My Take on Current Rap Music

I get it. Rap music is the pulse of the people. But lately, it seems more like drugs, sex,rock and roll and nothing in between. Im hoping for a Little Brother album, a Phonte solo album, some Oddisee. Or anything else with something more in it. Can I get an album with a woman's perspective on something other than what they talk about? How many more songs about hating hoes and bitches can a person write about?  Really?  For women,  it seems like the only thing people will listen to is how she is in bed, how she handles her man in bed, and what she does in bed, while shaking off other women who might want her man. Thats it. 😑 🥱

I guess the thing that brought on these feelings was me watching Rhyme and Reason on Netflix a few days ago. I got depressed because it seems like a lot of new music isn't really about telling your truth. There are people from all walks of life trying to be down with whatever they think people want to see and hear, and they're willing to portray that just for securing the bag and nothing else. Authentic stories are missing in a lot of music now. Its like there is nothing but lies coming from people who may not live like that for real. People seem only interested in the flex, and not bringing anything else to the table.   Its far, few and in between for a good story to be told. These days, I listen to a song, and I'm not moved by anything they talk about. It's a big ass remix. Even artists with no auto tune do this to me.  It isnt just the artists half my age either. The ones 40 and up make me feel this way as well. Even conscious rap gets on my nerves.  

Maybe I need to dig deeper into the digital crates a bit more, I dont know. But something's gotta give. Does anybody have any insight on why I might feel this way as a rap fan? I can't really call it.

On Covid-19

One thing I realized during this Corona virus stuff is that you have to make your home your sanctuary, meaning its a place where you can be and do you. That means filling your home with your favorite hobbies, plus ways to relax. Most people make their homes as a place where they eat and go to sleep. That's not a home. Its a place where you keep your stuff.

Im not bored because of this. I can do a whole lot of things if I wanted. I could sit and write, I can listen to music while I clean or for sheer enjoyment, I can read, I can watch tv, I can play games on my phone (which I really haven't been doing for real), I can play videogames, or make music. I can create as well as train my dog. I can watch movies also. I  can organize my poetry into one book. The possibilities are endless. In fact, today I gave myself permission to watch Roku because the tv is there for me to relax, and is usually the last thing I think about doing.  I think of this corona thing as something to help me focus on completing things that Ive started. It's helping me out a lot.

To those who dont have anything in mind that they can do, Im sure you could come up with something, especially if you have kids. Read to them and put their names in the story to make it interesting.  If they can read, have them read you a story. If they struggle, then help them sound it out.  Teach them how to help cook a meal. Have them stir something up thats on the stove. Teach them that the stove is not something to play with. Show them how to handle hot things if they are old enough. Draw and color with them. Have them draw how they feel so they can learn to explain their feelings to you and why it's important. It's spring time, so Im sure people are planting gardens. If you have limited space, start a few plants in some flower pots. Have them watch them grow and show them how to take care of plants. If you struggle in this area, then you can learn together. 

Maybe Im overstepping my boundaries when it comes to kids. But I do have experience with teaching them since I dont have any myself. The sky is the limit. If you are single, find things that you like to do and do them. If you are with someone, find ways to do things together. Maybe I'm just talking out of my butt since I dont really know some of you guys for real and you might want to tell me to Get the Fuck Outta Here With That Mess. But I do know how to fight boredom.

Goodnight yall.

Ratchet Trill 3000- Boosie Head (audio)

Re: Film Soundtracks and Black Music (on Deadpool. NO SPOILERS)

Okay, remember how I was irritated about the Deadpool Soundtrack?  Well, it seems that the context behind the music is correct. They used Salt and Peppa's "Shoop" because of the relationship he and his girlfriend had. If you see the movie, you'll find out why.

I guess I'll recant what I said about that movie. But there are no chances in hell where I will I vouch for other movies I've seen, and that still goes for  "The Interview".

That is all.

Changing Our Standards and Boycotting Hollywood

Over the years, many Black actors have voiced their concern over how Hollywood treats them and their talent. Hollywood often props up Black actors,musicians, etc without even taking their talents seriously, and that shows in who they give awards to and why.

