Word to the emcee.
Not every song is for the kids. Most of the music we make isn’t. We discuss grown man (and woman) business. Money. Sex. Politics. Drugs. Religion. The day-to-day struggle. The reality of the streets. How ill life can be at home… The ways in which we cope. The things we do to escape. The dreams that bring us back.
Through our rhymes, we search for some slice of “home” within a cutthroat system that often makes us feel alien. We create to share and welcome people into our ciphers, hoping they can relate, so that they will listen.
On second thought, maybe it IS for the youth. All of it.
In a time of universal deceit, the kids need someone to tell them the truth. The ugly truth. The gritty truth. The truth that many adults themselves are afraid of.
So what’s the balance?
The question comes up over and over again. What is a Hip-Hop artist’s responsibility to her/his community? To be “conscious”? How conscious? What about profanity, and in what context?
What does each individual owe to the next generation? These are questions that each person has to answer for themselves. Questions that nobody escapes at the end of the day, regardless of ego, status, façade.
Every song that an artist releases does not have to be youth friendly… but music can be made with youth in mind.
An artist can be as “grown” and “gritty” as he/she likes, but there is still room for a track or two that speaks directly to young people, because they are listening.
It boils down to balance. There’s no reason an artist can’t be relevant on a 21+ stage by night AND in a junior high classroom or youth group home by day. That’s versatility. Skills. Longevity. Good for business too.
Budget cuts are gutting music, poetry, and the arts out of the K-12 education system. Democracy does not exist without creativity and artistic expression. The community has to step up. Artists have to step up and rep for the youth. Big up to all artists who do, on whatever level you do.
Your skills are needed, now.
Adrian H. Molina
Molina Speaks
Lead Instructor, Flobots.Org Art to Action Program
Jonny 5 will be guest bartender from 5-8 at Wynkoop Brewing Company on Monday, May 16th. All tips benefit Flobots.org’s programs at Cole Arts & Sciences Academy. Stop on by and say hello, enjoy a beverage and tip for a good cause!
The power of social networking meets the power of music to support music in schools
When Flobots.org asked friends to rally behind its latest initiative for youth, local businesses responded in a major way. Six local restaurants will join us in an online campaign to support after-school music programs at middle schools across Denver. The campaign launches today at http://flobots.giveo.com.
Sincere thanks to Dazzle Restaurant & Lounge, El Camino Community Tavern, Highland Tap & Burger, Rooster & Moon Coffee Pub, Sweet Action Ice Cream and Wynkoop Brewing Company for their generous and enthusiastic support of arts education in public schools.
Each of these independent, Colorado-based businesses has been paired with one of the six DPS middle schools where Flobots.org operates weekly after-school music programs. Each restaurant will match online donations to its partner school, ensuring that high-quality music programming for youth continues year-round.
The business community has stepped up to support music education at Cole Arts & Science Academy, Kepner Middle School, Lake International School, Place Bridge Academy, Rachel B. Noel Middle School and Skinner Middle School. Now we ask the community to do the same. Please visit flobots.giveo.com to get to know our schools and sponsors — and to give.
The first thirty donors will be entered to win two tickets to Bruno Mars at the 1st Bank Center, Broomfield, on May 29, courtesy of our friends at AEG Live.
This campaign was developed by Flobots.org in partnership with Giveo, a Boulder-based company that pairs non-profit organizations with new technologies that raise awareness, as well as money, for community programs. Flobots.org is honored to be among Giveo’s growing roster clients, which includes The Denver Foundation, The Denver Botanic Gardens, the Brooklyn Community Foundation, The Denver Post Season to Share and Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools, an initiative to support healthy eating in schools, led by First Lady Michelle Obama.
All funds support Flobots.org’s Art to Action Program, which pairs professional adult artist mentors with more than 200 youth in classrooms and community centers across Denver. Flobots.org’s after-school programs were developed in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Education and Children as well as a network of community organizations, including Mi Casa Resource Center and Catholic Charities.
For more information, contact Jami Duffy, Executive Director of Resources and Development, at jami@flobots.org, 303-717-1027.
During their recent visit to Colorado, East Bay hip-hop legends Zion I & the Grouch visited Devereaux Cleo Wallace, a residential treatment center in Westminster, CO where Flobots.org operates weekly music classes through the Youth on Record program. Nearly 100 youth got to experience a private performance as well as a Q&A session in which these revered rappers talked about how music changed their lives and the importance of staying positive while keeping it real. Inspiring stuff! Thanks to these conscious hip-hop heroes for making the time to reach out to youth. It meant so much!
Donate today and help us put mentor-artists in the classrooms with kids who need them most!
- powered by Giveo
FLOBOTS.ORG, THE UMS AND DENVER POST COMMUNITY TEAM UP For METRO YOUTH
Flobots.org is thrilled to be named as a charitable partner for the 2011 Denver Post Underground Music Showcase, a four-day celebration of local music coming up July 21-24. Now in its eleventh year, the UMS will feature more than 300 bands on 25 stages, showcasing the variety of Denver talent.
