Fashion show produced by students from High School of Art & Design back in 1983 features an awesome segment (4:00) with a young Popmaster Fabel breaking on the Intrepid.

Big ups to Christie, Fabel, Joe Conzo, Grandmaster Caz and everyone else who contributes to these wonderful events. Now, all we need is a translator for the article!

link (via)

A short but live excerpt from Popmaster Fabel’s forthcoming documentary on the history of Up-Rockin’.

Papo Luv shares history about “outlaw” sisters that Rocked!….This is an excerpt from my documentary titled…*ROCK DANCE HISTORY: The Untold Story of Up-Rockin’

previously: Rock Dance History: The Untold Story of Up-Rockin’ / documentary

Beautifully shot collection of video portraits serves as a poignant refashioning of an image corrupted by xenophobic media channels. Doesn’t hurt that Narcy can keep a beat and rhymes over a well constructed, passionate composition. Pay attention and you’ll catch shots of well regarded hip-hop figures of faith including Tragedy Khadafi, Jay Electronica, Popmaster Fabel and more.

Ridzdesign Presents
The Narcicyst featuring Shadia Mansour – “Hamdulillah” (Official Music Video)
Directed and Edited by Ridwan Adhami
Written by Yassin Alsalman and Shadia Mansour
Original Track produced by SandhiLL
Piano by Stefan Christoff
Additional production and arrangement by Doctor Dinar and The Narcicyst

To say ‘Hamdulillah’ is to be grateful for what one has.

The images of the past decades have cast a veil on our identity as a people. We, as international brothers and sisters, are now witness to injustice in real time. We watch our Wars in HD. Injustice is played in real time.

It is time for us to claim our faces back.

This video is a global collaborative effort by 10 photographers- from London to Lebanon, Cairo To Canada, Abu Dhabi to America- to create a portrait of the New Global Citizens. They are DJs, MCs, poets, architects, teachers, doctors, parents and children. Most of all they are people.

Thank you to everyone that was involved. We are blessed to have each other.

via GT

Volume One, Part 1 of 6. Produced & directed by Jorge “PopMaster Fabel” Pabon. Watch all of volume one over @ Fabel’s official youtube.

This documentary reveals some of the untold history of one of NYC’s major urban dance forms, associated with Hip Hop, known as Rockin’ (later referred to as Up-Rockin’). Part of my inspiration for producing, recording, editing and directing this documentary was based on much controversy regarding the history of this dance form. In some cases certain Brooklyn based dancers have totally rejected any possibility of early Rock dance history from the Bronx and Manhattan. Within the past 15 years they have claimed that the dance started in Brooklyn and tried to insist that their style is the “correct” and “original” form. After many debates and valid points falling on def ears I saw the urgency to pick up my camera and seek out some of the Bronx Rock dance legends. I was determined to have their voices heard and their rightful place in Rock dance history established. The subjects in this documentary will challenge the history of Rock dance as most people know it. They will finally set the record straight regarding the true history of this amazing dance form!

Panel discussion went down last night before the KRS-One show at SOBs. From the looks of the picture above, Hip-Hop pioneers everywhere. Can you name all the people in that photo? Peace to Joe Conzo for the pic.

The Universal Federation for the Preservation of Hip Hop Culture put “The Establishment” on notice tonight! WE started this Culture and WE are taking it BACK! The Pioneers came out in full force tonight to show UNITY with The Federation and let the world know that WE are the keeper of this warehouse, WE are The founding Fathers of this Culture, WE are The Gate Keepers of The Hip Hop Culture! We are tired of being used and abuse and discarded to the side like trash! We are putting on notices The BETs, VH1s, Radio Stations, Corporate Giants and whoever keeps raping the Culture that WE are UNITED and coming after you! BIG shout outs go out to The Federation, KRS ONE and The Temple of Hip Hop and ALL The Pioneers that came out tonight.

Peace to all the pioneers and legends up in there.

Connecting the dots, the history of the energy. (pt 2-4 after the jump). Peace to the teacher Popmaster Fabel, who also gave an insightful lecture at the Museum of the City earlier this month.

The notorious Black Spades was once the largest and most feared gang in New York City. Hailing from the Bronx, the Spades had as their warlord, Hip Hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa. They were the precursors to Hip Hop.. We caught up with many of the members including original leader Bam Bam who gave Bambaataa his name. We spoke with Hip Hop legend Popmaster Fabel who is finishing up a documentary on early gang culture called ‘The Apache line’.

We also hear from Karate Charlie who was the President of the Ghetto Brothers which was another large Street Orginazation highlighted in Jeff Chang’s book ‘Cant Stop Wont Stop’..

Went down at the Lecture on Urban Latino Hip-Hop in NYC tonight. Here are a few snapshots of the legendary panel consisting of Joe Conzo, Crazy Legs and Popmaster Fabel. And these are just the people on stage! Audience members included Afrika Bambaataa, Grand Wizard Theodore, G-Bo The Pro, Tony Tone, Ernie Paniccioli and more. Great night.

Be sure to come out. The night will include a special DJ set by Popmaster Fabel.

