Let’s Build an Anti-Racist Culture of Resistance.
AR-15: Anti-Racist White Hip-Hop.
Turning The Tide, March-April 2007

By Michael Novick

How did AR-15 start? What is the musical and activist history of members
and your circle of supporters?

The seeds of AR-15 were planted in 1998 when Raw Potential and I met in AmeriCorps in San Diego, CA.  We were right out of high school and we were doing community service projects around the West Coast and Southwest U.S. as a way to earn money for college.  A Filipino cat from Oakland, who was on our AmeriCorps team, taught us to freestyle rap to pass the time while we worked on a variety of community projects.  So we began rapping together while we were literally serving the community.  Raw and I went our own ways for about 4 years after that and we reconnected in Oakland in 2003 and formed the rap group that became AR-15.

During the 4 years apart, Raw honed his rap skills in the battle circuit in the Bay Area, CA and took some classes in college with an interest in Black Studies.  I went to college at the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities for Ethnic Studies and cut my teeth in hip-hop organizing, connecting rappers and activists in causes ranging from immigrants’ rights, police brutality, welfare rights, and anti-war activism.

When we reconnected in Oakland in 2003 the convergence of rap and politics happened for us.  I had been trained by the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond in anti-racist politics and Raw and I both went through the Challenging White Supremacy workshop in San Francisco supporting various racial justice initiatives in the Bay Area.  These experiences focused our activism as rappers on anti-racism and support for racial justice work led by people of color, and generally social justice work led by people that experience social injustice.

In terms of the people that support our music nationally, their activist involvement varies.  We meet people where they are at in terms of social change and social justice and welcome all new fans and friends that want to get down with a movement for justice. 

How do you try to or succeed in engaging your fans and listeners, who may
be attracted primarily by the energy or artistry of your work, into a
dialogue about the content and ideas you express?

We try to make music that allows people to enter and enjoy it on a number of levels.  Metaphors and similes are our best friends, and we use language to make multi-layered songs.  One person might listen to our music and hear dope, gangsta music.  Other people might hear a militant or even revolutionary message.  It all depends.  Our job is to create a musical space where that can happen.  We don’t force dialogue, we create the artistic and physical spaces where dialogue can happen.  At the end of the day, it’s really up to the people how far we take this, as artists and as a movement.

When we are on tour we partner with local, racial justice organizations led by people of color to speak at our shows and sit on a panel with us after the show for an audience Q&A.  It’s brief and not heavy-handed, and creates a space for dialogue.  It also plugs audience members into supporting local racial justice work led by folks of color.  We also donate 25% of every paid show to local and national racial justice work.  Our panels and donations show two examples of what solidarity between white people and people of color against racism and for justice could look like.
 
I have done many benefits for Anti-Racist Action, even with explicitly
political bands like Aztlan Underground, where most of the audience streams out during the breaks between groups, rather than listen to political speakers or even watching a video or slide presentation, or where speakers get heckled by the crowd. Have you had experiences like that? How do you deal with them?

If people come to one of our hip-hop shows, they’re coming for music.  So we’re sensitive to that.  We give them a good show.  We do have speakers during our set sometimes, but they talk for 2 maybe 3 minutes max during.  We’ve seen speakers heckled at our shows and we and the speakers keep it movin.  As we say, we’ve got bigger fish to fry.  The panel at the end of our shows is where people that want a clear social justice message will get it.  And not everyone that comes to our shows stays for the panel.  We don’t feel like it’s our job to make people listen.  We do what we do and if we’re doing our job right people will want to get down and build with us after the show, or follow up on our suggestions for getting involved in local work.  We’re real about the fact we are only one piece of a huge puzzle of social change work, and we can’t do everything.  That’s what coalition work is for.  It’s like a sports team— everyone plays their own position, but we’re still on the same team coordinating plays and strategizing together to win the game.
 
What mechanisms have you come up with for an on-going dialogue with
listeners and fans, or for moving them from buying music or going to a
show, which are more or less passive or receptive activities, into activism
of their own, or even organizing?
 
Our obvious hope is that every person that buys a cd or comes to a show leaves ready to get down and do something.  But that’s just not how it goes.  We reach the people that are ready for the message.  But the cool thing is when we come back to a city a second time, or a fan checks out our press or website they may think twice about getting active.  We do much to shine the light on books, organizations, films, resources, and fans and away from AR-15.  We tell people that they have what it takes to change their own communities for the better.  And we also make ourselves available for support and guidance on that path.

In terms of our company, AR-15 Entertainment LLC, we run a street team that gives people a way to support our work and to make money for themselves at the same time.  People interested should hit us up on our website: http://www.AR15hiphop.com.  We use capitalism against itself in this way.  Sure, some people wanna street team for us just to make cash, but if that’s where they’re at, cool.  In the meantime, they’re helping us spread anti-racist politics and getting money doing so.  It’s a for-profit strategy for social change.  The right wing’s doing it, why can’t we?  Like Talib Kweli said, we’re “revolutionary entrepreneurs.”  And yo, who doesn’t want to get paid making the world better?  We’ll have senator and congressman’s kids running cds to the Oval Office soon. Haha! 

But, for real, we hire street teamers to sling cds and sell tickets to shows in their hometown and they keep a percentage of their sales.  They’re learning business skills, but also organizing skills.  The street team becomes a vehicle for mobilizing study groups, political activism, and conscious community on a local level.  It is a tool that creates community around politics and it’s effective because it satisfies people’s basic needs— cash in pocket, food on the table, being able to pay rent.

You have probably heard criticisms of "cultural expropriation" when white people take up hip hop or rap, and have certainly been aware of how the music industry "bleached" other Black, Mexicano or Puerto Rican musical and cultural expressions to make them palatable to a white audience. On the other hand, many hip hop performers and recording artists today are finding the bulk of their audiences and of consumers buying their recordings are white. How do you see these issues, or deal with them? Do you address them directly in your music or your shows?
 
I remember I was in a class on rap poetry taught by Alexs Pate (author of Amistad, the Steven Spielberg flick) and there was a debate about white kids in hip-hop acting black.  “What would you rather they do—act white?”, Alexs asked.  America’s racist.  We know that.  White supremacy exists  Check.  Now whether or not AR-15 is in the rap game or on TV (“‘Ego Trip’s “The (White) Rapper Show”), or in film (“Mirrors of Privilege: Making Whiteness Visible”, World Trust, 2006), or in books (“Other People’s Property: A Shadow History of Hip-Hop in White America”, Bloomsbury Press, 2007) white people are going to be appropriating culture and getting privilege.  We don’t always know we’re doing it, it’s the way the system is designed. 

So what do we do about it as white artists or white people?  Do we say. “Screw it, everything’s so racist! I’m done with America!” meanwhile we are still receiving white privilege and still appropriating, whether we mean to or not.  Or do we deal with the contradictions, the messiness, the craziness and take a stand and get out there?  AR-15 chooses to take a stand.  Are we perfect? No.  Are we part of the gentrification of rap? Yes.  But we figure at the end of the day, we’d rather have white folks speaking truth to power and building solidarity with people of color while appropriating, then white folks ignoring racism, ignoring privilege and always cashing in at the expense of other people.

In terms of the whitewashing of rap, we prioritize working with other politically conscious artists of color, women, and queer artists as a way to use our privilege to balance out the music industry when and where we can.  Ultimately, its about building coalitions that make demands on the music industry.  Hip-hop is an amazing art form, however, because it’s marketability actually relies on it’s blackness.  Hip-hop pioneers talk about this as a lesson learned from blues, jazz, and rock-and-roll.  As a way to help ensure the blackness of hip-hop, many early artists in rap formed their own record labels and became the middle-man between artists and major labels.  This system still operates today, and is a way for the big labels to have street credibility, as well as a way for the black community to maintain some control over hip-hop’s face to the world.

For many white consumers, even, the music is not “real” if it’s not black.  We know this, and we also know that as white anti-racist artists we will most likely not be looking at a record deal with a major label anytime soon.  But we work with the fact that there are a lot of white fans of hip-hop out there, and we reach them through the fact that we look like them AND we have street cred with communities of color because of our politics and track record in the community.  We’re showing white kids that there’s another way to be down in hip-hop, and that street cred in hip-hop can come from racial justice work as well as from skills on the mic.

How do you assess the state of popular consciousness among white young
people about white supremacy or white privilege?

It’s not cool to be openly racist in most white communities today, but the understanding of white supremacy and white privilege as institutions and systems is lost to most whites, in our opinion.  The fact that in hip-hop you’re lame if you’re racist is an amazing starting point to politicize the next generation of white anti-racists.  We capitalize on that fact.  Many young white people’s favorite musical artist is black, their favorite movie star is black, their favorite sports star is black, and many white youth have black friends or other friends of color.  Broadening the analysis for youth of all colors in terms of what systemic oppression is and what it looks like, and what social justice is and looks like is what our work involves.  Making this process fun is the tough part, but the advent of multimedia like digital film and music can go a long way if properly harnessed by anti-racist and racial justice activists, artists, and creative-thinkers.  We feel blessed to be doing what we do in this historical moment.  It’s an exciting time to be an anti-racist!

