Nutshell Pt. 2

 Legendary...((Nutshell Pt. 2))

Heard it first on The Gard. We're three months in and I'm startin' to hear what's projected to definitely be 2021's most memorable audio moments. This my first nomination for the year. Phife forever...Busta & Redman...thank you. Y'all just...all time greats. We've grown through the spirit & art of how you eMCee. Forever grateful.

Phife Dawg in 2021...comin' soon.

#2021tracks

VBehindW Column 'The Listening' Lifetime of Wreckage

 On the way to a 25th year anniversary, shout out to The Beat Within! For the latest volume 26.05/06 the VBehindW Column introduces a segment titled 'The Listening'. For the first, the column focuses on the latest release from DJ/beat maker/eMCee from California Drasar Monumental & the Lifetime of Wreckage EP. A snap of the column as published in The Beat Within is included towards the end of this post. To request a full copy of The Beat Within check the subscription page thebeatwithin.org/subscription/   This publication circulates throughout the juvenile & adult mass incarceration system of America and to institutions globally. To Drasar Monumental, thank you! Links to Drasar's locations online are included as links throughout the column shared in text below. You can purchase a Lifetime of Wreckage at the following link, Vendetta Vinyl, respect! This one's for Hip Hop.

Lifetime of Wreckage ‘The Listening’
VBehindW Column by Mr. Lee

Peace readers, for this column I will explore the beats, rhymes & lives of the listening experience. This VBehindW segment is not a music review. The goal of ‘The Listening’ is not to persuade you to listen to something just because I like it and want to write about it. What I listen to is what I listen to, just like what you listen to tells a story of your connection to music. I feel it’s one of many reasons Hip Hop caught my attention when it arrived in my life during my childhood years. What I heard as a kid felt like music I would grow to call my own. It introduced our generation to stories of other neighborhoods and cities beyond our own throughout the country. As I got older I realized Hip Hop extended beyond the U.S. and all across the globe. Hip Hop resides in the dustiest of details and in the cracks of all age circumstance that brings creators together to offer something that could live on its own and represent something original and something connected to the past and created for the future.

In this column we press play on a segment I call ‘The Listening’ to introduce you to a record by a DJ/beatmaker/eMCee out of California who goes by Drasar Monumental. Drasar considers himself all-state born and bred having grown up throughout Southern California and currently residing and creating in Northern Cali. In 2020, Drasar released a record titled Lifetime of Wreckage EP. An EP is shorter than a full album and can be a part of a consecutive release of EPs connected to a specific theme or larger album project (pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3, etc.).

On the back of the Lifetime of Wreckage EP it states, “Recorded in Vietnam, California”. The image that accompanies this column is of the actual vinyl record I have with artwork by Cawza One & Sonny Wong. Drasar also worked with Kufu 1. All three are graff artists which Drasar believes to be the highest form of artistry. Reflecting on the artwork Drasar shared, “When people pick up a record the first thing they see is the artwork, which I do not take lightly…The artwork should reflect the music and vice-versa. All of the ideas and images have been thought out tremendously. Luckily, I have artist around me that are dead serious about their craft, just like I am, or certain things would not have worked. Salute to all three of them for their energy, time, effort and talent.”

On the Lifetime of Wreckage EP Drasar created the beats, wrote and expressed the rhymes and handled the scratches. For those that don’t know, scratching is a sound effect created with a turntable by a DJ to produce specific sounds that go with the beat. Drasar’s ear is informed by his travels all around the globe digging for vinyl records and accumulating a library of music which inspires what he creates through a creative process called sampling. I couldn’t begin to guess the source of Drasar’s samples. This has been the case for everything I’ve heard from Drasar dating back to his work on a series he produced called Good Morning Vietnam with legendary eMCee by the name of MF Grimm aka Grand Master Grimm. Grimm is originally from Manhattan, New York. Drasar also collaborated with a beat maker that goes by Ayatollah from Queens, New York for a series released under the group duo name Boxcutter Brothers. The boxcutter is a metaphor for chopping up beats and slicing and rearranging sounds, what Drasar refers to as having a dual meaning in the world of beat production…“Staying sharp on those samplers”. Drasar adds, “In my opinion, what I am doing is composing from a wide range of media sources. It’s a collage sensibility where anything that I hear can be manipulated to get my point across. Sampling connects the old with the new in a way where it actually takes the producer on a journey of education, awareness, and history…Older musicians should be extremely proud that we are keeping their vibrations and sounds alive.” For our younger readers, sampling is regarded by many in Hip Hop as foundational to Hip Hop’s inception and its connection to the past, or what Los Angeles duo People Under the Stairs referred to on their O.S.T. album as ((The Dig)). Rest in peace to Double K. Vinyl records once the primary medium in which music was released and heard throughout the world going back more than fifty years continues to be a part of how music is released today. In my opinion, I don’t think any other genre is as tied to vinyl’s existence as Hip Hop, not only for the purpose of creating and releasing new music, but also for what it’s worth as a purchase in the digital age.

