Superbrothers in The Seventies, Doin Their Thing…

Indeed, I made sure I caught the Godfather of Soul, Mr. James Brown, live and in concert last month. The plan was for myself and KYLE JASON to head east on Long Island on Friday, August 29th, to catch his show. Earlier in the week DJ Johnny Juice and I tripped out to Indianapolis to do an ad for Klipsch audio speakers, and my plans were to head back east from Chicago to catch it.

Coming outta Chicago that Friday my flight was delayed, thus I arrived at LaGuardia late. Kyle made sure he left with Bones, a bass player/journalist buddy of ours. I prepared myself to hear that I missed the show of the decade and, true to form, Kyle came back and was speechless. One and a half hours of pure dynamite stick. He told me that the same James we had seen on our video tapes from the past 20 years, sped up super medley “Living In America,” was not the same James he’d just witnessed in action. He had just seen Jaaaaaaames in all his glory. Complete from the MC DANNY RAY intro at the top. He told me that I had to see it, and the band was the actual funked timed thang that the records bore, even more. Damn! I missed it.

Immediately we went to the web, www.funky-stuff.com, and peeped a concert schedule. On that great site it showed that he was gonna be at Chastain Park in the ATL that Sunday. Whoa! But first I had to get up north of the border to Toronto to keynote at their urban music conference, which I spent my day doin. Thus jetting to ATL on Sunday was a later transition whereas I just got to the venue in the nick of time. Running in at 9:15pm the lights had just gone down for DANNY RAY to intro the hardest working man still in show business. When Mr. Brown took the stage the ATL immediately roared for their Georgia sun. The very first cut was “Make It Funky” signifying that James and the Soul Generals were gonna pull some joints out the bag. Highlights included JB doing two microphone stand tricks that left the crowd stunned as if MIKE JORDAN threw it. Bursts of dance energy came at the crowd and wowed them. At 70 he moved, grooved, and cold sweated us to death. He had a dance spotlight for a lady he’d known ever since she was a young girl. Dressed in high white boots and hot pants they proceeded to rip the same cut. SOUL POWER, PAYBACK and even a funked up LIVING IN AMERICA banged the crowd. This was JAMES BROWN in his 70s doing it like he did it in the 1970s. No doubt. The double drummers even played high speed funk thru the finale of SEX MACHINE when the venue cut the power, as it’s known to do. The point is that it was more turbo energy than cats twice his age using multimedia crutches.

On the other side of town people paid big money for R KELLY-ASHANTI in Phillips Arena. I’m spoiled and I ain’t trying to see another modern lazy RAP/R&B show anytime soon. I’m a ‘stick to the skilled vets’ cat and suggest that every radio-video performer out there today get a notebook and a camcorder and learn how to take their career past 3 years, and if they got one longer than that to take it to the next machine level.

Recently, while in LA, I visited MR. JIM BROWN... no relation to JB but again a super seventy. Up at his house overlooking Hollywood he is frequently visited by gang members from South Central, Watts, Long Beach and Compton. His Amer-I can program is led by a MR. BO TAYLOR who goes to the joints and the hood to reverse some of the madness. It’s a 15 step program that guarantees to instill self esteem and pride to those who were never given a chance previously. Rolling up there after an event we engaged JIM, BO and the usual counseling that goes down up on the hill. This Brown has the fire, strength and fight of cats half his age. His wisdom is a testament to how his commitment has turned so many lives around. It was the first time I’d been up there in years and JIM had again delivered an inspirational talk that had us all riveted. As a former Long Islander we grew up reading his legend, but as a man who walked away from the perceived slave-thing of professional sports and did it his way, his inspiration jetted to another level. In my drive thru Watts and South Central LA, up Central Ave early one Sunday morning after gang hours and before church time I was so reminded again how the street’s story is still hidden under the glare of Hollyweird. Well JIM BROWN just won’t let it be tucked away as he is all over the country doing what I saw him and BO do in his own backyard.

The third seventy-superstar is MINISTER LOUIS FARRAKHAN. Again his energy and consistency at his age boggles the mind. I want people to know that some things do not change. I mentioned MINISTER FARRAKHAN in my earliest of rap records because in the midst of black people’s confusion in the years of R&B (REAGAN and BUSH), the height of the crack-ademic and the wack economy, black folk had no other choice but to ban together and listen to encouraging words of wisdom, to see thru the fog. It was not a fad when I mentioned his name in both BRING THE NOISE and DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE. Believe me, I had no mainstream credibility to gain or to lose. Some people didn’t like my support, but then again those same people had no idea of the collective sufferage of the disconnected black American. Fast forward to 2003, MINISTER FARRAKHAN, after a couple of health setbacks, still brings the noise as the FINAL CALL newspaper gives the option to the national story, the SAVIORS DAY conventions bring the black family together, and from the MILLION MAN MARCH to the MILLION FAMILY MARCH showing of our gathering of peace while showing UNCLE SAM that he gotta get back in line with the rest of the planet instead of pimping over it. Still all the fights for equality and fair representation in the media and such have damn near been forsaken for individualistic greed and selfishness. Peeps have forgotten who fought for the position they now hold and somehow think they’ve gotten there on their own, while thinking the quest is simply for the cheese. The mind, body and soul commitment from JAMES BROWN, MINISTER FARRAKHAN and JIM BROWN keeps me going, and it’s shameful that in each area they specialize in they’ve long transcended and spread the love beyond their acclaimed zones. Yeah, a lotta cats got a problem with each one of these peeps, my heroes, and frankly my damn, I don’t give a dear. As a matter of fact the more they continue to do their thing… the better.

