On Gentrification

Some notes:

1.The shift in much of the Western world from a manufacturing-based economy to a post-industrial, service-based economy.
2.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeter

Nas’ “It Was Written”: A Revisionist’s Classic

I’ve written before about Illmatic’s status as a major literary work. In my eyes, it is as rich as the best of Shakespeare. And I know Shakespeare. You can read RHS’ article on Illmatic where his words are more studied and his reflexions more well articulated than mine.

“It Was Written” didn’t fare as well critically when it first came out. Why? Because it came at a time where hip hop was changing. There was a larger sensitivity towards creating a sound that would be more attuned to market forces. ‘Mafioso Rap’ was one of the popular trends and Nas had no reservations about borrowing from and adding to it. The result: a striking departure from the more introspective and deeply personal work of Illmatic.

Of the few things that changed about Nas’ sound, the most obvious would be his production. Gone were the crisp percussion, dusty samples and filtered basslines of Illmatic. Working with new producers, the music of this album has a richer, multi-layered, and professional studio sound. The structure of some songs is much closer to pop music than the hardcore rap of Illmatic, with melodic choruses and bridge sections which although present on his first album are much more overt this time around (notice the sing-alongy choruses on ‘Street Dreams’ and ‘Watch Dem Niggaz’ and obviously ‘If I Ruled The World’ with Lauren Hill).

To be continued..

To be continued…

Kyu’s Top Hip Hop Albums

THIS IS A DRAFT

Alright, here’s the definite Kyu list. Those who know me know I like my music intelligent. That means smart but it could also mean ignorant. But if it’s ignorant it has to be self-conscious ignorant, unless you’re an autistic genius like Biz Markie.

About smart. That basically means that I want my rappers to have some kind of advanced technical knowledge of either lyrics, flowing, or songmaking. Take Goodie Mob for instance. They are average rappers flow-wise. But they craft, or crafted, incredibly harmonious songs, and had the most earnest lyrics, that means a conscious avoidance of catering to whatever standard the market had established. Earnestness is always a win…it means you unavoidably create an unique aesthetic, which they did. Soul Food has a heartfelt concern for family, brotherhood, and positive change. They could never remake an album like this one. They just changed as people. They were intuitively dope. Later, they tried to be, which killed the honesty and spontaneity. See Nas.

Please excuse the lack of pre-93 albums…I wasn’t around then.

1. Nas - Illmatic
2. Goodie Mob - Soul Food
3. Outkast - Aquemini / ATLiens
4. 2PAC - 2PACalypse Now
5. A Tribe Called Quest - Beats Rhymes and Life
6. Nas - It Was Written…
7. Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony - E.1999 Eternal
8. Company Flow - Funcrusher Plus
9. Cypress Hill - Temples of Boom
10. De La Soul - Stakes is High
11. Snoop Doggy Dogg - Doggystyle
12. Fugees - The Score
13. Genius/Gza - Liquid Swords
14. Wu-Tang - Wu-Tang Forever
15. Ghostface - Ironman
16. Jay-Z - Vol.3 Life and Times
17. Mobb Deep - Hell On Earth
18. Black Star (Mos Def & Talib Kweli) - …is Blackstar
19. The Pharcyde - Labcabincalifornia
20. Raekwon - Built for Cuban Linx

Ice (Mother Song) - Buck 65

Buck 65 - ICE

I ordered this album from hiphopinfinity.com when it had just come out. I was impressed by the instrumentals. I was never truly turned off by his rapping because despite the obvious lack of flow/swag, they were so sincere that they simply connected.

Ah my soul, my head and aching tummy
Why in world was my mother taken from me
Up until the last minute Ive been looking for the answer
Hard as tried she couldnt out run the breast cancer
What am I supposed to do, I need at least another year,
It comes time everyday I need to have my mother here
I need to talk to her its important,
it seems to be
I got to make sure that she understands how much she means to me
Who will be there to pick me up by the wasteland
Plus I promised one day I would take her to Graceland
There is things she needs to see
For instance I planned on building a family of my own
She’s never had grandchildren
She always helped to make my work around the kitchen painless
I want her to see when I am finally rich and famous
Who will I ask my stupid questions when they come up
My first impulse is that I want to call my mum up
But then I am standing there
Holding the telephone wishing this headache would leave me the hell alone
The last thing I need now is for pain to fill my empty spaces
And right now I feel pain in plenty of places
I need to make her laugh more
I want to have pictures taken
She always told her friend about the music her son Richard’s making
I need to listen to her stories and tell her my own ones
I want her to watch when I hit lots of home runs
For a few things I need to say I’m sorry
And blame me instead of yourself
As for Lori and Amy
Ill make sure they’re ok
And that they always wear a seat belt
I promise to ease back whenever the heat’s felt
I want to go home and show off this weekend
But I cant and it feels like I might go off the deep end
Its painful being here
But its unfit and there…
My mother’s gone away, its not one bit fair

Notes on Kurosawa

1. I Live In Fear (1955)
2. Dersu Uzala (1975)
3. Drunken Angel (1948)
4. Stray Dog (1949)
5. Dodesukaden (1970)
6. Yojimbo (1961)
7. The Lower Depths (1957)
8. High & Low (1963)
9. Rashomon (1950)
I should rewatch this one.
10. Seven Samurai (1954)
Perfect film.

