Common Sense

I downloaded Common's new album last night and, it's better. 'Be' was supposed to be the return of the man that brought us classics, he declared that he had shed his 'hippy' bohemian character of Electric Circus (see picture and quote above, I'm glad you can explore your vocal range as a RAPPER but me I'll still kill the fuck out of a steak and then have a bowl of apple jacks with whole milk afterwards and then try to remember all of Machine Gun Funk which I can do just fine thank you) and had come back to his roots of wet Chicago streets. Meh. Be was better than Electric Circus, which I can't say I disliked all too much in the first place. But his flow was less lovy and cuddly and more gritty, and he officially fled under his fellow Chicago natives (Kanye West) wing for production. I love Kanye's production (except those new songs off Grad school or whatever the next album is called), and it seems on Finding Forever they have found a comfortable balance with each other, while Kanye's NOT the new primo he does place a mass effort into these beats. I'm sorry Common kinda left the whole Okayplayer atmosphere of Talib and the Roots because both are at a loss now (more ?estlove productions for the love of god!). It seems to me as if Common is trying to establish himself as something other than a classic underground rapper. Which is too bad, I can remember where I was, what I was doing, and the smell of the room (moldy and depressing, thanks sf state)when I first heard 'Resurrection.' Undeniably a milestone album and song, Common was at the top it was this album that when Jay-Z was asked how he propelled himself to lyrical king he responded 'I'm just trying to rhyme like Common.'

Resurrection

Everyone should have Resurrection, and everyone probably has heard 'Like Water for Chocolate.' After the name change and the success of previous albums, Common allied himself with okayplayer collective and produced an outstanding album in Like Water, the whole album is money. Even my mom has heard 'The Light' but what originally turned me to this album was the first track 'Time Travellin (a tribute to Fela).' Those hand claps, the atmospheric sound, and Zap Mama in the background grafted this song to my brain forever. I remember hearing it the music room in high school with Chris BH going apeshit and Alex Heine giving his gentle nod to the dopeness that is Common.

Time Travellin

Resurrection spawned another unjustly named 'underground classic,' I Used to Love H.E.R. blew just about every one's mind, and while other artists had used a romantic female figure as a metaphor for hip hop, no one has every done it better. This is a remix by 9th Wonder while you cannot out do the original production by No I.D. (where is that guy btw?) and sweet sweet scratch accompaniment by none other than the X-Ecutioner's Mistah Sinista (X-man forever in my mind), 9th does a fine ass job for a remix.

I used to 9th

and here's the video, the album version is better if you're a detail oriented person (I am) but it's always refreshing to see current artists when they were kids and had no cash to make a video and they dress like everyone else did in the nineties.



AND (I post mad songs that no one downloads for some reason, I wish I had more friends) this is off the new album, something I have noticed about Common's evolved (note: evolution is only for survival it does NOT mean an improvement in all cases) flow and wordplay is he sounds unfortunately more and more like Kanye. Kanye's always funny and unique (hardly a master by any stretch) it always sounds simplistic and Common was never simple. Anyhow this is Misunderstood, which uses a Nina Simone song (Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood), and a live version which I've never heard. One benefit of having Kanyeezy on your boards is he's got assloads of cash to throw around, that must be nice god only knows how much this sample cost.

Misunderstood

Sly Stone pt.2

My father left a comment mentioning Sly Stone's trip 'off the deep end.' Sly and his Family parted ways soon after the album Fresh, in which he would barely enter conversation with his band or family. He would often bring in substitute musicians with out even asking his original band members that he wished to hit the studio in the first place. A few poorly received albums after Fresh and Sly did indeed fall off the face of the earth. There have been many speculations as to why he abandoned
even his wife and children, most people do wish to place the blame on the copious amount of drugs that not only Sly himself but his whole band and family were knee deep in. No doubt this fueled their separation but I do not believe it was the driving force. He rarely after Small Talk performed or even made a record that graced the charts. In 1975 he actually signed to tour with the Monster that was P-Funk, he would play a few songs then retreat backstage from purported stage fright. STAGE FRIGHT! The man that practically killed Motown and ushered in the sound of Funk into the seventies, the man that was called back at Woodstock in 1969 by more than half a million people to deliver the songs that practically defined an age in American history and music. There have been rumors that he was seen on the streets in LA as a homeless man, or that he traveled abroad and chose to become a hermit in France or some shit like that, these are just rumors. This man was a certified genius and it's distressing to me that when Sly matured in the late 60's and early 70's there were dozens of artists that to this day we place them on a pedestal, The Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin. Sly and the Family Stone did just as much for music at that time as any of those artists did, yet his name has fallen to the side. The best I can do for their legacy is give anyone who wants them some of their best songs.

M'Lady is off the album Life which came after Dance to the Music and right before Stand. While Life was less acclaimed than either Stand or Dance it does not detract from their musicianship or their amazing organization. They were so different from everything at the time, honestly this was 1968, think of all the stuff then and compare them to a crazy song like M'Lady.

M'Lady

I think I mentioned before how amazing There's A Riot Goin' On is, as a whole record it truly encompassed much of 1971 and sonically it was just another of Sly's evolving music. Just like a baby is not political or a message of love and understanding but a break up song, break ups suck, this song does not, it might make you cry a little though.

Just Like a Baby

Fresh like I mentioned was when Sly was slowly separating himself from his formers, If it Were Left Up to Me is an obvious full band, not pieced together by Sly (not that I'm hating on any of those great songs I'm just saying it sucks to just leave your family/friends behind like that). I like this song, I'm a sucker for harmony, except for the gad damned Eagles, how many times do you think in your life you're gonna have to hear Hotel California? Too many.

If It

This I was going to save, it's like a secret ninja star or kung fu move that is a total trump, but I couldn't help myself. A few years ago a Sly and the Family Stone cover album came out with tons of people on it, most songs were good tries but nothing truly solid came out of it even with the help of like 50 major artists all accomplished and talented in their own right. No songs except this one, by Big Boi, it came out not only as a great cover but as a great song alone. Killer Mike and Sleepy Brown are also up in there, but Big Boi man. I've always believed that he is one of the most underrated mc's ever. He's always on point and...I'll leave more Outkast and Big Boi and Organized Noize to another time, enjoy this cover of Running Away.

Running Away

shadows on the sun

I used to be way underground. Like mole man underground. All I listened to from like 1999 to like 2002 was the most obscure hip hop I could find. The more broke the label or oddly conceptualized the group the more into it I was. Too bad 75% of that shit will never withstand the test of time, for reals go back and listen to like Buck 65 or Amon Tobin or Jel and freakin Anticon and you tell me how that sounds today, yeah that's what I thought. However exceptions do exist, Atmoshpere came out of that time like retard popular. Slug's personal lyrics and exceptional flow made him stand out from many, and apparently the ladies love this guy. White rappers get alot of attention and play, and lets let that little fact just stand without discussing why (I will most definitely have a blue eyed soul post or white rapper post where I vomit up all my thoughts on white people gaining unnecessary fame in cultures that are perceived as not their own). Slug is a talented mc and Ant is an incredibly talented producer. Brother Ali also kind of emerged from Atmosphere's shadow, being part of their Rhymesayers collective and a resident of Atmosphere's home state Minnesota. Brother Ali is albino, and legally blind, and has a slew of personal issues that he addresses in his music with flair and sincerity. His last album The Undisputed Truth was pretty damned good, and totally overlooked by everyone. Honestly I may just not know the right people or something but am I the only person I know still trying to give it up for underground hip hop? Maybe it's because I'm so dismissive of back pack rappers, usually their mere presence insults me. Oh you don't know who Organized Konfusion or Young MC or Ultramagnetic MC's are but you'll front like you're the only ones trying honestly to keep him hop alive, blow.

Here's Slug and Ali battle rappin anyone they see fit off Brother Ali's album Shadows on the Sun, 'sing my fuckin chorus before I punch you in your face.' Ant has always been known for flipping blues samples into great beats...like this one.

