The Hip Hop Anthropologist

What defines NeoSoul? The question has not been clearly answered. But Neosoul is what the name implies: Neo meaning "new" plus soul music. If we start from that simple proposition instead of what some fans and aficionados and even industry insiders post, we have to define soul music, before we can even get to NeoSoul.  According to Wikipedia, "Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African-American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues." Now that we have that out of the way, we can begin to talk about the evolution of NeoSoul, or "new" soul music that started being produced and recorded in the mid-to-late sixties. Who were the top five major Black musical talents or influences in the mid-sixties: Ray Charles, Gladys Knight, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, and  Marvin Gaye. All of these artists had careers that spanned decades and, mor

 Prompted by weariness with the pedestrian fare found on social media, a group entitled "Black Intellectuals" seemed to be the ideal landing spot. However, unless I am missing something, it is also bereft of content. There is a lot of news directly impacting Black folks throughout the Diaspora. But "Black Intellectuals" are not discussing any of it either critically or in depth. In fact they seem to be "missing in action." I used to be in a group that will remain anonymous because a member there is also a member of Black Intellectuals. We used to have always lively, often raucous, sometimes bitter conversations about topics that engaged Black men of all races. It had over ten thousand members during its height of all political persuasions.  The group's owner was around my age in his mid-sixties but unlike me, retired. After a series of posts Meta's online reputation management (ORM) system and/or human censors found objectionable, the group had to

 So, how do you strategically combat against an avaricious, aggressive, violent, warmongering tribe who projects its duplicity, hypocrisy, and criminality on to other tribes? By roundly denouncing the off-the-reservation tribe at every turn without fear of either reprisal or retaliation: its brazen theft of innate creativity, intellectual property, valuable mineral (and human) resources and real property of other tribes; by championing our own story: promoting excellence in our community where possible, agitating for it where not. By becoming the protagonist in our own stories. By becoming agents of change. The tribe in question is no longer in the mainstream of American political discourse replete as it is with ancient alabaster relics of a time long past. Its current worldview is a rusty artifact of that period fostered by a false sense of racial superiority naively employed to rationalize "manifest destiny," which is little more than an euphemism for conquest, plunder, mur

  I never got how playing music at disco volumn or, more importantly, sitting in a car with music blaring so loud you can hear it a mile away was pleasurable. You have to know that you're damaging your hearing beyond disturbing the peace. A good stereo is like seasoning on food. It is supposed to accentuate the music enabling you to hear the highs, midrange, and lows with clarity. Allowing you to savor every note. Like a perfectly cooked steak seasoned with only clarified butter and a few grains of kosher salt. 'nuff said.