Page A8
(Elje Jîn rtian ô (Obseruer
January 22. 2003
Focus
King of New York rap pays
tribute to mother in ‘G od’s Son’
’Surviving Broken Prom ises’
Prom ises to Be a G ood Read
ForN as, known as the King o f New York Rap
- a title that goes to the city ’s best MC and most
authentic hip-hop hero, knowledge is king.
In the year that passed between his release o f
platinum-selling ‘ Stillmatic ’ in 2001 and this year's
‘G od’s S on,’ the artist said he has gained a lot o f
knowledge about the world, the rap game, and
most importantly, knowledge o f self.
This year’s testament, ‘G o d ’s Son,’ promises
to showcase a deeper and more mature lyrical
journey. He pays tribute to his beloved mother,
who he lost to cancer, in the album ’s two final
tracks, ’D ance’ and ’H eaven,’ with heartbreaking
honesty the em otions evoked by her death. N as’
father, internationally famous jazz trum peterO lu
Dara, provides the haunting coda for ‘Dance, ’ the
rapper's plaintive desire to have just one last Rapper Nas has released a new album, entitled
dance with his mother.
‘God’s Son,' that promises to showcase a deeper
Fore more Information on God's Son,' log on to
www.godsson.net,orwww.columblarecords.com. or
pick up a copy at a local music store.
and more mature lyrical journey than his past
critically acclaimed albums, ‘lllm atic,' ‘It Has
Written,' ‘I Am . . 'Nastradamus,' and ‘Stillmatic.
Valentines ’ ‘D a y fftie e t "Heart Celebration
C ornelia G ibson’s
book is about a single
m om , battered wife
and betrayed lover
You c a n 't hurt a woman, especially a
black woman with an attitude, and expect to
get aw ay with it.
Cassandra d id n 't always have an atti
tude. Five jerks, as she wryly refers to the
men o f her life, took her from high school
achiever through everything she d id n 't
im agine when planninga career asa lawyer:
single mom, battered wife, betrayed lover
and tough survivor.
She loses heart and hope in the sixteen years
‘Surviving Broken Promises' covers, but never com
pletely and not forever, for it is heart and hope that
m akes this novel. At thirty-three, Cassandra is very
proud ofw ho she is and what she has accom plished.
W hat she accom plishes, considering those broken
prom ises, is monumental.
African A m erican author C ornelia G ibson’s
straig h t-fo rw ard style
brings her main charac
ter and those jerks to I i fe.
Marcus pressures a very
young Cassandra for sex,
Robert is an abusive and
lying husband, George
fails to mention that he is
married, Chris falls for the
babysitter, and Aaron
has com m itm ent (and
m ental) problems.
The honesty in the
te llin g is re fre sh in g ;
Cassandra is not perfect
and the m en are not
wholly bad. G ibson is a
student o f psychology
and she uses her resultant insight on the most basic
level, our level, to let her characters story unfold
naturally. Readers cheer C assandra's trium phs and
understand her despair.
Reviewed by Jim Anderson for BlackPR.com. ‘Sur
vivin g B roken P ro m ises ’ is a v a ila b le at
GreatUnpublished.com. at Amazon.com. or by e-
mailing the author directly at cagibso@aol.com
February 14,2003
I n in ir .a tf h
Join
Vs at the
C
t o
Cotnedÿ Centra/
RAMADA
¡¡\N
and Suites
at the Portland Airport In l.ea’s Landing Restaurant
*
-
(formerly O ’Callahans)
f o r L iv e M u s ic F e a tu r i n g P ia n i s t F r a n k E llio t
o f E n trees:
Steak & Lobster • Orange Duck • Braised Chicken • Stuffed Salmon
plus Champagne, Chocolates, and a Red Rose
>
For only $64.95 Per Couple (G ratuity not included)
I D i n n e f l f o r I w o featu res Your C h o ice
He's called youngest old-school comic around
Best known for his roles in ‘The
Nutty Professor’ and ‘Robin Hood:
Men in T ig h ts,’ C om edian Dave
Chappelle will kick o ff a new show
airing on W ednesday, Jan. 22 at 10:30
p.m. on C om edy Central.
