Reflection Eternal and Bun B, "Strangers"
It's always worth checking out Houston's Bun B. Here he is, joining Reflection Eternal's Talib Kwelli and DJ Hi-Tek on a new song called "Strangers."
The song starts with a southern-hospitality-style nod towards the honored guest, as Talib, from Brooklyn, and Hi-Tek, from Cincinnati, quote a Houston rap classic, the Geto Boys' "My Mind's Playing Tricks On Me." Talib then borrows a flow from Lil Wayne's 2006 "Georgia," which stands, strangely, as one of rap's great protest songs. (Strangely just because Lil Wayne is not often associated with political concerns. But I guess when your president smiles and strums a guitar while your hometown drowns, one could be so inspired.) Then Bun comes on and proves, as he so often does, why he belongs in best-MC-of-all-time discussions. Did you ever read Jon Caramanica's interview with him in The Believer from a few years back? If not, you should. It's an excellent look at the artistic process, very much with a capital A, that goes into writing rap lyrics.
Aww, rap posts on tThe Awl can be so sad sometimes. Nobody ever comments. So first, I wanna say thanks to Dave Bry for being The Little Rap Blogger That Could over here. I appreciate you keeping it rap-related around here.
Anyway, as someone that's written a rhyme or two myself before (Shhh! Don't tell anyone!), I have to say that Bun's explanation of his rap style is pretty spot-on:
"I honestly never sat down and said 'OK, here's my style,' because my whole thing was knowing everyone's style. Everything I've ever written has bits and pieces of everything I've ever heard. Any rapper that tells you different is a liar. You can't write a book if you've never read a book. And if you've read five books and you try to write a book, your book will mainly encompass the themes and the context of the five books you've read. Now, the more books you read, the more you can bring to a book when you decide to write one. So the more rap I learned, the more I was able to bring to rap when I decided to rap. But this was all subconscious."
I can easily go through each of my writings, line-by-line and point out who I was emulating where… from whose style I was building. And I'm sure more traditional writes (as opposed to poetry/songwriters) could do the same.
I appreciate it too! Today's music is stuff I probably wouldn't listen to, except I have a slightly crazy, very white, very Irish, very suburbia-departed friend who loves rap.
Times like today, I get to one-up him on music tips (thanks Dave!) When that happens, I feel a little less slightly crazy, very white, very Irish, very suburbia-departed myself.
That bass line is killing me though, wish I could figure out what it's reminding me of.
As the rap blogs say, "co-sign."
And Wayne has quite a few politically inclined songs (they just don't get released as singles).
On Carter III alone there are "Tie My Hands" and "Misunderstood"
but, does the light stab at his eyes until he has to shoot it and an arab gets in the way of the bullet?
The horn hook and how it commands! How it is sudden respite from the pianistic oppression of the verse beat, which is there to unsettle. How each verse seems to retrieve us from grim deep and set us down in this militaristic fanfare. Which is probably worse. Which is probably our vague causes for quivering made suddenly concrete.
I would also like to echo how awesome it is that you post hip-hop all over the dang Awl, Dave. I meant to come here with a whole list of reasons why Bun B is going to reform health care by transforming the human race into undying orbs of energy, but you covered it.