#just allah the superstar

[spilladabalia]

Malcolm Mclaren Presents Double Dutch

[vivianbernadetteaurora]

My conspiracy for this information goes back long long time ago, and I believe it all started on the red carpet at the moment when would really look up to Aaliyah, Aaliyah and Beyoncé were polar opposites. If you wanna think about appearances, Beyoncé was voluptuous and blonde and curvy and light skin, Aaliyah with slender, darker skin and beautiful face., they both carried that superstar essence, I have literally just uploaded a video to one of my TikTok accounts about how I believe Jay-a( jay-Z if you really cared about Allah and wanted to be with her, why would you do a whole tour with R. Kelly? That’s some libra moon shit right there. No loyalties but then woman out with you that tell you that you’re the world. I’m sorry that’s just how I feel. I know many of them .

 Aaliyah wasn’t going to take that kind of crap off a man. This woman was a Capricorn, son and Aquarius rising. I won’t even say that she’s a Virgo moon fuck check this before I finish it anyway Beyoncé and Jay-Z go to film the music video drunk in Love in 2013 on the same beach, where Aaliyah filmed her last video rock the boat which she didn’t come back from. She had a pain crash. Apparently she was given a sleeping tablet and wasn’t able to be carried that load it wasn’t strong enough.

 Anyway to go back Aaliyah‘s moon sign is in Virgo. This is the important part, horizon sign is an Aquarius, so when you look at the rising sign which is the first house you want to look for the ruling planet of that sign and then that sign planet becomes your ruling planet in your birth chart so hers would be Uranus in modern, and Saturn in traditional has Saturn was in Virgo and how Uranus was in Scorpio, I’m still learning numerology guys so once I get back to you with that I’ll have so much more information but if we want to go into Beyoncé and Jay-Z top I’m happy to.

Both these women had femme fatale qualities don’t get me wrong. They’re both air sign women, and Aaliyah had a lot of earth in her chart a lot a lot and she had that beautiful subtle quality about her. I’m in Beyoncé. She won’t do interviews anymore which I get Beyoncé is not so good with her words wasn’t it Wendy Williams he wants said she talks like a fourth grade or whatever. Yeah, TV wasn’t really full Beyoncé anymore, and now she’s gone into this element of rich with Jay-Z where they team up together and become this power duo and believe me in Hollywood. A lot of these power duos are just like connected for work, and work alone.

So outside they could be having other activity, so when the lounge got caught in the elevator doing that Jay-Z, maybe that’s why Beyoncé stayed so quiet and stood back because because she knew that he humiliation in the background as it was gonna come, and even Matthew knows, use it as another PR stunt don’t be full boy like the whole PR thing because I have only recently and like the last year also that these couples aren’t really couples a lot of the time. A lot of them can’t come out is gay#LoveYourself,SoTheyHaveToGetBeardsABeardIsSomebodyWhoGetsWithUsOppositesex partner and they stay with them to make them present straight, but really like on the side of these people are living a gay existence. A good example from old Hollywood would be Rock Hudson Rock Hudson. Obviously not Israel name, that’s another thing they change your name Hudson in fact got married to his agents, mother or sister or something like that, but it was a happy marriage because they know what they expected. I actually think gay marriage would be like really cool because you’d get treated really well over a star Phil, and yeah I don’t think it’s good for the person who has to hide the sexuality that is wrong. I’m not saying Jay is gay and I’m not saying Beyoncé‘s lesbian although there are rumours about Beyoncé, this is all I’m gonna talk on it for now but just look at it. Look at the trophy on the beach. I’m drunk in love and listen to rock the boat backwards and look up what Beyoncé‘s name means, then look up what Allah’s name means. Much love. Stay safe, XOXO

Mayo also add that Virgo rising Jay-Z, Virgo, son, Beyoncé, Virgo, moon, Aaliyah, Scorpio, Venus,jay z  Scorpio, moon, Beyoncé, Scorpio, Uranus, Aaliyah. libra, rising, Beyoncé Libra, Venus Beyoncé, libra, Pluto, Aaliyah and Beyoncé, and Libra moon, Jay-Z. If you know in the astrological community, you will see how this is a bit fucked up.

[thebowerypresents]

Allah-Las Leave Them Wanting More at Webster Hall on Wednesday Night

Alla-Las – Webster Hall – April 17, 2024

In this age of lasers, massive LED screens, backing tracks and effect-laden synthesizers, a no-frills concert can feel like the bolder statement. Playing a packed Webster Hall on a rainy Wednesday night, Los Angeles rockers Allah-Las were decidedly no frills, lo-fi and all the better for it. The band lead off with “The Stuff,” the opening track off last year’s Zuma 85 release, almost purely rhythm with a steady drumbeat, the jangliest of guitars and understated monotone vocals. A pair of small screens bracketed the stage with analog slide projectors displaying simple abstract shapes, few frills, plenty of rock with a short surf-guitar solo to end the first tune. 

From there, they bounced around their catalog, short-but-sweet garage rock evoking a bygone era when a pair of guitars, drums, bass and keys — and a headlong spirit — would suffice to get a club moving. “Tell Me (What’s on Your Mind)” opened with an extended noodling instrumental before dropping into a straight-heat love song. As the set went on, the projections took on more colors and shapes matching an evolving sound: Warm orange for the vocal harmonies, crisp blue for the tight changes, abstract squiggles of guitar and splotches of bass and drums. 

Lead vocals were passed around from guitarists Miles Michaud and Matthew Correia to drummer Pedrum Siadatianon the dreamy psychedelia of “Prazer em Te Conhecer” off 2019’s LAHS release. Like any good rock band playing Webster Hall, Allah-Las made excellent use of the disco ball, adding an otherworldly feel to the surfy desert blues of “Sacred Sands” and a sun-dappled effect to the layered, lazy melodies of “Catalina.” The set closed with a cover of Mazzy Star’s “Blue Flower,” the lyrics “Superstar in your own private movie / I just wanted a minor part” perfectly nestling between the band’s irresistible low-key vibe and the large, cheering crowd calling for more. —A. Stein | @Neddyo

(Allah-Las play Underground Arts in Philadelphia tomorrow.)  

Photos courtesy of Adela Loconte | www.adelaloconte.com

[all-the-heart-you-cannot-see]

You guys i just discovered Hajar's twitter and its pure gold.

Her description: model, diva, superstar. I only listen to Allah, my parents, Rihanna, Daddy Yankee and Dellafuente

"Wellcome to the life of a racialized girl, i love that you guys are having a hard time"

"Im the biggest clown that knowing what's going to happen and how it was made i'm crying like a dog" (oh boi we are in for a ride)

"Girls, remember to drink water, thanks"

[toinfinityandbeyond27]

I miss you love... Today, I felt that peace you just wrote about. Every so often I my inner voice would talk on and on about how it's all going to be fine and again I believe that. I also have hope in you as a woman. Your beauty, your heart, your intelligence... I see you in the frame of tomorrow. I look forward to a life with you.                                                   MY DAY I started off this morning determined to not text you today. And I felt accomplished by the idea of respecting our relationship. So I listened to recitation of  al Baqara by Noreen Muhammad Siddique, my favorite reciter.... I discovered him after he died may Allah grant him mercy. I got to work and I had to buy another work sweater and that was stressful cause I couldn't be late. So I got suited up and had my lil clip board, and started planning for the day. I had saw some of the higher up managers in the front of the store when I walked in so I caught them in the back and introduced myself. Then Shawerma's boss was like " What are you doing there" (talking about my clipboard) and I started explaining and my notes and looked like a superstar Alhamdulilah... Forsure the highlight of my day(second to talking to you for 5 mins and 14 secs). I'm going to see you tomorrow InshAllah. And I'm excited. Every Hour I remember holding you in my arms. Warms my hear so much. I love you my lil baby.

Jonathan “Yahya” Infinity”

DAY 2

[huahsu]

YEAR OF THE BUTTERFLY

previous years: A SONG THAT DEGRADES EACH TIME YOU PLAY IT :: 2018 A CHURCH AND JOHN LENNON’S “IMAGINE” :: 2017 SIKH DEVOTIONAL MUSIC :: 2016 SPOOKY BLACK :: 2015 this year: I’ve spent the past few months working on a book that I’ve always wanted to write but never figured I’d make the time for. At a really basic level, it’s about listening to music with friends. A couple weeks ago, I devoted a few days to reading a stack of books and articles about the emotional experience of music. They were written by philosophers, critics, cognitive scientists, historians. I took from them two overarching questions. First, what does it mean to assign a piece of music a feeling, like “happy” or “sad?” Is the song itself “sad,” or does it just model a kind of sadness proximate to how we feel? What elements of a song do this? The fraying of a voice? Minor keys? Tempo? Is it all a trick of memory? None of the answers really satisfied me, since music is such an intimate thing. A song makes us feel a way for reasons that are often either blindingly obvious or remote and mysterious. An expert can tell you that humans are wired to feel joy when a certain configuration of notes are struck in tandem, but maybe it just reminds you of looking at the front door.

