stonecriesout

Month 1: the hip-hop

As you can imagine, I have to keep the bus music pretty kid-friendly, so we have been on a steady rotation of Destiny's Child, Mariah Carey, Boyz 2 Men, Michael Jackson (& the Jackson 5), James Brown, and plenty of lousy pop-country hits from the radio.  In the meantime, I've picked up a few new albums while on the road, and I have to say: September wasn't a bad month for hip-hop.

My first purchase on the road was Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3.  Being a huge fan of his first Blueprint album, I had high hopes for Blueprint 3, especially considering the 2-disc misguided transition piece that was The Blueprint 2.  Since 2, he has released a bona fide classic (The Black Album - 2003), a somewhat forgettable comeback album (Kingdom Come - 2006), a themed-yet-dynamic pseudo-soundtrack pseudo-memoir (American Gangster - 2007), and now this.  I have to say I was thrilled in July when I first heard "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)," as I saw it as Jay using his power for good.  He has long been ahead of the trend, the fashionable, the popular--it seemed right that he would be the first mainstream artist to publicly defame the auto-tuned mess of radio material--and he never actually used the auto-tune himself.  How many guys who consider themselves relevant can say that?  Anyway, back to the album.
Not a classic.  Doesn't change the game the way Blueprint did.  But also not as forgettable as Blueprint 2.  Jay is a much different man and a much different artist than he was when he made those albums.  He has been CEO of Def Jam, he got married, he is currently seated as the most powerful MC alive, and he takes his roles seriously.  What he does on this album is good.  He rhymes well, he collaborates with other great artists (Alicia Keys, No ID, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams), invites new gifted artists (Kid Cudi, Drake, Rihanna), and tries his hand at some styles that aren't necessarily straight from the BK.  "On To The Next One" is my personal favorite of these--the beat sounds straight out of the Bay--like a Zion I or Grouch beat, complete with multiple switches.  Jay rides it effortlessly, though it does seem strange to have the NYC top-of-the-throat rhyme style over a beat that you'd typically hear a laid-back-basement-studio voice on.  It works, though.  I also applaud "A Star Is Born," in which Jay pays respect to most of the artists who have gotten big during his 13-year tenure at the Top.  You can hear how he views each of their successes, but what is most interesting to me is that each has faded away by now, and he has not.  He is still in the forefront, chronicling their eventual irrelevance.  I have a feeling that if Jay keeps grinding and staying ahead of the game as he has up to this point, we can expect many more good things from him before he finally calls it a career.

The other new album I am excited about is Kid Cudi's album Man On The Moon: The End of The Day.  I knew Cudi from his work on Kanye's 808s & Heartbreak (which I really liked and wrote about in this post), but I didn't really know what to expect from his first full album.  I wasn't thrilled when I heard "Day N Nite" on the radio this Summer, but it grew on me, and I could tell Cudi was striving for creativity and newness in his music.  I've had the album for a week now, and I can't stop listening to it.  It certainly fits the title: it sounds like the digitalized, romanticized trip to the moon.  The "Lonely Stoner" chronicles his romantic mishaps, his escapist tendencies, and all the while balances a mellow feel with a charismatic sense of humor.  He doesn't try too hard to be "different," because he really is doing something that nobody else is doing right now.  You can hear some flashes of 808s & Heartbreak, but it doesn't deter from Man on the Moon as much as it does clarify some of the genius behind 808s.
Like I said, "Day N Nite" wasn't my favorite, but "Soundtrack 2 My Life" pulled me in, and no tracks made me want to back away.  I recommend this album to anyone who is seeking hip-hop that rejects the formula.

I also am enjoying:
Q-Tip: Kamaal the Abstract

I am having fun with:
Busta Rhymes: Back on My B.S.

I am already semi-bored with:
Drake: So Far Gone

Thanks for checking in, everyone!  Any recommendations?