It seems this has been the pattern regarding how Blacks are viewed in this country.Sure, some of them may have money, but they will never ever be fully respected or treated with dignity. Look at who got awards throughout the years, and ask yourself what roles did the Black actors play that got them the award in the first place?

That being said, I've wondered why the actors haven't pooled their money together and created a Hollywood that centers on their talents without letting it get bought out (cough, BET, cough)?

I guess now's the time, according to Jada Pinkett Smith. That being said, we've got to change our standards regarding what constitutes as "good'. Better late than never, I guess? 

STORMZY [@STORMZY1] - SHUT UP

One thing I've noticed is that the UK has an interesting Hip Hop scene. A person could get more creative with their sound and delivery. I dig this.

STORMZY [@STORMZY1] - SHUT UP

Soundcloud: 

https://soundcloud.com/stormzy1

Taking Back MLK's Legacy- Mick Jenkins and Supa BWE- "Treat Me"

Mick Jenkins and Supa BWE were spot on with their video. And they prove that MLK's legacy is still in tact, and won't be villanized. I'll tell you why.

Now to the majority, this will be another year where we endure the money draped gossip spread against us through a person many of us have revered.
This year is different. I am compelled to discuss how we were effective in taking back his legacy.

During the aftermath surrounding Mike Brown's shooting in Ferguson, we endured people using MLK's legacy from people trying to shame us into behaving how they thought we should behave. If a person wasn't careful in recognizing this pattern, one would believe that would have been the point of celebrating Martin Luther King's legacy to the point where white nationalists have gone so far as to buy a domain geared solely for the demonization of Martin Luther King and his legacy.

Even after the website in question had been outed as an illegitimate source, they will still take their time trying to defame him.  

But not anymore. During the unrest in Ferguson,  so many people clapped back with his quote "A riot is the language of the unheard" to the point where articles like this one was created, claiming that his image has been corrupted by social media.

Even though his legacy is still undergoing attempts at being tarnished by those who are anti Black, it has become evident that people are still neglecting the reasons why he had to protest in the first place.

This lead me to believe the same people who decry the corruption of his legacy by social media are the same ones who failed to recognize the cause of the violence in Ferguson.

These are the same people who believe the turbulence happened out of the clear blue. These are the same people who thought everything was fine until "they" brought up race.

These are the same people who view themselves and people who look like them as innocent and could do no wrong.

These are the same people who glossed over the violence of White people during Martin Luther King's peaceful protests.

Long story short, if the documented violence of the state and the violence of White people past and present didn't exist, Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and many other noted Black activists would not have needed to protest because the issues would have been non existent.

And the Ferguson unrest would have not happened because the environment there, and many other places in the United States would not have taken place.

And that is what Martin Luther King really meant when he said that non violence would be the greatest weapon of the Negro. Because all of the violence that White people had inflicted upon them past and present would be glaringly strong. And it is strong, but many of us haven't been looking at it from a different angle due to justified anger and frustration of the whole thing.  (Please remember I'm not saying roll over and take that violence that has been given to us.I'm just saying they'll never be able to use his legacy against us again because the evidence regarding White violence is all there.)

After seeing this and making all of the pieces of the past fit with the present, I came to this conclusion:

Martin Luther King to anti Black people is like Jesus for conservative politicians. They like the idea of him, but don't actually advocate for the things he actually said or taught and would more than likely hate the actual person.

That being said, Happy Martin Luther King day. Take this time to celebrate any way you see fit. And also, please remember to financially boycott that day, and re-divert your dollars to Black owned businesses.

And remember. Watch this video and pay special attention to what Martin Luther King says at the 3:15 mark.

Aside from Martin Luther King dressing 'properly' and being non violent, this is why it won't keep you from getting arrested or murdered. I see you, RZA.

Film,Soundtracks, and Black Music

Every so often, I'll watch a movie. And when I watch a movie as a music fan in general, I have to hear the soundtracks. For me, a great soundtrack could make or break a movie.  As predicted, a bad soundtrack, could really piss me off and make me become highly uninterested in a movie or show no matter how good it might be.

