Are You Experienced?
Question…and that’s if only I can ask this question.
Can I?
Yes you can!!!!
What exactly is “deep” niggaz fascination with Jimi Hendrix?
And what is it exactly about Jimi Hendrix that can turn a black man’s life upside down, a la Common?
I attended college. That means two things. For one, that means I’ve come into contact with quite a few black people who can actually read. It also means that I came across the “deep” or “earthtone negroes” who love all things spiritual and grass-like…
…and Jimi Hendrix.
And I’m wondering what exactly it is about Jimi that brings people an extra sense of clarity or inner-spiritualism. Granted, I’m a big fan. I love me some Jimi Hendrix. So I’m not questioning whether or not the accolades, fandom, and all around dicksuckery is warranted. He is the pre-eminent guitar playing rocker from the late ’60’s. In fact, I think the government took him out on purpose. Fuck that overdose non-sense. Between the ironically timed deaths of him, Jim Morrisson, and Janis Joplin, I think there is proof of some sort of government conspiracy. I think it was the burning of the guitar that pissed the government off in Jimi’s case.
You do not burn the white man’s instrument of choice…no matter who you are.
I realize that Jimi influenced rock music in ways that no other person has with all of his guitar tricks and techniques. Yet somehow, I don’t think that’s how the reading black folks are influenced since most of us just don’t play a guitar…period.
The reverance for Jimi Hendrix is so amazing to me considering how (as extension of the last post) so many black people do not listen to rock ‘n roll in its traditional sense. And Jimi Hendrix was rock ‘n roll. In the 1960’s and 1970’s I can see how many black folks would have loved Jimi so much being as those were times of free love and shit and rock and soul music often crossed into one another. You can listen to albums by Led Zeppelin and its as bluesy as anything B.B. King would have done. The lines were blurred.
But it’s 200X. And reading black folks who like to wear earthtones love them some damn Jimi Hendrix.
We, as a the rap community, saw what Jimi Hendrix did to the two men who dated Erykah Badu…and lived to tell about it. I mean, Erykah introduced Jimi to Dre and Common Sense, and helped to create Andre 3000 and Common The Chi-Town Knit Kufi King. Which is similar to Sofa King, but not at all.
Hmm…I wonder how many reading black men find Jimi on their own. And is there a difference if a woman introduces you to Jimi Hendrix? For instance, I discovered Jimi on my own per se. It was more of of a “I keep hearing so much about this dude, let me get me some Jimi”…that’s how I got into the Hendrix Experience. Being as it was all on my own, and I wasn’t high, maybe that’s why upon listening to “If 6 Were 9″, the walls in my room didn’t turn purple and psycadelic doves and lillies didn’t bounce to and fro.
But.
What if I had been introduced to Jimi by a woman I was in love with. Mayhaps things would have been different. Gander if you will…
While chewing on a strawberry flavored chewstick and sitting under the cherry moon, with some khaki colored cargo pants, an earthtone green tshirt with a picture of some tree branches and a black fist on it, some khari shells, and a knit kufi, my girl, who happens to be wearing an ankh necklace and a headwrap with a nose-ring and an arm length twisting arm-bangle thingamajig and a wrap-dress causing people to liken her to a sun-goddess says:
“Panama, don’t you just love the grass?”
“Yes baby, it just makes me think of a simpler time when my soul and spirit were one with the Earth. How you feeling?”
“PJ, I feel good. It’s like all is right with the world and you are my God and my sun. The light is shining on you brotha in ways that make the souls of the fallen trees shake and stir beneath us…”
“Baby…you have no idea how much that means to me. I feel like our souls are intertwined like the ivy growing on the side of a a strong foundationed building that has lasted ages beyond its hope and dreams. That’s you and me girl…we’re ivy league.”
“P…the only thing that could make this day better is a little bit of that good sticky-icky…of MotherEarth of course, and some Jimi.”
“Jimi?”
“Yes baby, you aren’t up on Jimi?? Let me expand your horizons and the depths of your consciousness…baby, are you ready to be experienced?”
“I don’t know…I’m a little scared…am I?”
*placing headphones on PJ and gently caressing his eyelids before closing them so that he may allow the good sticky-icky and Jimi to expand his horizons*
“BABY…OH MY GOD…I SEE…PURPLE HAZE??!!!!!!!!!”
“That’s it…just let the spirit move you…inhale the purple haze…and then watch the purple haze…you are now…experienced!”
What if that’s how it happened?
Would I have this deep-seeded esconsed innervision and feeling that made me not only appreciate Jimi, but believe in the essence that is Jimi?
