Wednesday, February 12, 2025
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Rubble Kingz: How Camps Breakerz use dance for healing in the Gaza Strip

Instructor, Mouse Alghariz poses with students in the Camps Breakerz studio.

To begin simply, Camps Breakerz is a crew of b-boys and b-girls. Like so many other crews in Hip Hop Culture, they throw jams and battle. They clap and cheer for each others’ finesse and power moves and they dust each other off when they crash. They get up for morning sessions,  and crack jokes and tell stories after late night practices. They’ve carved a lane teaching the art of breaking to youth in their community, like many other Hip Hop heads who have found greater purpose in passing along their craft to a younger generation. Also not unlike many other teaching artists, they’ve found unexpected magic in the educational programs they facilitate. For the children and adults that they work with in their home of the Gaza Strip, Camps Breakerz’ programs have not only benefited the physical health of their students, but they have created outlets for self-expression and trauma-release in a space where that type of healing is desperately needed. 

Following an attack in southern Israel carried out by Hamas on October 7, which killed 1,139 people and captured 253 hostages, the Israeli government began a catastrophic siege on the population of the Gaza Strip that at the time of this writing, has killed over 35,000 people in Gaza. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry (MOH), 14,000  of those deaths are children and 9,000 are women. Upwards of 10,000 people are presumed still trapped under rubble created by persistent bombings. Widespread acts of violence directed at hospitals and other obstructions of access to health care have been recorded in Gaza since the current phase of crisis in Palestine began. The MOH also reports that 493 health workers have been killed in the attacks. Roughly 12 of the 36 hospitals in Gaza are in a state of partial functionality. The other 24 hospitals have either completely shuttered or have run out of fuel and medicine. To compound the crisis, shipments of medical supplies and food aid have been repeatedly blocked or attacked directly. Tragedies like the bombing and killing of an entourage of international aid workers from the World Central Kitchen in April 2024, serve as a deterrent for others who would help deliver essential support to the citizens of Gaza.

Survival Pending Revolution

In all mass movements, there are various tiers of resistance that can be observed in regards to addressing oppression, hegemony, and in the most dire of situations, genocide. Some of these actions are undertaken in attempts to fight the long game of addressing the roots of the socio-political constructs that fuel the suffering of a population. These actions of long-term impact can be found in the form of education, massive political restructuring, reworking of media narratives, and in more extreme scenarios, complete revolution. Other actions are more immediate in nature, working towards accessing the basic needs of survival for people living within the shadow of repressive institutions.

Black Panther Party co-founder, Huey P. Newton explained this phenomenon with the simple phrase, “survival pending revolution.” In an essay re-published in the anthology, To Die for the People: The Writings of Huey P. Newton, he wrote:

“We recognized that in order to bring the people to the level of consciousness where they would seize the time, it would be necessary to serve their interests in survival by developing programs which would help them to meet their daily needs… These programs satisfy the deep needs of the community but they are not solutions to our problem. That is why we call them survival programs, meaning survival pending revolution.”

Bill Whitfield of the Black Panther chapter in Kansas City serves free breakfast to children before they go to school, April 16, 1969. (PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLIAM P. STRAETER, AP)

Survival programs are a unique lens that resistance organizing can be viewed through. Not only do these acts of community shed a soft light on the common needs of human populations and the ingenuity of those dedicated to social progress, they also draw to the surface the nature of everyday life that continues despite people facing the horrors of war, colonialism, and institutional racism. The Black Panthers formed a health-education curriculum, free medical clinics, Sickle Cell Anemia research projects, and free breakfast programs for school children as part of their agenda to address the short term needs of their communities, while preparing for the long walk towards permanent social change.

In a 2021 interview, the South African organizer and emcee Emile YX? was asked what it was like to be an activist living under the Apartheid regime in the 1980s. His response was telling. “The reality of being under the control of that type of regime is that life goes on. A lot of people ask ‘what were you doing?’ and you’re like, I was skateboarding, and roller skating, and playing football, and soccer, and volleyball, and practicing Kung-fu and they’re like, ‘Wait a minute, I thought this was during apartheid.’ People forget that apartheid is just an extension of colonialism. So, people lived under the regime. They fell in love, they went clubbing, they went to watch movies and so there was life.”

