Shlep D-O Double Gizzle's Web Pizzle

I drink a mousse for breakfast, and Ensure for dessert

On Sunday December 4, I made a quick trek to the UCSD campus to cross another act off on my Personal Pantheon list. My man Kanye made a stop here on his Touch the Sky tour. Since my last rambling post on Kanye, he has indeed become ubiquitous, winning a bunch of Grammy's, releasing a second mult-plat album (more on that later), landing on the cover of Time magazine, and causing a quite the stir with his now infamous "George Bush doesn't care about black people" comment on live TV. I'm happy to report that in concert, Kanye did not disappoint. The set and effects were relatively simple and never took away from the music. There were some lights, some videos, a few props and a fog machine, but nothing over the top. For most of the show it was just Kanye with a DJ, a couple of singers, some strings and a percussionist (Frankie Knuckles from The Roots) to back him up. It wasn't a "posse" hip-hop show with a bunch of hangers-on screaming lyrics intermittently into their mics, just Kanye and his music. He was engaging and energetic and often very funny (during "Gold Digga" he encouraged the crowd to sing along to the chorus, "White people! This is your only chance to say nigga!"). I love catching acts after only one or two albums because it means we get to hear all our favorite non-hits from the repertoire, and Kanye definitely accomodated. He played most of his latest, Late Registration , all of the singles from College Dropout as well as non-hit cuts such as, "Spaceship", "Get 'em High" and "We Don't Care".

(And since I don't have a good transition, I'll go into my thoughts on Late Registration . On the whole, it's a very good album. It takes the right steps forward for Kanye without losing too much of his essence. Most of the production has more of a pop sheen thanks to the work of Jon Brion, and I think that was a smart move on Kanye's part. That being said, I still think the CD lacks the same visceral impact of College Dropout , some of the hip-hop immediacy is missing. In concert, that feeling was restored to most of Late's songs thanks to Kanye's strong stage performance.)

Kanye was able to segue seamlessly from the gully, straight hip-hop numbers to the more glammed out Puffy-type songs like "Gold Digga" and "Jesus Walks". This, of course, speaks to his greatest asset which is to walk that fine line between art and entertainment, consciousness and club-bangin'. Overall I give the Kanye show an A+.

A couple of photos:

Kanye in front of a wall of light.

Kanye in his Puffy suit.

Kanye about to get jiggy.

A very brief (8 seconds) video clip of Kanye during my first and still favorite song, "Through the Wire" .

****

I'd be remiss if I didn't address Kanye's latest flap concerning this year's Grammy nominations. Kanye threatened to "have a real problem" if Late didn't win album of the year. He later backtracked a bit after the actual nominations came out (he got 8), but he didn't do much to change the perception that he's arrogant and egotistical. It also presented quite the problem for Kanye apologists (like me) who feel the need to defend him. Kanye shouldn't be faulted for wanting to make history and win Album of the Year ( Late would be the first all-rap album to do so), but he is continually hurting his credibility with statements like the above. Kanye, in his music, is usually just the opposite, self-assured, but also self-aware. He's open and funny about his flaws and I wish he would try to be just as humble in the press. He needs to relax and realize that everyone is not out to disrespect him. At first, the chip on his shoulder was a good thing. No one believed in him and he still went on to well-deserved success, and he brought that edge to his early work. Now, however, he's already widely respected and admired not just in hip-hop, but in all of music and it just seems like he's manufacturing slights to keep himself motivated.

****

"I DRIVE A DODGE STRATUS!!"
--Will Ferrell

Sleight of hand, twist of fate

On Wednesday, March 30 2005, I was finally priveleged enough to see U2 in concert. I say finally because they were one of the last remaining acts in my Personal Pantheon that I hadn't seen live yet. Through all the Weezer, Roots and even Wu-tang shows that I've made it to over the years, U2 has always eluded me. The one time they played in Austin, 2001's Elevation tour, I was studying abroad in Singapore. The biggest band in the world in my backyard, and I'm halfway across the world. Well not this time buddy, U2 kicked off their Vertigo tour with two shows in San Diego and I was there for the second one, and I can safely say that I am a better person for it.

Set List:
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
Cry / Electric Co.
Gloria
Beautiful Day
With or Without You
New Year’s Day
Miracle Drug
Sometimes you can’t make it on your own
Love and Peace or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet The Blue Sky
Running to Standstill
Zoo Station
The Fly
Elevation
Pride in the name of love
Where the Streets Have No Name
One (I left after "One", because I mean really, is there a better way to end a show?)
All Because of You
Yahweh
"40"

Notes and Thoughts:

--They were alot of oooooold people at the show. I say this not in a negative way, just that I've never been to a show with more than just a couple of token older dudes. This place was teeming with the 50 and over crowd. My favorite? The guy in the seats in front of me who brought his young son (aged somewhere between 8 and 10). What a great dad. I immediately knew that 15 years from now that would be me, hopefully some band of my generation will be still be cool enough for me to do so. True, the kid seemed bored and somewhat embarassed, but I guarantee, five or six years from now, he's gonna pick up his dad's CDs, get his mind blown by "Pride" or "Where the Streets Have No Name" and realize what an amazing thing his dad did for him.

--The Edge is pretty old too, and looked it most of the show. But it was immeasurable fun watching him occasionally unleash the Guitar God within for really old school songs like "Gloria" and "Electric Co."

--Bono should get the Nobel Peace Prize

--There are other bands that have been around just as long, other acts that have rocked for decades, but there is no other group of four musicians in the world that uplift and inspire thousands of people the way U2 can. This is not an arguable point.

--They played almost all my favorite songs, even springing some surprise changes from the previous night's set list, I love when that happens.

--Next on the Unseen Pantheon List: Eminem, once again I had the chance to see him in a small club in Austin before the blew up like crazy, but missed it. I will not miss him again.

****

Question o' the Month: Can the Mavs beat the Spurs or Suns in a 7 game series? Discuss.

The Suns maybe, if the Super Sophs (Howard and Daniels) bring their A game, if Stack and Damp are healthy and play to their contracts and if Dirk starts to even remotely live up to his MVP-Larry Bird associations by making everyone else better. The Spurs? Not so sure yet, if Damp can somewhat contain Duncan one-on-one, then maybe there's an outside chance.

I've got my spine, I've got my orange crush

While I typically don't give much thought to the annual Grammy nominations (the Shortlist process being much more interesting), I couldn't resist the headline glaring back at me on Yahoo!'s front page earlier today, "Kanye West Receives 10 Grammy Nominations". Now, I'm not necessarily saying I've garnered any new respect for the Acadamy of Recording Arts and Sciences, but I must say this was a bold move and an unexpected event. It seems as if Kanye's takeover of the music world is now complete (he was also prominently involved in the albums of the runners-up in nominations, Usher and the Goddess Alicia Keys, who received 8 apiece). As much I love Kanye and admire his work I would never have guessed that he would crossover to 10 Grammy status.

Of course I'm somewhat torn in the way that any serious music fan is at that point when his or her little artist or movement, which was so personal and poignant at the time of discovery, becomes part of the pop/corporate American culture machine. A little seperation anxiety when something that you so passionately defended and sung the praises of, becomes no longer just yours, but a part of everyone else too. You are happy for their success (which you for so long thought overdue and deserved) but it's slightly bittersweet because you've lost that personal connection, and dammit, nobody likes to share.

