BIGGIE AIN’T The G.O.A.T.

The Company Man was always critical of Jay-Z.

Not because he didn’t make dope songs or because his skills weren’t up to par. A quick peruse through his early catalog is more than enough to prove the contrary. Whether on Reasonable Doubt, or parts of Volume 1, or most of Volume 2 and Volume 3 — his mic always sounded nice.

The hits were always there. The talent was always apparent.

Despite the product’s consistency and undeniable Freshness, the seemingly one dimensionality of his content left him lumped in the middle with every other hustler, thug, gangster, money, hoes, clothes rapper that claimed late 90s airwaves.

I knew he was a hustler who just happened to rap. I knew he could match a triple platinum artist buck by buck with only a single going Gold. I knew I couldn’t floss on his level.

I knew more about Jay-Z’s possessions than I knew about Jay-Z The Person.

And when determining who is the Greatest Of All Time — the proverbial GOAT of this rap shit — all contenders must exhibit range. All contenders must connect on a personal, human level. All contenders have to have more to talk about than “Money, Cash, Hoes.”

FACT.

Hypocritically, I never held Biggie to that standard.

Maybe because of nostalgia, or how both albums hit harder than “Down goes Frazier”, or the unfortunate appreciation we only have for people and their legacy after they’ve passed away — but B.I.G.’s catalog was similarly one dimensional. And somehow I never flinched when his name inevitably ended up in GOAT conversations.

Ready To Die and Life After Death were raucous, unapologetic lyrical onslaughts that rattled the trunk just as hard as they rattled the thought process. Puff Daddy Diddy’s marketing genius ensured ubiquitousness. Biggie’s gift of gab garnered wide ranging respect.

No doubt.

But neither project displays a broad appreciation for the human experience. We learn most about the person behind The Notorious BIG on tracks like “Juicy” and “Everyday Struggle” and “Sky’s The Limit.” Otherwise, its largely rollicking robbery with reason raps under the morbid theme of certain death.

We got “Me & My Bitch” and “F*cking You Tonight”, but we don’t truly know about Biggie’s feelings on love and relationships.

We got “Mo Money Mo Problems”, but ironically — on the song — he fails to actually delve into what it means to have more money and more problems.

We don’t know anything about BIG’s political positions or societal views other than that “he knows how it feels to wake up f*cked up. / Pockets broke as hell / another rock to sell.”

We don’t know as much as we could have. We don’t know as much as we should have.

Christopher Wallace always receives credit for being comfortable with being himself. He highlighted the appeal in being fat, black, and ugly as ever. And I’m just about positive he’s the only male rapper on the planet who could get away with lines like “you look so good / I’ll suck on your daddy’s d*ck.” At that point in his brief life, he gave us exactly who he was.

Few then could do it like he did it. Like Jay-Z, the talent was obvious.

But Jay didn’t put the pieces together until The Blueprint — his seventh album! It wasn’t until tracks like “Song Cry” and “Mama Loves Me” and “Heart of The City” and “Renegade” showed Hova the artist had more to offer than “sex, murder, mayhem, romance for the street” that he was able to bum rush his way into every GOAT conversation.

It took time for him to prove himself. To get to the point where he could earnestly exhibit vulnerability. To get to the point where the person stepped beyond the possessions.

BIG undoubtably alluded to having broader opinions on other aspects of the human experience. Due to timing and/or Diddy’s marketing strategy, we were never privileged to those thoughts.

Unfortunately — no matter the calculation — two albums of market changing, one dimensional lyrical history making is not enough to claim GOAT status for any artist, dead or alive.

I’m not saying he wasn’t Great. But I can’t say he was the Greatest.

Interview with Bucktown’s Finest, GENERAL STEELE

Raven and General Steele talk artists, music careers, and the making of his new album, AMERIKKKA’S NIGHTMARE Part 2. (Check out the Duck Down Records poster in the background.)

The Notorious BIG – Life After Death

Brooklyn Bodega President, Wes Jackson, tends to drop subtle jewels of Hip Hop history whenever in conversation.

Casual conversation. Business conversation. In the office. At the bar.

Whenever. Wherever. Whatever.