In Drasar’s lived experience he has seen whole generations swept off the streets and thrown into incarceration. There are pieces of dialogue chopped throughout Drasar’s music that reflect on the generational impact of mass incarceration. The first example I recall on the track Drasar produced called ((Economics)) with MF Grimm off the Good Morning Vietnam 3: The Phoenix Program album. On Lifetime of Wreckage the track ((Black Calculus Part 3)) Drasar spits, “In 2020 your mind is your strongest weapon…” I think about a publication like The Beat Within and what youth and adults take on when they decide to pick up a pen to think and write. Drasar shared his personal connection to the the importance of reaching out stating, “I’m down to help out in any shape, form, fashion possible. My younger brother got caught up and ultimately it led to his demise (RIP). It left a profound effect on me and I feel it is my duty to try and assist the younger cats in finding a way to sidestep the pitfalls of incarceration…”

Drasar describes his music as, “a wall of sound…bass, treble, and highs. HEAVY! My music is a sonic outlet of anger and frustration.” Instead of taking out what he describes as vitriol on others, he transfers aggressive energy into music. “It’s more productive to me in that fashion, many people don’t have a creative outlet, and I believe that pent up frustration manifest itself in a myriad of shortcomings and dysfunctionality…This [music] is my tool for expressing my deepest thoughts and opinions.” What Drasar explains takes me back to a Beat Within documentary recorded in 98’. In the video a Beat Within facilitator who was also incarcerated as a youth shared how his writings that expressed rage transferred through the pen. In the documentary available on YouTube (search The Beat Within 1998 documentary Pt.2) he states, “it was apropos that when I started to let the rage out, it went to the pen and it came out through my hand, and it was all going through the hand…I used to say when you read my early writings it was just violence, it was spewing, ranting, and railing at the world…in essence I’d turned that knife into a pen, and I was stabbing the page.” The facilitator added…“I believe in writing, and I believe in the therapy of writing, and I always say that what I try to do with these kids, is replicate what I did for myself, is turn the solid to the sound to a liberating writing experience.”

The Lifetime of Wreckage EP vinyl on Side A features songs by Drasar with rhymes and on Side B listeners experience those same songs expressed strictly through beats. Early on in my life I remember it was beat smiths like Havoc of Mobb Deep & RZA of Wu Tang Clan that made me wish there was a way to hear the music we saw on TV or heard on cassette strictly through beats. I was too young to know this was already going down. I didn’t have the know how as a middle schooler to look behind some of my father’s records even during the 80s when I’d sit close by and watch him sift through records to play his favorite songs on this turntable that sat on this tower of buttons, levels, and cassette ports. I’d learn later that sometimes vinyl records included versions of songs without the lyrics. For years I always felt it was Hip Hop that started serving up beats to listeners until I reached back and listened to soundtracks like Enter the Dragon by Lalo Schifrin or Marvin Gaye’s Trouble Man soundtrack or certain WAR records and even James Brown. Years ago a military recruiter shared a song by James Brown with me called ((King Heroin)). In the song JB recites a poem through rhyme about the struggles of addiction. On records and 45s, I discovered instrumental versions were described in different ways.

A part of Drasar Monumental’s inspiration to create comes from his father who put him on early to music. He was also inspired by local DJs and radio stations like KCSB and the legendary KDAY which exposed Drasar to “certain spectrum of sounds that shaped/shapes my musical worldview somewhat.” Drasar expresses a lifetime of wreckage on four tracks. With each listen another story is told, inspiring new conversations about Hip Hop music and its purpose. Vendetta Vinyl is the name of Drasar’s independent record label. Based in California with retailers all around the world the mission of Vendetta Vinyl is to “provide thought-provoking Hip Hop with an edge…no crybaby rap, no tinkerbell beats, no bozo bars, no extras…” In the mission Drasar and company add, “if you’re fed up with the current state of affairs – walk with us as we venture into the depths of hardcore Hip Hop chaos with reckless abandon. We don’t wait to get checked in, we check ourselves in.”

If you do your history, this is the foundation of Hip Hop. Drasar explains this in an interview with The Lost Tapes…“What we do, its’ foundation, you know, foundation Hip Hop where you got your breaks and stuff and fly rhymes and all that good stuff, but we build on the foundation into the 21^st century; one foot in the past, and one in the future…We’re concerned with leaving a legacy and adding on to the greatness of Hip Hop.”

