here’s this week’s playlist.
Greatdayndamornin’/Booty - D’ANGELO
Burn - Kenneth Whalum
2 High - JMSN
Pinky Ring - UGK
Adios - Foxx, Big Head, Booise & Webbie
Sho Nuff - Tela ft 8Ball & MJG
Another Life - D’Angelo & The Vanguard
Tell Me - Groove Theory
Superstition - Stevie Wonder
Late Nights & Heartbreak - Hannah Williams & The Affirmations
At some point in 2023, I was prompted to buy more physical media because of an alteration to Big K.R.I.T.'s 4eva Is A Mighty Long Time album. I own the vinyl, I enjoy the vinyl. One afternoon, I went to YouTube Music, and one of the songs was completely different. Not like a lyric changed, it was a completely different beat and verse. His change was for creative reasons, but I didn't like the change, no matter how much the new portion jammed. I immediately found myself in CD Warehouse in Arlington. The urge to have physical media grew my book collection pretty quickly. I spent another 2 years looking at a full bookshelf. Social media is getting on my damn nerves, pushing me towards that shelf. I started with bell hooks and grew as a man, but then realized I needed books as an escape and found myself drawn to sci-fi reads. I need things far away from race, except for Sky Full of Elephants. That book is amazing and thought-provoking.
Right as I've hit a good reading stride, LLM companies have been acquiring, scanning, and destroying books. Immediately after this news broke, Pretty Little Liars was edited to now include a mention of TikTok, even though the book was written in 2006, ten years before TikTok even existed.
So, physical copies to avoid the changes.
I'll be buying survival books, banned books, and history reads. The acceleration towards an orgy of the worlds of 1984, Animal Farm, and Fareigheit 451 means we should probably all acquire as much as we can before it's no longer available or illegal to buy. Seems impossible, but we are watching it happen.
BUY THE PHYSICAL MEDIA AND THEN READ IT!
Ramble over: here are my most recent reads.
8.3
Angel - Massive Attack
White Flag - Vince Staples
Just Another Day - Queen Latifah
Let The Bass Go - D.O.C.
Tennessee - Arrested Development
Closet Freak - Cee-Lo
Whiskey & Water - Nether Hour
Burn It Down - Shaboozey & Leon Bridges
Think I’m In Love With You - Chris Stapleton
Halo - Beyonce
This week’s Playlist
El Doe - Big K.R.I.T
Digits - Young Thug
Sweet Thing - Rufus(ft Chaka Khan)
Still Southern Playalistic - Dear Silas
All Caps - MF Doom
Everything In Its Right Place - Radiohead
Lady Luck - Jamie Woon
Gold - Chet Faker
Murder - UGK
Packed Up - AZ Chike
My last blog post here was in October of 2023, and it was for school. I blame it on the reliance on social media and feeling like that's where my voice was most valuable. Almost three years later, let me tell you: I am over the experiment. I want off the train. 86 the platforms. Cease and desist. Full stop. Ew. Log out. Touch Grass.
The algorithms and bots and grifting and comment sections and the racism and the stupidity and the echo chamber and the marketing of everything have overwhelmed ya, boy. So blog we go. A place to just write thoughts and ramble without worrying about the reach is what I need. I've done far less art and cool shit than I ever have. I keep blaming it on having to find balance and kids, but the kids are 14 and 4 now. (Sidenote: Ellis is starting kindergarten!) Feeling like I needed to be saying something to a crowd of people has been my problem.
What to say?
Who will listen?
How do I sell it?
What's the target audience?
All social media questions. I'm finally tired of wasting my time with it. I'll do my posting, dumps, writing, brainstorming, and sharing here.
"Creativity meets you mid-effort rather than in stillness" -Pablo Picasso.
The Bronx, New York, is the birthplace of one of contemporary history's most impactful and essential subcultures. From humble beginnings to the heartbeat and sound of the world, Hip-Hop grew from a misunderstood subculture to THE culture that moves people abroad. The youth of the 70s created new forms of dance, visual art, fashion, film, music, and technology from scraps.
