AA Limelight

Tying Asian American media back to our Asian American community. Visit our site at: www.aalimelight.com

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As a child of Cambodian refugees, I learned from my family the impact of visibility and voice, or lack thereof. Few people ever spoke up for my family or for those like my family, people oppressed by their own government and their own people. Growing up, I took on the responsibility of...

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Farewell note

So unfortunately, miscommunications can really screw a lot of things over. AA Limelight was recently deleted by their server, iPage, over one of these miscommunications. The details make a short story longer than it needs to be. 

Even though the site is no longer available or active, it was a great experience for the AA Limelight team, as some of them will attest in this post. We've had the chance to interview more than 40 artists, 20 community organizations, and post over 40 Perspectives. The reason we did was because all of you kept reading.

Our Beau Sia interview, coming out later in April, will be our last post. This post is reserved exclusively for Tumblr. After that, it's time for us to move on to the next chapter of our lives, and the team will express a lot more eloquently what a pleasure it's been to reveal the connection between Asian American arts and Asian American community.

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Steven 

AA Limelight was made to show that there is a link between Asian American cultural productions and the Asian American audience. No matter how mainstream or popular a work becomes, it's always rooted in the community that guided its success. I think that over the course of seeing all of our work posted online, this truth has never been made more apparent. I hope that you, our readers, were able to see how closely related the two are, as well. It's been a great privilege to be able to contribute towards AA Limelight, and I hope that seeing the great work that goes into Asian American cultural production would have inspired people to pursue the dreams they've always held.

Kenny

It’s been an honor contributing to the development of AA Limelight for the past year and a half. I will treasure the experience of being able to hit up artists. I would have never thought 4 years earlier when I watched my first Kollaboration in LA that I'd be talking to Kollaboration’s founder Paul Kim. Full of warm experiences and good vibes all around, I will cherish the humbling times I shared with AA Limelight. Shout out to AA Limelight's founder Steven Cong for his vision of collective growth and his vision of bringing media back to the AA community. Certainly, this vision will progress as this is only the end of a chapter and the beginning of a new one. Here’s hoping for the best.

Linh

Thank you for being part of what I’d call a unique virtual community that served to share not only knowledge about Asian American arts, culture and entertainment, but delved into deeper themes relating to racism, inequality and historical remembrances of the past. As first time writer for a public website, the experience has been absolutely worthwhile and personal. I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to share several personal short stories and articles, and was able to ask several amazing Asian American musicians, artists and designers to share their stories.

The final thought before I officially “sign off”:

Sure, we all are individuals, but we are never alone. Every story has the potential to transcend boundaries and connect with other individuals. Keep telling your stories. Don’t be afraid to share.  Your voice deserves to be heard and as long as you continue to express yourself, there will listeners. The process might take awhile; you’ll get the occasional hecklers. But trust in your voice, be shameless about your values, and stay relentlessly hopeful.

We wouldn’t be AA Limelight without you readers, interviewees, writers, artists and team players. If I could ever get the chance, I would love to meet and give you all a hug because I don’t think words are sufficient enough to express my gratitude. Sometimes, the world feels so big, yet so small (you know what I mean?)

I’m getting too sentimental now so I should stop writing…

Jade

I will always remember AA Limelight as one of the first places I was able to publish my written work, try my hand at interviewing and graphic design, and feel that my many opinions on Asian American culture could be heard. So much thanks to Steven for leading this project since the beginning, and all the work the team put into making a space for our voices. Much appreciation to the friends and followers who have supported us through this journey!

Sophia

I joined AA Limelight around this time last year, and was really nervous and self-conscious of how my writing would be received. However, the more I wrote, the more I became inspired to write how I was really feeling—and about things that genuinely interested me. Whether or not my posts were received by a wide audience, I am so grateful for AA Limelight for inspiring me to and exciting me about the amazing Asian American trailblazers and media producers that are truly seeking change and agency in their representation.

