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Interview with JAHI

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23 November 2002 No Comment

He recently released the extremely dope hip hop film REDEFINITIONS on DVD. This emcee, movie maker and community-uplifter spoke to us recently. Peep this ultra-dope interview!


To get things started for the people out there who don’t know, can you tell us who you are, what you about and where you at?

Peace Fam, My name is Jahi and I’m orginally from Cleveland, Ohio, but now I reside in Oakland, California. I am a Hip Hop artist, film maker, community activist, and father. I have been emceeing since 1984, and on a serious level since 1992.

You’ve just released a DVD, can you tell us a bit about that and will there be more coming up in the future?

The film, Redefintions-The Roots and Future of Hip Hop is my humble attempt to make sure when the story of Hip Hop is told, it is not just from a commercial aspect. What we see on BET/MTV is not the total represntation of Hip Hop. Being that I am an artist, I figured I could capture a more authentic and raw perspective of the politics of Hip Hop, the founders and the people looking to take it to the next level. We have to become caretakers of Hip Hop because it is our story.

I see that you are affiliated with Chuck D’s SlamJamz, can you tell us how that came about?

Chuck D, and I have been friends for a few years. I was heavily influenced my Public Enemy, the image, and the message in the music. I see myself as one of many who are trying to use that historical time period of the early 90’s when conscious Hip Hop was in, and take it to the next level. Chuck is like a big brother who offers guidance and inspiration to many to keep the integrity of Hip Hop alive. Chuck has Slamjamz, which is an online label. I have been signed to his label for about a year now.

Back to the DVD, everybody that has checked it out agrees with me that it’s extremely dope. How has it sold? Overall what has the reaction been from the media out there?

Well, first of all thanks for the compliment. I have a national distribution deal thru MVD, so everyone around the country (US) will have access to it. I am putting together a national college tour, and we are looking to come to Africa, Europe and Japan with it. So far the media has shown love, but it’s really the opinion of the people that matters the most. We’ve done screenings in California and Washington, DC, and most people feel like it is a good way to balance all the negative images that are on DVD now.

You have basically committed yourself to the youth out there, to edutain through music and other media vessels. Do you sometimes hit a brick wall? What obstacles have you faced?

No doubt. The issues of youth are pretty much the issues of all people of color. Poverty, lack of education, proper housing, drugs, etc..etc.. My solution is to make sure I don’t become a statistic, and try to be a motivational force in the lives of everyone I encounter. I may not have all the answers, or can solve all the problems. But, if I can motivate youth to see the God withing themselves they can change their live and the world. Feel me?

As the word spreads about the good work that you do you obviously get the opportunity to travel. You get to see the problem of e.g. AIDS at it’s grassroots level. What would you say is the main problem with AIDS right now? What can the man on the street do to help?

The main problem with AIDS is that the US government, the CDC, and The World Health Organization know more than they are willing to tell us about the disease. In terms of our people, we are still putting ourselves at risk sexually because we lack discipline, which is hard when all you see and hear is sex everyday. What the man on the street can do to help the issue of AIDS is to arm himself with knowledge. Once you have the knowledge, that the necessary steps to try and live that knowledge. It’s not easy, but living with AIDS is not easy either. I think AIDS can be destroyed with knowledge more than I believe in condoms.

When I go through your bio I can say that you are really a man who walks the talk. You must be tired man! But you know there have been people in the past (and still today) using “community upliftment” sponsorships/programmes just so they can get their own names ahead and push their own music. Do you often encounter such fakers?

I see them all the time. I call them “paper pimps.” There are so many non-profit organizations out here claiming to be doing work in the community, but the problems continue to mount. I believe the true worker in the community has to work himself out of a job. What I mean is that say for example it’s poverty you are dealing with. Your program dollars should go towards economic empowerment of the people you serve. So many organizations waste money on conferences and luncheons and do nothing for the people. But on the other hand, to bring balance, there are so people all over the world doing great work, and we must support them. [WORD! – ED]

What are your thoughts on the origins of AIDS? There are papers out on CIA involvment with Red Cross vaccinations plus a whole lot of other theories. Then there’s the Kemron story coming from Kenya. I mean if they could send a man to the moon in the 60’s surely they could’ve found the cure for the AIDS already. Do you have your own views on this?

I think if you study how HIV works in the body, you will see that it’s more than likely man made. It’s way to scientific. But until we have sufficient evidence to back it up, we have to protect ourselves by any means possible.

If you were given a billion dollars to iniate and bring through a project what would it entail?

Before I would do anything, I would, let’s say, come to South Africa and find out what the people feel like they need to be self sufficient. Then I would use the money to make that happen and sustain it. I think all too often we try and bring things to the people without knowing their true needs. I really want build our own institutions of learning and trade. We should be making our own things and selling it to the world instead of the other way around.

Let’s get to your music, how long have you been involved with Hip Hop?

14 years

What artists are you feeling at the moment?

Right now I’m feeling Scarface, The Roots, Talib Kweli, Eve, and all the pioneers. I like whats happening in the new (not neo) soul music too. I like a lot of beats of commercial rappers, but they are shallow on their content, so I can support it. I think Ja Rule, Nelly, Cam’ron and a few other folks are garbage and are fucking up the rap game with their weak styles. Make sure you print that.

Thanks man for talking to us, we hope that you can come to South Africa very soon. Any last words????

No matter what you may think, there are many of us who live in the states that consider ourselves African. We can’t let the media divide us. We are and always will be family. Hip Hop is the voice of the youth all over the world. Let’s continue to unite, organize, and stay strong.

Be sure to catch him at JaHipHop.

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