I shall reiterate my hope that success and the demands of a multiplatinum superstar life doesn't dilute his work. I hope this opens a doorway from the Academy to the rest of the best hip-hop has to offer (i.e. Talib Kweli, Common, Mos Def, etc.) And lastly, I hope that Kanye keeps popping up on mix tapes and keeps churning out amazing beats, taking his cue from the likes of U2 and Eminem who haven't yet let their ridiculous success get in the way of making good music.

Speaking of which.....

I have in my possession both the new Eminem and the new U2 and I must say both have earned glowing stamps of approval from the pizzle. Em is all grown up now, what with the politics and such, but he is still not above burp and fart jokes, and he can still ride the beat like no other rapper in the history of the world. U2 have been grown up for awhile, but there's just something so simple and familiar, yet new and uplifting about any U2 melody; so understated yet peircing about every Edge solo, that I can't help but get carried away.

Enough with the hyperbole and superlatives, midnight on the west coast is approaching and the pizzle is signing off. Peace.

*****

"This sugarcane
This lemonade
This hurricane, I'm not afraid.
C'mon c'mon no one can see me cry
This lightening storm
This tidal wave
This avalance, I'm not afraid.
C'mon c'mon no one can see me cry

That's sugarcane that tasted good
That's who you are, that's what you could
C'mon c'mon no one can see you cry"

Life is a Beautiful Struggle

Random Rant

For some reason, this just stuck in my craw (I haven't used that expression in awhile, I'm glad for the opportunity though). Barker has a spare mil laying around and he decides to give it to an already rich school to study Animal Rights Law. I didn't even know they taught Animal Rights Law at law schools. Is that really a concentration? Intellectual Property, Criminal Defense and oh, of course, Animal Rights. Not that I don't think animals should be protected, or that Barker doesn't have the right to use his money however he likes, but it just seems that if you're gonna give $1 million to a law school, at least have it be for the study of human rights, or the death penalty or mandatory minimums, or something that could have a direct positive impact on humanity. Shit, if you're gonna give away $1 million, feed some hungry orphans, or fund some AIDS research , or just give it to me so I can quit my job and fulfill my lifelong ambition of becoming a beach bum.

(Let's take a moment to allow Shlep to step off of the soap box)

*****

Post election thoughts: I would like to say to all liberals/Anti-Bushers that please do not get discouraged. Yes, Democrats had a huge movement behind them, yes it was damn close, and yes Bush still somehow won the popular and electoral votes, but we have to make sure he can still hear the voices of the 55 million who voted against him. We must regroup and rebuild our strength and continue fighting the good fight against imposed conservative values, manifest destiny foreign policy, and the continued mangling of the English language. Stay informed and keep voting at all levels. State, local, city council, school board, whatever, make sure your voice is heard from the bottom up. There is much work to be done, "Break's Over".

*****

I can't stop listening to:

The Beautiful Struggle from Talib Kweli

Just like the title itself, which so succintly and perfectly captures the dual nature of being alive, Talib's second solo effort (fourth if you count Black Star and Reflection Eterenal ) is that rare album that presents a complete picture of life. Talib defies all one-dimensional characterizations and takes us on a journey from the club to the street to the church and all points in between. His lyrical grace and skill is unmatched as he covers subjects as general as love, family,race, society, and as personal as his own place in music, the extent of his duty to the community, and the conflict between self-satisfaction and making others happy. He even finds time to respond to Jay-Z. (On the The Black Album Jay-Z offered an explanation for his lyrical choices. From Moment of Clarity , "And the music I be makin/I dumb down for my audience/And double my dollars/They criticize me for it/Yet they all yell "Holla"/If skills sold/Truth be told/I'd probably be/Lyricly/Talib Kweli/Truthfully/I wanna rhyme like Common Sense/ But I did five Mil /I ain't been rhymin like Common Sense" Talib's response from Ghetto Show featuring Common, "If lyrics sold then truth be told/I'll probably be just as rich and famous as Jay-Z/Truthfully I wanna rhyme like common sense/Next best thing I do a record with Common Sense")

All over The Beatiful Struggle Talib flexes his lyrical muscle with gems from songs like Going Hard ,

"I was sold to a sick European by a rich African battling/Middle passages I can't go back again/Battling years of denied history,/Lies and mysteries/Wives with misty eyes/Watching their husbands be beaten viciously...Those who trade in freedom for their protection deserve neither/Not a name, not tradition, religion you learn Jesus/Turn the other cheek inherit the earth just stay meek/Fuck the way you speak/You try to run we chop off your feet/Fast forward to 2004/We selling raw/Yo this aint what I'm settling for/I want more"

and from the first single I Try "I try to navigate the treacherous waters of/America's ghettos that set up to slaughter us/But there's more of us/Although we speak in different languages/We all pretty familiar with what anger is/Young and dangerous, trigger stanglers/Get up on some gangsta shit...Tryin' to bring your struggle to life/The label want a song about a bubbly life/I have trouble tryin' to write some shit/To bang in the club through the night/When people suffer tonight/Lord knows I try"

Jean Grae (remember the name, she's absolutely SICK) drops a killer verse on Black Girl Pain "...For all my cousins back home/ The strength of mommy's backbone/The length of which she went for raising sacrificing her own/The pain of not reflecting the range of our complexions/For rubber pellet scars on Auntie Elna's back/ I march/ Fist raised/ Caramel shinin in all our glory/For Mauritius, St, Helena/ My blood is a million stories..."

Talib keeps the quality of the music as stellar as his rhymes, with beats from superstar producers Kanye West, Just Blaze and the Neptunes, newcomers Charlemagne and Supa Dave West, as well as his old collaborator Hi-Tek. Talib gives Kanye some serious competiton for the crossover-appeal mantle as the carefully crafted melodies and catchy hooks (sung by the likes of Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, and Anthony Hamilton) make The Beautiful Struggle a typical mainstream hit on the surface, while never losing the integrity and intelligence that Talib has been known for thus far.

With his latest album, Talib proves he can make you hum the hook, make your head bang, and make you think at the same time. Talib refuses to be identified by any singular labels, and by touching on and eloquently rhyming about the different sources of joy and pain in his own life he reminds us that our experiences, good and bad, make us who we are. Despite the highs and lows, tomorrow is another day, and there is always someone or something to live for. "Life is beautiful, life is a struggle, life is a beautiful struggle."*

*Talib credits this quote and the inspiration for the album to his brother-in-rhyme, Mos Def (who supposedly had it as his voicemail message), and who also recently dropped an excellent new album that I haven't finished listening to because I left it in Albany. Yes, I know I'm lame.

****

Administrative notes: With help from the Captain once again, I've installed a security key on the comments to deter any more spam from the likes of Viagra, Cialis, Texas Hold 'Em and animal incest porn (yes, that was an actual comment). Hopefully, its not too much of an inconvenience for the readers (both of you).

Inspired and uplifted by new Talib album, the pizzle also has a new tagline taken from the last verse of the last song on the CD. Talib speaks to the pizzle's ideals of staying true to yourself and continuing to live your life through any and all hardships. Struggle is beautiful because whatever doesn't kill you will only make you stronger. Until next time pizzle denizens, enjoy life, do the right thing, love your fellow man and don't forget to call your mother. Peace.

Ready or not, here we come, you can't hide...

In what I consider to be one of the biggest developments since Lindsay Lohan's breasts, Dave Chapelle has reunited the Fugees. You read that right, the hottest name in comedy, who quietly made his spot on Comedy Central a showcase for the best and brightest of hip-hop, has used his fame to stage a secret block-party concert in Brooklyn. (Please read the extended entry linked below, taken from ?uestlove's personal account, he put the whole thing together with Dave and his account from the boards at Okayplayer.com is long, but worthwhile).

