Video: Reflection Eternal, “Ballad of the Black Gold”
These days, BP is putting their money where their mouth is—by apologizing on TV. For some of us, the oil spill luckily hasn’t washed up on a street corner or tampered with our water supply, but the images of BP doing anything about it are saved for the evening news. Leave it to a brave spokesperson like Talib Kweli, to bring the harsh reality home in the video for “Ballad of the Black Gold.” The globally-aware MC steps up to his soap box to sound off on the effect of oil dependency the way he boldly brought other controversial issues to light such as the 41 shots that killed Amadou Diallo. The hood has spoken.
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Video: Mos Def f. Talib Kweli, “History”
These two have quite a bit of “History” together and this song is just a reminder of the majesty that was that Black Star LP. In fact, people probably ask either of them about a reunion on a daily basis, but that’s also not going to stop us from asking here. And by asking, we mean demanding. MAKE ANOTHER BLACK STAR ALBUM NOW PLEASE!
Talib Kweli And J. Period Release The Noisemakers EP
In honor of the latest installment of Peter Rosenberg’s Noisemaker’s series, Brooklyn DJ J. Period had a sleepover at Talib Kweli’s house and recorded this Noisemakers EP. The appetizer package contains “3 Exclusive New Remixes + Freestyles Starring Talib Kweli & Remixed by J.Period.” The actual Noisemaker’s interview will being going down October 21st at the 92Y. The event, for which Rosenberg has hosted such esteemed guests at Raekwon, ?uestlove and Q-tip, is a candid Q&A, usually book-ended by performances. Tickets are available now and the EP is available below.
Download: Talib Kweli And J. Period, The Noisemakers EP
Joi Starr feat. Kanye West “Same Time”
Kanye West dropped the mixtape “The Lost Tapes: Welcome 2 Chicago,” on his blog today, which features unreleased tracks from a variety of folks from Freeway to Natalie Cole, Talib Kweli to John Legend. Some songs feature Ye’s verses, but all are produced by him. Despite all that talent, our favorite is below—a joint with Joi Starr, who traveled with Yeezy on The Glow in the Dark Tour and will be making her own way out into the flashing lights soon enough.
Download: Joi Starr feat. Kanye West “Same Time”
To download the mixtape check out http://www.kanyeuniversecity.com/blog
Suite903 DJ: Ge-ology
Suite903: No.15
Back in the late 80’s under the name “DJ Plainterror”, GE-OLOGY was once the DJ/producer of a four member group “Born Busy” including high school friend, the legendary Tupac Shakur “MC New York”… uniquely cementing him historically as the only producer privileged to record Pac’s very first and earliest recordings. And in the early 90’s he co-founded the infamous “Dooable Arts” with Matt Reid aka “Matt Doo”, through which he first made his mark. Since then he’s become synonymously known for album cover art, T-shirt graphics, magazine illustrations and collaborative mural paintings with his fellow Barnstormers crew (a famed artist collective created by Davd Ellis aka SKWERM), as much as he’s known for producing tracks with the likes of Mos Def, Vinia Mojica, Talib Kweli, Sadat X, Pharoahe Monch, Jem, Mystic or his remixes for Pete Rock & Grand Agent. Boasting international acclaim, one of his most recognized paintings is the Rawkus classic “Body Rock” cover featuring Mos Def, Q-Tip and Tash from Tha Alkaholiks (featured in Andrew Emery’s “The Book of Hip Hop Cover Art” and listed at #3 in “EgoTrip’s Book of Rap List” 25 Great EP, 12″ & CD Single Covers section).
But to truly understand GE-OLOGY, one must not underestimate his influence, depth and versatility. Embracing the sacred principles and wisdom of great masters yet challenging convention with youthful rebellion, GE-OLOGY’s instinctual balance is somewhat of an anomaly in today’s clone driven mass-produced digitized society. His recognizable identity through sound, vision and consistency hasn’t gone unnoticed, thus resulting in a steady stream of exposure in numerous magazines such as XLR8R, The Fader, Frank 151, Style and Urb; cable network staple MTV News “You Hear It First”; and creative involvement in projects with international corporate giants such as Sweden’s Hennes & Mauritz (H&M stores) and the prestigious French cognac maker Hennessy. Though creatively venturing from the street level to infiltrating the creative commercial world, GE-OLOGY has never wavered from keeping his craft responsibly honest to the delight of longtime supporters… always maintaining his creative integrity. As evident in the barrage of fan mail from his international core audience, GE-OLOGY continues to open eyes… and this is only the beginning.
Ge-Ology Myspace
Download: Ge-Ology feat. Yukimi Nagano, “Blues Alley”
Download: Ge-Ology feat. Mos Def, “Superstar”
