Archive for the ‘News’ Category
Coming to a local PBS station near you in January 2010:
Can you own a sound? As hip-hop rose from the streets of New York to become a multibillion-dollar industry, artists such as Public Enemy and De La Soul began reusing parts of previously recorded music for their songs. But when record company lawyers got involved everything changed. Years before people started downloading and remixing music, hip-hop sampling sparked a debate about copyright, creativity and technological change that still rages today.
Looks good, eh? Too bad I just missed the only screening in Seattle. Check the website for upcoming screenings in your area. The Bay Area, Miami and D.C. screenings are happening today, tomorrow and the next day, so get moving!
It’s been a long 36 hours for Seattle MC Gabriel Teodros. As some of you might know, Gabe just left Seattle on Tuesday for what was supposed to be a three month journey through England doing solo shows, then France and Germany on tour with Souls of Mischief, possibly Jordan and the United Arab Emirates on tour with Ragtop of the Philistines and Omar Offendum, and then into Ethiopia and eventually Nairobi where he’s hoping to link with Monk Wordsmith of the Physics for a show in Kenya. It’s all a beautiful concept but it’s taking a temporary delay since the Babylon border patrol detained Gabe for a whopping eight hours yesterday before denying him entrance into London. It’s been said that London Heathrow Airport is a tough airport for people of color and Gabe experienced that first hand yesterday. It reminds me of the Mos Def line: London Heathrow me and my people/they think illegal is a synonym for negro.
It’s sort of a heartbreaking story because he’s had his heart set on this trip for awhile. And everything was falling into line perfectly. But the officials at the border said they didn’t think he had enough funds to support himself in the U.K. for the duration of his trip and that he didn’t have a proper work visa. Fucking borders. So after eight hours of being in a cage, they put him on a plane and sent him back to Iceland. He’s in Reykjavik now, where it’s apparently freezing cold. He and I spent a couple of hours trading emails trying to brainstorm on what his next move should be. He’s being shipped out of Iceland at 10 a.m. our time (5 p.m. Iceland time) and being sent to New York. That actually could be a good thing. He can link with all the Seattle Rappers at CMJ and maybe tour the East Cost for awhile. Either way, his real goal is to be in Ethiopia by December 1st and he’s still on task to make it. Send him some love right now like he’s getting in the video below. He needs it.
Fresh off a nine year bid in a New York State prison, Shyne ( a.k.a. Moses Michael Leviy, formerly known as Jamal Barrow), finds himself in lockdown again. This time he’s in immigration detention and is facing possible deportation back to his native Belize. For most immigrants in Shyne’s shoes – he’s a permanent resident, or a person that has what is commonly referred to as a “green card” – a nine year sentence for assault and weapons charges pretty much means the end of the road as far as the American dream goes. However, we all know that Shyne, the Bad Boy upstart turned one-hit-wonder turned Diddy’s fall guy, isn’t like most immigrants. But did you know that he’s also the son of the Prime Minister of Belize?
Most Americans can’t understand any of the lyrics they hear in contemporary dancehall music. Just ask any of the millions of American fans that have purchased a Sean Paul album what exactly Mr. Paul is talking about. They will assuredly answer you with “I dunno” or the always safe “weed.” Obviously, Jamaican Patois is not being taught as a foreign language in American High Schools. But I still think that an informed dancehall fan should try to understand, at very least superficially, what they are listening to. Sometimes I can’t understand half of what’s being said the first time I listen to a dancehall song, but it’s always a learning experience and challenge that I’m willing to tackle.
Jamaicans, on the other hand, do understand the lyrics, and they are raw, sexual, filled with images of crime and drug use, and no holds barred. For some, it’s gotten to be a little too much, and their collective cringe has turned into a rally cry against what they perceive as dancehall’s corruption of the country’s moral fabric. Recently, some conservative groups and individuals stood up against what they saw as perverse and violent lyrics in dancehall music. Their lobbying efforts paid off, and earlier this year Jamaica banned all explicit lyrics from being played on the radio. But it’s not just about the lyrics, you see. It’s about the culture of dancehall, what it stands for, and how much influence it yields on the youth. Just last week, the government also banned the display of “daggerin’” on public television.
What exactly is daggerin’? Well, in America we have something similar, and the kids call it dancing. Some young adults might call it “bumpin’ and grindin’,” and some older folks would just call it dry-humping. Daggerin’ is a little more intense than your typical American-style “booty dancing,” though. It’s more like pretending to have sex with your clothes on and in a really over the top kinda way. If you would like to see some colorful daggerin’, see Major Lazer’s Pon De Floor video or just Google “daggerin” (NSFW!!!).
So… all this political/cultural clashing brings up a bunch of interesting questions that I am not able to address on this blog due to my limited knowledge, etc. That’s what we have the internet for. Check the following video and this article for some more enlightenment on the Jamaican culture wars surrounding dancehall music.
One island, two Jamaicas and a whole heap of difference:
Much respect to Lisa Biagiotti, Micah Fink and the Pullitzer Center for Crisis Reporting for making this informative piece.
PUTS keeps that true school hip hop vibe alive in their new single, Hit the Top. Although I haven’t heard all of their new effort, Carried Away, I’m sure it will be another classic underground album. Keep an eye out for it on October 13th.
In the meantime, enjoy the new single and this promo video:
I’m not gonna lie. I’m excited. I know that these dudes are way overexposed, but they do make some good music from time to time. And who would deny that the Nas/Damian collabo on the Jamrock album was filthy? Not I.
No release date has been made public, but here’s a leaked possible tracklist:
01 Intro (Something New) (prod. Damian Marley)
02 As We Enter (prod. Damian Marley) download snippet here
03 Revolutionary (prod. Damian Marley)
04 Count Your Blessings (prod. Damian & Stephen Marley)
05 Belief is Key (prod. Damian Marley)
06 Africa Must Wake Up f. K’naan (prod. Nas, Damian & Stephen Marley)
07 Black Horizon f. K’naan (prod. Damian Marley)
08 Only the Strong (prod. Damian & Stephen Marley)
09 Our Generation f. Joss Stone & Stevie Wonder (prod. Damian Marley)
10 Empowerment (prod. Stephen Marley)
11 AID (prod. K’naan & Nas)
12 Let’s End It (Poverty) f. K’naan (prod. 9th Wonder & Damian Marley)
13 The Earth f. Bob Marley (prod. Salaam Remix, Damian & Stephen Marley)
14 Black Man’s Paper f. Erykah Badu (prod. Afry) [UK Bonus]
15 Weed On f. Snoop Dogg (prod. Damian Marley) [iTunes Bonus]
That’s right. I said Ass Bomber.
I hope this doesn’t mean that I have to get my butt checked for bombs every time I fly now.
