Zion I and the Grouch @ the CMJ in NYC

Once a year, tens of thousands of hardcore music addicts cluster together in the Big Apple for CMJ. For the uninitiated, CMJ is the College Music Journal which is a music events/publishing company. This is a festival for any kind or type of band on the face of the Earth. From the corniest of pop to the grimiest of punk, to the slickest of hip hop...this is a music festival for music lovers and creators. If you're one of the above, welcome to heaven...
We arrived around Monday evening. I was feeling alittle under the weather, so I chilled at the hotel and watched football, while the rest of the crew went to a Fela party. I can't believe I missed out on it, but it was better to rest at that point. I woke up on Tuesday and headed to Brooklyn to check the homey J Period at his Truelements Studios. The spot was bustling with interns as I waded thru the slew of mixtapes and gadgetry. We chopped it up for a minute..then I headed back to soundcheck.
I met the squad at the Sullivan Room on the Lower East Side. Amp was on stage tinkering with the mpc, grouch teetered in the shadows, and Tim House sqauked on the celly. We checked the system, and it sounded pretty good. Thats always a plus. We left the building feeling a quiet confidence about the night to come.
Upon returning to the club, LadyBug Mecca was on stage. Her steady swag and laid back nonchalance created a heady mist of chill throughout the crowd. Only thing wrong is that the speakers sounded like we were listening thru 10 feet of thick water. The bass warbled out the snare, and made a muddy mess of the whole room. Yuck.
By the time that we limped to the stage it was 1AM. An eager crowd still huddled around the dimly lit stage. We came out to "Smack" and allowed the slump to energize the audience, as well as ourselves. They were slow to warm, but by midshow we had the small multitude with their hands in the air. Grouch slinked side to side with his hat hovering over his face, Amp clapped beats from the 5th dimension, and I bounced sweat to the stars above.
After the show, a couple of ol skool homeys showed up. We chopped game outside in the warm New York air, then decided to keep it movin. We pushed to another club where we posted up, and caught up on old times. Afterwards, we got some pizza, talked more shit and hopped the train to the hotel. Another good night...at the CMJ.

Libra Rising

Thats rite yall...we were all the way live from the Black New World in the Lower Bottoms of West Oakland..Saturday October 6th, 2007. It twas my birthday throwdown, along with that of Marcel Diallo (the mayor of the Bottoms and club owner). Shout out to all the good peoples that came thru to share in the revelry..many blessings to yall. We were doin it family...ol skool wit no holds barred. There were dj's, there was a live freestyle (including 8 musicians and about 12 singers/mcs), there was hip hop, there was reggae, there was church music. The nite waxed and waned like the pulsing ebb of the tides.
We started off wit my folks Raashan Ahmad and Amp Live on the tables. It really didn't even start crackin until around 1:30 in the mornin. An electic assortment of blackness crowded the room. There were artsy cats, spiritualists, turfists, nondescripts and revolutionaries all huddled there under the blanket of big beats. Once we started the cypher jam, the entire energy of the party shifted. Its as if those who wanted to dance eventually faded towards the door, and those who wanted to get involved clustered around the stage. During the 30 minute journey, I felt a drastic degree of feeling. At times I recall feeling elated, as I bounced in ecstasy around the stage. At other times, I felt confounded by the cacophony of word sound. It was like living on life's brutal edge, and embracing the most beautiful and hideous parts of yourself. Deep.
As we unwound from the freestyle bazaar, Afrikan Science took us into the advanced stages of dubhouse texture. Yet, as the night moved forward...the collective yearning for another freestyle spawned itself. Suddenly, the club turned into our holy house of worship. Its hard to explain the music at this point. But I know that it was unlike anything I've heard before. It sounded like black peoples punk rock music. Somethin like Bad Brains, but mixed with gospel roots and blues. It was ill. There were only about 10 people in the club left besides the quintet on stage. Everyone of us was dancin! It was magnetic and alive. There were many bouts of ecstatic leaps and tumbles as the energy engaged every soul that it touched. The spirit was truly in the house.

Stay tuned for further news on the next installment of "the AfterLife" party series....ase..