Emile’s point speaks directly to the needs of everyday people embroiled in those long fights towards full liberation. It highlights the power of finding solace in the ability to carry on a life and pursue the stability and mental health needed to bolster larger actions. It reminds us of the need for intentional actions to maintain a true and rich survival, and what it means for that survival to be an act of resistance.

Needless to say, the situation for the civilians of the Gaza Strip is dire and even basic survival is not something that anyone living in the region can take for granted. As human rights movements mobilize globally in attempts to secure aid and advocate for a permanent ceasefire, everyday citizens of Palestine are existing in a daily struggle for their lives. Much has been written about the long-form systems of supporting the population of Gaza and other people around the world who face the existential threats of state sponsored violence, oppression, colonialism, and war. The story of Camps Breakerz allows us to take a deeper look into the immediate needs of a people and how the very act of dancing can play a pivotal role in the pursuit of freedom.

Dancing in the Rain

B-Boy Funk

Before the Camps Breakerz crew was a symbol of resistance and community support, they represented a foundational moment in Hip Hop history. Original crew member, Ahmed Alghariz aka B-boy Shark tells the story of the group’s origins. “Our beginning was through my brother Mohammed, or Funk, the first b-boy… in Palestine. He started by watching some videos in Saudi Arabia before he moved to the Gaza Strip for his studies at university.” 

The Alghariz brothers come from a Palestinian family and were born in Saudi Arabia. Shortly after Funk moved back to Palestine for his studies, Shark followed. “My brother didn’t find anything called breaking or (what we called) “funky” (in Palestine) at that time. He started to practice and teach our neighbor and, step by step, they spread dancing in the area. When I moved with my family… to the Gaza Strip in 2003-2004, (Funk and I) made our crew together and we called it Camps B-Boys, but at the time we thought in the future we might get girls, so we called ourselves Camps Breakers.”

Many organizers within Hip Hop and other youth-based movements can relate to the struggle of establishing the legitimacy of new forms of cultural expression in the eyes of elders and other community members. Shark continues, “And we were so careful what we called ourselves also because the community might think that b-boys meant bad boys and we didn’t want this to be threatening or (appear to) be like the bad guys… because we are educated people and that’s why we converted b-boys to breakers. We were defending breaking and also spreading it in the Gaza Strip. People didn’t accept our shows because it was pure breaking. And in that time, we were thinking of a solution for how we can make our community accept our dancing. So we mixed our issues, our hard situation, into our shows and… people started to see themselves and their stories (in the events) and accepted our dancing. We call it Gazan Contemporary style.”

Camps Breakerz students in Gaza.

It is said that necessity is the mother of invention, and so what began with the Camps Breakerz crew’s excitement about the dynamic new culture of Hip Hop and a love for the element of breaking, created a need for including the interests and values of the broader community of Gaza into the way their events were run. The people’s response became a proof of concept for the power of using art and movement as tools for healing. 

Shark, who is a trauma counselor by trade, recognized that in his formal counseling work, while the methods for tracking and identifying the trauma that impacted patients were different than working with students in a dance studio, many of the results were the same. He and Funk found that moving together in rhythm influenced a sense of belonging, affirming their existence and connection to a pulse that bound Gaza to the rest of the world. They found growth in their students’ ability to communicate and cooperate, skills as essential in the general moments of everyday life as they are in the process of surviving a war zone.

Food is packaged in the Camps Breakerz studio and prepared for distribution to residents of the Nuseirat refugee camp.

The crew grew to include new breakers like b-boys Jarule, Machine, Hanson, and more as well as videographers, promoters, graffiti writers, and a host of community volunteers. As the crew grew, so did the needs of Gaza. The Camps Breakerz studio became a hub for food and clothes distribution, a need further exacerbated by the current attacks on Gaza. They set up a busing program that brought youth in from surrounding areas to spend time in focused rehabilitation programs. The studio became a ray of sun in dark times, a space that could be found full of laughing children, cheering adults encouraging students to hug themselves, piles of shoes, jackets, hats, or bags of vegetables for people from the neighborhood to take. But even a ray of sunlight is subject to the movement of clouds.

In 2009, the Camps Breakerz studio was bombed by the Israeli military. Without a permanent physical space to organize, the crew literally danced on rubble, unwilling to end their work. They continued to organize and network, taking their instruction mobile, traveling to teach at various United Nations schools in the Gaza Strip. The network they had built became a powerful asset and through a collective fundraising effort, the group was eventually able to open a new physical studio inside of the Nuseirat Refugee Camp in central Gaza.

