Wattstax

i recently came across a small picture on an awesome blog i follow on tumblr of two sistahs grooovin. so i researched the name Wattstax and found a film about a music festival from 1973 in LA. the film not only showcases various musicians and artists from that time period (The Staple Singers, Melvin Van Peebles, Isaac Hayes, etc.), but they also interview common black people about racism, about black male/female relationships, politics, gospel and the church, and living in LA in '73. definitely a must-see.

here's a clip from youtube:

watch the entire film here (on the link, click the red button, and then click it again after it turns green. ignore any pop-ups).

Muhsinah

i get on a number of hair blogs (A, B, C, D for some knowledge, and 1, 2, 3, 4 for some inspiration). and the other day i was thinking about reasons i went natural and how my thoughts have changed since then.

i went natural in January 2009 mainly because i was just bored with relaxed hair. it was just dead to me. dead crap just sitting on the top of my head. plus the upkeep of constantly having to get a perm every 2 months, flat-ironing it every day, all to be left with hair that always looked limp was beginning to annoy me after....a decade or so of subjecting my hair to this treatment (or should i say, brutality).

anyway, my main influence during that time when the only image of natural hair i had was buckwheat and the bulletproof 'fros from the black power movement was an artist i found on myspace by the name of Muhsinah.

not only is Muhsinah an absolutely amazing artist.....i love love love her music....but she has ridiculous style. and her hair was unlike anything i'd ever seen. it was natural hair in styles and shapes that were completely foreign to me. and i liked it. loved it actually.

check her website out.

Sia!

so i was around Union Square tonight chillin with some peeps, when i saw.....a woman with one of the best voices i've ever heard....with ingenious music to boot.

SIA!!!!!

i think my exact words were "oh my jesus fuckin christ....i know her!"
yea, it was her for sure for sure. but she was on a phone chillin up against a rail and i think its mad lame to get an autograph or even a photo. the only thing i slightly regret is not telling her how much i respect and love her for her music. she was mentioned in myZero 7 post. and here is one of her videos:

no. its not a real music video. but its one of my favorite songs of hers and you can see pictures of her.

Theophilus London

just found another dope song from another dope artist.

"i'm tired of whys/choking on whys/ just need a little because...because" ~Fiona Apple

do you ever find something in your ipod that you know and love, but haven't listened to in a while, and when you listen to it, it takes you back to when you played it nonstop? its like a time capsule that holds all your feelings around that time in it? Jamiroquai does that does that for me. around junior high and high school-this is what i was listening to. another artist that i love that does the same thing for me is Fiona Apple.
theres a lot of assumptions people have about her. which is probably one of the reasons i picked up her stuff around the 8th grade, but she's a genius on top of genius on top of awesomeness. she is so much more than her image could ever encompass.
just like Zero 7, her music has what seems like entire orchestras in the background; theres so many layers to her music...like a Jackson Pollack painting.
....theres no way i can make you feel the same way i do when i hear her music. but at least i tried. heres some:




again, i would suggest watching these with your eyes closed first, then watch the video. they can be a distraction sometimes. i love the last video, though. it has Zach Galifianakis in it-one of my favorite comedians.

Zero 7

i was listening to Zero 7 today, and i'm wondering why i haven't done a post on them...??
this is my FAVORITE band. not "one of my favorite"...this is my FAVORITE. number one. the band that i think is the best in the world. the best band i have ever has the pleasure of listening to.
and let me just say that the term "musician" is an understatement for Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker-the two men that make up the group. i would call them composers. they don't usually sing on any of the tracks, though. theres other singers that come in and contribute to the group like Sia (another artist i adore), Jose Gonzalez, and Mozez that add something different with their voices.
most of their pieces have what sounds like an entire orchestral arrangement behind singers, or sometimes just by themselves in their instrumental works. and i could try to put them into an already set genre, but that would be limiting them.
just listen.





first video features Jose Gonzalez, the second and fourth feature Sia, and the third features Mozez. i would suggest watching these videos with your eyes closed so that you're not distracted by the videos if this is your first time hearing their music. but watch the videos too. they're pretty interesting.

Erykah Badu

hell yes
i am fervently gitty with anticipation for this album. she is one of my favorite artists that never disappoints.
one song i'm feelin...right cheeer.

Jamiroquai

sooo....i had to do a post about on of my favorite bands ever. ever! i discovered them around the 8th grade, and loved them unconditionally. seriously, i think this band was my first love. i had their name on all of my shit...their photos in my room....ahh....good times. and their music is sooooo good...soooooo good. i think its the bass. and the lyrics from their first album were about something deep.
all this is with their albums 1-4, up to maybe The Funk Odyssey...that was mediocre. and Dynamite was just pure garbage.
the lead singer thought he could replace some of the integral members of the original Jamiroquai and recreate that magic. and he is sorely mistaken. makes me angry! this was such a good band. its a shame...
anyway, check out some of the songs i like of theirs:

Arrested Development

i just discovered this channel on my cable (which i had not explored prior to now because i only have about 25 channels anyway, half being in Spanish, other half being shopping networks, with 2 or 3 gems thrown in) that only plays songs from the '90's. i been jammin to Brownstone, Bell Biv Devoe, Total, SWV, Tony Toni Tone, Brandy, and Arrested Development.
i love Arrested Development. you know their parties were the shit. their style, their vibe, their music, and especially the message in their lyrics. i had to make a post about them. i couldn't post 'Everday People' because embedding wasn't disabled, but i like that song the most.

Novaslim

Novaslim
enjoy.

BLK JKS

Georgia Anne Muldrow

so i'm really feeling this woman Georgia Anne Muldrow.
these videos are so mad.
her whole style is so '70's, but in a non-cliche type way.

Keziah Jones ft. Nneka

love the juxtaposition with the sun.
love her hair.
love the music.
love the vibe.
mmm hmmm.

wildbirds and peacedrums

really really like this group.
aside from the beats that speak to me like hip-hop, i like the lack of inhibitions of the lead singer. its almost like she's a slave to her voice. even notes that seem not to do somehow fit. i love that.

Rubies

i really really like this group.
their music is infectiously melodic with a lovely '70's Minnie Riperton feel at times...
Rubies