Rapper, Activist, Poet, Teacher
Previously Aired On: Tuesday, February 26, 2008 - Listen to the Show!
Political hip hop artist, former Baltimore City high school teacher, activist, cancer survivor, sickle cell battler, and recipient of praise by Public Enemy’s Chuck D as “[Leaving] a mean look on somebody’s face” for being “More than relevant!,” S.O.N. doesn’t just entertain his crowds he empowers them. The name Son of Nun is a biblical reference to the one who took over where Moses left off. Inspired by the Maroons in his Jamaican heritage and countless freedom fighters past and present, S.O.N. seeks to help pass the torch to the next generation.
Growing up with illness influenced his perspective at an early age, as did being the product of a single parent household. Painful sickle cell crises and hospital stays made other problems seem more manageable, and seeing his mother struggle to make ends meet was a powerful challenge to the sexist stereotypes he’d encounter as he met the world. Far from being an attention seeker S.O.N. was quiet and reserved, when diagnosed with thyroid cancer he was confronted with the possibility of losing his voice during the surgery to remove the gland. This taught him to value his voice.
He attended a state college in Baltimore where he became politically aware and active while tutoring students in the city. S.O.N.’s writing reflected this process as he began to articulate what he was learning through spoken word, dnb, and hip hop. He taught high school history in the Baltimore City Public Schools for 4 years while being an advisor for a student group and helping to coach debate.
S.O.N. has shared the stage with artists like Dead Prez, Immortal Technique, and Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine as well as activists like Howard Zinn, Cindy Sheehan, Rosa Clemente, and Liam Madden from Iraq Veterans Against the War. Music from his 2004 debut cd “Blood And Fire” has earned him spots on compilations with iconic artists ranging from The Last Poets to Sonic Youth, won him a “Best of Baltimore” award from the Baltimore City Paper, and took “Best Song of the Week” on NPR’s website. S.O.N.’s forthcoming cd, “The Art of Struggle,” is a collaboration with producer DJ Mentos and will be released in early 2008.
Please visit http://www.SonOfNun.net
February 23rd, 2008
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The culmination of Palestine Week at UNC wasn’t a keynote address by a renowned politician and wasn’t a lecture by a tenured professor in the history department. It wasn’t even a vigil marked by a candlelit Polk Place.
But the event’s organizers and performers would argue “Hip-Hop for Palestine,” a concert that took place Saturday night in the Great Hall, was perhaps the best way to tie the week’s events together.
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The last performer, Kevin James, aka Son of Nun, was perhaps the most effective in ensuring the continuation of discussions about the occupation of Palestine and the United States’ role therein.
James stood in the middle of the crowd for his entire set, rapping about issues including the execution of Stanley “Tookie” Williams, founder of the Crips gang, and Hurricane Katrina, in addition to the situation in Palestine.
And James said he thinks both Saturday’s show and the week as a whole were effective in encouraging further discussion of the role of U.S. foreign policy in Palestine .
“From what I’ve heard about the week this far, it’s resulted in people taking sides on Palestinian issues,” he said. “People are learning what their opinions should be because they’ve seen these issues addressed in this way.”
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February 26th, 2008
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