(an excerpt from the black man’s guide to surviving in Hollywood)
“like all my brothers eat chicken and watermelon/talk broken English and drug sellin’.”
KRS-ONE
Ok soooo…
Today I shot a commercial for a restaurant. I won’t mention the name but they make chicken. When I went on the audition a couple of weeks ago, I heard that little voice in the back of my head mention somethin’ about black men and chicken and stereotype, but I ignored it ‘cause my mind was blissful with the thought of something else. See, I was getting back to work. I love workin’. It makes me feel good to make some dough. This particular morning I was rushing into the commercial audition all joyous and happy. Things are pretty good in my life at the time. I’m a new husband and things are going well. I’m getting’ funnier and funnier on the mic. I had a little extra dough in my pocket. I was happy, and grateful to have the opportunity. In my joyous state I never thought past what I was doing at the moment.
What does this have to do with today?
Tell you in a minute. Just follow me for a second.
Soooo….
I go into the audition, which is a weird process that I’ll have to write about another time, and do my thing and I’m out. I got a session across town after that then I gotta get some work done in my office. I’m good. Fast forward a week, and I get a call from my agency telling me that I have a call back for the chicken people. When I heard my agent say chicken, the little voice came back, but this time it was singin’ “Mammie” and shuckin’ and jivin’. I still ain’t really listen to it though, I was happy I had done something right and gotten the call back. Feels good.
So I go to the callback and do my thing. This time I have to eat the chicken and then say the line. When I bit the chicken the little voice screamed at me “Obama!” but I was eatin’ and paying attention to the chicken and then Dave Chappelle from Inside the Actors Studio popped up and said, “You gotta set your price. And don’t take nothing less” or somethin’ like that, all echo-y and movie like. Too late, I was deep in it by now. The chicken was all hot and good. I was lovin’ my job.
Now, I guess I could have had a movie style “I can’t do this” moment and walked out of the audition but I didn’t. I ate the juicy ass drumstick and delivered the line like a pro. They said thank you and my agent called and told me I had booked later that day. It felt good. Gold star for Joseph!
What happened next n***a?
I’m getting’ to it.
Soooo…
Today I arrived on set at the designated time. This was a big production. They had a huge soundstage rigged to look like were just standin’ in whiteness like on those MAC computer commercials. They had tents and shit set up. They had a bunch of big white trucks that you see on big shoots. A couple of campers/trailers for wardrobe, hair/make-up and production. It was big.
My call time was right before lunch so I got to eat even before I worked. Food was off the chain. (it wasn’t chicken) When I got there an actor that I had bumped into from time to time in auditions was there, so I was kickin’ it with him ‘til I had to go on set. He had already worked and was asked to stick around in case thy needed something else. So while we were out there, a celebrity chef shows up ‘cause he’s in the spot too, playing himself. He has a person working with him, who’s a sister and all of us sit, talk shit and eat lunch together ’til it’s time to work. There was only one other black person on set but she was workin’ and ain’t eat. Anyway, the chef asked my man what we had to do when we get on set and he described what I had done in the audition and then he goes, “and then he ask you to act like a chicken and you gotta do a dance. A chicken dance with the chicken in your hand.” As he said those words a wave of disbelief permeated our little black contingent. It was like an urban legend come to life. Being asked to dance is already a bad one but being asked to dance with chicken is like go get another profession type shit when it happens. It’s the worst look of all. There is nothing sexy about being asked to dance with chicken in your hands in 2009. For a black actor it is the worst. The chef said “What?!” My man goes “Chicken dance brother.” The chef and me was like “you playin’. Man get the fuck outta here. Foreal?!”
Now the chef is a celebrity chef, that they asked to do the spot, so I knew he wasn’t gonna have to do it. But I was the willing slave ass actor, soooooo happy to have the opportunity, soooooo ready to get to work, just sooooooo muhfuckin’ joyous and full of glee and I knew they was gonna get my black ass to do it. The little voice came back with a couple of beads of sweat. The little voice said “ Do the chicken dance BITCH!” like the world’s greatest heckler. It started laughin’ at me and clowin’ me like I was havin a comedy club nightmare!…“Do the muthafuckin’ chicken dance.. N***A!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh haaaaaaaaa haaaaaaaaa haahahahah ahhhhaaaahha ahahahhah. CHICKEN DANCE BITCH! DO THE CHICKEN DANCE BITCH! AAAAHHHH HAHAH HAHAHAHAH HAHAHAHA AHAHAHA HAHAH…….. FUNKY CHICKEN N***A!!!!!!”
I was snapped back into reality when the actor dude said “ yeah, I felt bad, but shiiittt a brother got a mortgage to pay.” Right then I made the little voice shut the fuck up. Those words brought it home. I got a mortgage to pay as well along with all kinds of other bills and shit that take a lot of work to maintain. So I’m like fuck it. It is what it is. I need to eat and I ain’t in a position to be throwin’ no money away. Fuck dat. Chicken dance it is. Ain’t this some shit.
