Back in 1991 on the strength of the cut “The Creator”, and the fact that I listened to Pete Rock every friday night cutting it up on the Marley Marl In Control Show, I bought All Souled Out- by Pete Rock and CL Smooth. This was the first “EP” I had ever bought/ heard of. It had six (really 5 plus a remix) songs on it, of which three were dope to me. The title track, The Creator, and …..Mecca and the Soul Brother…..A track which in my mind remains one of the most underrated hip hop songs ever made. Ironically this title what they chose to name their Debut LP without the song.(A great disappointment to me when I bought the LP) . I never understood why it was not included in the LP, or why they did a much simpler ‘remix’ version for a video. If I ever meet Pete I will have to ask him. Let me explain why this track is so dope to me.
Pete and CL were quite young at this time. Early 20s I believe, yet the production in this track is so complex its ridiculous. This is the first time we catch a whiff of those infamous “Pete Rock Horns”, and they come in and out and get intermittently chopped up and layered throughout the track, almost like they are being orchestrated. The bass lines throughout the song are equally ridiculous and complex. Overall, the only Pete Rock track in my mind which comes close in terms of its arrangement is T.R.O.Y. I would listen to this track 10 15 times a day, totally mystified and in awe of the sonic static filled pleasure. In retrospect i appreciate that Mecca aand the Soul Brother is a legal nightmare and this still of production had to transform, but my goodness, for that time, this track is unparalleled in dopeness some come close but none top it.
Then there are the lyrics. AAAAH the lyrics. CL Smooth remains a very unique emcee in NYC history, he sounds like noone before him and noone could emulate his laid back smooth calm flow. Granted, his content often seemed nonsensical it all still made sense or he spit it so well you swore he had some deeper meaning to some of those lines. All you want to do is rhyme along with him. That’s when you realize you are facing an uphill battle. The rhyme starts simply “OK you wanna act trife and flip the script/ with your wonderama…:”then you lose it. you try to keep up but you can’t and then towards the end of the 1st verse he says …”when I turn your brain into moo goo gai pan….” you then fall on the floor grab your ears in disbelief and go WHO DOES THAT!?!?!?!?!?! THAT IS SO ILLL!!!!! he just turned my brain into a chinese pancake. The songs goes on another five minutes chock full of metaphors similes and references you wish you could have come up with. FInally after a couple weeks you get the lyrics down and realize you will never have the breath control to spit them as calm and cooly as corey lover smooth can. I count this song as one of my greatest influences in hip hop. It help set the standard for the sound which I love, and CL challenged me to increase my skills on the mic. I can still feel my head bobbing listening as Pete scratches his way thru the outro at the end. Thank you Pete Rock and CL smooth for your contributions to hip hop.
It’s been a long time….
I shouldn’t left you… Without a mephstaddox blog to step to….
Sorry fam, I am a busy man. There is so much I want to share but by 9pm when I have free time my brain is sucked dry. I think I may be getting burnt out. Oh well so be it.
But I shouldn’t be that way either. Being burnt out is a trick of the devil. It keeps you from being sold out. For Christ that is. It convinces you that you do more than enough. You do more than anyone expects you to do. You should take a break, relax, pat yourself on the back, get paid more, get more respect etc… but shai linne said it best, quoting Apostle paul, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory/of Yahweh sovereign over all territory…” peep track here http://youtu.be/M-XgLSGRzaM
So forgive me whoever you are that reads my blog. I will be more prolific and share my mind with you. And I’ll stop whining and wallowing in self pity.
For a good while now, because of some really bad religious experiences and poor examples of good religion, our culture has openly rejected the idea of “religion.” Openly religious people and their organizations have done terrible things to people and society has responded by saying “keep…
Directed by: Wes Pendleton for Pen Creative (@PenCreative215)
This will be a classic. And I MEAN that.
Native Lungs by Braille
I told myself one day I would review albums on my blog. The day I have been waiting for is here. It would have been sooner but a blackout got in the way. Forgive me.
Anyways let me give yall some background. In 2006 I started emailing my favorite emcees. Why? cuz I knew a little about the business and I knew most emcees I liked, in particular Christian Hip Hop emcees, could barely fill a library if you were to count all their fans. Being a seasoned hiphop head, I took it upon myself to email some of them to encourage them. I won’t name names of the other cats I emailed, ironically some of them would be perceived as evangelists by most folks. Yet none of them wrote me back. The only one who wrote me back was Braille. And I greatly appreciated that. Not that I was offended by the other artists who didn’t write me. I know they are men just like me caught up in the daily grind, but I was impressed by how personable Mr Winchester was. Even though I was in Brooklyn and he was in Portland he was very thankful for my support. I’ve had a few interactions with him since then. All just as warm as the initial. And for that I thoroughly respect him as a man not just an artist.
