Who Sampled Ya?

Nothing new under the sun / What has been will be again....

So you think Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy", Kanye West's "Jesus Walks" & Snoop's "Gin & Juice" were all original cuts that just evolved in the mind of the artist out of nowhere? Think again.

So much of today's popular music has deep roots in the rich fertile fields of the seventies/eighties. There was something unique about that period that produced such brilliant music from the likes of Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Al Green, Aretha Franklin, Rolling Stones, Queen..the list goes on. I am not sure why the music of that era was arguably better than the music of today. It could be that after the socio-cultural & political upheavals of the sixties with the Vietnam War, two Kennedy assassinations as well as the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, the liberation struggles of the "Third World" nations, the oil crisis & a whole host of other interrelated issues caused undue stress on the psyche of the people both domestically and internationally. Music as a whole reacted and served as a valve to relieve these pressures, hence the emphasis on peace, understanding, and having a good time on the dance floor and in the bedroom. Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On", Stevie Wonder's "Songs In The Key" (& "Talking Book"), Michael Jackson's "Off the Wall", James Brown's, "Sex Machine" are just a few of the gems that the seventies produced. What other era produced so much quality & originalty?

I assembled the following playlist to highlight a few of my favorite Hip Hop cuts that have their origins in the seventies/eighties musical landscape. Many of the samples are exact copies of the originals with a loopy bass added here and drum machine added there. I aint knocking it as I enjoy it all--I just want folks (especially the youths) to understand the debt owed to the greats of the past. .
Enjoy!!

::MixMasterE::

..where private chaos and social outrage meet....

We're living in a strange time.

This politico-economic system that a vast number has had so much faith in for so long (in spite of its glaring contradictions), is on the ropes. And what's stranger still is that the same class of folks who have always milked the system and jerked our chains are the same exact folks who have been put in charge to "rescue" this massive systemic failure!

President Obama, indubitably a great thinker, orator and charismatic leader who has inspired the world that anything is possible, is in many ways, like all the Presidents before him, a pawn to the powerful corporate entities as the TARP bailouts can attest to. The rise of the corporation has pretty much usurped/diffused the power of the people and as usual, we are left holding the vaseline. Electoral politics, no matter how persuasive and appealing, is quite shallow as it is built on the sandy shores of false promises.

Nothing short of a massive social upheaval/paradigm shift can reverse the charm and power of the sophisticated snake-oil salesmen with impressive degrees who command our industries and government. Martin Luther King, Ghandi, Nelson Mandela & Evo Morales all understood one thing: Power concedes NOTHING without the people taking it to the streets and going toe to toe with those who want to keep things as is. Persistence is key as caving into complacency is oh! so damn easy! Being creatures of comfort, we tend to go the route of least resistance even if doing so is against our collective interests--aint that the truth?

Read between the lines & follow the money & you will find the Puppet Masters who laughingly cast the shadows that seduce the world......

Peace

::MixMasterE::

Michael vs The Jackass

Michael Eric Dyson's rapid-fire, take-no-prisoners oratorical gifts are quite impressive. He breaks the mold of the intellectual as the no-life, ornery dust-ball sequestered in isolated chambers ruminating over the fundamentals of reality while escaping it. Dr Dyson engages and dissects & can wax eloquent on a vast range of topics from Hip Hop to presidential politics to the boundaries of the Western philosophical canon. In this clip, he pretty much makes his opponent look like a chump in need of a clue & another job.

Peace

::MixMasterE::

..one tiny moment in time...

Sit back
And in these days
Remember my ways
Oh...Will I get out of my cage?
Yes..I am a slave
Searching for some freedom
So intend to sing them songs
To spark memories
What is a man with no history?
Where am I? Who am I? What is this place?
We're just spinning in space

I will be light

Time will continue without you
So in the end
Its not about you
But..
What did you do?
Who do you love besides...you?
Many died in the name of vanity
Many die,in their mind’s eye, for justice
We die for you
And still do
So I say to you
This is nothing new

I will be light

YOU GOT ONE TINY MOMENT IN TIME
FOR LIFE TO SHINE
TO BURN AWAY THE DARKNESS

I will be light

OneLove

:::MME:::

Light on the Edge of Darkness

Commercial radio and television are vast wastelands (for the most part). I know many people who are growing weary of the mind-numbing stupidity that commercial media feeds us insultingly labeled as 'entertainment'. How many news stories must one hear of Amy Winehouse or Rihanna as if they matter? And what is up with the overkill on the radio? Who has not grown tired of the empty, rootless and imitative music that comes out of the speakers every time the radio is switched on? And let's not speak of the level of narcissistic exhibitionism in many of the popular musicians today.