Soooooooo.
I finally get on set, after getting’ bumped by the chef, to do my thing. It’s people all over the place doin what they do on set. Most of the people are white, most of ‘em are cool and speak to you , especially like the lighting dudes and the camera operators they crack jokes and make it a cool atmosphere. The people from the company and the ad agency however, are usually reserved and don’t say anything to you. You’re just another actor here to do the shoot. Anyway, I eat the chicken and say the lines and do that a bunch of times. They got a dude that gives me a new piece of chicken after every take. I say the line, take a bite, chew, spit it out , and get a new piece of chicken. There’s another lady that comes and wipes my mouth after each take while they switch up the chicken. It’s ill cause they are like older white people and it’s just, very surreal that I am eating chicken and a room full of white folks is there makin’ sure I do it right. Ill.
Did you dance n***a? !
See what had happened was……
After a long pause in production the director comes back and says “O.K. so now I want you to act like a chicken.” N***a, a chill ran down my spine. I know he ain’t mean nothin’ by it. He’s just doin’ his job. Plus they had been shooting for days and at least twenty or thirty actors done had to do it. So I’m like, “Cool. I’m an actor and this is a gig”. He gives me a few more directions and yells action. I act like a chicken. I tried to get real loose with it but just couldn’t. I did a good enough job though that it gotta a couple of laughs. He yells cut. Then he goes “ OK now I want you to dance with the chicken in your hands and eat while you dance.” Now I like to think that I saw a bit of embarrassment shoot across his face as he said it. That good old-fashioned white guy emabarrased by the race thing look they get in the movies and shit. Like he know he wrong to ask a black man to dance with some chicken but he got to get this done. I looked around the room and it was all eyes on me. And it looked like they probably said “the black guy gonna dance his ass off” before I got there. At that moment I wondered if they pictured me dancin’ while I was at the audition two weeks ago? “Fuck you gonna do?” I thought to myself as they readied the chicken for my consumption. The mortgage, the office rent, the other crib in Cali, cable bill, phone bill, insurance, car notes trickled through my brain. Simultaneously Morgan State, Red Black and Green, Huey P. Newton, Sojourner Truth, Orange Juice Jones, Queen Latifah, Nat Turner, Larry Davis, Birnie Mac and GhostFace Killah hit their mark as well. “What is I’m gonna do?”, I thought. “We gotta a black president and I’m dancin’ with chicken fo’ my pay”, I said to myself and the thought gave me a shiver. On cue, like a Wayans Brothers movie or some shit, this music comes from outta nowhere. They played a fucked up’90s remix of “Do The Funky Chicken”. I’m like “Aww Dayumm!”. I mean this was some ill shit. “What would Stark’s do in this situation?”, I thought. The director yells action and I gave the performance of a lifetime. My scene sucked, but the acting job I did of being delighted to do this was phenomenal. I didn’t get down with the song or nothin’. I t wasn’t a Jabberwockies moment but I did good enough, like a cool uncle at a cookout with a plate. I have a hard time hiding my emotions so I can’t wait to see what my face looks like.
You did the chicken dance n***a?
Yep. I did the fuckin’ chicken dance ladies and gentlemen. I like to think that it was God getting me back for clownin’ this dude at the comedy club the other night. Or maybe it was just my “Mammie” moment that almost all black actor/comedians have. I don’t know. I do know it was a funky ass situation that I never envisioned myself being in. But it is what it is. I’m gonna take the money from that jo’nt and ball out somehow. I owe it to myself….. But then again, I could be like the millions of people who have lost their jobs in the past year or so and be home watchin’ the n***a who ate the chicken, so maybe I should consider myself lucky and fortunate.
Holla back and tell me what you think.
Cleez
P.S. This editorial was written by pride. Pride has a valid point but, pride will leave a yo’ ass hungry as hell. So although pride wrote it humble is gonna live with it. As you can see folks, this thing has my mind messed up and goin’ every which way.
**********
Aight, Joe… we get it…
it’s hard out here for Black actors, gotta pay the bills, yaddayaddayadda…
Two words for you, Joe….cuz I respect you, man…you seem like a real solid brother…
FUCK THAT…
Dog, fuck that shit…
UNTIL Black actors stand up for themselves, Hollywood will continue to portray Black people how they feel like it….
and Im sick of that same excuse from EVERYBODY Black in the entertainment field….
“oh, I gotta eat…”
its work at the post office…
and we WONDER why:
-we dont have any power in the entertainment business
-our music is fucked up
-Black actors have to scrounge for work
its because we dont DO FOR SELF…
you can’t serve Massa and rise up at the same time, its not possible…
Hey, I work everyday…so Im not saying this from someplace on high…
Black folks talk about strugglin….but we dont care abt THE struggle….
