One of the most intelligent American hip hop group that graced us in the 1990s is a group called “A Tribe Called Quest”. This group formed in 1985 by MC and producer Q-Tip, MC Phife Dawg aka Phife Diggy (Malik Taylor), Jarobi White (who only played on the first album), and DJ/producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad. The group met at New York City’s Murray Bergtraum High School for Business Careers. They were group similar to other rap artist coming up in the 80s and 90s like Public Enemy, De La Soul, Arrested Development, and Wu-Tang Clan just to name a few. John Bush of allmusic called them “the most intelligent artists rap group during the 1990s. What made this group considered to be very intelligent is that fact that they left the macho posturing rap music and focused more on including abstract philosophy and message to their tracks. Tribe confronted numerous black issues like date rape, use of the word nigger, and the trials and tribulations of the rap industry.

Quest built upon De La Soul’s jazz-rap, creating tracks based around laid-back samples instead of great artist, James Brown that was being used by the late 80s. After the group debuted in 1989, they release their debut album one year later. The second album “The Low End Theory” was considered one of the most consistent and flowing hip hop albums ever recorded then, the group started to moved closer harder contemporaries on 1993 album Midnight Marauders where the album was filled with faces of more than fifty rappers like The Beastie Boys, Ice-T and Heavy D and more.   

What I thought was interesting is that MC Q-Tip was a part of  De La Soul’s first single Roller Skating Jam “Saturdays” from their second studio album De La Soul is Dead, This track also includes vocals from R&B singer Vinia Mojica and American entrepreneur Russell Simmons.

What made Quest different than some of the other groups were their distinct lyric approach by rapping different issues. placing  them in a league of their own in the rap community. Quest was involved in areas in the late 80s & 90s. In my own words, I feel that in the rap community comes from a class of very intelligent MC’s, producers and, writers who took the time to challenge the world with their unique lyric base attitude towards society. Rap will continue to remain prominent even as music evolves in the future.

I gave you a little history on the group “A Tribe Called Quest” Please feel free to view more by clicking on the links below..

AllMusic A Tribe Called Quest A Biography by John Bush

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/a-tribe-called-quest-mn0000478982

A Tribe Called Quest The official website

http://atribecalledquest.com/html/biography/

Rolling Stone Biography

Portions of this biography appeared in The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001).

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/a-tribe-called-quest/biography#ixzz3patf8q7L

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/a-tribe-called-quest/biography

I have a team of prodigies who captured the world of creation at a level of perfection with eclectic sounds that catapulted music lovers to another time in space. In my Prezi presentation, I will connect you to musicians who illuminated their genre of Rock, jazz, Latin jazz and hip hop culture. Please click on the link below to see non other then My Band.

http://prezi.com/cao7mc6ulgng/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

Public Enemy is an American hip hop group who consist of Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff, The S1W group, Khari Wynn and DJ Lord. Formed on Long Island, New York in 1982, they are known for their politically charged lyrics and criticism of the American media, with an active interest in the frustrations and concerns of the African American community.

Some say that Public Enemy change the hip hop, rap scene by introducing lyrics that market the political scene and they were also considered the Philly rappers. They were the biggest act on the planet and the most controversial. They sold millions of records with lyrics that started reaching predominately white politics. They brought a sound to the hip-hop culture that challenged not only the people in america but, the music industry .Their first four albums released during the late 1980s and early 1990s were considered either gold or platinum.

In 1988 Public Enemy release the songs “Bring the noise” and “Fight the Power” where the lyrics were naturally dissected in the wake of such a statement, and many critics were uncomfortable with the positive endorsement of black Muslim leader Louis Farrakhan.  “Fight the Power,” was also featured as the theme song for Spike Lee’s controversial 1989 film Do the Right Thing, and also caused an uproar for its attacks on music influences such as Elvis Presley.

Group members Carlton D. Ridenhour better known as “Chuck D” was studying graphic design at Adelphi University on Long Island and in 1982 he decided to form the group Public Enemy with mobile DJ’s William Drayton (MC Flavor Flav), Hype Man, occasionally lead vocals, Khari Wynn – guitars, Lord Aswod (DJ Lord) and Richard Griffin – the Minister of Information.

