175
Progress Drive, (Hardknock Radio), cd
Toward’s
A People’s Review
By
‘Bro. Zayid’
Another
cd on Mumia just dropped…
With
biting sarcasm, it’s called ‘175 Progress Drive.’
Progress
Drive is Mumia’s prison address under the most barren and draconian conditions
one can imagine in Pennsylvania’s most remote corner. It is near ‘nowhere,’ except the West Virginia border.
While
the cd contains no new material by Mumia, it is groundbreaking for what it does
contain. Included in these 27 tracks are some 11 tracks of Mumia’s work before
he was jammed by his captors. Hear the prize-winning people’s journalist
actually on the ground giving ‘voice to the voiceless.’ Not with his own
words either, by the way, but with the people speaking for themselves! From a
school system not addressing the needs of its growing Black majority student
body, from a critical grassroots response to a police shooting of a Black youth,
to interviews with people’s artists Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Hugh Masakela and
the immortal Bob Marley shortly before his death!
If
the producers had only to be able to secure some of his commentaries from that
period!
The
cd also includes some fresh new spoken word tributes. The main joint from Mumia
911 reappears here for those who missed it last year. Seeds Of Wisdom, the
emerging, insurgent children of MOVE are here on’a move! A joint by I Was Born
With Two Tongues simply called ‘For Mumia’ is here with some strong lyrical
content. Latin American literary scholar and author Martin Espada is here with
his banned poem, ‘Another Prostitute Says Mumia Is Innocent,’ uncensored, in
full effect.
Other
rockthrowers for justice are here pleading for us to continue raizing hell for
this valiant freedom fighter. ‘Hurricane’ Carter is here explaining how
Mumia’s case is likely to be a lynchpin on the meaningful survival, or death,
of habeas corpus, the only real means by which the wrongly convicted can secure
their freedom. Clinton’s ‘Expedited Death Penalty Act of ’96, signed by
that no-good bastard on Mumia’s birthday ironically, by the way, gutted habeas
corpus for capital cases!…where it’s needed the most!…
Assata is here rightly linking Mumia in the stark, defiant, radiant
continuum of Malcolm X…
Some of Mumia’s strongest recent commentaries are here, especially some
of his best joints dedicated to Black youth are here, including my favorite
‘The Lost Generation.’ Ruby Dee reads his searing ‘The War On The Poor,’
since his jailers now forbid the recording of his voice…
Maybe if the early tracks could’ve been put up front, or mixed with
some of the spoken word joints, it might even have more of a edge.
As Mumia’s case now goes thru a most critical phase, this is also used
by the Prison Radio Project to help raize much needed funds.
Get this by all means!
Go to www.prisonradio.org and
cop!
(c)2002 all rights reserved
’Bro. Zayid’ Kazi Angaza Kikongo Muhammad
01.31.2004