The hard part

Leaving Bellingham was not the hard part.  Going on tour is not the hard part.
Leaving my close friends was not the hard part.  Forging new relationships now is not the hard part.
Leaving my favorite coffee shops & restaurants was not the hard part.  Not choosing what I eat now is not the hard part.
Leaving my apartment was not the hard part.  Changing homes every two days is not the hard part.
Leaving Starbucks was not the hard part.  Working 24/7 with CCW now is not the hard part.
Leaving a relaxed life was not the hard part.  Barely having time to relax now is not the hard part.
Leaving my books was not the hard part.  Not having time to read now is not the hard part.
Leaving my CD collection was not the hard part.  Listening to the radio now is not the hard part.
Leaving familiarity was not the hard part.  Constant amiguity is not the hard part.

The hard part was change.  Change meant newness.  Change meant challenge.  Change meant demand.
The hard part was saying, "Yes."  "Yes" meant I was willing to change.  "Yes" meant I would sacrifice.  "Yes" meant I was accepting potential failure.
The hard part was my fear.  Fear asked me to withdraw.  Fear suggested I stay in Bellingham.  Fear wanted me to stay small.
The hard part now is to lead.  Leadership means confidence.  Leadership means sacrifice.  Leadership means invisible humility.  Leadership is hard.
The hard part now is to unconditionally love.  Love means vulnerability.  Love rejects cynicism.  Love accepts all.  Love is hard.
The hard part now is to be patient.  Patience is the cornerstone of ministry.  Patience means discerning worthy risks.  Patience demands maturity.  Patience is hard.

Leaving was not the hard part.  Going was not the hard part.
The hard part was internal.  Still is.

Michael Jackson's Life & Death

 

 

    ". . . in our time, when a man dies--if he has had wealth and influence and power and all the vestments that arouse envy, and after the living take stock of the dead man's property and his eminence and works and monuments--the question is still there: Was his life good or was it evil? . . . Envies are gone, and the measuring stick is: "Was he loved or was he hated?  Is his death felt as a loss or does a kind of joy come from it?"

    . . . In uncertainty I am certain that underneath their topmost layers of frailty men want to be good and want to be loved.  Indeed, most of their vices are attempted short cuts to love.  When a man comes to die, no matter what his talents and influence and genius, if he dies unloved his life must be a failure to him and his dying a cold horror.  It seems to me that if you or I must choose between two courses of thought or action, we should remember our dying and try so to live that our death brings no pleasure to the world."

 

- John Steinbeck

 

I have to believe that by now, any and all of you reading this knows that Michael Jackson is dead.  I'm writing this to share how I'm responding to the news of the end of his life.  I'm not paying tribute, not making a case for how I think anyone else should feel about Michael, and definitely not trying to simplify or understate his story and his character.  Just sharing how I feel.

 

When I was a kid, there were two living Superstars in their prime: Madonna and Michael Jackson.  This is back when the word Superstar had meaning, and Michael was the biggest Superstar the world had ever seen.  The influence and popularity of Madonna and Michael was unprecedented, and I'm confident will never be repeated.  I remember that everything they released was pure magic, and I was wasn't even alive when "Thriller" was released.  So one could argue that Michael was even past his popularity apex when he came in to my awareness.  I remember watching in awe those first minutes of his 1993 Super Bowl Halftime performance, while he just stands still, with the crowd going absolutely bananas.  I remember imitating his dance moves, his unique hiccuped-inflections, his funny speaking voice.  I remember my mom crying to "Will You Be There" after watching "Free Willy."  I remember that the video for "Scream" was like nothing I'd ever seen before--the music video equivalent of when I saw "The Matrix" for the first time.  I remember that for several months, I just couldn't get "You Are Not Alone" out of my head.  I remember finding his work released in the '80s, his Jackson 5 collection, and just loving all of it.  He was relentlessly popular when I was a kid, spitefully popular when I was teenager, ironically popular when I was getting in to college, and even today he is somehow the most enduringly popular of any Superstar I've seen.  His influence bleeds through nearly every artist who has come since.  The work he did and the details of his life we saw as I grew up are a fixture in what it meant for me to grow up in my generation.