Dave is my new hero. Imagine having the pull to have your own concert and invite all your favorite artists (I always loved that Chapelle had the same taste in hip-hop as me, brilliant) to play their best songs, just because you can. Then, imagine having the whole thing filmed by Michel Gondry (the man behind some of the best music videos ever, and of course Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ). The lastest word is that the film is being prepped for a theatrical release and then DVD. I'm speechless, the Roots, Mos Def, Talib, Kanye, the Fugees all playing together and I have to wait for Dave and Michel to edit the goddamn thing. Oh well...back to the main matter at hand, the Fugees reunion.

For six years the three members, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef, and Pras, had barely even spoken. Wyclef went off on his solo career, which showed flashes of brilliance but remained somewhat mediocre, Lauryn went on a roller coaster becoming the hottest hip-hop/R&B star in the world with her Miseducation CD, then retreating behind a bizarre, almost cultish religious leader, and Pras pretty much chilled after the brief flash of Ghetto Superstar in 1999. There were wild rumours about the bitterness between Wyclef and Lauryn, and the weirdness of her new life (her Unplugged appearance was an exercise in an artist fighting REALLY hard to deny her talent), and ultimately Pras basically declaring that the Fugees would never get back together. What a shame, The Score is one of the best albums of the last twenty years. The Fugees seamlessy mixed old school with the new, hip-hop and reggae, straddled the line between conscious and bling (way before Kanye), and managed to be boastful, nostalgic, wistful and intelligent all at the same time. The pure musical talent of all three members is on display here, all without losing an ounce of either pop sensibility or street credibilty. If you haven't yet, get this album.

****

In tribute to the reunion, I would like to present the last track on The Score as one my "musical moments". Similar to movie chill scenes, a musical moment is a song, or part of a song, that makes me stop every time I hear it, close my eyes, take a deep breath and not just listen, but absorb the music. It's a moment of pure artistry, when the artist hits that perfect note between intellectual and emotional expression and connects to the audience on a third, indefinable level. The second verse on "Manifest" from the Score by Lauryn (people forget that before Miseducation made her into a singer/songwriter extraordinairre, she was a badass MC) is just such a moment. Over a haunting Wyclef guitar loop, Lauryn raps with a passion and urgency that practically singes the mic.....

"You see I loved hard once, but the love wasn't returned
I found out the man I'd die for, he wasn't even concerned
And time it turned,
He tried to burn me like a perm
Though my eyes saw the deception,
My heart wouldn't let me learn
From um, some, dumb woman, was I,
And everytime he'd lie, he would cry and inside I'd die.
My heart must have died a thousand deaths
Compared myself to Toni Braxton thought I'd never catch my breath
Nothing left,
He stole the heart beating from my chest
I tried to call the cops, that type of thief you can't arrest
Pain suppressed, will lead to cardiac arrest
Diamonds deserve diamonds, but he convinced me I was worth less
When my peoples would protest, I told them mind their business,
'Cause my shit was complex
More than just the sex
I was blessed, but couldn't feel it like when I was caressed
I'd spend nights clutching my breasts overwhelmed by God's test
I was God's best
Contemplating death with a Gillette
But no man is ever worth the paradise Manifest "

****

55. "my take QUESTO style"

ill spare you with all the initial july conversations about this event (dave calling and seeing what's up---)

i will say this though.

i fucks with dave chapelle.

why? cause he could easily associate himself with the "rapper elite" and leave us po folk behind. but he is harriet tubmaning this whole shit. and his put his money where his mouth is: investing in a film about music and lifestyle and use his celebrity to help us out.

even my tyrant ass business manager told me that "i was right about this one" (i accepted the music director for the chapelle show for lower than standard price simply because of the prestige that a job like this could bring and more than that i just wanted access to a whole slew of skits and stuff.....but i knew chapelle was bubbling under the megastardom radar and when it was time for him to graduate to movies, i wanted to be first in line to score for him. so thus i knew his comedy central show would be the "audition" to whether or not i could handle future projects---sure enough i got that call)

i'll say (beside my training the illadelphonics the songs (of course i knew that the arrangments would be changed once i got in front of the artists)) that the real "first" night of this "project" was the "phone meeting".

member how in high school you would call someone on three way and they would call someone on three way and so on and so on?

well this was that (except this was an ATT conference call) and so much fun.) it was me, erykah, riq, mos, talib, stic, m1, com, jill, dave, michel, and some producers and corey (the same corey that "bailed out" talib in "get by") who coordinated all of us. we laughed and joked, voiced some concerns. remembered that all of us did songs together and perhaps (in his best french) "tha that that youll peoplee shooould shud shud perhaps collaborate on songs together like like like a like a rill jahm seasssion" (mos: "everybody on the phone, this man is a genius, i trust anything the french say....i mean come on now you gotta love a man whose country gave us baggetes" lol)---

i asked them were there any concerns about the music. i figured that most of them wouldn't mind being as though this was really the okayplayer 2000 tour all over again.-- most said "no". but i knew better. i knew that some that wern't used to this experience (kanye who couldn't make the call because of usher tour commitments) could be a potential disaster if not treated with kid gloves. he could get overexcited about hearing his music played to the t by a non arsenion type band (he did). he could get picky on us re creating certain samples that were impossible (he did). he could call out songs that wern't in his initial 5 (he did). he could have guests that wern't cleared for the shoot (he did)---the key is to be prepared (i was)--

i will say that the next day call between the fugees was a lil shakey being as though this is the first time that the 3 of those guys were in communication with each other for 6 years. so to go from the miseduaction accusations ("that was about me" "this was not about him") to crack accusations to lawsuits to--precher's son album to donald trump doing skits on your album to mudslinging to the unplugged album to current 3.0 lauryn to "hey can we make this work?" was done with careful precision. and only a man like dave could pull this off. just like with the previous night's conversation (our lasted near 2 hours) dave's voice alone (the greatest voice in comedy since pryor) could have us bowling over.---and he used that same humor to keep the tense atmosphere with his cash cow from boiling over.

my money was on it just being a clef set.

i was given a 5 song request set from each artist that i backed (everyone except the fugees) and 2 days to prep my delphonics--the same okayplayer tour/jay z/extra ciricular cats i been rolling with since day one--(james p on keys, omar e on keys, kevin on guitar (aka "spacey"), me on drums, adam b on bass, jeff bradshaw on bone, matt on trumpet, and chris on sax)---because i had japan commitments i made james man over the crew til i got back (2 days before we shoot mind you).

so with MUCH BITCHING i told the production people i need more prep time ("the workout plan" alone took 6 hours of prep out of my day)---the only soulution was since erykah and com was was in chicago the same time i would be (rehersal was in new york on friday and the show was saturday) using my roots soundcheck for full prep rehersal (production people flew the illadelphonics out to chi town to meet me---thus why we used the horns and big daddy and g rap at the chitown HOB show....i mean they was there...so....might as well do a test run huh?)--

i had a feeling the erykah and jill would be somewhat problematic. and somehow i understood. i mean i had a list of demands. i demanded my crew should run the sound and that we mix this movie down (its a movie first yall before its a dvd)--cause i want to present the BEST presentation that i can. and i know that these two tyra---(jokes yall) i knew these two wanted to be on their best foot. so much to the chagrin to shawn gee (who already along with jill thinks that i "feel a certain way") i resigned from both jill and erykah and let both of them have their bands. for starters----both of them got mad cues and tricks and dynamics to the arrangments of their songs--and that was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay much more than i could remember. so it was a relief. a big relief.

thursday at the house of blues got off to a false start being as though i was still on japan time up at 4am. preping for erykah (who was NOT told she had rehersal at 10am--she didnt even leave dallas until 1pm). i called com's room (yes even though he got a crib in the chi he still stays at hotel when performing) and asked him to come instead so that the day wasnt a total waste. it was his daughter's first day of school so he had to do the daughter thing (and he went to register to vote too) but said he could come around 2ish.

it was suggested to me that i recap dead prez. but i told my people that sony was going to "stick it" to them by not signing their release forms (we begged "why? it can only help them") but they just did some revenge "because we can mUAHAHAHAHAHAH!!" ish)--so i held off until 1ish. we learned the new mos sutff until com came around. since we knew all the songs (and omar was his band leader) it was a breeze.---i found out that erykah's band was in the chi (not erykah) so thus i prepped with those guys instead.

once i realized that the "and on.." was not the "and on..." that i had worked on some 4 years ago--with all these gaps and stops and starts and stops and i'm like damn.....for a guy so hell bent on some prince like stop on the dime "good gawd (smack!) shit---i am really feeling rusty. and i did not want to feel the wrath of e. so i knew then and there that i was not gonna drum. but its not that easy to drop out because this is a movie. not a concert. everyone has to be cleared for performance because of union rules and whatnot.---so it was not easy telling production people that took 2 months to clear me with aftra that we will be needing more budget money for plane tix for flights and rooms for the drummers.

kane and g rap came in around 4ish. both acts have rocked with us before so i knew this was no thing. i will be honest. i was a lil jealous that riq gets to rock with his rhyme forfathers (both who were FLOORED once we played them the final "boom" sometime back---also both thought that riq nailed the "other" guy more...)--i got mad pictures dont worry. i mean what capacity can i work with clyde stubblefield or steve ferrone? surely not this....--strangest things was the songs that stick with me like a tattoo: "halfstepping" "men at work" "symphony" "set it off" "road to the riches" etc--did not come easy to these two (more g rap than kane)---so we had to overprep em by telling them ahead of time what we wanted them to spit and have dawn (my assistant whom i had to friggin muzzle from asking kane about the madonna/naomi threesome sex book shoot--she gave in day of show) have cd's and lyrics all ready for em. we went through it about 4 times. slowed it down a bit and riq assisted them with no sweat.

i took a nap and woke up at 830 in time to catch com's set. i went upstairs to prep my horns when i heard the opening refrain to "love of my life". i ran downstairs like a bullet cause it just hit me that i saw erykah's whole crew in the house--and remembering that the two wern't on amicable terms--i wanted to see if she would sing the song with him.

no dice. confused as to whether she should walk onstage to sing her parts (its been a year since they spoke/seen each other) she played the back.

rats. how am i going to get through this weekend with these two playing cat and mouse? i aint about to play divorce/favorites (they both help me with the mortagage payments if you know what i mizean)--but michele and dave suggested collabo's and just natuarally assumed on the phone call that the two would do their grammy award winning number one single (dead air on that request was the only awkward moment of the first phone call)

i really felt good about the chitown shows (despit the mc not comfirming if we were even ready to start yet (thus him getting booed after he stalled the set change)--but i knew i still had work ahead of me. (i got an 11th hour call from corey "bailed me out" smyth that dead prez was back on (damn!!! we aint learned one note!!!)

the show was over at 2ish (after party too) and lobby call was 5am. and i had about 30 hours of sleep to do--and once i was out....i was out like a rock.

i stayed up all night and barely made it to lobby call, because i still had 7 big ass bags from all the shit i copped in japan.

my first line of priority was copping my olympic nikes (gold dunks, silver/red/yellow/black/green/blue airs, and bronze air max) and then making sure we nailed "universal magnetic bboy" to sound JUST LIKE THE RECORD (yes we did it NGERO WHIUT!!!!!!)

i arrived at SIR at 12:30pm on friday. i wanted to get mos' stuff down pat with the band and then get jill's shit straight too.---so i had 2 hours before all of the aritsts came barging in for the initial "talk" and filming (rehersal was filmed too). we had initial trouble with the bassline and i wanted to make sure we had it right. i reach for my luggage bag and oh-my-god-where-is-my-17-inc OH FUCK!!FUCK!!FUCK!!!FUCKEDY---FUCK!!!!!!!!!!

that shit is at the security checkpint in chicago! if it wern't for the responsibilty on my hands with this movie id go apeshit...but i gotta keep it together. besides i got my lacy with me (harddrive of 160 GB) and all my important shit is saved.---

we all pow wow (sans fugees, kanye (ursher), kweli (beastie boys), and erykah (chitown show) and michele and tiffany (limos, actress in larry "kids" clark flim that has yet to come out) start the interview process. this goes on for an hour and i realize that i could have a potential disaster on my hands. simply because it would be so easy to sit to hear dave speak about world issues (my god this mofo got true knowledge of self)--but i am here for a reason. and i have yet to even start on jill's 2pm slot and its now 3:50!!!

as i watch jill fake it though "i need you" i realize its curtains for me and frank. her band is all in tact except the drums (adam is her bass player already)--and once you rock a comfortable pair of shoes--do you really wanna go down the runway in some shoes that you can't strut in? my pride aint that big. and on the real? id rather shoot these acts with my 8.0 pixel than play for em.--so a song into it i pull jill to the side and we BS with it (its ok ahmir its okay....and im like negro please im calling your drummer now)---that settled i got myself a lil 40 min break in.

mos came next. next to kayne i thought that mos would be the hardest to curb his enthusiasm for jamming past his time limit.

did i mention that we also got a 9pm sound curfew and a 20 min time limit to each artist?---i didnt know until corey "bmo" smyth heard our half hour version of "umi says"--pulled me to the side and now im a bad cop

20mins??!?!

20?!?!

"green eyes" is 14 mins in concert according to my rehersal cd.

the hell?

working with the mcs proved to be the easiest of the experience. because they welcome mistakes (with dilla as a muse....the more mistakes the better) and us "freaking some shit"--wheras a singer needs to know every move they are going to make ahead of time and only jazz singers can revel in surprises from their musicians.

we had so much fun doing the mos shit--it broke my heart to cut 4 songs away.

common told me to do DPs and roots next and he would come back from his meeting around 10.

all woulda been well until.

dave.

thank god for dave.

dave joined our post umi jazz jam and was scatting up a storm (the extra footage is priceless)--this led to skit ideas and the next thing i know...im holding off DPs for 90 minutes so that we can do some skits with mos and dave.

dave is also a jazz piano player on the low (wait til film comes out)--

dp's was the easiest to do cause they worked with us on the okayplayer2000 tour. we learned 2 new joints and came with some classic shit. i could sense that riq was getting restless (having been there since 2pm and it now being 8pm)--but once g rap came (after dinner break) which was 930, we got busy. kane told me that we need to do the brooklyn anthem ("warm it up kane") when we rock tommorow--and money was right. we did that shit JUST LIKE THE RECORD horns and all. EVERYBODY came to watch this moment.

so magic.

