Music Monday 151 :: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "Same Love"

Music Monday 151 :: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "Same Love" f/Mary Lambert

It's been a while since I've posted a Music Monday post; and for no good reason. Just forgetful. Not that I forget Mondays, but that the days goes by and I forget to churn one out for you.

I learned about Macklemore & Ryan Lewis when I was recently watching an episode of The Colbert Report. It was, obviously, a humorous segment.

Then the performance was just perfect: nice slow start w/the piano, poignant lyrics and the vocals by Mary Lambert just seal the deal.

Enjoy.

Music Monday 142 :: Brother Ali "Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color"

Music Monday 142 :: Brother Ali "Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color"

Album cover for Brother Ali's "Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color." Borrowed from the Rhymesayers website

A few weeks ago I was playing around on the iPad using the Flipboard app. I like that I can connect my SoundCloud account to Flipboard.

And so I was checking out my SoundCloud stuff and noticed something new from Brother Ali. This guy's the real deal; straight, no chaser. And this new thing "Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color," yeah, to say it's nice and I like it means I just don't have the time to write how I really feel. Actually, the music speaks for itself.

Start w/"Mourning in America" ... if you can handle that. Oh, and there's this segment from NPR:
Brother Ali: A Voice For The Suffering


 

Music Monday 138 :: "The Art of Rap" Official 2012 Trailer

Music Monday 138 :: "The Art of Rap"

Living in another country has it advantages ... and disadvantages. I've heard about this doc, but still haven't seen it. Though I did see Ice-T give a few interviews, particularly one on Jimmy Fallon's show.

Trying to find this doc and see it b/c hip hop's in my heart. For real.

Music Monday 127 :: RHPM Hip Hop Dance Rehearsal

Music Monday 127 :: RHPM Hip Hop Dance Rehearsal

I love this vid. Folks are getting.it.in and to Dr. DRE, no doubt. As I understand it, this group's performing in Cairo on Wednesday night at El Sawy at 8 p.m. It's being billed as a 'hip hop battle.' Tickets are LE 30.

Although Wednesday's super busy, I plan on checking this out.

Music Monday 117 :: The Roots LIVE at The Fillmore

Music Monday 117 :: The Roots LIVE at The Fillmore

My return home from Cairo has been pleasant. But so far the highlight has been seeing The Roots perform at The Fillmore in Silver Spring, MD.

 The Roots perform at The Fillmore on Fri., Dec. 30, 2011. Taken by Kim Fox.

The Roots are my favorite band. They're a true reflection of what music is and should be. They're true musicians and know music.

They did "Proceed (1995)" and at the bridge then threw in some go-go music. It was crazy cool. The Roots guitarist Capn Kirk continues to be a beast and rocked out the scene on Friday. Of course Questlove and Black Thought, probably the most well known members of The Roots, did their thing; they strong represent their artforms - percussion and lyrics respectively. Bilal was in the house and so was Dice Raw.

Capn Kirk (standing on the drums) goes toe-to-toe w/drummer Questlove. Taken by Kim Fox. 2011.

They did some of their old joints like "You Got Me (1999)," "The Seed (2002)" (for the encore); they threw in some Kool and the Gang, some blues and some rock; they just put it down.

The Roots drummer Questlove gets the spotlight to show off a little bit. Taken by Kim Fox. 2011.

We went up for the drum stick toss from Questlove at the end of the show. I wasn't hopeful because we weren't quite close enough. You see, I've been to numerous Roots shows and I've never been fortunate enough to catch the coveted Questlove signed drum stick. However, my friend has a virtual collection of signed drum sticks from Questlove. Point is, the drum toss went quick and we both came out empty handed. But it's all good because The Roots show did not disappoint.

Music Monday 92 :: Common "The Light"

Music Monday 92 :: Common "The Light"

With all the talk of @Common in the news, thought I'd throw my iron in the fire.
Love this track "The Light." You'll like it too.

Common's "The Light"

Music Monday 83 :: Arabian Knightz "Sisters"

Music Monday 83 :: Arabian Knightz "Sisters"

At first glance, the title of this song might seem as if it could be some guys talking about their sisters and it is. However, the sisters are all Egyptian women and these guys are Egyptian too. They recognize a problem in the Egyptian culture and they're using their creativity to get a message out there.

