you oughta' know (pt. deux)

so i'm back with this challenge of bringing attention to music folks that aren't on the mainstream radar but worth mentioning since they've managed to breathe life into a stale industry.

as most of us know, nas was on to something when he proclaimed, "hip hop is dead." while i don't agree completely, i do think she's hanging on for dear life. and if hip hop is on her last breath, may i present its resurrection, jay electronica.

yes, yes...people know him as one of e.badu's children's fathers. some people even have the audacity to call him "mr. badu." surely, they jest? this motherfucker's skills are unparalleled: a true lyricist, flow unmatched by the bulk of his peers, intelligent, a critical thinker AND he reigns from the south (NoLa to be exact).

sample lyric from exhibit a (transformations):

"...they say candy man, candy man spit me a dream
blow a chunk of the levy out and spit me a stream
knock a man house down and build a casin’
a two thousand dollar government check from FEM'
i swam down shits creek and came up clean
with a new lease on life like andy dufresne..."

sums up katrina with a finger snap and references one of the most poignant scenes in the shawshank redemption? sign me up!

unfortunately, this is the only video i could find of his that he's actually in. everything else is either live performances or video content created by users.


if you care to know more, many of his mixtapes can be found online including the critically lauded, "act one: eternal sunshine (the pledge)" which features jay flowin' over loops from the film score of eternal sunshine of the spotless mind. a recent interview says he'll be dropping a new mixtape on 9/19. i, for one, can't wait.

all you need to know about jay electronica

because i'm nice, his two singles:
exhibit a (transformations)

exhibit c (produced by just blaze)

bonus:
for those that like to talk shit about e.badu's unconventional family structure, may i present her open letter to the naysayers posted in '08 > pregnant with insults (originally found on okay player).

"kiss my placenta" indeed.