Armed with musical influences that range from Megadeth, Aceyalone, Stanley Clarke and Funkadelic, G*A*M*E Rebellion isn’t preparing to take over the musical revolution-they have already taken it hostage. Powerful, hard and ready, G*A*M*E Rebellion is rewriting the regime to good music.

Do you feel a world dominated by pop princesses and hip-hop impostors is ready for a Rebellion?
Regardless of what the media is force-feeding us, the people still have a feeling that something is not right. They cannot see the whole story, but they know many aspects of our culture are not being represented. If the world isn't ready for us, they are ready to get busy.

They are ready for a band that allows them to party with the problems and get up off the floor with solutions.

After viewing your site, one of the most apparent things about the band is your dedication to social and community issues. What..s the G*A*M*E Rebellion plan for changing the world?

We plan on doing our thing to let others know that they can do their thing as well. We want the youngsters to see that just living with the results and bi-products of this system is making us victims. We all have to explore our talents and abilities and develop these into means of providing for ourselves.

Will the revolution be televised?
If the youth would redirect their spending from video games, sneakers and clothes and purchased multimedia equipment, create and shoot films, release them online or sell them on the street, get picked up by distribution, generate an income and create jobs for the people around them, then make more films of an analytical and inspirational nature that teach our communities we are losing and give them determination to win, film it, put it online and sell it on the streets..then I guess it could happen.

G*A*M*E Rebellion’s North American International African Diaspora Music is available on their website at www.gameforlife.com and on MySpace at www.myspace.com/gamerebellion.

Isaiah Lakes

Many performers can capture the attention of an audience - only a few can actually mesmerize a crowd. Meet Liza Garza - a Flint, Michigan native, whose love affair with music and words is helping to raise hip-hop’s next generation.

When did you first realize you had a way with words?
Everyone has a way with words. Everyone manifests his or her own reality. I was blessed to awaken at an early age and realize the importance of making my speech excellent. I was always fond of letters and sounds and the power they held.

When we first met, you said you thought spoken word was another element of hip-hop. Can you explain what you meant?
Hip-hop is self-validating, so it has a wide and broad definition. The oral tradition of the spoken word is what emceeing is, so I don't necessarily consider there to be any boundaries.

It is all related. I am hip-hop, my kids are hip-hop and we don't need a checklist to be this.

Finish this sentence: Liza Garza is a self-confessed…
Slave. I am only a vessel. I am a slave to the creator and the purpose he has given me with these gifts. Within this knowledge and understanding, there is immeasurable beauty. I am in no way oppressed. The more I accept this the more beautiful it becomes.

Liza Garza is available for speaking engagements covering feminism, hip-hop and activism. You can purchase her first book, You Never Knew Until I Spoke, and her debut CD, ‘BloomBeautiful’, online at www.lizagarza.com.