“Distant Relatives” is a full-length collaboration between hip-hop stalwart Nas and reggae scion Damien ”Jr. Gong” Marley. These two musicians first hooked up on the highly praised song “Road To Zion” off of Marley’s lauded “Welcome To Jamrock.” Over the last 18 months, these two honed their talents on the mic to deliver a simply amazing album that serves as both a love letter to the motherland (Africa) and a wake-up call to the young Diaspora.
The first track and single, “As We Enter,” is a great introduction to the album as Nas and Jr. Gong trade bars and lay out the groundwork for the entire album. The next song, “Tribes Of War,” featuring Somali MC K’naan, spins the dark tale of Africa’s history. K’naan’s one verse features the bars “I drink poison, then I vomit diamonds. I gave you Mandela, Black Dalai Lamas. I gave you music, you enthused in my kindness. So how dare you reduce me to Donny Imus.”
The next track, “Strong Will Continue” was the first track that many people heard off of the album. It was leaked late last year and it shows off not only the superior production skills of Marley but also why Nas was called “Nasty Nas”. One very venom-filled verse takes aim at the turmoil that has engulfed Nas’ life the past year or so with bars like “How and the hell am I supposed to stay comfy when I pay child support alimony monthly. Got Maseratis and Ferraris. Only like a woman who’s a rider, but only hoes want me. Single life, crazy, niggas wives on me. I say stay faithful, they say they man corny. So I’m stuck with some married women, so fine Cheatin’ while they husband rushing on the 40 yard line.”
“Leaders”, one of the tracks that was produced by Marley’s brother Stephen, has a really trippy beat that sounds similar to anything that their iconic father would have created. The production helps the two MCs get across their message better. What also helps get their message is when Nas drops lines like “Malcolm on the podium. Shells drop to linoleum. Swipe those. Place ‘em on display at the Smithsonian.”
The next two tracks, “Friends” and “Count Your Blessings” further show the amazing chemistry that has developed between Nas and Jr. Gong. The next two songs after that, “Dispear” and “Land Of Promise” are the polar opposites of each other. The first track highlights the various dark times that the continent of Africa has faced. The bridge of the song, sung by Marley, best shows the despair that Africans from long ago went through, “Despair was a tool that was used to enslave man and mek manservant, Escape from despair and desperation becomes more urgent, Mankind needs to cleanse and wash out dem soul with spiritual detergent.” “Land Of Promise” is the flip side of the previous song. Jr. Gong’s first bar in the first verse of the song compares African cities to American cities and Nas’ first bar in the second verse, “Promised land I picture Porsches, Basquiat portraits, pink rings realistic princesses, heiresses’ bunch of kings and queens”, it shows the high hopes that Nas and Marley have for the future of Africa.
“In His Own Words” is by far the most spiritual song on the album as both Nas and Marley trade verses on their spiritual views. Nas definitely shows on this track why is arguably one of the best lyricists of all time with his verse on his spiritual views, “Through my perspective, I can see Jah reflection in the highest definition, getting high with bredrin, then I ask him why is Africans dying from circumcision, they lack proper surgeons and suffer malnutrition, underestimate the wealth of their own wisdom, it’s like it’s been exchanged for this penicillin.” The next track, “Nah Mean” is the real “party” song of the album the beat is utterly infectious but still keeps the overall message of the album.
The final three tracks of the album, “Patience,” “My Generation” and without a doubt “Africa Must Wake Up,” really hammer home the message of unity and striving for better on the album. On “My Generation,” the addition of Joss Stone and Lil’ Wayne helps the track’s poignancy. Weezy, usually known for swagger and sizzurp-tainted lyrics, pull a verse out of his ass that can hang with Jr. Gong and Nas, the highlight of the verse being , “ Last night I set the future at the feet of my son. But they thinking that my Generation gotta die young. If we all come together, Then
they can’t divide one. Don’t worry ‘bout it, Just be about it.”
