“the first records that i played never played me, and i can still play them today because they stay true”
– J-Live
I’ve been thinking a lot about 90s hip hop… partially because i’ve had Tribe’s People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm on repeat for the last few days, but also because i often look to the “good ol’ days” of Hip Hop for inspiration. (Disclaimer: i don’t believe that Hip Hop culture or rap music were “pure” during the 90s. In fact, i believe that many artists promoted the exact same stuff i dislike now, only in baggier clothes. I do, however, think that there was more variety than there is now. There was Tribe and Bahamadia to balance out some of the more violent and misogynistic elements.) Because of that, i’d like to share some tracks that crossed my mind and entered my ears in recently. They remind me of why and how i became so passionate about rap music and Hip Hop culture. I play them today and they don’t let me down!
Enjoy!
A Tribe Called Quest — “Rhythm (Devoted to the Art of Moving Butts)”
Happy Bearthday to Gil Scott-Heron (April 1, 1949). This short mix is comprised of three movements, each based on a song i’ve been listening to a LOT in recent weeks.
I hope that you enjoy this project and that it inspires you to (re)discover Gil Scott-Heron’s collection (Pieces of a Man & Midnight Band: The First Minute of a New Day are my faves).
Movement 1: “Intro Peace” Based on “Peace Go With You, Brother“ (1974)
Movement 2: “Be No Rain” Based on “I Think I’ll Call It Morning” (1971)
Movement 3: “Troubles Away” Based on “Lady Day & John Coltrane” (1971)
These are some of my first experiments with making music. I’m definitely drawn to the aural aesthetic of Afro Futurism, which (to me) is where Hip Hop and Octavia Butler (and Science Fiction more generally) come together to imagine new sounds and create alternate realities!
I’ve been listening to a LOT of jazz recently… primarily Max Roach & Abbey Lincoln, Ornette Coleman, Alice Coltrane, and Pharoah Sanders. I hope to drawn on them in the music i plan to make in the very near future. For now…
Greetings! Welcome to the 1st Tru Skool Tuesday of 2013! This week i wanna feature artists who have tread similar geographic spaces as me, particularly VA and Philly.
First up is this great video from Philly-honed producer, emcee, singer, and band leader, Hezekiah. I love this video and song. They capture the beauty of a city that is largely characterized by it’s “philth.” Better yet, he gives the Philly grime an aesthetic quality that i feel when listening to some of the best 70s soul singers!
I’ve been a long-time fan of the Soul Students. After not hearing much from the various artists from that collective, i was very happy to see this video. Directed by Stephen Miles (aka Dicap), it demonstrates how some of my favorite artists have grown over the years!
I recently met Richmond native, Eso Tahreek, here in Philly where he now resides. The internationally respected producer-emcee has a plethora of DOPE work that the will definitely benefit the hip hop world when released. As you wait for those tracks, check out Eso’s Soundcloud page for a taste of what’s in store!
People tend to do “best of” lists at the end of each year. This year, i decided to do one of my own. I am happy to have so many opportunities to share the music i love with people on a regular basis. But truthfully, i only present a fraction of what i actually listen to. For that reason, i’m sharing my ten favorite songs of 2012 that didn’t make it to a mixtape or my party playlist. Some of these didn’t even make it to my Facebook wall (shame on me, i know).
I guess one point of this post is just to remind folks that i LOVE music. I appreciate ALL genres. So, even if you know me as a Hip Hop and African Diaspora DJ, please don’t think that i don’t get down with EDM, alternative rock, and more! So, here they are. I hope you enjoy my Top Ten (and then some) tracks of 2012.
Top TEN of Twenty Twelve
Add-2 - Cotton Fields
[i got acquainted with Add-2 as i was gathering tracks for Radiant Souls Mixtape Vol. 2. This brother is sick with the lyrics, and his beats -- many produced by SLOT-A -- are pure inspiration]
Sabo – Sigueme (Sabo & DJ Afro Mix)
[dope remake of one of the songs that made me a house head!]
MONOTONE – Invitation To Dance F. RubyGold
[(technically, this was released in 2011 according to youtube) i stumbled across this song quite by accident over the summer when it showed up in my record pool, which NEVER has African music! i listened and became instantly hooked by the music and the beautiful voice. when i looked the song up, i noticed the the voice belonged to RubyGold, the beauty from "Teka Munike." This track is a staple in my headphones, but didn't make it to any mixes or parties. i'll correct that in 2013]
Cajmere & Gene Farris - Donna’s A Flower
[i never get enough of this song. there's nothing more to it]
Swedish House Mafia – Save The World
[before the EDM-is-killing-dance-music folks launch an attack, please just listen to the song. It's truly beautiful. The music is superb and the lyrics are nice. Give it a good listen, THEN critique it to your hearts' content]
Stonebwoy Burniton – Climax F. Samini
[this one did get a little play time. Unfortunately, the sound quality is so horrible -- yes, i PURCHASED this track -- that i only played it once at Sonic Diaspora in DC. If i can get ahold of a better version, i'll play it at every gig i can in the future.]