Considering that he’s been in The Industry professionally for fifteen plus years, and around The Culture his entire life — its not surprising. People who love what they do also love to talk about it.

Wes is one of those people.

Kick it with him for a few and you’ll inevitably find yourself beamed to a world where De La regularly rocked on tour, ‘Premo only made beats for Gang Starr, and “Uncle Ralph had the only camera there.”

Toss Bodega Radio co-host Nikon in the room, and suddenly its like watching Hip Hop’s version of The Sports Reporters, or one of those Hall of Fame Inductee pre-shows where experts and others behind the scenes delve into historical significance.

Weighty opinions from those who were there.

Higher perspectives from people who know more about this than you.

Wes hit The Company Man with this jewel a couple months ago: “Life After Death was the first rap album commercially marketed to each region in the country.”

Along with the laundry list of reasons why Biggie is arguably the nicest to ever grasp a mic, his ability to lyrically supersede anyone else appearing on the track — shifting styles to match or manhandle depending on the topic — is part of what separates him from the pack.

B.I.G. always sounded BIG.

Whether spitting salacious slow jam raps in between R. Kelly’s brazenly crooned hook, or kicking mack-tastic rhymes like “When the Remmy’s in the system/ain’t no telling/will I f*ck ‘em, will I diss em’” alongside Too Short’s super-pimpery, or straight disrespecting Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony’s seemingly impossible rapid fire flow on the seminal “Notorious Thugs” — Biggie always triumphed by track’s end.

He always left that lasting impression.

By showcasing his superior skill rocking with artists from the West Coast, the Midwest, the South, the East Coast — bumrushing their arena each time — Life After Death subsequently contained a single with guaranteed radio appeal in every region in the country, a pioneering marketing strategy at the time.

Diddy, of course, laid out the album’s strategy and direction, but Biggie was dope enough to pull it off.

Then, Emcees had to be lyrical to gain supreme respect. They had to triumph each time they stepped on a track with anyone else. They had to have style and content.

They had to prove themselves worthy…like James.

Making a hit record will always get you paid. But, legacies are built on consistency and competition.

Christopher Wallace took the Biggie Smalls Show straight to each region, rocking with their best, spreading his lyrical exercise on their home court, directly earning local respect.

When he left us, we all felt it directly because he spoke to all of us in our own language. He rocked with our heroes.

And he shined like he grew up in a shrine in Peru.

Devising that pioneering marketing strategy just might’ve been the easy part.

Biggie Smalls Sky’s the Limit

Adrian | MySpace Video

DJ Parler does B.I.G. (pause)

Inspired by the B.I.G. legacy, we present SAMPLOLOGY: The Notorious Chapter…enjoy

The SAMPLOLOGY mixtape series, mixed by DJ Parler (par-lay), is a compilation of music & the original songs that inspired them. Connecting the dots between your favorite Hip Hop/R&B tracks and the classic hard-to-find gems, each chapter highlights a select artist, producer or genre. Past chapters include: J Dilla, Kanye West, Philly International Records, Jay-Z’s American Gangster Soundtrack, and Isaac Hayes.
For the free download

For more info on Samplology & DJ Parler go to:

www.myspace.com/djparler

Tracklisitng
Brooklyn Intro
Victory Blend – Diddy, Bill Conti, B.I.G.
Unbelievable Blend – Honey Drippers, B.I.G.
Kick In The Door Blend – B.I.G., Screamin Jay Hawkins
Juicy Blend – B.I.G., Mtume
Big Poppa Blend – The Isley Brothers, B.I.G.
Ghetto Red Hot Blend – Super Cat, B.I.G., Herbie Hancock
Me and My Bitch Blend – B.I.G., Zapp & Roger
Who Shot Ya Blend – B.I.G., David Porter, Mos Def
Dreams Blend – B.I.G., James Brown, Skillz
Hypnotize Blend – B.I.G., Herb Alpert
Brooklyn’s Finest Blend – Jay-Z, B.I.G., Ohio Players
Get Money Blend – Junior MAFIA, B.I.G., Sylvia Striplin
Gettin’ Money Blend – Junior MAFIA, B.I.G., Dennis Edwards
Players Anthem Blend – Junior MAFIA, B.I.G., New Birth
Crush On You Blend – Lil Kim, B.I.G., Jeff Lorber Fusion
The Benjamins Blend – Diddy, B.I.G., The Jacksons
Can’t You See Blend – Total, B.I.G., James Brown
One More Chance Blend – B.I.G., DeBarge
Ten Crack Commandments Blend – B.I.G., Les McCann
Sky Is The Limit Blend – B.I.G., Bobby Caldwell
Outro (St James Pl & Fulton St) – Roy Ayers, B.I.G.