Til’ the next listening readers…Shout out to everyone in The Beat world and special thanks to Drasar Monumental for his time. Music is for everybody including the generation of youth that are going to continue to create and express themselves regardless of the challenges ahead. As Bruce Lee said it’s about having no limitation as limitation, using no way as way. In Hip Hop, creators often reflect on their success and the notion that it comes from making something out of nothing. I feel some of you will find out that even in spaces of nothingness and invisibility, your story, your voice, who you are and what you have to say can become your greatest asset, most valuable resource. Like a guiding light, what you have to say can become the light for someone else. Keep representin’ through this outlet we love, The Beat Within. Express yourself because you never know who is listening and who needs to hear what you got to say. 

Check.

Mr. Lee

#TapeDecks2020 The 2020 Best of Tape

Lee's Favorite Music of...2020 Tape Decks
#TapeDecks2020

Got the idea when Barack Obama dropped his annual "Barack Obama's Favorite Music of 2020". At first, I planned to copy design the template exact, around 30 tracks, then I got the idea of what this blog is all about...the nostalgia of the tape and recording those tracks on both sides. This of course is an extended version, still representin' for both sides, A & B. Instead of the album shout outs (there were so many in 2020!) I decided to focus on just tracks and that's what I'll be doing every year. I credit that to the good folks over at Southern Vangard podcast radio (shout out to DJ Jon Doe & South Memphis East McLemore Meeks!)...also much love to OutdaboxMedia, Hip Hop Battlefield and a few podcasts out there including Hard Knock Radio and Mark Maron's WTF podcast for putting me on to some notable records through their conversations with the earth's creators. Even though I take deep dives and unpack whole records, this was more convenient to reference more artists/songs, especially as much time as I dedicate to Southern Vanguard dial and their exclusive rotation format...From one podcast to the next, the common fan accumulates a ton of listening homework wanting to absorb it all. It's a dump god movement going on outside and if I was still on radio it would be overwhelming to keep up. My audio contact these days is through those rides to and from, the workout times, gettin' busy in the kitchen with the headphones on, hours upon hours of lesson planning and grading and those out the class responsibilities that just gotta get done...music is always there. My second wind, my mind motivation. This has became even more pronounced during this treacherous pandemic. While there's things to be thankful for in this life to continue to connect, create & appreciate, I'm also in thought of those we had to speak with in spirit this year. Death was around every corner in 2020. This tape is about life & memory. God bless the dead. 

Respect to everyone listed on this tape. There's never room for it all. These tracks right here though, definitely hit me in the heart. 

Peace Hip Hop, can't stop, won't stop 2020.

check.

Lee  

Southern Vangard tracks...
'Dominican Church Eucharist' Codenine x Karate * 'God Tier' Supreme Cerebral feat. Napolean Da Legend x Rasheed Chappell x Rob Deniro * 'Remove 45' De La Soul feat. Styles P, Talib Kweli, Pharoah Monch, Mysonne, Chuck D x Supa Dave West * 'Falling Apart' Supastition * 'Smoke & Mirrors' Elzhi x Monica Blaire x JR Swiftz * 'Starks' Josiah the Gift x Freemind x DJ Jon Doe * 'On Won' Senor Kaos & Illastrate x 4-Ize * 'Think of the Lox' The Lox x Westside Gunn x Benny the Butcher x Large Professor * 'Numb Out' Ghost of the Machine & DJ Proof x Fredo Crespo

Tape Decks tracks...
'White Belt' stic * 'Phoenix Suns' One Be Lo * 'Roots of Blue' Blu & Exile* 'Unreasonably Doubted' Jay Royale* 'Amazing Grays' Goodie Mob* 'Gold Frames' Le$* 'No Lames' Curren$y*

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

#kruxlife 2006

#kruxlife 2006

My 1st turntable & mixer...rotating the goods.

Illmatic Symphony

Nas & the National Symphony Orchestra Live from the Kennedy Center Illmatic 94' 20 years later (click on image)

Times is Illmatic

Illmatic the world is yours edition

How I like to listen to Illmatic. So many parts to the story. These are just a few of those pieces. Times is Illmatic...