Who knows…
…but I’m trying to understand.
Hey Joe…
“When the power of love overcomes the love of power… the world will know peace” - Jimi Hendrix
January 9th, 2006 10:57
I’m still not down with Jimi. Maybe when the movie starrting Andre 3000 comes out, I will be enlightened.
January 9th, 2006 11:02
Yeah things are always different to you when introduced by one you love… also, when you and that person you felt your soul was intertwined like the ivy growing on the side of a a strong foundationed building that has lasted ages beyond its hope and dreams - finally break up, calling each other everything but a child of God and wondering what you ever saw in each other… then those things introduced to you by said person… kinda go the way of the relationship. Jimi just wouldn’t sound AS good, you might still recognize his genius and respect his guitarical gangsta… but there would just be something off-putting about hearing Purple Haze or Fire, or Hey Joe, or Voodoo child, or Castles Made of Sand, or even If 6 Was 9 (and If 6 Was 9 is grammatically incorrect… but I’ll let Jimi slide well… since he’s dead and all). Yes… well at least that’s my personal opinion. =)
January 9th, 2006 12:01
I found Jimi on my own, back in HS. I understand the spirit of his music in the way that Coltrane has a certain spirituality.
I’ll say one thing about Jimi. Once you’ve listened to him a couple of times you can hear his influence in EVERY GUITAR player after him.
His music changed the way I listen to music (in general).
January 9th, 2006 12:13
I just acquainted myself with Jimi this summer. It was a compulsion, I dig that brother.
You are insane. I loved the dialogue between your conscious couple…”ivy league”…priceless
January 9th, 2006 12:46
Still not much of a fan. But then again, I don’t smoke weed.
January 9th, 2006 14:49
@The After Party Hostess: FYI. You don’t have to smoke weed to appreciate Jimi.
January 9th, 2006 15:49
@Dr. Strangejazz: You’re very right…but I’ll sure as hell bet it helps. I love Jimi and have never smoked that good sticky-icky a day in my life…but I’ll bet you can get a whole newfound appreciation while you’re gone off that purple haze.
January 9th, 2006 16:35
You’ve crossed the line with this one…
I do understand that many “conscious” blacks do get hit with that jimi vibe and take it a bit to far(Bootsy Collins stop lookin around), but hell leave em’ alone.
Music in general, will have never again have witnessed such a man, and if he inspires other brothers, and remember it is only a few, to let go and create music channeled through them from the heavens(yes I know he did alot of drugs too)to create music that pushes the boundaries of black music beyond girls shaking ass and boring looped up hip-hop samples, stop hatin’.
And I really don’t think Common or Mr. Andre 3000 needed Erykah to expose them to Jimi, however she did turn them out.
January 10th, 2006 13:33
Brilliant!! This has been a barbershop/beauty salon argument over in the SWATS for the past 6 months. We’ve been discussing Erykah’s “Baduism” and how Dre and Common were turned out. I do believe that I will print out this post and bring it with me for my hair appt. on Wednesday.
January 11th, 2006 10:18
@cantlurkanylonger: I am a fan of Jimi, so I’m not hatin’. I’m merely asking a question and since I WASN’T talking about in the musical realm, the inspiration to create great music isn’t even a factor. And besides, except for Common and Dre, when have you heard any other artist REALLY go out and say that Jimi was one of their influences?
I’m a fan of Jimi Hendrix cousin, I’m just tryin’ to understand why it is that certain sects of so-called “intelligent” black folks all swear by Jimi despite the fact that they don’t listen to rock ‘n roll, period. Niggas rock jimi shirts but wouldnt listen to any other rock? Is it just cuz he’s a black man that excelled in a “white man’s” genre?
Those are my questions homey.
January 11th, 2006 10:57
Rock’n Roll, I have always perceived to be our shit, black folks music. I mean Chuck Berry was rock’s messiah, all to follow were disciples. Rock was inspired by soul. Like present day popular music there is overlapping among the genres: rock, soul, hip hop… Yeah, that white folks got on it and ran with it and black folks just dropped the ball on it. I appreciate Lenny Kravitz and Ben Harper and the like for reclaiming rock.
I’ve met many a self proclaimed pan-african nationalist/conscious/science-math dropping/self righteous negro who insisted on enlightening me to the splendor of Jimi. I mean I met some folks from DC who were tombout, how Jimi was the incarnation of the god Shango (I love my people).
I figure anyone who was down with the Isleys before R.Kelly got hold em is alright by me. I blame it all on R.