health hop music

I believe the children are our future. I believe that it’s important to meet people where they are when trying to reach them. I believe we should educate young people about real topics like sex, economics, politics, race and health. So it follows that I should like Dr. Clarke’s “Health Hop Music.” Uh, no.

Dr. John D. Clarke has a series of albums he’s written, produced and performed focusing on educating young people about their health. Relying on studies with conclusions like “the average teen listens to 40 hours of music per week and 10,500 hours of music between the 7th and 12th grade,” and “today, Hip-Hop is the music of choice for many teens and is the ideal genre for capturing their attention,” Dr. Clarke hopes to use hip hop to break through to kids and get them to listen up.

While the doctor’s motives are admirable and his attempt to make good songs not too shabby, I have to say that this is a fail. Take a break from reading right now and head over to the Health Hop page on CD Baby and listen to some clips. See what I mean? No? Read on. 

they spinnin’ n__, they spinnin’!

By now you’ve probably heard about Soulja Boy’s newest indulgence: a black diamond encrusted Lamborghini chain… with a remote control. Yeah. This cat basically has a toy car bedazzled with my undergrad and law school education (times 10).

Folks who hate Soulja Boy are loving this. They can point to this excess and say he’s ignorant, he’s killing hip hop, kids are crazy, etc etc. Blogs are buzzing with the video where he shows just how his shiny piece works. If it’s possible, he’s mad T-Pain’s Big Ass Chain look sort of sensible (no, not really).

Rumor has it that Eminem joined Ice-T and scores of other rappers who felt the need to go at young ‘Turn My Swag On’ and suggested that Mr. D’Andre Way (his gov’t) “do the superman and fucking die already” via a new diss track. Em, however, got on Twitter and denied the track was his.  BET blogger Low Key tried to take the “big brother” approach and hold SB to the honorable yet heavy role model standard. Never one to let (perceived) internet beef go unaddressed, SB responded with the following:

1ST OF ALL. I didn’t pay ANYTHING for my black Lamborghini chain I got it FREE as a birthday presentfrom my jeweler when I turned 19 on July 28!

2ND OF ALL. Even if I did pay for it who are you to judge me on what I purchase with MY money?

3RD OF ALL. Why do the media blow up the things that they think will make me look stupid or ignorant. Why not publicize or put me in the spotlight when I do positive things? What about when I was in the hood this past Christmas passing out toys to everybody on the westside of Atlanta where I grew up why not show that on TV? Why not publicize my Little league football team that I sponsor in Batesville, MS or the money I donated to help build the rec center and boyz and girls club!? What about when I donated $25,000 for all those kids to have a good Christmas with the Toyz n da hood foundation? Why not step in when Ice-T was dissing me why not call up and have a sit down to squash that beef. THINK ABOUT IT A 40 YEAR OLD SOMETHING GANGSTA NIGGA VS. A 16 YEAR OLD KID (AT THE TIME). What if he really did have O.G. crip niggaz that had a price on my head to murder me? WHY DIDN’T YOU TRY TO STEP IN AND STOP THAT? HUH?. you worried about a black diamond chain that I received as birthday present??? WTF What about when me and Tigger was in D.C. buying all those can foods for the homeless??? Why not publicize when them niggaz ran in my house and tried to kill me and I had to defend myself and blast they ass. WHY NOT SHOW THAT ON TV???? HUH!???? CUZ U DONT WANT PEOPLE TO SEE THE REAL SHIT THATS GOIN BEHIND THE SCENES U WANT EVERYTHING WATERED DOWNED AND FAKE THATS WHY! FUCK THAT! I’m all the way REAL 100. I know America probably ain’t ready for a young black rich nigga running around doing it how he had it planned since he was little… [Read the rest at SB’s site]

I know folks, especially a lot of my friends, really dislike this kid. They can’t get with his music and/or they can’t get with his shenanigans. Me? I like the guy. I like to dance to his songs. I like to see him on shows like The View, keeping up with Barbara Walters and Whoopi. I like to see him talkin back to Ice-T. I even got a kick out of him sitting in that jacuzzi. I didn’t like his twitpic revealing a bit too much boxerbrief tho. Uh uh. Above all though, I like how in between the youth, immaturity and silliness… somewhere between the lines, you can see that the kid more often than not has a valid point. Just because he can’t articulate it as well or because he’s not you favorite rapper’s favorite rapper doesn’t mean he has nothing to say.

they don’t dance no mo’

At least not like Michael J. Jackson did. Oh, they try (I see you Chris Brown, Usher, Timberlake).

