Wise Intelligent on the set of the Illuminati Video Shoot in Trenton on Saturday March 26th Directed by Jimmy Giambrone!

NEW Wise Intelligent interview with Brother Jesse Muhammad

(Wise Intelligent served as the lead MC for the pioneering Hip Hop group Poor Righteous Teacher. He recently dropped a new album and has been consistently involved in community activism. I recently went one-on-one with him.)


Brother Jesse Muhammad (BJ): For the generation that may not know about you and the legendary group, Poor Righteous Teachers, please share a little background about yourself. How did you get started in music? How was the group Poor Righteous Teachers formed and what foundation did the group lay for those who are on the scene today?

Wise Intelligent (WI): My beginnings in music – Hip Hop music in particular, began when I sat down for a minute after being released from Mercer County Youth Detention Center, being pushed out of school by a principal that believed the Nation of God’s & Earth’s was a gang, and sobering up from all the weed we were smoking. This was from 13 to 17. I wrote my first professional rhyme when I was 15. I later titled it Shakiyla and it ended up on Poor Righteous Teachers 1990 debut album – Holy Intellect. I was first in a duo with a brother named God Father (GF for short). That didn’t go too well, he and Culture (who was making all the beats and DJing) had a couple irreconcilable differences if you will. Culture Freedom and I were like brothers since we were 11 and 12 and naturally, we moved on. Later we formed Poor Righteous Teachers.

We began recording songs, brought in a DJ named Divine, and later Father Shaheed. We made tapes at cultures spot on the 3rd floor of the 118 building in Donnelley Holmes low income housing projects in the North side of Trenton, New Jersey. I lived in the 132nd building, apt 3C. I don’t mean to be long winded but to answer the three questions in this one requires a little wind (lol). We were typical urban youth from the projects – talking “broken English and drug selling ” to quote KRS-ONE. However, we gave up much of that world, not necessarily to do music – but to try and be gods…really! Our brothers from other mothers, we would never give up – we were them and they were us and many of them made their lives in the world. When Culture felt we were ready he said “yo we need to go to the studio.” He arranged a battle between me and producer/rapper Tony D. Culture which was strategic…very!

BJ: What is your analysis of the state of Hip-Hop? Do you think the culture has been dismantled? Do you think it is fair to compare this era of artists with the time period when Poor Righteous Teachers was on the scene? How have you been able to protect your image despite the corporate machine that tears so many down?

WI: No, I would not say that “the culture has been dismantled.” However, I will say that the culture as presented in mainstream mediums has mangled public opinion of Hip Hop culture.

As far as comparing this era of artists with the era of PRT, I think it’s a fair comparison when we are fair. What I mean is, today we have many artists propagating culture, knowledge of self and consciousness just as in the era of X Clan and Brand Nubian. When we are not fair, we allow what’s playing on mainstream radio, video and internet networks to become our interpretation of what hip hop is or is not doing, and that’s an unfair assessment of the reality.




We cannot judge Hip Hop based on what Jimmy Lovine, Lyor Cohen or any other major label exec has decided to prop up as the representation of Hip Hop culture. In the event that the rosters and playlists at major record companies and radio/video stations were playing 50 Cent, Dead Prez, Lil Wayne, Immortal Technique, Nikki Minaj, Saroc, Jay Z and Djezuz Djonez then we can talk about what Hip Hop is in relationship to its mainstream propagation. As far as my image goes…I am who I am, Djezuz Djonez “…the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).


BJ: Not only do you have a legacy of rocking the mic, but you've always been actively involved in social justice and community empowerment. Why have you always married activism with your music? What issues are you closely watching right now and involved in?

WI: Well, for me ACTIVISM is the most important element of the Hip Hop epistemology if you will. It was the activism of Afrika Bambaata that mobilized urban youth away from gangs and violent expressions of self-hatred into the elemental expressions of Hip Hop culture, love, peace, unity and having fun. He motivated them toward positive attitudes and lifestyles and away from death, destruction and mayhem. Therefore, activism is the source of power from which Hip Hop has been disconnected. Today, much of my focus is on efficiently building an arc sufficient enough to provide the proper spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional nourishment as well as psychosocial development for a larger family.

BJ: In December, you dropped a new album "The UnConkable Djezuz Djonez." Break down the title. Why did you decide to release this album at this time? What is this album bringing that you think is missing from Hip-Hop right now?

