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aintshitbiz · 2 years

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Lenny Williams "Weekend Blues" Single | @LennyWilliams

“Weekday Blues” is about the everyday struggle that most people experience. Traffic jams, day care, eight hours at the job etc. Then finally the Weekend comes and you have two days to do you. What ever that may be. - Lenny Williams

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The ultimate soul crooner, Oakland, California native Lenny Williams possesses one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary music. With his rich, passionate vocal style, he is rightfully regarded as one of R & B’s most influential soul men. Williams began his musical career making records that have subsequently become R & B and Pop classics, tunes like the mega-hit “Cause I Love You” (recorded on his solo album) and “So Very Hard To Go,” which he recorded as the lead singer for Tower of Power. Lenny Williams' style has transcended into the new millennium, influencing many of today’s newest R & B and Pop vocalists.

Lenny himself sounds better than ever as he continues to keep the focus on love. “Love is what has gotten me through all of these years. I look for love and I surround myself with it,” Lenny says. When it comes to singing love songs, one must “go there to know there,” and Lenny never left. He is able to take the listener to the heart of love with such soulful aplomb because love will never go out of style and no one does it better. Then...Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Lenny moved to Oakland at a very young age. Learning to play the trumpet in elementary school fueled his interest in music. Lenny’s skills as a vocalist were first nurtured by singing in gospel choirs and groups around the Bay Area, where he was in good company, working alongside up-and-coming artist Sly Stone, Andre Crouch, Billy Preston and members of the Hawkins family--Edwin, Walter and Tramaine. After winning several local talent contests, Williams signed his first record deal with Fantasy Records. He cut two singles for the label, including “Lisa’s Gone,” now regarded as an R & B classic among British soul music lovers, and “Feelin Blue,” written by John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Lenny then spent a brief time with Atlantic Records, before deciding to put his solo career on hold in 1972, when he joined the emerging funk band Tower of Power. A string of hits ensued, including “So Very Hard To Go,” and “Don’t Change Horses (In The Middle of The Stream),” written by Lenny Williams and Johnny “Guitar” Watson. During his two years with the group, Lenny participated in three milestone albums, the Gold LP Tower Of Power, Back To Oakland, and Urban Renewal, while touring non-stop throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. At the end of 1975, Lenny returned to his solo projects. Initially signing with Motown in 1972, he later moved to ABC Records in 1977 (which was then purchased by MCA Records in 1979). Over the next four years, Lenny scored ten charted hits, including “Shoo Doo Fu Fu Ooh,”, “Choosing You,” “You Got Me Running,” “Love Hurt Me Love Healed Me,” and “Midnight Girl.” Lenny recorded four more albums from 1977 to 1980-- Choosing You, his first gold LP, Spark of Love, Love Current, and Let’s Do It Today. These albums established a solid and loyal following for Lenny, and the impact of his music can still be felt, particularly the mega-hit “Cause I Love You”, from Spark Of Love. This song crosses generational boundaries, and has frequently been used on “old school” and “slow jam” compilations throughout the years. In 1986, Lenny was invited to sing vocals on “Don’t Make Me Wait For Love,” a track from superstar sax man Kenny G’s multimillion selling album Duo Tones. When released as a single in 1987, the song became a Top 20 Pop and R & B hit. Now...Over the past few years, Lenny has continued his solo career, touring the US, Europe and South Africa. In 2004 and 2005, Lenny and Kanye West were honored recipients of the BMI Songwriters Award for the song “Over Night Celebrity,” recorded by rapper Twista. In the Summer of 2018, Lenny's smooth tones were on display in the song “I Love My Momma,” a collaboration with superstar rapper Snoop Dogg, featured on the popular HBO miniseries Sharp Objects. Over the years, he has shared stages with Aretha Franklin, Alicia Keys, K-Jon, Anthony Hamilton, The Whispers, Rick James, Boney James, Bobby Womack, The Ohio Players, Al Green, Usher and Frankie Beverly and Maze. Lenny has also expanded his multi dimensional career to include acting, starring in several popular stage plays. As an icon of the past and the present, Lenny Williams continues to expand his musical prowess and flex his newly found acting skills. He is sure to continue wowing his fans in the United States and beyond for decades to come. Now a Doctor, since receiving his honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts degree from California State University, Lenny Williams has the right musical prescription to soothe real music lovers. “I’m going to continue to evolve and grow as I learn and experiment lyrically and musically. I’ve been doing this for a long time now and I’ve been watching all of the changes going on in the music business. I have my own label now (Bridle Ridge Records); let me do my thing,” Lenny says. Yes, indeed, music lovers everywhere want him to do those things that he is the musical master of. Like a flowering perennial, prolific soul man Lenny Williams is always prepared for the spotlight that he belongs in. Connect w/ Lenny Williams: Facebook: @ohohohLenny Twitter: @LennyWilliams Instagram: @ohohohLenny YouTube Channel: Lenny Williams

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bandcampsnoop · 3 years

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2/26/21.

The Brother Moves On are from Johannesburg, South Africa and they meld many sounds - some expected and some surprising.

I learned about this release via Joyful Noise Recordings. Their “White Label” series reissued this early in 2021; the point of the series is to select musicians who then choose an album for reissue. This album was selected by Shabaka Hutchings, a British jazz saxophonist. Hutchings chose this in part because it has one foot firmly planted in the past while looking to the future.

So, there are nods to South African artists as varied as Ladysmith Black Mombazo, and the National Wake, while exploring some jazz sounds and drumming that remind me a bit of Makaya McCraven. In fact Angel Bat Dawid left a short review on the Bandcamp page for “A New Myth”:

“This is just a muthafukin good ass album PERIOD!!! From start to finish..afrobeat, folk, beautiful vocals, gorgeous driving guitar riffs bangin drumz n bass...this album stands up with great legendary bands like Demon Fuzz and Cymande. This slaps hard!!”

#The Brother Moves On #Johannesburg #South Africa #Joyful Noise Recordings #Shabaka Hutchings #Ladysmith Black Mambazo #National Wake #Makaya McCraven #Angel Bat Dawid #Demon Fuzz #Cymande

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checkoutafrica · 3 years

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By Xavier; A man of many talents

Internationally acclaimed, sought-after South African photographer, Xavier Saer is a man of many talents who rediscovered his passion for music during the first lockdown. This passion resulted in two radio single releases which got him noticed and signed to Tiësto’s record label, “Black Hole Recordings”, one of the world’s leading Dance Music Labels.

Most people know him as a photographer (having one of the most impressive celebrity catalogues in South Africa) however, not many people know that Xavier is a club DJ: he has two SAMA Best Pop Album nominations under his belt for the songwriting he did for two artists’ albums, he has four of his own albums to his name and has written over 2000 songs. I told you guys, this is a man of many of talents.

“By Xavier” is an inspiring story to come out of lockdown and also speaks to people’s ability to reinvent themselves, hone in on previous passions, and give in to creativity to see where it takes you. I spoke to him a couple of months back and this is what he had to say;

Who is Xavier Saer? Tell us your story.

I’ve been exploring life at its fullest for many years, I think that is what life is about, venturing different journeys and learning about myself via research and practice. I think exploring and being curious makes life a lot more fun and interesting. However, I’m an economist by trade. I studies, received two degrees, to make my parents happy, and then left home to focus on my true journey by traveling the world. I worked as a nightclub DJ back on those days, at two legendary Jozi nightspots as resident DJ, Vertigo’s and Catch 21. This also helped me pay for my studies and save money for my future travels. I settled back in South America where I pursued a career as a recording artist. I returned to South Africa and was signed to Creative Kingdom Records, with the likes of Loyiso Bala, with whom I toured the country. After a string of radio songs and tours, I felt I needed a new challenge, and I left everything to live like a monk in an ashram, where I wrote my first novel “Bleeding Heart.” After being published internationally, life caught up to me camera in hand, and I’ve been enjoying a photographic journey for 6 years now. During lockdown, I went back to music and songwriting and I got signed by Tiesto’s label. Life is so unpredictable and I’m just enjoying this wild ride.

At what point in lockdown did you realise that you wanted to make music again?

In a way, you don’t choose music, music chooses you. I have a very busy photographic career, so I haven’t had time to do anything but to hone my skills and I’m one of those people that likes to focus on things 100% so if it’s photography, it’s nothing else and if it’s music, it’s nothing else but music. Now I’m trying to balance it all, but music has always been my first love and you never forget about your first love. I’m really enjoying this process, it’s a really beautiful creative journey.

What do you love the most about creating music?

It’s a feeling for me… I don’t have to think about it, almost like breathing, creating music is the most natural process because I’ve been doing it for such a long time. I don’t sit down and say, “I want to write a song today,” I just get in a creative mood, almost as if I’m calling the Gods of song to come to me, it is a supernatural experience. The unpredictability of music fascinates me, because I never know what’s going to come out, as if your mind connects to some other world and you just wait and see what this world throws at you. Once you get these free flow of ideas, I polish them, and make them into songs.

Why did you choose to go under the name “by Xavier” for your music?

I felt my brand as a photographer was strong enough for me to use it on my music career, and since the same person is doing both things, why not?

Tell us about your new single “beat is strong”

“Beat Is Strong” is a metaphor for life, the relationships of music and being alive, the struggles we endure in order for us to make our beat or “life” strong and whole again. It’s a song about not giving up, about pursuing your dreams and purpose and the video show this: the struggle of a mechanic who dreams of being a DJ at night and how hard he works for this to become reality. Please check the video on Youtube here

youtube

You have done so many things and you have been so many things, what would you say your biggest achievement in life is?

I think being alive is an achievement on its own, to be happy and healthy and grateful in times like these is already an achievement, but writing my novel was special. The amount of time, effort, research time, traveling and endless days and nights in front of a computer screen, writing and rewriting those 250 pages is an incredible achievement. But penning so many songs and creating beautiful and timeless images is also up there with writing the novel. These are all my legacy, and that’s why I spent so many years creating, so that my footprint in the world stays and influences people positive for a long time

what is the one quote that you try and live by?

It’s a quote by Helen Keller, “Life is a daring adventure or nothing at all.”

That’s how I design my life: making it interesting, exciting, and always fresh. I know this sounds far-fetched, but it is possible. Even if you do something small every week, by the end of the year you would have achieved something bigger… celebrate the small steps, the daily and weekly steps, and these will create an inspiring journey.

You’re also an avid traveler, where is your favorite place to go in the world, and why?

I love Mexico, the most incredible food, culture, and people. South America is joyful and exciting. I have a deep love for India, I’ve been there 4-5 times. Every place in Europe is different and so rich in the culture you can’t pick one, and I’m in love with our country: our people are exceptional and we have so much here that you could travel nonstop and not know everything we offer. My advice to you is to travel, travel, travel, travel. You always come back a better person.

What is the biggest lesson that you have learnt from your travels?

That humans are all the same, everywhere. We laugh the same, we want the same things, we enjoy good company and food and our hearts yearn for the good in life. We all want peace, and safety and a better world for our kids. When you look into someone’s eyes anywhere on earth, you feel the same. And if you find that, every place becomes magic.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?