State of Podcast listening 2020

State of Podcast listening 2020

Since the last post update about podcasts I'm currently listening to the list definitely got deeper. One in particular that I want to highlight since it brought me back to a familiar space is Way Down in the Hole with Jemele Hill & Van Lathan. The program takes us through each episode of The Wire! It's slowed me down though since I've decided to revisit the actual episode and watch it again before moving on to each episode of the podcast. These days that's easier done than said. I've got each season on DVD (those big block cases) but have been able to access the high resolution stream on Amazon Prime which contributes to a new experience revisiting The Wire. Matter of fact, it brought me back to this vision I had a few years ago to create a mixtape for each episode of The Wire. I was able to tap into the first episode of the mixtape series I created titled Tapes & Wires. You can check out the old post right here about that, includes cover and the tracklist click here. But this is more about what Jemele and Van got going on, cause they definitely got it going on with this concept and a lot of brilliant ideas in the way a podcast can be structured to engage listeners but most importantly to keep the conversation interesting for themselves. Nothing is more disengaging then a podcast that loses its purpose or as Combat Jack used to say, extends the lay offs for too long. Gotta keep it pushing, but it's a lot easier when the podcast got a purpose like with what Jemele & Van got planned out. Plus, just judging from the first three episodes, they definitely breaking things down and bringing some new information and conversations to the universe of The Wire. I'm about as OG as it gets when it comes to being a fan of The Wire...I started watching the show on its day 1 debut during my college years since a while before that I had already invested all my time with The Corner when I  caught notice of the program through my fandom of Charles S. Dutton's work and then of course Sean Nelson from Fresh. You can tune into the archive and each new episode of Way Down in the Hole at this Spotify link: click here.

Honorable mentions that have made their way into my podcast channels include the following:

Bishop Chronicles click here

My experience with this program goes back I'm sure to a past update, but I want to make sure to pass on the Spotify location since that's where you're going to find the latest and the greatest from the Black Dragon of the \/\/estside!! If you got a podcast out the Bay Area that I should be hearing over this one, I dare you to present yourself to the center of the dojo! Cause really, I don't see anyone running that territory other then the Bishop of Hip Hop!

The Gangster Chronicles click here

A dope platform for who I consider a curator of stories and perspectives from gang culture with Alex Alonso and Death Row affiliates Reggie Wright, Jr. and Big James McDonald who's insight is as raw and conversational as it gets. What's great is you get three brothers in the room having an honest conversation, each of them sticks to their guns and aren't concerned with modifying who they are for the sake of the audience. You find your place in what's being said and keep it moving. Great podcast, award winning podcast, nothing like it! Its got me on my subscribed Spotify game right now!

Super Duty Tough Work Podcast click here

I heard about this podcast from the good folks and #1 podcast on my list Southern Vangard! This one is definitely verified, two Hip Hop aficionados with experience to understand the game inside and out, especially from the independent side of things! Blueprint & Illogic giving ya'll game and some of the illest conversations with some of our favorite artists out there through their cheat code sessions.

Sands on Sports with Grap Luva click here

Sports wouldn't be able to shine the way it do without Hip Hop. Especially when it comes to hoop, football, and boxing. I love how J Sands brings us closer to some of Hip Hop's most notable eMCees and beatmakers through a conversation about Sports and the Hip Hop culture. When it comes to time the game clock is on as soon as the intro comes in with Grap Luva for the 1st, 2nd, halftime, 3rd quarter and 4th. J Sands if you don't know is one of the illest eMCees in the game! Check in with Pittsburgh's own!

Underground Society Murder Master Music Show click here

When I found this, it took me back to AM radio. Straight up. It's about as terrestrial as it gets when it comes to Hip Hop. I challenge ya'll to find an archive that's as deep as what the host Prez has presented out there. Includes a connecting line to their man in France on the interviews. But yeah, guaranteed to learn something new about this Hip Hop universe running through this archive and weekly interview updates. Stretches across the map, underground to the mainstream and in between. Respect to UGS Life.

Democracy Now click here

Not a podcast, but in the days of joke news networks out there, I got it listed to tap into real conversations and especially after I saw folks like Ilyasah Shabazz make there way through for an interview or any other notables that just don't seem to have a place on other news networks out there that get fat over 45's every waking tweet & move. On Democracy Now, you're more likely to be educated on what's going on as opposed to being manipulated or filled up with processed nonsense.

Gimme That Volumes with Robert Rodriguez of Wanted Records click here

I found out about this program through a plug from the Soul Rebel Radio family which included finding out about George Miller's program. While you gotta dig through the mixcloud archive to find each volume, it's worth the search. You won't find a .45 vinyl session quite like this. It's timeless so it really don't matter that it's old cause the rotation is mindblowing. A crate diggers dream right here. Tune in for the ride...if you can find it. The "click here" above takes you to one volume of many. You're on your own finding the other volumes though!

There's a few more additions to the list! In the past I've mentioned my top of the list with Edge of Sports podcast, Break Dances with Wolves, the Premium Pete Show, Making Contact, Marc Maron's joint, The Collision with Dave & Etan, Hot 107.9 ATL, Sway's Universe, 24/7 Hip Hop, my dude Bill Burr, and the list goes on & on.  So if you're ever in need of something to listen to run through one of these programs and check in! Peace. 

