For Obama's Sake

So my boy Baratunde just posted this video on his blog. It's from an interview outside the Clinton/Obama debate last week. The interviewer was a little rude at the beginning, but we made friends by the end. ;) Check it out:

Comments

[Mary]

Hi Derrick -

Just wanted to thank you for this great video and the great job you did in it!

Links to the video are all over the Obama blog on his site, and now someone just provided a link to your page.

Most recent post I saw commenting on it said "Derrick for VP!"

Way to go!

[Teiko]

Derick A. get it right buddy! Good to see your doing well.

Cheers,
Teiko

[D Dyson]

Your interview is all over the Obama blogs! Wow! You were awesome!!!

[Davin Wilfrid]

Hey man,

Just stumbled across this video from Reddit. Glad to see you're still fighting the good fight. I posted your vid on my blog to spread the word, too.

DW

[chris nelson]

Nicely done, DNA. Got to the video on YouTube through Digg. Glad to see that with all the recent criticisms of Obama supporters being equally as light on substance as he purportedly is, someone was able to step up in a public forum and dispel what I fear is quickly becoming a common thread in Obama opposition.

I did a http://www.popandpolitics.com/2008/02/06/super-tuesday-notebook-diary-of-a-mental-journey/" rel="nofollow">piece on Obama for Super Tuesday that might interest you. Would love to interview you for Pop+Politics at some point. Email me at cknelson at usc dot edu sometime if you are at all interested.

[Angela]

Hi Derrick,
I never heard of you until I saw your interview on You Tube. You made a lot of people proud. Your intelligence and the way you articulated your point was amazing.

Anyway, I found this site and thought I would say "Way To Go!"

ps I'm for Obama and for the first time in my life I contributed to his campaign as well : )

[Obama fan]

This was awesome!! Great job! I think this belongs on the Obama homepage right next to the Yes We Can video -- it communicates the "other side of the coin" that this campaign has to offer. Thanks!

[Korey]

Wonderful responses. I'm certain I would have either wilted or become visibly frustrated with the tone of the questioner.

[Chris]

Derrick

I saw your interview outside the LA debate (it's been posted on the Atlantic Monthly site). Fantastic job! You answered his hostility with respect and facts and won him over, just like the Senator would have done.

The Youtube comments gave your name and googling you brought me here. I'll look for your CD too (is it on Amazon?). We are organizing for Obama here in Maryland / Virginia /DC and hope for a big result on Tuesday. Keep up the great work.

[kim]

that was amazing! you handled yourself really well. GObama 2008!

[Carla Barokas]

I just saw this on the Obama website. What an awesome turn of the tables! I just attended an Obama rally yesterday in Seattle. So many young people, this clip is an example of what the mainstream media thinks. He approached you thinking because you were young you were uninformed. He kept getting more and more specific thinking he would call you out. Little did he know you came to play. Let's hope WA young people are as well informed and attend today's caucus!
-Carla
Obama '08

[VT ConQuest (Visual Turntablis]

GREAT job on that interview dna. I caught it on a blog post over on Barack's website yesterday.

The interviewer was obviously picking out someone who he more than likely thought would not be as articulate, knowledgeable about not only what President Obama (that's right, I'm predicting this election already) is proposing but also the realistic, sensible ways and means in which he plans for all of us to work together as a nation to achieve his proposals, and the interviewer surely didn't expect to get someone as well informed on the issues in general as yourself.

You're a great example of the higher level of intellect that us supporters of President Obama generally have than the pre-dominantly blind followers of Billary Clinton's disastrous campaign who know nothing more than her familiar last name.

We will NOT tolerate politics and politicians as usual any longer. We WILL change this country together.

YES WE CAN! - Obama '08
www.BarackObama.com

Peace dna & Soulfege!

Fabio Rodriguez / VT ConQuest (the ORIGINAL Visual Turntablist)
- www.MySpace.com/FRodriguez719
- Google "Visual Turntablism" and "Visual Turntablist" Wikipedia entries

[VT ConQuest (Visual Turntablis]

hehe...

Speaking of our "higher level of intellect" in my post above, I am aware that there is no dash (-) in the word predominantly. =P

Mods, please edit that for me or at least post this post explaining that I know. I wouldn't want anyone thinking that I have the low level intelligence of an HRC supporter. ;)

A PERSONAL NOTE TO Soulfege (on a non-political note):

First, GREAT MUSIC!!!

