I heart J Dilla

You all already know that J Dilla's "The Shining" is available @ a music outlet near you ...? Heck, I know that you are a part of the download generation, so do what you do.

On top of Dilla's posthumous disk, you also know the The Roots' "Game Theory" is out there for your consumption, right? Of course you do.

As I was listening to both projects, I got teary eyed. It's really heartbreaking that Dilla is no longer amongst us. And I wonder why God would take away such a talented person at what seemed like the apex of his career ...? But I'm somber because the last track on The Roots "Game Theory" is an eight and a half minute tribute to Dilla. It is so apropo. Then I finally finished reading the liner notes on Dilla's "The Shining." where ?uestlove gives it up to his boy in such a respectable way that it is moving.

If you get a chance, check out Dilla's discography and see what he was all about - see how he touched your life and you did not even know.

Shine on hip hoppers ... kfox

Who got game ... ?

Yo, hip hoppers ... are you with me? Are you too, the proud owner of The Roots' latest cd? Oh, yeah, I'm all about it and I'll get right to it.

I could not believe that I'd heard nearly half of "Game Theory" prior to its official release - but now, I feel like I'm a part of the 'in' crowd because somehow, some way that IS the case. My ears had already been privy to "Dilltastic Vol Won(derful)," "Game Theory," "Don't Feel Right," "In the Music," "Here I Come," and "Clock With No Hands." Love all of those, but "Here I Come" is the finest! That song has a lot of heart and energy and it features Dice Raw, who sometimes guests with the crew. Now, despite what some critics say, Black Thought, The Roots' lead guy, is da bomb. His lyrical skills are incomparable. But I guess that is disputable and and I'm ready for that discussion even on the most miserable and stressed out day. Love Black Thought.

Of the tracks that I had not heard, I like "False Media." Which is weird. You see, I have a tendency to like mucic that slaps the media on the wrist for pushing poor content, yet, the media is the biz that butters my bread ... yet, I'd like to think I work for media outlets that strive for the greater good of all humans ... (I'm also here to see if I can make you chuckle - would you say mission accomplished ...?).

Back to the contents of "Game Theory." "Take It There" is pretty cool and enlists the talent of Wadud Ahmad. Its message music and very nice. Interestingly enough, much of this disk is socially conscious.

The Roots' debut disk on Def Jam continues the groups legacy in terms of track listings ... the tracks begin @ 114. I was expecting more diatribe from ?uestlove in the liner notes, but it was just typical shout outs mostly. However, what is different about the cd is they've included the lyrics to the tracks, which is kinda cool.

Oh, a few more things ... the "Game Theory" cd on iTunes was going for, what, $11.99 AND included a bonus track "Butter My Bread." Now your girl copped her disk @ the local Wal-Mart (no bonus tracks for me) AND I got the last one! What IS up with that? I just happened to call @ about 8 a.m. on Tuesday morning and the clerk said "I could only find one copy." Let me find out that the rural Ohioans are bumpin my boys ... What!? Again, what is that all about? Then there are those cool kids who decided to pre-order "Game Theory" from the Okayplayer webbie. Nice move since most of those folks had the disk in hand @ some point on Monday.

I'll be pumping this for some time. I think I am also gravitating toward the tried and true Roots fan club. I have been tracking them quite nicely these past few days. Caught them performing early on Saturday morning on CBS Saturday Early Morning. Also, saw them on the Late Show with David Letterman. They killed it on Letterman and boy did they look delicious! All of them were sporting suits. Good stuff. And thanks for CBS for all the love.

I still see that The Roots are scheduled to perform on Cleveland on Saturday, September 30, 2006 @ Case Western Reserve University. I need the scoop on that joint. I have a call in the PR office to see they will permit non-CWRU Roots fans to sneak a peek. I mean, don't they know that when the Legendary Roots crew is within a 200 mile radius of my locale, I am so there ...?

I could go on and on ... just make sure you get to check out "Game Theory" so that you too can be 'bout it baby! Stay true, kfox

The Wild Card ...

I know that in some opins, it will be noted that this post is not truly about indy hip hop, since the group at issue has had a large degree of commercial success, but what about the sound? It's about the sound too homies ...