Tape Decks Archive CD #soulfreedom

soulfreedom by Jazzman Records

Tape Decks Archive CD🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝

Hosted a program called Soul Session during the #radiodayz also a time I'd discover sites like Dusty Groove that I'd check for the latest compilations to explore. Picked this one up on CD. A gem to dig through learning about so many unfamiliar names to me. Digging past the track into Ray & His Court's story today. You can learn more about the Jazzman Records incredible story online. Look them up @jazzmanrecords!

State of College Radio (Muting the airwaves)

A big part of this blog's story is my history on college radio between the years of 2000 and 2008 at New Mexico State University's student run college radio station KRUX 91.5FM. During those eight years I got the chance to work my way into administrative positions while hosting my own radio show. This included roles such as archives manager and Hip Hop program director. We're more than ten years removed from our time time spent in the radio booth which rivaled the time spent on course work and our responsibilities related to part time jobs and anything and everything else on a college student's day to day. Definitely lost a lot of sleep, often times barely sleeping at all over the course of a 48 hour period just to get in my time on air. I can't say I've heard student run college radio as we knew it back then in quite a long time. With an exception to when I've dropped in on a friend's program, its been a minute since I've actively tuned in to hear a specific time slot. It didn't occur to me how much has changed until I had an eMCee that I found out about through college radio in my day speak on it on a recent interview segment with an eMCee out of Buffalo, NY. Doing a Google search I was surprised to find out about all the changes going on nation wide when it comes to college radio. I plan on sharing articles I'm finding here under the tag State of College Radio. I can't imagine a college experience without college radio, so here's to a hope that spaces for student's to find their voice will still exist in the years ahead. Peace!

Since 2000 #repshow915 #kruxlife #radiodayz #soulsession #rawkshop

#Lee

Muting the airwaves: As colleges sell off their radio stations, student deejays grapple with their identities in the digital age Full article: click here by Jenna Spoont

“Even a student without a voice needs a microphone to be heard sometimes,” Spielmaker said. “If you want to take over a college radio station, please talk to the students. Students can make decisions on what’s best for us, our education, our future.”

The 34th Scroll

 

 

The 34th Scroll

GrandMaster Blame One & VEKS

Amazon: click here

"Wondering why I'm building with Veks, expect that its a bet, bet they can't hang with Young V, along the Vista Vet..." -GrandMaster Blame One 

This record is the anchor of Hip Hop's 2018! Check for it! Certified timeless! Also available in limited edition vinyl. 

Tape Decks Archive CD #AmplifiedqTIP

Amplified Q-Tip

Tape Decks Archive CD
🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝

The first CD my parents helped me purchase goes back to 1992, Dr. Dre's debut on Death Row Records. I was entering 7th grade and already asked for their help to walk me through the check out line at the military base post exchange for the cassette a few weeks before. The CD was for my friend's birthday. A birthday gift his parents made him return a week after I gave it to him. He dropped by with his mom and told me he wasn't allowed to listen to it. I told him I'd hold onto it and give it back someday. I placed it on the top shelf where Dad kept his stereo system, record player, and vinyl below. He'd later buy a system with a CD function that skipped too much for me to mess with. I placed the Dre CD with two other CDs my friends gave me, Warren G's debut Regulate...G Funk Era and Tupac's follow up to 2Pacalypse Now. I wouldn't have the ability to play CDs until years later. I was all cassette with my Sony tape walkman listening to bootlegs my Dad brought home from Desert Storm. When I got an AIWA boombox in 97' and my first CD player walkman I started stacking CDs. Especially CDs I'd always wanted watching Yo MTV Raps and BET's Rap City throughout most of the decade. I spent money I made during the summer setting up garage sales, birthday money, and some funds I saved running the clock while my Dad ref'd the local men's basketball league. Some CDs I got through mailing services like BMG and Columbia and others from the local flea market, Discount Mall, CD Warehouse, or the music shop at the military post post exchange. Since then, I've accumulated a lot of music. Especially years later hosting college radio receiving new CDs and vinyl frequently. I still spent money on records I wanted though, following all my favorites from childhood into the turn of the millennium. 

In 2018, I realized I would no longer have a slot in the ride or laptop to insert a CD. These days I'm rarely purchasing batteries either since I got my compact disc player in storage. Mid way into the year I realized I haven't purchased a CD since 2017. Looking at a stack of what's gotta be more than a couple thousand CDs, I felt like reflecting. I'm a big waxpoetics fan and love books like Check the Technique and wax fact liner notes like Rakim Told Me. More than listening I love learning about the details of music...the whys & hows that made them. There's a lot of records I've always wanted to revisit or just spend some extra time listening to and researching. More than CDs I also got crates of vinyl and boxes of cassettes I haven't checked out in years. A lot of stories I'd like to explore to take a break from the speed of streaming one record to the next.

