Two More Songs: Lies And I Am By The Crack Emcee

 

 Still kicking out old stuff before I get something new going:

Click over to the YouTube channel to hear more. 

 

Self-Serving? (Why, If That's The Case, I'll Take Two,...)

You wanna get existential? For me, this shit's existential:

Oh, what a talented world we live in. These days, hole up in a hotel room almost anywhere in the world, turn on the TV and, depending where you are, you might soon find yourself deeply immersed in the latest episode of, say, Slovakia’s Got Talent. Chances are, regardless of your locale, at some point you will be confronted with a fetching, trembling little girl with a voice that’s powerful enough to shatter your eardrums, while still tender enough to break your frozen heart. Such is the power of talent. Like pornography – of which US Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said in 1964, “I know it when I see it” – talent is something we claim to be able to recognise easily. 

 

But it seems that we recognise talent far more easily when it’s accompanied by its occasional companion, success. When success enters the picture, talent pops right up, almost as if a red arrow has been drawn into the frame, leading the eye to where it’s meant to go. Without success, sometimes it’s hard to see talent for what it is. When Joshua Bell, one of the world’s pre-eminent violinists, stood playing in the subway in Washington DC in 2007 as part of a now-famous social experiment in perception, most commuters hurried past, unaware of who he was or how much better – freakishly better – his offering was than the usual busker fare. Without that red arrow of success, Joshua Bell’s talent could easily be overlooked, rushed past, drowned out by the pressing thought: must … get … to ... work.

Experiencing something unusual and especially great can remind you of the absurdity of the often-floated idea that virtually anyone can just become creatively brilliant. Of course practice is essential; and, arguably, certain aspects of artistic achievement can be taught. But when you come upon a rare and indisputable talent, you hear and see and feel things that were previously unimaginable. People say “That’s the real thing”, as though implicitly making a comparison with everything else out there that’s been revealed as a distraction, thin or false.

Hearing and seeing and feeling "unimaginable" shit, huh? You don't think they mean work like this, do you?

"It's like they're playing all of our records all at once."

Like I said - from where I sit:

Existential-as-FUCK,...

The Crack Emcee's Got A YouTube Channel For Music

I've been told my internet connection will shut off today, but I'll keep adding to it when I can: 

Conservatives will probably want to hear We Men Now,… 

 

My Life And Times By The Crack Emcee

An album featuring released and unreleased tracks from 1993-2005. I resequenced it so the transitions between various tracks make more sense, but now it's lost the original NewAge betrayal theme and sounds more like an "Occupy" or "Trayvon" blast than I'm completely comfortable with (plus some of the levels are still jarring - it's unmastered) but, under the circumstances, I guess that's the breaks. 

BTW - I've also added Hoin' For George to the end, a fan favorite, for those who've already dived in and want to again,...

Another Song By The Crack Emcee: Me & My Friends

Expand it to see the lyrics:

They're still as relevant as the day I wrote them,...

Permanently Vague by The Crack Emcee

 

This was another demo, from the aborted Britney Houston project, but with some autobiographical details. I found it last night, while looking for something else, and got creeped-the-fuck- out. 

 Now it's your turn,...

 

We Men Now (An Anti-War Song By The Crack Emcee)

Not too many conservative Rap songs out there,...

It's Like Spinning Until You're Dizzy And Falling Down

So, naturally, I re-hurt myself yesterday, landing me back on the bed, trying to find a way not to rub my right elbow down to the bone. Can this get anymore fun? 

Yes! It! Can! 

I'll spare you, except to say iMovie - part of the iLife suite of programs that come with the Mac? Shittiest product from Apple I've ever encountered. How bad is it? You have to quit the program to save your work. And, since it's an unreliable and shaky contraption, that demands you save a LOT. 

I'm not ungrateful, but work's reduced to the time-consuming pace of stop-motion photography, where even small movements can take forever to accomplish. Or, as in the case above, I ended up abandoning my whole idea (after getting so dumbfounded with the previous project I was forced to stop) then - finally getting DIY creative - I switched gears and lowered my goal to "Fuck It" level.

Just Get 'Er Done! 

With the way things are going, I'm patting myself for even that much,...

Smile And The World Smiles With You (Then Get Out)

I can't link to it, because it's behind the L.A. Times' paywall, but here's what they're reporting:

“Tech wealth drives wedge between San Franciscans...”

You don't say? I remember a chap doing a song about that very subject in 2000:

   

 Two things: 1) Obviously, because the visual is static, this wasn't the next song in the series of tracks I wanted to make a video of, but (according to Apple) I have to recreate the video I wanted to make (while searching for corrupted files) and that'll take a little time. This album, Just Payin' The Rent: Amoeba Compilation, Vol. II, was one of the next steps I took after going solo, though, and the release was still something:

 First, it's actually a good CD - a rarity for a compilation album. 

Second, I was the last artist they asked to appear on it, and when I presented them with Babylon.com they freaked, screaming it was perfect for tying the whole project together. They then named the album after one of my lyrics, made Babylon.com the opening number on the album, gave me lots of props in the liner notes, and mine is the first name that appeared on the cover. Lastly, the producer offered me a record deal. Solid. O.K., here's the big one:

2) I did this out of bed. I'm walking around. Doing laundry. Changing the sheets. Functioning. That also means I'm smiling as I type this.