The other question was whether music itself facilitates any unique emotional possibilities--a mode of feeling that we can’t get anywhere else. Music doesn’t mimic the real world, it doesn’t make arguments. One writer suggested that the thrill of music was its capacity to remind you, foremost, that music can thrill you. In essence, each time we hear something new and feel something, we are being reminded of all the times we’ve felt this way before. We’re living in the echo of a former enchantment. Maybe you’ll hear it again, process it, assign it a genre or context, and the mystique evaporates. But music is one of those things that doesn’t happen on our time. We don’t stand in front of it and train our gaze on this quadrant or that. We don’t flip back to make sure we didn’t miss something. You can’t slow it down as it is happening, you merely let it happen. 

In the spring, the Museum of Chinese in America in Manhattan showed “The Moon Represents My Heart,” an exhibition I worked on with MOCA’s curators, Herb and Andrew. The basic idea was to look at all the ways music had enriched immigrant life, from early opera troupes touring America’s Chinatowns to karaoke bars, church choirs, and after-school violin lessons, fifties doo-wop trios to garage punks and self-taught dance music producers. There’s no legible tradition of Chinese American music so we just wanted to present it as a textured and everyday thing--the experience of the fan could be as legitimate as that of a Mando-pop superstar. While working on the show, people would often ask me for a playlist, but I didn’t really have any to share. It wasn’t really about the music itself, which could sound derivative or amateur to some. It was about the fact that they sought to express themselves through music, in contexts that made them outliers and oddballs. I came to love all the music in our show because of that second-hand thrill--that sense that these moments had been deeply meaningful to everyone in the room. 

You can hear it in the voice of Stephen Cheng, who ended up being the show’s most memorable star. He put out a rocksteady gem in the sixties and then spent the next decade in New York trying to get the Dragon Seeds, his Chinese “folk-rock” band, off the ground. Cheng died years ago, but Andrew found his children, who brought some reels of unreleased music to the museum. I remember staring at them, wondering what was on them. It was a kind of anticipation and wonder that I often miss, when the operative feeling I associate with music-listening on the internet is the frenzy of opening and closing windows, clicking links, proving my humanity to a captcha.

Stephen’s singing wasn’t great, but it was perfect. His version of “Yesterday,” all warbly and over-the-top, has now supplanted the original for me. Somehow, we played some of Stephen’s songs on the radio, including one about butterflies and love. Somehow, one of the people listening was a butterfly expert, and he was about to marry another butterfly expert. Who knew such a song was possible, the groom-to-be told me. Stephen was too obscure to be properly forgotten. Or maybe his song was just dormant all these years. It awaited just the right listener, and now, over forty years later, he would get his propers, sandwiched somewhere between the vows and Kool and the Gang, a couple minutes of people scratching their heads, searching for the right smile, saying Can you believe this? to one another.

### TEENAGE DREAM

Warren Defever/His Name is Alive, All the Mirrors in the House

EXCELLENT USE OF “P.S.K.” Kindness feat. Robyn, “Warning” EXCELLENT USE OF A TELEPHONE Mavi, “Guernica” TECHNICALLY 2018, BUT TAIWAN’S ANSWER TO COIL, JOY DIVISION, ETC SEN, “The Cicada” SAME (2018) BUT TAIWANESE DREAMBOAT VIBES Linion, “Can’t Find” ANOTHER, KINDA BILLY BRAGG-Y Wayne’s So Sad, “Wanderer’s Guide to Taipei” SUMMER IN TAIWAN, AND SO I BOUGHT A LOT OF CDs, INCLUDING THE LIMITED EDITION SIGNED 9M88 DEBUT 9m88, “Love Rain” THEY ARE VERY INTO THE “FUTURE SOUL” THING Andrea, “You Better Kiss Me” THIS GUY HAS THE SAME NAME AS MY COUSIN Yo Lee demos LOTS OF BACKPACKS Hsien, Lately AMAZED TO SEE LIM GIONG REISSUES THERE, THIS IS THE DANCE ALBUM HE RECORDED IN 1994 IN THE UK BEFORE BRINGING RAVE CULTURE BACK TO TAIWAN Lim Giong, Entertainment World (IF YOU ARE UNFAMILIAR WITH LIM GIONG, THIS IS THE GREATEST SONG EVER Lim Giong, “A Pure Person) AND HERE’S 9m88 COVERING “PLASTIC LOVE” 9m88, “Plastic Love” AIR SUPPLYERS Oso Leone, Gallery Love Sunset Rollercoaster, Vanilla Villa I ENJOYED THIS WHEN IT CAME OUT BUT HONESTLY FORGOT IT CAME OUT THIS YEAR, OR THAT I ENJOYED, BUT FOR THE LONGEST TIME MY “2019″ EMAIL DRAFT JUST READ “CHIEF KEEF HNIA KAIL MALONE (sic)” Chief Keef and Zaytoven, GloToven

ANOTHER DEVASTATING DUO Pink Siifu and Akai Solo, Black Sand

MYSTIC CHORDS OF MEMORY Kali Malone, The Sacrificial Code Clarice Jensen, Drone Studies I AM A SLOW WALKER, BUT I NEVER WALK BACKWARDS Michael Vincent Waller, Moments ana roxane - ~~~ A THOUSAND POINTS OF LIGHT Caleb Giles, Under the Shade Medhane, Own Pace WE ARE THE ONES WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR Angel Bat Dawid, The Oracle Art Ensemble of Chicago, We are on the Edge READ JOSEPH JARMAN Joseph Jarman, Black Case I and II RESPECT YOURSELF Helado Negro, This is How You Smile Deb Never, “Swimming” LET’S DO IT AGAIN Tommy Holohan & Casper Hastings- RVE001 Eris Drew, Raving Disco Breaks LET’S DO IT AGAIN AGAIN, BUT SMEARED Burial, Tunes 2011-2019 OR PERHAPS YOU WERE THERE Callisto, Guidance is Eternal, Part I PERHAPS YOU WERE THERE FOR MICROHOUSE AND PEAK MEGO AND BLOGS Barker, Debiasing AT A WAREHOUSE PARTY, ABLE TO HEAR TOO MANY FLOORS, ROOMS, SOUNDS AT ONCE, IN A GOOD WAY Dies Smely, “Neptune Rises” AT A WAREHOUSE PARTY, BUT THINKING ABOUT PLUNDER, THE TRAIL OF TEARS, THE SANCTITY OF EARTH Kelman Duran, 13 Month A KIND OF BLUE Steve Hiett, Down on the Road by the Beach POSSIBLY MY MOST PLAYED ALBUM, 2019 Galcher Lustwerk, Information R.I.P. PRINCE, FOREVER AND ALWAYS Serpente, Parada Moodymann, Sinner Nelson Bandela, Purprain THE OPPOSITE OF “I AM A GOD” Nelson Bandela - “i'm mortal” YOU GOT ME Shane Eagle feat. Santi and Bas, “Vanya” HARD TO BELIEVE JAZMINE SULLIVAN REMAINS SO OVERLOOKED Kindness feat Jazmine Sullivan, “Hard to Believe” WATCH FOR THE HOOK Quando Rondo, “Gun Powder”

ANTE UP Polo G feat Lil Tjay, “Pop Out” “PANTS GON BE SAGGIN TIL I’M FORTY” Freddie Gibbs and Madlib, “Thuggin”

“WHY THEY LET THE TERMINATOR WIN THE ELECTION?” Sault, “Why Why Why Why Why”

HOLLOW BONES Showbiz and Milano, “Guillotine” LADI LUV, “GOOD TO THE LAST DUB” City Girls, “Act Up” MONEY BOSS PLAYERS Benny the Butcher feat 38 Spesh and Jadakiss, “Sunday School” Roc Marciano, “Richard Gear” WARP 30 (1989-2019) Droop-E, “The Droop-E Way” INTERSTELLAR SPACE, PROBABLY KILLER LIVE Blacks’ Myths, Blacks Myths II ALICE NEVER WENT ANYWHERE Sam Wilkes, “Sivaya” Alice Coltrane, Live at the Berkeley Community Theater 1972 RIYL: LYRICHORD, EFFECTS PEDALS Seungmin Cha, Nuunmuun RIYL: EFFICIENCY, INTERLUDES Solange, “Binz” “WHO HERE IS STILL LISTENING TO JOHNNY MAY CASH’S “DRUGS” IN 2019?” Playboi Carti, “Molly” “MOLLY” CZ Wang and Neo Image, “Just Off Wave”

YOU’VE SUBSCRIBED TO “UK STREETSOUL YOUTUBE PLAYLIST” Apiento feat Harriet Brown, “Down That Road” WHERE WERE U IN 2092? Jai Paul, “He”

LIL B, INNIT Voldy Moyo, Paper World SCREAMADELICA Vampire Weekend, “Harmony Hall” Humeysha, Nusrat on the Beach FOLKTRONICA Aldous Harding, “The Barrel” TOO PURE Springfields, Singles 1986-1991 MY AQUARIUM Rod Modell, Captagon ANOTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE Vagabon, Vagabon 4-TRACK TWEE BEDROOM COVERS OF BLINK-182′S DUDE RANCH Colleen Green, Blink-182′s “Dude Ranch” as Played by Colleen Green

KINDA AS THOUGH A PART OF MY 2016-19 LP PURCHASES FORMED THEIR OWN BANDS Anunaku, Whities 024 75 Dollar Bill, I Was Real Joshua Abrams and Natural Information Society, Mandatory Reality

JUST 30 OR SO GECS Cool Fang, Sparring I’M A DEADHEAD BUT FOR STANDING ON THE CORNER SOTC Art Ensemble, SOTC Double Bass Ensemble * Merciful Allah Black Hole Theater * 4/24/19 SOTC Art Ensemble, Variation 9 * Merciful Allah Black Hole Theater * 4/27/19

SONG OF THE SPRING, SUMMER, WINTER, YEAR, STILL UNDEFEATED

[voodoochili]

My Favorite Songs of 2020

With nowhere to go and nothing to do in 2020, I had plenty of time to listen to as much music as I could stand. Luckily for me and for everyone else, 2020 supplied an embarrassment of musical riches; the endless creativity of our artists providing necessary emotional support during the Worst Year Ever™.

