West Indies = Hip-Hop

Just had a thought while I was in the shower.  So many influential people in hip-hop come from the Caribbean or are of West Indian descent!  It’s actually quite amazing.

• DJ Kool Herc (the father of hip-hop) - Jamaica
• Notorious B.I.G. (a legend with no need for introduction) - Jamaica
• Busta Rhymes (a bridge between the old school and the new school) - Jamaica
• Kardinal Offishall (Canada’s hip-hop ambassador) - Jamaica
• K-Os (Canada’s genre-clash king) - Trinidad & Tobago
• Wyclef Jean (the ambassador of world music) - Haiti
• Calle 13 (Latin America’s hip-hop champions) - Puerto Rico
• Pitbull (Miami’s finest talent waster) - Cuba
• Phife Dawg (backpack rap pioneer) - Trinidad & Tobago
• Pete Rock (legendary DJ) - Jamaica
• Afrika Bambaataa (founder of the Universal Zulu Nation) - Mixed(?)
• DJ Red Alert (pioneer hip-hop manager) - Antigua
• Grandmaster Flash (first hip-hop Rock & Roll Hall of Famer) - Barbados
• KRS-One (hip-hop knowledge kicker) - Jamaica
• Doug E. Fresh (beatbox champ) - Barbados

Bottom line: You don’t want it with us!

My Dream Backing Band

Primarily:

• Drums 1 - ?uestlove (The Roots)
• Drums 2 - Travis Barker
• Piano - John Legend
• Keys - Pharrell (The Neptunes)
• Wurlitzer/Vocals - Norah Jones
• Rhythm Guitar/Vocals - Wyclef Jean
• Lead Guitar -  Captain Kirk (The Roots)
• Bass - Jerry Wonder
• Turntables - DJ Jazzy Jeff
• Hypeman - Mos Def

Alternatively:

• Piano - Sergio Mendes
• Keys - Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley)
• Lead Guitar - Carlos Santana
• Turntables - DJ K-Sly
• Cowbell - Mark Ronson
• Anything Else - Visitante (Calle 13)
• Hypeman - Common

Or Even:

• Piano/Vocals - Alicia Keys
• Keys - Chris Martin (Coldplay)
• Vocals - Jill Scott
• Saxophone - Chad Hugo (The Neptunes)
• Turntables - Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest)
• Hypeman - Will Smith

I’m big on imagination.

Live Concert Bucket List

So my friends (and others) back in Costa Rica went to the Palmares carnival and got to see Calle 13.  And I’m jealous.  So that got me thinking: “Who else do I need to see live?”

• Calle 13
• Kanye West
• DJ Jazzy Jeff
• John Legend
• K-Os
• The Roots (fat chance though)
• Damian Marley
• Tessanne Chin
• Wyclef Jean
• DJ K-Sly
• Kardinal Offishall
• Mark Ronson
• Nas
• OutKast
• Travis Barker

Feel free to comment and if anyone hears about ANY of these coming to Toronto, you’re now obligated to tell me.

No Hay Nadie Como Tú

Sounds so much better in spanish but the idea comes across just the same in english.  Gracias a Calle 13.

In the world there are people, brutes and the astute, there are virgins and prostitutes, rich people, poor people, middle class, pretty things and a couple tragedies.  There are fat people, middleweights and skinny people, horses, chickens, sheep and cows.  There are many animals with many people, sane people and demented crazy folk.  In the world there are lies and falsities, genuine acts and casualties, there are mentalities horizontal, vertical and diagonal.  Accidental defeats and failures, medals, trophies and World Cups.  In the world there are vitamins and proteins, marijuana, ecstasy and cocaine.  There are trees, branches, leaves and flowers, there are many colourful mountains.  In the world there are divided decisions, entries, exits, debut, dismissals.  There are innocents, homicides, there are many mouths and little food.  There are governments and presidents, there is cold water and hot water.  In the world there are microphones and speakers, there are six billion people.  There are ordinary people and elegant people but…

There’s no one like you.  There’s no one like you my love.  There’s no one like you.

In the world the earth is always moving, there are oxygen tanks and tanks of war.  The sun and the moon give us energy, it sleeps at night and lives in the day.  There are people who fix what they say, there are many people who contradict themselves.  There are carobs and marine algae, there are vegetarians and meat eaters.  There are bitter drinks and sweets, there are sicknesses and medicines.  There are full bags, empty wallets, there are more thieves than police.  There are religions, there is atheism, there is capitalism and communism.  Although we seem, we are not the same because…

There’s no one like you.  There’s no one like you my love.  There’s no one like you.

In the world there exist many great ideas, there are Don Quixotes and Dulcineas.  There’s sex in the shower, sex in the bed, sex without clothes, sex in pyjamas.  There are real things and melodramas, there are mazes and crosswords.  There exist calls that no one answers, there are many questions and few responses.  There are valiant people, fearful people, people that the world doesn’t care at all about.  People who have stopped, people who are seated, people dreaming, people waking up.  There are people who are born, people who are dying, people who hate and people who love.  In this world there are many people but…

There’s no one like you.