Fact: Obama said it was his first time visiting Ben’s Chili Bowl and “it was terrific.” The expectation is that Obama _ already at ease in big cities from his time in Chicago _ will venture into town more than President George W. Bush, who rarely made forays into unofficial Washington. Ready for his food, Obama shouts, “where the food at?”…

Is this not the most swag/coolness displayed by ANY politician in American history. I’m not trying to imply that this has anything to do with his political savvy or abilities, but to have a cat who can relate to the common people with a genuine, down to earth spirit like Obama is something quite special.

Looking forward to the next 4 (to years.

Oh, yeah. And you know the Esfac’e reps had to drop by the spot to pay homage real quick during the Inauguration weekend…

visit www.thenuface.com for more info

President Barack Obama celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by servicing the community.  He is living the E.S.F.A.C.E mission and acronym in more ways than one.  “Education and Service . . ” are the first two letters of Esface.

FACT:

Barack Obama stated in his MLK address “I ask you to play your part – to not just pitch in today, but to make an ongoing commitment that lasts far beyond one day.”  He could’ve said . . .

Live Esface!

Live Esface

Lupe Fiasco, like many rap artists right now (namely Kanye West), is experimenting with a new sound and vibe.  Under the name Japanese Cartoon (JC), Lupe Fiasco emulates the formula of Hello/Goodbye [Uncool] of his last album to give JC’s tracks a rocker feel (along with a distinctly British accent).    Lupe Fiasco, like Gnarls Barkley’s member Cee-lo once did, is currently pretending to not to be affiliated with his new act, but it is evident this is Lupe Fiasco on the track. Here are two of the three tracks.  Sidebar, does anyone know what happened to CRS?

Heirplanes
http://www.zshare.net/audio/53671941731730ea/Invaders Must Die!
http://www.zshare.net/audio/53671934c4b92059/
 

Also, there’s this Chicago up-and-comer we introduced you to last week named Master 3, and we got more of him for ya. Here are 2 tracks off his upcoming project called Light Up The Darkness, which drops on Saturday the 24^th. Please believe that we will post it up for y’all when we get it. These 2 tracks are fire, trust me, I’ve worked with him in the past (See: Major League)….dude has that skill.

The Day Before Tomorrow (Version C) (Prod. by R&S)         http://www.zshare.net/audio/534871514036d0d2/

Heroin Heroine (Prod. by Ant of Atmosphere)
http://www.zshare.net/audio/51989427208e7b17/

 Oh, and in other news….

 ’Nuff Said

From my living room television, I watched a who’s who roster of speakers and performers during the Inauguration celebration weekend.  But of all the breathtaking messages and expressions, I thought Dr. Lowery’s words and delivery was the best!  It was historically contextual, challenging, truthful and witty!  And it was delivered profoundly, linking both classical religious rhetoric with common-man poetry and the ended with the traditional black church call and response of “AMEN.”

FACT: Here are some of quotes and excerpts from the speech:

“Because we know you have the whole world in your hands, we pray for not only our nation but for the community of nations.”

“Lord, you’re able and you’re willing to work through faithful leadership to restore stability, mend our brokenness, heal our wounds and deliver us from the exploitation of the poor, or the least of these, and from favoritism toward the rich, the elite of these.”

“YES WE CAN. . .  work together to form a more perfect union . . ”

“In the complex arena of human relations, help us to make choices on the side of love, not hate, on the side of inclusion, not exclusion, tolerance, not intolerance.”

“And as we leave this mountain top, help us to hold on to the spirit of fellowship and the oneness of our family; let us take that power back to our homes, our workplaces, our churches, our temples, our mosques or wherever we seek your will.”

“We ask you to help us work for that day where black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead man, and the white will embrace what is right.”

“Let all those who will do justice and love mercy, say Amen, and Amen and AMEN.”

Yo, we’ve had quite some time off from the blog, but we’re back now and we got some heat to drop.

