Imperative is Preservation

I'm 35 years old, which means that I grew up with records in my childhood home. Back then, I didn't understand the relevance of holding on to that precious artifact. I had not yet become a preservationist of music on vinyl. If I knew then what I know now, as the saying goes.

Stepping into any place that specializes in selling vinyl is always a source of joy and excitement for me. However, when I look around the place, I rarely ever see young black folks and never see women of color. This always  sends my mind spinning down all sorts of thought paths. Where are the black folks? Where are the sistas?

Who is going to preserve black music? There are plenty of vinyl artifacts out there; yet, I don't know if there is any interest on the behalf of black folks to archive it. In fifty years, what will Funkadelic's Maggot Brain mean to a generation? Will it hold any relevance or significance at all? This could be problematic. For me personally, I believe that it is my duty to honor the brilliance of the musical artists of days past. I, and many others, are the keepers of their masterpieces. I liken it to the griots and storytellers who passed down wisdom through storytelling.

Call my perceptions old school, but the music being made today does not have the staying power nor the critical voice that music of our past holds. In fifty years, are generations going to write, with an analytical lens, about how Rick Ross’s Rise to Power changed a nation or a culture? Did it add value to the community or deplete it? What does that leave for young black generations to revere?

I would love to see more Black folks and women of color diggin’ through the crates to find those treasures that transformed our lives and the lives of generations before us. It will mean so much that when I am sixty years of age, I’ll be able to pass my collection on to a young soul. It’s a rich history that we should be the keepers of.

Funk: The Stepchild Genre

When I think of funk, I think of a genre that made a major impact musically and culturally within a very small space in time. Funk suffered an untimely death, some say at the hands of disco, only to be resurrected through Hip Hop. Black folks are the inventors of blues which is the fundamental genre which spawned soul, gospel, and rock. Funk's essence is a conglomerate of all of the above. However, it is often the forgotten stepchild of black music history.

Why “stepchild”? I recall Nelson George in a talkback after a viewing of his film Finding the Funk screened at Afropunk this past summer, referring to Funk as the stepchild of soul and R&B. I decided to explore this idea a little bit further on my own.

Stepchild is defined as one that fails to receive proper care or attention. In the world of music, funk definitely was shunned by the mainstream, living on the outskirts of the music world. Radio stations were not open to playing the funk nasty irreverent music.  Funk was always being improperly classified as R&B which creates a misinformed knowledge around what Funk music truly is.  

Funk was born of blues people. It came from the street, the hood. There was something free, edgy, and even uncouth about this movement. It came from the blues people who were subjects of an unchecked unbalanced system. Yes, jazz musicians were referring to their sound as early as the 50's and 60's as "funky". By this, they were describing their music in a way that separated it from the standard jazz composition. I believe that it was a word that best illustrated a “funky” groove emitting something that would wake someone’s spirit in an invigoratingly liberating way. Later, James Brown would be the founding father of Funk as we know it today. Brown was from the street aka a disenfranchised, marginalized individual who became an innovative icon. He had a formula for Funk which is: jumping things off on the one. Starting with the one hits hard. There is no dilly dallying around with such a definitive beginning for a jam session or song. From what I gather, this was the only hard rule of Funk.  You see, everything was a symphony of percussive horns, thumping bass and everything in between.  Funk is a lot like jazz in the fact that much of how it was derived is centered around improv.

Culturally, Funk brought “outlandish” to the world of music.  This alone created an outsider element for the genre.  Predominant culture was still inherently plagued by playing it safe holding tight to their mores and American obligations.  A large portion of the population was not interested in ruffling feathers or straying away from their comfort zones.  Funk incited a negation of normalcy.  Once the Funk mentality is adapted, a shift occurs and conformity no longer tightly grips the individual.  Funk became the outspoken voice of the black community during the 70’s.  It acted as a savior to a culture of people who needed to slough off the troubles of the turbulent 60’s filled with  assassinations, racial assaults, riots, war,  etc. Bands like Sly and the Family Stone challenged racial and gender norms by consisting of an integrated group of musicians that included women.  Here comes that stepchild Funk stirring things up by living outside the proverbial box.  Along comes Parliament aka Funkadelic aka P-Funk that just took things to another level. George Clinton lived wild abandonment. He constructed a subculture that didn’t give a fuck about compliance.  It was raw and honest.  America was in a stupor, unaware of how to accept this unwanted stepchild called Funk.