 The racist right appears to have a much more seamless integration of its
"cultural" activity with its political organizing strategy than is true
among anti-racist forces. That is, white power bands and labels generally
have had close organizational ties to white supremacist and /or Christian
fascist organizations, funneling money into those efforts and attracting
supporters. How do you see your relationship to membership-based
anti-racist organizations and networks? How can we create a closer
connection between cultural and political efforts against racism and white
supremacy?

I think a big part of the “success story” of the racist right in using culture to put their message out there is that they have no qualms about using capitalism and money-making as a way to recruit and politicize.  Because of the history of what money has done to poor people and people of color, the tendency on the left to shy away from business moves is understandable.  However, the time, money, and access that many white people on the left have (whether they are honest about it or not) can play an important role in galvanizing some of this cultural power to put out a conscious message. 

I’d like to see more anti-racist white people work to infiltrate the areas of music, entertainment, media, law, medicine, business, government, etc. and use their personal or professional contacts to help build the movement from inside the ivory towers, as well as from outside.  This, I think is the charge to the next generation of white folks in the movement.  Instead of shying away from privilege and access, I’d like to see more white folks work to obtain privilege and access consciously and flip it through accountable relationships with racial justice organizations led by folks of color.

I’ve already mentioned that we donate 25% of our income to local and national racial justice work.  I think galvanizing more money for anti-racist work in the white community has to come from white people doing grassroots fundraising in white communities (among family, friends, co-workers, acquaintances).  Integrating fundraising as part of the each one/teach one process of anti-racist culture is crucial.  We can’t be afraid to ask for money for social justice work!

In terms of white anti-racist organizations, AR-15 works closely with the White Anti-racist Community Action Network (http://www.wacan.org) in New Jersey, the Alliance for White Anti-Racists Everywhere (http://www.aware.revolt.org) in LA, Y-STEP (YSTEPbayarea@gmail.com) in San Francisco, and the White Privilege Conference (http://www.whiteprivilegeconference.com) in Colorado Springs this year and now Anti-Racist Action (hope this is the beginning of on-going work!) as a means of building a national white anti-racist coalition that is in lock step.

Creating a closer connection between cultural and political efforts against racism and white supremacy and for justice, I believe, is about staying in each other’s lives, reaching out, breaking bread.  If you are a white anti-racist artist, are you connecting yourself to anti-racist and racial justice political work?  If you are a white anti-racist activist, are you connecting yourself to anti-racist and racial justice cultural work?  If not, why not? We need to become part of each other’s lives.  We need each other.  White anti-racists can learn much from people of color doing racial justice organizing, where integration of community, culture, and coalition is a basis of the work— many times as a means of survival!  We as white anti-racists need to push ourselves to reach out and connect.  AR-15 says, “Come get your hugs!” [smile]

Have you had to deal with attacks or threats from white power groups,
either to your group or to shows you have appeared in?
 
We have had no organized resistance to our work, yet.  We’re hoping for some. [smile]  I guess that will be a sign we’re doing good work!  We’ve received individual death threats and hate mail, some of which can be seen on the internet as a response to my video submission to “The (White) Rapper Show”.  Check out: http://youtube.com/watch?v=nGItc-ej9P8.  But we spend time and energy on the hate, though.  We’ve got too many positive white folks and people of color who are feeling our message to connect with!

The white "pride" group Woodpile has been seeking a following among white
(and other) prisoners. How do you see AR-15 appealing to or reaching
working class white kids such as in juvie, jail or prison?
 
Neither Raw Potential nor I have been incarcerated.  We’ve played gigs in juvie halls and the youth were feeling us.  Raw grew up on Section 8.  I always had enough growing up.  We’ve played for rural and working class audiences that were predominantly white and have received tremendous support.  We play wherever people want us.  We hope our work inspires more white anti-racists to take a stand and reach out to their own constituencies within the white community, whether their constituency is working class or youth in juvie, jail, or prison, or another community.

In terms of Woodpile, they actually are on an anti-racist tip and a lot of people have it twisted.  Check their interview with MurderDog Magazine on the blog on their homepage: http://www.myspace.com/woodpile They say, “There is going to be the people that don’t like what we are doing, promoting hardcore white boys without racism uniting with black dudes.  For as many of them who have a problem with it, there will be just as many, if not more, who respect what is going down and see it as a positive movement.” They were signed by West Coast Mafia Records run by Sacramento-based rapper C-Bo who has a lot of street cred in hip-hop and most people assume would not sign a “white pride” group. 

The name Woodpile actually refers to the prison term “wood” given to white dudes in prison who don’t affiliate with the Aryan Nation and who kick it with Black and Brown folk behind prison walls.  Woodpile’s message is less explicitly anti-racist than ours, and as far as I know they don’t have a focus on social justice and community organizing.  But obviously, any time white people get on the mic and spit about race (including us) people are going to talk.

Anti-Racist Action has had to learn some hard lessons about the persistence
of male supremacy and other forms of oppression within the ranks of
anti-racists, and still struggles to connect anti-sexism and support for
queer rights into its work. Criticism of sexism within hip hop have
certainly been extensive, profound and justified. How do you see such
issues playing out in your music and the development of AR-15?
 
We see sexism, heterosexism, classism, and racism and other oppressions as interconnected, and so we connect our work against white supremacy with work against patriarchy, heterosexism and capitalism.  As I said before we proactively choose to work with artists of color, women, and queer folk in order to be accountable to these politics.  We also pay attention to the lyrics rappers are saying and have a pretty strict policy of not working with artists that spit degrading lyrics.  Battling the system and battling people are two different things in our minds.  Recruiting and paying street teamers who are poor people, women, people of color, or queer is also a priority for us.  Their involvement in the company and as part of our work in local communities definitely helps guide AR-15 and ensures that as an entertainment company and rap group we are accountable, inclusive of all struggles against oppression, and seeking to unite rather than divide.

Any last words of wisdom, information, or questions you would like to
raise with readers of "Turning the Tide"?

Turning the Tide readers should know that AR-15 stands for Anti-Racist Fifteen, fifteen principles that guide our rap group and company.  These principles came out of our own mentorship by the Center for Third World Organizing (http://www.ctwo.org) in Oakland, CA and The Challenging White Supremacy workshop (http://www.cwsworkshop.org) in San Francisco, CA.  The principles are explained in more depth on our website, but here they are in short:

1. Practice non-violence.
2. Learn anti-racist history.
3. Study legacies of resistance.
4. Research your family history.
5. Respect leadership of color.
6. Stand in solidarity.
7. Challenge oppression.
8. Listen actively.
9. Create anti-racist culture.
10. Act on your principles.
11-15. For future generations.

Also people should consider this an open invite to connect with us, come to a show, or join the street team.  Let’s build an anti-racist culture of resistance! Check out: http://www.AR15hiphop.com

Peace,
Jus Rhyme, AR-15

USC white rapper shows his skills
Daily Trojan, 3/29/07

By: Colleen Murray

Even though he dresses to blend in, Jeb Middlebrook stands out. While his wardrobe stays consistent - nearly always sporting a camouflage jacket, headband and pants - the USC Ph.D. candidate in ethnic studies and aspiring rapper knows he confuses people.

"I'm a white guy from a mostly white town wanting to explain issues of white supremacy," Middlebrook, who raps under the name Jus Rhyme, said.

Middlebrook's complexities intrigued the producers of the VH1 reality show "Ego Trip's The (White) Rapper Show." The producers took Middlebrook and nine other white amateurs, put them into a house - appropriately dubbed "The White House" - and began a competition to find the next great white rapper, a designation that would earn a grand prize of $100,000.

Although Middlebrook didn't take home the cash, his third-place finish on the show, even a month after its end, has served him well enough to launch him into a schedule of touring and promoting his message: to eschew racism.

While most rappers make sure to hit hip-hop hotbeds such as Atlanta, the Bronx or Los Angeles on their tours, the can't-miss spot for Middlebrook was his hometown of Austin, Minn., better known by residents as "Spamtown." The Minnesota burg is home to Hormel, maker of the infamous canned meat.

Middlebrook couldn't be happier with the public's reaction.

"Everywhere we've been, there have been positive responses. Positive music can make a difference, and I don't think we always have those positive influences," Middlebrook said.

The small screen

Other contestants on the show demonstrated the negativity that concerns Middlebrook almost as soon as cameras began rolling. One of the viewers' first images of the Minnesotan was his challenge of a fellow contestant.

