Juba Kalamka
Encyclopedia
Juba Kalamka is an African American
bisexual artist and activist recognized for his work and founding member of homohop group Deep Dickollective
(D/DC) and his development of the micro-label Sugartruck Recordings.
Kalamka has coordinated the release and promotion of five critically successful D/DC albums, the Outmusic Award winning solo debut of former Sister Spit
member Rocco "Katastrophe" Kayiatos, and the distribution of the work of numerous other artists in the homohop community.
Kalamka's personal work centers on dialogues on the convergences and conflicts of race, identity, gender, sexuality and class in pop culture. He has written and illustrated several articles for pop culture magazines and journals, Kitchen Sink, ColorLines, and the now-defunct bisexual issues magazine Anything That Moves
.
He has been a speaker, panelist, and curator for numerous organizations and conferences, among them the San Francisco Black Gay/Lesbian Film Festival, GLAAD, Hip Hop as a Movement at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
, and Burning Closets/Working Our Way Home at Oberlin College
. In November 2005, Kalamka was chosen to be one of six plenary speakers at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
's 2005 Creating Change Conference and received a Creating Change Award for his activist work in queer music community.
Kalamka served as Festival Director for the now defunct East Bay (Oakland, California
) Pride in 2003 and the curator/director of PeaceOUT World Homo Hop Festival
which ran annually from 2001 through 2007. The success of PeaceOUT inspired the creation of three now-defunct sister festivals; Peace Out East in New York City, Peace Out South in Atlanta, Georgia, and Peace Out UK in London, England.
Kalamka appears extensively in Alex Hinton's 2005 documentary Pick Up the Mic
, an active survey of the scene through documentation of homohop artists on tour and in performance at the various PeaceOUT festivals.
In 2003, Kalamka continued his personal and artistic dialogues on sexuality and race with appearances in three sex films; Good Vibrations
/Sexpositive Productions G Marks the Spot, Joani Blank
's Orgasm: Faces of Ecstasy, and the yet to be released Radio Dildo Libre (David Findlay/Blissful Itch Productions). In 2005, Kalamka was contacted by artist and sex worker advocate Annie Oakley (whom he'd met at the Olympia, Washington
queer arts fest HomoAGoGo) and accepted an invitation to tour with The Sex Workers' Art Show, a month long cross-country cabaret style theater event featuring current and former sex worker artist/activists. Deep Dickollective's fifth and final disc,On Some Other was released on Sugartruck in June,2007.
In December 2006, Kalamka completed the MFA program in Poetics (minoring in Queer and Activist Performance through the schools Experimental Performance Institute) at New College of California
in San Francisco. An essay/interview with Kalamka and former bandmate Tim'm West appears in hip hop writer Jeff Chang
's collection Total Chaos: the Art and Aesthetics of Hip Hop (Basic Civitas Books).
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
bisexual artist and activist recognized for his work and founding member of homohop group Deep Dickollective
Deep Dickollective
Deep Dickollective was a black and queer hiphop group based in Oakland, California that helped launch the homohop genre of openly queer/LGBT artists including the PeaceOUT World Homo Hop Festival.-History:...
(D/DC) and his development of the micro-label Sugartruck Recordings.
Kalamka has coordinated the release and promotion of five critically successful D/DC albums, the Outmusic Award winning solo debut of former Sister Spit
Sister Spit
Sister Spit is a lesbian-feminist spoken word and performance art collective based in San Francisco, signed to Mr. Lady Records. They formed in 1994 and disbanded in 2006. Founding members included Michelle Tea and Sini Anderson, Other members included Jane LeCroy and poet Eileen Myles...
member Rocco "Katastrophe" Kayiatos, and the distribution of the work of numerous other artists in the homohop community.
