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My guest today is a Worldwide Underground legend who just released one of the best projects of the year, and her name is Maimouna Youssef a.k.a. Mumu Fresh!
In this episode we talk about Maimouna's journey in music, the years that went into her latest project The Healing, her family's influence, and some of the stories behind her collaborations with The Roots, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and so much more.
Thank you to everyone who subscribes here on the Substack, and if you've missed any of the past episodes our archives include conversations with Meklit, Saul Williams, Maaza Mengiste, Malkia Devich Cyril, Faris Cuchi & Bahi Shewaye, Nikkita Oliver, Kimmortal, Ijeoma Oluo and so many more.
My new remix album Embers is out in the world now too!
Appreciate your ears and hearts.
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My guest on today’s episode is an incredible singer, songwriter, composer, visionary, organizer, and she happens to be my cousin, the one and only Meklit Hadero!
Meklit just released a brand new six-song EP entitled Ethio Blue, and in addition to the new music, she has also been hard at work on Movement, which is a podcast, radio series, live show and community building initiative exploring the intersection of migration and music.
We get into all of this, along with life as a parent in the pandemic, some of our shared experiences in Ethiopia, solidarity with Palestine, and more on today’s show.
Meklit also happens to be one of the voices featured on my remix album Embers which releases this week! And as a special for y’all… I’m releasing it on Bandcamp a few days early. As in… right now.
Thank you to everyone who has been rocking with us thus far!
It’s still medicine in the music, all ways.
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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Since the last episode of Worldwide Underground came out, I’ve been hard at work on a new remix album that I just sent off to mastering this week, and I’m back to the podcast now with someone who knows a lot about remixes.
DJ Phatrick has become my favorite turntablist over the past six months, as he has been so consistent at channeling our collective grief and rage about the ongoing genocide in Gaza into remixes and scratch routines that I haven’t seen any other DJ’s really touch. We hope this episode (and all of these episodes) inspires you to use whatever tools you have within your reach to advocate for justice, and I also just wanted to celebrate DJ Phatrick’s brilliance and have you check out his Instagram page. If we lived in the same city I would be trying to hire him for every single gig!
I want to thank everyone who subscribes to gabrielteodros.substack.com, and stay tuned for a new drop from the Embers project, next week!
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Today on the Worldwide Underground we are joined by Faris Cuchi and Bahi Shewaye. They are two of the co-founders of House of Guramayle, which is a collaborative intersectional platform created by exiled Ethiopian activists who are now based in multiple different countries. House of Guramayle advocates for the rights and health of the Ethiopian LGBTIQ+ community back home and abroad, and the work they do just means so much to me. Faris and Bahi are both artists and storytellers in their own right, they host an Amharic language podcast called Alen, and we get into the multiple ways they are building community and standing up for the sanctity and dignity of all humanity, especially in these times of witnessing multiple genocides. You can find more information about all of the work they are doing at houseofguramayle.org
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My guest today is Maaza Mengiste, an incredible writer whose first novel Beneath The Lion's Gaze was the first work of historical fiction about the Ethiopian revolution I had ever read, and a book that had me in tears since it was so very close to home. Her second novel, The Shadow King, was another work of historical fiction inspired by the many different roles women played in the second Ethiopian-Italian war, and in 2020 Maaza edited an anthology titled Addis Ababa Noir featuring some of the most brilliant writers in the Ethiopian diaspora today. Just last year, Maaza had a life changing experience at the Palestine Festival of Literature, and she has been an outspoken advocate for the Palestinian cause ever since. We talk about all that and more in today's episode of the Worldwide Underground.
What I thought would be a music podcast, has evolved into long-form conversations on the art and politics of storytelling, across all mediums. Thank you to everyone who has been here for the ride.
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If you are having a hard time with the state of the world these days, me too. My guest on today’s episode is someone who gives me hope, and I hope they can do the same for you. K!MMORTAL is an incredible emcee / vocalist / producer / visual artist / actor from Unceded Coast Salish Territories who released a song I felt deep in my soul just a few months ago titled “Stop Business As Usual”. Days after releasing the song, they went on a month-long homeland journey to the Philippines where they got to perform with youth organizers who are fighting for a Free Palestine over on that side, and we talked about the whole journey as well as Kimmortal’s roots in the Vancouver music scene, their albums Shoebox and X Marks The Swirl, and a few deep cuts too.
I want to thank everyone who supports this work, and let you I’ve got another music episode on the way (it’s been a time) for all the Substack subscribers. ALSO… for my people in the Northwest: I’ll be performing with the great Nikkita Oliver and Kimya Dawson this Sunday, February 25th at the Capitol Theater in Olympia, WA. Tickets are still available here: https://olympiafilmsociety.org/kimya-dawson/ and all proceeds are going to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.
See y’all soon.
