WE GOT THE JAZZ

The landscape of hip-hop in the early 90s was rapidly changing. The African-American civil rights generation introduced a multiplicity of class positions. Before the civil rights movement, money was secondary to race. However, after the movement, African-Americans who had money could live the life how and where they pleased. Throughout the 80s, Reagan's "trickle down" theory left lower class minorities impoverished and disenfranchised. As a result, the Reagan administration created a growing gap which largely pushed the lower class further down the ranks. This separation of classes within the greater African-American community provided for a significant change in musical style. The street culture which spawned from impoverished communities such as Brooklyn, or Bedford-Stuyvestant gave rise to the gangsta rap genre, which was largely focused on hustling drugs, gang culture, prostitution, and pure animosity and frustration for the higher powers which placed them in such a situation.

On the other hand, there existed an alternate genre of hip-hop, composed of the middle class, referred to as conscious hip-hop. This genre focused on political consciousness, positivism and afro-centricity, and was largely critical of the gangsta-rap culture. Conscious hip-hoppers berated the gangsta-rappers, claiming the genre was a bandwagon, that they were invested in image over lyricism, and that it was a means to project grief and negativity back onto the culture.


The group A Tribe Called Quest was the most prominent of the conscious hip-hop genre throughout the 90s (such as groups like De La Soul, Public Enemy, the Roots etc.). Although gangsta-rap was gaining immense popularity, conscious hip-hoppers focused more on advancing their particular genre, and experimenting with different techniques, lyrical and musical styles, etc.


The most significant of these advancements is certainly A Tribe Called Quest's incorporation of not only samples of early African-American jazz music, but also a jazz musician himself. Ron Carter, and African-American jazz double-bassist was hired for the recording of the group's 2nd album, The Low End Theory. Ron Carter, whose 50 year career had lined him up with artists like Miles Davis, is historically the most influential jazz artist of the conscious hip-hop genre because of his creative collaboration with the group. He plays bass on the track "Verses from the Abstract" and at the end of the song, Q-Tip gives him a shout out. The song, "Jazz (We've Got)" samples early 60s jazz artist, Lucky Thompson's "Green Dolphin Street." The album cover for the single of that track emulated the famous Blue Note Records logo style, a prominent EMI label producing strictly jazz music.

The function of jazz in hip-hop music has been defined by A Tribe Called Quest. It serves to fuse African-American music from the past with that of the present-providing for a musical conversation of multiple genres within one. Hip-hop was certainly the dominant form of popular music in the 90s, just as jazz was in the 20s and 30s. Jazz-infusied hip-hop pays tribute to the former genre and reinvigorates and advances the latter. Ron Carter's appearance on The Low End Theory is indicative of expansion and experimentation of the genre due to supremely creative ideals, production methods, and above all, collaboration.

CRUDE INTELLECTUALS

Above all, voice is the most important tool of the bloggers trade. The purpose of a blog is to in fact voice the opinions and thoughts of its author, and to do this in such a way that is distinct and fluent. A master of voice is a master of not only blogging, but also of his own writing style and prose. Who would want to read a blog that was as dry as some course reader textbook? A blog functions to relieve its reader from the formality of otherwise everyday reading (whether it be the newspaper, a novel, magazine etc.).


Followers and bloggers alike find comfort in knowing there is someone behind the words, and the more explicit that fact becomes, the more enjoyable the blog. The tastiest voice arrives at a balance between crude humor (by means of wordplay, references, hyperbole etc.) and a maintenance of professional credibility (by means of referencing, detailed information, experience in the field, linking, and the ability to control the tone of the blog). A master blogger fuses polar opposite ends of the writing style spectrum to communicate meaning to his reader. This is what makes blogging so unique- that it musters a kind of crude intellectualism.


Blogging for the sake of blogging degrades the medium—although it is often treated this way. Some blog to vent—as a means of coping or channeling thoughts for personal reasons—which is totally reasonable, and can be a valuable means of maintaining sanity. The other hand, which includes most bloggers, there are the authors who intend to impose their vision, thoughts, experiences, voice upon the reader, which is something all readers must willingly accept.


I searched for a blog that might share similarities with mine, and arrived at one which concerns reviews of recent live performances of popular independent music and the culture that is characterized by such music. The blog is titled “The Grizzly Life” and is evidence of an avid music fan and concertgoer. The author links his blog to his Flickr account to provide visual support for his posts. Not only is this blogger particularly informative, mentioning album release dates, upcoming shows, special appearances and events (such as Haiti fundraisers), but also is he an exceptional photographer—providing generous coverage of his concert-going. The blog is largely visual, a component which certainly contributes to the voice of the author.


