Truth Willis
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My Fam 7/7/2009
Hand slaps, hugs and immediate shit-talking; this is how I greet all peeps close to me. I just saw an old face or rather an emcee I used to do shows with. Although its been a few years we were right back to being buds. This may be typical friendship to most but for musicians of all types its something a little more. Our shared experiences are rockstar-esque in retrospect no matter the presence or lack of stardom. Sharing stage time, dealing with shady promoters, remembering impromptu shows where both of us had our other group member not show-up to a gig so we combined sets...these are my people, my family.
My family has the drunken uncle: A hip-hop head with the best shoes and hats that can drink more in a short period of time than Joey Chestnut can down hotdogs.
My family has the responsible brother: An emcee so organized that anyone from the outside looking in can only see and hear a professional artist and product. A true talent always ready for the big-time.
My family has a little brother: A younger cat who always gets you to drink cheap whiskey while dancing on tables and getting kicked out of bars.
My family has the recluse: You never know exactly what he's working on but he locks himself in the studio for hours and produces gems.
My family has a dirty hippie living on the couch: A DJ who to this day still can wear a sweater and hippie-skiffs (sandles) like he is front row at a Panic concert.
My family has the bossy mama: A lady who can put things together, sell shit and somehow find people right before set-time.
My family has the nerd: A guy who can name any sample from any LP at any time.
My family has the cousins, friends-of-friends and friends-of-the-family: The plus ones, the super fans, the backstage-green-room-cat that always is ready to smoke you out.
I know I've missed many but I just had to share a few. I belong in this family and we're all co-dependent on each other.
My family is love.
Hip-hop is love.
Life is love.
Stay Up
Live Bands and Hip-hop 6/10/2009
In a classic discussion of "Hey what type of music do you listen to?" I found myself relating my friends love for funk with some live hip-hop (Fort Knox Five). Although I enjoy this group I have to admit that live hip-hop has progressed little since the mid-90s. Due to this, I somehow can't fully commit to the self-righteousness of live hip-hop.
An emcee placed squarely in front of a 5-piece band is somehow too traditional. Like ordering a no topping pizza; sure I'll eat it but where the hells the jalapenos, pepperoni and black olives?! The shit is entriely too tame like a hot girl on the beach in a one-piece swimsuit. The same snare, the same simplified guitar riff, the same simple shit. The funny thing is I understand to the non-hip-hop listener all hip-hop beats sound the same.
But hip-hop is the drums, the digital, the analog, the collage, the origami of typical street shit turned into a bass stomping paper crane, the emcee and the DJ. Sure live musicians bring an element of spontaneity but just to take it so simple is similar to listening to your friends cover-band; good songs done OK.
Hip-hop is musically challenged in the eyes of classically trained musicians. But this refusal of tradition is what gives hip-hop (and Jazz and Blues) soul and makes it accessible to the people. Do we not remember or understand that what made hip-hop in the past and will make hip-hop in the future is the non-classical approach to music. Anybody ever build a beat with a boom-cap instead of a bass drum and snare? Anybody build a beat without knowing the key its in? Do people still make music with only feel instead of understanding and full notation? Does hip-hop need to be saved from squares or the regular?
Hip-hop needs no traditional justification.
I believe if live hip-hop would get far more experimental and challenge itself in a similar regard as punk or indie rock my opinion may change. Jimi Hendrix that shit people! Take some mind-altering drugs and fully indulge in a revolution for live hip-hop. Smash guitars and kick babies!
Although I'm complaining, maybe good live hip-hop is hiding. Where's my old Rage Against the Machine and Beck albums? Maybe I've missed parts of this live hip-hop scene because the best is lying in disguise in a different part of the record store.
Regardless, I want people to give live hip-hop more deliberation instead of so quickly getting lost in mediocrity.
Truth
Hip-hops in Trouble 7/11/2008
Pulling down a few tall-boys with my old ace in town from NYC, Sentence, we stumbled upon a question both of us felt un-easy about: 'What are you listening to right now?'
The answer: Not hip-hop.
Sure we keep plugging away in our own line hoping to push our own creativity but neither one of us admitting to reinventing the sport. Our egos are big but our ears are real.
So what the fuck is wrong with hip-hop? Why the hell can I not name a single fucking artist in the last couple years that I thought was actually doing something? No I can't include the likes of all the Dance/Hop shit going on right now. That's like making love to a hot hipster chic. She may think she's cool but its all a dark loser beneath it. I can only respect it for reinventing the DJ/Producer as a god to the dance floor but where the fuck is the real hip-hop?
Is any of this real?
All we get now is some nice guy bullshit clad with a simple Dr. Suess feel good message and rapping words like cat with phat! Or maybe we get some supped out gangsta wannabe crap not talking about the streets because they're too busy talking about their diamond studded cell-phones they wish they could afford.
Here's specific advice for each type of emcee:
FOR THE SUPER TOUCHY OLD SCHOOL LOVEY DOVEY BULLSHIT:
Eat your Wheaties kids! Grow some balls and drink until you break something. This is hip-hop. This life. It's not all friendly and sometimes you need a war cry. Nobody believes people who smile at everyone but can't form an opinion.
FOR THE PERPETUAL WANNABE THUGS:
Finish high school. Stop trying to fight everyone in real life that may be a better emcee than you. Stop trying to sell me a damn CD that has flashy old-style print and some punk on the front of a car hood on it. Sit in your studio and rap about shit you see, feel and can smell. Not dreams of nightmarish acts.
FOR THE POLITICAL TYPES:
Work on not hating the man and actually motivating the people. We all have political views but understand action has to be practiced and not just spoken. Buy a big cigar and ride a tank through the middle of town. Go perform at rallies or better yet, vote. Shit maybe even explore writing a clever battle rhyme just to remind you that there is a culture here and not just a government.
FOR THE DANCE/HOP HOT PINK CLAD FOLKS:
Keep doing what you're doing. For some stupid reason I have fun with this shit like Hot Tamales at a movie. It can only last as long as slap-bracelets and tight-rolled jeans so have fun but it's hardly a progressive movement in hip-hop.
FOR EVERYONE ELSE:
Spend time with the elements. Remember the culture is not just the music. For all you emcees, work on something different and not different for different's sake (you may have to read this line again). We need communities to promote and elevate each other's wordsmithing. Not just solo party famous acts or flashback groups or mid-90's thugs.
We need the real baby.
Iz
I'm Not Weird, Just Stupid 6/7/2008
I'm such a whiney little bitch sometimes. I've worked my ass off to 'branch' outside of music and develop friendships with all kinds of people only to find myself acting like an attention needy brat. Last night I was out with friends boozing only to complain about being 'board' and feeling 'weird.' I wish I would grow the fuck up.
For some reason, with hip-hop and the scene we all have certain self-contained but mutually recognized egos. In every interaction there's a sense of 'hey look at what I'm doing;' some sort of mutual attention given and received by all. When I'm not in this element or in the role of musician I can quickly act like a pretentious prick or loner freak.
It's time to chill the fuck out; time to not care about all sorts of things; time not to over-think people's words, expressions and actions. Time to realize that I'm not the center of the earth, and time to fucking do what I do best: make music.