After overhearing a drunken, Michael Richards-reminiscent tirade in which another aspiring rapper named Persia said an offensive word, Middlebrook stepped in.

"Persia, would you mind please not using the 'n' word?" Middlebrook asked, "'Cause it bothers me."

Persia dismissed his concerns, continued using words of her choice and was later scolded by show host MC Search. Middlebrook used the opportunity as a springboard to his platform of challenging white supremacy. On top of this interaction, he constantly wore a shirt branded with his rap group's logo; the group is AR-15, which stands for the 15 anti-racist principles Middlebrook emphasizes.

Many artists on the show used the forum as an advertising tool for their various group or solo acts. "The (White) Rapper Show" co-executive producer Sacha Jenkins said that the whole hip-hop generation is marketing savvy - most MTV watchers know who "who, Mike Jones" is or the release dates of a given artist's album - and the promotion of AR-15 in front of the cameras is an example of Middlebrook capitalizing on that.

"He had access to millions of people each week. He worked it," Jenkins said.

The show also functioned as tool for producers: to teach hip-hop history to mainstream audiences. Ego Trip, a collaboration of journalists from various racial backgrounds, has compiled two books, one about their love-hate relationship with race and another about their love-hate relationship with rap. The idea for "The (White) Rapper Show" seemed like a perfect merging of two great things, just like a "Reese's Peanut Butter cup," Jenkins said.

"It's having an opportunity to make fun of white people and educate people at the same time," Jenkins said.

The program featured appearances by rap legends, like the Brand Nubians, Grandmaster Flash and Insane Clown Posse, who lent their knowledge to the white rappers. The contestants also went to hip-hop landmarks and were tested on hip-hop history.

"It's easy to get caught up in the white people thing. It goes beyond just educating white people," Jenkins said. "There aren't many people of color that know the history."

Despite its presentation of Hip Hop 101 to mainstream audiences, the premise of "The White Rapper Show" remains the same. By definition, minorities must be excluded from being contestants. With all Middlebrook's focus on anti-racist principles and supporting black leadership, how could he stomach this rejection of minorities?

"It encouraged me because I knew that if I could get on the show, I could supply a different view about what it means to be white in hip-hop," Middlebrook said. "The show was gonna happen with or without me."

"We had to get this guy"

The show almost happened without him. A friend approached Middlebrook with a flier calling for casting tapes. Middlebrook submitted his, but the deadline had already passed. Slightly disappointed, Middlebrook put his audition tape on YouTube.

Unbeknownst to Middlebrook, Jenkins had almost finished casting but had a sudden urge to hit Google. He searched for "The (White) Rapper Show" and found Middlebrook's audition tape.

"I watched it and said we had to get this guy on the show," Jenkins said.

Invited to come to New York for the final casting call, Middlebrook's white, black, and brown folk/white-bred and town folk/righteous, united to fight, let's get down, folk rap made an impression on judges MC Search and Prince Paul and Middlebrook made the cut.

Even more curious than how he got on the show is how Middlebrook found his calling as a rapper and an advocate for minority leadership.

"Hip-hop chose me"

With Spamtown's non-existence on any hip-hop map, Middlebrook seems like an unlikely candidate for an emcee. But listening to the music since he was 10 and writing poetry since he can remember, rapping himself just added up for Middlebrook.

"Hip-hop chose me, I guess," Middlebrook said.

His upbringing in Spamtown did, in some way, lay the foundation for his future advocacy.

"A lot of (my advocacy) had to do with me leaving my town and me looking back at it," Middlebrook said. "Something I carried with me, my parents just raising me to respect people. It was just assumed.

"Whiteness was invisible, but what I was carrying with me was this idea of respecting people."

The "invisibility" of whiteness is a message Middlebrook carries with him. Seeing whiteness as the norm in his Minnesota town made Middlebrook realize the blind eye that can be turned to minority causes.

The same attention to political advocacy that drew producers of "The (White) Rapper Show" to Middlebrook has garnered negative response from other fans of the show.

"A lot of people have a problem with Jus Rhyme. (They ask) 'Why is he so down for the black cause?' White people join the Peace Corps. White people join groups in college," Jenkins said. "Why can't he just happen to be down for the black cause?"

The Celebreality Interview: Jus Rhyme
VH1.com, 2/23/07

by Rich Juzwiak

It's gettin', it's gettin', it's gettin' kinda...socially conscious, actually. After the jump, Jus Rhyme talks white guilt, his anti-racist history and how reality TV taught him how to laugh at himself.

Did you enjoy your time on the show?
Yeah, I did. I'd say it was a mixed blessing. There were very high highs. I think meeting hip-hop legends, getting advice from people like Serch, Prince Paul, Just Blaze, was really great. Some of the low lows were the stress of being on the show and the constant cameras on us. Part of it that struck me as difficult came from the fact that I do a lot of work on prisoners' rights in Los Angeles. I work with a lot of formerly incarcerated folks, supporting their struggles in the community. They've told me about surveillance they've been under either in the community or during incarceration, wire tapping and things. It was shocking and, I guess, interesting that the technologies used in imprisonment and surveillance were used to produce entertainment.

Do you think the show portrayed you fairly?
I think so. I'm a fun guy and when it's time to get serious, I get serious. One thing good about the show, at the end of the day, was that watching it gave me the chance to practice laughing at myself. I think it's really healthy, in a way. Trying to give back and build better communities is important, but at the end of the day, I'm still not perfect and awkward and just human, like everybody else.

Do you think your competitors were hard on you?
Maybe. I wonder if they were hard on me or if they were hard on the issues I was bringing up. I'm not really sure what frustrated people. I felt that I was kind to everyone. I never put down anyone. But honestly, I don't know what goes on in the minds of the other MCs.

People often use the phrase "white guilt" when describing you. What do you think of that?
Guilty for what, I guess, is my first question. I imagine "white guilt" has to do with a feeling of guilt for what has happened in history and what it means to be what in America. I don't think I dwell in guilt. If you dwell in guilt, you're really angry with everybody, or you get paralyzed and don't want to do anything. I'm cool with people and I'm involved with the community, so I don't think those are symptoms of guilt, but maybe they are and I'm just unaware. But I think that a little bit of guilt is normal for anyone, whether it be male guilt, white guilt, straight guilt, wealthy guilt. I think a little bit of guilt is healthy because it means you're feeling an emotion for the history of this country. It becomes problematic if that guilt becomes destructive in your behavior with other people. Still, I know that it's easy to dismiss what I say as "white guilt," but I feel like that's a cop-out because it doesn't deal with what I'm really saying. It dismisses me as a person, but it doesn't deal with the issue.

Your approach to social change involves harnessing pop culture. Do you think that's key to reaching people?
It's my contribution. It's what I do. I think there's a variety of ways to give back. For me, I really enjoy pop culture and I think it's the role I play as a poet. I have been told by activists that don't utilize pop culture that they get excited by our work because we can reach a lot of people at one time. I may not be a community organizer, but I've been told by some mentors, "You're a really good mobilizer." In that way, I think it can be really useful.

Is there a point in time that you can look back on as important in shaping your anti-racist consciousness?
Growing up, I didn't really have an analysis about what race meant. I didn't know I was white until I left my hometown. My hometown was predominantly white and I think my experience shows how whiteness is invisible or normal or normalized in communities. It's like, everyone's white, so you don't think of it, which is a danger of racism or white supremacy. I left my hometown at 18 and I was recruited into AmeriCorps to get money for college. That's actually, where I met my rhyme partner, Raw Potential, and that's when I started freestyling. So I traveled the West Coast, and it was the first time that I was in the racial minority. I think it really made me conscious about issues of race and class. We were in a lot of communities that didn't get the benefit of public policy or funding for social programs. Time and time again, I saw that poor people, people of color and women were getting the raw end of the deal. I think that connected the dots for me. We traveled to a different city every two months, and we were in Watts in Los Angeles, doing community service fixing houses. The only thing I knew about South Central L.A. at that point was what I'd seen in a lot of the gangster movies that had come out in the early '90s when I was in middle school: Boyz n the Hood, Menace II Society. I was on a ladder, hammering a nail and a car came around the corner and its tires screeched. I said, thinking it was funny, "Look out for the drivebys," and laughed. One of my team members was from Compton. She happened to be African American. She looked at me with a sad, sort of angry look. I asked her what was going on, and she said, "Four of my friends have died by drive-by shootings and that's not funny." I had messed up big time. I hurt her feelings, I said something that could be called racist and it was just wrong. I had to make amends for that and, I guess, feel guilty for saying it, but also, turn that guilt into an attempt to repair the damage that had been done. If it ever could be. So that basically started a whole year of us having conversations about race everyday with mostly me as the student and her as the teacher, sadly enough. One time I said, "How come I always ask you what it's like to be a black woman in L.A., and you never ask me what it's like to be a white guy in Minnesota?" And she said, "What it's like to be a white guy in America is shoved down my throat everyday." And I was like, "Oh. Dang."

