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Nelson George’s 1987 book, The Death of Rhythm and Blues is a must read for anyone that might, even, begin to construct an opinion on the state of today’s black music.  In the book, Mr. George cites the failure of the black culture to preserve ANYTHING, from family heirlooms to family or cultural traditions or customs and thus separating ourselves from our past as one of the main reasons that true Rhythm & Blues no longer exist.  Subsequently, we leave all of our cultural treasures to be embraced and preserved  by others as we search for that new thing (btw, what the hell is neo (which means new) soul?).  Case in point, take the blues for example, let’s say B.B. King for example, go to one of his shows and who do you see in the audience.  Ask anyone in Texas and they’ll tell you that Stevie Ray Vaughn is the King of the blues.  Hell, I ain’t gone lie, I love hearing Eric Clapton when he hits his blues gear.

Call it what you will, but R&B is just R&B.  So when people attach the British R&B label to Amy Winehouse, I call bullshit.  Amy Winehouse is JUST  R&B.  Amy Winehouse is more R&B than most so-called R&B singers in America today, and for anyone not to have acknowledged that just because her outer casing ain’t what you think it should be, well I simply revoke you’re right to an opinion.  We’ve abandoned that Classic R&B  for a diluted hybrid version known as R&B Hip Hop.  Rhythm and Blues is a style; it is  well crafted lyrics that does a careful dance with the accompanyment, and is never over cooked.  Hip hop has opened a door and ushered in watered down lyrics and subjects as complex as a 2nd grader can understand with the vulgarity of a Compton Crip.  Search any list of best R&B songs for 2007 (the year of Winehouse’s Back to Black album) and see if you can find a mere mention of “Some Unholy War”, you won’t.  I’ll assure you, though, that you’ll find Monica’s “Sideline Ho” pretty high up on the list.  SIDEBAR: I’m a huge fan of the t shirt line “Smart is the new gangsta”.  As you can tell, i give no passes for the follies of youth. Translation:  being young is no excuse for stupid.  Did Hip Hop also usher in “stupid shit” is vogue?  I’m just saying.  Consider that Winehouse pinned every song on Back to Black before she was 22 years old, especially when listening to “Love is a Losing Game”.  Takes me back to the Burt Bacharach pinned Dionne Warwick songs of the 60′s and 70′s and other than Lauren Hill and a handful of other acts, I hadn’t heard much that good since then.  Perhaps I could grant a pass or two for the church singers out there disguising themselves as R&B singers, if they’ll promise that they’ll at least work on not overcooking every damn thing.  Remember, both Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye were preachers kids, and what they did in there day was straight up Rhythm & Blues, they never oversang the lyric.  Like I said, R&B is a style.  It was derived from gospel… but it AIN’T gospel.  I love some good gospel just like the next person but when I want to hear R&B, I ain’t necessarily trying to hear Marvin Sapp or Kim Burrell sing it.

Where am I going with this rant?  I’m merely suggesting that Nelson George add an addendum to his 1987 book.  Perhaps I am suggesting that R&b may have not been totally dead, but had been living on a respirator over the last few years by the name of Amy Winehouse.  R&B is a a treasured institution and like the pyramids of egypt, it should be protected so that it remains undefiled.  Amy Winehouse has been an I.V. to R&B like Jonny Lang as been to Blues.  She has been respectful of this treasure and careful to protect it.  Tragically she, herself, was left unprotected.  Amy Winehouse  simply got it. She was the total package. It is as if Amy had channeled into a supernatural and picked up the spirits of R&B’s past. Unfortunately, not only did she tap into the qualities that made all of the performers of yesteryear so iconic, she tapped into the demons that destroyed several of them, as well.  Perhaps I am suggesting that this time, Rhythm and Blues might really be dead.

Produced by Keezo Kane  and written by The World Famous Tony Williams and Ronkat Spearman

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http://www.djbooth.net/index/mixtapes/entry/emilio-sparks-scumbinos-way

I think I get the best musical experience when I listen to music through headphones.  Not the cheesy white ones that come stock with your  ipod, but really hi-tech earbuds that fit snug in your ear canal or big cushy studio headphones with massive bass response.  I’m the type of audiophile that wants to hear all of the subtle nuances within the track.  Those nuances that exist in frequencies that get lost when sound travels through the air.  Most of the time that’s where the real magic is.  For the last six years that has been how I’ve experienced the magic of Joi Starr.  Practically adjoined at the hip as if siamese twins, we were the deadly harmonic duo on every major stage around the world behind Kanye.  Anyone that ever snuck a peek at a Kanye sound check surely would’vd heard me screaming to the monitor mix engineer to “gimmie more of Joi in my ears… more… more.”  I’ve heard identical twins, or in even spouses speak of being in such sync with each other that they knew what the other was going to do before they did it, just by a look.  Joi and I could weave background vocals around and through each other without ever colliding on a pitch black stage without a single glance… because she’s always in my ears.  Because of this, I am probably one of the most qualified people to offer up a review of her latest mixtape project Broccoli and Noodles, but instead of a review I’ve decided to just write a ‘thank you’ letter to my lil sis..