Hip-Hop began life as teenagers looking for a cool way to be together in fellowship. As the neighborhood parties grew, varying elements of expression came together. Artists were venturing into dilapidated areas and aerosol-spraying aliases on walls. These aliases were a non-family identifying ways to rebel and express oneself. The names street aerosol artists selected were also used in a new form of playing music, DJing.
The Disc-Jockey became the focal point of gatherings, often playing lesser-known "B, C, & D sides of popular records" (WABC-TV, 1:10). The jazz, blues, and soul breaks in music allowed the DJ to curate the crowd's actions. The best and most notable occurrence of the music breakdown in James Brown's "Funky Drummer." The dancing in these sections of music became known as "breakdancing." As this gathering that became Kool Herc's neighborhood block parties in the park grew, more innovations in cutting records, also known as scratching, became popular. The purpose-bending of available technology elongated the short breaks mentioned above in music from seconds to minutes. The longer intervals allow a rhythmic speech to be performed. Rapping was born. DJing and rapping quickly took off in popularity. Individuals began recording and spreading the new music form throughout New York's boroughs.
As each unique neighborhood in New York City got a hold of the fresh art form, uniqueness was added. Queens, add jazz. Harlem contributed the blues. Soon, all boroughs added flare and the interpretation of their "true" self. From the flashy, big jewelry of Harlem's street elite to the non-branded oversized attire of Staten Island's Wu-Tang. Hip-Hop culture and rap were now growing and spreading across the nation. Protest elements were added, and the reality of America's underpinning was being discussed by young people who felt trampled by the gears of an oppressive, hopeless environment. Anti-authority & anti-establishment sentiments were louder than the beats and soul-samples. Like Rock and Roll, censorship was advocated for by individuals not interested in listening to younger generations as sex, drugs, and fast living were mixed into the potent musical cocktail. Growing alongside grunge-metal and music video platforms of the day, Hip-Hop was becoming the preferred listening experience. Soon, all areas of art were cashing in as new fortunes were created by moguls savvy enough to apply sound business behind musical art. Hip-Hop was becoming a marketing tool. Legacy products, from Barbie to burgers, were being sold using the platforms built by children. The internet propelled the genre to the far reaches of the Earth; Hip-Hop's globalization is now undeniable. It is the most listened-to genre. It is the mainstream.
Reimagined tools were a part of Hip-Hip's subcultural growth. Drum machines like the AKAI MPC are sold, preloaded with heavier drum sounds like the iconic 808, which delivers ground-shaking low-end made famous in the southern region with groups like OutKast, 8ball & MJG, and UGK. Hip-Hop focused products were the second indicator that it was here to stay. Before tools of the trade were made, fashion was the driving force capturing the youth's attention. Big jewelry, Kangol Hats, and pristine sneakers were the must-haves.
Brands like Adidas quickly capitalized on the styling of their products and the ways heavy hitters were wearing them in the hip-hop community. Fancy houses like Dapper Dan used luxury brands like Louis Vuitton to deconstruct, repurpose, and redesign notable brands into things their peers would rather wear. “When you talk about fashion, you have to talk about Hip-Hop" (NBC, 2023.)
A renaissance was taking place, only missing a few elements to capture the rest of the masses. Aerosol art, now coined "graffiti," propelled the popularity of rebellion and soon crossed over into the new punk rock and skater community. The art form soon lent itself to the marketing of brands worldwide, creating careers for artists like CornBread, Phase 2, Dondi, and KAWS. Additionally, the emergence of the budding genre of music-turn culture created a market for younger Black filmmakers.
In a few short years, Hip-Hop was able to master English over beats—mastering the dominant language allowed for more efficient terms and rebranding of words. "Spit" began a noun meaning the ability to rap. "Dope" became unbelievably good, same with the word "tight." Subculture members that were now the masses shortened words, altered present participles, and compounded other terms. Short code allows the MC and the people within the culture to communicate quickly and in ways that affirm their knowledge within the culture. Which region then added its unique flavor. The argot of Hip-Hop hit mainstream America like a whirlwind. Dictionaries and scholars were hastily incorporating slang into the English language to allow an understanding of other cultures and older generations to have an account of their children's new dialect.