Nas and Jr. Gong still bring the heat on this song as they both offer up verses that serve as great observations of today’s generation. Gong’s verse truly shows the ridiculous flow that earned him a Grammy, “My Generation it so special it will make a change because the elders sew the seed and it a germinate. So anytime dem see the progress dem a celebrate because we rising up despite of the economy and then a we a star the show like the astronomy and how we keep on breaking through is an anomaly because we keep remaining true without apology.” Nas matches the sentiment felt by Marley in his verse, “I reach ‘em like Bono, So get rid of your self-sorrow. Add some bravado, Get wealthy like Wells Fargo. It’s true that I am you, And I am proof. Surviving through, We do what we got to do.Yow we can break the cycle, Let nobody lie to you. Then maybe put our sons and our daughters in private school cause there’s a mission we gotta finish before we leave. This generation is destined to do historic deeds.”
“Distant Relatives’” closing track, “Africa Must Wake Up,” is the perfect way to end this album as Nas and Jr. Gong encapsulate their battle cry for a new and prosperous Africa and with help from K’naan singing his verse in his native Somali. You can truly tell that Jr. Gong really put a lot of thought into the production of the album, as the feeling of Africa got across in his beats but also made them fit with the very unique flow of Nas.
Nas’s work lyrically on this album was amazing. His lyrics and flow truly stands out when he focus on what his strengths are as an MC, which are relaying his highly intellectual and observational lyrics in flows are sometimes machine gun-like and sometimes like a lullaby. Him and Jr. Gong work so well together that comes across like they’ve been making music together for years.
“Distant Relatives” is a great piece of collaborative music that not only Nas and Damien Marley should be proud of but this generation of young people but generations to come. ****1/2
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
I'll Still Defend Emotion or It's An "Emo" World After All
"I must say one thing. I must say emocore must be the stupidest f**king thing I've ever heard in my entire life. But just in case you are wondering, I read in my Thrasher the other day, that in fact, what my band along with other bands in this city are playing is emocore. I'm thinking Emo Phillips, the comedian? Emocore? Emotional hardcore? As if hardcore wasn't emotional to begin with."-said Ian Mackaye during a 1986 concert.
What Mackaye, singer of the influential bands Minor Threat and Fugazi and at the time of this quote Embrace, was referring to in his mid-song banter was the label given to the music of his and other bands in his hometown of Washington D.C. were making at the time of “emocore”, which was shortened to “emo.”
This is a tag that most people today like to stick on to every band that has come out in the past 15 years or so that happens to sing about how they are feeling, like that’s a goddamn crime or something.
Bands nowadays like All Time Low, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Say Anything etc. much like the bands Jimmy Eat World, The Get Up Kids and Sunny Day Real Estate ten or so years ago along with bands like Rites Of Spring and the previously mentioned Fugazi ten years before them were able to reach their audience because they were just like their audience, younger people who sometimes felt alienated, had a crush on someone that didn’t like them back or simply misunderstood, therefore these bands turned into a unofficial representation of a section of today’s youth
Unfortunately, the section of society that this music reaches is small, misunderstood and ridiculed. Some of the ridicule they brazenly bring on themselves. For example, in Mexico and Chile, kids who proudly wear the “emo” badge are routinely assaulted by either skinheads or street punks.
The “anti-emo” violence got so bad in the Mexican town of Queretaro that a Mexico City-based gay rights organization, staged a silent march through the town in order to quell the violence, which the organization feels stems from homophobic sentiments felt by the groups of kids in the town.
Honestly, I feel that the march and the violence itself are ridiculously stupid. The street punks and skinheads who went “emo-bashing” are stupid for getting worked up because some dudes like wear tight pants and eyeliner. The gay-rights organization is stupid because they come across as nothing more than attention whores and the “emo” kids are stupid because they bring on all of this onto themselves by branding themselves under the umbrella of “emo”
I’m aware that I’m coming across as “anti-emo” or whatever you’d like to call it. The thing is that I’m not anti-“emo” because “emo” is a term (a stupid term, at that) used to describe a music subgenre.
What I am is anti-“people who need to be classified and/or stereotyped in order to feel good about themselves.” It not just the “emo” kids either; it’s the “punk” kids, the “metalheads”, the “drama” geeks, or the favorite here at Brookdale, the “Magic” kids.
What I’m trying to say here is like or be whatever you like and don’t let people give you crap for who or what you are. But on the other hand, don’t pigeonhole yourself either, because you’re only denying yourself or someone else the awesome feeling of experiencing or learning about something that’s foreign to them.
