I been watching and rewatching this video over and over since it dropped. I forgot I had a blog and that you could embed Youtube videos on it and stuff. So …yeah..the homie Bambu doesn’t have a single weakness as an emcee:
Onward with the nerd lists about subjects I have no credentials to talk about. For some reason, like I think the world wants to hear what I have to say about “Confessions of a Shopaholic” (surprisingly awesome) – so it’s time for another list of personal favorites that will appeal to 3 and a half people in the world.
One of the more time-consuming – but enjoyable – themes for me to write about is favorite lyrics from a specific artist. And this time I chose to go with my favorite lyricist: Posdnuos of De La Soul. But there aren’t really Posdnuos songs, there are De La Soul songs. So I’m ignoring the lyrical contributions of Dave aka Dove aka Trugoy – the other emcee in that group, because in all honesty, I’ve spent a lot more time thinking about and breaking down Pos’s rhymes. That’s not to say Trugoy’s verses are any less potent, just that Posdnuos delivers his bizness from a place in his heart that appeals to me.
Aside: I once Tweeted something to him and he responded, and that is the highlight of my Twitter using career.
As I was putting this list together, I realized that early De La does not appeal as much to me lyrically as their later stuff. I know for many, the golden era of De La Soul was the Buhloone Mindstate/Stakes is High run, but for me, it extends to the seriously under-appreciated “Art Official Intelligence” and in many respects all the way to “Grind Date” I think as one of the few rap groups to actively aim to grow their emcee personae as they grew older as people, the lines they dropped int heir mid-20s, late-20s and into their 30s got heavier and more meaningful. And the heavy representation of AOI on this list probably has a lot to do with the fact that at the time, Pos was roughly the age I am now and going through similar things in life.
Anyway though, what follows is my ten favorite lines from Posdnuos, with some selection criteria, like they all come from songs that have appeared on De La Soul albums, I’m not including guest verses on other artists albums, not even Prince Paul stuff. Also, even though content, delivery and flow, voice, and sounds and aesthetics all play into what makes me love a line, I’m trying to not include much or any of the actual rhyme sounds, and only leaving it at the specific heart of the line that has caught my attention over and over. If you want to catch any of these lines in context, go listen to the entire song to catch the whole thing.
And…
10. “While you others represent, I present my rep” from Supa Emcees
This was the mid-90s, so seemed like all of hip hop was about representing, whether it was a set, a hood, a city, whatever. Pos subtly laid down the gauntlet by saying the only claim anyone has to the title of “emcee” is their skills, and until that’s proven, your other credentials can be taken off the wall. Moreover, Pos is real good at this, unpacking a word to its different parts and incorporating them all together, for example “it ain’t my fault your ass is on the asphalt” and so on.
9. “My aim’s to freeze you dead center in your tracks with your hands high” from Declaration
This is a favorite at live shows cuz Pos always does the whole thing the same way, and incorporates a coordinated arm movement from the entire crowd. So yeah, that’s fun. But listen to the lyrics son! For someone who always comes across humble and maintains he’s a good but not great rapper, he lets out a little bit of the other side in this song, showing why he truly believes he is better than you. The whole thing is about how he will easily and gladly out-rhyme you, and what?
I’m listing the best live performances I’ve seen in the Zeroes. It struck me while writing this: I have not seen many live shows aside from my friends’ performances. Ah well.
By the way, i’m not including like theater or sporting events or dance shows and the like. You know what I’m saying? This is for “concert” or things that are basically like concerts.
10. Koba, 2006
East Meets Words, Cambridge, MA
If I remember correctly, Koba was the first rapper to do a feature set at this open mic series. And it was crazy because he actually rocked it! A bookstore!
More than that, it made me feel like – wait, we can do anything we want here?
