THE MUSIC THAT B-BOYS AND B-GIRLS DANCE AND BATTLE TO: FORCEFUL, PERCUSSIVE, FUNKY

Love this picture... and the classic life affirming quality of the uptempo Afro-Funk music listed. Check out the beats on NPR's web site at the below link.

Hit The Floor: A B-Boy/Girl Workout Mix

Hear Five Tracks In The B-Boy Canon

THE ART OF C'BABI BAYOC (OR ‘CREATIVE BLACK ARTIST BATTLING IGNORANCE’ ‘BLESSED AFRICAN YOUTH OF CREATIVETY’)

I stumbled upon this brother's work years ago at the Drawing Board/Def Jam while reading through an issue of Rap Pages or Blaze magazine- one of them joints. Loved his work so we reached out to him to do the album packaging for the 'THE VIOLATORS' [Violator records/Def Jam]. He did a great job on the illustrations for the package. The renderings of Fat Joe w/Big Pun were hilariously on point. And the Busta illustration is a classic representation. Don't think I've seen a better illustration of him than C'Babi's.

FYI: His work was also featured in the Cey Adams and Bill Adler book DEFINITION: The Art and Design of Hip-Hop back in 2008.

More of C'Babi Bayoc's work is below.

Visit C'Babi here.

ERYKAH BADU'S "NEW AMERYKAH II: RETURN OF THE ANKH" AS ENVISIONED BY EMEK ("THE THINKING MAN'S POSTER ARTIST")

From Emek's web site on his work for Erykah Badu:

In this day and age of high speed internet and robotic carrier pigeons
what kind of musician would fly an artist halfway across the country just to discuss the ideas of the album cover in person? and then cook them a wonderful vegan meal and play charades with her kids?
Erykah, thats who.
I have worked with hundreds of bands, and i have to say that she is pretty unique.
The amount of time and energy she spends on all aspects of her life. She is very creative and hands on, but also respects and encourages the creativity in others.
The album cover came about by listening to her music...
My previous album cover I made for her, focused on politics and social conditions in the world today
things that were weighing on her mind
this album is more personal.
political elements of the first album are still there, healthcare system in the toilet, police brutality, flawed justice scales, war, etc.

and also a few new elements, foreclosed homes and a teabag, etc., but all of these elements have fallen down, lying in rubble behind her..
her song lyrics "You built a wall 20 feet tall / But if I get off my knees / I might recall I'm 20 feet tall” was an inspiration to draw her to be a large face. She is 20 feet tall.
also, she is wearing armour to protect her from the harsh realities of life..
Her lyrics "out my mind, just in time", inspired the concept of her climbing out of the old shell, fresh and innocent and powerful, and the tree of life is also growing from there.
The color purple of the tree and the sky represent the 7th chakra- the crown chakra, right above her third eye shield, this chakra represents peace, wisdom, spirituality. She is reborn.
her tuning fork is summoning the vibrations of the universe..
or does that ripple mean the whole scene is underwater?
from out of all the rubble, lush exotic plant life is growing.
her lyric from "window seat" about her "music, lover and my babies" was one of several lyrics that inspired the symbolism of 3's
3 moons
3 hidden babies
3 trees
3 ankhs

and the ankh itself is a symbol of duality, of life /death, immortality... but what is life without Love? so i made the ankh heart shaped...

working with erykah always brings out the best in me and i am proud to be her friend and artist.

the vinyl LP record though is really the one to get, the inside of the record has more cool art in it, and as both Erykah and I were raised without a TV in our house, we grew up on record cover art

-emek march, 2010

EMEK


ERYKAH BADU'S "NEW AMERYKAH" AS ENVISIONED BY EMEK ("THE THINKING MAN'S POSTER ARTIST")

MALCOLM MCLAREN (BORN 1946 – DIED 2010)

In the past week UK Punk Rock impresario and early 1980s Rap/Hip-Hop taster Malcolm Mclaren passed on. In the days ahead we'll explore some of the musical moves, along with the acts he managed, Mclaren made- a few of his musical experiments were groundbreaking, some revolutionary.

TOM BURRELL'S BOOK "BRAINWASHED: CHALLENGING THE MYTH OF BLACK INFERIORITY"

THE PRACTICE AND STUDY OF
"NIGGEROLOGY"?


Someone with maximum credibility in the arena of the American advertising industry (Mr. Tom Burrell, founder of Burrell Communications) has put the work in, done the knowledge, dropped the science and compiled the history of the brainwashing of North America's (US) Black folk (AKA Negros!).

And what does this have to do with music and images created for them/of them?

Do you really have to ask?





The schoolin'.

NNEKA's "WALKING"

Nneka - Walking
Uploaded by FourMusic. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.


Below is all that I can make out from the lyrics of Nnemka's song "Walking"-- my new favorite banger, jam, joint, song.



Yes. Black. Blackness. The Black side of me. C'mon. Listen up.

... We belong together... We ain't givin' up.

See my people on the road walking I'm not sure as myself where we're headed to... We're going so fast. We're going so fast... Cause they made the rules we're living in today... It's all good 'cause there is one who sees you ever... Take heart... We belong together... We ain't givin' up...

You have no trust in the fact that of being strong... ...and though you lack physical riches... you have achieved spiritual growth. This is what counts. So don't worry about all these things that pass away 'cause the grace of God is sufficient for you. Don't go astray... We belong together...C'mon... We ain't givin' up. Keep on walkin' baby. Keep on movin' like me... We belong together... C'mon... We ain't givin' up.