Chris

I believe you've heard that through a series of unfortunate events that it's been decided to bring AA Limelight to an end this year. I never thought that it was possible to explore one's own Asian American identity through the media but just within a year I've been able to gain a grasp on this identity that's eluded me for so much of my life. Being a new writer for AA Limelight, I haven't been here for long but have still gained a great deal of love for this community that has been created even before I came into it. Ya'll made me feel welcome, so I want to thank you all for tolerating my writing. I hope that everyone knows that AA Limelight doesn't end with the website but will continue on in our hearts and our minds because we are the community that is AA Limelight. Have a great year everyone and continue to learn and share everything Asian American!

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HEALTH JUSTICE MANIFESTO - {The Bigger Picture Project}

Food injustice is an issue that permeates the lives of people in underresourced communities everyday. Largely affecting people of color, food injustice is a lack of access to healthy food in schools and neighborhoods. In this PSA by Youth Speaks inc, and The University of California, San Francisco’s Center for Vulnerable Populations, these young adults explore the topic of diabetes, food justice and health justice (We see you Jade, get it!). “We want an end of type 2 diabetes in young people…this disease overwhelmingly devastates poor people of color.” “1/3 Latino children, 1/2 Black children who are born in 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime” “Today a bunch of broccoli costs more than a full meal at a fast food restaurant”

“There are no grocery stores in poor neighborhoods but liquor stores and fast food chains on every block” “In 50 years 1 in 3 people in the U.S. will have diabetes.”  So what exactly IS disodium glutomate? Let’s raise the awareness everyone.

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Signal boosting our girl Jade Cho's PSA on Health Justice and Food Justice Issue with Youth Speaks. You can check our her past perspectives and posts here!

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CAAMFest

WHAT: CAAMFest, an 11-day celebration of film, music, food and digital media from the world’s most innovative Asian and Asian American artists.

WHO: The Center for Asian America Media presents CAAMFest (previously the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, SFIAAFF), the nation’s largest showcase for new Asian American and Asian films, annually presenting approximately 130 works in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose. Since 1982, the festival has been an important launching point for Asian American independent filmmakers as well as a vital source for new Asian cinema.

WHEN: March 14-24

Continue reading →

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What's up everyone, here's some Cool Stuff for y'all to enjoy. This is a film called White Rabbit. It is a NYU Thesis Film by Christina Yoon and features murdered rabbits, two lost and lonely teenagers and in all, a dark first love story.

Help support them by contributing to their Kick Starter campaign to make sure] they succesfully meet their budget. Due tonight, March 5 at 11:59 EST!

Continue reading →

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WHAT: UC Berkeley’s 23rd Annual Asian Pacific Islander Issues Conference. “The conference seeks to build solidarity through dialogue and to overcome the struggles that our communities face. We hope to eliminate the stereotypes that label API’s as foreigners and challenge narratives that stagnate the API experience. APIICON’s workshops, speakers, and art inspire attendees to keep moving forward to achieve positive change.”

WHO: Organized by APASD, Asian Pacific American Student Development at UC Berkeley, and sponsored by the Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies Department, the Ethnic Studies 5th Account at UC Berkeley, and ASUC.

WHEN: Saturday, March 9th, 2013. 10:00AM-4:00PM.

Continue reading →

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I thought this was some pretty cool stuff; Gowe, AKA GiftedOnWestEast releases his new music video “Aurora” which takes a bit, or eight, of throwback old school gaming and mixes it with some sick beats with Gowe’s smooth flow.

The track is up for grabs in return for a tweet here if you’re feelin’ it.

For some more Gowe, visit his YouTube channel or check out his concert in Seattle with Sam Ock on the 24th of March.

Continue to Fullpost →

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Hmong Clothes: The New Trend

The Hmong, a hill tribe that has its roots in the mountainous areas of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. The most current and significant event that greatly changed the lives of the Hmong was our participation in the Vietnam War. After the United States lost the war, the Hmong were abandoned to their own fate and was faced with persecution by the communist government of Vietnam. Villages were torched, men, women, and children were killed, and all their possessions were lost. There was no way out of this persecution but to run and leave the jungles of Laos, so they made their way to Thailand to seek refuge. Through the help of some American government programs, many of the Hmong were relocated. Some went to France, others to Argentina, but many came to the United States. Being an American born Hmong child, I tend to forget about the Hmong, or Miao, that live in China. Except, that isn’t the only thing forgotten as well. Slowly, but surely, many of the Hmong-American born are losing the knowledge to our very rich culture. I myself am one of those Hmong-American born.

