FROM AFROS TO SHELLTOES BLOG » John Legend

Clayton Perry John Legend Talk Politics Poverty Prison

From Afros To Shelltoes — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 02:53:20 +0000

Photo © Shannon McCollum (www.shannonmccollum.com)

Date of Interview: 09/17/2010

In less than a single decade, John Legend has made a mark upon the music industry that will never be erased. As a six-time GRAMMY Award winner, Legend has garnered respect not only for his chart-topping singles and smooth, velvety vocals, but he has also become one of the last mainstream vanguards of contemporary soul music. From Get Lifted, his 2004 debut, to Wake Up, (2010), his innovative collaboration with The Roots, John has blurred the lines of hip-hop, soul and inspirational music with seemingly little effort.

Outside of the world of music, John Legend has become well-known for his philanthropic efforts as well. In 2007, he started the “Show Me Campaign” and partnered with The Gap’s “Project Red” initiative. In the year that followed, he would also become heavily active in President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign, where his performances of “If You’re Out There” and “Yes We Can” at the Democratic National Convention stood out as classic moments in our nation’s socio-political history. More recently, Legend has lent his celebrity and support to Harlem Village Academies, which was created to change the lives of children – and to change the world.

As Columbia Records’ promotional machine revved up for Wake Up, John Legend managed to squeeze some time out of his busy schedule and settle down for an interview with Clayton Perry – reflecting on childhood inspirations, America’s “invisible” population, and members of the Roots collective.

Clayton Perry: Since your album is entitled “Wake Up,” why do you think so many people have fallen asleep?

John Legend: Well, you know, sometimes people just get caught up in their own daily lives, which I can completely understand. Sometimes people are struggling. Sometimes people are trying to raise families. And they are understandably focusing on themselves and their immediate surroundings. And so that is part of it. Then, when I think about what is going on politically, I think a lot of the time, people are turned off and confused when they see what is going on in Washington. They see some of the games that are being played, some of the sniping back and forth, and some of the selfish behavior by some of their politicians. It makes them not want to even deal with [the political process] and look away and eventually become disengaged. And there are many other factors why people may tune out from a broader perspective. But with this particular album and the work that I do, I am arguing that we should care about people outside of our families and outside of our communities. We should care about what is going on in the world. When we see people that are impoverished and people who are dealt an unfair hand, then if we have the power to help them, we should try to do that.

Read the full John Legend interview by CLICKING HERE . For more of Clayton Perry’s interview exclusives visit his digital archive.

For more information on John Legend, visit his official website: http://www.johnlegend.com/

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Shannon McCollum Certifies John Legend Cool

From Afros To Shelltoes — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 04:00:42 +0000

Same Camera Different Eye: Shannon McCollum Certifies John Legend’s Cool

Working w/John Legend for the last 5 yrs has been an honor. John *overstands* the importance of documenting his career. He’s allowed me to tour the world w/him. My most memorable moment w/John was backstage in Paris,France w/Kayne West coming off an awesome show. The two superstars were excited and showed brotherly love. Another awesome moment was capturing Muhammad Ali coming over to embrace John at the All Star game in Phoenix. It was like slow motion. I took about 10 frames til Ali gave John a warm, soft loving hug.–Shannon McCollum

About Shannon McCollum

www.myspace.com/shannonmccollum

Hailed as hip hop’s Gordon Parks, McCollum’s candid portraits have traced the evolutionary genius of funk mavens OutKast, captured the elusive flair of Erykah Badu, revolutionized dead prez, reaffirmed The Last Poet’s necessity, and redeemed the Notorious BIG. His intimate masterpieces have blessed the pages of the coveted publications The New York Times, Rolling Stone, XXL, Boston Globe, Vibe, and Black Enterprise.

Shannon McCollum’s new weekly blog “SAME CAMERA DIFFERENT EYE,” appears exclusively on www.afrostoshelltoes.com/word

Ask Ed & Sugar: Ny Post Monkey Business Get Down Or Lay Down

From Afros To Shelltoes — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 02:17:48 +0000

Dear Ed and Sugar,

I know I’m kinda late, but I saw the cartoon on the NY Post? You know the one with the police shooting a monkey because of the stimulus program? Are they saying Obama is a monkey? What is the point of an article like that?

