Music is for LIFE

I can't recall the first song I ever heard, but I imagine I was in moms womb nodding while waiting on my 3rd breakfast. My earliest memories of music in my life consist of my grandmother humming hymnals as I sat or laid next to her, my mom blowing the church away with her solos (I used to think she was going to get a record deal...lol), her blasting (specifically) Anita Baker, Sade, and Bobby Brown in the house, riding with pops as he *attempted* and failed horribly to sing along with the GAP Band, Teddy P, Earth Wind & Fire, etc.; and being exposed to classical music and the specific sounds each instrument makes by my aunt who is the most musically inclined member of the family. Music has always been more than just sounds to me.....it's my happy place, my time capsule, my comfort zone, a big part of my foundation. When I grew older, my appreciation and love for it grew along with me. When I got my first job, I would say 60-70% of what I earned went to Coconuts (the local record store in walking distance from the house). And this is before the digital age took over, so I was buying at least 1 cd a week....anything that intuitively LOOKED like it sounded good even if I had never heard of the artist before....it didn't matter. I loved to dig for music and find gems. 90% of the time I walked right past the "Top 10" rack. It was like Christmas to me every time I bought a record. Couldn't wait to get it out of the store, rip the packaging off (which was the most frustrating crap in the world), pop the record in and let it spin while I read the liner notes, admired the cover art, and read the "thank you's". It was a very important ritual for me and just writing about it brings those feelings back......crazy. I ALWAYS had a pair of headphones....I've spent almost as much money on headphones that I have music. I had to have the best (or the closest thing to it) because if the sound wasn't right, I could tell easily. And I appreciate my mom for letting me live loud and never telling me to turn down my music...because hers was just as loud :-)

I feel sorry for kids who will never have the opportunity to experience that. Due to everything going digital, it's all instantly available at the click of your mouse, so record stores like Coconuts that were once a haven for people like myself are an endangered species. I've had no problem adjusting to the times, but it's kind of sad and nostalgic when I think about it. I still dig.....I just go about it a different way now.

So with that said, I'd like to share with you 5 albums that were pivotal in my life:

1. ATLiens - Outkast

If you even remotely know me, you know that I'm a hip hop head to the core.

This was the foundation for everything that I love and appreciate about hip hop. I was 11 or 12 when I first heard it and at that age I could actually comprehend things that were being discussed in the music. It was so amazing to me that these two guys were from a place that was right next door to where I was and they were able to have such a huge impact musically. The production is flawless....makes you dance, sounds dope on a good system or stereo. Plus they actually had SOMETHING TO SAY....AND they were skilled and clever in the way they said it. Sounded like nothing I had ever heard (or ever would hear). I was hooked...

2. What's Going On - Marvin Gaye

Marvin is my favorite artist of all time hands down. The passion he had for people in general radiated through the music. Plus his ability to discuss social and personal issues so vividly and honestly captivated me. The fact that the same things he sang about then can be applied to present-day conditions is too dope...almost like a Bob Marley minus the accent. But I gravitate more to Marvin simply because he is sonically more appealing. His whole sound was like water to me. The way he was able to use his voice as an instrument always gave me chills. The G.O.A.T.

3. Kind of Blue - Miles Davis

One word: Undeniable. I stole this album from my mom shortly before I started college and it made it to school with me. If ever there was a record I could play backwards and forwards, it is this joint. Timeless music. I walked around campus to it, studied to it, slept to it, made love to it, cried to it, lost it, found it again....this record saw me through some of my most trying times and has just been part of my life for years. It NEVER gets old....takes me all kinds of places without the assistance of drugs or alcohol.

4. Breath From Another - Esthero

This record is probably a huge reason for my diverse music collection and why I can listen to anything as long as it's quality. It is what you would call "trip-hop"....basically a fusion of any type of music you can think of. No boundaries. No formulas. Just music. Esthero's voice is beautifully hypnotizing....sultry and damn near erotic. Original, creative, and true. My cousin (same one who introduced me to 'Kast) laced me with this record when I was in 9th grade when he was home one weekend from college. It's 10 years later and it has yet to fade into obscurity....still in rotation like I just bought it a week ago.

5. The Minstrel Show - Little Brother

I went through a bit of a hip hop renaissance of sorts around 2004-2005. I found what I like to call "blue collar music". This record and this group is almost solely responsible for my change in the way I listened to hip hop music. Here you have three guys from North Carolina who seemingly effortlessly put out consistently good music and all they did was talk about their everyday lives. Things that you and I face daily as "regular" people. No bottles popping, "braggadocia", money, guns, etc....yet they still have a ball with their music and it shows and the masses can still identify with them without them having to sell out or sugar coat. That blew my mind because it's rare that you can have that package. The album has a running concept based on a fictional television network called "UBN" (U Black Niggas Network), which is a satire of stereotypical programs and advertisements. Many of the skits contain tongue-in-cheek references to black pop culture in America. Hilarious, thought-provoking, and the music.......dope beats. dope rhymes.

- GB