[This is part 6 of a longer series – previous track - "Children's Story" - next track - "B Boys will Be Boys"] https://www.youtube.com/embed/XPcdO9CFhWI "Brown-Skinned Lady" is both an ordinary love song and also a deeply intellectual engagement with intersectional feminism. And just like with "Re:Definition," I'm approaching these contexts with humility, as they get to some of … Continue reading “Brown-Skinned Lady” (Track 6)
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“Children’s Story” (Track 5)
[This is part 5 of a longer series – previous track - "Re:Definition" - next track - "Brown-Skinned Lady"] https://www.youtube.com/embed/2CagQFPm3JY The opening four tracks of Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star feel like they form a kind of opening act. The fifth song on the album, "Children's Story," a cover (sort of) of Slick Rick's song … Continue reading “Children’s Story” (Track 5)
Re:Definition (Track 4)
[This is part 4 of a longer series – previous track - "Definition" - next track - "Children's Story"] https://www.youtube.com/embed/fr6SrRQnZv4 "Definition" (youtube/spotify) and "Re:Definition" (youtube/spotify) roll together like one continuous track, but also like 2 mirror images: "Definition" is joyful and celebratory; "Re:Definition" is "turnin' your play into a tragedy." The key change (and subtle downshift in rhythm) … Continue reading Re:Definition (Track 4)
Definition (Track 3)
[This is part 3 of a longer series – previous track - "Astronomy (8th Light)" - next track - "Re:Definition"] I think this is the album's the catchiest track. The lyricism here is joyfully overwhelming- I’ll try my best to exemplify what it feels like to listen to it. It has a ridiculously infectious beat and the … Continue reading Definition (Track 3)
Astronomy (8th Light) (track 2)
[This is part 2 of a longer series – previous post “Interlude” - previous track - "Introduction" - next track - "Definition"] That's what hip-hop is: It's sociology and English put to a beat, you know. Talib Kweli Now fast forward to post-post-pandemic 2023, and Malachi, a student (all the names are changed) exasperated, looks at me after … Continue reading Astronomy (8th Light) (track 2)
Interlude – Some Light in the Darkness – Student Adventures in Pandemic Podcasting
[This is part of a longer series – previous track “Intro” – next track – “Astronomy (8th Light)”] I’ve asked students to analyze Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star for the last three years - the first time came that winter was just a couple months after that first listening (right after the 1/6 insurrection, as a … Continue reading Interlude – Some Light in the Darkness – Student Adventures in Pandemic Podcasting
Track 1 of Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star – “Intro”
[This is part 1 of a longer series – next post “Interlude” - next track - "Astronomy (8th Light)"] “We know that we know how to make some music and that music ain't supposed to stand still…” Mos Def and Talib Kweli, “Intro” “I found my only chance for life was in flight.” Narrative of the Life of … Continue reading Track 1 of Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star – “Intro”
Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star Writing Project – Overview
` “In the jungle with the leaders — we them lions, you the cheetahs. A cipher will complete us as we come through your receiversYou can play us and repeat us, and then take us home and read us” - Mos Def and Talib Kweli, “Definition” Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star, the … Continue reading Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star Writing Project – Overview
How This Really Ends (please, prove me wrong)
"You can be angry, you an be outraged, but you need to stop being surprised." That is what a retired coworker said to me one day when I was debriefing with her about a particularly frustrating discussion about racial equity in our classrooms. I had told her I was just so surprised how often so … Continue reading How This Really Ends (please, prove me wrong)
It’s a Perfect Time to Update My Blog
So this has been an on-again, off-again thing since sometime around 2003. There used to be several of us writing - then just a couple - then just me, 17 years later. There's a lot hidden within the archives at this point, especially some multi-part projects that I really did put a lot of time … Continue reading It’s a Perfect Time to Update My Blog
