hiphoplives

OK, the break is over. It’s time to get back to work. A couple of things are going to be changing though. This posting everyday shit is not flying anymore. I’m changing the format, and I’m basically gonna give you the Sportscenter edition, just the high lights. So today, you get three things.

First, I’ma put you on to something musically and educationally new and dope. The native people of Northern Europe are called the Sami, and they trace their lineage back to the original hunter-gatherers who first wandered into Europe. They also have an amazing musical tradition, and the Kanye West of Sami music is Mari Boine. Don’t believe me. Peep.

Second, I’ma give you something that I know you missed. Historical Weed Sessions.

Ganja Ultra Skunk (The mythology of skunk is already notorious. Skunk #1 was developed in the 1970’s right here in the Bay Area, and made famous in the coffeehouses in Amsterdaam, it is a combination of Chocolate Thai, Afghani Indica, and Mexican and Columbian Gold Sativas. Ultra Skunk is a further hybrid with Big Bud, another one of the original strains from the seed bank projects of the 80’s, and a Canibus Cup winner)

Location Pacifica State Beach (Where I’m headed as soon as I finish this column)

Participants
ZZ Packer (Not only a dope author and storyteller, she was born in Chicago, lived in Atlanta and Louisville, graduated from the Iowa Writer’s Workshop in 1999, (my sophomore year at that fine institution), lives in Pacifica, works with the San Francisco Writer’s Grotto, and won the Guggenheim Fellowship for Fiction in 05. She could spin a yarn)

Carlos Santana (Raised in the Mission in SF. Just picture that beach, his guitar, that ganja. Can you say relaxation?)

Mel Blanc (Not only a funny looking guy, he was born in San Francisco. Plus he would have us all rolling with the voices he could do. Buggs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn, Sylvester, Tweety, Yosimite Sam, Speedy Gonzalez, Tasmanian Devil, Porky Pig, Marvin the Martian, Barney Rubble, Fred’s Dogasaur Dino, Mr. Spacely, Captain Caveman, Woody Woodpecker, Heathcliff, and the king-pin pimp of the skunk world, Pepe Le Pew.)

Third, something everybody needs, some dope new Hip Hop. This is from Mick Boogie and U-N-I called Before the Love. It’s a warm up mixtape to U-N-I’s new album coming in March. Enjoy.

I just wanted to drop a quick note to give everybody an update on what has been going on with the column. My mother passed away this week. We happened to be visiting her for vacation when she fell ill, and we got a chance to say good bye to her and tell her how much we loved her. My mom was one of the most generous people I’ve ever met. She sacrificed everything to provide me and my sister with a better opportunity than she was given to achieve success in this life. She was my friend. I’m gonna miss her a lot. The column will be on hiatus until I get back to San Francisco and get a chance to return to a sense of normalcy. My mother’s name was Delrae, and her love shined like it came from the sun. And even though she’s gone, her light shines on. I miss you already Ma.

Delrae 1954-2009

Since I got so much feedback of both kinds about the Flight of the Conchords post last week, I decided I was going to put you on to another video selection for this week. Now since at least one person thought I shouldn’t have included Kiwi Alt-Comic Mock Hop (my terminology, not theirs) in a Hip Hop weblog, I figured I should at least pick a film a little closer to my particular subject matter.

So I thought deep, what one piece of video cinema would I most want to share with the world. What could I drop on my faithful readers in 5 or 15 minutes that would have an impact on their day. So I chose Life and Debt, a movie with stunning cinematography, an incredible soundtrack, and a topic near and dear to my heart. This is a 9 minute clip from the beginning, but I recommend actually coping the DVD and watching it on a Hi Def with speakers. Call up that rich ass homeboy with the stinky breath and bring some dro. It’s worth it. For the lazy and unconnected, the rest of the film is also on YouTube.

And since I know you guys watched the first one and got bummed out, here’s a little something to lighten the situation. Shout outs to my brother Bashir for putting me onto this new talent on the dancehall scene. Ras Trent.Check for him man, he’s got a future.

One of my favorite slang words of all time is piff. If you don’t know what piff is, where it came from, and how many variations of the word have come about since it’s inception, you probably don’t know who Agallah is. So let me get on my job.

