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JumpinJack AJ

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  1. STEPHEN MARLEY, RAKIM, and KARDINAL OFFICIAL "SO UNJUST"

    in Caught in the Middle

    Posted

    Rakim Drops Timeless Wisdom In A Powerful New Collaboration With Stephen Marley

    Rakim verses are rare these days. But, when he speaks, he does so with intention and wisdom, and Hip-Hop listens. Rakim’s latest effort is a powerful contribution on Stephen Marley’s “So Unjust,” also featuring Kardinal Offishall, from Marley’s new album Revelation Pt. II: “The Fruit of Life.”

    Marley and Rakim spoke with Complex at length in a video about the making of the song and its meaning. “‘So Unjust’ is speaking about [the world being] unjust, so you have to be careful of who you trust and who you put your trust in,” Marley said. “See things through, rather than bargaining for the fish that are still in the water. Wait till they catch a fish and then bargain,” he added. The themes Marley articulated resonated immediately with Rakim. “The song content and the conversation on the song was something that I love dealing with,” he shared. “Somewhat political, conscious record…something to wake up the masses, and that’s right up my alley.” From the outset of the song, Rakim embraces the concept, rapping “Since history, it’s been depression and misery, racism, greed, deception and bigotry. They make you choose. You a prisoner or a soldier, but once you fall victim to the system, then you over.”

     

    The final version of “So Unjust” is a heavy Reggae groove that is true to the Marley family sound, however, it started off very differently. Marley plays the original beat saying “where it started was really kind of more straight Hip-Hop…The track evolved from where it initially started to where it is now.” Rakim adds that songs often go to a different level when two creative forces are brought together. “That’s what good artists do when you get a collaboration, the two artists respect each other and the two artists bring the best out of each other,” he says. The MC also shares a bit about his writing process, noting “usually it’s a slow process for me. I like to dissect the music first and see what the music wants me to do. So, when I pen it out, it kind of fits hand in hand.” Of the final result, Marley says “Doing a song with Rakim, I couldn’t do it lukewarm.”

     

    Though the “making of” video only features Marley and Rakim, Kardinal Offishal’s contribution also is outstanding. As Marley says, the Canadian legend’s vocals “seal it.”

  2. KENNY KELLY OF RIFF PASSES AWAY

    in Caught in the Middle

    Posted

    R.I.P. Kenny Kelly of 90s R&B group Riff

    kennykelly.jpg

    (August 1, 2016) We are very sad to inform SoulTrackers of the bad news of the death of Kenny Kelly of the fine 90s vocal group Riff. As the group posted today on their Facebook page:

    As many of you may already know, we lost our brother Kenny "Damn" Kelly last night. Our hearts are heavy and broken. We send prayers and love to his wife Yolanda, his mother Mrs. Kelly and his brothers and sister, Terry, John and Pearl. There are no words to describe the loss of our brother. We are truly devastated and he will remain in our hearts forever. Please keep his family and us in your prayers. To think, we were just talking about planning our reunion concert here in Paterson this past Thursday. We will never forget that he called our harmony the "Riff Sound". He was the best and funniest cat we knew. Rest In Paradise...until we sing again.

    The New Jersey based group joined together in the 1980s, and came to the attention of music lovers when they sang in the hit movie Lean On Me in 1989 when they were called The Playboys. They changed their group name to Riff and were signed by SBK Records in 1990. They came out of the box with a self-titled album and the top 10 hits “My Heart Is Failing Me” and “If You’re Serious.” Riff followed two years later with To Whom It May Concern, but it was less successful. By the late 1990s, the group disbanded, and members Anthony Fuller, Dwayne Jones and Michael Best went on to be part of the group Men of Vizion.

    Various members of Riff reunited from time to time in the new century.

    Kelly’s tragic death at such a young age is another particularly sad blow to music fans in 2016. He will be remembered for his role in one of the talented male vocal groups that helped usher in a new period of vocal harmony excellence a quarter century ago. Rest in peace, Kenny. 

     

     

  4. WHY HIP-HOP SHOULD STAND UP TOGETHER AND SUPPORT METHOD MAN

    in Caught in the Middle

    Posted

    http://thesource.com/2016/07/28/why-hip-hop-should-stand-up-together-support-method-man/

    Why Hip Hop Should Stand Up Together & Support Method Man

    July 28, 2016

    A rapper wants to keep his private life private, and the world won’t comply—go figure.

