Tag: Ali Shaheed Muhammad

Panorama Music Festival 2017: A Tribe Called Quest

Yesterday, I was fortunate to have experienced yet another great show. It was the show I’ve been waiting to attend for a while now and I finally got that. For about two years now, I’ve been a heavy A Tribe Called Quest fan and I got the chance to meet them exactly two years ago at a clothing shop downtown. Then, unfortunately, Phife Dawg passed away eight months after I met them and it was very devastating and hard for me, then there was the memorial for Phife a month after that, then there was the street name dedication for Phife and the pop up shop last year in November. Attending all of these things have led up to finally seeing them live on stage, thanks a good friend of mine who had an extra wristband for me to go. I feel dumb now having doubts about going now thinking that the place was too far for me to go but I’m absolutely grateful and thankful to have one of my biggest dreams come true. At the Panorama Music Festival 2017 yesterday, there were people everywhere, food, concession stands, restrooms on wheels, loud music and of course the fans. Fans came out there, including me and my friend, representing with our gear on. A Tribe Called Quest didn’t come out until 7:30 that evening. When they finally came out, the crowd went crazy. It was Q-Tip, Jarobi, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Consequence. Song after song, classic after classic, these guys were amazing. It was a dream come true for me. I’m still numb and in shock from seeing these guys literally on stage in front of me, I just wish I was closer to the front of the stage but I still had an amazing time. Phife Dawg‘s Face was on the screen the whole time too while his verses came on on the songs. I left that show on a different kinda high I never experienced before. It was something powerful that the guys left in me. Something that may spark a new kinda motivation for me to want to be the one on that stage making and performing dope, timeless music. ATCQ forever! Rest In Peace Phife Dawg!

What A Good Look. Kim Goodlook Seabrook

*ALERT*MEDIA*BLOG
It is said that laughter is good for the soul, so when I was invited to a comedy show to hear a Spoken Word Artist, I thought, hmmm this will be different. I had know idea how different…

The Black National Theatre of Harlem housed What To Do Ent. comedy show hosted by JC Best in conjunction with comedians OC the Bus Driver and Kenny Woo.

The opening act was a Spoken Word artist by the name of Kim Goodlook Seabrook. Seabrook is a Bronx native Spoken Word artist and radio personality. You can find her weekly on one of  New York City’s budding internet radio stations, I AXIS Radio. With her show Keepin’ it 100 with Kim and Della.

As the night got on its way and following her introduction from JC Best, Kim seemed to float out onto the stage, very poised and confident. She immediately surveyed the crowd and attached with the audience. Kim performed three pieces that night, Cocaine, A Woman’s Identity and Got Dam. The three pieces were very different in content but the same in rawness and reality.

The first piece, cocaine, as u would guest was creative writing about the opioid drug. It spoke of how it seems to be your friend in a time of despair however, just like all fairweather friends it let’s you down in the end. The twist and metephores GoodLook used was so vivid, at one time I literally felt chills as she performed. The second piece was dedicated to all woman kind. Kim relayed the message of don’t lose yourself being a wife, a mother an employee or whatever capacity it is you’re in day to day. The message was always remember to keep your identity as a woman first.
Ms.Seabrook did not forget about the men who was in attendance, she delivered a bold piece titled Got Damn, which focused on the struggle of the Black Man. Seabrook spewed so many truths and nuances about being a Black Man in America it received a standing ovation when it was over. This piece touched on nagging baby mothers, police harassment and much more, not to give too much away, this piece touches and goes into the depths of trying to survive in Amerikkka as a Black Man. Got Damn!
Once Kim bowed out from her performance, there were murmurs in the audience of wows and she’s deep along with she was a show all by herself. Sitting in the audience and to hear and see people’s genuine reaction to her tells a truth I couldn’t make up. Kim Goodlook Seabrook is a force to be reckoned with in the spoken word realm. Her sensual voice her command of tje stage and her piuse and cadence is unmatched. She is a humble person who exudes great energy. I recommend everyone see her live performance, you will not be disappointed. Until you get a chance to hear her live, listen to her pieces on SoundCloud…

Written by Sugarhill Sky.
*No funds were given or services bartered for this write up.
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The Low End Theory: The 25th Anniversary