When I first heard him he was 8 Off the Assasin, which was a great Hip Hop name, using the number/word combo to approximate Adolph. But he managed to top that when he re-dubbed himself Agallah. He’s from Brownsville projects, he’s half Puerto Rock, half Pinoy, and he’s a weed head’s weed head. He got his start in the game as a producer, and the first track I heard of his was RA the Rugged Man’s song “Till My Heart Stops” off of Rawkus records first Soundbombing compilation.  A little research reveals he also did tracks for EPMD, Das EFX, Group Home, and Onyx.

While the industry got introduced to the man behind the boards, 8 Off was also earning his assassin moniker through rap battles amongst the lyricist lounge set. He also earned money ghostwriting songs for artists on major labels. Eventually he got hooked up with Shiest Bub and formed Purple City, which got him linked up with the Dipset, which finally got his work the buzz it needed in the streets for him to become bona fide famous in NY. If you are a mixtape fan anywhere you already know these names. Purple City in it’s various incarnations has sold over 800,000 copies of it’s 8 mixtapes, and had 3 mini-major label releases. (Sorry Babygrande, maybe you should stop signing and shelving artists and you could be REALLY major)

Eventually like everything Jimmy touches, the deal with Purple City fell apart and Agallah went solo. Instead of letting it catch him up though, he transferred that momentum into some classic solo joints as well, including You Already Know and Propane Piff . The latest is a nice demonstration of his appeal. Some people won’t dig it, but if you’ve ever spent time in New York post 2002, you can at least relate to it a little bit. And what am I saying, you love Hip Hop. So enjoy. Once again, if you want on the list, send an email to hiphoplivesmixtapes@gmail.com, and you’ll get your stuff early. For everybody else, here’s your sample.

Guess which one of these guys came up with piff?

Well, it’s 2009, and since Vybz Cartel was named Dancehall DJ of the year in Jamaica for 2008, in honor of the rebel spirit, I’m giving my first Sunday Meditation of the year award to their arch nemesis Busy Signal. It’s not only that I think Busy had a better year than Vybz, he’s also putting out better songs now. The video above is “Done Wid Di War”, and if you clicked play before you started reading, you already know why I’m advising a heavy meditation to Busy’s words.

To those who don’t know Jamaican society, you might wonder why so much of Dancehall music is focused on the yin and yang battle between the conscious and the slackness. You might not understand why violence and war are a constant theme on both sides. You might bristle at the gun talk. But keep in mind, the Eskimos have lots of words for snow. And Jamaican’s got lots of words for guns. Because that’s what surrounds their atmosphere. It’s a reality that both the roots and the rudeboy artists have to deal with. And Busy manages to do the almost impossible, appeal to both sets by arguing against the futility of the violence that perpetuates both their worlds. In other words, whether you like groundations by ital pots over log wood or passa passa hot fridays doing the latest step, the bullshit gun man mash it up for everyone. And that’s something we can all agree on.

Nothing new here. Just a classic artist who you love to love, but would never try to defend his lyrics. Maurice Young, better known as Trick Daddy, has an admittedly foul mouth. I mean come on, even Trick’s most conscious tunes like “America” have at least a couple lines in them that you wouldn’t wanna repeat in a comparative literature lecture. And the most egregious offenders, well, some of them could even make a group of grown men uncomfortable. Then again, Trick Daddy Dollars did make his debut on an Uncle Luke record, so what do you expect?

But none the less, Trick Daddy is one of those artists I will always enjoy. His lyrics are so unique, his voice so authentic, and his personality so magnetic, I am willing to forget about all the disagreements I have with him over substance and lyrical content. His flow is one of a kind, and at lends itself to a listening experience that can’t be duplicated anywhere else. He is Hip Hop down to his flip flops and socks. And even if you would hate for your kids to listen to Trick, Trick loves the kids. So you gotta send a little love his way in return. His webpage page is linked below, stop on by and show him why we appreciate his work.

http://www.trickdaddy.com/

Self Scientific’s debut was one of those albums I bought when I was still buying vinyl. I remember I had the big brown cover of The Self Science prominently displayed on the front of my stax for most of 2001. Khalil’s beats were something of a marvel to behold. It was a very sonically progressive time in Hip Hop. It was the year Blueprint really introduced us to Kanye’s genius., the year Timbaland and Missy pushed the envelope on Miss E…So Addictive, and the year Ludacris redefined the Southern sound on Word of Mouf. And wouldn’t you know it, the West Coast wasn’t about to let NY, VA, and ATL have all the shine. Up stepped L.A’s Khalil Abdul-Rahman. That whole album from front to back was packed with beats that had more punch, clarity, and polish than most underground records, and more soul, jazz, and feeling than most commercial records.