After the war, the Hmong were easily forgotten by the mainstream world. The deeds that Hmong soldiers had performed during the war was left to gather dust and most definitely to be forgotten. From there the Hmong tried their best to assimilate into modern society and, at the same time, maintain their cultural practices which were, at times, very difficult to do. One of those very things that the Hmong are slowly losing is the skill to sew textiles, or paj ntaub. Back when many of the Hmong lived in villages, sewing was a necessary skill for the wives and daughters to know because had they not known how to sew, then the family would be without clothes. However, in this day and age, it’s much easier to produce clothes without the need to hand sew everything with one’s own hands. A lot of the clothes and embroidery sewn by the Hmong is very colorful and intricate and it varies from region to region where the Hmong live.

Continue reading →

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Check it out y'all, here's some more cool stuff. Following the release of his new music video “24KTOWN”, Dumbfoundead (DFD) dropped his latest 16-track album ‘Old Boy Jon’ today which also happens to be his 27th Birthday (Love and Respect, Happy Birthday Dumb!). In the spirit of his birthday, instead of receiving presents, he’s giving out presents where you can cop his new album and download it here for free. Continue reading →

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I know I can’t be the only Clara C fan out there. She’s one of the few singers who never fails to impress. Continue reading →

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Nate Tao, American Idol Contestant Season 12

  Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Well, my name is Nate. I was born and raised in Washington, DC and both of my parents are deaf, so I grew up using sign language at home. I have an older brother and sister, who are both hearing. So it has been a very interesting upbringing for sure, just the whole dynamic. I played the piano growing up and I decided I didn’t like it anymore and got into singing, randomly. It just kind of took off from there after middle school. I went to college for music and then I moved to LA to pursue it as a career, and it’s just been one big snowball, I guess.

What is it that you like about singing?

I think singing is a beautiful way to express yourself. Whenever I’m on stage and singing for people, it was this amazing feeling: that I was able to just do this and connect with people on this higher level that I had never experienced before. When you get on stage, everybody is looking at you and a lot of people get nervous. But I think if you just calm yourself a little bit and appreciate the experience for what it is, you will make connections with the audience. That’s what art is about in the first place, connecting with people and uniting on some kind of higher level, and that’s why I think singing is one of the most beautiful ways to express yourself. 

What is the relationship between your parents and your singing?

When I wanted to sing, it was really difficult for them, because I was just opening my mouth. And for deaf people, that’s all it is. You can’t hear the music, so they had no idea if I was any good. It was hard for them to support me in the beginning, which I can understand. At first it was discouraging, but I knew I wanted to do it because I loved it so much and I didn’t really let that affect me. After a couple of years, my aunt and my neighbors would come to shows and [my parents] started to believe it for themselves without having to hear it.

I chose to sing because I love to sing, and having deaf parents is just something else about me. There’s definitely times [when] you can’t really explain it, like there’s this really cool high note or this part where the song gets really quiet and it’s beautiful.  There’s still parts of music you can’t explain. You can only give them the lyrics, and so there’s times when it’s disappointing, I’d say, because you can’t share that part of yourself with them. But I think overall we’re very lucky to be where we are.

Growing up, who was your Asian American role model?

I honestly don’t think I had one, which is probably terrible. I think it’s important for young kids to have role models. Even more important that role models can look like them, because I think a lot of Asian Americans growing up might not have had them. You don’t see Asian Americans on TV, or on the cover of magazines, or visible in the media. I think inherently, that kind of message tells you people who look like you are not good enough to be featured on any of these publications or you’re not good enough.

I don’t think that’s a direct message [that] you suck, but it kind of hits you and it’s something I discovered just growing up. I just noticed that’s really not okay, because I think we have a very talented gene pool, so we should be represented as such. One of my goals as an artist is to make that happen somehow.

Do you think we need more Asian Americans in the entertainment industry? And if so, why?