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My guest on today’s episode is Malkia Devich-Cyril, an activist, writer and public speaker on issues of digital rights, narrative power, Black liberation and collective grief. In the wake of seeing over 100 journalists murdered in Gaza, and companies like Meta’s ongoing censorship of voices who are speaking up for Palestinian lives, more conversations about what media justice means in this time are sorely needed. I couldn’t think of a better person to have this conversation with than Malkia, as we learn in today’s conversation they actually helped coin the term “Media Justice”, and went on to declare the Media Justice movement is a “fight for a future where we are all connected, represented and free.” There are so many jewels in this episode.
I want to thank everyone who has been supporting the ride here on the Worldwide Underground thus far!
This week Ijeoma Oluo and myself are on the road in support of Ijeoma’s brand new book BE A REVOLUTION, which you can find now wherever books are sold, and the remaining tour dates are all linked up here: harpercollins.com/pages/revolution
And also, just announced! On February 25th at The Capitol Theater in Olympia, WA, Kimya Dawson, Nikkita Oliver and myself will be doing a benefit show for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. Tickets for that show are available here: olympiafilmsociety.org/kimya-dawson/
More soon.
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On January 30, 2024 Ijeoma Oluo launches her third book BE A REVOLUTION: How Everyday People are Fighting Oppression and Changing the World - And How You Can, Too.
I’ve had a front row seat these last few years in seeing Ijeoma research, conduct interviews, and write this vitally important text, and I’m so excited the rest of the world now gets to read it too! I really feel like penned a classic for our generation with this one. In our conversation for the podcast today we talk about the process behind the book, the life of a writer, the music Ijeoma listens to in her office, and so much more.
We also talk about the importance of first week book sales! And Ijeoma has a series of events coming up in support of that first week starting in Brooklyn, NY on January 30th, followed by events in Washington, DC, Baltimore, Atlanta, Detroit, Toronto and two events in Seattle, WA on February 8th and 9th. You can order the book now and get tickets for any of the events at this link: https://www.harpercollins.com/pages/revolution
Enjoy this episode, and hope to see y’all at the events next week!
Worldwide Underground is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and to support this work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber at https://gabrielteodros.substack.com/
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My guest on the podcast today is “the people’s mayor” Nikkita Oliver, an incredible artist / organizer / attorney / educator / writer and Executive Director of Creative Justice, an organization that is coming into it’s 10th year of working with young people most impacted by the school to prison to deportation pipeline. On Monday, January 15th, Creative Justice celebrates the grand opening of a new cafe in Washington Hall, honoring the legacy of our dear friend Rahwa Habte and Hidmo. On this episode we talk about Creative Justice, Nikkita’s roots as an artist, the power of our collective stories, and we hint at some future collaborations too. (If you want to hear Nikkita and me on some music together, check the last few albums: From the Ashes of Our Homes and History Rhymes If It Doesn’t Repeat.) To find more information and to support Creative Justice head to https://www.creativejusticenw.org
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My guest today is Merawi Gerima who released his debut film Residue to critical acclaim in 2020, and he has gone on to direct episodes for shows like Ava DuVernay’s Cherish The Day and the Black girl superhero show Naomi. His parents are the legendary filmmakers Haile Gerima & Shirikiana Aina, and he grew up in Washington, DC before relocating to his current home in Chicago. These days Merawi has been outspoken, consistent, and clear about the need for solidarity between the Black & Palestinian liberation struggles, and he’ll be the first to let you know that he is an “organizer first, filmmaker second.” We get into all this and more on today’s episode of the Worldwide Underground.
…and speaking of Chicago!
Ijeoma Oluo and myself will both be appearing at The People For Gaza, a daylong festival in Orland Park, IL on New Years Day, with all proceeds going to Pious Projects and their on the ground teams in Palestine. You can find more information about the event, and put up on the campaign at piousprojects.org/peopleforgaza
See y’all soon.
Worldwide Underground is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and to support this work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
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On today’s episode of Worldwide Underground my guest is Khingz! A legend in South Seattle, one of the best emcees I’ve ever heard, and someone who I have been blessed to make music with for my entire adult life. Earlier this year, we released two albums on the same day, that tell a bigger story when you play them back to back. A Safe Place For Us / From the Ashes of Our Homes. The meaning of these albums have grown to mean so much more in light of the genocide that’s been unfolding in Gaza these last few months. We talk about what it all means for Khingz today, and we get into his journey both with freestyles and songwriting, the evolution of hip-hop music in Seattle, and why it’s important for him to represent the Southend, specifically.
Khingz latest LP is available exclusively at khingz.bandcamp.com and my record is at gabrielteodros.bandcamp.com
Appreciate you all so much.