We will struggle all day long as long as it is forced upon us…but when there’s a struggle that’s worth fighting that will benefit us in the end, we dont know anything abt that….
the struggles that our people face to get us here where we can have a Black president were fought willingly…..those people made the choice to tell The Man, “enough is enough”….
and because they had that courage, we reaped the benefits….
but I guess reaping the benefits of that struggle has softened us to the point that we’ll dance for chicken in 2009….and we dont have th courage like our the generation before us (the 60’s wasnt that long ago, yall) to say to The Man enough is enough…
Back then, they had dogs, hoses, and guns pointed at us….
now, its just a camera…
Sorry, Joe…I dont accept your weak ass excuses….the shame you feel is justified…you SHOULD be ashamed of yourself for disgracing Black folks….
I hope the money covers your expenses for while…but I also hope that your kids, your parents, and all of your ancestors who suffered horrible indignities see you dancing with chicken in 2009…
But you got your bills paid…Aint that the same thing prostitutes tell themselves?
Like most Soul Brothers, I greatly enjoy a good piece of yarbird…
But for health reasons, it is rare that I indulge in the treat known as fried chicken…
It is even more rare that I patronize KFC…not because I have an issue with their menu…but because, for some reason unbeknownst to me, rats REALLY like kickin it there…
I remember pulling up to the KFC drive thru in the early 2000’s….the nice lady on the other end of the intercom politely told me that she’d be with me shortly…
while I waited, a relaxed looking rat emerged from the bush just beneath the intercom speaker…
just at that moment, the nice lady returned to tell me that she was ready to take my order…As she spoke, I was dropping my gear shift into drive…
“I’m cool…” , I replied as my car started toward the exit….
FFWD a couple yrs…
I’m residing in Oakland, CA…and there is a KFC right down the street from me….I decide to let bygones be bygones and once again partake of the bird they offer…
Then I saw this:
Yeeeeeaaah, fam….I really couldn’t fuck widdit no mo after that…the coincidences were far too great…
FFWD to 2009.
More and more people are conscious of what they eat…a growing number of people are avoiding fried foods, meat, or anything that comes from an animal (but fuck the plants, tho….KILL ‘EM DEAD!)
The good people at Kentucky Fried Chicken saw this coming years ago…In the 90’s, they officially changed the name of the company to KFC…
Why?
Because the word “FRIED” in their company name now had a negative connotation…KFC was on the cutting edge…
Yes, it is 2009.
4 months ago, we swore in the first Black president…
and last week, KFC introduced KENTUCKY GRILLED CHICKEN…
That’s right, hoes…
KFC is looking out for your health and respecting your right to choose…
to celebrate, the good folks at Colonel Harland Sander’s company unveiled a new website to promote this bold and innovative step in the future of fast food.
KFC wants you to unthink everything you’ve ever thought about KFC…
so to underline that point…at first, you see a suburban looking white woman with a piece of Kentucky GRILLED Chicken in each hand dancing a jig to a faux funk groove while she chows down on the drumsticks…
“Clever…”, I thought to myself, “they dodged a MAJOR bullet by having a white woman monkeyshine with this chicken…”
I spoke too soon.
As the white woman disappears from the frame, a 30 something Black woman runs into the frame…
fists tucked into her underarms in a slightly squatted position, she proceeds to “flap her wings”, bug her eyes, stick her ass out and run around as if she is….
…
wait for it.
yes, a chicken…(see picture above)
Frozen in my seat from what I have just seen…a young brother appears in the frame…again, with a drumstick in each hand…
he munches the chicken as he dances around….looking very happy and grinning the entire time…
He is then replaced by an older Black man, who I am informed is Vanessa Williams’ brother, also with a piece of chicken in each hand….
he hoists the chicken in the air as he devours it…showing his elation by skipping, jumping in the air and clicking his heels together, and last but most certainly not least…by doing THE ROBOT…
Chicken Georgina returns to boogie down a lil bit before we get a pair of white twins to insure that people like myself see that’s its all in good fun and not insulting to Black people AT ALLLL…
Apparently, its okay to unthink everything you’ve ever thought about KFC…however, its cool to keep on believing the stereotypes about Black people and chicken…
For a moment, I’m outraged…
but then I remember, this is a company whose story in entrenched in that good ol’ American institution…
Hint: it ain’t baseball.
You REALLY think that’s his recipe?
Harland Sanders was born in 1890. Slavery was legally abolished in 1865.
Anyway….I admit I’m reaching a tad…
Get down with the Colonel, baby…
This isn’t the first time that KFC has committed a cultural faux pas…
ahhh….1992…
MC Hammer, then America’s favorite Negro, danced and shuffled for KFC chicken on national television…
“Russ Beeler”, the Black fictional owner of a KFC franchise, presents Hammer with a precious gift…a gift only one Black man can give another…
bite-sized pieces of fried chicken.