Recently on a trip back home to Houston, I went to gather the record collection that I remembered my family owning.  My grandfather, who is now the keeper of these artifacts, watched as I sorted through the small collection of LP’s and large selection of 45’s.  His prized albums in the collection were that of gospel quintets such as The Mighty Clouds of Joy.  As I was looking through the albums, there was quite a bit of Funk in the pile, he commented: They didn’t do any singing on those records.  I just chuckled to myself realizing that Funk was not a well received genre.  People, like my grandfather, believed it to be noise without substance which leads me to write about the actual message of Funk music.  Funk was, at times blatant political statements and at other, inadvertent musical journeys through existentialism. In order to receive such depth of expression, one’s mind had to be open and broken of the systematic structure that imprisons thoughts.  Funk was an explosive expression through music.

All in all, Funk was not easily digestible for most of society. The conservative listener loved things packaged in the form of soul through companies such as Motown. Even Motown had to jump aboard the Funk train as it became a trend of the time.  There was a fusion of funk and jazz as well. The jazz purists could not get with this new electric jazz sound that dwelled on the outskirts of bop.  Jazz had become electric adding synthesizers and electric guitars to the roster of traditional instruments bringing a new funk stankin’ attitude to the genre.

No other genre wanted the Funk to move in a shift the foundation upon which it was built.

Hip Hop would later embrace and repurpose Funk. Why? Hip Hop and Funk have similar contexts by which they started. Hip Hop comes from the blues people who were disenfranchised and marginalized. There were cultural, political, and social implications that helped to create this new genre. Reaganomics was underway, poverty was prominent,  the crack epidemic was surfacing,  gang wars and burning buildings raged in the ghetto. It was formed out of necessity as was Funk. Youth of color was responding to their experiences in a newfound way. Early Hip Hop producers would use Funk music as the crux of a beat.  It was the perfect pairing and absolute homage to the masters who created the Funk sound.

The cycle of life reminds us that things come and go. They die and are reborn time and time again. Funk was that genre that lived for a brief time, but left a lasting impression on the world of music.  It may not have been accepted in various circles, but it was truly a genre that expressed unabashedly; living in the realm of liberty.  

Close Encounters Of The First Time: Vinyl

It's actually quite clear when I think back on the genesis of my music love affair.  Growing up, my mother, little sister and I lived with my grandparents in the South Park (Macgregor Terrace) community of Houston, Texas.  I was surrounded by a very black culture of working class folks. I loved my childhood. My grandparents had a record player and an eight track deck.  I recall seeing albums such as The Emotions, Sugar Hill Gang and Barry White-to name a few.

When I think of looking at the LP's and 45's that they owned, The Sound of Philadelphia (TSOP) comes to mind.  I most clearly remember the label of an O'Jays 45 record. I believe it was a "Love Train" single. TSOP label signifies a trip back to my youth. The only other label that I vividly remember as a kid was Motown.  My family loved soul and funk music. They weren't much into jazz or blues, which means that I grew up listening to a lot of top soul hits from the 70's.  

In my adult age, I have now come to understand the significance of a record label such as The Sound of Philadelphia. Huff, Gamble and Bell were the trio of producers/arrangers in charge. The purpose of the label was to have a space and place to produce their own songs. They had a roster of hits from artists such as Harold Melvin & Blue Notes, The Jacksons, Lou Rawls, and many more. They recorded these super dance hits and catchy masterpieces at Sigma Sound Studios with MFSB as their house band.  MFSB was known for their hit song "The Sound of Philadelphia" which became the highly recognized theme for hit show Soul Train.  Huff, Gamble, and Bell really brought the disco sound to the forefront. 

Little did I know that as I looked at those round black discs with an intriguing label, with 5 year old eyes, there was a rich story behind it.  It is such a fond memory for me.