Oh, absolutely. If I could tell you yes like a hundred times, yes. Why not? I don’t understand why it hasn’t happened yet, because the ratio is like nothing. I mean there’s really, honestly, not anybody, and I think that’s really detrimental to Asian American youth because that’s just a message that keeps on going. It’s a message that you’re not good enough, and the sad thing is that I almost wish it’s more blatant of a message [that] Asian Americans are not good enough to be in the entertainment industry. Because I feel like right now, people just let it slide. If it was put in their face they would actually react to it, but that’s just my opinion.

How has your life changed after Kollaboration and American Idol?

Life has been great. Just the sheer amount of people I’ve met through both of those things have been overwhelming. I moved to LA about a year and a half ago, and I met hundreds of people through Kollaboration. For Idol, I would say the exact same thing on a much bigger scale. Even the first couple of hours after the audition aired, my phone exploded and I was like, “What is happening?” And [on] Facebook and Twitter, everyone was reaching out. Those experiences have really given me more confidence just to stay on track. I think a lot of people who come to LA tend to lose sight of themselves, for whatever reason, trying to make it as an artist. So those two things really kind of helped me realize, yes. Yes, Nate, you’re going on the right way and you just have to keep on the track.

If you could say just one sentence to one of your role models, who would it be and what would you say?

Well, I’m a huge fan of Ellen Degeneres. [She] is a great role model for sure and I think she’s hilarious and her talk show is ridiculous. I’m not sure what I’d say though. Actually, you know what? Can we change that to Chelsea Handler, because I love her? And of course I would say, “Let’s grab a drink.”

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Happy Lunar New Years fellow AA Limelighters! In sprit of the New Year, here’s a video that uses this time to highlight the importance of sharing quality time with our loved ones. Be warned, this video will pull at the heart strings.

This is our first installation of “Cool Stuff”. AA Limelight has decided to upgrade our “Clip of the Week” category and change it up to “Cool Stuff”. Our team will be posting in this category periodically throughout the month so be on the lookout for COOL STUFF.

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It’s February which means that  Valentine’s Day (or Single Awareness Day) is around the corner. Check out MadeInAsiaNYC’s short film, “Maybe… Hello,” about finding love on the 7 train. MadeInAsiaNYC’s film suggests that eye contact isn’t necessarily a bad thing on the subway, so 

Continue reading →

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Jhameel

Tell us a little bit about yourself. I’m an indie pop artist from the Bay area, now living in L.A..  My biggest influences are Prince, Michael Jackson, Frank Ocean, and MGMT.

What led you to become a musician? My dad was a fairly prominent violinist in Europe, so I always had instruments lying around the house growing up.  I wasn’t too socially adept, but music was very natural for me as a form of expression.  I wrote songs all the time, and eventually I got into learning how to record and produce it.  I never thought I’d actually pursue it as a career until college, when I went under a military scholarship, and was training to be an officer in the U.S. Army.  The War in Iraq was happening at that time, so when I went to boot camp, I was exposed to a very prejudiced culture. That really got to me, and made me think about what I was doing with my life.  I had a sort of identity crisis for a while, and at the end of it, I decided to get my military contract revoked and pursue music as a career.

Continue reading →

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WHAT:  Stanford’s annual Asian American issues conference organized by the Asian American Student’s Association (AASA) that strives to provide resources “to inspire, educate, and empower” others to work towards a more fair society.

WHO:  Organized by AASA, workshops will be presented by different college organizations such as REACH! and Theater Rice.

WHEN: Sat Feb. 2,  9:30am-8:30pm Continue reading →

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Farewell Das Racist

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Sophia Ng Das Racist rocks. I will admit…I am not at all well-versed in rap and hip hop. However, I am also not the type to stick to one genre of music. Das Racist, a hip hop trio from New York City, engages its audience with upfront, catchy, ironic, and thought-provoking lyrics. MCs Heems, Kool A.D., and Dapwell incorporate academic and raw references in their lyrics, often delving into issues of race.

In “All Tan Everything,” Heems raps, “The white man can’t even go outside—he’ll get a disease. We’re talking about how white people can’t go outside to the sunlight and concocting a disease, like skin cancer…They stay in their Bermuda shorts.” I first heard this song in an “Introduction to American Studies” lecture about multiculturalism, and thought to myself, “HAHA,” followed by, “I can’t believe this [white] professor is playing this song in class.” I always wish I had a Das Racist quip in my backhand for every time I heard an Asian joke, and then a Das Racist quip ready to follow the accusations of my snide “reverse racist” comment.

