Big Yaahd Sound and myself -Koren D. Madpeace (NUE) collaborated to sponor "Preemptive Strike" a showcase of new music featuring Chicago artists : DVS Jackson, FeSo, Phraim and Jura Shaheed with Rasheed Chappell (NJ) and DJ Bruce BlaQ (WI) on the wheels. We had a great time graced with such talent.
The focus of the event was the artists above so don't be shy... g'head, click.
Also, we - meaning us, meaning all in attendance - contributed here >>> Haiti in support. Our continued attention to detail and duty is necessary, wherever it is needed. THANKS!!!
"We artists are indestructable, even in a prison cell or a concentration camp I would be almighty in my own world of art. Even if I had to paint my pictures with my wet tongue on the dusty floor of my cell..."- Pablo Picasso
So, it's been pretty quiet around di Yaahd as of late, eh...? Well, big tings a gwan, people. Getting the music done, making the myths. One of my favorite forgotten elements of hip hop is DJing/beatsmithing. Whether making a track, or just spicing it up, the DJ/producer is an unsung hero of a lot of our favorite tunes. Sampling, as well, can be seen as an artform in and of itself. Not everyone can do it effectively, and some continue anyway. Speaking of, wanna hear the possibly most sampled 6 second drum break in the world?
(Just watch the first 2 minutes, see if you guessed right) Now, I was gonna give y'all the movie 'Scratch' to watch, documentation of the art of turntablism. However, I thought this might've illustrated "Beat Digging" a li'l better...
Sometimes, I don't even do the beat for my stuff. I think it gives me better vision of where the song should go. Proving my point, here's a li'l single I put together. Nothing major, just a few songs of "Mixed Media On Silicone", my upcoming free release...
He is perhaps the most famous, or infamous, artist alive. To some a genius, to others a vandal. Always controversial, he inspires admiration and provokes outrage in equal measure...
Kissing Coppers, Brighton - 2005
Since Banksy made his name with his trademark stencil-style 'guerrilla' art in public spaces - on walls in London, Brighton, Bristol and even on the West Bank barrier separating Israelis and Palestinians -
- his works have sold for hundreds of thousands of pounds. He has dozens of celebrity collectors including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Christina Aguilera. He is also known for his headline-making stunts, such as leaving an inflatable doll dressed as a Guantanamo prisoner in Disneyland, California, and hanging a version of the Mona Lisa - but with a smiley face - in the Louvre, Paris.
BANKSY in Paris
Oops, WRONG Paris!!!
(these had remixed tracks by DangerMouse? WISH I could've gotten one. But, I'd have to have been buying a Paris Hilton CD...)
But perhaps his most provocative statement, and the one that generates the most publicity, is the fact that Banksy's true identity has always been a jealously guarded secret, known to only a handful of trusted friends. A network of myths has grown up around him. That his real name is Robin Banks. That he used to be a butcher. That his parents don't know what he does, believing him to be an unusually successful painter and decorator. Then there's the suggestion that Banksy is actually a collective of artists and doesn't exist at all...
BANKSY works the 9th Ward, New Orleans - August 2008
Such is the curiosity about Banksy that when the great man threw a pizza box into a bin in Los Angeles, the box resurfaced on auction site eBay, with the seller suggesting that the few anchovies left inside might yield traces of his DNA.
Not THIS one...
He is the Scarlet Pimpernel of modern art, so adept at leaving false trails that even his own agent has claimed that he is not certain of his identity. Indeed, trying to establish just who the elusive Banksy is has proved as difficult as predicting the location of his next work. His first official exhibition in New York, the "Village Pet Store And Charcoal Grill," opened October 5, 2008. The animatronic pets in the store window include a mother hen watching over her baby Chicken McNuggets as they peck at a barbecue sauce packet, and a rabbit putting makeup on in a mirror....
Go on, play it. You know you're curious...
(wanted you all to see the detail, that's why the pics are so big...)
"Herbs pirate, dem take wey all dat I cultivate..." Keith Porter, 1978
SO, there's a NEXT part of that WONDERFUL Keith Porter interview on The Itals YouTube channel. If you don't remember the first 2 parts, check HERE. The history of this vocal harmony group dates back to the days before reggae music, when the founding members joined rocksteady groups like the Tenors. The Itals have been steadily releasing massive roots and culture chunes ever since. They've never really gotten their due, overshadowed by roots acts like Culture, The Mighty Diamonds, and The Wailing Souls. Brutal Out Deh -- released on Nighthawk Records in 1981, their first and often considered their best album -- is well-respected, but not particularly unique or exhilarating and will likely sound dull and pedestrian to newcomers to reggae. This is not the album to give to someone who thinks that all reggae is boring and sounds alike. Still, the more hardcore roots fans should find enough to satisfy, as heartfelt gems like "Herbs Pirate", "Smile Knotty Dread", and "Truth Must Reveal" give an impression of why The Itals have lasted as long as they have...
Check a full biography on the group HERE at Nighthawk Records...
Hear di man a chat bout how di lyrics fi "Herbs Pirate" a come about...
SO, there's this movie I think you'll all get a huge kick out of, if you stay around long enough to watch it all. 'The Lunatic' was released in 1991 OR 1992, depending on the source you cite. The adventures of a Jamaican eccentric who converses with animals and a female tourist from Germany. Starring Paul Campbell,
and Julie T. Wallace.
"Filmed in Jamaica, 'The Lunatic' is the story of a village madman, Aloysious, who has the amazing ability to talk to anything, including trees, cows and cricket balls. Portrayed from a Jamaican prospective with an acute eye for the authentic dialect of the land. Aloysious meets Inga, a German nymphomaniac, who uses her 'pum pum power' to capture his heart." (via IMDB.com)One thing I don't understand is, why does NO review I found mention the great SERVICE JOHNSON(porn star much?), masterfully played by Carl T. Bradshaw?
From The Strong Hard Tree to Busher and his wife,
a laught riot, start to finish. No subtitles for the uninitiated (sorry), but those who know, build up a king head spliff...
SO, who remembers RUBBEROOM? The Chicago rap unit Rubberoom formed in 1992, comprising MCs Meta Mo, S.P.O., and Lumba in tandem with producers Fanum, Isle of Weight, and Fill Spector. After building a fervent local following on the Windy City club circuit, they issued their debut EP, Gothic Architecture, in 1994; the 12" "Street Theme" followed in 1997, and two years later Rubberoom released the full-length Architechnology. Now, I'm not messing with the full length, you can cop that on Amazon (please do.) The EP however, was only on cassette. I met S.P.O. first, then bought it from Another Level @ Lit EX (MASSIVE UPS!!) This was raw, dusty groove shit here. Independent hip hop, Chicago style. Those who were there, those who weren't, listen and enjoy...