I’ve compiled my favorite 100 songs of 2020. Again, I limited my selections to only one song per artist, but as you’ll see, I couldn’t quite stick to it this year. Narrowing the list down to 100 was a painful process, with many excellent songs left on the cutting room floor. 

Check below for Spotify playlists

Top 100 Songs of 2020: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3ySKk19paBFgO698vw7HTs?si=-al-SyEsTqWzqKfmEraNFw Best Songs of 2020 (Refined):  https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1ET0aA5TPj5JDsUtosaCVv?si=MyDxjcXKQpy3SNs7dV0wIQ Best Songs of 2020 (Catch-All):  https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0XxtEo0PrNSyZDWBCjJtuR?si=pBZWRoNGSGWBCaqxJrHoyw

Without further ado, my favorite songs of 2020.:

25. Yg Teck - “What You Know”: Yg Teck has one of the more prominent Baltimore accents in rap music, elongating “ooh” sounds and shortening “er” sounds with reckless abandon. “What You Know” is buried towards the end of his excellent mixtape Eyes Won’t Close 2, but it stands out as one of Teck’s strongest songs. The buoyant piano-led beat offers Teck an opportunity to reflect on his struggle with heart-breaking directness: “So what if they hate me, sometimes I hate myself.”

24. Brian Brown - “Runnin” ft. Reaux Marquez:  Filtering the conventions of southern rap through his easy-going drawl and omnivorous musical appetite, Brian Brown is the brightest light in Nashville’s burgeoning hip-hop scene. Built around producer Black Metaphor’s circuitous jazz piano, “Runnin” is a soulful and poetic meditation on breaking out of the staid existence that can creep up on you if you stay still for long enough. Brown serves up the song’s irresistible hook and provides a grounding presence on his second verse, evoking the styles of two Tennessee rap titans: Chattanooga’s Isaiah Rashad and Cashville’s own Starlito.

23. 42 Dugg - “One Of One” ft. Babyface Ray: Detroit producer Helluva’s beats provide the tissue that connects the Motor City with the West Coast, creating anthems that mix D-Town propulsion with soundscapes perfect for a top-down drive down PCH. The Helluva-produced “One Of One” is an electric duet between two of the D’s most distinct voices: low-talking, whistle-happy guest verse god 42 Dugg and nonchalantly fly Babyface Ray. They trade bars throughout the track, weaving between squelches of bass to talk about the ways women have done them wrong.

22. PG Ra & jetsonmade - “Keeping Time”: The phrase “young OG” was invented for guys like PG Ra, who is somehow only 20-years-old. On “Keeping Time,” the South Carolina rapper spits sage-like wisdom about street life over Jetsonmade’s signature trampoline 808s, decrying nihilism and emphasizing the importance of holding strong convictions in a deliberate, raspy drawl: “Oh, you don't give a fuck 'bout nothing, then you damn wrong/Cause every soldier stand for something if he stand strong.”

21. Empty Country - “Marian”: After spending a decade as the main songwriter for Cymbals Eat Guitars, Joseph D'Agostino is an expert at crafting widescreen indie anthems. CEG is no more, but D’Agostino is still doing his thing, opening the self-titled album of his new entity Empty Country with “Marian,” a chiming and heartfelt power ballad with sunny vocal harmonies and a fist-pumping riff. It’s hard to make out the lyrics on the first few spins, but a closer listen reveals some striking imagery (“In a sea of Virginia pines/A burnt bus”), as the narrator imagines the life that lies ahead for his newborn daughter.

20. Raveena - “Headaches”: Raveena’s music is a soothing balm, capable of transforming any negative emotion into peaceful reverie. “Headaches” starts as a sensual, woozy, reverbed-out slow jam–typical Raveena territory, perfect for emphasizing the enlightened sensuality that she exudes in her vocals. The song mutates in its second half into an invigorating bit of dream pop, picking up a ringing guitar riff and a prominent backbeat as Raveena struggles to stay close to the one she loves (“There's no sunset, without you”).

19. Los & Nutty - “I’m Jus Fuckin Around” ft. WB Cash: In which three Detroit emcees receive an instrumental funky enough for ‘90s DJ Quik and proceed to not only not ride the beat but to fight so hard against it you’d think they’re training to get in the ring with Mayweather. I love Michigan rap.

18. Sufjan Stevens - “My Rajneesh”: I’ve never seen Wild Wild Country, or read about Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his cult, so I don’t know too much about the subject matter of “My Rajneesh.” I do know, however, that it’s a story that involves crises of faith and the state of Oregon, which means it fits perfectly into Sufjan’s milieu. “My Rajneesh” does an excellent job of relaying the ecstasy of a devout believer, layering celebratory chants, South Asian traditional percussion, and glitchy electronics into a 10-minute epic. As the song progresses, the sonic tapestry grows distorted, mimicking the emptiness that lies beneath Rajneesh’s surface and the darkness and confusion faced by his followers when the illusion fades.

17. Koffee - “Lockdown”: Leave it to rising dancehall superstar Koffee to find ebullient joy in a situation as bleak as quarantine. Weaving around piercing guitar licks and euphoric vocal samples, Koffee schemes to turn her lockdown romance (”quarantine ting”) into a long-term deal, fantasizing about travel with her love even as she’s content to just spend time in her apartment. Everything is dandy as long as they're in the same room.

16. Rio Da Yung OG & Louie Ray - “Movie”: Flint’s answer to Detroit’s “Bloxk Party,” one of the best rap songs of the past decade. Rio and Louie trade verses throughout the song, competing with one another to see who can be the most disrespectful.

Rio’s best line: “Ma don't drink that pop in there, I got purple in it/I know it look like Alka-Seltzer, it's a perky in it”

Louie’s best line: “Let me cut my arms off before I ball, make it fair”

15. Ratboys - “My Hands Grow”: “My Hands Grow” shines like an early-morning sunbeam, hitting that circa-2001 Saddle Creek* sweet spot with aplomb. But “My Hands Grow” is more than just a throwback–it’s an oasis, populated by sweeping acoustic guitars, electric leads with just the right amount of distortion, and especially Julia Steiner’s affectionate vocal, which blooms into gorgeous self-harmonies during the bridge.

*Obligated to add that this song came out before Azure Ray signed to Saddle Creek, but the point stands.

14. J Hus - “Triumph”: J Hus and Jae5 have the kind of telepathic artistic connection and song-elevating chemistry only present in the best rapper-producer pairs. A great example of how their alchemy blurs the lines between genres, “Triumph” is the J Hus/Jae5 version of a boom-bap rap track. Hus rides Jae5’s woodblock-and-horn-accented beat with unassailable confidence, gradually elevating his intensity level as he sprays his unflappable threats. Like most of Hus’s best songs, “Triumph” is home to an irresistible hook, which I can’t help but recite whenever I hear the words “violence,” “silence,” or “alliance” (more often than you think!).

13. Sada Baby - “Aktivated”: Every post-disco classic from the early ‘80s could use a little bit of Sada Baby’s wild-eyed intensity and dextrous flow. On “Aktivated,” Sada runs roughshod atop Kool & The Gang’s ‘81 classic “Get Down On It,” turning it into an irresistible and danceable anthem about going dumb off a Percocet. Sada is a master of controlled chaos, modulating his voice from a simmer to a full-throated yell within the space of a single bar. It really makes lines like “Coochie made me cry like Herb in the turtleneck” pop.

12. Yves Tumor - “Kerosene!”: Prince is one of the most-imitated artists on the planet, but while most artists can only grasp at his heels, Yves Tumor’s “Kerosene!” reaches a level of burning passion and sexual literacy that would make The Purple One proud. A duet with Diana Gordon, “Kerosene!” is a desperate plea for connection, each duet partner thinking that a passionate dalliance might cure the emptiness inside. The song vamps for five minutes, filled with guitar pyrotechnics and moaning vocals, its extended runtime and gradual comedown consigning the partners to a futile search for a self-sustaining love that won’t burn itself out when the passion fades.