WI: Djezuz Djonez is like water in a rock so to speak. It’s like a rose growing out of the concrete in the middle of the projects. It’s godly healing power possessed by a poor ghetto kid that society has given up on, and in fact has condemned to a life of concentrated poverty, apartheid schooling and mediocrity – from which he emerges and ascends to redeem his people. You know, a black kid with power that can actually be used to help himself and his people unlike powerful black characters in the Green Mile, Bagger Vance, etc., who could only use their powers – it seemed – to help white folk, who hated them! (lol). With this album, I wanted to again show that being “CONSCIOUS” IS NOT a bad thing!



When, and how did “conscious” become a bad word? But, if someone calls you “gangster” or “hood” or “pimpin” that’s acceptable? I embrace my consciousness, I love it! This album demonstrates how black people in any ghetto America – contrary to popular belief - are not sex-crazed, drug addicted, gangbanging, or feeble-minded imbeciles! The work I do is to directly challenge mainstream perceptions of both the black and hip hop communities. I mean, we like tricking out an old Chevy, playing Hip Hop loud (no other way to play it), kickin it on the BLVD with our “homies”, and spittin rhymes as well as studying, going to school, taking our mothers and elders to the market, and raising our babies properly. Conveying that, in part, is my aim.

BJ: Over the last several years, we've watched the word "Illuminati" used in the same sentence with hip hop artists. Why do you think that is? Is it a publicity stunt by some artists?

WI: Well Hip Hop covers everything from politics, crime, sex, love, hate, religion, health the streets, race, etc. The Illuminati, can only be spoken of by a mainstream rapper if he is glorifying it in some way that demonizes himself, Hip Hop and the Black community. Other than that he can’t say nothing! Suppose a mainstream rapper in heavy rotation spoke of the Illuminati in terms of massive medical experiments being performed on predominantly non-white people in “Third World” countries without any regulations or watchdog groups to check such genocidal practices by major pharmaceutical companies? Suppose the quote on Jay Z’s shirt was not from the self-proclaimed devil, drug abuser, bisexual rich boy Aleister Crowley, but rather from Steve Cokely? Would he have been allowed to go that route with his message? I don’t think so. Publicity stunt or not, it has allowed us to open the conversation around the real causers of this world’s immiseration. I recently released another single from "The UnConKable Djezuz Djonez" entitled, "Illuminati" produced by Masada. My aim with the record is to help refocus the community to look at what's going on right in our daily lives and what we can do to move forward and upward. You can listen to the song and read the lyrics right here:

http://inthehereafter.blogspot.com/2011/02/wise-intelligents-illuminati-lyrics.html

BJ: You will be releasing your first book this year, “3/5th An MC: The Manufacturing of A Dumb Down Rapper.” What inspired you to write it and what do you hope to accomplish with it?

WI: The inspiration for the book was my sons. Looking at them made me realize that they are the reason I was born. The book is for them and their peers and the peers of their children’s children. The book documents what created, and maintains ghettoes, gang, prison and drug culture in Black communities across the country with Hip Hop as the narrator. The book says, Hip Hop is not the root cause of the urban decadence and neither is the Black community. I felt a need to give them a point of reference for why I rhyme about what I rhyme about, what Hip Hop was, is and can be. My hope is that the book helps black youth find their courage and go forward.

BJ: Thank you brother!

(You can find out more information about Wise Intelligent’s new book, album, upcoming projects, and the entire Konscious world at http://www.wiseintelligent.com. Follow him on Twitter www.twitter.com/wiseintelligent

Wise Intelligent Presents "The Black Earth Project" Coming Soon!!!

Wise Intelligent Presents

The Black Earth Project

"A Compilation of Dedications to The Mother of Civilization"

Coming Soon!!!

WWW.WISEINTELLIGENT.COM

BUY WISE INTELLIGENT'S NEW ALBUM, "Wise Intelligent Iz...The UnConKable Djezuz Djonez RIGHT HERE!

BUY WISE INTELLIGENT'S NEW ALBUM, "Wise Intelligent Iz...The UnConKable Djezuz Djonez RIGHT HERE!

Listen and then BUY...



SUPPORT THIS INTELLIGENT MOVEMENT IN WORD AND DEED!

