"Presto Prestare!"

The following is excerpted (i hope this site spell-checked that) from an email I sent to a dear friend.
I typed their eye out with a random question that I'll now subject you guys to.
Yeah, so here it is...

"...like that shit came from the core of Ruff.

anyway, there you have it.
now back to the liberalism thing.

I'm curious as to why someone...anyone would consider themselves a "liberal" I'm curious as to:

1. if anyone even considers the appropriateness or meaning of the term "liberal" as it relates to the various concepts thar discussion usu entails.

2.given the accuracy (or in-) of the term, why the ideals behind it appeal to the person so much? Like what does a person think these ideologies do for them? or for people in general?

Forget about republican/democrat.
whatever...and i think that THOSE labels have more meaning than liberal vs conservative.

I think I have to consider myself a democrat; various aspects of their platform appealing more to me, my sensibilites, views etc.
But i'm not so sure (to coin an "Aikmanism") that I'm not in many more ways conservative than liberal.

And this is more than just a Chris Rock bit. I'm speaking to some of the fundamental values of the ideology...
The role of the state in a citizen's life.
Fiscal policy of a government
Its role in the economics of a nation.
Foreign policy...

I dunno. I'm very curious to know what other people think about any part or all of this.

What do you consider yourself? And why?"

So I pose this to any of my readers out there.
What do you consider yourself? Party affiliation (or apathy) is irrelevant.
Political views are something we all have whether we choose to express them and engage in them or not. I'm curious as to what some of those views are and why?

Also...i may have just pissed myself....literally.


Smash

The Greatest Hip-Hop Producer of All-Time!

This one's for you, T.

I mentioned in a previous post that the late Jay Dee aka: JayDilla was in all likelihood the greatest hip-hop producer of all time. A bold claim to be sure given the number of heavyweights up for consideration, many of whom are still actively producing today. But I don't think I'm too far off base with this claim.
Honestly, I don't know where to start when it comes to talking about JayDee. I mean, he was so prolific, so creative, so unique, so effective and so influential that it is nearly impossible to point to a single release or period of time that signaled his arrival to the music scene. And it's equally as tough to point to one record to identify as a good starting point for any would-be Jay Dee fan. I'm just gonna jump into this.

Donuts (2006)
Donuts was released 3 days before James Dewitt Yancey died from lupus. It was his last completed full-length album. It is also his most unique, most conceptual and most sonically mature. The concept, though not entirely new (all instrumental) is one that allows you the listener the time and auditory space to fully digest the meal that is a JayDee production.
He titled the album Donuts which in itself is a minor stroke of genius. Each track is merely a minute or two long, delicious morsels of sonic wizardry. You get just enough time to taste and enjoy each one right before moving onto the next. It's 45 minutes of brilliance. He takes you everywhere. Great music to just play in the background especially since the first track and last track are exactly the same so the album loops endlessly when played on repeat.
I can't say enough about this album. I recommend this as a good Jay Dee primer because it showcases Dilla at the height of his productive powers and enables you to understand the genius of his earlier and later-posthumous works.

The Shining (2006)
The Shining was Dilla's first posthumous release. It featured the same developed production sound of Donuts, one of the tracks actually being a full length "Donut" complete with Common and D'Angelo vocals. This album has some tracks that are simply bananas. BANANAS! I mean it starts off with hype-man-supreme, Busta Rhyme trash talking over a clever interpolation of Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee then jumps right into E=MC2, a track so fully muscled that it is just barely matched by Common's heavyweight lyricism. The remainder of the album doesn't disappoint especially given the strong finish both lyrically (Black Thought, JayDee himself) and productively (Love Movin', Won't Do). As with most of his fully produced albums you will be left wanting more.

Welcome 2 Detroit (2001)
I guess what i'm trying to do is introduce new listeners of Jay Dee by working backwards through his catalog of major releases. I'm not sure if that make sense but I'm doing it anyway. Y'see the thing is this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Jay Dee. In all likelihood, if you are a hip-hop or R&B fan, you've been nodding your head to Jay Dee tracks for over 12 years. I'm talking about Tribe Called Quest, DeLaSoul, Common, Busta, Janet Jackson, D'angelo, The Pharcyde, Eryka Badu...it's ridiculous what this kid has done. ALL quality.

This particular release was the beginning of his stepping into his own shoes so to speak. Up until this album it was either credited or uncredited production for other rap and r&b acts or production for his own group, Slum Village. We'll get to them in a minute. Welcome 2 Detroit was his first major solo release. It featured, unsurprisingly, many unknown D-town rappers as well as Dilla himself rhyming over his increasingly unique and distinctive production.
Some of my personal faves include Pause, Rico Suave Bossa Nova, and Come Get It feat. a young rapper named Elzhi who would eventually take Jay Dee place in the group Slum Village.
Speaking of which...