Increasingly dire conditions brought on by air raids and ground attacks by the Israeli military, have left a staggering amount of civilians’ homes and businesses in the Gaza Strip leveled. As a result, more and more people in Palestine have been forced into camps like the Nuseirat Camp. Nuseirat was built around the site of a former British prison to provide refuge for 16,000 Palestinians fleeing South Gaza during the mass displacements and violence of the period in 1948 in which the state of Israel was formally established, known in history books as the Arab-Israeli war but commonly referred to by the people of Palestine as the Nakba, or ‘catastrophe.’ Today, over 80,000 people crowd into the 0.26 square mile (0.68 sq km) camp.

Demolished businesses and scarce access to resources have left few opportunities for employment or commerce. Limited food is available to purchase with what income can be earned. Amid the cramped conditions, lack of materials to build shelter with, electricity cuts, and hunger exacerbated by fluctuating restrictions on fishing by the Israeli government, the struggling people of Nuseirat, along with local and international partners, have built their own infrastructure within the camp. In the quarter square mile it exists within, there are schools, a formal food distribution center, health centers, and a single maintenance and sanitation office. Despite these challenges, the Camps Breakerz erected their dance studio alongside those other general health and education support resources. 

Amongst the rattle of M4 rifles and the boom of mortar shells, kicks and snares echoed off the walls of the dwellings of Nuseirat. Laughter, joy, and possibility blended with mourning and fear as young students honed new skills and impressed their friends. Crowds from the community gathered on balconies and in the courtyard of the studio to marvel at headspins, barrels, and flares. As Emile YX? said, “So there was life.”

The Camps Breakerz studio after being bombed by the Israeli military on February 23, 2024.

Yet, the soil of the earth knows well that even rays of sun are subject to the clouds. In a heartbreaking return to the somber reality of living under the constant yoke of military violence, on February 23rd, 2024, the Israeli military bombed the new Camps Breakerz dance studio. Four students were killed, all children under 10 years old. The horror of those deaths and the chilling acknowledgement that the feeling of safety people find while dancing exists only in the mind of the dancer, would threaten anyone’s sense of resolve. Shaken but not broken, the Camps Breakerz crew danced on, sunlight continuing to shine on their students through a bombed hole in the wall, cut through a now crumbling graffiti mural.

Reflecting on the process of healing from a threat that still exists, Shark takes a deep breath before answering, “I have seen the results (of our work) and it’s going in the right direction, but of course we still need to be there. There are many reasons that trauma in Gaza is always refreshed and reactivated.” On the long road to permanent safety, a rich survival requires the response to harm and fear to recur as frequently as the violence. The Camps Breakerz organizers know that they won’t do this alone.

Young students dance under a demolished wall in the Camps Breakerz studio.

Leaning into the value of unity, one of the founding principles of Hip Hop that drew B-boys Funk and Shark towards the culture originally, the crew reached out to their global community, calling in b-girls, b-boys, and many other Hip Hop heads that they have collaborated with over the years. Breaking crews and Hip Hop organizers have begun throwing events from New York and Seattle to Barcelona, to help fundraise for the rebuilding of the Camps Breakerz studio. A Gofundme account was created to help draw more of the international community together to continue to raise funds for the studio.

The way Shark speaks about his own crew’s Gofundme campaign, further shows how collective of an effort community rebuilding can be. “We will build the school (with the funds we raise) and we have our campaign. Also we have our C.B. crew linktree account to support other campaigns for other people in the Gaza Strip who are in need to evacuate to Egypt, for example.” The linktree is full of stories of children, pregnant women, medical professionals, and grandparents that need help. Shark naturally blending the support needed for his own crew’s purposes with the needs of so many others is an almost poetic ode to the power of what each survivor can do while en route to liberation.

The civilians living in the Nuseirat refugee camp and the Gaza Strip continue to exist under constant threat to their lives. The struggle for access to food, fuel, medical supplies, and other basic necessities continues as support for their safety grows internationally. People following Camps Breakerz story will use their linktree and Gofundme campaigns to provide much needed immediate help for the people on that list. Life may improve for those people and when it does, the stories on that linktree will be replaced with new ones, as long as the enduring threat to the people exists. Supporters will hope that their solidarity with the children attending the Camps Breakerz studio, dancing amidst the ruins of walls that once were, will provide solace to the group’s organizers. That solace may be a bit of healing for the day, and sometimes a day is what you need while working for a better tomorrow. 