 

Growing up, Michael Jackson and his life have also been well-worn punchlines for some of my favorite comedians.  Norm MacDonald's famous "Jacko on his Backo" routine on Weekend Update, and all the not-so-tongue-in-cheek nods to pedophilia from Conan O'Brien and Dave Letterman.  Even black apologists Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle took their cracks at the pedophilia specualtions.  I remember laughing at the jokes when I was younger.  I ignored most of the tabloid-ish news about Michael, I didn't pay much mind to the pedophilia jokes (really?  Pedophilia jokes?), and mostly I just wished everyone would leave him alone and let him make some more music.  Regardless of what I saw in mass media, I always felt that there was residual genius in Michael, and he would always be a captivating and inspiring entertainer.  It always felt a little dirty to laugh at Michael's expense, though we all did.

 

Now that he has died, I hope that the folks who knew Michael personally can sincerely believe it within them that his life brought Good, not evil, in to the world, and that his death brings the world no pleasure.  I won't pretend to know anything about the inner-workings of his mind, his life, or his behavior, but I do know that as any and every other man does, Michael has the right to be honored in his death for the good he brought during his life.

Yesterday I heard Rev. Al Sharpton (a friend of Michael's since the '70s) tell a story about Michael.  When Michael's idol James Brown died, Michael returned to the States for the funeral.  He was devastated and reluctant to speak at James' service, but ultimately he was persuaded and shared that he only hoped that James would receive his due in death that he did not receive during his life.  Rev. Sharpton echoed that sentiment on Michael's behalf, acknowledging that many of those praising Michael now were far less than gracious or kind to him while he was alive.

 

As Steinbeck illustrates in the words I began with, we are all subject to the tension of living a life that will either be remembered as Good or Evil.  I don't know how You feel about Michael, and frankly--how you feel about him has no effect on how I feel about him.  I don't know how much Good or Evil he brought to the people who knew him personally, and I won't discount the impact he has made on the familes who have accused him of abusing their sons, whatever that impact may be.  One thing I do know is that while this man lived 39 of his 50 years in the public eye, and the general public will now be casually contemplating whether his life brought more Good or more Evil to the world, I contend that we ought to have no voice.  Only his family, his friends, his associates, his personal acquaintances, his children--these are the only ones who may decide--and they are entitled to the privacy of their judgment.  If you must opine, I do suggest watching any public address Michael makes to his fans and tell me if you see any insincerity, any malice, any unkindness, any self-idolatry.  Tell me if you find one where he doesn't tell everyone in the room how much he loves them.  Tell me if you think he's lying.

 

When I consider all my memories, and all the ways to respond to Michael's death, I feel only loss.  The entertainment-cultural world has lost (in my personal opinion) the 2nd-greatest entertainer I've seen (behind only the above-mentioned James Brown).  The pop-music artistic world has lost its greatest triumph.  The world of charity has lost its greatest giver.  And most importantly, the Jackson family has lost a brother, a son, and a father.

 

All that said, I just hope that those who knew Michael believe in his goodness, and will carry out any of his lasting goodness as purposefully as he'd hoped to.

 

 

My 24th Year: the Hip-Hop

As many readers may know, I "turned" 24 years old last Sunday.  I'm not much in to my birthday, but I do pay attention to birthdays and other annuals as points of reference in seeing growth and change.  I thought I'd write a few posts sharing some of my favorites from my 24th year (because, as we all know, we "turn" the age we are at the end of living that year).  This one will be about some of my favorite music released this year.

We all know that I am an apologist for Hip-Hop music, and while 2008-2009 was a "slow" year for some of my usual suspects, we did see some exciting new artists and some breakthrough albums from familiar names.  We also saw some drastic changes in style from some popular names.

My favorite new artists have to be: the Knux (Remind Me In 3 Days - 10/08), K'Naan (Troubadour - 01/09), and N.A.S.A. (The Spirit of Apollo - 02/09).

