Day 38-39: Led Zepplin I (1969) by Led Zepplin, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988) and Fear of a Black Planet (1990) by Public Enemy

Sorry kiddies. I know it's been a while since I wrote, but the last couple days have been hectic for  me. I know, who's life isn't?! Hahaha...nonetheless, it's much harder to keep up with a daily blog when you've been in school and traveling cross two states. But finals are over and I'm settled in beautiful Wyoming, so let's continue with the madness.


But first, a moment a silence for the sorry excuse for a team known as the Lakers...


...


Thank you. And now, here's a picture of breasts.





Sigh...even that didn't cheer me up.


But I'm not gonna discuss the Lakers any further only because it'll piss me off further, and I'm sure everyone has already gone to their blog to vent.  So...that is all I will say...


I do feel, however, that I must discuss the Public Enemy albums. Now, as I've mentioned in the past, I was taking a Hip Hop Culture class this past quarter, but now finals are over. But I seriously can't help but to listen to hip hop much differently than in the past.


I've been hesitant, in particular, with these two albums. I know the hoopla. I know how politically charged they are. I've heard "Fight the Power." And of course...Flavor Flav. 'Nuff said. 


Despite that, I am by no means an expert in Public Enemy. My friend from high school spoke highly of them, but when I bumped a few of their songs a few years back...well...I wasn't impressed. The beats sample heavily from hard rock and metal bands, and the funk samples are distorted to the point where they are no longer funky. Not to mention that there was almost no bass in their jams, and I'm a dude who's first intro to hip hop was G-Funk. Chuck D didn't have the smooth flow that I'm so used to. And, of course...Flavor Flav. 





Hahaha...gotta love the guy. 


I was all about that political agenda in hip hop back in da day. Honestly, I prefer it. But I thought Public Enemy was bland. There sound was almost repetitive and it definitely put more emphasis on lyrics as opposed to beats.


But just like most music that I have in my collection, it begins to grow on you. Or better yet, on me. And fast, too. I seen the rankings of "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back." Lots of magazines say its one of the best hip hop albums ever. But I had to check it out for myself.


And what do you know? They're good. They're really fucking good. I love their lyrics. They're so in your face. They take the mic and slap white America in the face with it. Shit, even Flavor Flav gets in the whole business and gets all militant. Terminator X may sample tons of rock songs, but it suits the themes and mood. Chuck D aint bland, he's just direct with his style. These are some bad, mad bruthas. My professor even went as far as calling "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" the greatest PUNK album of all time. GODDAYAM! They were once even labeled the most dangerous band by Rolling Stone. 


And "Fight the Power?" Maybe the greatest political hip hop song ever. You may have your opinion, but rarely will you ever hear another song that is just a foot up the Man's ass as "Fight the Power." Sure, thank Spike Lee, but this song took on a life of it's own. 


And then there's Zepplin. Hahaha...my boy and I, as we drove to Wyoming, discussed our different tastes in music, and Zepplin came up. Now, some people are fans of the Beatles, some are fans of the Who, and then there are Zepplin fans. I am the latter, although much love to the other bands. If I could ever assemble a group of musicians who had the same brilliant goal, I can only hope that they are as good as Zepplin. Jimmy Page is not the greatest guitarist of all time, nor Robert Plant the best singer. John Paul Jones is funky, but not the funkiest. You can debate whether John Bonham is the best drummer ever, but never a definite. Despite this, this was a group of extremely talented musicians who came out of nowhere. I would even argue that, although arguably not the best, they are at least top 5 in their respective instruments. No doubt.


Anyhow, I will be back tomorrow with a new album. Until, be strong, my bruthas and sistas. Enjoy the World Cup and pray for the Lakers!


Peace, bruthas and sistas.

Day 28 to Day 37: A Night At The Opera (1975) by Queen, Peanut Butter Breaks (1994) by Peanut Butter Wolf, Dr. No's Oxperiment (2007) by Oh No, Rubber Factory (2004) by The Black Keys, Word...Life (1994) by O.C., I Never Loved a Man the Way I Loved You (1967) by Aretha Franklin, 3 Years, 5 Months, and 2 Days in the Life of... (1992) by Arrested Development, The Grey Album (2004) by DangerMouse, Hit The Floor (2005) by Breakestra, Ready to Die (1994) by Notorious B.I.G., Sound of Silver (2007) by LCD Soundsystem, The Low End Theory (1991) by A Tribe Called Quest, Blood Sugar Sex Magic (1991) by Red Hot Chili Peppers, and The Unseen (2000) by Quasimoto

And just for shits and giggle...



Whew...sorry 'bout that. I stepped away from my computer for just a moment and, next thing you know, a full 10 days has passed. Holy shit!


Yeah, it's been a few days since I Iast posted, which is what I didn't want to happen. But you know how life gets, with school coming to an end and me going away for a few months. Things get hectic.


But I didn't stop listening to music. I went through quite a few albums but just haven't had a chance to write anything. As you can see from above, I was able to get more albums than anticipated and even get an oldie in there as well. So here's a rundown.


Day 28-30: A Night At The Opera by Queen
Day 29: Peanut Butter Breaks by Peanut Butter Wolf
Day 30: Dr. No's Oxperiment by Oh No, Rubber Factory by the Black Keys and Word...Life by O.C.
Day 31: I Never Loved A Man The Way I Loved You by Aretha Franklin and 3 Years, 5 Months, and 2 Days in the Life Of... by Arrested Development
Day 31-32: The Grey Album by DangerMouse
Day 32: Hit the Floor by Breakestra
Day 35: Ready to Die by Notorious B.I.G.
Day 36: Sound of Silver by LCD Soundsystem
Day 37:  The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest, Blood Sugar Sex Magic by Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Unseen by Quasimoto


Now that's quite a bit of music. Now, I can't write a lot about these albums in this post, but I would like to mention at least one thing for each one. Think of it as a variety pack. Here goes:


A Night At The Opera: This is for a friend from work who requested I listen to some Queen. This one's for you, Steph.


Peanut Butter Breaks: Got into this through my boy Dom. This is just one of two instrumental albums I heard. If you want laid back, mellow beats, this guy has them.


Dr. No Oxperiment: What did I say? Another instrumental album, but it's cool cuz you can hear some of these beats on other albums like "The Ecstatic" by Mos Def.


Rubber Factory: As with most of our music, I think our tastes shape based on suggestions from friends. My boy Josh from summer camp had a mixtape and I had to steal it. It included this song, so I downloaded the album.


Word...Life: The first song I heard of this album was called "Born 2 Live," introduced to me by my boy Rex. I thought this album was way underground until I realized that the songs that my hip hop professor played in class were off this album.


I Never Loved a Man The Way I Loved You: What can you say about Aretha? "R.E.S.P.E.C.T." is still a dope song after all these years.


3 Years, 5 Months, and 2 Days in the Life of...: Ooooh. One of my favorite hip hop albums. Got a funky jazz going to it.


The Grey Album: I was a bit of a Jay-Z hater before I listened to this album. But when I first got a hold of this, I thought of him differently as a lyricist. He's pretty sick...but I would still choose Nas. Hahaha.


Hit The Floor: This was a random selection for the day. I got this off a package of all Stones Throw Records. Funk band with a new age feel. 


Ready To Die: Once more, what can I say? Nothin but love.


Sound of Silver: Who says white people have no rhythm? This is a sick album with some bouncy electronic beats. 


The Low End Theory: Ooh. Another one of my favorite albums. Deep, deep beats with Q-Tip and Phife Dawg at their prime. Funny thing is that I preferred "Midnight Marauders" over this one at first, but it just grew on me. 


Blood Sugar Sex Magic: I actually just finished listening to this album. I used to be the biggest Chili Pepper wanna be. Me and my boy Philip almost became a Chili Peppers cover band.


The Unseen: This is all about the voice. His voice is tune a pitch or two and it sounds pretty dope. As a matter of fact, maybe even better than his normal voice.


Whoo...that was good. Anyhow, I think that'll be all for tonight. See you next time!


Peace, bruthas and sistas.