    Wendy Williams first made light of Method Man‘s wife Tameka Smith having breast cancer back in 2006. At the time Meth earnestly said, “I just want to make Wendy Williams aware of exactly what it felt like to be sitting in that hospital room, watching them pump this poison into the one you love.” Now against family wishes, a photo of Tameka has surfaced online via Farrah Gray, a self proclaimed celebrity entrepreneur and self-made millionaire. Method Man pleaded with the man via Twitter to remove the photo, stating “if you have any decency..”, but his efforts were to no avail. Following a quick exchange, Meth unfortunately said he was done with social media until further notice.

    What does this mean for Hip Hop?

    Method Man leaving social media symbolizes one of our own being in a state of hopelessness. “I’ve lost faith in all human decency and I will not feed the trolls any longer. F*ck u all. 1,” he wrote. Trolls being the internet’s weirdest weirdo, and a true thorn in the side of some of our most legendary icons. Method Man is Hip Hop royalty, and should be respected as such. But we have people like Farrah Gray who can’t respect a simple request, to remove a photo of someone who didn’t even ask to be a part of celebrity culture. She married someone in the culture (a legend we might add) and that legend chooses not to expose his family to the hatred that comes along with being in the spotlight. Hip Hop should rally, and use this situation as a chance to shine light on the fact that none of their families deserve to be exposed to this type of injustice. If they choose to keep their families out of that light, then that should be a right of theirs, especially in the midst of a sickness or serious situation.

    How can Hip Hop take a stand?

    While Method Man was respectively asking Farrah Gray to remove the photo, a few more heavyweights should’ve chimed in, in his defense. A lot of times the masses conglomerate on pointless, petty issues and actually put a dent in a situation. Sometimes the issues we tackle together are serious, and this was one of those serious matters that could’ve been tackled as a collective. Method Man has entertained us all, given us his life on wax as well as on screen and for that, Hip Hop owes him a certain allegiance. We owe him an allegiance that should’ve warranted an uprising from the entire community. It’s not too late. Meth said that he was quitting social media until further notice, so we’ve put together a list of campaigns to run during his absence:

    List of Campaigns

    1. Wu Tang Forever: Bring Meth back to Twitter 

    2. Bring the Pain: Flood Farrah’s TL 

    3. All I Need: Hip Hop speaks for Meth to remove the picture 

    4. Shame on a Nigga: Who TF is Farrah Gray? 

    5. C.R.E.A.M: How much does a picture cost? 

    Hip Hop is a family, and it’s always going to be a family. When one is down, it’s the responsibility of the remainder of the community to lift him up. With Meth being one of the biggest stars in Hip Hop, this is the perfect time to show unity in the community. Simple request, to have his wife’s photo removed from the internet. Let’s rally behind him, and show him the support he needs so that he can return to social media, and continue to entertain us with a clear head.

  13. Ms. Afeni Shakur passes away at age 69

    in Caught in the Middle

    Posted

    Early Tupac Collaborator Shares Original Version Of “Dear Mama”

    DJ King Assassin, Early Tupac Collaborator, Shares The Original Version Of "Dear Mama"

    As far as Tupac‘s most iconic material is concerned, “Dear Mama,” in its showcase of Pac’s softer side, particularly at a time when his character was being eviscerated by the media, stands as something well beyond the musical realm. An ode to his mother, the late Afeni Shakur who passed early this week, “Dear Mama” was a rare glimpse at Pac’s deceptively-sentimental self, particularly at a time when he was locked for an alleged sexual assault, which he fought vehemently against. And while, that tributary has certainly received its fair share of burn over the last few days, and rightfully so, early Pac collaborator, DJ King Assassin, has pulled the veil off the original version of the song, which bears a sample of Ice Cube protege and Lench Mob affiliate Yo-Yo’s line from “This Is A Man’s World.”

    Listen to the original version of Tupac’s “Dear Mama” below and dig into the the backstory from DJ King Assassin for some context.

