For All You Smart Dumb Cats
Friday, November 16, 2007
“Ayo what’s goin’ on Indianapolis?”“…”
“…”
“Aw I know where we at, shit. Who in the house from Wilmington?”
(cheers erupt. Close enough [Bloomington])
——————–
Rakim, 10-ish minutes into his set, after Ghost’s:
“Ayo who here is from the ghetto. Or has ghetto in their hearts. ‘Cos that’s what I’m talking ‘bout.”“…”
(10 or so polite liars raise their hands).
——————-
More or less, that’s how rap shows go in Bloomington (not Wilmington. I don’t pretend to speak for Wilmington). Ghostface more or less phoned it in (I still like Ghost phoning it in). He also packed the tiny stage, which was also packed with a 10-piece band, with 4 hypemen to the point that it looked like a crowded subway platform. Rakim, despite being a legendary legend of legendhood, hasn’t really registered for me in about 15 years. He’s still good, though, and the crowd knew the verses (which, despite being in Wilmington, he only seemed to expect).
Highlight of the evening: the Rhythm Roots All-Stars, who backed Ghost, Rakim, and the second-best performer of the evening (after the band themselves), Brother Ali. I came into the show knowing nothing about either save the latter’s song “Forrest Whitaker,” and left with an appreciation of both that might even result in looking further into either. Maybe. Still, though, there’s just something about the refrain from “Whitaker” that I love: “you ain’t gotta love me.”
The RRA-S’s are from southern California, and their funk has a lot of War in it. This is a plus (big plus). I doubt I’d care about them in a different context (i.e. on CD), but hearing two sets of timables, one set of conga drums, steel pans, a shaker-gourd thing and of course a brass section live turns me into a nodding, marginally-rhythmic type person. They did “Apache” at one point, and “C.R.E.A.M.” and “Ice Cream” and “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” and “Paid in Full.”
Oh, and Rakim had a Public Enemy-style Guy Standing Still and Staring at stage right, only he stood statue-still wearing a full Oakland A’s ensemble. I imagined him as a 3rd base coach between innings. I was hoping that, toward the end of the set, he’d wave Rakim home, windmill-fashion. Didn’t.
——————-
Also: the Pretty Toney Audiobook! Listen. Learn.*
*How to get that white shit up out of the corner of your eyes, and stop actin’ like y’all are five years old.
Despite his legendary legend of legendhood status…I don’t “get” Rakim on any level even remotely close to that which I enjoy Ghostface…but for the sake of maintaining what waining street credit I have…
HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE RAKIM?!
thanks for the post, got a kick out of it
your post makes the same assumption that a lot of masturbatory music criticism makes – that somehow it matters if something is somehow “authentic” when EVERYONE knows that everything comes from somewhere else and if real artists spent their time being concerned about being authentic for the sake of being authentic (rather than for the sake of the art or music itself) no one would get anything done. Every movement in music has liberally come from another movement before it. And you obviously have never lived in Kenya as I have for many years so you know nothing about which you speak when you sort of assume in a sideways manner that the kenyans’ have been misused in some scenario here. But then again, it looks like you’re pretty much just someone who wants to generate hate for the hell of it.
Thank god that Vampire Weekend are at least making an effort to expose people to the fantastic sounds/rhythms of east africa which most people would never have any contact with because of the exact type of fear which you are creating, for fear of getting out of some authentic zone they belong in (i.e., they certainly don’t listen to “world music”).
dalston: i’m assuming you meant to post this comment on the VW post, not here. and while i don’t feel it necessary to respond to your diatribe point for point, i do find it ironic that you lay into me (incorrectly) for my concerns re: authenticity, while at the same time falling into that trap yourself (”And you obviously have never lived in Kenya as I have for many years so you know nothing about….)
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