9. Brown Star, 2009
East Meets Words, Cambridge, MA
What I like about these brothers is that they don’t come from a slam-influenced world – they both come from theater. Thus, they are not bound by the same theoretical limits many of us (I mean folks roughly my age I guess) impose on ourselves by accident. They had pieces that went like 10 or 15 minutes long, but the great thing about that was it never felt stagnant. No matter how long the pieces were, they were always moving, nothing was accidental or unplanned – it was all paced out perfectly.
Even more, I love seeing performers I haven’t seen before do amazing work. It makes me feel like spoken word is not dying.
8. Beau Sia, 2007
Boston University, Boston, MA
Beau is pretty much always great, but on this evening at BU he was more sharp than I had ever seen him. There was some college student performers that night who were at various levels of proficiency when it came to writing, but Beau took that all in and spit it back out with fire. He’s like a monster that swallows mediocre poetry and returns it as amazing isht.
10. Musicology, Prince (2004)
Prince’s best album in more than 10 years. When he released this, all I could think was “music is back!” Then again, I probably would not have picked it up if they hadn’t been passing it out at his concerts. The big revelation was that he was ready to come back full force – for a long time he had been in an extended “see what I can do” phase, where it was like he was trying to come up with the least memorable music of his career. In the years after Musicology, he’s released a bunch of new music that has been at a similar high level.
9. Sam’s Town, The Killers (2006)
After I heard “When You Were Young” while playing Rock Band on the XBOX, I was really impressed with the songwriting, so I downloaded the Killers album, not knowing what their music sounded like. But the album was like whooosh! Maybe it’s because I actively avoided radio rock music since I accidentally heard Nickelback and was traumatized. The weird thing was, I read a lot of stuff online about how Sam’s Town was a big letdown after their first album, but for my money, this is the album that defines their sound. Their musical execution in the studio is phenomenal, the guitar solos are lyrical, and the songwriting from beginning to end is as poetic as can be. (I’m of the opinion that rock songs tend to have the worst lyrics of any genre.)
Anyway, I know I’m a nerd. So what.
8. Greatest Hits, Foundation Movement (2006)
I used to see these brothers like every other week, but I guess it’s normal that as you get older and stuff, you tend to lose touch with folks here and there. Regardless, there’s no way I could forget to put one of the finest hip hop acts to ever come out of Boston on my decade-end list. Speaking of Boston hip hop, Edo G guested on “Movement” with an inspired verse that makes me nostalgic even now three years later – and he’s just one of several high-profile collaborators on here. I think the fact that world famous cats were itching to jump on a track with FM reminds us that sometimes the best stuff in the world is being made right next door. Don’t stop checking for it.
7. Supreme Clientele, Ghostface Killah (2000)
This was released almost exactly ten years ago, but it still looms large in my memory. I think Ghost kinda defined the split that was gonna play itself out in hip hop music over the next several. The first song on the disc – the bugged out “Nutmeg” – was the first I can remember to force a listener to understand its concept primarily from elements other than its lyrics. Ghost had always done a little roundabout stuff in his songs, but it was consistent throughout this entire album, and he went on the show it would be consistent for the rest of his career, pitting him in sharp contrast to rappers like Plies or MIMS or the Ying Yang Twinz who made songs that had no real meaning at all.
Something about Ghost’s raps on this album reminds me of ziti.
A while back, my niece asked me “Is December gonn’ be the last month?” When I told her yes, she started to cry. I tried to comfort her and when I asked what was wrong, she responded; “I wanna live…”
“Oh Srei, December is the last month of the year, not the last month of forever.”
