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After a period of intense planning and positioning, Big Jus
(NYC innovator and former centrifugal force in Company Flow) teamed up with Californian underground producer Orko Eloheim to produce two albums as the "Nephlim Modulation Sessions (NMS)". Whilst recording they were unable to avoid the news reports and propaganda blitzes of the Bush administration. They were bombarded, along with the rest of the country with right wing distortions and paranoid aggressions into the world around them. The result was part one of NMS, "Woe to thee o land if thy king is a child" an abstract futuristic bilious and vitriolic passionate full-scale assault on George W and his axes of pure evil. A song is even dedicated to the snack that nearly choked dear Dubya to death
("Super-Pretzel") © ukhh.com - 2003
interview 0139 added
28.04.03 words: Shook-Yaa technical:
QED
Watching the "war" unfold before me on television everyday, I struck by something the late Bill Hicks had said about the first Gulf War and I felt like we were on some sort of time-loop. He said, "a war? A war is when two sides are fighting. This is more like the Gulf War distraction. Enjoy your fireworks display? Now watch American Gladiators and get fat and stupid. Go back to bed America, your government is in control." I was amazed at how the same actions perpetuated nearly ten years ago could be followed almost exactly to the T again. And the same rhetoric again and again, "well at least Sadaam is gone" hitting me in the face like it justified everything, like it made it all worth it. At what cost has he been "got rid of"? They still haven't found him, they're planning on staying out there in the Gulf, they don't want UN involvement in an interim government. The Project for the New American Century is in control. But don't worry, people, keep watching "Friends" cos we've got this covered. I assure you that with the 300 billion dollars spent each year on military technology in the US, they could find Sadaam if they wanted. They have the power. It's just more economically sound to keep him alive, keep Americans paranoid and keep the prospect of retaliation their justification for war crime-type pre-emptive strikes.
Bill Hicks was a one in a million. An artist who spoke up against the war despite all criticism, all backlash. He did it because he believed in it. Michael Moore does it and has been doing it for years because he believes in it. And now we have artists speaking out against the war, pop artists such as Coldplay and Ms Dynamite and George Michael. Underground artists are releasing anti-war tracks, the Beasties, DJ Shadow and Zack de la Rocha ("March of Death" -an amazing pant-wetting, exhilarating track), Rebel Uprising, Lenny Kravitz, Michael Franti, Saul Williams. Anti-war anthems are everywhere on the internet because mainstream media refuses to play them, hiding behind impartiality rules. Noel Gallagher may support Blair and Jack White may say "I'm just a musician" but thank god for the artists who have the integrity and the passion to stand for what they believe in.
Which brings me back to Big Jus. He is the first in a series of e-mail interviews I have conducted over the last month or so. I e-mailed five musicians, two comedians and one poet the same nine questions. They were kind enough to reply and I will be printing their answers word for word as they appeared in my in-box over the next few weeks.
1) Michael Franti once wrote that it's hard to separate music and politics. Chuck D called
hip hop the "black CNN". How true do you believe these statements to be, especially in light of today's "democratic war"?
Big Jus:
Unfortunately I think not as true anymore.. Rap been relegated to party n materialistic bullshit.
U.S. democracy and capitalism are interchangeable n incestuous makes for unstable 'special' children with a.d.d. and missiles.
2) How do you feel the propaganda war/the media assault is harming artist attempts to speak out?
Big Jus: 'In bedded media' sez it all.... A general named electric with substantial finances in nuclear fusional weapons will have you watching
Kobe score 40 during the playoffs of Armageddon the same talk radio fools lambasting activists for not being patriotic were trying
they're best to impeach Clinton how quickly we soon forget ...
A patriot is also the modern name for a Klansman interesting....
4) What advice (non-musical-they can't be saved there) would you give to artists such as the Dixie Chicks, who for the first time have spoken out and received a tremendous amount of unpopularity?
Big Jus: Well, Dixie Chicks are an interesting case
they're aren't to many anti war good ol' boys... Big difference between acoustic folk protest music and
hambone country pickin' yee haaaaaaaaaaaaa lets kill us some sandniggers......
5) The avenues of media that refuse to play these antiwar songs, do you feel that if they did play for example March of Death by Zack de la Rocha and DJ Shadow, would you see it as ok for them to strike a balance and play a song such as Toby Keith's The Angry American?
Big Jus: Far right media doesn't give a flying fuck about any opinion except they own.... Compassionate consecrative is a giant oxy they openly state its too much freedom in the constitution... The politically correct era was a little to strenuous on them brain cells if your wanting to know where all the racist bastards went during those times fuck that back in full effect bitch we got to keep these damm
Mexicans in they're place before this gets out of hand.... If your darker than a pair of
khaki's your getting searched.. Errr I went on a tangent don't know if I answered your question.......every things a battle between dark and light
6) Do you think it was appropriate for Michael Moore to speak out at the Oscars?
Big Jus: Actually no... Winning the Oscar was statement enough... Bless him for putting his livelihood up to speak the truth. Other actors should have spoken up
I saw bowling 4 columbine in the deep south people were walking out when the black cartoon came on
they were cringing that shit was funny .......
7) What is the answer for artists who can't find an audience for these songs? Will the internet suffice?
Big Jus:
They claim Darpa created the internet.. But as with ancient Egyptian culture and twisting it into negative paganism ritual shit
we must to continue to make online work for people ... Its still the now and future of distributing digital content we just have to recover from the gluttonous
corporate circus that initially came in and venture capital date raped it ......
8) What is your message to Bush'n'Blair? What is your message to the Iraqi people?
Big Jus: Ain't nothing new under the sun homies you just doin what yer great great granpappies did occupation n imperialism.
Iraq people hold tight! You have one of the largest middle classes populations in the entire middle east embrace your differences and set the example for your neighbors don't let them take advantage of your resources to sideswipe
OPEC...
9) What comparisons and differences do you think there are between the artistic climates both here and now and during the 60s in Vietnam?
Big Jus: I think Vietnam was more of an organic awareness evolving at the same time a first time humanity took precedent in the
US since then they war and conflict takes place every 10-20 years...... If the largest
single day demonstration for peace in the history of the world
doesn't stop them were in trouble .....
And so, Big Jus has set the standard. Along with his NMS project and imminent album (released later this year on Big Dada), the dude is ready to take the world on. And the spirit of artistic protest continues. History is recorded in music and music represents the people. Reminds me of a lyric I once wrote, "Speak for the people, represent don't rule/ Cos iron fists can be melted down, fool." If we can all unite into one collective spirit of protest, we can help throw the American Empire out of Iraq and out of all its bases over the world and give the world back to its people.
Tracklisting for the ultimate anti-war compilation:
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