May/June 2004 Issue

Neighborhood Watch

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Solemn purists in a hip-hop scene defined by trends and flash, Dilated Peoples treat rap with
reverence. Despite Los Angeles roots, MCs Evidence and Rakaa, plus DJ Babu, echo the old-school
East Coast spirit of Gang Starr, with thudding beats and a scorn for pop pandering; they celebrate
self-reliance on the title track, warning cops and crooks alike to back off. If occasionally
preachy, the music never falters, thanks to rubbery bass riffs and teasing electronic squiggles.
“DJ Babu in Deep Concentration” finds the gifted scratcher weaving fragments of noise into a chattering symphony. If Dilated Peoples court radio play with the breezy “This Way,” it’s no
sellout—just a groove-filled diversion.

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Investigative journalism, like the story you just read, takes time to do. Months of research. Weeks of writing, editing, and fact checking—and putting together the photography, art, video, and audio that tell the stories in a new way, illuminating new perspectives and voices

We can afford to take that time because we don’t report to an oligarch or corporation with a special agenda. We report to you, and for you. That’s why we unabashedly pursue the truth and relentlessly shine a light into the darkness.

In this month’s Summer Membership Drive, we’ve got to raise $200,000 to support more crucial investigations. This is a pivotal moment in our nation, with democracy on the line, and we can only do this work because readers like you step up. Every donation, of any amount, makes a difference here. We cannot do this work without you.

So, we’re asking: Will you support independent journalism that demands those in power answer for their actions?

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