Author: jb

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 →

To Pimp a Butterfly #5: These Walls

[This is part 5 of a longer series - previous track "Institutionalized"- next track "u" coming soon] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drV0QatqbRU I remember you was conflicted, misusing your influenceSometimes, I did the same As Kendrick Lamar adds lines to his poem through the course of To Pimp a Butterfly, he explores different aspects of his journey away from … Continue reading To Pimp a Butterfly #5: These Walls →

To Pimp a Butterfly #4: Institutionalized

[This is part 4 of a longer series - previous track "King Kunta"- next track "These Walls"] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqzWyq_aBfc I remember you was conflicted, misusing your influence A technical term to describe what happens over tracks 4-10 is a "cumulative tale," like the nursery rhymes "this is the house that Jack built" or "I know an … Continue reading To Pimp a Butterfly #4: Institutionalized →

To Pimp a Butterfly #3: King Kunta

[This is part 3 of a longer series - previous track "For Free?"- next track "Institutionalized"] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRK7PVJFbS8 If To Pimp a Butterfly were a movie, "King Kunta" would be the close of Act I. Sound-wise, the first three songs share a common up-beat energy: they're all relatively rhythmic, brash in terms of their use of … Continue reading To Pimp a Butterfly #3: King Kunta →