Camps Breakerz students dance atop the remnants of bombed buildings in Gaza.

Some problems seem so deeply rooted and the road to their solutions can feel so long, that it’s daunting to hope. These are precisely the times that Huey P. Newton was referring to when he advised the people to hold strong and remember that there is victory in survival when up against such a force. 

Shark’s final thoughts are humbling when considering the weight of that force that he and his crew are facing. They contain no hate or reference to an enemy. They don’t even center on his own struggle. “Support each other,” he says calmly. “Hip hop is one family and I just want them to stand with humanity. I don’t want them to stand with anything else.” 

If we all stand with humanity, seeking to find unity with the everyday people across all sides of conflicts in our world, the survival of the people of Gaza may just allow them to live to see the clouds part and humans break some of our most dangerous cycles. And with the support of their community, while they survive, they will dance.

206 Zulu 17th Anniversary

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206 Zulu 17th Anniversary Special
Uplift | Preserve | Celebrate
With reflections by Big Zo, Georgio Brown, Malika Patti, Mz Music Girl, Orbitron, Queen Kitty Wu, Shooter in the Town, Supreme La Rock & More!

Saturday, February 13
6pm PST
Livestreaming on Facebook and YouTube

ALSO

Check out the 206 Zulu 17th Anniversary Kick-Off event the night before!

Pangea: Hip Hop Heals
Album Release & Artist Discussion
With guests Dumi Right (USA), Eli Almic (Uruguay), Emile YX? (South Africa), Maze 022 (India), Tati Chaves (Costa Rica), ZDC (Australia) & More!

Friday, February 12
6pm PST
Sign up REGISTER (free)


LINKS
206 Zulu Anniversary Home
Pangea Home
Facebook Event Page

OurStory: Legacy of Northwest Hip Hop

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In celebration of the hip hop history of the Pacific Northwest, 206 Zulu presents, “OurStory: Legacy of Northwest Hip Hop”, a night of music, entertainment and ceremony honoring pioneers who paved the way for Seattle hip hop. As part of 206 Zulu’s 21st Anniversary.

Location: Washington Hall, 153 14th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122
Date: Saturday, February 15, 2025
Time: 7:30pm – 10:00pm
Tickets: FREE / donations accepted / nobody turned away from lack of funds

Facebook Event Page

Beats to the Rhyme – Spring 2025

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Beats to the Rhyme, 206 Zulu’s Hip Hop music mentorship program returns this Spring!

Are you an up-and-coming or aspiring rapper, music producer, or singer? FILL OUT THE FORM BELOW TO APPLY to Beats to the Rhyme by February 17, 2025. 

Beats to the Rhyme helps young artists (ages 15-19) tap into the power of creative expression as a tool for self-growth, professional development, and community empowerment. In a 12-week residency located in the Central District’s historic Washington Hall, students have the opportunity to write, produce, and record original creative works in the state-of-the-art Emerald Street Studios.

206 Zulu teaching artists and special guests guide the cohort through sequencing, songwriting, composition, recording and live performances. The program culminates with a completed recorded project, music video, and final performance. Participants have opportunities to build connections and take their work to a variety of audiences to grow their performance skills and gain important stage and event production experience. Students who complete the program will receive an honorarium for participation.

The goals for the program are to:
* Inspire youth to pursue their musical creativity
* Provide artist development training, education and experience
* Cultivate a safe, supportive space for youth to express themselves and their individuality
* Challenge youth to think critically and nurture forward thinking
* Expand practical knowledge in marketing, promotion, multimedia, and community building

Apply now to participate in the upcoming program beginning March 2025! Deadline to apply is February 17, 2025.

LINKS
Beats to the Rhyme Home Page
Beats to the Rhyme Facebook Page

OurStory: Legacy of Northwest Hip Hop – Kylea

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Kylea is the lead MC of Seattle hip hop group Beyond Reality, and the co-founder of Jasiri Media (with long-time partner, Jonathan “Wordsayer” Moore). A native of the Central District, Kylea also owns and runs Fat’s Chicken and Waffles.

