Episode 35- Professor Griff (Public Enemy) with Christina Tobin

Christina Tobin, founder and chair of the Free and Equal Elections Foundation interviewed music legend Richard Hall, better known by his alias: Moby. Moby has sold over 20 million albums worldwide throughout his career and truly embodies the concept of using music to empower the people. Moby’s intellect and consciousness have made him a vocal representative of reform throughout many facets of government and society at large. By Christina Tobin on January 28, 2015 in Announcements, Multimedia, News, Podcasts, Press Releases Moby Christina Tobin, founder and chair of the Free and Equal Elections Foundation interviewed music legend Richard Hall, better known by his alias: Moby. Moby has sold over 20 million albums worldwide throughout his career and truly embodies the concept of using music to empower the people. Moby’s intellect and consciousness have made him a vocal representative of reform throughout many facets of government and society at large. During the interview, Moby dives into many important issues affecting modern American society, including GMO labeling, legalization of marijuana, prison reform, transparency in government, corruption in the music industry, equality, money in politics, and voting reform. “The truth is always a good thing, transparency is always a good thing. Suppressing the truth only benefits a corrupt status quo.” - Moby The interview finished up with an invitation by Christina Tobin for Moby to perform at the 2015 United We Stand Festival, tentatively scheduled for September 12th in Colorado. This festival, hosted by Free and Equal, will bring like-minded individuals such as Moby together in support of an educational experience for electoral and social reform; uniting humanity on the common grounds of liberty regardless of political persuasion. Photography by Piero F. Giunti (Visionary Rebel Productions). Video production & editing by Jared Petsche of Open Media Foundation and Reel Politics. Publicity by Antonia Hall Communications.

Christina Tobin interviews Professor Griff of hip-hop legends Public Enemy before Free & Equal’s Open Colorado Gubernatorial Debate on October 8th, 2014, moderated by Griff. In the interview they discuss why musicians/artists with integrity and insight shouldn’t be shunned from speaking truth to power, how the election system is corrupted by things such as the Electoral College, the illusion of choice between major establishment political parties and candidates, and how music and activism go hand in hand with shifting the consciousness of the masses, especially the youth, to create a better world for the entire human family. Professor Griff is the author of several books, including The Psychological Covert War on Hip-Hop, about how hip-hop was once a vessel for speaking truth to power, but was subsequently and deliberately subverted by corporate America. This action brought an end to the intelligence and political prowess of groups like Public Enemy, which helped uplift and empower the minds of blacks as well as all people throughout the world; replacing them with the open display of apathy, reverence of materialism, and corporate product placement as we see with modern commercial rappers and ‘reality’ television. Chuck D of Public Enemy referred to this phenomena as the continuation of the FBI’s Counter Intelligence Program, which covertly created a rift within the Black Panther movement in the 1970′s, targeted civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, and has now culturally targeted the cause of liberation by corrupting the music that helped to politically awaken so many people in the early days of hip-hop’s true form, speaking truth to power.

Christina Tobin, Founder and Chair of the Free and Equal Elections Foundation interviewed Julie Fox on November 2nd, 2014 for the Free and Equal Network. Julie Fox is a Libertarian candidate currently running for Comptroller in the State of Illinois. Julie’s professional history includes experience in the private sector serving as corporate Controller for 16 years and became a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in 1995. In the public sector, she served as Treasurer of the Dundee Township Library Board, member of the Libertarian Party since 1993, Fox Valley Libertarian Party Chairman, state level Treasurer, and two terms as Regional Representative for the Libertarian National Committee. The Chicago’s Daily Herald has covered Julie’s candidate profile in an article dated 10 October, 2014. The main subject of the interview was the influence of mainstream parties on third party candidates. In the ensuing conversation, both Christina and Julie exchanged vivid anecdotes of personal engagements with individuals representing the interests of mainstream parties. It is suggested that each election cycle in Illinois, there is a line by line challenge of signatures or a targeting of specific signature gatherers or notaries. Julie noted that this current election has been particularly aggressive. Armed security guards have confronted petition gatherers and voters in attempt to flex political strength and silence the voice of the people. Voters have been pressured into signing affidavits that attempt to weaken the legitimacy of the Libertarian Party of Illinois. “It shows how desperate they are. So instead of actually doing a better job representing the people, what do you do? Squash the competition. Now, there’s free and equal elections for ya, huh?” – Julie Fox Christina responds with her own history of political intimidation by mainstream parties which included the use of police and political operatives. Julie’s commentary is passionate, honest, and direct. She values the importance of free and equal elections and is a proud advocate of governmental accountability. Because of these values, Christina Tobin has extended Julie Fox her personal political endorsement. This is Christina’s first political endorsement and serves to highlight the importance of Julie’s fight against political corruption in the electoral system, which is representative of the Free and Equal movement across the nation.