So, after an early start on the j-o-b today - meeting @ 9 a.m., followed by, heck, followed by things - phone calls, checking email, lunch more meetings, etc... (and I know this is the grind for many of you, but your girl has been on summer holiday, as the brits say) ... point is, it was nice to finally get to the small stack of music mail and see Big Boi and Andre 3000 staring up at me. That's right the unedited version of "Idlewild" is currently in my possession.

I've listened to about half of the disk and at least three tracks sounded familiar. Seems as if at some point in the past few months, I've heard "Mighty O," "Idlewild Blue (Don't Chu Worry 'Bout Me)," and "Morris Brown." Which is cool, but remember back in the day when you'd only hear one track from a project prior to its release ...? And the first place you would hear that song would be on the radio? Yeah, those are the days of old ...

But here we have 25 tracks - including lots of skits. "Idlewild" is primarily an Outkast cd in terms of personnel, but of course they get some of the best to share the spotlight. Macy Gray gets down with the duo as does Killer Mike and Snoop Dogg. It's a given that the unofficial third member of Outkast makes an appearance on this project - that person being Sleepy Brown. And that's not a bad thing.

I'm on the fence on this one thus far. And I'm keeping in mind that this is the soundtrack to the motion picture. Still it is not engaging me ... I will trudge forward AND with an open mind.

However, I must say that I truly admire what Outkast is doin - empowering themselves; building - positively - on their Grammy success. Some folks don't know how to parlay all that hip hop glory into a lucrative empire. Take note pee wee's ... on how to take it to the another level.

Will I go see "Idlewild," the movie, this weekend? I'd like to ... but if it is not showing in cow-town and if I can't drive the hour it takes to get to a major city where the movie will be playing and if I can't get all of my syllabi complete and all of my PowerPoint presentations complete and I can't get all of my Blackboard sections updated, yeah ... well, then count me out. The movie seems hot though. I like Macy Gray and then of course, there's eye candy Terrence Howard. I'll tell you what hip hoppers, I'll be hunting you down to get your opin, so post that up, ah-ight?

Keep feelin mighty fine - mighty fine, I say ... kfox

Your wish list ... it oughta be!

I've been riflin around some message boards of late ... like I have nothing else to do with my time (trust me, these posts are about to get shorter and shorter. I still listen to a great deal of music, but I don't think I will have the disposable time that I've had of late).

That said, I still have some down time and the message boards keep me in the know. I've been diggin the Okayplayer message board for some time now, but I finally signed up. I saw a post from Tony Washington and his signature had the following cd releases - good stuff so I thought I'd share.

• The Roots // Game Theory // Aug 29
• Lupe Fiasco // Food and Liquor // Sept 19
• Mos Def // Tru3 Magic // Sept 19
• Talib Kweli // EarDrum // Oct 10

I was hip to the first two. But I can't say for sure that I knew about Mos and Talib. I mean, didn't Talib just drop "Right About Now"? Makes me no difference though - keep it coming. There is always room for more good music. But if is crap ... well, you know where crap should go ...

One more to add to the list though is:

• Nas // Hip Hop Is Dead //Sept

Oh, and the review on J Dilla's "The Shining" is on the way. I've listened to it multiple times and my only complaint is that it is too short - length wise. But who's not gluttonous when it comes to Dilla?

And in the spirit of stylin and profilin, it's not too early to cop some fly ass boots - get the deals while they're still happenin - ya know, back to school time.

Stay true, kfox

It's Shining Brightly ...

Nothing but smiles this side of Ohio. In my great haste to get to the drop date for my fav band, The Roots, I slept on the release of the J Dilla project. Shame on me, but happy me none-the-less.

This baby is bangin! Do you hear me? "The Shining" is doin all that and summah that too. It's 12 tracks coming in at just over half an hour. And bein Dilla, it is laced with some premier talent on the mic - Madlib, Common, Dwele, Black Thought and others.

Right now, I am inching through the liner notes written by ?uestlove. There is also some information about Lupus, the disease that Dilla suffered from.

More on this one in the very near future ... right now, I'm building monster PowerPoint presentations that I can only hope will retain the attention of my video-game-playin, cell-phone-using first year students. Wish me much luck - nah, but maybe sort of nudge me to spend my oft-coveted time on another task where I might glow before a different set of eyes. Right now, though my optimism is strong; my positivity is bubbling and I can't be /won't be stopped...