Besides his work with Self Scientific, Khalil also gained attention through his songs for other artists, including work on De La’s Art Official Intelligence, and his work with DJ Muggs and the Soul Assassins.  Eventually, like all of our underground gems, he was snatched up by 50 and Jay and Jimmy, but like a true Hip Hop hero, he’s continued to put out records with Chase Infinite, Talib Kweli, and Living Legends. The link is to his myspace page where you can hear some of his newest latest, including most of his singles, but the song I’m gonna play for you is a classic. Peep.

http://www.myspace.com/djkhalil1

As an artist and writer and fan of Hip Hop, I’m obviously someone who believes in the power of words. So sometimes I think about words in a different way then maybe the average Joe (plumber or non). For instance, it’s funny how sick became a slang word for good. I mean it’s not that sick doesn’t have it’s precedents. Nasty, vicious, shit even bad can mean good. But sick in particular is a funny one. Nobody really likes being sick, except for maybe hypochondriacs and people with grueling and/or boring jobs. But even then, they’d still rather fake an illness then actually be sick. People wear their health like a badge of honor. Ever hear people brag in a break room about how long it’s been since they’ve been sick?

But there is no doubt that we live in a sick society. We watch television programs about those who heal the sick, those who catch the mentally sick in their depraved acts, and those who feed off the sick. When something terrible happens we wonder why people are so sick. Bird flu, AIDS, Anthrax, Pesticides, Carcinogens, these words all describe different forms of sickness. And I could fill a whole year’s worth of 100 word posts just listing more words used to describe a different form of sickness. Could it be that sickness is at the heart of all that we fear? Is it odd then to think that subconsciously we seek to steal that fear’s power by taking it’s core and turning it into something positive?

I think what we all want is health. Healthy relationships with our friends and family, healthy incomes that let us buy healthy foods, and a healthy environment to grow in. So on that note, my New Year’s Resolution is, I’m gonna start substituting healthy for sick in conversation and see what happens. That’s what I call “small s” socialized medicine. Now here’s a special healthy edition of Historical Weed Session.

Ganja God Bud (The pride of British Columbia, not only do the residents enjoy free health care, they get to smoke this gem when they got a headache. I would spend some time describing the bud, but just look at it.)

Location Buffalo Lake, Alberta Canada (Those who study the planetary grid will know that this in near Point 8, said to be a source of positive healing energy, it was also known to the native peoples as a spot for healing.)

Participants

Keewaydinoquay Peschel (She was a scholar, ethnobotanist, herbalist, medicine woman,teacher and author. She was born in 1919 in Michigan. Her mother lived on Garden Island, a traditional Anishinaabeg homeland. When it came time to deliver her baby, she had to take a fishing boat to the mainland. The child was born on the boat, and shortly thereafter the boat capsized. The young girl’s survival was viewed as a miracle. She earned her childhood name which meant “walks with bears” as a toddler when her parents left her on a blanket while they gathered blueberries only to return and find her surrounded by bears eating blueberries together out of one of the filled baskets. She began to apprentice the medicine woman at age 9, and at age 57 decided to go to a traditional western university and earn a Masters of Education as well as a PhD in ethnobotany. She was healthy.)

Graham Hancock (Also a scholar, teacher, author, and leader of spiritualists. He was born in Scotland, but spent much of his youth in India. He’s written books about Pakistan, Ethiopia, South America, the ark of the covenant, parallel universes, and lost civilizations, all written from a first hand perspective. In other words, he really went there. For his book Supernatural, rather than just talk about the altered states where medicine men encounter supernatural beings, he went through the rituals and encountered the beings himself, then wrote about it from a scholars perspective. Frickin’ healthy!)

Mutulu Shakur (Doc, the teacher, the healer, the inspiration, the revolutionary. He’s Pac’s godfather, and a proponent of natural medicine and acupuncture to cure sickness of all sorts. He’s also a political prisoner, and more than any of us, deserves a Canadian vacation and some healthy god bud.)