Christina Tobin interviews the Colorado-based conscious hip-hop group The Soul Pros outside their concert opening up for hip-hop legend KRS-One. The interview was co-produced by We Are Change Colorado for the Free and Equal Network. The group performed at Free and Equal’s 2014 Open Colorado Gubernatorial Debate moderated by Professor Griff of Public Enemy. This interview was conducted before the debate, so they discuss their performing at the debate and the importance of bridging art and social justice. The Soul Pros support opening our elections so that all candidates have an equal voice in debates, the media, and in the electoral process. They also support political reform being part of a larger equation mixed in with non-political community actions, like how the group helps people to build community gardens, aquaponics, geodesic domes, and use non-GMO seeds, so that the abundance of food can be more plentiful in struggling communities, bringing the people closer together and able to be charitable with their food to those who are truly in need. Watch the entire Colorado Gubernatorial Debate at youtube.com/freeandequal, featuring a performance by The Soul Pros after the debate, and speeches by Dennis Kucinich (via video) and Dr. Jill Stein (2012 Green Party presidential candidate & fan of The Soul Pros) before the debate.

Christina Tobin, Founder and Chair of the Free and Equal Elections Foundation, interviewed the ice cream and social justice pioneers on the Free & Equal Network, one of the foundation’s many initiatives. The three discussed the humble origins of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and the era of social justice Ben & Jerry grew up with in the ‘60s. They talked about some of the reasons the anti-war movement has died down since then, such as the two-party system co-opting the energy of peace movements, and the dire need to continue to grow the principled peace movement that exists right now—a movement no longer fooled by establishment politics. Ben & Jerry stated that they supported Dennis Kucinich for President, and all three contend that he is a truly honest and principled man who gave voters a real choice to end the wars. Ben & Jerry have routinely lobbied Congress to significantly reduce military spending and plan on continuing to do so. Also discussed were Ben & Jerry’s plans to support the GMO labeling initiative in Oregon this fall and their victories in states like Connecticut and Vermont. In response to questions regarding Unilever, Ben & Jerry’s parent company, has stated that their successful activism for no-strings-attached GMO labeling laws cancels out Unilever’s backing of anti-labeling efforts. Tobin agreed and encouraged people to look for the good in their noteworthy actions for social justice and to judge Ben & Jerry as individuals. Next, the three discussed how the Democratic Party serves the war machine by directing the energy of the peace movement into a dead end direction by supporting the current two-party system. Since election reform is an issue that Ben & Jerry have been fairly quiet about, Tobin felt compelled to ask them about their views on election reform, the two-party system, the Commission on Presidential Debates and more. Here’s what they had to say on voting and elections: "The idea that the Commission on Presidential Debates only allows Democrats and Republicans is a disservice to the country, and it's just another example of how the Republicans and the Democrats are running the show." - Ben Cohen "People are getting less excited about voting, whether their vote matters, if the candidates running are going to represent me. It's astounding that we can only get 50% of eligible voters out to vote, it's a statement on how people do not think the system is working." - Jerry Greenfield This interview comes at the helm of Free & Equal endorsing Gov. Gary Johnson’s lawsuit against the Commission on Presidential Debates, which states that, since Gov. Johnson got over 15% in a scientifically conducted national poll (as per the CPD’s requirements), he was legally supposed to be included in the main presidential debates alongside Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Ben & Jerry coming out in favor of restoring integrity to elections and the media’s coverage of elections is huge!

Christina Tobin talks with Giordano Nanni and Hugo Farrant of Juice Rap News (http://thejuicemedia.com/). The Melbourne-based pair talk about their innovative way of delivering information about important political issues. Their popular video channel offers news parodies in rap conflict style. Farrant plays characters who rap their different perspectives in a rap battle. At the conclusion of each episode, a balanced synthesis is offered. The combination of entertaining satire and thorough research has made Juice Rap News a successful show worldwide. The interview with Tobin features a number of rap episodes, including one on net neutrality. Farrant and Nanni note that their success is a direct result of net neutrality, the fair chance to be heard. They—along with other alternative news outlets—have helped raised the globe’s “net consciousness” of important social justice issues. They also talk about their episode on FIFA, the World Cup organization that they dubbed THIEFA, which has drained away money from the Brazilian people, a recent (controversial to some) episode on the Israeli-Palestine conflict, criticizing U.S. involvement, and an episode, especially important to Free & Equal’s mission, on the corruption in the Commission on Presidential Debates. Juice Rap News plans to be at Free & Equal’s 2015 United We Stand Festival.

