REVIEW: Driveblind, rappers, hip hop, a videographer and a young lady named Brooke

REVIEW: Driveblind, rappers, hip hop, a videographer and a young lady named Brooke

A band that left me speechless, rap from the Bay Area to Baltimore, Abstract to Soulful Hip Hop, a young pop singer with unusual depth in her lyrics, and the "totally cool" videos of videographer/producer Cool-ness!

I was going to talk about messages and context in this week's review but I've decided that I'm going to hold off on the really deep stuff until after I've reviewed some more rappers. Why? Because what I say might upset some people and I want to carefully phrase it and control the context as much as I can in this particular instance.

Human brains automatically seek patterns. It's hardwired into us but it doesn't mean that we are hardwired. We seek patterns even if no pattern exists. That, we can't help, but if we understand our nature then perhaps we'll stop jumping to conclusions, eager to stereotype others (who in turn stereotype us) and in doing so, turn a blind eye toward anything that doesn't fit with our version of the world. Those are the blinders you need to learn to take off. That is the nature of understanding your message and how it is perceived—that is context.

I say "Madonna." Am I talking about the religious icon or the singer? Or both? What about the need to be loved? Love is contextual? Yes. Think about what the term means to you versus what form that love must take according to your own traditions, cultural upbringing, and things like that. What about hate? Or sin? Or the term "victim?" What about derogatory slurs against a racial, ethnic, or religious group? Or sexist attitudes? Or attitudes toward sexual preference or choice of job or choice of music or economic status? Get the idea? Context is everywhere.

Did you know that the use of color and sound can have different meanings to difficult cultures? Images that are common in one culture and harmless can have vastly different meanings across cultural boundaries. (Marketing people go nuts over this kind of stuff, especially when they have to worry about targeting the same message for different countries with different and very vague or specific cultural rules...or subcultures within that country or area.) Context and messages are both simple and complex. We as humans make it so. We are not immune but we can be aware—of our own reactions, others' reactions and what message we are possibly sending to others.

So what message are you conveying and how much control do you really have? What happens when you become an international level artist? Think about all the cultures that you are impacting. The potential for damage (emotional and economic) is frightening. Maybe that's why the bigwigs are so afraid of the extremes or the unproven groups. How will another culture, a new market react to them? Will they cry out for blood or reach out in peace? A worldview is even harder to deal with than a national, statewide, city or local neighborhood view--but it's just as important, especially to you as an artist since you want to send your message and be sure it's heard and heard correctly. And even when you have the bigwigs helping you, it's still up to you. You need to understand your contextual meaning.

So no pressure, eh? Maybe it's better if we work to make individuals (from those other cultures) see a wider perspective, with an understanding of different views and a sense of humor that allows all of us to realize that, of course, cultural mores are going to be accidentally and sometimes purposely transgressed...the nature of art is to explore and express. But if we can't see that perspective within our own cultures and our own art, how can we expect others to respect us or our work? If you can't see the art in rap or the art in opera or the art in dance or the art in (fill in the blank) then how can you expect other people to see the art in your work?

Take the blinders off, accept that there are going to be some things that you will like and others that you will not...but overall, accept that the range is wider than your own view and is neither absolutely right nor absolutely wrong (whether you like it personally or not)…and therefore, allow your filters to be reset.

Doesn't seem fair, does it? I'm not picking on you, personally. An up-and-coming artist has as much responsibility as an established professional. We, the audience, can tell when you aren't being true just as we can tell when you're being bigoted or narrow-minded or hateful or fearful. You don’t have to like someone else's work or their politics or a situation, but if you don't react blindly, but think first about not just yours but all the perspectives involved, then you'll be the one with the fuller understanding of life (and art.) You'll be coming from a place of maturity and thought—and we, as an audience, all of us diverse and with our own feelings on such matters, will actually hear you better and appreciate your viewpoints (even if we don't agree with them.)

It's much easier for us to ignore someone ranting and raving on a street corner (or from a pulpit or from a TV screen or trying to bully us or scare us) than it is to ignore someone who understands the issue and is actively seeking a better way to not only solve the problem but "see" the problem.

It goes deeper than that, however. Everything you do and learn will find a way into your work. Your art and your life merge into each other—you can't help it. That also means that a deficit in your art or your life will hurt since one bleeds into the other. Everything affects your work—for your life is intimately a part of your work and affects every aspect of what you do, whether you realize it or not. We, the viewer, more often than not, do realize it...even if we can't understand why that strange "offness" is there when we watch you or hear you or view your work.

"Who you are" is part of your context, you need to be aware of that. And as you grow and change over time, so will your work. However, will that inevitable growth lead to improvement or devolve into something small and insignificant?

