Beats, Rhymes, and Life

I just finished the doc Beats, Rhymes, and Life which profiles on of my favorite hip hop groups A Tribe Called Quest. This movie is directed and produced by Michael Rapaport a fine actor and New Yorker who has stared in Higher Learning, Friends as Phoebe’s cop boyfriend Gary and my favorite Beautiful Girls. I have loved hip hop since I was in elementary school. It was in 5th grade when I was first introduced to “Explicit Content” rap. I would buy any tape (a tape was a music album that followed A-track and preceded CD ‘s for anyone under 30 reading this) with a black label on it. My collection consisted of anything N.W.A , Geto Boyz, and Ice T but I didn’t discriminate there I also listened to Kid n Play, M.C. Hammer, and Run DMC. So I became a certified hip hop fan and by high school was searching any used record store (a record store was a store that sold music tapes , records, and cd’s for anyone under 30 reading this) for underground hip hop music. I have discovered a lot of fabulous music and I am happy to present to you my All Time Top 10 Hip Hop Albums

#10 Murs and Ninth Wonder: Murray’s Revenge

Murs name means "Making Underground Raw Shit,” which should tell you all you need to know about this MC. His brand of music is just fun, catchy, hip hop. Think driving on the PCH on a summer day with the top down. You could blast this and wouldn’t be considered an obnoxious douche. The song L.A. is perfect for this kind of leisurely drive.

#9: Pharoahe Monch: Desire

Pharoahe Monch has been a mainstay in the Lyricist Lounge and Soundbombing Compilations. He was originally a member of the group Organized Konfusion and went solo when he signed with Rawkus Records. He is a unique dude and worth researching on the internet. His best work is his second album Desire and the title track sets the precedent for the whole album

#8 The Roots: Things Fall Apart

Similar to Common I have to bring down this group a peg or two because they sold out on me by becoming Jimmy Fallon’s late night shows house band. But they still are a innovative hip hop group. They are one of the few hip hop bands that uses a full band in their music. They also have two members who act as human turn tables, Scratch and Rahzel. Famed music produce Scott Storch (Brittany Spears , Justin Timberlake) got his start with the Roots. I recommend any early album by The Roots. Things Fall Apart his my favorite and features the track You Got Me featuring Erykah Badu

#7 Common: Like Water for Chocolate

Let me first just say that Common is my all time favorite hip hop artist. I celebrate his whole catalog. I m putting him number seven because he has gone Hollywood on me and I just have to dock him a few points. Before he dated Serena Williams, became a Gap spokesman, and starred in television shows and movies (Check out Hell On Wheels on AMC, my new favorite show starring Common), he was making pure hip hop. It was hard to pick this album or One Day It Will All Make Sense as my favorite album but I m going to go with this one because it has three classic Common songs. The Sixth Sense, The Light, and Thelonious. I have had the privilege of seeing Common in concert along with all five of the Marley brothers. Its hard to see rap live sometimes but Common was phenomenal.

#6 Danger Mouse and Jemini the gifted one: Ghetto Pop Life

Before Danger Mouse became part of Gnarls Barkley he produced this album from the mc Jemini. I remember picking this album out in Borders because I thought the album art was cool. I was not disappointed. I love each and every song on this album. Its hard to find Jemini’s other albums on the internet. This is the only full album offered on ITUNES. Check out the track Don’t Do Drugs.

#5: Jedi Mind Tricks: Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell

I m not exactly sure how to describe Jedi Mind Tricks. They are hardcore, horror-core, with extremely violent lyrics rapping about anything from Islamic terrorism to the Vietnam War. They mix hard and catchy beats with very complex lyrics to form a unique brand of hip hop that I have never heard from anyone else. They have numerous albums always staying true to there sound. It was hard to pick a favorite album but Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell has two of my favorite JMT tracks on it Razorblade Salvation featuring the GZA from the Wu and Uncommon Valor featuring R.A. the Rugged man. Uncommon Valor features an unbelievable verse from R.A. which tells the true story of his fathers history in Vietnam and his death due to Agent Orange.

#4 Digable Planets: Reachin (A New Refutation of Time and Space)

Anyone from the 90's knows the song Rebirth of Slick(Cool like Dat), but the whole album is worth a listen. They were the quintessential jazz hip hop group. This album was my jam in middle school and I play it every time I get nostalgic. Nickel Bags is my favorite tune on the album.

#3 K’Naan: My Life is a Movie

A Somali born rapper, K’Naan having spent his childhood enduring the Somali Civil War (think Black Hawk Down). K’Naan left Somalia at the age of 13. He eventually moved to Toronto and established himself as a important part of the Canadian hip hop Community (no thats not an oxymoron, check out K-OS for some other good Canadian hip hop). This is one of his early albums and features my favorite K’Naan track Voices at the Crossroads which he samples the Tracy Champan song by the same name.