Wise Intelligent talks about his new album "The UnConKable Djezuz Djonez on - Bean Soup Times with Toure Muhammad 1/9/2011

CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO LISTEN TO THE SHOW

Hip Hop History with Wise Intelligent Saviors and How Marketing Affects the Black Community 1/9/2011 - Bean Soup Times | Internet Radio | Blog Talk Radio


FOR MORE INFO ABOUT WISE INTELLIGENT AND TO BUY HIS NEW ALBUM HIT UP http://www.wiseintelligent.com


It's NO LONGER Smart to be DUMB!

INTELLIGENTNEWZNET...DYING TO LEARN: ‘The building…is worn out’

INTELLIGENTNEWZNET
INFORMING the HIP-HOP COMMUNITY

DYING TO LEARN: ‘The building…is worn out’

http://www.nj.com/opinion/times/editorials/index.ssf?/base/news-1/129956671978230.xml&coll=5

“The building…is worn out” is the headline that bellowed loudly from The Times Monday, March 7th newspaper. The article was in reference to the deplorable condition the 79 year old Trenton Central High School is in, and has been in for decades. Not long ago, complained to their teachers and administrators about the appalling state of the bathrooms which had no doors on the stalls, no toiletries and in some cases only one or two toilets being functional. However, students complaints remained unaddressed until they took action, taking pictures of decrepit bathrooms with their cell phones and sending them to other students, teachers and eventually the newspaper.

Trenton Central High School was built in 1932 and was one of the largest and most expensive high schools in the country. The school was considered “an ornament to the city” and one of the “show places of Trenton.” Of course, this was when the school (like most schools in the city) was an all white high school. Since whites fled inner-cities in the 60s early 70s in a successful attempt at undermining Brown vs. Topeka Kansas Board of Education which declared segregated schooling to be unconstitutional – the school has been a proverbial ring of fire through which black and Hispanic students must be talented and agile enough to jump through on their way to receive a high school diploma from the wizards of inadequate education.

Now back to the building. Two weeks ago the ceiling collapsed in one of the classrooms. Luckily, there were no children present when this occurred. The ceiling had reportedly succumb to “rainwater from a leaky drain” also “spraying a wet mess of paint and plaster chips all over the floor.” Remember, the school was built in 1932, well before the 1978 ban on the use of lead paints and piping. Therefore, this “wet mess” of “paint and plaster chips” had to be accompanied by the dangerous presents of lead; a heavy metal that exists in dangerously high levels in TCHSs paints, plasters and piping.

A few years ago the school was allotted $150 million dollars to build a new educational facility. Recently, the state put an indefinite hold on the $150 million new school budget for TCHS. A decision leaving our children virtually at risk of suffering physical and psychological harm from dangerous structural problems and the presents of heavy metals on top of forged student transcripts and a state ranking of 317th out of 322 public schools. The Saga Continues...

Wise Intelligent

It's NO LONGER Smart to be DUMB!

Illuminati Lyrics in the NEWS Part 1

INTELLIGENTNEWZNET
INFORMING the HIP-HOP COMMUNITY


Illuminati Lyrics in the NEWS Part 1

"It's funny how these pedophiles market YOUR SONS and DAUGHTERS...target and breech your BORDERS...kidnap your seeds DEPORT THEM...transport them overseas, where devils fiend AUCTIONED and BOUGHT THEM..." - Djezuz Djonez/"Illuminati" http://www.wiseintelligent.com


Listen to the song here http://soundcloud.com/wiseintelligent


Prince Andrew named in sex quiz but billionaire pervert's girl aides refuse to say if they even know royal

By Stephen Wright In Palm Beach, Florida
Last updated at 10:41 AM on 7th March 2011



Prince Andrew has been sensationally named in legal documents concerning the perverted activities of his billionaire paedophile friend Jeffrey Epstein.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Epstein

The papers reveal that two women with close links to the pervert refused under oath to answer lawyers’ questions about the Duke of York’s visits to Epstein’s Florida mansion.

The pair – Epstein’s PA Sarah Kellen and his on/off model girlfriend Nadia Marcinkova – were questioned over whether Andrew had sex with teenage girls at the £4million property. They had an opportunity to say no but instead exercised their constitutional right to remain silent.

Full Story:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1363701/Prince-Andrew-named-sex-quiz-Jeffrey-Epsteins-aides-refuse-say-know-royal.html



08 March 2011
www.dailymail.co.uk










It's NO LONGER Smart to be DUMB!

