Left Coast Leaning and Rafael Casal

Tonight is the second performance of Left Coast Leaning 2011 held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, featuring one of my favorite artists of all time, Rafael Casal, and his new play "The Limp".

YBCA and Youth Speaks' Living Word Project are proud to present the third edition of Left Coast Leaning. Artists chosen to participate in Left Coast Leaning reflect the unique pulse of the West Coast arts scene and the festival format enables audiences and artists to engage in a shared dialogue that crosses performance disciplines. By celebrating the diversity of cultures that lie at the heart of West Coast society, Left Coast Leaning presents an alternative to the negative image of hip hop arts that is projected by contemporary media and challenges artists and audiences to viscerally engage with each other. Our hope is to shift marginalized art forms such as spoken word, media arts, performance installation, puppetry, deejaying and contemporary folklore from the periphery to the center of contemporary performance. Left Coast Leaning integrates disparate ideas both outside and within the city of San Francisco to establish the Bay Area as a place for artists, scholars, and arts lovers to encounter this dynamic and flourishing New Majority American art form. (via)

 I've been fortunate enough to attend several Youth Speaks and Brave New Voices spoken word competitions, and I must say, they are life changing experiences. If you have the opportunity to check this out, or any other Youth Speaks/Brave New Voices events, don't miss out!

 Now, if you have missed out on the phenomenon that is Rafael Casal...it's time to catch up! Rafael is a poet/rapper/singer/video director/all around talent powerhouse who currently has 4 released projects attached to his name (some are easier to find than others). His full length The Monster LP, The Bay Boy Mixtape, The Getback Mixtape (I couldn't find a link..I guess only the diehards like myself have it. If I get enough requests I'll upload it for the masses), and one of my favorites As Good As Your Word.

Rafael Casal is one of those artists who knows the importance of words; he doesn't waste a single one throughout his rhymes. Below are a few videos so you can see what I'm talking about!
  

The lead single "Monster" off Rafael's The Monster LP

 

Rafael's first appearance on HBO's Def Poetry Jam performing "Barbie & Ken 101"

This is a great example of The Getback's live show. Rafael, Daveed and the rest of the band performing "B.A.Y."

Rafael schools us on some of the top Bay Area slang that has been adopted by the rest of the country.

Enjoy the music, see the shows, support the artist!