Jackson G. Tickle Enterprises Presents…Panama’s Propositions

Dilemma, dilemma, dilemma.

I have a problem of epic proportions. Though that’s not true at all, I still do have a problem. And my problem is forcing me to face a few stereotypes and question a few “givens” about folks in my position.

What’s my position? Well, I’m what some would call…educated and “conscious” (I hate that term like hell)…which basically means I graduated from college, and I read a lot about “the struggle” and love the Black Panthers and Revolutionary figures. I knew right off the bat that when Ja Rule released “Blood In My Eye” (the crappy album that had “Clap Back” on it) he was referencing George Jackson’s book of the same name. I have read Malcolm X’s biography numerous times…as well as Dr. Martin Luther tha King’s biography, etc.

What does that mean in the grand scheme of things you ask? Absolutely nothing, but for some reason people think that because you read and went to college you are supposed to be enlightened and a thinker…therefore into deeper and more thought provoking adventures. And I’ve bought into those stereoypes myself…which is the very source of my problem.

I don’t like Mos Def’s new album, The New Danger.

*gasp*

I know I know…it makes no sense to me either. Being as Mos Def is the thinking man’s rapper, and as I’m prone to thinking from time to time, you’d think I would love it. Hell, I almost think its a requirement to like Mos Def’s music if you are “conscious” and/or you went to college as a black person. But honestly…I think its solidly mediocre. There are two songs I’m really feeling, those being “Boogie Man Song” and “Modern Marvel.” Honestly the rest I can do without. This isn’t an album review…this is about the problem I’m faced with…everyday. I don’t get into the deep music.

I also don’t really care for the whole neo-soul movement. And that’s once again supposed to be music for the “deep” people and “concious” people. Have you ever been to one of them neo-soul shows??? You see all kinds locks, ankhs, khaki, and earth tones. And those are the dead giveaway for the so-called concious crowd…you know the deep ass thinkers who have something to offer society. And I honestly think most of those folks are full of shit. They listen to some horribly bad music because they are “supposed” to. Because they are educated and consider themselves thinkers. And if you are educated and consider yourself to be a thinker than you have to like and actually KNOW about Kindred, Hil St. Soul, Adrianna Evans, Musiq, Jill Scott, India.Arie, Goapele, etc. because that is the music that deep people listen too when they are in their element of other deep people who light incense to focus and shake their locks out while somebody plays an acoustic guitar version of Mannie Fresh’s “Real Big”…making it deeper…

[***Sidenote: I've intentionally left out Donnie, Amel Larrieux, D'Angelo, Erykah Badu for certain reasons. Donnie, Amel, and D'Angelo actually make both GOOD music and are clearly grounded in their music...though D'Angelo took some strange strides with Voodoo...but really, if you have a song called "chickengrease" you ain't trying to be deep. And Erykah Badu...she is the epitome of a down to earth ghetto chick, anybody who can drop it like its hot with a headwrap on is alright with me...***]

You see where I’m going with this? Maybe you don’t. Let me explain further. See, I like good music. All of those neo-soul artists don’t exactly make good music. Hell, some of it is actually shitty, or just mediocre at best, like say…

…Jill Scott’s Beautfully Human album or Kindred’s album.

*ducking tomatoes, sinks, kids, being thrown at me*

But you’d never get anybody to admit to it because as educated people, we are supposed to be able to decipher the depth in it. Take Mos Def’s album for instance. What the shit is he talking about? Nothing…he’s singing and sounds good but the music behind most of his singing isn’t that great. Hell, he doesn’t even have any lyrics on some of the songs. This isn’t to knock the album because I know some people love it, I’m just saying, I like to call a spade a spade.

Educated folks, especially the younger crowd, seem to have this immense capability to be both down to earth and completely pretentious at the exact same time. Neo-soul music, which is grounded in its ability to be both meaningful and emotive, is also some of the most bullshit inducing and elitist music of all time. It’s like the neo-soul crowd doesn’t believe that you can be deep if you don’t like it. And outsiders are just not like them.

For instance, Musiq’s first two albums to me were pure shit. I hate those albums. There are a few singles on them that are good but for the most part they relied on a certain neo-soul sound and utter bullshit to push them through. There were some really biship ass lyrics on those albums. And people ate that shit up. It wasn’t good music and his second album sounded like the remix to the first album…and people ate it up. His third album however was different and actually relied on good music…how many people ate that up?

And I can only chalk it up to what educated people are supposed to like. I remember there was a Coca-Cola commercial a few years back that featured nothing but neo-soul artists. This commercial sealed neo-soul’s fate for me. It had all the standards, Musiq, India.Arie, etc. And they were basically sitting around being “deep” (I have no idea how you get “deep” across on TV) and drinking Coke. After that commercial and seeing the pretentious nature of it all…I couldn’t drink the kool-aid, which I guess was the point since they were selling Coke, but I digress.

All that posturing and stuff just doesn’t work for me. I like NWA. I like Cash Money. I like Jay-Z. I listen to some of the “deep” music…but if the music isn’t actually good…its just another shitty album I own. I can’t look past what its supposed to represent and appreciate it just because. And I hate that about the neo-soul and “concious” crowds. Good music is good music. Period. Point Blank. And everything isn’t good specifically because its neo-soul…or even Mos Def.

It’s actually kind of funny if you think about it. Talib Kweli is living proof of this fact. Talib spits “socially conscious” lyrics over some wack ass beats. And he gets railroaded by critics. Granted, Beautiful Struggle does only have like 4 tracks I like…but nobody has a problem criticizing his album. But there is a problem criticizing neo-soul albums…and thats why we keep getting crappy music. And I recognize that everybody has different tastes…but like I said…good is good. I don’t care for Voodoo, as I’m more of a Brown Sugar man myself, but thats more because I can’t understand his words while he’s singing. The music is undeniably good.

Which leads back to the beginning…even though I’m of the “educated” variety, I can’t get past the fact that bad music is just bad. Just because it gets labeled a certain way doesn’t mean that it is going to be good music. And the Mos Def album has made me come to grips with that. I can’t just accept shit cuz its deep…if that was the case, I’d like Common’s last album, and I hate it. On the other hand, Andre 3000 crafted an album that might be weird on some fronts, but in all honesty, is just some damn good music. I don’t know a single person who doesn’t like “Prototype” or hell even the intro to it “Where Are My Panties?”

This all leads me to believe that I might have my deep, concious card revoked. But I’m okay with that. At least that way I can listen to Fabolous and not feel guilty, or Mannie Fresh, and bump Lil Wayne’s album up and down the street. And at least I won’t be required to listen to pretentious ass albums by people like India.Arie or Maxwell’s second album.

[***DISCLAIMER: I almost made it the whole way without a disclaimer, but alas....here goes. I said SECOND ALBUM. Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite is a classic. Yes...I know. And his last album, Now, was good too. Calm down...and if you can...can you please pick up that girl that fainted over there...***]

And maybe Mos Def’s album achieved its purpose for me. He made me have to examine my whole issue with the “concious” crowd. And he is known as the thinking man’s rapper! Hell, he even got me…

…cuz I thought I was gonna like it.

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