Monday, July 29, 2013

A TMR Monday Musical Update: Unembarrassing Rap


Christian Rap is only going to get you in trouble at an atheist's convention. (I mean, why anyone would want all this jargon taking up space in their heads is beyond us. Then again, why anyone would want all this jargon taking up space in their heads - so they can knowledgeably comment on it - is also a pickle we'd be better off tackling at another time.) Anywhere else, I guarantee you, this Q + A will get you pats on the back - no problem.


People listen to bad messages in music because they lack imagination. It's not their fault. They don't live in a stimulating environment (Even animals prefer being hit to no stimulation at all). Crate Diggers are driven by a desire for understanding the world of music's contours. Being exposed to everything destroys the hype. There's only two kinds of music - good and bad. The subject matter is up to you.


This isn't an unembarrassing Rap record, but Elvis Costello hooking up with The Roots' (and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon's) ?uest Love - who seems as determined as Elvis to hook up with everybody. Together they came up with this threadbare, oh I don't know, authentic fake I Am The Walrus rebellion, from Jamaica, for the masses. Or something. It's hard to tell because it just kinda lays there. I poked it with a stick and found it's not a bad song, if a bit under-produced. In the suburbs, on decks across the country, it has a shot at defining cool for a while. Everywhere else, it will be put out of it's misery quickly, except for the memory it happened. And that, too, will go soon enough. I can see why these two might share long phone calls, but not this.



Both this Rap and it's beat are throwbacks to the 70's tribal style of Gil Scott Heron and The Last Poets. Let's call it the sound of Rap's Community Organizer Contingent. The place where Obama feels deep, NewAgers start dancing (but not listening) and unarmed conservatives nervously start eyeing each other, remembering tales of cannibalism and old Tarzan movies. Not to fear. It's just a beat. Plus Democrats feed on themselves, which is why this guy's talking. You want to hear a message of self-reliance? Well here it is, twisted, on a Monday morning:

"Let's build,..."

6 comments:

  1. As a former English teacher it's kinda nice to see somebody take the time to properly use jargon. (see: one of the reasons why Eminem is ok by me).

    It would be kinda good for them if the Republicans would take a listen and maybe use, huh? But I think there may be ulterior reasons why they won't. I have about as much love and faith in them as I do Democrats anymore -- they don't give a damn about this country, they'd just as soon see little people like me and mine dead -- like to see us kill each other or have their brainwashed minion masses do it for them, so their have less risk and clean fingers for the table. So this song, which speaks to the heart of that, isn't going to be high on their play list.

    Seriously, nice songs -- I'll have to share with my boy when he gets home from his summer vacation.

    PW

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  2. As for the atheists at the convention:
    WTF?? It's notta bad, so why not listen to it? Does one have to always listen to music that fits one's ideology or the agenda of some group? Are they all that pussified?
    That's what I'd fire back.
    Bet Hitch wouldn't have turned a whisker at that song (Dawkins...eh, but I've always considered him a lot more mushy headed than Hitchens was).
    The only atheists who would freak out over this song are those nasty little steel headed, would have been Stalin's willing bootlicker types who are scared of their own shadows and nasty to anyone who doesn't goosestep in perfect time -- fuck them!

    *and yes, this applies to the flip side too -- I've noticed the same thing out of the true blue believers -- the ones that would burn the books (and the bodies) are the most frightened and easily spooked in all the herd -- fuck them too

    PW

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  3. ...and I love the last song, because the J.Davis Trio's horn was always good imhao (plus he was a really bright, nice guy to talk to), so I really loved hearing that riff in the back; that along with the rhythm (used to have a college bar band that came around here that was all percussion, would play sets remarkably similar to this -- crazy great stuff, they had to be to get bar patrons to flock to their gigs which consisted of an hour or so of just percussion and spoken word -- they were really popular around here, wide range of style too -- washboard and jug to kodo drums; they were cool).
    Taking me back 15/20 years.


    PW

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  4. That Stokes track has some "not unembarrassing" in it, too. It's not bad, but it's not right.

    The Poets and Heron were funny. When Roach, Ra, and Shepp did community-organizer songs, shit was hilarious whether they wanted it that way or not. Judging by his flow, Stokes likes Eminem...or he used to like Eminem, until his plastic rims grew in. Eminem is funny. Stokes isn't. He's resisting it. His song is empty where the laughs should go, like he knows.

    Elvis Costello used to be funny. Now he's NPR baby food for perimenopausal wives, just like the Roots. Who aren't funny. Quest seems like he's a funny guy...when he's not on the job.

    If it's not funny, it's not true. It's not about life.

    We're a joke.

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  5. letters

    That Stokes track has some "not unembarrassing" in it, too. It's not bad, but it's not right.

    Yeah, I caught that, too, after I posted it. Sorry. I'll try to be a little bit more circumspect going forward.

    It's about time for me to switch genre's anyway,..

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  6. Granted, he is no Eminem (maybe he needs to go back and listen??? and maybe I need to listen to the rest of the album to figure this guy out, but oh well that's for later) -- I don't know Stokes' story, but sounds like he's got some interesting influences (like I said: the rhythm and horn piece in there is highly reminiscent of some college bar bands coming out of Chicago back 15/20 years ago).

    Anyway, it's still better than Paul Ryan's iPod (or whatever they listen on) mix...that's got to change: if they want to reach new voters they need to consider the whole spectrum of what's out there. what's really in this country of theirs instead of just what they want to -- they don't (which means they don't really want to listen to the people, no matter how much they say so). You know it's bad when freaking Ron Paul is the one who understands "cool" (because he and his folks can give the appearance of laughing at themselves) better than the rest of them...how freaking unfunny is that?
    Baby steps, baby steps...at least it isn't embarrassing.

    PW

    *and the Democrats are getting the same way -- unless it reminds them of the Summer of Love (TM) or the Watts riots (or their sheltered little ideas of the same) then it's shut down...because they are narrow minded pricks...herein lies an opportunity

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