Kindred Journey 9 - Invisible Skratch Piklz

The "Invisible Skratch Piklz" are DJ D-Styles, DJ Mix Master Mike, DJ Shortkut, DJ Apollo, and DJ Qbert. There are more members, but I'm listing the ones I've seen perform together mostly as a crew or band. I cant remember the first time I heard of ISP, but I knew who DJ Apollo and DJ Qbert were when I was entering high school. They were famous in the Bay for mix-tapes and ripping shit up in battles like the DMC, ITF, New Music seminar, and more. Later, when I got into bedroom DJing and collecting I caught word of battling, the infamous X-Men vs ISP battle at Rock Steady's anniversary, and a re-emerging culture. As I was getting into scratching, so was the whole Bay! Many continue to scratch , rock parties, weddings, your corporate event, classroom, or the lunch hour on your local radio station. 

It is important to note that this crew made history because of millions of hours of practice, performance, and and building community with so many other DJs. They innovated so many aspects of performing, equipment, music, and learning because they shared their knowledge. Before people were really using the internet crews like ISP, Beat Junkies, and the X-Men were making VHS tapes with instructions.  I'm sure many entered the class just by listening to them. They're still rocking, still teaching, still touring, and when many left the underground culture of "turntablism" they kept going,; returning to party rocking roots and expanding to other crews and opportunities. ISP, a mostly Filipino American group is a pillar in the hip hop community and an timeless part of the Bay/LA music scene and Asian American history as a whole. Salute! 

Oh and if you're looking for that scratching itch, look up "Skratch Pad"!

Sources: Memory, Life, Experience

Kindred Journey 8- D'Lo

I first heard of D about three years ago when my wife was working on his website. Then I saw a feature in Hyphen magazine. Just this past April I had the chance to see him perform live at a conference called "Re-Map" where he did a dope piece which he's performed several times about coming out to his parents and having an operation called top surgery. It was a dope piece and really blended a somber emotion with comedy. It touches on some of the complexity Asian Americans and all people go through with parents who are not familiar with or comfortable with LGBTQ identity. D was born in Queens NY to Sri-Lankan parents. Later he moved out to LA and has been there ever since. He has toured doing comedy and rhyming as an mc. He has also appeared in television series for HBO, Amazon, and Netflix. Definitely someone to keep your eye out for.

Sources: The Guardian UK, http://dlocokid.com/

Kindred Journey 7 - Hmong BBoys

I saw this documentary called "Among B-Boys" by Christopher Woon and R.J. Lozada this week which is an amazing piece of documentation that is necessary watching for students of Hip Hop and Asian American studies. I have heard of the Hmong people but there were many things that I didn't know such as their people coming from a region that encompassed more than one country(Laos, Thailand, China, and Vietnam). I also didn't know that there was such a huge concentration of Hmong immigrants and refugee families in places like Minneapolis, Fresno, Merced, and Oklahoma. Some of the crews like Velocity, Soul Rivals, Airsteps, and Underground Flow were in the film. And this brought me back to high school because I remember a hole gang of B-Boys at my school who were South East Asian. I think hip hop culture touches so many and speaks to a lot of people no matter where they are from. I also think that for the young men and women in the film, to grow up here in the states or in any country that is different than your parents birthplace is a balancing act. The challenge for artist and storytellers is to make the stories that often seem invisible or weird to the mainstream more readily available; and told in a way that is well executed. Shout out to the Hmong Bboys!

Source: Among B-Boys

Kindred Journey 6 - Diane Yang

I heard about Diane Yang from the Zagat series by Jessica Sanchez on Foodways. Diane was born and raised in the states, but her parents are Hmong from Laos/Cambodia. She is the executive pastry chef at a restaurant in Minneapolis (home to a big Hmong population) called "Spoon and Stable" where she makes beautiful, yet simple creations influenced by modern and classic techniques. Diane began school at Le Cordon Bleu in 2000 and began working for some incredible restaurants and chefs not long after. I was intrigued by the amazing look of her pastries because I love them, but also by her cultural pride and achievements.

Sources: Foodways/Zagat, Spoon and Stable

Kindred Journey 5-Anderson .Paak

Yes, the brother is both African American and Korean (Seoul). Anderson Paak has been singing and plying drums for a long time and if you've seen the live performance you know he is talented. His most recent single "Am I wrong" was like a breath of fresh air to soul music whether it be slow or with a faster house bass.  I appreciate the composition of the music and the character of his lyrics are not cookie cutter R&B. Paak has been getting more well deserved attention after working with the likes of Dr. Dre on the Compton LP and Knxledge as one half of Nx Worries. But he began working with brother Shafiq Husayn of Sa-Ra back in 2011 and has been putting out projects steadily. With four solo studio albums, multiple singles and collaborations he is someone to keep your eye out for.  Not only for his style, confidence, great album art design, but for his musicianship.