Flobots.org and the UMS are a perfect fit: Flobots.org was founded in 2007 by the Denver band Flobots, which played the headlining slot at last year’s festival. Our mission is to build a generation of changemakers by harnessing the power of music and those who love it. In classrooms, community centers and residential treatment centers across Metro Denver, we use music as a tool to engage, educate and inspire hundreds of middle, high-school and university students. We work with a network of more than 25 of Denver’s most celebrated artists, from emcees and dancers to spoken-word artists, songwriters and jazz musicians.
Having grown in a grassroots fashion over the past decade, the UMS is a vibrant and vital music event that nurtures community by connecting local audiences to great local talent. The festival reflects Denver’s unique character as a city that celebrates and supports local artists. In addition to a mind-boggling array of live performances, the UMS also features educational and cultural resources for musicians and music fans, from panel discussions to film screenings. All proceeds from the UMS benefit Denver Post Community Foundation, which works to improve and enrich the quality of life in our community by supporting metro-Denver nonprofits that offer programs in the following areas: arts, youth, education and human services.
Flobots.org is proud to be the recipient of a $5,000 grant from Denver Post Community Foundation as part of the UMS charitable partner program. This generous grant will be matched by The Hunt Alternatives Fund of Cambridge, MA for a total of $7,500. These funds will be used to provide high-quality music-based programming to young people through the Flobots.org Art to Action program, which pairs youth with adult artist mentors in public schools. Flobots.org Art to Action programming was developed in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Education and Children as well as a network of community organizations, including Mi Casa Resource Center and Catholic Charities.
For more information on Flobots.org’s work with youth, please visit www.flobots.org, or contact Laura Bond, Executive Director of Programs, at laura@flobots.org, 303-596-7624.For more information on the UMS visit www.theums.com. To learn more about Denver Post Community Foundation and other Denver Post Community programs and events, visit www.denverpostcommunity.com.
THIS SATURDAY!
Flobots, Rise Against and Other Celebs
Take Bowling to a New Level for Charity
The Second Annual Verizon Wireless Bring it On Bowling Ball is Saturday, October 23 2010
Have you ever seen a rock star bowl a strike while wearing a Snuggie?
You will when you join Flobots.org at the Second Annual Verizon Wireless Bowling Ball coming up Saturday, October 23 at Lucky Strike Lanes in Belmar. Snuggies, oven mitts, blindfolds and zombies are just a few of the surprises we have in store for our celebrity bowlers and friends, including Rise Against, Matt Morris, the Colorado Mammoth, KTCL, Tickle Me Pink and more. Teams will battle for bragging rights while raising money for Flobots.org’s youth programs.
Last year’s sold-out Bowling Ball was a no-holds barred celebrity bowl off that paired Flobots against The Fray, Flogging Molly, Denver Nuggets and more. This year we’ve cranked things up a notch with a new round of contenders and more ways to get in on the action. Guests can compete in celebrity Rock Band and Twister competitions and cheer on their favorite teams in the final round.
Verizon Wireless Bowling Ball Highlights:
Teams of community members and local businesses compete to bowl against celebs.
Performances by the Mirai Daiko Taiko Drummers and nine-and-a-half year old guitar phenom Jaden Carlson, with Andy Rok of Flobots.
Emcee freestyle competition led by Brer Rabbit of Flobots and Anxious.
Rock Band and Twister tournament competitions! Play against Rise Against and Flobots!
100% of proceeds benefit programs of Flobots.org.
True, this is no ordinary fundraiser: Flobots have never done things in the usual way. When the Denver band made it big in 2008 – selling millions of downloads of the song “Handlebars” and appearing on every late-night show from Leno to Conan – they used their fame to inspire thousands of fans to get involved with positive social change. Home in Denver, they got to work with Flobots.org, which harnesses the power of the arts to build young leaders. Flobots.org has been recognized with the Mayor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, the Circles of Change Award from Seeking Common Ground and the Cesar Chavez Leadership Award.
Just like Flobots themselves, this Flobots.org fundraiser is unique, creative and fun for the whole community.
Visit www.flobots.org/bowlingball for more information, to buy tickets and register a team.
The “Bring it on Bowling Ball” is our annual fundraiser event. Get tickets and highlights from last year…
Flobots,.org board members, James Laurie and Stephen Brackett recently spoke at TEDx DU about “holistic media” and invite people to “live the lyrics”. Watch them discuss how media is catching our attention, and the Flobots unique new approach to communicating with their fanbase and calling them to action!
In summer of 2009 a story about our new Community Space ran in the Denver Post, talking to our Executive Director Laura Bond, and board members Jamie Laurie and Stephen Brackett– here’s a scan of the article:
