• » Name: Davey D
• » Location: Oakland, CA
• » Member Since: 10/15/07
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• » Davey D Vs Fox News!
• » Taking You to the Otherside of Hip Hop
• » T.I. - Another Dumb Rapper Or Target Of The Govt?

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davey d • ernie paniccioli • government • hip hop • photography • t.i.

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Davey D's Hip Hop Blog

Davey D Vs Fox News!

This is a recent confrontation I had with the fake journalists over at Fox News which has been rapidly sinking in the ratings... Good thing I recorded the entire incident because when they ran it on the Bill O'Reilly show they conveniently left out my questions.

Here's what really went down: This reporter named Griff Jenkins crashed the Take Back America Conference in Washington DC and was on a mission to stir up trouble by attacking people like Reverend Jesse Jackson.who was on hand to give a presentation about the 5 year anniversary of the War in Iraq. Jenkins had earlier confronted Jackson in an ambush type of manner and berated him with questions about Reverend Jeremiah Wright who is the pastor to Senator Barack Obama. They wanted Jackson to dis him.

For those who don't know, what's been happening is that the 'Faux' News family have been on a mission to try and pull down and derail the presidential campaign of Senator Barack Obama. Thus far they've used every trick in the book and thus far nothing has worked. Their latest gimmick has been to show his Pastor of 20 years in a bad light and then try to associate Senator Obama with the smear job they did on his Pastor.

When Jackson attempted to answer they would cut him off and ask a bunch of more questions. Jackson got away from them and did his presentation. After the speech, Jenkins and his cameraman got on stage, pushed their way past the conference attendees and other reporters who had been waiting patiently to talk to Jackson. Again the Fox News crew started loudly berating Jackson about the Pastor's 7 year old remarks. Jenkins loudly demanded that Jackson publicly dis-avow Pastor Wright for the remarks he made about 9-11. Jesse refused and answered Jenkins in a calm manner. Jenkins wasn't satisfied and once again he loudly berated Jackson.I decided enough was enough and stepped in to flip the script by interviewing Jenkins.

Here's some things to keep in mind as you watch the slickly edited video by Fox which was shown on the O'Reilly Factor and the audio which I recorded.

1-Note how Fox News left out my questions when they showed the clip on O'Reilly. Both the Fox Reporter and myself were recording at the same time.

2-Note that Barack Obama had not delivered his speech on race and politics. He was scheduled to speak on that topic as well as the remarks made by his Pastor within a half hour of this incident. Everyone was rushing to find a TV to see the speech.
Instead of waiting to see what Senator Obama had to say, Fox News tried to kick up dust and then make it seem like what we were watching occurred in the aftermath of Obama's speech

3-On the stage and in attendance at Take Back America were people of all races. Everybody got along-there was no race baiting. The only race baiting that went on that day came from Fox News.

4-Fox News got the hell out of dodge after the incident. They were shook up big time, when the same intrusive tactics were used on them. Notice how Jenkins tells me to stop harassing him and demands to know who I am. Funny how he didn't afford anyone else the same courtesy.

5-Here's the biggest irony.. after the speech the Fox Reporter Griff Jenkins was raving about how brilliant Barack Obama's speech was. Funny how he didn't put those glowing remarks on the air.

6-Fox News didn't identify me in the clip even though I have been on that network at least half a dozen times. What's even crazier is the O'Reilly Factor has attempted to get me on their show several occasions. Funny how they forgot to ID me during the newscast.

My guess is that they would have to note that Davey D is a reporter who writes for the San Jose Mercury News and has syndicated talk show that airs in several markets daily. That would've legitimized me in the eyes of those who may have been led to believe that I was a race-baiting lunatic. In other words Fox News was reaching for straws and had to resort to misleading folks..By acknowledging my press status then Fox News would've been made to look even more like blithering idiots. The funny thing is that many people did recognize me due to the fact that I am frequently on other networks and in documentaries.

ani's note:

*The video here is from Fox News, where Davey D is shown demanding Griff Jenkins to answer a question. Faux News conveniently edited out the question Davey D wanted answered.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4rznd_foxguy_news

*The audio underneath is Davey D's full mp3 recording of the entire event Nothing was edited, you pick who the real journalist it in this situation...

