Sunday Music: Mos Def And Fat Booty Love

By the time I first heard Mos Def’s Black on Both Sides I was not just deep in Black Star and Mos' many amazing guest spots, but I was a reggae and soul-loving teenager too - steeped in Aretha Franklin and Gregory Isaacs.   It all came together when “Ms. Fat Booty” came on. A love … Continue reading Sunday Music: Mos Def And Fat Booty Love

Del Before Dre (Themes And Trends With Dante Ross)

Del the Funky Homosapien’s first album is called I Wish My Brother George Was Here. The George in the title is (at least indirectly) a reference to George Clinton.* The album itself  is brimming with Parliament samples, and if you figured it came after Dr. Dre’s The Chronic because of it’s sonic similarities, I’d understand … Continue reading Del Before Dre (Themes And Trends With Dante Ross)

Culture Emerges From Creators, Communicators, Collaborators

Culture emerges from: Creators, who come up with ideas,  Communicators, who spread the ideas, and Collaborators, who work with the ideas.  Good and bad alike. Yeah, it ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. As you may have noticed.  Communities contain cultures. They form collections of these ideas. What’s been created, communicated, and collaborated on.  So if … Continue reading Culture Emerges From Creators, Communicators, Collaborators

Show A Little Gratitude (Tracy Chapman Edition)

Tracy Chapman won her first CMA this year. It only took 35 years. And a Luke Combs cover of her song, “Fast Car.” Gratitude.  Grateful for the recognition.  Graceful during the long lags between receiving any.   Tracy Chapman knows a thing (or 35) about gratitude.  In 1988, when “Fast Car” was released as the first … Continue reading Show A Little Gratitude (Tracy Chapman Edition)

Why A Personal Archive Is NOT A Notebook, A Personal Journal, Or A Second Brain

A personal archive is a place where our completed thoughts live.  Archiving is the practice of completing thoughts.  Thoughts are simply our reflections and responses to the library of stuff other people are pumping out into the world, in every medium - from Instagram music choices to investment manager commentaries, from grocery store talks to … Continue reading Why A Personal Archive Is NOT A Notebook, A Personal Journal, Or A Second Brain

Be Careful What You Wish For (Jed McKenna, Agnes Callard, And Cypress Hill Edition)

“Be careful what you wish for, not because you’ll get it but because you’ll be turned into the thing that can get it.” Jed McKenna Agnes Callard explains the difference between the aspirational and the ambitious. Apply these to McKenna’s “wish” from the quote above. They have everything to do with our identities and the … Continue reading Be Careful What You Wish For (Jed McKenna, Agnes Callard, And Cypress Hill Edition)

Why Famous People Don’t Remember Meeting Me

There’s a reason famous people don’t remember meeting me. And you. But I didn’t want to come off as too insulting.  Ben Greenman was telling Questlove about researching stories for the autobiographies he’s worked on.* He said it’s amazing all of the stories that are out there, and how one person’s biggest deal encounter can … Continue reading Why Famous People Don’t Remember Meeting Me

Artists Want To Work With Artists

Kenny Beats tells the story about one of his managers. He was showing her new stuff, radio hits, and she’s nodding her head that everything is good, great, fine, etc.  Then he plays her the personal project he’s working on.  It’s in tribute to his relationship with his father. It’s not for the radio. It’s … Continue reading Artists Want To Work With Artists