For example, Check out this trailer for The Interview:

This trailer is laced with Black music, and so is the entire movie. But the context of the songs is so very wrong. What does EnVogue's "Free Your Mind" have to do with anything in the movie? I saw this film and all I came away with was, what does Syl Johnson's "Is It Because I'm Black" have to do with the main characters walking up to the fortress?  That song is a very heavy song that was done unjustly by inserting it into a movie that falls into a comedy genre.  This had some great potential, but all of the misplacement of Black music, and the fake Black slang was a huge turnoff for me. I had to give it one star in hopes nothing like that would show up in my Netflix feed ever again. 

Another instance is the Deadpool trailers. Here's the first one

Here's the second one:

What does Salt N Peppa's "Shoop" have to do with the trailer? Does he sex somebody down in the movie?  In this case, I 'd have to see the movie to find out, but I suspect it doesn't fit in the entire movie. That placement of Shoop really turned me off. 

It's like the people who use Black music in their movies have no concept of context. It's like they go, "Dude! Here is a really cool Black song to put riiiight here! It'll be, like sooo awesome!"  Except with The Interview, they decided to create something of a White Blaxploitation film sprinkled with horrible slang.  It's like they don't really know anybody whose Black for real, and they had no Black writers, but somebody told them to "Black it up and make it feel more, ummm urban, ya know? Kay, thanks guys!" And a lot of the films have just one Black person in them. I don't remember if there were any Black faces in The Interview, and I probably won't see Deadpool because I'm an asshole like that when it comes to soundtracks. 

All I ask is for some accurate context for the placement of Black music in these films, especially if the show has no Black people in them and has Black music recklessly strewn throughout the entire thing. 

Am I asking too much?  Knowing the history of this sort of thing, I probably am. 

Mikey Bustos's "Twerk It Like Miley Parody/ I Have A Brown Body.

For those who know me, they know I like positive hip hop. I also like parody music every one in a while. That being said, check out  Mikey Bustos's "Twerk It Like Miley Parody/ I Have A Brown Body.





I like his message. He's basically saying, "Love the skin you're in and accept no adversity to it." This is a powerful  message because White supremacy has caused people to want to bleach their skin, and alter themselves in order to distance themselves from the darkness of their skin in order to appear so called "acceptable." This video is noteworthy to me because it seemed like the only race fighting against this thing was the Black people in the United States. It seemed that other people would distance themselves from that fight and continue to do whatever they can in order to appear more acceptable to White people and their sensibilities.  He appears to be the first international artist to openly do so and that gives a bit of respect in my book. Hopefully more artists will follow suit. 

Hip hop has been waiting for Nezi Momodu. It's always a 

treat to hear a dope MC whose a woman.





Her mixtape is available on Soundcloud:

X - Catch The Beat

Tryna catch the beat.

 

 Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/itsxmusic/catch-the-beat

 Website: www.itsxmusic.com

It's been a long time...

I shouldn't have left you...without a dope beat to step to.


That being said, Sorry about that. But I'll make it up to you, I promise. I'll bring you Busdriver;s latest mixtape called "Thumbs". He's out of LA and has one of the most interesting flows in hip hop. He's been rapping for a long time too. He's heavily understated and underrated.  Anyway, here's  a taste:



Pick it up at Itunes.

Look what I found!

I Don't Camoflauge: A behind the scenes look at how rap artists, and participants of the culture look at the idea of trying to "fit in" and how they handled this idea when they first encountered it.

The Problem With Ms. Hill (formerly known as Lauryn Hill)

I saw this article that Vibe Magazine put out and I decided I'd say something about it. Here's the video footage of the alleged "Kanye moment" as mentioned by the writer of this article.




