Fellow Squid Game fans! I'm excited to share that I'm the host of Squid Game: The Official Podcast, from Netflix and Mash-Up Americans. Each episode, join me and some special guests as we suit up and re-live the first season of the international phenomenon, and get you good and hyped for Season 2, which will premiere later this year. We hope to be the perfect companion to your season one re-watch.
In our premiere episode, "Debt, Desperation, and the Deadly Games," I'm joined by rapper, actor and K-town legend Jonnie Park, aka Dumbfoundead. We take a deep dive into the first three episodes of Squid Game, breaking down the characters, themes and challenges, from Red Light, Green Light to Dalgona. We also face off in a (not-so-deadly) game of our own. Plus, a call with my mom.
Heroes Wear Masks
Kolbe Yang, 16-year-old son of acclaimed graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang -- and a talented artist in his own right -- has created "Heroes Wear Masks," a mecha-inspired t-shirt design to support USC architecture students who are using 3D printers to create personal protective equipment for health care workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic. All proceeds from shirt sales will go to #OperationPPE.
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Suspect Identified in Vandalism Spree Targeting Asian-Owned Businesses
Asians Behaving Badly... smashed windows edition! In San Jose, authorities have identified a suspect in a recent vandalism spree targeting Asian-owned businesses in the South Bay. 42-year-old Tai Van Trinh is accused of smashing windows of eight different businesses in San Jose and Milpitas in the early morning of April 22. Trinh, who drove a black 2004 Toyota Tacoma with Texas plates, is still at large.
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Foon Hay Lum, Pioneering Chinese Canadian Activist, Dies at 111
One of Canada’s oldest women, Foon Hay Lum, who was separated from her husband for more than 30 years by the Chinese immigration ban and later helped secure a formal apology and compensation for all Chinese Canadians who paid the head tax, has died after being diagnosed with COVID-19. She was 111.
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Auntie Sewing Squad
Kristina Wong started the Auntie Sewing Squad last month to find sewing help with requests she was getting from nurses for facemasks. Since then, they've distributed thousands of masks to essential workers and vulnerable communities, including 1300 masks to the Navajo, Lakota and Quechan Nations, and another thousand masks to farmworkers and people transitioning out of ICE detention. They're still looking for volunteers who can help cut and sew. They're also taking donations of 100% cotton fabric and elastic. Join the Auntie Sewing Squad group here. You can also Venmo funds to "GiveKristinaWongMoney."
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Music Video: Dumbfoundead & Satica - "Inside"
Los Angeles rapper Dumbfoundead has released a two-song collaborative quarantine project titled Inside/Outside with singer Satica. The two tracks, produced by Big Banana, explore the themes of being locked "Inside" during this unique quarantine era, and the excitement of finally getting through it in "Outside." Here's the official music video for "Inside."
And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.
Anti-quarantine Protester Clashes with People in Scrubs
Over the weekend in Denver, health care workers clashed with anti-lockdown protesters, defiantly standing in front of the cars of demonstrators who flocked to protest against the state's stay-at-home orders to slow the spread of COVID-19. Yeah, I'm going to be siding with the health care workers on this one -- not the white lady hanging out the passenger side window screaming "Go to China!"
"Unprepared"
In the wake of Donald Trump's campaign attack ad accusing Joe Biden of being "soft of China," the Biden campaign has taken a similar page out of the anti-Chinese propaganda playbook. The presumptive Democratic nominee unveiled a campaign ad -- filled with menacing images of Chinese soldiers -- claiming that "Trump rolled over for the Chinese." The path to November has been laid.
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Stage 13 Studio Creates Campaign To Support Asian Restaurants
Stage 13 content studio has launched #stage13supports, a campaign to highlight the Asian restaurants and small businesses featured in season 1 of its original unscripted Asian cuisine and travel series Family Style (I was a guest on Episode 8), and recommend ways people can order takeout or delivery. Join the Facebook group here.