The hip-hop group that I compare to Public Enemy is the highly acclaimed gangster rap group N.W.A who also preached the same message to the world about the struggles in the inner city and the government. the two groups left their mark, not only in the hip hop world but, they got the attention of politics. N.W.A capitalized on Public Enemy’s sonic breakthroughs while ignoring their message. Instead, the five-piece crew celebrated the violence and hedonism of the criminal life, capturing it all in blunt, harsh language.

I really started liking Public Enemy after the release of the Spike Lee movie “Do the Right Thing” where Spike introduce racism at a different level to the big screen. Fight the Power  criticized how the emergency response units for taking longer to arrive at emergencies in the black communities than those in the white communities, energizing the black community. I started to listen to the lyrics in some of the other songs, forcing me to pay more attention to things in my community.

References:

Artist Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine:

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/public-enemy-mn0000856785/biography

Artist Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine :

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/nwa-mn0000314793/biography

The English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer Gary Anthony James Webb, better known as Gary Numan has become a pioneer in the music industry for his wide variety of styles.  Gary was on of the founders of synth pop music and in addition to that, he played a part of other styles like the New Romantic, New Wave, Alternative Dance/Indie Rock. During the early ‘80s he was a genuine pop star and a consistent hitmaker.

Born on March 8, 1958 in Hammersmith, London, U.k. The 57 year old shy child still continue to make his mark in the music industry. He began playing guitar in his early teens playing in several small bands that did not go very far so, Numan began listening to punk music and became inspired. In 1976, He teamed up with a punk group call the Lasers with basses Paul Gardiner. Later Numan and Paul dubbed a new group call the “Tubeway Army” where they debuted the song titled “that’s Too Bad”.

What I find interesting is during a studio session, Numan started messing around with this mini-Moog synthesizer that was left behind by another band recording session. Instantly falling in love with the instrument and its capabilities, Numan decided that he would use the synths to interpret new sounds that he was hearing in his mind. The Moog Synths is an instrument that is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers.

The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled analog synthesizer systems in the mid 1960s.  Neuman decided to use the instrument while stepping away from organic instruments.

In the summer of 1978 Numan sang a TV commercial jingle of jeans then, at the end of the year the group’s debut album “Tubeway Army was released. This album was influenced by Kraftwerk and David Bowie’s Berlin-era with Brian Eno. Neuman has rock the stage with his robotic and alien personality with the group before launching his solo breakthrough in 1979, only to release  the hit album titled “The Pleasure Principle”. Neuman now has a clear understanding of his youthful struggles after being diagnosed with autism which explains his shy personality.

One thing that I realise about people is that you should never judge or underestimate the ability of how a person is or what they may become because of their actions.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Your comments are welcome.  

References:

Artist Biography by Steve Huey

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/gary-numan-mn0000183858/biography

Gary Numan opens up about the nerves that almost ended his career

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/gary-numan-interview-pioneer-of-industrial-music-on-the-nerves-that-almost-ended-his-career-a6698761.html

Grab a cup of coffee, Tea and let’s talk about Brian Eno’s career as a record producer, sound conceptualist, futurist, and artist extraordinaire, draws on a remarkably broad pool of ideas. Did you know that he presented Millions of Paintings, with the East Coast premiere of his audio-visual installation,  Eno has made many accomplishments in his lifetime.

http://prezi.com/1k7flpjpbgyo/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

Aerosmith were one of the most popular hard rock bands in the ‘70s, establishing a sound of hard rock and heavy metal. Their vulgar, blues swagger gave them a style that would carry them for the next two decades. Aerosmith started in Boston as musicians and found a middle ground between the Rolling Stones and the New York Dolls. One thing that was unique about this group was during the seventies, Aerosmith performed a piano ballad that was orchestrated with strings and distorted guitars. They were able to pull off both ballads and rock & roll; this made them extremely popular in the mid seventies giving them a string of gold and platinum albums.

The group started forming in 1970 when vocalist Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry met while working at a Sunapee that was an ice cream parlor in New Hampshire. Tyler and Perry along with bassist Tom Hamilton decided to form a power trio. The group added a Ray Tabano who played Guitar but was later replaces by Brad Whitford. The group started played in clubs in Massachusetts and New York, after two years they got a call from Columbia Records in 1972. They released the song titled “Dream On” as their first single and it was a minor hit.

