SAMPLE SUNDAY----EPISODE 6

EVEN THOUGH MY MIND IS A LITTLE CLUTTERED AT THE MOMENT, I'M STILL GOING TO BRING YOU TODAY'S INSTALLMENT OF SAMPLE SUNDAY, HOPING IT CAN CLEAR MY VISION.  ONE THING ABOUT MY TRUE LOVE AFFAIR WITH HIP HOP IS THAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO SEE THROUGH THE FACADE OF CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THE MUSIC TO SEE THE TRUE ARTISTRY.  HIP HOP HAS RUN AMOK AT TIMES, BUT ULTIMATELY IT HAS NOT FORSAKEN ME, UNLIKE MOST PEOPLE THAT ARE A PART OF MY LIFE.  OK, TIME TO JUMP OFF THE SOAPBOX AND GET TO THE BUSINESS AT HAND:  THE ART OF SAMPLING.

I HAD TO FIND SOMETHING THAT STRUCK A NERVE WITH ME FROM AN EMOTIONAL AND AURAL STANDPOINT.  NOTHING BETTER COMES TO MIND THAN THIS SONG FROM ONE OF MY FAVORITE DUOS EVER, MOS DEF AND TALIB KWELI, BETTER KNOWN TO MOST AS BLACK STAR.  THE NUGGET IN QUESTION ACTUALLY FEATURES TALIB KWELI AND VINIA MOJICA, WITH MOS DEF PROVIDING THE AD LIBS AND BACKGROUND VOCALS.  "K.O.S. (DETERMINATION)" IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE TRACKS FROM A CLASSIC ALBUM, MAINLY BECAUSE TALIB ARTICULATED AN INTELLIGENT PERSPECTIVE ON THE M-I-C DURING HIS FOUR MINUTES AND THIRTY-EIGHT SECONDS.  FOR THOSE THAT DON'T REMEMBER OR KNOW THIS SONG, HERE IT IS FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE:



PRODUCED BY HI-TEK, THIS SONG SERVED AS A PRECURSOR TO GREAT MUSIC FROM REFLECTION ETERNAL.  HI-TEK USED BRILLIANT ELEMENTS FROM A 1970'S SONG ENTITLED "BABY, THIS LOVE I HAVE", FROM THE INCOMPARABLE MINNIE RIPPERTON.

"BABY, THIS LOVE I HAVE" IS A SONG FROM THE 1975 ALBUM ADVENTURES IN PARADISE, WHICH ALSO INCLUDED THE VERY SENSUAL "INSIDE MY LOVE".  VINIA MOJICA PROVIDED THE HI-TEK TRACK WITH HER OWN SIGNATURE TAKE ON THE VOCAL STYLINGS OF MS. MINNIE.  THE ORIGINAL SONG FROM MINNIE RIPPERTON ACTUALLY SERVES AS THE INTERPOLATION TEMPLATE FOR THE BLACK STAR SONG.  THE BLACK STAR TRACK IS A REPLAYED VERSION OF THE ORIGINAL, AND YOU CAN FEEL THE LIVE ENERGY RADIATING FROM THE TRACK.  LISTEN...



ALL IN ALL, THESE TWO SONGS BRING A WARMTH AND EMOTION THAT YOU DON'T NORMALLY FIND IN MUSIC, EITHER FROM AN R&B OR HIP HOP PERSPECTIVE.  I LISTENED TO "K.O.S." (WHICH STANDS FOR KNOWLEDGE OF SELF, FOR THOSE NOT IN THE KNOW) EARLIER TODAY IN ORDER TO CALM THE SAVAGE BEAST, SO TO SPEAK, AND IT DID IT'S DUTY WONDERFULLY.  I'M GRATEFUL THAT WE, AS LISTENERS AND CONSUMERS, WERE BLESSED BY MINNIE RIPPERTON'S PRESENCE FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.  HER LIGHT WAS BRIGHT DURING HER TOO-SHORT EXISTENCE ON PLANET EARTH, AND I PAY HOMAGE TO HER ANGELIC VOCALS.  I ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE INFLUENCE THAT TALIB KWELI (AS WELL AS MOS DEF AND HI-TEK) HAVE BEEN FOR THE BETTER PART OF A DECADE NOW.  THEY ARE THE PURVEYORS OF A BYGONE ERA IN HIP HOP WHEN LYRICAL PROMINENCE AND SONIC EXCELLENCE WERE TWO PEAS IN A MUSICAL POD.  TODAY WE GET SOME "SO-CALLED MUSIC" RESONATING FROM IPODS.  I AM ONE TO APPRECIATE THE NUANCES OF HIP HOP PRODUCTION AND LYRICISM, AND THE BLACK STAR SONG PROVIDES A HAPPY MARRIAGE, SOMETHING SURELY MISSING (MUSICALLY AND OTHERWISE).  MAYBE WE CAN ALL TAKE QUEUES FROM K.O.S. (DETERMINATION) AND APPRECIATE WHAT A HAPPY "SONIC MARRIAGE" CAN BE, AND APPLY THOSE PRINCIPLES TO EVERYDAY LIFE.  "KNOWLEDGE OF SELF...DETERMINATION"!



HERE'S TO A SONIC AND LYRICAL MARRIAGE MADE IN HIP HOP HEAVEN!!!

ONE LOVE, MANY SOUNDS...

                                                                      ----WISDOM