Hammer opens the box and the chicken is illuminated…leaving a soft, warm glow on Hammer’s approving face…
Hammer just cannot stop eating the delicious nuggets of crispy chicken…even delaying the start of his concert (CP Time) until he has gulped down the last piece, which he throws in the air and catches in his mouth…
“like a dog…like a GODDAMN DOG, RITCHIE!!!…” (c) Esai Morales as Bob Morales in La Bamba
So…can we REALLY be surprised when KFC, given its history, decides that the BEST way to connect with its customer base is to show Black folks so overjoyed to have some chicken that they must boogie down?…well, because Black people dance so well…
What group of white folks sat around and conceived this shit and what group of white folks greenlit this shit?…
its shit like this that makes it hard for the races to get together (outside of the bedroom)…
if the white folks who came up with this really and truly believed that this was okay….white folks have a LONG way to go before we can stop giving them the side-eye…
But again, were you around for the last election?
Diane Fedele said she didn't mean to offend anybody...translation: "I didn't think any n***ers would see it!..."
“depicting Obama with chicken and ribs…that had nothing to do with race…”, says the Republican lady who ran the cartoon in her Republican newsletter…
I have a bunch of conflicting feelings about the above video….
On a strictly camp basis–I love it…the song even grew on me…
But at the same time this video represents every thing that was wrong with the last half of the 70’s musically, which ended up being everything that was wrong with the 80’s musically….
In that post Saturday Night Fever era, white people had become the face of Disco….
all it took was one bad, but very lucrative, film to convince America that Disco was a spontaneous yet homogeneous culture….
there is absolutely nothing wrong with white folks loving Disco….
but all the Black and Latin cultural identifiers had been scrubbed away….Disco was no longer for just n***ers, s**cs, and f***ots in the ghetto….Disco was now All-American, baby….
and the Kaing of the Disco Dance –the BEST dancer in New York City…. was a blue eyed Italian…
so now whenever there was a disco scene in a movie or video, you’d see more white folks than ethnic folks gettin down in the shot….which is what you see here…
at this point in time, jazz artists like Herbie decided to sell as far out as they would be allowed– they.did.not.give. a.FUCK….
For example, jazz drummer Alphonse Mouzon was masquerading as Disco act Pous-sez (pronounced poo-SAY or just “pussy” if you wanna be real abt it)….but he was nowhere near the only jazz cat making flat our disco albums….
Of course, I love Disco music….but again, the post SNF era was full of shameless bandwagoneering from all corners, not just jazz…..
after the death of bebop, jazzmen have been perpetually scrambling to stay commerically relevant in a society that regards jazz as little more than waiting room music and not the art and science that it really is…at this point, the Disco shit was a grab bag….anyone and everyone was making disco….
Kiss made a disco album.
Curtis Mayfield made a disco album.
Ethel Merman made a disco album.
of course, this led to a backlash from Middle America that killed Disco…all the silly “disco” that folks were making in effort to retain some traction on the charts started to make people lose sight of what Disco really was…
real disco artists had to suffer because people like Rick Dees (Disco Duck) turned something innovative, hot, and soulful into a joke…
jazz cats first bravely followed Miles’ lead into scathing criticism by embracing hard rock and funk at the dawn of the 70’s and called it fusion…
but soon, the public got used to fusion, and everybody didnt feel like being “heavy” anymore….people wanted to party, baby and the jazz cats did not want to be behind the curve this time around…
by the time the 80’s rolled around, some jazz dudes were flat out REFUSING to record anything that sounded like jazz…
about this time, Wynton Marsalis came in screaming on jazz dudes who werent even trying to make jazz music…
We could go deeper, but no matter what this video represents….its a fun way to spend four minutes….
and I’d rather watch Herbie try to convince us that he frequents the disco than watch barely legals(Miley Cyrus/Rihanna) or women entering middle age (Mariah Carey) try to convince me how sexually desirable they are or watch some simpleton(T-Pain) rehash the cliche of what the victims of the inner city think is the “good life” synched to a soundtrack of empty, microwave music…
it makes me appreciate the bass break all the more…
Pirahnahead. Maurice Herd. Mack & Bewick. Eastside Detroit. All. Day.
This VERY talented Soul Brother from the East Side of Detroit requires your attention…
Guitarist. Bassist. Keyboardist. Composer. Producer. DJ.Vocalist. String Arranger. Conductor. It’s almost nothing this cat can’t do…
I met P in the Spring of ‘07 and from that moment he has treated me and Windimoto like family. That’s a RARITY not only in this business, but in the world…
Check his bio…
Musician, DJ, producer – each of these words describes Maurice (PirahnaHead) Herd perfectly.
From the age of two, it was clear to everyone in his family that music would play a central role in his life. It was at that young age he learned to play piano from his mother teaching him basic chords, and shortly thereafter he began to learn guitar from copying Jimi Hendrix’s legendary riffs.