Put one foot in front of the other hip hoppers, we'll get there together ... kfox

More about the group I love to love ...

It did not take me long to determined what like-minded folks would enjoy this complimentary Roots retrospective. It has an end date of August 30, 2006! Get there, do that! And oh, if you try this on dial-up, you will not be happy (ask me how I know ...).

Um ummmm, tasty!

Keep it hot, yall ... kfox

Hearing and healing ...

The summer music just keeps on flowing and I want you to be in the know. If you don't have any of the hot tracks, you should at least be knowledgeable of who is 'bout it.

Here is what I am diggin this week: Earmint and Aloe Blacc.

I've had both of these cds for several weeks. I have been spinning them equally (alongside the Ghostface Killah and Oh No).

First, Earmint was a pleasant surprise. I almost overlooked it, but my attentive summer intern brought it to my attention. Earmint is the beat maker and a wonderful beatmaker he is. His "Another Early Evening" was bangin on the very first track, "The Flashy Slang" featuring PsalmOne. "The Flashy Slang" has a nice slow rhythm to it. Psalm One gives the song flavor with her style of lyricism. But forgive me if I'm wrong, but I went to put this track in rotation on my radio show and I believe the hook on the song says "...let ya nuts hang, hang..." It's a bit crafty and I did not take my chances on putting it on the air. And of course, since the phrase in question is in the hook, I did not bother to perform an edit. Who is at a loss here...? My die hard listeners - both of them, oh yeah. Record companies kill me - they edit some of the profanity, but they leave in 'flashy slang.' Anyway, Earmint is flowing with the beats throughout the project. And despite his skill set, he enlists the talents of Murs, Longshot, Roc C, Illogic and others. It's a little less than an hours worth of sound, but you will dig this one, fo sho.

I've mentioned the Aloe Blacc project previously. I warmed up to it nicely, but I am just getting around to writing about it. "Shine Through" is a combination of hip hop, R&B, latin beats and more. Just good music with hip hop interwoven throughout. Blacc puts his spin on two classics, yet he manages to personalize each one and makes them his own. The first track is "Long Time Coming." You remember this one best from the Sam Cooke catalogue - "A Change is Gonna Come". The musical composition is unique - some sampling and with a snare drum kicking it thoughout. On this track, Blacc's voice is somber yet hopeful. Nice cover.

Then Blacc goes and touches John Legend's "Ordinary People" - in spanish! (it shows up as untitled track #15, though there are only 14 tracks listed for the disk). I'd first read about this and I thought, 'oh no ... that's death on vinyl or disk.' Boy was I wrong. Blacc gives the track a lil salsa flava and the song remains recognizable yet fresh. Again, his voice has just the right amount of intonation and it is so soothing to listen to. I think John Legend would enjoy it. Overall, I really like the entire Aloe Blacc cd from front to back. It is in the 'A' range. He lets go with his lyrical flow on "Caged Birdsong" and I like that one a lot. Blacc has a great deal of creativity and variety on this project. Love that.

One more thing, the new DMX - "Year of the Dog Again" - is out and though he is far from indy/underground, his message is on par with my style - positivity. I like the track
"Lord Give Me a Sign." How many times have I put in that very request? You too, huh? Of course, X brings it with his usual grimy delivery and he nails it. His aggressive style just get me hyped and makes me feel authoritative. He has these catchy, sing-songy hooks. Works every time.

So now you know what I know, but don't let it go to waste (like your Sunday evenings watching a certain 'video' channel - and ask me how I know what you are watching?) ... stay true, kfox

NOTE: cd cover art courtesy of the respective record companies.

The Roots in Clev Aug 5

Web-More Roots in Clev Aug5 v2
Originally uploaded by kfoxt11.

Can you see what I see ... ? Probably not ...

For more on The Roots show in Cleveland, see the two previous posts.

Deja Vu - August 5, 2006

I have been talking and talking about The Roots concert in Cleveland for some time; about as much as I've sprinked in comments about their upcoming cd - August 25.

But the concert date finally came and after a variety of activities prior to the performance (including helping my Mom get 'dressed' for a wedding and attending a tea party), I was really anxious to get my groove on.

