New Photos From OFFICIAL CHHSF Photographer & Fun Coverage From the Event

So, the 2009 Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest is now history, taking place on Saturday, July 25 in Marvin Gaye Park in Washington DC...can we say SUCCESS!? The second annual event boasted high attendance, two stages, freebies and vendors galore on one of the hottest days of the summer despite construction debris and untidy renovation taking place in the park.

Here are what some folks are saying in the press*...

"There was a fair amount going on here – good rotation of musicians on the main stage, vendors hawking their wares, a fashion show, indoor performance space, delicious crabcakes, sunshine, cool breezes, and at one point, people randomly walking around and giving out Blue Bunny frozen yogurt bars (side note: try this stuff, particularly white chocolate raspberry). Pretty fantastic. Tough to beat free fro-yo, greasy carnival food, and live hiphop on a warm July afternoon." -Chris Svetlik, BrightYoungThings.com

"...a great festival last Saturday called Capitol Hip Hop Soul Festival at Marvin Gaye park in Northeast and had a blast, lots of local hip hop and soul artists who really poured their hearts out with their music.” -photographer Néstor Sánchez Cordero, quoted on blog Prince of Petworth

"Many view this festival as a testament to dedication in establishing a strong hip-hop scene."- Ra-Jah Kelly, The Washington Informer

We would like publicly thank the following members of Liberated Muse.com who had a role in the success of the event:

Turtel Onli, GeminiVisions, Sankofa Doll Artistry, Shan'ta Monroe, Choke, Vernessa Blackwell, Mary Gaskins, MYST Studios, all of the performing artists featured, Kevin Sabio, Mary-Frances of Capital Community News, Ron Johnson, and anyone else we may not have mentioned who spread the word, attended, vended, sent well-wishes or referred someone our way who was able to help out. The Liberated Muse network has demonstrated its community and committment to promoting the arts and we are so happy to be in community with you!

Visit our site www.LiberatedMuse.com or our Facebook fan page at http://www.new.facebook.com/inbox/?ref=mb#/pages/Liberated-Muse/21953095543 to view new photos from the event. There are over 500 photos from this great day!!!! If you are on Facebook, make sure you tag yourself in the photos of yourself you see!


*we didn't post the link to the Washington Informer because there was inaccurate information regarding the number of folks who attended and an incomplete listing of who performed and other inaccuracies."


All photos above by Shan'ta Monroe of Eyewurks

The 2009 Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest Was Great

The 2009 Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest has come and gone and was a whirlwind of activity from this end as a producer of the event. Were you there? What were some of your highlights? (Photos below taken by Liberated Muse member Hadassah Ayodele who is in the photo above)

(Folks dancing to the music of E the R & B Rockstar who was performing on the Main Stage)

(Head-Roc of the band GODISHEUS who also was the host for the greater part of the day)

(Vendors and Liberated Muse members Sherry and Sharon Burton who were selling hand-crafted artwork)(Love the Poet who was host during part of the day on the mainstage)

(Ras Enoch and his crew working the stage in the blazing heat)

Are You Ready?

The forecast predicts it will be a HOT one! Bring your lawn chairs, water bottles (water will be sold, too) and your friends & family! A great time to be had. FREE

The Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest Is COMING this WEEKEND

(In photo: MC Cool Cee Brown at the Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest in 2008)

Hope you can make it out on Saturday, July 25 @ 11am to enjoy the Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest. Last year's fest was the inaugural event and we are pleased to offer the second annual festival. The talent is so top notch, we feel honored to have the folks on board that are performing. Check out this hot line-up:

Bomani Armah

The 5th L

Labtekwon

Enoch the 7th Prophet

Teisha Marie

Substantial

Chaquis Maliq

E the R & B Rockstar

GODISHEUS ft/ Head-Roc

noon: 30

Gods'illa

Kenny Wesley

Marcel & the Truth

Mahoganee

Anonamas

Lucky Dub

CrY

The are performing for you all for FREE! That's right, FREE. Of course, we expect that you bring bucks out to purchase music from the acts that move you to spend.

Food vendors and vendors selling a variety of neat items will be on the premises as well. An interactive kids tent will be on site as well, with arts activities, facepainting and other cool things to do.

Check out this segment on FOX 5 with Gwen Tolbart

as we talk about the Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest

The Saartjie Project on FOX 5

This morning, the Saartjie Project was featured on FOX 5 with Holly Morris. The Saartjie Project just finished three shows as part of the Capital Fringe Fest. Seven members of the Saartjie Project are members of the Liberated Muse network-- Farah Lawal, Binahkaye Joy, Nia McClean, Clarissa McKithen, Jade Andwele, Jessica Solomon, and Khadijah Ali-Coleman, co-founder of Liberated Muse Productions. Check out the vid above to catch the segment.