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Dumbfoundead & Satica - "Inside/Outside"
Los Angeles rapper Dumbfoundead has released a two-song collaborative quarantine project titled Inside/Outside with singer Satica. The two tracks, produced by Big Banana, explore the themes of being locked "Inside" during this unique quarantine era, and the excitement of finally getting through it in "Outside." Check out the trippy visualizer for "Outside."
And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.
Surveillance Video Shows 2 Males Spitting On Door Amid Pandemic
In Bellflower, California, two teens were caught on surveillance video spitting on the door of an Asian woman's home. "One spits a huge loogie on the side of my door, which I cleaned up not too long ago. It was dried up and disgusting," said Heather, who lives at the home with her husband and found the footage on her security camera. "The other one was discovered when my husband went to go walk the dogs and when he came back inside the house he noticed the door knob was really slimy."
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Bystander Intervention Training to Stop Anti-Asian Harassment
With anti-Asian and Asian American and xenophobic harassment on the rise across the U.S. amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Hollaback! and Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC are holding a series of bystander intervention trainings -- a virtual workshop on how you can intervene effectively as a bystander without compromising your safety the next time you see Anti-Asian harassment online or in-person. Find more information and register here.
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Kimarlee Nguyen, Writer Who Explored Cambodian Roots, Dies at 33
Kimarlee Nguyen's writing, imprinted with her parents' experience living under the brutal Khmer Rouge regime, was as restrained as the Cambodian elders she conjured in her fiction, short stories that sketched precarious, haunted lives in a chilly new country." She died of the novel coronavirus on April 5, on the way to the hospital in nearby Everett, Massachusetts.
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Rapper Dumbfoundead To Front Comedy Inspired By His Life
Peacock has put in development Big Dummie, a half-hour comedy inspired by the life of Korean-American rapper Jonathan Park (aka Dumbfoundead), from NCIS: Los Angeles co-star Eric Christian Olsen and his Cloud Nine Productions and CBS Television Studios. Written by Lisa Parsons (Insatiable) and set in Los Angeles' Koreatown, Big Dummie centers on a 30-year-old rapper, played by Park, who endures an early mid-life crisis as he loses relevancy in the rap world and falls out of touch with his family and friends.
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Never Have I Ever
Teen newcomer Maitreyi Ramakrishnan stars in Never Have I Ever is a new Netrlix coming-of-age comedy about the complicated life of a modern-day first-generation Indian American teenage girl. Created by Mindy Kaling, and inspired by her own childhood, the series centers on Devi, an overachieving high school sophomore who has a short fuse that gets her into difficult situations. Never Have I Ever premieres on Netflix on April 27.
Heard about #StarringJohnCho? This is #StarringDumbfoundead.
Check it. In response to recent controversies around the Academy Awards and whitewashed casting, Los Angeles rapper Dumbfoundead offers his own unique contribution to the conversation about Hollywood's perpetual exclusion of Asian Americans from the screen.
In this wickedly amusing music video for his latest track "Safe," Dumbfoundead is cleverly inserted as the protagonist of various Hollywood movies and television shows, from Braveheart to Titanic to Game of Thrones. Y'all heard about #StarringJohnCho and #StarringConstanceWu? This is #StarringDumbfoundead.
If you're in Los Angeles, and looking for something fun to do this weekend, come out to Pacific Bridge, a free outdoor concert in celebration of Heritage Month. The evening will feature Jhene Aiko, Awkwafina, Tribal Theory, Dumbfoundead, Run River North, Joseph Vincent, and Kevin Oh, and hosted by Jenny Yang.
It's happening Saturday, May 21 in front of Los Angeles City Hall. Here some more details:
CNN digital documentary series explores the lives of cultural influencers, trendsetters and tastemakers.
Check it, Roy Choi fans. The renegade Los Angeles chef/restaurateur/author just dropped his new digital documentary series Street Food on CNN. We follow one of the food world's hottest tastemakers as he explores the unique worlds of influencers and trendsetters in style, food, entertainment and more.