I don’t think or worry about the future. There’s no point. I live for today and whatever I do today will determine my future. So I focus on doing the things I love with passion and discipline. As long as I keep doing what I love, the future is irrelevant. Flow like water!

Listen to his single here;

The post By Xavier; A man of many talents appeared first on CheckoutAfrica.

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#Interviews #Music

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blackkudos · 4 years

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Nipsey Hussle

Ermias Joseph Asghedom (August 15, 1985 – March 31, 2019), known professionally as Nipsey Hussle (often stylized as Nipsey Hu$$le), was an American rapper, activist, and entrepreneur. Emerging from the West Coast hip hop scene in the mid-2000s, Hussle independently released his first mixtape, Slauson Boy Volume 1, to moderate local success, which led to him being signed to Cinematic Music Group and Epic Records.

Hussle became known for his numerous mixtapes, including his Bullets Ain't Got No Name series, The Marathon, The Marathon Continues and Crenshaw, the last of which rapper Jay-Z bought 100 copies for $100 each. After much delay, his debut studio album Victory Lap was released in 2018 to critical acclaim and commercial success, and was nominated for the Best Rap Album at the 61st Grammy Awards in 2019. Two posthumous Grammy Awards for the songs "Racks in the Middle" and "Higher" was awarded to Hussle in the Best Rap Performance and Best Rap/Sung Performance categories, respectively, the next year at the 62nd Grammy Awards.

Also known for his entrepreneurship, Hussle inaugurated the Marathon Clothing store, which he founded along with partners Carless, the head of the agency, Karen Civil and his brother Samiel Asghedom in 2017, and started a co-working environment which he named "Vector 90". On March 31, 2019, Hussle was fatally shot outside his store Marathon Clothing in South Los Angeles. Eric Holder, a 29-year-old man who had confronted Hussle earlier in the day, was arrested and charged with murder on April 2, 2019.

Early life

Ermias Joseph Asghedom was born on August 15, 1985, in Crenshaw, Los Angeles, California, to Angelique Smith, an African-American woman, and Dawit Asghedom, an Eritrean immigrant. He was raised in the Crenshaw neighborhood of South Los Angeles with his brother Samuel and his sister Samantha. Asghedom attended Hamilton High School in the nearby Castle Heights neighborhood, but dropped out before graduating. At the age of 14, Asghedom left home and joined the local Rollin 60's Neighborhood Crips, a sub-group of the larger Crips gang primarily based in his home neighborhood of Crenshaw. His stage name, a play on the name of comedian Nipsey Russell, originated as a nickname given to Asghedom by a childhood friend. At the age of 19, Asghedom's father took both him and his brother Samuel on a trip to Eritrea, East Africa for three months in 2004. Asghedom credited the trip with inspiring him to become a community activist with an "entrepreneurial spirit".

Music career

2008–2010: Bullets Ain't Got No Name series

In December 2005, Hussle independently released his first mixtape, Slauson Boy Volume 1, to moderate local success. His debut project helped to build a small regional fanbase on the west coast, and eventually led to Hussle being signed to Cinematic Music Group and Epic Records. In 2008, Hussle released the first two installments in his Bullets Ain't Got No Name series of mixtapes, which helped to bring Hussle's music to a larger audience.

Nipsey's profile continued to grow into 2009, when he collaborated with Drake on the song "Killer", and also appeared, along with Snoop Dogg and Problem, on the song "Upside Down", from Snoop Dogg's 2009 album Malice n Wonderland. He also released the third instalment in Bullets Ain’t Got No Name, as well as his commercial debut single, "Hussle in the House". Despite the song, which samples Kris Kross' 1992 single Jump, being well received by critics, it failed to make any impact on the charts.

After Epic experienced financial issues in 2010, Nipsey opted not to renew his contract and left the label. Not long after going independent, Hussle appeared on the song "We Are the World 25 for Haiti", and was featured by XXL Magazine as one of its "Annual Freshman Top Ten", a selection of ten up-and-coming hip-hop artists to watch. XXL labeled him "Most Determined" of his class, and LA Weekly called him the "next big L.A. MC". Hussle was expected to release his debut album, South Central State of Mind, in October 2010. Prior to release, the album was supported by the single "Feelin' Myself" featuring Lloyd. While the production was set to be handled from J.R. Rotem, Scott Storch, Mr. Lee, Play-N-Skillz, Terrace Martin and 1500 or Nothin', the album was set to be featured with the guest appearances from Trey Songz, Jay Rock and Sean Kingston. Concurrently, he announced that he planned on releasing a mixtape with fellow rapper Jay Rock, titled Red and Blue Make Green. Following the release of a music video for "Feelin' Myself", the album was set for a December 21, 2010, release; however, both of these projects were eventually postponed indefinitely.

2010–2013: Leaving Epic Records and

The Marathon

series

After leaving Epic, Nipsey founded his own record label, All Money In. On December 21, 2010, he released his first All Money In Records mixtape, titled The Marathon, which featured guest appearances from Kokane and MGMT. On November 1, 2011, Hussle released a sequel titled The Marathon Continues, which featured L.A. rappers YG and Dom Kennedy. On April 17, 2012, Hussle released a collaborative album with fellow rapper Blanco, Raw. The album featured guest appearances from YG, Mistah FAB, Yukmouth, B-Legit, Kokane and Freeway.

In May 2012, Nipsey released a single titled Proud of That, marking his first collaboration with Florida rapper Rick Ross. Nipsey was subsequently featured on Ross' Maybach Music Group's song "Fountain of Youth", which appears on the label's second album Self Made Vol. 2. The music video was released on October 1, 2012. Rumours began to circulate that Nipsey would sign with MMG, and in December 2012, Hussle himself hinted at signing, however, he also said that he was still looking for the right label.

Hussle said that he would be releasing his third and final installment of The Marathon mixtape series with TM3: Victory Lap in 2013, after it was pushed back from its initial December 2012 release date. He also announced that he was planning on releasing a joint mixtape with a fellow West Coast rapper and frequent collaborator YG. Hussle performed at the 2013 Paid Dues festival on March 30, 2013 in California. After deciding against signing to a major label, due to a lack of creative freedom, he choose to make Victory Lap his debut album.

2013–2019: Crenshaw and Victory Lap

Beginning in 2013, he released various songs from his upcoming mixtape Crenshaw, including the 9th Wonder produced track "Face the World", and a The Futuristics and 1500 or Nothin' produced track "Blessings". On August 6, 2013, Hussle announced that Victory Lap would now be released as an album, rather than a mixtape. Prior to the release of Victory Lap, Nipsey announced on September 16, 2013, that he would be releasing a new mixtape, Crenshaw (hosted by DJ Drama), on October 8, 2013. On September 24, 2013, he revealed the track list for Crenshaw, which contained guest appearances from Rick Ross, Dom Kennedy, Slim Thug, James Fauntleroy II, Z-Ro, Skeme and Sade, among others. The production on the mixtape was handled by The Futuristics, 1500 or Nothin', 9th Wonder, Mike Free, Ralo and Jiggy Hendrix, among others. He also released the "Crenshaw" documentary that day in promotion of the mixtape. On October 3, 2013, he released another trailer for the mixtape, and attracted attention when he revealed 1,000 hard copies of the mixtape would be sold for $100 each. Jay Z personally bought 100 copies. He reportedly sold out all 1,000 copies in less than 24 hours, effectively making $100,000.

Upon the release of Crenshaw, Hussle said that Victory Lap would be released in 2014. On November 20, 2013, Hussle confirmed that Victory Lap would feature production from Ralo, 1500 or Nothin', The Futuristiks and DJ Mustard. He later confirmed more producers, including Don Cannon and DJ Khalil on the album. After the year went by with no new releases, Hussle released a new mixtape, Mailbox Money on New Year's Eve 2014, again releasing 1000 hard copies for $100 each.

Nipsey made a number of guest appearances throughout 2015 and 2016, working with Jadakiss, Trae Tha Truth and YG. In 2016, he released another mixtape, titled Famous Lies and Unpopular Truth. He commented on the 2016 US presidential election by releasing the single "FDT" ("Fuck Donald Trump") with YG; the song was written about Hussle's positive experiences with Mexican immigrants in the United States, whom Trump had criticized.

After numerous delays, Hussle's debut studio album, Victory Lap, was released on February 16, 2018, debuting at number 4 on the Billboard 200, selling 53,000 album equivalent units in its first week. The album was met with universal acclaim from critics, and numerous songs entered the Billboard Hot 100, including "Double Up", "Last Time I Checc'd" and "Dedication", marking Nipsey's debut on the chart as a lead artist. Victory Lap was also nominated for a Best Rap Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards in 2019, but lost out to Cardi B's Invasion of Privacy. Over 1 year after its release, the album reached a new peak of number on the Billboard 2000 in April 2019 after Hussle's murder on March 31. His single "Racks in the Middle" featuring Roddy Ricch and Hit-Boy also reached a new peak of number 44 on the Hot 100, following his death.

Business ventures

Hussle's nickname came from his entrepreneurial spirit. He shined shoes for $2.50 to pay for school clothes at age 11 with a goal of a hundred shoes a day. Hussle sold his mixtapes out of a car trunk at a neighborhood strip mall at the intersection of Slauson Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard. After leaving Epic Records, he founded his own record label. Hussle experimented with unorthodox sales strategies by selling expensive copies of certain mixtapes even while the songs were distributed for free.

Hussle's Marathon branding inspired Steve Carless in 2013 when he founded Marathon Agency with business partners Karen Civil and Jorge Peniche. They designed the talent-based brand to attract a diverse set of clients in all stages of their careers. In October 2016, Carless, the head of the agency, told Billboard that Hussle had invested "like over six figures" in the Marathon Agency and described him as "kind of like our silent partner."

Hussle opened the Marathon Clothing store on June 17, 2017, which he founded along with partners Carless, Civil, and his brother Samiel Asghedom. Opening the store at this intersection in the Crenshaw commercial district was important to him because he wanted to invest and provide opportunities in his neighborhood of Hyde Park. The store is billed as a "smart store," which bridges the gap between culture and technology by giving customers access to exclusive music and other content created by rappers through an app created by software engineer Iddris Sandu. The year before his death, Hussle had bought the L-shaped small shopping center where his store was located. His partner was real estate investor David Gross, who is also a South Los Angeles native.

All Money In

Hussle created the record label All Money In after leaving Epic Records. He released his first major project, The Marathon, through the new label on December 21, 2010. He released subsequent projects under his label, including The Marathon Continues (2011), Crenshaw (2013), and Mailbox Money (2014). He also signed other artists, including J. Stone, Cobby Supreme, Cuzzy Capone, BH, Pacman Da Gunman, and Killa Twan.