Worldwide Underground is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and to support this work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber at gabrielteodros.substack.com
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I first met Saul Williams back in 1999, at the very start of my journey as a musician. In one of our earliest correspondences I remember he told me “now, take it to the next level” and taking it to the next level is something Saul has always done. He has been a consistent model of what it looks like to not get stuck by your past work or what people expect of you, always evolving, from actor to poet to musician to producer to filmmaker, and beyond. Saul’s work feels particularly relevant on multiple levels in this moment in human history, as his poem from 20 years ago “The Pledge of Resistance (Not In Our Name)“ is making the rounds on social media once again and feeling as timely as it ever has, and as more and more people are making connections between genocides in the Congo, Sudan and Palestine, Saul’s work with the MartyrLoserKing project and Neptune Frost all feels extremely relevant. We talk about all this, as well as reflecting on the film SLAM and it’s 25th anniversary, on today’s episode of Worldwide Underground.
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Today’s episode of the Worldwide Underground podcast features BeeLyn Naihiwet, who you may recognize from three different songs on my latest album, From the Ashes of Our Homes, a project that has taken on a whole new meaning this last month. BeeLyn is a Seattle-based poet and therapist, originally from Tigray, who published her first book in 2021 titled “Plenty.” In this episode we talk about her journey in writing, the pain of these last three years, our connection, and the connected struggles between Tigray, Palestine, Sudan, Congo and beyond.
To learn more about BeeLyn’s work and to order a copy of her book, head to naihiwet.com
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It’s hard to put into words how devastating these last few weeks have been. My attention and energy and that of everyone in my house has been primarily focused on Palestine, as it should be.
But I also had a therapy session last week where my therapist said “don’t lose yourself to the fight”, and she talked about the importance of unplugging with intention at times, to recharge our spirits, so we can plug back in and do the work that needs to be done, without martyring ourselves. It doesn’t mean look away, but it does mean look away for a minute, so you can be more of yourself when you look again.
With that in mind, I remembered this statement my friend Derek Dizon released last week on behalf of A Resting Place, a new grief & loss cultural center Derek founded in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District, and I knew he needed to be the next guest here on Worldwide Underground.
In this episode we talk about the connections between grief and liberation work, Derek’s journey as an artist, organizer and grief counselor, and we unpack this beautiful statement you can read below, or on @therestingplace.sea on IG.
A Resting Place supports the self determination and dignity of grieving people - especially those mourning deaths as a result of gendered/interpersonal violence and systemic oppression.
As a cultural work organization born from anti-violence organizing, A Resting Place acknowledges that abuse of power not only inhibits people from accessing safety, but also obstructs their ability to grieve in a healthy and meaningful way.
A Resting Place believes healthy relationships have the power to transform grief.
Violence occurs in places of disconnection and isolation. It is made possible by a cycle of abuse, control, and exploitation of a people, place or movement over an extended period of time.
Systemic and interpersonal violence interrupts the natural and sacred response of grief, taking away the humanity and dignity of survivors.
Healthy relationships thrive when basic needs are met - when people have shelter, food, and clean water. Healthy relationships thrive when people’s bodily autonomy is respected, when people’s self determination is valued, and interdependence, purpose, and spiritual growth is nurtured.
Healthy relationships thrive when violence and healing is accounted for.
In these conditions, mourning and bereaved people are held at the center of our communities.
A Resting Place believes grief work is an essential strategy in the movement to end violence & liberation of the oppressed.
Grief work invites us to reimagine new and integrative ways of connection in the aftermath of violent & unjust loss — and within this reimagination, to transform longing into action; a way to honor the dead through healthy living relationships. This meaning making from loss cannot happen when people are systemically oppressed, displaced, and genocided.
A Resting Place acknowledges the difference between violence as a cycle of abuse and control (e.g., interpersonal/gendered + state sanctioned violence, colonization/imperialism) and violence as a tactic for freedom and safety. A Resting Place respects the self-determined right for survivors of abuse and terror to defend their bodies and ancestral land. As a grief & loss cultural center, A Resting Place believes in the right for a people to fight their human existence so that culture, language, ritual, and memory can live in the present and be gifted for future generations.
The call to grief work is also the call to liberation. Why? Because grief requires us to be free.
To embrace grief is to embrace freedom - freedom from expectation and control. It is the allowance to fly, to soar, to fall, to collapse into the depths of one’s own humanity. Grief calls us to be the companion of another person’s freedom through a shared sense of loss and liberation.
A Resting Place envisions a future without violence and oppression. In this future, each person’s grief is met with dignity, respect, empathy, and care. In this future, each person’s life is valuable, sacred, and with purpose. In this future, survivors of violence & oppression are empowered to make self determined choices on how they want to exist in their bodies, ancestral land, and traditional culture.
A Resting Place believes this future world is possible now. A world worth struggling and fighting for.
A Resting Place believes in a free & liberated Palestine.
Stop the genocide now! End settler-occupation now!
Enjoy this episode of the Worldwide Underground podcast. I’ll have some new mixes of music up for you soon.
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Episode 1: Solidarity. With special guests Ladybug Mecca of Digable Planets, Tef Poe, Ijeoma Oluo, Jackie Venson, Kimmortal, Alsarah, Meklit, Nikkita Oliver, Calina Lawrence, Quetzal, Maya Jupiter, Favianna Rodriguez, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, and Khingz.
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