I encourage you to think about your first interactions with music. What was the first record that you encountered? What do you recall from that experience?

Remain True To Self

Today, I learned from a fellow music lover and peer (Flash) that when you are doing what you love and times are rough, no matter what is going on in life-stick with it. It's not about what's trending and hot right now, but all about the love. When you love it, there is nothing that will keep you from it. In the past few years, I  had been so far removed from music to the point that I felt like a foreigner to myself. It seems to me that I was, in my latter 20's to early 30's, trying to find my way. I was caught up in the hustle that it took to be a working DJ. Did I have what it would take? Aesthetically, was I gonna make it without being a dolled up femme behind the turntables? Of course, I talked myself out of it and abandoned music altogether.  Now, at 34, I am finding my way back to the medium that I love so much. I can't ever see myself straying away from it ever again.  It is part of who I am. Therefore, I am coming back full force without any apprehensions, doubts or fears.  My path of clarity is so crystal clear that I am elated and grateful for what is ahead.

As I sat across the table from Flash, we also talked about the relevance of mentorship. It is vital that the mentor be supportive and encouraging. It as equally important that the mentee be dedicated to the craft and the hard work that comes along with strengthening talent or skill.  Mentorships should not be about hoarding information or belittling the mentee. We have to be available to pass down what we know to those who are coming up behind us us.  Our enthusiasm must be infectious and most of all-we push those who are coming behind us to remain diligent. 

The moral of the story is this:

All in all, do what you love. Try your damnedest not to walk away from it. You would not be honoring yourself or whatever it is that lights your fire.

Thanks for the chat Flash and also the reminder...always necessary. 

Album Covers: Power In The Black Female Image

When I look at album covers of the past, I notice the various images of black women. This is particularly so with funk and soul albums, although jazz and disco had a fair share. The Ohio Players and The Stylistics were known for placing women on their album covers.  

As I look at these covers, I’m reminded that black women were the reason why a lot of albums sold. Fellas would look at those covers and see beautiful sexy sistas. It was a perfect pairing.  

What I admire most about these covers or the cover art is the celebration of black woman’s beauty. Many of the covers are sensuous avoiding overt raunchiness.  Much is left to the imagination of the viewer.

I appreciate the power that exudes from these images.  The women on these covers take firm possession of their sexuality.  One can see flirtation, contemplation and confrontation in some of the eyes that look back at you. Looking at these covers, I see self assured sistas tastefully sharing their pride.  Now, I could get on my soapbox about images that we see of black women today, but that is to come at a later time.  

Today, there’s so much objectification of black women’s bodies in ways that are terribly denigrating.These images are not about big asses and fake breasts. I can view these covers and see black women in their natural beauty without the modern technology of photoshop or reconstructive surgery. There is an authentic representation.

Female soul singers also have covers that draw the eye. Their covers boast of a simple beauty; women filled with dignity and grace. They have a story to tell. It is true, that these women did not sell sex appeal, but their talent.   

I thoroughly take pride in collecting this vinyl.  I have them as artifacts of great importance. I just imagine that when I am no longer living, someday-someone will stumble upon my collection and see the treasure of black beauty that I’ve collected.The records and their cover art will stand as a testament. They’ll understand that there once was a time when the black women were revered, honored, powerful, and sensual.

Put Your Weight On It Ep.2, Vol. 2

It is well known that hip hop samples music of the 70's religiously which is the reason for two volumes of this Put Your Weight On It episode.  Not only was the music taken and repurposed, fashion was also emulated. The blaxploitation genre created a time and space that gave black folks something cool. Many of the current producers of hip hop were adolescents at the time and went on to show their love for the blaxploitation genre through their creative perspective of music.  Take the time to enjoy the funky and groovin' sounds, ya dig?

Put Your Weight On It Episode 2, Vol. 2 by Art On Wax on Mixcloud

Playlist:

1. Shaft In Africa: Johnny Pate, You Can't Even Walk In The Park

2. Cool Breeze: Solomon Burke, Fight Back

3. Truck Turner: Isaac Hayes, Breakthrough

4. The Lost Man: Quincy Jones, Main Squeeze

5. Diamonds: Roy Budd, The Thief

6. Sheba Baby: Monk Higgins, Alex Brown and Barbara Mason, A Good Man Is Gone

7. Trouble Man: Marvin Gaye, "T" Plays It Cool

8. Sparkle: Curtis Mayfield and Aretha Franklin, Giving Him Something He Can Feel

9. Foxy Brown: Willie Hutch, Hospital Prelude of Love Theme

10. Black Caesar: James Brown, Make It Good To Yourself

11. Coffy: Roy Ayers, Shining Symbol

12. Gordon's War: Al Elias and Andy Badale, Hot Wheels

13. Charles Earland-Snake

14. Willie Dynamite: J.J. Johnson, Parade Strut

From Broken Glass to Bugattis: Where Is The Urgency In Our Music Today?

-"If you will suck my soul, I will lick your funky emotions", Funkadelic 1970

-"Broken glass everywhere, people pissing on the stairs, you know they just don't care", Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five 1982 

-Uhh, I get cheese, whip sprees, big D’s, but it ain’t Bentley, it’s a Bugatti", J.R. Writer ft. Lil Wayne,    2013

As I've been researching the entity that is The Funk Movement Genre, so many thoughts have fired off in my mind.  When we look at how funk came into existence, we see that it came from blues, gospel, soul and jazz. Both the blues and jazz come from the people. "The people", being black folks, who were marginalized disenfranchised citizens getting by with the bare minimum of what the system had allowed.  Blues, jazz, funk and later hip hop were spawned out of necessity.  The genres were a form of free expression, a breaking of the metaphoric shackles that is the "American standard".  People who had nothing, created something out of that nothingness.  

Over time, due to trends and fads, the essential reasons for a movement's materialization begins to fade or become lost. The pop commercial aspect of the genre takes over and lessens the power behind it.

This has all leads me to the question of "where is the urgency in our music today?" Now that the last great innovation born out of the people, hip hop, has become an over saturated capitalistic beast, what is next? How do we as black people, express ourselves in an authentic way stripped of materialism. How can we get back to what comes from our soul?

I was born in 1978. My generation is the first to be fully integrated post Civil Rights Movement. We are pastiches of our great grandparents, grandparents and our parents who had to endure the shit of white folks in America. So, there is an understanding and rearing the we have from those generations past. We grew up listening to funk and jazz only to hear it re-emerge and reincarnated in hip hop.  The music was diverse in subject matter. Now it is the voice objectifying women or glorifying violence and materialism. The  origins of meaning in hip hop has radically shifted. It is now a tasmanian devil of lost energy.  

I pose the question again:  Where is the urgency in our music today?

How will the music morph into something exceptional that is not tied to capital gain? Where are the collective voices of the "blues" people? 

Funk became the irreverent representative of black people. It was counter cultural and could not be contained. Funk was bred in the late sixties having its hey day in the seventies. Within that time frame, the country was in great upheaval, turmoil. Soul music united the people, but funk catapulted action. Hip hop was active, it was not only innovative, but it was art. All music that black folks have created has been art. Where is our musical art of today? I'm not saying that musical content has to solely be based around politics or social issues. However, I am saying that creating a new genre, style and form of music which pushes boundaries is-in itself-a political statement.

So many atrocities have been occurring to the black community for centuries with no signs of ceasing in 2013. We have become anesthetized and complacent so much that our music does not carry sustenance anymore.  The music's originality carries a different meaning. The music of now degrades more than it solidifies. It is my belief that this is exactly how the white infrastructure wants it to be. We carry it out without thinking about community. We perpetuate it with pride. 

I don't mean to sound cliche, but the Sankofa  adage holds true: "Return and get it". The reason why I as a black woman, am returning to the analog of vinyl is because I am returning to music's past in order to bring about change now and for the future. I'm finding a rich history that was carried in spirit and movement hoping that we as a people will be sparked by music, in a fresh and invigorating way, again.

Fist In The Air

Fist In The Air by Art On Wax on Mixcloud

This is my way of expressing what is currently going on in American culture at present. To be black in this country is still oppressive. The poignant music gifted to us from a past generation is still incredibly relevant. I've gone into my vinyl collection to find songs that truly encapsulates the current emotions of the time. Please take the time to listen.