Releases

The Marathon - Nipsey Hussle (2010)

The Marathon Continues - Nipsey Hussle (2011)

Crenshaw - Nipsey Hussle (2013)

Mailbox Money - Nipsey Hussle (2014)

25/8 No Breaks - J. Stone (2014)

Boyz N Tha Hood - BH (2015)

Slauson Boy 2 - Nipsey Hussle (2016)

Neighborhood Watch - J. Stone (2016)

Victory Lap - Nipsey Hussle (2018)

6 Days - J. Stone (2018)

No Guts No Glory - Pacman Da Gunman (2019)

The Definition of Loyalty - J. Stone (2019)

60TH ST - Pacman Da Gunman (2019)

Acting career

In 2007, Hussle played a small role in Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's semi-autobiographical film I Tried, which was directed by Rich Newey. In 2010, he starred in the film Caged Animal, alongside Ving Rhames, Gillie Da Kid and Robert Patrick. In 2015, Hussle was featured in a cameo "The Sexy Getting Ready Song" in the pilot episode of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, rapping two bars.

Community activism

Hussle wanted to focus on "giving solutions and inspiration" to young black men like him. He denounced gun violence through his music, influence and community work. He spoke openly about his experiences with gang culture.

He funded improvements to neighborhood schools and spent time with students, also participating on panels about growing up in the area and the influence of gang culture. Hussle started a co-working environment which he named Vector 90. From his own experience, he believed that the Crenshaw area as being under served and that young people would benefit from communal workspaces. He wanted youths to be able to take classes in science, technology and mathematics at the center. In March 2019, Hussle had contacted officials from the LAPD to arrange a meeting with him and Roc Nation about what they could do to help prevent gang violence in South Los Angeles. The meeting had been scheduled to take place on April 1.

Hussle was murdered on March 31. According to Los Angeles Police Commissioner Steve Soboroff, department officials will meet with Hussle's representatives at a future date on these issues, to continue the activist's work in his honor.

Personal life

Hussle and actress Lauren London began dating in 2013. They had a son together born in 2016. London has a child from a previous relationship with fellow rapper Lil Wayne, while Hussle had a daughter from a previous relationship. He remained very involved in South Los Angeles with his businesses, charitable activities, and the homes of family and friends. The locations for a magazine shoot were in the neighborhood.

Death

On March 31, 2019, Hussle was shot at least 10 times in the parking lot of his store, Marathon Clothing, in South Los Angeles at about 3:19 p.m. Gunshot wounds included a shot to his right chest, a shot that entered into his abdomen near his navel and severed his spine, a gunshot wound to the right side of his back that penetrated into his chest and struck his lung, and a gunshot wound to "the posterior top" of his scalp. Two others were wounded in the shooting. All three victims were transported to a hospital, where Hussle was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. He was 33 years old. Rapper GBO Gaston claimed to have killed Nipsey Hussle on an Instagram post before the suspected perpetrator was arrested. Police have identified 29-year-old Eric Ronald Holder Jr. as the suspect.

Investigators believe Eric Holder, the suspect, was known to the rapper and that the shooting was possibly motivated by a personal matter. On April 2, 2019, Holder was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department and was being held in solitary confinement.

Hussle is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Southern California. His brother, Samuel Asghedom was appointed the permanent administrator of Hussle's estate.

Memorials

Upon hearing the news of his death, numerous celebrities offered their condolences on social media. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti also offered his condolences to Hussle's family.

Hussle's memorial service was held on April 11 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, with tickets provided free of charge.

A letter from former president Barack Obama praised the rapper for his work in the community:

The 25.5-mile (41.0 km) funeral procession wound through the streets of South L.A. including Watts, where he spent some of his formative years. Mourners gathered at the Watts Towers along the route. The crowds lining the streets demonstrated the impact he had on this community.

Hussle's longtime friend and collaborator YG dedicated his performance at the 2019 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival to the memory of Nipsey Hussle.

Legacy

A petition was started to rename the intersection of Slauson Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard near Hussle's store Marathon Clothing to "Nipsey Hussle Square". On the day of his funeral, the council announced it was set to be renamed Ermias "Nipsey Hussle" Asghedom Square to honor him and his contributions to the neighborhood.

There was a strong artistic response to Nipsey Hussle's death. Within a few months, over 50 murals dedicated to the rapper were painted in the City of Los Angeles. One mural is in an alley near the strip mall where he was killed. Hussle's store has remained closed since his death.

Puma released the Marathon Clothing collection in September 2019 with 100% of net proceeds to the Neighborhood ‘Nip’ Foundation. The AMB store opened in September 2019 on Crenshaw Boulevard. This is another clothing company founded by Hussle with Cobby Supreme who was one of his best friends and an artist.

The season 2 premiere of the CW series All American included a candlelight vigil at Hyde Park with a eulogy by the character Flip Williams (played by Lahmard Tate). Tattoo artist Keenan Chapman painted a mural just for the episode. The series included "Grinding All My Life" in its pilot, and series star Daniel Ezra was a fan. Characters from the series wore clothes from the Marathon store. Hussle had planned to appear in the season 1 finale but had "scheduling conflicts".

Inspired by the books that Hussle had mentioned in interviews, songs and motivational messages, local chapters of The Marathon Book Club have formed. The list includes self-help bestsellers, cult classics and little-known books by black authors. Michelle Obama included "Hussle and Motivate" on her 2020 workout playlist.

At the 2020 Grammy Awards DJ Khaled, Kirk Franklin, John Legend, Meek Mill, Roddy Ricch and YG gave tribute to Hussle in honor of his legacy.

Ava DuVernay may co-produce and direct a Nipsey Hussle documentary or Netflix series.

On March 6, 2020, thrash metal band Body Count released their seventh studio album titled Carnivore. The album features a song titled When I'm Gone which was written for Nipsey Hussle by the band's singer and fellow Los Angeles rapper Ice-T. The song features a spoken introductory part in which Ice-T says of Hussle, "the outcry of love and support after his death was incredible, but it inspired me to write this song." The song also features guest vocalist Amy Lee from the band Evanescence who is also credited by Ice-T as having co-written the song.

#08/15 #03/31

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onestowatch · 4 years

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WizTheMc Talks Growing Up in Germany, Signing to 10K Projects/Homemade Projects, and His New Single “Lied” [Q&A]

Raised in Germany, based in Toronto WizTheMc has a new vision for rap. He started gaining attention with singles “Do What I Want” and “On My Mind,” which showcased his youthful attitude and his ability to hop on instrumentals you wouldn’t typically hear rappers perform over. WizTheMc signed to 10K Projects/Homemade Projects earlier this year and his label debut “For A Minute” established him as a unique and versatile emcee. His follow up single “Lied” is equally as charismatic, catchy, and summery.

We got the chance to connect with WizTheMc via email and learn more about his creative process, signing to 10K Projects, and how his experience overseas influenced his music.

Ones To Watch: What do you hope fans take away when they listen to “Lied”?

I want them to know that it is ok to feel like you haven’t been honest to yourself because you wanted to create space for someone and set them free. “Lied” is in no way a bitter song, rather me being honest with myself that I actually wasn’t sure about my decisions in a scenario of letting go.

One of my favorite parts of your music is your ability to hop on a variety of different instrumentals. What’s your process for picking beats and working with producers?

Honestly I don’t take beat packs and only work with a handful of producers. Before I met Hugo, who helped me discover my sound in the summer of 2019 in Berlin, Germany, I produced most of my catalogue including one of my recent summer vibes For A Minute. My process now is a lot different to when I first started producing myself. Now I work with the Toronto legend Jeff Hazin (producer, writer) who’s an absolute musical genius. He pulls the craziest and best parts out of me. After working with him for almost a year now I still always look forward to every session I have with him. There’s no process, he just got the juice and we vibe.

How did growing up in Germany affect your creative journey?

Well, I often times say it didn’t affect me in any real way because I was always making music in my room, in my own world. It never felt like I was in any specific place, so that never really mattered to me. Though one thing I can say for sure, growing up in a small town (Lüneburg) made me dislike the mentality that came with it. So every time I had a chance to do something outside of what everyone else was doing, it didn’t matter if it was photography, film or making music, I got completely obsessed with it, because it gave me the feeling of creating a new me, a new life no one would have say over.

What drew you to Toronto when you first started to pursue music?

It was a cheap flight that initially got me there but it was the culture, the music and arts scene that kept me here. I had amazing opportunities all around me and I seized every single one of them. From postering the streets with my face to promote my music, to playing gigs at every possible open mic and event that would let me perform.

What was it like signing a record deal with 10K Projects/Homemade Projects during quarantine?

Wild but oddly calm. It was never a dream of mine. To be heard yes, but to sign was not in my near future plans. Zach, Tony, Molly, Elliot and the whole Homemade/10K team changed my mind with that. We were talking to other labels around the time that Homemade came into the picture. I was quite overwhelmed by meeting all these industry people who heard of me and were interested in signing me. But this team made me feel like they saw what I was after and really valued the level I had worked myself up to. So rather than thinking, oh here’s a label trying to swoop me up, it felt like we were talking like business partners with mutual respect for one another. In the weeks prior to me actually signing, protests about the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and countless other black & indigenous people started in the US. Being from South Africa, I know the struggles my father and my family went through in the times of apartheid and the repercussions that still exist to this day. Seeing a first world country like the United States go through similar motions in 2020 made me sick.

To show unity and love in these times Jacob (my good friend and manager) and I decided to share a donation of $10000 to the Nia Centre for the Arts and Foodshare Toronto. Two Toronto based organizations doing the real grassroots work in the city. We wanted to do something together with our new partners to really recognize as a group what it meant to be able to think about music in a time like that. 10k had already started a fund for social justice projects, so the whole team jumped on and joined together to contribute. All of us giving to our local communities that helped build us up, Toronto, Philly and LA.

I was always privileged enough to have food in the fridge and to pursue what my dreams were and are but me and Jacob are well aware that not everyone has had an equal chance to do so. This is just the first step of us collectively cultivating love and support in our immediate communities.

How has your creative process changed since signing a label deal?

Nothing has changed, my Uber Eats orders just got more bougie.

In an earlier interview you stated, “I want to change how people think about what a rapper can be.” What does that mean to you and how do you think you’re accomplishing that?

Rap is raw. It always has been. In the beginning it was real, all you could show and express had to be real otherwise you never touched the mic again. Now Rap and Hip hop are the number 1 favorite for people from around the world to listen to and indulge in. A big part of that audience isn’t so connected to the lyrics anymore, and in some cases fortunately doesn’t have to be. I feel like the world is and has been ready for rappers to make songs with Taylor Swift (Kendrick did that), songs with Linkin Park (Jay Z did that) etc. And I’m more than anything inspired by rappers and musicians who are willing to make music that is beyond the borders of what they started out making. That’s real evolution and thats what I’m after. You tell me if I’m accomplishing that.

What’s next for WizTheMc?

Lots of super cool videos, lots of studio time with people I love and lots of finding out who I want to be and how I want to show up in the world.

What are some of your dream collaborations?

Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Kayne West, J. Cole

Who are your Ones to Watch?

I love Dominic Fike’s new album and otherwise I’m too lost in my own music right now to pay attention to other people's work. But that will change and I can’t wait for that. Though for everyone from North America, check out MAJAN and Cro, two amazing german artists I admire with vibes out of this world.