Anyway, December usually comes and goes without me really really thinking of it as the end of the year. But since it is, over the next few days I’m gonna throw you some of my favorites from the past 12. Feel free to disagree
Song of the Year: “Exhibit C” by Jay Electronica
I’ll admit, I didn’t even realize Just Blaze could make a beat like this. I just thought he was a goofy dude who had a good ear for samples. Combine his sense of humor, his seemingly obsessive-compulsive nature, and his musical training as a drummer – I figured, no wonder his beats come out so hot. But I swear I didn’t realize he could make beats that could make you cry and isht. It’s like Just making a Dilla joint. Amazing. (I could live without him screaming on it though…)
But as great as the music is – it’s the verses that make the song. Good Lord, it’s just abstract enough to appeal to hip hop nerds, but just gutter enough to appeal to, uhh, other hip hop nerds. He makes references to MF Doom lyrics, Public Enemy lyrics, Run-DMC lyrics, and even Temptations lyrics. He checks 5 Percenter philosophy, streets in his native New Orleans, in Philly, in Detroit, baller rappers like Nas, Diddy, and Q-Tip, plus Nikola Tesla, and then implies he’s more real than any of the world’s religions. And he does this all in two verses without ever boring you or making you feel like he’s trying to make you think he’s smart.
The crazy thing to me is, when I first started hearing Jay Elec joints on the Internets, I was always like “what’s the big deal? This guy rhymes in robot slang.” I didn’t really see what appealed to people about him, but I get it now.
Damn I get it.
Favorite line: its quite amazing that you rhyme how you do/ and how you shine like you grew up in a shrine in Peru
Mos kills it. Eminem and Black Thought might have the punchlines, but Mos strangles this to life. Primo on the turns.
BTW, ten years ago, this would have been crazy, but now that these dudes are all like 35+ years old, it’s that much better. There’s a lot more weight to their verses than I bet there woulda been had this been off a Rawkus compilation in ’99.
Enjoy!
Dude, Prince again?
Yes again. Last week, I blogged about some of my favorite lyrics from Killers songs – and it made me feel guilty that I didn’t do it for Prince first.
It’s a lot harder with prince though, because the Killers have 3 albums and a collection of B-sides. Prince has at least, I dunno, 25 albums. In addition, Prince sometimes writes amazing lyrics and sometimes seems to not spend any time thinking about lyrics at all (My name is Prince! And I am funky!) – and even in songs with blah lyrics, the music can still make it amazing. So after much some thought, here are my top 10 favorite lines from Prince songs as of today.
Tomorrow, it could change. (As usual, scroll to the bottom for the imeem playlist.)
10. “Her favorite number was 20 every single day.” from Starfish & Coffee
This is a dark horse entry. There’s nothing remarkable about this line, except its context. In this song about Cynthia Rose, a little girl who has an active imagination, this detail about her personality grounds her in real life even though the song dwells almost exclusively in fantasy. More than anything, I just think it’s cute for a kid to have a favorite number of 20.
9. “I just want your extra time and your kiss.” from Kiss
The funk guitar on this jam makes it. But this refrain takes it over the top. The pause before the last word makes a simple kiss like the hottest thing in the world. Like the guitar says everything the lyrics don’t. Fire.
8. “I would die for you, darling, if you want me to.” from I Would Die 4 U
As with many Prince jams, this might be about God or love. It really doesn’t matter. It’s such an emotionally raw line to base a pop song around. There’s an extended version of this song that I caught wind of once – maybe it was released in Europe or something? – that takes the realness to another place with the entire band chanting “I would die for you” for several minutes before the song starts.
He balances the ultimate sacrifice – death – with the least weighty motivation – want, not need, desire, or even ask.
I like lists. I’ve said it before. And I started putting lists of my favorite stuff to give me subjects to blog about, but I did a piss-poor job of following up with that. So I thought I would try to put together a list once again once again.
A while back, wifey and I (BTW, can you call someone wifey after you’re actually married?) 
went to see The Killers in concert. It’s the first rock show I’ve ever been to, and after – I dunno – 15 years of going to almost nothing but hip hop shows and one Prince concert, I didn’t know what to expect.
First of all, I was surprised that the crowd did not look significantly different from the crowd at a Celtics game, except even fewer people of color. But I expected a bunch of tight-jeaned dudes with like dyed bangs; it was all dudes in cargo shorts who look like they probably throw their fists in the air and scream woooooooo! about twice a week. And then a bunch of uncomfortable middle-schooler/well-meaning parent duos.
