***“Five Points.” Named for the heart of the MARTA train lines, it’s a blog where I’ll quickly highlight five random things that I’m thinking about, tech stuff, or some other piece of randomosity.***
- Killer Mike Appreciation
This weekend I went to hear Cornel West do what he does and his performance was good. But the person who stole the show was Killer Mike. How and why did I totally forget about this dude? I love to hear him wax poetic on most topics. In additional to being a very talented rapper, he’s speaks reflectively about the world around him. It seems like no question ever catches him off guard. Here is a snippet of his response to a question about the word “nigga/er.” (Incidentally, this is a debate I could not care less about, but listen to his answer).
Shout out to the folx at From Afros to Shelltoes for putting on a dope event.
In terms of my research I’m somewhere in between data collection and data analysis. I’m trying to annotate and transcribe the interviews I’ve done thus far. I vaguely remember someone doing a praise dance for the software express scribe. If that describes you, please stand up and testify and tell me the basics of how to use it. I spent hours trying to get it to obey me, but ended up cursing out my computer (in Jesus’ name).
- Sampling 101
I’m adding that to my list of dream courses that I would love to teach. However, I don’t really know how I could do it better than Mark Anthony Neal who is offering said course, titled “Sampling Soul” at Duke with Grammy-winning producer 9th Wonder. How dope is that??
Relatedly, I just watched a documentary on PBS about sampling called “Copyright Criminals.” I started to write a full review of it…and then I got lazy. Suffice it to say; I think it’s a starting point. It presented bits and pieces of the pro/con arguments without ever really getting to the heart of why producers do it and why it works aesthetically for audiences. (Clearly, that’s the ethnomusicological bent that they should’ve hired me to present, lol.) But I’ll say it a genesis for further discussion on the subject.
Here’s the trailer and check your local listings for its next airing:
- J DILLA + Jay-Z = JOY
If you need to know anything about me, it’s how much I LOVE Jay Dilla. Exactly who James Yancey was, is a subject for another series of blogs. I’ll say this, he’s your favorite producer’s producer, or he’s your favorite producer that you’ve never heard of. He’s produced for Janet Jackson, A Tribe Called Quest, Common, Busta Rhymes, Pharcyde, De La Soul, and Slum Village and countless others.
But BANK! did some tremendous community service by putting some classic Hov rhymes over some unforgettable Dilla beats. Like my man Prov!? suggests it makes you sad that Dilla & Jay never got the chance to work together. But do your ears a favor and listen to the Dilla versus Jay-Z: The Lost Blueprint.
- Why Music Matters: The Haiti Earthquake Edition
My mind cannot comprehend the devastation in Haiti. It just can’t. Thirty-five seconds that have fundamentally changed a nation and her people forever. But as I watched the non-stop coverage in Haiti, amid the journalistic slants and borderline disaster porn, I found the voice of the people….and the people were SINGING. You could tell the commentators were blown that amid the ubiquitous death, abject poverty, and undeniable misery: the people were gathering and singing.
I was particularly struck by the story of Mrs. Janette. She was a bank worker who had been trapped in her collapsed bank for six days! Miraculously she was in good condition when she was finally freed. But the thing that pleasantly surprised me was that her first inclination was to sing a song about not being afraid of death.
Songs travel places words cannot go.
Praise God for her life.
alien atlien 
Who knew Dilla’s real last name was Yancey. We could be related. There are Yanc(e)y’s on my mama’s side!
exactly what did you say when you cursed out express scribe in Jesus’ name? Maybe you should say the curse out in confidence before you start rather than in frustration at the end.
Miss Janette’s story is awesome –the song in/from her heart is infectious!
the comprehensive breadth of your five points blog is incomprehensible to me, O thou learnedly philosophical public intellectual.
Chuch on the Killer Mike piece, he’s under the radar as far as socially conscious commentary…better than David Banner speaking for all southern rappers (lol).
urban alternative music in a nutshell? Southern country rap. The content speaks about an existence and circumstance totally different from an urban (and by urban I mean major metropolis or city) setting. Not too many Jay-Z’s or Commons out there talking about dirt roads, cotton fields, and their local river. My favorite example? Field Mob (what kinda ‘Bany girl would I be if I didn’t shout these dudes out…even though they’re MIA at the moment). A marginalized lens of existence = alternative for the standard or norm. Sorry for the mental ramblings, it’s early in the morning, girl.
First, I just wanted to say I’m delighted to see your parents reading your blog. Intellectual comedy. Love it
Jay-Z/Jay Dilla: The closest I’ve seen Jay use a Dilla beat was at the Reasonable Doubt rehearsal. Of course, ?uestlove was the musical director so during “Brooklyn’s Finest”, Biggie’s part was over “They Don’t Care About Us” by Phat Kat. Beautiful hearing the strings for that song. Also heard Jay got some Black Milk beats, but probably passed on them. *sigh*
-Prov!?
hands down my favorite song of 2008, and by far one of my faves ever. second verse is absolutely incredible.
Btw, if you haven’t done so, Killer Mike and Hip Hop DX is offering Mike’s classic “I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind II” for free. Came out in 08 and went under the radar. go cop.