Listen to “Lied” by WizTheMc below:

#pop #rap #hip hop #alternative #wizthemc

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noramoya · 4 years

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MICHAEL JACKSON, BLACK SUPERHERO: African-American Artists And Intelectuals, From Jay-Z To Henry Louis Gates, Weight In On Jackson’s Legacy.

“When Michael Jackson was a boy, you didn’t have to say “black is beautiful,” you just had to look at him and you knew. In 1969, as black people were getting comfortable with the idea that African features are gorgeous, he arrived as the perfect punctuation of that idea. He was cherubic with his rich brown skin, a broad nose and a big halo of curls atop his head at a time when the Afro was a powerful symbol of black pride. “People responded viscerally to Michael Jackson’s beauty,” says Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. 1969 was a year after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a time when the black-power and civil rights movements seemed to be disintegrating, but Michael showed up, a soul-music prodigy irrepressibly optimistic and bursting with youthful enthusiasm. “Here was a child who clearly understood the R&B idiom,” says music-industry veteran Gary Harris. “He was some sort of test-tube creation from a mad soul doctor’s lab. If Diana Ross and Stevie Wonder had a child, it would have been Michael Jackson.”

He quickly became the number-one black child star of his era, and of all time. The first four Jackson 5 singles each topped Billboard‘s Hot 100, an unbelievable start. Black people fell in love so hard, he became more than an artist and more like a member of the family. You didn’t want anything to happen to him so much that you felt protective the way you did about a younger brother. “He was ours,” says Q-Tip. “He meant everything to black culture.”

It wasn’t just about Michael. A few years after the Johnson administration declared the black family broken with the Moynihan Report, the Jackson family was large, intact, vibrant, successful and seemingly happy, giving America an idealized image of domestic bliss. Jay-Z told me he grew up pretending to be Michael, singing alongside his two older sisters and brother. “Here you had Michael and four brothers,” says the Rev. Al Sharpton, “all talented and all cute and the strong father and the mother who was matriarchal and Janet, and it was like, ‘Wow, all this talent in this family, showing we could do something.’ We were proud of that.”

Michael had a second family: Motown was a deeply trusted brand in millions of black households. If Berry Gordy said it was good enough to release, you could bet it was great. The Jackson 5 were the last great act to come out of the Detroit label, further proof of Malcolm Gladwell’s theory in ‘Outliers: The Story of Success’, that life timing is critical to success, that the historical forces swirling around the moment when you emerge can make all the difference. “The Jacksons were the first family in line to truly benefit from the post-civil-rights era with America’s new open-arms policy toward black entertainment,” says ?uestlove. “1969 was the year the social floodgates opened and an 11-year-old led the charge in post-Malcolm/Martin/Motown America. Historians always forget the third-most-important M to help black America get access to the promised land is Motown

Thriller came out at the end of 1982, as the affirmative-action generation was beginning to make its move. Jesse Jackson would make a bid for the presidency, Eddie Murphy would launch his assault on the top layers of Hollywood, Oprah Winfrey would start her legendary talk show, and Bill Cosby would create the best-rated sitcom of the decade. Even before all that started, the vibe of black ascensionism was in the air, and Michael saw no reason why race should hold him back from the most elite level of his profession. He decided to ride his excellence to the zenith. Current Motown president Sylvia Rhone says, “Throughout his career, his success dramatically affected my view of what was possible and open for African-Americans.”

Many blacks now compare Michael with Barack Obama – perhaps the highest possible compliment in black America. Not only are they both integrationists and racial harmonists, but they both were determined to reach the top while refusing to let race hold them back. “There’s so many components of why Barack Obama is president,” says Diddy, “and Michael Jackson is one of them. He started a change in the perception of the African-American male on a worldwide level: his strength, always putting himself in a power position, being seen as a hero.” Sharpton echoes the point. “Way before Tiger Woods or Barack Obama, Michael made black people go pop-culture global,” he says. “You had people in France, South America and Iowa comfortable with their kids imitating a black kid from Gary, Indiana. And when some of those people in Iowa grew, they were comfortable with voting for Barack Obama because they got comfortable imitating a black kid named Michael Jackson when they were young. Obama is a phenomenon, but he’s the result of a process that Michael helped America graduate to.”

Michael was also a boardroom killer. In the decades before him, black recording artists were, as James Brown observed, in the show but not in show business. Many ended up losing the copyrights to their own songs and pocketing a fraction of the money their music brought in. Jackson knew all about that history. “He knew Berry Gordy made his money off copyrights,” cultural critic Nelson George says. “He knew the value of songs. That’s something he understood.” In 1984, when the ATV music-publishing catalog, which contained 251 Beatles songs, including “Yesterday,” “Let It Be” and “Hey Jude,” as well as work from Bob Dylan, went up for sale, Jackson went after it. After 10 months of negotiation, Jackson purchased the catalog for $47.5 million. His stake is now worth more than 10 times that, and the move was easily his shrewdest business conquest – and the asset that kept him afloat during his financially troubled last years. It proved his savvy, separating him from all those previous black artists who lacked the power to control the music business. But more than that, the symbolic power of Jackson owning the Beatles’ music cannot be overstated. Not only did he become as big as the Beatles, he bought them too. A century after American whites owned blacks, a black performer owned the product of the most elite white group in the world. It was an amazing turnabout, and one blacks took special pride in. A few nights after Jackson died, I was in L.A., searching the radio for an MJ song, when I came across “Strawberry Fields Forever” on an oldies station. I said, “Fuck it, Mike owns this. Same difference.” And I listened.

By the Nineties, Jackson no longer looked like a black person – after a series of surgeries, his facial features and skin color had become more and more Caucasoid. George says, “I don’t think there was any question: There was disquiet in the black community about the color thing. It was an issue. People didn’t wanna go out and say, ‘He’s fuckin’ becoming white,’ but people were like, ‘What’s that about?'” As Jackson was literally assimilating, we struggled with his choices but never symbolically tossed him out of the race, even though he seemed to be trying to surgically remove himself from it. “The reason black folk never turned their backs on him,” says Georgetown professor Michael Eric Dyson, “is because we realized he was merely acting out on his face what we collectively have been tempted to do in our souls: whitewash the memory and trace of our offending blackness.” Still, we struggled to understand why. Some have said he no longer wanted to see his father in the mirror, but there seem to be deeper forces at play. “I think he wanted to be a symbol of universalism,” Gates says, “and he erroneously thought his skin color, hair texture, the length of his nose and shape of his chin inhibited that. You could say he was appealing to the universal, but there’s no way of escaping, even giving him the benefit of the doubt, that it’s a function of Negro self-hatred and self-loathing, which is a function of slavery, Jim Crow, segregation and racism, which made blacks hate the very things that make them beautiful.”

Those who knew Jackson well say he wasn’t trying to surgically remove himself from the race. Producer Teddy Riley, who worked on Jackson’s Dangerous album, says, “Of course he loved being black. We’d be in sessions where we’d just vibe out and he’d say, ‘We are black, and we are the most talented people on the face of the Earth.’ I know this man loved his culture, he loved his race, he loved his people.” Questlove adds, “As a fellow child of a taskmaster, no one knows self-distorted insecurity like I do. A person ashamed of his roots would never have made a gazillion odes to Africa as he’s done.” And even as his face got whiter, his music stayed black and rooted in the R&B tradition he mastered as a kid.”

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wardsoundart-blog · 4 years

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Chantal Passomonte aka Mira Calix!

Mira Calix, whose real name is Chantal Passomonte, is an award-winning artist and composer. She was born in South Africa in 1970 and has Italian parents. She moved to London in 1991 to pursue music. She got a job at a record shop and began her career there by DJing and organizing parties. Soon after she found 2 labels, 4AD and Wrap Records, that she was a publicist for from the years 1994-1997. After being able to experiment for a while with the equipment and composed songs. Since 1998, she has released albums and songs under Wrap Records with the stage name Mira Calix. The type of music she created stemmed from sounds of stones, vintage synthesizers, and her own voice altered to make different noises. The root of her interest started because first, her father played the clarinet, which she tried to play but mentioned that ‘wind instruments don’t work for her’, and secondly, her grandfather used to compose so as a kid she was very exposed to music which is why it has always been something she’s been intrigued by. Her shift into electrical music happened very naturally as she stated because she was into indie bands growing up such as Stereolab, My Bloody Valentine, and Spaceman 3. They included the synths and drum machines which are the sounds that still interest and fascinate her to this day.

The process of making her own music was not easy and happened very slowly so she experimented and had fun with it which led to her making things that sounded good. She loves this type of music because Calix stated she is quite impatient and with electronic equipment, she can finish a whole track in a day if she wanted to because it’s all tools you need to learn to use to create whatever music wanted and sometimes she wanted to create and finish now! Mira Calix is the type of artist who likes to get lost in the work she is producing. She doesn’t have a fixed routine but loves working during the day. She likes not knowing what day it is and having the sunlight dictate when she sleeps and gets back to work. She’s very work-oriented and enjoys the fact that she works for herself which makes her work more effectively done and fun to do as well. She loves to play around with sounds and record all that she thinks is cool then use those melodies another time if they aren’t meant to be part of a song she is creating at the moment so she really experiments with her work. Since Calix is extremely experimental she likes to collect little instruments from wherever she travels to especially wooden ones and objects like bells. She uses several different objects for her music such as pebbles and little string instruments but she doesn’t play them in the structured way they were mean to be used, instead, she manipulates them to create amazing sounds and mixes all those up to create her own little world. In the music she created, she uses a combination of her own voice, which she says she loves to hear and use because it’s intimate and she can create any noise she wants while being able to edit and manipulate it to create her desired sound, as well as beats she creates by jittering them to create electronic textures as well as natural sounds she creates and finds. She works on creating what she likes regardless of whether its perfect or not.

“Things don’t have to be perfect for me. The imperfection is interesting.” -Mira Calix

Mira Calix mentions several great points when it comes to gender issues. She doesn’t believe that gender issues affected anything in her making music or performing it but is only a problem when it comes to one thing and that is that the question of “Do gender issues affect the practice of making music and performing?” being asked in interviews. She says that this question arises every time she’s done an interview but never for guys only for girls in her field or any field at all. On a day to day level and in the studio as well as performing it doesn’t make a difference to her whether she’s male or female, only when being interviewed. Another point she mentions is how media depicts a woman who makes electric music stating that there seems to be this weird silent pressure on them for being a woman in the field. She talks about how girls and boys can be on the same tour bus yet the girls need to finish their work and look good and have their hair done while guys can go days without a shower and show up in my clothes and it’s accepted by society. She says, “What that sends out is a message that women are just there to look nice, and men are the ones that can look like anything but they can be intellectual therefore interesting and we can accept them on their intellectual capacity”

“Your life makes you who you are, and therefore that’s the music you make.” -Mira Calix

Some songs:

Mira Calix • ‘Bite Me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRBrINkXSkk

Mira Calix • ‘just go along’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeCH8GJxUQE

Mira Calix • ‘rightclick’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1mZWs1Neis

Thank you for reading!!