I've been thinking about this for a while and decided to start with Q-Tip's Amplified. I set up a hashtag on Twitter linked from the field in a Tape Decks Archive file I set up. The plan is to take some time to dig into the music that played a purpose in my life's soundtrack and to document it. Music's always played a role in everything I do, whether its at work, exercise, the classroom, etc. I just feel it would be cool to keep a file of the music I kept. Uncover some stuff I didn't know about these records and take time to appreciate them while I can. A look into my library, my catalogue, my soundtrack...the metaphor of what the cassettes I played yesterday have become today, streaming invisible tape. 

Here's a few notes on Q-Tip's Amplified at #AmplifiedqTIP.   

I love thinking about Dilla and Slum Village listening to this record. About what Detroit means to Hip Hop and what its always meant to the Soul of music in general.

Something was happening in 99'...it was a big transition for us. It was definitely amplified. Real loud. Technology gave new meaning to the term fast forward...especially in retrospect 20 years later.

Podcast 2018

Podcast 2018

Got a few new podcast(s) I've added to the list since the last post! New to the dial is RBG Fit Club Podcast with stic.man of dead prez and Afya Ibomu. Its a fresh perspective on healthy living from one of my top 5 all time favorite eMCees and Afya Ibomu, someone I look forward to learning from when it comes to health & wellness! Love the format, perfect for the gym, and it includes action items to add to your daily grind to take care of yourselves. I don't rock with iTunes like that but if you're looking for a platform to tune into this podcast check out the Castbox site click here. This is bringing a voice to the Fit Hop chamber of Hip Hop culture.

In addition I added the Talkitecture Podcast featuring the Talkitects crew which you can find on my preferred platform Soundcloud click here. I heard about them reflecting on Combat Jack one day. It became a weekly routine over the past two years to check in with the Combat Jack Show. So going back to the Combat's Soundcloud link one day I discovered that someone was sharing a program under the username talkitecturepod and it turned out to be Combat Jack Show family Dallas Penn, A-King, and several voices I'm being introduced to for the first time. I hear Combat's voice every time I tune in, especially going back and forth with the Premium Pete Show Podcast.

Look forward to the new year though we're half way into it already hope to keep documenting. If anything Tape Decks is a bookmark I use for where I'm trying to go to start, continue, or end my day when it comes to the listening.

What's Good Podcast

What's Good Podcast

Stretch & Bobbito

Tune in!

Breakdances with Wolves

Breakdances with Wolves Podcast
Soundcloud: click here

One of my favorite listens on the net...Check out Gyasi Ross, Wesley B Roach, & Minty LongEarth speaking on Indigenous culture, life, current events, Hip Hop, music, politics...just about everything.  

((The Listening))

