The Amazing Brain

One of my biggest vices from the “bad ol’ days” was music.  It was a large part of my everyday life since I was 9/10 years old, up to 21.  In those 10 years built up a collection of CD’s worth a small fortune.  I wonder sometimes if all that still has an effect on my state now? 

Something weird happened to me recently, I heard a song by Alicia Keys on TV; Teenage Love Affair, there is Motown sounding base sample used in the song and the instant it was played I recognised I had heard it before.  The sample was used on a Hip Hop album, I couldn’t remember the album or the group but for some odd reason I remembered it was an intermission type track on the album.  It bugged me for hours not being able to remember which album it was.

Then a few days later as I was waking up for work, still semi-conscious, the album name and group suddenly came to me!  It was from Muse-Sick-N-Hour-Message by Public Enemy, track: White Heaven/Black Hell.

This was truly freaky, kinda like my brain was working on retrieving the data stored somewhere in my long term memory all that time, then involuntarily gave me the answer, I didn’t even think about it since that day I first heard it.  And the last time I listened to that album was probably 12 years ago!  What an amazing organ the brain is.

I wish I used my time (and money!) on something more beneficial like memorising the Qur’an.  Memorising comes easy to me alhamdulillah, I can still remember many rhymes word for word.  Even now after listening to and singing some qasida’s I memorise it after a few days, maybe all that music and rhyming has improved my memorisation skills?  Still I would have loved to have the Qur’an memorised instead of all that music.

Allah knows best, I can’t change the past and there must be a divine wisdom behind my misspent youth.  Most obvious of all is that I should do tawba for all of that and thank Allah or changing my state.  No point crying over what I could have done instead, it was all meant to be.  Insha Allah I will try to make sure my kids don’t make the same mistakes. 

Sha-Clack-Clack

Saul Williams is one of my favourite poet/rapper, dude is so talented.  This is from the film Slam.

PR (post Ramadan) Initiative

It was inevitable this time would come, the dreaded drop after Ramadan. The wind of the blessed month carries us to such high heights and for a while into the month of Shawwal we’re still riding high, still waking up an hour before fajr, still reading a Juz of Quran a day, still going to the Masjid for Salah… Then slowly you feel the wind leave you, like a glider gradually coming back down to the ground. Waking up for Tahajjud is Mission Impossible now, and if I do wake up I’m more like a character from Dawn of the Dead, straight up Zombie.

Best lyric ever

You massage the Universe’s spine the way you twirl through time, leaving shadows on the sun.

Saul Williams, Slam.

Last Mix Tape

This is my last ever mix tape.  From this day forth no more muzak mayn.

 .

Prezident Mix’on

1.  Chase the Clouds Away – Evidence 

2.  Return of the Hustle (instrumental) – Fabolous prod by Just Blaze

3.  Say Something - Talib Kweli feat Jean Grae

4.  Bottom Top – Lupe Fiasco

5.  Dollar Bill (instrumental) – Red Café

6.  Viva La White Girl – Gym Class Heroes

7.  Apply Some Pressure - Mark Ronson feat Paul Smith

8.  Straight Murder (instrumental) – Prodigy prod by Alchemist

9.  The Game - Common

10.  Angel – MF Doom and Ghostface

11.  She a G - Ray Cash

12.  Disgustin’ - Big City

13.  The Man - Psycho Les

14.  Huckabuck - Sean Price

15.  The Pressure – Little Brother

16.  Rainy Days 1.0 (Make Me Better Remix) – Fabolous feat Raekwon & Neyo

17.  Clean Up – Krondon feat Saukrates & Black Thought 

18.  In the Mood - Talib Kweli feat Kanye West & Roy Ayers

19.  Camp Lo - Black Hollywood

20.  New York - Jugganot, Joell Ortiz, Uncle Murder

21.  I Dream - Common feat Will.I.Am

22.   Running the City - Uncle Murder

23.   Nightmares - Clipse

 

Shouts on tha outs

Big up your status….. (in no particular order)