You're an interesting case, Jus: you're political and conscious and yet, so nice. I'm accustomed to experiencing outrage from someone who's so aware and active.
I mean, I'm pissed as hell, man. Don't get me wrong. But I don't know how healthy outrage is. I don't know how I could carry that with my everyday as anger. I re-channel my anger into art and social action. I don't let guilt and anger and unfairness get in the way of doing something to change it. At the end of the day, if we can't have healthy relationships with each other, I don't know how we can build a movement.

Are you still a Ph.D. candidate?
I am. What happened on the show [when Jus got word that he'd lost his fellowship] was pretty heavy. I'd been doing my Ph.D. in rap stuff for the past three years. They had never really come in conflict – I was able to juggle both, as well as my activism and being a boyfriend and staying connected to my family. But because of the filming of the show, the timing threw off my fellowship stuff. Luckily, I was able to reinstate my fellowship when I got back to USC. I had conversations with my advisers about my commitment to the program as well as hip-hop. So far, they're believing me, but everyday I have to prove that I can do both.

At one point in the show, a fact popped up about you stating that you refuse to eat at White Castle. Is that true?
(Laughs) I don't know where they got that! I think it was just a joke. It's funny, I laughed at it. At first I didn't understand it, like, "What do they mean? I've been to White Castle." And someone was like, "Because it's white, you don't like it."

Was the dinner with N.O.R.E. as awkward as it seemed?
It was, it was. N.O.R.E. was sitting there for about an hour and a half because we were late on filming. He had a radio obligation at 10 p.m. and they got us there at 9:45. Maybe he just didn't like us, that could be a possibility, but I definitely feel that he's probably not used to waiting an hour and a half for white rappers that he doesn't know.

Has the show done anything to boost your career?
I think so. We [Jus Rhyme and his partner, Raw Potential, who comprise AR-15] are going to do a panel this Saturday (Feb. 24) with MC Serch and La Peace, whom I battled on the show, at Western Michigan University. We're doing a panel on hip-hop and racism. This will be the first big conference I've done since the show came on. The biggest thing, I think, is people recognizing me. Before, when I had to talk about what I did, a lot of people just had deadpan expressions and I really had to sell them on it from the jump. Now, they kind of know what I do and they come to me understanding something about what my approach is. I think the Celebreality status, if I can call it that, allows the message to go places where it wouldn't otherwise, venues or schools or towns where hip-hop isn't popular, but TV is. That's exciting. Also, a lot of people want to get their picture taken with me. That's cool. It's kind of fun. At the end of the day, it's not why I do it, but I'm glad that if a light is shined on me, I can hold up a mirror and direct the light to community work that's being done in people's local communities, or say, "Hey what have you got to say? I want to hand you the mic. I want to hear what you've got to say." I'm part of the community, but it's not all about me.
Keep up with Jus and his lengthy itinerary via the AR-15 MySpace.

The White Rapper Show: Jus Rhyme
Hip-Hop DX, 2/21/07

by Kevin Clark

As the end of Black History Month approaches, the end of another historical moment came last night as Jus Rhyme was eliminated from the (White) Rapper Show. Jus’s anti-racism rants earned him a niché spot on the show as the “social conscious” within the White rapper collective.

Last night, the White rappers went to Motor City to battle it out 8 Mile style. After taking the tour of the city, meeting the likes of Insane Clown Posse and Kid Rock – the melanin-deprived emcees took it to the Shelter. Home of the late Proof, D12, and Eminem, Jus just couldn’t cut it on the battling tip.
Always the hip-hop enthusiast, Jeb Middlebrook breaks bread with HHDX as he talks about his brand of edutainment, compares his fifteen laws to the business of hip-hop and gives his thoughts about his experience on the (White) Rapper Show.

HHDX: From you doing the show, you lost your fellowship for school at USC. What would you say was more important for you – entertaining the masses or gaining your PhD?
JR: I guess it would have to be both. They’re both important to me. For those who watched the show and were concerned, I got a break and I was reinstated back into my fellowship at USC. Being on the show was a test for me to see if I can juggle them both. I’m working on getting my Ph.D. in Ethnic Studies.PhD. My dissertation is about the recording industry, Black music and the prison system and the relationship between them all. I am just starting on my research right now, but I am interested in the Gangsta rap lifestyle. There is a history of rebellion and celebration within the music. But you also have these institutions established here in America whose objective is to silence Black America. So, my question that I’m trying to state is – What does that mean when that type of voice is celebrated? What is the power within that voice? How can it change and help communities? Within Gangsta Music, the artists have all harnessed their voices and their energy and utilize it for positive social change.

HHDX: But doesn’t the message still don’t add up? The imagery behind being a “gangsta” and the influence that that carries weighs more than the community services that they do behind the scenes. Do you have any thoughts, Jus?
JR: You can slice and dice it up, but everyone gives what they can, when they can. But I can see how you can make an argument. You don’t want to take two steps backwards and only take one step forward. But I honor everyone’s movements. At the end of the day, I feel like myself, all At the end of the day, I feel like myself, all of us… we’re not perfect. I don’t hold others to a standard that I cannot adhere to, too. Lil’ Wayne, Ice Cube, Jesse Jackson, Barack Obama all do what they do, as well as I do… and the world needs them to stand out and speak out. They need a Barack Obama and an Ice Cube. They both have unique voices that play out to a broad appeal within the community.

HHDX: Over the course of the show, you got a chance to talk about your believes. AR-15 are your principles, but do you think that you’d be able to entertain people and not compromise yourself?
JR: Yeah, I think so… my tour schedule is proof. I have been touring since 2003 and have been rhyming since 1998. My crew, AR-15 even has a lecturing circuit. We’ve just hired 70 street team members from all over the country. So, they’re getting paid while helping to push forward the revolution. I’m talking to you right now from a college event in Nashville, Tennessee. We’re one of the top draws within college campuses. We’re educating people. I think there is a time for partying and dancing, but it can tie along with the conception of activism. Community work can be celebrated. We can make parties that are enjoyable, but they also should put us ahead in life.

HHDX: You’re a very smart dude, but could your actions be misconstrued as trying to make advantages for yourself through a Black and Brown artform?
JR: Oh, yeah, most assuredly. The thing about being White in hip-hop is that I have to prove that I'm giving more than I am taking. That is what I asked myself initially when I started to rap. But I believe that I speak truth and put it to power. There weren’t that many White emcees whom was leaders within the culture. We can support the blacks. When we’re not needed, there’s work within the White culture that we can help there to. It’s just about ending supremacy and ignorance. So, the message can be misconstrued. But that’s the danger when using media of any kind. I was willing to run the risk of just that by being on the show. I respect Ego Trip. I knew their background. But I wanted them to be clear on their intentions with me being on the show. They found my submission tape on YouTube… I had missed the deadline. Someone said that they had got over 7000 applications and I was one of the few who were talking about politics in the right way. Long story short, I just want to play my position in the game and to Ego Trip, props to them for letting me take the risk.

HHDX: There have been a lot of political groups within hip-hop. KRS-One, dead prez, Immortal Technique, just to name a few; how does your principles affect and help the oppressed within the urban communities of America?
JR: I’ll answer the question in two parts. It’s there to support the oppressed groups within America. My view on White Supremacy… because that’s what racism is… just like sexism is MS Supremacy… is that White Supremacy limits White people, just as much as it does Black and Brown folks. Number five on the list… following leadership of color directly supports my principles. But I think that that principle is important. In terms of racism, Black people do not need to be taught about what racism is, but Whites can help promote the idea broadly to others who may not be able or be receptive to what the Blacks and Browns are saying. We should acknowledge their leadership.

HHDX: What would you say are the adverse effects of sticking to your principles?
JR: That’s a good question, I appreciate it. I’d have to say… keeping your mental health intact, man. People see it on the show that anytime you’re committed to a certain belief, that you’re going to be confronted with people and with systems and institutions that don’t want to see that happen. I surround myself with people who believe the same way that I do, but I know when to cut loose. I think the biggest obstacle is saying sane and making sure that AR-15/Jus Rhyme is still around 30, 40 years from now. That’s why our last fives principles are left to future generations. I hope that people change up the principles and make it work for them.