The moment the M.C. became the focal point of Hip-Hop, the ability to tell a story of one's experience was the most valued aspect of the craft. What words can I string together over a sample to explain my reality? Telling your own story, in your own words, was the most sacred value in Hip-Hop. No one was able to write or tell your story. It was the "REAL." Keepin' it Real was the name of the game. From West Coast gangster rap incorporating elements of criminality and misogyny to organizing and sharing revolutionary information from KRS-One or Public-Enemy, putting your reality on "wax" was essential to the culture. Ice Cube famously offered the rebuttal, "How the fuck are we to change our reality if we don't shake hood mentality,"(Raw Footage, 2008) after years of answering questions about the potent language and theme in rap music. This sentiment hearkens back to public housing and redlining, placing Black people in the "ghetto" or "hood" and letting them fight among themselves to make it out. Hip-Hop has times when the art created is violent, disrespectful, nasty, vulgar, and raw, but was a reality not created by the artist but by America. The shared rawness has been as crucial to the culture as the songs preaching peace and love.
Love is a cornerstone component of the subculture of Hip-Hop. Love is always present, from the origin of the block parties that birthed the community to the shared experiences to the desire to use voices to escape realities. At moments when Hip-Hop seemed void of the action of love, there were cries of "Why didn't you continue to love me?" Undertones of love lost fueled bitter feuds or self-destructive outbursts even when trap music became a mainstay in the subculture, deeming it necessary to provide a better avenue to buy love or access new places to love.
The belief is that this form of communication is being done in love, for love, or because I don't feel said love. Today's thriving culture still expresses love for the tools created, shared moments, fashion adorned, and freedom granted. This culture does not designate whose God is correct, does not tell anyone which lifestyle is wrong, nor tells you to box yourself in. It only asks that you speak your truth and do it well over a dope beat.
Both technical and esoteric knowledge exist within Hip-Hop culture. Within the ever-growing boundaries of Hip-Hop, there are known knowns, such as Air Force One sneakers have a short shelf life, and you don't lace them to the top if they're high tops. Many unspoken rules are just traditionally accepted. A similar practice is no white after Labor Day in many fashion circles. Dances, beat counts, and the overwhelming knowledge of what an "MPC" is, if shown, are also examples of technical knowledge that don't require much thought or explanation. The esoteric knowledge communicated non-verbally is the most impactful in my personal life. The body language and ability to read a situation passed down through the happenings of the culture are knowings that are hardly analyzed or ever verbally communicated. Only someone brought up in this culture knows that asking someone "You Good" has twenty different meanings, each different based on timing, place, and inflection. There are many examples of the social queues in the culture Hip-Hip built. As information is shared faster, more individuals become aware of the knowledge. The shared and understood knowledge forms patterns and norms that make leaving the comfort of the culture almost unnecessary. Individuals gather sanctions via displays of love.
It can now be argued that Hip-Hop is THE culture. It moves people and industries. If your product or service is not looked at through the lens of Hip-Hop, your product is not moving. Pockets of Hip-Hop are found in obscure places around the globe. Japan has low-rider clubs, tap music, and baggy fashion inspired by all things Bronx. Rappers are on the PGA tour. Tennis has seen a loosening in conservatism to accept what the masses accept as being cool. Lyrics are used in reporting the news, not in reference to violence but to political understandings. Much like Rock and Roll, Hip-Hop is growing up with the generations that made it and has formed how we all live our lives. If it is not limited in education like other parts of history, it will continue to shape daily lives, art, and politics for the foreseeable future.
Brenton Black - CIS212 - T303
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Christmas is fast approaching! Here's an opportunity to grab some dope shit but on sale, cuh. It's simple. Every Friday at midnight throughout the month of November, a discount code will be issued. The discount code will be posted HERE, on the blog! You won't find it on instagram. It will be HERE.
Every Friday is Blaq Friday. Knowhaimtalmbot lil buddy?
-Blaq