I know I'm not the first to make this comparison, but the Knux could be to New Orleans what OutKast has been to Atlanta.  The Katrina-displaced brothers remind me of why I love the Big Easy--so much eclecticism, all naturally wound-up in angst and a spirited cynicism that doesn't give in to jadedness.  Their entrenched knowledge of american music combined with their poly-rhythmic MPC freak-outs make for some outrageously fun tracks that both brothers match with their versatile rhyme patterns and buoyant (if sometimes dark) themes.  Check it out if you want to be totally confused yet totally entertained all at once.

K'naan's story begins with his upbringing in Mogadishu, Somalia during their civil war--but it definitely doesn't end there.  He spent his teens in Toronto, and emerged as a spoken-word poet.  To be fair, he did release The Dusty Foot Philosopher (06/05) to wide critical acceptance, but outside of the smaller circles he was running in, nobody as far away as the West Coast was hearing it.  K'naan sings, raps, and altogether defies un-hyphenated genre distinction.  You can call Troubadour alt-reggae, reggae-hop, whatever you want.  He exudes Marley's soul, Wyclef's fire, Akon's appeal, and k-os' funk.  That's not to say he should be compared to any of those artists, but he is that interesting.

N.A.S.A. stands for North Amerca/South America, and is a collaborative project by DJs Squeak E. Clean and DJ Zegon.  They both operate out of LA, but as Zegon is Brazilian, they decided to mash-up their two native sounds and make an album.  The sound has been called "Brazilian funk," but don't pay attention to that.  It's Hip-Hop, with some new rhythms we Americans aren't necessarily used to, and a lot of horns and crazy singers.  Best of all, the MCs and singers they collaborate with: Chali 2na, Gift of Gab, Chuck D, Method Man, E-40, RZA, KRS-One, Fatlip, the O.D.B., Kanye West, M.I.A., Del tha Funkee Homosapien, The Cool Kids, Ghostface Killah, Scarface, Santogold, George Clinton, Seu Jorge, and my personal favorite: Tom Waits.  Also appearing are some legendary DJsL DJ Qbert, Kool Keith, Z-Trip.  SO much fun.

Some of the usual suspects came around and dropped new albums in my 24th year, and they were: The Roots (Rising Down - 04/08), Common (Universal Mind Control - 12/08), and Kanye West (808s and Heartbreak - 12/08).

The Roots dropped Rising Down less than two years after their CLASSIC album Game Theory (08/06), and I have to admit that my expectations were high.  I saw that Mos Def, Common, Talib Kweli, Dice Raw, Truck North, and Malik B. were featured on the album, and that bolstered the hopes even more.  I should have known that they wouldn't match the dark funky miracle that was Game Theory.  Nevertheless, Rising Down features Black Thought at his very best, especially when listening to "@ 15" (which is a recording of Thought freestyling at age 15--"I have black thoughts/so my name's the same") and "75 Bars (Black's Reconstruction)" back-to-back.  BT's command of the language is in full display, as it was in past hook-less tracks like "Thought at Work" (Phrenology) and "Web" (The Tipping Point).  Ultimately, the 10th album from the Legendary Crew is solid and while working through more politics, nihilism, addiction, and hypocrisy, it never depresses.

Common disappointed me with Universal Mind Control.  Okay, let's back up.  He disappointed me back when he dropped Finding Forever (07/07).  But since he has a tendency to go up-and-down with each album, I expected that he would pick it up--which isn't crazy, right?  Well, I was disappointed.  Too many songs about sex, too little discussion of what's actually happening in the world, too much Neptunes, too little of what is left from the Common Sense days.  The single "Universal Mind Control" is a loose remix of "Looking for the Perfect Beat" (Afrika Bambaataa), and is ridiculously infectious.  Unfortunately the album never builds around it.