OurStory: Legacy of Northwest Hip Hop – Funkdaddy

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Funkdaddy is an award-winning DJ and music producer whose collaborations with Sir Mix-A-Lot and E-40 earned him gold and platinum status in the 90s. Funkdaddy has worked with D-12, Spice 1, Dru Down, B-Legit, Rass Kass, Money B, N2Deep, Cool Nutz, Mac Dre, and others.

Sound Off! 2025

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For 25 years, Sound Off! has been amplifying the Northwest’s most powerful young voices – the ones who shape music and culture. This legendary development program is where 21-and-under musicians build community and create unstoppable momentum for tomorrow’s sound.

Saturday, February 8th
7:00pm doors / 8:00pm show
i///u 
Capala
Pruett
Oscar Warnersmith
 
Saturday, February 15th
7:00pm doors / 8:00pm show
Maiah Wynne
AK
Mourning Glory
Rose Peak
 
Saturday, February 22nd
7:00pm doors / 8:00pm show
King Youngblood
j mac 
Miratise

Teen Action Fair

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Saturday, March 22, 2025

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
440 5th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98109

10am-3pm

Calling all Seattle-area teens! Join us for our annual Teen Action Fair! This year’s theme is Our Future is Within Grasp and centers around what we are truly capable of when we come together to create change. 

The day will be full of fun and excitement and is a great opportunity to find out how you can get involved in your community. There will be local organizations from the greater Seattle area with volunteer opportunities and programs you can join. We know that looking for ways to take action can be overwhelming, but we’re here to help! This year’s theme encompasses many different issues with opportunities that appeal to a wide variety of interests! There will also be tours, fun activities, and snacks. 

No RSVP is required, just bring yourself and a friend! We hope to see you there!

Link

Hip Hop in the Ashes of the LA Fires

Editor’s note: At the time of writing, the Hughes Fire has recently broken out near the Los Angeles County community of Castaic. Driven by another bout of high winds, it has spread to over 500 acres within its first hour. This article provides a snapshot of what’s been happening in LA, through our news source’s Hip-Hop lens but in respect to the ongoing nature of this crisis, we at 206zulu.org urge readers to stay abreast of new advancements, especially to emerging needs and requests for support. For all of our extended community in Southern California, we send our love and well wishes for your safety.

2025 Los Angeles Fires

Fire—like hip-hop—is composed of core elements: heat, fuel, and oxygen.

The fires raging in Los Angeles have been fueled by forests and houses and rapidly intensified by 90 MPH winds. Fueling the fires are people’s possessions, their furniture and family photos, books and paintings, record collections, and recording studios.

More important than lost possessions, however, are the rising numbers of displaced citizens, lost communities, and lost lives. And though, as of January 22nd, new fires are still erupting, the LA community, the Hip Hop community, and the art community, at large, are starting to reflect on the losses from the Eaton and Palisades Fires.

In the coming weeks and months, government officials will need to answer tough questions about rebuilding, preserving, and preventing because, though wildfires regularly rage near LA, these historic fires have exposed systemic failures in California, the US, and around the world.

Hip Hop Artists Directly Affected by the LA Fires

Protecting art is extremely important. Humans use our creativity to document societal issues and trends and express our inner thoughts and feelings. Art is the key to understanding history, the generations that came before us. Without cave paintings, vinyl records, or art museums, we wouldn’t understand a fraction of the scrawny transcript of written history.

History tells us that a natural disaster typically impacts the most vulnerable members of our communities. During and after Hurricane Katrina, decisions made by politicians destroyed some of the lowest income communities in the United States. 20 years later, those communities are still working hard to recover.

Images show neighborhoods razed to the ground in New Orleans (left) and Los Angeles (right) after Hurricane Katrina and the 2025 fires, respectively. Images via CBS Austin and the LA Times

LA is in the midst of a homelessness epidemic, and the efforts to help the unhoused will lose funding and attention while LA is rebuilt. The $40 billion pledged by California Governor Gavin Newson to fight homelessness in LA is either going to be delayed in favor of fire prevention and aid, or it will come at the expense of the budget for fire support. Concurrently, LA Mayor Karen Bass has been criticized for slashing the LAFD budget.

