A Presidential Debate That Matters

The debate took place Sunday January 13, 2008 at the Herbst Theater/Veterans Memorial Building in San Francisco, Ca.The link below contains video of the debate in a question-by-question break down.

The debate participants were: Ex-Rep. McKinney, Morgan State University Hip-Hop professor Jared Ball, environmental engineer Kent Mesplay, actor/union organizer Jesse Johnson Jr. and Texas political organizer Kat Swift.”Peace Mom” Cindy Sheehan co-moderated the debate with former President of the SF Board of Supervisors Matt Gonzalez. Read the rest of this entry

With your support, Jared Ball participated in the Green Party Presidential debate. Audio and video from the event will be posted shortly, but for now, please enjoy the clip below-and as always comments are welcome.

Hip-Hop and Electoral Politics

Northern California, VoxUnion Media Dec ‘07 -Jan ‘08
While campaigning for the Green Party Presidential nomination Jared Ball and Head-Roc stopped in for an interview with Dave Brooksher of KHSU 99.5 FM Public Radio in Northern California. Hear the discussion of hip-hop, politics, underground press and the need for new forms of organization.

MP3 Download: Part 1 | Part 2

Your Support for Our Candidates is needed!

Dr Jared Ball, Green Party Presidential candidate very accurately states, “Given the societal need and function of mass media and popular culture, all that is popular is fraudulent. Popularity is in almost every case an intentionally constructed fabrication of what it claims to represent.” This analysis can be extended to the realm of politics and describes how the dominant parties perpetuate the myth of democracy while suppressing actual participatory democracy. Thus their debates become a carefully orchestrated fashion show of poll-generated sound bites with this season’s most popular attire being a call for change. Read the rest of this entry

Hip-Hop, Mass Media and 21st Century Colonization
by Jared A. Ball

Given the societal need and function of mass media and popular culture, all that is popular is fraudulent. Popularity is in almost every case an intentionally constructed fabrication of what it claims to represent. Too few who comment on the lamentable condition of today’s popular hip-hop seem to grasp this, the political nature of the nation’s media system, nor the political function that system serves. Hip-hop is often taken out of the existing context of political struggle, repression, or the primacy of a domestic/neo-colonialism in the service of which mass media play a (the?) leading role. Media, often incorrectly defined by their technologies, are the primary conduits of ideology or worldview and must be seen as such. Therefore, their highly consolidated ownership and content management structure Read the rest of this entry