The Race to "Post": Can We Handle Current Business First?

This is an experimental post with some thoughts that are floating around in my mind.


I'm trying to get into my dissertation grind mode.  I frequently find myself in bookstores and online looking for titles that might possibly help me with my endeavors. As I was glancing through my latest search of books, the term "Post Hip Hop" came up.  I turned my head slightly sideways and said, "que?"

Moonwalkin' in the Briar Patch: The Trickster Legacy of Michael Jackson

It is only appropriate that Red Clay Scholar bow down to the best that ever did it. We miss you, Michael.

My parents had all the vinyl, tapes, CDs, and even bootleg (later years, with Invicible) that MJ produced.  My house was a subject in the Jackson kingdom.  Plagued in later years by personal strife that reflected in his lack of music production towards the end of his career, Jackson, unfortunately, got lost in the shuffle...er, moonwalk.While I thoroughly enjoy his talent as an artist, I've always been intrigued by his versatility as an artist and the lessons he invoked with his lyrical content. Besides Br'er Rabbit 'nem, Michael Jackson quite possibly could be one of the best Tricksters that ever did it.  

My *I Got Nominated for the 2010 Black Weblog Awards* Dance

What's up Blog Nation?
I've been nominated for "Best Writing in a Blog" for the 2010 Black Weblog Awards. I've been told to continue to ask for nominations to better my chances of winning.  Please nominate this blog for "Best Writing in a Blog"  HERE:

2010 Black Weblog Awards Nominations

When it is time to vote, please keep me in mind to be worthy of your vote...and I'll keep writing like my dissertation director is mean mugging me from his desk =).

~rnb

Back in the Day... Starts When?: Has Black Music's Purpose Expired?

I never thought I'd be considered old school ("Old Skool") before 30.


During a recent lecture on The Coldest Winter Ever in my African American Literature course I cross-referenced Notorious B.I.G.'s "The Ten Crack Commandments." Overly confident, I expected my students to light up with familiarity of the song and its creator. I got nothin'.


Exasperated (and dumbstruck) by their unknowing, I pulled up a video tribute on Youtube (good ol' You Tube) and hoped they would catch the beat (you know Diddy recycle) and STILL....nothin'. As if reading my thoughts, one of students quickly piped up: "C'mon, Ms. B! That's back in the day!"

Does black music and its agency have an expiration date?

Shake Your Pants, Shawty: Personal Reflections on Black Music Month

I love black music on a daily basis.

I remember Saturday mornings cleaning up and dancing to “Hole in the Wall” with my Paw Paw and turning off the TV and listening to the Old Skool throwback sessions on the radio with my daddy on Saturday nights. Black folk music is synonymous with two things: nostalgia and catharsis. I see myself being most connected to African American music because of the memories and people attached to them.
While I have a deep appreciation for Frankie Beverly and Maze, Cameo, Gap and S.O.S. Bands, Muddy Waters, the Isley Brothers, Stevie Wonder, and the list goes on and on, it is those memories of hearing these songs with my family or listening to this music through a dark moment in my life that makes them so invaluable.

Didn't Even Scrape the Bottom of the Goodie Bag!: Review of VH1 Hip Hop Honors: The Dirty South

Just finished watching the VH1 Hip Hop Honors: The Dirty South. While some of the tributes took me back to those great ride-or-die days as a Down South Georgia Girl, VH1 missed the mark. Instead of using this show as a venue to show the depth and appreciation for the richness and tenacity of the southern rap experience, the show presented southern Hip Hop like the South didn’t get dirty until 2000-ish.