i ended the night recapping with common. freaking some shits in his verses and doing some ideas.--it was 12:30 and i have yet to come up with a setlist.
so i made one on the spot

kanye

-jesus walks
-two words (w/ freeway and mos)
-get em high (w/ kweli)
-through the wire

dead
-food clothes and shelter
-turn off the radio
-mind sex
-windows of my mind
-its bigger than hip hop

erykah
-otherside of the game
-on and on/and on/cleva
-green eyes

the roots
-boom!/poison/warm it up kane
-in love with the mic
-the next movement
-you got me

jill
-a long walk
-whatever whenever
-i need you
-slowly surely

com mos kwe
-my philosphy/ressurection
-i live in brooklyn/my life is real
-move something
-respiration
-universal magnetic bboy
-i used to love her
-the blast
-definition
-the light
-get by
-umi says

fugees
-?

but of course we KNOW this aint how it worked out.

the sound of god having gas woke me up. the most VIOLENT wake up call. i just knew this shit was canceled. it was a flood outside! and yet the show still went on. we got held up 45 minutes.

kayne was there since morning time. we rehersed. he looked like 4 songs? i tried to explain that between his 50 memeber marching band and his needing to be out by NO later than 3pm to catch his flight for the chicago ursher show--it would behoove him to leave well enough alone.

but this is kayne.

he said "do yall know spaceship?"
i looked at james like "what i tell you?!?!?"
we freaked it.
"selfish"?
same thing.
then i knew that he just wanted to see if we freaked his shit right.
but he was adding more and more and more

and im good with that. but he dont understand union rules and time deadlines and 7 other acts going on and movies and etc.--but hey...once he was on a roll (despite keith yelling at me like "RAP IT UP B!") he was calling them shits like james brown. i was fun. and he wasn't that hard on us (although he asked for the impossible replica of the sound of delay on the horn stabs for "we dont care"--) i think the best song was "spaceship". we realized that the union was going to have to look the other way while we used the lunch break to keep the time up.

@@@1/2 out of @@@@@. the opening act has it the hardest because they are the "soundcheck" of the show. thanks to his arsenal of hits the crowd was with him all the way. talib and common was hype. well common performed like he had 5 shots of red bull flavored blue mountain coffee. i also noticed his weirdo fashion sense has come down to earth even though him and mos now got this 40s shit going on.
freeway coulda made "2 words" a classic--but he came late. and we made that song a two parter. i think we didn't do "through the wire"

dead prez came next. to cut time i cut "food clothes and shelter". i felt like "turn off he radio" was a way stronger opener. the crowd (and cops) were thrown off by the fuck the police banter but man oh man---when we got to stic's verse in "bigger than hip hop" the place was on fire. i made him spit that shit acapella so the kids on the block could hear loud and clear.

@@@1/2 out of @@@@@.

my first break of the day and what do i do? i search for the alt room where i got jean grae and phonte and a few notables about to do some rooftop jamming. but--the rain started again on erykah's set. and michele wanted to wait it out to see if we could shoot it when it cleared.-- it seemed safe enough to go into the crowd to take photos. i make it around the stage, past the barricades....all through the crowd unscathed. i go alllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the way to the top of the entrance gate to take photos and i here erykah go into "love of my life"--i didnt think much about it til i heard "yes yes yall you don't stop....."

me and res looked like "WTF?!?!?!?"---i ran to that stage with the quickness cause i knew this was too good to be true.----im so proud of this nigga. he is the definition of a real man who puts pride etc to the side to make magic happen. this was a highlight.

@@@@1/2 out of @@@@@

i ran back to prepare our entrance when ii discover that jill is now set to go on. erykah went on so early cause she had a show in trenton later that day. but i didn't want the both of them to go back to back.

but too late. eff it.

i get backstage and jill is pissed at her songlist. i assure jill i just spit out 4 song titles for the list sake and told her just follow the guidelines for time and she could do whatever she wants.

noone told jill about the 20 mins.

she's stressed so i run and hide realizing that jill scott is the only enterainer in this world that i am honest to goodness afraid of. she throws list away and goes off the top. she killed shit and im sure she has a large audience.

@@@@ out of @@@@@.

the pressure is on. its all black people and im performing at the kindergarden of christopher wallace (little cease was backstage rapping to us)---riq and mal are bitching that everyone is going over 20 mins and we are the only ones following the rules. so we add "web" and "the love of my life". being as though noone saw the $2 bill mtv show it is the law that we freak "you got me" the way we did it. and boy did we. and kane was so right about "warm it up". hub messed up by doing the "warm" bassline before we did "raw". the crowd went apeshit when kane came out. i said "this is the jay z moment" (jay was comfirmed to rock with us til the BOBW2 shit came up)---kane killed it. and even better, our saxaphone player chris freaked them bomb sqaud horn shrills so damn perfect.

i knew we had killed shit when a well known personal rival of the group was all up in arms on some morris and jerome shit watching prince do "i would die for u"/"baby im a star" at the end of purple rain. i felt we were the highlight (ok we cheated....erykah got the first shrill on "on and on" when she pulled hair off (afro wig) and reveal a mowhawk. but the first rebel rousing of a non participant was kane. that moment alone gave us a 5. and jill and erykah dueling at "you got..."

@@@@@ out of @@@@@.

we rocked black folks in BK.

no moment moved me more than seeing the erykah and common stepping to "the light" and then fred hampton jr. spoke to the crowd during "umi says" and the climax of celebration that occured was priceless. i remember C"BMO"S all in my ear making me do "i try" for kweli (side note to kayne--dude, make sure the sample you use is at least in 4/4 meter so that the general public can have a clue as to what the deal is with a pace of a melody (in other words that shit was hard to learn) we freaked the ronnie laws/"who got the props" loop on "i used to love her" hoping that buckshot (black moon) would take notice. but no dice.

@@@@1/2 of @@@@@

because of the nature of the fugees getting back together it was almost more tense than anything else. i mean sure it was an incredible site. but to me the experince of being around my peers was magic enough. unfortunately the only act i never got a feel for was the fugees. i was in a stall next to clef for a sec at rehersal. and lauryn was more guarded than ever. so it was a bitter sweet moment. and after talking to corey "fill it in" smyth the say after....lauryn was too happy with yesterday. i was curious as to where the "lost ones" pointing at clef while she sings was somewhat mind boggling.---but the night went off without a hitch. i could go on and on but this tool all night to write.

@@@@@ out of @@@@@.

if anything happens i will remember it and add it.

Rhymes and Ammo

Since I long ago obliterated any intention of "updating" my Spins, Flicks and Words section on a regular basis I thought going back to it would seem anticlimatic and insincere, sort of like admitting my failure to stay true to the original Pizzle ideals. But I have returned, with head hanging and hat in hand (it's summertime and I REALLY miss my "not-Yankees" NY bucket hat, oh well) to ask for forgiveness. Hopefully time-served has been penance enough.

****

In the spirit of the times (new cities and new people and all the hope and enthusiasm for clean slates and fresh starts that that entails), the Spins section has been updated! Also, in anticipation of the new Roots album coming out on July 13 (see Spins section) I've gone back to an old tagline (and really, it was always my favorite) from "Thought at Work" on the Phrenology album. "My brain unstable and I'm just too handsome" Who knew back then what a prescient and pretentious statement that would turn out to be?

Before we get to anything new though, I do have some old business to clear up. My thoughts on Kanye West (while being made clear through all the quotes) never made it to Publish status, because like the AI stuff, it was never complete. So to inagurate the new Spins section and to add another entry to Greatest Misses category here you go:

(Just for the record I put Kanye up on the Spins section about a year and a half ago waaay before he caught all the hype as being the future of hip-hop. Back then, I wasn't ready to go that far but just wanted to introduce everyone to someone who was helping to define a new sound as a producer and had just started to hit the mixtapes as an MC. I held off on putting this out there partly because I wasn't exactly hitting on what I wanted to say, but also because I didn't want to put it out there and then watch him flop. The lesson, of course, is that I'm an idiot.)