Tall, svelte and strikingly good
looking, Chappelle has been called
the y o u n g e st o ld -se h o o l com ic
around. He has shared the stand-up
stage with such notables as David
Letterman, Whoopi Goldberg, Arsenio
H all, R ichard P ryor and G arry
S handling.
Bom in W ashington, D.C., and
Spend the Night at the Ratnada Inn and Suites with a
Chilled bottle of Champagne for Two for only $74.00
Total Package for Room and Dinner for Two is only $ 138.95
(Not including Tax and Gratuity)
Call
503-252-5151 for Reservations!
¿ W Valentines T>ay with Tlatspecial Someone!!!
“When I was 17, my mom drove me to
all my club dates and I had an act as
good as anyone. " - Dave Chappelle
Pinocchio
puppetry forkids
Racial & Ethnic Approaches to Community Health
A program of the African American Health Coalition, Inc
Sponsored by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Wellness Within REACH: Mind, Body, and Soul
Activity Calendar
M on
Tues
W ed
T h u rs
Matt Dishman
77 NE Knott
Fri
Sat
OM School
African Dance
Dance
10:00 IlflOam
bAO-rOOpm
Addo
Kendncl
S ik itm A ra y
5325NWifiHn«s.
Nattrt'i
3535NE15A.
Pernnsab Park.
7 0 0 N P « tU
Water Aerobics
Wafer Aerobics
2:00.3:00pm
2-flfl - 3 Oflpm
llamplim
Hampton
Y«p
Bods Condiliomni;
7:303(30 pm
9 3 0 -10:30am
llfemfle
Nicker««
Wallons Gronp
Aerobics
Aerobics
6:00-7:00 pm
730-X:30pm
9:00 10:00am
KebersM
Kelee
Ubr
( Meet mside the
Uoyd Center in
Walk ui< Group
Iron! of Sears)
1230 pm
Nickerson
Inker Arm e
Ckristai Ckrd
( G f)
126 NE Alberta
Aerobics
Aerobics
Aerobics
6.30-7:30pm
630-7:30pm
6307:30pm
Niriersoo
Niebenoo
Nicker «m
503-413-1850 Please receive approval from your doctor before beginning exercise class
All classes are free of charge!
African American Health Coalition, Inc.
2800 N Vancouver Ave Suite 100» Portland. OR 97227 • Phone 503-413-1850
E-mail kdempsey@aahc-portland org • Web www aahc-portland org
w t s
schooled at the prestigious Duke
E llington School o f the A rts,
C happelle started honing his so
cially conscious style o f stand-up
at D.C. area clubs when he w as 14-
years-old.
“W hen I w as 17 , 1 had an act as
good as anyone in D.C.,’’Chappelle
said. "M y mom drove me to all my
club dates. She figures that o f all
the dangerous things I could be
com e involved in, club life was the
least harm ful.”
Since then he has held roles in 13
movies, had his own II BO comedy
special and performed on ‘Politi
cally Incorrect' and ‘ Late N ight with
C onanO ’Brien.’
a grr a r g r y
tainm ent inspired by the art col-
ection. Kids can learn impression-
The Interstate Firehouse Cultural C
___
_____
4 tissue painting, how to m ake art-
ter and O ther Hand Productions will show four
paper waterlilies, w ater reflections captured in
matinee performances ofPinocehio. the classical story oil pastels and work on printm aking projects.
o f a young puppet's m isadventures. The show in
cludes five original songs scored for piano, violin and Sweet Honey in the Rock anniversary
accordion. A udience participation is included in this To celebrate their 30lh anniversary and the release o f
production. The IFCC thinks this puppet show is ideal their new CD “The W omen G ather" on Earthbeat
opportunity for grandparents to spend time with their Records, Sweet Honey in the Rock return to Portland
grandchildren w ho are aged pre-school to third grade. forapcrfonnanceatSchnitzerH allon Jan. 3 1. They will
M atinees begin at 9:45 a.m. on W ednesday, Jan. 22, perform their uplifting and powerful a capella music.