M3: MCs, Mics and Metaphors

M3: MCs, Mics and Metaphors

Curated by Tewodross Melchishua

July 23 - August 29

Opening reception: Thursday, July 23, 6 - 8 p.m.

Live performances & Artist Talk: Saturday, August 8,

5 - 8 p.m.

M3: MCs, Mics & Metaphors (M3) explores the creative power of the lyricism and poetry of hip-hop music through visual imagery. The exhibition gathers a group of emerging artists from around the country, each responding to the theme of the MC (Emcee, or Master of Ceremonies) or simply a favorite hip-hop verse or song. These visual artists are working in a variety of media, including photography, mixed media, painting, fashion, design, installation, video and animation.

Flashpoint & Press Contact:
Emma Fisher 202.315.1312

emma@culturaldc.org

http://www.flashpointdc.org/venues/art_gallery.html

Don't forget, the Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest is coming... LESS THAN TWO WEEKS AWAY!

Bring your lawn chairs, groove and the whole family! www.CapitalHipHopSoulFest.com

Osho on Creativity

"Meaning has to be created in life, meaning is not given already. You are given freedom, you are given creativity, you are given life. All that is needed to create meaning is given, all the essential ingredients of meaning are given, but meaning is not given.
Meaning has to be created by you. You have to become a creator in your own right. And when you become a creator in your own right, you participate with god, you become part of god."

OshoBook of Wisdom, vol 2 #1

This past week was Liberated Muse's First Tuesday's at Jojo's in Washington DC. A small group of folks from the Liberated Muse family came out to feast on dirt cheap eats and get their drink on. I had a nice time, as I rarely get a chance to make it, since around this time, my daughter is usually being picked up from school. Maceo usually runs First Tuesdays. But, he was unable to make it this month. I had a pleasent time. During a point in fellowshipping, one of the ladies present brought up how she wished she was creative like the artist Sharon Burton who designed the cover of the book Liberated Muse Volume I: How I Freed My Soul. I (of course) had laid the books out to sell, and she had picked up a copy, admiring how beautiful the cover's artwork was. This woman, very beautiful and creatively adorned and put together visually, exclaimed, "Oh, how I wish I was creative!"

Those of us at the table immediately responded in turn. It was photographer Camille Mosely-Pasely who was at the table who made it clear when she said, "Everyone is creative. You just have to find what it is you create and do it."

As I read Osho's book on creativity, this conversation at First Tuesdays comes to mind as an example of Osho's wise words on what creativity is:

"Be creative. Don't be worried about what you are doing -- one has to do many things -- but do everything creatively, with devotion. Then your work becomes worship. Then whatsoever you do is a prayer. And whatsoever you do is an offering at the altar. Drop this belief that you are uncreative. I know how this belief is created: you may not have been a gold medalist in the university; you may not have been top in your class; your painting may not have won appreciation; when you play on your flute, neighbors report to the police. Maybe -- but just because of these things, don't get the wrong belief that you are uncreative."

Have a wonderful and CREATIVE Monday and rest of the week...

-Moon

www.LiberatedMuse.com

The Capital Fringe Fest & Hip Hop Theater Festival Begin this Week!

"We are here to show you that DC is more than a municipality filled with institutions that import artists to exhibit or bring down last year’s broadway hit. We are here to show you that we are a city filled with innovators."

The quote above can be found on the Capital Fringe Fest's welcome page as you are greeted with the notion that this year's fest is going to innovative, filled with talent from the nation's capital, and, always, filled with productions that are by no means mainstream. Hence, the term "fringe". The Capital Fringe Festival is about performance art that is eclectic, artistic and accessible. You can find out more by visitin the website http://www.capfringe.org/.

Some of the acts in this year's Fringe Fest we hope you check out are below:

Deconstructing the Myth of the Booty

Of course Liberated Muse is biased towards the Saartjie Project. Five of the members of the Saartjie Project are members of the Liberated Muse online network @ http://www.liberatedmuse.com/, including Liberated Muse co-founder, Khadijah Ali-Coleman. But aside from the bias, the Washington Post has also identified the Saartjie Project's "Deconstructing the Myth of the Booty" as a must-see show out of the 100+ performances showcased in this year's festival. Click HERE to get details about the Saartjie Project show. Click HERE to read the Washington Post article.