Clara, Yonkers, NY

Sugar’s Take

Let me first say that we are not magically exempt from racism and hate because a Black man is President. Many times in history both the monkey and black males are made to be simple and animalistic. I know I’m always on some cultural stuff, but the Egyptians (among other ancient cultures) revered animals and studied their behaviors to help in their daily lives. Somehow or another the monkey has been made to be a fool, to the point where it’s common for folks to point and laugh. This has also been done with black people; and it is a bit disgusting. So many people were rushing to see King Kong, and the movie is one of the biggest symbols of white supremacy and marginalization in the history of modern film. To parallel Obama’s intricate policies and a monkey running the streets is less than unacceptable. It seems as if a black person in the U.S. cannot rise to a position of power without some major form of belittlement – whether it’s being the head cook in the high school cafeteria or the undisputed heavyweight champ. Tyler Perry tries to do his thing in Atlanta and they adamantly invade his privacy. Fahamu Pecou paints the stories of our ancestors and he’s not edgy enough. Roger Toussaint tries to get the MTA more rights and the very workers start complaining. Ed Garnes tries to unite the campus so regular folks can have a say in the student council and his own people relegate him to the unspoken margin. I have said and will always say, police are not the enemy, white supremacy is. This cartoon is not the first and will not be the last piece of evidence in proving this statement. Remember that cover of the New Yorker?

Ed’s Take

It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.–James Baldwin

As I always say, because if often bears repeating, a little white supremacy goes a long way. In her infinite wisdom, my grandma would often opine: “A zebra never changes it stripes.” We can never divorce ourselves from history no matter how much things have seemed to change. The cartoon leans heavily to the days of biological determinism (belief that a person genes solely determine behavior) and eugenics, a shady ideology of racial superiority and purity, made famous worldwide by Hitler, and advanced by the twisted intellect of Sir Francis Galton in the 1800s. Even our loving Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson dabbled in this belief/practice of race based supremacy.

This, my good people, is all about power. The New York Post, Fox, and a host of other entities are owned by billionaire Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation. He who owns the media controls public perception and public discourse. So, if a blatant racist and capitalist like Murdoch believes we are apes, it makes sense that his companies would reflect his value system. Beyond the ape metaphor, which is beyond appalling, the cartoon calls for assassination of Obama employing the same fear tactics used in the killing of Emmett Till, Medgar Evers, King, Oscar Grant, etc. I prefer my racism straight up with a twist of lime, and this straight no chaser display by the post is the perfect “u still a nigga” wake up call for us all.

We expect the same America who bought us here in chains to throw us a victory party with Hennessey because Obama is President. If anything, Obama’s win has caused many to dust off age old pathologies about black folk. So, enough rhetoric…here are some solutions:

1) Always trust in a higher power.

2) Tell a friend about the work of From Afros To Shelltoes.

3) Support Independent Media!!! Not just ones owned by folks of color (cuz we know BET has set us back 500 years). Never under estimate the power of alternative media and voices like Farai Chideya and Davey D.

4) Boycott the New York Post. Folks in America only feel ya’ when you hit them in the pocketbook. Email your disdain to the following: Editor of The Post Col Allan@ colallan@nypost.com, The Post Cartoonist, Sean Delonas @ seandelonas@gmail.com (peace to www.concreteloop.com for putting the emails on blast). Mad luv to John Legend for –his open letter to the New York Post– putting his career on the line to speak truth to power.

5) Stand up for injustice everyday. We have to be proactive instead of reactive when it comes to racism. Or as we say round my way: “Get down or lay down.”

6) Support artists like From Afros To Shelltoes, Nikki Giovanni, The Last Poets, Amiri Baraka, Jessica Care Moore, Dead Prez, Killer Mike, Outkast, Little Brother, Fahamu Pecou, Meshell Ndegeocello, John Legend, Shannon McCollum, Carla Aaron Lopez, and others whose work sidesteps the status quo.

7) Serve as a mentor or play cousin to someone in your community. In the words of hip hop theologians Outkast: “You wanna heal the nation..start on your corner.”

Email us a question at askedandsugar@afrostoshelltoes.com

Between catching the uptown train to conduct “we luv the kids” writing workshops to dancing rumba on the lower eastside, Sugar Johnson flaunts his creative freedom in various mediums. The actor, vocalist, and educator have not only shared the stage with prolific artists such as The Last Poets, M-1 of Dead Prez, Jessica Care Moore, and Spike Lee, but he also labors to cultivate the forgotten souls of Rikers Island. Johnson made his film debut in Dave Chappelle’s Block Party. The ASCAP member holds a B.A. in Mathematics from DePauw University and will release the poetry collection Food Clothes and Shelter on his imprint Home Grown Publishing, LLC in 2008.

Award winning writer, educator, counselor, and activist Edward M. Garnes, Jr. is the founder of From Afros to Shelltoes: Art, Action, and Conversation, a nationally acclaimed series of cultural productions confronting the social divide between elders and hip hop heads, and holds a B.A. in English Writing from DePauw University and a M.A. in Counseling from Michigan State University . His seminal essay, ” Sweet Tea Ethics: Black Luv, Healthcare, and Cultural Mistrust,” currently appears in Not In My Family: AIDS in the African American Community, a 2007 NAACP Image Award nominated collection edited by Gil Robertson. (www.afrostoshelltoes.com).

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