Christina Tobin talks with J Brave of the Luminaries, a hip hop group who will be performing at the United We Stand Festival at UCLA on May 10th. J Brave talks about working as a counselor for homeless youth in the Los Angeles area for eight years and how an opportunity to perform at a South Central community farm festival led to the formation of the Luminaries. Their socially conscious music promotes hemp farming, green energy, and many other causes important to Free and Equal supporters. The Luminaries have played at numerous festivals dedicated to peace and unity. J Brave talks with Christina about traveling all over the world, from the Far East to the Mid East, playing festivals and youth centers. J Brave reflects on how on the one hand there are a lot of positive actions going on, from the organic farming to going off the grid, people organizing through the Internet, with “the spectrum of love and life expanding.” On the other hand, there are a lot of negatives that the people have to overcome, but we have a lot of love “to help us get back home.” The group’s name “Luminaries” means a body or conduit that gives light or is an inspiration to others. Check out their official website luminariesmusic.com and look for their new album soon.

On March 20, 2014 Christina Tobin interviewed Paul Masvidal, guitarist and vocalist with progressive metal band Cynic, who will be performing at Free & Equal's United We Stand Festival May 10th at UCLA. Masvidal formed Cynic as a young teen in the late '80s in Florida; was recruited by the late Chuck Schuldiner to play guitar with Death in 1991; released the first Cynic record in 1993, and broke up after several years; Masvidal went on to attend UCLA, Musicians Institute; he studied jazz, worked in television and film, released an album with a folkgroup, Æon Spoke. He regrouped with Cynic in 2008, releasing four albums in five years. He talks about how important it is to have integrity and follow your heart in your work, how Frank Zappa went up against the government on music censorship, how big Pharma is keeping people sick instead of searching for cures, and how he worked with Jim Carrey on a children’s book, How Roland Rolls. Discussing the spiritual path of Cynic’s music (Paul is a Buddhist), he observes that “Everything that we think is working against us is actually a tool to help us grow.” Masvidal discusses his volunteer work with terminally ill people, helping them cope, how rewarding it is to “be of service to the planet and to your fellow humans.” Christina Tobin urges listeners to visit CynicOnline.com. “The more we support his music the more he can give back to the community.”

Independent American Rapper and urban activist Immortal Technique engages in an enlightening and provocative discussion with Free & Equal’s Christina Tobin. Immortal Technique is a headlining performer at Free & Equal's United We Stand Festival on May 10th, 2014 at UCLA. www.UnitedWeStandFest.com Born Felipe Coronel in Peru in 1978, Immortal Technique now lives in Harlem, wealthy in terms of love, community, and self-respect having kept his message real. He reminds us that although many people define “success” in terms of material wealth and control, there are a lot of people whose “idea of success is just to be free and equal." He talks about traveling to Afghanistan in 2008 and working with Omeid International (Omeid.org) to build an orphanage, school and start a medical center there and how he values the positive effects of music as much as music itself. They discuss the downside of party politics, noting that even the socially concerned wing has turned a blind eye on the drug-addicted population, who need medical and psychological treatment; they don’t need to be sold to the prison industrial complex. Immortal talks about how he is open minded about different forms of government. The problem, he says, with the two-party system is that “not everything has a yes or no answer.” People tend to like some things on one agenda, other things on another agenda, but not the whole agenda of any one group. This is why independent politics are so important—and why independent music is so important. He says that extreme agendas are inexcusable considering “the range of ideas and the range of intelligence that human beings have. We can’t be married to one political ideology.” He advocates diversity and tolerance. His message is spreading to a wider population as poverty spreads from its concentration in minority communities to the former middle class. His new album will be released some time this year by Viper Records (www.viperrecords.com). Always an honest leader who will not compromise his integrity, Immortal Technique says it straight. The most shocking thing these days about his lyrics is probably not the profanity, but the fact that now his message is directed at about forty percent of the population: “We act like we share in the spoils of war that they do. We die in wars.…We don’t get weapons contracts. We don’t get cheap labor for our companies. We are cheap labor. Turn off the news and read, read, read, read.”

Ness and Karaam of A-Alikes, who will be appearing at Free & Equal's United We Stand Festival May 10th at UCLA, talk with Christina Tobin about how they met up in college in Florida and moved to NYC in the nineties to join the hip-hop scene there. They talk about the respect that have for Chuck D of Public Enemy and how important hip-hop has been for black communities. They explain that their popular song "No Savior" is a warning against thinking Obama's getting elected is going to save black communities because, as they say, "You have to save yourself." Their music is all about "the people over the dollar." A-Alikes' new EP is "Us Against Them" and the latest single "They Watching" is about the surveillance state and plays on Rockwell's 1984 hit, "Somebody's Watching Me." Go to aalikes.net check out their music. www.UnitedWeStandFest.com This interview took place on March 3, 2014.