Headscarf & the Angry Bitch

Zed Headscarf performs a tongue-in-cheek romp through faith and growing up Muslim in America. Featuring hits like 'The Only Thing I'll Do Five Times a Day is You' and 'I Lost My Virginity During Ramadan.' With the US' growing international wars with people in other nations who are often of the Islam faith, this performance is guaranteed to be a boundary-stretching adventure as we confront our ethnocentric views and prejudices often perpetuated through the media. Get ticket info HERE.

So Do You Love Me Yet?

Liberated Muse member, Farah Lawal, who is also featured in our book Liberated Muse Volume I: How I Freed My Soul examines relationships and love in her one-woman show "So Do You Love Me Yet?" This 70-minute show weaves storytelling and spoken word into an enthralling show by Lawal who has appeared in a multitude of stage shows, most recently the play "Native Son". "Farah Lawal brings unexpected tenderness and devotion to Bigger's lover, Clara," said one Washington Post review of her performance in Native Son. Read the review HERE.

Watch Farah in the video below and visit HERE to purchase tickets to her show:

Hip-Hop Theater Festival

Founded in 2000, The Hip-Hop Theater Festival continues to invigorate the fields of theater and Hip-Hop by: nurturing the creation of innovative work within the Hip-Hop aesthetic; presenting and touring American and international artists whose work addresses the issues relevant to the Hip-Hop generation; and serving young, urban communities through outreach and education that celebrates contemporary language and culture.

In each of its Festival cities, New York City, Washington D.C., Chicago and San Francisco, The Hip-Hop Theater Festival presents live events created by artists who stretch, invent and combine a variety of theatrical forms, including theater, dance, spoken word and live music sampling. Through open submissions and aggressive curating both nationally and internationally, the Hip-Hop Theater Festival is fully dedicated to finding, developing and introducing to the public new artistic creations from a diversity of cultures and points of view.

The DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities and Hip-Hop Theater Festival is proud to present all events free of charge this year as the festival hits Washington DC. Online reservations are required, however, for many of the events are already filled to capacity already. Last night's Howard Zinn show at the Kennedy Center was filled to capacity in a very short time, leaving many guests who arrived later to search for something else to do for the night because they couldn't get in.

Here are some FAMILY-FRIENDLY choices we want to check-out this week:

THURSDAY, JULY 9
7 PM :: Zomo the Rabbit: A Hip-Hop Creation MythWritten and Directed by Psalmayene 24Originally Commissioned by Imagination StagePremiere performance January 24, 2009

Zomo the Rabbit in search of wisdom

Set in our Nation's Capital, Zomo is a contemporary, high-energy take on an African tale. Zomo the Rabbit calls the Sky God (on his cell phone) requesting the ultimate prize of wisdom. The Sky God gives him three tasks and Zomo succeeds in trickster fashion, but it's only by sharing the prize that he invents Hip-Hop, leading all the characters to celebrate their culture together. Enjoyed by Ages 4+. THEARC Theater :: 1901 Mississippi Avenue, SENOTE: For Thursday, July 9 performance, HHTF Shuttle Van running from Southern Avenue, Green Line Stop from 6 PM – 7 PM

SATURDAY, JULY 11
12 PM :: Step Into a World
Open House :: ALL AGES WELCOME

Each year this event welcomes families, community leaders, local artists, and young people out east of the river to enjoy some of the art and music created by the students of the DC Urban Arts Academy. This year, Words Beats & Life is inviting several local organizations, community groups, and programs to come showcase their programs. Throughout the day there will be interactive workshops in arts & crafts, Hip-Hop history, chess, a b-boy/b-girl exhibition, an interactive student art exhibition and performances, all for ages 6 and up. For more information email Ayana Patrick or call 202-667-1192. Benning Park Recreation Center :: 5100 53rd Street, SE (@ Fitch Street

Visit the Website HERE

Liberated Muse 3rd Show Promoting New Book Rocked the House!

So yesterday was, for lack of a better word, a "totally awesome" day!

(In Photo: Margaux Delotte-Bennett)

During this last weekend of the Artomatic, Liberated Muse held almost two-hour long show promoting the book Liberated Muse Volume I: How I Freed My Soul. Contributors from the book-- Margaux Delotte-Bennett, Farah Lawal, Angela "Anonamas" Ballard, and Ananda Leeke--- read pieces while musical performers Quineice Clarkson, Gary Young, and Dee Stone entertained the audience musically. Renowned writer Alan King closed the show reading some original pieces. Sharon Burton, who did the cover art for the book was in the house as were many other members of the Liberated Muse network.

(In photo: Maceo Thomas, Liberated Muse Productions co-founder, selling books and cds)

It was a wonderful night.

View some of our photos from the night on our site http://www.liberatedmuse.com/ or check out our Facebook page HERE.