His prose is more formal that most blogs I have encountered but he manages to add his own flavor respectfully and with manners. In this case, the subject matter is what appeals to me, as opposed to the voice. “The Grizzly Life” is evident of a blog which attracts readers who want to know the facts about their area of interest, as opposed to those who look to follow a specific voice or personality behind the words. Here, the bloggers voice becomes secondary and submissive with respect to the subject matter. However, it certainly would be possible to incorporate a distinct voice to this type of subject matter, but it is likely that the subject matter would lack in depth (or for instance the photographic coverage of live concerts) due to its functioning accommodation of such attitude. If the voice is the focus, the subject matter is affected. The master blogger, however, once again masters to find a balance in the voice-content dichotomy (just as he must balance the crude and intellectual). “The Grizzly Life” is a prime example of the multifunctionality of the medium.

NOTORIOUS

Not only do I plan to introduce you to new artists and producers, but I also plan to delve into the discourse of their underlying cultural relevancy, as well as I plan to draw meaning from and make conclusions about the creative musical collaborations we will encounter. I am largely influenced by the content and discourse of another blog which deals with similar subject matter. Dr. Todd Boyd is a professor at USC, and is the self proclaimed Notorious PHD. He is the authority on African American culture as it pertains to hip-hop, sports, and pop culture over the course of the last century. His blog includes deeply insightful "meditations on politics, culture, sports and the game of life from a uniquely notorious perspective." Not only are his writings extremely profound, but also are they very informal and humorous. He fuses wisdom with an extremely relaxed tone and rhetorical style that is often characterized by slang and profanity. However, Boyd maintains both his credibility and authority by means of such unique presentation of his thoughts.


Boyd's blog is not confined to one single subject, but rather maintains an omniscient frame of reference which is larger than the scope of most blogs I have encountered, which is a great part of the intrigue. He posts most frequently when he is teaching, and encourages his students to follow his blog as part of his classes. When some controversial event takes place in pop-culture that has any relevance with regards to sports, politics, etc., it is likely that you will hear from Boyd. His viewpoint is so sharp and so distinct that he is able to put in perspective issues which may not have previously held so much weight in your thoughts. In this way, by reading his blog, you can better understand the culture by which you are surrounded.


The posts are always fairly rich and detailed, and he often links them to youtube videos etc. One of my favorites includes his criticism of the African American film and television producer, Tyler Perry. Boyd's audience is widely eclectic, ranging from students to professors to fans of his work and career. I will attempt to incorporate elements of Boyd's relaxed analytical rhetoric into my blogging, as well as I will try to take on a similarly insightful viewpoint regarding my topics. My blog will differ in that it will be much more specific, however, the conclusions and theories that I intend to create will be of much larger declaration and cultural relevancy.

HELLO WORLD

As of the late 20th century, popular music has gradually and consistently become more integrated. Its roots have fused beneath the surface, and never before has it become engaged in a creative discussion of such depth and cultural relevancy. The lines which had so accurately marked genre boundaries have become obscured and in some cases abandoned altogether. This blog will discuss the instances of such inter-generic mingling and its overall cultural and historical significance.

I will argue that above all else, musical collaboration provides for the most imaginative results which transcend all aspects of its existence (from production to performance). I plan to bring to you knowledge and understanding of popular music which you may or may not already be aware of. Here, genre only functions to influence, not to categorize or classify. Rarely does collective understanding of popular music venture beyond consumption; I hope to expand upon that consumption and raise it to the level of willing absorption and immersion. This blog is not solely for music lovers, nor is it specifically designed to introduce you to new artists; it functions to broaden your interests, and further open your eyes (and ears) so that this absorption mentioned previously may go hand in hand with consumption.

Of course, this requires a certain willingness to participate, and a certain inherent interest in music, however, for whatever you prefer to listen to, there is always a common denominator to be found. You’d be surprised as to how far back you can trace the influences of even a single song or how far a given artist becomes spread across several genres.

Technological advancements, social and political climate changes and historical landmarks have accelerated the growth and development of music in all directions, from the dominion of superstardom to the underground and the indie. The current state of popular music allows all forms to exist at once, with a much less concentrated attention. The immediate accessibility of digital music puts the consumer in charge. The radio no longer determines what you listen to, you have the power to choose; and the better your understanding of music, the better your choices will become. The contemporary music listener functions independently with regards to the radio; in a sense, you are the radio. You may freely broadcast your own signal, your own message and voice more easily than ever before; and such activity has become relatively commonplace.

Over the course of the next few months, in no particular order, I will begin to discuss the ideas mentioned above, which will be most likely organized by specifically referenced albums. I will advise you not to attempt to make any sort of chronological sense of the postings, because there will be none, but that is part of the presentation. I don’t want you to be able to expect something, and neither will I. While I do tend to impose my musical taste, I mean to respectfully, whereas most of these posts will be about artists, issues and genres which appeal to me. The postings will primarily be concerned with hip-hop, rock, pop, jazz, and folk, but there very well may be a greater variety.

I am a musician myself and I would encourage other musicians to seek out this blog. I feel that there is a certain connection to be made between musicians, and this blog is surely a means for that. I plan to apply my experience as a producer, writer and performer in order to provide a more comprehensive approach to the issues at hand.