Kool Herc’s House Falling Apart?

I read this NY Times article and envisioned the worst.

Writer Sam Dolnick’s depictions of rats and roaches and cracks in bedroom walls so deep residents “can look through and see the sunshine” — littering the house that birthed Hip Hop — were equally horrifying and enraging.

For decades 1520 Sedgwick Ave was one of the South Bronx more desirable working-class residences. The one time state run public housing building was superbly maintained, with a lobby so clean you could “see your face in the floor.”

Residents were more than just neighbors, they were a community — celebrating Christmases and Halloweens and birthdays together in the Community Room located on the building’s first floor.

It was in that Community Room that DJ Kool Herc hosted Hip Hop’s first parties, spinning the vital beginnings of The Culture that consumed the globe.

1520 Sedgwick Ave was sold to private investors in 2008 during the height of the real estate bubble in hopes that city wide gentrification would extend past Manhattan and into the South Bronx. The building and others like it were prime targets for acquisition specifically because of how well they were upheld.

Once the economic bubble burst and high paying renters failed to migrate to the historic property, living conditions dropped dramatically. Since the fall of 2008, according to the Times, building violations increased more than 600 percent, jumping from 82 to 598.

Building upkeep was no longer a priority since renters willing to pay higher rents never migrated.

1520 Sedgwick Ave is just the most famous case. Residents in comparable buildings all over the 5Boroughs are unfortunately confronted with the same problem.

But given the historic nature of this address; given the fact that Hip Hop itself and the sound of music as we know it today would not exist if it weren’t for DJ Kool Herc and his culture forming parties thrown in the building’s Community Room — The Company Man had no choice but to see the conditions first hand.

Today, the House that birthed Hip Hop is far from pristine, but it is on the upswing.

From the outside, 1520 Sedgwick Ave — with its imposing red brick exterior lunging skyward, casting its shadow across the Harlem River — looks similar to most other buildings in the immediate area. Overflowing barrels of trash loiter at the base of the building, just as they do the base of neighboring luxury apartment building, 1518 Sedgwick.

The lobby itself is bare, but certainly clean. Complete with a functioning lock and buzzer system.

The walls of both elevators are riddled with dings and dents and are in desperate need of a coat of paint. But both are functioning, clean and move at a surprisingly quick pace. A trip to the 18th floor — the top floor — took no longer than a minute (including one stoppage on a lower floors).

Reviews from the residents I met (all of whom preferred to speak off record) were mixed.

Some were pissed. Some were positive.

One young woman who lived in the building for 10 years spoke with ire about the constantly changing management companies, over flowing trash barrels outside, and unresponsiveness to maintenance requests. Another older man felt relieved that the security lock on the front door is repaired and that he finally received a long awaited paint job in his living room.

According to Ludo, the building superintendent, roughly 30 percent of the violations have been addressed since the NY Times ran its article on January 18, 2010.

On this day, maintenance workers were painting the supports in the court yard beneath the building, adjacent to the Community Room.

The Community Room itself is far from presentable. Renovation like rubble is piled in the corners. Landscaping equipment and an inexplicable grocery cart loiter in the middle. In the kitchen, an ugly, unpainted wall stretches above the sink where cabinets used to sit. Knobs missing from the stove across from it.

Not at all what one wants to see when entering the room that birthed Hip Hop.

But the Community Room’s disheveled nature felt more like functionality than neglect. Numerous apartments needed significant work. The byproducts have to go somewhere.

I’m not saying that storing scattered waste in such a historic location for even the briefest of time periods is a good thing, but — given the number of units with severe maintenance needs and the steady improvement in the building’s overall condition — I understand.

