music

Writing About Writing

Aside

Writing can consume you. Not in a it-must-be-perfect type of way, but more in the obsessive did-I-use-the-best adjective/noun/verb/phrase/sentence/paragraph/story structure type of insanity that can turn a simple explanation into a ten page abstract. In these times, it is best to walk away from the computer, pen and pad, and/or typewriter.

Take a break from the page, for your sanity, well-being. When you do, dance to this: Idris Elba – DJ Big Dris

The Track: Lost Dialect

Standard

Summer is here! While you’re changing out your playlists and updating your iTunes library for the parties, bonfires, and BBQs, be sure to add Inglewood natives Lost Dialect to your “Must Have” list!

True Hip-Hop heads, ActRight, J. Qwest, and Mistah Redd bring consciousness and humor back to a genre that’s saturated with violence, degrading of women, and over-indulgence.  Their accounts of self-development, triumphs, financial and emotional struggles, and their love of Hip-Hop are evident on each track. Their lyrics are memorable and refreshing and their beats range from hard-hitting to light-hearted. If you enjoy listening to great music that’s entertaining and poignant, you’ll start rockin’ with Lost Dialect, just like I did!

Don’t trust me? That’s fine. Rap giant Snoop Lion, formerly Snoop Dogg, made their video “10×10” #1 on his “Underground Heat” countdown and B.Real of Cypress Hill listed them on his Taste Makers website! That’s a feat by any standard, but has a deeper meaning when you take into account that Lost Dialect  is also from the Westside. Epic!

One of my favorites from the new EP that’s been on repeat is “Faith in You”. If you’ve ever been in a relationship or just loved someone and it just didn’t work out, you’ll love this song! Check out the video, shot in famed Ladera Park in Inglewood, CA, here: http://lostdialect.com/2013/06/11/lost-dialect-faith-in-you-official-video/ .

To download their latest EP “Baggage Claim” and to find out more information about this group, visit http://lostdialect.com. Follow them on Twitter @Lost_Dialect and on Instagram @LostDialectTribe.

lost_dialect_pix

The Track: Constant Drinking and Love Songs..

Standard

I’ve been playing this song since February.

I don’t know if the hard-hitting seductive beat captured me more the first time I heard it, or if it was J. Cole’s nonchalant delivery opposite Miguel’s passionate crooning. Either way, I was hooked midway into the first verse.

If you’ve ever feigned for one person, you can relate to this song. If you ever wanted to experience someone physically and were never able, you can relate to this. The gift of fantasy is really symbolized in this song because the song is about the one who got away. The one who keeps you up at night because anticipation “is the purest form of pleasure.” Or so they tell me.

I mean, think about it. Before you ever went on a date with someone or even held a conversation with him/her, there’s a window where all you have is your anticipation, your curiosity. The mind is a powerful entity, so powerful in fact that you have all of these thoughts about what will happen, what could happen, what you want to happen, what you want to feel, what you want to do, over and over that you build the perfect vision before you really know the other person. You don’t know if they shower on a regular basis, if they are married, if they have ten kids holed up somewhere, if they’re clinically insane, if they are freaky or more conservative, if they are taking STD antibiotics, and truthfully you don’t care. You’ve made up your mind about the type of lover they are, the type of lover you want them to be and are not open to deviate from your prototype.

I’m guilty of the same. When I first heard the song, I started to think about my past crushes, the guy who first made me dinner, the other guy who wrote me poetry, and even the other guy who would look at me and within an hour we were at his place. But, the kicker out of everyone is the mysterious, sexy guy who never made it out of the Friendzone. He’s the guy who used to have me on a power trip. The thoughts and dreams of what we could have experienced together used to haunt me in college. After graduation, we tried to see if we could make something happen beyond the sensual hugging and harmless flirting but something would always happen—a fight breaking out, one of us had a significant other, etc. etc.

Maybe certain things between two people just aren’t meant to exist outside of our dreams. Maybe we’re supposed to crave that which we don’t know and can’t experience because the fact that it’s unattainable makes it that much sweeter. Maybe the pundits are right; maybe reality would be too boring. Maybe he doesn’t shower, has been married for five years, working on their third child, has PTSD, is freaky, and got Chlamydia last week from his office secretary. Who wants to know all of that anyway? He just smiled at you from across the room and it’s not like you want to go to the altar tomorrow, right? So go on and enjoy your daydream where he sneaks you into the wine cellar at the party and starts to explore your assets. “Constant drinkin’ and love songs” should keep you occupied for the next three to four minutes. Repeat as needed.

For your viewing and listening pleasures, courtesy of GotHipHop.com, live from Barclays Center in New York, Power Trip (LIVE)

**It’s not the best quality, but you’ll live. Let the video load first, then play it. Trust me, you’ll be less frustrated in the long run. Watch J. Cole. Around 3:20, he’ll give you the laugh you needed for this Monday.**

Read along here: power trip lyrics

The Track: Marvin, Tammi, Meth, and Mary

Standard

When Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terell belted out this timeless love song in 1967, Method Man and Mary J. Blige weren’t even thought of yet. A year later, when the Motown machine released this epic love song that mind you stayed at number one on the R&B/Soul Singles Chart for five weeks, Method and Mary still weren’t in the picture. (Both were born in 1971.)  No factors alluded to or made their 1995 remake seemed destined. Or, some would think.