I don’t do RIPs (I’ve said that before) so I won’t start now. I’m just like damn, really Mike? While we all know about the tabloid chatter that’s attached itself to Mike’s legacy, it can’t really tarnish it. I wrote that fool R. Kelly off for his BS but that’s because he’s an asshole and his music wasn’t that great to begin with. Whether Mike “did it” or not, I always felt a combination of awe and pity for him. When they showed him wildin on TV there was a cloud of sadness about it all. Still, no matter what stage of my life (because MJ was there ever since I can remember hearing music), I could always groove to his music. My friends know that I’ve always wanted to be a dancer and I feel the most free and happy when I’m channeling music through my body. Michael Jackson was a bad ass dancer, even making the crotch grab/gyration cool. Musically, he was something like a genius, his voice true and clear when he was a boy… emotive and real as an adult.

So fuck all the BS. There will never be another and I’m glad I got to experience the man. Now I just gotta get my collection together so my children will have a proper education.

At a time when everyone is playing Mike’s music and blogs all over the net are featuring playlists and vids, I’m gonna share a video that most people might not readily choose. This was/is my jam:

Michael Jackson
August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009

Ciara – Work

Ciara’s been busting her ass trying to stay relevant and I appreciate her grind. Apparently her new album, Fantasy Ride, hasn’t done as well as anticipated. I must admit that I was feeling several  joints off of her last effort, Ciara: The Evolution, but I’m sort of uninspired this time around (honorable mention to Love Sex Magic and Never Ever). Still, I love this girl’s style and I want her to win. Check her new vid for Work, featuring Missy Elliot (where she been?).

Bitch, hold my ponytail (c) B.Scott

Some thoughts:

1. I hate to agree with the folks out there but I’m inclined to believe that Ciara has indeed pulled a swagger jacking on Ms. Beyonce. Not to say that one person owns a style or that another cannot be inspired by some hot shit, but the transition was too fast. One minute Ciara was rockin that Aaliyah-type steeze (sexy, innocent, long hair, slim, young, belly-bare, baggy pants, etc). Next she’s all Ciara-Fierce, becoming a superhero with a magic ponytail and rocking bodysuits with no pants! Do you girl, but damn…

2. Oh, the Kids are going to love this one aren’t they? Who loves to “work” more than a gay man on a Friday night? I mean, Ciara even employed a classic kid move at 2:00 in.

3. This bitch makes me wanna stop eating. How many days must I live on Tic-Tacs and H2O to properly work that cyan latex/vinyl number??

4. I want Ciara to do some Spectacular-style shit and challenge some heifers to a dance off. I know she’ll come on top. I can’t think of one R&B/Pop chick who can out-dance her right now. Who wan romp? CHALLENGE!

follow me | music for your monday

Three quick things:

1. I just realized that my Twitter link on the right (Twittersweet) was wrong. It’s fixed now. Follow me if you are so inclined.

2. Tanya Morgan has released a new vid from their recent album Brooklynati. No hard feelings that I wasn’t groovin’ in the video in a LBD! I’ll just tell myself I was across the Pacific when they were filming! Peep So Damn Down here:

 3. Spec Boogie’s got some music for you as well. As part of his summer movie series or whatever, here’s the latest installment where he puts a spin on the uber disturbing movie Requiem For a Dream:

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Throwback tune

Yesterday, I was at a Memorial Day BBQ with my girls from way back. After stuffing ourselves, playing some Taboo and several drinks, we sat back and listened to some 90s music. In honor of all the fun I had yesterday and reminiscing about the grown-ass songs we had no business singing as teens, here’s an oldie but goodie.