http://odeo.com/audio/17898633/view

 

18 Comments             

Taking You to the Otherside of Hip Hop

We recently sat down with pioneering Hip Hop photographer Ernie Paniccioli to get some insight into his long career which began years before the first rasps were being kicked in the Bronx. He broke down a lot of stuff for us. he also let us know about his new movie called The Otherside of Hip Hop which chronicles his life. The movie which has already been shown in festivals around the country to rave reviews and features Chuck D, MC Lyte and Afrika Bambaataa to name a few will be showing at the Tribeca Film Festival this weekend; Saturday November 17th, 2007 2pm Tribeca Cinemas NYC Laight and Canal St. info and tickets available at www.bigapplefilmfestival.com


Davey D: Lately there are a number of books and exhibits coming out highlighting the works of pioneering Hip Hop photographers.. What do you think is behind this resurgence? In what ways do these works add to or take away from the Hip Hop's history?

Ernie Paniccioli: When a book is done from within the culture by someone like Joe Conzo ("Born In The Bronx") or myself ("Who Shot Ya?") or an exhibit shows the work of Harry Allen or a Martha Cooper "Hip Hop Files" it can only deepen the history and knowledge of Hip Hop Culture. When a "Culture Vulture" does a book or tries to lay claim to be "The Bible of Hip Hop Art and Politics" style magazine or a trick ass radio station claims to be "Where Hip Hop Lives" then things get ugly and commercially distorted.

Davey D: Contrasted with Rock-N-Roll and other genres what challenges are unique to the Hip Hop photographer? What has been your biggest accomplishment? What has been your biggest gripe?

Ernie Paniccioli: Rock and Roll is bought by, financed by and nurtured by White America and is simply Rock Music. Hip Hop is from the streets, ghettos, inner-cities and is comprised of 5 Elements. A Rock Photographer only has to shoot rockers and is usually paid by a record company or big money magazine.

A Hip Hop Photographer has to capture the DJ, Hip Hop Dance, Graf, Emcee, and be aware of and respond to the Cultural aspects of Hip Hop. If all they do is shoot Rappers then they are at best a Rap Photographer. In it's 33 year His-Story there have only been a handful of photographers that can be called "Hip Hop Photographers". My legacy is secure because I have been called that by Afrika Bambaataa, Chuck D and KRS1 as well as Nas and Rakim.

My greatest accomplishment has been staying true to the culture decade after decade and my biggest gripe is seeing this amazing art form, that gave us a global voice, being used instead of addressing survival issues, selling sneakers, rims, cars, burgers and really crappy clothes.

Davey D: What sort of equipment did you start off using? What are you using now? Does new technology make things easier? Is their something loss with all the photo-shopping and digitizing of photos?

Ernie Paniccioli: I started out with a Canon AE1 and a 50MM lens. I now use Leica and Nikon 35 MM Digital and Mamiya Medium Format. I personally love PhotoShop for cleaning up and restoring old photographs. If you suck or have no soul, Photoshop will not help you, if you are dope all of these photo aids will only make your work more profound.

Davey D: You served in the Vietnam and there you took lots of photos and made collages capturing the social and political climate of the time.. How did your experiences in Nam help you when you started doing Hip Hop photography?

Ernie Paniccioli: Having the experience of life and death and discipline, training for war and being responsible for the safety of others gave me a sense of responsibility which I came to understand meant a response to the best of your ability. It also prepared me to go anywhere to shoot my subjects, either in a dark club full of drunk or stoned and often violent rap fans or in a project hallway or gang banger territory.

Davey D: Talk about the importance of archiving history through photography and other means.With you being a Native American brother what lessons can the Hip Hop generation learn from the trials and tribulations experienced by Native people?

Ernie Paniccioli: Edward Curtis is my greatest influence. He shot the tribes across the continent under almost impossible odds but always with pride, intelligence and dignity. Without him the visual legacy of native Americans would be greatly diminished. I have always tried to do the same by infusing my work with dignity, pride and a sense of honor and one of the ways is to keep in mind that we are all spiritual being with a soul and an inner power and beauty.