11. Special Interest - “Street Pulse Beat”: “Street Pulse Beat” sounds like “Seven Nation Army,” as performed by post-punk legends Killing Joke. It’s a strutting, wild, propulsive anthem–part come-on, part self-actualization, all-powerful. Dominated by an insistent industrial beat and the fiery vocals of frontperson Alli Logout, whose performance more than lives up to the song’s grandiose lyrics (““I go by many names such as Mistress, Goddess, Allah, Jah, and Jesus Christ”), “Street Pulse Beat” was the song released this year that made me miss live music the most. 

10. Megan Thee Stallion - “Savage” (Remix) ft. Beyonce: The first-ever collaboration between these two H-Town royals was the most quotable song of the year, firing off hot lines and memorable moments with an effortless majesty. Megan does her thing, bringing classy, bougie, and ratchet punchlines about the men who grovel at her feet, but it’s who Beyoncé elevates the track to transcendence. She prances around the outskirts of Megan’s verses, applying the full force of her lower register to her ad-libs (“THEM JEANS”), and during her verses, the Queen proves once again that you can count the number of rappers better than her on your fingers.

9. DJ Tunez - “Cool Me Down” ft. Wizkid: WizKid is almost alarmingly prolific, releasing enough amazing songs per year that he would be a worthy subject of his own “best-of” list. My favorite WizKid song of 2020 didn’t come from his excellent album Made In Lagos–instead it was this team-up with Brooklyn-based DJ Tunez. A favored collaborator of WizKid (Tunez is partially responsible for career highlights like 2019’s “Cover Me” and 2020’s “PAMI”), Tunez’s organic and textured approach to Afrobeats is an excellent fit for his voice, mixing swelling organs, 808 blocks, and the occasional stab of saxophone into a percolating concoction. The “Starboy” rises to the occasion, hypnotically repeating phrases in English and Yoruba, making octave-sized leaps in his vocal register, and stretching syllables like taffy as he sings the praises of his lady love.

8. Sorry - “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star”: Part swaggering indie anthem and part skronking no wave, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” struts with the woozy confidence of someone who’s had just the right amount to drink. It’s the ideal throwback to late L.E.S. (or Shoreditch) nights, sung with irresistible gang vocals on the chorus and a detached sneer on the verse that jibes with the sinister undertones of the deliberately off-key backing track.

7. Destroyer - “Cue Synthesizer”: As Dan Bejar ages, he becomes less like a singer and more like a shaman, his incantatory near-spoken word verses grounding his band’s instrumental heroics. On “Cue Synthesizer,” Bejar plays the role of conjurer, summoning synthesizers and electric guitars in celebration of music’s ability to breathe life into modern mundanity.

6. Chloe x Halle - “Do It”: Pillow-soft R&B that walks the fine line between retro and futuristic, powered by the Bailey Sisters’ playfully twisty melodies and sumptuous production from a somewhat unexpected source. That’s right, piano man Scott Storch took a break from smoking blunts with Berner to deliver his smoothest beat since he teamed with Chloe x Halle mentor Beyoncé for “Me Myself & I” in 2003.

5. Fireboy DML - “ELI”: Nigeria singer Fireboy DML is an unabashed fan of ‘90s adult contemporary, worshipping idols (‘90s Elton John, Celine Dion) that even some devout poptimists wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole. A modern-day retelling of the Biblical fable of Samson and Delilah, “ELI” seems to take inspiration from Ace of Base’s “All That She Wants,” its rocksteady beat, wobbling bassline, snake-charming flute, and “lonely girl, lonely world” lyrics recalling the 1994 Swedish pop smash. It’s a testament to Fireboy’s charisma and melodic mastery that “ELI” is as invigorating as “All That She Wants” is annoying. He switches from playful flirtation on the verse, to hopeless devotion on the chorus, to lascivious swagger on the bridge, gently ratcheting up the intensity in his vocals until the song’s climactic guitar solo* grants glorious release. *The build-up on “ELI” is so great that it makes it easy to ignore that the guitar solo itself is a mess. It sounds like the producers couldn’t get Carlos Santana, so they settled for Andre 3000 instead. 

4. The Beths - “Dying To Believe”: If you’ve ever audibly cringed while thinking about something you’ve said or done in the past, The Beths have the song for you. Carried by its driving backbeat, “Dying To Believe” chronicles singer Liz Stokes’s rumination on a crumbling friendship, her fear of confrontation preventing her from removing her toxic friend from her life. Though the lyric is pained and uncertain, there’s no such lack of confidence in the music. An adrenaline rush of muscular, sugary power pop, “Dying To Believe” is an immaculate construction, each fuzzy guitar riff arriving with mathematical precision and each ��whoa-oh” chorus hitting like a ton of bricks. Jump Rope Gazers might not have been as consistent as the Auckland, NZ band’s self-titled debut, but “Dying To Believe” is as good as anything on that album and helps solidify The Beths’ deserved reputation as some of the best songwriters and tightest performers on either side of the International Date Line. 

3. The 1975 - “What Should I Say”/“If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)”: I know, I know. I was supposed to only pick one song per artist, but sue me, this is my list and I just could not decide between these two. The 1975 have always balanced their affinity for ‘80s-style pop anthems with an interest in experimental electronic music. In 2020, they released the two very best songs of their career, each seemingly fitting into one of those two boxes. On its face, “If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)” is the band’s transparent attempt at recording their own “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”–it’s in D Major, it has a chugging backbeat, an echoing two-chord riff in the verse, and an ascending E Minor progression in the pre-chorus. Where the Tears For Fears classic takes a birds-eye look at the yuppie generation, Matty Healy uses his song’s swelling bombast and gleefully cheesy sax solo to explore the awkward intimacy of cyber sex. The burbling Eno-style synth that opens up “If You’re Too Shy” evokes a dial-up connection, simulating the thrill of discovery felt by those whose only connection to the outside world comes through their screens.

“What Should I Say,” meanwhile, combines Boards Of Canada-esque bloops with bassline that strongly resembles Mr. Fingers’ oft-sampled “Mystery Of Love”, over which Healy sings in a heavily-manipulated voice that sounds like the lovechild of Travis Scott and Sam Smith. Fittingly for a song about loss for words, the best moments of  “What Should I Say” spring from vocal manipulations, imparting more emotional resonance than mere words could ever hope to provide. The final minute of “What Should I Say” is almost tear-jerkingly beautiful, as a single computerized voice cuts through cacophony, determined to let the world know how it feels, language be damned.

2. King Von - “Took Her To The O”: His career was far too short, but King Von had plenty of chances to demonstrate his god-given storytelling ability before he passed away in November. Accompanied by regular collaborator Chopsquad DJ’s chaotic, circular pianos, Von recounts an eventful night in his home neighborhood of O’Block. Von’s gripping narrative is packed with writerly detail (“Nine missed calls, three of them from ‘Mom,’ other six say ‘Duck’”), peeking into his justifiably paranoid state-of-mind (“My Glock on my lap, I'm just thinkin' smart”) and ending with a smirk on a bit of gallows humor that recalls prime Ghostface. Long Live Von.

1.  Bob Dylan - “I’ve Made Up My Mind To Give Myself to You”: It’s impossible to escape that 2020 was a year of mass devastation, on a scale not seen in American life since the second World War. In the midst of the cascading chaos of this year, I married my best friend. So it’s fitting that the song that resonated most with me this year was “Throat Baby (Go Baby)” by BRS Kash.

*Ahem* Excuse me. It was a love song, and not just any love song: the finest love song of Bob Dylan’s six-decade, Nobel Prize-winning career. 

Bob Dylan spent much of the 2010s trying his hand at the Great American Songbook, applying his craggy croon to standards made famous by Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. It felt like a weird turn for such an iconoclastic figure, one known for his massive (and valuable) library of originals. “I’ve Made Up My Mind To Give Myself To You” proves that Bob’s covers and Christmas albums weren’t larks or cash grabs, but an old dog’s attempt to learn new tricks by digging into the past.

“IMUMMTGMTY” shares a lot of DNA with “The Way You Look Tonight” and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” bringing florid metaphors and touching pledges of devotion, but it also inherently understands that love is a decision–a weighty decision that imparts great responsibility–as much as it’s a feeling. What really makes “IMUMM” sing is the tastefully folksy arrangement, which ties into the old weird America explored by Dylan’s compadres in The Band, filled with bright Telecaster leads and easily-hummed choruses. And the lyrics are excellent even by Bob’s elevated standards. It turns me into a puddle every time I listen. I’ll let Bob take it from here:

Well, my heart's like a river, a river that sings Just takes me a while to realize things I've seen the sunrise, I've seen the dawn I'll lay down beside you when everyone's gone

Here’s the rest of the list. Check back later this week for my albums list!

