new track available for download at http://www.johnforte.com/.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
john forte: play my cards for me
new track available for download at http://www.johnforte.com/.
we had him

Without notice, our dear love can escape our doting embrace. Sing our songs among the stars and walk our dances across the face of the moon.
In the instant that Michael is gone, we know nothing. No clocks can tell time. No oceans can rush our tides with the abrupt absence of our treasure.
Though we are many, each of us is achingly alone, piercingly alone.
Only when we confess our confusion can we remember that he was a gift to us and we did have him.
He came to us from the creator, trailing creativity in abundance.
Despite the anguish, his life was sheathed in mother love, family love, and survived and did more than that.
He thrived with passion and compassion, humor and style. We had him whether we know who he was or did not know, he was ours and we were his.
We had him, beautiful, delighting our eyes.
His hat, aslant over his brow, and took a pose on his toes for all of us.
And we laughed and stomped our feet for him.
We were enchanted with his passion because he held nothing. He gave us all he had been given.
Today in Tokyo, beneath the Eiffel Tower, in Ghana's Black Star Square.
In Johannesburg and Pittsburgh, in Birmingham, Alabama, and Birmingham, England
We are missing Michael.
But we do know we had him, and we are the world.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
BLACKsummers'night

um...guess what finally drops today?

Thursday, July 2, 2009
michael jackson: in memoriam

"Rest in Peace big brother.. you were far from perfect but you were a force to be reckoned with and you influenced my life personally so much when I was growing up that I can't deny your power and your magic..."
brother.son.father.friend.
genius.icon.
unforgettable.
he wanted to heal the world, but was in a constant struggle with self.
i hope his soul is finally at peace.

Friday, June 26, 2009
michael jackson
--michael joseph jackson

it's taken me ages to post this. i have been in denial since the news of michael jackson's illness came in last night. writing down the date of his death means accepting that he is gone. i keep expecting to wake up and realize this has not really happened. this morning, when i told my sister the news, she paused...was silent...and said 'it's funny, ever since i can remember knowing about death, i always wondered where and how old we'd be when michael jackson died.'
it was the unthinkable, then. he was invincible. he was so much an integral thread in the fabric of our young lives. he is the first music most of us remember hearing, loving, and learning.
for many of my generation, we all have a memory associated with a michael jackson song or album. 'thriller' is the first album i remember my sisters and i owning (and by 'owning' i mean, 'jacked from my parents') and i have distinct memories of weekends spent at our friend's flat down the hall, listening to it on her parents' record player, trying to learn words (most of which we made up), and gazing dreamily at this poster:

i don't want to speculate about who he was as a man. i know he was flawed and troubled. i just want to take this moment to give thanks for everything he meant to me, everything he meant to my youth, everything he contributed to the world of music and dance. i want to thank him for the music we danced to, and the music with a message we will never forget. to thank him for fearlessly thinking and inventing beyond boundaries and borders and becoming truly international. there is no artist who has not felt his influence--whether musically, through choreography, or through showmanship. he has permeated our collective conscious and has left an indelible mark.
i have no choice but to always love and remember him. he was glorious. and i am saddened by the fact that he passed before his comeback tour. it was meant to be his final curtain call, and i know it would've been a true spectacle that would have silenced those who doubted his ability to do what has always come to him so naturally.
i hope you left this world knowing how much you loved, michael.
there will never be another king of pop.

rest in peace.
Monday, June 22, 2009
wale and k'naan: the um rickan dream
Thursday, June 18, 2009
soul food: countdown to maxwell's BLACKsummer'snight
for the next four days, boombox.com is featuring one track a day (including lyrics), from his forthcoming BLACKsummers'night.
the album is out 7/7/09 but will be available for preview on boombox.com on june 26th.
...the countdown begins...
also, check out a clip from the deluxe version of BSN: 5 Days of Black, here.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
youth day: 33 years since Soweto

today marks 33 years since the Soweto uprising, when high school students protested against Apartheid and Bantu Education. police responded to the protests with tear gas and bullets, killing hundreds in the process. today, we remember and honor those who risked and lost their lives fighting against injustice.
Monday, June 15, 2009
when i get older, i will be stronger
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
soul food: maxwell--bad habits

Tuesday, June 9, 2009
soul food: the ecstatic
mos def's the ecstatic.

i truly haven't loved anything of his, comprehensively, as i did black on both sides, but i have high hopes for this one!
















