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.