So, I've been checking out the work of this cat Boonie Mayfield for a few years now. This is his newest venture.
Boonie Mayfield (or Boon Doc as he's often called) is an emcee/producer from Colorado who's been racking up the miles with his production tutorials on youtube. This cat is quite talented, indeed. I've watched quite a few of his videos and I've been impressed with not only his musical impulses but his sense of humility as well. He always seems to be having a good time with what he does. So when I saw he was starting up a web series, I had to make sure to peep.
All things considered, I think he's off to a good start.
There were moments where hip hop got quite dangerous for me.
Here's Pastor Troy with "No Mo Play in GA."
I'm a big fan of hip hop with meaning and thought. But there are times I needed hip hop to be primal, rude, and downright belligerent.
My most fond memory of this track is during the first two years I attended college. I was enrolled at East Carolina University at the time, a major North Carolina university in my hometown of Greenville. One of the hubs of campus life was Mendenhall Student Center, the location of our bowling alley/pool hall, the campus radio station, and a movie theater. It was actually a really nice place to be.
Every so often one of the African American fraternities or sororities on campus would throw parties in the Mendenhall basement, which was a large empty room with practically no chairs and no windows. These parties were legendary. Just about every black kid on campus would show up to these parties. The music started at 10 p.m. and wouldn't stop until two in the morning and most of us would dance non-stop until the lights came on. I've never sweated out more t-shirts in my life!
This cut by Pastor Troy was a particularly popular track played at these parties, and many in the room were quite excitable when this joint was played (including me). If the d.j. wanted the crowd bouncing around like a bunch of maniacs, this song was the quickest way to make that happen. There was one specific evening during which this song was played and I decided I was going to party toe-to-toe with the ECU football players that were in attendance. Keep in mind, while I'm not a short guy (6' 1") I am quite a thin one (150 lbs). And these football players are between 6' 4" and 6' 10" weighing anywhere between 260 and 350 lbs each.
As things are happening, I remember being surrounded by these enormous athletes and partying pretty hard. Suddenly, as I jumped around in this wall of bodies, I felt myself bounce off of one of them during a moment of ascent. As I reached an apex I bounced off another, then I ricocheted off of a third one on my way back to earth. Needless to say, after pinballing around a group of 20-year-old giants, I felt it was time for a bit of rest. I made my way to the perimeter of the room, away from the exuberant masses, and found a seat in an adjacent section of the Mendenhall basement. For that night at least, I was ready to leave a little early.
I've searched and searched for decent video interview of Rocky, but I couldn't find anything to my liking. Fortunately, a fellow blogger (Hanalei Somar from the little I know) has been able to track Rocky down during a recent visit to NYC.
Here's an excerpt from their conversation. It's a really good read.
During her recent visit to NYC, I was able to catch up with the extraordinary hustler/emcee, Rocky Rivera, for a quick talk about trick habits, community support, and her new life as the Gangster of Love. This is a full transcript of the interview intended for the upcoming ACV Cinevue blog article “Quality In the Age of Viral Video: Time with Rocky Rivera.”
h!: What are you up to in NYC? Any special projects going on right now?
Rocky Rivera: I have a mixtape coming out, June 7th. We haven’t even announced it yet. It’s called the Popkiller Mixtape; it’s basically a collection of beats furnished by the artists or producers themselves. The concept behind Popkiller is really a critique of the mainstream, but at the same time, it’s a way for me to utilize the same tools to get my message across. Whether it’s guerrilla advertising; basically trying to get my main message across using the same methods that a pop artist would use while simultaneously trying to keep the underground true. So, that’s really what Popkiller is about. It’s about utilizing those same methods to getting a really substantial message across, something that should actually be shared with the masses.
h!: What is “La Madrina” a part of?
Rocky Rivera: It’s the first leak off the Popkiller Mixtape. It was a free download, and we’ll be doing more in the following months. But “La Madrina” is from Popkiller. I’m doing one last video for the Rocky Rivera LP, “Girl Like Me,” which is coming out in a couple weeks. We’re really transitioning into the next project. The video will be coming out in May, which is the final single from my Rocky Rivera LP.
h!: Aside from Jessica Hagedorn, there are other nods to sheroes that come across in your music. Dolores Huerta in “Heart” and even some Angela Davis peppered through some of your work. Is it important for you as a woman artist to pay homage to these revolutionaries?