First and foremost, we got the grand return of Slim Shady himself, Eminem. He’s back with the 1^st leaked track off his upcoming album The Relapse, called Crack A Bottle featuring Dr. Dre and 50 Cent. It’ll be interesting to see how Em does with this album, a.k.a. does he still got it.

Eminem ft. Dr. Dre & 50 Cent – Crack A Bottle

http://sharebee.com/7e96b557

Next on the list is my personal track (Allure) ft. this up an coming rapper out of Chicago named Master 3. I do beats, he does lyrics. This creates a dope track that y’all should check out. As I’ve stated before, this is not my personal avenue for promotion, but this is basically my 2^nd single. As for Master 3, you’ll hear more about him in a future post….

Allure ft. Master 3 – Major League

http://www.zshare.net/audio/52826741a72a8120/

Finally, since we all know that a certain deceased Brooklyn rapper is having his biopic releasing this weekend, We’re gonna drop this as a throwback joint. Notorious is in theaters now.

Notorious B.I.G. – Hypnotize

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTv_s5DhlCU

FACT: Eminem has been on a hiatus from the mic for 3 years (2005-2008). He’s been speculated to return constantly in that time period, but it isn’t until now that any concrete evidence has been given/spoken.

Fact: Officials estimate around 2 million will be gathered in the DC mall area on Jan. 20th for the swearing in of President Barack Obama. This will be the largest gathering in history, with a typical ceremony having 1 million in attendance and the largest being Lyndon B Johnson’s in 1965 with 1.2 Million. Esfac’e will be doing our part in in making history by releasing exclusive inaugural t’s for the festivities. You can find us around K street and 13th area as that will be our official post for the Inauguration as Inaugural vendors. Come holla at us and get your shirt on DC soil so you can commemorate this event properly…with positive freshness. Stay Esfac’e.

Fact: Notorious BIG was Diddy’s the most successful artist on Bad Boy records, having numerous #1 singles and with Ready to Die going four times platinum in 1994. Bad Boy has never been the same since his death and Diddy shares how his life also was changed with the loss of his closest friend.

The Esfac’e team will be in the building at the Wonderfull Party complete with our own table of Esfac’e merchandise.

Take a peek at our exclusive shirts made especially for this event:

Oscar Grant, an unarmed black man, was shot and killed by BART Police Jan. 1, 2009.  Grant was not only unarmed, but was also in handcuffs at the time of the shooting.  Demonstrations on Wed., Jan 6 started peaceful and then turned violent with downtown windows breaking, cars on fire, and automobiles damaged.

FACT:  As suggested by available national data concerning traffic stops, excessive force is
disproportionately used against people of color across the U.S. For instance, a recent
investigation revealed that use of force by officers in San Francisco police department– defined
as any physical restraint causing injury up to shooting a person to death – was alarmingly high,
and that 40% of cases in which force was used involved African Americans, who make up less
than 8% of the City’s population. (www.ushrnetwork.org/files/ushrn/images/linkfiles/CERD/9_Police%20Brutality.pdf)

Police brutality has been a persistent problem faced by African Americans. The failure of government to protect Black people from lawless law enforcement officers forced Blacks to act in their own interests.

FACT: During the 1930s, the National Negro Congress organized massive rallies against this form of terror. In Washington, D.C., over the span a few months, the NNC collected 24,000 signatures protesting abuse by the D.C. police department. The Black Panther Party was created to stem the tide of police abuse. In the 1970s the Congress of Afrikan Peoples sponsored the “Stop Killer Cops” Campaigns. (www.monthlyreview.org/301brc.htm)

Live in Peace

A study, conducted by Northeastern University, focused on 28 major US cities between 2000 and 2007 and found that for young white men in Houston between the ages of 14 and 24, the murder rate was down 10 percent.

But for young black men of the same age, the study said the murder rate was up a shocking 139 percent.

In East Palo Alto, CA the recent surge in violence led to Esface creating an early third edition to the “Live in Peace” series that started in 2006.