HHDX: The rest of your comrades felt that sometimes your beliefs would hinder your rap progress.
JR: It’s up to record executives to make that call. But emcees with political messages come in all genres of hip-hop. You can get the message from mainstream rappers. I think the only obstacle is myself. There are huge multi-platinum recording artists who say some of the most powerful stuff. Jay-Z has amazing rhymes… you’ve heard Minority Report. Lil’ Wayne has done some tracks about Hurricane Katrina that have been big... from Hollywood Divorce to joints on his mix tapes. I think that maybe it comes to changing how we receive politics. It’s not our fault, in the community, of not seeing that. I think it’s the powers-that-be who have a key to the game that don’t want to realize that there is truth in power. I think it’s funny, but to answer the question directly, if people think that’s true that I can’t make a club track… it’s up to the fans to decide. I think for any emcee, it’s a positive challenge. I’d rather write through the challenges than to let that stop me. At the end of the day, it’s not going to make or break my career. There is a market for anyone to say anything in this business. I say to people, sign yourself to your own deal, until a label comes to the table. Pool your money, promote, get a street team. You may not make a million a year. But how much you need to live is dependent on you. I don’t need to make that much. I can live well and within my means by doing something that is positive.

HHDX: Well, the business of hip-hop is based upon another belief all together. So, how do you work within those confines to create a pure product?
JR: I have no idea. That’s a good question, too. I think I’d take tips from people who have already been in it. People don’t know this but Remy Ma gave us some great tips. She was edited out of the show. But I think it’s the same question that can be asked when I went on the (White) Rapper Show. What more can I make? You just do what you can. I would be very careful and go into a major label contract with an Entertainment lawyer. I would talk to people to get their opinion. Everlast told us not to sign a major label deal. He’s been signed to quite a few and had some bad deals, so you know where he’s coming from, but Remy said the same thing. It’s more negative than positive, but I think that that’s the future of hip-hop business. Hip-Hop isn’t dead. The industry is dying, the people aren’t. I think that I’d have to take it day by day and talk to people to see if it’s even possible. Who knows, next week a major label could go bankrupt. At the end of the day, the people win and that’s what I keep in my heart.

HHDX: If rapping doesn’t work for you, what are your next plans?
JR: I’d probably keep doing what I’m doing with school. I’d love to teach high school or college. I imagine that I’d use that to pay the bills. I’m not afraid of work. I’ve shoveled snow, painted houses, work construction… I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty. I’ll always be in a community whether I’m paid or not. It’s not about money that fills me up. Smiles, justice, all the things that they're not trying to pay us to do fill me up. People aren’t told that all the time, but it’s the truth… you can get paid to give back.

HHDX: You stood out amongst your competitors on the show, but you made it to the final three. What do you think was your opinion of your fellow castmates?
JR: I think the same with my opinion on how people do what they do. Each of them brought their own style, their own energy and I’m just blessed to have met them. Personally, I’m always down to build with anyone to cultivate people’s dreams. But if getting down with working with the community were an obstacle, then that would be a problem with me. I’m down for whatever though. But if no one wants to work for a better cause, then that’s fine. I still wish the best of luck to them all.

Rap artist from Austin gains notoriety on VH1 reality show

3/2/2007 9:42:40 AM
By Karen Colbenson
The Post-Bulletin 
Reality show superstar Jeb Middlebrook, otherwise known as Jus Rhyme, came home this week to see his biggest fans.
Middlebrook, who grew up in Austin, was part of the recent VH1 reality show "The (White) Rapper Show" where he competed against 10 others for $100,000 and the title of "the next great white rapper."
Coming in third out of the 10, the Spamtown hero is making the most of his fame by promoting various principles through his musical poetry.
Calling himself an anti-racism activist, Middlebrook is now living in Los Angeles, where he is pursuing a Ph.D. in American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California. He is also one of two members of the L.A.-based hip-hop group AR-15 -- the other member being Raw Potential. In the group's name, the "15" refers to 15 anti-racist principles, which are the basic themes of many of their self-written rap songs.
The two members met and started rapping together while serving in Americorps doing different community service projects such as painting houses.
"We call it art and activism," said Middlebrook. "And that's what we want to portray in our music. We want to prove that people can make money by giving back to the community."
One of the biggest challenges the group has faced in the music industry has been proving that they can become successful while promoting good principles.
"We have been told we won't make it in the music business with the issues we rap about," said Middlebrook. "You never hear that you can look out for other people and get paid to do that. We try to make our music entertaining by not being overly preachy, but the best sermon is a good example. We party our way to social justice."
Middlebrook said that one of the benefits of being on the reality show was that it vaulted him from being an unknown to being well-known in the industry.
"It put AR-15's message on a national stage," he said.
Coming back to Austin to perform at the high school and at the Paramount Theatre was a true test of success for Middlebrook, who says that the love he received here was overwhelming.
"I'm really grateful," he said. "This is the community that keeps me humble."
For more information on Middlebrook and his hip-hop group AR-15, see www.AR15hiphop.com.

3 Questions
City Pages, 1/30/07

By Pete Scholtes

Jus Rhyme, 27, was the first contestant to mention "white supremacy" on Ego Trip's The (White) Rapper Show, a satirical reality program in which 10 aspiring (white) MCs from around the country compete for $100,000 while living together in the South Bronx. A native of Austin, Minnesota, the real-life Jeb Middlebrook has yet to embarrass himself too badly on national TV, though he maintains the onscreen persona of an earnest camp counselor amid "challenges" from hip-hop legends such as Prince Paul, Sadat X, and (white) host MC Serch. After a stint with AmeriCorps in San Diego, Jus spent a few years in the Twin Cities attending college and rapping under the name Privilege as part of the activist Hip-Hop Co-Op. He's now studying for his Ph.D. in L.A. and can be reached via www.myspace.com/ar15hiphop.
City Pages: Did Minneapolis hip hop teach you anything about race?
Jus Rhyme: Hip-hop shows were the one place where I saw people from different racial backgrounds coming together and having a good time. And because race is talked about, mostly with performers of color, it really prompted me to think about, okay, where am I in all this? Being willing to be wrong was a big thing for me. Saying things that weren't appropriate, just because I didn't know any better, and being checked.
CP: The show is about racism, yet you seem like the only guy bringing up the subject.
JR: White folks rarely talk about race in public places, but we're in the Bronx, we're rappers, we're living in a predominantly black community. To not talk about race, I felt, would be ridiculous.
CP: So is that John Brown guy for real?
JR: Yeah, I think so. What you see is what we got. From the moment that our eyes opened, there was a camera on us. One thing that didn't make the cut was me and John Brown would stay up late at night and have these long discussions about what it meant to be white in hip hop...

Ego Trip's The (White) Rapper Show airs Mondays at 9:00 p.m. on VH1.

Austin native raps racism -- Rapper featured on TV show
Post Bulletin, 1/12/07

ByChristina Killion Valdez
The Post-Bulletin 
As rap legend MC Serch and producer Prince Paul interviewed contestants on the first episode of "The (White) Rapper Show," they came to one that left them speechless, nodding their heads in agreement.
That rapper was Jeb Middlebrook, 27, a politically active MC who goes by the hip-hop name Jus Rhyme.
Middlebrook grew up in Austin but is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in American studies and ethnicity at the University of Southern California. He's also half of the Los Angeles-based hip-hop group AR-15, which stands for 15 anti-racist principals.
His role on the new VH1 reality-style game show, "The (White) Rapper Show," coincides with two other national debuts for AR-15. Those are the film "Mirrors of Privilege: Making Whiteness Visible" released in 2006 by World Trust Educational Services and the book "Other Peoples Property: A Shadow History of Hip-hop in White America" coming out next month on Bloomsbury Publishing.
Here is what he had to say about hip-hop, speaking out and winning.
Q: You've made your name as a hip-hop artist by speaking out against racism. What was your original reaction to the premise of the show?
A: I knew about Ego Trip, the guys behind the show. They had done a VH1 show "Race-O-Rama," about hip-hop and race. They did it in a fun way that opened the discussion up. Ego Trip also did a magazine in New York for four or five years in the 1990s about politics and news. They used hip-hop to talk about larger societal issues.
I have a shared a commitment to not only hip-hop, but to broadening a discussion of issues. I went to New York for the final auditions in June. That is what was seen on the show. It was the top 40 MCs out of they said 30,000 applications. When I was contacted for the final cut they said, "We don't have anyone like you who brings the political angle and talks about community issues." I was excited, but also sad. I was hoping more white rappers were doing that.
Q: What was your goal in participating in this show?
A: My goal was to win the show, and I think in that way to show that someone with that commitment to community work is marketable. We're traveling nationally already so that's proven to us that there is a desire for another sound people maybe don't hear on the radio. That was my main goal, to win. The second part was to demonstrate in terms of discussions about race that they can happen between white people. What some white people think about issues of race is that it's not relevant in making our lives better. Justice is everyone's issue.
Q: Were you portrayed fairly in the first episode?
A: So far I'm really pleased with what I've seen. The way I was portrayed was authentic in terms of my character and who I am as a performer and a person. I was sincere in the conversation I brought out.
Q: What's the biggest hurdle you've faced breaking into the hip-hop scene?
A: The biggest obstacle for me has been to prove myself, and it's connected to what I said before that you can put out a positive message and it can still sell. The record industry, like most businesses, goes with sure things. It's hard to change what you've always done if what you know makes money. It's a challenge for the record industry and fans to take a positive risk and listen to something new. I feel I've overcome it in more ways then one and shown that you can party your way to social justice.
Q: If you win, what will you do with the money?
A: Right off the top, our entertainment company is dedicated to giving time and money to people from the community. So 25 percent of the $100,000 I would be giving to local and national organizations working on issues of social justice as a way to give back to hip-hop and communities that don't have the access or opportunity that I've had.
The remaining I would probably invest it in some way, either purchase a house or build up a home studio for AR-15. I think either of those build financial security. The record industry is not always interested in teaching rappers about that. <O:P>< O:P>
ON TV AND ON THE WEB
Ego Trip's "The (White) Rapper Show" is seen at 9 p.m. Mondays on VH1.
To learn more about Jeb Middlebrook or hear his music, go to www.AR15hiphop.com.

