Hyphen Blog

May 16, 2008

Asian Heritage Street Celebration Tomorrow in Japantown, SF

There's going to be SO MUCH going on tomorrow, that if you don't come to this celebration, you'll seriously miss out. I'm hearing things about J-cars, kickboxing, karaoke contest, apl.de.ap from The Black Eyed Peas and an after party at Suede Nightclub. I know it'll be steaming tomorrow, but be a good sport, and celebrate with us.

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Posted by lisalee at 4:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Asian American Hip-Hop for Dummies

I remember seeing Mountain Brothers' "Galaxies" video on Yo! MTV Raps (not the OG version, but the short-lived revival) back in '98 or '99. Three Chinese dudes from Philly walking through a grocery store and playing mahjong while flipping buttery rhymes ("My mass is critical, raps Invisibl like Skratch Piklz and X-Men/ Gettin fem's confessin'/ Expressin’ predilection for sex and affection when I finesse them") over a laid-back, jazzy groove that has yet to cease making my head nod. It was one of my first times hearing Asian Americans rap, and doing it well at that.

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Posted by Zoneil at 12:52 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

May 14, 2008

Diana Nguyen, Declare Yourself, and Getting Out The Vote

In addition to being part of the DISGRASIAN duo, Diana Nguyen also works with the political organization Declare Yourself. I sent over some questions her way about how she got involved, what they're doing, and being Asian American and having a voice in the political process. Here's what she had to say.

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Posted by Slanty at 12:21 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

May 13, 2008

Asian Baby in United Color of Benetton Ad

I came across this on Facebook the other day (yes yes, I have a Facebook account and so does Hyphen) and am I just crazy? Is this old and I just didn't notice it before?

And if I did notice it before, is this image more relevant today?

United Colors of Benetton has been known for its edgy ads, and of course, the diverse models. I admit. I don't own anything that's a UCB item but I do like their image. But what do you see when you look at this image? Unfortunate for me, I see a young Madonna trying to adopt, well, a baby. Ok no seriously. Tell me what you see, because I am not exactly sure what United Colors of Benetton was trying to do here. Help me grasp the meaning of this!

Posted by lisalee at 11:15 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)

May 12, 2008

Blogging from Slantyville

The first post. It has such a nice ring to it doesn't it?

It probably even sounds better in another language.

La primera entrada de blog.

Definitely like that.

Who knows, maybe after this I'll start posting in Spanish (even though I only know survival Spanish and phrases like "Sabado Gigante!"). Maybe I'll throw in a little ad hoc Cantonese and Vietnamese too (although I need to learn those languages first).

Really -- anything to make me sound semi-coherent, which only begs the question of what the hell I'm even talking about -- and to be honest, I don't even know.

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Posted by Slanty at 2:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Singers Justin and George Nozuka On the Rise

Entertainment Weekly's website recently highlighted upcoming male singer-songwriters in a profile entitled, Guys on the Rise: 8 Emerging Singer-Songwriters. Clocking in at number 3 is Japanese/American Justin Nozuka who was born in New York but raised in Toronto, and is interestingly enough, nephew of American actress Kyra Sedgwick who's married to Kevin Bacon. Wow, six degrees of Kevin Bacon really does work.

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Posted by sylvie at 9:47 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

May 11, 2008

Once and Future Radicals: Richard Aoki

I've recently watched a couple of documentaries about radical movements in the 1960s and 70s: Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst, The Weather Underground and a narrative film about the Naxalite movement in West Bengal called Calcutta My Love.

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Posted by neela at 9:59 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)

Happy Mother's Day (For Peace)

That's a pic of my baby doing the Asian squat, which he learned pretty much as soon as he gained neck control. And check it out, he can cook stir-fry in a wok too!

In all seriousness, I promised to myself that I would take the time to write something on Mother's Day.

It is funny to say now that I am officially a receiver of the greeting "Happy Mother's Day." Being a mama is a very new part of my identity. I don't remember what I did last year on Mother's Day, but I'm pretty sure I was still adjusting to taking care of a newborn (Baby T was about 2 months then). Plus, those early early days are a blur now.

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Posted by momo at 8:35 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)

NY Times Highlights Hmong American Rapper

It's so cool to see a subtle increase in stories about Asian Americans this month. This NY Times video on Minnesota Hmong American poet/rapper Tou Saiko Lee is pretty dope. I was especially interested in the end when he talks about performing with his grandmother: She busts a flow in ancient Hmong poetry and then he starts rapping with her. Have people seen any other subtle Asian Pacific American Heritage Month coverage that they're into?

Posted by neela at 2:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)