Image borrowed from the9elements.com

"Sisters" was produced by Arabian Knightz for HarassMap. HarassMap is a project based in Cairo, Egypt that's designed for women to report incidents of sexual harassment via text messages (SMS). Much love to Arabian Knightz.

Blog post on HarassMap about Arabian Knightz.

Listen to "Sisters" by Arabian Knightz

Music Monday 73 :: Eyedea from Eyedea and Abilities

The other day I wrote a blog post on my Indy Hip Hop World blog about Eyedea (Mike Larsen) from Eyedea and Abilities. They were a rap duo from Minnesota. Eyedea died last month and there was a tribute concert to him a few days ago put on by his Rhymesayers label, family and friends.

Check out the Indy Hip Hop World blog post on A Celebration of Mike Larsen :: Eyedea. He's good peeps and he will be missed.

PODCAST: Music Monday 46 :: Oddisee

For this Music Monday post, I am doing a podcast. Me and my podcast partner, Darryl Atwell, talk about Oddisee. Oddisee is a hip hop emcee from D.C.

Music Monday 41 :: "Fresh Air" by Brother Ali

"Fresh Air" by Brother Ali (2009)

Brother Ali is a long timer ... he's been dropping rhymes for sometime. He's a part of the Rhymesayers camp too (that doesn't just mean hip hop, but quality hip hop).

This track is from Brother Ali's most recent project "Us". This cd is killer. "Fresh Air" is supposed to be the first release from the disk. It's got some tempo to it and he's got some bounce in his flow. During the hook on the track, it reminds me of some old school funk like Slave or Lakeside. As a matter of fact, I might want to check the liner notes to see if he's sampling something from back in the day.

What I like about Brother Ali is his ability to quickly weave words in a way that gives you an immediate visual. And he's not always boasting about himself. He's talking about the community, the impact of government and big business on the world and more. He's a rhyming master storyteller.

Hip hop is my thing and I just wanted to put you on to something fresh and new.

Music Monday 36 :: "I Ain't No Joke" by Eric B & Rakin

Eric B & Rakim "I Ain't No Joke" (1987)

What is not to like about "I Ain't No Joke" by Eric B & Rakim? How about Rakim letting his dj Eric B. take the lead and get some of the spotlight...? That was in 1987. Take note modern day suckas.

Love the way Eric B. filters that JB through the track. And at the bridge, Eric B just gives it to ya. And do I need to talk about Rakim's rhymes? His style? Rakim's got that swagger w/o being annoyingly bodacious. For real.

Did he just say "frenemy"?

Check out Eric B & Rakim's "I Ain't No Joke" video on YouTube.

Music Monday 21 :: Run DMC 2009 Rock Hall Inductees

Music Monday 21 :: Run DMC

So the big day is approaching ... another hip hop group is being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. The first was Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Love that.

Saturday, April 4, 2009 is the day and it's exciting. I like all the fan fare that leads up to the induction ceremony. And it will be even more frenetic with this year's festivities taking place in Cleveland. Yay, for the northcoast.

Well, what can I say about the legendary Run DMC that has not already been said? I've never been a Run DMC fan; at least not like that. I have never owned a pair of Adidas. I did not "Walk This Way". You get the point. But of course, I like their music. Was crazy about Jam Master Jay too. I just got a thing for djs. Oh and I am sure that I have seen Run DMC in concert at least once.

The only thing that had me a bit miffed was that Run DMC is being introduced by Eminen at the induction ceremony. That just left me with a 'wtf' kinda feeling. And to learn that Run DMC wanted Enimen to introduce them just leaves me pale (and that ain't an easy thing for me to do, knowwhatimsayin?). Ya coulda got Rick Rubin. Russell Simmons. But that would be too obvious. Whatever fellas ...

Here's to Run DMC!

• Run DMC Official website
• Run DMC on Wikipedia
• Run DMC on MySpace
  

Rock Hall info:

• Information about the 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Festivities
  

King Of Rock - Run DMC

What's you fav Run DMC song? Let's put that out there.
image borrowed from TheBoomBoxNYC

The Six Word Resume Contest

"Radio, hiphop, cardmaking are my passion."

