz.)

Although you can look at "Brand New Day" as just choreography, it means so much more. "Brand New Day" represents the liberation of the African American community. The dancers begin the piece in costumes that represent the enslavement that occurred in the United States. They dance in unison transmitting the idea that after their liberation, they were still unsure of the way to lead their lives, since they had spent years enslaved. Throughout their time in these outfits they slowly begin to separate from each other, marking the embrace of liberation by the African American community. About half way through the number, the dancers strip out of their costumes and reveal very small golden underwear. This costume change along with multiple groups dancing different choreography simultaneously denotes the acceptance of the African American community from the rest of the world. I know it's hard to imagine, but you should definiatly check out The Wiz, because the choreography is mind blowing. It also might give you a different view on the Black Arts Movement and the effect it had on culture.

The Notorious B.I.G.

Christopher George Latore Wallace was born May 21, 1972 and was murdered March 9, 1997. Christopher, however, was much better known as The Notorious B.I.G., an American rapper. Biggie (his nickname in case you didn't catch on) was the core and the central figure of the East Coast hip-hop scene. What is so significant about this, though, is all the mainstream rappers were coming from the West Coast. This started a HUGE controversy. (Known as the East Coast-West Coast Feud)

As most great rappers do, B.I.G. gathered a group of his friends and started the rap group Junior M.A.F.I.A. Their debut album was titled Conspiracy. Some of these rappers later emerged into solo artists, a popular rapper is Lil' Kim. The album, was considered successful in the rap world and later went gold.

During this time, Biggie exploded. He was considered the best rap selling artist of the year and even won a billboard award. This was really insane considering that Biggie was from the east coast.

He became very involved in the East Coast/West Coast feud with Tupac Shakur. (who by the way was his former associate) However their friendship turned around when Shakur accused Uptown Records' founder Andre Harrell, Sean Combs, and Wallace of having prior awareness of a robbery that resulted in him being shot repeatedly and losing thousands of dollars worth of jewelry on the night of November 30, 1994. This added fuel to the fire.

In June 1996, Shakur released Hit em' Up a song in which he disses and explicitly claims to have had sex with Wallace's wife, and that Wallace copied his style and image. I guess you can probably guess that Biggie wasn't really happy about that...

Shakur was later shot multiple times in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada, on September 7, 1996. He would die six days later of complications from the gunshot wounds. Rumors of Wallace's involvement with Shakur's murder were reported almost immediately. However there was never evidence and Biggie had an alibi that he was in a New York studio.

A vehicle pulled up alongside Wallace's truck when leaving an event one night and came to a sudden stop. Then someone rolled down his window, drew a 9 mm blue-steel pistol and fired. Four bullets hit Wallace in the chest. However, Biggie didn't make it.

So who killed Biggie? Who killed Tupac? We don't know, no one does. To be honest, I don't think we ever will.

Short Life, Big Impact

A young artist so talented living in NYC went from a graffiti artist to and exhibition at the Whitney museum. Jean Michele Basquiat's work can still be seen at the Museum of Modern Art. He was born in 1960, His father was Haitian and his mother was puerto rican. As a young struggling artist living with his friends, after quitting during his last year of high school, he sold hand made post cards when he was not spray painting city buildings and subway cars. He was befriended by many very well known artists such as: Andy Warhol, Barbara Kruger, Julian Schnabel (Who directed the biographical film "Basquiat" in the 1996). This movie was a reenactment of Baquiat's life and encounter with Andy Warhol and Julian Schnabel. The link below is an excerpt from the movie "Basquiat". 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VPuD1vOAyw&feature=related

Basquiat was once described as "The Radiant Child" by poet/artist Rene Ricard in 1981. Unfortunately like many creative geniuses his misguided creative passion led to his demise. In 1984 his close friends became concerned about his use of heroin. In1986, Basquiat was one of the most famous NY artists traveling to Africa, Paris, and back to NY for an incredible publicity tour. In 1988, He returned from Hawaii claiming to be drug free in the month of June; In August he died from a heroin overdose at age 27. To truly experience his work go to the following link. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mktJeGETQ0&feature=related

Basquiat was a young energetic passionate soul during the Black Arts Movement. He had an honest approach to art as an anti corporate vehicle, driving his message home to his hoi palloi. The movie "Basquiat" has an unknown actor playing Jean Michel Basquiat, but the part of Andy Warhol is brilliantly done by David Bowie. Basquiat, just like Micheal Jackson is best described as "An abstract painting"(Colleen Ayers). It is emotional, at times disturbing, but with the proper method of inquiry, embraced for is originality and execution.