got vd?

happy single persons awareness day!

 

let my people go!

alright, alright, alright...so i've been treating bhm more like a vacation instead of a celebration, i apologize, but im back for a good cause ... to celebrate moses' people!! power to the people, for the people!!


this playlist is inspired by the music of the "bbp", the black panther party, movement. a civil rights movement, within (but without...) its own realm, was created in oakland, ca in 1966 by leaders huey newton and my personal favorite, with his chocolate-self, bobby "good lawd almighty" seale! a black nationalist party that was fluid with the time and hip to the government, had to succumb to the fedies (whoever they are) after years of threats, deaths and all other kinds of sick sadistic set-ups only the government (and the mob...same difference) could chef up. it must have been one hell-of-a breakfast program, wasnt it? rap on brothers....rap on!

reference guides: stax records

you wonder why im so crazy about stax records...check out a clip from the documentary "respect yourself: the stax records story". a great flick that tells the tale of the rise and fall and rise again of the small memphis based record label, from the humble beginnings of otis redding to the super stardom of black moses himself, isaac hayes. it also discusses topics from the legal and bankruptcy issues to the civil rights movement and the assassination of dr. king at the lorainne hotel, which was just a few blocks from studio. it is jimmy jam packed full of information ... just warms my belly with hot chocolate history. happy bhm!!

rastafari ... i & i

tributes to friends and music! cheers!
in honor of bob marley's birthday tomorrow, i would like to share a playlist that my dear friend, jassy aka jackieohhh (along w/ 12 other names), put together called "spliffy".  may i suggest you have a few ready to fully enjoy your music listening experience? thanks jassy for leading me thru the roads of negril and beyond! for i dont know much about reggae, but i sure do love listening to it, for it transends me to different heights...pun intended. for: bob and jacob.

berry gordy's basement

welcome to motown... the sounds of motorcity usa, also known as detroit and then the rest of america (get there quicker y'all)!



motown records started in berry gordy jr's basement in 1960, a spin off, if you will, of tamla records which was created one year before. up until mr. gordy moved motown from michigan to sunny cali-for-ni-A in 1972, anyone could instantly identify that distinctive motown sound. it was something magical, that not only integrated r&b and pop music, but human beings as well... (sappy civil rights moments)... but it really did! it was called "crossover" then, today its known as "selling out". that early motown sound was so clean, borderline ocd, that the songs start to have the same melodies after a while. i tried to mix it up so that you dont notice. but it doesnt even matter does it? for each song has its own story. heathcliff note: im gonna call this playlist the part one of the motor city sound (the early years). the latter years to come later. i just couldnt put rick james on this "mixed taped"...that would be blasphemous. hope you enjoy and happy bhm!

HAPPY NAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH!!!

"its the most wonderful time of the year..." i love me some black history month, but not too sure why i act like a pointer sister and get so excited since everyday is black history to me. i guess its my hall pass to exploit my culture to the fullest without seeming too racist and full of self love. so let the acting crazy begin! before i lay my head down to sleep i want to leave you with my personal black history...i made a playlist of songs that i used to listen to every morning and evening on the radio as a teenager. the list is called "92.3 the beat w/ theo" r&b at its greatest (for the 1990s)...hope you enjoy!! happy black folks month!!!



the 90s boy ... the end of an era. remember how sexual the songs used to be? i know marvin gaye started something in the 80s by his blatant request for "sexual healing". but at least marvin tried to disguise his yearnings with three syllable words such as "operate". it is was so tricky i thought he was actually saying "ovulate" (wouldnt you expect that is such a intimate song?).  but silk's "freak me" takes the cake to a whole new level of mr. nasty time. "let me lick you up and down til you say stop" ... really? on the radio? at 6:47 in the morning? hell yes and i was singing along with that crap at the top of lungs as a 12 year old. i remember my mama snappin her head at me asking "what the hell are you singing about?"...but quickly dismissing the question as to dodge the answer...ahhh the good ole days. you know mama...you know you know...and you know that i know, thats why you didnt want to really know. hahahahaha.

good morning sunshine superman...

shuggie otis - island letter (1974)


its monday .... and for some reason i cannot wait until its, no not friday or saturday, but sunday. sunday mornings to be exact, yes it was just yesterday, but i cant help it. sunday mornings are the best for the lounge time in bed. the constant pancake roll over...causing the triple knotted sheets wrapped around your legs...plus the ultimate hide and seek game between you and the sunrays that are snipering in between the blinds (why doesnt my curtain cover up this tiny hole). its the perfect situation to stay in with the lover and listen to music that inspires hormonal rage. let the inspiration information begin and the sexual healing continue til ...

its not delivery ... its a pick up.