The following playlist celebrates a different kind of sound seldom heard....

Absorb it.

My Cool: Inward Travel Guide-Playlist by MixMasterE

OneLove

::MixMasterE::

An Exercise in Irony

Our strategy should be not only to confront empire, but to lay siege to it. To deprive it of oxygen. To shame it. To mock it. With our art, our music, our literature, our stubbornness, our joy, our brilliance, our sheer relentlessness - and our ability to tell our own stories. Stories that are different from the ones we’re being brainwashed to believe. The corporate revolution will collapse if we refuse to buy what they are selling - their ideas, their version of history, their wars, their weapons....their notion of inevitability.


Arundhati Roy

Examined Life: Slavoj Zizek

A few weeks ago while doing a little research on something I'm working on, I ran across a very interesting philosopher/cultural critic named Slavoj Zizek. I've listened to and read my fair share of academic/social philosophers throughout the years, but I have never found any of them humorous (except for Cornel West on occasion). Zizek is not only damn funny in both the content and manner of his presentation, but he has a fascinating erudition as well. He makes quite lucid observations on a broad range of topics from film to the war in Iraq, but through it all, he retains an iconoclastic and acerbic wit that zones in our our most cherished beliefs. From what I have read of him so far, his mission seems to be somewhat Buddhist in nature in that he wants us all to constantly engage the "real" (in Engaged Buddhism, being idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology is dangerous and close-minded. Zizek attempts to break these mind-shackles, I think, by asserting that there is no such thing as absolute truths. In fact, in his mindscape, the world only makes sense if you turn it upside down and inside out!).

There are two books I will have to add to my already huge "must-read" list which are "The Fragile Absolute" & "The Puppet and the Dwarf". I think exploring the mind of this engaging philosopher is time well spent. Here are a few clips of Zizek:

Zizek on Love:-

Slavoj Zizek about love
Uploaded by Ali_La_Pointe

(This is deep. If one reads between the lines, he seems to suggest that our notions of "love" are deeply flawed and tragic. Love as a violent act, in his terms, may suggest a form of spontaneous non-attachment which is an alien notion in a culture saturated with fantasies and illusions of love...)

Zizek on Freudian Sexuality:-



Zizek on the Nature of Reality:-



...and one more interesting piece: Zizek on President Obama

peace

::MixMasterE::

Shooting Stars, Falling Objects

Oh! The games people play! We have all heard or perhaps experienced our fair share of love affairs that started out with so much hope and reciprocity only to end up in smoke & ashes for one reason or another. Everyone's situation is unique so passing judgment is a foolish venture, but I have to admit, men (sorry fellas) are largely to blame (although women aren't too far behind in the blame department!).

The notion of "men are from Mars/Women from Venus" has some elements of truth in it as it appears that we see & experience things differently on many levels. Studies on the brains of men and women have proven this. For example, men rank good looks and facial attractiveness more important than women do, whereas women rank honesty, humor, kindness and dependability more important than men do. Men cheat more than women do not because of love, but because of sex. Some women cheat because of sex, but mostly they cheat because of the aforementioned factors (kindness, attentiveness, etc). What I have learned is that the golden key to any relationship is compromise. Conceptually easy to understand, but damn hard to execute as so many factors come into play (class & cultural differences, education & experience, etc) which tend to lean more towards antagonistic contradictions. What I find lacking in most folks is the art of compromise or sacrifice. It's as if no one wants to give up his/her selfish desires/inclinations & would much rather conveniently sweep stuff under the rug (which is why most relationships fail).

I am no "relationship expert" (don't believe in that crap as those so-called experts with all the answers have their fair share of breakups too!), but I do know that what are absolute "musts" in any relationship are gut-bucket honesty and no-frills communication every step along the way. Oh sure, feelings will get hurt sometimes, but would you prefer to live in a happy lie or a painful truth? If you answer the former, your ass is doomed.

OneLove!


::MixmasterE::

...a jazz-infused meditation...

I saw the dreamer raise his hand
Into a world of possibilities

I saw the dreamer raise his hand
Into a sky of light and love

I saw the dreamer raise his hand
Into a day of tomorrow

I saw the dreamer raise his hand…

..dive & be released..

