1989 Another Summer, Sound Of The Funky Drummer

Here's today's post which didn't publish this morning for some unknown reason.

The ultimate extension of Keith LeBlanc's 1983 Malcolm X record was this, the motherlode of righteous hip hop, the pinnacle of Public Enemy's career, the greatest protest record of them all- Fight The Power. One record pulling together the history of the civil rights movement, the upsurge in interest in Malcolm X, Spike Lee's film making, The Bomb Squad's screaming, pummeling production and Chuck D's angriest, most on-point lyrics (the verse that goes 'Elvis was a hero to most but he never meant shit to me, straight out racist that sucker was simple and plain, motherfuck him and John Wayne, people get ready 'cos I'm black and I'm proud, I'm hyped and I'm amped, most of my heroes don't appear on no stamps' is as good as it gets). Again, not on the hard drive but do you want the full seven minute version of the video? Yeah, boyeee!



There are some technical gremlins loose in the machine- yesterday's video won't un-embed.

No Sell Out

Yesterday's sampling of a 1960s Africa American civil rights leader led me back to this song from 1983, a far more provocative and abrasive record than Moodswings. Keith LeBlanc made the record using a Malcolm X speech and a drum machine, some bass and guitar. Malcolm's widow Betty Shabazz gave permission for the vocal samples and half the writing credits and subsequent royalties went to Malcolm's family. Fired up by the sounds and style of Grandmaster Flash, LeBlanc's use of Malcolm's voice was pretty groundbreaking in 1983, one of the first sample-based records. I don't have it on the hard drive at the moment so I'm afraid you'll have to make do with this video.