Dark Days in the Tar Heel State

North Carolina has always been my home, a place that I love more than anywhere else. Our food, our culturally diverse history, the beauty of the landscape that ranges from majestic mountains to beautiful beaches, and even our rich contributions to music, literature and art have been overshadowed the past few years by our state leaders' atrocious policies. Our once progressive state has been sent back into the 1950's with the General Assembly's and Pat McCrory's policies that resemble modern day Jim Crow. They have decimated our public education system, wiped out unemployment benefits to nearly nothing for the thousands struggling to find decent waged jobs, raised taxes on lower and middle class families, destroyed our reputation with the passing of the horrid and infamous House Bill 2, unconstitutionally reworked voting districts, and the most recent blow comes with the passing of a law that restricts police cameras as public domain. These are only a few of the questionable decisions made by North Carolina's leaders. Slowly but surely they have begun to strip North Carolinians of their fundamental rights as citizens. 

To add insult to our severely injured state, our beacon and largest city, Charlotte, has recently become the site of protests and violence over the shooting death of Keith Scott, a black man, at the hands of police officers. This is just one of several police involved deaths of black men this year alone in the state. Almost simultaneously as the first ever National Museum of African American History and Culture was opening in Washington, D.C. the protesting of the murders of a black man was occurring in North Carolina. Ironically, the museum prominently features the famous Woolworth counters from the Greensboro sit-in that is only a little more than 90 miles away. Though it's saddening that many people are openly expressing prejudices and bigotry what is even more maddening is that many people are willfully sitting idly by as these injustices are taking place. As far as we have come, it's frightening that the progress made by our forefathers is being gradually being stripped away. 

As bleak as it may appear, encouragement comes from the thousands of young adults of all races and backgrounds that are protesting, leading voter drives, volunteering to assist underserved and underrepresented communities, and who are entering the political arena to make genuine changes that benefit everyone and not just a few. The presidential elections have encompassed much of the media outlets but it is necessary that everyone pay just as much if not more attention to local and state elections. These elections are far more impactful to the daily lives of citizens and usually that impact can be felt immediately. Read and look into policies and platforms that candidates run on, make informed decisions, and then VOTE in your best interest. 

For more information on registering to vote visit HERE!

Two Is a Crowd: Why the World Won't Allow For Multiple Female Rappers

Divide and conquer. That seems to be the magic formula that keeps the music world from having multiple, successful female rappers coexist at the same time. I was fortunate enough to witness a time in the 1990s/2000s when there were several women in hip hop all individually different but collectively they rocked it. Eve, Rah Digga, Missy Elliot, Lil Kim, Foxy Brown, Queen Latifah, Yo Yo, Monie Love and many others brought a sass to the game that has yet to be duplicated. All females, all rappers yet none of the drama that floods our timelines today. Surely there were issues between women artists, hell look at The Supremes. Could you imagine how early the rift between Diana, Mary, and Florence would have began if they had social media accounts to vent their frustrations on? Thank goodness Twitter had not been invented then.

Why can't this sisterhood of hip hop exist today? The world has changed drastically over the past twenty years making it so much easier for the ladies to gain an more even footing in terms of business and careers yet we are still stagnant when it comes to the music business. 50 Cent once said that having a female artist was too expensive because of the cost of hair, makeup, and wardrobe. What this says is that consumers are only concerned only with the physical appearance of female artists and not the talent or tenacity that they possess. Are we as consumers that superficial when it comes to the art we consume? The better part of me wants to believe that it is bullshit but skim through comments on any Instagram post or Twitter and 5O Cent may prove to be correct by the way women are judged by their possessions and looks or lack there of.

Nicki Minaj is no doubt a beautiful woman with above average rap skills but let's be honest and say that the ass is what sets her apart and probably why most people even took the time to notice her early on in her career. She could spit a million sick bars consecutively and the conversation would still revert to her body parts. This is something she knows and reminds us of several times in her own music but the depth of the issue is bigger than Nicki. It is this notion that women are there to be looked at, fawned over but not heard to the point of where our voice truly matters.

Is Gary Clark Jr. Our Generation's Last Black Rock Star?

 

Imagine that as 2015 comes to a close we have been fortunate enough to audibly witness what could be our generation's Jimi Hendrix in the rocker slash blues crooner Gary Clark Jr. The release of his album The Story of Sonny Boy Slim is not only wickedly good but it is on the opposite end of the spectrum from the drum kit based sounds that currently floods the airwaves. His sound is gritty, reeking of a raw passion that can be heard in every note he constructs and it's so distinctive that after a few listens you can immediately distinguish why this guy is so special.

At only 31 years of age, Gary Clark Jr.'s gift of music seems to be possessed by the spirit of an artist birthed decades ago, a rarity that stands alone from current trends in the music industry. While his roots can be found in the likes of artists such as B.B. King and Curtis Mayfeild whom he admittedly studied, part of what makes this album special is he ability to incorporate bits of hip hop influences. With lyrics that spread the spectrum of hopefulness to the blues soaked words of lust and lost love, Clark easily keeps the listener's attention. The immediate single of the album, The Healing, traces his southern roots by opening with a passionate hymn that jaggedly moves into the rifts and drums of a rock/blues track that speaks of the healing powers of good music.

All I can say is that I love the uplifting vibe and purist instrumentation of the album. Check out the first single below and let me know what you think of it!

Get to Know: Cocaine 80's

What happens when you put some of the illest songwriters, composers,rappers and producers in the game in a jar and mix it all up? You end up with this incredible mixture of a hint of alternative urban soul sounds and the collective of artists that make up Cocaine 80's. 

Consisting of some of music's elite, the group founded in 2011 includes producer No I.D, rapper Common, singer/songwriter Jhene Aiko, singer/songwriter James Fauntleroy, producer/composer Kevin Randolph, singer/songwriter Makeba Riddick, composer/engineer Rob Kinelski,and composer/instrumentalist Steve Wyreman just to name a few.  

Cocaine 80's have released 4 critically acclaimed full length projects without much fan fare proving that the love of producing quality urban music is their priority over adoration. The group has worked with and featured many artists such as Nas, Frank Ocean, and Rihanna. Despite the star power and their apparent sought after talent, Cocaine 80's has not caught on in the urban radio markets that currently are dominated by Atlanta based hip hop, heavy synths and trap beats. 

Eccentric and alternative urban music has yet to find its place among popular music with the exception of The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar, and once upon a time Frank Ocean. Hopefully the talented group will amass the following I think they are worthy of. Check out one of their latest and most popular singles below and be sure to let A Soul Sistah's Life what you think!