August 2011 (Edmonton)

A.P.A.B.O.

July 2011 (Part II)

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July 2011

Great shooting day today

Sometimes I forget that Khari and I are actually friends outside of this documentary business. With that said, we managed to shoot a sequence and take a huge amount of photos for the film. While I'm worried about grants and funding, sometimes the best thing to do is drink beer and shoot.

Conspiracy battles Josh Fisher at K.O.T.D.

This is another perspective of the “King of the Dot” rap-battle where Conspiracy battled a man by the name of Josh Fisher. There are always lots of cameras at these events, whether it’s the K.O.T.D. camera crew, a buddy with a camcorder or the entourage for one of the boys competing. I attended the event, documenting elements of Conspiracy’s life and putting together the visual treatment at the top of the page.

Although Conspiracy lost the battle, I think it’s difficult to say (especially in this particular bout) who was the winner. If one were to judge Conspiracy’s technical performance; you could say he stammered more than J.F. and lacked confidence in the delivery of some of his lines. In contrast, there is Mr. Fisher who brings the most banal, tired old conventions of a “battle rapper” (although I definitely chuckled at his Eryka Badu line). Fisher comes out on top because he finds the easy laugh. At events like these, it’s better to be part of the crowd than to stand outside of it. And this what K.O.T.D. (and probably some other leagues) seems to champion: the same tired homophobic slurs. I’m amazed at how popular the movement has become and who champions it (for example Conspiracy’s twin-brother Mindbender often judges these events and himself is a massive promoter for K.O.T.D.). Equally as surprising, are the number of established artists in Toronto (and North America for that matter) who actually despise the movement as brain-dead, populist rap; a chance for “Mr. No-name” from the sticks to fling insults at “Rapper B” all in an effort to win meager accolades (although hundreds of dollars are sometimes wagered). Don’t get me wrong, I love a good rap battle, but I grew up going to these things where guys would rap to a beat (selected by a DJ) and who wouldn’t come into a match with a pre-written repertoire. The field seems divided in this regard. Some believe that the “freestyle artists” of yore brought in pre-written material anyway, while many more established generations think this practice is bastardizing the art form. I fall into the latter category, but can also appreciate an “a cappella” performance from time to time (even this is chronically over-utilized by mediocre verb-smiths).

Rewrites and rewriting a documentary

The ultimate goal is to shoot the film with a series of re-enactments based on Khari’s account – especially how they relate to the “possession,” the circumstances and events leading up to it as well as his life coping with these issues. Individual scenes are scripted around Khari’s retelling of events (through his voice over) and he will, ideally portray himself on the screen. Archival footage will be employed in innovative ways within the narrative of the film (e.g. A wall within a given scene will come alive with a previous interview). The idea of “Conspiracy” starring in his own dramatic-documentary aims to portray these experiences as a great contemporary tale, even if it is borne from his riddled mind. This presentation aims to give Khari a platform to tell his story through the film, somewhat embellishing his image as a fantastical character and at the same time questioning the cause(s) behind his afflictions and his identity.

If you're still wondering what I'm trying to get at, let me suggest Robinson Davor's brilliant documentary Zoo, which focuses on some truly shocking occurrences and behaviors of "Zoophiles" in Seattle, Washington. It's so beautifully shot and manages to gracefully tackle subject matter that is otherwise taboo.

Rich and Khari 2002

Editor-in-chief of Ugsmag David "noyz" Jaguttis recorded a performance with Rich Terfry a.k.a. Buck 65 doing a performance in Edmonton where Khari was also at. Apparently some folks were bugging Khari, so Buck stopped the performance to call out the hecklers.

Mental Reverse/Spiritual Rebirth

This is a Canadian classic! Technically their second album, M.R/S.R. had some previously released tracks from a cassette and some 12"s they put out. Very few of these CDs are available, though I think Conspiracy might have a small cache left. Significant for Conspiracy because of his song "Exodus" which he refers to as another catalyst for his condition – negativity feeding more negativity; almost a calling for evil to mess with him. Conspiracy's twin-brother the wonderous Mindbender has a link on his site mindbendersuniverse.com

History of Madness Show

David Reville (an Associate Producer on the feature film we're working on) and the School of Disabilities Studies at Ryerson University put on a show every year featuring artwork by students of the History of Madness course. Conspiracy rapped at the event and The Mars Project was shown. See more photos of the event here...
(photo: Clifton Li)

EXCLAIM! Magazine Review

Thomas Quinlan is a writer who's always writing about the more esoteric hip hop happenings in Canada and he reviewed The Mars Project short. I think he's spot on when he says "Khari is an interesting individual with a lot to say, so five minutes is not enough time to do the subject justice." See the original review here...

Khari "Conspiracy" Stewart was already a legend in the subterranean depths of Canada's hip-hop underground as one half of Supreme Being Unit with twin brother Addi "Mindbender" Stewart prior to his notoriety, gained from freaking out Roots drummer ?uestlove and posting random, rambling pronouncements on hip-hop message boards. The Mars Project, a five-minute documentary short from new Canadian filmmaker Jonathan Balazs, gets to the root of it all with an examination of the life-changing moment in Khari's life when, in the summer of 1997, he first opened H.P. Lovecraft's infamous occult book The Necronomicon and found himself cursed by an intergalactic being named Anacron. This otherworldly presence has since informed his music at every turn; his recent solo album, Sex is the Key to Immortality, discusses his fight to be free of this influence with songs like "I'm Cursed by a Demon" and "Demon Slayer," and helps to explain his possibly psychotic online outbursts. While Khari emphatically denies this haunting has anything to do with his massive drug consumption or potential mental illness, they are certainly possibilities that should have been given serious consideration but are only touched upon in the doc. And that's where The Mars Project falls short. Khari is an interesting individual with a lot to say, so five minutes is not enough time to do the subject justice. Investigations into the possibilities of possession and the probable alternatives would be a good addition to a longer study of the same subject. Still, it serves as a great introduction to the topic and goes a long way in offering insight into what makes this oddball MC tick. The DVD release also contains an even shorter tour documentary with DJ Weez-L, the man manning the two turntables for Edmonton MC Cadence Weapon, plus an artsy film short I still don't understand and a hard copy of a Conspiracy interview Jon did for UGSMAG. - Thomas Quinlan