Rocky Rivera: “Heart” was such an exceptional beat for me, because as a female artist, I always have to keep my own personal life at a distance. There’s this whole double standard of being a woman in a male dominated industry. I know the challenges of that. For me to be able to channel that kind of inspiration from these different women on such an emotional beat was such a way for me to get in touch with my emotions and my own history, without really revealing too much of myself and my private life. It was a way for me to put myself in their shoes, and really think about their struggles. The things that made it possible for me to do what I have to do today.
Whether it’s Dolores Huerta, whether it’s Angela Davis, whether it’s Gabriela Silang, or whether it’s cocaine QueenPin, Griselda Blanco. These are women’s stories that need to be told. These are important stories. I feel like I’m a storyteller. As a journalist, I’m a storyteller. I am the vessel in which their stories come back to life. I would take that role, but at the same time, it’s not the only thing that I do.
This is one of the most amazing and heartwarming videos I've seen in quite a while.
You know, I've heard my share of complaints from older folks about their inability to understand hip hop lyrics. Many say the words are too indistinguishable or that they move too fast for them to decipher what's been said. For me, this video beautifully illustrates a core aspect of rap performance that is much more important than lyrical comprehension. Rap lyrics are the textual conduit for the rapper's percussive and melodic aesthetic. In fact, I would argue that what an emcee says in a verse is rarely as important as how s/he musically shapes the verse into something pleasing and exciting for the listener.
"It's not enough to know which notes to play, you have to understand why they need to be played." George Carlin commenting on the blues
This brilliant kid has already made this discovery (as kids will do if we simply leave them to their explorations). As soon as he reaches the age of adding lyrical content to his already sophisticated sense of musical awareness (and if he keeps rapping), he's going to be an absolutely magnificent emcee.
This is "Liberation" from OutKast's five-mic album Aquemini.
Since I have to be up at 7 a.m. tomorrow (again) I'll keep this short and sweet. I remember when I bought this album back in 1998. I had played OutKast's previous effort ATLiens like I was in search of the cure for cancer in Big Boi's lyrics, so I was primed for a new release from the dirty south duo. I eagerly slid this CD into the deck in my car and reveled in 'Kast's refreshing reinvention.
Everything was going just fine until I got to "Liberation". I was haunted by what I was hearing. Never had I witnessed a hip hop group take such risks on a record. It was impactful and mesmerizing in a whole new way.
And by the time they got to the end of Cee-lo's section, I was almost in tears. I love this song.
Since then, I've learned that Rocky is a Filipino Bay-area emcee who is also a mom. Her career as an emcee is relatively new, although she's been writing for a long while. She's been a hip hop journalist for Mass Appeal, The Source and XXL.
And she's super-fresh.
I've been listening to Rocky Rivera's Pop Killer MXTP for the last week or so and I have to say, I haven't heard too many emcees with the type of exquisite aggression Rocky puts on wax. She rhymes with an elegant relentlessness that is difficult to shape. I'm also incredibly impressed with her ability to construct a rich image life in her writing, a skill that's been developed by all of the best emcees in hip hop history.
I'll be listening to more Rocky in the next few weeks, because I'll most certainly be buying her album in the next couple of days. She doesn't have too many interviews or freestyles on youtube, so I'll be researching that a little more to see if I can find something along those lines. For now, I'll leave you with my favorite track from the Pop Killer MXTP called "Daydream" featuring Nitty Scott.
I've been debating with myself tonight. Should I look for Murs' most recent offerings or post one of his tracks that initially caught my attention? After skimming through a few clips (all of them impressive I might add), I felt it best to post this:
I first encountered this track while doing college radio at Louisiana State University in 2005. The format of the station was primarily indie rock with a little underground hip hop thrown in for spice. During one of my normal regular-rotation shifts, this song popped up in the mix. Now, most of the hip hop the station kept in the library was familiar to me. But I had never heard Murs' stuff before and I was immediately impressed. It had been a while since I heard an emcee as direct and unapologetic as Murs is here. And in relation to many of the cultural difficulties still facing the south, this song seemed especially appropriate.
There was a time before I bought the Soundbombing II compilation during which I only listened to two albums; The Score by The Fugees and ATLiens by Outkast. Once I realized hip hop could sound like this, I was hungry for more.
Here's a really good clip of Murs performing at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas back in 2008.
Considering I just got home from two days of twelve-hour rehearsals, I'm going to hold of making any observations about this until tomorrow. However, I will say that judging from this video, I'm willing to bet Murs is quite the performer.
I honestly can't think of a bigger hip hop dance record than this.
I won't wax and wain about this song tonight. I have a 12-hour rehearsal in the morning and I need to get to bed. However, I will say that I do a pretty good Humpty impression if I do say so myself! So if you ever run into me at a bar or other appropriate social environment, and the moment is just right, I'll let you be the judge.