Working-class and lower-income families will take on the bulk of the hardship of relocating and rebuilding, but some of the wealthiest members of society also lost their luxury homes in Altadena, Malibu, and the Pacific Palisades. Among the doctors, lawyers, and tech entrepreneurs are quite a few successful entertainers who have lost their homes.

Many influential members of the Hip Hop community have also lost their homes. DJ Broadway, producer of King T and Tha Alkaholiks, had a GoFundMe posted in his honor to raise funds for his home and lifelong collection of equipment. There is also a GoFundMe page for Darryl Moore, the drummer, producer, and engineer of Freestyle Fellowship and the Pharcyde. According to another GoFundMe, shared by producer DJ Premier, his recent collaborator, DJ Jazimoto, lost her home in the fires. The page lists some of her losses:

  • Her piano, gifted by her father.
  • Her electric violin, gifted by her mother.
  • The rare Stradivarius violin that she used to audition for the Juilliard School.
  • Over 3,000 records, including original music recorded for films, commercials, and collaborations.
  • MPC1000, JUNO G Keyboard, MIDI keyboard, studio monitors, Apple computers, Sony headphones.
  • Reason and ProTools software.
  • Music archives from years of work with artists such as Teflon, Planet Asia, and M.O.P.
Madlib posing in his studio, displaying his extensive collection of vinyl and recording equipment. Image via Fandom.

Producer Madlib confirmed that his house, too, was lost in the fires. Madlib, who has worked with the biggest names in the industry (Kanye, Kendrick, MF DOOM, Snoop), is known for sampling beats. His losses include a collection of thousands of rare vinyl records that are the backbone of his work. Belgium-based DJ Wan.illa NICE posted a Donorbox for Madlib.

These devastating losses are reminiscent of previous disasters: In 1996 RZA lost 300+ beats in a flood, and in 1998 Q-Tip lost 20,000 vinyl records, unreleased songs, and his entire recording studio in a fire. Of course, both of these artists and their groups have succeeded immeasurably, but that doesn’t bring back what was lost. Allegedly, unheard original versions of Wu-Tang’s solo albums were lost in the flood, and the fire was the reason The Love Movement was delayed, only being released after A Tribe Called Quest broke up.

Not only have traces of Hip Hop’s past been lost in LA, the future is at stake. Madlib founded and runs the Madlib Invazion label, which supports genre-defying artists. The fires may delay music from those influential and innovative projects.

Up-and-coming rapper and Twitch streamer DDG told his fans that not only did he lose his mansion, but he subsequently learned that he doesn’t have fire insurance, costing him millions. Thousands of other Californians face similar losses, having recently been dropped by their home insurers

More Art Lost

Though the hip-hop community has been dealt a great loss, the community will persevere, reshape, and grow. Like wildflowers that thrive in the destructive path of forest fires, a new landscape will appear in clubs and on streaming platforms and the radio. Inspiration will be drawn from the ash.

In addition to Broadway, Moore, Jazimoto, and Madlib’s lost collections of equipment and intellectual property, fire victims have reported losing a variety of priceless American artifacts. Art insurer Simon de Burgh Codrington told Vulture that the art losses from the 2025 LA fires are “substantial and possibly one of the most impactful…ever in America,” with an unknown amount of important art destroyed in the homes of some of the most wealthy and connected Americans.

Late composer Arnold Schoenberg’s son Larry Schoenberg’s home burnt down, losing an estimated 100,000 of his father’s scores. Schoenberg reports that innumerable invaluable documents from his publishing house, Belmont Music Publishing, were also lost. Reportedly, the digital backups of the scores and documents were also destroyed.

The art on the walls of Ron Rivlin’s home, worth millions, was destroyed by the LA fires. A stainless steel statue by the artist Michael Benisty depicting a couple holding hands was found amongst the remains of Rivlin’s home. Image via NY Times.

Writer Colm Tóibín wrote in the London Review of Books that signed, rare, weird, and treasured books from novelist, playwright, and social critic Gary Indiana had recently been moved to an artists’ residence in Altadena. The entire collection was burned.

The last destroyed collection, discovered thus far, is art collector Ron Rivlin’s multi-millions worth of Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, and Damien Hirst paintings and prints. While most Angelenos were grabbing their pets, dirty laundry baskets, deeds, and cash, Rivlin grabbed three Warhols, which he was able to save.