White Rapper Gets Political on VH1
RawRoots.Com (UK)

By Stuart Taylor
LOS ANGELES, CA – "White, black and brown folk.  White-bred and town folk…" raps a camouflage-clad, white guy on the promo for VH1's latest reality series, Egotrip's "The (White) Rapper Show."  The white guy is Jeb Middlebrook aka Jus Rhyme, a self-described "white anti-racist rapper" making his national debut on VH1, Monday, January 8th at 10:30PM EST.
"The (White) Rapper Show" includes Jus Rhyme, alongside nine other white rappers from around the U.S., in a competition for the title of "the next great white rapper" and a $100,000 check.  The contestants live together in the South Bronx, NY (the birthplace of hip-hop) and compete in a variety of challenges that test their rap skills and knowledge of race and hip-hop culture.
Jus Rhyme, a late addition to the applicant pool for the show, was randomly discovered by the show's producers on a search of YouTube.com.  Selected because of his overt political poetry, Jus Rhyme was contacted by the show only four days before the final auditions in New York.
"My contribution as a white anti-racist rapper is unique," says Jus Rhyme.  "I rhyme for white kids that stand in solidarity with black and brown kids who want to end racism as we know it…for the benefit of everyone."  Jus raps in a group, AR-15 (Anti-Racist Fifteen), that uses hip-hop music to spread a message of understanding and social justice according to fifteen principles.
Jus Rhyme brings a rare focus on politics to the show.  Influenced early on by a labor strike that hit his hometown of Austin, Minnesota (Spam Town, U.S.A.) in 1985 and the events of the L.A. Riots in 1992, Jus grew up listening to rap with an eye on social conditions.  Translating his thoughts into action after high school in 1998, Jus joined AmeriCorps and worked community service projects around the U.S.
In the wake of 9/11, Jus was involved in hip-hop organizing in Minneapolis, MN around issues of police brutality, immigrants' rights, and anti-war activism.  He later honed these organizing skills in the Bay Area, CA.  As "The (White) Rapper Show" airs, Jus is a Ph.D. student in American Studies & Ethnicity at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles as well as an anti-racist rapper and prison activist.
National lecturer, Tim Wise, who was recently featured on the news show 20/20 described the music of Jus Rhyme as "…no bull, radical hip-hop: the kind that has the potential to redefine what it means to be white in the rap game."  Watch Jus Rhyme and nine other white rappers compete for $100,000 on EgoTrip's "The (White) Rapper Show", Mondays at 10PM EST on VH1.

Rapper from Spamtown tackles meaty subjects on reality show
Pioneer Press, 1/7/07
By Amy Carl Gustafson

Pioneer Press
VH1's latest entry into the reality TV ring will have viewers seeing white.
In a quest to find the next Eminem, "The (White) Rapper Show" invited 10 contestants to New York to vie for the title. One of them is Austin, Minn., native Jeb Middlebrook, aka Jus Rhyme, a 27-year-old anti-racist activist.
Contestants on the show were subjected to a series of tests that measured their musical "cred," knowledge of hip-hop culture and thoughts on race. And there's no swanky P. Diddy-esque pad for these artists to crash in. Instead, they stayed in "Tha White House," described as "a rundown South Bronx tenement."
Middlebrook was up for the challenge. As a University of Minnesota sophomore, he co-founded the Twin Cities Hip-Hop Co-op to help connect artists with community organizations. Since then, he has facilitated anti-racist hip-hop workshops and performances nationwide and begun work on his Ph.D. in American studies and ethnicity at the University of Southern California. But he took a break from all that last summer to move to the Bronx and compete in the show.
We checked in with the soft-spoken rapper, who shared his thoughts on the show, hip-hop and how growing up in Spamtown, U.S.A., influenced his music.
Q. What was your reaction when you heard about "The (White) Rapper Show"?
A. It speaks to our collective awkwardness in talking about race. The topic of the white rapper is really interesting because it raises this interesting character that is between worlds — are they acting white, or are they acting black? And what does it mean when our identities are hard to define according to race? It's the exciting part and also the difficult part of the show.
Q. What did you want to get out of being on the show?
A. I'm a hip-hopper and an anti-racist activist — I carry that with me wherever I go. But I did have two goals when I went on the show: to win and to share with the nation my perspective on what it means to be a white rapper.
Q. On the show, the contestants lived in the South Bronx. How did the community react to you guys?
A. I had a very positive experience with most of the people we encountered. My approach has always been to go in ready to listen with my eyes and ears open and ready to learn.
Q. What is your first hip-hop memory?
A. Seeing hip-hop on television. MTV was huge for me in hip-hop. Also, in another form of hip-hop, graffiti on the trains that would come through Austin. We would play around in the woods sometimes and walk the railroad tracks. We would see these trains come by, and they had graffiti pieces on them — big murals people had done.
Q. Did growing up in Austin influence your music?
A. One thing that influenced me, not consciously, but it was definitely there, was the Hormel strike in 1985 when I was 5. I was in the back seat of my mom's car, and it was during the strike. I remember on one side of the street there were National Guardsmen in camouflage and holding rifles, and then, on the other side, there were people in flannels and holding picket signs. To a 5-year-old, I was just freaked out — I didn't know what it was. But I think it later opened up my thinking about what is going on in our country in terms of workers and workers' rights. And questioning what is it about our business in America that pits neighbors against each other … there are lines in my music about that.
Amy Carlson Gustafson can be reached at agustafson@pioneer press.com or 651-228-5561.

What: Ego Trip's "The (White) Rapper Show"
When: 9:30 p.m. Monday
Where: VH1
Online: To learn more about Jeb Middlebrook, hear his music or e-mail him, go to www.AR15hiphop.com.

Austin native raps to the political beat on VH1
Austin Daily Hearald, 1/6/07

Austin may not be a hotbed for hip-hop, but that isn't stopping one SPAMtown native from gaining recognition in the music industry.
Jeb Middlebrook, who goes by the stage name Jus Rhyme, is one of 10 rappers competing on the VH1 reality show "The (White) Rapper Show," which debuts Monday at 9:30 p.m.

The eight-episode series follows the contestants as they vie for the title of "the next great white rapper" and a $100,000 check. The contestants live together in the South Bronx, N.Y., and compete in a variety of challenges that test their rap skills and knowledge of race and hip-hop culture.

Jus Rhyme, who said he was influenced early on by the Local P-9 labor strike in 1985 and the events of the L.A. riots in 1992, brings a politically charged message to the show. Producers selected him just four days before the show because of his overtly political poetry and message of anti-racism.

"My contribution as a white anti-racist rapper is unique," he said in a press release. "I rhyme for white kids that stand in solidarity with black and brown kids who want to end racism as we know it ... for the benefit of everyone."

Jus Rhyme, who is now based in Los Angeles, raps in a group, AR-15, that uses hip-hop music to spread a message of understanding and social justice.

"The (White) Rapper Show" begins airing Mondays on VH1 at 9:30 p.m.

"EgoTrip presents 'The (White) Rapper Show"
Complex Magazine, Dec-Jan 2007

It ain't easy being a white rapper.  That is, unless you blow up...Somehow, the melanin-proficient media savants at ego trip duped the melanin-deficient rhyme-happy execs at VH1 into making the most colorful show in the history of the network, The (White) Rapper Show.  This is not some Jamie Kennedy parody-type bullsh*t either.  It's 10 real MCs paying their dues in the Boogie Down Bronx, the birthplace of hip-hop.  It's here where they're challenged by blue-eyed rap pioneer MC Serch to step up their game.  Someone gets knocked off each episode and the last MC standing is crowned champion.

My Name Is: Jus Rhyme
'Hood Credential: Austin, MN aka Spam Town, USA (currently residing in LA)
Quote Unquote: "I've got bigger fish to fry, like white supremacy."
Listen Up: A member of the rap group AR-15 (Anti-Racist Fifteen), this MC/Ph.D student in ethnic studies has got a lot of heart, and his mind is focused on brdiging the gap in America's great racial divide...Jus is about truth, justice, and a better way.