Over the past two years Kanye West has become one of the most popular and versatile producers in hip-hop. In 2001, he (along with Just Blaze, another hot as hell producer at the moment) helped redefine Jay-Z's sound on The Blueprint. West infused his beats with a warmth and a soulfulness to provide an almost wistful atmosphere for Jay's street hustler stories (the best example is "Never Change"). By sampling soul sounds from the 70's, West has injected hip-hop with a refreshing yet familiar and uplifting sense of melody. His proclivity towards speeding up the vocals on the sample (the "Chipmunk" effect) as well as his liberal use of strings recalls the sound that Wu-Tang Clan helped to establish in the late 90's (listen to "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly" from the College Dropout Mixtape and "Guerilla Monsoon Rap" from Talib Kweli's Quality ). In alot of ways Kanye is the evolutionary RZA, taking soul sampling and orchestration to the next level.

The most remarkable aspects about West are his versatility and his willingness to be completely open and personal. I didn't know it at the time, but the first beat he sold to Roc-a-Fella was Beanie Seigel's "The Truth", a simple organ and pounding bass (and sample-free) fire and brimstone romp, and one of my favorite songs. He's also produced for acts as far left as Dead Prez and as far bling as Ludacris (the hit single "Stand Up") and Trina. He even worked with the Goddess Alicia Keys on the opening single from her latest album, "You Don't Know my Name", a sultry 70's throwback that makes you want to curl up next to the fire with your girl (or guy) and make sweet love all night.

The way Kanye straddles the line between the conscious side of hip-hop (the Okayplayer, neo-soul, backpack rapper crowd) and the party-crunk world of club and radio hits is perhaps his most unique quality.

"Whether you say it Kwali or Kweli, I put him on tracks with Jay-Z/I'm the Gap like Banana Republic and Old Navy"

He makes this possible by embracing and expressing the conflicting drives in all of us to be successful and have all the things we want, while at the same time retain legitimacy as serious and intellectual members of society.

"We all self-conscious, I'm just the first to admit it".

As a rapper, Kanye is simple and direct and knows his limitations. At the same time, he is often disarmingly clever and very subtly funny.

"some of them dislexic/They favorite 50 Cent song's 12 Questions"

The key to Kanye's success is that he combines the personal accessibility in his lyrics with an uncanny sense of melody and atmosphere in his beats. This combination is on full display on Kanye's first solo LP "The College Dropout". He candidly tackles subjects such as his own brush with death ("Through the Wire" where he is literally rapping through the wire that held his jaw shut for a while), his struggles to find success ("Spaceship" and "Last Call") and his spirituality ("Jesus Walks"). Kanye approaches his music with a sense of humor and creativity that people will respond to. My personal favorites from the album include "Spaceship" and "Through the Wire" as well as the superb "Family Business" and "Never Let Me Down" built around, of all things a Michael Bolton sample. Kanye's music has no fakeness and just a little pretention, but it is all sincere and his ability to perfectly match the atmosphere of a strong, catchy beat to the mood and theme of the lyrics should ensure that Kanye will remain at the forefront of hip-hop for years to come.

Read more about Kanye in two Rolling Stones articles here and here

****

Currently, Kanye is absolutely ubiquitous. He's working with EVERYONE. D12, Brandy, Monica, Maroon 5, Janet and reportedly J Lo. Let's hope that he doesn't burn out and we don't start to get a diluted version of Kanye.

Two Words...

Ay yo....
Two words, Bombay, best friend,
bathroom floor, ain't capable of love no more
New city, new job,
but love cant reach that far

Pain still lingers,
he's up there, somewhere,
woulda hated the tears,
smokin weed, laughing loud
I swear I will never, ever let you down...

Two words,
supposed friends, whirlwinds,
no trust, no respect,
wanna fly away
gotta get away

Two words,
Seventy-one, Freedom fight, dark nights
no graves, long days, pain stays

"so I, rep that,
till I,
fucking die"
Pick two words to live by?
I change it to three,
Honor, Family and Loyalty...

To the beat of "Two Words" produced by K. West

Naan sequitur

Belated RIP's to John Ritter ("Come on knock on my doooor, I'll be waiting for youuu") and the Original Gangsta, the Slim Shady of the Sixties, Johnny Cash.

*******

I had the good fortune to be pointed in the direction of this article about Dashboard Confessional. It's a very interesting read, but I would like to call attention to a particular paragraph.

"Still, something's happening, even if no one can decide what to call it. Interscope Records recently purchased a share in Vagrant, and Jimmy Iovine, co-chairman of Interscope, compares Carrabba to another Interscope star who's good with words, Eminem. He says this isn't merely another punk revival: It's a 'songwriting revival.'"

Chris Carrabba compared to Eminem? Shouldn't Shlep be unequivocally outraged that someone could even come close to equating Dashboard Confessional with the greatest lyricist of our time?

Yes and no. First of all, the opinions of Jimmy Iovine should always be respected. As head of Interscope Records, he has nurtured and promoted the very best of modern music for almost 15 years. (Check out Interscope's roster , which includes Geffen and A&M artists as well as many artist-run labels such as Timbaland's Beat Club and Em's Shady Records). Basically, whether its rock, hip-hop, gospel, r&b or whatever, the man knows his shit. Secondly, the article was written by Kelefa Sanneh, the same writer who wrote the Genius of Eminem Rolling Stone cover story a couple of months ago. So clearly this is an informed, intelligent comparison, not just some half-cocked soapbox pronouncement.

I think what Iovine and Sanneh want to impart is that Carrabba and Eminem are comparable in the way they connect to the audience. Both are brutally honest, writing songs that have a rawness and a very tangible sense of urgency. As a listener, I know immediately this is how Carrabba and Em feel, and most importantly, it reflects exactly how I feel.

I'll come out of the closet on this one. I think Carrabba writes good songs. I have to respect someone who so brazenly bares his soul to the world. He doesn't just wear his heart on his sleeve, he rips it out in front of everyone and stitches it onto his sleeve, slowly and painfully. Carrabba has a unique ability to capture not just specific emotions but the moment and the atmosphere surrounding those feelings. He sings like the world could end in the next second and if you don't listen to what he has to say right now his world just might. Sure it's whiny as hell, sure I can only take about three or four songs in a row, sure its embarrassing to admit he can make anybody's inner-16-year-old girl swoon, but I must give props where props are due. Don't hate the playa, hate the game.

HOWEVER, I believe the comparison ends there. In my mind, Eminem is still the superior artist, and here's why. First of all, in terms of techinical skill, Eminem is much more distinguished. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest lyricists and rhyme-slingers to ever grab a mic. Not only does he put his words together in unexpected and interesting ways, he masks the complexity of his rhyme schemes with amazing skill, switching patterns mid-verse. Toure of Rolling Stone wrote in 2000, "he hits you with the lyrical complexity and detailed narratives of Biggie, the hilarious, is-he-kidding-or-not button-pushing of Howard Stern, the disaffected angry-white-boy-ness of Fight Club and the fearless, kill-me-if-you-can energy of Tupac. He rarely uses the same rhyme pattern twice, and he changes his vocal style again and again...often in the space of one verse." Neither Carrabba's voice nor his guitar playing is exceptional in any way. Yes, techincal skill shouldn't be the only criteria when judging art, but I think an artists' dedication to the tools of his craft can be objectively measured, and it's a legitimate point of discussion when making comparisons.