Kanye West.  Remember when I wrote this about Yeezy?  Me too.  But hey--let's all try to suspend our judgment of his past and examine 808s and Heartbreak by itself.  Is he still in love with his reflection?  Yeah, sure, probably.  The comparisons with Narcissus could go on all day.  But let me get one thing straight: This Album Fascinates Me.  For so many reasons.  Let's look at the artist first: Genius.  Sonically, did with The College Dropout and Late Registration what so many have been trying to do before and since.  Everyone you hear now has a little Kanye in them (or at least tries to).  Nevermind the million collabos he did on albums for Jay-Z, Dilated Peoples, Slum Village, Lupe Fiasco, etc., you get the idea.  So what does it mean when after Kanye drops a pitiful pseudo-pop-electronica album I won't even name in this post, he drops an album that gets buzz for what he doesn't do on it: rap, or use samples in his production?  It means....he sings with an auto-tuner, and produces purely out of reorganized sounds?  Umm...what?  Granted, the 808 has long been a staple of hip-hop, and the auto-tuner is as much a part of hip-hop's current mainstream sound as the digital clap (thanks a bunch, Akon and T-Pain), but this sure seems to be a boring stretch for the self-proclaimed "Best International Male" to Barack Obama's "Best Interracial Male."  Let me just tell you: give the album a chance.  This is the way hip-hop is going.  Clearing samples is getting to be such an impossible business--totally de-regulated, full of shady lawyers, greedy obscure producers from the '70s.  Artists now are draining their entire production budgets on clearances, and have no funds left for studio time or for bringing in artists to collaborate with.  So the only way to stay in the black is to forgo samples.  The only problem is that most people left to their own devices with their 808 or MPC make boring, plastic-y sounding music.  The challenge is to create a digital sound that translates well in to the live show.  Kanye succeeds.  "Love Lockdown" and "Heartless" (the two lead singles) seem simplistic, but wait until you see them in full orchestration, played by the instruments that the sounds he used were derived from.  You'll be dancing.

As far as the auto-tuner goes, it does add to the over-digitalized sound that pervades popular music now, and I can't defend it.  It's there to auto-tune because the singer can't tune himself.  It fits with the sound he's got on the tracks, but that's about the best thing I can say about it.

What I will defend is Kanye's lyrical expression.  After losing his best friend and Mother in 11/07, and then splitting up with his long-time girlfriend and fiance of 18 months 7 months later, it sure sounds like he just locked himself in the studio and made this album.  It's true, I believe, that suffering breeds creativity, and Kanye had to suffer here while making this album.  Having split up with a long-time girlfriend myself just before this album released, I connected with Kanye's confusion, his pain, his self-doubt, but ultimately his belief that he could go on.  That's going to come off pretty cheesy, but if you've broken up before, you know what I'm talking about.

I am giving 808s and Heartbreak some time to determine how relevant I think it is to hip-hop overall.  Hip-hop doesn't really seem to know what to do right now, and I see 808s as Kanye stating his case for where it could go.  Nobody will argue what his influence has been--now we will just have to wait to see what his influence still can be.

Along with those albums, I really enjoyed the return of the Abstract: Q-Tip (The Renaissance - 11/08), the long-awaited full-length from what's left and still rapping from ATCQ.  Deft and non-stop rhymes layer the updated drum-and-bass style that once was ATCQ trademark on "Won't Trade" and "Manwomanboogie."  Overall, a fun album, and a welcome release from an ageless personal favorite of mine.

I should also mention T.I. (Paper Trail - 09/08), which is a surprisingly revealing and apologetic album from a gifted M.C. on his way to the Penitentiary.  Check out "Ready for Whatever," "No Matter What," and "Dead and Gone" to hear his side of his latest charges, and prepare to be convinced that he is truly on his own road to redemption.