Marvin Gaye and Method Man were born in April; both had very public turbulent moments with their wives; both dealt with drugs (Marvin was addicted to them and Method Man sold them). Likewise, Tammi Terrell and Mary J. Blige have shared experiences. For instance, sadly, both were molested at very early ages, signed to major record labels while still in their teens, and involved in multiple abusive romantic relationships. Despite all the negativity surrounding them, these artists are considered to be among the greatest of all time. Their singular contribution and subsequent remix changed R&B and redefined the perimeters of Hip-Hop.

First, let us consider the masterpiece that is the original song, “You’re All I Need to Get By.” Penned by dynamic couple Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson, the 2:38 soulful duet that captures an audience with its first four chords might not have been recorded. At the time, a wheelchair bound Tammi Terrell was recovering from brain surgery on the malignant tumor that would later claim her life at the age of 24. With their seamless harmony and spot on ad-libs, no one (outside of industry engineers and others with keen hearing abilities) could have guessed that Gaye and Terrell recorded the song separately and that their vocals were later mixed in!

“You’re All I Need to Get By” became a staple for which a duet’s success would be measured. The song’s simple, yet masterful lyrics placed carefully over the expressive and spirit filled music provide a universal appeal to a global audience. Themes of sacrifice, true commitment, and desire create the recipe for a perfect love that would make any Disney princess swoon. “Like the sweet morning dew/ I took one look at you/ And it was plain to see/ you were my destiny” can be likened to Shakespeare—a complete and utter surrender to another based on first attractions and ideals of fate. Marvin Gaye’s sultry tenor and Tammi Terrell’s effortless soprano combine to create an undeniable fusion of passion and honesty. Their voices bring the words to life and make the impossible seem attainable. This very sentiment is echoed in the second verse, “Darling in you I found/ Strength where I was torn down/ Don’t know what’s in store but together we can open any door.”

The same is true of 1995’s Method Man and Mary J. Blige remake “I’ll Be There For You/ You’re All I Need To Get By”. Just as Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell set new heights for R&B, Method Man and Mary J. Blige challenged audiences to re-examine their definition of love and Hip-Hop. (No pun intended.) In a time when social norms and most rap videos were geared toward men having hypersexualized encounters with multiple women, men degrading women, and a slew of other non-committal images, Method Man set a new standard for male rappers.  He made it not only acceptable, but dare I say sexy for a man to declare his love for one woman in a world that often turns a deaf ear on monogamy.

Method Man begins his declaration as if in response to an ultimatum of some sort. His initial word choice suggests that he is trying to persuade and convince his love that he can (and will be) the man she needs him to be in her life.  “Shorty, I’m there for you anytime you need me/ For real girl, it’s me in your world, believe me,” he sternly delivers. This of course is back when rappers rapped and singers sung, but make no mistake that Method’s use of his lower tone can be argued as another tool used to convey his sincerity. He goes on to comment on her loyalty and how appreciative he is in the next lyrics. “Back when I was nothin’/ You made a brother feel like he was somethin’/ That’s why I’m with you to this day boo, no frontin’.”  Additionally, Method Man slyly addresses the fact that many people get caught up on outward expressions on love, rather than defining their status by their words and actions. He says, “ Word life you don’t need a ring to be my wife/ Just be there for me and Ima make sure we be/ living in the effin lap of luxury…And I got mad love to give.” Method Man brings the power of the word back into the forefront of one’s mind. What are we if our words to one another are nothing more than small ploys with no action?

Similarly, Mary J. Blige belts out a gritty rendition of the chorus, but her interpretation is not without merit. Her words, slow and deliberate, soulful and agonizing, convey the pain of an unappreciated woman who probably packed her bags before Method Man sat down next to her and began this announcement to her. Known for her ability to convey her raw emotions through a song and her voice’s uncanny ability to relate hurt and sorrow, no one else could have pulled off this remake as successfully as the Queen of Hip-Hop soul.

Method Man saves his best lines for the third verse. Commenting on her physical stature, because as loving and devoted a man as he claims to be in this song, he’s still a man. As a visual being, he alludes to his attraction to her physical body with, “I got a love jones for your body and your skin tone/ Five minutes alone I’m already on the bone.” However, his appreciation of her mental assets and his dedication to remain faithful are showcased just as boldly in, “…I love the fact you got a mind of your own/No need to shop around you got that good stuff at home.” Method Man concludes his proclamation with the single most powerful hit to materialistic audiences swept away with performing ritualistic obligations on so-called “romantic holidays” and indirectly jabs those whom choose to be unfaithful (both male and female) with the following:

I’m your Mister, you my Mrs. With hugs and kisses

Valentine cards and birthday wishes? Please

Be on another level of planning, of understanding

the bond between man and woman, and child

The highest elevation, ‘cause we above

All that romance crap, just show your love.

These chart topping and award winning songs (Method Man and Mary J. Blige’s remake won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 1996) are monumental because they make true love believable. Marvin and Tammi and Method and Mary make you believe their words resonate not only for their characters in song, but that those same words, those same decrees, those same candid messages of sacrifice and dedication can be applied to your life if only you will give true love a chance. Call me naïve if you want, but these songs have lasting ability for the simple fact that they connected with someone else in California or Philadelphia or Illinois or Florida or Texas or Europe or China or Africa who felt the same thing the first time they heard them. We are conditioned to get lost in the romance of the moment or the huge glorious gestures that we do or do not receive, but in the wise words of Method Man, “just show your love.” The rest will fall in place.

Now, ladies. Go find your hoodies (and a wall) and let’s reenact this one with Mary!