If you don't know about Janelle Monae yet, this video might convince you to pay attention. Not only can she sing and dance, she's also super original and just about the most adorable thing I've seen all year.
Tightrope, off her new album The ArchAndroid, is guaranteed to get you in the mood to move. And with a feature from Big Boi, who can complain? Though, after seeing her style, I can't help but wonder why Andre 3000 wouldn't have been all over this? He should be up in this video moving and shaking alongside Ms. Monae.
With Erykah's album dropping yesterday, and this video falling today, I'd say that springtime isn't just in the air, it's in the airwaves.
**Note: Sorry for the ads before the video. MTV has this all locked up right now.
Multimedia artist Daniele Buetti manipulates photos, using wisely placed perforations on aluminum light boxes to take his art to a level of illuminated brilliance.
This video, done by a fan of Kanye's, is for of my favorite songs by Mr. West. It's a great thinking song. I appreciate this video for the symmetry between the music and visuals, allowing you to completely connect with the vibe of the song.
While I don't love this new song by Kelis, I will say that this video is a stunning blend of videography, color and movement.
In honor of World Water Day, I'm offering you two perspectives on the global water crisis. I know it seems like there's a new crisis everyday, making it easy to get apathetic and numb. The only way I can ever stomach the daily digestion of global crises is if something tangible is presented along with the crisis— steps I can take that don't involve giving away thousands of dollars or selling everything I own. That's why I like both these videos—they offer more than just a problem, they also present various steps you can take, should you choose to accept this mission.
The first video is from charity: water, an organization that has provided clean water to over 1 million people in 3 years. Snap. But they do more than talk the talk, they show the walk. Their website displays everything from google maps to videos to iconography to demonstrate clearly and effectively just how much they've given and where they've given to. Their new campaign, Unshaken, highlights their renewed efforts in Haiti.
The second video is made by the creators of The Story of Stuff (an awesome graphic video about, well, stuff). This time the video hones in on The Story of Bottled Water and how we Americans became bottled water crazy.
It's a classic Goldilocks situation of too much, too little. Some of us have too much clean water so we got duped into paying for something we can easily get for free, while others have too little clean water and can't get access to it no matter how hard they try. On World Water Day, perhaps you can consider what small move you can make to help alleviate this disparity. Raising a glass of tap water in your honor.
I came across these videos the other day and it made me think of all the people I've spoken to lately who are second guessing themselves. Believing in your talent and finding your own voice are often easier said than done, but ultimately pretty damn important in defining who you are and what you do.
Take these two videos of Lauryn Hill. I still maintain that she's the most talented female lyricist to ever bless any mic. But you'll see that when she first appeared on the Apollo stage, not only did she not woo the audience with her voice, she actually got booed. Props to her for sticking it out and finishing the song, but you'll notice that the song she was singing was not her style. Granted, she was only 13, but still. You can tell she wasn't really feeling it. The second video? Her voice, her style, her talent. Thankfully for all of us she didn't let that experience defeat her.
Here's to finding your voice, whatever that means for you.
Bay Area artist Al Farrow has an affinity for creating replications of various religious gathering spaces. This, of course, is not revolutionary. What is unconventional, however, is the medium he uses: gun parts. From the scope to the trigger, the handle to the bullets, the pins to the chamber, all pieces of the gun are utilized. Farrow doesn't offer much explanation as to the message behind his medium, but if a picture is worth 1,000 words, a synagogue, mosque or cathedral made from glock parts has to be worth at least that many.
I don't own a TV, mostly because 99% of what I want to watch I can get on my laptop. However, I am aware that TV is still a huge part of most American's lives—especially kids. What bums me out is how different TV is today than when I was a kid. When I was a kid (yeah, I said it), the only "reality" TV was Real World, which was just a bunch of 20-somethings fighting and drinking. Twenty years later, that show has somehow resisted evolution and maintained airtime on MTV. But what hasn't maintained airtime, ironically, are shows that actually play music videos.
When I was a kid I looked forward to Fridays so I could watch the Top 20 Video Countdown. (They even played the full music video). And, of course I also watched Yo MTV Raps, which is truly responsible for hip hop evolving from a New York phenomenon to an international obsession. Watching these shows is how I realized the power music can yield while expanding my awareness of genres and artists. Music videos also helped ingrain in me the value of experiencing art.
Sometimes it takes a video to connect to a song. Today's post is in honor of artists who make great songs whose video I never saw because they never got airtime on the Music Television channel. Go figure.
I often think of music and books as similar mediums of communication—a story that leaves the visuals up to the audience to create. Just like a movie can ruin a great book, a music video can ruin a song. However, sometimes a video not only matches a song, it enhances it.
Gil Scott-Heron's music is gut wrenching on its own. To the point you might find yourself closing your eyes so you can focus solely on what your ears are experiencing. Well, now Mr. Scott-Heron has given us a new album, entitled I'm New Here. The funny thing is, in some ways he is new here. He surely isn't new to music, but he is new to the "now." I mean, music videos were created after his most famous singles were released. Whether he's truly "new here" or not, the video for his new single Me And The Devil is one of the most powerful combinations of auditory and visionary I've seen in a long, long time.
Kurt Vonnegut once wrote that "the only proof he needed for the existence of God was music." Gil and the Devil might be "walking side by side," but the walk seems to be helping to prove Vonnegut's point.
To those of you who know me, this has been a long time coming. To those of you who don't know me, hopefully we'll change that. Here's the premise of You Should Know 2: I am an insanely curious person. I want to know about many things. I am intrigued quickly, and bored even faster. I don't like wasting time, but when I find something interesting I'm gonna tell everyone I know. So, this blog is my filter of everything that I come across that I find worthy of distributing. In other words, a collection and dissemination of what I think You Should Know 2.