Also to be heard: Grandmaster Flash (The Bridge - 03/09)!!!!  Yes, you read that right.  Flash is back!  Far from being the most innovative of this decade, Flash nevertheless displays his trademark precision and creativity with the resources he is given.  Every song bleeds NYC adrenaline, carried through the late '70s, '80s, '90s, and all the way to 2009 through Flash's fingertips on the turntables he still spins.  He brings in legends: KRS-One, Q-Tip, Big Daddy Kane, Grandmaster Caz, Busta Rhymes.  He brings in underground superstars: MC Supernatural, DJ Kool, Mr. Cheeks.  He brings in relative unknowns....he does it all.  Overall a VERY fun album from the one and only GMF--you won't be disappointed.

That was the best hip-hop of my 24th year.  I'm sorry for not mentioning the new Nas album, but ya know....I'm not a big Nas fan.  Heard the album, it was interesting, now I forgot about it.  That's my review.

I'm looking forward most to a new Mos Def album in my 25th year, and maybe some new projects out of the Quannum Crew.  Haven't heard from Blackalicious in a while!  Would love to hear something out of the Coup, Jurassic 5, even dead prez.  I'm curious what they have to say about our black president.

Check back for more of my favorites from my 24th year!

On Adulthood, Pt. II: Intimate Knowledge of Self

<Click Here to go to the Introduction of this series>
<Click Here to go to Part One of this series, "Capacity for Deferred Gratification">

Intimate Knowledge or Familiarity

"At exactly which point do you start to realize
that life without Knowledge is death-in-disguise?
That's why Knowledge of Self is like life-after-death
Apply it to your life--let destiny manifest"
-Talib Kweli (as Black Star)

I head this section with a dualism that was not specifically drawn by Barber or Postman in their social critiques.  I added and chose this dualism because I have seen Familiarity equated with Intimate Knowledge far too often, only arresting our "adult" development in the long-term.  If we are to practice Adult Fluency, Familiar Knowledge of Self is not sufficient--we must be able to know ourselves Intimately.

The reason we must be working for Intimate Knowledge of Self as a characteristic of Fluency is that I believe that in order for us to be Fluenty outwardly, we must first be Fluent inwardly.  We cannot be Accountable or Reconcile externally if we are not Accountable and have not Reconciled internally.  An Intimate Knowledge of Self is difficult to describe, because the sensations may be different for each individual.  I'll do my best.

When we look inward to discover who we are, we must be willing and able to suspend our judgment for the sake of our learning and growth.  This practice is closely related to a Capacity for Deferred Gratification, but I believe it is more appropriate to cite this particular type of willing suspension here.  An important thing to remember is that while we look inside ourselves, we see through conditioned lenses--lenses that we will simultaneously be peering through and trying to clean.  Because of that, suspending our judgment will be very difficult; but, if we are able to do so, and practice that essence of humility that embraces the possibility of Not-Knowing, we will have a good place to start.  Let's do our best to start from scratch as we piece together and see our identities being formed.

As I mentioned earlier in this secion, we are often satisfied (unwittingly, like Baby, perhaps) with Familiarity, as a substitute for Intimacy.  We should not feel ashamed of this, but humbly acknowledge it for what it is: a series of crude associations memorized for the sake of having a base from which to understand ourselves and others.  We can recognize our dependence on Familiarity in the language we use when we describe our self or another.  Familiarity does not seek to know or express knowing, but instead seeks to memorize, classify, and categorize.  Familiarity seeks connectivity between associative labels and form judgments thereby.  If one gives commentary with phrases like "I'm not the type of person who ______," or, "He/she is just a _______ kind of person," or "...and you call yourself a ________," this person may be substituting Familiar Knowledge for Intimacy.  With judgments being formed out of classifications and categorizations, it can lead to even the most subtle of dehumanizations (that is, believing that any individual person or group of persons is inherently less human--including the self), and the denial of a person's humanity is the direct antithesis of Intimacy.  Familiarity is open to dehumanization, because Familiarity is centrally built on external perception(s).  Intimate Knowledge of Self does not take external perception in to consideration, because Intimacy marries the Self with an unconditional regard of Love and Admiration that is granted us by the Creator.  Unconditional--meaning that external perception is irrelevant to what one discovers in their Intimate Knowledge of the Self.
If one chooses a journey of self-discovery that holds Intimacy as the standard rather than Familiarity, it is almost definite that it will be a long, arduous, nearly impossible journey.  Knowing this, even when we see the fruits of the Intimate Knowledge, we stay on course with Familiarity, because: the demands are less consuming, the pre-conditions of our minds and hearts are permitted to remain unchanged, and we find that the short-sighted commitments to Familiar circumstances are easier to uphold than the all-consuming commitments to Intimacy; which, unlike Familiarity, we are unable to influence their outcomes.

