Hip-hop

I learned a few months ago about the passing of an old friend of mine, Gary Kendall, from back in High School that was also a member of my old dance crew, I.S.K. (International Stage Kings)

My old friend Gilbert Mincey contacted me through Myspace with the news. We started our dance crew back in the late 80s when breakin’ had faded and people were freestyle dancing. There were dance crews from most of our neighboring cities and we were already in the club scene going to all ages clubs in Morgan Hill, San Jose and SF. We would freestyle battle individuals and crews and decided to form our own crew ISK out of Monterey, CA. Gary lived in Seaside, CA and was our choreographer and mentor. He helped us be organized and got us booked to open shows, concerts, tours, and car shows. We opened for artists like MC Hammer, Ice T, Kool Moe Dee, Shanice, Todd Terry, Rodney O & Joe Cooley, Sir Mix-a-lot, L’Trimm and others.

Gary was a barber and gave me my first and only jerry curl when I had a flat top haircut with a tail in the back. I think they call them Asian mullets nowadays. We went to Monterey High School and my best friend Manny Quebec was at North Salinas High School. It was interesting having Manny in our crew as their was a big crew at his school, The Boys in Black that we ended up battling at the Sherwood Hall center before a Kool Moe Dee / Ice-T concert.

I have been following “America’s Best Dance Crew” with my wife on TV for the past few months and heard about the JabbaWockeez story about one of the members of their crew that had just passed. I just came to find out from Manny this morning that the member was our old friend Gary Kendall of Seaside, CA. I watched the season finale show on my Tivo and saw the pictures of Gary during the Jabbawockeez recap clip. I have a ton of respect for these guys that dedicated their performances to Gary. This has occupied my mind all day and I just wanted to send out my own shout out to Gary. Rest in Peace Bro!

Here is Gary’s Obituary that I took from a posting online about him:

Gary Ray Kendell passed away December 14, 2007, in Denver, Colorado. He lost his fight to pneumonia and meningitis, but lived a full and expressive life as a dancer, teacher, director, producer, and entertainer. Gary was born November 7, 1970, to Franklin and Kisun Kendell and was raised in Seaside, California. In 1990, he took his dancing from the streets into the studio as a Hip Hop teacher at All The Right Moves in Santa Cruz. Later he went on to teach regularly at Motion Pacific and provided workshops at DanceCenter and DanceSynergy.

Gary taught at dance studios and performed at events throughout the United States and around the world. Most recently, in November 2007, Gary taught Hip Hop dance to hundreds of students in the Republic of Estonia. Over the years he was a member/director of numerous professional dance groups including ISK, Jughead, MindTricks and Jabbawockeez. The past ten years found Gary spending time producing, directing, and traveling with Monster Shop Bumpin’ and BreakShop, dance productions designed for County and State Fairs around the United States. These productions also toured China.

Locally, he founded several dance troupes including the Boom Squad, Boom Boys, City Heat, and the Flava Unit. He participated in dozens of benefit performances and teaching activities in the Santa Cruz community such as various County Parks & Recreation afterschool programs, First Night Santa Cruz, A Gay Evening in May, Moving Mountains benefit for women with Breast Cancer, National Dance Week, AIDS Walk kick-off event, Free Mumia rallies at UCSC, Kwanzaa celebrations, and the Monte Foundation Fireworks show. In 2001, Gary was a recipient of the esteemed Calabash Award Honoring Excellence in the Ethnic Arts, from the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz, due to his vast contributions to the community.

For almost 2 decades Gary served as an ambassador of Hip Hop Culture to the Santa Cruz area. Many boys, girls, men, and women from varied walks of life have been escorted down the path of rhythm with Gary as their interpreter. His warmth, his fun, and his care-free, energetic expression engendered his students with self love and a sense of community. He succeeded in opening the hearts & minds of thousands of students to the beat of Hip Hop music.

Gary leaves behind his mother, Kisun Kendell of Yuma, Arizona, his brothers Ronnie Kendell and David Kendell, and hundreds of friends and students who love him like a brother.

“To the lives you touched, to the rhythms you followed, to the footsteps you left behind, and to the talent that will never be forgotten. Here’s to a beautiful life lived. We love you Gee. We will miss you. Dance for us in Heaven.”

