Monday, April 27, 2009

Mash-Up: N.W.A and Bob Dylan

I heard Bob Dylan had a bad set 2yrs ago at ACL. 
Ice Cube is an actor. 
Dr. Dre did some work with Eminem. 
What's 'Brass Monkey' cause both N.W.A. and Beastie Boys reference it?
[edit: I'm going to assume it's the drink or the colloquial expression, and not the English folk band. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brass_Monkey ]
Bob Dylan sang about F. Scott Fitzgerald. How American! 
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N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton

I listened to the first two songs and had to adjust to something that was AutoTuned. And then "Fuck tha Police" played; and I laughed. It's amazing how much rap has changed in 20 years. I've not heard a song that even comes close to touching the subject matter. Well, not on the radio. There is actually a very cool movement going on, more youngsters are going back to the origins of hip-hop/rap. While underground rap as always been in production, it's just now making a resurgence thanks to the internet and blogs. 

So while I'm writing this post I'm looking at music videos. And since I don't watch TV anymore, I'm finding I am behind a good year or two. What I remember watching was scantily (if even) clothed women (for lack of a better term) shaking and rolling around. I looked up an NWA video [Express Yourself] and while their lyrics may speak about women in a less-than-appreciative way, the visual aspects are striking. 

1) The video shows slaves working in the field, and a white man on a horse comes up and whips one of them. Then we time travel to a banner with the words "I have a Dream." Then we time travel again when the band breaks thru the banner and starts walking down the street - enter a white policeman on a horse. 

2) I can't ever recall seeing a video like that on MTV or VH1. 

I'm at a strictly preliminary level with this album. But I like it. It's something I could stand listening to in the car. 

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Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited

I have the entire Dylan collection on my iTunes. A friend gave it to me. Aside from a few songs, this is the only actual time I've listened to Dylan with purpose. And I have to say....I get antsy listening to him. To be able to listen thru a song, I have to be doing something else. I can't get past the .... grating. 

I'm sure the lyrics and their meaning are great. I know a lot of great and intelligent people that love Dylan, so I assume he's profound on all sorts of levels. Not to mention how much of a cultural icon he is. 

Dylan is going to be tedious for me to get thru. I like his genre of music...but he gives me a headache. 

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N.W.A.- Straight Outta Compton: Express Yourself

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFK3pkb9uKY

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