Forgive me for getting too deep but just as Native People were considered "savages" and not worthy of land or protection of law (look up the writings of the amazing Professor Robert A. Williams of The University of Arizona) after nearly a decade of dehumanizing music videos, CD's and movies portraying Black Southeners as subhuman, sexually deviant, drug addled and shiftless drug dealers and pimps along comes Katrina and the non reaction of FEMA and America tolerates the sight of swollen Black bodies floating like debris in the water.

Davey D: Creating photo collages shows you have an artistic side, are there any other areas that you have talents and skillz especially as it relates to Hip Hop? i.e. Did you rap, b-boy or dj?

Ernie Paniccioli: I was a painter, and drew thousands of pictures before I even picked up a camera, art , museums, and creativity always was part of my flow decades before I even held my first gallery show. I was never B-Boy or DJ, but have rocked hundreds of mics lecturing on Human Rights, Native Rights and Survival.

Davey D: Who was the first person you photographed within Hip Hop? What do you feel is your most important photo? What is your most haunting photo?

Ernie Paniccioli: My first Hip Hop images were of Graffiti masterpieces and they were what drew me in to Hip Hop. My most important photo has not been shot yet. My two most haunting photos are both of BIG. One is of him going up a flight of stairs with angels in the background and the other is him sitting next to me in his Jeep holding his fingers in the form of a gun.

Check out the rest of the interview over at my MySpace.

1 Comments             

T.I. - Another Dumb Rapper Or Target Of The Govt?

T.I. in recent days is set to be featured in the upcoming movie 'American Gangsta' starring Denzel Washington. He's been playing prominent roles in these last few award shows. He was recently featured on the Hip Hop vs. America panels put on by BET where he represented his viewpoints quite eloquently. Behind the scenes, T.I. played a big role in the relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina, where he provided money and manpower from his construction company. People who know T.I. have long spoke about him being a cat that has some keen political awareness which wasn't always reflected in his music, but as he was starting to become more situated in this music industry, the word was that we were going to start hearing T.I. step up and speak out more to address key issues.

This arrest was no doubt not only a big set back for him, but for Hip Hop in general. With T.I. being one of the best and brightest as far what the mainstream presents, his arrest will fuel further speculation and attacks on Hip Hop and its audience. His arrest gets couched in the same vein and used as fodder when we hear people launch attacks and try and be dismissive of the questionable circumstances around Jena 6 defendants like Mychael Bell who was sent back to jail for previous probation violation, the same week T.I. was arrested.

His arrest like it or not overshadows the outrageous hate filled on air commentary from Fox News anchor John Gibson who blamed Hip Hop and Black people for the recent school shooting at an alternative high school in Cleveland, Ohio. Initially he thought the alternative school was one for delinquents and had no idea that it was a school for academically gifted youth. He saw Black faces and just assumed. Next he naturally assumed the shooter was Black and instead of showing some sort of contrition when he discovered the shooter was a white boy who listened to Marilyn Manson, he still tired to blame it on Hip Hop by making rascist comments like 'the minute I heard the kid shot himself I knew it wasn't your classic hip hop shooting, because they don't kill themselves. They shoot and walk away'.

You can hear this madness here.

The T.I. arrest no doubt solidifies his position. Before Gibson could seriously be taken to task for his slanderous remarks, we got bombarded with news of the T.I. arrest.

T.I.'s arrest along with the off color behavior widely reported about other rap stars including recent scenarios involving Foxy Brown and Sean 'Diddy' Combs sadly helps fortify a climate in which paints all of us in a bad light. In other words gone are the days where we could look and say 'We are Young Gifted and Black'. Instead we get seen as 'Thugged out and Criminal'. No I'm not blaming T.I. for all our ills, but like it or not him being in the limelight and being dragged off that perch impacts us all.

We caught up with long time activist and lawyer Troy Nkrumah of the National Hip Hop Political Convention. Here's his astute breakdown of what is going on with T.I.

Although it is still premature to jump out with accusations of COINTELPRO, or in this case RAPINTELPRO, there are a few things that we must keep in perspective regarding this incident with Clifford Harris also known as the rapper/actor/entrepreneur T.I.

Having read the Affidavit, the testimonies and reports seem to adequately meet the standards for Probable Cause which in a case like this is required to begin an investigation. That's if everything in the report is accurate, which there is no way for us to tell at this point until we hear Harris' side of the story. Nonetheless, there are a few things to keep in mind before we rush to judgement on either side.