#2 A Tribe Called Quest: The Love Movement

The reason I love this album is because of the large presence of Busta Rhymes. Busta is another case of a rapper gone bad. Before he started collaborating with P-Diddy and Will I. Am , Busta was part of the group Leaders of the New School and unofficially part of A Tribe Called Quest. This album is one of the more mellow and jazzy albums that Tribe released. It is also their last album before they split. The song Steppin it Up is Tribe at its best with guest spots by Busta and Redman

#1 Deltron 3030: Deltron 3030

Besides Common Del the Funky Homosapien has to be by next favorite MC. This collaboration between Del and Dan the Automator is the most far out and creative album I have ever heard. Its a concept album in which Del raps about the world in the world 3030 behind the Automators futuristic beats. The album needs no more explanation, download it, buy it, pirate it, JUST GET IT. I have seen Del in concert and it was one of the best concerts I have ever been to. Favorite song on the album is Things You Can Do.

Side-fact: Del is the cousin of N.W.A founding member and now Hollywood sell out Ice Cube. Cube tried to make Del mainstream with the song MistaDobalina which had some commercial success in the 90’s. The song is NOT a good representation of Del. Soon after that song Del decided to say F it to fame and resumed making pure hip hop.

Songs I dig...ya heard!

Songs I dig...ya heard!

I m a music junkie and I wanted to share some of my favorite tunes with y’all. So maybe once or twice a week I ll post something old or something new from my ECLECTIC music COLLECTION. Enjoy! And remember always pay for music unless your poor then download it for free...

Artist: Handsome Boy Modeling School. I heard of this group years ago when I first started listening to underground hip hop. The group is a collaboration of producers Prince Paul (of De La Soul fame) and Dan the Automator real name Daniel M. Nakamura (Del the Funky Homosapian). They released two albums, White People being my favorite. Their albums are a mix of rappers, rockers, and soul singers singing over beats produced by Handsome Boy Modeling School. Guests have included Cat Power, Hall and Oats, Del the Funky Homosapien, Jamie Cullum, and Jack Johnson.

Song: A Day in the Life/Good Hygiene featuring RZA, Mars Volta, A.G.

This song is one of the top three songs on the album. It combines the unbelievable flow of the RZA and A.G. with the unique voice of Cedric Bixler Zavala from the Mars Volta. You can listen to the song at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHwxwhYHhlE

Enjoy homey

Kids! Stop studying so hard

Kids... Stop Studying So Hard!

I recently read an article on the crackdown of hagwons also known as private tutoring schools in South Korea. After reading the article it is impossible not to draw numerous comparisons to the education system in South Korea with that of Japan. I ve been in Japan a year and a half now and I have thought about the education system here almost on an hourly basis. I don’t want to draw too many generalizations on the education system in Japan because I only have a small sample size to form an opinion on. My experience as a teacher in Japan is with a high performing academic high school where most of the students will attend university. This is why the article resonated with me so much because I see so many similarities between my students and the students referenced in the article.

The synopsis of the article is basically that the police are now enforcing a studying curfew for after school tutoring academies. The academies are not allowed to be open passed 10 pm and therefore students are not allowed to study past 10 pm. South Korea felt this was necessary because of the exorbitant amount of pressure high school students are feeling to pass university examinations. What university you attend in South Korea is strongly correlated with the type of professional success you will have.

(http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2094427,00.html) The same can be said for Japan.

In the states this idea is only partially true. If you attend Harvard, Stanford, or Northwestern most likely you will be a success in your chosen career (what defines success...money in this case) However students who attend the average state school, start at community college , or take another alternative path to college graduation can also be successful monetarily. (I think success is measured by happiness and satisfaction with your job but I am also an idealist)

What I see in my school is high stakes testing putting too much pressure on the students and teachers. In the states the argument is over how much a students academic success should be measured my standardized tests. Well in Japan there is no argument , everything is tied to the entrance exams these students take. A typical week for many of my students goes as follows

M-F Saturday

School 730-430 9-12 extra classes

After School Club/Sport 430-630

Commute Home 30 minutes to an hour

Studying 2-3 hours a night

You can make an argument with the exception of Saturday that this is a schedule many U.S. high school students have. But this is the minimum, the majority of the students at my school are pulling more study time. Many students feel that their quality of life is determined by these test. I have never witnessed this kind of pressure in my students in the U.S.

Because of this focus on exams and tests I see a lack of creativity and various learning strategies in the classroom. This is very different than what we are taught as teachers in the U.S. We are taught about differentiated instruction, cooperative learning, and various teaching methods that encourage students to be creative and problem solve. At my school in Japan there is a lot of text book learning, notes on the blackboard and lecture.

There are benefits to both ways of teaching in learning. Japan has some of the highest test scores in the all important subjects of science and math. The work ethic instilled in these students which carries into adulthood is phenomenal. They are much more disciplined than the average U.S. classroom. On the other hand the U.S. education system promotes diverse ways of learning, various teaching methods and learning strategies but you also have a lot of classroom management problems not seen in the Japanese classroom.