Street Food features conversations with the likes of musicians Dumbfoundead and TOKiMONSTA, makeup star Michelle Phan, fellow CNN traveler Anthony Bourdain, filmmaker Jon Favreau, photographer Estevan Oriol, painter Sage Vaughn and Mike D of the Beastie Boys. Basically, some of the coolest players ever.
You can watch all of the episodes online now. Great stuff. Check it out:
Indie documentary explores the stories and struggles of Asian American rappers
Wait... there are Asian American rappers? YES. And somebody is making a documentary about them. Bad Rap is an independent feature documentary about the obstacles and successes of Asian American rappers, their history, and four friends coming up in the game.
Directed and produced by Salima Koroma, the film follows a few emcees you might have heard of: Dumbfoundead, Awkwafina, Rekstizzy and Lyricks, and includes interviews with several accomplished Asian American rap artists. The project is currently in the throes of a crowdfunding campaign to finish the feature.
With co-host Jenny Yang and guests Dumbfoundead and Lanie Alabanza-Barcena
It's springtime, and I'm in the thick of it juggling a bunch of different projects, but I cannot forget to post about the newly released second episode of Angry Asian America, my web talk show with the good folks at ISAtv.
We're still working things out, but it's coming along quite nicely. In this episode, my kickass co-host Jenny Yang and I are joined by rapper/actor Dumbfoundead and Lanie Alabanza-Barcena of Hellz Bellz. We talk about bullying amongst Asian American teens, supermoms and Asians behaving badly, among other things.
Awwww yeah. Who wants some SPAM N EGGS? TokiMonsta, Dumbfoundead and Far East Movement have joined forces to throw an epic party in KTown next week, with sets by Antiserum, Two Fresh, Rell the Soundbender, ESTA and special guests. It's happening Thursday, November 21 at VIBE in Koreatown, Los Angeles. Here are some more details:
Second official music video from Strength in Numbers
Strength in Numbers is a groundbreaking Asian American music project that could use your help. Masterminded by CHOPS, producer and founding member of the pioneering hip hop group Mountain Brothers, the forthcoming album is a massive collaboration bringing together over thirty Asian American rappers and singers from all around the United States (with special guests from Japan and Korea).
And check it. Here's the second official music video from Strength in Numbers, "No Turning Back," a super-smooth joint by Chops, Paul Kim and Dumbfoundead. I think you'll dig it:
Some new music from our homie Jonathan Park, aka Dumbfoundead, aka Parker, who recently left his native Los Angeles to spend the month of September in Brooklyn. Hence, the title of this track: "Brooklyn For A Month." Check out the music video, featuring cameos by Akwafina and Rekstizzy:
Los Angeles emcee Dumbfoundead just dropped a new music video for "Clear" from his album Old Boy Jon. Shot in South Korea, the video highlights some of the folks holding it down right now in Seoul street culture, from skateboarder Dong-Chul Yang to DJ Plastic Kid of 360 Sounds. Pretty cool stuff. Check it out:
The battle for Koreatown has begun! Two Korean barbecue joints go to war in the new six-part scripted comedy webseries RUN DMZ. The series stars Dumbfoundead as our neighborhood hero Jon Park, with Anderson Paak, Jose Rios, Edward Hong, Victoria Park, Danny Cho and more. The first episode just dropped on LOUD. Check it out:
Our friend Dumbfoundead is expanding his horizons, and stars in a new scripted comedy webseries, RUN DMZ. When a new Korean BBQ spot opens up across the street from his mom's restaurant, old tensions between North and South Koreatown boil over and Jon Park must take matters into his own hands to hold down the neighborhood. Here's the trailer:
Check it. Los Angeles rapper Jonathan Park, aka Dumbfoundead, just released a new album, Old Boy Jon. The 16-track album, produced by Duke Westlake, is available as a free download from Bandcamp. I'm listening to it now, and it's good stuff from DFD as usual. Funny too. You can preview the album below:
Still catching up on videos I missed over the holidays... Here's Los Angeles rapper Dumbfoundead's crazy boozy hot doggy psychedelic music video for "10 Rounds," which someone's probably going to have to explain to me. Check it out:
