Point Out The Bounce!

When accentuating the positive equals accentuating some triflingness - that which really is what most folks like to call - there's a strong case in the Bounce culture.

I recently checked out Big Freedia's show at The EARL, and man, I had no clue what I decided to cover. Her joint "Ass Everywhere" is a proclamation, let her live performances tell it. Big booty broads on stage, in the audience (then on stage) - surprisingly without a machismo in sight.

While most stripper-ready music brings out as many guys as gals because of the gals, Big Freedia and the Bounce culture brought forth a type of subculture counter-intuitive to misogynous music. And doubting it has everything to do with its popularity in the LGBT community, it felt pretty darn good to see women flaunting what they have without feeling like they were being undressed by the eyes of patriarchy.

So there are more photos and a full recap of this crazy show on Frank151. Go there to see what I saw!

2011's Recap You Might Forget By Its End

The Quickest-Lived Social Music Network: Turntable.fm - Talk about cray (or is it Kray? Who cares!), the excitement behind Turntable.fm came and went quicker than Affion Crockett's show on FOX! Turntable.fm had tremendous potential to be one of the best and longest-lasting social music sites because it put users in a position of popularity through playing themed tunes everyone agreed on. It integrated commonality with competition, which ultimately became its downfall. Thanks a lot, you snarky ass click-happy music lovers. Not to mention the many "Whistle While You Indie" rooms killed the originality behind room creation. It was the summer fling before going off to college - that which is Spotify. Nothing like being social without saying a word or worrying about someone being queued up next to out-popularize your music taste!

The Year of The Indie Award: St. Vincent - This was tough. Plenty of indie artists came out with wonderful music this year, thanks to the GRAMMY's focus beyond album sales. The Weeknd, tUnE-yArDs, Washed Out, Toro Y Moi and The Roots (as usual, though) all had records that had everyone thinking outside the box, mainly to think they are indie music aficionados, but what really matters is how much the artist can shake these jokers up. St. Vincent has been doing that for years, and seems to only get better when looking at her album Strange Mercy. It was the best at showing what indie musicians are all about - being able to create some mainstream pop ish but excelling just as well in their own lane.




The Best 2011 Hiphop Beat: Lil' B "Motivation" (produced by Clams Casino) - This year had a colossal of dope beats, from 9th Wonder's entire Jamla crew to the Watch The Throne production. One producer that stuck out the most was Clams Casino, and it all started with this Lil' B jawn. The mixture of noise with the classic hiphop break and the extra tribal percussion snuffed a new punch to the hiphop scene, one that is highly untechnical and carefree, especially steering clear from in-your-face boom-bap rap.

Clams Casino - 01 Motivation [FLAC] by ClamsCasino

Nostalgia Done Right in 2011: Com Truise - Pick a record, any record, from this guy and you'll hear both originality and a Miami Vice soundtrack. Com Truise has the 80's new wave synthpop sound down to a nostalgic pat where the music sets people in a world stocked with postmodern industrial, futuristic-looking furniture and neon stop lights for the Jetsons flying saucer. Cyanide Sisters and Galactic Melt respectively embodied Com Truise's ability to own his own retro sound that matches what seemed to be dude's interpretation of what he grew up with.

Flightwave by JONEZ

The Sappiest Artist of 2011: Wiz Khalifa - Honestly, this award could've been given to him a long time ago. Don't let Kush and OJ and all his other slightly more machismo, smoker-crazed mixtapes fool you, Wiz is one sappy cat. Recalling "Say Yeah," let alone his extremely thin body, that dude is nowhere near capable of holding down a hardcore mantra. And that's ok - it's just when he wonders off into a "I Roll Up" stupor that pulls his chump card. Does Amber Rose really bring that out of guys?!

Best Flow of 2011: Dream Hampton "Denouement" - Although I speak a lot on music-type music, it doesn't hurt to highlight highlight-worthy spoken word. On one of the best albums of 2011, TiRon and Ayomari A Sucker For Pumps, journalist (and poet too, I guess) Dream drops the deepest piece any woman with a heart will understand. She opens up with:

Romantic love is always inconveniently self-announcing
Despite its unwilling participants. Wounded healers,
Unavailable men in need of constant companionship.
Women whose haunted havens are unsafe.
Love shit.

And throughout the poem, pieces of structured stream-of-consciousnesses that each illustrate a revelation of some love-and-relationship-sort, she places this toosie "though counter intuitive, when you hit a curve in love you should accelerate, not brake," reminding everyone that love is rough but fight through that shit.

The Best Tribute to an Icon in 2011: Bob Dylan at The GRAMMYs - Although all the award shows have become complete snoozefests, this performance/tribute set to "Maggie's Farm" was unforgettable. The two acts, Mumford & Sons and Avett Brothers, pave a folk-like river toward the sea that is Bob Dylan. They come together and perform in this magical fashion, especially hearing all those instruments (specifically Bob Dylan's raspy water-deprived vocals) play under the warm, intimate light - the way folk should always be enjoyed!

The Quickest and Tastiest Flavor of 2011: KING - How can you have the shortest EP that draws the biggest buzz only to never follow up? Though folks can stare at Jay Electronica for his once-a-year single releases, this L.A. trio falls guilty to that same strategy. KING released one of the best EPs this year titled The Story, and in three songs charmed their way into the R&B elite. Folks still talk about The Story, but shift the focus on what's next for KING. No one knows the answer though!

KING-The Story EP by weareKINGworldwide

2011 A3C Festival Photos and Recap

I had the pleasure of doing double duty for A3C this year - holding it down for A3C (of course) and Frank151 Atlanta Backwoods. From many trips to Subway for an Anytober footlong to wacky odes to Trail Mix, I was pretty exhausted by the 3rd day of A3C-ing. Maybe I should save these anecdotes for the actual recap...


From meeting the female emcee of 9th Wonder's Jamla crew to witnessing Big Daddy Kane and Skoob Lover do their trademark dance, the twinkles in my eye never really left throughout all of A3C. Just about every performance I saw at A3C reminded me to never sleep on a hiphop festival merely because it is indeed a hiphop festival.

Not everyone (at least in Atlanta) got that memo. Although the headlining acts get bigger and bigger (mind you, this year's included Freeway, Random Axe, Big KRIT, Dead Prez, Big Daddy Kane), the city's consumption of A3C seems to stay the same, if not grow weaker. It felt like there was less enthusiasm and appreciation of the hiphop fuel A3C had, not to mention the other events tending to the needs of Atlanta's socialites conflicting with A3C's impact. Yeah, the Atlanta City Council awarded A3C with a proclamation for their hard work and diverse cultural programming, but the city itself seemed to yawn it off. 7 years later, and a proclamation by the Atlanta City Council, and they still have to compete with other people in bringing the biggest hiphop names to Atlanta on the first weekend of October? Come on, son!

Aside from all that, A3C continued to accomplished what most big events in Atlanta don't do - break wall(s). Usually people go to an event indirectly masked as certain people: press/media, up-and-coming artist, complete and total fan, socialite (can be V.I.P or groupie, but that's another blog post) and the performing act. Whereas most events, especially "Black Hollywood" events, keep things neatly organized to the point where everything seems fenced to machine-like actions and interactions, A3C doesn't do that at all. Instead, A3C will have you forget that you, the performing act, shouldn't act hysterical over another performing act. Or you, the press guy, shouldn't be so star-struck when a headliner is ready for pictures and questions in the media room. However, when hiphop is being hiphop - familial in all its cultural ways - wear as many masks as you can without being the festival creep.

The biggest highlights of A3C this year came from the most respected names in the entire hiphop community, as many of those cats were there. From Jarobi making a surprise appearance for Eternia's tribute to ATCQ's "Excursions" to a massive amount of white people obligingly yell "I'm down for running up on them crackers in they city hall" to MURS finally unleashing emotionally-deep material unto his fans to 9th Wonder and Dee-1 sit outside of downtown Atlanta's New Era store trade knowledge back and forth like the teachers they are, I don't know what else to actually say about A3C except the twinkle in my eye - you know, that twinkle that's similar to a life-opening experience, that twinkle - never left.

The twinkle didn't even leave when I did this ridiculous interview with the Ying Yang Twins!!! Check out Where My 40 Acres while you're at it too because those cats stayed on it.





I cannot escape without proper props to these blogs too! You must check out:


BombOnEm
Write and Groove
Miss L's
Rhythmic Images
Natasha Williams Photography
Trill Talk Radio
iAm Classic Hip Hop


Artists you must check out because they killed it at A3C:


Jon Connor
Marz Lovejoy
Nikki Lynette (crazy how underrated she really is)
Boog Brown (read Nikki Lynette)
Skewby
Phil Ade
Nikkiya
The 5IVE
XV (again, read Nikki Lynette)
Gods'Illa
Reks
Skyzoo
and really, go to A3C's website and look up all the other artist profiles because there're too many to name!

Check out my Frank151/A3C blog team coverage of A3C, including interviews with MURS, tabi Bonney, The ReMINDers, Eternia, Nikki Lynette, Ultrabeast, The 5IVE, Boog Brown, and more!

Also, my YouTube page has some great concert footage, including MURS' new joint "Remember to Forget" and Freeway's classic "What We Do"

And since you made it this far down the blog, and hopefully read all these words I've typed, check out this video I got of Ski Beatz with his band The Sensei's and Phil Ade getting it on the spot!

SIDEBAR!!!

I often tussle with the belonging and the arrangement of different generations in hiphop. Where do I fit in? Is there even a post-hiphop generation? Did I really need to be alive to be part of the hiphop generation, or is there a nonchronological presence in hiphop that overrides the whole "we started it"/"we, the old heads" mantra? How much does age really matter?

After A3C, not even through the exploration of technological advances in the culture's preservation, I've found out that age is nothing but a number - as long as the community elders (the old heads) continue to build with the youngsters, and vice-versa. Face it, while vinyl will never die in hiphop, the younger generation will forever need to teach veteran DJs how to work the vinyl-to-USB transformation to the max. An old head will always have to teach young breakers proper and well-respected freezes.

A3C was a perfect example of all of that! From seeing breakers of all ages battle to hearing 9th Wonder and Dee-1 give advice to aspiring artists to watching a group like Dead Prez shout out a group like The ReMINDers as "family," the opportunity to dead my on-the-fence grappling of the Hiphop/Post-Hiphop generation(s) was there and ended it.

A Tribe Called Quest Documentary Masterfully Crafted, Disastrously Tragic Tale

Last week, the documentary Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest released to select theaters in ATL, so - like clockwork - here's a look at how the film unfolded.

You get more than just a bland VH1's Behind The Music, Google-able content-having look at the hiphop group A Tribe Called Quest. This wasn't a "Where Are They Now?!" flick either. Nor is it a fluffy "I love this group, please, please come back" news-lacking joint either. The documentary is for everyone - from ATCQ lovers to those who are looking at the aforementioned acronym confused - that tells the tragic tale of what the hell happened to the legendary Low End Theory creators.

Finally, a music doc with complementary visuals! Normally, most music documentary makers will give you an interview, old photo montages and concert scenes and a scene from what the artist is doing now with no additional visuals and an aspiration that the audience will be glad to see their artist is relevant again. Beats Rhymes & Life adds so many other visuals that seamlessly travel us through each scene. The way they breathe life into the already animated album covers makes each point visual, and it gives the albums more than just an aural-pleasing factor.

Along with the visuals of the album covers and the seamless transition from interviews to concerts to in-studio action, the score was equally expressive. It didn't just come with the hits from Tribe, and then other traditional hiphop music, but an atypical bebop-sounding score. It was very Ovation Network-like, innovative music that guides the scenes along the rollercoaster of the group's life.

You don't only get to see small peeps of Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi, and this doesn't become the story of the ever-present emergence of Q-Tip. Beat Rhymes & Life shines a light on each member and their exact need in ATCQ. The emergence of Phife Dawg was the biggest part of the movie. I was a bigger fan of Phife over Q-Tip because of his liveliness and honesty. While Tip was smooth and educational, Phife brought a realness and grittiness to the group. The documentary shows how powerful his punchlines were, how he gave the group their edge and how his and Q-Tip's differences ultimately kicks the group's ass. Through Phife's lines, as well as each interview throughout the doc's timeline, you see his perspective on how he felt his work went unappreciated as a member of ATCQ. Then there was how he perceived Q-Tip as being bigger than the group.

When speaking on the part of the breakup, the most eye-opening part of the film was Phife's reference to The Supremes. "I guess Ali is Mary Wilson and I'm Florence Ballard? Yo, get the fuck outta here!" Phife says. Although, as the documentary shows (and I won't go into with much detail), those feelings weren't as present between group members, but throughout their entire heyday there was bad communication between the group. Exhibit A: Phife not being upfront with his diabetes seemed to be the snowball that formed just before it rolled downhill. B: Q-Tip's lack of understanding of the other members' needs seemed like dude was cold. Again, not going into too much detail!

Inadvertently, this documentary shows a high and painful price to make as perfect music as A Tribe Called Quest set out to do. Everyone who claims to know a thing or two about hiphop owns at least two albums by these guys. Anybody who aren't big fans of hiphop respect Tribe for not being misogynistic and violent, and for being themselves yet relative to the average man. Anyone who is originally part of the hiphop generation saw the era that is in the ATCQ documentary, the era (and documentary) they helped build.

I hope this provides a charge to the currently stagnant hiphop culture and capital-controlled rap industry. Yes, the documentary shows there was trouble within the group, but it also showed just how much love, peace and unity there was among everyone who loved ATCQ. Seeing the whole Native Tongues collective form and their journey throughout hiphop's golden era in this documentary brought me to near-tears. You know how when you go to the best restaurant and eat the best dish in the world, just to go back home to your freezer full of Stoffer's? That's how I felt after the movie. Had a great fine-dining experience for brunch with Beats Rhymes & Life, then headed home to my Stouffer's frozen dinner.

Star's Grade: A+

Album Review: Goines - Something to Lose Mixtape

Though he may come off as eccentric in appearance to most of the hiphop community, it's not hard to tell Goines is far more hiphop than half the chart-topping rappers out now. Take his latest mixtape Something to Lose. The Arkansas-rep dives deep into what is now considered an underbelly to the world - defacing lies, handling poverty, running the streets, and the urban household. Does he manage to keep the audience's attention? Is he as lyrical as his heavy messages? Does the production complement? Let's find out. *in my Mr. Owl voice*

Fortunately, this should not be treated as the latest flavor-of-the-week mixtapes that have come from the forefront of today's hiphop community. However, this does come off as a rant album initially. The opening lines to "Introvention" - which are "You ain't gotta listen / I ain't come for that / It's been a long walk, and I ain't running back / I'm simply taking back the innocence you stole from us / Too many broken dreams, I just don't give a fuck" - are indeed echoed throughout the entire mixtape, but this was the least tasteful, though it was an attention-getter.

His delivery and content keeps the project from getting the "x" box clicked because both are emotional and provocative. It's organic, raw - not a line goes by after the intro that seems like a cliche' socially conscious rap record - with Goines' Southern flare and intelligent lyricism. For the content, imagine the intelligent ghetto tales from Nas mixed with early Outkast and their Dirty South delivery sprinkled with Kanye's emo ways toward love (so mash a little 808s and Heartbreaks, Aquemini and The N-word album together). Though this may seem like it leaves little room for something unheard of, Goines still adds his own twist to this project that is seen on Leaders Are Real People Too. The most noted feature was the poem laid down in "Wake Up" (and as much as I'd love to say who it is, there's no direct credit for it...).

The majority of the production, noting "Wasted Truth," "Fed Up," "Running," and "This Is It," carries out the theme Goines delivers to his audience. The production gets equally emotional, and maybe not as grand as it tried to be (imagine the underlying theme of White Men Can't Jump), but considering his indie route the overall project was executed well. The songs have their catchy moments, like the drip-drops in "We Made You," but overall it's full of militaristic beats tied with a wide variety of looped samples.

All-in-all, Goines has somehow successfully tied himself to the name people could closely associate him with - yep, Donald Goines, penman of Whoreson, Black Girl Lost, Daddy Cool, and so on - which in comparison to the other Goines (Donny Goines), I'd say the man behind Something To Lose has the upper hand for his honesty, intelligent yet street content and this project that carries a fistful of substance. Although this project seems a little rant-ish, there's no reason why Something To Lose deserves to be in the running for best mixtape of 2011.

Star's Grade: A-

Eli Porter in the building! No, seriously...

For Frank151, I covered the documentary screening of Eli Porter at Apache Cafe. It was only the first half, but it was a good first half, as we got the whole dissection of the YouTube video where Eli Porter diiid it. Here's an excerpt of my coverage:

Yes, there was the comedy factor with appearances from Andy Milonakis and drunken Chamblee High classmates of Eli, but it also included constructive analysis from journalists Dallas Penn and Jay Smooth on nearly every aspect of what happened in that video. The film dissected everything that was going on in the Twilight Zone-looking YouTube video - from the powerful Eli punchline "I did it," to the odd stuff going on in the back (the heart that pops up around Eli after his turn, Marv-O's adventurous hands, Envy's possibly pre-written battle raps, and much more) - the audience sat in awe as they found out the details of the video.

Album Review: Tyler, The Creator - Goblin

Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All (OFWGKTA) has definitely taken over the hiphop scene armed and dangerous with anti-Christ contents and a mean chip on their shoulder. Anyone who claims to be a music critic, blogger, or journalist that mistaken these cats - specifically Tyler, The Creator - as a joke has eaten their words because of the massive reception from their mixtapes and, if that wouldn't be enough, their amazing ability to put words together AND make sense. Although the sense they make is not a popular one (at least for the religious people), they are impossible to ignore with cover stories from several magazines like Billboard and more.

By the way, if you need a better understanding of who they are then you must understand hiphop a whole lot deeper than lyricism, producing and other mechanics as they are extremely darker than every rapper out now yet are lyrically better than just about any rapper out now. Imagine if the Gravediggaz was as lyrical as Wu-Tang, if Nas continued down the path of the "when I was 12, I went to Hell for snuffing Jesus" line, and if MF Doom, People Under The Stairs, Tech N9ne, Brotha Lynch Hung and Sage Francis warped into a group of Black kids from California and gave less than a damn about rapping like hiphop's norm.

Tyler, The Creator has released his first album under XL Records called Goblin, a follow-up to his debut solo project Bastard. Goblin reveals the true objective of OFWGKTA: lashing out at the inability to stay teens forever and the frustration behind being extremely talented yet unexpressive. Tyler brings his group to the spotlight as just being teenagers who want to exercise, in the fullest force possible, their free speech. Meanwhile, they have roped in so many young folks who feel the same way about being able to express themselves in unorthodox ways - whether it's as a Jesus-hating, roach-eating Cali dude with an affinity for Yonkers or a Dad-less brat who has extremely mixed ideas about women (see "She," "Her" and "Bitch Suck Dick").

Speaking of "Bitch Suck Dick," here's where Tyler and Odd Future begin to sound unfortunately familiar to the wastes of talents we all know and love (i.e. Lil' Wayne, Waka Flocka, etc) from their repetitious and simplistic execution to their suggestive lyrics. Note: they are suggestive, but usually in the context of not sounding like a COMPLETE waste of time. But "Bitch Suck Dick" is just unruly to be unruly, and in turn becomes unjustifiable.

Continuing the minimalist hiphop production, Goblin shows a wide variety of musical elements that exemplifies Tyler's knowledge of music (he makes his own beats, by the way), specifically the alternative urban music sounds within hiphop. As seen in the past OFWGKTA projects, Odd Future brings the Cali sunshine flavor to hiphop music, which is usually accommodated with soothing key tunes and basslines. They also can turn around and bring some hot trunk-rattling big bass beats that originates from crunk music in the South. At times Tyler brings in 80s New Wave and electronic-style music, as well as most of the dark elements seen in old school hiphop music.

Sometimes it’s best to stay mysterious, especially when it comes to the material Odd Future puts out. Unfortunately, Tyler decides to let us know who he is and what he’s about. Goblin has an N.E.R.D Seeing Sounds kind of feel to it because Tyler’s justifying his extreme lyricism and content, which comes off as almost corny. With “Radicals,” which was unnecessarily long and extremely disclosed for even OFWGKTA, he messes up in giving the world all the details in why Tyler is Tyler. Same for “Golden” – minus Tyler, but add Ace and Thurnis Haney. Anyone who truly listens to Odd Future knows good and well those three are the same person, so there was no need for Tyler to display that explanation so blatantly. There are some of the greatest artists who would put themselves out like that, but not as lucid as Goblin. Think of any quirky, out-there artists and not one moment will come to mind when they just laid out their former or current selves in their work.

Ultimately, we learn through this album (and looking retrospectively from their discography) that OFWGKTA lashes out sarcastic lyrics that just so happen to tap into hiphop's original values and norms, letting them know that individualism is key to living, not necessarily all having the same cohesive mindset. This is a liberal mindset that hiphop has yet to grab, despite the outcry from cats like Lil' B claiming to be pretty bitches, disrespecting prominent Black "figures" like Steve Harvey, and so on. Tyler also shows his sarcasm isn't much more than someone is within the adult age range (although 20 is debatable among some) who wishes to still be a kid, so his lashing out is a form of goofiness he possesses. Fortunately for him, he has a gift of strong lyricism that can carry that silliness of not wanting to grow up on to better things. Unfortunately, and this has become a problem for hiphop lovers across the world, this leaves the question of whether or not we take these projects of groups like OFWGKTA (who just so happen to speak to an untapped audience) seriously.

I honestly blame the way these cats blew up so fast that the hype for them turned against them. Not mad though, the success may be damaging, but a talented guy like Tyler and Odd Future will figure something out.

Star's Grade: B

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-

Anthony David's "What God Said" is Skeptic. LOVE IT!

Before reading any further, please watch the video to gain an understanding of the background of this blog piece.



Anthony David's new video and single off As Above, So Below "God Said" possesses the perfect way to be a skeptic musician, but for the greater good. He's not forcing the audience to not believe in a religion, but teaching them how to think about (and possibly be skeptic towards) extreme religious beliefs and practices, the way (I feel) ALL music should operate.

He illustrates the media's - if not nearly all of society's - exaggerations when it comes to religion and spirituality, spotlighting various out-there practices that have direct effects on current events. Within every image he's not in, there's some form of extreme religious practice going down. He even takes it back to the KKK climatic stages, because let's not forget that they used religion to lure in more whites on the basis of order according to, well, what God said. *in Anthony David's voice*

And it's not just Christianity and Islam, but David also touches on atheism. It may be because of his own skepticism laced within the song, but ultimately he doesn't display his religious beliefs anyway. One thing that is certain for this song when it came to analyzing atheism, there's an element of danger in believing in nothing supernatural.

Further analyzing this video and song, one must listen to the lyrics and what is said throughout the video. The opening says a lot before David says anything - 700 Club's Pat Robertson makes a statement eluding to Haiti's earthquake an act of God because they made a pact with the devil in order to free themselves from formidable French rule. David follows that image with some powerful lyricism, saying, "shake hands with my imaginary friend, / see, the trouble he gets me in / cannot get back to me," almost to fire back at all types of "curses" thrown at people, communities and races.

Although the point he is making is that it is illogical to think that just because you worship a god (or gods), that you have the power to physically thwart knowledge and reason to the side (which includes colonialism, neocolonialism, business, monopoly, policy, and so on), he is not trying to say don't believe in any religion at all. I believe he's trying to say it's ok to challenge your spirituality and/or religion with science and logic. Fundamentalism (religious, political, social, racial, etc), in my opinion (and perhaps David's), is what's most dangerous to the world, point, blank, period. Anybody who cannot live with a face of any kind other than their's will never get to see the face of God.

Now, prey/pray on that.

Album Review: Lupe Fiasco - L.A.S.E.R.S.

Lupe Fiasco has quickly become one of the greatest lyricists of our time - easily! Blasting his way into the hiphop scene with Food & Liquor, he took folks away from worrying about how blinged out they had to be and ultimately provided a totally new perspective within the hiphop community. Conscious lyricism at-heart, Lupe made his music appreciative by old heads, young'ns, and even the non-hiphop listeners. He actually had enough of a following to form together so that this album would see the light of day.

Little did the people know that this would be the album that had millions shouting "We are not losers. We are L.A.S.E.R.S."

The opening wasn't half bad, to be frank. It was typical Lupe Fiasco, spitting prolific rhymes aimed at breaking through the minds of the socially oblivious. Production was on-point for this portion: tense, energetic to the point of awakening for Lupe's conscious lyrics and it even rocked out from a Japanese Cartoon/punk-pop standpoint. "Words I Never Said" is the strongest track on the entire album as it possesses everything that Lupe wanted to get across to his listeners, executives and maybe himself. However, it wasn't strong enough to carry fans through the other 40 minutes of L.A.S.E.R.S. (yes, even with Skylar Grey's amazing voice!).

Once the album hits "I Don't Wanna Care Right Now," Lupe becomes cliche, pop-ish and confusing. He goes from putting out a dance record to acting like a baby about it in three songs or less, as present in the middle of this album. With L.A.S.E.R.S., Lupe has his fans thinking that he is either taking an exaggerative and sarcastic leap into pop culture or he put that kind of material out because of the flack his label gave him to satisfy their demands.

Overall, Lupe has some random lyrical content in his head. There's little to no conceptual records on there, and nearly every song could leave listeners trying to figure out where he's going. "I Don't Wanna Care Right Now," "All Black Everything" and "Words I Never Said" aren't as complicated and abstract as the rest of his records, but lyrically Lupe wasn't as adventurous as he was in Food & Liquor and The Cool.


One thing that is blatantly present in L.A.S.E.R.S. is some mildly depressing lyrics. Almost every title has some sort of gloom to it, except for "The Show Goes On," Lupe's least moody track. However, this isn't even a depression that can be felt by his listeners, but only himself. He stingily writes rhymes laced with tantrums, depression and obscurity.

Too much was done to bring L.A.S.E.R.S. into existence. When was the last time you heard of different cities forming marches for an album release? And for Lupe to put out such garbage after all his fans have done for him (garbage that he even admits is garbage), should let fans know that he ignored their cries for new Lupe Fiasco music.

Star's Grade: D+ (this grade may be biased because I was one of those people who wanted L.A.S.E.R.S, but I don't think he disappointed anyone more than me with this record.)

2011 Grammy Awards Recap: WHO IS ESPERANZA SPALDING?!?!?

And yes, this is a rant.... so enjoy!

The Grammy's this year has certainly been the talk on the Web these past 16 hours, especially because of the so-called upsets that took place (and for Lady Gaga's chickenhead-esque entrance). The biggest award surprises for the night were Arcade Fire for Album of the Year, Lady Antebellum for just about everything else, and for Esperanza Spalding beating out Justin Bieber and Drake for Best New/Breakout Artist... Well, at least a surprise for non-bloggers and the quote/un-quote "music elite" (including hipsters and indie folk).

So I guess this is where I enter my thoughts? Ok.


The Grammy's took a major-league turn from the award show we all thought we knew and hated to love before. The sickest thing about last night was that not only did the awards show music is still alive, but it showed how much the Grammy committee listened to the blogs and indie websites (i.e. Pitchfork, Stereogum, etc). Last night's show was heaven for this girl! (minus the whole forgetting to include GURU in their "In Memoriam" session, which I will get to SOON)

I'm sure between the time the nominees were announced and the time the Best New Artist award was presented, I was the only one betting my money on Esperanza Spalding (see tweet here). If you knew her and her music, you would have done the same. Yes, even over Justin Bieber, Florence & The Machine, Mumford & Sons, and Drake folks had plenty of reasons to root for her!

Reason #1: Modernizing Jazz in a Pop World
Esperanza Spalding is more than a chick who play that big ol' bass thing that looks like a cello (hence the diesel-like arms). She is a composer, one who is up on every style and sound of music people enjoy. If smooth and soulful is the call, she got it *cuts to her songs "Precious," "Espera" and "I Know You Know" from her self-titled sophomore album.* Her greatest composition from her six-year career (YES, SIX-YEAR CAREER!!!) comes from her 2010 album Chamber Music Society. It has all the elements of Black music in today's world, from a contemporary, abstract composition to the sexy, sensual and sassy lyricism and sound. Perfect examples are "Knowledge of Good & Evil," "Wild Is The Wind," "What A Friend," and "Winter Sun." Honestly, the entire album is Grammy-worthy!

Reason #2: The Sickest, and Most Unheard Jazz Vocals
When most people think of vocalism in jazz, they think either scat or strong and soft singing. That's not necessarily true for Esperanza Spalding. While she does scat and can sing strongly and softly, she adds another element to her voice, which is sort-of worldly and rhythmic. Whenever she isn't outright singing a song, she's using her voice as a literal instrument to pick up where her bass and other instruments leave off. Although I would say she couldn't last in the music world (especially the game) without her bass and composition skills, she wouldn't be half-bad with just her singing and song-writing. However, she has an angelic voice you can't deny, especially since she uses it to complement her music.... uses it AS her music at that! Perfect examples include "Chacarera," "Really Very Small," and "Apple Blossom."

Reason #3: History Would Be Made If She Won... Much Needed History
Did you know it has been 35 years since a jazz artist was nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy? I surely didn't until this morning. Without jazz, there would be no R&B, no soul, no hiphop, no prog-rock, no experimental, just none of the genres that require both rhythm and improv would exist. In a time where the most popular jazz artist (Black ones at that) have either been through a) four generations of music, b) only doing covers and remixes or c) implement every other genre into their sound, a jazz musician winning a televised award that usually goes to artists who fit the pop culture niche is the breath that jazz needed. Jazz has been used and abused by society as that dirty work genre - yeah, yeah, it's around and has done so much for society but it's boring. You can't dance to it. It's too deep and abstract. We've mashed so much into jazz it's hardly recognizable, let alone recognized, as real music. I'm glad Esperanza Spalding (among other unnamed jazz musicians) have brought jazz back to being a forefront genre in music, at least in the Grammy's eyes, thanks to the slight contemporary and pop culture merge in today's world.

I don't count out Justin Bieber and Drake as folks who won't last. They got oodles of time before they win the Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year, etc. I honestly give them as soon as next year, especially if they take heed to the underlying message the Grammy's just sent to American music, including musicians, listeners, composers, producers, mainstream haters, pop culture critics, trend whores, and elitists alike: STEP YA GAME UP! WE DID.

Album Review: Adele - 21

Grammy award-winning artist Adele made a good decision taking some time to create her next album. Folks needed to fully digest 19, let alone her powerful hit "Chasing Pavements," before hearing something from her again. Yes, that album was that good! But people are all to familiar with the sophomore curse (where the artist either has the album shelved or it blows). Does Adele fall victim to that curse with 21?

Adele fires off 21 with "Rolling In The Deep," which highlights her throwback, Motown sound. While it's evident early that she's proving she's back like she never left, this is a sound that is beginning to go through the "let's play this out" phase. Fortunately, she later displays new perspectives in her songwriting, singing abilities and trying new sounds. The bad news is each and every songs is plagued by her out-the-booth affairs.

Can't knock her retro vibe though! The most surprising tracks on this album are "Rumour Has It" and "If It Hadn't Been For Love" because Adele steps out of the box folks have put her in while sticking to her retro roots.

Throughout 21 Adele's sound extends from just sounding retro, thanks to different variations in her singing, the production and her attitude. "Take It All" is a great example of this, as there are hints of almost every ballad-driven/uplifting genre (Gospel, Country, even Classical) plus her overall attitude towards her heartbreak. Instead of chasing her guy, she's telling him she doesn't want anything to do with him. "I'll Be Waiting" successfully shows her overall growth, as she gives listeners a new side to her vocal style. It's a refreshing song - it has that happy AT&T commercial feel to it.

21 has the most unique production clan with this year's music, which in turn makes Adele a more diverse artist than her previous work. Whereas 19 seemed one-dimensional in production, sound, lyrics, etc, this album is on some hi-def, 3D-type stuff. With the help of Rick Rubin and countless others, Adele improves dramatically as far as her sound goes.

In all of this "you can't tear me down" type of songwriting, the bad news (if you wanna call it that) is that each and every song is plagued by her out-the-booth affair with her former boyfriend. It's safe to say that the entire second half of 21's tracks reeks of heartbreak, revenge and empowerment (in that order). Luckily, these three raging emotions, as delivered by Adele, terrificly complement one another. Not to mention the artistry laced in every song.

Overall, there is no bad track on 21. One would think after winning a Grammy and having the greatest ballads of this generation that Adele would fall back. Instead she uses it get stronger, even through her breakup. Hopefully, this trend of making heartbreak songs will end soon with her because the world already has Jazmine Sullivan. Sorry, but it's true!

Star's Grade: A-

The Drunken Unicorn Chronicles: OK, Not Really (Video)

The reason why there was no post last week is that I was waiting on getting some photos and video from a show I attended this past weekend in Atlanta. After being invited to an Attention System concert when I covered them for AOL City's Best, I decided since I was doing nothing else (but watching the slickest box set of the universe, The Wire) I should take my behind to the Drunken Unicorn.

With the walls full of band stickers and other illustrations eluding to music and fantasy figures (i.e. unicorns and robots... If they count anymore), this music venue instantly reminded me of The Union back at OU in Athens. Even the sound system's booth was identical to my favorite bar on Union Street! But back to the music...

I'll just get to the point. Attention System was everything I imagined them to be live, and then some! They had a light show, lasers, fog, and all kinds of bells and whistles associated with a rock concert, even though the size of The Drunken Unicorn is a quarter of the size of a typical arena. Their music was on point, and if my battery hadn't died, I would have video footage, so just go by this visualization: you're playing laser tag during the early 00s at a small nightclub during Armageddon while a band that looks nearly 40 performs like they're 20. If that sounds like fun, you would enjoy this show.

Although I do not have video of Attention System, I do have video footage from their opener Siberia My Sweet. This band had the most distinctive, untouched, and non-faux sound I have heard coming out of the A. Siberia My Sweet is a combination of new wave, electronic, emo-darkened, acoustic indie rock, and whatever else they could create on a keyboard. These women (and the drummer guy) had everything going well for them, except enough time. The video I have is actually the weakest part of their set, although the song is great!

Album Review: Diddy-Dirty Money - Last Train to Paris

Diddy. Who doesn't know this guy? Founder of Bad Boy, discoverer of The Notorious B.I.G (the late great Biggie Smalls in my world), pusher of Ciroc (a fine beverage in my world), and the list goes on and on. Oh, and there's Dirty Money, the broads behind him, but are something that he is not - an artist. After years of "hard" work, Diddy-Dirty Money drops an album that anybody unfamiliar to Diddy and his conniving ways of music, Last Train To Paris.

Last Train To Paris is a product of "Last Night," which would've worked - if it came out after the hit single... in 2006/7. If this would've succeeded Press Play as scheduled, there would be reviews of this record being A+! Hell, if this came out in 2008 (or at least when his MTV "band" show was over), things would've made sense. Could Diddy's PR and label hiccups ruin everyone's trip on the Last Train To Paris?

The intro was pretty good, especially considering Diddy's aim for a new sound. He is right in the sense that this is something new, as the production for Last Train seemed to pour a righteous effort in making a futuristic, techno, electronic, hip-hop and R&B record.

Fortunately, the moniker Diddy-Dirty Money saves Diddy's behind from this being a total disaster. These women can blow! The main "backup (???)" singer that makes up Dirty Money, and member of Danity Kane, Dawn displays a powerful vocal, outdoing Diddy and "that other girl" Kaleena. Honestly, if these women went solo, the R&B community would not mind one bit*

*as long as they have the creativity to match their powerful vocalism.

Diddy, Diddy, Diddy. Folks were sick of/laughed at his ad-libs and whack raps, now they have something else to poke fun at: his singing. Like, excuse my French, but HOW DO YOU FUCK UP AUTO-TUNE??? Moving on...

The biggest conceptual fail of Last Train To Paris is that it sounds dated (i.e. when it was supposed to be out). For example, look at "Loving You No More." Well, in the words of Diddy - "I just, I can't...", so nevermind. Seriously, the single is a direct production-type inspiration of Ne-Yo's "So Sick" and "Because of You." Also, "Hate You Now" and "Strobe Lights" are among the many records that had a 07-08 vibe to it, considering the massive amount of artists who weren't as big as Diddy but had that sound he tried to master in Last Train To Paris.

"Shades" falls guilty, though the production and concept is bananas, but because the lyrics just screwed it up. It sounds like a throw away from Jamie Foxx's Intuition album. "Last Night Part 2" just because there is a part 2 to that record, which seals the deal for me as I could've been ok without that sort of Last ride to Paris.

The good news about this album is that Diddy-Dirty Money stuck to what worked for them when they released "Love Come Down" (which I was hurt was not on the album) and "Hello Good Morning," as their ticket to the Last Train was creative club records. Additionally, their club record orientation isn't just Black-folk-booty-shaking-music, it's pop-ish, electro-ish, and fun.

Overall, Diddy-Dirty Money got away on their Last Train To Paris because it was catchy, nice for just about any clubs, and the girls did all the dirty work. Unfortunately, the monstrous "Last Night" gem has been stretched thin and ultimately destroyed thanks to Diddy's aim to banking off of it, as well as all of the good music to come out of 2006-08.

Star's Grade: C+