Mixtapes With A Message

It’s been long overdue for a new entry.

Over the past year I have been honored to be involved with a couple of great mixtape projects. The first, HOME, is a collaborative effort between Nomadic Wax and Housing Is A Human Right that addresses the growing dilemma of housing rights. Through their network of artists, Nomadic Wax was able to assemble a roster of lyricist and poets to contribute verses and music that dealt with displacement, gentrification, and other issues surrounding housing. To further drive the message of this project, actual testimonials from those who have experienced and/or experiencing this problem are interspersed throughout the mix.

On a personal note, I laid down the foundation of this project during the aftermath of Super Storm Sandy making the process of putting this mix together incredibly poignant. At the time of the storm, I was out in Long Island but because of the power outage, I was forced to relocate to Brooklyn where I was taken in by Jennifer Weber director of Decadance Theatre. It was there at DECA HQ where I sat on the floor with the turntables, mixer, Scratch Live, and Pro-Tools and listened to the tracks and the stories of those in the housing struggle. While piecing together the mix, news outlets and the internet flooded my eyes and ears with the stories of people struggling without power, or displaced because their homes were in ruin from the storm. Many people were lucky to have a network of friends and family to go to where we could have a warm place to lay our heads and have a hot meal. Others were not so fortunate and resorted to dumpster diving and toughing it out in cold dark apartments.

The most recent project that I’ve been involved in was just released. It’s a collaborative piece with Omar Offendum of Hip-hop and Arabic poetry entitled OO vs PP. Mostly known for his work as a lyricist OO vs PP showcases Offendum’s production. Last year Offendum approached me about doing a mixtape using his instrumentals, and I gladly accepted the job. We went back and forth on a concept for the mix. Originally, I thought of using his own poetry to be showcase along with his beats, but then while watching news updates and scouring for samples on Al Jazeera English’s YouTube Page I came across a preview for the documentary series, Poets of Protest. Each week the series profiled a poet from a different region in the Middle East, told their story, and shared their words with the viewer. With each episode I was reminded about the power of words and how they are, not only, cathartic but also inspiring for others during difficult times. The words were a source of comfort and a rallying point that reflected the opinions and emotions of the public. After watching each episode I approached Offendum with the idea of using pieces from the series in the mix. The idea was to set the words of these poets to Offendum’s beats, somewhat like what The Last Poets had done with their socially conscious verses over music.

The end result is this:

I’m always amazed by the power of words. I’m even more amazed when words are coupled with the right music.

Both these mixtapes are free to download. If you like them please share them.

Thanks.

-B-