I write spoofs/satires as well as serious articles. I'm well aware of context and its effects. In humor, these same issues are covered, but in those spoofs, I just poke fun rather than analyze too much. Some people find them funny, getting the references, rolling in the aisles, but some don't get the references and don't find them funny at all. It's about context – understanding the sub-context is important in art, music, and life. (Oh and yes, I realize that some just don't like them period, regardless of whether they get them or not. I just don't meet their criteria of funny and that's fine, a lot of what others find funny, I don't either. For example, I really can't take much of "jackass-type" humor, or "punked" humor...I find it too cruel...or anything that makes light of serious issues close to my heart like animal abuse, child abuse, domestic violence, and so forth...you understand. Those are filters that I don't intend to change... Point is, that's my choice, and therefore if people don't find my humor funny, I can understand that I might be pushing the wrong buttons for them as well.) Ever watched a film and found that you were laughing your ass off, but your friend (or others around you) weren't laughing at all, or were laughing at different parts of the movie, parts that you didn't think were really that funny? Or that sad? Or that incendiary? That's context. With a movie and just you and your friends, it's pretty innocent—but what if your music or your art or your words incite people to riot or kill or hate? That's context.

Can you control context? You can try, but not always. Paul Arden versus Herman Hesse, for example. Both men deal with message and meaning and cultural biases and images portrayed, stereotypes, perceptions... Arden is an advertising man. Hesse was a German writer of fiction, but social commentary was laced throughout his story. Both understand the human being and the human being within the human condition...and use that to make the rest of us understand their message, regardless of how we go about perceiving the message. We still get it, and typically, we understand their message, their actual intended message and their intended context. We get that message despite whatever path of internal bias and internal perception that that message had to traverse in order to get into our heads. Both of these men are masters at getting their point across, regardless of what blinders we, the target audience, happen to be wearing.

You can control context, but it takes a lot of work and a lot of understanding. It takes practice like everything else.

What internal bias, you ask, am I talking about blinders again? Yes, but even more so, it goes back to pattern finding and stereotyping as an easy way to deal with other people. I'm not just talking about racial prejudice or the usual favorite topics of TV news commentators. Just understand that where you come from shapes you and it shapes your reactions, but you can choose your reactions. For example, I love science fiction but I also love literature. I've found both groups a trifle "blinder-ized."

Sci-Fi readers are often rather snobby about other forms of art, perhaps because they feel defensive, or picked on because often Sci-Fi isn't seen as serious writing or taken as seriously as say, Faulkner, by the "literature" people. It's dumb, because science fiction is usually chock full of cultural and social commentary, just like "Literature." So maybe it's the literature snobs that need to realize that their filters are the ones that need adjusting. Then again, many people in the "arts" say they hate TV and film, that nothing worthwhile is to be found there... bull. They also need to stop reacting because of their insecurity.

There are lots of crappy things in all the arts, in fact, in every field--science, business, art, or you name it. The main thing is to look for the gems, not just the ones in your own little group of preferences, but in the areas that you don't like as well, the fields of music or art or theatre or film or writing that you don't think you like. Your work and your life will be richer for it.

Stop judging every book by just one cover.
That cover might just be you.

So did I find some folks with something relevant to say? Beyond an obvious nod to Blue October and their songs, Into the Ocean, What If We Could and especially Hate Me, which is a wonderful example of a great compelling song that shows emotional vulnerability, putting everything on the line and into the performance and at the same time a sense of self-discovery and perception about life and love and well, messing it all up.

Other than that, did I find some up-and-comers? Yes. Some are just fun, some are intriguing and show potential and one completely stunned me.

Brooke (no last name given) is a young lady (I'm guessing under eighteen and possibly a young teen) with the ambition to be a singer. She definitely can sing with a pleasant voice that hasn't fully matured yet and a pleasant Disney teen pop musicality and appealing appearance. The interesting thing about her is the lyrics to her songs--they are very mature for someone that age. I'm assuming that she wrote her songs but I can't be sure, her site is very sparse with practically no relevant information on her as an artist. The tunes are still a little awkward but generally well-crafted but the lyrics are wonderful. Girl Like That stands out as both the most pop and the most introspective, with Angry Girl a second favorite. Only because it's a music site can I be sure that it's meant to be a public (and not personal) web page. I expect that some label will hear those songs and seek to develop her very soon.

Cool-ness (yes, that's the name he gives) is a videographer/producer living in New York City who doesn't make the 10 second download rule, or even the 2 minute download sell. However, it's only because it's all videos on his site. He combines fashion and music, BMX and music, music performance, you name it and music in his short and not-so-short videos. According to his site, he is producer of an editorial TV show in Manhattan. If you have a fast link to the 'Net, check out some of his vids, especially the fashion show ones.