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burlveneer-music · 5 years

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Sewing Machine Effects - NOLA is calling (Big Chief Jermaine, Big Chief Romeo, Ha Sizzle, David Walters, Olivier Koundouno, Bona Didolanvi)

In the last 5 years, Lyon-based label Jarring effects engages an international adventure in three parts. A musical project involving the production of a collaboration between local and French artists, a documentary, an authentic, personnal insight of a city, through artists eyes. The result will be a French and international tour, projections, meetings… We're creating an extraordinary musical project, in forgotten territories of the vast world by musicians meet and discover eachother's cities. This collection of documentaries and albums, called World Wide Effects, about the idea of urbanity started in a port city in South Africa, Cape Town in 2013 (Cape Town Effects) and then moved to Detroit, MI "Motor city" in 2015 (D. Lights) the city of automobile industry which made America invent soul music.. And the road trip ! It was obvious then that the project would continue un New Orleans, "NOLA" on the other side of the American dream. NOLA IS CALLING is the title of this new episode. It will be a triangular meeting between France (David Walters; Olivier Koundouno), Benin (Bona Didolanvi) and the United States (Big Chief Jermaine & Big Chief Romeo ; HaSizzle). The documentary CALL & Response directed by Arno Bitschy and Elodie Maillot will be an outsider look, fucusing on the roots and traditions of the city following two characters, Big chief Jermaine, representing the Mardi-Gras Indians, and Ha Sizzle, emerging figure of the bounce music, a new electronic musical current that collides various codes and genres, that could only be born in NOLA. Vocals: Big Chief Jermaine Boissier, Big Chief Romeo, Bonaventure Didolanvi, Ha Sizzle & David Walters Beatmaking, Fx, Percussions Bachet: David Walters Cello : Olivier Koundouno Percussions, drums: Bonaventure Didolanvi,Big Chief Romeo Recorded by Emmanuel Perrot behind the Moonshine Shack of Piety Street, New Orleans, Lousiana Mixed by Céline Frezza at Jarring Effects Studio, Lyon

#jarring effects #new orleans #folk #jazz #electronic #beats #2019

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rainydawgradioblog · 5 years

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RDR Essentials - Hard Rock (2/26)

RDR Essentials is a weekly newsletter of alternating genres that outlines key releases of the past month, upcoming events around Seattle and happenings in the specified music genre.

Made in collaboration between Rainy Dawg DJs and the Music Director.

Releases:

I Don’t Know How to Be Happy - Deli Girls

https://sweatequitynyc.bandcamp.com/album/i-dont-know-how-to-be-happy

Deli Girls crawled out of the grimy New York underground hardcore scene thanks to the group’s wild performances and fiercely gay noise, which was channeled into their first album Evidence. In a similar vein, their newest album I Don’t Know How to Be Happy pushes their trademark sound even further. The album starts off to “Officer”’s serrated beat, which hisses beneath an automated phone message regarding a court date, functioning as a brief adjustment period before exploding into passionate screaming, rapping, yelping, and laughing of lead vocalist Danny Orlowski. Orlowski continues this manic verbal assault through the rest of this album, which pounds along with a righteous and dark violence against the patriarchy. “Peg” stands out especially, pushed along because of Tommi Kelly’s fresh layer of poppy synth arpeggios. “Here We Go Again” follows, one of the more eerie cuts on the album. “You will never win because you will never be as angry as the rest of us / Another day I didn’t end my miserable fucking life” screams Orlowski, with interludes of laughter on the brink of breakdown. Get ready to run head first through whatever glass ceilings or brick walls you might experience in 2019 with this incredible album.

- Max Bryla

Vain Attempt - SLANT

https://ironlungpv.bandcamp.com/track/the-trap

There’s really not a whole lot out there about SLANT, a newer classic punk band that hails from Seoul, South Korea. Their recent EP, Vain Attempt 7” is just 4 tracks with the longest clocking in at 2:02, and is issued by Seattle punk label IRON LUNG Records, available on Bandcamp. Labelmates like Diät and Iron Lung have had some more mainstream success, but SLANT is much newer to the scene. They have pulled members from other bands like SCUMRAID and BLOODKROW BUTCHER, another Seoul and Boston punk band, respectively. Vain Attempt 7” definitely has a higher production value than those counterparts however, and it benefits because of it. Tracks like “Dry Heave” get right to the point, and don’t stick around too long. Terrific, fast paced drumming combine with some great vocal heft to make a really solid punk album, and this is a band that has a solid future with them, and hopefully some US tour dates.

- Max Bryla

Protogoni Mavri Magiki Dynasteia - Mystifier

https://mystifier.bandcamp.com/

Brazilian blackened death metal band Mystifier have announced their first album in 18 years with the pre release of their track Weighing Heart Ceremony. This track plays similar to their older material with its guttural vocals, creepy and eclectic atmosphere, and overall eeriness. Their 1993 album Goetia is regarded as a landmark in South American extreme metal, showing clear distinctions from European and American artists of the same time. This new track still has the same occultish aura of the band’s earlier material, but also features a much more blackened tonality, meaning more melody and less dissonance. Rather than sounding like the soundtrack to an occult ceremony (basically the narrative of Goetia), this track is a lot more brooding and pensive. If you are into slightly untraditional black/death metal, you should check out this album when it drops on March 8.

- Zac Weiner

Forgotten Paths - Saor

https://saor.bandcamp.com/

Saor is a scottish based atmospheric black metal band that has been pushing black metal to its most serene and experimental boundaries. Forgotten Paths sums up exactly what atmoblack is all about: beautiful tremolo picked melodies, the occasional folk instrument interlude, and a placid nature shot on the cover. This project is the perfect soundtrack for a solo walk through the woods. While some of the interludes can be a little dramatic for an experienced listener, the album makes up for it with bone chilling screams which sound even more emotional over the Gaelic sounding guitar melodies. This album is very digestible and could serve as an excellent introduction to black metal: the production is clean, the riffs sound like they were written by the bard at the Renaissance fair, and every blast beat is met with an equally long folk interlude.

- Zac Weiner

Xiu Xiu - Girl With a Basket of Fruit

https://xiuxiu.bandcamp.com/album/girl-with-basket-of-fruit

Xiu Xiu is an noise pop / experimental rock outfit fronted by multi-instrumentalist Jamie Stewart which can never quite settle on a single sound. They’ve been consistently churning out full-length albums every year or two, varying from anti-folk to electronic indie rock to harsh noise and everywhere in between. Doing away with the cleaner indie rock sound they explored on their previous album Forget, their newest release, Girl With a Basket of Fruit, is a return to the noisier and more experimental tendencies of their early output. Produced by Deerhoof’s Greg Saunier and featuring vocal contributions from Oxbow’s Eugene S. Robinson, the album repeatedly shifts from frantic tribal rhythms (Scisssssssors, Pumpkin Attack on Mommy and Daddy) to abstract heavy electronics (title track, Ice Cream Truck) to droning ambient passages (The Wrong Thing, Amargi ve Moo) and back again, tied together by the harsh synth sounds and uncomfortable samples Xiu Xiu fans are so familiar with and Jamie Stewart’s characteristically unsettling vocals, which are pushed farther than ever on this release, whimpering one minute and screaming the next. After over half an hour of head-spinning erratic noise, the album leaves the listener on a softer note with Normal Love, a slow, stripped-back and sweet (for Xiu Xiu standards) piano pop song. RIYL - Suicide, Coil, Oxbow

- Elliot Hansen

Angel Bat Dawid - The Oracle

https://intlanthem.bandcamp.com/album/the-oracle

The Oracle is spiritual jazz clarinetist Angel Bat Dawid’s very first release. She recorded and mixed the album entirely by herself and performed every instrument except the drums on one of the eight tracks. The recording process, done entirely on a cell phone, was split between London, England, Cape Town, South Africa, and Dawid’s hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Though the album features not much more than clarinet, drums, Angel’s vocals, and the occasional electric piano or miscellaneous wind instrument, the numerous overdubs and effects used turn these elements into cosmic, psychedelic soundscapes, greater than the sum of their parts. Dawid’s lyrics, when present, largely reflect on African American identity and experience, as evidenced by the third track, a re-interpretation of Margaret Burrough’s poem “What Shall I Tell My Children Who Are Black?” Reverberating, overlapping vocal harmonies ebb and flow and give way repeatedly to much more abstract melodies and stranger sounds, ranging from squealing horns to wide, cosmic phaser textures and long-winded erratic improvisations. RIYL - Sun Ra, Ornette Coleman

- Elliot Hansen

Upcoming shows around Seattle:

02/26/19 - Cannibal Corpse / Morbid Angel / Necrot / Blood Incarnation @ Showbox

Openers include Necrot and Blood Incantation, bands that represent the death metal renaissance occurring in recent years and provide some of some of the freshest and heaviest sounds of the 2010s. Morbid Angel (of the cult favorite Altars of Madness) follows as the midbill. Headlining the night is Cannibal Corpse, a group that’s infamous for their graphic album covers and truly grotesque lyrics. 8PM / $29 / AA

02/27/19 - The Big Band at the End of the World @ Vermillion Art Gallery

18 piece improvisational ensemble featuring strings, horns, electric guitar, harmonium, 3 drummers, and live visuals led by local avant-garde/free jazz saxophonist Gregg Miller. 8PM / $5-10 / AA

03/02/19 - Sandy Ewen / AF Jones / Greg Kelley / Ambrosia Bardos @ Vermillion Art Gallery

Ewen, a touring experimental guitarist, Jones, a local avant-garde composer, and Kelley, a free-jazz/noise trumpet player will perform as a trio. Ambrosia Bardos, a local noise artist who also performs under the name Morher, will perform a solo set. 4PM / $5-10 / AA

More to look out for:

FILM: Lords of Chaos / @ Grand Cinema March 16th

Depicts the sensationalized history of black metal, is now out in theaters. This film has been met with mixed reviews for its lack of honesty in portraying the events (and some really terrible cinematography) but still has merit as an introduction to the genre.

Upcoming Releases and Tours:

3/8 The Coathangers - The Devil You Know via Suicide Squeeze

3/15 The Minneapolis Uranium Club - The Cosmo Cleaners via Fashionable Idiots/Static Shock

4/2 Empath - Active Listening: Night On Earth via Get Better (”Soft Shape” video out NOW)

6/5 - Royal Trux @ Neumos (rescheduled)

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seluandthecrow-blog · 5 years

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The entertainment industry in America is imbued with racist ideology, and gaps in representation and wages between actors of color and white actors are reigning free. Black actors are sometimes more successful than their white counterparts, but even then they’re not being recognized or compensated in the same way. I observe this from a privileged lens as a white person, and though I have struggled economically and still do, I have the privilege that comes with whiteness. Here I will attempt to communicate some of what I see as disparities and racist ideologies in the American entertainment industry today.

I saw the most recent Star Wars movie “Solo” when it came out on Netflix. Alden Ehrenreich plays Han Solo, our lovable, orphaned, thief-but-for-the-right-reasons protagonist. He’s moving up through the ranks, stealing for the noble cause of one day being reunited with his adolescent crush Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke). Donald Glover plays Lando Calrissian, the owner of the Millennium Falcon. His methods for acquisition of the Falcon are under constant scrutiny, and he is portrayed as the crook, with little back story. When white writers Jonathan and Lawrence Kasdan created this story, did they intend to cast Lando as a black man, or was it perhaps the casting agency who thought Glover would be good for this supporting role?