"Love listening and working in radio."

Check out "What Would Dad Say" for the details.

Music Monday 2 :: DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince

So it's only the second week of my Music Mondays and guess what? It's a hip hop throw back. Yeah.

My friends, Ericka and Dell, were talking about Will Smith pre-Will Smith = The Fresh Prince. I had mentioned his recent sit down w/Oprah and that he is such a likable guy. They concurred and Ericka went on to mention her fav Will Smith song - "Miami", which was indeed in the Will Smith era.

But I remember DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince like it was yesterday. I was trying to think of the song about girls and that would be "Girls Ain't Nuthin But Trouble". My other favs along w/"Parents Just Don't Understand" are all quite popular: "Nightmare On My Street" and "Summertime". I love the Kool and the Gang riff that flows through "Summertime" and the fact that the scene he describes in Philly was quite similar to a the summer hang out scene in Cincinnati - hangin out in Eden Park.



I like the story telling aspect of their songs. They always paint a picture for you. And you gotta love the vid. So comical. I thought it was comical back then and I think it's funny now as well. Oh, and the music. What is that from? A TV show. I think it's "Bewitched"...

So if you get a chance, check out the DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince Discography. You can check it out even if your memory is not shoddy like mine. Oh and do tell about your fav Jazzy Jeff/Fresh Prince/Will Smith jam.

If I Could be a Writer ...

I discovered a blog called the One Minute Writer. It is as simple as it states. So I will get right to today's topic:

A career as a writer for me would consist of writing about hip hop. Love, love, love the music and the culture. I've been w/it since its inception. I've seen the growth and what I thought was its demise (gangsta rap). I don't necessarily want to travel the world w/the artists, but I'd really like to focus on the music and the culture w/o having to travel. For example, focus on the clothing trends. I can just watch that from the community. It's right there in the people. They take elements of what they see and feel in hip hop and make it their own. Though I would like to see a concert or two.

I would continue to follow the independent hip hop world as I do on my Indy Hip Hop World blog. That's where my heart is. I do like a good amount of mainstream artists, but the ones I like did indeed have humble beginnings too.

So if I could have a career as a writer that would be my beat ...

Five Things I Like

I was browsing the web and I came across Ali Edwards' blog (actually I have it bookmarked and I check it out every few weeks). Who is Edwards? Well, check out her blog and you will get a general idea. She definitely gets 'cool' points though.

One of the older posts was about documenting the Five Things That You Like. So I thought I'd address the topic myself:

popcorn

sunshine

hip hop music / The Roots

being outdoors

reading

And not particularly in that order. So simple, huh? It doesn't take much to be happy.

So much music to listen to ...

My music pile is stacking up.


Here's what's on the list:


Mary J. Blige "Growing Pains"

• You can't go wrong w/Mary ... love that "Just Fine" cut

Keyshia Cole "Just Like You"

• I like a few of her tracks; most are too mellow for my liking, but it's worth a listen

Kanye West "Graduation"

• Obviously, I was not quick to jump on this one, but after hearing several songs that I like, I've caved it; it's in my system and ready for action ... crazy thing is I have two different mixtapes of this disk

The Dream "Love/Hate"

• I am totally on the fence w/this one; the radio has been saturated w/"Shawty is a 10" (which by the way is not the version that is on the unedited disk)

Need to get:


Lupe Fiasco "The Cool"

• I will certainly be spending my next dime on this here disk. I was a huge fan of "Food & Liquor"; the vibe on this one has been all good too - word is the message is in the music

Wu Tang Clan "The 8 Diagrams"

• Unbeknownst to many, I am a fan of the Wu! Talent lurks in many places ...

Alicia Keys "As I Am"

• I've heard that this one falls a bit flat; need to hear it for myself because I really like "Like You'll Never See Me Again" and "No One"; again, slow jams, but I mellow out every now and then

Saul Williams "The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust"

• That title spells intrigue, right? I've known him for his poetry and I was quite keen on 04's "Saul Williams" So count me in on this one