Music Video: Brother Ali - Mourning in America

Brother Ali's latest release, the title track from his upcoming album, Mourning in America and Dreaming in Colour, is intense. The music and the images speak for themselves. He'll be performing in Toronto on Sept. 30, 2012 at the Annex Wreckroom.




Pre-order the album: http://bit.ly/NbZfxY
Buy song on iTunes: http://bit.ly/PmIHSV
Album in stores 9/18. Produced by Jake One. 

This is the title track to my new album, Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color. The first half of the album highlights and critiques the dire situation in which we live. The second half outlines the tremendous opportunity we have to re-imagine and reform our society. This song is an observation and a critique of our culture of death and murder. From actual war zones around the world to our own inner cities where this summer's death rates rival war zones. I also address our national hypocrisy regarding violence. We have a zero tolerance policy of violence committed against us, but we're a lot more lenient and patient when it comes to the violence we commit. "A life is a life and a killer is a killer". -Brother Ali 

Es - Feud for Thought

I somehow just found out about Mississauga emcee Es, even though he's been doing the damn thang since 1991! Met him at the Big Mic TO show this past Tuseday, unfortunately missed his set, but he hailed me up on FB and sent me the link for his most recent album, Feud for Thought. Intelligent lyricism? Check. Complex flows? Check. Originality. Yup. Es is an all around dope hip hop emcee, and this album is sick.



“Feud For Thought” is a collection of my thoughts which illustrate my views on what is hurting this culture, music and community that I love. This beautiful forum of expression is being exploited for capital gain at the expense of the impressionable minds of the youth. Hip hop is much more than the one dimensional imagery depicted in various mainstream media. The entire story isn't being told. The industry powers- that-be would rather force-feed the masses watered-down, dumbed-down rubbish than evoke thought, knowledge of self, introspection, messages of love, peace and respect. They will have you believe that hip hop is supposed to look and sound a certain way. A bunch of cookie-cutter mass produced cloning has negatively impacted the creative element of the music. My war is with the media brainwashing. My feud isn't necessarily with the clones themselves. My feud is with the “puppet masters” controlling minds and insulting the intelligence of the masses. The dumber they make us, the more money we put into their pockets. Let's fight for mental freedom. Let's fight for creativity and originality. Let's “Feud For Thought”. 

Peace. 
~Es~

Potent Whisper ft Nanci Correia - Between The Lines

Some conscious hip hop from the UK by Potent Whisper with some entrancing vocals courtesy of Nanci Correia. Lyrics easy to follow via the video...

 

Download here: http://potentwhisper.com/

FenaxiZ feat. JLatte - White Man's Burden

T-Dot emcee FenaxiZ just released a very powerful, raw, and brutally honest video + track called "White Man's Burden" off his upcoming LP, Vintage. Over some entrancing guitar strumming by JLatte and beat by Quarter Inch Kings, FenaxiZ speaks on many hard to swallow truths about Filipino history as well as his views on the current state of his community both in the Philippines and in Toronto. "White Man's Burden" is an unapologetic, unflinching view of the effects that colonialism, 2 World Wars, corrupt police and government officials and modern day racism have had and continue to have on the Filipino population. I have only one small beef with the title: colonialism of the Phillipines was first done by Spain...they shoulder some of the burden, don't they? This track + video is not for the faint of heart:



Every June 12, Filipinos across the globe commemorate their homeland's declaration of independence from Spanish occupation in 1898. Amidst the lumpia, tinikling dances, and street parades, FenaxiZ humbly entreats his kasamas worldwide to pause for a moment of reflection and acknowledge a past mired with bloodshed, subjugation, and resistance. 

Borrowing its title from the Rudyard Kipling poem about the Filipino-American war, "White Man's Burden" is a critical analysis of the widespread effects that imperialism has wreaked upon a 7000-island archipelago once known as "The Pearl Of The Orient." From a Labour Export Policy that seperates parents from children to the internalized racism that fuels identity issues of the youth, FenaxiZ covers many pressing issues that today's Filipinos face; yet, he is also aware of the incomplete picture he paints as he muses, "and this rap ain't even scratching the surface of our collective experience."

FenaxiZ states, "To properly capture 600 years of a country's history in a 5 minute song is impossible, but I hope my words can mobilize my audience to walk away with a desire to educate themselves on the issues. I want us to truly think about our current situation, discuss amongst ourselves, and question if we are, in fact, an independent republic. If my lyrics can instill some pride and provide a stepping stone to a Filipino youth's journey of understanding his or her identity, then I've done my job."

And while the image may be bleak, FenaxiZ adds, "If history has taught us anything, it is that Filipinos are survivors; we are a resilient people. From Lapu-Lapu to the People Power Revolution, Filipinos have resisted oppression from internal and external forces and we will continue to do so until we take our rightful place as a respected, self-sufficient, first-class prosperous nation. It may not happen in my lifetime or the next, but it will happen one day." 

"White Man's Burden" is produced by The Quarter Inch Kings and features Joshua "JLatte" Lopez on guitar. It will appear on the upcoming FenaxiZ album Vintage, slated for a July 2012 release. 

Directed & Edited by Minerva Group (www.minervastudio.ca)