Let’s Dance

Somebody back in the States made reference to the Stanky Leg in conversation the other day and then quickly followed up with, “Oh, you probaly don’t know what I’m talking about since you been outta the country.” Well first of all, there’s this thing called the internet. I’m so plugged in how could I NOT know about that song/dance? Secondly, Japanese people know ALL of the dances. ALL of them. I was so shocked. Not shocked that they can dance or that they like hip-hop music… everyone knows that. I just didn’t expect them to be so up on all of the southern-type dances. I’ve learned some things out here, let me tell you.

It got me to thinking though, about how much junk people talk about the dances that are out today. Stanky leg, Halle Berry, Jockin’, leanin’ and rockin’, booty do, Rick James, etc.  Folks say they’re ignorant and stupid. They embarrass Black people. The youth have lost their mind. It’s a minstrel show. Cooning. The South is killing hip-hop.

Negro, please. Memory lane must be a really short street. I grew up in the 80s and 90s. I was one of those kids who was into dance. In fact, I once believed I would grow up to become a professional dancer/choreographer. I would watch the Flyy girls on In Living Color then go to my friend’s cri and recreate the moves. I had a dance group in middle and high school and we’d perform during halftime at summer league basketball games or open up for acts blowing through town. What I remember from the early days of all that dancing is that people really DANCED. The moves back then were just as animated, if not more so, than what kids are doing today.

Remember seeing Kid N Play get down? Big Lez? Heavy D and the Boys? Diddy when he was Puffy the backup dancer? The Flyy Girls? The people who got on stage at the end of Def Comedy Jam? Remember doing the Roger Rabbit? The Bobby Brown? The Wop? The Cabbage Patch? Remember jumping up and down, getting on the ground, thrusting your pelvis in the air a la Salt N Pepa? Of course you do. If you remember all of that, you know it was nearly impossible to DANCE back then without breaking out a fucking sweat. Folks were all over the place! Tell me, how is that sooooo different from what folks do today?

I think we got thrown off because in the 90s we went through a period where folks didn’t dance no mo’. Party dancing gave way to mean mugging and holding up the wall. Alternatively, you would just grind your ass around and simulate sex on the dancefloor. You couldn’t really bust a move to gangsta rap and people who made music just for dancing and partying got relegated to the “wack” or “sellout” side of the hip hop spectrum.

Lil’ Boosie ain’t the epitome of hip hop by any means, folks. But I’m gonna be wiping down my shoulders, chest, pants and shoes when Wipe Me Down comes on. Why? Because I like to dance, I like to party and I remember when stuff like that wasn’t uncommon at all.

What do you think? Is dance so different now than it was before? Or are we just getting old and sounding more  like our parents every day?

Oh… and I’m not cosigning the naming of dances after what some may or may not do with their ejaculate and linens. Just skip over that.

candle on the dashboard

Unhhh. Gimme a hug.

Drake/Jimmy

I am not an observant person. I don’t think that I could ever sit with a police sketch artist and describe to them the perpetrator of a crime I had witnessed. I always thought it was because I wasn’t that good at describing people. Like, if asked, I couldn’t tell you a bank robber was __ tall or weighed __ lbs. When friends ask me what someone else looks like I say something like, “she’s short and light-skinned. short hair.” that’s as far as I can go without any distinguishing feature like a goiter or unibrow. Now I know it’s not just because I can’t describe anyone. It’s because I’m not paying close enough attention.

I was just alerted via Twitter that Drake is Jimmy from Degrassi: The New Generation. What the fuck?

Flowers for V-Day

No. I didn’t get a bouquet, although I may buy some for myself. Instead I got the new jawn from dumhi entitled Flowers. According to Haj of dumhi, Flowers is “a little 30 minute mini movie slash emotional rollercoaster… some hiphop.. some singy stuff.. odd instrumental sound collages…” Hmm, okay. Well it’s free and you probably didn’t get flowers from anyone else anyway so check it out.

Click Pic for Download

Oh, and if you’re going to be in Philly on March 7, there’s a party! Join Public Axis, 215hiphop.com and dumhi at The M Room (15 W. Girard Ave, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19123). I personally cosign the list of performers, including tanya morgan, hustle simmons, writtenhouse, dj nex millen, sabrina cuie, johnblake, shamelessplug, & che grand. Hosted by Darrin of Sankofa… All for $8! Wish I could be there!