Regardless, the buzz leaving the Garden was that the show was amazing. But to me it was just kinda alright. It felt far too overproduced for my tastes, it felt like I just watched “The Killers: Live in Concert” on TV, except the TV was 600 feet away, I had to periodically move from behind the person in front of me to see it, and it costed way too much goddamn money.
But I think rock shows must generally be like that. They just aren’t up there in terms of energy like hip hop shows are. And the truth is that my favorite thing about that band is their song-writing. They don’t do much vocally or instrumentally that I was really itching to see done live. In that sense, the Killers are a studio band through and through, but in a really good way.
All this to say that there’s a reason I’m not just doing a list of my favorite 10 Killers songs. (Another day perhaps.) What I’m doing below is a list of my ten favorite lines from Killers songs – because more than any radio rock band I can think of, their lyrics are complex and they matter. BTW, if you read the whole thing, you can find an imeem playlist at the bottom of this post.
So without further ado…
10. “Are we human or are we dancer?” from Human
What an awesome concept. I’m more than a little surprised that so many people – fans, bloggers, and journalists – didn’t understand it. Maybe we need to re-emphasize art in schools, because if a mildly abstract pop song lyric causes so much consternation, then something is wrong with the way we think about creativity in our society.
9. “I know that I can make it, as long as somebody takes me home – every now and then.” from Sam’s Town
This is one of many times that Brandon Flowers extends the line past the line cleverly. It sounds like the line will end “home,” which gives it a meaning on its own, that he needs help for some of the most basic tasks in life. But then by adding “every now and then” – it changes from having a designated driver to having someone he can get intimate with from time to time. From a call for friendship to a call for just wanting to be wanted at all.
For new readers (all 2 of you) and old readers (hi mom!), some background: I used to write about things I disliked in this space, and called it a series entitled “Sorry, You Suck” – but I’m switching the style. In my very last haterific edition of that series, I proclaimed ultimate suckage for myself and am now implementing a whole new M.O. here.
From now on, I’m gonna try talk about stuff I love. Solid.
Back in the day. Ice-T released a song called “99 Problems,” in which he talks about being a pimp and how 
various women in his employ – many referred to as “b-tch” – are not causing him problems. So the Jay-Z song of the same name uses a clever turn of phrase that is really not that clever after all, using each verse to refer to someone or something as a “b-tch,” but none of those times refers to a woman, instead it’s the music industry, a female police dog, and punk dudes. And while this does not represent a perfect upending of misogyny in our culture, it does indicate something.
On a meta level, it’s as though Jay is challenging the listener to hear the word “b-tch” and not assume its most sexist meaning; maybe it works, and maybe it doesn’t exactly work. Regardless, it can be seen as a response to the popular claim (made mostly by people who have never actually listened to hip hop) that rap music is all about b-tch this and b-tch that. Jay-Z was very aware of his standing as one of the few rappers mainstream America had heard of, so it was as though he wanted this song to be derided by cultural critics who would proclaim his sexism, only to be able to turn around and say I wasn’t talking about women; if you think that, maybe you’re the one with misogyny issues.
Clumsy as it may be, it’s an authentic attempt to stand up for hip hop culture by someone who was probably its best spokesman because he could speak the language of corporations and men in suits. (Check out his recent appearances on Letterman and Oprah if you don’t believe me.)
In addition, this track was produced by the one and only Rick Rubin, a producer who has worked with plenty of hip hop legends like LL Cool J, Run-DMC, and the Beastie Boys, but also with the most highly-regarded white folks in the industry like Johnny Cash, Tom Petty, Mick Jagger, and the Beastie Boys. In the documentary/concert film “Fade to Black,” we learned Jay recorded the whole joint in Rick Rubin’s West Coast mansion all surrounded by like bear statues and palm trees and Mike D of the Beastie Boys.
Before Biggie and Pac or Nas and Jay-Z or, uh, Lupe Fiasco and the Internets, there was Prince and Michael Jackson. Contemporaries who were both far more extraordinary than anyone else in their orbit; so naturally they clashed.