Tape Decks Podcast Dial

Tape Decks Podcast Dial

Introducing the top Tape Decks podcasts ...Edge of Sports with host Dave Zirin and producer Dan Bloom connects listeners to a deeper understanding of what's going on in the sports world and its connection to society and politics. This podcast presents the voice of the athlete in a way that challenges listeners to think, read, and consider where they stand on various issues. Its bigger than sports and always on time. The most authentic, uncompromising voice in sports related broadcasts listeners can count on Dave to know the ledge...its all real on Edge of Sports podcast. Stay tuned at soundcloud.com/edgeofsports. Southern Vangard Radio is my go-to for what's new in the world of Hip Hop. The best Hip Hop podcast on the net broadcasts twice a week with hosts DJ Jon Doe and Eddie Meeks aka Cappuccinomeeks. These guys take me back to when I worked college radio and first discovered a promotional CD titled High Risk by the group Prophetix, made up of DJ Jon Doe, Mello and Meeks. Aside from the Dungeon Family sound I came up listening to in high school, years later I found out about an eMCee that went by Truth Universal out of New Orleans. Prophetix was my introduction to a whole other network out the South...projects like High Risk catered to listeners that recognized originality and the art of rhyme. Its one of those records you remember listening to the first time...one of those pieces of "fine art" that Marc Spekt from Broady Champs talked about on his Southern Vangard interview session. The Southern Vangard podcast is a sonic goldmine. Finding Southern Vangard felt brand new...a throwback feeling similar to discovering underground Hip Hop on the radio dial or stumbling across a stash of untapped vinyl. What Southern Vangard puts together is difficult to describe to someone who doesn't recognize the value or understand what it was like before music became so easy to access. In addition to the seamless blends and scratches of some of the best Hip Hop are countless hours of interviews with many of Hip Hop's unsung microphone and beat making masters...stories I'd never heard before...voices I'd never heard outside of the tracks they were featured on. The preparation of the program on a weekly basis is something to appreciate and pass on. The details is what makes Southern Vangard the top Hip Hop podcast on the net.  The roster of interviews is unrivaled. No other podcast archive can compare. Its also a beat makers storycore...forreal. Listen in for the new and scroll back in time to catch past episodes at soundcloud.com/southernvangard. The first time I ever discovered a "podcast" was when I found Bill Burr's Monday Morning Podcast on MySpace. There was a stretch of time when the the first 20 minutes of my morning drive to work was spent listening to Bill Burr. The routine since has changed to scattered moments when I remember to revisit Burr's Soundcloud...Each time though I'm reminded how much a fan I am of Bill Burr...definitely on my #Top5DOA comedians. He was my introduction to the podcast world. To listen to the Monday Morning Podcast on Soundcloud check out soundcloud.com/themonday-morning-podcast. Next up, the Bruce Lee Podcast. This one's invaluable. I was born into my admiration for Bruce Lee through my father who practiced martial arts since before I came into the world. I was hooked on karate flicks as a kid and credit that to the Karate Kid and my intro to Nintendo video games in the late 80s...Nintendo games like Double Dragon had me open to flicks like Bloodsport, Kickboxer and animated shows like Karate Kommandos with Chuck Norris. It was The Last Dragon though that really caught my attention (Laura Charles!). It may have been a silly comedy to some, but along with flicks like No Retreat, No Surrender these films pointed kids like me to a primary source...Bruce Lee. As a child it put me on a mission to find everything and anything Bruce Lee...like Bruce Leroy in search of that "glow"...These moments prepped what was coming when it was time to sit down and watch Enter the Dragon. Early on it helped me separate what I believed to be real from fake. As the 90's approached it also introduced me to Bruce Lee's son, Brandon Lee. When my friend and I saw Rapid Fire, by the next day we discontinued our ties to anything Van Damme. Our time from that point forward followed Brandon Lee with the hope we'd better understand his father's influence. These are my earliest recollections of following something other than basketball, football, or baseball. When Brandon Lee was killed it raised a lot of questions creating a dark cloud above those first years of the 90s. At the same time cinema and literature introduced me to the demise of past leaders like Malcolm X, MLK, Huey P. Newton, and the tragedy experienced a couple of years later when we lost one from our generation...Tupac Shakur. It was a time for questioning mortality and exacerbated a sense of insecurity in a world that promoted and exploited senseless violence. The next couple decades of my life would be riddled with Bruce Lee moments. I discovered literature about Bruce Lee that went beyond just film and explored his philosophy and family life. Shortly after I discovered the Bruce Lee website. Social media would later connect me to news on Shannon Lee's development of the Bruce Lee enterprise, new documentary films, other authentic items, and scholarship opportunities through the Bruce Lee Foundation. Upon the 40th anniversary since Bruce Lee's death, I was inspired to create a mixtape project dedicated to Bruce Lee's life titled the Lee Jun Fan Tape. In 2016, I discovered the Bruce Lee podcast.  The program is hosted by Bruce Lee's daughter Shannon Lee and her co-host & creative officer Sharon Lee. The Bruce Lee podcast has become the soundtrack of my garage workout regimen.  