MUSIC

9 Feb

Fela Kuti with British jazz great Johnny Dankworth in 1962. Photograph: PR by The Guardian 'Fela's Special', his debut from from 1960 is included in the compilation 'Highlife on the Move'. (I can really hear how Calypso came from Nigerian highlife music). Long before he became the king of Afrobeat, and one of the most inspirational figures in African culture, Fela Ransome-Kuti was already a recording musician. His early recordings were in the highlife style, the first modern popular music of Ghana and Nigeria. Fela’s Special,...

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9 Feb

‘My Body Full of Stars’: Afrofuturism Project Explores Black Mythocracy Through Essay & Music

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AFROFUTURISTIC, MULTIMEDIA, MUSIC

by Jennifer Sefa-Boakye | OkayAfrica Irish-Nigerian writer and sociologist Emma Dabiri recently reached out to us with a new project she’s been working on about Afrofuturism. The multi-media piece, My Body Full Of Stars, explores the use of Afrofuturist aesthetics in music as a tool for rewriting history and imagining the future. Consisting of an essay by Dabiri and an hour-long mixtape curated by music journalist and producer Ian McQuaid, the project presents a sonic framework that allows for Afrofuturist readings of music from the continent and across...

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9 Feb

At 50, a Hip-Hop Pioneer Still Has Stories to Tell

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MUSIC

(Ricky Walters, better known as the rapper Slick Rick, with his wife, Mandy Aragones, in their Bronx home. In one corner stands a mannequin, decked out in the Slick Rick stage outfit.) by David Gonzalez/The New York Times When Mandy Aragones watches a movie or television show with her husband, Ricky Walters, she is ready for a running commentary. “Anything we watch, he always has another scenario,” she said. “He always finds an alternate ending.” In the 1980s, his ability to spin a tale earned...

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7 Feb

Still From Arrested Development’s “Revolution” from “Do The Right Thing” Soundtrack

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MUSIC

Mixed amongst the band: Wunmi, musician, dancer and designer 3rd from the left, artist Rene Cox, Caron Wheeler, Baba, then me dead center. A.D. was at their height, and there was a big party in Ft. Greene park during the filming of the video. Baba was dropping some sorta science that had us really focused! ...

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6 Feb

U2 on the Tom Snyder Show 06/04/81

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MUSIC

I was there, in an audience of about 100 people. We were thrilled to meet them after the show, and even though the excitement was palpable, we had no idea this band would become one of the major super groups of the century. All we knew was that "I Will Follow" was a Mudd Club favorite! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K_I2SQsIZE ...

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5 Feb