Spotlight on Gary on the MonstersofHipHop.com

Jabbawockeez Official Site

Jabbawockeez on Myspace

One,

Theory

Below are some recent words from Talib Kweli on Barack Obama and Politics in General:

“It is the last year of the Bush administration and thank God. I usually rail against being described as simply “political rapper”, and I haven’t voted since Bill Clinton first ran for President. I was following the tradition that Black Americans have had of voting for democrats since we got the right in 1964 (temporarily). Then, Clinton, as president’s go, seemed better than Bush Sr., but I did not like his policies in Sudan or the constant bombing of Iraq. I also did not like the way our government dragged us thru the Lewinsky scandal. I felt betrayed by the system, and I stopped voting, no longer accepting of the lesser of two evils. I knew the two party system was designed to fail us. I knew that politicians must lie for a living, because it would be impossible to make good on their promises. I knew about the lobbyists and the PAC. I did not make it my issue, but if someone asked me, I would explain why I didn’t vote. Most of the time people talked to me like I lost my mind, but every once and awhile someone understood. I knew that our ancestors fought and died for the right to vote, but I didn’t feel like voting for the lesser of two evils in a broken system was the proper way to honor them. It was pageantry, and I wasn’t with it. I wasn’t with Vote or Die, because I knew that voting itself, with no real knowledge of who is paying these candidates to run million dollar a day campaigns, is far from a revolutionary act. I haven’t even started to talk about the electoral college that they taught us about in grade school. In this republic, delegates votes are counted, and states with more land have more votes. You can technically have more votes, but lose the election. When the verdict is in question, the Supreme Court decides, as they did when Al Gore clearly won the election but lost due to bipartisan bullshit. The bankers of the world pay our politicians, and often tailor laws and regulations to line their own pockets. I have often stated that I cannot participate in a system that not only is designed to see me fail, but corrupts itself as well.

This was all before Barack Obama threw his hat in the ring. I, like many, appreciated his effort from the sidelines, watching him do the dance on the news. I found myself relating to him and enjoying hearing him speak, but I still remained distrustful of politicians in general. I felt like I could serve my community in many ways on a grassroots level that proceeded politics. I started to see the Obama campaign doing that grassroots work. I hear him speaking about poor people, the environment, things that I haven’t heard from politicians who have electability. My criticism of the political system is that it siphons out rational thought because who have to be all things to all people. You can’t stand for anything doing that. I remember when Obama spoke out against the war, early. I think the time he spent as a civil rights attorney on Chicago’s south side gives him a unique perspective. I often hear about his lack of experience, but his experience is one that I most closely identify with. I’m not saying I could be president, but I am saying that our government could use a new energy. In order for a revolution to happen, you need revolutionary writers, soldiers, teachers, poets, musicians, garbage men, cab drivers, politicians, across the board. Everyone will not always agree, but the things we agree on, we should strengthen. When I was younger, none of this really mattered. Now I have two beautiful children, and Barack Obama is an incredibly positive influence on them. I want them to know they can be anything they want.

With that said, I still feel the same as I do about the political system, and one man can’t change it. But this man deserves our support nonetheless. I appreciate what he’s doing, and there comes a time in history when change is necessary for all of us to prosper. I can’t be critical of a society that is scared of change, but be stubborn in my ways for the sake of it. I support Barack Obama and encourage others to take a real look at his campaign so they can come to their own conclusions. I am not delusional about what the office of the president represents, but my support for him is just that, support for someone speaking my language amidst an ocean of doubletalk. Thank you for you time.”

-Talib Kweli, MCEO, Blacksmith

Lauren Nicole London was born in Los Angeles, CA (Dec. 5, 1984) and is an actress, spokesmodel for Sean John for women (with Cassie) and a singer.

She has contributed vocals on a few Pharell tracks and has appeared on music videos “That Girl”, “Frontin” and “Drop it like it’s hot”. She has also appeared in the HBO series Entourage twice as Rufus’ daughter Kelly that goes on a date with Turtle.

Nickname: L-Boogie

Ethnicity: Bi-racial

Sign: Sagittarius

Height: 5’ 2”

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