Category Archives: Uncategorized

Erykah Badu: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

Aug. 15, 2018 | Felix Contreras — Some folks around the NPR Music office said they felt an almost spiritual connection to Erykah Badu during her visit to the Tiny Desk. And that was before she and her band even played a single note. It came from the waft of earthly scents that followed in her wake, to the flowing dreads and clothes that hung on her like robes.

After her self-introduction, which included a rundown of her spiritual and creative aliases, Badu rolled into one of her earliest musical calling cards, “Rimshot.” It’s an ode to the sound the percussionist makes when a drumstick is struck against the metal edge of the snare drum. On this performance, as on her 1997 album Baduizm, it becomes a device to play with time — stretching it, stopping it, suspending it. Propelled by jazz chords on the piano and the steady pulse of the acoustic bass, the playful performance unfolded in the tradition of the best bebop.

But the panoramic song “Green Eyes” is the centerpiece of Badu’s Tiny Desk performance. It’s wide-ranging in scope and musical arrangement and brilliantly executed by the jazz and hip-hop musicians in her backing band. The story of heartbreak is striking enough, but her interpretation showcases her formidable vocal skills. By the time it was over, we were all just as emotionally and spiritually spent as she was from the experience.

Erykah Badu is an artist for the ages. To old-school jazz fans like myself, names like Nina Simone, Betty Carter and Shirley Horn come to mind as much as Billie Holiday because of Badu’s singular approach to a lyric. They all cut their own creative path and left behind a legacy that you can identify with just one note. Erykah Badu is on that same path, and one day her name will be mentioned along with the other Elders who share her spirit of musical adventure.

Set List
“Rimshot”
“Green Eyes”

Musicians
Erykah Badu (lead vocals), RC Williams (Keys), Braylon Lacy (bass), Cleon Edwards (Drums), Frank Moka (Percussion), Kenneth Whalum (Sax), Keyon Harrold (Trumpet), Dwayne Kerr (Flute)

Credits
Producers: Abby O’Neill, Morgan Noelle Smith; Creative Director: Bob Boilen; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Morgan Noelle Smith, Maia Stern, Kara Frame, Khun Minn Ohn, CJ Riculan; Production Assistants: Catherine Zhang, Téa Mottolese; Photo: Morgan Noelle Smith/NPR.

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Troye Sivan – Bloom

“Bloom” available now:
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Lyrics:
Take a trip into my garden
I’ve got so much to show ya
The fountains and the waters
Are begging just to know ya

And it’s true, baby
I’ve been saving this for you, baby

I guess it’s something like a fun fair
Put gas into the motor
And boy I’ll meet you right there
We’ll ride the rollercoaster

Cause it’s true, babe
I been saving this for you, baby

(I need you to)
Tell me right before it goes down
(Promise me you’ll)
Hold my hand if I get scared now
(Might tell you to)
Take a second baby slow it down
You should know I, you should know I

(Yeah I boom) I bloom just for you
(I bloom) just for you
(Yeah I bloom) I bloom just for you
(I bloom), just for you

Come on baby play me like a love song
Every time it comes on
I get this sweet desire
(Yeah I bloom) I bloom just for you
(I bloom), just for you

Now it’s the perfect season
Yeah, let’s go for it this time
We’re dancing with the trees and
I’ve waited my whole life

It’s true, baby
I been saving this for you, baby

(I need you to)
Tell me right before it goes down
(Promise me you’ll)
Hold my hand if I get scared now
(Might tell you to)
Take a second baby slow it down
You should know I, you should know I

(Yeah I boom) I bloom just for you
(I bloom) just for you
(Yeah I bloom) I bloom just for you
(I bloom), just for you

Come on baby play me like a love song
Every time it comes on
I get this sweet desire
(Yeah I bloom) I bloom just for you
(I bloom), just for you

Just for you
I bloom just for you
I bloom just for you

Baby, baby, I’ve been saving this for you, baby
Baby, baby, I’ve been saving this for you, baby

(Yeah I boom) I bloom just for you
(I bloom) just for you
(Yeah I bloom) I bloom just for you
(I bloom), just for you

Come on baby play me like a love song
Every time it comes on
I get this sweet desire
(Yeah I bloom) I bloom just for you
(I bloom), just for you

Just for you
I bloom just for you
I bloom just for you
Just for you
I bloom just for you
I bloom just for you

Director: Bardia Zeinali
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Director of Photography: Kelly Jeffrey
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Production: PRODn at Art + Commerce
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Edit + Post Production: Will Town for Modern Post
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Stylist: Kyle Luu
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Makeup Artist: James Kaliardos
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Hairstylist: Jawara
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Manicurist: Michina Koide
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Set Design: Theresa Rivera for MHS Artists
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Florals: Brittany Asch for Brrch
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Movement: Emma Chadwick
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Music video by Troye Sivan performing Bloom. © 2018 Universal Music Australia Pty Ltd.

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What is it like being black in India? BBC News

What is it like being black in India?
That’s what BBC Pop Up wanted to find out after Benjamin Pratt, a student from Sierra Leone now living in India, told us that many African immigrants are victims of racism and prejudice.
BBC journalists Christian Parkinson and Vikas Pandey joined Benjamin on the streets of Delhi to find out more but ended up in a small village in the western state of Gujarat. There they discovered a surprising and little-known culture alive and well.
Follow what BBC Pop Up is up to in India and find out how to get involved at bbc.com/popup.

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Neneh Cherry – Kong

Kong is out now. Listen here: https://ift.tt/2LTvngA

Directed by Jenn Nkiru
Produced by Four Tet + 3D

Neneh Cherry Live http://bit.ly/NenehCherryLive
14/08 Berlin
06/09 Stockholm
12/09 London
26/09 Paris

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Lyrics:

love forsaken
risk worth taking
spearmint flavours all my pallet shutters
i’m a member of shattered allusions & am i needless to say

but love is big & every land every nation seeks its friends in France & Italy & all across the 7 seas
& Goddam guns & guts & history & bitter love still put a put a hole in me

bite my head off still my World will always be a little risk worth taking
bite my hand off still my World will always be another risk worth taking

gotta step out a limb swallow my pride surrender & not give myself away
little measures all the time
become part of you nothing new still have full for absolutions in my day there’s no solutions

& love is big & every land every nation seeks its friends in France & Italy & all across the 7 seas
& Goddam guns & guts & history & bitter love still put a put a hole in me

bite my head off still my World will always be a little risk worth taking
bite my hand off still my World will always be another risk worth taking

via YouTube

The Final Demographic Racial Transition | Tukufu Zuberi

Modeled after the popular TED Talks, BEN Talks give our acclaimed faculty 10 minutes each to deliver their “ideas worth sharing,” bringing to life the innovative vision and future of Penn Arts & Sciences.

PART 5: “The Final Demographic Racial Transition” – Tukufu Zuberi, Lasry Family Professor of Race Relations, Sociology, and Africana Studies

“Immigration and Global Inequality”
• Presentations by Penn Arts & Sciences faculty Michael Jones-Correa, Emilio Parrado, and Tukufu Zuberi.
• Moderated by Chair of the Penn Arts & Sciences Board of Overseers and Penn Trustee Emerita Andrea Mitchell, CW’67.
• Hosted by Penn Arts and Sciences Overseer and Penn Trustee Dhan Pai, W’83, and his wife Heena Pai, PAR’12, PAR’15.

May 3, 2017 at The Union Club, New York City

Watch the complete event including audience Q&A visit: BEN TALKS – New York City (2017): https://ift.tt/2LMMdgW

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