::MixMasterE::

Dwele: "How Do I Deal?"

We're living in some dark times...This video from one of my favorite Hip Hop/Soul artists, Dwele, highlights the pressure many are feeling living/struggling through these turbulent times.



Peace

:::MixMasterE:::

Godspeed, Mr. President

Tomorrow, 1/20/09, will go down as one of the finer moments of America's history. Never have I witnessed such excitement and hyperbole over an inauguration and, I must admit, it has been quite impressive stuff--from the star-studded performances on Lincoln Memorial to the glimmers of hope on the faces & conversations of many in spite of the avalanche of dismal economic news. This brings me to the reason I felt compelled to write this post: Hope.

I have hope, but in all honesty, I am not very optimistic about the future, at least not about short-term possibilities (most notably, the financial crisis, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the prospect of Iran developing a nuclear weapon and the question of Israel's murderous abuse of power and total lack of concern for the humanity and dignity of the Palestinians).

What I admire about President Obama is his emphasis on hope and change. History is too complex and contingent on too many things to accurately make predictions about where we are heading. One thing that should be clear, nonetheless, is the necessity of keeping hope alive & constantly learning from mistakes & adapting to new conditions. As Obama emphasized, change is always possible, even in the face of great odds. Acting on that assumption creates the possibility of progress. Indeed, the love and sacrifice of so many known & unknown agitators for the cause of justice and equality, many who fought against unimaginable odds & lost their lives in the most horrific of ways, created the conditions which made the election of President Obama possible.

Witnessing the crowd of jubilant citizens on the National Mall grounds today, I was struck by their buoyant joy and collective hope for a better future. Black, white, brown--every stripe under the sun gathered and celebrated. The stirrings of radical hope pulsated throughout the day which manifested the better angels of our nature and our common need for being a part of something bigger than ourselves.

The great Brazilian educator, Paulo Freire, once said: "Our task simply put is to change some conditions that appear to me as obviously against the beauty of being human". Our struggle continues (it's naive to think that powerful interests both legitimate and illegitimate will simply disappear), but in the end, through our joy & sacrificial pain, we will arrive closer to the power & beauty of being human, beautifully human.

OneLove

::MixMasterE::

The Gift Of Friends

And a youth said,
- Speak to us of Friendship!
And he answered, saying:
Your friend is your needs answered.
He is your field which you sow with love
and reap with thanksgiving.

And he is your board and your fireside.
For you come to him with your hunger,
and you seek him for peace.

When your friend speaks his mind you fear
not the "nay" in your own mind,
nor do you withhold the "ay".
And when he is silent your heart ceases
not to listen to his heart;
For without words, in friendship, all thoughts,
all desires, all expectations are born and shared,
with joy that is unacclaimed.
When you part from your friend, you grieve not;
For that which you love most
in him may be clearer in his absence,
as the mountain to the climber
is clearer from the plain.

And let there be no purpose in friendship
save the deepening of the spirit.
For love that seeks aught but the disclosure
of its own mystery is not love but a net cast forth:
and only the unprofitable is caught.

And let your best be for your friend
that you should seek him with hours to kill?
Seek him always with hours to live.
For it is his to fill your need,
but not your emptiness.
And in the sweetness of friendship
let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.
For in the dew of little things
the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.

-Khalil Gibran

OneLove

::::MME::::

 

Vacation's End

It's a new year and instead of the usual optimism that each year brings, my mood is quite glum. Purposely, I sequestered myself from the news during my month-long vacation abroad. Surrounding myself with the love, joy & laughter of friends and family, the world seemed bright, cheerful and safe. I felt unconquerable!!

The deaths of the children of Gaza brought me back to the callous nature of reality & marked the end of my wishful thinking.....




It will be interesting to see how Obama's administration handles this ruinous & demented state of affairs.

“Justice denied anywhere diminishes justice everywhere.” ~~MLK

Season's Blessings

Recommendation


Promise me,
promise me this day,
promise me now,
while the sun is overhead
exactly at the zenith,
promise me:

Even as they

strike you down
with a mountain of hatred and violence;
even as they step on you and crush you
like a worm,
even as they dismember and disembowel you,
remember, brother,
remember:
man is not our enemy.

The only thing worthy of you is compassion-
invincible, limitless, unconditional.
Hatred will never let you face
the beast in man.


