Greetings All,

I've returned after some memorable journeys, some of which took me back and forward at the same time. Since music has always been with me, it's like a form of cloud technology, storing experiences, moods and memories.   Like repeating mantras, I play songs that strike a chord in me, over and over again.  My mind wants to master every second of it, and my spirit wants to flow in Jungleespace with it.  Sooner or later,  a part of me lives in that song and is nurtured by hearing it.  The best is that Jungleespacegirl is reborn continuously at the sound of previously loved tunes. I'm pretty sure you are too? 

Nostalgia is a wonderful and affirming gift. I have fond memories of visiting record stores with my brothers,  frequenting the magazine sections, and leafing through whatever caught my eye. British imported ones, American pop ones...but I'd also see mags covered with snapshots of rappers like Big Daddy Kane, MC Lyte, RUN DMC, Public Enemy.  In those days, there were lots of pics of both male and female rappers.  Gumbies, gold chains, kangols, tracksuits... These pics totally legitimized the hairstyles and looks that my Rexdale schoolmates adopted, but were never complimented for by our teachers.

Those images were powerful, not only because they represented the original greats of hip hop, but they also documented a period of under-documented American history.  More importantly, they shed a light on the many marginalized and talented people in urban America, who gave the world such incredible styles of visual and audio art, using very few resources.

Might you have also bought these mags,  cut out pics of your favourite artists and taped them up inside your locker, or notebooks, or bedroom walls?  Good chance that those very pics were photographed by hip hop legend, Ernie Paniccioli.  And therefore good chance that your life was touched by this renowned artist, photographer and human being, who by the way, has photographed far beyond the community of hip hop.  From the Dalai Lama, to Frank Sinatra, to Boy George, Marc Anthony, India, Michael Jackson, your favourite New York punk rocker and Tibetan music sensation...the list could be a blog post in itself.

I certainly felt nostalgic when I had the real pleasure to meet Ernie Paniccioli in late March at an event called "Igniting the Spirit," at the Native Canadian Centre in Toronto. While I only learned of him about a year ago, I realized that his work and vibe has been in my life for a long time. In fact, I feel like I knew his story, of an urban Cree growing up in Brooklyn, serving in the navy,  built of passion for his art, photography and teachings.  He represented the Temple of Hip Hop at the United Nations, alongside KRS-ONE and key original graffiti and music artists.   Today, he is revered for his wisdom, analysis and mad skillz on the mic, being interviewed, profiled and invited to represent from the UK to Canada.  And you know what else he does?   He meets with gangs and helps them reconcile their battles! And how did I not mention that he is the author of "Who Shot Ya?" and has published over twelve books, which by the way you can check out at:  http://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?keyWords=Ernie+Paniccioli&categoryId=100501

B-boy and Everywoman with Ernie at the Native Canadian Centre

He totally represents the hip hop that I grew up with. It never ceases to amaze me that this photographer, is a Cree elder now, who is down with John Trudell and spent quality time with every rapper on the block, including Biggie Smalls and Big Pun.  And, he has been an instrumental part in documenting the development of one of the biggest art forms in the world today.  All of this rolled into one.  I love that he is a fierce critic of the current trend in hip hop and with his untouchable clout,  expresses it through his facebook page "OCCUPY HIP HOP ERNIE PANICCIOLI."

Ernie, being a Native in this entertainment world, is so powerful and so unique.   The only thing I can compare to the beauty of Ernie's range of influences and identity is the beauty of Afrika Bambaataa loving Kraftwerk's Trans Europe Express so much. And that this openness and use of one sample, for me, birthed a whole generation to identify with that classic sound that represents a time, space sound and place. One that is urban American, German, and intergalactic at the same  time.  Jungleespacegirl ate it up like iron fortified infant cereal :)

Afrika Bambaataa and Ernie Paniccioli - Respect!

The original homeboys  - Kraftwerk

There is no shortage of articles and information about Ernie out there. He is so widely recognized for his work as a photographer, but also as a living historical resource on hip hop, having documented it since it blew up.  To learn more about Ernie's incredible life, check the links on the side. And down below, you'll get to hear Ernie doing spoken word, and what he had to say in Toronto this past March.

I would like to devote the rest of my space to share some excerpts of my treasured conversations with the one Ernie P.

Jungleespacegirl:   How had your work as a painter entered your work as a photographer?

