Seriously, I don’t even know why I’m bothering to write about this. If you haven’t heard about this, you have been stone dead sleeping, my friend, and you probably deserve to miss this show.

But hell, I’ve already started writing this, so let’s go: KUCR is geeked to announce Mistah FAB and Zion I in concert at the Barn, free, this Wednesday 20th Feb at 6:00 PM as part of ASPB’s Homecoming lineup. This is for students only – so bring your ID card.

First, Mistah FAB, one of the young guns in the Hyphy Movement – which, by the way, is here to stay. He’s probably best known by non-Baydestrians as the rapper who was infamously banned from MTV for his controversial “Ghost Ride The Whip” video:

Mistah Fab – Ghost Ride the Whip (wait a bit, it gets awesome)

Then, we’ve got Zion I, who are absolute underground rap legends, known and respected for their social commentary and conscious lyrics – and a bit of infamy for Zion I member AmpLive’s Radiohead In Rainbows remix album (with Thom’s stamp of approval). Dig the next video:

Zion I – Soo Tall.

This, ladies, and gentlemen, is going to go, hard, on citas. Yadididig?. Strap into that cheeseburger*, get down to the Barn, get hella hyphy but keep all other flamboastulatin to a minimum, last thing we need’s the po-pos encroachulatin on the scene, ya play what I’m sprayin?

Speaking of the Barn, it’s only so big. Thus, let me echo a warning issued by ASPB themselves: only about 400 people can fit into the barn. Thus, a lot of people are going to be turned away. If you don’t want to be left out shivering into the cold and pressing your ear up to the outside walls to capture some small fraction of the hyphiness – show up early. Details follow:

The Show:
Location – at the UC Riverside Barn
Date – Wednesday, 20th February
Time – Act at 6:30, but doors open at 5:30. Get there early, or get locked out. Really.
Price – Free, but admittance is offered to students only (due to aforementioned capacity issues).

* Bay-challenged readers interested in deciphering hyphy terminology may be interested in E-40’s Dictionary Book of Slang, Vol. 1.

Ryan, I’ll see your U. Srinivas and raise you one Dokaka. Wait, what:

Apparently this Dokaka dude was involved with Bjork’s Medulla album. Which is bully for him, but seriously I got two minutes into that record and got very very frustrated and angry. That’s mainly because there was too much weird and not enough good.

Enough about me, more about ???, or Dokaka, which translates from the original Japanese as, well, I think it’s just onomatopoeic, so probably “Boom-bam-bam” or something. This next video is the cornerstone of my “I am better than Ryan at writing about World Music” argument:

Dokaka – Smells Like Teen Spirit.

I’d say a good 60% of what makes this video awesome isn’t even the music, it’s the reactions of the people walking by. Dokaka pretty much sets up camp in front of some kind of bean shop. A man that could well be the proprietor of said shop comes out several times during the video to passive-aggressively shake his head. That’s so Japanese, dude.

It’s also important to note here that, well, this is a 50 year old Japanese man. If this were the States, see, people would probably recognize the Nirvana cut as at least being familiar. The chances that this poor old dude would even recognize Smells Like Spirit, however, are pretty much nil. So in his mind, there is a stark raving lunatic squealing absolute gibberish into a microphone in front of his place of business. And he does absolutely nothing. This, my friends, is awesome.

Also contributing to the video’s epic factor is the fact that the videographer is clearly a student of the mid-80s MTV school of filming. Rushed pans, zooms, whole nine.

You, of course, can do your own research by looking for more Dokaka on Youtube (I would recommend checking out Part 3 from this series – the zooming spaceship sounds really frighten passersby), but I’ll leave you with one last video, which is also my favorite. This is appropriate because this is my post and not yours:

Dokaka – Dexter’s Favorite Song (from the same scene as above)

This video is not great because of crowd reaction or weird zooming (though that is also good here): the song itself is really cute. The melody line he picks up at 2:14 is absolutely magical, and if you disagree, you lose.

Ryan, I have a feeling that if Dokaka and U. Srinivas got into a fight, then Dokaka would win. And even if Dokaka got beat up I would step in and beat up U. Srinivas with his own mandolin (because I am strong) and then that would mean Dokaka wins because he is on my side.

I challenge you to come up with a better post.

Attention all true reggae fans – KUCR is proud to announce what is quite possibly the best reggae event to hit Riverside in years – The Expanders feat DJs Red Beef and Juice in concert this Wednesday, 13th February at 6 pm the Barn, for free, in partnership with ASPB and ASP.

I realize that right now any true reggae purist and fan in the area is probably not reading anymore, and is very likely readying their camping supplies to ensure a good spot up front. But for unconverted out there, I’ll break it down.

The Expanders are the most respected reggae group in the Los Angeles scene. As such, when reggae legends come out from the island and need a band to play with for their (sold out) concerts – they ring up The Expanders. Some past collabs: headlining the Sierra Nevada reggae Festival with The Maytones, Michigan and Smiley, Leonard Dillon (The Ethiopians), backing the king of Lovers Rock Alton Ellis, and our good friend Jah Faith:

The Expanders with Jah Faith – Bun A One (Live at the Dub Club) (takes a second to get in, but the track is lovely)

But don’t get it twisted, the Expanders more than hold their own as a self-contained act.

And dear me, I’m forgetting about Redbeef and Juice. These dudes hold down the reggae angle on More Fire Mondays ($10 entry, but highly recommended) at Sevillas and various other spots in the area. Not that Beef or Juice are limited to reggae (try hip-hop, electro, funk, damn near anything I like come to think of it) – but they certainly excel in it. They’ll be digging in the bins and serving up the jawns from 6 PM onwards and keeping the irie vibes flowing before and after The Expanders smash the Barn.

Sistren, Brethren – If you come away from this event anything less than blown away – then you, my friend, you do not like reggae.

Also you have no soul.

I’ll see you on Wednesday at 6:00 PM sharp.

What, you want more? Okay – bonus video:

Michigan Smiley with The Expanders at Dub Club (takes a while to get into it).

Looking to improve your political savvy? Come to a special political forum on Wednesday, Jan. 30 at 7 pm in the University Lecture Hall open to all students and community members interested in learning about and discussing vital issues related to the presidential race.

The forum will be moderated by Louis Vandenberg, general manager of KUCR 88.3 FM and the producer of Los Angeles-based KPFK 90.7 FM’s acclaimed public affairs program, “Background Briefing“. A member of the State Democratic Central Committee, he is also the three-time Democratic nominee for United States Congress, 44th Congressional District.

Student organizer Martha Preciado said she and a committee of students have invited candidates, or their representatives, to attend the forum and debate the important issues of this presidential race, such as war, healthcare, immigration, education, social security, and human rights. There will be a time for questions from the audience.

Armando Navarro, professor of ethnic studies at UC Riverside and the leader of the National Alliance for Human Rights, said the student forum is coming at the right time, in the week just before the Feb. 5th California presidential primary.

“The Inland Empire is going to be pivotal,” Navarro said. “And I contend that our students, and all students, will be pivotal in this race. I’ve never seen it like this. There’s a sense of urgency across the board. I am proud of these students who are taking such an active role in this political race.”

View the full press release for the event here.

The Specifics:
Date: Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: UCR Campus, University Lecutre Hall (UNLH) 1000
Price: This is a free event!