Wise Intelligent talks about the reality of the Ghetto in Rhyme and Reason (1997)

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WISE INTELLIGENT, INTELLIGENT MUZIK, AND TO BUY WISE'S NEW ALBUM "THE UNCONKABLE DJEZUZ DJONEZ" HIT UP

HTTP://WWW.WISEINTELLIGENT.COM

U-Stream of Wise Intelligent performing @ Dj Eclipse's Halftime Radio 13th Anniversary Show on March 2nd 2011!!!

Check out the U-Stream Video of me rockin out @ Dj Eclipse's Halftime Radio 13th Anniversary Show on March 2nd 2011...The session I'm in starts about 56 minutes into the show

Big up to Dj Eclipse and the whole Halftime Radio massive!

Total respect 2 Master Ace, Rah Digga, Pacewon, The Artifacts (El da Sensei & Tame One), and Rock

Jersey was in there THICK!!!

Whatup 2 Apocalypse, Armageddon, Rasheed Chappell, and Punchline

Big up 2 Saigon, Vinnie Paz, Dres, John Robinson, and The UnConkable Djezuz Djonez all in a crazy cipher!

Yo! The producers dropped some serious FATBEATS!

Marco Polo Beats, Frank Dukes, Audible Doctor, Mr. Green as well as live DJ sets from Boogie Blind and DJ Precision were all CRAZY!

Pardon Self if I've forgotten anyone...It's all LOVE!

Pictures of Wise Intelligent rockin @ The Halftime Radio 13th Anniversary Show March 2nd 2011

Check out these pics of me rockin @ Dj Eclipse's Halftime Radio 13th Anniversary Show on March 2nd 2011...Big Up to Robert Adam Mayer (Photo Rob) for taking these pics!

The Book of Born Free...The Wisdom of Djezuz Djonez quote #108

"My view is kith and kin to the owl panoramic and unblinking
I can read your actions I know what you're thinking
I don't care if pulling up the root causes you to feel uneasy or nervous
Because I was raised to be unapologetically Konscious on purpose"
The Book of Born Free...The Wisdom of Djezuz Djonez

New Wise Intelligent interview w/Cedric Muhammad...The Second Coming of K.O.S. (Knowledge of Self): What Will Spark It?

The Second Coming of K.O.S. (Knowledge of Self): What Will Spark It?

By Cedric Muhammad

All of us, in different ways, entertain, debate or ponder the question of just what is appropriate lyrical content in rap music? and the question of whether it is the duty of Hip-Hop artists to popularize knowledge, understanding and wisdom? Some of us have clear answers on these questions while others say it is not that easy to answer. The opinion of a late 30-something like myself is often different than that of a 14-year old, and I always find it interesting to see where the consensus is on the subject, across age and region. The relationship between artistic expression and any responsibility we feel it has to inform and enlighten thought and behavior is always a controversial topic – with an almost endless number of angles being brought up and out.

Of late I have concerned myself primarily with the economic aspects of the matter because I believe the relationship between art and commerce – which always exists - has been either ignored, diminished or oversimplified (by lovers and haters of business activity) by most opinion leaders in Hip-Hop. I have expressed that perspective in this Hip-Hoppreneur column which I am honored to have had published for a year now at AllHipHop.com.

My most recent thoughts (which I’ll keep to myself this week -smile) in this area and the question of whether or not a return to earlier days in Hip-Hop (when historical knowledge was championed and fashionable) is possible or even desirable were stimulated by the work of two artists: mikeflo – an emcee, DJ (for dead prez), producer and teacher; and Wise Intelligent of the legendary Poor Righteous Teachers, who also records under the identity/personality of Djezuz Djonez (and who continues to work with youth all over the country and in particular, his native Trenton, New Jersey).


I’ve been enjoying mikfelo’s mixtape (http://mikeflo.wordpress.com/), “Fly, Fresh, and Responsible,” hosted by M1 of dead prez, and Wise Intelligent’s “Illuminati’: (http://soundcloud.com/wiseintelligent/wise-intelligent-illuminati) off of his new album “Wise Intelligent Iz…The UnConKable Djezuz Djonez” (along with an outstanding blog deconstructing his own lyrics at: http://www.wiseintelligent.com/)


From two very important perspectives mikelfo and Wise make valuable contributions to discussing this decades old debate, in a timely and relevant manner. Seeking to place their up-to-date perspectives opposite this ‘timeless’ discussion (that at times gets stale, preachy, and even down ignorant) I interviewed both of them on their work and the success and challenge of entertaining and cultivating souls while feeding the intellect of a generation that wasn’t raised on Eric B. and Rakim, Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions, Queen Latifah, X-Clan, Ice Cube, or Brand Nubian.