26. Katie Gately - “Waltz” 27. Bonny Light Horseman - “Bonny Light Horseman” 28. Bullion - “Hula” 29. Omah Lay - “Lo Lo” 30. Greg Dulli - “Sempre” 31. Fiona Apple - “Shameika” 32. Anjimilie - “Your Tree” 33. Key Glock - “Look At They Face” 34. Lido Pimienta - “Te Queria” 35. Morray - “Quicksand” 36. Obongjayar - “10K” 37. Xenia Rubinos - “Who Shot Ya?” 38. Kiana Lede - “Protection” 39. Flo Milli - “Weak” 40. G.T. - “What You Gon Do” 41. Chris Crack - “Hoes At Trader Joe’s” 42. Lil Baby - “The Bigger Picture” 43. The Orielles - “Memoirs of Miso” 44. Shoreline Mafia - “Change Ya Life” 45. Masego - “Mystery Lady” ft. Don Toliver 46. Junglepussy - “Out My Window” ft. Ian Isiah 47. Siete Gang Yabbie - “Gift Of Gab” 48. Rosalía - “Juro Que” 49. Black Noi$e - “Mutha Magick” ft. BbyMutha 50. BFB Da Packman - “Free Joe Exotic” ft. Sada Baby 51. Andras - “Poppy” 52. Lianne La Havas - “Weird Fishes” 53. Crack Cloud - “Tunnel Vision” 54. Lil Uzi Vert - “No Auto” ft. Lil Durk 55. Fred again… - “Kyle (I Found You)” 56. Burna Boy - “Wonderful” 57. Lonnie Holliday - “Crystal Doorknob” 58. Mozzy - “Bulletproofly” 59. Tiwa Savage - “Koroba” 60. Frances Quinlan - “Your Reply” 61. Ariana Grande - “my hair” 62. Bad Bunny - “Safaera” ft. Jowell & Randy & Ñengo Flow 63. Yhung T.O. & DaBoii - “Forever Ballin” 64. Katie Pruitt - “Out Of The Blue” 65. Sleepy Hallow - “Molly” ft. Sheff G 66. Niniola - “Addicted” 67. Prado - “STEPHEN” 68. Drakeo The Ruler - “GTA VI” 69. Boldy James - “Monte Cristo” 70. Caribou - “Like I Loved You” 71. Andy Shauf - “Living Room” 72. Hailu Mergia - “Yene Mircha” 73. Kabza de Small & DJ Maphorisa - “eMcimbini” ft Aymos, Samthing Soweto, Mas Musiq 74. Gunna - “Dollaz On My Head” ft. Young Thug 75. Roddy Ricch - “The Box” 76. The Lemon Twigs - “Hell On Wheels” 77. Sun-El Musician - “Emoyeni” ft. Simmy & Khuzani 78. Madeline Kenney - “Sucker” 79. Natanael Cano - “Que Benedicion” 80. ShooterGang Kony - “Jungle” 81. Don Toliver - “After Party” 82. Chicano Batman - “Color my life” 83. Pa Salieu - “Betty” 84. Chubby & The Gang - “Trouble (You Were Always On My Mind)” 85. Dua Lipa - “Love Again” 86. Rucci - “Understand” ft. Blxst 87. Skilla Baby - “Carmelo Bryant” ft. Sada Baby 88. Bartees Strange - “Boomer” 89. Jessie Ware - “Read My Lips” 90. The Hernandez Bros. & LUSTBASS - “At The End Of Time” 91. Brokeasf - “How” ft. 42 Dugg 92. Mulatto - “No Hook” 93. Eddie Chacon - “Outside” 94. Veeze - “Law N Order” 95. Polo G - “33” 96. Bktherula - “Summer” 97. Jessy Lanza - “Anyone Around” 98. Perfume Genius - “On The Floor” 99. ComptonAssTg - “I’m Thuggin’” 100. Mario Judah - “Die Very Rough”

Honorable Mentions: Jamila Woods - “SULA (Paperback)” Demae - “Stuck In A Daze” ft. Ego Ella May Good Sad Happy Bad - “Bubble” Guerilla Toss - “Human Girl” Kaash Paige - “Grammy Week” ft. Don Toliver Kre8 & CJ Santana - “Slide!” Laura Veirs - “Another Space & Time” Angelica Garcia - “Jicama” Malome Vector - “Dumelang” ft. Blaq Diamond OMB Bloodbath - “Dropout” ft. Maxo Kream SahBabii - “Soulja Slim” Shabason, Krgovich & Harris - “Friday Afternoon” Skillibeng - “Mr. Universe” Waxahatchee - “Fire” Westerman - “Float Over”

[squaredcircleconfess]

CCW’s Top 69 list review

𝗛𝗢𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗕𝗬 𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗨𝗦 𝗕𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦 & 𝗞𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗧𝗡𝗘𝗬 𝗞𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗔𝗟𝗘

Kourtney Kardale: Hey everybody and welcome. I am Kourtney Kardale alongside the suavest and dazzling Cassius Bates, coming to you live from the Squared Circle Confidential studios. Tonight, we will be bringing you all the hottest happenings within CCW. So, Cassius, the CCW dropped their coveted top 69 list last night. What are your thoughts about it?

Cassius Bates: Well Kourtney, it was an interesting list for sure, a lot of good names on there.  But you know who was snubbed?  Pao Chan.  Rika’s puppet…  panda…  alter ego...  thing!  And we’ve seen widespread protests over this online since the list went up.  But otherwise, it’s a pretty good list that covered the year pretty well, I think.

Kourtney Kardale: It did stir up a bit of an uproar with some of the talent. When I was looking down the list and it seemed fair for the most part. The list had a variety of wrestlers on it but it also had their staff listed. 

Cassius Bates: But CCW’s always been good about that, like, anyone could get the Golden Ticket Championship…  if they ran in here right now, we could win it and potentially make our way onto the list in the next year.  That said, what do you think of the top three?  Angel McMaster, C.J. Sweet and Chang Dong Geun?  Were those the right choices?  Or did someone get snubbed like a Winter Drell, Chris Constantine, Brew Collar or otherwise?

Kourtney Kardale: It's pretty fair to say that the top three of the list are in their rightful places. No disrespect to Winter and Chris and Brew Collar, but when you look at what Angel has accomplished over the past few months,  her resume keeps building and most of her opponents are well known outside of CCW. C.J. has been trailing behind Angel holding her own with her accomplishments and facing top tier wrestlers herself. And the man who beat God and Allah. Of course Chang Dong Geun would round out the top three. He causes quite the stir.

Cassius Bates: My lovely colleague has a point folks.  We’ll give you that, now, lets see.  There are some more shocking placements on the list too, like the Children of the Moon getting the top rank as a tag team?  Even outdoing the Dragons and Brew Collar who have had big years all their own.  Jack Danielson even pointed out he felt this was low placement for the first ever two time Tag Team Champs.  What do you think?

Kourtney Kardale: This one is a toughie. You have so many talented tag teams in the company and every single one of them are killing it. Jack makes a valid point. They should be higher up on the list, but higher than the champs? I don’t know. It’s sort of a slippery slope when it comes to that.

Cassius Bates: And if you move them up, you can’t not move up the Dragons, and there’s no ties in this thing so…  It is a tough call for sure.  I know somewhere Sydney Vahle is punching the air angry at that Farm Fresh Beef snub too.

Kourtney Kardale: Well, I guess you could say that they should be thankful because Valeria ranked lower than a mop. A mop! She didn’t seem all that happy about it and her friend Hunter is enjoying herself by torturing her relentlessly about it. Maybe Valeria needs to step out of her country music superstar friends shadow to make an impact? 

Cassius Bates: Maybe but it could be worse, Heather Haze was actually pinned by that mop at one time!  And while Heather got her win back, Haze is a championship level wrestler here, so that’s a championship level mop!  No shame in losing to that mop.  Now, a bucket…  a bucket would really be embarrassing.  But then, I guess we have to talk about the other elephant in the room, the staff on the list.  Chellsea placed early, as did Faith, Verity, Felicity, Sydney, and more…. But Brennan Devlin was 69.  He had to cheat for that, right?  But Chellsea wouldn’t let him do that.”

Kourtney Kardale: Being number 69 is a place Brennan would place himself and would feel like he was the biggest winner on the list. Adding staff to the list is controversial. Who are we to say who goes on what list? I mean they are apart of the show. Besides the fans who come to the shows or watch at home, they play a pretty important role.

Cassius Bates: I still think we here at SCC should all make a secret pact to get on next year's list to be fair.  You in?

Kourtney Kardale: I’m definitely all in for that. Speaking of next year though. With the amazing year that CCW has had, we have to look forward to what 2021 will bring. Will the landscape change? Will we see a new World champion? New faces joining the madness? What does 2021 hold for the CCW as a whole.

Cassius Bates: Well if 2020 was crazy, 2021 will be too.  So, I think the best way to do this is, we could sit here and speculate but…  how about this.  We both name our top five CCW talents to look out for, those we expect to do big things in 2021…  And considering I am nothing if not a gentleman, I think you should go first, m’lady.

Kourtney Kardale: Hmmm, I predict that Cartier will be booked more in the new year. Cecily Golding will finally turn on Brennan and be the hero the CCW needs. C.J. Sweet will continue to dominate. CCW announced through a tweet exchange that they signed Lourdes Hawthrone. I think she’ll make a big splash and debut strong.

