Produced by:
KBOO
Program::
Air date:
Thu, 03/24/2016 - 8:00pm to 10:00pm
Observing the inspirations...
And... of course we got some more sudden news (which is turning to be a record of sorts lately). The hip hop world lost a major figure a couple of days ago- Malik Taylor, better known as Phife Dawg, 1/4th of the nucleus of A Tribe Called Quest (along with Jarobi White, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Kamaal Fareed (or Q-Tip)). He's rarely (if ever) on the top ten lists of best emcees; and yet he is consistently quoted year after year, putting some of the most memorable lines ever on wax. Groups like ATCQ and De La Soul for us were a constant, amidst the ever-rising rates of apathy and materialism in rap music. Were they perfect? Nope, but they always presented a balance which is severely missing in hip hop today.
One of the best things about ATCQ is the fact that they were able to bridge not only generations, but genres. Maurice White (whose transition we are STILL processing) noted that hip hop was an evolution of jazz; and Phife and crew made that known, as their rhimes (pun intended) wrapped around the horns and pianos. They were even able to have folks such as Ron Carter guest on their albums. Ali's findings and Q-Tip and Dilla's productions created soundscapes- dispelling the myth that hip hop is lazy, 'because they don't know how to play instruments.' The best producers have honed their craft, and many can actually play several instruments, and write music. Drummer Ahmir Thompson (more famously known as ?uestlove) spoke to ATCQ as being one of the main inspirations for what he does.
This evening we are going to focus on what inspired Phife and his brothers in the Tribe, in the Zulu Nation, in the Native Tongues- the heartbeat of what they did- Jazz. Just as we tend to do, there will be a lot of jazz, with some other sweets in between. We will also be speaking with Jared Ball of iMiXWHATiLiKE!, about the impact of ATCQ, musically and socio-politically.
One of the best things about ATCQ is the fact that they were able to bridge not only generations, but genres. Maurice White (whose transition we are STILL processing) noted that hip hop was an evolution of jazz; and Phife and crew made that known, as their rhimes (pun intended) wrapped around the horns and pianos. They were even able to have folks such as Ron Carter guest on their albums. Ali's findings and Q-Tip and Dilla's productions created soundscapes- dispelling the myth that hip hop is lazy, 'because they don't know how to play instruments.' The best producers have honed their craft, and many can actually play several instruments, and write music. Drummer Ahmir Thompson (more famously known as ?uestlove) spoke to ATCQ as being one of the main inspirations for what he does.
This evening we are going to focus on what inspired Phife and his brothers in the Tribe, in the Zulu Nation, in the Native Tongues- the heartbeat of what they did- Jazz. Just as we tend to do, there will be a lot of jazz, with some other sweets in between. We will also be speaking with Jared Ball of iMiXWHATiLiKE!, about the impact of ATCQ, musically and socio-politically.