In the middle of each week, I will begin posting a "Sign of the apocalypse" comment/clip/commentary on something happening in the world that week. This is the first sign.
Amir Muhadith. Name strike a bell? I'll help you out a bit. Amir (emir) means commander in Arabic. Muhaddith is a title given to someone who has a great knowledge of the hadiths (or words/narrations) of the prophet Muhammad. Rough, rough translation of the name Amir Muhadith: something to the effect of being a commander of the hadiths. You know, only the hadiths that represent the words and beliefs of the prophet himself. Ok, still stumped? Come on, I translated the name for those of you that can't read Arabic (I can't either, thanks wikipedia). Well here are a few photos. These are the last hints before the big reveal:
and
And your final answer? _________________________
Congratulations, you guessed it. Chauncey Hawkins aka Loon nna (now known as) Amir Muhadith. Former rapper in the shiny suit crew, Bad Boy Records. Who penned quotables such as, Open up the door, i help her out with the bags Car get dirty, i help her out the jag Folks get flirty, i help em out with the mag I aint lyin, im in love wit u bad
and
I'm as smooth as Erik Estrada, dipped in dollars
I mean really, he was the quintessential rapper of the lame-duck era of rap (2000-2004 aka the Jamychingnelly era [Ja Rule Chingy Nelly Mystikal] ).
Without further adieu, I present to you this little morsel. I came across this video a few days ago of Amir. Actually I don't like the ring to that. Names in threes are the best. Alexander the Great. King Louis XIV. Let's call him... Loon the Muslim. Just one last question. I know Loon was almost single-handedly responsible for bringing back the shaped-up goatee. But is this beard real, absurd or both????
Loon the Muslim, no longer a Bad Boy. But a good boy. How do you say speechless in Arabic?
I often give off the impression that I never seem to stress out about things. While this is true, for the most part, there is no real hidden secret as to why this is the case. In the end, it boils (simmers, boils is too intense and stressful] down to two main things: 1)a realization that even at 25, life flies by and is way too short to not be enjoyed and 2) my obsession with music. No matter what mood I am in (melancholy, anxious, angry, impatient, etc.), there is always a song that complements (even anger) that mood. Music fans can be put into three categories - #1 Casuals aka taggers - These are the people that ITunes tagging is for. They are the type that never know the particular artist by name, but ALWAYS exclaim (no matter if in a Nissan or a crowded bar/nightclub) when they hear THEIR song, "OOOO I love this song!" followed by, "I always forget the name of this song. Who sings this again?" #2 1-songers - These are the people that have a basic knowledge of artists and the latest songs. For example, they wouldn't be aware of the fact that in terms of the hip-hop genre, mixtapes are now consistently better than LP albums. But they would know a hit song and the name of the artist and said song if it came on in a bar. In addition, their mp3 player would not be filled 100% completely with the Billboard top 100 hits of the past five years (maybe just 60%). #3 Beenthereheardthat's - This group represents the summa cum laude of music aficionados. These people have been told at least 3-4 times in their life that they probably love music more than their significant other/family members. For these people, music never gets old. When they wake up and make breakfast, MUSIC. When they shower, MUSIC. When they jump on the train, MUSIC (importance difference - #1 category of music fans have an mp3 player to occupy their brain instead of staring off into the abyss while in public and on a train; for #3's having their mp3 player fits in the same box of requirements as eating and sleeping). The name applies b/c they have heard of these artists (ahem, Drake, Kid Cudi, Wale, etc.) before XXL or BET or anyone else told them to.
I fit into category #3. Normal music people can't fall asleep if there is background noise of any sort. Category #3'ers can't fall asleep without music. ** I go to sleep with my Zune and headphones in ears.
You know when you're asked if you were deserted on an island and could only take 1 material possession with you, what would you take? Music beats out a year's supply of food in a heartbeat (pun intended?). Think about it. If you brought food, it would eventually run out. Music? What would be better than waking up on a sunny morning with a slight breeze and birds chirping and say, a song from this duo, Amadou and Mariam?
And when it came time to eat? Pop in the headphones, play a song like this:
Man, I'd run down one of these things by the time Inspectah Deck spit the end of this line, "swingin thru your town like your neighborhood Spiderman." And, albeit a bit morbid, when it came time to die? No need to cry. Just press play on this:
My point is that music is filled with so many different sounds and possibilities. Genres are constantly being changed. Take jazz (dixieland,traditional, swing, bop, modal jazz, smooth jazz) for example. New musical centers are constantly being discovered (or perhaps just having the light shone on them for a small period) (think the ATL and crunk, the bay area and hyphy, Seattle and grunge, Chicago and house music)<--- never a big fan of any of these types btw. Think of when certain areas/genres of music are the 'in' thing. It was only a few years ago that everyone wanted to have a Sean Paul dancehall track. You even had Elephant Man getting videoplay on MTV! And I'm sure we all remember the Latin craze (J.Lo, Ricky Martin, etc). Indie rock has went from underground to the terra firma itself. If you want to find the next indie rock group, book a flight for Sweden (The Cardigans got music listener's attention a decade before, signaling the rest of Europe/America to listen to fellow Swedes like Peter Bjorn and John, Lykke Li, etc.). This is less blog post and more an affirmation to music and the joy it brings. It's at its least respected point because it's ubiquitous. It's your latest ringtone, your favorite commercial (Five-dollar....five-dollar...five dollar foot loooooooooooooooooooooooong!), the hit song that's on everyone's reality tv series. Everyone has an IPOD but no one has a full album on it, much less the time or appreciation to listen to one. One-hit wonders aren't just expected; they're required [for the music industry]. Attention spans have never been shorter. The music industry has never been in a worse state. Saving studio time/producers/effort + the "let's make one hot single and bs the rest of the album (just a thought, BUT, wasn't Busta's last album, Back on My B.S?) = a dangerous mixture. Through all of this, I have never loved music more. Perhaps it's because I've had to gain a greater appreciation for it. Perhaps because I've branched out from simply listening to the music I was raised on (jazz, hip hop and r&b). Certainly because it's never been more accessible. In any case, there's no point in discussing the chicken and egg conundrum (Life is music OR Music is life?). I love music. I love finding out about a new artist and listening to the entire album (I only thought 2 weeks ago to check out Adele's first album, 19. Good look). I love hearing snippets or singles months before the album is going to drop (Lupe - Shining Down, Fashawn - Life as a Shorty). I love not fully understanding why a certain artist will be bigger than another (Blu and J. Cole are every bit as good [their music and their talent] as Drake, but Drake is that dude right now. And it's not simply because he's got Lil' Wayne's backing. On second thought, maybe it is. A scary thought as to his influence). I love being able to discuss and argue why I think certain people are underrated/overlooked lyrically (Elzhi/Skyzoo) and others are overrated/'looked?' (Kanye, sorry). Most of all, I love listening to artists that would surprise the hell out of people that I listen to them (Explosions in the Sky, Lily Allen). And thank goodness for mixtapes and continued classics.
P.S - Current mixtapes on heavy rotation Diamond District - In the Ruff Wale - Back to the Feature J. Cole - The Come Up
Current classic albums on heavy rotation D'angelo - Voodoo Outkast - Aquemini Mos Def - Black on Both Sides Little Brother - The Minstrel Show
