Wed, Nov 24 - 8pm - $12adv/$15door

Portoluz, is hosting an all-star benefit Hip-hop concert Wednesday November 24, 2010 at the Northside club Martyrs'. The purpose of the event is to raise money to support the legal defense of peace activists whose homes were recently raided by the F.B.I. and who were then summoned before a Grand Jury.Top hip-hop performers are donating a portion of their performance fees to the legal defense fund. Rebel Diaz from the Bronx (N.Y.) headlines the program.About Rebel DiazFronted by Afro-Boricua MC/songstress Lah Tere, and Chilean brothers Rodstarz and G1, Rebel Diaz shows us the true global power of Hip Hop. After first performing at an immigrant rights march in New York City in 2006 in front of a half million people, the bilingual trio has taken the international community by storm with their explosive live shows. With influences ranging from dirty south bounce to south american folk, Rebel Diaz combines classic boom bap tradition with Hip Hop's global impact. Having been likened to a bilingual Fugees, the group's versatility has allowed for them to share the stage with the likes of Common, Mos Def, and Talib Kweli, while feeling right at home with acts like Rage Against the Machine, Sergent Garcia, and Obie Bermudez. Recent tours in Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Guatemala, and Chile, have only solidified their international appeal. About BBU, the politically correct abbreviation for Bin Laden Blowin' Up or Black, Brown and Ugly, are not terrorists, and not your average cool guys looking for the controversial-band-name shock value. Rather, they are a Juke-infused, B-More-inspired trio of Hip-Hop activists tossing out sounds somewhere between MIA and Dead Prez that come from the heart of Chicago. They are a product of the 80s, survivors of the inequitable public policies of the reactionary Reagan era, and three conscious laureates that are bubbling up from underground hype to main stage recognition to share what they have coined as "Revolutionary Juke Music". http://download.themusebox.net/bbu/ About SchemeFrom within the inner city streets of Chicago, beyond the daily commute of the 9 to 5ers, and amongst the sound of the music blaring in the streets comes' an artist with a brand new outlook on Hip Hop music; Scheme. Scheme is a vivid writer with a story to tell and an uncanny talent to point out with precision the realities of life. In 2006, with the help of the Molemen, Scheme delivered his first full length album, For My People, which was received extremely well by the local Chicago scene, as well as worldwide. The album was infused with hard beats and heart-felt lyrics from the perspective of a young man from Chicago's inner city. With production by Panik, PNS, Memo, Mike Slugs, 21 Grams, and others, For My People became Scheme's entrance into Hip Hop. He followed it up with two mixtapes; one with Visual (This Is Now) and one with Astonish and Decay (The Biz Vol. 1). Both mixtapes were praised as great pieces of work, which helped Scheme catapult himself further into the Hip Hop scene. In 2009, Scheme released The Manifesto EP which garnered a lot of praise from fans and critics. With an appearance from Jean Grae and production from the Sound Merchants, the EP reached the world and made an incredible impact on Scheme's music career. The video for the song "Chicano" aired on MTV Jams and has gained Scheme a lot of attention on an international level.About the political context of the eventOn September 24, the FBI raided seven Chicago and Minneapolis homes and offices and subpoenaed 14 peace, labor and solidarity activists in Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan to testify before a secret grand jury, claiming they were seeking evidence of links to 'material aid to terrorism'. The FBI has continued to target peace activists for questioning in the wake of those raids - and all targets have refused to obey the grand jury subpoenas. The response to these federal actions - which civil liberties advocates have called the most serious threat to the right to dissent since the McCarthy witch-hunts of the 1950's -- from across the political spectrum and from around the globe has been swift and overwhelmingly critical.The FBI raids occur months after a 6-3 Supreme Court decision upholding a dangerously broad interpretation of "material support to foreign terrorist organizations", in which offering advice, training and service to any group deemed to be affiliated with a designated terrorist constitutes material support for terrorism, even if the service in question has nothing to do with any "terrorist" act. In this context, The September 24 FBI raids contribute to the criminalization of any communication with any group the US State Department has designated a terrorist organization or an affiliate of a terrorist organization. Even advocating negotiating with one of these named groups could be construed as a 'crime' - and the ruling effectively criminalizes protest and constricts freedom of speech and dissent.

 Fronted by MC’s Rodstarz, MC/Producer G1, and backed by Producer/DJ Illanoiz, Rebel Diaz shows us the true global power of Hip Hop. After first performing at an immigrant rights march in New York City in 2006 in front of a half million people, the bilingual duo has taken the international community by storm with their explosive live shows. With influences ranging from Dirty South bounce to South American folk, Rebel Diaz combines classic boom bap tradition with Hip Hop’s global impact. The group’s versatility has allowed for them to share the stage with the likes of Common, Mos Def, and Public Enemy, while feeling right at home with acts like Rage Against the Machine, and Mala Rodriguez. Recent tours in Europe and Latin America have only solidified their international appeal.

 From within the inner city streets of Chicago, beyond the daily commute of the 9 to 5ers, and amongst the sound of the music blaring in the streets comes’ an artist with a brand new outlook on Hip Hop music; Scheme.Scheme is a vivid writer with a story to tell and an uncanny talent to point out with precision the realities of life. In 2006, with the help of the Molemen, Scheme delivered his first full length album, For My People, which was received extremely well by the local Chicago scene, as well as worldwide. The album was infused with hard beats and heart-felt lyrics from the perspective of a young man from Chicago's inner city. With production by Panik, PNS, Memo, Mike Slugs, 21 Grams, and others, For My People became Scheme's entrance into Hip Hop. He followed it up with two mixtapes; one with Visual (This Is Now) and one with Astonish and Decay (The Biz Vol. 1). Both mixtapes were praised as great pieces of work, which helped Scheme catapult himself further into the Hip Hop scene.In 2009, Scheme released The Manifesto EP which garnered a lot of praise from fans and critics. With an appearance from Jean Grae and production from the Sound Merchants, the EP reached the world and made an incredible impact on Scheme’s music career. The video for the song "Chicano" aired on MTV Jams and has gained Scheme a lot of attention on an international level.Now, in the year 2010, Scheme has kept his momentum going by dropping yet another project; Same Rebel, New Cause (Mixtape) which was presented by Soul Assassins, Molemen, Ruby Hornet, and 2dopeboyz. He will follow this release with; Same Rebel, New Cause (Deluxe Edition), which features new songs, and new collaborations with Mikkey Halsted, Emilio Rojas, Add-2, Astonish, and more.Everything is finally falling into place for Scheme. Hard work and talent is undeniable. Expect nothing less than greatness from this young artist.