Incredible sites give the alternative to what ‘calls itself hip hop today.’ In the time I’ve been doing these t-domes I’ve witnessed even the most reluctant of artists finally find the importance of having and maintaining a website for their art. Delivering art, video and music thru mp3 is the greatest thing. When you look at it it’s quite amazing that peeps can send songs by email. Now video, movies, etc. Really, if you ain’t ahead of the curve your ass be on the curb. Some great sites make sure they get the other story to us, they are inspirational indeed…

www.bombhiphop.com
www.allhiphop.com
www.daybydayent.com
www.thaformula.com
www.hiphopdx.com This fantastic site gives great info and news of what’s poppin, plus they have a great perspective and overlook on the entire global rap game.

I recently did a keynote up in the t-dot, ‘TORONTO’ for those that don’t know. It’s still one of the most impressive cities in North America. The rap scene has leaked a few cats into the states… Maestro, Choclair, Kardinal Offishall and Michie MEE are the legends, but cats like K-OSS, D.O and MOTION are the new breed putting the heat on the status quo of the rap game perched upon UNCLE Sam’s thing. Cats are smarter and sharper now up there as far as the entertaining quality and execution. Throughout the conference was the first time I have heard so many artists actually speak so eloquently about the love of their art and the BS conditions surrounding it. Greg Tate dropped verbal and intellectual acid. His explanation of the mishandling of the culture by the vultures, of no give back capitalist function, was so clear and concise. His points were excerpted from his EVERYTHING BUT THE BURDEN book which is a must pick up. GREG TATE continues to be one of the greatest minds of this time, thoroughly equipped with an overlooking map of not only where the culture comes from and is presently at, but where it’s headed as it’s steered by the buzzards of the bang.

Really, the R.I.A.A can get the d-ck. Lawsuits against 12 year old kids for downloading music. I wish they would even try some B.S. like that on my kids. Those scare tactics are pure gestapo… duping a mother into paying a $2000.00 settlement for her kid. JACK VALENTI can get it too. Don’t these idiots have something else to do? Aren’t there bigger and more pressing issues regarding Americans? I’d like to drag them by their eyebrows in the hood. Lawsuits for downloading… ‘whatever the f-ck everrrrr’…

Tell me, somebody please, that VIVICA FOX would’ve kicked it with 50 last year at this time. Please, please, please don’t tell me it’s for publicity.

Yo... DAVID SPADE’s DICKIE ROBERTS had me comatose. To me this movie is the twisted, funny flick of the year. So many gags and the moral of the story is mighty… dug it… even dug FREAKY FRIDAY which had a great point alongside it as well. Standouts, something you can enjoy with your kids for real. As far as grown flicks and black films… the wait is for the Fighting Temptations I guess..

Shot an original DEF JAM group flick for VANITY FAIR magazine with RICK RUBIN, RUSSELL, RUN and DMC, LL COOL J, RUNNY RAY, LYOR COHEN, HANK SHOCKLEE, FLAV and yours truly. It was a great shot by ANNE LEIBOWITZ and history I guess. Seriously, I thanked everyone for the moment and put some things aside. RICK was one of the main reasons for its significance I thought. So there we were in a facsimile of RICK’S NYC dorm room... the birthplace of DEF JAM. The BEASTIE BOYS hold contempt, and I hear them, as they were a no show and refused the aura. No poster for ADAM, ADAM and MIKEY and I’m sure they don’t mind. If you don’t stand up for something you’ll fall for anything, and they ain’t about to fall for it…

SONIC JIHAD PARIS has arrived, www.guerillafunk.com has it. The cover is a mutha and the music so funky you can have a BLACK PANTHER PARTY to it. Peep the site layout and the color scheme.

Mariah and DAISY Fuentes on the covers... like ok whoa… walking by the newsstands, as a man, I dig what I see but damn, to do movie, TV and song chicks gotta be in stripper mode just to stay in the game. I smell a big white male pimp behind the pinup.

Speaking of the color white, if there is such a thing besides the mentality, Michael Blevins on the E board was a little curious of my depiction of last month’s KOBE MILLENNIUM MANDINGO treatment tag. He said ‘what’s the white in the girl looking to get paid have to do with anything.’ Well, about as much as a black basketball player has to do with it as well. Yes the world is full of color, but amerikkka is black, white, and other... and we struggle with this societal name- calling cancer.

Oh yeah, SPEAKING OF pimps, another ethnic company would never allow PIMP JUICE in their neighborhoods... still this street cred of leave them n-ggers alone, let em do their thing while they finance it, endorse it and cash in on it inside the corner of darkness. Of course if it’s an adult drink inside clubs so what, but a drink in the marketplace? I dunno, again NELLY and his peeps are smart cats but the glow of mo money is blinding to brilliance.

I’ll be on TECH TV Friday, Sept 12th talking about the future of music and the so called ‘digital ownership’ battles... with pretty Michaela Pereira, and I hope to clarify the points.

There’s a protest against WHOOPI’s new show because of her ‘so called’ ethnic stereotypes.

911 is no joke now… and here we are two years later... the truths are still hazy and tucked. Thousands of people perished two years ago from a day of tragic infamy. Today the aftermath of the IRAQ invasion, as well as the AFGAN bum rush also has thousands killed, soldiers are getting knocked off on both sides... the Middle East has a suicide bombing every week and can’t get it together, the peeps keep catching hell, and the headz are all still here. The names BUSH, BIN LADEN, RUMSFELD, COLIN, CONDE and SADDAM all sound like characters from an HBO TV show. Again, somebody’s not telling the truth. Governments are the cancer of civilization.

LUVOUT
mistachuck@rapstation.com