marvelettes - please mr. postman (1961)


i dont know what it is about celebrity deaths that make things so personal for me. even when my grandpa died i didnt cry as much as when i found out that lucille ball had passed. i damn near refused to go to school in memoriam. im positive that it has everything to do with the fact that lucy basically raised me since i saw her more than my own mama (thank you syndicated television). yes it was the perfect latchkey relationship. once again we lost another pop icon and today i sadden when i read the news that co-founder of the marvelettes, gladys horton, had passed at the age of the 66. then i was even more sadden when i found out that she was only 15 years old when the marvelettes recorded "please mr. postman" in 1961. really, 15? you know where im going with this...what happened in the past 60 years that caused todays 15 year old to sound like they're hooked on helium instead of phonics? has the musical talent been that filtered? forget that, has entertainment in general lost its mind and standards? its like trying to sell crack to whitney houston and we know how she feels about that. kids are not only slanging record deals, but clothing and perfume lines, candy and makeup products, birth control contraceptives, debit cards, video games, office supplies, door mats, garden hoses, everything you can think of...its a fucked monopoly controlled by stage parents and money whored executives. yet these kids talents are as relevant as ovaltine is to the chocolate milk industry. yuck. lawd help 'em! anyway im glad i had the opportunity to familiarized myself with the likes of ms. horton. thank you for the hope.

for my mom ...if you know my mom, you can totally picture her singing this song. love the memories! thanks mama!
marvelettes - beechwood 45789 (an actual phone number)

whatta lucky lady!

have you really listened to this song? i mean REALLY listened to it??
once again beggin' at its best and the quintessential love song. i would change my name if it didnt make me look like a complete fool. i've read that some folks have passed this song as obsessive or noted that it has jealous tendencies. i believe that the man just really, really dug his chick and if thats crazy, sign me up! shit, ladies today are lucky if we hear a "baby you look nice" or "that booty is lookin tight" depending on your demographics. just read the damn lyrics written by holland*dozier*holland & tell me what you think. the lyrics wouldnt be so prominent if it werent for the levi's interpretation. my friend, vincent (yes the kj), is right when he said that "stubbs' performance on that song is one of the top vocal performances of the entire rock/soul/pop era." he's damn right! hence the reason this song hasnt been covered. like said mc hammer "you cant touch this"... not even you, james taylor...step off!

the four tops - bernadette (1967)


Bernadette, people are searchin' for
The kind of love that we possess.
Some go on searchin' their whole life through
And never find the love I've found in you.

And when I speak of you I see envy in other men's eyes,
And I'm well aware of what's on their minds.
They pretend to be my friend, when all the time
They long to persuade you from my side.
They'd give the world and all they own
For just one moment we have known.

Bernadette, they want you because of the pride that gives,
But Bernadette, I want you because I need you to live.
But while I live only to hold you,
Some other men, they long to control you.
But how can they control you Bernadette,
When they can not control themselves, Bernadette,
From wanting you, needing you,
But darling you belong to me.

I'll tell the world you belong to me,
I'll tell the world, you're the soul of me,
I'll tell the world you're a part of me.

In your arms I find the kind of peace of mind
The world is searching for,
But you, you give me the joy this heart of mine
Has always been longing for.

In you I have what other men long for.
All men need someone to worship and adore,
That's why I treasure you and place you high above,
For the only joy in life is to be loved.
So whatever you do, Bernadette, keep on loving me,
Bernadette, keep on needing me,
Bernadette.

hustlin' and bustlin'

donald byrd - change (make you wanna hustle) (1975)


heard this on my "you cant kill a man with a soul" playlist that was made last year. guess i was a little ahead of myself. i am grateful for the constant reminder though. it helps a hell of a lot! "everyday im hustlin...everyday im hustlin"...i'll eventually stop with the whole rick ross references.

reference books

for janelle:

nina simone - feelin good (1965)


this song has been remade more times than a hooker has been on his / her knees. and just like them ... we all have lost count. the song was originally a musical piece from the play "the roar of the greasepaint, the smell of the crowd" written by leslie bricusse and anthony newley in 1964. "the plot examines the maintenance of the between the upper and lower classes of British society in the 1960s." (wikipedia) i dont know how all of that the comes together to generate such a song, but alright, i'll take it!
nina simone's haunting voice, consist of something that causes my butt to twitch and sends chills up my spine. its such an uncomfortable feeling but so necessary, like religion sometimes. which brings me to the point that although this song has been used and abused and tortured to death, there's still nothing like the real thing baby. and before it slips further into the abyss of the forgotten history of american music, let me take the time to pull you back into the reality of the past. this is one of those songs that i feel people should familiarize themselves with the original recording artist. its pure in quality and rich in emotion. i know you feel that way when you hear buble's version and how it gives a big ol' boner...thats wonderful! any fulfillment that one gets from music, is a blessing and a source of faith (love, life, compassion, physical) that has been discovered...amen!! but here, you know the rules, we like to immortalize those who paved that road of musical artistic expression! so, thank you ms. simone, for there will never be another (thank god for that!). love-joy

mrs. miles davis: part iii

"come-on-ah!"

miles davis - back seat betty (1981)


damn near 20 years after the fact...the voodoo that she do so well.

mrs. miles davis part i
mrs. miles davis part ii

marty-mar!

Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can't ride you unless your back is bent.


-Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)


gil scott heron - the revolution will not be televised (1971)

 
 

rolls royce and cadillacs!

rose royce - car wash (1972)


picture perfect saturday afternoons. they motivate me to get up and get stuff done, but id rather be watching movies honestly, cause like i said its saturday and i's tired. so to compromise, i'll watch movies that represent things i should be doin today. the 1st movie that came to mind was "car wash". something that needs to done, but nahhh, i'll just wait for the next rainfall. its all about getting my lounge on watchin this flick which includes a cast full of somebodies along with some cameos by richard pryor and george carlin, but theyre not even funny and kind of forgettable (opinions).  the best part of the movie, obviously, is the soundtrack. produced by the funk master of motown, norman whitfield, the tunes are non-stop heaters that will keep your booty moving in your seat. i recently heard a story on the radio that the title track was originally intended for gladys knight, but she declined due to schedule conflicts and praise jah for that. 1st of all, you cant have motowns sweetheart and r&b's princess singing about diggin ditches and workin at a car wash while she's driven a benz. that is confusing for little black kids living in watts...it just wouldnt look right. glad they dodged that bullet.

bathroom breaks

sam and dave - hold on, i'm coming (1966)


what most dont realize about many of stax hits, is that they were composed by isaac hayes before he decided to make his move in front of the mic instead of behind it. "soul man" and "hold on, im coming" are two of my favorites and some of stax records most successful singles. both written during the midst of the civil rights movement by black moses, promoting lending and a helping hands to one another, encouraging soul power and brotherhood. but you probably didnt notice that and thats ok cause that is what kjoy radio is for my friend. my favorite part about the song is the tale about the title/chorus. according to steve cropper, of booker t and the mgs, story goes that while recording the song, dave and had to make a break for the bathroom, which also doubled as a recording booth. taking way to long, isaac motioned for dave to hurry up. dave heard this over the speaker in toiletroom and yelled back, "hold on, im coming" ... and there you go ladies and gentlemen, thats how we make hits! the simple things.

"aint nobody coming to see you otis!"

otis redding and carla thomas - tramp (1967)


this video is incredibly haunting. im pretty sure this is right before the untimely death of the late, and always great, otis redding. as a matter of fact, im sure the plane in this video is the same one that took his life. i dont know that but ewwww. creepy, could you imagine?
on the lighter side of sit-ch, i love this funky guitar riff thru-out the song. it instantly caught my attention cause it reminds me of the beginning riff the the temptation's "i'm losing you". once again stax conquers that motown flavor and reinvents the rhythmic notes with the funk that berry gordy wouldnt allow in his basement. but stax said..."excuuuse me, we got this". otis and carla is a reflection of what happened to marvin and tami after prom nite...oh! so nasty! take a bow stax, you did it again!

the REAL y2k

now that 1/11/11 has risen and fallen...im quite sure that the world isnt gonna end this week. i didnt want to waste my time bloggin it out if we were all gonna die. once again armageddon has failed me. but hey, look at us...we're still here arent we. well, good for us.

in honor of the new year, i am starting my "heathcliff 'combustible' huxtable!" playlist. an inspirational soundtrack for your running pleasures. try it out and tell if you got the pepper like i do!!

art blakey - moanin' (1958) & herbie hancock - sly (1973)

and it lingers...

i just cant help but to start the year off with my panties on the ground. cheers to a new year!

mos def 's verbals + marvin gayesque track = one very eager lady. amen to that!
marvin gaye - i want you ... in case you need help understanding.

mos def - the panties (2004)


okokok so my hip hop appreciation month turned into "i love you so much mos def, i would drink your bath water just to prove it". so what? however, i did take a lot away from this experience. hip hop automatically turned me into a hustler and i love it. i feel like john mickens throwin money up in the air and yelling at bitches on the streets to "get my money". yes yes, this is what my uneducated peeps look forward to and i have to say that it is most exhilarating. the beats that i used to despise, have me pumped like a mofo. "everyday im hustling...everyday im hustling" thanks rick ross. hahahahaha (and katt williams).