When Donald Glover was offered the job, he faced a choice. Did he want to be in the new Star Wars movie if he played a thief? There is a sacrifice made when an activist musician and comedian takes a high caliber role that potentially stereotypes him based on race. Certainly the circumstances are unique for each actor, but when a black entertainer is given an opportunity to succeed, but there is a wage gap between black and white entertainers, as well as male and female actors, and intersections of these different categories work like a confusing math problem that becomes easy to distill: there is disparity.

Sure, films like Black Panther are working against subjugation by taking black characters into the forefront of the picture, but what goes on behind the scenes is still inequity. It is generally stated that Chad Boseman who plays Black Panther earned $500,000 for his appearance in the film, and around 2-3 Million for Avengers, Infinity War. Robert Downey Jr. however, earned $500,000 for the first Iron Man, and earned a sickening $40-$50 Million for Infinity War. (QUORA.COM, 2019) (MENXP.COM, 2019)

Entertainers with more weight in the industry based on previous successes gain more creative independence and move up in the income ranks based on that success. But roles and incomes are limited for black actors in the mainstream, and when you see a black actor or hear a black musician, what parts of their blackness are being commodified and to what end can they be undervalued as artists when their bodies and voices are being harnessed to entertain?

According to Forbes, Black Panther grossed over 1.3 Billion Dollars, more than Titanic, one of the highest grossing films to date (Forbes, 2018), Whereas the first Iron Man grossed less than half that, close to 318 Million. (Box Office Mojo, 2019). There are some lurking variables affecting the difference in Boseman and Downy Jr.’s salaries in Infinity War, like that fact that Downey Jr. has appeared in more films than Boseman (IMBD, 2019), but the key factor in the wage gap here is clearly white privilege. This phenomenon is hard to name because acknowledging it opens up hundreds of years of dialogue on oppression and dispossession which is painful to talk about, but it is impossible to ignore if you want it to change.

Coincidentally, Donald Glover’s hit song This is America was co-written by Swedish computer Ludwig Göransson , who also wrote the score for Black Panther. Göransson speaks to that experience in an interview with Complex.com last year:

“What I’ve been working with, and really trying to be aware of, is how you take traditional music from these different countries and put electronics and big orchestra on top of that while keeping the same sounds,” he said. “It’s been really challenging. I went to west Africa and South Africa for a month to do research and record a bunch of different musicians for the score. I brought that back to my studio and, for the past year, I’ve been figuring out ways to preserve the essence of that music and try to make it cinematic to fit this superhero universe.” (COMPLEX.COM, 2018)

So where are these nameless musicians from Africa credited in information on this blockbuster’s soundtrack? Nowhere that I could find. Were they paid anywhere close to what Göransson received as the Composer for the film?Do they receive royalties from their performances?

Michelle Alexander speaks to new manifestations of racism in her book The New Jim Crow, a book which according to a 2018 article in The New York Times is banned in prisons in North Carolina and Florida. (Bromwich, 2018)

“In the era of colorblindness, it is no longer socially permissible to use race, explicitly, as a justification for discrimination, exclusion, and social contempt. So, we don’t. Rather than reply on race, we use our criminal justice system to label people of color “criminals” and then engage in all the practices we supposedly left behind. Today is it perfectly legal to discriminate against criminals in nearly all the ways that it was once legal to discriminate against African Americans…we have not ended the racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it.“ (Alexander, 2012)

And that’s exactly what is going on in the entertainment industry today. We are redesigning racism with wage gaps, divisions of screen time and biased survival in apocalyptic pictures (Infinity Wars,) and portraying black actors as thieves and sidekicks (Solo,) while black rappers in the mainstream sing about prison time, womanizing, gold chains, and street drugs, perpetuating these images to the public. In Lil Baby’s song Pure Cocaine, which is #24 on the Billboard rap charts as of April 5th, 2019, he says:

“When your wrist like this, you don't check the forecast/Every day it's gon' rain (every day it's gon' rain), yeah/Made a brick through a brick, I ain't whip up shit/This pure cocaine (this pure cocaine), yeah/From the streets, but I got a little sense/But I had to go coupe, no brain, coupe no brain/I ain't worried 'bout you, I'ma do what I do/And I do my thing, do my thing”

Chris Holmlund makes observations of the entertainment industry’s racist ideology flattening the Whoopi Goldberg into a tool for the white protagonists to connect in the movie Ghost in his book Impossible Bodies:

“Garishly dressed and made up, Oda Mae [the crook turned accessory to the white protagonist’s happiness, played by Goldberg] looks ridiculous when she visits Molly at Sam’s urging. “I don’t see what’s wrong with what I’m wearing,” she complains, voice off over a bird’s eye shot of Manhattan.

The next shot shows her striding along, resplendent in a badly fitting rose-colored jacket, black flounced skirt, black stockings, white net gloves, bouffant black wig, and rakish hat. Her legs splay apart awkwardly above spike heels. In African leggings she later seems more at ease, but she never looks as deliciously fragile as Molly [Demi Moore] does in her pixie haircut, baggy sweaters, and spaghetti strap T-shirts.

No wonder, then, that Oda Mae lends her body to the dead Sam when he wants to hold and kiss his wife one last time. “O.K., O.K., you can use me,” she says, “You can use my body. Just do it quick before I change my mind.” Orlando at least submersed himself in her, before reemerging in ghostly superimposition to hear his wife’s response. Sam simply replaces her, obviating the lesbianism implicit in a first, teaser, closeup of Molly’s white hands held by Oda Mae’s black ones, by suddenly appearing in medium shot to wrap his strong arms protectively around his tremblingly eager widow’s torso.” (Holmlund, 2002)

This example from the 1990 film may show that movies have come some way in representation of black characters, but Lando’s role in connecting Han Solo with his love Qi’ra seems to follow a similar trajectory. Epigenesis is painful, and there are many steps back accompanying each step forward in how ideologies can be reshaped. In 2010 there was one such instance of painful steps backward which instigate change in the 15th annual broadcast of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, which aired on CBS. A summation of the event from The Color Complex by Kathy Russell-Cole, and Drs. Midge Wilson and Ronald Hall follows:

“Over 9 million viewers, the largest audience yet, tuned in to watch thirty-four female models, six of whom were women of color, parade around in lingerie and little else. The display of wares was organized around six differently themes sets, and in each, even the country-themes one featuring a barn and blond wigs, the subset of “girls” participating was racially integrated-with one notable exception. The single themed presentation in which the producers saw fit to showcase only the six models of color was the segment entitled “Wild Thing.” The setting was a jungle and the models entered wearing nothing more than African wraps on bodies covered in tribal body paint. From the African-American community could be heard a collective moan: “Seriously? Again, you put us back in the jungle?”

Since before the Civil War, the dominant White culture has abused and manipulated images of African Americans, usually for the purposes of fear, humor (i.e. what Whites thought was amusing,) and marketing.” (Russel-Cole/Wilson/Hall, 2013)

Awareness of these disparities is the key to unwinding what large entertainment corporations are continuously feeding to the public. I encourage you to question the lyrics on the radio, and ask yourself who is writing them, who is singing them, and for what reason. Watch the behaviors of actors. What are they promoting? Mainstream media is engineered by corporations to succeed with awareness of what consumers will buy into. It’s your responsibility as the consumer to shape the reality of the entertainment industry, and equality on and off-screen.

#white privelage #blacklivesmatter #disparity #entertainment #robert downey jr #solo #chadwick boseman #whoopi goldberg #demi moore #wage gap #wearethe99%#universal #hollywood #activism

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mswyrr · 5 years

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God Is Good is being produced by fledgling UK production label Bandit Country, headed by former Sony International producer Josephine Rose (Slaughterhouse Rulez). Set in Cape Town’s Cape Flats, the English-language film will follow a reformed gangster-turned-pastor and a volatile detective who cross paths after an act of brutal violence sets them on collision course with a heinous gang lieutenant. Casting discussions are under way with shoot planned for spring of this year.

The film is written and to be directed by first-time South African feature filmmaker Willem Grobler, a former IFP Film Week Alumnus whose shorts have played at festivals including Clermont-Ferrand. He has also co-written Spoorloos, a thirteen episode crime-drama for South Africa’s kykNet broadcaster, and is co-writing an upcoming crime-thriller for the South African Broadcasting Commission.

Boyega’s newly formed UpperRoom Records will oversee the soundtrack in conjunction with Rose. Among African artists set to feature will be emerging South African rapper YoungstaCPT who himself grew up in the Cape Flats. The UpperRoom Records team will include VP of Production, Yara Shaikh, and Stefan Wade, Head of A&R.

Boyega, who is currently shooting Star Wars IX for J.J. Abrams, told us about the the project, “I’m thrilled to be teaming once again with Josephine Rose on such a powerful and important story that explores themes of fathers and fatherhood, toxic masculinity, race and faith in a community that has become trapped in an unending cycle of violence and racial oppression, and where sometimes it seems for men that violence is the only way of achieving power.

“Willem has written a superb screenplay and we are looking forward to working with him to realise the vision behind it,” he continued. “Josephine, Yara, Stefan and I also all share a passion for music and this film enables us to work with local talent in South Africa to find those voices and help put them on the international stage by also bringing on internationally renowned Afro beats artists. The team will work with artists across the continent of Africa to create a soundtrack that represents and gives voice to the incredible range of music talent and sound that the continent produces.”

#john boyega #god is good #i'm really interested in how the religious themes will be handled #esp with the toxic masculinity issues #recently i've been thinking a lot about #appropriate ways to discuss religion in art #without being preachy or weird

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nevillecluggs · 2 years

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Best Websites to Download South African Mp3 Music

Are you looking for a South African mp3 download site? You have reached the right place if you are looking for a south African mp3 download. Many sites offer South African music for free. You can even get the whole album for free. Alternatively, you can also download a zip album. All these websites offer high-quality music. But what should you know before you sign up? Here are some facts you should know.

This is evident in the video for "Proudly South African", a new song by Maeldalelo, Unlimited Soul. The song is tagged "Proudly South African" by Maeldalelo and Unlimited Soul. It also features a patriotic message of the artists. There are many other South African MP3 downloads available. Check out the websites of the artists who created these songs.

After you've found a site that offers South African music for download, you can begin browsing the many tracks. Many genres are available, including Kwaito (Hip Hop), Afro-House (Christian Songs), and many more. High-quality videos are available to view while you listen. You can also choose to download single tracks or complete albums. You can easily listen to the songs and then download them as an album.

MP3 download fakaza also offers free South African MP3 downloads. It is one of South Africa's most trusted sources for music and mp3s. Hiphopza, which was established in April 2017, is a leader in South African music. Find music that suits you and your musical tastes. Music is available for free. You have the choice of a variety genres.

