Peace to SENBEI, COLINRESPONSE, BROKEN HALOS, and DYNAMIC SOULS

I remember one of the first ...Exact Change... album reviews I read was on this blog called COLINRESPONSE. The author gave 10 reasons why the reader should buy the album and then closed the article with this:

"I realize that we are living in a time when most people have begun to believe that they should never have to pay for music. I won’t lie, Megaupload links see my computer every cotdam day but Bambu is someone who seriously deserves some getback for all his hard work and honest expression. SERIOUSLY MUHF*CKA, BUY THE CD."

PREACH BRUTHA! So, I sent over ...A Peaceful Riot... hoping to get some supportive words like these for our EP. I am hella glad I did for 2 reasons:

1) The review is dope - hella honest and from the heart (check it out below).

2) Through this crazy world of inter-webbing I met the auther of COLINRESPONSE, who I found out happens to be a Hapa-Japanese hip hopper just like me! His name is SENBEI and dude has rhymes AND beats. I can also tell he shares my love for (well, more like my obsession with) Curtis Mayfield's music.

So, interested in what other Asian folks are up to in hip hop, I looked up his work. The name was familiar, but my don't-know-what-the-hell-is-going-on-in-the-world-outside-of-medschool-and-protools ass, made me unaware of this talented brother up in the 'Sco. He released a record with Dynamic Souls called THE LITERARY CA[N]NON last year and recently released a solo project called SHIGATA GA NAI. Both projects are dope. Hopefully there will be a FATGUMS X SENBEI record one of these days. You can purcahase THE LITERARY CA[N]NON at CD Baby and download SHIGATA GA NAI for free from COLINRESPONSE.

SENBEI at Listening Lounge II

Fatgums X Bambu: …A Peaceful Riot…
Posted by colinresponse on June 4, 2009

This EP dropped more than a month ago but better late than never…Good looking Fatgums!

[Click Picture to Buy From The BEATROCK Store!]

This past year has been a f*ckin wild one. While getting married to my partner of 7 years, quitting my job of 3 years as an After School Program Coordinator, taking care of and losing my shero/Bachan (grandma), I have spent the entire past 9 months examining critically, (my) Asian American Hip-Hopper identity, masculinity/manhood, and issues regarding “authenticity” in SF State’s Asian American Studies M.A. Program. Needless to say, I am ridiculously blessed to have been able to allow my brain this roller-coaster ride, and am feeling stronger than ever after my first year of graduate school.

I recently changed the title of my Master’s Thesis to Goldyn Chyld (Remix): Asian American Men Authoring “Authenticity” in Hip-Hop, and I am hard pressed to think of a better example today in terms of the emceeing aspect, than former Native Gunner, Bambu.

A “Hip-Hopper” by my definition, is someone who is not only a lover of the music/lifestyle, but also participates in its practice (deejaying, emceeing, graff, b-boy/girl, beatbox, etc.). As a Hip-Hopper, when I listen to new Hip-Hop projects, I do my best to pay close attention to the intricacies of each and every syllable, hi-hat, bassline, hook, etc. and what I can say without a shadow of a doubt, is that Nikkei DJ/Producer Fatgums and Pinoy Emcee Bambu were f*cking meticulous in their care of, and practice of Hip-Hop as an art, lifestyle, and expression in their new EP “A Peaceful Riot.”

[Bambu X Fatgums]

From my frame of reference, Hip-Hop has been a saving grace to myself and so many others due to its therapeutic aspects (among many other things). The space it allows people (primarily coming from a place of marginalization) to offer their own version of the world, is one of the most liberating things I have ever wittnessed and taken part of in my life


[Fatgums X Bambu - Won't Walk Away]

Bambu seems to have a 2Pac-like knack for dissecting the sh*t out of his internalized pain/oppression, and relaying it to the listener in a way that is incredibly easy to understand and digest. Where I see him differing from many other artists who are able to communicate their feelings/grief as men, is that Bambu never tends to wallow in self-pity or feel sorry for himself. Misery loves company and at times, getting stuck in self-pity is something I have definitely struggled with. When I hear a song like “Won’t Walk Away,” it reminds me to tap into the resilience my elders taught me and to keep it movin’ the f*ck forward regardless of the little hater in my head that tells me I should go numb and give it all up. I also definitiely have a HUGE soft-spot for bluesy/introspective/melancholoy melodies, and Fatgums absolutely laced this track (as well as the entire Extended Play album) with absolute dynamic muhf*ckin’ magic.

“…A Peaceful Riot…” definitely came into my life at the exact time it needed to (arigato gozaimashita again, brother Fatgums). In this past year, with my being stuck in 3 hour seminars and my face in books on critical research methodologies, post-colonialism, marx, feminist/queer pedagogy, Black, Raza, mixed heritage and Asiancentric thought, it was at times extremely difficult to remember how big the world is and how insignificant I am; but also that Hip-Hop allows so many people that have been silenced, the power to love, respect, and interrogate themselves (and their perfect imperfections) in a way that pushes the world forward.

FATGUMS = Syncopated Soul by the Cotdam Kiloton

BAMBU = Intelligent Gangster/Revolutionary Wordsmith

FATGUMS X BAMBU = …A PEACEFUL RIOT…

Buy that sh*t HERE.

ColinResponse