First time for everything, I guess,....

 

An Update On The Issues (That Should Be Over By Now)

I've been trying to get out of bed lately, only to discover how easily I can hurt myself again (It's a lot like going online in that way,...). The inflammation is gone, but the bulging discs are still getting pinched, depending on how I move. I'm teaching myself to coordinate around them, within reason, but I still can't work, though my boss has assured me he's willing to wait and see if I improve. If so, because I've been such a good employee and knows what he expects, he'll make me a supervisor. 

But right now, I can't even sit for any extended period of time, so whatever.

And I now have NO money. Not a little money - NO money. I know some of you can't imagine or relate, so let me explain: 

NO change in my pockets, NO money in the bank. Stretching my meals into two, and drinking only water. There is an up-side, though:

When this is over - by NewAge standards - I'll look "healthy" and "sexy" like women today expect.

And finally, I've got my third video for you done. This one has multiple photos, and scrolling lyrics and shit, but the software that I used to make it - which came with this still-new computer - is already outdated. Somehow, because of how I got the computer, Apple says it'll take them up to two days to straighten everything out and send me an upgrade. Two days in the age of technology? Bullshit:

I think it's all because I'm black (Kidding,...)

Once Upon A Time, In A Crackhouse Far, Far, Away,...II

So, at the bottom of this post is KKKrack RocKKK, your second song from my 1999 mix tape, The Big Lowensky: Crackhouse Hits From The Clinton Era, and, y'all, is it a hoot!

I got excited all over, listening to it again, because - even after all these years (The Big Lowensky tracks were originally recorded before '95, remember) - KKKrack RocKKK's still a happy reminder of how well I can make some cold machines "hum".

And it was even a lot of fun to make!

Everything, back then, was fun. 

With my help, the Broun Fellinis' shows stayed packed, with lines around the block, and there was so much money coming in we made Billboard Magazine (above). And even though we ended up losing our Bay Area Music Award nominations in a rigged contest (some guy from the Jefferson Starship was the obvious favorite) San Francisco was becoming more-than-a-little aware that wherever the Fellinis' intimidating symbol, "Clyde, The Dancing Hippo," appeared, that's where the action was.

I, too, became a force to be reckoned with (being the highlight of the Fellinis' shows) as nightly crowds chanted/shouted/demanded "Crack Emcee! Crack Emcee!" so much, not only did offers came in for modeling jobs and "special guest" spots on other artist's albums, but the Fellinis' saxophone player, David Boyce, started feeling like he wasn't exactly the star of his own scene anymore.

And, boy, did he let me know it. 

But that was cool because - by that time - he wasn't.

David eventually took over vocals, after I went solo, and our friendship never recovered.

But it was time for me to go anyway. The Fellinis' got signed to a vanity label out of Los Angeles and didn't include me in the deal, but, unfortunately for them, while their first record had some beautiful moments, there weren't enough for it to be considered "all that". And, no matter where Aphrokubist Improvisations, Vol. 9 was reviewed, the one song I was allowed on the album - Pow! - was the stand-out. Even after the band stupidly edited it for swearing. 

So what more did I need? I had it all - a wife who (I thought) loved me, offers coming in from everywhere, the papers were noticing - and I had a home art/recording studio to keep 'em doing so. 

I was ready to conquer the world.

So that's exactly what I set out to do,...

     

"With his base strung over his back,..."

Once Upon A Time, In A Crackhouse Far, Far, Away,...

Above is the opening track from The Big Lowensky: Crackhouse Hits From The Clinton Era (1999) a critically acclaimed mixtape retrospective of my work during the Big Dawg's term.

I started making mixtapes in the early '90s (when no one else was doing them) as a outlet for some musical and cultural ideas I'd been pursuing with my friend, Henry Flood (fellow percussionist from our first popular band, The Beatnigs). Our recording project, Blackmail, got sidetracked but I kept going wherever that music, and current events, led.

It was a pretty intense time.

I mainly made the tapes for my friends, and fellow artists, but The Big Lowensky caught someone's attention during my stint as vocalist for the Broun Fellinis (1994) and - pow - I had a solo career.

I haven't thought about The Big Lowensky in years, and - because the songs are racial - probably never would've played them again. But, since everybody's lost their mind over Trayvon, and Bill & Hill and Monica are all back in the news, AND because I'm teaching myself to make YouTube videos during this down time (and need songs to try out) The Big Lowensky is once again free to terrorize a whole new political generation. (I've also got an album called Newt Hates Me around here somewhere,...)

What I'm saying, TMR readers, is you're about to (finally) enter the world of Crackhouse Music!

Prepare to get weird.

Since I'm making these videos now, I've decided to start with Big Lowensky songs, and then move forward or back to other releases, as a kind of build-up to my new material. (I'll eventually put up whole albums as I get better with the software. Let others hear them if you'd like.) If there's lyrics, I'd suggest expanding the YouTube videos (by clicking the square, bottom right) and, I think, all my earlier work is appreciated better in headphones (because that's how I made it). YMMV. That's it:

Enjoy,...