Saul Williams Speaks to Soul Train

One of the biggest things to happen to me this year was getting to interview one of the most brilliant minds of our time, Saul Williams. He had a show one night, and I pestered his publicist enough to chat with him earlier that day. The insight he gave was amazing!

The first thing I wanted to talk about was Don Cornelius's sudden passing. I still tremble at how he did it, and Saul seemed to feel the same way. I also noticed in the VH1 special on Soul Train how he was frustrated with the change in the music scene that Cornelius was a guy who liked everything to be the way it always is and life is easiest when things are concrete. Saul touches on ageism when I ask him about Don Cornelius, and while he's right, I feel like Cornelius had much deeper problems than just his age. I hope more is reported on Cornelius and he's not just a historic man we now place RIP in front of. Here's where Saul and I discuss the man of Soul Train:

Soul Train: What was your initial reaction to hearing about Don Cornelius’s passing? 

Saul Williams: It’s the way that he passed that was shocking. For one, it’s not something that is known to be prevalent in our community. And I can only imagine what it’s like to grow older and lose strength, and become frustrated with the times where things aren’t the way they were – that type of ageism that happens often in our country. I think it becomes really hard for old people who are frustrated with how things start to not work for them. It also brings you back to healthcare issues and how we need to get it straight to where everyone is treated fairly, and the people are taken care of, especially psychologically.

When I asked him about how he feels about the music biz now, he gave me quite an earful about how stuck we've become on the concept of celebrity. I always peeped that in how we direct one another's status to Twitter followers, Facebook friends, as well as our circle. Big city Atlanta is notorious for that! The socialite scene can be more about your following than what you actually do. Even beyond that scene - my niece said to me after I asked her what she wants to do when she grows up "I wanna be famous. I don't know what yet, but I'm gonna be famous." I gave the spiel on having and fulfilling a purpose but what 12-year-old wants to hear that? Anyway, off the soapbox I go. Here's an excerpt of what Saul had to say about that topic:

ST: So what about music now, especially in terms of urban alternative music? 

SW: I think we’re at a time now where I look at anyone from Odd Future to Lil’ Wayne to Kanye and Jay-Z, and for the most part people have become more open to new music. But America at-large has established an idea of celebrity. We need to find a way to give the rightful attention to real talent, to people who are exploring. Right now we’re running the risk of having a very formulaic approach to music, to sound, to popularity...

 Check out the rest of the interview over on Soul Train's website!!!

Saidah Baba Talibah's Toronto Sound Off

When I turned this in to soultrain.com, I knew what I was getting myself into. Saidah Baba Talibah and I conversed as if kids are unable to use the Internets. From talking about blues singer Lucille Bogans to screaming and(/or) creaming, Soul Train's Sound Check was never the same. Here's an excerpt of what actually ran:

SBT: Expression is borderless – I express myself one way, and another artist could express themselves another way. At the same time, when it comes to being a woman expressing these types of feelings and being – not aggressive – assertive, knowing what you want, strong and unafraid of vulnerability is not really out there. So I guess that could be raunchy, like just in explaining how I want to please a man or how I want him to please me. We feel like we have to hide that idea behind what it means to be a lady. There are ways to do all of that and still be classy. 

ST: I get it, and there’s even each one’s own interpretation of “classy” and what is a lady. 

SBT: This is why I love old blues artists like Betty Davis. She was raunchy, but she was real in stating her facts of life. Also, there was Lucille Bogan, a blues singer from 1935.  She was even raunchier than Betty Davis, raunchier than anyone I ever heard to this day and age! 

ST: So let me ask: how important is it for you to implement sensuality into your music, and music in general? 

SBT: I think sensuality – not necessarily sex – is very important in everything that I do. In the true form of sensuality – calling on touch, sight, sounds and all those things and bring all the senses together – that’s where I’m coming from. 

ST: How did you develop your music within calling on those senses from The Phone Demos to (S)Cream and so on? 

SBT: Continuing to remind myself to stay as free as possible and to be as real as possible. That’s always the emphasis of where I’m coming from. At least I try to because that can be a little scary. I’m still human. It’s not easy being an artist because everyone has their opinion and capability to judge. 

ST:Toronto music –Canada in general – is nothing to sneeze at. How much of the T-Dot inspires your music? 

SBT: There’s a lot of ridiculous talent, great musicians, great singers on the scene. There’s By Divine Right, Jully Black, Ayah, and a lot of them have branched out and moved but this city is a beast.Toronto can take over the world.

Now that she mentioned it, all those T-Dot artists are dope (including her, I mean, have you heard her music?!). Off the top, By Divine Right is like Toronto's own Radiohead (if only the US had there's - sigh) with their indie kick and their music being vet-like boss status. Jully Black is sassy as shit. No seriously, she has a bold R&B sound that's different than what's typical among other R&B divas, like an over-the-top image isn't necessary to accompany her music. Naturally, fashion is her forte. Ayah, a DJ Jazzy Jeff protege, is Philly soul stuck in Toronto mixed with house, hiphop and whatever else her mind is truly capable of - in fact, a song just dropped she did in collaboration with Slakah The Beatchild called "Keep Up." More heat is sure to follow, I mean, the summer is near!



