Diggin' in the Crates: A Tribe Called Quest

ATCQ Album Cover

It's seemed like only yesterday that I heard Bonita Applebum playing on the radio through the hallways of my high school. But it wasn't just yesterday. All this week, A Tribe Called Quest has been popping up all over the airwaves and nightly talk shows to celebrate its 25th anniversary of their debut album People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm.

Out of all the members of the group Q-Tip was my personal favorite. (My sincere apologies Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White.) 

The one in the middle is Q-Tip

I personally never owned the album but now is good time to add People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm to my music collection. And I've got to get Pharell William's rendition of Bonita Applebum.

So far the best interview I heard about the 25th anniversary aired on NPR's All Things Considered. I learned that the album made some feel like it was "an iconoclast's mission statement" from the hip-hop era of the early 1990s. The group, which started out during their teenage years, are all grownup and appears to be ready to bring hip-hop back to life. Well, at least this is what I hope.

Take a listen.

Diggin in the Crates: It's Record Store Day

If you never heard of Record Store Day, you're not alone. I just found out about this joyous occasion in March from a co-worker. (Thanks Matt!)

So what is Record Store Day? It's an annual event that was founded in 2007 and takes place on the third Saturday of April. Record Store Day celebrates the culture of the independently owned record store. Vinyl record collectors, fans, artists, and independent record stores around the globe all takes part in this glorious day.

A number of records are pressed specifically for Record Store Day, and are only distributed to shops participating in the event. Too bad there isn't a record store in Montclair, N.J. where I can stand in line in anticipation to go vinyl digging. 

There's also a website dedicated to the yearly celebration. RecordStoreDay.com provides a list of some of the 600+ artists, locally regionally, and nationally known who will be spending the day rockin' out to the culture of their indie record store.  

There's even an Ambassador for the day. This year Foo Fighter's front man, Dave Grohl, will grace the official seal for 2015. Pretty awesome right?

This year I didn't have enough time to go through the list of artists who were putting out limited editions for Record Store Day. However, 2016 I'll be good and ready to go diggin' through crates with fellow vinyl record lovers. 

Maybe I'll even run into vinyl record volggers Mike and Sandy, who breaks down what you need to know for Record Store Day! 



Did you hit your local record store to celebrate the annual event? 

What's currently spinning on your turntable?

Are you even into vinyl records?

  

Emerging Artist: Paula Boggs

After shattering glass ceilings in corporate America, Paula Boggs decided to walk away from it all to pursue music

(Paula Boggs)

It’s not every day you hear of someone leaving the corporate world to pursue their love for music. So when I received a press release in my work e-mail with the subject – Starbucks’ Former General Counsel Paula Boggs makes bold decision to leave the world of law and business to devote herself to music – I was compelled to find out why.

Turns out Paula Boggs, who is a Black-American woman, spent nearly 30 years breaking through glass ceilings in corporate America. Boggs was an Airborne Army officer, and she also served on the White House Iran Contra task force. Her most recent gig was at Starbucks Corp. Boggs was the top lawyer of the global coffee chain and she reported directly to the company’s chairman and CEO, Howard Schultz. Boggs accomplished several accolades during her career and has been recognized by Fortune and NASDAQ as one of the most respectable legal counselors in America.

Boggs decided to leave it all behind and dedicate herself to the critically acclaimed career of a singer-songwriter. She found her love for music at the age of 10 and considers herself as a “lifer musician.” She is now venturing toward what she calls her "true north" by pursuing music with the same dedication that fueled her corporate accomplishments. 

Her journey to music didn’t come out of the blue. After a tragic accident killed her sister-in-law in 2005, Boggs picked up her guitar to heal. It had been years since she Boggs played but gradually, songs came to her and she had a creative reawakening.

Grammy Recap: It’s About the Music

It’s been a week since the 57th Annual Grammy Awards took center stage in the middle of my living room. The sweet voiced, British male vocalist, Sam Smith, made quite the impression to America’s pop music scene as he walked away with four Grammys. But I am not going to give you a run down of who won what because you can get the full list at www.grammy.com. 

The social media audience certainly had their fun with the Grammys. Most of the comments that scrolled through were folks expressing their thoughts about who should win, how people performed, and others were trying to figure out who the hell is Beck and why he beat out Beyonce, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and Pharrell Williams for Album of the Year.

My high school years were spent listening to all types of genres of music from the early 1990s, so I was fully aware of who Beck is. However, I didn’t know he came out with his Morning Phase album last year. 

Emerging Artist: Doug Seegers

Doug Seegers never gave up on his love for music. At the age of 16, Seegers had a dream of becoming a country singer. People told him it would never happen but he kept strumming his guitar. At 62, Seegers finally got the break he had been trying so hard to get.  

I first heard of Seegers’ story on WNYC’s Morning Edition via NPR. Seeger was homeless and living on the streets of Nashville, Tenn. Jill Johnson, a singer from Sweden was in town shooting a segment for her TV show about “down-and-out musicians,” and discovered Seegers. She found Seeger playing his guitar and singing his song near a food pantry where he usually sets up shop.



After Johnson heard his heartfelt, soulful lyrics, she and Seegers headed to the studio to record his song for her show. Days later, his song – Going Down to the River, rose to the No.1 spot on Swedish iTunes. (See Seegers’ full story: Homeless in Nashville, Huge in Sweden) 

October 2014, Seegers released his debut album, Going Down to the River. If you appreciate country music like I do then I suggest you buy his album, which you can purchase on iTunes. 

Seegers’ story of not giving up speaks volumes. It’s a constant reminder to hold on to your dreams. I hope you’re holding on to yours. 

Related Stories: 

• Emerging Artist: Billie Black 

Emerging Artist: Billie Black

It's time to mix things up a little with one of my favorite pastimes ... Music. An emerging artist with a classic or new sound really pulls at my heart strings.

(Billie Black via Facebook page)

Lyrics, style and flow are the three characteristics that I listen out for when I hear a new musical artist. I also prefer the ones who have yet to make it to the airwaves of popular radio stations throughout the U.S. You know like the ones you come across at a small venue, SoundCloud or Twitter, which is where I discovered my new musical favorite – Billie Black.

Billie Black shared her video from her single 'I Don't Need Another Lover' this week on YouTube and then it landed in my twitter feed. The British 19 year-old singer songwriter is not trending in social media just yet but I am sure once her EP 000100 drops on Nov. 3, 2014, people will take notice.

'I Don't Need Another Lover' has a smooth funk soulful vibe to it and I couldn't get enough. Take a listen ... 

 

Billie Black is excited to headline her first "proper show" at Old Blue Last on Dec. 4, 2014. So if you're in London on that night be sure to check out her show and update me on how she moved the crowd. 

I'm rooting for you Billie Black! I know a good voice when I hear one! - @TCsViews

I'm still waiting to hear back from Billie Black for an interview with Arts of Cultures to find out her story. I know she has one.

In the meantime, we just have to keep track of her progress on the following social media platforms:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thisbillieblack


tumblr: http://thisbillieblack.tumblr.com/

Twitter: @thisbillieblack

SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/billie-black