Dave Chapelle's Block Party
Since the consensus seems to be that my last post was a little less than satisfying, I tried to beef this one up a bit.So I just came back from seeing Dave Chapelle's Block Party, and I'm glad I made it. I was planning on seeing Capote first, but because I can never get to anything on time, the movie started and I just missed it. Oh well, I just randomly wandered around and looked at 40 inch plasma screen tv's which was definitely a pleasant distraction. In the spirit of full disclosure, it would have been incredibly hard for me to not like this movie. Probably 5 out of my top 10 favorite artists in the world were featured, so they basically had to show up and breathe on screen for me to be satisfied. Mos Def, Common, Talib Kweli, dead prez, Jill Scott, The Roots, Kayne West, Erykah Badu, and The Fugees all showed up for the outdoor concert that was held in Brooklyn during the summer of 2004.
Pharoah Monche, Bilal, and Keyshia Cole were also listed in the credits, but their performances didn't make the final cut. Seriously, if Bilal had got on stage (and momentarily defeated his alleged heroin addiction), this may have gone down as the best concert in history. I was thinking about who you would add to this line up, and there wasn't really anybody missing. D'angelo (circa Voodoo)/Lauryn Hill (circa 1998). That's really it. I guess you could make a case for A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul, but I wouldn't (and I have 6 of their cd's between the two groups). The movie is part documentary/part concert, and more specifically just a chance for Dave to get all his favorite artists together on stage.
Sidebar: See this is why I feel like I should live in New York. I would have the opportunity to participate in shit like this. But noooooooo, I have to read reviews on the internet, and go watch documentaries on the movie screen. This is Day 1 of figuring out how i'm going to get to New York in the next 18 months. Unfortunately, I would also have to figure out how to double/triple my salary to be able to maintain my current standard of living. And now, to make the shit even more ridiculous, I just found out the co-con may or may not have been there. Wow (his life, possibly). But I digress.
Back to business. Three major reflections:
- Lauryn Hill was/is probably the greatest singer of our generation. By far she was the most interesting part of the movie. I was fortunate enough to see Lauryn live a couple years ago, but there was something bittersweet about seeing her on stage again. I'd be interested to know what other people thought. At times, the power of her voice was undeniable, and then at other times, it seemed like she was forgetting the words to Killing Me Softly (come on. Killing Me Softly? You proabably made 10 million dollars singing that song). Hey, at least we got 1 great cd, and 1 pretty okay cd out of it. Lauryn, come back. We need you. I defy you to go listen to the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (the song) and not be moved. Her voice is mesmerizing. What makes this even crazier, is that she is arguably the best female rapper of all time as well. Craziness.
- Jill Scott is freaking beautiful. Its really undeniable. I was like damn, Jilly seems to be glowing on the screen. By the way, on Itunes, 6 artists from the show (Dave Chapelle, Common, Jill Scott, Kanye, dead prez, The Roots) put out a playlist of some of their favorite songs right now; and on Jill Scott's playlist (brace yourselves), out of 10 songs, there are three songs from the Carter II. YESSSSSSS!!!. I wish I could tell you how Jilly knocked it out the park tonight. Nobody is seeing her right now, and to think I couldn't stand her when I first heard her on the Roots live CD. My, how we have come full circle. Please forgive me Jill.
- Cody Chestnutt should come out with a live CD. That is all.
posted by The Generalist at 1:46 AM
5 Comments:
Honestly, I don't know how this concert could be topped...maybe OutKast & Cee-Lo, but they don't really fit the bill (but they were on the Smokin' Grooves tour with L-Boogie & The Roots - which I happened to see with The Generalist)...
I was in New York when there was word that this Block Party was happening, and honestly I didn't believe it...no way all these folks could be there and it all be free...but it happened. I regret to this day hesitating to go. (You were supposed to take buses but apparently you could just walk up but I was unsure as to whether that was true, etc, etc, whatever.)Brooklyn is THE place for hot free concerts, period (and for some reason it likes to rain). I knew this and should have acted on the information I received.
The funny thing is that given St. Louis is a place of critical mass for me, I knew Kanye was supposed to be in St. Louis for a concert that same night. I also remember laughing after being told he had been on-stage in Brooklyn that same day as I said to myself "no chance he makes it to St. Louis, its too late, he knows where he has to be...this joint is crazy."
Yes, I realized I had the opportunity to attend from someone in attendance, but never actually made it "in the buidling." The lost opportunity still haunts me(like so many other things.) But I gotta do what Hov said on track 14 of Reasonable Doubt.
I hesitate to harp on this, but... I was unaware that in fact you were not in attendance at Mr. Chappelle's Block Party. I remember chastising you for not spreading the work ahead of time, being that I would have gladly incurred the cost of a ticket to NY to see what may have been the concert of my lifetime. And now, to hear that you knew about it, had the heads up on the location, were ideally situated to attend, and STILL didn't make it "in the building"...
Well that's just hard for me to swallow. Shame on you [Aristocrates]. Shame on you.
A few things (in lieu of a separate post):
1) Having seen the movie (finally), I have to confirm that it would indeed have been worth the airfare. Damn.
2) Kanye, Common, Kweli and ?uestlove on one stage is *almost* more than I can wrap my brain around. Damn.
3) If Erykah Badu and Jill Scott did a live album together it might turn out to be one of the greatest collaborations of all time.
4) If things on earth can be divine, then Lauryn Hill's voice gets it. I almost stood up in the theater, simply out of respect (and awe). Damn.
And 5) Is it just me, or shouldn't Common be the third member of BlackStar?
Okay! So I am somewhat embarrassed by the fact that I just watched Block Party for the first time. Given that I went to the movies a grand total of 6 times last year (3 times to see Batman Begins!! I love that movie - "Why do we fall?") This year I could be in for an even slower movietheatre-visiting year.
What's probably worse is that I watched Block Party in the comfort of my home. A great way to block-out the frustrations that come from an upset-riddled NCAA Men's tourney. Which, by the way, pales in comparison to the women's tourney. Those girls get their hoop on!! And they are cuter now!!!!
At any rate, Block Party was my first purchase of a bootleg movie still in theatres. I must say, while there weren't any strange noises and people walking around the "movie", a sandy picture and occassional screen cuts definitely minimizes the effect of say a Lauren Hill song near the end. Or the smile of a Jill Scott. If I was president, I would set aside monies for such events all over the country, starting in the LOU!!
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