El Vuh continues building Winter Solstice momentum At Dragonfly Nightclub in Hollywood, CA

On Friday December 10 at the Dragonfly Nightclub in Hollywood, El Vuh performed as part of a hard-hitting hip-hop line up which included 5th Battalion, Olmeca, 2MEX, and Chino XL. With such an array of artists on hand, the crowd filled the Dragonfly early.

On the eve of the release of El Vuh’s Winter Solstice, E-RISE and Zero performed three songs from their 4-track EP. They did this without the services of their brother Victor-E, who was representing the Vuh tribe in Mexico at a native dance ceremony called 4 Tonantzin Tlalli. Wanting to equally represent in the “City of Angels”, E-RISE dropped an a capella from “Curanderos” and highlighted the spirituality embedded in the chorus to the crowd. At the end of “I Can Remember”, Zero engaged the crowd with an extended conversation on love. His message was that if you haven’t found that love in your heart for whoever it is you care about in your world, you need to find it. E-RISE emphasized how women are not only an important part of the family unit, but also the backbone of society. Needless to say, the crowd responded with a strong ovation.

El Vuh came with a couple of surprises that night. They dug deep into the vaults and performed “Open Mic”, a classic hidden track from the Jaguar Prophecies album. For those that have never heard it, check it. El Vuh had the crowd hitting the roof on that one. Between songs, Zero addressed the crowd regarding the surplus of self-proclamation and beefing in hip-hop. Showing the power in unity, El Vuh brought the legendary 2MEX on stage even before he was scheduled to perform. 2MEX delighted the crowd with a freestyle before El Vuh went into the song they collaborated on with him, “Son of the Sun” from the Elvuhlution album. Over an ocean of arms in the air, the Vuh brought it home with that track. Nothing like hip-hop unity to excite the crowd.

2MEX went into his set not missing a beat, telling the crowd in more elaborate words that he doesn’t need myspace or facebook, he can make his point live. One of the best lyricists out of LA, 2MEX shows no signs of slowing down. As always, he kept the crowd moving with his high energy.

Chino XL continues to amaze with his lyrical arsenal, making people have to analyze his clever metaphors and similes a second time. Fans clearly appreciated the lyricism he brought amidst the oversaturation of suboptimal hip-hop music presented through mainstream media. In fact, all of these gifted artists have made their noise without the help of those outlets, proving that radio is only as good as what you are listening to.

Shout out to all the artists that performed that evening. The Dirty Apes performance to open the show threw down the hip-hop gauntlet and set the tone for the rest of the evening. El Vuh, short one Victor-E, was able to harness that energy and deliver the lyrical medicine we’ve come to expect from these spiritual warriors.

El Vuh Battles Against Anti-Immigrant Sentiment and Joins the Struggle to Maintain Ethnic Studies

This past weekend (Dec. 2-4) El Vuh returned to Tucson, AZ to participate in "Combating Hate, Censorship, and Forbidden Curriculums." This conference/concert was a gathering of community activists, artists, students, and academics from all levels. Organized by University of Arizona professor Dr. Roberto Cintli Rodriguez, the conference and concert were held at the University of Arizona, YWCA and El Rio Community Center. The purpose of this conference was to create a dialogue and highlight the trickle down effect of legislation like SB1070. Laws such as this have not only unfairly targeted and profiled citizens, but have also stirred up negative emotions that proposed more changes, such as recent campaigns by politicians favoring the elimination of ethnic studies in K-12 and institutions of higher education. El Vuh brought the indigenous energy indicative of the moral and cultural elements in danger of being omitted completely in American society. The group reiterated that as long as we continue to have dialogues like this one, that feat will not be easy to accomplish.

Among others, El Vuh was part of a collection of artists that shared the stage at the conference with well known scholars that included Rodolfo Acuña and Cherríe Moraga. Getting a spectrum of perspectives from supporters of ethnic studies and immigrant rights is what made this conference so special. Many times we find that institutions of higher education tend to exclude the issues directly affecting our communities, and we do not always see example of how to make those connections between art and reality. For example, El Vuh emphasized the miseducation of the masses through artificial outlets like media and popular culture in their song "Curandero." The knowledge passed on by our ancestors was always done so through dialogue. The spiritual meanings and metaphors of ancient wisdom that give us direction and purpose can be found in our most cherished places, like our communities. Similarly, Moraga explained the dual nature of Ometeotl and how it relates to the issues of freedom and hate that are currently issues of primary concern. The surplus of hateful sentiments by the powers that be revolving around immigration and ethnic studies creates a dangerous imbalance in our society. As history has shown, when the people come to this realization, they organize and resist these injustices.

Bringing together activists, scholars, and artists like El Vuh sends a powerful message. Dr. Rodriguez made it clear that these are not just issues being analyzed at the university level. Communities overlap across institutions, and maintain the solidarity needed to combat inequality. At the forefront is our youth, which make up a large portion of our future leadership. El Vuh always points to the power of the youth, which also represent an intricate part of their fan base. The youth is so diverse that their inspirations are not always the same. Sometimes their inspiration can be found in a book by Rudolfo Acuña. Other times, in an El Vuh cd. Understanding this concept, activism across different platforms is always needed. When there is an active dialogue within student/community activists and individuals like Cherríe Moraga and El Vuh, you realize that universal knowledge cannot be categorized, nor contained.

PS-Shout out to Taqueria Rodriguez in Eloy, AZ for their hospitality on the journey back to Cali!

-Samuel Robinson