ok. yesterday morning i called q-tip to apologize for relaying the message of some of you ok heads about your feelings on his joint "vibrant". i hadn't even heard it before i left a message. i heard it on saturday. i love that shit. then i felt guilty. then i was like.....i love this shit. it's not "jiggy". not at all. songs and performances should be judged on content only. not a style.<BR> before the whole "disco sucks" backlash of the 70's there was a period where quality disco was as respectable as anything the beatles or hendrix did. (see THE SOUND OF PHILADELPHIA, and barry white). so okay. you hear a joint on the radio and everyone jumps on the jock. you then my players have to decide for yourself whether or not you felt as though that particular song was a blatent cash in on the culture. <BR> "vibrant" isn't one of those songs. if it is than please enlighten me. the loop is classic barry white. and tip's just being himself. mind you hearing a jam in a club can always alter your view. the speakers where tight. low end was heavy. and the dj was good. my date was bangin' and this song comes on.....and the shit was.........tight.<BR> which leads me to my point. as a musician how far will y'all let me go? i mean yeah i make these records for your enjoyment, but i admit i got heads at heart when i create. not like "oh they'll love it" more like "let's try and chalk one up for the "good guys"" because the hip-hop i enjoy (loot pack, slum village, black star, gang starr, outkast, etc.) needs a stellar starting team to go to war against "them" (the bad/whack guys). so i look as each creation as a fired cannon in a war in which i'm proudly serving my side.<BR> but metaphores aside. sometimes i get the craving to do afrobeat records (see: fela) or i wanna put a kick ass rock joint on our shit. sheeeeit for those lucky enough to attened the second show/second night bowery show. what we did to you got me was a miricle. that classic house shit with lots of percussion. yesterday i drumed on a remix of the 80's classic "baby i'm scared of you" man that shit felt liberating! that's what i want to do. but then you get certain people that impose their way of life on you (do i do that? hope not...) and cry "foul!". i mean we got blasted just because "clones" (one of the "realest" hip-hop songs) ain't sound nann like "mellow my man". and i catch some of these people, they be like "who was that?!?!?!" and i'm like that was us....then it's scowl city. so here i am at the crossroads seeing one of my breathern grow up and grow on (he'll be 30 soon). sure nothing will beat that first time you heard "electric relaxation" (...and by the way...it's "relax yourself girl....please settle down") but that was another space and time. when you have high expectations of course you'll get let down. i'm gonna stop now because i'm packing and i wanna see how big my headline was. <P><P><P><BR>"god made me funky"