While chilling at the Inverse show last night, a few of the homies reminded me that I haven’t been posting much on TAOD. My bad y’all, but my time is stretched so tight that it’s tough to handle all the biz and also [Unk] blog it out [/Unk] consistently. Also, to be blunt, there wasn’t a whole lot of stuff that I saw this past week that seemed dope enough to post.
However, this new video from B.o.B. was one notable exception. “I’ll Be In The Sky” is one of my favorite joints of the past year or so and I really hope programmers realize how catchy the hook is. I would love to see a joint like this catch on, because if you pay attention to the verses, Bobby Ray is actually speaking on some real ish. Look out for cameos from Playboy Tre and B. Rich, and then be sure to peep the interview I did with all three from a little while back.
Be sure to tune in to Sound Session tonight. I’ll have a whole bunch of new music plus the Inverse homies will be live in studio…
(“sleepyhead” might not translate as intended for hip-hop audiences…)
I’m constantly checking out new music videos for my day job and today I stumbled upon a great one. This is Passion Pit‘s “Sleepyhead,” which is the first release from Neon Gold Records. Talk about getting off to a great start with your label, this is ILL. Directed by The Wilderness.
The first of the homey Court Dunn’s 4 part video series highlighting the elements of hip-hop creates some ill breaking visuals for Camp Lo’s “Double Doors.” I believe that’s a Thirstin Howl III spotting on the last verse too. Just like the Blue Scholars proved with “Coffee and Snow,” you don’t need a huge budget to make a dope video these days. Major labels should take note.
I’m not mad against all these dope MC’s that have hit the scene relatively recently hopping on some great Dilla beats and ripping ’em. Great stuff from the homey Theo off his mixtape from last August, which you can grab here if you’re still sleeping.
With the latest video off Buff1’s excellent There’s Only One album, Buff took it to the streets, literally, and put his money where his mouth is by putting food where theirs are. Great stuff from one of my favorite MC’s and one of the nicer dudes I’ve worked with in the industry. Shout to Buff and the whole AML & A-Side families.
Seeing a video like this reminds me of all this f**kery we’ve been dealing with here in the Seattle hip-hop community in the wake of the tragedy at Chop Suey last week. If you’re unaware, you can read the basic details here.
I don’t really feel like writing an entire essay on the issue, but one of my biggest problems with the aftermath has been how people within our community have handled it. I know every hip-hop head is used to defending the culture from the moronic comments and accusations that pour in after any violent incident (in this case, from the Slog comments), so we’re automatically programmed to respond in the usual fashion: it’s not hip-hop, it’s society.
Yes, completely true. Absolutely. Problems like this are indeed a reflection of the worst aspects of our society, and the blame can be spread out to every participating member…from gang member up to President. I agree with this.
My problem is that many of us in the hip-hop community, myself included…at times, don’t react strongly enough against the negative parts of our own culture. We know damn well that when artists are presenting themselves as ‘uber-gangsters’, it directly affects us, especially the next generation. There’s a difference between rapping about the violence you see in your hood and glorifying it. There are far too many artists, in every scene around the country, glorifying ignorance, stupidity, violence, misogyny, homophobia, and countless other negative traits. Aside from the fact that 80% of the music is straight trash from a quality standpoint, we do ourselves a disservice when we condone this.
As a listener, participant, and DJ in this culture, my tastes have changed over the years, and quite frankly, at 26, I’m too old for this. I’ve been doing my best to showcase the positive side of hip-hop since I started college radio in 2000 and every year, I’ve taken that more and more seriously. As we enter 2009, I’ve been a DJ for almost a decade now and we’re in our 4th year of Sound Session on KUBE, a 100K-watt Clear Channel station. Think about the reach we have each week. I’ve always strived to provide quality music on my shows, mixtapes, and now blog posts, but that’s just not enough anymore.
I need quality music and quality messages. I need quality artists and quality people.
I’m going to hold myself to a higher standard in 2009 and beyond, and I hope other members of our community do the same. Remember what Barack said? “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Every day that I get older, I think more and more about life as a whole and what I want for this world, specifically the next generation. I can’t imagine having a kid and trying to explain to him why we allow these morons to pollute our culture.
Outsiders know they’re wack. Outsiders know they’re stupid. We know they’re wack. We know they’re stupid. Why do we condone it?
Improve yourself this year and demand better from everyone around you. I’m not religious in the least (I’m spiritual, big difference), but it’s true: “do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” Help people. Get involved. Make a difference. It doesn’t have to be something huge, just make an effort and you’ll be amazed how quickly things will change.
Buff bought some sandwiches. Maybe you can do the same the next time you see someone homeless asking for some change. Better yet, go mentor a kid from a troubled neighborhood. Teach him how to fish. Feed him for a lifetime. You’ll see your perspective change.
I promise to step it up this year too, but not in that played out “grind” sense. Who cares if you “get on your grind” in 2009 and become a better artist/DJ/writer/athlete/etc.? Be a better person.
Now this is hilarious. Fellow Massline member Ra Scion saw Geologic & Sabzi’s “Coffee and Snow” video and had to respond. He linked up with tthe original director, Zia, to record this dope sequel to the Scholars’ video. Comedy…and still doper than what most artists try to create with their official videos.
While some of us were making completely pointless videos during the Seattle snow, the homies Geo and Sabzi were killing time making a better song and video than most artists do with huge budgets. Seriously, are you kidding me? About 95% of the artists out there wish they could make something this ill. The clip was directed by Saba’s brother, Zia, who continues to churn out some of the coolest visuals I’ve seen recently. Very dope.
I’m still in the process of moving and I’m currently without internet access at the crib until Tuesday, but you know I had to get back to the blogging grind to support the homey Statik Selektah. Here’s the new video for “Get Out The Way” featuring Bun B and Cory Mo off Statik’s Stick 2 The Script. Cop that!
I’ve been sleeping on Little Dragon, but I’m finally awake. And I’m highly intrigued. Half way through the album and it’s great. There’s so much good music in the world right now…