Gil Scott-Heron - I'm New Here

Actually far from new, GSH is one of the forefathers of rapping as we know it today, more importantly he's one of the greatest modern-day poets and a hell of an artist who's been through hell, through and through.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gil_Scott-Heron:

Gil Scott-Heron (born April 1, 1949) is an American poet, musician, and author known primarily for his late 1970s and early 1980s work as a spoken word soul performer and his collaborative work with musician Brian Jackson. His collaborative efforts with Jackson featured a musical fusion of jazz, blues and soul music, as well as lyrical content concerning social and political issues of the time, delivered in both rapping and melismatic vocal styles by Scott-Heron. The music of these albums, most notably Pieces of a Man and Winter in America in the early 1970s, influenced and helped engender later African-American music genres such as hip hop and neo soul. Scott-Heron's recording work is often associated with black militant activism and has received much critical acclaim for one of his most well-known compositions "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised". On his influence, Allmusic wrote "Scott-Heron's unique proto-rap style influenced a generation of hip-hop artists".[1]

I'm New Here is GSH's first album in 16 years and a great re-earthing of one of our most deep-rooted talents. Listen and enjoy. Meanwhile I'll be looking up "Pieces of a Man."

Also, if you're a big fan of Kanye you should enjoy the use of "Flashing Lights" to back GSH on the album's opening and closing. As some of yall may know, 'Ye sampled GSH's "Home Is Where the Hatred Is" for "My Way Home" on Late Registration.

Clearing out the bookmarks

Back in the groove of things, here's some stuff I've come across recently that caught my interest and hopefully it will do the same for you.

First off, got to speak on this on-going story involving who supposedly took down Nidal Malik Hasan, who orchestrated the massacre at Fort Hood. The New York Times first reported here that Sgt. Kimberly Denise Munley did it in a nice story that touched all the right chords and really drove home just how much of a hero Munley was. Unfortunately the Times and reporter James C. McKinley Jr. were WRONG, WRONG (c) Charlie Murphy.

This is the person who really handled business at Fort Hood — Senior Sgt. Mark Todd. You can read more about him here.

Aint really got much to say, except that this is an epic fail for the NYT, but it could happen to any publication, sometimes a story looks so good and feels so good (especially in light of a horrible happening like at Ft. Hood) that you overlook some small things like the young woman getting lit up by Hasan and still being able to subdue the man despite her sprite-like frame (yeah, she was supposedly tough, but come on, man (c) C. Ochocinco).

Also, its nice to see a brotha come out on top in a story like this. More on the mixup here.
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More good news for black folks: NEW SLUM VILLAGE!

If you don't know who SV is, stop reading my blog now! (Naw, j/k, I need the views). For real though, this is one of my favorite groups ever and it is a group that day after day is still absorbing the blow of losing two of its original members very prematurely, Jay Dee and Baatin.

Fans of the Slum should be happy to know that both Dilla and Baatin will be a part of the group's newest CD "Villa Manifesto," coming next year. A preview EP is being scheduled before the LP as well. Can't wait.

Here's a dope new track, "Dope Man," from the Villa fam.
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Real good black news here: my alma-mater Southern Illinois University-Carbondale is on the road to establishing Africana Studies as a major study at the University, this comes after years of "Black American Studies" being merely a minor. From one of SIU's greatest citizens, the good Dr. and Rev. Joseph A. Brown, who has led the BAS as long as I can remember down there:

Yesterday, November 10, 2009, the SIUC Faculty Senate approved a proposal to 1) establish a major in Africana Studies, thereby 2) changing the name of the existing program from "Black American Studies." This represents the work of persistent warriors over 40 years of struggle.

The next stage is for the proposal to be submitted to the SIU Board of Trustees. Once that approval is granted the proposal will be sent to the Illinois Board of Higher Education. In the midst of the devastating financial crisis facing the State of Illinois and SIUC, we are still advancing this cause, having established ourselves as having enough courses and collaborators already in place not to require significant funding to make the shift.

We will need, now more than ever, the sustained support of alumni and other benefactors, because at the first sign of stumbling much of what we have accomplished will be challenged. The walls of Jericho are beginning to sway....

Amen.
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And here is one of the best short films I've ever seen: Vin Diesel's "Multi-Facial" from 1995.



Back when big Diesel first became a star this piece was mentioned a lot in his back story, and its easy to see why. Diesel wrote, produced and directed this personal take on his time auditioning as a starving actor in New York, deftly navigating in and between racial stereotypes while trying to please casting directors.

Been recently posted on YouTube, so make sure you double-click and check out both parts (runs just over 20 minutes in all) cause it is a real nice personal film with depth. This film led to Steven Spielberg casting Diesel in "Saving Private Ryan" and thus Diesel going on to become a big action star, but I wonder what would have happened if he took time out to extend this into a full feature or at least work on more independent, low-key projects like this.
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And finally, while on the subject of cats not so comfortable in their own skin. You know where I'm going with this...

Aye dios mio, Sammy. Get better...do better.

Michael Jordan's Hall of Fame Induction Speech

Yes, MC Breed was right, Mike (Michael Jordan) was a itsy bit triflin' — he's addicted to snowflakes (check the one on his side here), he's almost insufferably competitive and he has the nerve to entertain a comeback at 50 (that just cannot happen) — but when I look at dude I'm still in awe. Michael Jordan is reason No. 1 why I love the Chicago Bulls and Chicago sports in general and thus sports in general, I was born as a sports fan as he led the Bulls to their first World Titles and through his many title runs and all the great dunks and impossible lay-ups and gritty defensive stands and heart-stopping game-winning shots I learned a lot of what greatness is.

I learned what it means to set goals and achieve them.

I learned when said goals aren't enough that it isn't bad to look elsewhere for satisfaction even if the entire world thinks you will fail.

I learned when you fail looking for that other satisfaction that there's nothing wrong with going back to where you started.

I learned how one can re-invent and make their game stronger and finish their career the right way, and the wrong way, and then the right way again.

In my adult life, as he transitioned into his post-basketball playing life, some of the sheen has been taken off of my greatest hero, but as brilliantly as he shined when I was a child Mike could never look like a dud to me, maybe a milk dud (look at that dome, lol.)

Congratulations MJ, the GOAT once and always.

NBA.com 2009 Hall of Fame coverage

Deon Cole on Conan O'Brien

From another great blog, 3030fm.com, here's video of comedian and Chicago native Deon Cole on The Tonight Show. This blew by me when it happened, real glad I was able to eventually catch it. Deon's definitely a dude more people should be up on and I hope this appearance helped that out. Includes real funny riffs on Michael Jackson and on his new Gucci belt and he also does his joke checklist bit- one of the funniest in comedy today.

Deon Cole – Conan O’Brien Show – 8/5/2009

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Rappers impersonating other rappers

Just wanted to put this up to work on my embedding skills, but this is a good video though, it features Q-Tip impersonating (and kind of roasting) his long time partner-in-crime Busta Rhymes. Would love to have heard Busta in the room with him and being able to fire back, bet that'd been real funny. Oh, and peep the "Kamaal the Abstract" poster in the back- finally coming out for real this fall, that's what's up.

Exclusive: Q-Tip Impersonates Busta Rhymes.. LOL (VladTV.com)



Of course, upon seeing this I also got to see this video of Pharrell hilariously impersonating both Q-Tip and Busta, originally seen here. Straight LMBAO material here. Stuff like this makes it worth it that rappers in general can't help filming themselves and putting it on youtube and elsewhere nowadays. The stuff Pharrell kicks with DJ Premier is priceless too, and apparently Chris Brown is in the background somewhere (can't vouch for it yet, haven't re-watched yet, but that's what the youtube minions are saying).

Plaxico means peace

Just wanted to show off this great shirt that I came across not too long ago:

Definitely one to rock, given the latest news on the receiver who can't shoot straight (wonder how much else he couldn't do straight in the immediate time after putting that slug into himself. The shirt itself is very clever, especially after you see that the word "Plaxico" in fact means "peace," as described by the good folks at motheringhut.com who are selling the shirt. Although I'm not sure what "in Africa" means, there's no language of African. Might have to look into that one yourself but if one single dialect translates Plaxico to peace then that's all the shirt needs.

As for the story itself: quite sad all around, still very hard to feel bad for the guy though. If this story doesn't have cats think twice about carrying firearms, let alone unregistered gats, out in public places where there's really no reason to have them, then I don't know what will.

Plus Plax will get a chance to redeem himself, the NFL announced today that they will re-instate Shooter after he serves his two-year bid. That's the good news, the bad: Shooter will be in his mid-30's when he gets out. Who's gonna want him? Don't know, but under "who may need him," I'll take the Bears for $200, Alex.

Brits fail to understand "The Wire"

This is a pretty funny news item considering half the damn cast on The Wire is English or some type of Great Brit.

The series may have garnered critical recognition for its unflinching realism and searing dialogue, but the street argot spoken by its characters – most of whom are black American drug dealers and street-wise detectives – has left many viewers straining to make sense of the dialogue.

Now, one of the central writers of the show has lashed out at those who turn on the subtitles, rendering the show a "comedy" rather than the gritty, intelligent drama he intended it to be.

George Pelecanos, writer of some of the series' greatest episodes ("Hamsterdam", "Middle Ground", "That's Got His Own" - to self: need to get up on his novel stuff) is the writer who is getting a little out of shape, which is his right to, I just think this whole issue comes down simply to smart niggas and smart-dumb niggas (c) Ghostface. You got to be in a certain place mentally and emotionally to watch The Wire, it can come from some experience with the kind of world it is portraying or it could come from just having and open mind and the kind of mind that picks up on the subtleties that can make a piece of storytelling like the whole of "The Wire" the great pieces of storytelling they are. There are plenty of smart-dumb cats in America who never got the show or who thought they got it and went on to under appreciate it. This comment on the story page basically sums it up.

theelectrician wrote:
Monday, 17 August 2009 at 07:15 am (UTC)
I am a 52 year old British man who's spent his entire life in Britain (except for a couple of package holidays) and I had no problems watching, enjoying and understanding The Wire. I watched it about a year ago (via second hand DVDs) and I had to make the effort to ration my viewing or I'd have been up beyond midnight every night for many days.

Watching The Wire is an intellectual challenge at first because of the slang the different accents and the different culture that it presents. If you have at least an ounce of brains and any kind of willingness to make some intellectual effort then you can 'get into it' after a couple of episodes. It is one of the best TV series I have ever seen and is totally compelling.

The example glossary provided at the end of this article makes me laugh. If you can't work out what a 'Stash house' is (without even seeing the programme) and you can't figure out that 'Walk-around money' is used by corrupt politicians for bribes - when you are watching them using it and talking about it - then you really should stick to reality tv and games shows; that would be your natural limit."

Used subtitles to watch The Wire? The writer says that's just criminal (The Independant)