Setting the Record Straight: Juneteenth Denver

History:

I’ve been a Hip-Hop head for 18 years, over 2/3 of my young life. I’ve been emceeing for 13 years and utilizing Hip-Hop as a tool for education, consciousness raising, and social justice activism for 9 years. I have released six independent music projects and am the music supervisor for a film about immigrant youth that has screened in almost all 50 states. I have paid some dues.

My hard work has bred some success … but not without some controversy.

The Situation:

After two years of having album review requests ignored one album and EP after another by major news and entertainment publications in the Mile High City, Denver Post journalist Eryc Eyl recently took notice and wrote a dope piece about SOULAJU.

The controversy came when a few people apparently mistook the Reverb Blog as an artist profile FOR Denver’s 2010 Juneteenth celebration. How, they wondered, is it legit for a non-Black music group to be one of the only acts that gets press for a Black-arts oriented festival that celebrates the end of slavery?

Important question. Realistic scenario. Not the case this time around.

The timing of the article coincided with SOULAJU being asked to play a small role in this year’s Juneteenth celebration. We did not seek out the opportunity but we respectfully accepted it. We were not contacted by any journalists or media organizations to discuss our involvement in Juneteenth. If you read the article, it is clearly a profile about SOULAJU as a music duo and the larger work we do in communities throughout the West.  We were asked what our next gig was.  We said Juneteenth, and that was that. 

Sometimes you are brought into histories and situations that you did not create but nevertheless must be accountable and responsible for. If it was empty shit talk I wouldn’t even address it. I constantly teach my six-year old son that there will always be people who judge for what you do, regardless of your intentions. What ultimately matters is that you stand up and be accountable for yourself, your truth, your passion. But the circumstances of this small controversy extend beyond the personal. As a man of color and a Cultural Studies lecturer, I recognize that the substance of this matter and the concerns expressed are relevant.

I am publicly addressing this issue to straighten things out personally, but also out of respect for Denver’s African-American community, especially the artists and activists who struggle against racism and economic inequality, political neglect, disproportionate funding cuts, gentrification in areas like Five Points, and over-criminalization of Black youth, among other pressing issues.

I am not a Denver native but I am a conscious Denver resident and I have done my homework. I recognize that what was once one of the largest Juneteenth celebrations in the country (Denver’s) has been sliced and diced in terms of scale and funding. There is a clear lack of representation in media and political representation as it relates to African-Americans and other residents of color in the Denver Area, as is the case nationally. I can understand the frustration that would arise from the snubbing of African-American artists as it relates to a Black cultural festival, or the idea that a non-Black group would take an opportunity to contribute and in turn exploit it for festival-related media coverage.   There is a long history of exploitive cultural appropriation and Black identity theft in the United States.

But this is not that story, neither with respect to the journalist nor the artists involved. 

The story is a fresh and meaningful mixture of multi-ethnic storytelling traditions, Hip-Hop, multilingual vocals and poetry, fused with other music genres. 

In Conclusion:

As the brown rapper at the center of the controversy in question, I hope this statement squashes any misdirected frustration and unsettled feelings regarding the recent press highlighting SOULAJU. Myself and SOULAJU as a duo stands in solidarity with all people who struggle against oppression, exploitation and slavery, which continues to be a major issue worldwide on all continents. We stand in solidarity with all people, all colors, all nations in celebration of victories for the people.

We look forward to contributing to the vibe at this Saturday’s Juneteenth Festival. Pro-Black. Pro-People. Pro-Planet.

con paz,

Adrian H. Molina

(aka Molina Soleil of SOULAJU)

Tags: Adrian H. Molina, Black/Brown solidarity, Denver, Juneteenth, Molina Soleil, Soulaju

Posted in MOLINA SPEAKS

RSS | Respond | Trackback < |