Losing Our Rhythm: Broken Hearts & Silenced Voices In 2016

On Feb. 3, 1959, a trio of young rockers—-J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly—-simultaneously lost their lives in a plane crash shortly after take-off. The day became a tragic anniversary in the annals of music history and became known to fans of rock-and-roll as “The Day The Music Died.” For those… Continue reading Losing Our Rhythm: Broken Hearts & Silenced Voices In 2016

A Tribe Called Quest’s “We Got It From Here…..” CD Preview/Review Link

……In comparison to their pedestrian (and likely obligatory) 1998 release, ironically entitled The Love Movement, We Got It crackles with energy and inspiration. Phife’s pitch mellowed with age, but his familiar cadence won’t be denied, matching Q-Tip rhyme for rhyme on the urgent opener, “The Space Program” and rolling into Jamaican patois on the blistering… Continue reading A Tribe Called Quest’s “We Got It From Here…..” CD Preview/Review Link

The Evil, The Fly, The Bizarre & The Basic: An Inventory of 2016

2016, like every year before it, has featured both positive and negative aspects. Some events have been blips that barely moved the needle of conscious thought while others, no matter our differences, have rocked us to our collective cores as individuals and as a society. For many, this election year cycle’s brought forth game-changing candidates:… Continue reading The Evil, The Fly, The Bizarre & The Basic: An Inventory of 2016

Forever On-Point: Malik Taylor, AKA Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest (1970-2016)

…….For hip-hop fans who enjoyed a more cerebral and copasetic approach, A Tribe Called Quest represented a breath of fresh air amongst the more agressive of their ilk. Introduced to the public as an offshoot of the Native Tongues movement (which included The Jungle Brothers, De La Soul, Monie Love and Quee Latifah, to name… Continue reading Forever On-Point: Malik Taylor, AKA Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest (1970-2016)