Honolulu Weekly

Don’t look now, but hip-hop in Hawai’i is in the midst of entering a new era of respectability on the local music scene.

Taking their skills from the cipher to the studio is nothing new for hip-hop artists on the rock. But never before have three top-flight emcees released albums of significance at the same time. This month features new album releases from three of the most recognized names in local hip-hop today: Tassho Pearce (Emirc), Kristofer Rojas (Creed Chameleon) and Jordan Salud (I.A.).

Collectively, Pearce, Rojas and Salud are ready to push the envelope of their genre’s relevancy to the forefront of local music, even if they have to do it one track at a time.

“I think it’s a good look for us. It’s a movement for Hawai’i hip-hop, three Hawai’i emcees, three different fan bases and three different styles. Now we just have to keep this momentum going,” said Salud.

Spearheading the movement is Pearce, a well-respected veteran lyricist referred to by many as the flag bearer of Hawai’i hip-hop.

Pearce’s album Opening Act, released last week, is a polished product that features platinum selling artists Evidence and Rakaa Iriscience from Dilated Peoples and production work by DJ heavy-hitters Q-bert and Babu.

On the grind for over a decade, Pearce is on the brink of establishing himself as the first nationally recognized hip-hop artist from the 808.

“It’s great. I remember when you had only one local hip-hop album released every three years,” said Pearce who also runs his successful Flip the Bird clothing line. “Now we got three dropping in one month. That shows how far we’ve come as a scene.”

Kristofer Rojas (Creed Chameleon)

Rojas’ sound may be categorized as “underground” or “conscious” but on his latest creation SIQ Of Lazy the emcee battle champ from locally based SIQ Records, shows he’s lyrically dexterous and flexible in his topics.

Anticipating his album release party on August 30, Rojas views the negative stigmas of doing hip-hop in a place where Island music reigns supreme, but says there are also positives that can be shared to the rest of the world.

“Hawai’i is just strongly stereotyped for its tourism, far out demographic placement and Hawaiian music,” Rojas said. “The advantages, though, are our mixed cultures that usually influences hip-hop music, for example, to change into a whole different hybrid .”

Salud could be considered the newcomer on the hip-hop block, but his new album Another Day in the H.I., focuses on his trademark message of positive local style living and club-ready party anthems.

During his short stint in the game, Salud has established a tight grip on the urban mainstream scene through television exposure, music videos and mixtapes.

Jordan Salud (I.A.)

“It’s an honor to be mentioned on the same platform as Emirc and Creed. Hopefully I can inspire the next generation through hip-hop as well,” said Salud. “For us to keep the movement going, I feel we need to respect each other’s hustle and raise the bar after the next one has had success and capitalize on that.”

While their rhyme styles and audiences differ, their level of commitment and love for hip-hop is the common bond shared by these wordsmiths. Tough skin toward critics, resiliency and passion for their craft also keeps their motivation sharp.

With opportunities for radio airplay virtually non-existent, the emcees rely on the Internet and hitting the streets to get their music out to the masses. They’re willing to do whatever it takes to be heard.

“We’ve always had our own unique swagger out here. Now, we’re in a position where a lot of artists are getting organized and actually releasing albums on a regular basis. That’s the biggest difference to me,” noted Pearce.

As far as gaining recognition on a national level, the idea might not be as far-fetched as it may seem.

“Right now, we’ve got more eyes on us than ever before. It’s not a matter of if opportunities will come, more like how ready will you be when opportunity reveals itself,” said Pearce.

Added Rojas: “I say, everyone get on their own grind, ’cause if one of us makes it, all of Hawai’i makes it.”

Right now, at this very moment, all over the world, nothing much is happening. Businesses are closed. Libraries are closed. Museums are closed. Whole cities –great cities, like Paris and Delhi and Stockholm–are closed, or at least reduced to near-ghost towns. There’s nobody around, and those that are around aren’t doing much of anything. You know why? Because it’s August. August–if you live in the Northern Hemisphere, and probably even if you don’t–is a hot, heavy month that lends itself to swimming in the ocean, taking naps and going to matinees… pretty much anything but working.

Our society sadly does not see fit to honor the tradition of the month-long August holiday, thus consigning us to still more work-a-dog-day quotidian hell…but every once in a while, we get lucky–for example, when someone throws a three-day movie marathon featuring hard-to-find cinematic gems from around the Pacific basin, all watched over by air-conditioning machines of loving grace.

The Hawai’i International Film Festival has teamed up with the Honolulu Academy of Arts and the Doris Duke Theatre to offer us a weekend filled with six intriguing cinematic offerings. And while the one true heavy-hitter in the bunch will garner most of the attention, this new mini-fest also offers what may be our only chance to catch several promising efforts from parts west of here on the big screen.

Werner Herzog, who’s been enjoying a bit of a late-career hot streak in recent years, is the headliner with Encounters at the End of the World. This new doc, Herzog’s first since Grizzly Man, follows that film’s exploration of human survival in harsh conditions to its southernmost extreme–Antarctica’s McMurdo Station. This is an intimate portrait of men and women who have chosen to make their homes in one of the most remote and unforgiving outposts on Earth, and with the German New Wave master at the helm, it’s likely to be worthwhile even if it has nothing to do with chickens.

Herzog aside, most likely to succeed honors may well go to Mr. Cinema, an homage to Giuseppe Tornatore’s classic Cinema Paradiso from director Samson Chiu. Set against the tumult of modern Hong Kong, the film follows Zhou, a young, politically active movie projectionist, over three decades as he struggles to cope with crises writ large and small, including the SARS panic and the end of British rule in 1997. Leading man duties are handled by Sino-Aussie actor Anthony Wong, who’s having a pretty good summer: Wong appears as General Yang in the newest Mummy release, currently in U.S. theaters.

Other selections include Walking My Life, an end-of-life drama from Japan’s Isaka Satoshi and A Little Love, A Little Magic, an Indian film which from the press materials sounds like it might appeal to folks who liked the concept of Bruce Almighty but didn’t see it because they think Jim Carrey movies are dumb. Two South Korean films round out the weekend’s offerings: Once Upon A Time in Corea, a WWII adventure piece from director Jeong Yong-gi, and Public Enemy Returns (see review, p.22), Woo-Suk Kang’s action/thriller. The much-hyped Public Enemy Returns, which is a sequel, was expected to be the big summer blockbuster in Seoul… no word yet on final box office numbers.

In addition to providing a much-needed dose of thoughtful filmmaking in an otherwise barren season, HIFF’s Summer Film Fest presents cinephiles with a great excuse to sign up as HIFF members: every member, including new signups, gets two tickets free.

Hawai’i International Film Festival’s Summer Film Fest, at the Doris Duke Theatre at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. See Film Blurbs, p. 24, for prices, dates and showtimes.