Going back to Mackaye’s quote, at the end when he says “Emotional hardcore? Like hardcore wasn’t emotional enough anyway,” he brings up what people seem to not realize about music. The reason that you listen to the music that you do, whether it’s Fall Out Boy or Drake or H20 or even Ke$ha is because it brings out emotions in you that make you enjoy the music you’re listening to so much more.
All music is “emo” because if music didn’t have emotion, it would suck. So yes, that would make The Beatles “emo”, Jay-Z “emo” and Otis Redding “emo”. Try to wrap your head around that.
What Mackaye, singer of the influential bands Minor Threat and Fugazi and at the time of this quote Embrace, was referring to in his mid-song banter was the label given to the music of his and other bands in his hometown of Washington D.C. were making at the time of “emocore”, which was shortened to “emo.”
This is a tag that most people today like to stick on to every band that has come out in the past 15 years or so that happens to sing about how they are feeling, like that’s a goddamn crime or something.
Bands nowadays like All Time Low, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Say Anything etc. much like the bands Jimmy Eat World, The Get Up Kids and Sunny Day Real Estate ten or so years ago along with bands like Rites Of Spring and the previously mentioned Fugazi ten years before them were able to reach their audience because they were just like their audience, younger people who sometimes felt alienated, had a crush on someone that didn’t like them back or simply misunderstood, therefore these bands turned into a unofficial representation of a section of today’s youth
Unfortunately, the section of society that this music reaches is small, misunderstood and ridiculed. Some of the ridicule they brazenly bring on themselves. For example, in Mexico and Chile, kids who proudly wear the “emo” badge are routinely assaulted by either skinheads or street punks.
The “anti-emo” violence got so bad in the Mexican town of Queretaro that a Mexico City-based gay rights organization, staged a silent march through the town in order to quell the violence, which the organization feels stems from homophobic sentiments felt by the groups of kids in the town.
Honestly, I feel that the march and the violence itself are ridiculously stupid. The street punks and skinheads who went “emo-bashing” are stupid for getting worked up because some dudes like wear tight pants and eyeliner. The gay-rights organization is stupid because they come across as nothing more than attention whores and the “emo” kids are stupid because they bring on all of this onto themselves by branding themselves under the umbrella of “emo”
I’m aware that I’m coming across as “anti-emo” or whatever you’d like to call it. The thing is that I’m not anti-“emo” because “emo” is a term (a stupid term, at that) used to describe a music subgenre.
What I am is anti-“people who need to be classified and/or stereotyped in order to feel good about themselves.” It not just the “emo” kids either; it’s the “punk” kids, the “metalheads”, the “drama” geeks, or the favorite here at Brookdale, the “Magic” kids.
What I’m trying to say here is like or be whatever you like and don’t let people give you crap for who or what you are. But on the other hand, don’t pigeonhole yourself either, because you’re only denying yourself or someone else the awesome feeling of experiencing or learning about something that’s foreign to them.
Going back to Mackaye’s quote, at the end when he says “Emotional hardcore? Like hardcore wasn’t emotional enough anyway,” he brings up what people seem to not realize about music. The reason that you listen to the music that you do, whether it’s Fall Out Boy or Drake or H20 or even Ke$ha is because it brings out emotions in you that make you enjoy the music you’re listening to so much more.
All music is “emo” because if music didn’t have emotion, it would suck. So yes, that would make The Beatles “emo”, Jay-Z “emo” and Otis Redding “emo”. Try to wrap your head around that.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
My Own Soundtrack (Shove It)
(Yet another piece that originally appeared in The Stall)
Everyone has those songs that they never skip over when they come up on their iTunes shuffle. The myriad of reasons that people like a particular song can range from something as mundane as a catchy bass line to more meaningful reasons like the back story of the song is just like an experience that some person may have had at some point or another in their life.
It’s been said the music that a person is an extension of their personality. My choices are no different as each song represents not only a different aspect of my personality but also a different point in my life. With all of that being said, here are my five favorite songs of all time, in no particular order.
