MUSIC: So maybe it's redundant, but I have to try every so often to promote the soulful brilliance that is Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings. I'm diggin' this poster like C. Delores Tucker's grave: http://www.nobodysmiling.com/hiphop/news/85221.php. Damn----sometimes it feels so right to be wrong...Anyway, I'm definitely not in the habit of trying to inflict bullshit advertising schemes on my readership, but today I'm making a rare exception. I'm convinced that the handful of people who read this blog who are still in their right minds should purchase at least one of these posters (creatively designed by Darren English). Each limited edition print is signed and numbered---and if you call now, this highly functional work of art will also remove stubborn pet stains, and tighten your flabby beer-bloated abs, practically overnight. Check out all of English's posters here: http://www.darrengrealish.com/2005P2.html
and here is a direct link to purchase the Jones print only: http://www.darrengrealish.com/sharonjones.html.
If you just stopped by to check out some free shit, the mp3 of Jones' rendition of "This Land is Your Land" is available at Moistworks:http://www.moistworks.com/. However, you must observe the following guidelines: If you're white---borrow the song. If you're Latino---steal it. If you're black---go loot that muthafucka.
While at Moistworks, you may also want to download "Winter in America", by Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson. They've been generous enough to offer both a live and a studio version of the track, so you can hear the song any way you'd like.
Fans of Fatlip (formerly a member of The Pharcyde), will want to pay a visit to Diggin' Music in the near future. They are currently featuring "What's Up, Fatlip?" in mp3, music video, and documentary form. The latter two were created under the direction of Spike Jonze: http://www.digginmusic.blogspot.com/.
"Soul Reggae" is a classic cut by Charles Keynard. Download it now at Soul Sides:
http://soul-sides.com/.
Am I High? just posted several tracks for download, including "Read My Lips" by The Alkaholiks, and a Collipark remix of Twista's "Slow Jamz": http://amihigh.blogspot.com/.
At Stylus Magazine, you can cop "I See It", by The Staple Singers:
http://www.stylusmagazine.com/ipod/. This is definitely not one of my favorite songs that they've done, but it's a worthwhile track, nonetheless. I also happen to like the Los Impalas offering, but it's a little different than most of the music I write about on this blog. I would recommend giving this a try if you are a fan of The Doors, The Byrds, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, etc.
ART: Odd Wall has some pretty dope artwork on their site, as they've displayed a diverse selection of San Francisco street art: http://www.oddwall.com/. There's a little bit of everything there, including stencils, murals, and garage door paintings.
Politics: By now, most of you have heard about the violence and mayhem that unfolded in the streets of Toledo, Ohio yesterday. I don't particularly trust the media's representation of what
happened, but I'm posting a link to a CNN article in hopes that you will find the grains of truth in what's being reported:http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/10/15/nazi.march/. If you ask me, Neo-Nazi and KKK marches/rallies are inherently always inflammatory on some level, and possessing a permit and describing the event as peaceful doesn't do a damn thing to change that fact. I think it's a testament to the patience of minorities in this country that these uprisings don't occur more frequently. Don't get it twisted---as a strong proponent of free speech, I don't believe that hate groups should be silenced. However, we the fuckin' people have to at least try to understand and accept the emotional/psychological basis for a negative reaction to such flagrant displays of racism. Additionally, whenever African-Americans engage in any form of a struggle against their oppression, they shouldn't automatically be portrayed as unthinking animals, both vicious and animalistic. The choice of language utilized by the media makes evident one of the many subversive forms of racism that still prospers underneath the top layer of American society. As a prime example, two or more black people in assembly are considered a gang---while white folk who congregate in large numbers are described (more kindly) as a group. And hopefully, you caught onto the whole looting reference earlier in this post.
To top it all off, there are people in the media who question why the black people involved in the scuffle displayed signs of anger towards the police. Is it possible that people are really that uneducated? The way that law enforcement treats minorities is another one of the clearest examples that racism is not yet dead---despite the ridiculous claims of those who believe we've magically achieved a state of equality in recent years.
I sincerely don't believe in violence as a solution, and I cannot support the actions of anyone who was involved, because I'll never know what really went down---and sorry, but neither will you. I am simply asking my readers to realize the complexity of this situation, before blindly pointing fingers towards the African-Americans who came to protest. Predictably, the latest results of a poll hosted by CNN indicates that more people blame the "gangs" than the neo-Nazis.
LIFE: Finally, this is on the lighter side, but this blog I found is pretty interesting. It features bizarre products that are currently available for purchase. I'm not personally endorsing any of this shit---I just find a lot of these items to be sort of amusing. Are you cutting edge enough to be the first person sporting ear muffs shaped like breasts this coming winter? :
http://www.strangenewproducts.com/.
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