One day, when you face this beast alone,
with your courage intact, your eyes kind,
untroubled
(even as no one sees them),
out of your smile
will bloom a flower.
And those who love you
will behold you
across ten thousand worlds of birth and dying.


Alone again,
I will go on with bent head,
knowing that love has become eternal.
On the long, rough road,
the sun and the moon
will continue to shine.


-Thich Nhat Hanh, 1965


~Be well & peace to you~


::MixMasterE::

The Painter's Edge

Nothing exists except atoms and empty space; everything else is opinion. ~Democritus

Everybody who has ever lived on this planet has, at one point or another, looked up into a clear, star-lit sky and wondered, "Why are we here? Who or what created everything?" No one will ever know these answers with absolute certainty and this to me is what makes this life so beautifully complex and interesting. Looking at the pictures of deep space from the Hubble Ultra Deep Telescope probing the outermost edge of the observable universe, one is awe-struck, speechless...humbled. Out of this infinite space where indubitably other beings exist (& where modern scientific theories become inadequate descriptive/predictive tools), one comes to the realization that we are definitely not what we appear to be or who we think we are.

What our eyes behold may well be the text of life but one's meditations on the text and the disclosures of these meditations are no less a part of the structure of reality.
-Wallace Stevens

OneLove

::MixMasterE::

On Existential & Democratic Possibilities

Listen: Hope on a Tightrope

Cornel West is indispensible in the quest for intellectual broad-mindedness and courageous honesty. I have highlighted the wisdom of Dr West before, & after reading his lastest book, "Hope On A Tightrope", I was once again deeply impressed with this modern-day Socrates. Words & ideas become alive and relevant when he expresses himself on any given topic, cross-pollinating various spheres of knowledge with such breath-taking dexterity, vision & passion that few can surpass. The Afterword of the book highlights the books & music that shaped his life which I dutifully noted for further research. I encourage you to CAREFULLY listen to Dr West in the above playlist and be prepared for reinvention (turning of the soul)....

Peace,

::MixMasterE::

MME's Soul Treasures

..being true to yourself..being real...this is what has driven the shift in soul music from the 1990's to the present.. Although what is marketed as soul music today in the commercial spheres is a downright abomination, the following playlist is testimony to the fact that we are only just beginning to tap the fertile fields of this altered landscape....OneLove!

Deep SoulDiving - Playlist by MixMasterE

:::MixMasterE::

..leave all our hopelessnesses aside...

Thanks to Lola Funkland Android for putting me on to this incredible song. The song, "Just For Now", is about family gatherings and all the love & warmth, conflict & pain, candor& evasiveness that normally accompany these gatherings (it's the human condition). The artist, Imogen Heap, has an earthiness & range that touches you deeply. I first heard of her in the group Frou Frou in another phenomenal song, "Let Go", and I've been a fan of her ethereal falsetto ever since. Just listen...




OneLove

:::MixMasterE::

The Disappearing Male

James Brown once bellowed, "It's a Man's World", in full, soulful, patriarchal power echoing a long-held belief that we (men) are inherently dominant & superior to everything and everyone (God's design, it has been argued), but it takes a woman (in a secondary role) to make it all worthwhile. I have never subscribed to this perverse mind-set (truthfully, a social disease of the highest order), but I am not going to elaborate on that now. Instead, I present the following documentary which might have well been called, "(S)he Who Laughs Last, Laughs Best" (in a tragicomic sense). It seems that all the poison we (men) have released upon the physical (and mental) environment has come back to haunt us and potentially sweep us off this artificial world we have created. Our own cleverness has turned against us! It's a man's world indeed.



OneLove

::MixMasterE::

...enter the fire...

In complete control,
Pretending control,
With dignified authority,
We are charlatans…
(Or maybe just a goat's-hair brush in a painter's hand.)
We have no idea what we are.




O, happy the soul that saw its own faults.



Conventional opinion is the ruin of our souls




If
by Rumi


If you can disentangle
yourself from your selfish self
all heavenly spirits
will stand ready to serve you

if you can finally hunt down
your own beastly self
you have the right
to claim Solomon's kingdom

you are that blessed soul who
belongs to the garden of paradise
is it fair to let yourself
fall apart in a shattered house

you are the bird of happiness
in the magic of existence
what a pity when you let
yourself be chained and caged

but if you can break free
from this dark prison named body
soon you will see
you are the sage and the fountain of life

Peace

::MixMasterE::