DJ Premier, Wu-Tang Clan , Ghostface, Meth, Raekwon (Cuban Linx my No 1 album of all time!), RZA: You transcend Hip Hop, one of the best producers ever period, GZA, Inspectah Deck, Nas, Cormega, AZ, Biggie, Jay-Z, LOX, DMX, Klashnekoff, Skinnyman, Mark & Blade, Jehst, Mark Ronson, Pac, Thug Life, Dogg Pound, Peter Rock & CL Smooth, Murs, Alchemist, Common, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, De La Soul, Roots, Roots Manuva, Ed OG, The Artifacts, Kool Keith, Redman, EPMD, Kool G Rap, Thirstin Howl, Streetlife, Ugly Duckling, Edan, High & Mighty, Non-Phixion, Lupe, Wordsworth, Cage, Weathermen, Dan the Automator, Dilated Peoples, Big Noyd, Freddie Foxx, Missin Linx, Pharaoh Monche, Organized Confusion, Saukrates, KMD, Capone & Noreaga, Jeru the Damaja, Afu Ra, Guru, Killah Priest, Ninja Tunes, Rawkus Records, Peanut Butter Wolf, Herbaliser, East Flatbush Project (Tried by 12 - Classic joint) Craig Mack, Busta, Keith Murray, Smif’n Wessun, Jean Grae, Kidz in the Hall, ODB, Masta Ace, The Game, NWA, Ice Cube, KRS1, MF Doom/Viktor Vaughn/King Geedorah/Daniel Dumile whatever name your going by this month: You’re a GENIUS. Tragedy, Krumbsnatcha, Outlaws, Pharcyde, Clipse, Neptunes, Roscoe P Coldchain, Xecutioners, Timbaland, Shyheim, U-God, Masta Killa, Cappadonna, Boot Camp Click, Heltah Skeltah (Leflaur Leflaur Eshkoshka yo!), Black Moon, Mobb Deep, CunninLynguists, Buckshot, Oh No, Big Pun, Fat Joe, Show & AG, Royce 5′9, DITC, Royal Flush, Joell Ortiz, Dead Prez, Hi-Tek, Copywrite, Group Home, G-Dep, Jae Millz, Jae Hood, Uncle Murder, Papoose, Saigon, Swollen Members, Consequence, Slum Village, Big Jaz, Handsome Boy Modelling School, Al-Tariq, Cuban Link, OC, Ill Bill, Necro, Akinyele, Beastie Boys, Freeway, Camron, Jada, Styles P, Cypress Hill, Arsonists, All City, J Live, Louis Logic, Company Flow, James Brown, Gil Scott Heron, Marvin Gaye, Sly & Family, Curtis Mayfield, Michael Jackson (age 6-10: all I listened to) Ty, Delphonics, Warren G, Infamous Mobb, Smoothe Da Hustla (where did he disappear to?), MOP (Firin’ Squad Firin’ Hard!), Camp Lo, Danger Mouse & Jemini, Little Brother, Big Pooh, Phonte, Justus League, Danger Doom, Ra the Rugged Man, Del Tha Funky Homosapien, Phil Da Agony, Big Shug, DJ Shadow, Tony Touch, Ras Kass (Nature of the Threat - off tha heezy), Tribe Called Quest, Q- Tip, Gangstarr, Lost Boyz (Tragic what happened to you dudes, Legal Drug Money was bumped hard in my ride!), Beanie Siegel, Jedi Mind Tricks, Beatnuts: Coolest Mo Fo’s in the game, 9^th Wonder (ace producer), Alkaholiks, Kurupt, Daz Dillinger,MC Eiht Screwball, Brand Nubian, Naughty by Nature, Joe Scudda, Edgar Allen Flow, Canibus, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Immortal Technique, Mathematics, Kanye, Large Professor, Xzibit, MF Grimm, Prince Paul, Gravediggaz, Eminem, D12, Q-Unique, Dizzie Rascal, Black Sheep, 50 Cent, Company Flow, Marco Polo, Scarface, Geto Boys, DJ Clue, Fugees, Lauryn Hill, Snoop, MC Hammer (I was 9 years old man c’mon forgive me!), Gorillaz, E40, Luniz, Nine, Ayatollah, Choclair, Problemz, Smut Peddlers, Evidence, DJ Babu, Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz, Street Smartz, Rakim, LL Cool J, The Perceptionists, Mr Lif, Cannibal Ox, Madlib, Three6Mafia, Jurassic 5, Dr Dre, DJ Quik, Apathy, Big L, Blaq Poet, Fabolous, Onyx, Westwood, Funkmaster Flex, Marley Marl, Termanology, Hijack, Silver Bullet, Gunshot, London Posse, Hip Hop Connection (by far the best Hip Hop mag ever! Smashes the tripe from the US!), Scratch Perverts, DJ Skitz, Lewis Parker, Blak Twang, Wiley, Sway, Micall Parkinson, Ian Brown, The Editors, Greg Nice, Biz Markie, Mike Zoot….