Truth be told, I did not actually purchase tix for the show and I because a bit nervous because my contact person, who would secure tix for me, was no where to be found. I suffered on through the day and he and I finally touched base with instructions for me and my guest, Neal Hodges, to meet him @ the venue at 8:30 p.m. - the show was scheduled to get underway @ 10 p.m. I made great haste to be on time and all went well including available off street parking in a construction filled downtown Cleveland.

Neal and I sauntered into the House of Blues' Foundation Room - where they tell me membership runs in the thousands annually. Nice perks if you roll like that. The first person we run in to in the Foundation Room is Terry Stewart, CEO of the infamous Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and his wife. I had not seen Terry in some time, so it was nice to sit and chat with him and his wife, though they did not stay for the show. Terry sort of warned us though that the concert hall was all decked out in a 'carnival-like' atmosphere. Neal and I got a bit antsy waiting for the ticket hook up so we cruised around to the restaurant to get a lil something to eat.

Enter the my boy, Arnold Hines ... event and party promoter extraordinaire and all around good guy! Is this the second year in a row that he has had a hand in my birthday activities ..., it is. So he has the tickets, but he also notes a scheduling conflict that Neal and I had already peeped - the afterset @ B-Sides where ?uestlove was supposed to be spinning after their show. But the timing was off because The Roots would not complete their set until near 2 a.m. You see in Cleveland, most clubs close @ 2:30 a.m. with last call at about 2 a.m. So the ability to complete the show, then travel to Cleveland Heights for the after party would not be feasible in the time available. Crazy, huh?

Once we got our tickets, Neal and I were in motion and all over the venue. I have failed to mention that The Roots concert is/was a part of "The New Jazz Philosophy Tour 2006" sponsored by KOOL. And yes, that is cigarettes. I was a bit indifferent about a tobacco company as the sponsor of this show (it sort of connects the artists to encouraging smoking, but that's another topic for another blog), but now I see a component of the greater good aka 'how it benefits me'. No, it's not just me, but let me elaborate. In my humble opinion, first and foremost, the KOOL sponsorship keeps the ticket prices reasonable. Tix for this show were $16 - three acts for $16 - come on!!?? But KOOL takes it a few steps further. The 'carnival-like' atmosphere that Stewart alluded to were various work stations through the venue with complimentary items like airbrused t-shirts and hats, engraved dog tags, key chains, lighters and as well as photos. That, indeed, was cool - though the b-day girl was unable to secure an airbrushed t-shirt that I'd envisioned with a microphone and my radiogirl moniker. Oh, well, happy birthday to me, huh?

Still, I have not mentioned a drop about the reason for my existence - The Roots concert! Just stay seated and be patient grasshopper, I will continue to share my wisdom at my own pace ...
I like the Pharcyde, but I must admit that I was just too hyped and was primarily focused on seeing The Roots. Say the same for the middle act, Miri Ben-Ari.

When The Roots finally took the stage at about 11:30 p.m., I had managed to secure a stool to sit on in the balcony area - though I would hardly use the stool. They came out performing strong with BlackThought just spitting rhymes for what seemed like 30 minutes. He is sooooo incredibly talented that I am reluctant to compare him to anyone else. However, I may have previously mentioned that his style reminds me of the legendary Rakim.

There were lots of my favs performed from both the "Phrenology" and "The Tipping Point" cds. Tracks like "Star," "Don't Say Nuthin'," "Stay Cool," "The Seed," "You Got Me," and"The Next Movement." They also mixed in some newbies including "Don't Feel Right," "In the Music," and "Here I Come" - which I absolutely love! I've been playing it on my hip hop show.

Even after hearing BlackThought countless times on various projects, I was still in awe of his performance. It's what he says, how he says it - his pacing and intonation - that is just genius. BlackThought is my new crush - he is my eye candy! But of course, I had my eye on ?uesto, who was sporting a 'The Root of All Evil' t-shirt and the requisite 'fro was in full effect too. He was doin the damn thing. Ditto for Hub, the bassist. He is so consistently calm and collected with his cigar in his mouth while he plays. And he gets down wit the get down. Love that. I did not have a good look at Kamal from my vantage point, but I was feelin him on the keyboards though not nearly as much as guitarist Capt. Kirk. Dam-yum he's fierce with that instrument. We was working it out on every song. Percussionist F. Knuckles works well with ?uestlove. It was fun to watch him do his thing. Individually, each member of The Roots is incredible making the group something akin to phenomenal - to say the least.