Federall, together with other artists he has pulled together, has put out a compilation CD of rap of their work. Most of what I heard was gangsta rap--angry, street talking tough, profanity laced and (remember the idea of context, and how you perceive yourself as well as what you say tells others how to perceive you) and racial slur laced rap about gang life in the 'hood. However, it isn't just a lot of same-old talk, there are interesting lyrics which do suggest a hidden meaning and an underlying sense of despair--that political hypocrisy and societal influences are at work and that the street life being lived isn't by choice but a matter of survival. There is a sense that some of the raps understand that real life and perceived-as-seen-on-TV-by-outsiders life are two very different things. Therein, lies the hypocrisy, however, the philosophy and perception seem unable to reach beyond that into finding other alternatives to the problem. What's Beef was the most interesting of the group to me, both musically (with interesting beats that didn't sacrifice the expected form of standard rap tunes) and lyrically. I also found Get It While It's Hot a humorous, fun departure from the other three tunes--and a welcome counterpoint to the hard, biting bravado of the others.

O&O from the group S.O.N.N. was a rap and hip hop mix. Again, we see the story of life on the street and a rage against hypocrisy and the effect of stereotypes on the psyche, but using the smoother, gentler delivery of hip hop. A delivery that does not sacrifice the purpose or drive of the music or the message. The sounds/samples/musicality was lighter and less intrusive than with the Bay area rappers of Federall, and the rappers' voices come through much clearer. It is definitely relevant in message, a social commentary that shows and understands the issues involved. It understands both the absurdities involved and the sense of desperation felt by those trapped in this world, trapped in part by their own views of themselves and in part by the stereotypical views of others. The message is serious but the music is pleasant and glides down easy. I would have preferred to hear more full-length songs rather than the snippet sets used for two of the tracks, but even within the snippets, it was easy to perceive this gifted talent. Never Will Lose It was my favorite of the group.

Justin Ambush and Khalil definitely had my full attention. He describes himself (Ambush) as an independent producer out of Baltimore but it is the tracks where he raps that I really care about. Again, like O&O, his stuff is less about general anger and living a violent street life and more about as he called it, Abstract Hip Hop. It's about asking questions, real honest probing questions and truly wondering if there are answers to be found. His work is very profound, it is very introspective even to the depth of realizing that real answers, like real solutions, are about finding real justice and tolerance and not about just playing the blame game or lashing out. He calls it Abstract Hip Hop. He says he wants to talk about more than money or women or cars. He says music is about pulling emotion out of you. I agree and he certainly did. He did and he does. The tracks are clear, catchy, easy to understand, profound and with very, very inventive beats, samples and instrumentals. No Fear is fantastic, in my humble opinion. It's hard but with interesting twists, easy to understand but thoughtful and provoking and very clear as well as clever. Someone sign these guys--they truly have something important and relevant to say and can say it so that we, the listeners, don't mind hearing their message and thinking about their music. They entertain and provoke, exactly what true art should do.

Driveblind is a rock band in Los Angeles but hailing from Aberdeen, Scotland (UK.) They will soon be releasing their first CD. All I can say and could say when I first heard them, right from the first few seconds of the first playing track on MySpace was....WOW! I was stunned and that doesn't happen very often. I literally have no words to describe these guys and no concerns or criticisms. I could listen to them for hours, especially Silhouette and All I Want. They meet every criteria I set and go beyond. They are entertaining, relevant, talented, gifted...name the positive adjective and I'll probably use it. So I'll settle on WOW. Go hear these guys and decide for yourself--but as for me, I need no more convincing. This group deserves to be huge.

So head on over to their sites and give these folks a friendly shout. They all have something interesting and relevant and entertaining to say about life and living.

Driveblind is at www.myspace.com/driveblind
Justin Ambush & Khalil is at www.myspace.com/trackology
O&O from the group S.O.N.N. is at www.myspace.com/sonn4eva
Fedarell (Street Confessions compilation CD) is at www.myspace.com/fedarell
Cool-ness is at www.myspace.com/originaltotallycool
Brooke is at www.myspace.com/brookesings

If you know of an artist (music, dance, visual arts, theatre arts, film arts—like lighting design, etc.) that deserves some attention, give me a shout. They need to have a MySpace page or other website that showcases their work—this so I can look at it and so I can point readers to their work. If their art is kinetic (kinetic sculpture or dance—i.e. movement) then still photographs are good but a clean, clear video is better (along with still images!) You can find me at MySpace or can email me through this blog.

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CG Anderson is a 10 year new media provocateur involved in media, art, technology and the online world. Also a writer, blogger and novelist. CG's comments are personal and opinionated and solely the responsibility of the author, so there. Don't like the opinions, disagree, agree, don't know? Great, make a comment—clean ones will be allowed, netiquette-challenged ones will be ignored!
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