They couldn't find a tripod some decent lighting for this?
There are two more parts (here and here). Please have a look.
Obviously, I didn't choose to post this video because of the production value. Nevertheless, of all the interview clips of Murs I found this one is by far the most insightful. It's always fascinating to hear these artists give these kinds of accounts describing their thoughts and beliefs on their music and the surrounding society. So many times these interviews are unable to illuminate all but the most pedestrian elements of an emcee's inspiration. This is quite refreshing.
I'll have a few more thoughts on this interview tomorrow.
Heavy D, the smooth-talking and cheerful rapper who billed himself as “the overweight lover M.C.,” died in Los Angeles on Tuesday. He was 44.
The Los Angeles County coroner’s office confirmed the death Tuesday evening, saying that Heavy D had collapsed at his home and was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he died shortly after noon. The cause of death was not known as of Tuesday night, but the Beverly Hills police said that there was no evidence of foul play and that the death appeared to be “medically related.”
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Heavy D was one of hip-hop’s most popular and charismatic figures, a girthy slickster who was an eager seducer and was unafraid of the dance floor. He was the frontman of Heavy D & the Boyz, which became the first act signed to Uptown Records, the label that was integral in building the bridge between hip-hop and R&B.
There are going to be many articles written by many people much more insightful that me, so I'll keep my commentary short. I'll simply say that Heavy D was a hip hop hero. He's one of the primary artists that helped develop hip hop from its raw beginnings into a resonant and sophisticated musical art form. He's one of those folks we never imagine losing, which is what makes his loss all the more difficult.
He will be dearly missed.
And since everyone else is going to post "Now That We Found Love", and since it's my favorite, enjoy Heavy D's "Big Daddy". Any hip hop slow jam mix should have this on it.
Murs may be one of the best rappers you've never heard of. In fact, I would go so far as to say he may actually belong in the No Wack Verses Club. Honestly, I've never known Murs to write anything other than outstanding stuff.
Here's a freestyle like you've never seen (for all of my folk guitar-loving friends).
Even though this is a new month, I couldn't resist posting what I discovered last night.
This is a hidden track on The Roots' first live album The Roots Come Alive. When I first heard it, my first thought almost exactly matched one of the actual comments under the video on Youtube.
Black Thought is simply scatting this stuff, and he's still more engaged than 90% of the emcees I hear!
I'm going to be honest here. It took me a while to pick up on what these cats were saying. I mean, there's quite a bit in this song that makes very little cognitive sense. But then I heard Mr. Funke spit:
They don't understand how I feel about the funk/
I walk with the funk/
I talk with the funk/
I eat with the funk/
I sleep with the funk/
I live off the funk/
I'd die for the funk.
Somehow, that allowed everything to come together. It's funny how things happen that way.
I've said quite a bit about this month's emcee, so with this post I'll try to keep it simple.
I can only think of two or three emcees ever that so thoroughly and consistently attack the art of rapping with the energy, hunger, and ambition of Black Thought. And absolutely none of them are 40. This guy is an utter phenom. There's no other way to put it.
DJ Premier was given Classical and began his immersion into the genre with Bruce Adolphe, a former classical music professor at Juilliard. They met at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music not far from DJ Premier’s home in NY. After learning about classical music theory, the inspirations of some of the genre’s most profound composers and how traditional pieces are structured, DJ Premier went out and bought tons of classical symphonies on vinyl to mash up his own creation. We then took that mash-up and orchestrated it for sheet music.
In the first step of the actual recording process, DJ Premier partnered with Stephen Webber, a professor and conductor at the Berklee College of Music. Stephen taught Premier how to conduct and helped him in studio with the 58-piece Berklee Symphony Orchestra you hear on the track. Of all the takes, the one you hear is the “wild” version (which means they recorded it without the metronome in their headphones) DJ Premier conducted himself. Then DJ Premier brought that instrumental track back home to NY and Nas laid down his rhyme on top of it.
It's absolutely true that DJ Premier is one of the most well recognized and established creators of hip hop music. However, it's also true that after a long and successful career, many artists sometimes lose a sense of exploration and discovery of the new. That's what makes this track so fantastic. During the process, Premo allows himself to be a student of Classical music theory and approaches the piece like a journey into uncharted territory. Though he is certainly armed with the knowledge and experience of his well documented music history, he must still navigate this track with a beginner's mind. That's the only way for something like this to work.
Quite dope, indeed.
Here's the link to the documentary website. I hope I'll have an opportunity to check it out soon.
