I’ve been going thru changes, y’all. The followers of The Drizzletron are now privy to my debuggin’ process, which has led me to much less facetime with the screen upon my computer. It appears that, on the road to cyber-savviness mixed with hip-hop’s curriculum of a hustler, we at iLL-Lit have worked strenuously to create music to relax to. A paradox, yesno?
For this Wednesday Word, I would like for you to take a listen to Chocolate Snow, a rather unknown specimen (I wonder why, with such a marketable name?). Especially in today’s press to impress and financial stress, listen to how this track takes spoken word – a form that since slam has found tragedy with music due to its aggressive nature – adds onto the fluid jazz. Much in the tradition of Gil Scott Heron and Jimmy Castor, “Inflation” takes more worrisome issues and siphons the beauty from it. Makes a depression sound uplifting.
the first piece of recorded poetry i ever heard was cassette tape of gil scott. this was back when i still made mixtapes…like real mixtapes. little did i know then (although i probably should’ve guessed) his work would be a reoccurring point of inspiration throughout my writing life…not to be oblique, but “why do they do not see,” it’ll make sense later. thank you, the forthcoming project, I’m New Here, is kinda unreal. in stores next week.
Well, until I can afford enough Neptune ocean diamond to erect a statue in his name, a lil ol’ mention for this week’s Wednesday Word will have to do. Gil Scott-Heron, guys! “Me and the Devil,” off his upcoming album I’m New Here.
Might be a little more appropriate for Wednesday Word, but hey, at the end of the day it all comes down to the word. This week, I had an intimate experience of listening to a hero of mine that I’ve never had the time to fully experience. A musician, a poet, a singer, Gil Scott Heron is one of the few models I have for the vision of the artist I want to become. I am shocked by how closely the humor in my poetry resembles Heron’s even though there is no direct correlation. I had been writing way before I heard “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” but it’s lines like “Roy Wilkins strolling through Watts in a red, black, and green liberation jump suit that he’s been saving for just the proper occasion” that make me wonder if I came up with that in another lifetime. But enough of the egocentricity. The only logical conclusion to this phenomena is the magic of collective consciousness; the belief that all the world withdraws and deposits into a shared bank of knowledge and ideas. Thank you for your deposit, Mr. Heron. I have overdrawn on your brilliance. Time to pay it back. Check out “Whitey on the Moon” (an idea that even my Mom has talked about since I was a child although I’m positive she has no clue who Gil Scott Heron is) and then his soulful “Or Down You Fall” that I’ve included just as a bonus. Withdraw and enjoy!
“Whitey on the Moon”
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“Or Down You Fall”
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