I'm so glad Saidah hipped me to all these artists. My headphones been on repeat with these folks ever since!

After filling your ears with all that Van Glorious, check out the rest of the interview with Saidah here.

Album Review: Tendaberry - Hit It! (EP)

I am so in love with the Atlanta Black alternative music scene. I don't care if I sound like a complete outsider!

Tendaberry is a four-piece post-punk band from the A that has seen their fair share of shine from Afro Punk as well as praises from big-time Black alternative musicians like Janelle Monae. The five-song EP is the official debut album for Tendaberry, although they been around for about seven years, which is - from what I've been told - a typical thing for a debut project to take that long as an independent band.

They open Hit It! with a two-part joint that shows their soulful, retro side and their progressive, edgy side, an opening that really signifies the band's overall development as musicians. Although it sounds a little amateur, the delivery saves the flavor of this band's get-downing(ness).

The album quickly changes pace to an upbeat, oftentimes repetitious sound that is borderline a mixture between The Joy Division and Prince in their lyricism and execution throughout the EP. Then they also come with splashes of Devo and Janelle Monae in their sound and execution as well, but not like they would sound all over the place either. They keep their sound organized, which makes them clean and promising. Imagine if Hit It! was a playlist of all your favorite post-punk and soulful rock songs you could snatch from LimeWire before their settlement.

This album is filled with cynicism that only the alternative music folk can master. Enough sass and attitude a punk can handle, there are songs that make you think about the most basic of things - pop culture, hating love and being human. Not to mention the sarcasm. "Hater" is a song where Tendaberry apologizes for being such an offensive ass for telling the truth in a soft, harmonious finger-snapping ballad. Now, what hater you know is going to apologize for being one? No true hater will A) know they're a hater or B) apologize for being a hater, reasons why this song should not be realistic in any way but it is entertaining background music.

Although slack has been cut for this band due to the recession and the locality of this band, the sound of this album is often annoying, especially considering the amount of garage punk and noise bands already saturating the local Atlanta scene. Although you can tell these guys are a tall glass of fresh water, Tendaberry could've done a better, and definitely cleaner, job mastering this EP. It's one thing to carry on the tradition of sounding local, but if your guitarist is rocking with Deep Cotton and Janelle Monae and opening up for Prince, better will be expected after six years of work. Just saying!

The only true disorganizing thing about Hit It! is the content. It comes off as a showcase of music rather than something important to listen to. Like I said before, it's like a playlist of all your faves from the post-punk genre, as well as any soulful rock music you could think of. Just know that you will never realize it's over, and be pissed when it is. That's the joy of EP's, I guess... I would really look forward to a full-fledge project from this band.

Star's Grade: A-

Thomas Pridgen's The Memorials shake things up at Five Spot Friday

This story was originally for Examiner, but the site is down (at least, every time I get on it), so I wanna share this story with you guys about Thomas Pridgen's new band The Memorials. I will have the entire interview (along with a few special others) up very soon, the schedule has been hella tight, but I digress...

When it comes The Memorials' Thomas Pridgen, whom some may remember from Grammy Award-winning group The Mars Volta, his new band has just one request when they perform at the Five Spot tonight. Don't tell them they sounded like Fishbone.

In their debut tour, The Memorials are bringing their highly rocking talents to Little Five Points after what seemed like a tough battle to kick off in the first place. In fact, they have been doing things in an indie/grassroots type of way when it comes to getting funding for their tour. "We're all doing this by ourselves, no one is really helping us out money-wise," drummer Thomas Pridgen says. According to their Kickstarter website, The Memorials have raked in a little over $1400 and are taking things one month at a time. "It's just crazy to see the hustle," he adds.

All that aside, fans are sure to get a quality from this band as they transcend from the studio to the stage. One thing for sure is that stage presence is not a problem. "I think people are freaking out on the energy on stage," Thomas Pridgen says. "Especially with people of color. They look at us strangely thinking we're gonna do one thing, but by the second song they're bobbing their heads, and then by the third song they're like 'fuck, I know this song.' And they love it."

Another surprise about The Memorials is their vintage twists as what Pridgen considers "a rare Black rock group." At one point, listeners of their new album, named after their band, will hear something strikingly similar to nu-metal. At another point throughout the album, listeners will get a few tracks that tap into Thomas Pridgen's breakthrough progressive rock sound. There is even a tinge of funk added to a few tracks, so this band has the predictability of Atlanta's snow patrol. Even Pridgen gets lost in identifying The Memorials' sound. "I'll be sitting behind the drums, and I have a crazy catalog of music in my head, and I can't figure out what we sound like," he says.