The Energy Crisis (PEAK OIL)

When I was around 6 years old, I recall the frenzied paranoia of "the Energy Crisis" being slammed thru the media. This was around the late 70's. At the time, the price of gas suddenly jumped to unexpected levels within the course of a few weeks. The impact was felt right away. On the news there were stories of people fighting, and even getting killed trying to purchase gas. There were lines at gas stations that made it feel like we were waiting to get into a packed club. It was both surreal and frightening to my young mind. I was relieved when the prices finally dropped and life returned to normal.
I was first introduced to the concept of "Peak Oil" about 3 years ago. With my memories from childhood, the idea immediately caught my attention. In short, the concept is that in the near future, the maximum production rate of petroleum will be reached. At this point, petroleum production worldwide will enter a terminal decline. This does not mean that oil will actually run out, but that the supply of cheap conventional oil will drop dramatically. After this happens, supply will decrease, while demand will increase. This will create a steep increase in gas prices, as well as all other petroleum based products.
We must understand that it requires energy to discover and refine oil. The "cheap conventional" oil that has been discussed is also known as sweet crude oil. It is light and easy to refine. Once this supply is gone, it will require more time and energy to process oil so that we can use it in the capacity that we are used to.
It sounds rather simple, yet, below the surface is a foreboding truth. In a sense, we live in a carbon based society. Gas is the most obvious thing that will effect us directly. Prices at the pump will never return to the .75 cent prices that I once knew. From here on out, its only going up. But, all plastic products will also become more expensive, as oil is the basis of our most pliable material. This means computers, cars, toys, bottled water, and the list goes on. In fact, think about air travel, or the trucks that deliver food to our grocery stores. As travel becomes more expensive, the products delivered will bear the price tag.
From my standpoint, this gives me greater insight as to why our government is so persistent in having a foothold in the Middle East. Its all about controlling oil, intimidation and maintaining power. In order to secure our luxurious American lifestyle they send young people off to die. Yet, if our government knows that oil production will inevitably peak, how come our so called "leaders" are not making a push to create viable energy alternatives?
Lets be clear, oil cannot be manufactured. It is a by-product of this loving Earth, which we have used and abused. Now, she tires of our greed, and soon will no longer supply us her life blood. Well, she does offer other ways to produce energy. There is solar, geothermal, hydroelectric, and wind power which could all help to bear the brunt of the impact of lessening oil supplies. Why hasn't the United States government alerted its populace to the growing menace that oil has become. Why wait till the 11th hour to take strides to address the situation? With the Bush family's oil legacy, the questions abound.
I am simply writing this to stimulate thought about a situation that could have dire consequences. I pray that our government in the near future has the presence of mind to encourage proactive response. We can no longer accept this irresponsible leadership.

My First Erykah Badu Show

Yeah...I know..some a yall gon call ya boy late. Okay, I can accept that. I mean, it has been almost 10 years since Badu came out and altered the landscape of R&B as we know it. Her decidedly bohemian flair, fused with hip hop authenticity "changed the game"...so to speak. On Sept. 29th she along with, After 7..Loose Ends...and Guy swept thru the Bay.
To set it off, possibly on the wrong foot, we arrived slightly late. By the time we parked the car, and walked to our seats, After 7 was wrapping up what appeared to be a energetic performance. My girl let me hear it about that. Keep it moving. Next up was the British soul of Loose Ends. This was also a revolutionary group back in the day. They introduced a more digital sound to soul music during the early 80's. As they cruised thru their set, I have to admit that the crowd didn't seem to know much of their music. Guy, or rather, Aaron Hall with a band pimped the stage next. Really though, after seeing this dude, its quite obvious where R Kelly derived his swag. He came out to start the show in a clean suit, trump tight. By the second song, dude had his shirt off and was in the crowd! The "nasty man" lived up to his ol skool accolades by declaring that he needed more than one woman as a small sea of black women clawed at him. It was entertaining, but overall, underwhelming. He seemed more concerned with exhibiting his star power, than rocking the stage. Still, I got to give him props for his preacher gon awry steez.
After much anticipation, Ms. Badu hovered to the stage. Her poofy beehive hair, and stunners with no lenses blended perfectly with her jetsonesque black space girl vibe. From the intro, it was on. The most impressive thing to me was her willingess to fulfill her audience's expectations. She had her tea, her willing assistant to give her towels when she perspired, and a skirt which fit her curves quite lovingly. Some of her lyricism appeared to go over the head of the crowd. When she gave a shout to J Dilla, a chill went thru the air. This is that real. Another aspect of her show that was dope was her use of an MPC onstage. At any given moment, it seemed she would pull the MP close, and tap out a booming beat. It was raw, unpredictable, and at the same time grounding.
In essence, she killed it. Her confidence, swag, and ill finesse convinced me. Next time she's in town, I'll be there to witness both the spectacle and the myth of Ms. Erykah Badu. Ites!

For those who don't know...here's a taste...