Don't Mistake Me For A Guy: Reflections From A Female Music Aficionado

As I begin to seriously study music in a deeper more historical and cultural way, it is becoming clearer that women are not very visible in this work. It may sound cliche, but I  would absolutely say that I've been a music geek from very early on.  I was a reader of liner notes to find out who was involved in the production of the album and what song has been sampled. I was a "name that tune" kinda person. There was a brief stint in trying the whole DJ thing; however, that was a hustle that I was not interested in for various reasons. After a hiatus from music while studying directing in a grad theatre program, I became disconnected from what I love so much. Thankfully, with some very deep self work and honest realizations-I now know that music is exactly where I belong.

On this leg of the journey I see that I want to study and express music in a different way that does not require me to stand behind the decks. About 10 year ago I started collecting vinyl. I've picked up the past time again and it is truly invigorating. Art on Wax is my platform for exploring cultural analysis through music. With all of this said-there is one caveat, the invisibility of women. When people see Art on Wax it is accompanied by a logo, not my face. Therefore, when I interact with folks in social media they automatically assume that I am male. I graciously correct their presumptuous position. Their response always comes with an embarrassed apology or aw, my bad. The more and more as I grow Art on Wax-the more I realize that this is truly my way of creating a voice for women who love music as much as dudes. Don't get it twisted, I respect the brothas out their who are doing there thing. I just don't always want to be in the position where men think that I'm one of them or act shocked because a "girl" is well versed in music and has a pretty nice collection or can play a mean 45's set.
Another tidbit that I notice is when I see someone like Andre Torres speak about Waxpoetics being a magazine geared toward the 20 and 30 something year old "guy"-it makes me take pause. I think to  myself "I am a 30 something year old woman and I like Waxpoetics". Is it not for me? It just reinforces the fact that we are not taken into account as being interested in the world of the music aficionado.

So, I am here to make our presence known and to share with the world an outlook that comes from a woman who is a  keen eared vinyl junkie who craves music knowledge. I also ask you out there to support women who are taking their place in the world of music in all facets.

Put Your Weight On It Episode 2

Put Your Weight On It Episode 2 Vol. 1 by Art On Wax on Mixcloud

I think that it is a well known fact that music, particularly from the 70’s is the bedrock of hip hop.  The pioneers of hip hop took the songs that they loved and looped the break; therefore, giving the emcee a beat to rhyme over. The DJ was once in charge of manually playing breaks on turntables which then gave way to a house band recreating those breaks. That all changed with the invention of the E-mu SP-12 which was a drum machine and sampler, which revolutionized the way that hip hop was made.

The artform of sampling is quite brilliant. In this episode of Put Your Weight On it, we explore the songs that have been interpolated and reinterpreted through hip hop.  On a side note, I did include one song that is a remake, technically not a sample. You will hear that this compilation is Isaac Hayes heavy. His music from Shaft kicked down the door for blaxploitation soundtracks setting a precedence which is made evident by the plethora of producers who used his music.

See if your ears can pick up the songs in which the music you will hear has been sampled and transformed into.

[Sound Familiar?]: Sampling, Break Beats and Blaxploitation

I’ll start by saying that I don’t consider myself a hip hop head. I’m surely no aficionado spouting off knowledge from the hip hop canon. However, I can say that the first rap album that I touched and heard as a little girl was Sugarhill Gang’s Rapper’s Delight. It belonged to my aunt or mother.  Of course, what I did not know was that the song’s main structure had come from the break of Chic’s Good Times. The intro of Rapper’s Delight was sampled from Here Comes That Sound by Love De-Luxe. What makes the break beat significant? In his book, Making Beats, Joseph G. Schloss quotes Tricia Rose who states that:

The break is a section where the band breaks down, the rhythm section is isolated, basically where the bass guitar and drummer take solo.  Break beats are points of rupture in their former contexts, points of which the thematic elements of a musical piece are suspended and the underlying rhythms are brought center stage. (qtd. in Black Noise 74)

The breakbeat Sugarhill used consisted of a strong groovin’ baseline, drum and a clap. They took it, looped it and rhymed over it. Good Times had been heavily exploited as a break beat. Some groups even used a derivative of its baseline to form the melodies for their songs.