Secondly, Eminem is not as one-dimensional as Dashboard. Yeah okay Chris, we get it, you were in love, now you're not, and it sucks. For Carrabba there seems to be no middle ground between the highest highs of that first kiss and the lowest lows of when she breaks your heart. The maudlin sentimentality of his singing can be bracing and sincere ("I believe in you so much/I could die for the words that you say"), but after awhile you just want to smack him and tell him to get his corny ass over it. There seems to be nothing else going in on the world worth talking about. I suppose this perfectly captures what it's like being a teenager, but great artists should go beyond adolescence to convey a range of emotions in interesting and creative ways.

Eminem's overriding emotion is without question his rage. But he has always mixed his anger with humor, jabs at society and culture, questions about his place in it, and a disarming self-awareness bordering on obsessive introspection. At the same time, Em can be just as raw and emotional as Carrabba, as in "Cleaning out my Closet", "Kim" and "Hallie's' Song". The main difference is that Eminem's macabre imagination provides dark twists to his emotional expression. This is probably a personal preference, but the existence of a darkside, an ambiguity about how the person really feels and how I'm supposed to react to it, seems more creative to me, and is much more interesting. Martin Scorsese once wrote that the best film heroes, the most memorable leading men, all had a certain darkness. When he directs an actor, he wants to see "moral warfare in his eyes". I don't just want to know how sad Chris Carrabba is, or how in love he was, I want to know how those feelings and experiences affect him in the rest of his life. How it changes the way he looks at the rest of the world. Carrabba is very good at what he does, but what he does just doesn't seem complete.

******

So what's the conclusion? Should they be compared? Sure, it's always fun to bring up crazy discussions like this one. Is one better than the other? I think so, but I'm not one to judge. Actually that's not true, I judge all the time, but I'm definitely not one to tell others how to judge. Whatever floats your boat.
Holla.

props to jeff for finding the picture of johnny cash

Basketball, Salman Rushdie novels and hip-hop

In the interest of updating the stagnating Spins, Flicks, and Words section I'm going to knock out the last two items and because I love my readers (both of them) there will be a BONUS SPIN!

Also, you may have noticed a new sidebar section that archives entries by category giving you, the valued reader, quick, convenient access to all my worthless opinions.

RABBIT-PROOF FENCE

Phillip Noyce's Rabbit-Proof Fence is a simple yet affecting film, based on a true story, about the journey of three young girls from a detention center back to their families. The historical background of the film is a harrowing story in itself. Throughout the twentieth century, as late as 1970, the Australian government enforced a policy of separating half-white, half-Aborigine children from their families in the outback and "educating" them in detention centers. The children were taught to be domestic servants and factory workers and ultimately white Australians hoped to "breed out" the inferior genes. The scene in which Kenneth Branagh, playing the man in charge of the program, explains the dubious science behind the institutional racism is chilling. He, along with most of the film's white characters, is compellingly convinced that what they believe is right. The conviction with which Branagh says that the Aborigine genes must be "simply bred out" is truly scary.

The three girls, played by three Aborigines, (a feature on the casting process on the DVD is fascinating) escape the center and begin a 1500 mile journey back to their family. There is no mistreatment at the center, but Noyce very clearly gives us a sense of the natural fear and grief the children must feel after such a traumatic separation. The girls' guide is the rabbit-proof fence, a fence constructed to keep farmlands safe from rabbits and essentially dividing the country between civilization and the outback. Along the way the girls are helped by strangers, some of them white, and show and endearing mix of perseverance and ingenuity.

Noyce's direction very subtly draws the viewer into the film. The camera swoops and floats over the girls as they make their journey, giving their story a mythic and legendary quality. Their small triumphs will uplift you, but the ending will break your heart. Beautiful and emotionally powerful, Rabbit-Proof Fence will leave you overwhelmed with the realization that real people, in very recent times, had to endure such inhumanity.

MS. DYNAMITE - A LITTLE DEEPER

If you're like me and you thought that Lauryn Hill's Miseducation CD was just a tad too preachy at times, well then Ms. Dynamite is the artist for you. Equal parts conscious hip-hop, radio friendly R&B and Jamaican dancehall party jams, A Little Deeper is one of the most intelligent and complete albums of the year.

Despite her young age, the British Ms. Dynamite has alot to say and is clearly not interested in pulling any punches, "You talking like you a g/But you a killer killing your own/You're just a racist man's pussy." Her raps cut and bite with a wisdom that avoids cliche preaching, and her smooth voice is heavy with a hurt and urgency as she recounts her own experiences and observes the problems of those around her.

The production on A Little Deeper is just as fresh and new as Ms. Dynamite. The beats are diverse and inventive and provide the perfect compliment to Dynamite's voice. Conscious without being preachy, sexy without being exlpoitive and at times, deeply personal, A Little Deeper is a cut above typical American R&B.

BONUS SPIN: METALLICA - ST. ANGER

By special request from the oft-mentioned G, I am going to offer my review of the new Metallica. First of all, this CD should come with a warning label. CAUTION: THIS ALBUM WILL BLUDGEON YOU WITH ITS WALL OF NOISE.

With that said, I think it's an excellent album. A review that G pointed me towards claims that aside from the musical merits or shortcomings of St. Anger, a more important artistic statement is being made by the band's production choices and recording process. I'm not sure about all that, (that's on some serious Duchampesque-modern-art shit), but St. Anger is definitely unlike anything else Metallica has done in the post-Black album era. What was left? Metallica had experimented with everything, even releasing an album of covers and recording with a symphony. In a way, then, it's very fitting that Metallica has gone back in time for its next album. Up until Black, Metallica had followed a progression, an evolution from speed, thrash metal, to slick, tuneful mainstream metal, but whatever form their music took Metallica infused it with their own sense of majesty, their knack for monster riffs backed by epic soundscapes. ( My first exposure to Metallica was the video for "One". It scared me, I was 7, but I was also profoundly impressed and affected by the drama of the music, and I think that speaks to the unique, broad appeal that sets Metallica apart.)

St. Anger keeps the signtare Metallica stamp, while returning to the raw, brutal metal of their early 80's incarnation. Metallica doesn't just imitate their early music, though, they twist it. Scratch that. They stick a knife into it and twist it, and they keep twisting until it hurts. The production is spare and hungry. The guitars swerve and crash, stop and start. James' vocals crack and strain under the weight of his emotional release ("Fran-tic-tic-tic-tick-tock, Fran-tic-tic-tic-TICK-TOCK!") St. Anger is harsh at first listen, but it will grow on you.

*******

"Make me call my homey on the phone
Like there's somethin new out, that got me in the zone
Just that feelin, got me
I wish music could adopt me"
----Erick Sermon

Far from this opera forever more

Much has already been made of The White Stripes and their new album, Elephant. The album recieved 5 stars from Rolling Stone, which only happens once or twice a year.

I don't have too much to add to all the accolades. I agree that Elephant is one of the most accomplished and complete rock albums to be released in quite a while. Jack and Meg White have kept everything that, up to this point, has made them so unique and appealing: a spare two-person sound, Jack's supremely gifted songwriting and guitar playing, the contrast between the strong blues-based rock and Jack's bizarre falsetto. On Elephant, they develop and add to this wonderful mix, the blues is still there, but this time they bring the thunder for real. The drums pound, and the guitars soar and crash back down with a delicious crunch on songs like "Seven Nation Army", "Little Acorns", and "Black Math". Jack unleashes some blistering solos like on "Ball and Biscuit". To top it off, Meg even grabs the mic to mellow us out on "In the Cold, Cold Night" and "It's True that We Love One Another".