Cassius Bates: Fun choices there, let’s see…  I’ll start off strong.  Ricki Wilde.  As of this show, she has not lost a single match in CCW.  Nothing.  And I think she’ll continue.  There’s a long rumbled rumor between various sources that the Director With the Merchandise, Dulce Desjardins may be stepping into the ring in the not too distant future, and I see big things for her as well.  Deadeye Weston is another talent that I believe is on the brink of a breakout moment, he just needs the time.  Let’s see that’s three, four would be the former Combat Crown Champion, Azi.  Our resident demon had a big run in the CC division, so who’s to say?  And I have a big scoop for you Kourtney.  Breaking news, CCW has signed Ben Everest who will be making his debut at Wrestling With Christmas.  Definitely big things in store for the big man.

Kourtney Kardale: Those are good predictions. But it’s time for my number one… Rika! I feel it deep down in my soul that she’ll have an amazing 2021. She was one of the first opponents of Angel McMaster, so you know that she can hang with the best of them. The whole thing is gonna happen.

Cassius Bates: Such a cold sell of that Ben Everest announcement.  What did he do to you Kourt?  Did he hurt you?  But a very good list nonetheless!

Kourtney Kardale: I’m excited for his arrival. Anyway, I had a fun time discussing the top 69 list with you. CCW looks to be in good hands. 

Cassius Bates: I would 69 with you anytime…  Top 69.  You know what I mean.  It was great being here with you, Kourtney!  See you folks next time!

Kourtney Kardale: Yes, see you guys next time. Happy holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah! Thanks for joining us.

[fivepercentgodsandearths]

The Allah Team: Modern Day Gobots in a Transformers Universe

Friday, November 24, 2017

Gobot Road Ranger knock-off of Transformer Optimus Prime

  Nothing could rival the #Transformers when they came out in the 80's. Nothing! And just like with anything good, eventually comes the cheap knock-offs. In this case it was the pitiful #Gobots. When the Tonka company heard that Hasbro had that fire coming, they [Tonka] hurried up and dropped the Gobots; one of the biggest duds in toy making history. While Transformers took several elaborate steps to transform into these well crafted sophisticated robots, Gobots took maybe a few steps and ended up looking like a burnt-out sometimes faceless version of the same thing; a Burger King kids meal toy. The bootleg cartoons were just as horrible and torture for a Millennial to watch today. Bottom line is Tonka shoulda stuck to trucks and that's the same advice that many of us should take when it comes to sticking to what we know. Let me tell you about an archetypal Transformer before I get to the Gobots.

A common misconception some people have about The Five Percent is that we are a Muslim group; some religious spin-off, branch or denomination of the Islamic faith. Some believe this because our founder Allah, The Father, was once a Registered Muslim in the Nation of Islam [NOI] under Minister Malcolm X at Harlem's Mosque #7. When he left the NOI in 1963, he also left their belief system, religious hierarchy and name Clarence 13X behind. What he did retain were a series of lessons, 120, that became an integrated part of a unique cultural curriculum. A curriculum which primarily included Supreme Mathematics and the Supreme Alphabet; an Alphanumeric system of principles and values that was uniquely devised by him. This non-religious curriculum formed the basis of the Five Percent cultural worldview, which contained an original language, standards and customs that the Father and his companions began to teach youth in the streets of Harlem, AKA Mecca, in 1964.

  As the Five Percent we honor The Father's legacy, from his upbringing in Danville Virginia, his military service in Korea, his brief time in Mosque #7 and his formation of the Five Percent Nation in the mid 60's. As with the The Father and every human being, all of our experiences were and are important in making us who are and neither experience single-handedly defines our identity. This is important to communicate because some Muslims have a very bad habit of claim-jumping when it comes to successful people like Yahweh Ben Yahweh, Muhammad Ali, El Hajj Malik El Shabazz [Malcolm X.], Dr. Sebi, Khalid Abdul Muhammad, Kool and the Gang Musicians, The Father and etc. who left their religion behind. It's like a high school basketball coach trying to claim credit for a player who became a superstar after they left or were cut from the team. In my mind, if it's multiple players that left or were cut from the program but then go on to do become superstars, the program starts to look questionable; its system, its coaching staff and possibly its athletic director. Five Percenters are like street ball players who questioned that Muslim program, either as former players or those who never wanted to play for that program, in that system or with that coaching staff. Some Five Percenters are highly critical of that program while others really don't give it much thought. Sometimes you have those who can't make their mind up; they want to play for that program yet also play in the street. If they are undecided, the program makes up their mind for them because there are certain restrictive laws that go along with being a part of that program. And if you don't follow the program, you're not eligible to play. You also have those who started playing street ball but then decided to join the program. That's fine, when it's respectfully articulated to those in the street. A problem arises when players who join the program try to act like they're better or even front like they're in the street in order to recruit street ball players to that program. This is like the religious program being NOI Muslims and street ballers as The Five Percent. The above group of undecided/Muslim recruiters are synonymous with a clandestine group called the Allah Team that operated in secret before making themselves public on the campus of Morehouse University in 1998. As can be surmised, this caused friction with the Five Percenters and these undecided/Muslim recruiters called the Allah Team separated themselves from the cipher. While there have always been short lived bootleg versions of us since the 60's, it was at this moment that we, the Transformers [Five Percent] began to see the creation of the Gobots.

Allah Prince Sha'Divine builds on his experience with The Allah Team

  A couple of famous quotes of The Father during a November 15th 1967 Interview regarding religion are "

you gotta keep the children together and kill all religion

" and "

And the Five Percenters, I'm teaching them that they can't go on under religion because religion has never did anything for them

." Obviously this wasn't a declaration to kill people, this, along with other quotes from this Interview, made it absolutely clear that The Father wasn't an advocate of organized religion. The Father wanted us to

kill

or destroy the division, hierarchy, lies and manipulation that binds religious people: as religion comes from the Latin

religare

meaning "to bind." Some Muslims would argue that, "Brother Clarence 13X used some of the religious teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad so he must have been religious" to which I would retort, "using the Arabic numerals 0, 1-9 doesn't make everyone a Muslim." The principles and values The Father learned throughout his life, which included as a registered Muslim, were mathematically practical, not religious. This is the reasoning behind the Five Percenter's creation of Supreme Mathematics and the Supreme Alphabet; it's an Alphanumeric system that practically unlocked 120 lessons, and lessons in life, that were often purposely veiled by religion. Most of the words we speak in English are derived from a different language, culture and associated religion. It doesn't automatically mean we are that culture or associated religion if we use them. To call us Five Percenters Muslims even though we clearly do not practice the 5 Pillars of Islam, follow the Sunnah, attend a mosque, temple or masjid or follow an Imam/Minister is disrespectful to Muslims who do. A core belief of Allah Team group members is the confusing idea that you can somehow be a Muslim and Allah simultaneously. In their mind you can submit to the will of Allah as a Muslim, be a demigod [small "g" god], pray to THE God in the person of Prophet Master Fard Muhammad who wasn't the first God to create the universe, but we're all "Allahs" [yes, with an "s" on it].

Five Percent Universal Flag and Allah Team Logo

  The Father taught the youth our culture for five years until he was assassinated on June 13th, 1969. In May of 1965 after being arrested with several other men for unlawful assembly and disorderly conduct at a rally in front of the Hotel Theresa in Mecca [Harlem, NY], he was arraigned in criminal court before Judge Francis X. O'Brien and held on a $9,500 bond. Four months later he was shipped off to the Psychiatric Unit at Bellevue Hospital. Allah would remain there until a final psychiatric report submitted to Judge O'Brien stated that "he did not understand the charges against him" thus remanding him to the NYS Department of Mental Hygiene for indefinite confinement. At the age of 37, Allah was confined in these institutions, Bellevue and Matteawan State Hospital, for two years, and released in April of 1967. During this time he taught, different youth received different instructions. Instructions that often sound like contradictions. While it's clear that The Father was anti-organized religion, he did instruct some, not all, young Five Percenters to become Muslims by joining the mosque when he was gone. They obviously would benefit from the structure that religious program would offer them and it also shows that the Father wasn't confident in their ability to manage without that and him. I teach preschool and facilitate an after school program for 9 to 12 year olds so I definitely understand his reasoning. Some students I encourage to do some things while others get a different set of instructions. However, regardless of those individualized instructions, there were always anti-religious Five Percenter axioms that the Father taught regardless who he was speaking to, and those axioms were rooted in the unique language, standards and customs of our cultural worldview.

  Two of the main axioms of the Five Percent is that we don't adhere to a hierarchical structure and we do not have a single leader. We teach collective leadership and that each person should follow to the extent of learning to lead themselves; self-sufficiency. If you're a believer, registered Muslim in the Nation of Islam who follows a leader, whether it's John Muhammad [Elijah's brother], Silias Muhammad, Solomon Royall, The Son of Man [Marvin Muhammad], Ahmad A. Muhammad or Minister Louis Farrakhan, you cannot simultaneously be non-religious and without a leader, it's a fundamental contradiction. Now I've heard some say that if you work or go to school your Manager or Teacher is your leader but here's the difference; they cannot tell you what to do at home like a religious leader does. If Minister Farrakhan says to his believers, "I want you all to start wearing this green & yellow Dianetics pin on your lapel every day to display our partnership with the Church of Scientology", you have to do it as a follower, at home and abroad. If you question or disobey that order you're considered a hypocrite, disbeliever and etc.