Cedric Muhammad: What is the motivation behind “Fly, Fresh and Responsible” and its connection (if any) to the principles of R.B.G. ‘Revolutionary But Gangsta” coined by Dead Prez?

mikeflo: The motivation behind “Fly, Fresh & Responsible” comes from an undying need to provide balance to an industry bombarded with an influx of imagery that is NOT useful in the war against all Afrikan people at home and abroad. Its a call to action for artists to remember that they can be fly and fresh, yet also be held accountable to their families (which I am and ALWAYS MUST THANK for my development as a man), communities and to Hip Hop as a whole. Impressionable minds are watching our every move and it is paramount that we communicate proactive and promising messages WITHOUT preaching. “Revolutionary But Gangsta” says exactly that for dead prez and for me it is the same. Its not enough to merely preach to the amen corner, but to meet the people where they are and take them to where they want to be, even if they aren’t sure where to go…..we speak clearly and make it plain.

Cedric Muhammad: Certain tracks on the mixtape flip recent popular records and turn the title, phrases, and hooks in a different direction than artists like Kanye West or Drake, for example, intended. Have you found that approach useful in connecting with young fans of the music - and introducing history lessons, concepts, and books they otherwise may not know or learn about?

mikeflo: Yes, I’ve found this approach very successful because at the end of the day the food must taste good. Its no different than taking a popular dish and substituting ingredients yet still maintaining the taste and integrity of that particular dish. At the end of the day people want to unite with things that are sonically pleasing and if you can manage to communicate some relevant messages then its all worth it. I have fun with takeovers but put just as much or even more into my original material. Young people love to hear what they know being translated in a different way, especially when you’re really spittin’ and relating to them.

Cedric Muhammad: Years ago in a Final Call interview I said (http://www.blackelectorate.com/print_article.asp?ID=1425):

“I think that it’s important for historical context that I make a reference to one of the memos of the counterintelligence program of the FBI dated August 25, 1967. It actually said that no political activist or somebody with an ideology that was perceived as a threat to the establishment should have access to a mass communication media. That’s actually the quote, “mass communication media.” And so, J. Edgar Hoover was fearful of any ideology or philosophy or charismatic leader or organization having access to a medium. And so, before we even get into the question of which rappers are more conscious than others, I think we have to respect the power of the medium itself. Hip Hop culture, the music and of course, radio, the records, the videos and other forms through which people can project messages and images that may spark a movement.”

What is the place of the DJ and the Mixtape in terms of COINTELPRO and ‘mass communication medium’?

mikeflo: The role of the DJ is to counteract the counter intelligence. DJ’s should have their fingers on the pulse of the people and an eye on the prize at the same time. Many “well known” to “obscure” DJ’s are dropping the ball because they are not playing the plethora of songs they really listen to in their own lives. Instead, they follow the formula of going with the status quo in attempts to NOT ruffle too many feathers, keep advertisers happy (in the case for radio DJ’s) and song by song dumb down the culture. The DJ is just one of the elements (many say the foundation) of Hip Hop and knowledge is the 5th element that can’t be forgotten. The DJ’s role is to play good records and break good records that the average music lover may not know about. Everything is political so every tactic is significant in war. The DJ definitely plays an important role in sustaining Hip Hop culture and keeping it solid so that certain agents aren’t so confident and successful in their infiltration into what is one of our most powerful tools for liberation.

Cedric Muhammad: “Fly, Fresh and Responsible” weaves in the language of different schools of thought and communities from the Working Class/Black Power/Black Nationalist/Pan-African Movements in a very credible way. In addition acknowledgment of the role of street organizations (on the track ‘One Blood’ we hear a call for the unity of Black and Brown people and to organize ’street tribes’). Do you believe that Hip-Hop lyricists have the ability to develop a universal unifying language that has eluded some of our organizations whose disciples and members to this day seem to operate with suspicion in dealing with one another - even in facing a common enemy?

mikeflo: Excellent question Brother Cedric. Many Hip Hop lyricists have the ability to paint pictures so crystal clear that permeate all kinda hoods from coast to coast and tribe for tribe. Any effective communicator must assess his/her audience before they can address them. It is very important for artists to have a scope that includes the hood, yet reaches far beyond those same hoods that tend to unify us. At the end of the day we all want the same things and are more alike than different. The problem is that many artists are digging deep into themselves to provide more balance and thus are underestimating what the working class really wants and needs….Artists must be fearless in these days and times. The stakes are too high. And yes, it is a common enemy. We must choose a side of the fence we want to live on. No more straddling the fence, especially for those that “know better”. Period.