I don't have a clever ending...so I'll just quote Chris Rock, "The White Stripes are for real."

Power and possibility

So...When did you fall in love with hip-hop?

This is the opening line from the movie Brown Sugar, not a spectacular or mind-blowing film by any measure, but for me personally, it is a very important one. Brown Sugar is the first movie to attempt to intelligently explore the love-hate relationship between a devotee of hip-hop and the music itself. The makers of the movie, director Rick Famuyiwa and writer Michael Elliot, draw a formulaic parallel between the fan-to-music relationship, and a typical movie romance between the two principle characters, Sidney, played by Sanaa Lathan, and Dre, played by Taye Diggs. Elements of this device, in addition to the theme of pinpointing the importance of music as milestones and as the soundtracks to our lives has been seen before in arguably better movies such as Almost Famous and High Fidelity . The significance of Brown Sugar is that it places these familiar stories and themes in a new and refreshing hip-hop (and largely African-American) context. For a better and much more eloquent article on this aspect of the movie please see the Salon.com review of Brown Sugar.

The movie opens with current and past hip-hop artists (Common, ?uestlove, Method Man, De La Soul, Doug E. Fresh) recalling when it was that they fell in love with hip-hop, firmly placing the rest of the story in a love-letter-to-hip-hop context. It is a shame that this thread becomes less developed than the romantic plot, which is entirely predictable but avoids complete cliche based on the strength of the performances.

Lathan in particular embodies a perfect mix of strength and vulnerability as she struggles with her love for her best friend Dre, her new job as editor of hip-hop publication XXL, and the advances of Kelby, a star basketball player and wannabe hip-hop artist. Also of note there is Mos Def's supporting role as Chris, the rapper/taxi driver who figures prominently within Dre's subplot of rediscovering his love of hip-hop. Chris' humor is perfectly dry and Mos' comic timing is one of the main highlights of the movie. More comic relief is provided by Rin and Tin, the "Hip-Hop Dalmatians", one white and one black rapper whose antics drive Dre from his cushy major label job. The main romance and the subplots are executed with intelligence and without cliche, but unfortunately their development detracts from what could be a movie by itself, the range of emotions that the music we love inspires.

This is really what I want to talk about. In a frustratingly few scenes, Brown Sugar captures that excitement, that rush that comes with the realization that you are experiencing something new. That you are part an expression of pure creativity, an expression that reflects you. That IS you. That is, ultimately, beautiful; it doesnt have to be hip-hop, doesnt even have to be music. Brown Sugar is about our relationship with what inspires us.

*******

The love-letter to hip-hop has been musically articulated by Chicago MC Common in an excellent trilogy of songs.

I Used to Love H.E.R. from Common's Resurrection album.
Act Too...The Love of My Life from The Roots' Things Fall Apart.
Love of My Life with Erykah Badu from the Brown Sugar Soundtrack.

Power and possibility continued

A while ago my homeboy Gautam wrote about the moment when you first "get it" after hearing a song. That certain mix of emotions that hits you the first time you hear a kick ass piece of music. It's the story of my life. Fist pumping 80's arena rock like Poison and Bon Jovi propel my childhood memories. Bands of the early 90s that changed the world of rock, Pearl Jam, Nirvavna, Smashing Pumpkins, play in the background while my own world changed during adoloscence.

But home was always hip-hop. It has grown with me, taught me, nurtured me, protected me. It has inspired me by its diversity, tolerance, adaptability, inclusiveness and most of all accessibility. You don't have to be a big star, with big hair and tight pants and expensive instruments. All you need is a mic, and your homeboy in the back with a couple of turntables.

Hip-hop has comforted me. It has provided me with an attitude, and more importantly, an identity. Growing up in the Texas suburbs, everyone around you is so white. Not just in skin, but white in outlook, in culture. In high school, there were approximately two people I could talk to about hip-hop. Everyone else I knew had a narrow-mindedness, a disturbing and frustrating dismissiveness towards this artform, just because it was different. Otherwise intelligent people, not only didn't know, but didn't care to know. If you don't like it, fine, but give it a real chance. It does have a message, it does have creativity, it is not just noise.

So hip-hop gave me my identity, my voice, strengthened by being forced to defend it. Its beats provided the backdrop for the good times, the parties. Its poetry enlightened me, gave me hope.

But there are two sides to any good relationship. Hip-hop has also frustrated me, often falling sadly short of its potential. It has betrayed me, if times are hard it has run after repetition, excessive materialism, and degradation.

But love is love. Hip-hop has always reinvented itself. It has always come back to show me new worlds, new possibilities. To open my eyes, to make me dance. To make me think, re-think, about what I know. To make me bob my head, like hell yeah, or, if its really good, to make me shake my head, like hell no, this can't be THAT good.

*****

So...When did I fall in love with hip-hop? I don't think I can pin down the exact moment. We've always just been there for each other. We probably always will.

La Cienega Just Smiled

Addendum to the Eminem review: For two very well-written views on Eminem's artistic merit check out these two articles on Salon.com Why Eminem deserves a Grammy and Why critics shouldn't overlook his lyrical content

Only four more days of class left....

Try and catch me BEEEITCH

So in my attempt to kill time between thesis sessions I wrote some music reviews of my favorite songs. I used to review music for my high school newspaper, so this my sad attempt at trying to recapture my youth

This also my first high post.

“Kim” by Eminem, from the Marshall Mathers LP:

The prequel to Slim’s wife murder fantasy “’99 Bonnie and Clyde”, “Kim” is a glorious and passionate chronicle of a man caught on the brink between love and madness. But where “’99 Bonnie and Clyde” was calm and understated, and addressed to Em’s daughter Hallie about why there was no more Mommy, “Kim” imagines the chaotic moments leading up to the murder. Almost all of the elements of the song mirror the explosive inner conflict between anger and sadness that a breakup causes. The song begins much like Bonnie with Slim baby-talking to his daughter, but then Em jarringly starts to scream at Kim. Pay attention. This is not your typical wife-murder fantasy hip-hop song.

The production is a finely layered mix of elements that suit the song perfectly. An elegant piano loop backs the main melody which is fluid, almost sweetly melancholic, while the hook deftly sums up the main conflict of the song, “So long/ Bitch you did me so wrong/I don’t want to go on/Living in this world without you.” All this is contrasted with and propelled by a maniacal bass line that pounds mercilessly as Em screams a deranged stream-of-consciousness rap. The effect is riveting as we realize that behind the intense anger there is a strong undercurrent of sadness, love and utter desperation. Em’s verses at first listen are just random and noisy, but true to form, they are actually constructed thoughtfully and rhymed with care. “Kim” didn’t do much to endear Slim to feminists and all of his other detractors, but it is an enduring testament to the dark powers of Eminem’s artistry.

Side note: To all my homeboys, you know that feeling right after you break up with your girl? That mixture of anger and despair (to quote another Em song, “Rock Bottom”: “Cause you mad enough to scream but you sad enough to tear ”). Well listen to this song. It’s cathartic; it will cleanse you. “YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO LOVE ME! NOW BLEED BITCH BLEEEEED!!!!”

Side side note: Shlep does not ever condone the use violence against women. When he says riveting he does not mean empathetic. “Kim” forces you to feel what Em is feeling, but never really to sympathize with him. Let the record also show that Em himself has never been accused of hitting a female, only pistol whipping the guy that kissed Kim, but that’s another story.