It was a grave mistake and I am sorry; I did not put Talib Kweli on my list of best rappers

* This post was started on April 16. I have decided to publish it as is. Enjoy.

Talib Kweli should have been number one on my list of best rappers.

A recap of the list I made quite a few posts ago had Nas, Big Boi, Tupac, Bob Dylan, Grand Master Flash, the Wutang Clan, Sage Francis and the Fugees as kings of the hip-hop genre.

Kweli’s lyrical skills are unmatched. When you combine him with other artists like KRS-1, Common, Kanye West (like was done on his latest album), you have a force to be reckoned with. Not t mention, the tastefully done gospel choir on his single, “Hostile Gospel Pt. II.” The music video has a wailing church choir on a beach and Kweli somehow looking badass riding on the back of a scooter in Africa.

I also have an older album with both Kweli and Mos Def and it is oozing with clever, politically charged lyrics. It fills your brain to the brim with knowledge and spills out your ears as you nod your head to the beat. My favorite song is actually one about sex. And unlike 50 Cent’s “Candy Shop” or Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop” — it is actually good.

I could go on for ages. Just go listen to him.

Ongakuga keko edu (That may or may not mean something)

So, this has been quite a long hiatus. Part of the time I have been in Japan; part of it has been spent laying around being lazy.

I now write for “The Alligator” doing mostly music related stories. My last published story was a local album review on The Early Twenties. I hope to do more local albums reviews in the future.

The Early Twenties review

A story about Glypher — the man behind Gainesvillebands.com

A series of reviews that was published while I was in Japan

I like listening to rap while writing stories. I imagine it looking funnier than it probably does. I make playlists based on what I think will go well with my keyboard tapping and then wonder how it effects my writing — if at all.

Lately, I have been working on a story about experimental music and an organization trying to gather experimental musicians in Gainesville. It has been a leisurely pursuit with a far off deadline.

I listened to a lot of Japanese music while out of the States. I find that most genres in Japan seem to be tainted by the corny earnestness of pop music. Permed and straightened hair, bland cliche beats catered to every type of song, voices that fluctuate at the exact right moment, etc. Just the way the culture views music seems different. In Japan, you can rent CDs like movies. I see the industry there as attention defect, with the market moving quickly and the devotion of the audience fleeting. It is amusing to see covers of American songs translated into Japanese.

I sang in a  karaoke booth. I had watched my family before, but had never participated. “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles and some Talking Heads songs were among the selections. My uncle sang some hair metal band he remembered from his youth. My mother and him sang a pretty duet together. My little cousin sang his favorite theme songs from cartoons and children’s television shows. I drank melon soda out of a tiny cup and my youngest cousin attempted to stick his hand in it to grab ice. The microphone tended to exaggerate lows and highs, making my mother sound like Barry Manilowe at times and like Alvin the chipmunk at others. It had a lot of reverb on it to mask any bad voice, but to me that tended to make it worse. I was never a karaoke person, but I guess I can say I have done it now — in the true form before it was popularized, butchered and repackaged in the States.

Back in Gainesville: one bandmate has left and one has returned. I hope my band takes off in some respect. I just want to play shows again. I am thinking that this will happen in the fall, when everyone is conveniently here and less flighty.

And those are my musical shenanigans. Later, I will write about some new artists I have found along the way.