Continue reading →

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AM Kidd

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Well, my name is AM from the Bay Area and I’ve been doing music for close to 10 years. It started when I was 16 or 17, messing around with friends. When I was 19, I started taking it seriously. I released a couple of radio songs that were on 106 and stuff like that. I was a part of this whole Hyphy movement in the beginning, but then I realized later on that I wanted my music to be branching to more of a mainstream public, so I started doing more introspective rap, not really a lot of club songs. [I was doing] kind of really emotional and deep kind of music, so my style has really changed from the club stuff to what it is now.

What led you to rap music?

As a teenager I didn’t really have a lot of outlets, as far as people to talk to, and I knew I didn’t want to take drugs as a route for any kind of venting or as kind of an alternative reality, I guess. So I really turned to music and writing as a form of just venting, because as a teenager I went through a lot of stuff. I was really rebellious when I was younger, so I had a lot of parental problems, too. I used music as an outlet to really find who I am.

As a universal art form, how does rap address the needs of your Asian American community?

Well, I think with a lot of people that I’ve talked to before, they really try to find someone who really speaks their story. You don’t really see a lot of lead [Asian American] rappers in the industry right now and that’s what I’m striving for: to be that voice in the community. But I’m not really just focusing on the [Asian American] community, of course. The fact that I am Filipino, people recognize that. So I do music for everybody, but my community needs that for them as well, because I am Filipino and I am speaking my story.

How supportive had the Asian American community been towards you and your music?

They’ve been extraordinary as far as support. I think what they do appreciate is that I don’t just box myself in for that community. They see me as an artist that speaks out to a lot of people of both genders and all cultures and everything, so they really respond to what I do, because I always keep it real. My brand is “always 100,” so everything that I do, I give it my all. Not just my music, but also my lifestyle, my identity, my hobbies, my relationships. I believe in honesty, in giving everything for what you want, so I push that to my fans and that I quote-unquote inspire them to live that kind of a life.

My most memorable experience with a fan is when I walked into a Hawaiian BBQ place and the girl that helped me said I looked familiar, and [asked] if I was a rapper, and I said yeah. She said, “Oh my god, you’re AM Kidd,” and I’m like yeah. So she started venting to me about how my song touched her so much that it inspired her to talk to her ex again, and she almost broke down crying because that song and her story just go so well together that it really made her emotional. When people come up to me and they cry because they found that song that spoke to them so much, that helped them understand their story, it’s really touching.

Who is one of your Asian American role models and why?

Is it okay if I say my dad? *chuckles* Well, my dad, of course he’s a great dad. He’s also an artist as well. He plays guitar, he’s in a band. He taught me everything I know about music. He taught me to how to love music and to give love to music. He taught me when you play an instrument, when you write a song, when you compose music, you compose it with your heart. He taught me the value of loving music, and loving the style, and loving the work, and loving the art of it. No matter what I do with my music, even though it might not be his favorite genre, he still appreciates the fact that I do it with everything I have and I love doing it, and he supports it 110%. When you have someone like that, that says, “Hey, keep doing what you’re doing and one day you’ll make it,” it really means a lot. As far as my support system, he’s there, and he’s definitely my role model.

How do you hope to grow as an artist?

Kind of just experimenting and being able to hit a broader audience. So growing with music, that’s really what I want to do. And not just making music, but also reach out to as many people as I can. Music has so much impact on people’s lives. Not just my music, but when I get impacted by other people’s music, it really changes my perspective. I want to be that artist that has someone look up to me and be like, “Hey, your songs really touched me and really helped me through these difficult times. I really want to be that artist that people turn to.”

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

I would go to Tokyo! That’s the first place I would go to. I love Japanese culture so much. I think it’s incredibly attractive, and just the whole culture, and artwork, and everything about it. [I] just really [want to] experience that and really live in that community for a while. Not just to see it on TV but to really be there and experience it from there.