Cedric Muhammad Do explanations which primarily blame corporate power and corrupt music industry influence for the ‘disappearance’ of ‘consciousness’ from Hip-Hop and rap music satisfy you?

Wise Intelligent/Djezuz Djonez Well, let me say first and foremost that I do not believe that ‘consciousness’ has ‘disappeared’ from Hip Hop, neither from rap music. Hip Hop artists, in America and around the world have continued to interpret the social-political landscape of our communities, nation and world without cessation. Its more so a question of ‘conscious’ Hip Hop leaving the mainstream mediums (corporation; label/radio/video, etc.) through which the culture is delivered to the masses. With that as our backdrop, we can safely say that corporate power (which is the music/media industry) is responsible for the shifts in what we hear or not within the mediums under their control. Let’s not simplify what has happened to the literatures of freedom or “consciousness’ to the mediums of Hip Hop propagation. We have ample evidence and or examples of how ‘conscious’ media has been caused to disappear from mainstream film, television, news, print publications – including but not limited to literary works such as histories and novels. Just as Fight the Power is no longer in the mainstream, neither is Malcolm X, or Rosewood.

Just as You Must Learn is no longer in the mainstream neither is The African Origin of Civilization: Myth or Reality or Culture Bandits. When ‘conscious’ Hip Hop or “protest songs” – as I prefer to refer to much of what I do – were cut from the BET programming so was Tavis Smiley, Teen Summit and anything that could shine the least bit of light into a budding mind. When we make Hip Hop the sole focus of this process of DUMBING DOWN, we miss the reality that this is an assault on our collective conscience by Weapons of Mass Distraction targeting everything from the music we listen to and television we watch, to the books we read and schools we attend. Harry Allen still exists and so do many young people today doing what he did when PE made him famous. But, just because mainstream does not propagate this brand of content does not mean it does not exist or is not relevant!

-Cedric Muhammad: Of late we’ve heard Jay-Z more openly make reference to terminology popularized by the Nation of Gods and Earths (which has also been referred to as the 5% Nation of Islam) and many noted his reference to Minister Farrakhan - even placing a drawing of him in his new book, Decoded. What impact if, any do you see this having on younger artists who admire Jay-Z yet did not grow up in the 1980s (as Jay-Z did) when the Lessons and Teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad were more common place in Hip-Hop culture/music?

Wise Intelligent/Djezuz Djonez: Hopefully they’ll Google Minister Louis Farrakhan. Sad day in black life when black teenagers have to Google Farrakhan to know anything about who he is. Jay Z, in my opinion is one of the dopest MCs ever, without any argument – I believe. I’ve always thought that he could take a rhyme wherever he wanted to take it, along with whoever’s listening to him. I also, thought that some 99.999 percent of his catalogue focuses primarily on the same things, i.e., money, ho’s and clothes (consumer oriented materialism). I must say, you cannot be forty years old and have nothing else to talk about other than having the “baddest” R&B “bitch” wearing your chain, or how much more money you have than the people you grew up in poverty amongst? Maybe you can? At some point in our lives that conversation gets old and demeaning. So, substance is required…guess I’ll try and kick a little knowledge. I hope this is the case…at least an occasional reference to the collective heartbeat of this people.

Cedric MuhammadThere is clearly a disconnect in Hip-Hop which as you may know [in "Why T.I. Needs Chuck D….(and Soulja Boy Needs T.I.)

http://www.allhiphop.com/stories/editorial/archive/2010/12/15/22527896.aspx)]

I have blamed for the lack of the transfer of business and creative knowledge from one generation of artists to another within the culture and industry. You also know that I have noted what I believe is a tendency for the older members of the Hip-Hop generation to be not just critical but judgmental of the tastes of its youngest members. Yet, you are over 20 years in the game, arguably still look like a teenager (and market yourself in ways that embrace youth), and are rooted in the work of community development via the use of technology which seems to captivate young people. Do you believe your personality and approach holds some keys for others?

