I certainly didn’t expect the year 2022 to bring a rise in antisemitism. But here we are.
I’m going to attempt to touch on a few points, as painful as it is… because I think we need a dialogue, and there’s a lot of things about antisemitism that are still misunderstood. 🧵
Here’s the thing, antisemitism can be hard to grasp without knowing all the historical baggage and implications. It is uniquely rooted in conspiracy, it’s full of dog whistles and is different from other types of racism and xenophobia.
Jan 16, 2021 • 13 tweets • 3 min read
Weird thing about the platforms that we all consume music, TV, film etc on is that they reward regularity and familiarity sooo much... that a lot of the artists who get the most work are ones who are able to DELIVER, which is a skill in itself but it’s not the same as authorship.
Musicians/creatives etc are encouraged to be franchises. Somewhere along the way music went from “who’s got the most unique sound” to “who can give me something I can sell and feed the algo”. Delivering the product became more important than originality.
Nov 29, 2020 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
A lot of people gripe about being slept on or frown at “mid” artists/brands blowing up... I think your energy is better spent understanding how shit works and figuring out solutions.
Isn’t there a saying that you only need 2 of these 3 qualities — talented, reliable, nice — to get work? I think as the speed of consumption and information keeps accelerating, “reliable & nice” are really in the front seat. Which sucks for art.
Nov 27, 2020 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
Some of my favorite beats are interludes.
Here’s a few:
- At the end of Pete Rock & CL “All the Places”, the fast joint with Crown Heights Affair sample
- ATCQ “4 Moms” (I AM A ‘LOVE MOVEMENT’ APOLOGIST)
- beginning of O.C. “Far from yours” (2nd album)
- beginning of O.C. “Let it slide” (1st album - give me more fretless bass beats please)
- Common “Time Travelin’ Reprise” (mixdown is CRAZY)
- the fast funky shit at the end of D’Angelo “One Mo ‘Gin”
Nov 25, 2020 • 15 tweets • 4 min read
This Chappelle/Netflix/Comedy Central situation is making me think of a similar thing in music. As listeners we just want all the songs we grew up on to be available on streaming services too. But it’s important to know why some records are there and some aren’t.
I’ll start with a lil story. About 2 years ago, @boilerroom asked me to participate in a series called Mixtape, where I would play a set in a style of music that I grew up on. I decided to play a 90s backpacker hip hop set. You know: Company Flow, J-Live, Dilated Peoples, Mos Def
Jul 29, 2020 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
I’m so glad @sethrogen is saying this.
There’s a lot of conversations that need to be had about the Jewish identity, both within the communities and outside too.
I listened to the whole Marc Maron episode yesterday. It’s excellent.
This needs to be understood:
Being Jewish does not mean being a Zionist. Zionism has existed for a little over 100 years? Judaism, for well over 2000? There are Jews all over the world. I’m a Jew: half Ashkenazi, half Sephardic. It’s as much a cultural identity as a religion.
Jul 6, 2020 • 7 tweets • 1 min read
I think we’re seeing an ideological crisis in the US because of a massive misunderstanding of FREEDOM. Too many Americans think freedom means “I can do whatever I want” and when you combine that with Covid and masks, the recklessness is killing tens, hundreds of thousands.
Being free doesn’t remove civic duty. Being free doesn’t mean you can hurt others. Being free mainly means the ABSENCE of constraints, the absence of slavery. Freedom is a privilege. Having rights is a privilege!
Jun 9, 2020 • 10 tweets • 4 min read
About the music industry... I’m glad that people are TRYING to come together and make voices heard and address the truckload of racial inequalities in the biz. But imo the real reality is: if we’re talking about SYSTEMIC change, the majors would need to change their deals. (Cont)
And I just don’t see the majors doing that, unfortunately. So if you’re an artist or manager, go do deals with companies like @orchtweets@empire@DistroKid@stem@awal etc. Stay in control, keep your masters. That’s bigger systemic change.
Jun 6, 2020 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
The cult of Dilla became such a bigger thing after his death, and sometimes I feel like the CONTEXT of what he made (and when) is lost. When Fuck The Police came out, at least to me, it was a surprise. The 12” was on Up Above recs, a Japanese label. And lyrically.... (cont’d)
...Lyrically we were used to hearing him and SV rap about vibey shit. Fan-Tas-Tic vol 1 & 2 talked about partying, jealousy, girl shit etc. Then he came with a militant records. Not a HUGE surprise because Detroit is rugged...but still.
I was always a fan of Dilla’s raps though.
Mar 16, 2020 • 10 tweets • 4 min read
Looking for some mixes while on lockdown?
Since Duck Season is back... the Duck Tape was a 2013 mix made of a bunch of our cutting-room-floor demos and loop ideas. soundcloud.com/ducksaucenyc/d…
This is a mix I made of all mid- to late-90s indie rap, underground rap... the Backpack set. The Rawkus era, the Co Flow era, the Fat Beats era that I came up in. soundcloud.com/a-trak/boiler-…
Mar 8, 2019 • 11 tweets • 3 min read
I'm realizing how much of a hole there is in the infrastructure for DJs in North America, specifically for open format DJs.
The whole DJ business changed DRASTICALLY in the last 10 years.. and there's pockets of the DJ scene that kind of got left out. (cont'd)
Those changes happened with the explosion of EDM. Money brings change & infrastructure - like in any sector. When DJs started having huge hit records and the event space boomed (festivals, tours hitting ticketed venues), the business became legit.