Sources: Hot 97 W/Ebro, Wikipedia

Kindred Journey 4- Eiko Ishioka

Eiko was born in 1938 in Tokyo Japan. She began her young career in design by attending the Tokyo national university of fine arts and music, graduating in 1961 and embarking on a career of graphic design. She opened her own design studio and began working on advertising campaigns for cosmetic companies. She was hired to not only design promotional ads but commercials. She began working for films such as Dracula, The Cell, The Fall, The Immortals, and Mishima a small film directed by Paul Shrader in the '80s. Eiko's work also extended into theater, circus companies such as Cirque du Soleil, basketball, and design for The Olympics. Before she passed away in 2012 she was given many awards but what I loved most about her work that I saw in "The Cell" and "The Fall" was the bold color, the distinct curves and angels, and the directness of her pieces. A collection of her work is still up at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York. 

Sources: The Cell, NY Times, Wikipedia

Kindred Journey 3-Willy Santos

Can't remember the first time I heard Willy's name and i'm no skate expert. But I always remember him being around. Riding. I remember hearing his name. Willy was born in the Philippines in 1975. He moved to the US with his family in the early '80s. When he got to the US he was inspired by some local guys in San Diego to start skating at the age of 10 or 11. By 15, he was a professional skater being sponsored by companies who made skate decks, wheels, shoes, etc. He began to skate with Tony Hawk's company Birdhouse and has been with them for two decades. Willy also owns several skate shops in San Diego called Willy's Workshop. Willy is not only a huge inspiration for young Filipino Americans and all kids here in the states, but he also goes back to the Philippines often to support the emerging skating culture there.

Sources: HBO-East of Main St series (video, Wikipedia, WillySantos.com

Kindred Journey 2- Iris Chang

Iris was an award-winning journalist and writer whose parents are both professors from Taiwan. She was born in the states and raised in Illinois. She worked for several newspapers as a journalist before becoming a writer. I believe researching articles, facts, and historical accuracy led to her wanting to write the immense books she wrote about Asians and Chinese Americans throughout history. Her first book, "Thread of the Silkworm" was about a Chinese professor named Tsien Hsue-shen who although brought incredible research and work to the United States, was unfairly targeted as a spy during the great "Red Scare" of the 1950s in the U.S.

"The Rape of Nanking", her second book, talked in depth about what Chinese women and men faced during World War 2 when the Japanese invaded the town of Nanjing. Her third book titled "The Chinese in America" highlighted the struggles of Chinese Americans and many Asian Americans in the US being made to feel like the "other" or not truly American simply because they are Asian. While doing research last month I came across Iris and remembered seeing her books. Sadly, Iris took her own life after a serious bout with depression and overuse -- maybe even misdiagnosis of --prescription medication. I love the fact that she unapologetically wrote about stories that are not talked about enough in history. Even older Asian Americans sometimes have an attitude of being tough despite the struggles they faced, and she is one of many scholars highlighting the stories and injustices of her people and those of others. RIP Iris Chang.

Sources: Wikipedia, IrisChang.net

Kindred Journey 1- Equipto

Equipto (Ilych Sato) is being widely recognized for his activism in SF, being one of several educators or artists leading a hunger strike (11 days!) at the 17th St. police station in the Mission. The first time I heard of him was because of one of the Bay's oldest hip hop groups, Bored Stiff. Known for a deep voice and a relaxed flow, Equipto has been rhyming for two decades, at least. Together with the group they started putting out albums in the late '90s with over 6 LPs to their credit, and probably 10 times that from individual members who are not just musicians, but community advocates or teachers. I remember seeing him perform back in the 2000s with Andre Nickatina, mobbin, smokin, and just riding. Although I don't own any of his records, I always heard him featured on a track here or there and respect his flow. If you've listened to the Smoke Signals podcast you know him and Shawn have a big respect for music and culture that goes into and beyond underground hip hop. I know he's not claiming to be an activist and some people might have their issues with him, but I gotta give credit where it's due for taking a stand and confronting some of the struggles people (especially Black and Brown), are going through in SF. This Japanese/Colombian American is affecting change by bringing attention to justice unserved.

This first portrait is part of a month long series I'll be doing dedicated to the Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Asian Diaspora within the US and beyond as a way to highlight people from the past and present that have broke barriers, set standards, inspired, or simply existed. I invite anyone to join me in celebrating them w/ art, photos, or words on your own platform. Big respect to those fighting for ethnic studies in our schools. There are so many stories that need to be told.

Did you catch the new one of H.E.R.?

Coming Soon-One of a kind like me

One of a Kind, like me Unico, como yo is coming soon. Do me a favor and go follow Blood Orange Press on twitter or facebook for updates on the projects. Here's a photo of me and Blood Orange Press founder Janine Macbeth looking at final artwork for this incredible book due out very soon.