Wise Intelligent/Djezuz Djonez: I’ll say that there has never in the history of music – as far as I am aware – been a time wherein there was a transferring of business and creative knowledge among artists (black or white).

Hell, we have barely passed down family trees for two generations in some of our households. What I do see happening is Hip Hop artists are passing business and creative knowledge down to their paternal offspring. Many Hip Hop artist and moguls are developing their children into mega artists as well as astute businessmen/women. However, you are correct in that there is no transfer of such business knowledge and skill among artists. I’m not sure if my approach holds keys, but I do know and understand that most ‘progressive’ and revolutionary movements were initiated by young people as young as 16 – 24 years old. The Civil Rights Movement with the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Martin Luther King Jr. was a mere 26 years old when he stepped on the frontline. The Black Panther Party were fairly young as well. Che Guevara was what, 25 years old when he joined a young Castro? I just don’t believe all the BS about “young people don’t want” to hear or buy this or that because its “too preachy” or some other BS. We were once the 16 to 24 year olds listening to everything from Kool G Rap and NWA to Public Enemy and Too Short. We wore Dapper Dan leather outfits, fat gold chains, smoked weed and still read books, studied lessons and went to see Farrakhan and or a Leonard Jeffries speak. Being young and dumb are not synonymous. Just as being old and wise aren’t either. Wisdom and youth are not mutually exclusive.


I’m making music that explains the why of it all. Yes, some of us are cooking and selling cocaine and other drugs, yes we are filling the prisons, yes some of us are gangbanging…I’m interpreting how we got here. What created ghettoes, concentrated poverty, poor schooling, etc. ALL BLACK PEOPLE (and not just the youth) can relate to this! As long as an artist stays true to his root, his people, his source of power he’ll remain relevant far beyond the shelf life breathed into him by the mainstream apparatus.


Cedric Muhammad: Do you believe we’ll ever see an era like what existed in the 1980s-90s where the open embrace of knowledge was not only acceptable but an essential key to being popular and relevant, as an artist? If not, why not and if so - what forces, circumstances, events, individuals, and institutions would play a role or be a factor?


Wise Intelligent/Djezuz Djonez: YES, I do believe we will once again witness a healthy injection of knowledge and substance into the diets of a larger audience. I don’t think a child can drink energy drinks his entire life without one day seeking out and or asking for a glass of water. The cotton candy breakfast, lunch and dinner will eventually exhaust itself. Organic produce will once again be added to the mainstream menu when Wise Intelligent’s “ILLUMINATI” is accidentally played on Hot 97, followed by the adding of “Something About Mary” to urban radio playlists around the country. The masses are connected to mainstream mediums like babies to umbilical cords. Until they are fed knowledge through these – their mother mediums – if it ain’t in the mainstream it ain’t in their bloodstream.

*****
* Mikeflo thanks Jaha, Garvey and Pili Asante for helping to keep him “Fly, Fresh & Responsible”. Visit www.mikeflomusic.com and http://www.deadprez.com for the latest music and travel calendar.

You can follow Wise Intelligent/Djezuz Djonez on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/wiseintelligent

His new album, “Wise Intelligent Iz…The UnConKable Djezuz Djonez” is available at iTunes, Amazon, and Shockhound

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/wise-intelligent-iz-unconkable/id417993305

http://www.amazon.com/Intelligent-Unconkable-Djezuz-Djonez-Explicit/dp/B004N55RY2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1298257573&sr=8-1-catcorr

http://www.shockhound.com/albums/777935-wise-intelligent-djezuz-djonez-mp3s-wise-intelligent-iz-the-unconkable-djezuz-djonez

Cedric Muhammad is a business consultant, political strategist, and monetary economist. He’s CEO of CM Cap where he provides brand management services to Hip-Hop artists:

http://www.cedricmuhammad.com/cedric-muhammad-unveils-hip-hoppreneur-%E2%84%A2-advisory-service-for-international-artists/. Cedric is a former GM of Wu-Tang Management and author of ‘The Entrepreneurial Secret’ (http://theEsecret.com/).

His Facebook Fan page is: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cedric-Muhammad/57826974560?ref=ts and he can be contacted via e-mail at: cedric@cmcap.com




IT'S NO LONGER SMART TO BE DUMB!!!!