Activists Urge Teenagers to Make a Difference
The Press-Enterprise, 6/22/06
PEACE FEST 2006: Groups use the Web, music and politically-charged art to tackle community crime.

A loose-knit network of social activists and musicians is reaching out to teenagers throughout the Inland area via Internet discussion boards, punk-rock and hip-hop concerts.

The message is the same, whether it's relayed in online posts, guitar riffs or rhymes: You can make a difference.

"It's a good way of organizing -- you have a message? Let's have a show," said Ariel Muro, a 22-year-old Riverside Community College student who heads the Riverside/San Bernardino chapter of Axis of Justice, a nonprofit group that mixes socio-political messages with music.

Axis of Justice is one of several local organizations hosting Peace Fest 2006 on Saturday at the Norman Feldheym Library in San Bernardino. Along with hip-hop and politically-charged art, the free, all-ages event will feature an open discussion of how young people can help make violence-plagued communities like San Bernardino safer.

Organizers say such shows -- and the online word-of-mouth promoting them -- tap into young people's desire to do something about racism, poverty and other social ills.

They also mix the lure of live music with the organizing power of the Internet, organizers say.
Young people "don't want to do the whole adult political thing, get dressed nice and talk politics," said Randall Lopez, who heads Inland Empire Hardcore, which has been organizing such shows for about three years.

"If we don't give them a positive outlet, they're going to find their own outlet with violence and vandalism -- just like what happened with the National Orange Show riots" in March. Fans at a punk show at the San Bernardino venue rioted when police responded to reports of a stabbing.

Both Inland Empire Hardcore and Axis of Justice spread the word about upcoming events on their own Web sites, including on MySpace.com.

The Web site was the primary tool used by high school students nationwide to organize pro-immigration rallies across the country last month.

"Every kid has their own personal computer. That's how you get through to them," Muro said.

Lopez, 38, who teaches special-needs children in Rancho Cucamonga, said most of the teens who come to shows are under 18, so they cannot vote. But he said they can make a difference in their communities by organizing informational campaigns and food drives, volunteering with churches and nonprofits or spreading awareness about issues like immigration by talking with their friends.

Organizers pay for events like the Peace Fest either out of pocket, through gate receipts or donations.

The events help raise money for Food Not Bombs, which distributes vegetarian food to people throughout the U.S.

Muro, who founded the group's Inland chapter a year and a half ago, said it feeds as many as 40 people every Sunday at Fairmount Park in Riverside.

Most of the 10 regular volunteers are local high-school students, she said.

"The high-school students are really stepping up," she said. "It gives you hope for the future.
Lopez said about 50 people came to the groups' most recent event earlier this month at Schooner's Restaurant in San Bernardino.

Rapper Jeb Middlebrook -- aka "Jus Rhyme" -- of Los Angeles-based hip-hop act AR-15, said some who attend Peace Fest are there for the music.

Others are more open to the social and political issues being discussed, he said.

"People are in different places in terms of wanting to receive a message," Middlebrook said. "We meet people where they're at."- Gregor McGavin, Reporter

Reach Gregor McGavin at 909-806-3069 or gmcgavin@PE.com

Headliner AR-15
IE Weekly, 6/1/06
This Sunday, activist orgs Inland Empire Hardcore and Axis of Justice Inland Empire (formed by Tom Morello of Audioslave and Serj Tankian of System of a Down) present...an all-ages youth music forum to promote solutions to violence and to encourage more youth involvement in the community building process. 

Making the point that social awareness and fun are fantastic bedfellows, the event features live hip-hop and punk from AR-15 (Anti-Racist Fifteen), Broken Society, Malice of Forethought, the Cabookies, Sars and the Kickmes, No Reform, the Rejekted, Ben Stewart (of Conspiracy of Thought) and Rebels to the Grain.

The two white guys who make up headliner AR-15 derive their name from 15 anti-racist principles that guide the rap group to "flip the system," i.e., use privilege to support social justice work led by people from the community (the seeming antithesis of the popular assault rifle AR-15).

This political rap duo parties their way to social justice with a raucous mix of club anthems and street chants—think the Beastie Boys meets Public Enemy. All profits go to Food Not Bombs Riverside, a volunteer-operated non-profit organization that provides food, clothing and other daily living supplies to the homeless.

Join the Axis of Justice and pals to "raise awareness and mobilize volunteers for social justice and inclusive, peaceful political dialogue through art, music and other types of creative expression"—a helluvalot more productive than bellyaching.

AT SCHOONERS, 1280 E. Washington Ave., Colton, CA www.AR15entertainment.com. www.axisofjustice.org/sanbernardino/; www.myspace.com/inlandempirehardcore. Sun., 1-6 p.m. All ages. - Anna Hirsch, Staff Writer

Their Slogan is "Flip the System"
The Current, The University of Missouri- St. Louis Student Newspaper, 5/1/06
"AR-15 performed and showcased their revolutionary, conscious rhymes. They performed songs like 'Ballot or Bullet,' based off the revolutionary speech by Malcolm X. Their songs centered on unity in the community. Their slogan is 'Flip the System' and the crowd gave them a special welcome."- Myron McNeill, Writer

"Raptivists" Make Their Way to OC
Bremerton Patriot, 3/25/06
"Raptivists" Jus Rhyme and Raw Potential will make their first appearance in Washington at Olympic College on Tuesday, March 28 as the rap group, AR-15.

The name AR-15 stands for "AntiRacist Fifteen"- a set of principles that guides the group in challenging individual and institutional practices of white privilege.

"We are making the statement with music that anyone can make the world a better place for everyone," said Raw Potential.  "White folks can work against racism, men can work against sexism, middle-class folks can work against classism.  This work can heal some of the biggest wounds in our communities."

Raw Potential returns to his home state with this tour date.  He grew up in the Tri-Cities area and now resides in Los Angeles with Jus Rhyme.  The two met through Americorps in California in 1998, and in their community work began to recognize privileges they had that others did not.

In 2003, Raw and Jus came together as AR-15 and focused on using their privileges and passions for rap to support work for social justice.

Catch AR-15 at Olympic College (1600 Chester Ave., Bremerton) on Tuesday, March 28th from 11:30AM-12:30PM.  More info: http://www.AR15entertainment.com

Mixing Rap & Politics
Kitsap Sun, 4/1/06
L.A.-based duo AR-15 used the lunch hour on Tuesday to preach anti-racism at OC's Student Center.

BREMERTON, WA

AR-15 didn't deviate much from standard hip-hop fare at its lunchroom gig, Tuesday at Olympic College.

There was plenty of self-promotion ("This is how we do it. It's AR-15 music"), talk about race and shout-outs to the home front. If you missed the introduction, the duo made it clear while sampling Tupac Shakur's "California Love," that they were from Los Angeles.

But instead of singing about livin' in a plush crib, driving a Mercedes and sporting a flashy grill, the band dropped working-class lyrics stemming from the theme of calling for a social and political change, or to "flip the system."

"Rich folks got OPP," they rapped. "Other people's property."

AR-15 — an acronym for Anti-Racist, with 15 principles for social, economic and ecological justice — is the brainchild of Trevor Wysling, aka Raw Potential, and Jeb Middlebrook, aka Jus Rhyme, who bill themselves as "Raptavists." Topics dished on at the group's 45-minute set included the prison system, the president and immigration.

The name AR-15 is a play off of the popular firearm. The duo see their AR-15 as weapon for anti-racism.

"We're all immigrants," Middlebrook told the crowd of snackers, noting the exception of Native Americans. "Otherwise, we've been brought here against our will."

Middlebrook and Wysling — a native of Prosser — met in southern California, working for AmeriCorps in 1998. After witnessing social injustice in the towns they visited with AmeriCorps, they decided their vehicle for change would be music.

The two play a handful of shows each year around the country. With an album planned for the summer, the group expects to beef up its touring schedule.

As white artists, the duo is something of a minority in its own right, working in a genre traditionally dominated by black rappers.

"There are spots for white kids in social change," Wysling said.

As much as AR-15's message is a detour from the MTV-sponsored brand of rap, Middlebrook told the crowd not to dismiss gangster rap. Aside from some problems, he said artists in the genre are toting an important message. In fact, Middlebrook, a PHD student at the University of Southern California, said his dissertation is on the relationship between gangster rap and the prison system.

Tuesday's performance was one of several lunchtime entertainment acts OC has planned through end of the school year. Other events include R&B singer Chniua Hawk on Tuesday and a poetry slam on April 13.

The show closed with a short question and answer segment, where the duo fielded questions regarding their musical influences and where students could learn more about getting involved with the social change the group pitched. Middlebrook pointed students toward the group's Web site and bands they consider socially conscious, such as Audioslave, Coldplay and U2.