2 months ago, “Beats, Rhymes & Life” turned 20, now here we are on September 24th, 2016, and another classic Tribe album has an anniversary. “The Low End Theory”, my favorite ATCQ album turns 25. Before I get into this album track by track, I spent some time on Phife’s Instagram account and it still hurts that he’s not here. It’s surreal, I think about this man everyday. I just wish he was here to see “Beats, Rhymes & Life” turning 20, 2 months ago and now “The Low End Theory”, turning 25. This album is known for it’s jazzy sounds that influenced a lot of other hip hop artists and albums. “Excursions”, the opening track on the album is a head nodder and Q-Tip rips this joint. The next joint “Buggin’ Out”, is the joint you hear at the end of the “Scenario” music video and this time Phife is who we hear first and then Tip comes in afterwards. It’s the classic yin and yang thing that the fellas do in their music. “Rap Promoter” has a beat that knocks a little bit more harder than the first two joints on the album and bit more bass too. The next joint “Butter” is one of my all time favorite Tribe joints. This song always plays in my head out of all the Tribe joints there are and it’s my favorite song to listen to when I’m on the train just cruising on my way downtown doing what I usually do, shopping or going to visit family in Queens. Haha, how ironic, Queens is the hometown of Tribe, except Ali Shaheed, he’s from Bed-Stuy. Just like hook goes the joint is strictly BUTTER. “Not no Parkay, not no margarine but strictly butter baby!” The next joint “Verses From the Abstract” is a smooth joint from the Abstract himself. It has a cypher kinda style where a couple of guys come together randomly on the sidewalks and just nod their heads to a dope beat like this joint and do their thing. “Show Business” is another favorite joint of mine on this album. It’s a catchy joint about having the guts and courage to deal with dealing with the rap industry, questioning those who are willing and dedicated to do this. “Vibes and Stuff” has the perfect title. It’s just vibes and stuff. Dope smooth beat and a head nod. “The Infamous Date Rape”, a song that touches on the subject of date rape. An important topic should be discussed more so that people understand what does it mean when someone says NO! The next joint “Check the Rhime”, the first single released from this album and of course a classic. I loved how the video had everyone from the neighborhood Kickin’ it with Tribe. By the way, the ATCQ mural on Linden Boulevard is the exact same place where the video for this joint took place 25 years ago. I’m just glad I was there. Word. “Everything Is Fair” is one of those Tribe joints where they obviously use a sample that takes over the entire the song. This joint coulda been an instrumental and it would still work. “Jazz (We’ve Got)”, awwww maannnn! This is my all time favorite Tribe joint. I am obsessed with this joint all the way yo! Everything was perfect about this joint. The beat, the jazzy horns sounds, Tip, Phife, the simple rhythmic hook “We’ve got the jazz, we’ve got the jazz.” My favorite part on this joint is the beginning of Phife’s part when he uses his Trinidadian accent and goes “Competition dem Phifer come sideway, but competition dey mus me come straightway.” I lose it at that part all the time. “Skypager” was cool. The beat is dope but that’s pretty much it. It was more like an interlude or a short skit to me. “What?”…… The perfect title for it. Didn’t like this joint and of course the album ends with “Scenario.” Another classic Tribe joint with the help from Leaders of the New School, Busta Rhymes original rap group. It was Busta, Charlie Brown, Cut Monitor Milo and Dinco D. The video was perfect for the song too. It was just as hype as the song. Another hip hop classic right here, from beginning to end. This album is always up for debate with “Midnight Marauders” amongst hip hop and Tribe fans about which is Tribe’s better album and whose is what favorite. Once again, much love and peace to my man Phife Dawg. Rest in peace King.

Happy Birthday Ali Shaheed Muhammad!

Ali Shaheed Muhammad, 1/4 of A Tribe Called Quest, 1/3 of Lucy Pearl (with Raphael Saadiq of Tony! Toni! Toné! and Dawn of En Vogue), and 1/3 of the production team The Ummah with Q-Tip and the late great J Dilla. Ali Shaheed was always my favorite member of ATCQ because he was very laid back and cool. Nobody knows his business, nobody knows his next moves, I call him “The Mystery Man” cause you don’t even know whether or not he produced one of your favorite joints unless you buy someone’s album and read this credits. Speaking of credits, I just found months ago that he did “Brown Sugar” for D’Angelo back in 1995 for his debut album with the same title. I also remember reading somewhere that D’Angelo is one of Ali’s favorite singers. I had already mentioned in the 20th anniversary edition blog of ATCQ’s fourth album “Beats, Rhymes & Life” that ATCQ is my favorite hip hop group, so today I took a little trip down to Queens on Linden Boulevard and 192nd Street to visit the ATCQ mural. That mural came about because of one of the members of this hip hop group on Facebook I’m apart of called “Hip Hop Discussion Group.” Shoutouts to them for making this happen. It was a long ride out there from The Bronx. LMAO! I wore my custom made ATCQ t-shirt, a pair of plain black shorts and my fresh Air Force Ones sneakers, all white of course. I finally get to the mural and I was immediately blown away but the experience for me coulda been a whole lot better if I had someone to go with me, preferably another Tribe fan, that would’ve been dope. I took pictures, I recorded a video of me walking past the entire wall until I met this man standing nearby watching me named Terrence. He was cool and was nice enough to take a pic of me in front of the mural holding up 2 Tribe vinyls I own. I shook his hand, thanked him and went on my way back Uptown. All day on the train I was listening to Tribe, zoning out, having creative thoughts, getting inspired and thinking about what life would’ve been back in 1990 for me. I was listening to their debut album “People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm” mostly. I always had this fantasy of hanging out with Tribe, even with Phife. I always considered Q-Tip my older brother, just because me and him share the same zodiac sign, we’re both an Aries. I would get tips from Q-Tip about how the industry is and how to survive it, Ali would show me his techniques on the turntables, Phife would be talking shit and cracking jokes and Jarobi would be cheffin’ up a bomb ass meal. That was my biggest fantasy but don’t tell the guys. Man do I miss Phife though. Cool ass guy he was. Rest In Phife and Happy Birthday Ali Shaheed. ATCQ 4 Ever!!!!