Mix Tape: Strength (2 of 6)
You get four songs today because the strength tape has twenty and so I need to bump up two entries.
(By the way, I’d love to hear what you think of any of these songs or the other songs. But not if you hate ‘em. I only want to hear if you like ‘em because I want to know why you like them if you like them. I’m less interested in why you don’t like them because sometimes it just comes down to genre. Liking is more interesting.)
#4 Mother by Ulali
We are rap happy today but the first song is an anomaly. I put it in here because I like it. I like the shrill strength of their voices, I like the sisterhood is powerful sound and I like the strong beat, which seems like a nice segue to the next four rap/spoken word songs. By the way, this is a trio but they sound like more to me.
#5 Only 4 the Righteous — Rha Goddess
This is from a poem written by Tupac Shakur and I’ll tell you right now that I know very little about what he meant to rap as an industry or an artistry. I have no idea what feminist artist, Rha Goddess, thinks about the dichotomies of his work and his brilliance but I like her turn on this. A lot. (There are other feminist rappers/poets on this tribute album and I’d like to know more about it but I’ve just discovered it so I can’t tell you more yet.)
#6 Your Revolution — Sarah Jones
This is my favorite song on this whole mix CD at this moment. Sarah Jones is a feminist slam poet and I am crazy about this song — crazy nutso thrilled to have found it. And this song was banned by the FCC for its “unmistakable patently offensive sexual references.” (Funny how I find the Pussycat Dolls “Doncha” so much more offensive and sexual but yes, the language on that piece of trash is cleaner. So in other words, don’t play it around the little’uns until you’ve heard it and made your own decision about age appropriateness.) Also one note about this album — there’s another rapper on here who I love named Yarah Bravo. I desperately wanted to include her but I’m sticking to my one song from each album per mix tape rule. Damn. But try her, you might like her. Finally being that this is taken from a DJ-centric CD means that you’ll get a lead into another bit at the end of this track so if you can, set your mp3 player to cut that off if you want perfection. (And who doesn’t?)
#7 Womansong by Ursula Rucker
Yet another feminst spoken word artist. If you’ve listened to the Roots then you’ve heard her before but this is from her first solo album.
Link on Only The Righteous goes to the Revolution song again?
Kate
Now fixed!
Ah! I finally got around to listening. I knew I knew Ulali from somewhere, and as soon as I started playing it, I remembered. They did part of the soundtrack to Smoke Signals (awesome movie), and I love them. I liked Only 4 the Righteous, too. Spoken stuff doesn’t do much for me (sorry!), so the other two didn’t resonate.