The third single off of their 1987 album, “Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me,” The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” is a song that manages to be both whimsical and haunting at the same time. The song is one of my favorites because not only the awesome musicianship of the band but the lyrics as well, which tell a story of real, heartfelt romance. This song also reminds me of that stupid crush that everyone had that during their freshman year of high school. The one that you hoped would last but knew it wouldn’t but when you look back on it, you can’t help but crack a smile.
Queen is an iconic band and “Bohemian Rhapsody” is their iconic song. The song was written by late front man Freddie Mercury for their 1975 album “A Night At The Opera” This song melds together rock and opera in such a perfect way that it will remembered for generations to come. This song opened my eyes (or ears, depending on how you want to look or hear it) to new and interesting genres of music and Queen is one of the few bands me and my parents agree on.
Furthermore, the song not only had the first promotional video but also was the catalyst for one of the funniest scenes in Wayne’s World in addition to being one of the only songs that countless bands have tried to rip off but can’t. What do you think Green Day was trying to do when they wrote “Jesus Of Suburbia?”
The second single off of Alkaline Trio’s 2001 album “From Here To Infirmary”, “Private Eye” is the antithesis of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven.” With lyrics like “New Year's Eve was as boring as heaven. I watched flies fuck on Channel 11. There was no one to kiss; there was nothing to drink except some old rotten milk someone left in the sink,” you can feel the loneliness that everyone experiences at some point growing up. The song also highlights the eternal optimism that comes with growing up with the line “Maybe someday I'll find me a suspect that has no alibi.”
“Hey Jude” is another song that is considered one of the greatest songs ever written. It truly shows off the sheer songwriting genius that Paul McCartney has. This song has stuck with me not only because The Beatles are the greatest band ever but also the four summers I spent working at the Driftwood Cabana Club in Sea Bright. Not only was it my very first job, I met a whole bunch of really cool people, some of which I was actually able to keep in touch with.
The reason why “Hey Jude” has become synonymous with those four summers is because one late August night where my co-worker Stef tricked me into singing the entire song. That being said, I miss that time of my life. So much hilarious stuff happened.
The final song is Bayside’s “Devotion And Desire” which is off of their 2005 self-titled record. This song really represents all of the inner anxiety and depression post-high school. The second verse of the song, which has the lines “Situation's unbearable, I've gotten vulnerable. Now anyone is free to waltz right in. My temple's been invaded and there's nobody guarding it. All over this lonely life but what's so wrong with being all alone? Alone's the only way I've ever known,” sum up best all of the anxiety and loneliness that I’ve use to feel. Feelings which held me back so far for so long.
So why like this song if it dredges up memories of old feelings, you may ask? There’s a couple of reasons. One because it’s simply an amazing and two, this will be something that I’ll have to deal with for the rest of my life and I shouldn’t have to be ashamed of all that it took to get to the point.
I guess what I’m trying to say with all this is that the music that a person likes is partially influenced by their childhood and their surroundings. Not exactly earth-shattering I know but when you think about it, it makes much more sense.
Everyone has those songs that they never skip over when they come up on their iTunes shuffle. The myriad of reasons that people like a particular song can range from something as mundane as a catchy bass line to more meaningful reasons like the back story of the song is just like an experience that some person may have had at some point or another in their life.
It’s been said the music that a person is an extension of their personality. My choices are no different as each song represents not only a different aspect of my personality but also a different point in my life. With all of that being said, here are my five favorite songs of all time, in no particular order.
The third single off of their 1987 album, “Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me,” The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” is a song that manages to be both whimsical and haunting at the same time. The song is one of my favorites because not only the awesome musicianship of the band but the lyrics as well, which tell a story of real, heartfelt romance. This song also reminds me of that stupid crush that everyone had that during their freshman year of high school. The one that you hoped would last but knew it wouldn’t but when you look back on it, you can’t help but crack a smile.
Queen is an iconic band and “Bohemian Rhapsody” is their iconic song. The song was written by late front man Freddie Mercury for their 1975 album “A Night At The Opera” This song melds together rock and opera in such a perfect way that it will remembered for generations to come. This song opened my eyes (or ears, depending on how you want to look or hear it) to new and interesting genres of music and Queen is one of the few bands me and my parents agree on.
