#delazand

The Pharcyde - "Drop"  (1995)

I've been watching a some of Spike Jonze's older work lately and I fell back into this classic video. The Pharcyde stepped on the scene in the midst of the 90's West Coast gangsta rap era, bringing a refreshing, jazzy, and playful vibe to California hip hop: "When many MCs and rappers were striving to 'keep it real', The Pharcyde instead went out of their way to 'keep it original'." 

This video was shot in reverse, meaning they performed it all backwards (even rapped it backwards), and then replayed the footage backwards...so it looks...kind of forwards? Crazy yet amazing idea to fit the chopped and bouncy beat of this song. 

New unreleased DāM-FunK. Diggin this mellow funky vibe for late nights and early mornings. 

"All U need is your mind, the 'force' & the FUNK. Just 'glyde' w/ this... naturally.

All G.

*Peace. 

I remember watching this right around my college graduation, in the midst of those whatamigoingtodowithmylife/whoami/wheredoicomefrom thoughts. This 1994 interview with Tupac settled with me because this is one of the many moments where his individual expression is simultaneously manifested with the greater influence of hip hop culture. He didn't just tell his story, he was the storyteller for the struggle. Tupac fought to tell that story, regardless of the controversy & the criticism. That's what he was doing with his life, that's who he was, and that's where he came from. His words in this interview are especially significant because they convey the necessity of hip hop as a voice for the unheard; a voice that surfaces pain, poverty, struggle, and survival. Tupac also talks about social processes that we continue to face today: the continuous fight for civil rights; the dysfunctional relationship between race, social class, and economic class; the commodification of "the hood"; the questioning of social order; and inevitably, the immense social impact of hip hop & its big mouth: sparking the brain that will change the world. 

Oddisee - "You Know Who You Are" ft. Olivier Daysoul (Acoustic Version) 2012 

I honestly wish I could post all of his songs, or at least this whole album in one post. For now, let's appreciate the beauty of this acoustic session with Oddisee & Olivier Daysoul. I saw these guys about a month ago when they played for their first time in San Francisco. It was a great show and I gained mad respect for Oddisee especially, both as an individual and an underground hip hop artist. He writes and produces all of his songs, and his lyrics always keep it real. He talks about his hometown, gentrification, boredom, inequality, the questions of making it big...(and what the hell does that mean, anyway?) What I love most about Oddisee's style is that he raps as if he were talking directly to someone or telling a story. He brings back the power of hip hop, which is essentially all about sharing your own story. 

Proof - “Life” (1997) Produced by J Dilla. 

Altercations. 

That’s what took the life of DeShaun Dupree Holton, also known as Proof. This song is beautiful simplicity fabricated by the one & only J Dilla. Its moody Miles Davis sample gives it an eerie feeling, something like the ghosts of hip hop past coming back to haunt you and question our current situation. Proof’s life was taken in the hands of a drunken argument outside of the club. The composition of Miles Davis’ track, “Blue in Green,” continues to be disputed, as some claim Bill Evans wrote it, not Davis. Altercations keep us from appreciating the beauty of what we have. They keep us from moving forward. This song is like an echo that continues to remind us, "Life is so fast you can damn near blink to death….