In my opinion the group took on the characteristics of a hard rock band with a classical soft touch. The growling lead vocals along with the orchestrated strings topped with the distorted guitar giving them such a unique separating them from many rock groups in the country. One of my favorite songs was the hit single “Livin’ on the Edge” where they went on to receive a Grammy in1993 for the best rock performance by a duo or group with vocals. This group was one of the most talked about groups in the country. One thing that Kelleigh Welch mentioned in his article was that lead singer Steven Tyler used a decorative mic stand in his performance.

“Sticking to his live concert trade- mark, Aerosmith front-man Steven Tyler once again performed the set with his decorated mic stand, complete with a variety of colorful scarves wrapped tightly around a wireless microphone. Throughout the show, Tyler’s microphones take quite a beating, as he drags the stand across the stage while he per- forms, leaving the band’s audio team with the task of finding a micro- phone that can withstand the abuse.

I will continue to be a fan of this group because they were so creative with there sounds and they had the ability to intrigue their audience.

Chris Liddell

Reference:

ALLMUSIC.COM

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/aerosmith-mn0000604852/awards

LIVE SOUND

WELCH, K. (2013). Aerosmith Gets Multidimensional. Pro Sound News, 35(1), 50-52.

Steely Dan is a jazz-rock band that has captured the style of rock, funk, R&B, and pop on each album that was produced. Walter Becker and Donald Fagen founded this band in 1972. One thing that I love about Steely Dan was the music and the musicianship that was portrayed in this band. These guys really had a creative way of presenting music. They covered such a diverse sound; their audience was people of all ethnic backgrounds. Steely Dan was actually named after a sex toy in William Burroughs’ seminal novel “Naked Lunch” Published: Dec 01, 2007 Publisher: Grove/Atlantic, Inc.

 

There are a couple of things that set this band aside from many bands in the industry today is Steely Dan created a mature, distinctive sound with accessible melodic hooks, complex harmonies and time signatures, and a devotion to the recording studio. Their music was also characterized by complex jazz-influenced structures and harmonies. Becker and Fagen wrote lyrics about drugs and love affairs and crime. When I first hear of this band I thought it was a solo artist. When I started playing the bass guitar for church I listen to all styles of music but, when I heard Becker and Fagen’s cd 1995 Alive in America I was floored by the fancy bass lines that coordinate with the cord structures of the keyboards. The piano solo made me practice, practice, and practice. Their music definitely captured my attention.

Producer Gary Katz, Becker and Fagen gradually changed Steely Dan from a performing band to a studio project, hiring 11 engineers and at least 42 professional musicians to record their compositions. Though the band didn’t perform live after 1974, Steely Dan‘s popularity continued to grow throughout the decade, as their albums became critical favorites and their singles became staples of AOR and pop radio stations. After the group disbanded in 1981, Becker and Fagen were less active throughout most of the next decade, though a cult following remained devoted to the group. Since reuniting in 1993 Steely Dan has released two albums of new material, the first of which, Two Against Nature, earned a Grammy Award for Album of the Year. They have sold more than 40 million albums worldwide and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2001.

The two bands that I compare to Steely Dan are the Doobie Brothers Minute by Minute, and the group Chicago because of their unique sound, rhythm and form. These two groups also carried similar characteristics as Steely Dan.

 

References:

Kunian, D. (2015). PLAN A: Steely Dan. Offbeat, 28(8), 60.

http://search.ebscohost.com.oclc.fullsail.edu:81/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=108710116&site=ehost-live

AllMusic:

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/walter-becker-mn0000237825/related

In the world of music there are Grammy winning Producers in all categories. In my selection of producers who continued to dominate the music industry with there creativity. I have created a list of Producers who worked with several Grammy winning artist. Please enjoy my list below and my Prezi presentation link.

http://prezi.com/ie7teryq9qox/utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

Morning

Watcher Of the Skies

God Is Love

Get Up

Oye Como Va

Next Time You See Me

Afternoon

Village Ghetto Land

Let ‘Em In

Continuum

Show Me The Way

More Than a Feeling

Late Afternoon

Once In A Lifetime

Dancing In the Dark

Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic

The Chauffeur

Mirror In the Bathroom

Dinner

I’ll Be Missing You

Stay

If It Makes You Happy

Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out

How Do You Want It

Night Party

Snoop’s Upside Ya Head

How We Do

Self Esteem

Big Poppa