Most of you who frequently take that stroll around the block to see what is going on the Corner 10 Blog know that I love Hip-hop culture and music. Most of my 'Song of the Day' posts consist of Hip-Hop songs. Hip-hop is a culture I grew up with and was a part of.
I still listen to a wide variety of music. I enjoy oldies, alternative, and I can even get down with some country music...yeah, I just wrote that. I also listen to classical music while working during the day and I go to sleep with it playing at night. The main point is, I am open to anything that is good and I don't limit myself when it comes to art and creativity.
When I heard this song titled "Symphony 1 In the Barrel of a Gun" by Emily Wells, I knew it would be a 'Song of the Day'. I don't even know how long it's been out, but I figured if I just heard it, then there are probably many others out there who don't know about this artist but would enjoy hearing this song.
So with that said...Enjoy.
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I choose this song because it simply makes me feel good when I hear it. From the smooth rhythm to the lyrics that make me think about my time on this Earth and how I can't go backwards but only move forward, I just love this song..
It also makes me think about focusing on the beauty that exist in the world and using my time on this Earth to discover as much as I can, because focusing a lifetime on the negative aspects of life is a meaningless existence.
Here is the Corner 10 Blog song of the day..."Hands of Time" by Groove Armada.
I was recently thinking about childhood friends that I grew up with in my hometown of Bakersfield and lost contact with. Some because of going away to different colleges, some because of jail or death, and some because they became foes.
I named by business 'Corner 10' because that street helped to mold me into who I am today...and so did the people who shared that street and neighborhood with me.
To all my old school friends that I lost touch with over the years simple due to the ways of life, this is dedicated to you...
I was enlightened by a good friend to potential actions that may be taken by our government that I will not go into detail about here, but I do have a link that explains what I mean.
I try to stick to the theme of "motivation and inspiration" on my blog, but sometimes I feel obligated to go outside of that theme to open up my viewers to issues they might not be aware of.
To keep my normal format of posting going, I will tie the song of the day in with this post. Although the song of the day deals with black civil rights and empowerment over oppression, the main theme can be applied to any situation that deals with those in power being challenged by the masses who do not agree with the policies that are being passed or plan on being passed.
With that stated, I present the Corner 10 Blog song of the day, "Fight The Power" by Public Enemy.
Last night I watched the 1972 Jamaican film "The Harder They Come" for the
first time. I must now find the soundtrack and buy it!
I'm ashamed to say that I'm just now getting on Jimmy
Cliff's music...nothing like a great rhythm and meaningful lyrics!
I'm posting a clip from the film where Jimmy Cliff, playing the character of Ivan, is
performing "The Harder They Come" in the recording studio. I love this scene not
just for the music, but for the emotion that Jimmy s showing as he sings. When an artist
expresses such emotion while performing their music, in a way, that emotion passes on to
the listener. I definitely was feeling the song, from the beat to the powerful lyrics, as he
poured his heart and soul into it.
That is the problem with the industry now. Many artist know they are making crap
music and don't put there's heart and soul into their creations...thus what we hear played on
the radio. Not all artist though, there is still a significant group of artist making great music,
you just have to search harder for it now!
Listen to Jimmy Cliff's "The Harder They Come" and feel it! Please feel free to
leave comments.
A few weeks ago I posted this comment on a Stevie Wonder video on youtube:
"I am single now, but this song alone makes me look forward to meeting the woman I will eventually marry just to share a love like this song describes. I love Stevie!"
I received this response and thought it was humorous, yet very insightful:
"When you do find her, sit her down and dedicate this song to her. If it doesn't bring her to tears then she's not for you. This song does something to you that allows anyone to know they're loved. If she looks at you like your crazy then LEAVE HER ALONE!!! lol" -
Listen to "You & I" by Stevie Wonder and think about the one you are with or the one that you see yourself sharing a true love with in your future.
Being a Hip-hop head and producer, I am always researching Hip-hop classics and discovering where samples originated from.
I came across "We Almost Lost Detroit" by Gil Scott-Heron a few nights ago. From the musical arrangement to the message, this is such a brilliant song. You just don't hear music like this being made today.
Some of the Hip-hop artist to sample this great song are Grand Puba - "Come On", Black Star - "Brown Skin Lady", MF Doom's - "Camphor", and most recently, Common - "The People".
Check out the Corner 10 Song of the Day, "We Almost Lost Detroit" by Gil Scott-Heron.
I took a trip from LA back to my hometown of Bakersfield this past weekend. I grabbed a bunch of Hip-hop CDs I haven't heard in a while, one being Exile's "Dirty Science" that was released in 2006. I had forgotten about this one track on the CD titled, "Fly Away", that I loved to death back when I first heard it. Hearing it again this past weekend was no different. If you follow underground LA Hip-hop or underground Hip-hop in general, then you are probably familiar with the emcee featured on the song, Blu. If not then you can check out him out and Exile's cool production style in the clip below. Be sure to look out for future work coming soon from Blu.
Many people discuss the meaning behind "Bird of Beauty", concerning Stevie promoting drug use. After I listened to and read the lyrics, especially the chorus, I believe he is only promoting the expansion of the mind by traveling the world and experiencing new sites throughout life. Take a listen to the song of the day and see what you think Mr. Wonder was trying to get across with 'Bird of Beauty"