    “The original version of ‘Dear Mama’ was far different than the version that was released, as far as the hook was constructed. Originally, the hook was a sample of a song from the legendary rapper and friend of both of ours named Yo-Yo, from Ice Cube’s [Da] Lench Mob. The sample was ‘Wouldn’t be a damn thang without a woman,’ which was taken from the original song from Ice Cube’s ‘This Is A Man’s World,’ with the scratching done, of course, by yours truly DJ King Assassin. The day after we had finished up on everything we were in Echo Sound in L.A. when Tupac comes in the studio very upset and proceeds to explain to us that we had to take out Yo-Yo’s part because a person by the name of Pat Charbonet would not give us the clearance to use that part in the song, so we had no choice but to take it out and that’s where even the Richard Pryor excerpt, which you will hear, is completely off the released version of the song.”

    http://www.audiomack.com/song/chadkiser502/dj-king-assassin-presents-2pac-afeni-shakur-dear-mama-og-version

  15. CATCHING UP...

    in Caught in the Middle

    Posted

    Hey everyone,  I never thought I'd be one of those people who took a break from the board.  It wasn't intentional, I just got super buys (and still am).  I don't know that I've really been here all year.  To sum things up, I was working on a show the first two months of the year. More recently I did a small part in another show, which we're also doing out of town in a few weeks.  Life has been a mix of good and bad.  I'm still stuck in my awful job, which keeps giving me a schedule that makes it hard to live a satisfying life. I'm determined to change that soon, but the direction is foggy, so it's hard to know what steps I want to take. I met this girl a few months ago who I totally fell for and I put it out as we got super close. However, she's in this empty long distance relationship that I was sure she was going to end and hasn't yet. She often shows she wants to take the step, but all I can do is be patient right now, which is maddening. I've been vibing to Arrested Development's two new albums and I've been revisiting Tribe's work since Phife's passing.  Things are good, but tough.  I constantly feel like I'm on the edge of good changes, but getting frustrated with how much is my responsibility and how much involves patience.  I may not be hitting the board every day, but I'll be back. I've been catching up on old posts, so you'll likely late responds from me.  I hope things are well with everyone.

  16. DIGABLE PLANETS REUNITE!!

    in Caught in the Middle

    Posted

    Digable Planets Have Announced A Reunion Tour For This Summer

    Digable Planets Announce Reunion Tour

    Just when you thought their New Years Eve show in Seattle might be the last time you see you Butterfly, Doodlebug and Ladybug Mecca in one place at one time, Brooklyn legends, Digable Planets, have announced a full-on reunion tour for the heads of the world. Beginning at Sasquatch Music Festival on May 28th and continuing on throughout the summer, Digable will hit many of the majors on the festival circuit, including Essence Festival in New Orleans and Pitchfork Festival in Chicago, but won’t stop there, as sights are set on DC, Atlanta, Nashville and Salt Lake City amongst others in the continental US of A. And while there’s no word on whether we can expect anything in the way of new music in the meantime, their live and direct game should hold you over and provide you with that mid-summer nostalgia you’ve been aching for. Peep the full schedule for Digable Planets’ reunion tour below. Revisit the catalogue on iTunes today.

    Tour Dates:
    5/28 @ Sasquatch Festival – George, WA
    7/2 @ Essence Festival – New Orleans, LA
    7/16 @ Pitchfork Festival – Chicago, IL
    7/18 @ Woodward Theater – Cincinnati OH
    7/19 @ Orange Peel – Asheville, NC
    7/20 @ The Saturn – Birmingham, AL
    7/21 @ The Exit In – Nashville, TN
    7/22 @ Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
    7/23 @ Music Farm – Charleston, SC
    7/24 @ Cat’s Cradle – Carrboro, NC
    7/26 @ 9:30 Club – Washington, DC
    7/28 @ Ardmore Music Hall – Ardmore, PA
    8/18 @ Pioneer Park – Salt Lake City, UT (Twilight Series) with Pusha T

    http://www.okayplayer.com/news/digable-planets-have-announced-a-reunion-tour-for-this-summer.html

  23. BIG WILLIE STYLE - CLASSY SPLAT-OW

    in Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince

    Posted

    Will Smith is definitely a cool dad, but even cool dads question their children’s choices sometimes. That was the case for Will when his son Jaden decided to wear a Batman costume to prom.

    In an interview with GQ Magazine, the actor spoke about his son’s infamous outfit, the same one that he wore to the Kimye wedding. He told the mag, “The night before we get an emergency call from [his date’s] father: ‘My daughter has just found out that Jaden is wearing a Batman suit to the prom.’ So we talked to Jaden, and he agreed to wear a tie with the Batman suit. So, I blame his mother.”

    Check out the candid interview above.

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