During this same time, he entertained his family by both playing instruments while singing and also by spinning records on the family record player. Rock and roll, blues, jazz, classical, and R & B heavily influenced PirahnaHead’s life then and continue to influence his musical style now.
By the time disco had taken hold of the country, it had a hold on Pirahna’s ears as well. He developed a love for the upbeat and soulful music from being brought into the DJ booth in local skating rinks and clubs by his sisters so he could be tended to while they partied. Little did they know, these experiences made an enormous impact on him.
Memories of watching DJs work in the booth resurfaced when PirahnaHead met legendary DJ Ken Collier. Weekends at Detroit’s club Heaven and trips to New York’s Paradise Garage and Club Shelter played a significant part in inspiring Pirahna to become a DJ.
After being mentored by Ken Collier, PirahnaHead went on to play at several parties and clubs in and around Detroit including Fifth Avenue in Royal Oak and Regine’s Off the Park in Detroit. Pirahna also DJed a Saturday into Sunday after hours party called Amnesia at the Rhythm Café in Downtown Detroit, where he held kept the dance floor packed from midnight until daylight.
While Pirahna was playing other people’s records he never gave up aspirations of someday making his own. To this end, he played guitar and toured with groups like Enemy Squad, Dub Culture, Charm Farm, and other bands in the Detroit and Lansing area. While touring with various incarnations of the P-Funk All-Stars, he had the opportunity to work with well-established artists such as Morris Day and The Time, Bernie Worrell and the Woo-Warriors, HR of Bad Brains, Fishbone, Buddy Miles, and Amp Fiddler. He even was a part of Woodstock in 1998.
Love for music also inspired PirahnaHead to enroll in classes at the Recording Institute of Detroit where he became a certified analog and digital audio engineer.
During his years in Lansing he helped operate one of the area’s first recording studios which used both digital and analog capabilities, Studio 707. Currently, He is a student at Wayne State University majoring in music education. This has given him means to explore an exciting edge that he brings to his musical projects; classical orchestration.
His love for string instruments and keen sense of string enhanced harmonies make him a sought after musical director. Pirahna even performed for the Detroit Institute of Arts 2003 Christmas party as a DJ accompanied by a string section and live percussion for which he composed scores. His skills behind the turntables are currently being showcased in a monthly residency at The Palladium called Delicious Thursdays.
More recently, Pirahna has found himself widely respected as a producer as well as a musician. He has written and produced for local artists such as Inohs Sivad, Mathias, and Lathun. He is currently working closely in a partnership with DJ Minx, CEO of Women on Wax Recordings. These two musical powerhouses have come together to form the group Animal Trax, a moniker under which they released the EP “Deep Structures”.
Women on Wax Recordings also released Diviniti’s “Find a Way”: a song co-written and produced by Pirahna that has DJs and dance floors worldwide at attention. Recently “Find a Way” was edited by Danny Krivit and released on King Street Sounds. Pirahna is also collaborating with Reggie Dokes, CEO of Psychostasia Recordings. Under the name Napi Hedz, these two stellar producers have several released lined up that showcase their talents and vision.
On the Moods and Grooves imprint, Pirahna released the EP “Emotional Expression” which included “Poem 4 A Lost One” featuring Diviniti, and also produced a well- received remix of John Consemulder’s “Rewind to Start” featuring Lex Empress. Later this year Mahogani Music is set to release PirahnaHead’s first full length album “SOLID: (A Moment in the Mind of) PirahnaHead.” With numerous releases lined up on Women on Wax, and upcoming productions on Wonderwax, and Sound Signature, the best of Pirahna may be yet to come.