Fantastic, Vol. II (2000)
This album was my "official" introduction to the production of Jay Dee. I say "official" because I would soon learn that the Jay Dee i was listening to on this album was the same Jay Dee whose name or initials peppered the releases of some of the aforementioned hip-hop and R&B acts.
Anyway, I forget how I came across this album. It's not really important. What's important is how thoroughly tight this album is. There are few missteps productively, if any. I remember bumping this album for 6 months straight. This cd accompanied me everywhere; down to chinatown to pickup DragonBall Z tapes; over to BooBoo's in Hoboken for their nightly "Power Hour" (all mixed drinks, beers & shots=$1; 8-10pm); or all the way up to Hanover, NH for Homecoming Weekend. This album was the soundtrack of my life for much of 2000. Was so enamored with the group that I had to cop a couple of tickets for me and my cousin, B when they came to SOB's. Great show. Great album.

Ok. By this point you're probably well enough versed in Jay-Dee to start branching out in various directions...and there are VARIOUS directions. Like I keep mentioning the man produced so many songs and albums. Below is a list of some of his production over the past decade.
This list is by no means comprehensive! (click here for a complete discography).

Dilla produced for just about EVERYBODY in the hip-hop and R&B game; sometimes major album releases, sometimes underground mixtapes, sometimes remixes. All I'm trying to do is give you an idea of the wealth and breadth of his work. Maybe you'll recognize some of these joints.

1996
A Tribe Called Quest - 1nce Again, Get A Hold, Keeping It Moving, Stressed Out, Word Play from "Beat, Rhymes, & Life"
Busta Rhymes - Keep It Movin', Still Shinin' from "The Coming"
De La Soul - Stakes Is High from "Stakes Is High"
Mad Skillz - It's Going Down, The Jam from "From Where???"
Kieth Murray - The Rhyme (Remix), Dangerous Ground from "Enigma"
Tha Pharcyde - Runnin', Bullshit, Splatittorium, Somethin' That Means Somethin', Drop, Y? from "Labcabincalifornia"

1997
Busta Rhymes - So Hardcore from "When Disaster Strikes"
Janet Jackson - Got Til It's Gone (Ummah Jay Dee Revenge Mix) 12" single

1998
A Tribe Called Quest - 4 Moms, Against The World, Busta's Lament, Da Booty, Find A Way, His Name Is Mutty Ranks, Start It Up, Steppin' It Up from "The Love Movement"

1999
Heavy D - Listen from "Heavy"
Macy Gray - I Try (Remix) 12" single
Q-Tip - 11 tracks from "Amplified"
The Roots - Dynamite from Things Fall Apart

2000
Black Star - Little Brother from "The Hurricane (Soundtrack)"
Busta Rhymes - Enjoy Da Ride, Live It Up, Show Me What You Got from "Anarchy"
Common - 10 tracks from "Like Water For Chocolate"
D'Angelo - various tracks from Voodoo
De La Soul - Thru Ya City from "Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump"
Erykah Badu - Cleva, My Life, Didn't Cha Know, Kiss Me On My Neck from "Mama's Gun
Guru feat. Bilal - Certified from "Guru's Jazzmatazz Street Soul"

2000
Bilal - Reminisce from "1st Born Second LP"
Busta Rhymes - Genesis, Make It Hurt from "Genesis"
Daft Punk - Aerodynamic (Slum Village Remix) 12" single
De La Soul - Peer Pressure (Intro & Outro Monologues by Jay Dee) from AOI: Bionix

2001
Busta Rhymes - It Ain't Safe No More, What Up, Turn Me Up Some from "It Ain't Safe No More..."
Common - various production & instrumental credits from "Electric Circus"
DJ Jazzy Jeff - Are You Ready (with Slum Village) from "The Magnificent" 12" EP
Talib Kweli - Where Do We Go, Stand To The Side from "Quality"

2004
De La Soul - Verbal Clap, Much More from Grind Date

2005
Common - Love is, It's Your World (Part 1 & 2) from Be
Common - The Movement from NBA 2K6 - The Tracks
Talib Kweli - Roll Off Me from Right About Now

*******

I chose to end the list in 2005 since all his production afterwards is either posthumous work or tracks you'll find from one of his solo releases, and there is LOTS of it. Jay Dee released so much underground and solo work that you could get lost in it all. My suggestion to you is to pick up two albums that can serve a sort of intro to his grittier underground work.

1. Jaylib: Champion Sound
This was a collabo effort that teamed Jay up with another underground legend, Madlib. Upon hearing a tape of Madlib's recordings over his own tracks, Jay called up Madlib and discussed making an official collaborative release. The album would be made entirely of beats emailed back and forth, mixed and remixed by the two legendary producers. Like much of Jay's work it became an instant classic.

