Modern Griots: THEESatisfaction

MTV Iggy recently released a new article about THEESatisfaction, “Space is the Sound: Investigating Afrofuturism With THEESatisfaction:” THEESatisfaction is the musical project of Stasia Irons (Stas) and Catherine Harris-White (Cat). Together the couple forms a two-woman, self-produced R&B/hip hop/psychedelic soul operation with strong cosmic overtones. Stas does a bit more rhyming while Cat is known […]

Otherworldy Videos: I Am Other

From Kiss My Black Ads Pharrell Williams always seems to have something cooking, so it should come as no surprise that the renaissance man has launched an uplifting video for his media venture, i am OTHER. Seen as way more than merely a record label, and instead a cultural movement of sorts, i am OTHER […]

…An Album By Its Cover: The Roots’ Rising Down

Via Lostinurbanism and Karnado Fear of Negro rule was still evident in 1900. Rising Down, the eighth studio album of The Roots was released on April 29, 2008. Above is the original drawing used the for the cover, “The Vampire that Hovers Over North Carolina,” a cartoon by Norman E. Jennette, which was published in […]

Modern Griots Spotlight: B. Slade

B. Slade‘s Deep Purple His description: Imagineer that has released 30 albums in less than 12 years. A Prophetic Visionary with no boundaries musically spiritually or vocally. The future is now. Come aboard.

The My-Stery: Now Put Some Vodou On It

As I study more about myth and religion, I am starting to understand the art of different artists more. For example, Janelle Monae. The first time I heard Monae was in her video for “Many Moons.” Actually, the first time I saw her was in Big Boi’s “Morris Brown,” but I didn’t know it was […]

Rewind: Ooh

Mary J. Blige’s “Ooh” I was trying to remember and was searching for this song for weeks; I finally found it! The video was always striking to me because it shows her confronting the different aspects of herself and the ghosts that haunt her.

Modern Griots: Onyx Ashanti

Onyx Ashanti created a new style called Beat Jazz,” which is all produced on two handheld controllers, iphone and a mouthpiece. This is how he describes his work and himself: I am what can only be described as a cyborg musician. in other words, the music I create live, can not be replicated without technology. […]

The My-Stery: Wiccan and Voodoo?

While looking for the System of a Down’s “Chop Suey” video, I saw the video for Godsmack’s “Voodoo.” The song was supposedly influenced by Wes Craven’s The Serpent and the Rainbow, a movie that is problematic in of itself, portraying Vodou and indigenous religion in a kind of simplistic view, using them once again as […]

Modern Griots: John Jennings

John Jennings, who describes himself as a “a professional bender of time,” and is an associate professor in visual studies at University at Buffalo, blends together the worlds of comics, hip-hop and racial discourse. Here is some of his article from Buffalo’s website: John Jennings centers his life on provocative questions: How can we show the […]

Otherworldly Videos: Journey Through the Mind

Big K.R.I.T. – The Vent Ab Soul – Pineal Gland