john forte: play my cards for me

john forte's 'style free' EP will be out next week.

from the sounds of his latest single 'play my cards for me', it seems like he's picking up right where he left off seven years ago with 'i, john', a seriously slept-on album. loving the new direction.
new track available for download at http://www.johnforte.com/.

we had him

We Had Him--Maya Angelou

Beloveds, now we know that we know nothing, now that our bright and shining star can slip away from our fingertips like a puff of summer wind.

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.

BLACKsummers'night

um...guess what finally drops today?

*dance of joy*

'fistful of tears' is the track (other than 'pretty wings') that i have instantly fallen in love with.

the rest of the album is classic maxwell. no departure from what he does best. and as usual, he manages to stay classic and current, at the same time.

BLACKsummers'night is definitely worth the seven-year wait.

michael jackson: in memoriam

over the past week, we have been inundated with images of and words about michael jackson. it's expected that the shocking passing of such a loved/loathed/fascinating icon illicits such massive and widespread response. i've chosen to focus on the tributes to the man, the artist, the visionary. here are a few of the heartfelt tributes that touched me the most, over the past week:

jody watley's touching ode to a man and artist she truly loved and admired, in which she shares precious memories of michael, from her childhood years to the moment she'll never forget: "I remember thinking a piece of my own childhood went with you. I will always remember the time I had with you.May your deepest sadness be healed. May your soul now rest peace."

nelson george's piece (via affrodite.net) in which he acknowledges the man's genius and warns against people's attempts to simplify such a complex life:

"To simply brand him a smooth criminal, as some have, or to overlook his tragic nature, as have others, is to deny his humanity."

ian kamau's personal tribute to the little black boy that profoundly influenced his young life:

"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..."

in terms of musical tributes, the awesome High Heels and Hi Tops did all the work for me and has compiled the best musical remixes, covers, and tributes to MJ, here. i'm currently playing JPeriod's 'The Man or The Music' mixtape, constantly, as well as DJ Lioness' tribute mix.

loved.admired.idolized.immortalized.
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.

michael jackson

“If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with.”

--michael joseph jackson

1958-2009

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.

he is my first memory of music videos. he was the definition of cool. he was music. he was dance. he was a consumate entertainer. he was genius. he was a force.



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.

wale and k'naan: the um rickan dream

wale's new mixtape 'back to the feature' was all over the interwebs this weekend. one track jumped off that album and smacked me upside the head: his collaboration with k'naan on 'Um Ricka'.

the track features amadou and miriam and samples fela kuti, and the lyrical flow from both artists is tight and flawless.

hiphop griots spinning yarns of the african experience in the west.

listen and download here:

'um ricka'--wale feat. k'naan, produced by 9th wonder

'back to the feature'--wale

soul food: countdown to maxwell's BLACKsummer'snight

maxwell's having a listening party, y'all.
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.

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.

when i get older, i will be stronger

little girl singing along to k'naan's "wavin' flag"

beautiful and powerful.

soul food: maxwell--bad habits

'bad habits' is the second single from maxwell's BLACKsummers'night.

the lovefest continues.

listen and download here.

(thanks, 2dopeboyz!)

soul food: the ecstatic

mos def is back...and negrita is so ridiculously excited, she's referring to herself in the third person.

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!