*********
Words can donly say so much, let the music do the talking…
This is Pirahnahead’s remix of Shuya Okino’s Shine. When I heard this in the club, I literally stopped in my tracks….P arranged the strings and horns and conducted the session…He’s playing guitar on this jam, too…
P just put out a new EP called NGTVNRG: EP Stage 1 on his own label, Whasdat Music…
NGTVNRG: EP Stage 1 (Whasdat Music, 2009)
Whasdat Music logo
Have a look at the brother’s discography:
Dreams (12″) Mahogani Music 2004
Emotional Expression (12″) Moods & Grooves 2004
Poem 4 A Lost One Remixes (12″) Moods & Grooves 2004
♥ (Love) (12″, S/Sided) Mahogani Music 2005
Live For The Night (12″) Women On Wax Recordings 2005
Solid: (A Moment) In The Mind Of Pirahnahead (CD) Mahogani Music 2006
Solid: (A Moment) In The Mind Of Pirahnahead (12″) Mahogani Music 2006
“United Legends” Pirahnahead Works (12″) Especial Distribution 2007
In My Skin (CDr, Mixed, Lim) Whasdat Music 2007
Come 2Gether (12″, S/Sided) Whasdat Music 2008
Music (12″, S/Sided) Whasdat Music 2008
Remixes:
Deep Structures E.P. (12″, EP) Sumnutha (Pirahna Head… Women On Wax Recordings 2004
Find A Way (CDr) Find A Way (PirahnaHea… Women On Wax Recordings 2004
Rewind To Start (I Wonder) (12″) Rewind To Start (Pirah… Moods & Grooves 2004
Fuzzy Navel (CDr) Fuzzy Navel (Pirahna’s… Women On Wax Recordings 2005
Love Will Stay (12″) Love Will Stay (Pirahn… Women On Wax Recordings 2005
DJ Kawasaki EP (12″) The Love Of Music (Hea… Especial Records 2006
The Space In Between Upcoming SK 12″s Volume Five (CD, Promo) Give It Up (Pirahnahea… Sonar Kollektiv 2006
Freedom Time Presents Especial House (CD, Comp) The Love Of Music (Hea… Columbia Music Entertainment 2007
My Philosophy (12″) My Philosophy (Pirahna… Women On Wax Recordings 2007
The Room Weekender 15th Anniversary Special Edition (2xCD, Comp) Fuzzy Navel (Pirahna’s… Pony Canyon Inc. 2007
Production:
Deep Structures E.P. (12″, EP) Women On Wax Recordings 2004
Find A Way (CDr) Find A Way (Original Mix) Women On Wax Recordings 2004
In The House (2xCD, Comp, Mixed + CD, Comp, Enh) Find A Way (Reprise Mix) ITH Records 2005
Love Will Stay (12″) Women On Wax Recordings 2005
I See Heaven (12″) Sound Signature 2006
United Legends (CD) If It Is Love Geneon 2006
The Room Weekender 15th Anniversary Special Edition (2xCD, Comp) If It Is Love Pony Canyon Inc. 2007
Appears On:
Find A Way (12″) King Street Sounds 2004
Find A Way (12″) Find A Way (Original M… Women On Wax Recordings 2004
Fuzzy Navel (12″) Fuzzy Navel (Pirahna’s… Women On Wax Recordings 2004
Natural Aspirations (CD) Naturally P-Vine Records 2004
Natural Aspirations (12″) Naturally Sound Signature 2004
Natural Aspirations (CD, Album) Naturally Sound Signature 2004
Natural Aspirations (12″) Good Question Sound Signature 2004
In The House (2xCD, Comp, Mixed + CD, Comp, Enh) Find A Way (Reprise Mix) ITH Records 2005
Love Will Stay (12″) Women On Wax Recordings 2005
Rewind To Start (Remixes) (12″) Rewind To Start (Pirah… Moods & Grooves 2005
The Vault Vol. 1 (Unreleased Material) (CD) My Peeps On 6 Psychostasia Recordings 2005
Willing (12″) West End Records 2005
Willing (12″, Promo, W/Lbl) West End Records 2005
Balance (2xLP) Just The Way I Like It Sonar Kollektiv 2006
Give It Up (12″) Give It Up (Pirahnahea… Sonar Kollektiv 2006
Intergalactic Soul (CD, Album) Could It Be Too Soon Columbia Music Entertainment 2006
Intergalactic Soul (2×12″, Album) Could It Be Too Soon Wonderwax 2006
Sunshine (12″) Whasdat Music 2006
United Legends EP One (12″, EP) If It Is Love Especial Distribution 2006
“United Legends” Replayed By Sleep Walker (2xCD, Album) If It Is Love Geneon 2007
Ten Years, Who Cares? (CD, Comp + CD, Comp, Mixed) Just The Way I Like It Sonar Kollektiv 2007
The Room Weekender 15th Anniversary Special Edition (2xCD, Comp) Shine (Pirahnahead Rem… Pony Canyon Inc. 2007
The Soul Latin EP (12″) Just Close Your Eyes Truth Manifest Records 2007
Detroit Beatdown Vol. 2 EP 2 (12″, EP) I Do Love U Third Ear Recordings 2008
Especial 10th Anniversary EP Vol. 3 (12″, Comp, EP) Sun Will Rise, Sun Wil… Especial Records 2008
P² (12″) Jah Bless Prime Numbers 2008
Tracks Appear On:
Durban’s Finest V.2 – The Finest Level (CD, Comp, Mixed) Poem 4 A Lost One Sheer House 2005
Jazztronica (CD) Poem 4 A Lost One (Bla… Tokuma Japan Communications 2005
Mahogani Music (2xCD) Emily Mahogani Music 2005
Sound Sampler, Pt. 1 (CD, Comp) Untitled Sound Signature 2005
Inspiration “Exclusives” (CD, Comp) Love Columbia Music Entertainment 2006
Joyride – Pearl (CD) Live For The Night Village Again 2006
Grand Gallery Presents Christmas Time (CD) The Reason Grand Gallery 2007
Detroit Beatdown Vol. 2 EP 2 (12″, EP) I Do Love U Third Ear Recordings 2008
TimeLoveLIFE
Whasdat WDM-DR1 – release date: May/12/2008
NGTVNRG: EP Stage 1
Whasdat WDMDR2 – release date: Jan/30/2009
If you’ve read ANY liner notes for R&B albums in the 70’s, you know the name Ndugu…
pronounced “en-doo-goo”…..LOL, what a cool and funky name…
Well, if you got a funk name like Ndugu, that means you gotta be funky…and Ndugu is funky, indeed…
If you check out my George Duke Primer blog below…you will see how funky Ndgugu is for yrself…
Leon “Ndugu” Chancler is one of the top drummers in the music business…
Ndugu
He has played with so many people, its stupid….but to the general public, he’s best known for his vocals on his homeboy George Duke’s monster funk jams, Reach For It and Dukey Stick…
If you aint hip, head down to my Dukey blog and check him in action in the live videos for those songs….