Ian Ramos, 22, caught the last two songs of the band's set. He's not into rap, and wouldn't normally go out of his way to hear hip-hop. But he said he enjoyed hearing AR-15's shtick while he poured over his math homework.

"I can appreciate the fact of what they're trying to do," Ramos said. "They actually talk about important things in life. I will have to give them ... their props." - Christopher Kornelis, Features Writer, CKORNELIS@KITSAPSUN.COM

A LYRICS

From "John Brown"

For all the past ancestors that battled the cage
White, black, and brown folk
White-bred and town folk, righteous, united to fight,
Let's get down folk
Got our fists closed and our mouths "O"

"Raptivists" Play Concert
Kitsap Sun, 3/24/06
"...AR-15, which stands for 'AntiRacist Fifteen,' met in 1998 while members of the national service program AmeriCorps. They've been performing together as AR-15 since 2003, dedicating themselves to 15 anti-racist principles and donating 25 percent of their income to racial justice work." - The List

Hot Ticket: AR-15
Pulse of the Twin Cities, 2/22/06
"I doubt whether too many artists would say they support racism, but how many of them are willing to put their money where their mouth is: their name. AR-15 is a California rap duo whose name stands for the 15 anti-racist principles that guide the group. Name checking everyone from the Weathermen to Harper's Ferry on the track "John Brown" might not seem like an obvious path to hip-hop stardom, but their radical politics are not so far removed from what most left-leaning hip-hop fans believe; they're just a little more vocal about it...no one can deny that their goal is a worthy one, and with so many white rappers trying to play the rap game by out-gangstering each other, it's refreshing to hear a group with their heads squarely on their shoulders and their eyes on a distinct prize." - Neil Grecco, Writer

Rappin' Against Racism
Battle Creek Equirer, 11/16/04
"Middlebrook and Wysling motivate people to be aware of inequalities and support efforts to change them..." - Nicole Jacques, Staff Writer

Hip-Hop...Raises Issue of Racial Justice
Waterloo Courier, 9/8/04
"The duo...used their music and the audiences' creativity to explore issues of race, privilege, and justice." - Andrew Wind, Staff Writer

What People Are Saying About AR-15...
Various Authors
"..no bull, radical hip-hop: the kind that has the potential to redefine what it means to be white in the rap game." - Tim Wise, National Lecturer and Anti-Racist Activist

"I would recommend AR-15 to any non-profit organization, school, or venue that is looking for an educational and entertaining program that grounds itself in principles of and for social justice.  The world needs more artists like AR-15!" - Lian Cheun, Field Director, Center for Third World Organizing*

"…shout out about AR-15!  Listen, I have used these guys for White Privilege Conference 6 and 7!  They are phenomenal!  They are fun, energetic, creative and hard working!  These guys have delivered for me year after year and I strongly suggest you add them to your list!  They will do good work and folks will be happy with their work." – Dr. Eddie Moore, Jr., Founder of the White Privilege Conference

"They are awesome! Someone needs to get them in the real rap game." - Dr. Na'im Akbar, Clinical Faculty; Psychology Department, Florida State University

"I call them abolitionists. And the struggle needs abolitionists." - J.W. Wiley, Director of the Center for Diversity, Pluralism, & Inclusion

"I really respect & appreciate the work you both do (plus, the music & rhymes are solid)." - Dan Berger, author of Letters From Young Activists: Today's Rebel's Speak Out (Nation Books, 2005).

"You both have a lot to offer..." – Ilaria Pesco, Director of Student Leadership & Involvement Center, University of Redlands, Redlands, CA

"I am really enjoying your lyrics and music!...and hope that you can join us on the campaign trail." - Lynda Hernandez, Campaign Coordinator, Green Party Representative Donna Warren for Lieutenant Governor of CA

"Thank you again for all that you do, teach, and learn." – Jessica Pettitt, Social Justice & Diversity Consultant & Facilitator, Phoenix, AZ

"Yo, I'm very impressed and inspired by your work…I am moved." - Jesse Schmidt, Animation Director, Studiotree Multimedia; Toronto, Canada*

"I really like the look and mission of your business and appreciate what you are doing." Stephen Burke, CMO, MBuzzy.com

"…we were so impressed with your leadership and your music." - Greg, Lisa, and Noah Coffman, Indianapolis, IN*

"You're just what the rap game needs…" - Will Felten aka Billy Buckets, Austin, MN*

"MAY GOD BLESS YOUR MOVEMENT!" - Devon Dabney, Atlanta, GA*

"…you two talk about something real." - Tricia M., Albion, MI*

"props to you guys…for real I have mad respect for anyone who is out there working to teach truth and tolerance." Kim Ryan, Los Angeles, CA


*Some Expanded Quotes (from above)

"CTWO is a racial justice organization led by people of color whose mission is to achieve social and economic justice.  Our organization was honored to host the rap group, AR-15, at our annual fundraiser in December 2005 to help raise money for our non-profit programs.  AR-15 was a perfect fit for our organization.  As two white rappers committed to racial justice, AR-15 demonstrates leadership in the white community against racism and white supremacy.  As straight men, they show leadership by taking a stand against sexism and heterosexism.  Their foundational message is that anyone can help make the world better for everyone by 'flipping the system', or using one's privileges and passions to support work for justice led by people from the community. Their poetry and presence demonstrates solidarity with women, queer folks, people of color and poor people who fight for a more just world.  I would recommend AR-15 to any non-profit organization, school, or venue that is looking for an educational and entertaining program that grounds itself in principles of and for social justice.  The world needs more artists like AR-15!" - Lian Cheun, Field Director, Center for Third World Organizing

"It was great meeting you both this weekend.  Our six year old son, Noah, danced with Traci's Urban Jamm Saturday…He is biracial and a huge fan of hip-hop.  I don't know if you are parents, but I'm sure you can appreciate the challenge of us trying to let him enjoy hip-hop but ensure he is not listening to misogynistic, racist, violent and just plain trifling stuff.  We were so impressed with your leadership and your music.  This weekend was so powerful for him, getting to perform on stage and hearing hip-hop from a white group was an invaluable experience.  We will definitely be purchasing your music and should you ever get to Indianapolis - would come out to see you."- Greg, Lisa, and Noah Coffman, Indianapolis, IN

"Yo, I'm very impressed and inspired by your work.  I as well am white and have grown up listening to conscious hip-hop.  I as well am strongly against racism, and looking for positive opportunities to empower minorities, and to make the majority think more.  My half brother is black, and it gave me some insight into the world of racism at an early age.  Something that has stayed with me forever.  Anyways, the reason I'm writing is because I am moved…" - Jesse Schmidt, Toronto, Canada

"I'm just emailing you to keep up the work. You're just what the rap game needs, someone who can put a positive influence onto the struggle of hip-hop. HaHa when we were battling, and you said sexism, i was like whoa, i never thought of how the word 'hoes', could affect women and than i thought about my generation of hip-hop and there is so much sexism, pretty much every song has it. You made me see that i just threw that word out there and didn't even think of how it could hurt people. Thanks for making me realize that 'language is power'. I like that saying, cause its true. I've never disrespected a woman, and I'm not planning on it, and so I'll try to help a little bit by telling my homies over here in A-Town, when they disrespect anyone to stop. I gotta represent my crew. Haha. What I'm trying to get at is keep up the work, your efforts mean a lot to me and I'm sure your affecting peoples thoughts about racism and their lives. I have much love for what your doing...Peace Out!" - Will Felten aka Billy Buckets, Austin, MN

"MAY GOD BLESS YOUR MOVEMENT! Greetings to you AR-15!!!! My name is Devon and I'm a sister from ATL, Georgia who just happened to hear about your group/movement and I have to say that I'm really proud of what you're doing. I first heard of you through reading a post on daveyd.com's article/forum area...But anyway, I would love to work with you guys...I'm a producer...I'm a beatmaker/musician, I love building and collabing with people who are truly of the culture (and not on some political/corporate bull...). - Devon Dabney., Atlanta, GA

"I just wanted to take the time to thank you for coming to Olivet College and share your program with my peers and I. It was really awesome that you did that, we need more programs like yours around here. A lot of my friends and I enjoyed watching you two talk about something real...Your both very talented and blessed people and it is so cool that the both of you can share your talents with other people (even us people in Michigan!) And it wasn't just the rap thing that was good (although you guys did extremely well at that, too) but it was also how you seemed to connect with my peers and talk to everyone with such ease. You influenced our Multicultural Education Center to get motivated and start doing something toward the cause of bringing all of our students together. What you guys did to get through to our school was amazing and something hard to accomplish. I cannot tell you how thankful I am for that. Not only will it help the segregation at our college but it will give me something to do when I attend work everyday." - Tricia, Albion, MI