 I get sick of people talking big shit on her. Sure, she had kids by a guy who she didn't marry and he was out (for lack of a better phrase) fucking and ducking. He broke her heart and she lost her mind for a while. That sort of thing happens to a LOT of people. Why did people shame her for that? She wrote about her relationships, and various things that happen in her life and people balked about what she had to say. They said she was trying to be "holier than thou" and trying to preach to people. I saw it as her trying to tell people what she had been through. Sure she did get at some men, but so what? Men shit on women CONSTANTLY in rap songs and no one bats an eye. She said something about some of the men she's been with or know about (without using or making up any derogatory slurs towards said men, might I add) and everybody was saying things like "Fuck that dumb bitch. She think she's too good, etc, etc." I guess women aren't allowed to mention said things (the aftermath of Nikki Minaj's Looking Ass Nigga was a great example of that) , but men can throw women under the bus all day and night and make up new slurs for all of the women they ran across. That shit is not cool at all. 

She's late to her shows. What planet are people on when they think a show is going to start on time? Shows NEVER, EVER start on time. At least she came to the shows and didn't use a stand in like MF Doom did, and yet people are still buying Doom's records. They said it was a "dick move" for him to do such a thing and left it at that. But oh no. Not Ms. Hill. She can't get a pass. Nope. And people want to say that she's rude. Newsflash! there are a LOT of rude artists out there, and I bet a lot of them are ruder than her. So What? If she's "rude to you" then don't see her play. Plain and simple. Nobody is twisting these people's arms or holding them at gunpoint and making them see the shows. If she is late to every show, people should expect that and prepare for it, since it's common knowledge in this case. In fact, this is the reason why I don't go to most shows. I just don't have the time these days. 

She is far from perfect, and is a flawed person. She's trying to get along in this world while people try to grasp at excuses to not like her. Whether it's for her music (That Thing, or any other song she wrote to blast on her ex-es WITHOUT male bashing slurs, might I add), or alleged "craziness" or not paying taxes. That being said, I haven't seen anybody talk shit on Wesley Snipes for not paying taxes, and he's been in jail for a while. In fact Murs wrote a song on the White Mandingo album called 'Free Wesley Snipes." If my memory is correct, people were mad that he got locked up and all of the Wall Street people are not locked up. People said that Wesley Snipes got locked up because he was Black, and people were mad about it. Why does Ms Hill get looked at in a different light? Sounds like she ought to write a follow up song to Mos Def's "Mr. N!gga" because it looks like she's getting the Ms. N!gga treatment to me. I'm just sayin.

Has-Lo: In Case I Don't Make It (2011)

This was me back in the day minus the academic misadventures. There was a point in my life where I would not be able to speak on the quality of my existence back then for fear of shame and bringing back the old feelings. Today, I can own it and say yeah, that was me, and still is a part of me in some aspects.  The great thing about my existence during those hard times was that I learned so much about myself, the people around me (for better or for worse), and I was able to learn how to use critical thinking skills in an effective manner. I admit that I 'm still a bit troubled in other areas of my life however I can say this, I am quite a bit stronger than I used to be and I'm assertive, direct, and very precise when necessary. The ability to acquire those skills has been the greatest gift of all.  That being said, this rapper named Has-Lo gets it. His 2011 album titled, "In Case I Don't Make It" was an eloquent piece of work that spoke on mental wellness, his experiences with religion and spirituality, rap music, as well as shared personal experiences in general.  Yesterday, I decided I'd revisit his album, and I'm really glad I did. I needed that. 

Black Milk

Close your eyes and listen to this song. I mean, really listen to it. Pay special attention to each verse. ‪#‎BlackMilk‬ 's storytelling abilities really shine. This is why I love hip hop.

Mndsgn- (My Yert (0.)

I messes wit it! It's definitely off the beaten path, that's for sure. 

The Black Opera 80z Babiez to the 2Gz (The Experimix) < Check it out and go get it.

Last year, Mellow Music Group released a free mixtape by a group called, "The Black Opera". The album was called : 80s Babiez To The 2Gz. These guys go IN over recognizable beats from the 90s. You've got to check them out. I really enjoyed listening to it. http://mellomusicgroup.bandcamp.com/album/80z-babiez-to-the-2gz-the-experimix


The Villanz is just one of their songs that showcases their skills. Check them out.

M.G. Quarter Change pt 2 (Freestyle)

It's always good to see actual freestyles, not written prior and then recited by memory.

Isaiah Rashad- Soliloquy

Now this...I like...I like a lot.