One thing's for sure, the trio aims to do their kind of music - no gimmicks, no targeted audience, and definitely no spandex. "I'm from the Bay, and we don't wear spandex," Pridgen says. "We don't need to put on no ridiculous costume or sing a certain way because white people listen to rock, we just need to play. We're a progressive rock band, so no matter what color we are all we have to do is play our ass off."

When doors open at 8 p.m., prepare to be blown away by the opening acts Just Like Vinyl (featuring Thomas Erak formerly of The Fall of Troy) and Bodega Roja. Cover will be $10.

Last Week on Tumblr...

For those that may not know, this blog has a sidekick!

When I'm not posting reviews, commentaries, and such, I am posting small music tidbits on Tumblr, titled Bubble Gum Pop Rap Lite. Almost anything has been posted on this site, from neat music articles to singles from great artists. Every week I'll give you a taste of what I've come across on the radio, in the news, and online. Enjoy!


Posted July 31st: I rant about switching lives with people who run clubs, mainly because I stood outside a club for an hour just to see an art exhibit that night. The art was great, and was actually worth standing in 90+ degree weather, but sheesh! (yeah, still mad)


Posted July 30th: found Rah Digga's album cover for her latest project Classic, Uffie's thoughts on fellow "hip-hopper" and swagger-jacker Ke$ha, and news on the record store documentary I Need That Record! being released to major DVD sellers including Netflix.


Posted July 29th: I put my MP3 player on shuffle and comment on the first 10 songs that come up. Plus, the new video for Chromeo's "Don't Turn The Lights On" and some tunes to back up my Black rocker rant, The Five One's "DC Sleeps."


Posted July 28th: One of my favorite chill records Zero 7 "In The Waiting Line" and Zach Galifianakis (omg, I spelled his name right again) does a remake to Anita Baker classic "You Bring Me Joy".


Posted July 27th: Psychologists finally catch up with the mind of musicians and write this "wonderful discovery" on the Rock 'n' Roll lifestyle. I dubbed it Rock 'n' Roll Psychology 101 - class is in session. I guess. Also a very cinematic video to The Roots "The Fire" off their new album How I Got Over.


Posted July 26th: After reading an article from the New York Times, I find this music video by one of the sissy bounce artists, Sissy Nobby called "Beat It Out The Frame", and yes, it goes there!

A Rant on Rock and Race: Can I Be A Black Rocker?

Earlier today I was watching Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll, a documentary on the concert in Fox Theater celebrating Chuck Berry's 60th birthday. In that documentary there was a segment featuring Little Richard and Chuck Berry (of course) talking about how their beginning journey in music was misunderstood. According to the radio stations and DJs back then, their music (and any other Black musician that wasn't carrying a sax or trumpet) was NOT Rock music, but R&B. In this documentary, however, Little Richard and Chuck Berry made it quite clear that they had nothing to do with calling their music R&B and wanted everything to do with being associated with Rock 'n' Roll.

Now I'm not a big fan of sub-genres (and really genres, period), so to hear such legendary musicians make that anti-distinction of their music made me proud of my viewpoint on music. Music is music. Everybody has a right to be rockers, just as everybody has a right to rap - no matter the color, gender, sexual preference. Unfortunately, we live in a world that doesn't see things the same way. Although R&B (rhythm and blues) fits for a typical Black musician, that doesn't mean all Black people want to be known as R&B singers. Just because a white person can play the guitar it doesn't mean they should be immediately ostracized from R&B.

With that said, I look at Afro-Punk a little bit different from other sub-genres and subcultures. I see the movement in "making Rock Black again" and I see it holding a significance to the Rock community as a whole - more than I see it being significant to the Black community. Not to downplay its presence in that community (and to make this piece specifically about Black music), but I think Afro-Punk is exactly what Rock needs, not because of its heavy political content, but because it shows that Rock is not, or ever was, only for white people to master. I'm not saying only white people listen to Rock music in general, but there has always been a problem in the music industry when a Black musician does something other than rap or sing. They are immediately isolated from both the Black community and the Rock community, the general Punk culture included. It's like you can't be Black and a rocker!

Here's a joint by Brittany Bosco called "Ragdoll". Now would you call this song, and this artist, Rock, R&B, or is this even necessary because she's Black?



There are plenty of Rock musicians that get little to no mainstream radio time mainly because they fail to fit in the Black music box. Take Ben Harper for example, who has been in the Rock game for nearly twenty years. It is next to impossible to hear him on ANY station, and their reason (at least one station I talked to about him) was that "he doesn't fit the type of Rock music we play." When I listen to him I hear the exact same Rock music they play. Maybe I'm wrong, and if so, help a sister out:



All I'm saying is that it's hard to be Black, a Rock musician, AND a Black Rock musician. It is next to impossible to merge the two in the kind of musical society we live in today, and that really applies to all music genres - hiphop, country, etc. The bottom line is as a [insert race here] person you have to choose between doing [insert race here] music and consider "being down" with the group, or you decide to step outside if your "chosen" musical genre and leave [insert race here].