There is a lot of music out there, there isn’t a lot of great music. When you do find a great piece of music, you listen. Coming from the era I am from, you share what you have heard with others. I want to share something and hopefully, what I share will start a conversation.
We recently elected a new president, and the man we nominated was considered an unlikely winner in many people’s eyes. Was it inevitable or inevitable?
Regardless of your personal preference or feeling, the announcement of the president elect catalyzed thoughts in Ras Kass that resulted in the creation of the attached song. Rass Kass began to evaluate what had happened, read, and do some introspection and finally create a new song(within 48 hours of the election).
Ras said it was cathartic.
If you agree, disagree or choose to simply enjoy the music and his skill, it is what it is…
An artist reacts to his or her environment and their perspective challenges or inspires others. This was at one time common, but has become rare. With seriously engaging, provocative, and innovative hip hop becoming harder and harder to find this is great to hear!
Around 10 PM on March 21st 2011, I was driving through cabbage town and noticed several people sitting around on and near their cars sharing food and talking. They were all watching an artist listening to his I phone/Ipod while painting a mural on the wall. It was an amazing piece with huge detailed creatures yet in an unfinished form. I didn’t want to bother him so I took a few pictures and quickly stuck up a conversation with a woman who held the scaffold while I climbed over the artists head to shoot down on him as he worked.
This wonderful woman is named Keif Schleifer and she told me about livingwallsconference and all of their efforts to bring artists to Atlanta from all of the world to share their art in a public forum. She works in Architectural Design and in her spare time helps to fund and provide equipment and other resources for artist to do this type of work!
Keif spoke with a lot of passion and interest about graffiti and wall art and had a deep knowledge of the format! her eyes lit up at the mention of names like Martha Cooper, Dondi, and Future. She was very cool and although I did not meet her collaborators and talk to the artist who was painting, I am sure I will see them in the future.
I hope everyone enjoys their latest piece while taking a shortcut from Boulevard to Moreland, Heading to Carroll Street Cafe, or walking through the historic area to grab a beer at 97 Astoria.
I was at Walgreens reading an article about Lupe Fiasco and the title was Lupe Fiasco “the most enlightened rapper in the world”.
From Wikapedia:( cause I was too lazy to type out a definition)
The Age of Enlightenment was an the era in Western philosophy, intellectual, scientific, and cultural life centered upon the 18th century, in which reason was advocated as the primary source for legitimacy and authority. It is also known as the Age of Reason.
Buddhism: The action or state of attaining or having attained spiritual knowledge or insight, in particular that awareness which frees a person from the cycle of rebirth
Enlightened – having knowledge and spiritual insight
Really?
I better listen to Lupe’s album again!
Reading deeper in the article I read that BOB’s hit single was actually one that Lupe was supposed to have recorded. Damn I thought – music, fashion, movies, identities are all prefabricated. Wait…
I already knew that. I suppose I thought that maybe there was a time this didn’t happen and thought momentarily that human beings appreciated substance and ingenuity. But thinking carefully, perhaps not really. Labels have been creating images, ideas, and concepts that artists take on for years. They even tried to make Greg Brady go solo:
Half of the people they call artists are just images anyway. Something that matches what people are doing or that people will be doing.
So I started thinking and I thought…
The Beetles and Marvin Gaye were hot 40 years ago, Public Enemy and Brand Nubian was hot 20 years ago, and I don’t buy anywhere near as many records as I did 5 years ago. Every time I hear a good record on a college radio station that I like its 3 years old. Dee Jays play the same records over and over. They don’t even mix anymore.
Skill and substance went out of style goodbye NIRVANA and KRS ONE!
Then I looked up and noticed this shelf of hats and remembered, I keep going different places seeing and hearing people doing and saying the same things over and over again. Its hard to meet an original person, with an original idea, or style. But I watch a lot of TV, listen to the radio, and read magazines. I probably cant appreciate originality…
Not really.
But if I am not making anything cool, which I am not. I should shut up because I am not solving the problem, I am just talking about it.
Why do something different, maybe its for my own sake.
I was standing outside Mindzai talking to Josh Peacock and noticed this rather common power pole and trasformers. The fins, the rust, the placement of the cans on the pole, and the reflection of the light was really cool(at least to me). I grabbed my tripod, popped on the camera, and took a few shots.
Plus I wanted to prove to my wife I was not out doing something I was not supposed to be doing.
I was driving down Moreland and Saw this at the intersection of Moreland and Freedom Parkway. Extremely cool outdoor installation made entirely of ladders created by Charles Brouwer for Flux Projects!
I exited the train and saw these two guys standing on the edge of the platform. I just missed them dancing a bit or attempting to dance, something that is extremely hard to do when your pants are hanging of your ass.
By the way, what is the point of buying tight girl jeans and sagging your pants?
There we not lyrics to the song, they were just saying the same thing over and over for two minuets and they had no idea I was standing them. What was weird was was counting in my head and realizing they were not on beat – No Rhythm???.
I took a picture and jotted down my thoughts.
Am I wrong or shouldn’t someone create something new??
I have seen everything they are doing and I have heard each distorted turn of phrase that they use a millions times. I feel like someone is making increasingly bad dubs of mix tapes created in 1983 and as the audio level decreases and the sound of the tape distorts, people try and say it’s getting better or at least still good…
Anyhow, I hope I am not getting stagnate….
I know how foreign Rap and House was to Mom and Dad in the early 1980s, when it was new. I honestly can not understand people who speak in words that are essentially sentences.
Whatyouknowaboutdat?
Niggawhatchutallkingbout?
How responsible are we for the dissolution of the English language into easy speak?
I hope these guys are bilingual and can actually speak English, and not just this new broken distorted language derivative. Southern is cool, stupid is not cool, its sabotaging your existence!
I hope these two guys are not criminals because you can’t escape the cops if you’re trying to hold your pants up while you’re running.
I hope they are not rappers either because there are enough that look and sound likes them already.
This picture shows the common recycling containers that exist all around Munich in the rail stations. When traveling, I often see recycling programs that the various municipalities and rail companies operate and maintain. I often wonder why I do not see this more commonly at home in the United States.
Living in Atlanta I often wish we had a better rail system, but in addition there are other things I wish we could collectively come together to address more effectively. Sure I have been to the recycling center at the DeKalb farmers market and I know the city offers recycling but what about getting these types of containers out in the hoods and collecting the materials on a normal basis.
Maybe I will approach the local community center about developing a recycling system for my area in Zone 3 – Mechanicsville.
The problem will probably be getting everyone to participate and support it.
People have a lot to worry about and will probably not put sorting their trash into the top 10 of their to do list in 2011.
Well you don’t know what will happen until you try…
This man has been in two major American conflicts and served since his youth in the US Military. He is an amazing artist that created his own mini-mag/manifest that I still need to read. He was a a real intresting guy.
I asked him why he was wearing what he was wearing and he said he identifies more with the indigenous people of the United States and supports them by wearing their traditional clothing.
Meanwhile…
I was rocking Air force Ones and a North Face coat and neglected I didn’t mention my Cherokee and other Native American Ancestors in our conversation.
I paid him for the flick and the magazine then kept it pushin 😉
Jason Staten 