Apologies for the brief hiatus, and for the fact that I still need a second to get some links together for my next post. I've been having some minor technical difficulties, and am waiting on HP to get off its collective ass and send me a new monitor. I hooked up a very old one for the time being, but believe me---the situation is less than desirable. The damn thing must weigh at least 450 pounds, but the screen itself is very small---a true technological artifact. With any luck, I'll be getting rid of this fossil within a day or two, and then things around here might actually get back to "normal". Yeah, right ;)
Meanwhile, since I hate the thought of leaving you "soulless", I grabbed a few things from the crate that I thought you might enjoy:
"Save Their Souls"---Bohannon
What can be said of this track except that every soul and funk fan in the universe should have it in their collection? Fellow hip-hop aficionados may recognize this song as an element in Jay-Z's "Cashmere Thoughts". It's also been sampled on joints by Kool G Rap, Craig Mack, Jungle Brothers, Ultramagnetic MC's, and more.
"Stuck In This Life"---Biggie/Jay-Z/2Pac (Kid Jerzee mix)
An exceptionally solid lyrical blend over ridiculously tight beats---featuring the holy trinity of mainstream rap music. Amen...
"Respiration (Flyin' High mix)" ---Black Star
This is an "official" remix, from the 12" "Respiration" single. I can be very skeptical of remixes when the original song is already dope, but this one was definitely worth the wax.
"I (Who Have Nothing)" ---Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway
It goes without saying that when these two made a record together, it was a musical offering of epic proportions. Of all the songs that they collaborated on, this one has always been a favorite. Simply beautiful...
"Take Me To the Mardi Gras"_---Bob James
I have a complex relationship with this track. This song has served as a staple in hip-hop production for decades, and can easily be described as legendary. It's been utilized on tracks by Grandmaster Flash, Eric B & Rakim, Ghostface, Ice Cube, Pete Rock, Slick Rick, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Run-DMC, X-Ecutioners, Automator, and too many others to mention. The problem is, despite my respect for what this record has done for hip-hop, I have a hard time listening to it. It makes me feel like I drank too much Tequila, and I'm hanging over the railing of "The Love Boat"...a sensation I'd often rather avoid. I feel guilty even admitting this, but "my balls and my word is alls I have"...Scholar ain't about nothin' but the truth, kids.
Until next time...be easy.
4 comments:
A most excellent selection of tunes, Scholar. The Black Star remix is the shit.
I'm somewhat ashamed to admit I don't have a copy of Save Their Souls in my collection. Thanks for that! Jay-Z absolutely killed that beat on reasonable doubt.
Michael--glad you're diggin' that Black Star remix. You've been sharing some truly remarkable stuff over at SIART lately, too. I make sure to check you out at least a few times a week.
Fresh---as a fellow music lover, I know how it feels to come across something that you realize you should have copped a long time ago. It happens to me all the time, but I guess that's my whole reason for crate diggin' in the first place---discovery.
Thanks for the link, and I reciprocated. 33 Jones has quickly become a favorite spot, speaking of things I should have known about sooner.
hey s-
thanks for that!
i'm not having trouble with z share anymore- for some unknown reason.
did you watch the spike lee katrina documentary? We don't steal- err- i mean get hbo in our basic cable package.
usually i just wait a year for the library to get it in.
anyway, i'm sorry to hear that you spit out a mouthful of beer. hopefully it was a sub-standard brand and not as great a tragedy as it sounds.
have a good weekend!
firpo
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