Even if you are completely ignorant of Ndugu, you STILL love his drumming…
you’ve rocked to those drums forever…LOL
But, dig….In my research for my Dukey Blog, I came across this:
Ndugu & The Chocolate Jam Co. – Take Some Time (Do I Make You Feel Better – Epic/CBS Records, 1980)
This funky ballad is by Ndugu’s band, The Chocolate Jam Co. who recorded two albums in 1979 and 1980, respectively…
So this is what ya boy Scorp is gon’ do for you…
I’ma give y’all a lil Ndugu today…
The Chocolate Jam Co. – The Spread Of The Future (Epic/CBS Records, 1979). Click on the pic.
Ndugu & The Chocolate Jam Co. – Do I Make You Feel Better (Epic/CBS Records, 1980). Click on the pic.
if you’re a brother like me, you find King (Rest In Pieces) and Maxim style shit about as sexy as dirty mop water, then I might have somn for y’all…
You too can be sexy w/out compromising your integrity.
This is the Primordial Punk 2009 Pin-Up Calendar.
This is a project coming from the community known as Afro-Punk (named after the infamous James Spooner documentary of the same name)…
basically, it features pin-up pictures of Black women with a left of center kind of style and sex appeal rather then the empty-headed exploitative “Dip It Low”/video hoe idea of Black female sexuality that is psychological warfare forced upon us each day…
12 months of Black love
it’s a cool project that deserves your support….and sisters, if you think you got what it takes to be a Primordial Punk Pin-Up Girl then hit em up at checkmeout@primordialpunk.com with a lo-res photo and a bio….
The calendar is only $10 plus s&h…you can cop it at their website:
George Duke is a keyboardist, songwriter, composer, bandleader, vocalist, and producer from San Rafael, CA…
Dukey is based in jazz…but he does alot more than that…Funk, Pop, Classical, Soul, and Afro-Latin…
Even if you don’t know Dukey’s name, you’ve heard his music…
Dukey started out with Jazz great Cannonball Adderley, from there went on to join Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention
FZ
Cosmic Debris (live):
…in the mid 70’s he went solo…
Dukey had been making solo records since the late 60’s but he didnt hit his stride as a solo artist until 1974’s Feel…
it was here that Dukey began to embrace Soul/R&B and Funk textures in his music, playing more Rhodes Electric piano and using the new analogue synths…he also started to sing, bringing forth a warm falsetto and natural register…
Feel – MPS Records, 1974
Check out the title track…one of my Dukey favorites…
Feel (Feel – MPS Records, 1974)
After scoring some crossover hits in the mid-70’s with his next few albums, the public began to take notice of Dukey:
The Aura Will Prevail – MPS Records, 1974
Dawn (The Aura Will Prevail, 1974):
For Love (I Come Your Friend) {The Aura Will Prevail, 1974}
I love the way Dukey harmonizes with himself on this one….
I Love The Blues, She Heard My Cry – MPS Records, 1975
Someday (I Love The Blues, She Heard My Cry, 1975):
Dukey’s album Liberated Fantasies – MPS Records, 1976
The 1976 Keyboard Album wasn’t released until 1982 on Epic/CBS Records
Dukey took a break to form a band with badass fusion drummer, Billy Cobham resulting in one album, Billy Cobham/George Duke Band – Live In Europe(1976)
Live On Tour In Europe – Atlantic Records, 1976
You can find performances for most the songs on this album on You Tube…
the live version of Space Lady is FAR superior than the album version…but I guess it had to be that way because in the show, Space Lady is a just a long intro for a solo version of Someday…
If you got 10 mins to spare, check it out…its really dope:
Space Lady/Someday (live, 1976):
Ivory Tattoo (live, 1976):
Dukey went ahead and made the jump to a major label(Epic/CBS) with his 1977 album From Me To You…
From Me To You – Epic/CBS Records, 1977
You and Me (From Me To You, 1977):
featuring his cousin Dianne Reeves….somebody stretched and pulled the intro into Dilemma by Nelly feat. Kelly Rowland…
Dukey admits that he was trying to find his style on that album…it was the next album that he hit paydirt…
Ndugu is one of the most sought after drummers in the world and the man responsible for the instantly recognizable drums on Billie Jean… and was Dukey’s partner in crime during his funk days.
drummer Leon “Ndugu” Chancler brought Dukey Parliament’s Mothership Connection album and told him that they needed to start gettin deeper into the funk…Dukey agreed and this was the result…
Reach For It – Epic/CBS Records, 1977
Reach For It – live (1977):
around this time Dukey hired an 18 yr old female percussionist from Oakland named Sheila Escovedo.
