By Saharra White
The African American Music Association (A2MA) at California State University of Northridge ended its 7th annual African American Music Festival Saturday April 1st, 2006. The week long event started on Monday March 27th.
The advisor for A2MA professor Deborakh Broadous stated this year’s theme was “Remembering the Bridge that Brought Us Over.”
The sponsors of the week long event included the African American Music Association, Associated Students, Black Student Union, California Black Family Institute, the Pan-African Studies Department, University Student Union, University Program Council, Supervisor Mike Autonivich, Zev Yaroslasky, Senator Richard Alacorn, and Target.
The festival is a combination of activities. It included workshops for elementary, middle school, high school, and college students. There were also panel discussions, concert series and writer workshops.
The festival featured workshops on a variety of music. Such as African Music, Negro spirituals, jazz, blues, gospel music, and classical music.
High school students from Compton high school and students from CSUN had the opportunity to listen to John Davis conductor, musician, and writer play the saxophone. Davis is the Chair of the Performing Arts Department at Gardena High School. Davis released an album entitled “John Davis Quintet”. Davis is also the founder and director of the Watts Community Band.
Students who attended the festival were able to be critiqued by Barbara Sherrill, Henrietta Davis, Oscar Williams and Rodney Posey of Crystal Rose Records among others. Between the four experts students were able to get some insight on how to improve their crafts.
Middle school students learned about jazz and blues from CSUN professor Kambon Obayani, who is a writer and teacher of English, writing, literature, and music. Students also engaged in workshops with Posey and Williams. A praise dance performance was performed by dancers from Calvary Baptist.
The festival activities included a panel discussion on “Today’s Black Music: The Biz, Sounds, and Images of Hip-Hop and R&B Music” which was moderated by senior Pan-African Studies student Alexandria Barabin.
The panelist included CSUN student Patrice Ferguson, the lead emcee for Fresh Air Khalil Ekulona, Ahmad Rashad, Jr of Ja Ja productions a hip hop band wit a jazz influence, attorney, author, CPA, and professor Shannon Nash and Andre Johnson of Magic Johnson Enterprises.
The first question panelist discussed was the difference between the record deal and the distribution deal. Nash stated that artist should educate themselves on the differences. “Don’t sign anything you don’t understand and don’t be to cheap to hire a lawyer,” Nash said.
Ekulona said artist need to ask themselves why their doing this. “Are you doing it because you love music, or are you doing it for the Bentleys, the money? Ask yourself this question.” Ekulona said.
When artist distribute their work individually they have an opportunity to develop their craft at home before they present to anyone stated Rashad, Jr.
Patrice Ferguson a contributor of “Hip-Hop Think Tank” a student research journal stated when the students worked on the journal they looked at the different issues of “how we love and support hip-hop but also deal with the other.” Ferguson called hip-hop audio porn.
Ferguson stated “you come to a point when you learn so much you start to question some of the things you love.”
The panelists agreed that songwriting is important. “In my opinion songwriting is the most beneficial in the industry,” said Johnson.
Johnson stated that if an artist wants a check year long, they should song write. Rashid Jr. said “it all goes down to the fundamentals.”
Rashid said artists should be able to write their ideas down on paper and pass them on to the next person. Rashid stated artist need to “stay hard on writing on that craft.”
Ekulona was raised in a home that played music. “I came up in the golden age of hip-hop” said Ekulona.
Ekulona stated “back then hip-hop was a very different thing…now hip-hop is pimping, blinging, and balling.
“I try to be well rounded in music,” said Ekulona. Johnson stated some of his favorites are Earth, Wind and Fire, Chaka Khan, Green Day, Blink 182, Hip-Hop, R&B, Musiq Soulchild, Tribe Called Quest, Busta, etc.
“I love John Coltrane, “Johnson said.
Rashid Jr. said “all the music in the world inspires me.” Rashid also stated that “as a young person you love music. Music is the universal language.”
Ekulona told the students to “understand the power of hip-hop and the influences hip-hop can have on your life.” Encouraging students to know it’s not real. “When you hear this stuff and enjoy it but know that it’s not real, it’s not the truth,” stated Ekulona.
Ekulona thinks the message hip-hop is given black males is “….I am a slave.”
“The new form of slavery is up here [in your mind]…jails are being made to lock you up.”
Johnson told the students they have options. “You don’t have to sell drugs, kill people and degrade your people,” said Johnson.
Johnson let the young girls know that they can be more then a video girl. “You don’t have to be a video girl you can be somebody behind the scenes a producer, or songwriter,” said Johnson.
The panelist encouraged the students to be young, and surround themselves with positive people. The 7th annual African American Music Festival ended with a concert and reception at Calvary Baptist Church on Saturday April 1, 2006.
CSUN's Japanese Student Association hosted The Real Japan Culture event on Thursday April 27, 2006 in the Grand Salon. The event featured CSUN's taiko club Jishin Taiko. Participants were able to play a Japaneses shooting game called Quoit.
Leela James takes a photo with audience members at the El Rey Theater in west Los Angeles on Thursday April 20, 2006. (Photo: Saharra White)
