Dear hip-hop
Feeling hyped tonight. My favorite thing to do on a Sunday afternoon is to go to this spot with my bro and his crew, eat Caribbean burgers, and talk hip-hop. On the table this aft: T-dot MC Jelleestone, Lil' Wayne, the Too $hort concert Friday night (I missed it), a grimy documentary on Toronto hip-hop, and the new book Queens Reigns Supreme.
After our convo, we drove around and bumped some new shit. I played them some CDs from African MCs: Prokid from South Africa (Soweto!), Proverb from South Africa, and Iron African from Uganda. Proverb has this song called "My Vers'd Love" that's basically a love letter to hip-hop--a remake of Common's "I Used to Love H.E.R." As overdone as that concept may be, I don't think heads will ever get tired of it. I know I won't. When you love hip-hop, you LOVE it. As in Mos:
I know a few understand what I'm talkin about
It was love for the thing that made me wanna stay out
It was love for the thing that made me stay in the house
Spendin time, writin rhymes
Tryin to find words that describe the vibe
That's inside the space
When you close yo eyes and screw yo face
Is this the pain of too much tenderness?
To make me nod my head in reverence
Should I visit this place and remember it?
To build landmarks here as evidence
Night time, spirit shook temperament
To write rhymes that portray this sentiment
We live the now for the promise of the infinite
We live the now for the promise of infinite
And we believe in the promise (love, love, love, love, love)
Yes, yes, y'all and we don't stop
As in Danyel's Bliss.
Even the hardest, most thugged-out rapper will get a lil teary if you catch him in the right mood and ask him about his feelings for hip-hop.
I can never seem to articulate why people in hip-hop have such an emotional connection to the culture. That's part of what my book attempts to do. I tell my own story--my love affair with hip-hop--and why I've chased it down all over the globe. How it has defined my life, helped me cope with some serious shit, made me a writer, and connected me to heads from Africa to Asia to America. Given me pain and given me joy. Pushed me. Pissed me off. Made me smile. Made me cry. Made me dance. Made me think. Allowed me to understand the major events and issues of our time through individual people's stories. Let me believe in the energy and the hope of our generation, of humanity. Made me feel like an active participant, like I'm on the right side.
Getting a little sentimental, it's true. But if you can't respect that, your whole perspective is wack. Back to the program...
Shout out to Young Nations and Bhubesii (Soweto stylze!) in Joburg. Check out this article that Young Nations wrote about his father, Professor Kunene--a famous poet, UCLA prof, apartheid activist. He is donating 100% of his album sales to his father's foundation.
If you are interested in downloading global hip-hop, check out Calabash Music.
Finally saw Favela Rising this weekend at the Traveling World Community Film Fest. One of the most powerful films I've ever seen. Rent it, buy it, go see it, whatever--just be sure to check it out.
Sol's 4REAL is in the fest too, and he gave a great interview to the Straight this week. Here's a quote:
"We're trained that people in Africa are waiting to die," he said. "But poverty is not a strip ticket to death. It's a space where community is formed and people care about each other. They love harder, care harder, fight harder, and dance harder. They're making songs and making babies, and everything is happening at a breakneck speed."
After our convo, we drove around and bumped some new shit. I played them some CDs from African MCs: Prokid from South Africa (Soweto!), Proverb from South Africa, and Iron African from Uganda. Proverb has this song called "My Vers'd Love" that's basically a love letter to hip-hop--a remake of Common's "I Used to Love H.E.R." As overdone as that concept may be, I don't think heads will ever get tired of it. I know I won't. When you love hip-hop, you LOVE it. As in Mos:
I know a few understand what I'm talkin about
It was love for the thing that made me wanna stay out
It was love for the thing that made me stay in the house
Spendin time, writin rhymes
Tryin to find words that describe the vibe
That's inside the space
When you close yo eyes and screw yo face
Is this the pain of too much tenderness?
To make me nod my head in reverence
Should I visit this place and remember it?
To build landmarks here as evidence
Night time, spirit shook temperament
To write rhymes that portray this sentiment
We live the now for the promise of the infinite
We live the now for the promise of infinite
And we believe in the promise (love, love, love, love, love)
Yes, yes, y'all and we don't stop
As in Danyel's Bliss.
Even the hardest, most thugged-out rapper will get a lil teary if you catch him in the right mood and ask him about his feelings for hip-hop.
I can never seem to articulate why people in hip-hop have such an emotional connection to the culture. That's part of what my book attempts to do. I tell my own story--my love affair with hip-hop--and why I've chased it down all over the globe. How it has defined my life, helped me cope with some serious shit, made me a writer, and connected me to heads from Africa to Asia to America. Given me pain and given me joy. Pushed me. Pissed me off. Made me smile. Made me cry. Made me dance. Made me think. Allowed me to understand the major events and issues of our time through individual people's stories. Let me believe in the energy and the hope of our generation, of humanity. Made me feel like an active participant, like I'm on the right side.
Getting a little sentimental, it's true. But if you can't respect that, your whole perspective is wack. Back to the program...
Shout out to Young Nations and Bhubesii (Soweto stylze!) in Joburg. Check out this article that Young Nations wrote about his father, Professor Kunene--a famous poet, UCLA prof, apartheid activist. He is donating 100% of his album sales to his father's foundation.
If you are interested in downloading global hip-hop, check out Calabash Music.
Finally saw Favela Rising this weekend at the Traveling World Community Film Fest. One of the most powerful films I've ever seen. Rent it, buy it, go see it, whatever--just be sure to check it out.
Sol's 4REAL is in the fest too, and he gave a great interview to the Straight this week. Here's a quote:
"We're trained that people in Africa are waiting to die," he said. "But poverty is not a strip ticket to death. It's a space where community is formed and people care about each other. They love harder, care harder, fight harder, and dance harder. They're making songs and making babies, and everything is happening at a breakneck speed."
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