Black history month. Just mention the term and an array of responses come out the woodworks. Some cite Dr. King, Malcom X, Rosa Parks, Huey P Newton. Others make remarks that generally go along the lines of “why we only get February? Why couldn’t they give us black history month in July why does it have to be in February!?” My personal take is that I think it’s pretty cool that we get to have a whole month to celebrate the legacy of an entire group of people.
Since I had the concept together for Underground Railroad – an album with a tribute to the historical underground railroad as well as some way to really crack out the idea that the Railroad still exists today – I’ve had fun learning and indulging myself in the historical aspects of blacks in America. So this month, I will take some time out to throw out some little known facts and some also well known ones, about Blacks in America, from Slavery ‘til now. I hope you all find it interesting and please do jump in on the convo. It’d be great to get some others ideas and opinions.
On that note – I’m going to pop in Underground Railroad after I write this and listen to some of my favorite tracks off the CD, especially those with the historical twist to them. Hopefully you’ll all take time out to go to my facebook fan page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Q-Dot/74512346368?ref=ts and listen to the entire Underground Railroad and if you feel inspired, hit iTunes and grab a copy – or hit me direct for a pay-what-you-want-CD and 10% will go to charity. This month, funds will go to support The Freedom Center at The Underground Railroad Museum in Ohio.
Our lives are way too precious. Our time is way too valuable. Our energy is way too powerful to be wasted on things that are miniscule in size and importance.
Focus on life as you would only dream it being, believe in it’s inevitability to take shape and enjoy the ride.
Rockwell Powers – The Power to Rock Well.
I had the opportunity to perform with the homey Rockwell Powers twice over the New Year Weekend and I enjoyed both of his sets. Dude hits the stage like a beast and gets busy which is refreshing to see out of a locally based MC. Honestly, I didn’t quite know what to expect from dude, I had heard about his band 10th and Commerce via their Myspace page but as far as Rockwell on a solo mission I was interested to see what that was going to turn out like.
For the CD Kids in the Back, Rockwell hooked up with Ill Pill, a very solid producer out the 206 and matched up with Rockwell Powers’ very solid mic game the end result is just that. A very solid project. It’s consistent, it flows well, and has enough content to keep you listening all the way through without skipping. One of my favorite joints is the title track where he sets the tone for the entire album with the principle-over-the-intercom-bold-statement “the kids in the back got some shit to say/Got tired of the wack start a new debate/best beats? Ill pill, best rhymes? Rockwell/modern day thrill hip hop done well” .
What I really like about Rockwell Powers being an artist myself is that he has a really good grind going for his self. He has a few different projects which really makes it cool to check for each one because the way it’s pitched…You get 10th and Commerce with one vibe, you get Rockwell Powers w/(fill in the blank producer) with a different one and you get a chance to see him being a really versatile artist and I really dig that. I highly recommend grabbing that Kids in the Back and if you can – look him and his band up and go to a show. You’ll see what I mean.
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