2. "Ruff Draft"
This was a posthumous re-release and represents one of the creative directions Jay Dee was really interested in. The name, "Ruff Draft," says it all. Jay loved dirty, or what he would call, "raw" production. He's a Detroit native. This album represents his "ridin' around with a mixtape" roots. Again, like everything Jay touched, it's substantive, innovative and just plain dope!

There isn't much more for me to say. Hope this helps anyone interested in getting into Jay Dee, but remember, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Take a good listen of the albums I've mentioned. Once you get a good sense of what he's about and what you like you can check out his complete discography and start cherry picking from your tastes.

Jay was the man.
He was taken from us all too soon, but fortunately he left us with a wealth of his work to enjoy. So enjoy!

R.I.P. JAY!!!

The Soulless

I once came up with a theory, an idea really, that not every body that walked the earth carried within it a soul. Six billion carcasses crawling about the world but perhaps only a billion or a million had what some might call a genuine human spirit. I defined this soul or spirit as that intangible aspect of person's creation that facilitated a genuine connection with another.

That definition is somewhat tautological but I'll assume you get the gist of my meaning. The point is you might sit in a Starbucks amongst 20 people, walking, talking, sipping and chatting, but you might only feel the presence of a handful of other genuine people. For only a few of them was there a proof of a life beyond simple motion.

Ever talk to someone and get the feeling that there is no depth beyond what you're seeing and hearing? I'm not talking about mere superficial communication nor am i talking about intelligence or knowledge. This isn't about whether someone can talk at length about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or cost-benefit analyses of hedge-fund investing. I'm talking about proof of life. I'm talking about evidence that something real and creative exists in person beyond pulsating blood-flow.

I mean, at the risk of sounding obnoxious, how can some people not be into music? or into sports? how can some people not genuinely feel for the plight of the american indian? Now none of these are proof of life in and of themselves. Everyone is different. But everyone should have SOME passion. I don't care if its bird-watching or old Dr. Who episodes or religion; but there has to be someTHING that makes a person feel alive and in turn demonstrates a life beyond the pulsating rhythms of heart.

And the ultimate point is that this passion, whatever it is, can serve as a metaphor for life. It helps them understand the nuance and complexity of life through their comprehension of the nuances and complexities of that passion. It's as if they are able to participate in the phenomenal creative aspect of the universe through this passion. God talks to them and fly-fishing is the medium.

But I didn't necessarily believe that everyone had this passion. I didn't believe that everyone could participate in creation. Not everyone had a soul. Why would this be? I don't know. It just made sense. Something told me that the universe wasn't so egalitarian as to bestow this power of spirit to every living being.

I mean look at the biological and physical earth. Everywhere there is inequality; some lifeform exercising dominion over others. This is not to say that there isn't balance. I believe that the universe does everything in its power to achieve equilibrium. But not every thing exercises the use of every force to equal degrees.

Electro-magnetism. Gravity. Nuclear forces. They all exist but in unequal distributions about the universe. It seemed logical to me that if there were a such thing as god-power,
the force of creation or soulness, that it too might be distri-
buted about the universe as unequally as any other universal force.

Now is there evidence of this? Sure. I talked about some of them. Perhaps we should look at souls as a sort of wealth of spirit. Some have more than others. Some are filthy rich and others are completely devoid.

And this isn't a value judgment. I'm not saying that soulless people are sociopaths and soulful people are the kings of the world, though there might be some overlap. I'm just describing a possible phenomenal fact of life.

*****

For the last 8 years or so Radiohead has been my favorite rock band in the world. Their music is transcendent. Some of the things they do, musically... I wish I were better versed musically and linguistically so that I could appropriately express the genius they demonstrate as a cooperative musical entity.

I remember being taken to one of their concerts in Montreal for my 23rd birthday. To this day it stands as one of the most supernatural experiences I've ever had.

The Roots are also such a band. They too are phenomenal (if I may be allowed to use that term for the 17th time).

Well there are some new players on the scene, for me.

Finally got around to picking up the new White Stripes album. Awesome. Jack White is going to be something else. We'll be hearing from him for some time to come. Meg and Jack hit the scene around the same time as a bunch of other acts like The Vines and The Strokes but the comparisons should end right there.

For a while I've been touting the virtues of Jay Dee (aka Jay Dilla) and his production. It became obvious to me sometime around 2005 that this guy might just have been "the greatest hip-hop producer of all-time." He died that year from...something. But his I keep unearthing (thanks to posthumous releases) more of his material and it is so consistently beyond words. He was taken away from us all to soon. You want to talk about soundscapes? The creation of auditory universes?