  Another Five Percenter axiom is the propagation and preservation of our unique cultural curriculum; 120 lessons, Supreme Mathematics and the Supreme Alphabet. I emphasize "unique" because no one does this. No religion or other culture. Not only are we required to share and maintain our culture, we consistently test one another on it. I remember in the late 90's being at a Wu-Tang Clan concert and A Son Unique [Ol' Dirty Bastard], upon seeing my Universal Flag, questioning me on one of the lengthiest lessons in 120. Knowing 120, extracting and articulating the wisdom of 120 and understanding 120 equals 360 degrees; a complete cipher [120+120+120=360]. It is through one's immersion in our unique cultural curriculum, via Five Percenters who live it, that they learn our chronology, gatherings, honor days, language, standards and overall customs. It's impossible to learn this as a cultural tourist, academic or undecided/Muslim recruiter. So whenever I've looked at or engaged members of the Allah Team, males and females, there was always a clear disassociation from some of the chronology, gatherings, honor days, language, standards and overall customs of the Five Percent. In terms of chronology, they didn't have or maintain a strong lineage to a family tree actively connected to the root. They didn't actively attend or participate in any of our cultural gatherings or honor days and if given a choice they primarily honor religious days such as the Muslim's Annual Savior's Day and fast for Ramadan. They weren't fluent or couldn't properly articulate our language nor our lessons. When is came to standards and overall customs, it was obvious they were not like me and other brother and sisters of the Five Percent. Now some would and have argued that they do live the culture "personally" but just don't come around because of so and so -but that actually proves the point that they aren't living the culture. Why? Because it's impossible to live the culture, share and preserve, it by our lonesome. In fact, it will die with us. Always keep in mind that we received it from somebody. Plus civilization requires socialization, collective work and responsibility and cooperative economics. In the most simplest terms, if a person isn't adding on, they're taking away. Some would argue that one of our Prophets, W.D. Fard, "came to North America by himself" and that is true in a sense that no one personally traveled with him to his destination. It's also true that his family sent him, he most likely took a vessel with other travelers, and when he got to Detroit he became a part of his uncle's community. He still wasn't "alone", even when Elijah was supposedly looking through a keyhole to see if he slept and saw an eyeball staring back at him.

  I know this was kinda lengthy, and will probably be revisited, so let me wrap this up. The main reason for this article is to point out that since out formal 1964 inception to today, there has been and continues to be people, impostors, trying to call themselves Five Percenters when they are not. Whether it was Robert Walker in the 60's or the Allah Team, they are not us. Even though some of them are aware of our way of life, none of them "primarily" share and preserve the unique chronology, gatherings, honor days, language, standards and overall customs of our Five Percent culture. That's fine to be aware, other Muslims, Moors, Nuwaubians, Khemetians, Hebrews, Christians or etc. are also. Just don't claim to be something you're clearly not. It's disrespectful, disingenuous, confusing and outright clownish to those of us who are the real Five Percent.

Peace,Saladin

Source: https://atlantisschool.blogspot.com/2017/11/the-allah-team-modern-day-gobots-in_24.html?m=1 

[matthewbennymathan]

Rapture you can be sure to be raptured from hell yeah awesomeness here for you to know what you are absolutely right now and always been given the chance to meet me amazingly and perfect symphony of creation of God and heaven and have to do that what you're doing so long since I've had to be the way you can see what happens with the truth and how much shit show you how much bullshit manipulation and use of lies and confusion and then make it work for you to know what the fuck bullied by your own way of being that way you are absolutely certain indeed the chance to get the chance to meet me at my place and have judged by the way I am the only way to have the breath and life light and glory of God and heaven right now NOW in perfect symphony what I am the only one that can be absolutely certain indeed I am the only one that can be me and just wait until you see me baby I am the one that I am the one who has a chance to meet you there by your own place in your generation of the world that is the only reason I am the only one that has to make sure you are absolutely beautiful and amazing and perfect blessed to be able if you want to live as a being that what I am the only one that can make it work for you to know what you think is sin and your Allah you have to believe that you have to believe that is the one who had a lot of distraction to the melody THAT you have to believe that you are the only one that can be sure you can be sure you are absolutely certain indeed the one who had the key to the front of the house and have to believe in the way to the house now and always His Almighty King YHWH ISA ISRael Isreal God IAM Kalel kalki Jesus Christ superstar on the same time I am not sure what other interpretation of God and the legendary awesomeness here in the morning and I am the only one that has been waiting since we started this your only one that can make it work for all are from me and just love devoting that you have to do that what you're thinking you're all ah group chanting the only thing THAT AND CLEANING that you have to start a good time to get my attention and have a moment to know what I am the only one I am the only one that can be sure to be the way I am the only way I can be sure to be the way to go to the melody in my head and I will send you a special Price you have to pay for the same thing about this God you have all ah group chanting the world that is the only cost to be able to help you out with that you are doing now and always been the hell that you have to believe in the dark paint and distraction to be the way you are the joke of humanity and not the best decision to be a little more lavish bull shit show you what the fuck is your all ah you are doing now and always been given a chance to get the truth and how long does it take to be able to be able to be the way you are the only one that can know what you are the only one that can be sure to tell me what you are absolutely certain indeed the chance to meet me amazingly and I am the only one that has to be able to be there by your side in your own way the truth and the legendary awesomeness here for you to know what you are absolutely right now and always been the most magnificent shit show you the most bullshit manipulation of lies and confusion and have a moment please let me pleasure you in my head so beware the only one who wants to have to do that for you to know that you have to start changing the one that I can be absolutely certain indeed the one I am the only one that can be sure to be the way to go to the melody THAT AND perfect symphony of creation of God and heaven right now and always been the most magnificent power of God and the whole time as well and have a moment to know what you are doing this for you to know that you are the only reason why I am doing the new power of God and the truth and the life and our future together for a good gift you are the only one that can know what the fuck is your plan for next

[yasbxxgie]

“Music is a cutthroat, disrespectful, low-life, motherfucking, crab-ass, lyin’, deceivin’, stab-you-in-the-back type of business, and that’s just the good part of it!” Darryl “DMC” McDaniels laughs (perhaps channeling Hunter S Thompson’s famous line about the record business). We’re discussing the Devastating Mic Controller’s autobiography Ten Ways Not to Kill Yourself, which he has also forcefully voiced as an audiobook.

It is a raw, revealing memoir which bleeds like a stab wound. “I’m an addict,” writes DMC, the man who rhymed so enduringly about the crack epidemic on Mary, Mary. “For most of my early life, I smoked and snorted and guzzled my way through almost every day.”

Lowering his booming voice a little, he adds: “If your soul is not right with what you’re doing, you will fall apart, like I did.”

When Eminem inducted Run-DMC into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009, the second hip-hop group to make it after Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, he called them “something tough. Something dangerous. Something beautiful and something unique. They were the first movie stars of rap … they are the Beatles”.

“That’s crazy,” DMC tells me, friendly and loquacious, sitting in his New Jersey home. “Busta Rhymes said, ‘Run-DMC didn’t change music, they changed everything’.”

DMC, Joe “Run” Simmons and their DJ Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell were hip-hop’s first superstars. Between 1983 and 1988 the albums Run-DMC, King of Rock, Raising Hell and Tougher Than Leather unleashed classic tracks such as Hard Times, It’s Tricky, Proud to Be Black, Mary, Mary, and Walk This Way. (Later highlights include Ghostbusters and Bounce.) “Run-DMC were so exciting live,” Jurassic 5’s Chali 2na told me.

Despite all Run-DMC’s success, after Tougher Than Leather DMC collapsed into alcoholism, depression and OCD, as he increasingly lost his voice to spasmodic dysphonia, in which the larynx spasms during speech. For years, he recalls, he suffered suicidal thoughts. He had rising creative and personal conflicts with producer Russell Simmons, Jay and, especially, Run (“anal as hell”). His childhood friendship with Run degenerated into a dysfunctional business relationship. DMC felt hustled by Run’s pastor E Bernard Jordan. By 1997, he “avoided Run like a virus”. In Japan later that year, hawking remixes (one of which, Jason Nevins’s take on It’s Like That, was nevertheless an international smash, selling 5m copies), DMC “felt used, pimped and dirty … Milk this cow till there’s powdered music coming out the udders.”

When Ice-T asked Run how it was being top of the rap game, Run famously recalled an epiphany on excess – consuming the best of everything: presidential suites, women and drugs: “The ho’s knocking at the door. Rolling Stone’s behind the ho … I’m fuckin’ out of control.” DMC demurs: “I was never on it like him … Run and Jay smoked more weed than a Rastafarian god could grow.”

Around 2002 things came to a head when Jay was murdered in his Hollis recording studio, DMC discovered he was adopted, and his father died. Despite a serious bout of alcohol-induced pancreatitis years earlier, DMC surrendered to industrial-scale drinking, downing “case of 40s every day”. He had a fridge in his SUV. Even when walking anywhere, a guy in his crew carried around beer in a portable chiller.