‘
JI II I
and Thursday. Jan. 23. The IFCC is locatedat 5340N .
Interstate Ave. Tickets ate $5 and can be ordered by
calling503-823-4322.
Night of solo and collaborative acts
On W ednesday, Jan. 22 the Mississippi Pizza Pub,
located at3552 N. Mississippi Ave., will open itsstage
up to an evening o f m usic and perform ance art by the
newly formed ' Rasbl iutto Col leetive. ’ Come hear Jean-
Paul Jenkins and Doug Theriault on guitar, Kelvin
Pittman and Bryan Eubanks on saxophones, Justin
Sondstrum and Mark Kaylor on percussion, O liver
Newell on bass, Jim Alticri and Cameron Stevens on
electronics and keyboards, Luke W yland on piano,
Steve Schneider on tenor, Caroline Buchalter on viola
and cello, and Stefan Kamola with strings and voice.
Elizabeth Ward and Kathleen Keogh will provide
movement. Admission is $5 to $ 100 with al I donations
going towards a fund to get an independent perfor
mance venue o ff the ground.
IFCC Kwanza celebration show
Over 20 local African American artists are exhibiting
textiles, paintings, prints, draw ings, photographs,
mixed media works and sculptures to reflect on one or
more of the seven principles o f Kwanza. The IFCC is
located at 5340 N. Interstate Ave. G allery hours are
I uesday through Friday 11 a m. to 6 p.m. and Satur
days from noon to 4 p.m. through January. For more
information, call 503-823-2070.
Go to Paris without leaving Portland
From Jan. 25 to M arch 23, the Portland Art Museum
will feature ‘Paris to Portland: Impressionist and Post-
Impressionist M asters in Portland C ollections.’ The
show includes 165 w orks drawn from private collec
tions in the Portland area and has work by Cezanne.
Renoir, Monet, G auguin, Picasso and prints by
Toulouse-Lautrec, am ongst others. Some o f these
works have never before been seen in public. On
Sunday, Feb. 2 children and adults can com e to
‘Festival Parisian' to experience activities and enter-
1
Isaka Shamsud-Din art exhibit
Life-long Portland artist and first ever Jam es DePreist
Professorof Art at Portland State University will show
an exhibit o f work and present a slide show o f addi
tional works at Reed C ollege in the Vollum Lounge at
4:30p.m . on Tuesday, Feb. 11. Shamsud-Din was the
president ofthe Black Student Union at PSU in thebO’s
until he left Portland to work with the civil rights
m ovem ent in the South. Since his return to the
northwest in the 80s, Sham sud-D in has involved
him self in mural projects at local high schools and
governm ent buildings in an attempt to create a sense
o f comm unity among African American artists.
Sonia Sanchez poetry reading
African American author Sonia Sanchez will read her
poetry and sign any o f her 16 books at the Reed
College Kaul Auditorium on W ednesday, Feb. 19 at
7:30 p.m. Sanchez, nationally known for her involve
ment in the Black Arts Movement, has read her poetry
and lectured nationwide about her work during the
civil rights m ovem ent She is the authorof’Homecom
ing, ‘We a BaddDDD People.’ ‘Homegirls and
H andgrenades,’ ’W ounded in the H ouseofa Friend,'
and most recently, ‘Shake Loose My S kin.'
Back to the Doo Wop days
High school friends from D etroit's North End, Levi
Stubbs, R enoldo“O bie" Benson, Abdul “D uke" Fakir
and Lawrence Payton began marveling their audi
ences with an infectious blend o f pure vocal power ‘
and sweet harm onies in 1954. O nce they signed with
M otown Records in the 60s as the Four Tops, the
group churned out hit after hit eventually ending with
an induction into the Rock and Roll I fall o f Fame. With
43 years o f playing history, the group will play at
Chinook W inds Casino on Friday, March 21 and
Saturday, M arch 22 at 8 p.in. Tickets are S25 to $40
depending on seat location. For more information or
to buy tickets, call I -888-624-6228, or Fastixx at 1-800-
992-8499.