The ironic thing about the South Korea article was the statement that SK is trying to adapt educational practices that are more similar to the U.S and the U.S is applauding SK for its education practices and trying to adapt some of their methods. I think we can learn a lot from the Asian educational model and I think it would be advantageous for them to adapt some U.S. educational practices.

“When the dance is over, you stop dancing.”

A great follow-up story to my last post, this article is on the recent election in Zambia. I was really enthralled by this article in particular...

1. The influence of China in Africa

2. The reasons for Zambia's relatively conflict free modern history

3. The new vice president...

Enjoy!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/01/world/africa/zambia-peaceful-after-president-hands-over-power.html?_r=1&ref=africa

Pedro Pires

The other day I was listening to a BBC story (so intellectual I know) about Pedro Pires the newly former president of Cape Verde in Africa. Pires was awarded the 2011 Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership. The prize was awarded in recognition of Pires role in making Cape Verde a "model of democracy, stability and increased prosperity"

(The prize is supposed to be awarded each year to a democratically elected leader who has voluntarily left office.There has been no winner for two years.)

I mention this story because it is too infrequent that we hear a positive story about an African leader. Most people, myself included usually associate Africa with more macabre stories of genocide, civil war, and gruesome sexual assault. The media inundates us with these stories on a daily basis. Usually the backdrop of the story is about some African leader who has directly contributed to the conflict. Bashir, Mugabe, Museveni, the list goes on of African leaders who have held promise at one time only to become the stereotypical African dictator. The Pires story was a stark contrast to the aforementioned leaders. In short, he came to power in 2001 and left in 2011 when his term was up. The Guardian UK sums up Pires achievements by writing Cape Verde, a country of 500,000 off west Africa's coast, achieved middle-income country status in 2007. The World Bank said good governance, sound macroeconomic management, a responsible use of donor support, and the adoption of effective social development policies produced impressive results throughout the archipelago. Growth in real income per capita reached more than 5% during 2005-08, well above the average for sub-Saharan Africa and for small-island states.

As an educator and someone who is very passionate about Africa I am guilty of falling into the trap of educating students on the negative side of Africa...Darfur, The Congo, Mugabe etc. Pires should be an inspiration to myself and others to seek out the positive things coming out of Africa, I believe there are many. Pires can also be an inspiration to the future leaders of African countries. Paul Kagame , president of Rwanda was quoted recently in a Time article as saying "A lot of what happens in Africa has a bearing on the past when the West had a hand in there for decades." While I partially agree with Kagame, it is time to break the cycle of dictatorship and for the other "Pedro Pires" to rise and take control of their countries.

“Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart”

When I look at you while you lay next to me on this rainy day I realize how truly lucky I am to have finally met you. Rumi says that lovers don't finally meet somewhere, they're in each other all along. I cant help but feel that I ve been waiting to meet you my whole life. All my mistakes and experiences, everything that has led me to become the man I am today was so when we finally did meet, I could open up my heart to love. I didn't believe in love before I met you, I thought I was destined to live my life selfishly like Chris. But even he realized that happiness is only real when shared. Sometimes I think if someone asked me what I love about you, I would sound like a generic hallmark card because I could list a thousand things. I love how sometimes you understand me better than I understand myself, how you comfort me when I haven't told you that its needed. I love the feeling of just holding you and kissing your forehead. But I think my answer would simply be I love you for who you are and how you make me feel. Because right now and everyday after that we are perfect for each other.

"Alaska, Alaska? Or city Alaska?"

Chris: No, man. Alaska, Alaska. I'm gonna be all the way out there, all the way fucking out there. Just on my own. You know, no fucking watch, no map, no axe, no nothing. No nothing. Just be out there. Just be out there in it. You know, big mountains, rivers, sky, game. Just be out there in it, you know? In the wild.
Wayne: In the wild. ?
Chris: Just wild!
Wayne: Yeah. What are you doing when we're there? Now you're in the wild, what are we doing?
Chris: You're just living, man. You're just there, in that moment, in that special place and time.

Since I was young I ve been fascinated by Alaska, its vast open space, its isolationism, its over whelming beauty and adventure. It seems like the perfect place to escape to for self reflection I guess its kind of a generic thought, since there have been thousands of lost souls who have traveled to Alaska in order to find truth or themselves. But Alaska I guess is also a metaphor for me. It symbolizes an abstract place where I can go to escape, to be on my ownm and only worry about myself. Human relationships have always been tough because there is a fear of getting hurt , of letting someone into the depths of your soul and mind. Your most secretive thoughts are exposed and your vulnerabilities are revealed. So I think its easier to put up a wall and to only let people in a little bit.

Its no way to live though, to be so selfish as to not let yourself feel love, to not let others be loved by you. Its not fair to friends and family to have them not experience your true self.... "but what is the most painful is to love someone and never find the courage to let the person know how you feel.”