Styles P "Ghetto Children"
We admit it.
We've been slacking on our R&B and Soul grooves in the past few weeks.
Forgive us.
But, today seemed like a good day to get back on our A-game.
Why?
Willie Hutch died recently.
Who?
Wille Hutch, the creator of arguably one of soundtrack to the best Blaxploitation movie ever, "The Mack."
Still wondering?
Remember when Project Pat did "I Choose You?"
Let me backtrack.
The first time I watched The Mack, when I was of age and knowledgable, it changed my life.
And the track "I Choose You" was playing in the background when Goldie was just gettin back on his feet, fresh out the joint.
The big intro.
The orchestrated sound.
Then Willie wailing "whoooa whooa whooaaa"
The track is murder. Stone cold pimpin'.
It was a track I literally was dying for someone to sample but do it right.
Pat did.
So respect due to Willie for laying the foundation and the rest of these artists for creating something beautiful.
Picking up where Gotty left off, this is Retro checking back in. It seems Gotty and I are one of the few of our generation that truly enjoys OLD old school. And the era of blaxploitation is no exception. I think we can all agree that they don't make 'em like they used to. To a casual observer, these flicks seem nothing more than a high period in black alternative cinema, with flashy names, flashy personalities and even flashier scores/soundtracks.
But to me it was much more than that. Drug dealers, pimps, thugs, prostitutes, and any other bottom of the barrel professions were brought to glorious heights and shoved in the face of mainstream America. These movies proved that sometimes you gotta do bad before you can do right. People coming from the hood of any part of the country can relate. That's what made them heroes to me. Hated by many but still doing the damn thing!
I think that's what we're missing these days. Instead of these heroes of Black America like Coffy, Shaft, Superfly, and so on, we're stuck with the likes of Uncle Tom's like Cuba Gooding Jr, Will Smith (see: Shark Tales), Chris Tucker and dare I say it, Martin Lawrence. Not heroes. More like minstrel actors. Content to soft-shoe for the adoring, ridiculing public, exaggerate their swagger and "blackness" to ludicrous proportions. For what? To sell movies, whore themselves, and set their people back generations.
We need integrity. We need pride in ourselves. And most of all, we need heroes, to set the example. No matter where you came from, all that matters is where you're going. I miss that. Word to The Mack. RIP Willie, you've inspired me more than any ballplayer or rap artist ever could.
Willie Hutch - The Mack OST
Gene Page - Blacula OST
Rudy Ray Moore - Dolemite OST
Issac Hayes - Shaft OST
Issac Hayes - Truck Turner OST
James Brown - Black Caesar OST
Melvin Van Peebles - Sweet Sweetback's Baaddaaassss Song OST
Johnny Pate - Shaft In Africa OST
Jerry Peters & Jerry Butler - Melinda OST
Roy Ayers - Coffy OST
Marvin Gaye - Trouble Man OST
We've had a pretty good response to our "Euro-Excursion". We've got one more final contribution for the week from MrC. In the sake of space, we couldn't put all the tracklistings on the main page but if click here you can view them on a seperate page.
Blackalicious - A2G EP (1999) (Mo'Wax)
Quannum Projects - Quannum Spectrum (1999) (Mo'Wax)
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
DJ Format - If You Can't Join 'Em ...Beat 'Em (2005)
Part 1 Part 2
Position Chrome Retrospective mixed by Panacea (1999)
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
Position Chrome 18
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
DJ Scud & Panacea present The Redeemer - Hardcore Owes Us Money
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
Panacea - Low Profile Darkness
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
The password for all of these is MrC23 except the Blackalicious,
which is Mrc23.
Big up to contributors Froz1 (tell me that ain't an oldschool graff name) & MrC for puttin in work today. All we did was ask for help. And straight up, they came thru with all the music you see. So be sure to drop some comments in the Contributors section and on this post.
God Bless The Dead
