There’s no possible way you can be from the East Coast and was raised on Hip Hop in the 80’s and 90’s and don’t know the words of the legend known as Guru. You wore Timbs and hoodies and bopped your head to his Mass Appeal hundreds of times over. One half of one of the most iconic groups in Hip Hop along side DJ Premier known as Gangstarr, Guru born Keith Elam died last night to his lengthy battle with cancer. He was 43 years old. The group released six highly regarded albums in their tenure until 2003 when they broke up. After his successful run with Premier, Guru founded 7 Grand Records with producer Solar.
Solar, Guru’s partner, expressed sadness over the loss. “The world has lost one of the best MCs and Hip-Hop icons of all-time — my loyal best friend, partner, and brother, Guru,” Solar said in a statement. “Guru has been battling cancer for well over a year and has lost his battle.” Solar also said that Guru wrote a final letter to fans and sent it out through a press agency. “I, Guru, am writing this letter to my fans, friends and loved ones around the world. I have had a long battle with cancer and have succumbed to the disease. I have suffered with this illness for over a year. I have exhausted all medical options.”
The month of April marks the 42nd anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. BuildTheDream.org will be commemorating the life and work of Dr. King by creating a memorial in our nation’s capital. The Washington, DC, Martin Luther King, Jr., National Memorial will honor his life and contributions to the world through non violent social change. (more…)
The story of Patrice Lumumba is the story of black freedom fighters around the world, from the Black Panthers to the slaves of Haiti to the leadership of Idi Amin and Robert Mugabe. They yearned for freedom from deep in their bones, and yet were thrown out, imprisoned, and perverted in such a fashion that their call for justice was at best, silenced, and at worst, dragged into a blind ideology that caused millions to suffer. Limité celebrates Patrice Lumumba for the reminder that his story gives of truth over perception, and the role that outsiders’ interventions played in wreaking havoc in newly independent Africa. (more…)
His name conjures images of strength and steady patience , freedom over oppression and all the while still manages to seem like a kindly old grandfather figure. Limité honors Nelson Mandela, former political prisoner under apartheid, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and first President under a free South Africa, as a Man We Love. We love Mandela not only for surviving 27 years in jail and for his service to South Africans. We love him for his unending commitment to his people. Unlike many presidents, Mandela fought for the common man and women before, during, and after his term. In the past decade, he spoke out against the rampant spread of AIDS among black people across the globe, and for the liberation of the people of Zimbabwe under failing leaders and institutions. Mandela supported the global community in the face of an unpopular war against Iraq, saying “It is a tragedy, what is happening, what Bush is doing. Bush is now undermining the United Nations.” Mandela is a symbol of courage for all Americans, as well as for Africans and anyone else who identifies with a beautiful struggle…and who knows that in time, the victory will be won. (more…)
Dr. Cornel Ronald West, born on 2 June 1953 is an outstanding philosopher, activist, author, pastor, public speaker, professor, intellectual human being and Limite Magazine favorite. Dr. West has been illustrative in American history regarding matters of race, gender, and class. His sincere and vocal campaign on the injustices of American society in relation to White and Black American has provided his followers of various nationalities the (necessary) opportunity to view America through an untainted lens. With advocacy in his roots, the magna cum laude Harvard graduate and Princeton doctorate, has successfully combined American institutionalization with his own theories on race, politics, and religion. (more…)
It’s a familiar scenario. High-status family with expensive tastes, absorbing the oohs and aahs of the lesser minions. But who’s that in the corner, keeping to himself, uncomfortable in his fine threads, while the others – in their designer gowns and tails – laugh heartily while waltzing across the floor?
Okay, maybe that’s pushing it a little, perhaps borrowing some imagery from The Sound of Music, but you get the idea. I’m referring to Anderson Cooper, the son of famed heiress and socialite Gloria Vanderbilt. Despite his mother’s extravagant lifestyle, Cooper worked hard to un-pry the silver spoon from his mouth. It just wasn’t him. (more…)
You either love him or hate him. At least, that’s the general reaction I’ve been getting from people who are familiar with his work. I, for one, am not familiar with David Lynch’s films, but since my challenge is to convey that Lynch is a “man we love,” the easiest way of doing that is by turning to his ongoing Interview Project. Still, it wouldn’t be fair to Lynch by skipping over his impressive array of films and accolades and the road that lead him to becoming one of the most admired and controversial filmmakers of our time. (more…)
BY THE PEOPLE: The Election of Barack Obama offers viewers an all-access pass to campaign life on the road to the White House and the unprecedented grass roots effort that supported him. The film follows the former Senator’s path from the excitement of the first victory in Iowa, to the struggles of a long and grueling primary campaign, and finally to his historic inauguration as the first African American president of the United States. Told through exclusive footage of Obama and his staff, the HBO Documentary Film is produced by Edward Norton’s Class 5 Films and directed by Amy Rice and Alicia Sams. The film debuts exclusively on HBO on November 3, at 9:00 pm ET/PT 2009.
Think back – back to the days between ninth and twelfth grades. Sitting in your high school cafeteria, the jocks had their table, the nerds had theirs. High school was so easy when everyone was labeled and you knew who to hang out with and who to avoid. I’m sure every high school class had a group of skater punks – the un-showered few, voted least likely to succeed. You never thought they’d amount to anything, least of all a thriving career in filmmaking. You’d eat your hat before something that unlikely would happen. Well, pass the salt …
Perhaps this characterization is unwarranted. After all, I haven’t actually met Spike Jonze. I’m not quite sure where he fell within the high school spectrum, but I can cast an educated guess. As you mature, you come to realize that the stereotypes embodied by certain high school students aren’t always fair. At that stage in their lives, their full potential has not yet been realized. You have no idea how far they will go or how greatly they will impress. (more…)
Marc Jacobs, we love you. We love you for everything you’ve done and everything you have yet to dream up. You are an innovator, a purveyor of all that’s fantastically unique, expressive and alive. We love you behind the scenes, we love you taking a bow on the runway, we love you in the fall, winter, spring and summer. Plain and simple: we adore you – and in our eyes you can do no wrong.
So – as an often over-analytical writer and tremendous fan, this Marc Jacobs piece has proven to be quite challenging for me. I’ve wrestled with different thoughts, emotions, opening lines. No matter which path I chose, it just never seemed quite enough to capture the essence of my feelings for someone I sincerely revere. I decided it’s best to start here: Marc Jacobs, you had me at “grunge.”
By “grunge” I mean Jacobs’ infamous 1992 womenswear collection for Perry Ellis. It was collection that won him the cheers of the critics – including the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Womenswear Designer of the Year Award – and also incited a negative stir (and his ultimate dismissal from the label). But it was this very “stir” that launched the career of the award-winning Parsons grad, catapulting him to fashion icon stature. (more…)
