There's No Place Like America Today

There's No Place Like America Today
Curtis Mayfield

"One of the most famous pictures (Margaret Bourke-White) took shows African-American men, women, and children lined up outside a flood relief agency. In striking contrast to their grim faces, the billboard for the National Association of Manufacturers above them depicts a smiling white family of four (and their dog) riding in a car under a banner with the ultimately ironic slogan "World's Highest Standard of Living. There's no way like the American Way." source

Recommended reading: Traveling Soul The Life of Curtis Mayfield by Todd Mayfield

Word...Life 94'

Word...Life

O.C. 94'

"I just remember working so hard on all of the songs, not just "Time's Up." We couldn't afford lots of studio time, so I had to come to the studio ready to bust. Finesse pushed me to take everything further too. He wanted every bar to sound perfect, as if it came directly from the mouth of a black God. Finesse pushed me and taught me how to be the best I could be as a vocalist. When we were making "Ga Head," I remember there was this 36-hour session where I kept re-laying vocals over and over, and Finesse was editing the beat. But I think that dedication is why the record holds up so well. It was worth it!" - O.C. source

From the Ruins

From the Ruins
Azteca

"Though their longevity cannot rival Santana's, their influence is felt as deeply. Azteca was the first Latin group to hybridize the sound, bringing in a fuller band and mixing in elements of jazz and funk. From the Ruins is a recording of their 2007 reunion concert, in honor of Coke Escovedo. But, there's little to give an indication of the year. The sound is still solid early 70s, a badge that the band is definitely proud of. As Pete says early on in the record: "Sounds like 1972, doesn't it?" - Hank Willenbrink source

Recommended reading: My Life in the Key of E by Pete Escovedo

Liquid Swords 95'

Liquid Swords
Genius/GZA

Feel like I spend what feels like a lifetime immersed in the classics. Timeless records we go back to that occupy the space between my headphones again and again. There's a lot of albums like that. Records I've kept on tape, Vinyl, CD's with cracked covers held together sandwiched between a stack of other CDs. Now days its all there, digitally. This one right here, Liquid Swords man. Learned recently that Denys Cowan of Milestone DC Universe was responsible for the cover art. This a big deal for a kid who discovered Milestone during middle school. Checking back frequently at local comic book shops to see when the next issue would land only to get lost looking for what was a short lived existence on the bins and shelves of spaces around town. I've read and watched a bunch of interviews and realize I missed the liner note unaware of all the players involved behind the Milestone DC Universe and connection to this record. Extending my appreciation and respect to Denys Cowan. Can only imagine all those worlds coming together or it being obvious at the time that this collaboration was what it was. Thinking of the inspiration one can trace and track over the years. Shout out to Grimm.

It's not clear in the liner notes, but I gotta assume that this here is the work of Cowan in addition to the cover!

The Baltimore Housing Project

 

The Baltimore Housing Project

Jay Royale

Hip Hop will always have a story to tell. Hip Hop is a product of it's environment. It's a deeper social lesson and connection to geography. Jay Royale for me is an introduction to a voice from Baltimore by way of the good folks of Southern Vangard Radio...that's how I heard about Jay Royale. A true wordsmith & everything a fan cares about if you were immersed in the timeless word play of some of the greatest eMCees that Hip Hop got to offer. No need to reference a specific eMCee or decade or none of that, cause at this point, if you listen to a Jay Royale record you hearing something new that's in the conversation with anything great you've heard before. I got access to his record digitally. But I know me, and this one of those I gotta feel. Purchasing options at the bandcamp: Jay Royale Bandcamp