Secondly, I greatly admire your movement to raise the quality of hip-hop culture and the consciousness of it's artists. It's very much the same type of movement that we "VT's" (Visual Turntablists) have started as formerly audio only dj artists on turntables, aka "turntablists", to educate people about the fact that just putting "dj" in front of a name does NOT necessarily make someone a dj, much less make all dj's equal.

Now with recent technological advances in the dj artist equipment market which provides us with the ability to manipulate visual imagery using traditional dj equipment, most notably turntables and vinyl records, therefore adding a whole new sensory element to a traditionally audio only art form, we have decided that this is the next evolutionary step in the dj art form (following the first step, dj'ing - aka incorrectly as "deejaying" - and the second step, turntablism) and therefore the appropriate time to distinguish dj artists from each other given that there have always been many levels of skill that differentiate dj artists, different types of dj equipment used that further distinguish them, and now as aforementioned, the ability to add visual imagery which can be manipulated in real time using traditional turntablist and dj equipment.

So the title of "VT" (Visual Turntablist) came to be, in lieu of the oftentimes misappropriated and commonly overused and abused "DJ" (Disc Jockey).

Again, for more info on this simply Google “Visual Turntablism” and “Visual Turntablist” to find the Wikipedia entries or go directly to Wikipedia.

There will be a formal webpage from the major developer in this new technology online soon further and more formally explaining my/our/the VT movement.

So...

Take Back the Mic - YES WE CAN!
Take Back the DJ - YES WE CAN!
Take Back the United States - YES WE CAN!

PEACE! (Yes We Can)

Fabio Rodriguez / VT ConQuest (the ORIGINAL Visual Turntablist)
- www.MySpace.com/FRodriguez719

[Dee]

Man, the interviewer picked the wrong person to try and stereotype. Great job DNA.

[Sheryl]

Mother of two teenagers here acknowledging: your great mind, articulate speech, and your ability to deliver your message clearly without faltering under pressure all while chewing gum --- which makes it more real! In you, I see hope for my children and their future. God bless your parents!

Oh, and thank you for the stand that you take with music. Yours is beautiful and sweet. How do we get it to play on mainstream radio and MTV?

[Michelle]

Derrick
First of all, I want to tell you that I've been listening to your music. It's very refreshing and very inspriring. You have a wonderful talent!

Second, I wanted to let you know that I blogged about you last night. You, my friend, are going places.

I was wondering if Soulfege would be on tour and stopping in Colorado? I checked the web site but couldn't find any information regarding where you perform.

Thanks
Keep up the good work
Michelle

[Michelle]

Oh Derrick I forgot to mention...

If you want to stop by my blog and comment on the blog post I did about you, please do. I would be honored if you would leave a comment.

www.michellehix.blogspot.com

Thanks
Michelle

[Tania]

I don't know if its the coffee, or the message....I'm reverberting with a broader perspective....I just awoke and THANK YOU. Derrick. I'm also an immigrant but your actions and drive convict me to not only live with eyes open, but mind educated, and mouth willing and able to speak. I enjoyed your Ghana video and your community activism. What can I do to keep this action not only alive, but engaged to my community? It a world community we live in and I appreciate your initiative and am looking foward to the movie: The Shift.

Peace and Blessings to you!

T

[Priscilla Baafi-Nyarko]

Hi derrick,
I was so moved by your speech concerning your beliefs and reasons why you think Senator Obama should be the next President. The first time I ever heard off you was on the radio on WBLS 107.5 on Sunday the 9th of March in NJ. You sounded very articulate and knowledgeable; I just wanted to hear what you had to say. I instantly called most of my friends that I could reach to tune their radio to the station to listen to an amazing man. All to my astonishment I found out you are a Ghanaian American just as I am. I always wanted to vote for Obama but I sometimes feared that even though we live in a peaceful and powerful country I contemplated if I vote for Obama am voting for his death sentence. Because I believe we still live in a society whereby the white fanatics still exist such as, the KKK an other organizations that will see to it that a black man will not see the white house. But listening to your speech and the other speeches you have on your site, I was moved to do something and that something could be as small as casting my vote. That MAN Obama seems to be ready to die for our country no matter what other people will try to do. He is passionate and really determined to make a difference for the country; so why not vote for such a character. Thanks for your help and encouragement; please keep on doing the good work.
Mi da si