Later, in my years I came to understand that most of the hip hop sound that I grew up listening to came from music that was created before I was born. From jazz to funk to the most obscure rare tracks that could be excavated-hip hop producers were repurposing old art. They found a way to reconstruct the incredible music that they grew up appreciating. In many cases they became “diggers” seeking out undiscovered and unexploited breaks.

The soundtracks of the blaxploitation era were not overlooked. Blaxploitation films extended deeply within black culture. The styles of the characters were emulated by the everyday brotha and sistas on the streets.  They were able to see the power that emanated from the screen. There were black heroes and sheroes. Many of the early hip hop producers grew up in the 70’s during the heightened era of the genre.  Dudes like John Okuribido, I can only assume, is sharing his childhood fondness for the film Three Tough Guys by sampling Isaac Hayes’ Hung Up On My Baby in Geto Boys’ Mind Playing Tricks On Me.  You’d be surprised how many hip hop joints you’ve listened without hearing the origins of the tracks from which they have been recreated.

Music from the blaxploitation OST has certainly been transformed into a new form of expression through hip hop.  Sampling is an art form that pays homage to original works, which had their own cultural significance. Contemporary artists are just restructure archetypes by bringing their current cultural relevance to the music. More to come...

Put Your Weight On It Episode 1

Put Your Weight On It Ep. 1 by Art On Wax on Mixcloud

Put Your Weight On It: Episode 1

I.

Threshold-Things Are a Changin’

1. Dizzie Gillespie-The Cool World: Duke’s Fantasy

2. Booker T. and the MG’s-Uptight: Cleveland Now

3. Gordon Parks- The Learning Tree: My Baby’s Gone

4. Galt McDermot-Cotton Comes to Harlem: Cotton and Ed Gravedigger

The Threshold is comprised of songs that come from soundtracks of black films that are predate the  “blaxploitation” era bringing a new narrative to black audiences.The films introduced black audiences to characters that were a departure from the stereotypical depictions of sambo and mammy.  These were fully black cast films.  The characters were more rounded dimensional portrayals of black folks and not the “ebony saint” roles of Sidney Portier of the early 60’s. These particular films were made in the late 60’s to early 70’s.

Funk was a burgeoning genre and had not yet been the cool undercurrent paired with the black film. The soundtracks of this time had a little bit of edge creating a narrative that expressed the characters. The musicians were able to capture the spirit and varying moods of these films. The film composers during this period consisted of jazz musicians, rhythm and blues bands, musical theatre composers, and soul musicians. The funk had not hit the fan yet. Quincy Jones, who scored numerous films during the time, was probably closest to creating outside of the box when it came to spicing up the soundtrack. Also, Herbie Hancock’s Fat Albert Rotunda (69’) was a nice departure from the standard cinematic/romantic format.

II.

Genesis-Power of the People

5. Melvin Van Peebles, Earth Wind and Fire-Sweet Sweetback’s Badaasss Song: Hoppin’ John

6. Isaac Hayes-Shaft: Cafe Regio’s

7. Curtis Mayfield-Superfly: Junkie Chase

The songs selected for Genesis defined the blaxploitation era. They started it all and had a significant impression on black cinema. We get a real feel for that funk and soul sound. Funk was about freedom. Funk was revolution. It countered everything that was deemed normal by American standards. Sweetback was the first film to add funk music brought to you courtesy of a then little known band Earth, Wind, and Fire. The music was distinctly black giving a voice to urban life. The sound also contributed to the conceptually abstract presentation of the film acting as an interwoven element to the entire production. With Sweetback, one can not separate nor distinguish the music from the film; they are equally relative to all of the elements that make Sweetback an entire work of art.

