Man this month has been hectic so far. I apologize for the lack of quality updates lately as there’s been so much going on that I’ve had to get by with the occasional video or news clip. I finally became an official resident of Chi-Town on July 1st and I can’t wait to tear into this city. A few days ago I had a chance to get in my first round of crate digging and stumbled upon one of the cheapest stashes or records that I’ve ever found. At 20 cents apiece, there was no way I could pass up finds which included a copy of Electric Company’s LP containing “Sign Song “ that was lifted by The Beatnuts for “Off The Books”. I’ll be sure to post some flics just as soon as my digital camera returns from an excursion it took (without me) to Las Vegas.
As some of you may have noticed, I finally had the chance to make some much needed upgrades to the site. I’ve escaped the clutches of the evil GoDaddy.com and made the move to a reliable hosting company, converted the forum to a more robust software package, and had a bit of design work done for the entire place. The whole thing has been pretty exhausting, especially considering that for the past 2 weeks I’ve somehow managed to get by on an intermittent Wi-Fi connection and the cable guy finally showed up today to connect me back up with the rest of civilization. The great part about the whole ordeal is that fifteen minutes after being returned to my digital life, I was thrust back in the stone ages by a faulty router ain’t that always the case?
So, with no cable, MTV, VH1 Soul, or any knowledge of the local radio, I did my best to catch up on some music and books that were sitting in my “I’ll get it what I get to it” pile. I even ended up at the local Borders purchasing, with slight embarrassment, the latest issues of The Source and XXL Magazine. The highlight of my media isolation was reading the 33 1/3 series volume #47 by Shawn Taylor covering A Tribe Called Quest’s “People’s Instinctive Travels And The Paths of Rhythm. Over the past few months I’ve become quite a fan of the series with each volume focusing on the story of one classic album. With a very unique and honest voice, Taylor was able to vocalize just exactly why I related so much to their music. While it was a strange feeling to have my own musical taste put in context by someone I never met, it was also very reassuring to know that were others who felt exactly the same way. You’ll have to read the book to know just what I’m talking about. Tribe’s first album was not my all time favorite, but Taylor’s ideas forced me to seriously reconsider what role the trio played in shaping my adolescence and give further thought as to why I consider Midnight Marauder’s to truly be their magnum opus. Be prepared for my forthcoming rant and brain dump about Q-Tip’s sly use of three bar loops (e.g. Electric Relaxation), innovative sample chopping techniques, and the album’s overall conceptual genius.
On a much sadder note, I’d like to send my condolences to the entire Parker family. I’m sure that the news has spread like wildfire by now, but in case you haven’ heard, Randy Hubbard Parker, son of KRS-One, was found dead yesterday July 10th resulting from a suicidal gunshot wound to the head. From what I understand, Randy had been a longtime sufferer of depression and had been in Atlanta seeking work as a designer at the time of his death. Memorial services are currently being arranged in NYC for his remembrance.
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