I enjoyed the show and I am, already, on a quest to see them again. The good news for me is that The Roots are back in Clev in late September performing @ Case Western Reserve University. I need to find out the scoop on that one, real fast.

The thing that I perhaps missed in the show was that they usually have guests like Talib or Common on the bill. The lack of backup vocals on some tracks did leave a bit of a void.

Other than that, it was all that I'd hoped and imagined that it would be. But you know your girl wanted to cop a Roots t-shirt, but since the selection for a women's shirts was next to nil, I came away from the vendor's table empty-handed.

Oh and another note, my friend D Atwell, who is a huge fan of The Roots, schooled me beforehand about being at a Roots show. He was very forthright in his wisdom about obtaining a drumstick from ?uestlove. Atwell already owns several and challenged me to come away with one. I was not up for the challenge, however, I did share the tidbit with Neal, my guest. And when the show was over and I was pining for one, Neal encouraged me to meander to the front of the balcony when he noticed ?uest come to the front of the stage as he was signing the aforementioned drumsticks. What is/was the liklihood that I could be the recipient of the covented items especially from my distance ... ? Again, I was not up for the challenge, but Neal persisted and got me to line up along the balcony and by this time ?uest had his last drumstick in his hand, ready to toss it. You will not believe this, but he noticed me and my boy and sort of signaled that it was coming our way. Neal was positioned like an MLB shortstop - he wanted this as much as me, though my effort was really borderline enthusiastic. ?uest lobs the drumstick, it floats through the air, over the crowd on the main floor, it is headed to Neal and I in the top left corner of the balcony until this Nick Lachey look-a-like intercepts and the drumstick is deflected into the hungry crowd below - who did not see it coming. WHAT?? Are you kidding? I thought Neal would knock the block off this kid, who then looked at us in a most pitiful way. Yeah, thanks for ruining my souvenir ... thanks for the memory of my non-memento.

And so it is ... what I've dreamed of all summer has come and gone ... stay true, kfox

Music to my ears ...

Recap: Sa-Ra and Beverly Bond

Okay, okay ... it's true no everyone knows how to have a good time on a 'school night,' Hennessy tried to make it easy on the Cleveland area crew by hosting Hennessy Artistry. It was scheduled to be a pretty fly event complete w/dj Beverly Bond 'warming' up the crowd - though truth be told the crowd was more than warmed up by those complimentary Hennessy cocktails. The event took place @ 9 p.m. on Tuesday, August 1 in the House of Blue's Cambridge room. The venue can be quite cozy, but most times I have attended events there, the climate - and I do mean the temperature - has been somewhat uncomfortable (they should work on improving the a/c issue).

But when I arrived, I had to wait in line in the lobby for a spell. This was a complimentary event that you needed to RSVP for in advance. There was only one [lovely] young lady checking off the names, so that's how it goes (and there were lots of people turned away too). Nevermind the wait, I could hear the music on the inside and it was bumpin. So I was wonderin, "Who is warming up the turntables for Bond?" Well, how about this, she was spinnin and she continued to do the damn thing until about 11 p.m. But very few people were dancin; folks were mainly mingling and standing in line for the complimentary beverages.

My point is Bond is an incredible dj and I can not believe that Cleveland did not give her more respect by groovin to the beats - heck, I've seen them shake their asses to less desirable music, oh-kay? She played some current music like Kelis' "I'm Bossy", so that can't be the excuse and of course, she mixed in some classics too. Whatever, your girl - that would be me - got her groove on w/dj Quest - who noted how many Cleveland djs were in the house - a rarity, but not too many djs have gigs on Tuesday night in Cleveland, now do they?