Blah Blah Blah

This is off Ali's newest album, Ant's production which apparently I can't stop fucking talking about gets better every year. The Undisputed Truth is Ali honestly speaking of his wife leaving him/being a total train wreck, his son Faheem, and his new outlook on life, it's really refreshing to hear songs of positivity and love (read;GAY?!? I love WOMEN!) from Ali. He's so upfront and happy on this song, it's tits.

Ear to Ear

Listening to some of Ali's Shadows on the Sun made me think of KMD. Black Bastards is straight classic like violins so check it. I used to play this song in my busted ass 91 Nissan Sentra with speakers that had been blown out way before I was driving it, off of a sweet tape deck (my like 8th in that car), with the bass totally rattling the crap out of rear view mirror, it was awesome. 'one I'm done, casting shadows over the sun for fun'

Suspended _nim_tion

ohio 1968

while I can't find all the songs I used to have, I do have 3 of Sly and his Family's' albums. their importance cannot be highlighted enough, not just because they were an interracial and inter gender group, or the fact that 'Everyday People' is a great damned song but was reduced to triviality thanks to Chevy or ford or whatever the fuck car company picked up the song, but also because they made amazing music. Sly as the band leader and resident psychopathic genius (extreme recluse and drug abuser) expanded upon James' epiphany of soul/funk by sparingly adding rock and roll and bigger controlled musical chaos. the bassist Larry Graham was also an amazing product of Sly and the Family stone, always duplicated but never replicated Graham invented the bass slap, invented it! he, after the dissolution of the Family Stone, went on to head Graham Central Station which did pretty well if I recall. an interesting parallel between Sly and James that I noted today whilst thumbing through sly songs and James brown you tube entries is that they often used or added upon older songs of theirs. On Sly's first album they had 'Higher' which would evolve into many longer and epic songs he also similarly manipulated 'Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again)' and 'Dance to the Music.' James did this very often, building upon a songs fountations to create something in the same vein but new. it should also be noted that Sly began as a San Francisco DJ and was from where? oh that's right, VALLEJO. this video is apparently from a Ohio State Fair talent show in 1968, they rip Ohio a new one and although they win, not one corn farmer in the crowed got up and rocked the fuck out, just another reason to keep out of the no man's land that is middle America.



Here's 'Family Affair' which is seriously a perfect song, the mellow tone and Sly's beautiful convicted voice are just amazing, and it's message as with most of their songs was very political and a poetic description of the times.

family affair

'If You Want Me to Stay' is another well known song of theirs, akin to 'Family Affair' in that it's fast enough to be a dance floor burner but it still has a muted sad tone to it which again lends greatly to Sly's voice. both of these songs are pretty recognizable and well known your dad that kicked it in the late 60's and early 70's will totally have some flashbacks when this is played. I'm planning another Sly post with some rarer shit so 'keep tuned'...Steve, and anyone else.

want me to stay

Oh and there's a tasty bit of new R Kells genius as well, whats on your ringtone?

ringtone

reeeeeeeeemmmiiiiiiiiiix

sorry about all the youtube embeddings but this blog is going to kinda run on my afternoon/evening schedule, I'll post awkward personal pictures/life affirming tales of adventure when I got time.

you tube is the easy way out

and the second post goes to:



for anyone's information cpdrc is a prison facility in the phillipines, and I fear it might be connected to this



anyone who knows me knows that I'd go vamp depending upon the actual drawbacks of such a condition. I swear I don't mean it in a weird gothic kinda manner, however I DO like goth girls, so who knows. oh and check out james kill the hammond

this shit is easy

apparently, I've ventured into the world of blogging, and while I don't exactly know what this blog will be about, I'm sure I'll iron out all the kinks for everyone(i.e. no one). I don't expect anyone to read this more than once so it'll probably be active for a few months then fall to the side like many other hobbies I've ever taken up (myspace, paintball, bellydancing). now all I gotta do is find out how to post pictures and my terribly long and self serving music mixes. look out bitches I'm coming your way.