Random Thoughts

It has been awhile since I wrote some commentary regarding the music scene on my blog in what seems like an eternity but in the past few days, the wheels had been spinning in my head to post my thoughts.  This is going to be a two part commentary in blog entry.

Part I: Finding new music
Five days ago the Grammy nominations came out, and then I started seeing media outlets start posting their best of 2018 (music releases) via social media. As always people on Facebook started making their rounds complaining about the nominations or the choices for best of 2018 on sites like Pitchfork or Consequence of Sounds. At first reading people's complaints is amusing but after awhile their whining gets old. People say there is no interesting music. Well of course there isn't...if you are listening to what is on the radio. Lets face it when iHeart Channel was known as Clear Channel, the company totally ruined the radio in the late '90s through the mid '00s prior to Napster, Spotify, Bandcamp, and Pandora. I don't listen to the radio any more. Now I find new, interesting music online (Spotify, YouTube, Bandcamp). It is quite a bit of work for me to find  new music but the results is so worth it. I wish people would invest their time in finding new music as much as I do instead of complaining about it on social media.


Part II: Oaxacan Rap 
Hip hop music for is a mix bag. Some I like (Psalm One, Brother Ali, Astronautlis, P.O.S, Dessa, Maria Isa, Angel Haze) and some I detest (6ix9ine, Cardi B, Post Malone). I want to hear some substance to the lyrics that does not come off a cliche or not some bombastic noise. This week I came across a NYT article titled  Oaxacan Rap Has a Female Voice, Finally written and photographed by Walter Thompson-Hernandez. It is a really fascinating article on the women in the Oaxacan rap scene. Today I decided to check out one of the artists mentioned in the article Mare Advertencia Lirika, a 31 year old rapper who identifies herself as Zapotec, an indigenous community in Oaxaca. The results blew me away. Go look up the song "Bienvenidix" on YouTube. Mare can really spit out rhymes in her native language. It is incredible regardless of the language barrier. I honestly love listening to Mare spit out rhymes as aggressive as any male rapper. What also appealed to me is Mare is a feminist and an activist for indigenous rights. After discovering Mare's music, my journey soon led me to look further more into hip hop music similar to Mare Advertencia Lirika's music. The artists I found may not be from Oaxaca or Mexico but they are definitely part of Latin America and the lyrics are all rapped in the native language of the countries the artists are from. I have posted links to the music I have found online today at the bottom of the page. The more I have listened to Oaxacan/Latin America rap music, the more I love it. Despite the language barrier, I honestly enjoy listening to the artists rap in their native tongue and the way their lyrics are delivered, often mixed with the traditional music of their country (like in Mare Advertencia Lirika's music).

Conclusion:
One of the reasons I created this blog many, many years ago was to share my favorite music as well as new music I had discovered online.  Despite getting older and more cynical with age, I am sometimes surprised here and there with new finds. Over the summer I created My Post-Punk Playlist (on Spotify). I used the website Post-Punk.com. By the time I finished the playlist, I had discovered quite a few new post-punk/darkwave bands I had never heard of, and this is why my shift in my taste in music has veered from EBM to darkwave.

After today and discovering the sounds of Oaxacan rap artist Mare Advertencia Lirika, I have now become a big fan of non-American hip hop music. Sorry but I think a lot of the American hip hop scene is garbage (with some exceptions such as Dessa, Psalm One, Noname, The Lioness, Angel Haze). I may not understand the lyrics the artists are rapping about that is okay. I love listening to the artists rap in their native tongue and it is absolutely beautiful. I love the fusion of their traditional (Oaxacan) music with modern hip hop music. It is discoveries like what I have found today that makes the hours spent looking for new music worth every damn second. Too bad some people are too lazy to understand that new, interesting music is not going to drop outside the front of their door.

Links:
Doma Press Soundcloud Page
Guerrilla 951//Frizz FT Miles - Cosmo
Mare Advertencia Lirika Soundcloud Page
Alma Mestiza by Rebeca Lane
Rebel Diaz bandcamp page
Ana Tijoux Bandcamp Page

Comments

Popular Posts