People have the Christian walk twisted. God’s favor does not have anything to do with your surroundings or the events of your life. It has everything to do with your response to them. Since I became a Braille fan, his Dad died, marriage collapsed, he became a single father (now thankfully remarried), etc…. But one thing is evident through his ups and downs. He grows. The Holy Spirit strengthens His grip on Braille and refines him. You can tell it in the progression of his lyrical content over the years. From young Godly Hip Hopper, to a man focus more and more on God’s Will in his life. Even though he is younger than me, I admire his wisdom and thirst for more of God’s presence.
That brings us to Native Lungs his latest LP.
Face it, by this point in a rapper’s career, they have had at least one wack album, and if they are lucky one magnum opus, and the rest of their work is somewhere in between. I can’t think of an emcee or rap act that has achieved what Braille has in his seven albums, each one improves lyrically as well as musically. Native Lungs is a sonic masterpiece chock full of boombaptastical beautiful loveliness. My man Steve Patton loves Too Many Tomorrows produced by Calvin Valentine. My personal fave is Death in Me produced by DaveNotti and featuring Theory Hazit and odd thomas. It is a certified banger, golden era worthy beat for the new millenium. There is little if any filler on this album. even the track Braille produced himself “We Will Remember”(often a fatal error for emcees) is solid. This album is a must have for any serious hip hop fan, and casual listener. Even a track like “Spell It Out” produced by DJ Official which comes off like a party dance track is laden with dope lyrical wordplay. For you old heads “Nightmare Walking” digs back to the late 80’s for the title loop (Ice T- Colors) and the beat by Trox will get you pop-locking on the dance floor, but the subject matter is sobering, Lust at its ugliest. I could go on about this album and how good it is but if you know what is good for you you will head over to Humblebeast or itunes and cop this album. And while you are there donate to these men’s cause. Creating high quality hip hop infused with God’s Love. In Closing Thank you Mr Winchester for years of great music. I look forward to many more.
Braille is my favorite emcee and here is why
The Greatest Man I Have Ever Met
There once was an usher in my church. He was a quiet guy, but he always had a smile on his face and always greeted you with a hug. I met him personally during a men’s bible study class I was taking a couple years back, his name is Patrick. Off and on I would say hi to him during services. One day I see him and he looks different, He is a dark skin brother but he looked darker almost like he had a tan. So I say “Patrick did you go on vacation? Where did you get that tan?” He then informs me that it is not a tan but a side effect from radiation therapy for cancer. The feeling of one’s foot in one’s mouth is not a good one! But Patrick was a gracious man and explained what was going on. Then I remembered our pastor talking about a young man in church who had cancer and realized they were one and the same person.
One of the downsides of being an MD is that little bit of knowledge that you have about illness that puts you above the average person. I knew when Patrick described to me what type of cancer he had and how it had spread that he was in for a fight. I knew statistically that the odds were against him. As a Christian though I know God is sovereign and will heal the sick as it is according to His Will. Over the next several months I would talk to Patrick off and on and we even prayed for each other once at the altar. He prayed for my marriage with such sincerity that it humbled me greatly. I was deeply touched. Some time after that he relayed to me that some of the cancer had reappeared and that he may have to get treated again. I remained optimistic outwardly for his sake but inside my heart sunk. Most cancers are treatable, but many cancers that return after treatment are not. But he remained smiling and confident.
People get confused about what ‘ministry’ is. Ministry is not a group you join at your church or an office you hold in your church organization.Ministry is your life. It’s not an extracurricular activity you sign up for to build your resume college, or a something you donate money to for tax write offs. It’s you. If you are a Christian,every second of your life reflects Christ whether you want it to or not. There is always someone watching, either to follow your example or to ridicule your shortcomings. The greatest act of ministry I have ever seen in my 35+ years was not a revival meeting, conference, sermon, or concert. It wasn’t anything like that. It happened one sunday at Church when our pastor put a call out for those who were sick to come to the altar for prayer. He had a list of names of people that he specifically wanted to pray for and listed their conditions. Ironically to my surprise Patrick’s name was not on it. By this point his disease was advancing, he was losing weight, and was very feeble. Yet he still was ushering. Dressed in a 3 piece suit no less! During this altar call I look up to the front of the sanctuary and what do I see? Patrick praying for others! Meanwhile he was most likely the sickest person in the room! This image has left an indelible imprint on me and even as I write this I get a little teary eyed.
Patrick’s legacy to me will be that of a man so secure in his faith that the worries of his flesh never stopped him from serving Christ. His desire for Christ superceded everything else. When I feel self pity or stress I reflect on that image of my brother in Christ showing God’s love to others to the very end.If any of us are getting to heaven as far as I am concerned he is at the front of the line. A role model of Christian manhood, service and faithfulness.
In June 2011 shortly after the doctors told him they had no more options for his care, Patrick left this world for the next one. His legacy lives on.
BEFORE YOU READ THIS… Please go check out DaSouth.com’s article “Is Christian Hip Hop Filled With a Bunch Of Clones?”. It is a great article that was inspired impart by a song on my new album “Cold War”, which is available where ever good music is sold.