Ernie:  Unlike most photographers, my photos look like paintings. Look at my shots of Latifah in red & gold or Kim on the piano or Lauren Hill with the big hat to feel what I'm saying.My composition and many nuances read as paintings.

Jungleespacegirl:  What was it like growing up as an urban Native in Brooklyn?

Ernie:  In my film "The Other Side of Hip Hop" the director Dion Ashman shows early photos of me and notes I looked "too ethnic" and unlike the White or Hispanic or Black kids so I did not fit in and as a result of being attacked and beat up I joined a gang, a Black Gang and by the time I was 13 was the Warlord of that gang THE BISHOPS.

Junglespacegirl:  You are a pioneer. No other Native American is so visible in hip hop. You're a legend now. The hip hop community looks up to you. How were you treated when the scene was new and developing?

Ernie:  Thanks for the compliments. When I first got into Hip Hop, that is shooting Hip Hop I had already studied Karate and spent 6 years in the US NAVY 4 1/2 of which was overseas. So I did not look like someone who would take to being hassled too kindly. In the macho ghetto world where Hip Hop was blossoming your vibe would either get you accepted or get you treated like a red haired step child. My vibe to this day seems (at least this is what I've been told) has an air of menace so I fit in really well. Plus since most photographers were scared to go where the action was I was able to get shots no one else could. And in a very short span of time I was known as the "go to guy" which increased my access to what was essentially an underground collection of art-forms.

Jungleespacegirl:  You're a legend, no doubt. And that's what makes your criticism of the current state of hip hop so powerful.  Do you ever hear back from the artists who you criticize?

B-boy standing in his Cree boy stance

Ernie:  I try not to criticize the artists who are essentially pawns in a much larger game. I have always tried to educate them because they have a much broader audience. Most know my credentials and my connections in True School Hip Hop and globally I never get any flak from them.

 I aim at the mindset and the industry which is connected to the prison industrial complex and the wider entertainment cabal. The end goal is to dumb down our youth, fill the jails, create a stronger plutocracy and abolish human rights and install an all pervasive police state. I know that sounds dark and foreboding and "conspiratorial" but that is the bigger picture. 

We were warned by Aldous Huxley and the books "1984" and "Brave new World". And the erosion of civil liberties and the expansion of intelligence gathering is mind boggling. The real question is how do I maintain a sense of humor and optimism and not get paranoid.

Jungleespacegirl:  So, how do you maintain your sense of humour and not get paranoid?

Ernie: I thought you'd never ask. Buddhism teaches detachment. Detachment allows you to do whatever it is you do and love the process.

Jungleespacegirl:  How did you get into Buddhism and how does it fit with your Cree background, if I may ask?

Ernie:  Being Cree or Asian or Mexican only gives you a framework to build a life onto. When I meet people who are totally immersed in being a race or gender or religion I try hard to avoid them. Life as I see it is boundless and magical and unless you live on a tiny island or small isolated village you should spend your life expanding and exploring. This was not done consciously no more than becoming a so called "Legend" was. It was instinctual and natural and reinforced with travel and meeting amazing people all over the planet. And yes I have had mystical and even supernatural experiences but again did not stay in those "places".

 One of the key messages I took with me from Ernie's talk was to discover the artist in you.  To take the power from the Creator, put it in your art and love your art. As expected, Ernie rocked the mic right.   Special shout-out to Ernie Paniccioli for his generosity of spirit...Again, check out the videos below for added inspiration! 

Ernie signing my copy of "They Call it Graffiti"

"Sometimes you wonder if anyone is truly listening and then along comes a poem or a day with Native youth in Toronto and it all makes sense." - Ernie Paniccioli

     

  

...A CLIP FROM GRIZ WHO FILMED SOME OF ERNIE'S TALK AT "IGNITING THE SPIRIT" IN TORONTO


 And before I leave you for the month, you GOTTA check the new release from Indigenous Resistance:  http://dubreality.wordpress.com/2012/04/05/ir-26-this-land-is-not-for-sale-ivere-now-available-on-itunes/
It includes a song that I've heard evolving from one version to another. All based on a powerful speech by an indigenous woman from Atenco, Mexico, where a community has faced tremendous brutality and also political imprisonment for resisting the government's efforts to build an airport on their land. "This Land Is Not For Sale" is a crucial collaboration between Asian Dub Foundation and Indigenous Resistance.  On vocals is Toronto's Rio Runakanta...together, it gets me dancing each and every time!

PEACE AND DUB Y'ALL!