Bond was the just trying to get things hyped for the headliner - Sa-Ra. Yeah, I don't know what you could have done to prepare the inebriated crowd for this ecclectic band. But Clevelanders were not ready for them on Tuesday, nor will they be ready for Sa-Ra when their full length cd drops in about six months. The groups performance was really nice. Which I know is a really lame description, but there is more ... Here is what I ascertained from the performance - there are three front me, a dj, a guitarist, and three back-up dancers. That, my friends, is a very mild description. Let me continue, I did not get the names of the frontmen, but I can desribe their appearance that night. First of all, they were all overdressed. They had on layers and layers and layers and layers of clothing - and this on a 90 degree day in Cleveland AND inside a hot ass venue - made me hot just looking at them and I had on a sleeveless dress, do you feel me? One guy had on a blazer complete w/shirt and tie along with some crimson corduroy pants w/Louis Vuitton shoes (nice ensemble, but not for this time of the year); another guy was more appropriately dressed in jeans and a wife beater. His attire was most distinct in that he had on a fat/phat gold chain along w/a name plate on his knuckles - now, when is the last time that you saw someone rock one of those? Finally, the last guy- who was working it to hype the crowd - he had on so much gear that he finally took a few layers off and ended up in a tunic and some camouflage pants. I was endeared to their attire and their stage presence. Love that.

So, I've gone on and on and on about Sa-Ra's appearance, but what about their sound ...? Their sound was off the chain and not quite classifiable. It was a little bit hip hop, a little bit funk, a little bit a lot of other things. One thing their music is is sexy, sexually appealing and sometimes sexually explicit - and that ladies and gentlemen is not a bad thing. I really enjoyed their performance and I look forward to their cd, whenever it drops. Sa-Ra, yall, keep givin it to 'em.

Generally speaking, there is a bigger issue here and that is - Clevelanders can't/don't appreciate good music if they haven't heard it on the radio! There, I said it ...

Now ... I'm off to rest up for what my friend D-Atwell affectionately says of The Roots show, will certainly be 'exhausting.' Looking forward to it.

Stand up, yall and stay true, kfox

What is 'truly' my imagination ... and The Roots are coming!

I've had way too much time on my hands lately (enjoying listening to some hip hop, but mainly wasting away ...), but in that, what-could-have-been-quality-time, I've conjured up images of 'what if I were Dave Chappelle ... (complete w/50 mil to toss back @ cha, though maybe not the quaint life in a small, ohio college town - I'm there and doin that!). Anyway, my thoughts of "Being Dave Chappelle" center around his ability to throw his weight around and build a concert line-up of his dreams. Well, what if I could do that same thing ...? Yeah, hip hoppers, let your mind run free ... and think, oooooooh, the possiblities in the 'Indy Hip Hop World' ...

So here is what I came up with ... and in no way is it designed to one-up Chappelle - heck, I know that you know that I am one helluva fan of "Dave Chappelle's Block Party." Envious that I did not get an (official or otherwise) invite ... ? And yes, that is somewhat relevant.

But back to my wayward thoughts and time that I will never get back - and the assembly of the Indy Hip Hop World Block Party (many of the artists will need no explanation):

The Roots
Colossus
Murs
Zion I
P.O.S.
Rakim
Ghostface Killah
Oh No
Collective Medicine
Psyche Origami
Dead Prez

I know that it is a testoterone heavy bill, but that's the nature of the industy, right?! And just because some emcees/djs/badasses are not listed, does not mean that I dislike them more than I dislike old lady Gertrude as she slowly discovers the gas pedal @ a stop light in rush hour traffic as I rush to get to the post office before it closes for the day (yeah, I know, my fault for running late, but who knew that the local USPS closes @ 4:30p? ... work with me people).

Back to the real world ... The Roots have a scheduled tour stop in Cleveland@ the House of Blues on Saturday, August 5 - I'm countin it down, yall. You mean a real hip hop show, on the lake, on a bonafide weekend night, at a decent venue, for a reasonable price? Whhhhhaaaaad!!?? I have not seen The Roots Live since they were on the Smokin Grooves tour w/Outkast (leave it to me to take you there). Your girl will be in the house on Saturday and most likely @ the after set too! It's the b-day wknd, though that is a month long celebration - you know how Leos do it - it's all about me/us. And in honor of the fire sign legacy, keep it hot, yall - shouldn't be hard with he current heatwave enveloping the U.S., but poke your head out of your air conditioned environment for a millisec and feel me on this ...

Other happenins for the month of August, in case you forgot: The Roots' "Game Theory" project rolls out and Outkast's movie "Idlewild" will blanket theatres across the nation ... oh, and classes resume - my contribution to schoolin the next generation - yeah, teeny boppers, get your composition books out AND pay attention ...

I'm outtie ... stay true (and watch out for the imaginary game or what is truly a mind game), kfox