Divorcing Hip Hop (I used to love H.E.R)

I am currently in the final stages of a long drawn out divorce with Hip Hop.  A vice from the ‘bad old days’ that I found particularly difficult to give up.  It was such a huge aspect of my daily life and even my outlook on the world was influenced by it.  The music in particular I know I must give up, it’s essential for my suluk.  This may seem pathetic to some, “Akh whats wrong with you?! Astaghfirullah, music is haram, what kind of Muslim are you!?” Or “Ya Sidi, how can you listen to the rap music, what kind of Sufi are you!?”  Yada yada yada.  There are a lot of judgemental peeps out there but not one of them has a solution to offer.  I know a lot of people who masha Allah gave up all haram music when they started practicing, but I know a few like me are finding it quite hard.  Praise be to the Most Merciful Allah, He tests people in different ways.  What is difficult for some is easy for others.  I gave up a 5 year, 10 ciggie a day, smoking habit overnight and never touched a cigarette and never even had the urge to since.  Shukr alhamdulillah, Allah made that test easy for me.  How I actually quit was by (since been told to not advise others to use this method so don’t try this at home) making an oath to Allah that I would never smoke cigarettes again.  I was in the Holy City of Makkah, iman was high, in mujahid mode, made war on the nafs and by the will of Allah was able to win that battle.  But music, although have cut down a lot, not been able to shake this monkey off my back completely. 

It’s taken nearly 5 years struggling and finally my affair with Hip Hop is coming to an end.  I employed different strategies, some successful some not.  In the beginning I had to get rid of the ‘Indefensibles’, the stuff that is wholly inexcusable to listen to.  Owning a CD by The Smut Peddlers called ‘Porn Again’ is not a good look for a Muslim looking to get married.  Then I cut down the actual time spent listening to music.  Holy days were out, Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Ramadan obviously.  Until the only times I could listen to music was reduced to whilst working out and on long drives.  It was noticeable there was an increase in weekly workout sessions when this sanction was introduced so the success of this was marginal.  But at least some barakah on the special holy days was salvaged.

Next I got bored of Hip Hop.  Not wanting to sound like those old school hip hop heads always lamenting of the good old days of Run DMC, Kurtis Blow etc.  But the output of quality music has definitely depreciated, especially in the last few years.  The only consistently solid albums are made by Ghostface Killah and MF Doom and a few others.  So album purchases dropped drastically but this lead onto a sharp rise in downloading of music (hmmm I now see a trend: whenever I’m making progress an alternative is presented… suggestions from shaytan?).  So now I had heaps of new tunes, but most of it kept me entertained for like half an hour. 

Finally I started to hate the music.  After I got married I needed to make some changes.  My wife despises my taste in music, I mean she is obstinately intolerant of hip hop, ”It’s all gangsta gangsta, swearing, misogynistic lyrics etc”.  She doesn’t understand most of the lyrics and doesn’t want to either.  It was upsetting at first that my closest soul mate doesn’t get hip hop, but it was just the kick in the proverbials I needed.  At the end of the day everything we do either brings you closer to Allah or takes you further away, iman either is in increase or decrease.  If I’m going to take my suluk seriously then I need to get rid of this haram completely from my life, no more pussy footing around.  I bought my last ever album the other day (it was suppose to be the MF Doom Ghostface collabo but that’s taking ages to come out!) I bought Pharaoh Monche’s new LP - Desire.  I’m sure there is a sign for me to take heed from the album title.

I know I’m losing interest in hip hop, before I would be banging this album at every possible moment.  But now after the very first listen I lost the buzz.  Similar thing happened with the albums I bought prior to this - Klashnekoff’s Tussle with the Beast (more isharat? (signs)) and Clipse’ Hell Hath no Fury (signs!!)

Now this isn’t crap hip hop, this ‘ish is tha bizz-omb.  Brilliant production, intelligent rhymes I couldn’t ask for more.  But I was left asking for more.  It’s not the music it’s me who’s changing.  I’m at point where I could see myself kicking this habit for good and not missing it, insha Allah.  I can either stop altogether or keep buying new music trying to satisfy the insatiable appetite.  It’s the nature of the dunya, no matter how much you get you’re always left wanting more.   Well not today Dunya Inc Ltd^TM.  By the will of Allah I choose to kick the monkey off my back…

To my ex-love:  It’s over.  We shared some good times, put up with your ‘ish as well.  We gots to go our separate ways now. 

I’m Audi… be Mor-gan than Freeman… One.