Weebie wobbled away.
Triksta: Life and Death and New Orleans Rap holds special appeal for me. Like author Nik Cohn, I have experienced the seductive allure of being a small-time music biz impresario with just enough pull to insure that interesting new talent keeps walking through the door. I have also had the profound pleasure of hosting Katrina refugees from New Orleans in my home.
While Cohn's examination of artists including Soulja Slim and Choppa are fascinating, and his distaste for labels like No Limit is boundless, what makes Triksta extraordinary is the insight it offers into the pre-Katrina life of impoverished black New Orleans. Cohn explicates the community's overwhelming sense of hopelessness and the resulting impotent rage that I recognized in my new family.
The first artist mentioned in Triksta is 5th Ward Weebie. The ugly, merciless world Weebie and his cohorts Three 6 Mafia, Mr. Serv-On and Sleepy Eyes Jones describe on "Whatever" is no longer a celebratory cartoon to me. I now hear it for what it actually is- an apocalyptic vision with actual names and faces attached.
2 comments:
Happy In Bag,
Thanks for this post. I read Cohn's book on my buddy's Steve Wilson' recommendation and I have in turned recommended it to others. As someone who has been to New Orleans a number of times, and in fact, do know much of the city where 'white' people are told not to tread. Hip Hop is huge in New Orleans but ya ain't gonna see it promoted by the tourist industry, which is sad, because some truth is being spoken about this most tragic of urban cities in America.
You have an amazing music blog happenin' here and I hope you choose to continue onward.
yer pal
m&s
A few years ago in New Orleans my date and I jumped into a cab after a Marsalis brother's (the skinny drummer) show at Snug Harbor. I told the driver that we were going to the Funky Butt to see a brass band. The driver absolutely refused to take us there. Thanks, m&s, for reading and listening.
Post a Comment