I can’t really say I grew up watching Soul Train. I was born in ’88, and by the early ’90s, Don Cornelius was about ready to step down, and Yo! MTV Raps had stepped into Soul Train’s role as the major television showcase for the most exciting, forward-thinking black music out there. But as a cultural touchstone, its influence is still pretty undeniable. When Max and I plan out these parties, I think there’s usually an image in our heads of all the folks coming down, two-by-two in a Soul Train line, groovin’ out to some Marvin or Curtis. We’ll take it there soon.
With Don Cornelius’ apparent suicide a few days back, it seems like just now, people are fully coming to understand just how impactful the show was for its time. Without the frenzy of nostalgic stories and think-pieces that have surface in the last week, it might be easy for our generation to forget the magnitude of a nationally syndicated show dedicated to soul, funk and the most cutting-edge popular music coming out of black America, being broadcast into living rooms across the country in 1971. Not to mention, everything about the show, and particularly Don Cornelius was just so damn cool. The voice, the fro, the effortless smoothness — not that it was all that hard to make Dick Clark look like a square, but he did. Looking back on some of the performances, in all their lip-synched glory, there were just too many classic moments. And, luckily for the YouTube generation, many of them are here at our fingertips. We thought we’d share a few.
Last year, the world lost a true revolutionary. It seemed that only in the years leading up to his death, had greater pop culture begun to realize the true impact and importance Gil Scott-Heron had had on its own landscape. Though hip-hop and jazz historicists, vinyl collectors and political minds had been singing his praises for decades, it seemed that the last few years of his life saw that well-deserved reverence reaching an unprecedented level. The release of his final album, I’m New Here, a collaborative effort with XL Recordings founder Richard Russell, and the posthumous Jamie xx remix project, We’re New Here served to further cement his place as a luminary of modern music and culture.
Today saw the release of The Last Holiday, an autobiographical memoir written in the last years of Gil’s life. The memoir tells the stories of some of the more formative moments of his extraordinary life and career, using one particular story as a sort of centerpiece through which others are told. “The Last Holiday” refers to Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, and more specifically to Gil’s experience touring alongside Stevie Wonder as a part of 1980′s Hotter Than July Tour, during which he and Stevie helped to campaign for MLK Day’s status as an official holiday, all to the tune of Stevie’s “Happy Birthday”. In the excerpt below, Gil writes beautifully and poetically about childhood memories, about his experience with Stevie, and about the tragedy of fallen heroes. In the wake of his own death, his insight seems all the more poignant now.
In the interest of full disclosure, let’s just say we’ve had some server issues this year. And, unfortunately, that meant we couldn’t put as many songs out into orbit as we have in past years. Consequently, that means we didn’t get to show some artists the love they deserved. as far as Watch the Throne goes, the difference in sales was probably marginal. And don’t trip. The big blowout, wrap-up list is coming too. But for now, we figured it was only appropriate to return to a few of the artists a bit further off the radar, who made a major impression. Expect to see a few of these names on our list of favorites for the year, along with a few more. But since not everybody’s combing through Pitchfork all day, here’s a short list of folks to we recommend getting familiar with.
Credit The Roots for their insistence on subtlety and focus. Nearly two decades into the game, ?uesto and company have kept busy over the last half decade, not only as the resident tastemakers for late-night network TV, but also as hip-hop’s foremost album auteurs, creating albums as conceptual and cohesive as any in recent memory. From the dark paranoia of Rising Down to the soulfully eclectic palette of How I Got Over in particular, The Roots have set the standard for visionary hip-hop records of late. It’s not that those classifications don’t apply to the rest of their career, but I suppose it’s just the ridiculous consistency, and attention to craft that’s made such an impression in recent years.
It should be no surprise then, that Undun is fundamentally concept driven. More than that though, it’s the moodiest, most decidedly downbeat Roots album yet, telling the story of Redford Stevens, a Memento-style backward moving, existential journey, beginning with Redford’s death. “Kool On” is all bluesy guitar and soul chops, with Black Thought, and frequent collaborators Greg Porn and Truck North all lending verses about the pleasures and the pitfalls of fast money. It’s also far and away the hookiest, most fun track on the album, which is to say, it’s not exactly representative of Undun on the whole. In all seriousness though, listen all the way through. You won’t regret it. For now, get your cool on. Way too wet.
It was the second half of what was to eventually be a wonderful year spent in L.A. The volcanic burst that was the new year of 2011 seemed to be settling and in the eye of the storm, Unready to Wear was born. Heavy-hearted one day I sat trying to determine what was the most creative way to send in a demo to Stones Throw, when I got a call from my friend Doug. Confirmation for a half-planned trip to Coachella was the question and an unsure “yes” was the answer.
Now that a few million eyes are tracking the Odd Future collective’s every move, it seems only appropriate that a few folks not named Tyler or Frank take their turn in the spotlight. Aside from a few remixes surfacing over the last few months, Syd the Kid has been pretty quiet thus far. As introductions go though, “Cocaine” is pretty much all you could ask for. A trippy, great-looking video, a lesbian love affair, some serious hard-drug use, and a delightfully groovy piece of futurist funk. While Tyler’s been grabbing VMA’s and Frank Ocean’s been rivaling The Weeknd for the indie R&B crown, it’s become increasingly clear that the rest of the crew — Left Brain, Hodgy, and Syd in particular — are poised to do some damage in their own right. The Internet, Syd and Matt Martian’s collective moniker, is scheduled to drop Purple Naked Ladies this December.