Here are the top websites where you can download South African mp3 songs. These websites contain tons of South African music. You will find albums and singles as well videos and high-quality radio stations. These websites also allow music lovers to interact with one another and discuss new tracks. You can share the tracks via social media after you have found a quality site.

If you are into a particular genre, consider a South African band. Nano Records emerged from the Psy-Trance scene of Cape Town. This label is an international voice for emerging producers and has the latest South African music available. One of its many offerings is a free zip album containing the most recent releases. You can also download the free digital booklet to browse their catalogue. This booklet contains the work of visionary South African artists as well as a zip file album.

After you have found a website that offers South African music downloads, you can check out their search tool and user-friendly interface. Fakaza has a search box that is user-friendly and provides a large number of songs. Once you find a track you're interested in, try searching for it on Fakaza. You may also be able to find videos from the specific region you are looking for. Listen to South African music right now.

Hiphopza can also be used to download South African music. It is easy to use and allows you search for the kind of music you want. Hiphopza also has the best Afro House DJ mixes. Hiphopza was established in April 2017 and is a leader in South African music downloading. The app lets you listen to audio mp3s and also allows you create playlists that can be played later.

FakazApp is a great app that allows you to download South African music. The popular music website offers South African audio and video, as well as a powerful search tool. FakazaDOWN is another option to get the latest South African music. FakazaOffspring and FakazaDOWN are other options. All of these websites also offer videos of popular South African artists.

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checkoutafrica · 3 years

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By Xavier; A man of many talents

Most people know him as a photographer (having one of the most impressive celebrity catalogues in South Africa) however, not many people know that Xavier was a club DJ, he has two SAMA Best Pop Album nominations under his belt for the song writing he did for two artists’ albums, he has four of his own albums to his name and has written over 2000 songs. I told you guys, this is a man of many of talents.

By Xavier is an amazing story to come out of lockdown and also speaks to people’s ability to reinvent themselves, home in on previous passions, and give in to creativity and see where it takes you. I spoke to him a couple of months back and this is what he had to say;

Who is Xavier Saer? Tell us your story.

I’ve been a lot of things and I’m just about trying new things all the time, I think that is really what life is about, it is really about the spice of life, trying new and different things and just seeing and learning new things. I just think that really makes life a lot more fun. I’m actually and economics by trade, so I study that, I did it for my parents. I was like guys here is my degree, bye I’m leaving now and I want to go be a DJ. I did that for a couple of years at the top clubs in Joburg and from then I travelled and lived all over the world which was very interesting. I then became I recording artist for about 3 years, I toured and I did a couple of albums. I’ve been everywhere and I’ve done everything to the point where I even had a bit of an existential crisis so I wrote a book which took two years and was published then I had another what do I do now moment ahahah. I just live challenges and now with lockdown, I’ve just been signed to a major label so it looks like life is taking me back to music again.

At what point in lockdown did you realise that you wanted to make music again?

In a way, musics chooses you, you don’t choose music, it’s always in you and it’s always been in the back of my head, I just had a very busy photographic career, I’ve been busy for the last few years so I haven’t had time to do anything but photography and I’m one of those people that like to focus on things 100% so if it’s photography, it’s nothing else and if it’s music, it’s nothing else. And now I’m trying to balance it all, but music has always been my first love and you never forget about your first love. I’m really enjoying this process, it’s a really beautiful creative journey.

What do you love the most about creating music?

Gosh Uhmm. I’ve had a very straight story, like I’m not a guy that sits down and writes music but it always comes to me. I’ve written over 4000 songs in my lifetime, it’s the most natural thing to me, like this latest single, it just came out to me when I was cooking. It’s like this little tingle that happens. I guess when I’m very creative, a lot of things happen, I mean sometimes I can write up to 5/6 songs in a day, I just have to put time into it and it flows like a river.

Why did you choose to go under the name “by Xavier” for your music?

So as a photographer I have a very strung brand in South Africa – by Xavier. I’m from Peru originally so my name is actually pronounced havier in Spanish but if you say Xavier here in SA it can be very confusing so I prefer to be just Xavier because it’s an English pronunciation and also not that hard to pronounce. It’s simple and it’s easy. A recognisable brand.

Tell us about your new single “beat is strong”

So the song is an analogy about life, about perceiving and not giving up on your dreams. So I almost feel like i wrote it for people who are in creative spaces, for example there are people that are waitressing but wanting to be actresses or people that wanna be musicians but are doing something else. It’s almost like it’s a song for when they’re rich and this is their struggle to get there, it’s about the journey of being a creative but anything really because anything you wanna be takes time and discipline. It’s an uplifting song of never give up on your dreams really.

You have done so many things and you have been so many things, what would you say your biggest achievement in life is?

I think just being alive is an achievement on its own. But I guess my book means a lot to me, it took me two years to write and I just remember writing for months and months, for hours and hours so that was one thing. I would not recommend tho ahahah, do not write a book guys, it’s HARD, but if you have the time, go ahead.

what is the one quote that you try and live by?

It’s a quote by Helen Keller and she said “life is an adventure or nothing at all” and I try to make my life an adventure on a weekly basis. That’s literally in my diary, every Monday I tell myself that I will make this week an adventure somehow. Every week I make sure that my life is interesting, that there is something motivating me, that there is something inspiring me and I try to live my life like that. Life is way too short so we have to make it exciting.

You’re also an avid traveller, where is your favourite place to go in the world and why?

I guess my favourite places to travel are the places that I don’t know yet. I dream of going to Japan, I am fascinated by everything Japanese, I mean I don’t know why but maybe it’s because I had a jaiden se neighbour as a kid – he was like Mr Miyagi to me and he taught me so many things, he made a huge impression in my life.

I also love Mexico, the people in Mexico are amazing. I always say it’s not really the place but it’s the people that make it, there are so many places where The place is amazing but the people aren’t that great meaning that the experience itself wasn’t really that amazing.

I love Africa, there is something here, I mean I live in Africa for a reason. It’s like it just stays with you done how! I’m Peruvian so I love the mountains, I love the Andes. I just think everything is beautiful, it’s hard to pick just one. There is beauty everywhere. My advice to you is to travel, travel, travel, travel. You always come back a better person.

what is the biggest lesson that you have learnt from your travels?

That we are all the same. We keep fighting for the most ridiculous things uno, we chase and kill eachother for politics but when you meet someone, you don’t even need to speak the same language cause you can see it in their eyes that they just want love and compassion, we wanna laugh and just enjoy life. We’re all the same.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?

I’m not a guy that looks at the future too much, because the future is uncertain, the past is gone already. All I can do is now. How I create my future is what I create with my thoughts today. So I see myself still creating creating music photography and I see myself cooking actually. I will retire having opened up my own bakery and I will feed the poor – that is main goal.

Listen to his single here;

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#Interviews #Music

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blackkudos · 4 years

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Afrika Bambaataa

Afrika Bambaataa (born Lance Taylor; April 17, 1957) is an American disc jockey, rapper, songwriter and producer from the South Bronx, New York. He is notable for releasing a series of genre-defining electro tracks in the 1980s that influenced the development of hip hop culture. Afrika Bambaataa is one of the originators of breakbeat DJing and is respectfully known as "The Godfather" and "Amen Ra of Hip Hop Kulture", as well as the father of electro-funk. Through his co-opting of the street gang the Black Spades into the music and culture-oriented Universal Zulu Nation, he has helped spread hip hop culture throughout the world.On May 6, 2016, Bambaataa left his position as head of The Zulu Nation due to multiple child sexual abuse allegations dating as far back as the 1970s.

Early life

Born as Lance Taylor to Jamaican and Barbadian immigrants, Bambaataa grew up in The Bronx River Projects, with an activist mother and uncle. As a child, he was exposed to the black liberation movement, and witnessed debates between his mother and uncle regarding the conflicting ideologies in the movement. He was exposed to his mother's extensive and eclectic record collection. Gangs in the area became the law, clearing their turf of drug dealers, assisting with community health programs and both fighting and partying to keep members and turf. Bambaataa was a member of the Black Spades. He quickly rose to the position of warlord of one of the divisions. As warlord, it was his job to build ranks and expand the turf of the young Spades. He was not afraid to cross turfs to forge relationships with other gang members, and with other gangs. As a result, the Spades became the biggest gang in the city in terms of both membership and turf.

After Bambaataa won an essay contest that earned him a trip to Africa, his worldview shifted. He had seen the movie Zulu and was impressed with the solidarity exhibited by the Zulu in that film. During his trip to Africa, the communities he visited inspired him to create one in his own neighborhood. He changed his name to Afrika Bambaataa Aasim, adopting the name of the Zulu chief Bhambatha, who led an armed rebellion against unfair economic practices in early 20th century South Africa. He told people that his name was Zulu for "affectionate leader." Bambaataa formed The "Bronx River Organization" as an alternative to the Black Spades.

Career

Inspired by DJ Kool Herc and Kool DJ Dee, Bambaataa began hosting hip-hop parties beginning in 1977. He vowed to use hip-hop to draw angry kids out of gangs and form the Universal Zulu Nation. Robert Keith Wiggins, a.k.a. "Cowboy" of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, is credited with naming hip-hop; the term became a common phrase used by MCs as part of a scat-inspired style of rhyming. Writer Steven Hager claims that the first time "hip-hop" was used in print was in his Village Voice article where he was quoting Bambaataa, who had called the culture "hip-hop" in an interview.

In 1982, Bambaataa and his followers - a group of dancers, artists, and DJs - went outside the United States on the first hip-hop tour. He saw that the hip hop tours would be the key to help expand hip hop and his Universal Zulu Nation. In addition it would help promote the values of hip hop that he believed are based on peace, unity, love, and having fun. He brought peace to the gangs; many artists and gang members say that "hip hop saved a lot of lives." His influence inspired many overseas artists like the French rapper MC Solaar. He was a popular DJ in The South Bronx rap scene and became known not only as Afrika Bambaataa but also as the "Master of Records." He established two rap crews: the Jazzy 5 including MCs Master Ice, Mr. Freeze, Master Bee, Master D.E.E, and AJ Les, and the second crew referred to as Soulsonic Force including Mr. Biggs, Pow Wow and Emcee G.L.O.B.E.

In 1982, Taylor, who was inspired by Kraftwerk's futuristic electronic music, debuted at The Roxy a test cassette of EBN-OZN's ground breaking, 12-inch white rap/spoken word "AEIOU Sometimes Y". It was the first commercially released American single ever made on a computer, a Fairlight CMI, ushering in the era of music computer sampling. In that same year, Bambaataa and Soulsonic Force stopped performing with a live band, and began to use only technology. Bambaataa credited the pioneering Japanese electropop group Yellow Magic Orchestra, whose work he sampled, as an inspiration. He also borrowed a keyboard hook from German electronic pioneers Kraftwerk and was provided the electronic Roland TR-808 "beat-box" by producer Arthur Baker and synthesizer player John Robie. That resulted in "Planet Rock," which went to gold status and generated an entire school of "electro-boogie" rap and dance music. Bambaataa formed his own label to release the Time Zone Compilation. He created "turntablism" as its own subgenre and the ratification of "electronica" as an industry-certified trend in the late 1990s.