I don’t think they ever made nice and got along. (So if it ever comes down to it, know that I ride or die with Prince.) Nevertheless, I am also a MJ fan, I think I just forgot. It’s only last week that I decided to revisit his music, and it made me wonder why I had been away for so long. It’s honestly harder than I thought it would be to listen to his music – no matter how happy it all sounds, it still feels a little sad.
So, since I recently did a Top 10 Prince list, it’s only right…
One caveat: I’m using any song where Mike sang lead vocals, so that includes songs with the Jackson 5/Jacksons.
In descending order (scroll to the bottom for an imeem.com playlist, if you have an imeem account, you can hear every song.):
10. She’s Out of My Life (1979)
OK, so I’m going to start this list talking about Prince, but I’m not trying to be tacky. I think what always appealed to me about Prince was how nakedly he bared himself in music. Michael felt to me the opposite, that he was an amazing songwriter, but that his songs were not all autobiographies of pieces of his soul. That may be unfair, but that’s how he felt to me.
But this song came early in his solo career, maybe before he became more guarded about his privacy. And the connection between the song and the voice – and the specificity, like saying “2 years” – manifests itself in dude obviously crying at the end, you can hear it as he sings. So…yeah, I always give props to songs that feature crying.
9. Rock With You (1979)
I love the way this joint starts, that little tingly googly sounding note that slithers up and down. Don’t that sound like a musical representation of closing your eyes and throwing your head to the side? And in case you don’t think so, Michael tells you in the first line: girl, close your eyes…
8. Billie Jean (1982)
At the time, I had absolutely no idea that this song was about denying fathering a groupie’s baby. Crazy! How come parents didn’t make a big deal about this? And I didn’t fully grasp the story until probably a couple years ago, because of the multiple meanings of the word “baby.” It’s pretty scandalous!
Even though he was already a star, why do I feel like this was when he started to become Michael Jackson, you know? The vocal style, the fashion sense, and the dance style started to become really specifically him.
7. The Way You Make Me Feel (1987)
I remember watching this video and thinking that girl he was harassing on the street was gorgeous. I also remember thinking he should not be harassing her in the street. I also remember thinking that he was not very threatening, so maybe that was cool.
But that beat was hot, it kept ambling steadily forward as if chased by the vocals. Mad 80s but mad futuristic. I wished I was a grown-up so I could jack Michael’s swagger and kick it to ladies. I had outlandish goals.
When I was 6 or 7, my dad bought a cassette tape at the mall while we waited for my mom and sister. We sat in the Cutlass and grooved to it.
Come on and do the love dance…
Around that same age, I watched the Jackson 5 cartoon on Saturday mornings. There was an episode where they were drafted into the Army and I think they ran away when they wanted to shave their Afros. There was something about peeling potatoes.
His hair caught fire shooting a commercial.
I’d cover my eyes when I went to my friend Tufu’s house because his sister had a “Thriller” poster on her door and the zombies scared me. The video did more than scare me; I feel like it taught me how to be afraid.
He invited Stevie Wonder, Cyndi Lauper, and Dan Akroyd (?) and others to record the greatest song ever in history. Looking back, it’s still really impressive.
A few years later, “Bad” came out in stores. Wesley Snipes was in the video, and I was surprised that Michael was playing a high school student. Prince said Michael called it “Bad” because “Terrible” wouldn’t fit on the album cover.
I fell in love with the girl in the music video for “The Way You Make Me Feel.” But even at 10 years old, I knew “Moonwalker” made no sense.
I’m gonna make a change for once in my life…
I grew older. Michael’s videos were on after “In Living Color” for some reason. He smashed a car. He yelled. He touched his crotch from outside his black jeans. It was on CNN.
There was a video with Michael Jordan, Heavy D, and Kris Kross. Michael (not Jordan) drop-kicked a basketball backwards into a hoop. Seriously.
Naomi Campbell. If the phrase “FTW” had existed then, I would have said it.