Kalamka's personal work centers on dialogues on the convergences and conflicts of race, identity, gender, sexuality and class in pop culture. He has written and illustrated several articles for pop culture magazines and journals, Kitchen Sink, ColorLines, and the now-defunct bisexual issues magazine Anything That Moves
Anything That Moves
Anything That Moves was a literary, journalistic, and topical magazine published in the United States from 1990 to 2002. It was created as an expansion of the San Francisco Bay Area Bisexual Network newsletter by BABN member, Karla Rossi, in collaboration with bisexual and bi-friendly editors,...
.
He has been a speaker, panelist, and curator for numerous organizations and conferences, among them the San Francisco Black Gay/Lesbian Film Festival, GLAAD, Hip Hop as a Movement at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
, and Burning Closets/Working Our Way Home at Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
. In November 2005, Kalamka was chosen to be one of six plenary speakers at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force builds the political power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community from the ground up. The Task Force is the country’s premier social justice organization fighting to improve the lives of LGBT people, and working to create positive, lasting...
's 2005 Creating Change Conference and received a Creating Change Award for his activist work in queer music community.
Kalamka served as Festival Director for the now defunct East Bay (Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
) Pride in 2003 and the curator/director of PeaceOUT World Homo Hop Festival
PeaceOUT World Homo Hop Festival
The PeaceOUT Homo Hop Festival, was an annual festival of hip hop music and culture created by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender people and held in Oakland, California from 2001 to 2007.-History:...
which ran annually from 2001 through 2007. The success of PeaceOUT inspired the creation of three now-defunct sister festivals; Peace Out East in New York City, Peace Out South in Atlanta, Georgia, and Peace Out UK in London, England.
Kalamka appears extensively in Alex Hinton's 2005 documentary Pick Up the Mic
Pick Up the Mic
Pick Up the Mic is a documentary film, released in 2006, which profiles the underground LGBT hip hop scene and homohop, which is a subgenre of hip-hop that includes gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rappers, DJ's and hip-hop artists. The film was directed by Alex Hinton.The documentary had...
, an active survey of the scene through documentation of homohop artists on tour and in performance at the various PeaceOUT festivals.
In 2003, Kalamka continued his personal and artistic dialogues on sexuality and race with appearances in three sex films; Good Vibrations
Good Vibrations (business)
Good Vibrations is a sex toy business based in San Francisco. It operates five retail stores ; a mail-order business; an e-commerce website; a wholesale arm; and an erotic-video production company, . Formerly, it also operated three publishing companies: Down There Press, Passion Press and...
/Sexpositive Productions G Marks the Spot, Joani Blank
Joani Blank
Joani Blank is an entrepreneur, editor, writer, videographer, educator, cohousing enthusiast and adviser, philanthropist and inventor in the field of sexuality....
's Orgasm: Faces of Ecstasy, and the yet to be released Radio Dildo Libre (David Findlay/Blissful Itch Productions). In 2005, Kalamka was contacted by artist and sex worker advocate Annie Oakley (whom he'd met at the Olympia, Washington
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
queer arts fest HomoAGoGo) and accepted an invitation to tour with The Sex Workers' Art Show, a month long cross-country cabaret style theater event featuring current and former sex worker artist/activists. Deep Dickollective's fifth and final disc,On Some Other was released on Sugartruck in June,2007.
In December 2006, Kalamka completed the MFA program in Poetics (minoring in Queer and Activist Performance through the schools Experimental Performance Institute) at New College of California
New College of California
New College of California was founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1971 by former Gonzaga University President, Father John Leary. After 37 years, it ceased operations in early 2008....
in San Francisco. An essay/interview with Kalamka and former bandmate Tim'm West appears in hip hop writer Jeff Chang
Jeff Chang
Jeff Chang is a Taiwanese male singer, who performs sentimental Mandarin pop ballads.Chang was born in Yunlin, Taiwan. He started off his showbiz career by winning a singing competition while in college...
's collection Total Chaos: the Art and Aesthetics of Hip Hop (Basic Civitas Books).