Museum of the City of New York
1220 Fifth Ave. at East 103rd St.
New York, NY 10029
http://www.mcny.org

Tuesday, February 2, 2010
6:00pm – 9:00pm

Museum of the City of New York
1220 Fifth Avenue at East 103rd St.
New York, NY

Join three pioneers of the Latino Hip Hop movement for a discussion about the roots and challenges of urban Latino Hip Hop.

From Jazz to Salsa to Hip Hop, Latinos have played a key role in shaping and developing the musical sounds of New York City. Join three pioneers of the Latino Hip Hop movement—Joe Conzo, photographer and author of Born in the Bronx: A Visual Record of the Early Days of Hip Hop (Universe, 2007); Jorge “Popmaster Fabel” Pabon RSC; and DJ Disco Wiz, author of It’s Just Begun: The Epic Journey of DJ Disco Wiz, Hip Hop’s First Latino DJ (Miss Rosen Editions, 2009)—for a discussion about the roots and challenges of urban Latino Hip Hop and a slide presentation of Joe Conzo’s work chronicling the early days of Hip Hop in New York City.

Last installment of the Crotona Park Jams for 2009. Brought to you by the good people at Tools of War.

NYTimes interviews PopMaster Fabel to discuss what it’s like being a Muslim and being so heavily involved with Hip-Hop, especially breakin’ which is deemed sinful by conservatives. He is pictured above with his wife Christie Z-Pabon who is an unsung hero of this culture. Her Tools of War newsletter is the premier aggregator for Hip-Hop cultural events.

Read: In Harlem, Reaching Out to Muslims Through Hip-Hop

As a teenager he emerged on the scene as PopMaster Fabel. But today he prefers to be called Shukriy, “the thankful one” — the name he took 20 years ago when he converted to Islam.

Now he is part of an “Islam and Hip-Hop” movement in the United States that is reaching out to Muslim young people via the hip-hop beat.

At a recent “Islam and Hip-Hop” concert in Harlem, young men in wide trousers and women in head scarves made waves in the air, trying to simulate Shukriy’s robotic movements. They did not touch each other unless they were a married couple.

Shukriy, 43, has come under fire from conservative Muslims who accuse him of sinning by dancing on stage with women or acting as D.J. for a mixed audience. Some argue that even listening to music is a taboo in Islam.

via Harry Allen

Trailer from 2004 for the forthcoming documentary. Looking forward to this. Have a feeling it will be in the same vein as the excellent and mandatory “From Mambo To Hip-Hop”. Peace to Popmaster Fabel, Johnny “Zip” Rodriguez & Christie Z-Pabon.

“We are the Samurais, the mighty mighty Samurais.”

Hip Hop dance pioneer Popmaster Fabel and a member of the East Harlem street organization the Savage Samuri, pointed out the irony of how Hip Hop provided a cultural imperative through traditional dance, music and artistic traditions helped move people away from the destructive aspects of gang life. Today through corporate co-option of the culture which manifests itself in the continuous highlighting of death instead of life, so much of commercial Hip Hop has now become a draw for youngsters to get involved with gangs.

Fabel who is putting the finishing touches of his ground breaking film ‘Apache Line From Gangs to Hip Hop’ took time to explain in great detail why it was important to understand the inner workings of the street organizations that gave birth to Hip Hop. Fabel doesn’t use the word gang because he sees it as a media driven term that was attached to young Black and Latino youths who saw the older leadership in their community came decimated in the 1970s through the FBI’s Cointel-pro program, the Vietnam War, and War on Youth which later morphed into the War on Drugs.

Fabel painstaking details in his film how in the backdrop of that cultural and social devastation young people at that time attempted to find their voice and identity and a sense of family within the early Bronx street organizations.

2008 Crotona Park Jams, Bronx
Thursdays, July 10, 17, 24 & 31, 2008
6pm – 9pm

Crotona Park by Indian Lake
Charlotte St. & Crotona Park East
Bronx NYC 10460

Free! All Ages! Host: GrandMaster Caz. Legends only line up recreates true school park jams from the 70′s and early 80′s. A Hip Hop dream com true! Held in association with The Friends of Crotona Park and Councilmember Joel Rivera.

July 10: DJ Scratch, Jazzy Joyce & PopMaster Fabel
July 17: DJs GrandMaster Caz, Red Alert & Mix Master Ice
July 24: DJs Lord Finesse, Steve Dee, Rockin Rob + Busy Bee
July 31: GrandWizzard Theodore, DJ Cash Money & Jazzy Jay with special guest T La Rock

Breakdown FM Immortal Technique-Sean Bell & Police Terrorism

We caught up with Immortal Technique who gave us an incredible 2 part interview. The first focuses on the recent Sean Bell verdict and New York’s lack of reaction. He breaks things down and talks about how and why the big apple has become a police state.

Immortal makes the connection to what has been happening with out of control police here in NY and the growing facism throughout the rest of the world-in particular Latin America.

Immortal also talked about his new project called the Police Abuse Chronicles. He is currently collecting first hand accounts of police abuse and plans to bring them before the United Nations. He is hoping to hold some sort of Tribunal.

We end the first part of the interview on that note. Part 2 will deal with Brack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Jeremiah WSright and the election

update: Part Two

see also: Davey D catches up with Dead Prez, Rosa Clemente, Hip Hop Pioneer Popmaster Fabel and former Presidential candidate Jared Ball to discuss Sean Bell verdict