Isaac Hayes brings hot buttered soul sounds to Shaft.  The music was far more successful than the film itself winning an Oscar in 1972 for the title track.  This soundtrack, scored by Hayes, had the musical backing of the funk band The Bar-Kays (if you don’t know their history, look them up).This soundtrack was not as conceptual as Sweetback. However, the songs are quite varied in style giving the score a solid sound from start to finish.  Here is where we first get a taste of the wah wah guitar, fast rhythmic hi hats, heavy horns, and thumping bass. Shaft gave us the formulaic chase grooves, love songs, character theme tunes, etc. that continued to be the composition of blaxploitation soundtracks to come.

And then we have Superfly, the ultimate blaxploitation soundtrack.  This score is brilliant simply due to the fact that it has a finessed social commentary that accompanies the visual.  Mayfield paired his melodic grooves with lyrics that made you think. His score was also extremely unique due to the fact that it has an emotional quality. Mayfield evokes empathy for the characters in songs such as Freddie’s Dead. Curtis Mayfield went scored several films in the blaxploitation genre.  

III.

Right On!-The Essentials

8. Marvin Gaye-Trouble Man: “T” Stands for Trouble

10. Gene Page-Blacula: Movin’

9. Roy Ayers-Coffy: Aragon

10. James Brown-Black Caesar: Down and Out In New York City

11. Willie Hutch-The Mack: Mack’s Stroll/The Getaway

12. J.J. Johnson-Cleopatra Jones: Go Chase Cleo

13. James Brown-Slaughter’s Big Rip-Off: Tryin’ To Get Over

14. Dennis Coffey-Black Belt Jones: Love Theme

15. Rudy Ray Moore-Dolemite: Mayor’s Get Away

16. Willie Hutch-Foxy Brown: Foxy Lady

This selection of songs for The Essentials come from films that are staples in the genre of blaxploitation. They consist of some heavy hitting funky soulful sounds, which is the essence of the blaxploitation soundtrack. Quite a range of artists made their contribution to these soundtracks such as James Brown, J.J. Johnson, Gene Page, Marvin Gaye, and Roy Ayers all of whom are musical geniuses in their own right. They bring sophistication, grit, and savviness to the music. The sounds are a style all their own.  Many musicians were able to flex their musical skills while stretching their musical creativity beyond the general scope of their own standard. The soundtracks are authentically black; culturally enhancing our stride, the way we speak, dress, and boogie.  These artists creates timeless sounds that elevate the simplicity of the blaxploitation narrative. The music rivaled the dominating funk bands of the time and definitely carved out a niche in black music history.

Coming June 2013

Put Your Weight On It is a podcast series that focuses on the blaxploitation OST genre. The sound set a precedent for a visual auditory merging that shaped black culture in an unforgettable way. It is no secret that the music was just as popular as the films. Much to my surprise, there is very little historical or analytical information focusing specifically on the music created during the period. I've made it my mission to collect all soundtracks from the period from original presses to later releases. Put Your Weight On It is an exploration and analysis of the scores that I've collected. I've collected a priceless treasure of soundtracks that helped elevate blaxploitation films to a new level and increased the genre’s popularity. This podcast also acts as a means of preservation and dissemination. The goal is to hip folks to the the importance of the music of the era. Episode 1 will be comprised of three segments:

I. Threshold-Things Are a Changin'

II. Genesis-Power of the People

III. Right On!-The Essentials

Look for it! Spread the word! Gratitude for your support!

The Significance of Preserving the Blaxploitation Soundtrack

   

For those hip hop heads out there, much of the music that we consider the classics, are rooted in the scores of blaxploitation cinema. Point blank, producers have sampled some of the most dynamic enriching funky tunes from the era establishing the fundamentals of hip hop.

The music is relevant to a period when social and political conscious was shifting in the black community. The sounds were starting to reflect the times.  Funk was making its way within the spirit of the people; particularly those who were on the bottom side of the caste system, poor black folks (also known as the blues people). With the assassinations of MLK and Malcolm X, upheaval was inevitable. Change permeated the atmosphere. A revolutionary ideology was espoused by many black youth along with Marxist intellectuals.  

