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.

Players fondle the innards of a piano; Will.I.am dubs over an Obama speech

A recent NPR story (in true NPR fashion) covered an odd ensemble of musicians who are masters of a unique new instrument called the bowed piano. It is basically the stripped-down guts of a piano. They use things like fishing line, Popsicle sticks and plumbing tape to play the recently invented instrument.

Simply put, it is a piano with the top taken off and the inside strings manipulated by a group of people.

If you enjoy wacky new instruments, this chamber group is for you. Think the Blueman group turned slightly dull and classical. It is five hundred-times better than a video I watched about musicians playing metal folding chairs by scraping and sliding them across a linoleum floor.

The bowed piano music is eerie and beautiful, sparkling and fantastic. The chamber group is intense and amusing to watch.

Go to the site and read the article for yourself. Especially make sure to watch the video performance and interviews where the bowed piano is demonstrated and some of the tricks of the trade showcased.

NPR story on bowed piano

Next to discuss is Will.I.am’s latest song featuring the smooth John Legend, the beautiful Scarlett Johansson, the vegan rapper Common, that girl from CSI and a cluster-fuck of other celebrities echoed and dubbed over a Barack Obama speech.

The song is called “Yes We Can”.

Politics set aside, Obama’s speech is eloquent. His words play out like lyrics and are a natural fit to music; a mix between brilliant speech writing by Honest Abe (“Four score and seven years ago…”) and a jangly call for change by Bob Dylan (“This is the story of the Hurricane”).

The music is hokey, but highly entertaining. The production was done quickly, but is surprisingly professional and flawless. The Cooing and singing of celebrities intermingling with Obama’s speech can give a small migraine at times, but the dubbing process is overall something to be marveled at.

The video was directed be Jesse Dylan, the son who will always live under his father’s shadow (if you do not know who his father is, a clue can be found in my blog about Soy Bomb). Jesse Dylan is also the man who directed American Wedding.

Go ahead, see for yourself. The bellow link goes to a news story about the song, with interviews of Will.I.am and Jess Dylan. There is also clips of the music video and lyrics/words to the side.

YouTube video of news story