Rounding out my dream 2008 releases are Gnarls Barkley and MF Doom. The former are known to everyone but so should the latter. The kid is ridiculous. A rapper straight from the old school style but completely new and creative in his technique and flavor. My hope is that one day he achieves the critical and commercial popularity that my last unsung hero of the underground, Mr. Mos Def.

Alright. Peace out folks. It's snowing and I have no boots on.

SWEET BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY!!!

They said it couldn't be done;
that it was a forgone conclusion.

They said they didn't deserve to be there;
that they were lucky.

They said they were the greatest.
They were undefeated.
It wouldn't even be close.

They said they had too many weapons;
they'd be overmatched.

They said he was a genius;
he'd find a way to confuse him; fluster him.
They said he wouldn't be able to handle it.

They said he might not be the one.



But the problem is that everyone was so busy saying-no one bothered to take the time out to listen.

Because if they did they would have heard.

They were saying something too.
It wasn't much.
Just one thing; one simple little thing that they'd been saying from the very beginning of camp...

"Talk is cheap. Play the game."


And this takes nothing away from who they are. They were a great team.
They ARE a great team.
No other team in history has ever accomplished what they have accomplished.
But here's the thing...
no other team has ever accomplished what they have either.
No team has ever won 11 straight road games...
or beaten an 18-win team to win the Super Bowl...or anything for that matter!


And no team ever will.

You see, though they were a GREAT team, they were a BETTER team. And now they are the BEST team.
They proved it.

As much as we like to argue statistics, you can't measure teams that way. Numbers don't matter once the game starts. The game doesn't care who won what yesterday. The ball doesn't spiral tighter or catch any easier.
It doesn't fumble less for the past.

You can't argue a team to victory. This ain't philosophy.
There's no "Championship Debate."

We play the games to decide who's BETTER
and we play a Super Bowl to decide who's BEST.

So now they get to move into their new house.
Live in their own neighborhood. And it's pretty nice there.

This is the new reality.
The NY Giants are once again the NFL Champions.

And by their will the world is now forced to come to grips with this fact.
Why?

because...


"IT...JUST...HAPPENED!!!"©


-Smash

"How to Write the Great American Indian Novel"

The following is one of my favorite poems.
It's in a slightly altered form from the original, linked here.
All of the text is the same but the line and stanza breaks are different.
I think it's pretty funny but sad at the same time. Obviously, its intention.
Lemme know what you think.

"How to Write the Great American Novel"

All of the Indians must have tragic features:
tragic noses,
eyes,
and arms.
Their hands and fingers must be tragic
when they reach for tragic food.

The hero must be a half-breed,
half white
and half Indian,

preferably from a horse culture.

He should often weep alone.

That is mandatory.

If the hero is an Indian woman,
she is beautiful.
She must be slender
and in love with a white man.

But if she loves an Indian man
then he must be a half-breed,

preferably from a horse culture.

If the Indian woman loves a white man,
then he has to be so white that we can see the blue veins running through his skin like rivers.

When the Indian woman steps out of her dress,
the white man gasps at the endless beauty of her brown skin.

She should be compared to nature:
brown hills,
mountains,
fertile valleys,
dewy grass,
wind,
and clear water.

If she is compared to murky water, however, then she must have a secret.

Indians always have secrets,

which are carefully

and slowly

revealed.

Yet Indian secrets can be disclosed suddenly, like a storm.

Indian men, of course, are storms.
They should destroy the lives of any white women who choose to love them.

All white women love Indian men.

That is always the case.

White women feign disgust at the savage in blue jeans and T-shirt
(but secretly lust after him).

White women dream about half-breed Indian men

from horse cultures.

Indian men are horses,
smelling wild and gamey.
When the Indian man unbuttons his pants,
the white woman should think of topsoil.

There must be one murder,
one suicide,
one attempted rape.

Alcohol should be consumed.

Cars must be driven at high speeds.

Indians must see visions.

White people can have the same visions
if they are in love with Indians.

If a white person loves an Indian
then the white person is Indian
by proximity.

White people must carry an Indian
deep inside themselves.
Those interior Indians are half-breed

and obviously from horse cultures.

If the interior Indian is male
then he must be a warrior,
especially if he is inside a white man.

If the interior Indian is female,
then she must be a healer,
especially if she is inside a white woman.

Sometimes there are complications.

An Indian man can be hidden inside a white woman.

An Indian woman can be hidden inside a white man.

In these rare instances,
everybody is a half-breed
struggling to learn more

about his or her horse culture.

There must be redemption, of course,
and sins must be forgiven.
For this, we need children.

A white child and an Indian child
(gender not important)
should express deep affection in a childlike way.

In the Great American Indian novel,
when it is finally written,
all of the white people will be Indians

And all of the Indians will be ghosts.

-Sherman Alexie (edited by Raphael Armand)