Despite the rage felt after reading Sam Dolnick’s article; despite the gripping sight of the disheveled state of the room where Kool Herc created Hip Hop — the fact that 30 percent of the violations have been addressed in the past six weeks since The New York Times ran its article is more than encouraging.

Thats where NYT deserves credit. Undoubtably, if it wasn’t for this scathing expose on private investors neglecting their investment at the expense of the working class people subjected to their economic gamble, 1520 Sedgwick would continue its fall towards dilapidation.

In this case, solid journalism did what it is designed to do: motivate change for the better.

On my way out of the Community Room, I spoke to a maintenance worker named Ed who also lives in the building. I asked him what he thought about the state of 1520 Sedgwick Ave.

He replied simply, “Its getting better.”

*Calls to 1520 Sedgwick Ave management company, BSR Management, were not returned.

A Guru Salute…

When word spread that Guru suffered a life threatening heart attack this week, Hip Hop braced itself for the worst — the loss of another legend.

With reports that the Gang Starr Emcee’s emergency surgery was a success and a full recovery is expected, thankfully, The Culture begins to breathe a collective sigh of relief.

But for those first fourteen hours — when the idea that Guru was gone felt more like a foregone conclusion — the importance of Gang Starr’s contributions reverberated across the internet like a pre-mortem memorial.

It wasn’t until he nearly left this world that we all cared again. “People never get flowers while they can still smell ‘em.”

In honor and exuberance of his successful operation, The Company Man brings to you a Guru video salute. Rest up, brother.

The flowers never smelled fresher…

Beatboxing Coming To Brooklyn

“I enjoy beat boxing because I’m scrawny, white and very, very nerdy. And when I can drop a beat, people freak out!!” — Bert Boxer, Stafford, VA

Beatboxing has come a long way since Buff Love and Doug E. Fresh.

What began in Hip Hop’s motherland — New York City — has become a culture all its own in countries abroad. Beatbox battles, conventions and competitions take place world wide, annually growing in popularity, shining a solo spotlight on the sometimes forgotten 5th Element.

The World Beatbox Association (WBA) and Humanbeatbox.com are at the forefront of this movement. Since 2003, they have organized and hosted the International Beatbox Convention (BOXCON) — an international convention focused on the human voice, musicality, creativity, and, as Biz Markie would say, the art of “making music with your mouth.”

This July, the 6th Annual BOXCON will be held in Brooklyn, bringing beatboxing back to Mecca.

As part of the festivities, the 1st American Beatbox Championships (ABC) will also go down that weekend and qualifying rounds are currently underway. Beatboxers country wide submitted online videos to ABC in hopes of competing for this summer’s championship.

The format is more dynamic than one would assume. Each contestant is judged in three categories: Solo Beatbox, MC Backing (beatboxing over a cappella vocals), and Covers (beatbox covers of popular songs). The top 8 contestants receiving the highest scores will compete in Brooklyn for the title of the 1st American Beatbox Champion.

Nearly 50 contestants from across the country have spit there best for ABC and public judging on americanbeatboxchampionships.com. The talent ranges from awful to awe-inspiring to everything in between.

Some providing hilarity. Some deserving high praise.

Atlanta based beatboxer, HeaveN, looks to be the clear favorite, having earned the highest score in the Solo and MC Backing rounds.

FriScO from California’s uncanny electronic bass octaves and pitch perfect laser sounds have garnered immediate respect from the beatboxing community, receiving highest number of youtube hits of any submitted.

Even the ladies are represented here. Florida’s Luckey Monkey is the only female in the Top 8, and could pose problems for anyone caught sleeping.

While rap remains at the commercial forefront of The Culture, and DJing and Break Dancing play supporting roles (broadly speaking of course), and graffiti is…well…illegal — its refreshing to see Hip Hop’s 5th Element vie for its own spotlight.

This generation’s Doug E. Freshes and Biz Markies and Rahzels exist. Gladly, the World Beatboxing Association provides a platform for new talent to snatch their shine.

More Beatboxing Videos:

Raven and Jahara Interview Uncle Ralph at Bowery Tribute

The Bodega TV team was out at the Bowery Poetry Club when Initiative Radio and Wes honored Uncle Ralph.