She and Ndugu switch instruments at the 4:00 mark…the killer bass solo is by Detroit native and former Roy Ayers bassman, Byron Miller…
Reach For It – studio version (Reach For It, 1977):
Pete Escovedo and his daughter, Sheila Escovedo circa 1978
Pete and Sheila Escovedo Solo Two – Fantasy Records, 1977
Pete and Sheila Escovedo Happy Together – Fantasy Records, 1978
A few years after her time with Dukey, Sheila Escovedo started hangin out with a little boy who was a George Duke fan that she met backstage at a Dukey show and became Sheila E.
Ndugu is one of the top session drummers ever and the man responsible for the instantly recognizable drums on Billie Jean….
it was abt this time that Duke really started diving into his Brazilian influences inspired by Earth Wind and Fire (a career-long influence on Duke’s work)…
Diamonds (Reach For It, 1977):
this is one the illest songs I’ve ever heard.
its Dukey’s Brazilian stuff that inspired Windimoto’s Shake It Down(no plug-o) though I’m nowhere near the composer that Dukey is…
Dukey’s ballads were also evolving quite nicely…
Just For You (Reach For It, 1977):
Dukey’s underrated vocal skills are showcased here…
The late 70’s were a hugely successful time for Dukey….he locked in on his style, he now had a dedicated band to execute his jazz/funk/R&B/Latin/disco fusion…
Dukey scored big on radio again the next year…
Don’t Let Go – Epic/CBS Records, 1978
Dukey Stick (Don’t Let Go, 1978):
Dukey and band on stage and in the studio (1978):
Diamonds, Reach For It, and Dukey Stick are performed here in this kinda EPK thing….watch Ndudgu clown the guitar player…
dontchu wanna be in a funk band now???
Yeah, We Goin’ (Don’t Let Go, 1978)
The Way I Feel (Don’t Let Go, 1978
meanwhile, Disco was taking the world by storm…so Dukey kept his ears open and worked that into his sound on his next album, the excellent Follow The Rainbow(1979)….
Follow The Rainbow – Epic/CBS Records, 1979
Funkin’ For The Thrill(Follow The Rainbow, 1979)
of course, Dukey continued to write excellent R&B material…
Say That You Will (Follow The Rainbow, 1979)
^^this song^^ is so well written and gorgeous, it damn near makes me jealous….
Dukey found himself pumping out jazzy funky Latin flavored R&B with ease….he wanted to challenge himself…
He took his band down to Brazil…linked up with some Brazilian musicians and created his best album ever, A Brazilian Love Affair…
A Brazilian Love Affair – Epic/CBS Records, 1979
Duke’s third album of 1979, ABLA is made up of mostly instrumentals where Dukey gets to dive into Brazilian music headfirst while still bringin his funk and jazz into the mix…
featuring the Queen of Wordless Vocals, Flora Purim(a frequent Dukey collaborator)….
Flora Purim Carry On – Warner Bros. Records, 1979. Dukey produced this whole album, too. How he didn’t fall out from exahustion in 1979 is beyond me.
as the 70’s drew to a close, the emphasis on heavy soul/funk waned and Disco was killed….Dukey had to adapt…in 1981, he decided to get with his old friend, bassist Stanley Clarke and do an lighter flavored album….they called it The Clarke/Duke Project….
Even today…Dukey hasnt stopped…he just released a funk album called Dukey Treats, using many of his old school crew….
Dukey Treats – Big Piano Music/Heads Up Records, 2008
EPK for Dukey Treats:
As you prolly guessed, Dukey is one of my favorite artists….and I feel he is mad underrated as a player(I rate him slightly over Hancock), composer, producer, and vocalist, even though he’s had a highly successful and lucrative career as both a performer, player, and producer….his schedule has been non-stop for about…..oh, 40 years now…
and if you wanna hear about the musical adventures that went into each of these albums, hit up the master himself at www.georgeduke.com…there’s plenty of goodies here to keep you occupied for an hour or so…Dukey even offers some of his out of print albums on CD for direct order…
AND…
Universal has just released ALL of Dukey’s MPS Records work on a 4 disc set entitled My Soul: The Complete MPS Fusion Recordings…
My Soul: The Complete MPS Fusion Recordings – MPS/Universal Records, 2008
So hopefully after this, you wont sleep…and hopefully, you found some new treats to get into….