Moments I save specifically for tuning into the podcast. You can check out the Bruce Lee podcast at soundcloud.com/brucelee. I discovered The Combat Jack Show driving between New Mexico and Texas. One night I searched and searched for some audio to cover the 60+ mile trip ahead. At random I pressed play and got introduced to the can't stop won't stop hilarity of Dallas Penn, Combat Jack, and Premium Pete. The podcast produced a lot of memorable listening moments which inspired me to see specific films, listen to albums, read books, or simply follow guests of the Combat Jack Show. This podcast is the King of New York podcasts and today is headed by Combat Jack himself. Check out Combat Jack Show podcasts at soundcloud.com/thecombatjackshow. Next up is a podcast I never saw coming...the Fearless or Insane podcast with host Chris Webber. Before anything I've been a basketball fan first and foremost. As a kid I stayed in the trading card shops working my memory into a mental register of sport figure names and numbers from every roster in the league. This included the alumni of Michigan's Fab 5 who saved a lot of us young kids from the embarrassment of the short short era during junior high basketball. When Chris Webber touched down in the league I set aside a special sheet specifically for his cards starting with my college Classic #4 of him jamming down a dunk in his blue Wolverine jersey. While we all remember the infamous game that would conclude his college years before transitioning into a professional, I remained a fan of Webber even living out my fandom through video games like NBA Live especially during his tenure with the Sacramento Kings. Upon retirement, I became an even bigger fan of CWebb when he got together with my main man The Glove to analyze b-ball games on television. Their analysis was unlike anything I'd ever seen...an uncut, unscripted litany of roasts with so many moments that reminded me of the comedy that duos like Martin Lawrence and Will Smith brought to the big screen. It was through a recent guest appearance on the Edge of Sports Podcast that introduced me to CWebb's footprints in the podcast world. When the Edge of Sports cosigns something I don't hesitate to follow up. I was able to catch the podcast early enough to tune in to every episode within a couple of months. Listening to the Fearless or Insane podcast will be worth every minute of your time as CWebb graciously points out before introducing listeners to featured guests. Listeners can find the Fearless or Insane archive at the Podcast One link podcastone.com/fearless-or-insane-with-chris-webber.  On the next Tape Decks Podcast dial, I got the illest crew on YouTube Sway, Heather B, and Tracy G...Sway in the Morning. Sway's history is really something...Sway's story and his presence in our lives as a Hip Hop Alumni and media visionary going back to the MTV days...he's an important piece on the chess board of Hip Hop journalism. While I wouldn't classify Sway in the Morning as a "podcast" in the sense of the other programs I've referenced above, I do access Sway's interviews the exact same way. The interviews are structured just the same, and while the program can be heard live through satellite radio, its the YouTube uploads of interviews I feel connect to the podcast world. Beyond only listening to Sway in the Morning, this is a program you can watch.  Sway's creative versatility includes classic "5 Fingers of Death" moments and even the most memorable Robert Glaspar set where he took on 5 fingers on the keys. Its this in the moment type content that makes this of my favorite free access programs to listen to.  If I had satellite radio, Sway would be the first program I'd set.  His interview catalog has no boundaries giving fans access to celebrities of all genres. And the story gets deeper considering the connection to the Wake Up Show alongside King Tech. Its what gives this story so much more meaning to Hip Hop history and its threads across the country in the Bay Area. Every once in a while I think about how ill it would be to revisit the Wake Up Show archive, from beginning to end. Like Sway & Bobbito's documentary I can only hope for the day we can celebrate the Wake Up Show's story and maybe even have access to its archive. Listeners (and watchers) can tune into interviews and more from Sway in the Morning at youtube.com/user/SwaysUniverse. On my list for true social justice radio is the International Media Project's station Making Contact. While not a podcast platform, its another program I access like any other podcast on Soundcloud  via its main site at radioproject.org. This is a community centered broadcast with a wide perspective on issues that impact people around the world.  Its a site any social justice minded instructor with objectives to broaden student's world views should have listed on their syllabus. On to the next is the most creatively produced youth radio podcast I've ever heard out of California, Soul Rebel Radio. The program is brilliantly produced and brings the voice and creativity of youth into key happenings in society and youth culture around the world. Layered with unforgettable skits, music clips, an assortment of audios, and spoken word, Soul Rebel Radio is a classic blend unlike any other broadcast you'll ever hear. Soul Rebel Radio is a birth place of tomorrow's media creators and a true outlet for the voices of young people. I track the latest updates from Soul Rebel Radio at facebook.com/soulrebelradio. Next to last on my Tape Decks Podcast dial for Spring 2017 is The Collision with hosts Etan Thomas and Edge of Sports mind Dave Zirin. Broadcasting outta WPFW, listeners can access the latest recordings off Etan Thomas Twitter handle at twitter.com/etanthomas36 or Dave Zirin's twitter handle at twitter.com/edgeofsports or directly from KPFA. When I hear that intro to the ((Bridge is Over)) beat and the clip of Barkley saying, "I don't wanna be like Mike..." I know its time! Between the two host you're guaranteed honest dialogue on sports, and politics and a range of topics these think champs bring to the listening audience. While not classified as a podcast, I'm basing this off how the program can be accessed and its availability online. Finally, I want to end out with a note on 900AM WURD, an online independent platform for Black media broadcasting out of Pennsylvania. My father put me on to this program which streams online all the time anytime. It's a connection to my father's Philadelphia roots and sets an example for the kind of media access I can only wish for all communities. It stretches the idea for how we can define "podcast" especially when a broadcast such as WURD is able to extend its reach over the world wide web. I recently started tuning into WURD and look forward to learning more about what's going on in the tri-state area. You can easily tune in hassle free at 900amwurd.com. 

There are so many other podcasts out there. These are my primary listens which have long replaced anything worth tuning into on local radio outlets which I find restricting and contrived. Its what I value most about having access to a mobile device that in my imagination is like an upgraded transistor radio that connects me to the way I imagine broadcasts to be. These podcasts tell a story about who I am and my views on edutainment and its benefits to how we connect with people and the community.  What's interesting is how new podcasting is and how we're experiencing the beginning of this broadcasting platform and essentially writing the rules for what it can be.

You'll find a list of links to other broad+podcasts to the left of this blog under ((The Listening)).

Peace.

Lee