AWKWORD Interview with The Village Voice

Fittingly, on May Day, a day after the release — to critical acclaim and great fanfare — of the video for AWKWORD‘s World View single “Bars & Hooks“, The Village Voice‘s Sound of the City blog drops its interview with the Activist Rapper…

The Village Voice:

N.W.A.’s “Fuck Tha Police” burst into Awkword’s life thanks to his baby-sitter. The Manhattan-based rapper visibly remembers the day when his part-time watchdog turned up with a copy of Dr. Dre and Ice Cube’s anti-establishment rant; hearing the song kick-started his first forays into writing his own raps. True to that song’s sentiment, today Awkward is as much an activist as an artist, channeling the idea of conveying a message and a viewpoint through rhyme and attempting to cause a change in the world around him. His upcoming World View project is the next stage in his mission, with all profits from the project going towards the Guns 4 Cameras (Aim To Live) anti-street-violence organization.

With the Occupy Wall Street movement set to snag more headlines today, we checked in with Awkword to speak about the potential for instigating social change through music, the dynamics of organizing a successful protest, and how his music is equally as inspired by Ill Bill as The Beatles.

Click here to read — and comment on or share — this unique, lengthy interview.

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:

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.

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)

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.

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.

NOTE: The video is dropping tomorrow morning ** UPDATE: The video has debuted here (hip hop), here (East Village, NYC), here (DIY/revolutionary politics) and, of course, here (VLADTV)!