I’m not really that into Hip Hop -I’m more of a rockchick, but this video came up when I was working my way around the internet searching for sites that could tell me more about the modern music and culture in Africa. (It’s one of my dreams to work in Africa in the future) The film, made by director Charlie Aheran, caught my attention, and got stuck !
Balozi Dola, a member of the East African rap group “Deplowmatz”, traveled from Tanzania to New York and the Bronx looking for some real Hip Hop. He wanders by accident into a barbershop in the Bronx where he meets DJ Easy Mike, Grand Master Caz and the shop sweeper DOA. Grand Master Caz and Balozi ends up doing some rhymes, each on their native tounge -American and Swahili.
This film is Amazing with a capital A -see for your self!
A couple of months ago I discovered a video on YouTube. It was this strange guy who danced funny in front of famous monuments and sites all over the world. Somehow he makes us laugh, and also wonder -why? This is Matt Harding, the man who turned his backpackerlife into a way of living.
There are a lot of people traveling in the world, and a huge procent of theese people are backpackers from western Europe and America.
One of those guys are Matt Harding, known for his (badly)dancing videos, all around the world. He made his living as a game designer in L.A. until he discovered that he didn’t like living there anymore and moved to Australia -to do the exact same thing. But the change of environment and the fact he now was surrounded by aussies, made him think twice about his life, -in his own words: “I learned to drink beer”
He did as a lot of other people do, took his saved up money and just went. Covering 17 of the countries that he always wanted to see. The dance that he does on the videos is something that he’d always been doing, and a buddy of his who traveled with him in Vietnam got him to dance on tape in the streets just for fun. He put his vid up on his website and after a couple of years (..) someone passed on his video, and not long after he got somewhat fameous for it. A firm picked up on this strange guy and got interested, they sponsored him for his trip number two.
For his third film he went back to his sponsors -this time with another agenda for the “script”. He claimed that him dancing alone wasn’t that interesting anymore -so how about getting people to dance badly along with him instead? They went for the idea -you can see the outcome on the bottom of this page.
Well, I can count for the videos being a hit, and so can he and all of his viewers. Now, because of his (really) badly dancing, he makes his living by traveling, maintaining his website and as a speaker at conferences and events. If you simply google the name “matt” his site will be one of the top four results. That’s amazing!
See for your self:
(remember to view in HD)
Well, I guess this guy could make anyone dream of traveling the world -I know for sure he’s got my attention!
If you go to his website or You Tube you can find his other videos -and hear him telling his own story.
I’ve seen them around, friends of mine have them -and I want them! Sorel boots!
They are warm, and a bit heavy -perfectly for winter, but mabye not for a backpacker? Well, since I’m not sure how much time I’m going to spend slugging through snow and slush in the states yet, I have to concider bying [...]
Luck comes to me (and you) in the strangest of places!
Yesterday I was getting a cup of coffie with some friends and I stayed behind for a bit when they left. This old man, I guy that I knew by name and face, was sitting just beside me. We started to talk a bout the [...]
Just to say the word -the website is still in progress.
I’m almost done with my last exam for the year, on monday. The website is constantly on my mind, but I promised myself to let my schoolwork come first -just for a couple of weeks. The thing is that I’ve got all summer to do [...]
Today I finally got my webpage up and going! I’m really exited to to see if this method of planning works for me.
For a long time now I’ve been feeling a bit restless, starting to think about traveling, moving, seeing new places, meeting new people and getting some time of between studies and work. [...]
This a personal project of a student in cultural studies who just wanted to move on with her life, and ended up making it to a project about festival culture in the United States.
On the website you will find articles about festival culture, music and life on the road both for bands, artists, workers and myself -eventually.
I have a great interest in discovering more about the people we never see -or hear. The people that always make sure that the shows always must go on!
“Behind the storms of daily conflict, crisis and struggle, it is the artist, and the poet and the musician that continues the quiet work of the centuries, building bridges of experience between peoples, and reminding us the universality of our feelings, desires, and despairs, and reminding us that the forces that unite are deeper than those that divide." -Mark Johnson