Thank you Joi, for doing YOU.  The world only needs one Beyonce.  It’s not everyday that we get new artist that offer up something that is uniquely them. These days there are few artists that can lay claim to having there own vocal styles, but instead, having everything from vocal riffs to their vocal cadence seeming as if it were taken from a Simplicity (sewing) pattern.

Thank you  Joi, for having one of the best vocal tones in the game.  It seems these days that artist would rather sacrifice tone for vocal acrobatics (although she has amazing voice control as well).  Broccoli and Noodles hi-lites how amazingly pure Joi’s vocal tone is.  Erykah Badu once said to me, “Joi sounds like she has electronics in her throat..”, (well stated, E).  Not to mention how I had to step my tonal game up from having to blend with her night after night… quite a tall order.

Thank you Joi, for the classic remakes.  ”Sunny” is breathtaking.  That joint was written (1966, by Bobby Hebb) during a time when the songwriting was as much a feature of the song as the vocalists ability.  Everything about this track takes me back to some good ole times.  Thanks for taking a classic doo-wop song like “Earth Angel” and putting a honky tonk twist to it.  That took nuts.  I like it.  I remember backing Joi up at an open mic at a random bar in London when she performed “Kiss of Life” over  the top of Alicia Keys’ “Unbreakable” groove. That ones a gem.

Thank you Joi, for offering up a collection of songs that show your diverse taste.  In an era where a handful of producers dominate the musical landscape and labels force projects down consumers throats which are laden with generic radio single sounding cuts, albums usually get heavy on the ear by track four. Broccoli and Noodles offers up a surprise, track after track.

Thank you Joi, for giving us original music on this mixtape, as well as covers with well crafted and thought out lyrics.  Instead of todays common practice of in your face writing like “I saw, I liked, so I gave him some…”, Joi takes the high road on her take of Coldplay’s “Yellow” where her dude makes the world around him bright.. like yellow.  Joi brilliantly uses the seasons to paint her imagery on “October” as she longs for her lost love and tells him “I want you back by October..”   Crafty work Joi.

And lastly, Joi, thanks for not being too…. I can’t get in to artist that are too….  To me, not being too is the sure sign that an artist ‘get’s it’.  Know what I mean?  Like, it’s not too overcooked, too well done.  There’s always this delicate balance where we can feel your soul, but your not too soulful.  We can feel your spirit, but your not too churchy.  You have tracks that are as funky as “Impatient” (which happens to be my favorite on the mixtape, I see you gettin yo Marvin Gaye on, girl), but yet and still is palatable to ‘pop’ ears.

Usually, when I blog about my favorite artist, I usually end it by puting the word out that if anyone happens to see them to let them know that World Famous would really like to work with ‘em, but don’t y’all worry ’bout that, I have her number.  So I’ll just end it by telling you to make sure you click the link to download my girls project, if you haven’t already done so.  That way you can do what I’ll be doing for the next few weeks… gettin me some more Joi in my ears… more… more!!

download Broccoli and Noodles here

JoiStarr Land

Download C.O.L.O.U.R.S.

In the past 2 years The 808 Experiment series has featured over 50 artists, including: Yelawolf, Pill, Tanya Morgan, Nappy Roots, Shawn Chrystopher, Playboy Tre, Outasight, Stanza, Joe Scudda, Kyle Lucas, El Da Sensei, Fat Tony, Supreeme, Fresh Daily, Tom P, Hollyweerd, The Canz, Senor Kaos and many others. The project has also been featured in many of the top hip-hop blogs, sites and publications from around the US, and abroad.

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The Money Making Jam Boy teams up with Gangsta Gibbs and the world famous Tony Williams for the latest offering off The 808 Experiment: Vol 3, set to drop April 26th.

Listen/ Download .. Cloud of Endo (Prod. SMKA) by SMKA

To go in hand with the new video, we are also releasing a remix of ‘Still Got Love’ featuring STS of the Money Making Jam Boys.The remix can be downloaded for free HERE!!