DMC realised he had to get real about rehab. He also found counselling helpful. “Therapy is the most gangsta thing you can do,” he says. His ultimate salvation, though, was his wife Zury and his son Dson.

Raised Catholic but “enjoying a wild time on the road rather than worrying about my eternal soul”, DMC now believes a higher, personal power lives within all of us. “I don’t care what you wanna call god: Yahweh, Buddha, Almighty, Allah, whatever you wanna call her. I think God’s a woman ’cause my wife and mother are so cool.”

DMC is a Hillary Clinton supporter. “I’ve seen her, working in the community for foster kids. I fell in love with her ’cause she really cares about young people.” Clinton also reminds him of his mum. “Your mother can read bullshit, knows how to bring shit to order.”

He believes Run DMC’s last three albums were “really awful” – and The School of Old, featuring Kid Rock, on 2001’s Crown Royal certainly was – in striking contrast to the previous quartet, dedicated to uplifting America. This year DMC put out a single Flames (Unnecessary Bullets), a call to stop all the violence. Did he draw on Fred Hampton Jr’s message that “we don’t fight racism with racism. We fight racism with solidarity”? “Oh for sure. That’s absolutely what Flames is about.”

DMC is angry about police killing black people. “Those bullets should not have left the chambers.” He was moved by Dallas police chief David Brown’s “I’ll be loving you always” eulogy for his five murdered cops. “That was incredible!” he exclaims. He’s also impressed with Brown’s community policing approach, and that he has fired more than 70 sub-standard officers. “We’ve got to go through all of America’s precincts, one by one, and weed out all the bad weeds.”

He raises murders within African American communities, recounting a recent forum. “A young girl gets up and says: ‘Here’s the truth, DMC: when a white cop shoots a black kid that’s wrong, but when a black kid shoots another black kid that’s how it is in the hood.’ That hit me in the gut. I said ‘Damn, that’s the fight right there’. It goes deep: I remember when Jay got shot …”

Jay’s murder remains unsolved. Does DMC think anyone will ever be charged? “Nope. I really, really don’t think so,” he sighs. A 2012 New York Daily Newsarticle alleged people in Hollis know who did it, but are too scared to tell the police. “Yes, too scared.” He quotes the perspective of someone living in Hollis. “‘Jay travelled and they got Jay. I’ve got to live here everyday. I’ve got my wife and kids.’” DMC believes in an afterlife. “You will see Jay again,” he says, quoting the last line of Run-DMC’s Peter Piper. “You will. Right now he’s jamming in heaven with Biggie and Kurt Cobain.”

DMC says contemporary hip-hop is overwhelmed by mediocre rap. “So illiterate, so disrespectful, so negative. Here in America, you can be a motherfuckin’ fool, as long as you’re making money. If you get a young positive brother talking like a Chuck D or a KRS-One or a Rakim, America don’t want to hear from you. We need to go to these radio stations and say we don’t wanna just hear these same 10 records about sipping syrup, having sex and shooting motherfuckers.”

DMC argues that hip-hop should be more about self-esteem, self-respect and “the force of education”. As he does frequently during our interview, he busts out a burst of verse, words from Raising Hell’s closing track: “I’m proud to be black yo.”

He would love to see Public Enemy’s Chuck D shaking things up as a producer industry-wide. “A lot of motherfuckers would be fired. It would be a total re-haul in this music business. Ninety-nine percent of rap today is bad demos. It’s about responsibility. It’s not about censorship and freedom of speech. We let corporate America come in and exploit us, tell us how to do our own hip-hop. You get more money if you’re a knucklehead … In the 80s we challenged Reaganomics.”

Today, DMC is enjoying making music again. “I don’t need no substances.” He’s working on Coming Like a Rhino, a new track with Chuck D, which aims to cross Rebel Without a Pause and Time Bomb. “We’re about to put the foot of God in the ass of the industry, in all rappers to come, the rappers that are still in their fathers’ nuts. Let ’em know they don’t call Chuck the hard rhymer and DMC the King of Rock for nothing. I’m just 52. I’m not a fuckin’ senior citizen. Coming Like a Rhino’s not for recognition; not for sales. Just dope ass beats and dope ass rhymes. Ain’t nothing better than that.”

[codeclife]

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[bigyack-com]

Salman Khan takes ‘final decision on music of the film’, says composer Sajid Ali Khan - bollywood

Bollywood composer Sajid Ali Khan, of the Sajid-Wajid duo that has collaborated with Salman Khan on several films, says the 53-year-old superstar takes the final decision when it comes to music of their films, adding that Salman is a talented and musical person.Sajid and his co-composer brother Wajid return with Salman Khan in Dabangg 3, where they are credited as music directors apart from Sandeep Shirodhkar. For the upcoming film, a unique strategy has been approached, for the launch of the songs. Audio versions of the songs were released first on the T-Series YouTube channel before the video versions.Also read: Vaani Kapoor’s top with Ram written on it attracts trolls, police complaint“Basically entire team thought about the strategy but Salman bhai is the person who takes the final decision when it comes to music of the film. He is, Masha Allah, a very talented and musical man. He has the knack to bring his own personality into music and he advises us in terms of what song will be best suited for a certain situation in the film,” said Sajid, while interacting with the media at his birthday celebration on Thursday in Mumbai.  “Initially, we were really uncertain about the strategy. We thought that the songs could become flops or they may not garner the kind of response we are expecting, but he (Salman Khan) just smiled and said, ‘this is what I want and I think this idea will really work’. We decided to release the songs his way. We always had confidence in our songs and we knew that when the audio track would come out, it would get good response. I think it’s a fantastic strategy. It’s a good thing to tease the audience with the music of ‘Dabangg 3’,” said Sajid. Dabangg 3 marks the playback debut of Sajid’s daughter Muskaan. She has recorded the Awara number with Salman Ali. “It is this year’s biggest gift for me. Muskaan is our student and my daughter. She has worked really hard and she has stepped into the music industry. I don’t want to talk much about her. I feel that more than a person should let his or her work speak, so I have told her to concentrate on work.”  He added: “I think she has entered the danger zone and she has to create own path. The best part about her is she does her riyaaz (music training) every day. It’s a good sign. I feel if every kid works hard, they will get success. I don’t think I have done much to get her into this industry.” Dabangg 3 is directed by Prabhu Deva, and produced by Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan under their respective banners of Salman Khan Films and Arbaaz Khan Productions. Dabangg 3 is scheduled to be theatrically released in India on December 20.(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)Follow @htshowbiz for more Source link Read the full article

[technologyinfosec]

Imran Ashraf all set to make debut in Dum Mastam

The very talented Amar Khan will play Ashraf’s love interest in the rom-com. Khan took to Instagram to share the announcement. “Years long dream by the grace of Allah. Dum Mastam is ready for 2020 release,” the actor wrote. Along with being the female lead, Khan has also written the film. Mohammed Ehteshamuddin, the brains behind the Mahira Khan starrer Superstar, will direct the movie. It will be produced by Adnan Siddiqui.

This won’t just be Ashraf and Khan’s debut. Momin Saqib, who went viral for his rant when Pakistan lost to India in the World Cup 2019, is also being launched by Siddiqui. Read the full article

[pinkvilla]

Shah Rukh Khan's fan and cancer patient Aruna PK dies; actor pays condolence to her kids

Shah Rukh Khan expressed his sadness on Aruna's demise, wrote to her kids on Twitter.

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan shared a heartwarming message to cancer patient Aruna PK's children Akshat and Priyanka on Twitter following her demise. Aruna was a huge Shah Rukh Khan fan and wished to meet him before she succumbs to the disease. The Raees actor had even sent across a video message to her a few days ago that he will meet her soon.  

Recommended Read :  Photos: Shah Rukh Khan spotted outside a studio in the city

Shah Rukh Khan expressed his sadness on Aruna's demise, writing to her kids on Twitter, "May Allah give u strength to deal with the loss of ur beautiful mother. I know how sad it is to deal with the loss of a parent. Know that she is always with u & henceforth do things that give her reasons to smile in heaven."

.@Arunapk57 @akshatkhot @priyankakhot pic.twitter.com/n3HsXqlaqZ

— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) October 24, 2017

Aruna's son Akshat thanked SRK on Twitter, saying, "Thank You @iamsrk for giving her happiness in her final moments."

Thank You @iamsrk for giving her happiness in her final moments.

— Akshat Khot (@akshatkhot) October 24, 2017

He posted after his mother's demise, "Even God needs happiness in times of chaos. May the purest and happiest soul of Maa @Arunapk57 Rest in Peace. Thank you everyone."

In his video message, King Khan had said, "You are a very strong lady Aruna, I know your gusto, your will, your happiness that you have shared with your loved ones. I can tell that you have the strength to fight this illness and with our prayers and your strength you will get well very soon." He also told Aruna how much her kids love her. Khan said, "I just want to say that your children Akshat and Priyanka love you...they are really hoping you get well soon and I know their prayers will be answered."

 Shah Rukh Khan had also wanted to have a telephonic conversation with Aruna after her doctor's permission. Aruna had mentioned in her blog that she was diagnosed with third stage ovarian cancer in February 2011. Our condolences to the family of Aruna PK!