1. The Affidavit cites that there is a Confidential Witness (CW) or what we might call a "Snitch", or what the powers that be might call a "Whistle Blower", and some other law enforcement agencies call a Confidential Informant (C.I.). Please note that these are all the same things, however the later 3 terms seem to have more negative connotations applied to them. The C.I. was once accepted by most law enforcement agencies but in an attempt to move away from the dozens and dozens of improper use of "informants" around the country, several law enforcement agencies are starting to use the term "witness."

Witness is a legal term. It is being prematurely used at this point because T.I.'s Body Guard was being used as an Informant/Snitch and not as a witness. A witness to a crime is someone who; see's, hears, or in some other manner has perceived an event first hand. Having participated directly or indirectly in a crime takes you out of being a witness to it and makes you a party or co-conspirator to that crime, or if you are working for or with law enforcement agencies in the crime then you are working as an "agent" or "informant/snitch".It is important to understand these terms because they are used to help convict individuals in the court of public opinion before they even make it to the criminal court.

2. The affidavit states that the Body Guard (or CW) has been working for Harris since July of this year. Personally I find that a little odd and out of the ordinary for someone of Harris' stature, someone who could build a diverse portfolio of business interests such as he has, to allow someone that's only been in his organization 2-3 months, to begin doing dirt for him like this. That's just odd. It is either a sign of Harris' ignorance and stupidity, or something a little more sinister on the part of the Feds. But we have to wait for more info before we can make that call.

3. Why is it that Harris was comfortable allowing the Body Guard to bring the prior weapons to his house, but then he was so quick to go pick these weapons up. It is hard to believe that Harris was actually going to get several large bags of weapons and put them in his car, then drive to the BET awards, or his Studio or his Home 15 miles away, and then back for the awards. Where ever he was going next, it just does not seem logical that he would carry this amount of weapons around with him all day. But again maybe he was that stupid.

4. A lot of people will say, "this is nothing like COINTELPRO" because the ATF are about regulating the sale of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Well let me remind you, that although the FBI orchestrated the Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO), they didn't directly arrest or have shootouts with the Black Panther Members or other movement organizers in the 60's and 70's. They left that work up to other agencies to carry out. Also, the ATF's history is also a bit dirty with the Waco, Texas debacle back in the 90's.

5. Also, let us not forget how earlier this year a report came out from the NYPD about surveillance on various Non-political hip hop artists and RnB artists during the Republican National Convention back in 2004. This is part of what we call Rapintelpro. Many popular artists are being followed, reported on and tracked for "political" reasons. That report sited the influence these artists would have if they started becoming political and started speaking on political issues. We are talking about people like, Jay Z, P-Diddy, Alicia Keys, just to name a few that were spied upon by the Rap Police. Another report came out of Miami a few years back showing the surveillance of other popular rappers.

6. Lastly, keep in mind that to date there are over 150 Political Prisoners/Prisoners of War still being held in the United States. I am not referring to people held around the issue of 9/11 or the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. but rather individuals who were targeted by COINTELPRO in the 60's and 70's. The SF8 is a group that has been re-arrested on some trumped up COINTELPRO inspired charges.This is not to say that TI was on the same level of any of these freedom fighters that are now locked behind bars, but it is to point out that the government has a long history of setting up Black people and letting the setup go on and on for years before they have enough to take the persons life a way. Yes they use it on people that are threats to the status quo.. but which multi selling rapper is not a potential threat to the status quo?

All of these facts and others need to be kept in mind before we write TI off as another ignorant street rapper who was up to no good. Yes he might not be the brightest person to walk into something like this.. however, until we get all the facts, lets not accept the full truth of the incident based on the Feds Affidavit or the news reports. Those of you who are old enough will remember that a lot of folks thought Joan Chesimard aka Asaata Shakur was guilty after reading a few news reports and police accounts of the shootout. If you don't know who Joan Chesimard is, well then you might be just as susceptible as TI was if an agent comes to you with some bright idea's. Know your history or be destined to repeat it.

Be sure to check out the affidavit that describes the events leading up to T.I's arrest over at Davey D's myspace page by clicking here.

15 Comments             

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