Birth of the Zulu Nation

In the late 1970s, Bambaataa formed what became known as the Universal Zulu Nation, a group of socially and politically aware rappers, B-boys, graffiti artists and other people involved in hip hop culture. By 1977, inspired by DJ Kool Herc and DJ Dee, and after Disco King Mario loaned him his first equipment, Bambaataa began organizing block parties all around The South Bronx. He even faced his long-time friend, Disco King Mario in a DJ battle. He then began performing at Adlai E. Stevenson High School and formed the Bronx River Organization, then later simply "The Organization." Bambaataa had deejayed with his own sound system at The Bronx River Houses' Community Center, with Mr. Biggs, Queen Kenya, and Cowboy, who accompanied him in performances in the community. Because of his prior status in the Black Spades, he already had an established Army party crowd drawn from former members of the gang. Hip hop culture was spreading through the streets via house parties, block parties, gym dances and mix tapes.

About a year later Bambaataa reformed the group, calling it the Zulu Nation (inspired by his wide studies on African history at the time). Specifically, Bambaataa watched the 1964 film Zulu, which sparked the name for the group. Five b-boys (break dancers) joined him, whom he called the Zulu Kings, and later formed the Zulu Queens, and the Shaka Zulu Kings and Queens. As he continued deejaying, more DJs, rappers, b-boys, b-girls, graffiti writers, and artists followed him, and he took them under his wing and made them all members of his Zulu Nation. He was also the founder of the Soulsonic Force, which originally consisted of approximately 20 Zulu Nation members: Mr. Biggs, Queen Kenya, DJ Cowboy Soulsonic Force (#2), Pow Wow, G.L.0.B.E. (creator of the "MC popping" rap style), DJ Jazzy Jay, Cosmic Force, Queen Lisa Lee, Prince Ikey C, Ice Ice (#1), Chubby Chub; Jazzy Five-DJ Jazzy Jay, Mr. Freeze, Master D.E.E., Kool DJ Red Alert, Sundance, Ice Ice (#2), Charlie Choo, Master Bee, Busy Bee Starski, Akbar (Lil Starski), and Raheim. The personnel for the Soulsonic Force were groups within groups with whom he would perform and make records.

In 1980, Taylor's groups made Death Mix, their first recording with Paul Winley Records. According to Bambaata, this was an unauthorized release. Winley recorded two versions of Soulsonic Force's landmark single, "Zulu Nation Throwdown," with authorization from the musicians. Disappointed with the results of the single, Bambaataa left the company. The arranger credit on these recordings is correctly attributed to Harlem Underground Band leader, Kevin Donovan. This led to the false assumption that Bambaataa's real name was Kevin Donovan, which was widely accepted by the hip hop community until recently, following sexual abuse allegations, when Bronx River residents spoke out and revealed in oral testimonies that Bambaataa's real name was in fact Lance Taylor.

The Zulu Nation was the first hip-hop organization, with an official birth date of November 12, 1977. Bambaataa's plan with the Universal Zulu Nation was to build a movement out of the creativity of a new generation of outcast youths with an authentic, liberating worldview.

Recognition

In 1981, hip hop artist Fab Five Freddy was putting together music packages in the largely white downtown Manhattan new wave clubs, and invited Bambaataa to perform at one of them, the Mudd Club. It was the first time Bambaataa had performed before a predominantly white crowd. Attendance for his parties downtown became so large that he had to move to larger venues, first to the Ritz, in a show organized by hip hop pioneer, Michael Holman, with Malcolm McLaren's group Bow Wow Wow, then to the Peppermint Lounge, The Jefferson, Negril, Danceteria and the Roxy. "Planet Rock," a popular single produced by Arthur Baker and the keyboardist John Robie, came out that June under the name Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force. The song borrowed musical motifs from German electronic music, funk, and rock. Different elements and musical styles were used together. The song became an immediate hit and stormed the music charts worldwide. The song melded the main melody from Kraftwerk's "Trans-Europe Express" with electronic beats based on their track "Numbers" as well as portions from records by Babe Ruth and Captain Sky, thus creating a new style of music altogether, electro funk.

Afrika Bambaataa was booked on the first ever European hip hop tour presented by Europe One and Fnac France. Along with himself were rapper and graffiti artist Rammellzee, Zulu Nation DJ Grand Mixer DXT (formerly Grand Mixer D.St), B-boy and B-girl crews the Rock Steady Crew, and the Double Dutch Girls, as well as legendary graffiti artists Fab 5 Freddy, PHASE 2, Futura 2000, and Dondi.

Bambaataa's second release around 1983 was "Looking for the Perfect Beat," then later, "Renegades of Funk," both with the same Soulsonic Force. He began working with producer Bill Laswell at Jean Karakos's Celluloid Records, where he developed and placed two groups on the label: Time Zone and Shango. Bambaataa recorded "Wildstyle" with Time Zone, and he recorded a collaboration with punk rocker John Lydon and Time Zone in 1984, titled "World Destruction." Shango's album, Shango Funk Theology, was released by the label in 1984. That same year, Bambaataa and other hip hop celebrities appeared in the movie Beat Street. He also made a landmark recording with James Brown, titled "Unity." It was billed in music industry circles as "the Godfather of Soul meets the Godfather of Hip Hop."

Around October 1985, Bambaataa and other music stars worked on the anti-apartheid album Sun City with Little Steven Van Zandt, Joey Ramone, Run–D.M.C., Lou Reed, U2, and others. During 1988, he recorded "Afrika Bambaataa and Family" for Capitol Records, titled The Light, featuring Nona Hendryx, UB40, Boy George, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, and Yellowman. He had recorded a few other works with Family three years earlier, one titled "Funk You" in 1985, and the other titled "Beware (The Funk Is Everywhere)" in 1986. In 1986 he discovered an artist in Atlanta. (Through MC SHY D) by the name of Kenya Miler a.k.a. MC Harmony (Known producer now as Kenya Fame Flames Miller), that was later signed to Criminal Records and Arthur Baker. The group was Harmony and LG. The first single, 1987's "Dance To The Drums/No Joke," was produced by Bambaataa and Baker with musicians Keith LeBlanc and Doug Wimbish. Bambaataa was involved in the Stop the Violence Movement, and with other hip hop artists recorded "Self Destruction", a 12" single which hit number one on the Hot Rap Singles Chart in March 1989. The single went gold and raised $400,000 for the National Urban League to be used for community anti-violence education programs.

In 1990, Bambaataa made Life magazine's "Most Important Americans of the 20th Century" issue. He was also involved in the anti-apartheid work "Hip Hop Artists Against Apartheid" for Warlock Records. He teamed with the Jungle Brothers to record the album Return to Planet Rock (The Second Coming).

Gee Street Records, Bambaataa and John Baker organized a concert at Wembley Stadium in London in 1990 for the African National Congress (ANC), in honor of Nelson Mandela's release from prison. The concert brought together performances by British and American rappers, and also introduced both Nelson and Winnie Mandela and the ANC to hip hop audiences. In relation to the event, the recording Ndodemnyama (Free South Africa) helped raise approximately $30,000 for the ANC.

From the mid-1990s, Bambaataa returned to his electro roots. In 1998, he produced a remix of "Planet Rock" combining electro and house music elements, called "Planet Rock '98," which is regarded as an early example of the electro house genre. In 2000, Rage Against the Machine covered his song "Renegades of Funk" for their album, Renegades. The same year, he collaborated with Leftfield on the song "Afrika Shox," the first single from Leftfield's Rhythm and Stealth. "Afrika Shox" also appeared on soundtrack to Vanilla Sky. In 2004, he collaborated with WestBam, a group that was named after him, on the 2004 album Dark Matter Moving at the Speed of Light which also featured Gary Numan. In 2006, he was featured on the British singer Jamelia's album Walk With Me on a song called "Do Me Right," and on Mekon's album Some Thing Came Up, on the track "D-Funktional." He performed the lyrics on the track "Is There Anybody Out There" by The Bassheads (Desa Basshead). As an actor, he has played a variety of voice-over character roles on Kung Faux.

Bambaataa was a judge for the 6th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers. On September 27, 2007, it was announced that Afrika Bambaataa was one of the nine nominees for the 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductions. On December 22, 2007, he made a surprise appearance performing at the First Annual Tribute Fit For the King of King Records, Mr. Dynamite James Brown in Covington, Kentucky.

On August 14, 2012, Bambaataa was given a three-year appointment as a visiting scholar at Cornell University. The appointment was made in collaboration between Cornell University Library's Hip Hop Collection, the largest collection of historical hip hop music in North America, and the University's department of Music. His archives, including his vinyl collection, original audio and video recordings, manuscripts, books, and papers arrived at the Cornell University Hip Hop Collection in December 2013.

Child molestation allegations

In April 2016, Bronx political activist Ronald Savage accused Bambaataa of molesting him in 1980, when Savage was 15. Following Savage's allegations, three more men accused Bambaataa of sexual abuse. Bambaataa issued a statement to Rolling Stone denying the allegations. In early May 2016, the Universal Zulu Nation disassociated themselves from Bambaataa as part of an organizational restructuring that saw the group removing "all accused parties and those accused of covering up the current allegations of child molestation" from their current roles in the organization.

On May 6, 2016, Bambaataa left his position as head of The Zulu Nation.

In June 2016, The Universal Zulu Nation issued an open letter apologizing to the alleged victims of sexual abuse perpetrated by Bambaataa.

"On behalf of the members of the Universal Zulu Nation worldwide, who have made their voices heard through their chapter leaders, we extend our deepest and most sincere apologies to the many people who have been hurt by the actions of Afrika Bambaataa and the subsequent poor response of our organization to allegations levelled against him," the Zulu Nation said in a statement signed by dozens of UZN chapter leaders worldwide.

"To the survivors of apparent sexual molestation by Bambaataa, both those who have come forward and others who have not, we are sorry for what you endured and extend our thanks to those who have spoken out for your bravery in bringing to light that which most of us were sadly unaware of, and others chose not to disclose."

The apology was signed by nearly three dozen members of the Zulu Nation, including leaders from as far as New Zealand. The organization also apologized to Ronald "Bee Stinger" Savage and Hassan "Poppy" Campbell, two of Bambaataa's accusers, who they said were "subjected to unjust and inexcusable attacks on their characters in official statements by our organization when they chose to speak their truths. ... We hear you, we believe you, and we stand with you."

In October 2016, Vice published an in-depth article titled "Afrika Bambaataa Allegedly Molested Young Men For Decades" and reported the stories and testimonies of the alleged victims and witnesses. The article stated the accusers "claim that these accounts of alleged abuse have been common knowledge in the Bronx River community and beyond since the early 1980s, including among many of Bambaataa's closest friends and Zulu soldiers."

Despite the multiple allegations and testimonies of victims and witnesses, to date no charges have been brought upon Afrika Bambaataa and he has not been prosecuted for these alleged crimes. This is due to New York state statute of limitations, which provide that actions for civil damages for defined sexual crimes, including sexual abuse of a minor, must be brought within five years of the acts constituting the sexual offense.

#04/17

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