This song is a birthday song to myself. At the same time it goes out to Griff and brothers who cross the half century mark age wise. The dizzy whirl of society today has trained people into robots and consumers thinking that we celebrate younger age not the rite of graceful passage into knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. While I overstand I’m not asking for anyone to buy into anything especially not this record … I got away from that notion 20 years ago. I’m not asking or begging any DJ or VJ to play this song. Introduction of the digital option by PE 11 years ago was for the freedom of art and artists from the pressure of business people who altered this into a “thing’ to sell. We want people to ‘get’ our music not necessarily reach down and purchase , especially in this time.
I long have stressed that rap music keep its originality if not its integrity. It’s not about myself getting old just older … I have always maintained this independent state of mind. I do not pine or sell myself especially to an industry and society that considers black art, black history and black life a disposable joke unless it can be cashed. I don’t joke nor play with the legacy of the contributors that made it possible.
I dig much all of hip hop New School, Classic, alternative whatever… as long as its under it’s original terms of creativity. I can’t stand corporations of major radio stations TV cable giants and the remaining major record companies that have bought peoples minds to be convinced that anything either too new ,too old or different is irrelevant. Structures that depend on a forced black mind state to detach from its own history while saluting the Beatles, Eric Clapton, The Eagles, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan even U2 and Eminem who know more about our root culture than US. In comparison we lost Michael Jackson, James Brown, Issac Hayes, Ray Charles, Rick James, Teddy Pendergrass Nina Simone, Barry White, and even Richard Pryor these past 10 years to relative mainstream media silence with the exception of Mr Jackson.
I dig this digital age because I don’t have to have an ulterior motive other than to motivate. Fans are fams , this and my digital label SLAMjamz music can be bought on iTunes but we have been a licensing label so that option is an area that we term ‘donated support’. We have our own digital radio stations, our own Video and news outlet via SLAMtv , PETV , and hiphopgodstv.Publicity and news services and things to get our word out we are on a YouTube Vimeo planet.
New is old , old is new. We will continue to do what we do and travel the earth in a hip hop way as well as recording and releasing music film and art from new artists who we encourage to just be themselves.
