No More

Sorry for the lack of update! After my last post, I decided to make a 5 day trip to Phnom Penh, Cambodia – which turned into 10 days. (In between those days I was supposed to have a show on a Southern island which I chose not to attend – but I found out it got cancelled due to the tsunami warnings. Prayers goes out to our brothers and sisters in Japan!!) Anyways, Now I am back and have been non-stop since.

A quick summary of my trip to Cambodia…

Incase you don’t know my history with Phnom Penh, I have been involved with a non-governmental organization called Tiny Toones, which uses hip hop as a means of empowerment for the street youth. It was founded by Tuy KK Sobil, who is originally from Long Beach, CA. I’ve known him for 5 years now and this organization always draws me back to the Penh! One cannot go to Cambodia without feeling the need to give back because of all the trauma they went through from the war, so I have worked on bringing a greater awareness to this organization doing amazing things for its people. I connected with some old friends as well as some new faces, such as the AZI fellaz – a progressive Khmer-American hip hop crew from Philadelphia – and Mia-Lia, founder of the One Love Movement, which is bringing the deportation issue of Khmer-Americans to light. Please visit their websites to learn more!

Other than that, my updates have mainly been through my facebook page. It takes hours for me to actually blog because I put so much thought into what I have to say. One of my latest status updates was “I respect people who get sex changes but it makes me sad when my Thai brothers who transition to women end up selling their bodies to mostly older white male clients. Thoughts?” I received an overwhelming number of responses, so if you’d like to read it please check it out on my facebook page.

Anyways, what provoked me to post that was my experience in Pattaya. After returning from Phnom Penh, I had two days of rehearsal in Bangkok with Rajahsie I band and we drove up for the Pattaya International Music Festival for our set. Upon arrival, I was saddened by the number of prostitutes in the city, but more so I was sickened by the older foreign men, majority of them being White, who were supporting this business. It’s sad that such perverted places exists, and it confuses me that there are Thai men out there receiving sex changes just so that they can become female prostitutes. However, I do understand that several of them do it to support their families — but why?! Especially when so many women out there wish they didn’t have this body so they wouldn’t have to enter this business? Poverty drives people to do ridiculous things, but there is only so much we can do at this point since it has become such an accepted practice, especially since this city became a base for American soldiers during the Vietnam War. I also see several children with white fathers and Thai mothers walking around these corrupted streets, and as much as I should not judge the history of their relationship, I pity the children because of the environment they are growing up in.

Besides all of that, I performed a new song with Rajahsie I I wrote two weeks ago after witnessing a farmer’s protest in front of Bangkok’s version of the White House. I could not find any news articles related to the protest, so I built up a scenario in my own head of what must have led these people to make demands for their needs. Some people told me that they are being paid to protest by an organization that will benefit from any changes, but either way the poverty of these farmers is being exploited by both sides. Enjoy the video!

NO MORE
Lyrics by Jumakae

Breaking all the laws of creation,
don’t have time to argue about where we came from.
Pray to the Father and the Holy Son,
but what about our mother we build these things on?
Look to the sky to answer our worth,
Sun is shining while dark is the Earth.
Buildings grow higher, gotta get to the top.
Shadows are casted on those we forgot.

Oh no, can’t you see we want no more
Oh no, can’t you see we want no more (x2)

Blood is shedding in the land of the green
Turned into grey concrete
Black is the skin that cared for the earth,
Kicked to the floor, treated as dirt.
Uprise them in the belly of the beast.
Who’s listening to their needs?
Blinded by colors of ivory.
Come down from your towers,
We’re screaming for peace.

Oh no, can’t you see we want no more
Oh no, can’t you see we want no more (x2)

Our time is coming soon,
Taking back what you claim was new.
Our time is coming soon,
We refuse to keep being used.

 

Oh no, can’t you see we want no more
Oh no, can’t you see we want no more (x2)

In regards to Pattaya and sex workers, I honestly cannot offer any type of solution for this practice. Then again, I don’t have to because it is just my observation of the crazy things I am experiencing during traveling. Lesson learned: Pattaya = Disneyland for perverts. Along with Koh Samui, Phuket, and certain areas of Bangkok. Ahh!