Check out the Interview

2nd Round Knockout

Raven gets an exclusive with Canibus and talks with him about many things, including his new album “Melatonin Magik.”

Teza Makes NYC Debut

TEZA – MAKES NEW YORK CITY DEBUT
Acclaimed Release From World-Renowned Independent Filmmaker Continues U.S. Tour in NYC
Brooklyn, NY
February 18th, 2010

Washington, D.C., February 16, 2010  After a successful, eight-week theatrical engagement in Washington, D.C., Mypheduh Films, Inc. is pleased to announce that TEZA, the latest release from world-renowned, Ethiopian born, independent filmmaker Haile Gerima, and the makers of Sankofa, will launch its New York City exhibition at Lincoln Plaza Cinema, on Friday, April 2, 2010.

TEZA, morning dew in Amharic, is Gerima’s eleventh cinematic production and seventh dramatic film, and tells a story of hope, loss and reminiscence through the eyes of an idealistic, young intellectual, displaced from his homeland of Ethiopia for many years. The film reflects well on the effects of the fall of Emperor Haile Selassie on Ethiopias history and society, and through a broader lens, TEZA focuses on the ways in which political upheaval and social change have impacted cultures and nations across the larger African Diaspora. Due to the discourse on critical issues it engenders and its exquisite visual tableau, TEZA is an unparalleled work of social activism and cinematic art.

Told mainly through a series of flashbacks, TEZA follows the personal narrative of Anberber (Aaron Arefe), who after leaving Ethiopia for Germany to become a doctor, is led to return to his home village by lingering spirits and haunting visions from his childhood. Using the power of memory as his primary device, Gerima recounts the historical circumstances that have framed the context in which contemporary Ethiopia exists.

TEZA has been recognized with over 20 coveted international awards, such as the Oscella Award for Best Screenplay, the Leoncino doro Award, SIGNIS Award, and Special Jury Prize conferred at the 2009 Venice Film Festival; the Golden Unicorn Award for Best Feature Film bestowed at the Amiens/France International Film Festival; the UN-World Bank Special Prize; and Golden Stallion award for Best Picture presented at the 2009 FESPACO Pan-African Film Festival. Leading up to its September 2009, U.S. premiere, the Washington Post called TEZA, Gerimas powerfully universal meditation on the loss of his homeland  on the inevitability of loss in general.

Called one of the independent cinemas chief chroniclers of the African-American and African Diaspora[n] experience[s], by Variety, Gerima has taught film at Howard University in Washington, D.C. since 1975, and has been producing independent films of distinction for over 35 years, including his groundbreaking 1993 film Sankofa. This historically inspired dramatic tale of African resistance to slavery was called poetic and precisely detailed by the New York Times. Gerimas earlier works include the films Harvest: 3000 Years, which Martin Scorsese described as having, a particular kind of urgency which few pictures possess; and Bush Mama, which the Washington Post reported, crackle[d] with energy, with fury shak[ing] the very frame.

Reflecting on his latest work Gerima stated that, an imaginative oral legacy shapes TEZAS narrative, and that, the film recounts the stories of Ethiopians dislocated by series of complicated and unanticipated historical circumstances. He also conceded that, TEZA is semi-auto biographical, a microcosmic portrait of reality reflecting [his] search for the Ethiopia of [his] youth which exists only in [his] memory and dreams. Through TEZA Gerima invites moviegoers to examine their own notions of nationhood and identity, the construction of memory and the ways in which memories are connected to space and place.

TEZA opens in Manhattan on Friday, April 2nd 2010, at Lincoln Plaza Cinema, 1886 Broadway (at 62nd Street).

TEZA was produced by Negodgwad Productions in co-production with Pandora Films, Westdeutscher Rundfunk/Arte [Germany] and Unlimited [France], and is being distributed by Mypheduh Films. Additional financial support for TEZA was provided by the European Commission. The 140-minute film is produced in Amharic and German with English subtitles. For more information please visit www.TezaTheMovie.com.

——–

Contact:
Alexandra McDougald
Exhibition Director

Mypheduh Films
917-202-9944
alexandra@tezathemovie.com

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