Between October and November of 2011, Justin and two fellow activists organized “Rock Wall Street”, a series of bi-weekly fundraisers designed to aid in financing the legal defense of members of the New York chapter of the Occupy Wall Street movement who had been unjustly incarcerated by the NYPD. Essentially, the fundraisers consisted of enlisting several performers from different backgrounds and performance genres to come down to Zucotti Park (renamed “Liberty Park” by the movement) and lend their creative talents to press park attendees to donate to the legal defense fund for Occupy Wall Street arrest victims; the money raised was then turned over to the NLG (National Lawyers Guild), who distributed the money to a board of activist lawyers who could offer defendants proper legal representation, instead of them having to accept a legal attorney appointed to them by the state of New York. In the month that Rock Wall Street was running, the program raised thousands of dollars to go towards the Occupy movement’s legal defense. On one such occasion, Justin was interviewed and filmed by Timid, an independent MC who was among the artists that was tapped to perform for the fundraiser. The following is an exert from that interview:

The second art gallery that Justin was a contributor of in August was an exhibit to support the Maasai Tribe of Africa. Founded and organized by renowned New York City poet and activist Robyn “Be The Poet” Baxter, this exhibition was formed to raised money to donate towards the Maasai Tribe, who’s ability to maintain sovereignty, as well as traditional customs and way of life have become increasingly difficult in recent years due to the expanding intrusion of the modern world into their community. Justin submitted four pieces to this exhibit, which was held off of Malcolm X/Lenox Boulevard in Harlem at the Black Ink Gallery. The reception to the exhibit received an enthusiastic response, and helped to raise awareness to this important cause.

Budden first burst onto the hip hop scene back in 2003, with the infectious party anthem “Pump It Up”. Being the first rapper from New Jersey to make a significant presence in the hip hop game for some time, Budden was touted as the forerunner in a line of other promising MC’s to bring about a renaissance of hip hop acts hailing from the Garden State to make their voices known. Unfortunately, a succession of events following the initial success of “Pump It Up” curtailed Budden from having continued mainstream success in the hip hop industry. After a publicized feud with his then-distributor, Def Jam, Joey was subsequently dropped from the label, and proceeded to release a string of acclaimed mixtapes entitled “Mood Muzik: The Worst of Joe Budden”. Building respect over the years from hardcore hip hop heads for his lyricism and emotional expression, Budden maintained a loyal following in the hip hop community and eventually found himself in a rap “supergroup” along with other fire-bred MCs who felt similarly scorned by the industry: Joell Ortiz, Royce Da 5′9″, and Crooked I. Collectively, they named the group Slaughterhouse and proceeded to release a debut album in 2009, which contained the radio hit “The One”

On the eve of the release of the latest mixtape in his “Mood Muzik” series, and with Slaughterhouse having recently signed to Eminem’s Shady/Aftermath record label to release their sopohmore  LP, a vindicated Joe Budden sat down with E.M. Theories, SyncoPatience, and Justin Case It Rains Productions prior a live performance at Brooklyn’s Public Assembly music venue to discuss his current projects, his views on his peers in Slaughterhouse, and his continuing appreciation of and commitment to his loyal fanbase: http://emtheories.com/joe-budden-public-assembly

On Easter Sunday, 2011, Justin Thomas convened with up and coming pop artists Akwarian Sea Rebel and Lyn Melodix on the site of one of New York City’s most famous icons: the Brooklyn Bridge. The occasion was to film a music video for the song “Slippen Away”, the first single for the upcoming full-length album by Akwarian Sea Rebel. On hand to assist Justin with the filming of this video was emerging film director Mariya Somova, as well as a host of Akwarian and Ms. Melodix’s friends and associates, including rising rap phenom KON and revered Brooklyn DJ Dyllemma. The video was directed and edited by Justin and had its premiere to coincide with the launch of the “Slippen Away” single on iTunes on Sunday, May 22, 2011. Both the song and its accompanying video received an enthusiastic response from fans and the greater NYC underground music community.

Akwarian Sea Rebel Feat. Lyn Melodix: “Slippen Away” from Justin Thomas on Vimeo.

For more information on Akwarian Sea Rebel, visit the following website: http://akwariansearebel.com/

On Saturday, March 5, 2011, Justin helped to organize the first All Female Hip Hop Showcase at Castlebraid Apartments, in the heart of Brooklyn’s Bushwick community. Founded by artist and community organizer Jennifer Lane, this event was facilitated by Off The Grid Entertainment, a production company that promotes the performance arts in its varying degrees and incarnations. Featured at this inaugural show were up and coming female MCs Iayaalis, Mizz P, Daphya, Kristen B, NeMiss, and headliner Kalae All Day. Rockin’ on the one’s and two’s was renowned NYC DJ Leecey T, and hosting the festivities was the one and only actress and model Ameena Dove. At the end of the evening, there was an auction of artwork created by rising artists Rep DaVinci and Tasiya Sealey, founder of Purple Pill Babies. Finally, there was a discussion panel anchored by hip hop writer and activist JLove Calderon, where all six MCs (and one DJ) were seated and asked to reflect on how they feel about their creativity, their career aspirations, and the merits of success and happiness. This was the first of many to come in the Off The Grid concert series; more amazing artists and performances are surely to come in the next several months.

Justin also designed fliers for the event, where he juxtaposed some of the venue’s performers in the likeness of iconic album covers from some of hip hop’s most revered female MCs: from left to right, Kalae All Day as Lauryn Hill’s Miseducation of Lauryn Hill album, NeMiss as Eve’s Scorpion album, and Daphya as Lil’ Kim’s The Naked Truth album.