Furthermore, the song not only had the first promotional video but also was the catalyst for one of the funniest scenes in Wayne’s World in addition to being one of the only songs that countless bands have tried to rip off but can’t. What do you think Green Day was trying to do when they wrote “Jesus Of Suburbia?”
The second single off of Alkaline Trio’s 2001 album “From Here To Infirmary”, “Private Eye” is the antithesis of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven.” With lyrics like “New Year's Eve was as boring as heaven. I watched flies fuck on Channel 11. There was no one to kiss; there was nothing to drink except some old rotten milk someone left in the sink,” you can feel the loneliness that everyone experiences at some point growing up. The song also highlights the eternal optimism that comes with growing up with the line “Maybe someday I'll find me a suspect that has no alibi.”
“Hey Jude” is another song that is considered one of the greatest songs ever written. It truly shows off the sheer songwriting genius that Paul McCartney has. This song has stuck with me not only because The Beatles are the greatest band ever but also the four summers I spent working at the Driftwood Cabana Club in Sea Bright. Not only was it my very first job, I met a whole bunch of really cool people, some of which I was actually able to keep in touch with.
The reason why “Hey Jude” has become synonymous with those four summers is because one late August night where my co-worker Stef tricked me into singing the entire song. That being said, I miss that time of my life. So much hilarious stuff happened.
The final song is Bayside’s “Devotion And Desire” which is off of their 2005 self-titled record. This song really represents all of the inner anxiety and depression post-high school. The second verse of the song, which has the lines “Situation's unbearable, I've gotten vulnerable. Now anyone is free to waltz right in. My temple's been invaded and there's nobody guarding it. All over this lonely life but what's so wrong with being all alone? Alone's the only way I've ever known,” sum up best all of the anxiety and loneliness that I’ve use to feel. Feelings which held me back so far for so long.
So why like this song if it dredges up memories of old feelings, you may ask? There’s a couple of reasons. One because it’s simply an amazing and two, this will be something that I’ll have to deal with for the rest of my life and I shouldn’t have to be ashamed of all that it took to get to the point.
I guess what I’m trying to say with all this is that the music that a person likes is partially influenced by their childhood and their surroundings. Not exactly earth-shattering I know but when you think about it, it makes much more sense.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Chris Morrisy Band Review (I couldn't think of a witty headline about the fact that the dude looks like Jesus.)
So I was going through some stuff on my desk yesterday and I happened to come across an unopened copy of “Ocean Avenue,” a four song EP released by The Chris Morrisy Band. In case you are wondering, the Chris Morrisy band is the band that is a Saturday night staple at Jack’s Goal Line Stand in Long Branch . The band’s is known for playing covers during their Saturday set but this EP is nothing but originals that honestly, I wish they would play instead of the same Sublime or Journey songs every single week.
The band’s sound is a mash-up of bands like O.A.R, Dispatch and The Dave Matthews Band along with the requirement that all Jersey bands have they must sound at least 5% like Bruce. On the title track, you can hear the echoes of both Bruce and Dave as Morrisy sings about speeding down Ocean Avenue with the top down and getting pulled over.
On the other songs on the album, “Picture Of You,” “Not This Time” and “Naturally”, you can really see them the theme that this EP has, one of having a positive outlook on life and love.
This EP definitely shows that The Chris Morrisy is more than just playing “Don’t Stop Believing” every weekend. It also shows that there’s definitely something there for this band to bulid on and that hard to saying for a lot of “bar bands.” ***
The band’s sound is a mash-up of bands like O.A.R, Dispatch and The Dave Matthews Band along with the requirement that all Jersey bands have they must sound at least 5% like Bruce. On the title track, you can hear the echoes of both Bruce and Dave as Morrisy sings about speeding down Ocean Avenue with the top down and getting pulled over.
On the other songs on the album, “Picture Of You,” “Not This Time” and “Naturally”, you can really see them the theme that this EP has, one of having a positive outlook on life and love.
This EP definitely shows that The Chris Morrisy is more than just playing “Don’t Stop Believing” every weekend. It also shows that there’s definitely something there for this band to bulid on and that hard to saying for a lot of “bar bands.” ***
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