http://youtu.be/8rEBz--bWVY

War - Four Cornered Room

I know that this blog is usually geared around hip-hop, and that I update ultra sporadically.  Last week I was in a bit of a mood, and started thinking about my dad and when he first introduced me to this song.  When I was in the eigth grade, I discovered a huge crate of records that my dad had since his Navy days.  I remember flipping through and seeing groups like the Ebonys, Bloodstone, Janis Joplin and many others.  I remember seeing the cover for War's "The World is a Ghetto" and I was immediately attracted to the cover art, and I decided to give it a listen.  One the tracks that stood out to me was "Four Cornered Room."  It begans with a beautiful harmonization as riffs of a harmonica sprinkle the track.  I have always been into arrangement, hence my love for Issac Hayes and Curtis Mayfield, and this track just spoke to me.  I remember playing it until I wore the needle on the record player out (my dad made me buy a new one).  This song spoke to the lonely teenaged angst in me and it let me know that everyone has those contemplative moments where they sit alone in their "four cornered room."  I searched the comments on youtube and a lot of people associate this song with drug use, but for me when I hear that melodic "Ooooooooooooohhhh" when the song starts, I picture myself back on Upland Road, faded black Jimi Hendrix shirt, bedroom door shut, incense burning, red light on.  Take a listen and tell me what you think.  Enjoy!

Switching Gears

Greeting or welcome back! I straight up abandoned this blog, but let's get back to business!

If you know me well, you know that my musical taste is a mix of EVERYTHING! My "musical mood" switches up from time to time and this go 'round, I am on my jazz kick. This is not the first time. I remember in 2001, I picked up a Nina Simone CD out of sheer curiosity and I was blown away. Her voice was so....different....so beautiful. She sang with a power that I'd never heard before. My favorite song on that CD was "Images." I always felt like that song was written for me. So of course the Nina Simone station on my Pandora has been rocking.....I will say this, there is something about jazz that puts me in an amourous mood. I was listening to "Bowties and Polkadots" and I just imagined that kind of early morning loving that puts a smile on your face. Not because of then act, but because you are in a bubble of happy. My new mood music.....jazz.

Dope.

Watch "Kanye West - Heard 'Em Say ft. Adam Levine" on YouTube

New Music Tuesday: Sheed aka 40 Dawg Jones

I just wanted to share a little new music that was shared with me. I really like this song because it is a break from two things: The whole, "Imma trap til I die lifestyle" and "I am such an unhappy person, emo rap". The lyrics showed positivity, strength, and honesty. Every man with a nice car is not necessarily a drug dealer or a ball player. It is possible that nice car and nice house belongs to a working man that wants the very best for his family. We don't have a lot of that these days....well at least not anyone willing to admit it on wax (I'm so old school lol). Take a listen, and leave some love in the comments section.

Beatmakers: Pete Rock

Pete Rock hands down is one of my favorite hip hop producers. His ability to mix jazz and soul samples and turn them into hip hop beats is unmatched. I have been a fan of his work since 1992 when he and CL Smooth, dropped their second album, Mecca and The Soul Brother. Two of the standout tracks on that album were "Straighten it Out" and the classic, T.R.O.Y (which I love so much I have requested it be played at my funeral). Fun Fact: The sample from T.R.O.Y is from Tom Scott's "Today" and that song was featured on The Boondocks episode of "Riley Was Here".

After the breakup of him and CL Smooth, Pete Rock struck out on his own and began producing tracks for a slew of artist such as: Nas(Illmatic), Biggie(Ready to Die), Run-DMC(Down with the Kings), and Ghostfaced Killah(Fishscale) to name a few.

Pete Rock also released two critically acclaimed solo albums, the first being Soul Survivor (soundtrack to my senior year in high school). This album contained some of the most epic collabos that I have seen in my lifetime. My personal favorite? "Strange Fruit"....you had Big Pun, Sticky Fingaz, Cappadonna, and Tragedy Khadafi (remember him?). Where else would you have heard these four completely different artist on one track? The beauty of it was the entire track flowed beautifully and it didn't sound forced or awkward like some of the collaborations you hear today.

His second solo project, was Petestrumentals (soundtrack to dating my daughter's father, who is also a producer). This project is one that me and my daughter's father bonded over and it could be said that "Play Dis Only at Night" and "Pete's Jazz" were in constant rotation in my household.

My love of Pete Rock's work is that it is not sloppy and you can tell by listening to the alchemy of the beats that he creates that he takes his time with t he music he creates. He has a process, a formula which is well thought out and he has not deviated from that formula and that is what has given him longevity in this indusrty. So since the phrase that seems to be floating around these days is "pay homage (no Lil Kim)", I tip my hat to you Peter Phillips....you have truly made a mark in hip hop.

The Kanye West Connection

Despite all of his antics as of late, I am and always will be a Kanye West fan. I fell in love with his production ability on 2000's Jay-Z's "This Can't Be Life". If you know me, I am always checking the production of a song, or the beats if you will, before I get to the lyrical content. When he dropped College Dropout in 2004 I was ecstatic. I grew up in the golden era of hip hop (92-95) and while I LOVED this era of music, it didn't necessarily speak to me. I wasn't a Cosby kid, but I didn't grow up in a rough environment and I came from a pretty stable background (but since I was the 90's version of New-New, I would have preferred everyone thought I did). So when Kanye hit the scene, I felt like I finally found a rapper who spoke to me. During the time College Dropout was released, I was a college dropout, for the same reason Mr. West was. I just didn't feel like it was for me. I didn't want to be an IT professional, I wanted to do hair and be my own boss. I was only in college because it was the thing that my parents expected of me and my sister and I just did it without any direction whatsoever. My favorite line on that CD came from the song, "School Spirit" Oh you graduated? No, I decided I was finished...chasin ya'lls dreams and what you got planned....that was me all day. "Spaceship"? Still resonates with me now. That song chronicled what it was like to be in the working world and what happens when you fall off.

His next work, Late Registration is my ABSOLUTE favorite! This was released when I was in my mid twenties feeling like my life was never going to take off. The first track I remember hearing was "Touch the Sky". Not only was the Curtis Mayfield sample from "Move on Up" a wonderful move, but the lyrics were inspiring. Favorite line: Back in the day when no one wanted a K West beat/me and my girl shared the buffet at KFC/Dawg, I was having nervous breakdowns/Like man these cats more better than me? That verse spoke of the struggle that I was going through to get the recognition I wanted at my job as well as my financial struggle. "Heard Em Say" was also another track that I loved and it introduced me to Adam Levine from Maroon 5 who I could have never told was white by his soulful singing on that track.

I will admit that I was late to listen to Graduation. I didn't get it until the following year that it was released. When I did get it, I was blown away. The collaboration with Mos Def on Drunk and Hot girls was amazing. I found humor in it, as a few years back I was that drunk and hot girl and they nailed that concept down. There wasn't a track that I didn't like on this CD and the production was amazing. The beats for "Everything I Am" and "I Wonder"were well put together. Sidebar: I can't believe Common passed up that "Everything I Am" beat....

The next year, Me and Mr. West went through some pretty big losses. He lost his mother Donda West to plastic surgery complications and I suffered a public humiliation and some of my own personal loss and heartache. Out of his pain came 808's and Heartbreak. A lot of people panned this album because of all the auto tune and the melancholy subject matter. Again, I loved it. That album helped me get through the heartache I was feeling at the time. I remember looking at the cover art and on one side was a picture of him kissing his mom on the cheek on Grammy night and on the other side, Kanye alone, frowning in his Pee Wee Herman suit with a broken heart on the lapel. I will put down my inner thug for a minute and be honest and tell you that had me in tears. The opening track, "Say You Will" became my anthem, because I was tired of being in relationships where someone would say that they loved me and then they didn't. The track "Street Lights" helped me through some of the most vicious attacks from my in-laws at the time. "I'm just not there in the streets......I'm just not there....life's just not fair..." and my ode to my baby sister's work ethic, but her lack of love in her life was "Welcome to Heartbreak". That song also introduced me to another amazing artist, Kid CuDi.

A couple of years went by and during that time Mr. West started dating Amber Rose (who I think is the shit), he caught a lot of flack for it, did a lot of crazy things and disappeared. People were very hard on him after the Taylor Swift incident, but I never thought any different of him. Why? This man lost his mother. His mother. I don't know what kinda Mama's anyone else has, but I know if I lost my mama today, I would be guzzling Henny on a red carpet, dating male dancers and interrupting folks speeches too. Long story short, he disappeared to Hawaii and re-emerged with the "Power" video, which again I thought was brilliant (and not some kind of Illuminati thing). I will give my interpretation another day, but I am pretty sure it was not about him worshipping the devil. His next release was the "Runaway" film. One word. Epic. I remember thinking more about the Phoenix in this movie since I have been the Phoenix in certain situations and the scene at the dinner table were everyone is staring at her in disapproval reminds me of the time I was engaged to a minister. Every Sunday was like that for me. One of my favorites from this album is "Devil in a New Dress". Of course the fanatics went on and on about Kanye dissing Jesus in this song (?), but that wasn't it. The song is about a girl who wanted this extravagant life and she sacrificed her morals for that, hence the line, "In that magic hour I seen good Christians, make brash decisions.....oh she do it/what happened to religion?/oh she lose it" I know I was raised in church and its been a lot of times that after midnight that phrase could have applied to me.

Bottom line is, I will always be a Kanye fan because his music speaks to me. His antics in his personal and professional life could use work, but his talent can't be denied.