Ultracultural Others are NYC-based creative directors Katie Cercone “High Prieztezz Or Nah” and UNDAKOVA. They designed an “Urban Mystery Skool” micro-residency program as a mystical self-study and wellness immersive for interdisciplinary creatives, post-studio artists, yung shamans, urban monks, queers, bodhisattvas, punk/eco/hip-hop feminists, rap ninjas, and radical others. Since 2011, UO have pioneered “hip hop yoga”, based in the 5 Elements of Holistic Hip Hop and the 8-Ways of the Bagua. Hip Hop Yoga utilizes movement, sound and vibration to create layered dreamscapes; simple vocal percussion and righteous rhymes unlock authentic expression — drawing on mantra meditation, positive affirmation, human sacred geometry, asana and transformational breath-work.
Ultracultural Others’ “Urban Mystery Skool” is an out-of-the-box, multi-faceted project — offering NYC-based creatives a wide variety of wellness courses, micro-residencies, private coaching, and even an annual hip hop yoga retreat to Thailand. Before embarking on this year’s Thailand retreat in June, UO is premiering their first collaborative project VITAMIX — a 3-song visual EP filmed during last year’s retreat.
Over the years, Katie, UNDAKOVA, & their little son Baby Kali have become mainstays within NYC’s performance art & wellness communities.
Katie Cercone “High Prieztezz Or Nah” is a visionary artist, scribe, prieztezz and spiritual gangsta hailing from the blessed coast. Cercone has performed or shown work in exhibitions at the Brooklyn Museum, Bronx Museum, Whitney Museum, Dallas Contemporary, Momenta Art, C24 Gallery, Changjiang Museum China, Dodge Gallery and Aljira Center for Contemporary Art. She has published critical writing in ART PAPERS, White Hot, Posture, Brooklyn Rail, Hysteria, Bitch Magazine, Utne Reader and N.Paradoxa. Her work has been featured in Dazed, MILK, Interview, Japan Times, Huffington Post, ART 21, Hyperallergic, PAPER, Art Fag City, Washington Post, and Art Net TV among others. Cercone has curated shows for Momenta Art, KARST (UK), Cue Art Foundation and NurtureArt. She is co-leader of the queer, transnational feminist collective Go! Push Pops and creative director of ULTRACULTURAL OTHERS Urban Mystery Skool.
Name : Katie Cercone, MC Name “Or Nah” aka “High Prieztezz Or Nah” aka “Ratchet Amma” aka “Milky Minnie” @0r__nah_spiriturlgangsta
Birthplace : Santa Rosa, California
Métier : Artist, Yogi, Scribe, Radiant Mother, Spiritual Gangsta
Sources of inspiration : Mysticism, Saints, Rappers, Black Culture, Black Madonna, Kali, Folk & Indigenous cultures and Mythology, Radical Feminism, Black Utopia, Afrofuturism, Hip Hop, Hip Hop Feminism, Queer Femme club culture of Bushwick, Harajuku fashion subcultures, Rainbow Warriors, Female MCs, dance, Sufi Whirling, Siri Rishi, Queen Afua, Narcissister, Mickalene Thomas, Wangechi Mutu, Young Thug, Lil Wayne, more recently… Beyonce !