“Remember the Time” had a goofy video. But the song made me wish I was 25 so I could understand it. Now I understand it and almost wish I didn’t.
“An American Dream” – a mini-series about the Jacksons – aired on ABC. Vanessa Williams played Suzanne What’shername. Freddy Boom Boom played Joe Jackson. Angela Basset played Mom (and Betty Shabazz the same year) – and Boyz II Men played bullies from the neighborhood. I identified with Michael. His only friend as a kid was a mouse.
“Human Nature” was sampled on Illmatic.
I have a skin disorder…
Jacko molested kids. Did he? Yeah he definitely did. No he didn’t. I bet he did. No. No he’s a target. No, he’s just sick.
There was a marriage to Elvis’s daughter; that was unexpected. They divorced; that was expected.
Then a double album. New stuff and old stuff. All of it was great. People made a big deal over the fact that like a million dollars were spent making the music video for “Scream” – the duet with Janet. But the video was cool, and that song was not recognized for the instant classic it should have been.
Who is Debbie Rowe? So are his kids white or black? I’m sorry, did he just name his son Prince?
You rock my world…
We were all reminded that parents on balconies shouldn’t hold their children on said balcony. More accusations. Chris Rock said he showed up to court looking like Cap’N Crunch. He danced on top of a car; he didn’t seem entirely well.
I set “PYT” as the ringtone on my cell phone when my wife calls. And only my wife.
He danced with N*SYNC at some award show. People made pedophile jokes.
He said he slept with young kids. He said it on tape. He said he just wanted to share love. He may have been lying; he may have been telling the whole truth.
He moved to Dubai. He went bankrupt. He said he meant to book 2 shows in London, not 50.
He had a heart attack. He died.
None of these memories are facts i looked up on the Internet. These are just the things I remember. And I could stay here another two hours and not run out of more things I remember. Who’s Annie? Flirting with his sister in the video with Paul McCartney. White socks. Sidewalk lighting up underfoot. Yeah he starred in a video game too. Is that him singing backup for Rockwell? He poked fun at himself in Men in Black 2. My aunt said “look at the way he spins!” and I looked.
He was a headline and a punchline his whole life. We all remember.
But there’s so much we forget. Like when he was no older than 10, how could he pack so much pain into his voice? Whooooo’s loooooooving youuuuuuu. How could any ten-year-old understand heartache and loneliness like that? Or was he just channeling all the hurt he’d feel over the next four decades?
Did he spend his whole adult life trying to find a childhood?
Michael Jackson was far from perfect. As flawed as any other human being is. Maybe more so.
But he was still a human being. So let’s just honor that and give him a chance to finally get some peace.
Never can say goodbye, no no no.
I’m going on vacation this week. All the traveling I do has finally paid off! Me and wifey turned frequent flyer miles into two tickets to away from here.
I don’t think I’ll have Internets access, and even if I do, I doubt I’ll be using it much. So I’m leaving you with a couple joints that I can’t get enough of right now. (BTW, when I fall in love with a particular song, it’s usually already a couple years old…)
Wu Ooh – Rae, Ghost, and Meth with that old Wu chemistry. The beat is bananas. If this is what Cuban Linx 2 sounds like, then I’m already there.
Mr. Brightside – I was a latecomer to the Killers, but I think Brandon Flowers is the best American pop song writer in 10 years. their execution can sometimes be transcendent and sometimes super sloppy. But the songwriting is always top-notch.
Mother of All Funk Chords – I know this was hot a few months ago, but every few weeks I remember how dope it was and I go find it again. MAN, it’s so fun! I feel like I could watch/listen to this for hours at a time.
Everything off Stars & Stripes – I am not necessarily a big fan of mash-ups – but when they’re done out of love, then you can tell – and Adrian Champion def has respect for all the source material here.
And of course: Travellin Man by Mos and Honda. I can always relate to this joint, but now that all that time away from home has paid off in a vacation, I’m all about it!