Familiarity, if we remain in its' grasp, will sustain us only through lives of half-truths, impatience, wavering commitments, arrested intellectual & spiritual development, and overwhelming cynicism.  If we find ourselves wishing we could "just be ourselves no matter what," let our 'Yes' and 'No' actually mean 'Yes' and 'No' rather than 'Maybe," if we our discouraged by what we believe to be a lack of faith, and if we are consumed by the ills of humanity, a good place for us to begin thinking anew can be found at the end of the 139th Psalm: "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."  If we ask God to reveal to us all that is inside us that is Artificial, all that is Childish, all that is Despicable, all that is Offensive, all that is Hateful, we will surely be shown.  And this is not to discourage us with the ugliness of our hearts--it is to confront, seek the roots of, work to Heal, and ultimately be a living testament to the redemptive beauty of Christ.  Healing in this way is not possible without Intimate Knowledge of Self, met with Intimate Faith that God truly can Redeem us.  In Familiarity, we are limited to only a categorical sense of who we are, where all things are justifiable, trust is formulaic, and nothing can be healed.  This is not the way of Adulthood, this is the way of vehement defense of a Childish lack of faith.

Intimacy with Self may very well be a different experience for each individual alive.  As we grow closer and closer to this Intimacy, we constanly are recognizing and working through pre-conditions of our Minds, and more importantly, our Hearts.  We find that external influences have shaped us more than we would have like--but if we are determined, we will muster the Courage to Think for Our Selves.  I often recall those famous words of Bob Marley for my conscious reminder: "Emancipate yourself from mental slavery--None but ourselves can Free our minds."  We will recognize that our televisions, our movies, our music, our magazines, our possessions, our peers, our elders, our children, are indeed not reflections of us, but in many ways are our Authors.  And, if we are Courageous enough, we will repeal their Authorship, and grant it in to the hands of the God of Generous Love and Good Providence.  The Courage that it takes to seek Intimate Knowledge of Self cannot be emphasized enough.  This Courage can not be fed by friends, by family, by profound beauty, or anything else that we receive.  It must come from within, where God has cultivated it.  Each of us are in some way haunted by the deep, dark places inside we are fearful will consume us if we venture in to--I encourage you to find the Courage to seek out the Intimacy in those places, because that Intimate Knowledge of Self begets Faith, and Integrity, and Committment.  Indeed we are weak, but Faith musters Endurance.  We are fools, but Integrity rejects our Folly.  When we lack Faith, Commitment bonds us to God himself.

When we have begun unpacking ourselves beyond the Familiar sense that we are so accustomed to, we can slowly (and I definitely emphasize slowly) begin searching for our new place in God's present Kingdom, and among our Neighbors.  When we have our first senses of an Intimate Knowledge of Self, we may be fearful of the unseen, but we must continue.  We may find that we have to "re-introduce" ourselves to our friends, our families, even God.  That re-introduction may bring warfare--as Lauryn Hill laments--because, "many people prefer deception."  I believe that we will find ourselves with new identities, new interactions with God, and new ways of living out relationships with Neighbors.

Hopefully, we will be granted a new, heightened sense of Accountability to our Neighbors.

Kanye West's "Graduation" = Disappointment 2007

A full review is forthcoming, but just know that today, September 11th, 2007, Kanye West released the most disappointing album I have heard in years.  I need to give it a few more listens before I can write a post, but just listen closely yourselves and see what you think.