Lives Lost

Though the loss of priceless works and collections is a tragedy, a deeper tragedy is the thousands of displaced human beings; the truest loss is at least 28 souls, so far, with more than 30 still missing. In the third week of fires, Red Flag Warnings and evacuations are still being issued; though some families have been able to return home as wind speeds fluctuate. Rain may even be in the forecast.

15 victims of the fires have been identified and named, as of January 22, 2025:

  • Victor Shaw
  • Rory Sykes
  • Anthony Mitchell
  • Justin Mitchell
  • Randall Miod
  • Annette Rossilli
  • Rodney Nickerson
  • Charles (Charlie) Mortimer
  • Evelyn McClendon
  • Arthur Simoneau
  • Dalyce Curry
  • Kim Winiecki
  • Jeffrey Takeyama
  • Zhi Feng Zhao
  • Mark Shterenberg

Heart-wrenching stories have emerged as victims are identified. Anthony and Justin Mitchell were both disabled and passed together, waiting for an ambulance to pick them up. Child actor Rory Sikes was also disabled and unable to evacuate the 17-acre property where he lived. Miod, Shaw, and Simoneau were found having been attempting to save their homes. Others, like Curry, Mortimer, Nickerson, Rossilli, and Winiecki were elderly and unable to evacuate. Evelyn McClendon’s family returned to the burnt rubble of their neighborhood and found her body.

May the lost souls rest in peace and their memories be cherished.

What Comes Next

Firefighters in Pasadena fight to rescue homes. Photograph: David McNew/Getty Images

California (and most of the coastal US) is in the middle of a housing crisis, with homelessness at record levels and rising rent and home prices. The fires are going to stretch the state thinner than ever before, with 12,000+ homes and businesses destroyed and tens to hundreds of thousands of people displaced. In a CNN Business article, LA real estate agent Jeremiah Vancans claims that he’s seen some rent prices hiked by thousands, up 20%, in one week.

The LA real estate agents interviewed by CNN Business state that it will be three to five years before the affected areas are rebuilt. They share how bidding wars have been raging in the city since 2020, and with so many new households suddenly in need of housing, the market will be brutal for home buyers. Some who have lost their homes and are looking for leases have been asked for a full year‘s worth of rent, up front.

The reality of the housing crisis in California- data shows that homes are about twice as expensive as typical U.S. homes. Graph: Legislative Analyst’s Office.

Price spikes in an already-tough housing market will force many out of the city, including up-and-coming artists, writers, and producers, unable to afford the skyrocketing cost of living. 

Declining quality of life in California, in conjunction with filming and production incentives from states around the country, may move American entertainment-media centers away from LA. In recent years, cities like Atlanta, Albuquerque, Austin, and New York have been increasingly popular locales for filming and producing shows and movies.

To combat the hardship that follows any disaster, many celebrities and organizations are using their influence to raise money for those who have been impacted. Beyoncé’s BeyGOOD pledged $2.5 million to her newly-created LA Fire Relief Fund, and Netflix and Comcast each donated $10 million to fire relief funds. The Screen Actors Guild and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS pledged $1 million and $500,000, respectively, to aid displaced Angelinos.

Others in the Hip Hop community are volunteering time and energy, in addition to money. Compton-born The Game has been contributing on the frontlines, distributing supplies and reuniting lost pets with their owners.

While The Game has been helping physically, Vince Staples has been helping by verbally exposing systemic failures in LA. Staples shared that developers have already reached out to buy the land where his house stood, a predatory act eerily reminiscent of the land-grab accusations after the devastating Maui fire in 2023. Staples is known as one of the most outspoken rappers, so it’s easy to imagine that victims without a platform, unable to speak out, may succumb to similar schemes.

Systemic Failure

Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass have many tough questions to face in the coming weeks and months. In addition to how they will combat the unprecedented housing crisis, they will have to defend cutting the LAFD budget and emptying reservoirs in drought-plagued California.

Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass are in hot water for actions leading up to the LA fires. Image: Getty Images.

Though the state is one of the most well-equipped to battle fires, with stringent building codes, LA County (the most populous county in the country) does not yet have completed fire plans or effective evacuation systems. Though their building codes allow more time for families to escape their residences amidst a fire, they result in high building costs and long construction timelines. Crews will need to choose: compromise the integrity of neighborhoods by building quickly or cause a years-long wait to properly rebuild affected communities. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order this week to “[cut] red tape for rebuilding efforts.” The order also protects home builders against inflated building material costs and storage and construction services costs for the next year.

