What are you thankful for?
I’m thankful for the Boondocks, I’m thankful for employment, I’m thankful for the motivation BET gives me every day, I’m thankful for the health and life of my loved ones, I’m thankful for good Key Lime Pie, I’m thankful for our President, I’m thankful for Fall and the opportunity to wear sweaters again, I’m thankful for Everybody hates Chris.
Things I’m NOT thankful for: the Tea Party, BET, BET, BET, the intrusive power smartphones have over our lives, BET, the cold weather, weight gain, having to pee when you’re at least fifteen minutes away from a bathroom, BET’s College Hill, BET’s 106th and Park, BETNews (if you want to call it news), a Michael Jackson-less world, cornrows, Steve Carrell leaving The Office, and the Miami Heat.
It really is a great time to be a music fan….new albums released by Kanye West, Cee-Lo Green, Rihanna, Kid Cudi, Neyo (so is there a dash in his name or not? who cares…), and yes even Nicki Minaj. I never thought I’d say anything slightly positive, but I can admit that I’ve grown from hating her music and image to at least an acceptable tolerance. I still think her buzz is a bit undeserved, and the acclaim for her verse on Kanye’s “Monster” has been overstated (although she outperformed everyone else on the song…even good ‘ol Charlie Wilson). Still, I’ve decided to give Pink Friday a listen….
Speaking of Kanye….BRAVO MY FRIEND! BRAVO! The Award-Show Asshole has created a musical and artistic masterpiece this time. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is a refreshing glimpse into the complicated mind of a true musical pioneer. The bright unique sound, heavy drum beats, and the use of overdrive in his vocal manipulation all combine to create one of the most exciting pieces of work in years. The imagery of his short film Runaway combined with the instrumentation of the album snippets create a much-deserved hype that will not disappoint in this latest album. Stay tuned for a full review….
For the record, the only albums I purchased this past decade were Ludacris’ Word of Mouf in 2002, John Legend’s Get Lifted in 2004, and Darnell Levine’s second album in 2008. I am notoriously comfortable with my methods, but I have made the decision to return to the CD store to purchase MBDTF. Not because he deserves the money, not because I believe the quality will be significantly better, not even to “support” (whatever that means)….I am purchasing it because I believe it is a masterpiece, and a classic album, and I appreciate the work put into the album so much that I want to be able to say that I have an official copy of one of my favorite albums ever. One day I will sit my son or daughter down and explain to them my love for music, and I will pass down to them my many harddrives, and then I will give them the few albums I have ever purchased. I can only hpe that they will be able to understand and distinguish good music from true works of art. They will physically hold every Michael Jackson album in their hand and understand that the King of Pop was so much more than an internet link to download and put on the iPod. They will hold every Bone Thugs-N-Harmony album and I will probably lose musical credibility in their eyes. Then they will hold albums from my other great artists like Gnarls Barkley, John Legend, Outkast, and of course Kanye West. That may not be their music, but I can hope that they will come to know what their father once loved and appreciated more than any other sounds…
Damn that was kinda gay. But I’m still buying the album.
Remember how I said I’m not thankful for that feeling when you have to pee and you can’t hold it……well……..gotta go!
No comments:
Post a Comment