Sources of motivation : Kundalini Yoga, our son Kali, Legacy, Healing, Reclaiming Female Sexual Power, The Fall of the Patriarchy, healing the split of the maternal and erotic, Kaypacha’s Pele Report
What makes you happy : Daily Yoga Practice, Ocean, Raw Chocolate, Laughter, Love, Family, My Love UNDAKOVA
Favorite reads : Lately, everything is about the Black Madonna (books by Alessandra Belloni, Lucia Chiavola Birnbaum, China Galland, Ean Begg)
I read a lot! I am the caretaker of the ULTRACULTURAL OTHERS Urban Mystery Skool post-colonial queer feminist library and hip hop herstory archive. Some all time favorites:
Victory to the Mother: The Hindu Goddess of Northwest India in Myth, Ritual and Symbol by Kathleen M. Erndl
Conjuring the Sex Positive: WITCHES, SLUTS, FEMINISTS by Kristen J. Solee
Shamans Mystics and Doctors: A Psychological Inquiry into India and It’s Healing Traditions by Sudhir Kakar
In the Break: The Aesthetics of the Black Radical Tradition by Fred Moten,
The Power of Black Music by Samuel A. Floyd
Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America by Tricia Rose
Aesthetic of Cool: Afro-Atlantic Art and Music by Robert Farris Thompson
Bad Girls of Japan Edited by Laura Miller and Jan Bardsley
Dancing in the Streets: A History of Collective Joy by Barbara Ehrenreich
The Presence of Siva STELLA KRAMRISCH
TANTRA: Sex, Secrecy, Politics, and Power in the Study of Religion by Hugh B. Urban
Shamanism + Cyberspace by Mina Cheon
The Language of the Goddess by Marija Gimbutas
Schoolgirls, Money and Rebellion in Japan by Sharon Kinsella
The Book of Yokai: Mysterious Creatures of Japanese Folklore by Michael Dylan Foster
The Woman in the Shaman’s Body by Barbara Tedlock
Favorite tunes : I like Trap, Rap, some R&B… Female MCs. I wrote my MFA thesis on Lil Wayne & “The Spirituality of Hip Hop”
Way back when: Le Tigre, The Blow and CocoRosie
Lately I am really into Binaural Beats and Healing Frequencies I can stream online from bed… + ULTRACULTURAL OTHERS Hip Hop Yoga EP VITAMIX !!
Favorite foods : Raw Chocolate, Green Smoothies, Matcha Lattes, Japanese Pumpkin, Sticky Rice, Kombucha, Green Tea Ice Cream, Thai Iced Tea
Beauty tips : Daily Kundalini Yoga Practice for natural radiance, beauty and grace. Be unapologetically yourself! Self-confidence goes a long way. I like neons and gold. Chunky crystals. Shaman’s fringe and painted faces. Spirulina, Rose water & whole foods. Indian Healing Clay and Epsom Salt baths. Adi Shakti Mantra for primal power, magic wands!
Favorite ways to unwind : Meditation, restorative yoga. Walks along the east river. Reading to my son. Taking a hot bath. Drinking herbal tea. Getting out of New York City. When we are in Thailand I like to sing to the ocean and lean on the peanut butter curry.
What gets you in a working flow : Solitude. Rhythms. Health. Mindfulness. Aromatherapy. Digital Detox breaks, my Lisa Frank Tarot Deck
What are you working on now : We are headed to barefoot jungle paradise where I will instruct ASTRAL BEAST Yoga and Sacred Twerk during the annual ULTRACULTURAL OTHERS Hip Hop Yoga Retreat Thailand. I am organizing a procession honoring the Black Madonna on the beach for the summer solstice. Alien Bruja Kelly Shaw Bunny is hand-making pastel rainbow waste beads for all of the women coming with us on the retreat. Holistic Hip Hop and Sunset Savasana on the beach with UNDAKOVA.
I also have a fabric assemblage in process, and am working towards a solo showcasing my fabric assemblage 2010-2020 as an immersive fabric installation with a central YANTRA made from toys, candy and detritus. We’ll coronate the space with a Hip Hop Yoga Cypher led by myself and UNDAKOVA.
Favorite motto / quote :
Walk with a Thousand suns in you Aura.
God Called, and She’s Black.
For over twenty years, David Jason Williams a.k.a. U.N.D.A.K.O.V.A. (Universe. Naturally. Delivers. All. Knowledge. Of. Vitality. Automatically.) has been awakening audiences with his special brand of insightful, knowledge infused hip hop. Urban monk and teaching artist, his seasoned background in yoga and meditation has allowed him to develop a yoga hip hop curriculum for urban youth through the non-profit BEAT NYC. UNDAKOVA believes self-love and artistic expression are the ultimate tools for empowering communities.