11. Kagemusha (1980)
12. Ran (1985)
13. Sanjûrô (1962)
14. Hidden Fortress (1958)
15. Red Beard (1965)
A bit too drab.

16. The Idiot (1951)
17. Ikiru (1952)
18. Scandal (1950)

7 Feb. 08: Very tired. Will write more later.

On Perspective

In murals from ancient Egypt, for instance, multiple points of view are incorporated within a single painting as bodies and objects are pictured from their most recognizable angle.

Looking at other paintings from China, Persia, and Japan, we notice different schemes operating in the images: the tiny size of travelers in Chinese landscapes, the fitting of human beings within flowery patterns in Persian paintings, and the curiously elevated, accented point of view that looks at interior spaces through missing ceilings in the famous Genji Monogatari illustrations of the Heian-Fujiwara age.

Isn’t our own perspective system, however, which is derived from the Quattrocento model, different in this respect?

Unlike the other visual approaches which do not directly beckon viewers, the Renaissance perspective system instantly captures its viewers within a network of signs, producing them as the subjects they are. In other words, the visual grid literally puts you in your place. This transaction is summarized by Philip Rosen in theoretical terms in the following manner: “It is not the subject who uses the signifying system, but the signifying system which defines the subject.”

On Film Schools

Haskell Wexler has condemned this utilitarian view of film education. Every idea for a script or a film, he suggests, is now measured against: “Will it help me get a job?” Even the choice of a film school may be decided by: “Will I meet the right people there?” Such calculated planning, however, keeps students from making the most of their years in film school. It impedes them from trying out “new ways of looking at things.”

In the final analysis, the operation is counterproductive even for the industry insofar as, ultimately, it needs unconventional talent to keep going. And Wexler to conclude: “If you can’t experiment when you are a student, forget it, because for the rest of your life you’re going to have to be practical. . . .” production chairs would respond, we help them find their own voices. But, in all sorts of ways, film schools are sending messages that are far from ambiguous. At USC, for instance, the production building is named after George Lucas and the sound mixing facilities bear the name of Steven Spielberg. The hallways are decorated with posters from successful Hollywood movies. Every incoming group is shown Precious Images, a compilation film by Chuck Workman of hundreds of memorable snippets from classic American movies.

Even the motto of the department, which states “reality stops here,” seems to reject the social and historical world—adopting essentially an antirealist, antidocumentary stance. To say in these conditions that all kinds of filmmaking are welcome is rather hypocritical.

Film schools should neither operate as little studios nor duplicate fixed industrial rules. There is nothing sacred indeed about the working arrangements that normally control Hollywood shooting. Most importantly, film schools should never, ever force students to compete against each other in order to get their projects produced by the department.64 This destroys the chance to create a unique community of fellows who learn, share, and grow together. Second, there is no reason why someone working as a grip should not be able to turn to the director at any point during a shoot and offer some advice. After all, the beauty of being in film school is that no one really knows more than anyone else. Specialization has not yet locked anyone in. The boom person can comment on the lighting and the loader may have suggestions for the sound recordist. The lack of organizational discipline inherent in such a free-for-all is more than compensated for by everyone’s genuine interest in the project. To shoot a film with your peers is truly exhilarating because the entire crew is composed of amateurs, people who love cinema and are doing what they can to help the creative process. Let us keep it this way. Likewise, the film school should always be a safe place, a place where it is okay to fail. Even if you fall flat on your face, people are not going to abandon you, you will still be their friend.

The only thing film schools give you is time to hone your talent. You probably already know that college degrees mean nothing in the film business. Although they are no longer disparaged by the unions, as they used to be, they still do nothing for you. Not to have to worry about a degree means that you are free to leave film school whenever you believe you have exhausted what it has to offer. Cut your stay there to the minimum. Never run up a huge debt.On another front, do not think for a minute that equipment is important. It is easy when you speak with professionals to be impressed by the jargon—HMI lights, Avid editing systems, DAT recorders, what have you—and think that this equipment is a prerequisite before you can go ahead and shoot your film. The highfalutin’ rig, however, is not necessary at all. “The best movies,” Greenaway makes clear, “are made cheaply. . . . When it’s cheap, it knocks the shit right out of the process.” The point is: you can make a very good film with out-of-date equipment.

On Melodrama

The desire to express all seems a fundamental characteristic of the melodramatic mode. Nothing is spared because nothing is left unsaid; the characters stand on stage and utter the unspeakable, give voice to their deepest feelings, dramatize through their heightened and polarized words and gestures the whole lesson of their relationship.

According to Brooks, melodramas portray a victory over psychological repression.