Funk, which has a genealogy that consists of: blues, gospel, be-bop, rhythm&blues, rock&roll, and soul was becoming the voice of objection. It was a countercultural antithetical entity of bold polyrhythmic expression. Funk was the soundtrack of revolution. The music represented freedom from systematic oppression. Because funk was incongruous with the standards of the American way, it was the perfect genre to underscore blaxploitation films.  Blaxploitation films were intended to reflect a black power, freedom, and slough off the stereotypical tropes of the past. The often funky soundtracks of blaxploitation were the soul and musical impressions of the movies which quickly became formulaic in narrative.

Blaxploitation soundtracks were definitely appropriate for the times. They hold a valuable space in the lineage of our American musical ancestry.  In his epic book that explores all that is funk, Rickey Vincent states:

The soundtrack album ultimately served two extremely important functions: first, like the films in general, soundtrack albums gave jobs to struggling artists who may not have had the opportunity to release and distribute a record on their own.  Second, and most significant, the range of the movie soundtrack allowed the artists to explore-and reflect-the diverse moods of the film and thus the diverse moods of their people.

It is indeed necessary to preserve the cool, boundless, and funky musical narratives that are the blaxploitation soundtracks. They have offered so much to en rich our culture. They were a way to express the blackness of a people. We also must make sure that future generations understand the primary source of contemporary music and how relevant it is to way that music can be shaped in the future. As the saying goes, you have to know your past in order to be prepared for your future-there is power in that. 

Blaxploitation: A Brief Overview  
written by Mekeva “Keva” McNeil of Analog Enlightenment 
for the upcoming Podcast series Put Your Weight On It (debuts June 2013)

Like to Hear It...Here It Go...

The Civil Rights Era was still lingering in the air as the decade of the 70’s began to take its reign. Only a few years prior were black folks fighting for their humanity at the risk of being beaten and tormented. The year was 1971,  Marvin Van Peebles wrote and scored the film Sweet Sweetback’s Badass Song. Simultaneously, Gordon Park’s Shaft was in production. The not yet coined “blaxploitation” film genre was on the rise. 
These films made a way for black actors, writer, musicians, and directors to take their turn at the helm to create something that belonged to the people. There was a “no holds bar” attitude that emanated from the narratives through the renegade characters that were seen as heroes.  
There were over 300 hundred films made within a 5 year span.  Blaxploitation films cost anywhere from $150,000 to $500,000 to make which was considered low budget.However, these films grossed millions of dollars.


What’s In A Name?

The term “blaxploitation” was seen as pejorative.  It is, obviously, a hybrid of the words black and exploit. Many opponents of these films felt that black folks were being exploited and did not care for the “stereotypical” representations of blacks on the screen. Junius Griffin, who was the president of Beverly Hill’s NAACP was responsible for coining the namesake that now easily identifies that imperative time in black cinema.
Many people were not up in arms over the blaxploitation labeling. There was was the sentiment of empowerment held by the black community.  A sense of pride imbued black audience members who had the opportunity to see black men and women in control, wielding authority. They got to see black men and women taking control of and adapting to often touchy situations.
Another way to spin the term blaxploitation comes from the fact that the studios producing the films exploited them as a means of revenue. Due to white flight, whites moving to the suburbs, many hollywood studios were suffering.  Sweetback, Shaft, Superfly, Foxy Brown, etc. were raking in major money. Ultimately, studios took that money and made more white films with it. Therefore, exploiting the success of the black genre for their financial gain.


The Heart and Soul is Music

The blaxploitation era would not be what it is without music.  Tremendous contributions were made via artists such as James Brown, Issac Hayes, JJ Johnson, Curtis Mayfield and countless others. The soundtracks were tailored specifically for a movie.  It packed explosive funk with breaks, horns, orchestration, guitar riffs, and unforgettable bass lines.  Much of what we hear (mainly through sampling) in hip hop today emerged from the brilliant sounds created during that brief, yet productive,  period in time. Music created an emotion that carried the films. People were able to relate to the narrative through a constructed conceptual system of rhythms. Whether through a theme, chase, or love song...the blaxploitation soundtrack was a congruous element of storytelling. The blaxploitation era has made great cultural contributions to the black community by shaping identity and defining much of what is relevant to our music today.