Few artists in the hip hop landscape have the emotional depth, versatility, and force of intellect that reside within the mind of New Jersey-bred MC Hasan Salaam. Dividing his time during his childhood to be raised by his mother in Teaneck, his father in Jersey City, and his grandmother in Camden, Hasan noticed at an early age the wide-ranging disparity that afflicted the inner city and predominantly black and brown neighborhoods. As an artist, Hasan declared that he would become a voice for the voiceless, and through his poetry and his community activism has worked to educate and uplift his people through the undeniable power and influence of hip hop music and culture. An independent artist, Hasan has achieved a level of international reverence and acclaim that is rarely afforded even the most illuminant of mainstream performers. His tireless work with underprivileged youth and his contributions to activist causes both domestically and abroad underline his genuine commitment to furthering the cause for social and economic justice. As an MC, Hasan channels the spiritual and delivers with a guttural, driving, and rapid-fire style that simultaneously provokes and enlightens; his penchant for storytelling and detail are nearly unmatched among performers in today’s hip hop arena. Along with his partner in rhyme, rising phenom Rugged N Raw, Hasan formed the duo Mohammad Dangerfield; their debut collaborative album is due in early 2011. Starting in 2009, Justin followed Hasan and Rugged and captured their raucous and dynamic live shows, as well as visiting the studio to witness the creation of some of their future projects. This footage will be included in Justin’s upcoming documentary “The Lost Tapes”.

Hasan Salaam Trailer from Justin Thomas on Vimeo.

On the evening of December 9th, 2010, People’s Television’s “The Grey Movie”, a historical account of the exploits of young radical activists in The Organization, was screened for constituents at the prestigious Brooklyn Academy of Music during their “Between The Lines” program series. On hand for the screening was Nicholas Bruckman, founder of People’s Television and Director and Producer of the film, Justin (who served as writer and Associate Producer of the project), and Esther Krafchow, who is a former member of The Organization. More details to come on the further development of this documentary and future screenings.

Randy Mason epitomizes the passion, soul, and indomitable spirit of New York hip hop. Originally from the Bronx, Mason is an MC, songwriter, author, & freelance journalist who has played all throughout New York City opening for legendary hip-hop artists such as the Boot Camp Click, Cl Smooth and many, many others. A brilliant wordsmith who is capable of painting vivid cinema with his lyrical prose, rapid fire delivery, and clever use of metaphor, he draws his influence from a myriad of musical icons such as Nas, Mos Def, Tupac, & Common, and mixes them to potent perfection with his own unique and powerful voice. In addition to his endeavors as a solo artist, Randy is also a member of the accomplished and multi-talented trio The Crowd, consisting of guitarist, beatbox, and MC Akil Dason and singer/songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist Adeline. This eclectic group effortlessly combines the elements of hip hop, R&B, and pop into an arresting brand of neo-hip hop soul, and have been featured on BET, among other media outlets. Justin was able to catch up with Randy and his partner-in-rhyme Akil Dason on the New York City subway as the two musicians performed for onlookers to promote The Crowd’s latest CD release. Footage of these performances, along with a full length interview with Randy Mason, will be included in Justin’s upcoming documentary “The Lost Tapes”.

Randy Mason Preview from Justin Thomas on Vimeo.

On July 24th, 2010, Justin filmed a host of performances at the Public Assembly Venue in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg district. Taking to the stage were some of the New York underground’s most revered hip hop artists, including M.D.-E, Final Outlaw, and Hasan Salaam & Rugged ‘N’ Raw (under the moniker of Mohammad Dangerfield). The event was hosted by North from the Bronx trio Division X, and Baron from the Brooklyn group Red Clay. DJ Ari Why handled the spins on the turntables, and there was live painting and art pieces on auction by New Jersey artist Rep DaVinci. Accompanying Justin to the concert to document the festivities was Louisa Garcia, the founder of LaGata Photography. Some of the images Ms. Garcia captured that evening are on display here; to view the rest of her reel of the show, you can visit http://www.lagataphotography.com/index2.php#/home/. The footage from this event, along with the portraits taken by Ms. Garcia, will be featured in Justin’s upcoming documentary “The Lost Tapes”.

Malcolm X Grassroots Movement (MXGM) will be holding their 13th annual Black August Hip Hop Project Benefit Fundraiser. The Black August Project was started 13 years ago to raise awareness to issues that the African-American community faces locally and globally; unjust incarceration, high rates of HIV/AIDS, poverty, homelessness, poor educational resources, and police brutality in communities of color. The theme for this year’s Black August show will be oppression and struggle and awareness of Haiti’s past and current plight. This year MGM has decided to add an Art and Film component to the annual fundraiser.

For the past 13 years, the Black August Project has held concerts in New York, New Orleans, Oakland, Cuba, and South Africa. In keeping with a thirteen-year tradition, proceeds from the New York show will be donated to support freedom fighters that have been unjustly imprisoned in the United States. Throughout the world, artists and filmmakers use their work to articulate and challenge oppressive conditions and celebrate victories. Black August presents a unique opportunity for us to interact and organize on a local and international level.

In addition to being one of the coordinators for this year’s events, Justin was also asked to create artwork for the film and art fliers. The date of the Hip Hop Fundraiser is August 13, 2010 at the Highline Ballroom in Manhattan, NYC. Admission price will be $15, and performers that evening will include Dead Prez, Pharoahe Monch, and Cody Chesnutt, as well as a host of NYC’s brightest artists in the underground hip hop circuit. The 1st Annual Black August Art Exhibit will be on August 20th-22nd at the Brecht Forum, and the 1st Annual Black August Film Showcase will be held at the National Black Theatre in Harlem on August 28th.

For more information, you can visit:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Black-August-Hip-Hop-Project/108549678380

www.twitter.com/blackaughiphop

www.mxgm.org

www.blackaugust.com