Name : David Jason William, EMCEE Name “UNDAKOVA” some say KOVA for short.
aka U.niverse N.aturally D.elivers A.ll K.nowledge of V.itality A.utomatcially @undakova
Birthplace : Lower East Side Manhattan, New York
Métier : Urban Shaman, Urban Monk, Mystic, Sound Healer, Vocalist, Emcee, Positive Influencer, Teaching Artist
Sources of inspiration : Oracle’s, Meditation, Divination, Eastern Philosophy, Saintly Beings, Old School Reggae, Soul, Funk, Disco, AfroBeat, 80s, New York seasons, Lower Manhattan, The Youth, Yoga, Ambient Music, My favorite Emcees are my friends, Intelligence, Beauty, Crystals, Nature, Ecstatic dance, Old School Hip Hop, Self Suffice, Will Smith, Jay Z, Lauryn Hill, Fela Kuti, Al Anon Culture, my own freestyles, learning to clear what is not me and gaining the clarity to see who and what I am.
Sources of motivation : Vipassana Meditation, our son Kali, Completing my life’s work, Healing, Supporting equality on planet earth, The happiness of all beings, Susan Miller’s Astrology Zone, Kaypacha’s Pele Report, Infinite Waters by Ralph Smart
What makes you happy : Hydrating myself daily, Practicing Yoga Daily, Practicing meditation twice a day for 1 hour each sitting, Green Juice, Sad but true statements, Love, My immediate family, my partner Katie
Favorite reads :
The Power of Now by Ecckhart Tolle
The Letting Go Book by Melody Beatte
The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff
Living Buddha Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
The Book of Chakra Healing by Liz Simpson, and more recently anything Waldorf Education or Rudolph Steiner related such as Raising a Son and the Making of a Healthy Man by Jeanne and Don Elium
Favorite tunes :
Dedication – Aad Guray Nameh by Satkirin Kaur Khalsa
Forever- Saroc
Ancestors (Shamans Dream & Poranguí Remix)
About God Bahramji & Mashti
Way back when:
I use to listen to Hip Hop instrumentals from my tape deck.
There was no internet.
Favorite foods : Indian, Green Smoothies, Samosas, Vegan Lasagna, Two Boots Vegan Pizza, Italian food, Veggie dumplings and mock meat dishes, Home cooking by Or Nah
Beauty tips : You are what you eat, drink some green juice and watch your face glow. Hot Baths help you sweat out toxins. Crystals. Be original. Sleep early.
Favorite ways to unwind : Meditation, restorative yoga. Walks along the east river. Reading to my son. Taking a hot bath. Drinking herbal tea. Getting out of New York City. When we are in Thailand I like to sing to the ocean and lean on the peanut butter curry.
What gets you in a working flow : Solitude, Oracle Deck. Yoga. Vipassana meditation. A hot bath, Cleaning up around my work space.
What are you working on now : Building my Hip Hop Yoga curriculum and sharing it with the nonprofit organization Beat Global to refine it and give it more reach within the global community.
I am facilitating Hip Hop Cyphers and exercises based on the principals in my e-book “MindYourOwnBusiness: 7 simple steps you can take now”during the annual ULTRACULTURAL OTHERS Yo!Yogi Hip Hop Yoga Retreat Thailand.
I also have new Hip Hop Yoga songs in the process, that will coincide with me leading Hip Hop Yoga Cyphers with my partner Or Nah, which stem from the messages I teach around health and self care.
Favorite motto / quote :
“If you’re doing something the same way you have been doing it for ten years, the chances are you are doing it wrong. -Charles Kettering
Don’t judge a book by its cover.
“Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed Him for a Day.
Teach a Man To Fish, and You Feed Him for a Lifetime” -Chinese Proverb