There’s a pretty incredible sense of emotional honesty on Erykah Badu’s last album. I guess the nudity of last year’s “Window Seat” video was a metaphor for that, in a way. That she’s still putting out video projects based on an album that’s more than a year and a half old is telling. New Amerykah Part Two was the kind of album that’s worth considering, and exploring in careful detail. “Out My Mind”, the album’s closer is a perfect example too. Weighing in at just over ten minutes, and complimented by three distinct musical “movements”, it’s quintessential Badu. One moment she’s a lovesick little girl, obsessing about newfound love. The next, she’s snapped back into full-on goddess mode, “searching for the Holy Ghost”. As is the case with most of the visuals we’ve seen lately from Erykah, the first two movements of “Out My Mind” say a lot, by doing just a little. Hit play to see what I mean, and MORE to see part two.
On December 14, 1974 Marvin Gaye sang the National Anthem at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum before the Raiders beat the Dallas Cowboys 27-23 in front of a national television audience. Marvin donned his iconic red beanie in the Bay Area’s temperate 53-degree weather and blessed America with its self-affirming anthem. He looked at ease, but earlier that year, on the very same field, Marvin Gaye had confronted some of his biggest demons by returning to the national spotlight… live in Oakland, CA.
Now that we’re in August, I can’t say I’m surprised that The Weeknd’s House of Balloons is still one of the most impressive projects to drop so far this year. The love from media outlets, bloggers, fans and contemporaries has been plentiful, and its well deserved. But given the relative anonymity Weeknd mastermind Abel Tesfaye has maintained thus far, I guess we shouldn’t have expected him to rest on his laurels. Less than six months from the release of Balloons, comes the second of three scheduled Weeknd projects, Thursday, and as you might expect after a debut as accomplished as his, the sophomore jinx doesn’t seem to be of any concern.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
It would be hard to imagine a better tour pairing than Chromeo and Mayer Hawthorne. Something about smooth retro blue-eyed soul and dance-friendly ’80s electro-funk on the same stage just sounds proper. To be honest, the image in my head is something like Hall & Oates going on tour with Steely Dan. So with these two acts hitting the road this Fall, it seems reasonable that they extend the bromance by covering each other’s songs. After converting “Don’t Turn the Lights On” on into slow, sexy bedroom fare, Mayer took the chance to tackle another Chromeo gem, adding some smoothed-out ’70s flare to “When the Night Falls”. Not to be outdone though, Chromeo returned the favor, effectively throwing that same equation in reverse for Mayer’s latest single, “A Long Time”. Not that I should have to tell you, but they’re both jams. Peep the latter after the MORE.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
If there’s one thing I love about Mayer Hawthorne’s music, it’s that he just knows how to have fun with it. That the whole classic-soul persona that is Mayer Hawthorne started half as a joke is kind of telling. Somewhere between the Smokey and Marvin Motown influences of A Strange Arrangement, and Hall & Oates’ blue-eyed pop soul lies “A Long Time”, the latest single from Mr. Hawthorne. And then there’s the video. Composed of footage from what I can only assume is a Detroit-area public access Soul Train knock-off, it’s the perfect compliment to a serious groove. And as expected, it’s pretty damn fun too. Don’t know about you, but I’m about to hit some of these moves at the next function.
It’s pretty cool how inspiration works. It’s like it knows no boundaries. Inspiration can transcend time, age, race and reach you at any given moment. Inspired by Frank Ocean’s summertime ballad Love Crimes, writer and fashion blogger Neijah Williams received the vision for this short work. The debut film by Neijah, Love Crimes functions as a style piece, while also relating a story of love and scorn. Produced by Joseph Poakwa, and featuring Camila Marie and Michael Coleman amongst others, Love Crimes offers a unique perspective on how far one will go to mend a broken heart.
This one’s been a long time coming, I know. My apologies to Cunningham, and anybody else who’s been waiting. It’s not that there’s been any shortage of dope shit dropping lately — Theophilus London’s full-length debut, and quality projects from Washed Out, Little Dragon, Dom Kennedy and Beyonce to name a few. August tends to sneak up on you with the realization that summer actually ends, and once again today, it hit me. Still, fleeting though it may be, every summer deserves a soundtrack. So here’s a taste of ours.
If you were to tell me Hov and Ye were about to go in over a loop of Otis Redding’s “Try A Little Tenderness”, you wouldn’t have too much convincing left to do. With the highly anticipated Watch the Throne a few weeks away, the first real leak emerged last night, basically consisting of an extended exchange of bars between the two legends, set to a minimal backdrop that leans pretty heavily on the song’s even-more-legendary namesake. For all the hype — gaudy cover art, the over-the-top ridiculousness of H.A.M. — the chest-thumping is probably warranted. Even if the album was just an excuse for these two to talk shit, it’s hard to imagine two people more suited to the task.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
The only thing better than an artist that’s consistent, is one that’s consistently full of surprises. Originally, and clumsily pegged by critics as chillwave, Chaz has turned his Toro Y Moi project into something else entirely, coming with some of the more subtly soulful, and diverse music in recent memory. Given the scope of his latest full-length album Underneath the Pine, or the impressive collection of singles and remixes he’s dropped recently, a cover of an ’80s R&B radio staple makes sense, even if it’s unexpected. Weekend music at it’s finest.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
