EV Grieve Features AWKWORD Street Views

On the street, and in the sky

Click above or below to see the rest of the pics. This is the first in a periodic series of photographs that indie emcee and street journalist AWKWORD will be featuring at EV Grieve and Bowery Boogie, New York City's top-two neighborhood blogs.

@AWKWORDrap Named @Schmap "Editor's Pick" for #MarsBar Commentary (ft. HD #HipHop #Music Video)

To read (and DIGG!) the original post, with personal commentary, HD music video and photos, click HERE.

To share the link, send this: http://bit.ly/RIP_MarsBar.

Special thanks to the editor(s) at Schmap.com.

The Gog Log: Is there life after Mars? (ft. East Village Emcee AWKWORD)

[Behind-The-Scenes: AWKWORD - "The People's Champ" (HD Music Video)]


[Behind-The-Scenes: AWKWORD - "The People's Champ" (HD Music Video)]

R.I.P. Mars Bar. (And that scenester hive Max Fish, too.) They're saying this is the end of the East Village. (At least the end of an era.) For me, it's not the end of the world — that is, if they really are building AFFORDABLE housing. But it is sad, and it is scary. It signifies the whitewashing of our neighborhood — and that aint Hip Hop. There's a reason I shot my video for "The People's Champ" outside the Mars Bar. Once it's gone, it's doubtful I'd do much of anything on the corner of 1st & 2nd.

**READ A PERSONAL — AND INFORMATIVE — ESSAY ON THE INEVITABLE CLOSING AT THE GOG LOG**

(It features my take on the subject, as well as the youtube video for my workingman's anthem "The People's Champ", shot at the Mars Bar and featuring local street artists!)





Written by AWKWORD.

XXL Featured Banger: AWKWORD - "The People's Champ" [Video]

Monday Nov 1 7:15 AM CDT posted by xxl staff -- AWK goes for the title!



To watch the video via XXL, click the image above. Or, just watch it here:

A Night in The Life of @AWKWORDrap & Friends: From @DD172 to @BlindBarberNYC

Last Thursday, October 21, 2010, we trekked uptown to the New York City showing of "11-4-08", a participatory documentary providing a unique look at Obama's election, sponsored by Dame Dash, the Roc-a-fella co-founder infamous for pouring champagne over the (shrunken) heads of models.

After the screening and the Q&A with the film's "director" (read: editor), we trooped to Dash's new gallery/recording space DD172. The storefront was filled with hipsters and Hip Hop heads, sipping wine and kicking around red-white-and-blue balloons amidst the art installations (which, mostly, are pretty dope).


[Maggie Wall x Jamelah]

Fortunately for us, at some point during the night, thanks to our cool friends in cool places, we got a little private tour of the (now-defunct(?)) basement performance area known as Under 100.





And then, shortly thereafter, the previously conspicuously absent big dog Dash made his "appearance", standing atop a set of sectioned-off stairs for about a minute, looking disapprovingly down at us peons...



That was our cue to bounce, so we hailed a cab for the East Village. We got out at Astor, met up with the homie (Hip Hop producer) ATG, walked down Stuyvesant, past the Abe Lebewohl Triangle...



And on to the Blind Barber, where we took shots and danced with drunk cougars.

Word to NY.


All Photos Shot with BlackBerry camera.

Ungovernable Resistance Feature: AWKWORD

Recently, 'DIY' website Ungovernable Resistance ran a comprehensive feature on GYMR resident emcee AWKWORD, referring to him as an "American Political Hip Hop artist & peace activist... who campaigns through his music for the rights of under privileged and working class people."

Well put.

The article includes the VLAD TV/Monstar Films video for AWKWORD's "The People's Champ", as well as behind-the-scenes photos from the shoot; a brief Q&A; and download-links for the song and the 26-track mixtape ("WE ARE THE BASTERDS (The 9/11 Edition)") on which the song appears.

The piece also hints at an extensive AWKWORD interview forthcoming, so stay tuned here and here.

VIDEO: AWKWORD - "The People's Champ" (HD) (Monstar Films / VLAD TV)

** UPDATE ** Now watch the video at SPIKE TV!

AWKWORD links up with VLAD TV's Monstar Films team in the East Village (New York City) to shoot the HD video for his revolutionary rap anthem "The People's Champ" (prod. J. Glaze)... And they got even more than expected, with all the creatives and crazies who hang around the legendary Mars Bar!... Cameos from R.H. Bless, Ashy L Bowz, Fanesha Fabre, Whatzisface, ATG, model Maggie Wall and pop artist Jamelah.



To watch the video with scrolling lyrics, click here.

For behind-the-scenes pics from the shoot, brought to you by The Hip Hop Chronicle, click here.

To download "The People's Champ" (mp3) for free, click here.

Click here to download "WE ARE THE BASTERDS (The 9/11 Edition)", the mixtape on which the song appears, also featuring Asher Roth, B.o.B, Rapper Big Pooh, Crooked I, French Montana, Jadakiss, Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, Kanye West, KiD CuDi, Lupe Fiasco, Nipsey Hussle, Sean Price, Wiz Khalifa & more.

Houston x Bowery... Deitch -- Downhill???

[Keith Haring, 1982]


[Os Gemeos, 2009]


[Shepard Fairey, 2010]


[Barry McGee & Josh Lazcano, 2010]

EV Grieve x AWKWORD: Street Views

Recently, our friends at EV Grieve partnered with GYMR resident emcee AWKWORD for an ad-hoc Street View series. Completely INformal, AWKWORD submits when he sees something on the streets, and the good folks at EV Grieve post it if it's worth posting.

Click the screen-grab below to see EV Grieve's feature on the music video VLADTV/Monstar shot for AWKWORD's "The People's Champ" outside the East Village landmark Mars Bar and in the graffitied alley known as Extra Place.



Click any of the links below to see the first few AWKWORD scoops for EV Grieve:

• Mourning Edition (September 24, 2010)
• No sleeping by the Food Emporium (September 22, 2010)
• Spreading the fear of bed bugs to the F train (September 15, 2010)
• Four months in the tumultuous short life of the Shepard Fairey mural (August 26, 2010)

@AWKWORDrap Street View: Still Selling Subway Signs in the City

Congratulations to William Leroy! Click the image for more on how he beat the system.



Billy's Antiques and Props, East Houston Street, a little before 6:00 p.m., September 23, 2010, the day of the owner's acquittal. Shot by AWKWORD with BlackBerry camera.

VIDEO BTS: AWKWORD "The People's Champ" (The Hip Hop Chronicle)

Click the image to view more behind-the-scenes pics of AWKWORD and friends on the streets of New York City at "The People's Champ" video shoot with DJ Vlad's Monstar Films team.