I'm wondering if perhaps Hip-Hop could actually be dead.  The evidence is piling up.

-hvc

"Your career is a typo, Mine was written like a Haiku"

July 31st was a day that I was personally anxiously awaiting for months.  Truthfully, I have been awaiting that day for over two years, ever since my mind was blown when I picked up Common's last album, "Be."  Like nearly every other reviewer I have read in the last few weeks, I cannot review "Finding Forever" without first commenting on "Be."  "Be" was a classic--no dispute.  Common's first classic was invariably "Resurrection", produced by fellow Chicagoan No I.D., who later would happen to mentor a certain young artist named Kanye West.  After Kanye got done making himself a mainstream juggernaut, he got back down to business and put together "Be."  To keep things short, Kanye & Common continued what Common had started with No I.D. over a decade earlier.  The expectations for "Finding Forever" were precariously high.

The album is 12 tracks long, and begins with what we know to be Common at his best.  In "Start The Show," Com tears down all those faceless, soulless rappers that only feed off hip-hop and don't respect it.  His bluntness has been misunderstood before, and it has happened again here on this track, when he declares, "12 monkeys on stage, you can't tell who's the gorilla/you was better as a drug dealer."  I've read reviews stating that Com is calling fellow Black Americans "monkeys" and "accepts drug trade as a justifiable means over music."  Come on, that's nonsense.  Watch BET for 15 minutes and you'll see exactly what Com is so angry about.  They are making a living mockery of what he holds so dearly.  Com's tenacity shines on this track, along with "Southside," "U, Black Maybe," and "The Game," all in which he satisfies his fanbase who appreciate it when he shows he's not just Mr. Sensitive.  Listening to "Southside" for the first time was the most fun four minutes I've had all month.  He and Kanye trade punchlines over a crazy beat that just makes you want to jump around and pump your fists like crazy.  "The Game" was produced by DJ Premier, and is Primo doing what Primo does.  Sick little drum breaks over grimy bass-lines and chopped-up hooks.  Other guest artists are few, but that's the way I like it.  Com can carry the album on his own.

Most I've talked to have either heard "The People" or seen the video, showing him walking around Chicago, hugging and giving daps to strangers.  Personally I think the video is a little contrived, but the song has been well-received.  Some critics hail it as a follow-up to "The Corner," and while it may very well be so, I don't think they fit together.  "The Corner" was about bringing hip-hop back to it's citizens (did you listen to the Last Poets on it, or what?).  "The People" was about being hip-hop for it's citizens.  At least, that's how I take it in. So while they might seem related, I'd rather keep them separate.

The only criticism I have of the album is that there are too many love songs.  This is a typical criticism of Common.  Almost half of the album is written toward women/a woman!  This is too many, despite the fact that one of my favorite unique traits of his is that he presents an authentic expression of his confusion and emotions concerning relationships with women.  Some people will criticize his promiscuity while ignoring the reality of celebrity, and still others will see his authenticity as a lack of masculine strength.  I'll defend him against both of those attacks, but my personal taste (and most of those of his fanbase) were looking for him to tear the mic up, rather than lament over heartbreak.  Or at least, if he was going to spill his heart out, don't sprinkle in street classics among an album of emotional release.  That combination confuses me and diminishes the power of the individual songs by association with the others and the lack of fluidity of the album.

Overall I still recommend "Finding Forever."  I cringe when I think about my company selling it in it's stores (believe it) and NOT playing any tracks from it on the overhead music selection (b.s.!), but if more Yuppies and Zippies picked up a Common album every once in a while, maybe some of the arbitrary criticisms of hip-hop can slowly be diffused.  If I had a rating system, I would say that it is an Excellent album--not a Great album, and not a Classic.  But still Excellent.  Enjoy it.

                                "you can tell the real by how the real interact
                                            in the middle of wack"
                                                    -common
                                                    (the game)