The US government is being scrutinized for its response as well, offering meager payments of $770 to victims of the LA fires. Factcheck.org, however, indicates that there are other ways for Californians to apply for government aid to cover home repairs and medical expenses.

California, US, and world policy and technology leaders have another important question to answer, regarding rising global temperatures and increased rates and intensity of natural disasters: How do we combat the environmental impact of Artificial Intelligence? With many of the world leaders in the rapidly growing AI industry headquartered in parched California, activists are pushing for regulations on the obscene amounts of water used in data storage and computing facilities.

A simplified energy flow diagram detailing the environmental impacts of AI computing. Diagram via Jordi Torres.

AI has also had a significant impact on the hip hop industry and music, in general. With each update and release, the growing list of AI music-generation apps makes it easier to create high-quality, AI-generated instrumentation, vocals, and complete compositions. The more real the music sounds, the harder it is to differentiate between blood, sweat, and tears in the studio and gallons of California water in a server’s cooling tubes. There have been Drake and The Weeknd AI songs that sound so real, they went viral and were submitted to the Grammy’s.

Amidst Tragedy, Hip-Hop Perseveres

As it has since the late 20th Century, the Hip Hop community will come together through lost vinyls, beats, and equipment. Always resilient, Hip Hop, blossoming with powerful and reinvigorated voices, will emerge from the LA fires.

The Hip Hop community has already come together to raise money for each other and other citizens, donated their time on the front lines, and spoken out on the injustices of natural disasters. That’s the nature of Hip Hop: community building and activism. 

But that positive mindset won’t bring back already at-risk Angelinos’ lost homes and possessions, the great manuscripts and paintings, or lost vinyls, beats, and equipment. History, erased in a blink.

American citizens and art lovers, activists and hip hop heads must work together, alongside our politicians and leaders to preserve as much life, art, thought, and documentation as possible, ensuring that the next generations avoid our mistakes.

Our leaders must thoughtfully distribute resources throughout all income levels in our communities and fight the injustices of corporate greed that have resulted in the housing crisis and wasteful, unchecked technology development, draining our water supply and burning our forests.

Art Battle Seattle – Northwest Regional Championship

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Art Battle NW Regional Championship – March 22, 2025

Doors @ 6:00pm / Painting @ 7:00pm
206 Zulu (Washington Hall) – 153 14th Avenue, Seattle, WA

 view on Eventbrite

Art Battle® Seattle: Northwest Regional Championship!

The culmination of a season of competition, where only the best of the best step to our easels!
Get ready for an electrifying evening at 206 Zulu in Seattle, where art takes center stage in the Northwest Regional Championship of Art Battle®

What to Expect:
• Live Painting Showdown: Watch as Seattle’s top artists face off in a high-energy competition, transforming blank canvases into stunning masterpieces in just 20 minutes per round. 12 total artists in competition with 3 rounds and 2.5hrs of Art Battle Action
• Interactive Audience Voting: Feel the excitement as you decide who wins the crown and moves on to the US Nationals!
• Silent Auction: Take home a piece of the magic by bidding on these one-of-a-kind creations—every brushstroke is packed with passion and skill.

Why Attend?
Whether you’re an art lover, a curious creative, or just looking for a memorable night out, this event offers a vibrant mix of talent, energy, and community spirit. Experience the thrill of live art, connect with local creators, and leave inspired.

Event Details:
:date: Date & Time: Doors open at 6:30 PM, and the painting begins at 7:00 PM.
:round_pushpin: Location: 206 Zulu, Seattle.
:car: Parking: Limited parking in the lot and plenty of street parking nearby.
:wheelchair: Accessibility: The venue is fully ADA compliant, ensuring everyone can enjoy the celebration.
:art: 21+ Event: Make it a night out—bring your friends and soak in the creative energy!

Thanks to our partner Jack Daniels for helping us to celebrate these amazing artists.

OurStory: Legacy of Northwest Hip Hop – B-Mello

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DJ B-Mello got his start in the 1990s as a well-respected live and mixtape DJ before working in radio for stations KCMU, KEXP, KUBE and others. B-Mello was named the West Coast DJ of the Year, and spun for the Mariners, Seahawks, and Seattle Storm.

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