[so, this song technically came out late in 2011. that's close enough, right?!? regardless, i'm obsessed with this track and absolutely love the video, even it if is a bit stalkerish]
Ever since i was a child, i wanted to make music. I dabbled with the violin, attempted to learn drums (that dream was crushed by a narrow-minded teacher… no, i’m still not over it), swore up and down that i would create my own singing group, and tried to teach myself myself to play my favorite songs on my sister’s piano. In high school, i raised the funds to get my first DJ kit with hopes DJing and producing music for a hip hop group. Fast forward several years, and i’m FINALLY beginning to learn the fundamentals of music production!
“…Thinking” on Soundcloud
At the moment, i’m learning the ins and outs of Ableton, but am also somewhat in love with Maschine (which, i could use with Ableton if i choose). Regardless, i am beginning to understand how powerful music production is with regard to my DJing. Mainly, i am much more concerned with audio quality and believe that i am listening to each track differently than i used to (especially as i struggle to get the “perfect” sound out of my creations). Hopefully, learning production will make my DJing noticeably better.
As an educator, i am also flirting new ideas and approaches to pedagogy! Long a believer that one’s classroom experience should be taken back to the community, i think that creative projects using music, video, blogs, etc. are a great way for students to share their knowledge and critical analyses with their peers and communities. Besides, how exciting would it be to enter your history class, see a keyboard and Maschine sitting there, and be assigned an audio (or another creative) project as part of the course grade?!?
With that said, my musical dreams have shifted just a little (i’m still hoping to one day tour the world with my fantasy band… which doesn’t have to be hip hop only), and i am embracing the possibilities of permanently wedding my passions for music, education, and community building into one single career!
As i work to bring that to fruition, please enjoy this track that i posted to Soundcloud. It’s the very first song i made using Ableton, so i hope that my future projects clearly demonstrate constant improvement in my skill and creativity!
My lil homie, R.i.C, is back! This time, he’s put together his debut mixtape with 23 tracks of hip hop for your listening pleasure. Breaking Hoolig@n$ is R.i.C’s attempt to combine his love for hip hop and social justice. Overall, i think that he successfully demonstrates that. His opening track, “Awake” details his struggle to be a “good” suburban kid while still “keeping it real” enough to gain acceptance from the brothers on the block.
His struggle to appeal to people interested in social justice and the streets is evident throughout the rest of Breaking Hoolig@n$. On the one hand, he critiques racism, vows to free the imprisoned, and promises to treat women with respect. On the other hand, he and his guests are still learning the subtleties of patriarchy, misogyny, homophobia, and many other forms of oppression that are deeply entrenched in American culture. For that reason, i would like to encourage R.i.C and his guests to think critically about the effect of rapping about taking someone else’s girl, referring to people and ideas as “gay” or “homo,” and freely using “nigga” and “bitch” throughout the album. Also, i’m curious as to why it’s so important to people (especially those from the suburbs) to appeal to “the streets” (also read, “the block” or making it sound “hard”). I have already spoken with R.i.C about this, and am confident that he (much like me and many others who are dedicated to social justice) will continue to learn ways that he can continue to grow and better reflect the ideals that he believes will make the world better for everyone.
Overall, i LOVE this mixtape. In fact, i’ve listen to it just about every day since, R.i.C first sent it my way! During my first listen, i was simply trying to give each track a good listen so that i could provide R.i.C with some critical feedback. I listened to the album out of order and was greatly impressed with each track. Both the production and the message in each song let me know that R.i.C and his friends in Front Row Gang are some talented individuals. I have no doubt that he, Nicole Eboni, Hooligan, Cado, and the whole team will be a powerful force in hip hop culture in the very near future.
I encourage you to stream and downloadthis mixtape (which is mixed by yours truly by the way), share it with your friends via social media, and post comments on R.i.C’s Facebook page. You can also hit him up on Twitter with critical feedback. As a Chicago Freedom School alum and self-reflective individual, he is open to loving critique and encouragement.
Hip hop is a cultural force that never ceases to amaze me. From artists creative use of words to create their “raps” to the ever-evolving use of samples and original production, there is always something new and exciting happening. I find this to be most true when i find/am introduced to emcees and groups that originate from places outside of the United States.
One example of this is Wagëblë who’s “name connotes the communal meeting place for the people to discuss the issues that affect their lives; the group’s philosophy originates from the name’s associated acronym, Wax Aduna Geddu Ettu Baatin Lemu Elek, which essentially means that Wageble feels that their calling is to speak truth to the world about the essential spiritual knowledge of life in order to ensure a positive future.” This Tru Skool Tuesday includes a couple examples of Wagëblë’s music and message. Check them out and enjoy!
The tracks are some of the random tunes that i’ve been playing over the last few days. The Mulatu track was a pleasant surprise from an email list that i don’t remember signing up for! LOL. Friends put me on to Ian Kamau and Sa-Roc. I’m always happy to support them and hope that you’ll do the same! Enjoy.
Peace & Blessings! This edition of TST is inspired by my hip hop crate, DJ DuiJi 13 (he’s always reminding me of the jewels), and my man Ryan from VSU! Try not to hurt your neck as you listen to these hip hop throw backs!
