AeroSoul 2 Urban Hieroglyphics | HIP HOP CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE (Graffiti)

Produced, Filmed, and Edited by Christine Joy Ferrer (www.eyesopenedblog.com): The Bay Area Aerosol Heritage Society, along with local chapters of the Universal Zulu Nation, present "Urban Hieroglyphics." And it's oh so freshhhhhhh, featuring "artists from the African hip-hop diaspora painting for peace and radical change" as well as ending black-on- black youth violence. From walls to canvases. From billboards to posters. Catch a glimpse of its February 4, 2011 premiere event at the Joyce Gordon Gallery in Oakland, CA and hear why its revelers think graffiti is so dope and how the arts empower social change. For more info visit: www.aerosoulart.com and www.joycegordongallery.com.

Bay Area-based "urban calligraphers" include: Refa1, Toons, MadHatter, Spek1 and Kufu1 (all from the TCB crew); Kemrexx (TDK); Del/Phresh and Stare (BSK); Cuba (TF); and Trendie (KTD), the show also features visual artists Brett Cook-Dizney and Emory Douglas - resident artist for the Black Panther Party.

Southern Californian artists include Overton Lloyd (album art designer for Parliament-Funkadelic) and members of the RTN, WCA, UCA, TDF, KOA, L2S, DTK and SMD crews. From Chicago come Orko and Slang (FEDS). Dawud Anyabwile, the artist known for the Brother Man comic, reps Philadelphia.

From New York City, there's Phade (TC5/Shirt Kings); Dooley-O; Gem7, Snatch, and Gnome (CWK), the crew who illustrated Just-Ice's "Back to the Old School" album, Mantronix' "Needle to the Groove" 12" and many other graf-laced designs for Sleeping Bag/Fresh records; Slave TF5 (From the grafumentary Style Wars); and members of the YNN, TMT and MBT crews. From Senegal comes Docta; from France (and other parts of Europe), there's aerosol superstar Mode2.