“Fuck Robert Glasper,” laughs Tavares, half-seriously. “He’s doing well in jazz, but he’s into this ‘real hip-hop, fuck Lil Wayne’ type thing. He’s stuck in 1990. The key to making good music is having an open mind.”
Covering Smells Like Teen Spirit with vocoder’d vocals doesn’t do jazz any favours, adds Sowinski as we discuss Glasper’s already acclaimed February release, Black Radio. “I’m pretty sure if Kurt Cobain were alive, he’d be like, ‘This is fucking horrible.’”
Hansen puts it best: “It just doesn’t have any balls.”
11. "Agreed...Ive seen him a couple times" In response to Reply # 9 Sat Mar-24-12 11:37 AM by Ascension
and dude is incredible...If folks saw him on youtube and made judgement, thats whatever. But until you actually hear him in a live setting watching his improvisational skills you will be amazed.
When you catch him with Derrick on bass or Chris/Mark on drums etc...its no question about skills. Every show is different..totally a surprise, you really never know which direction he'll take it but you can count on it being quality.
The band dissing Glasper is good dont get me wrong..but they dont have that feel that Glasper's band has. The drummer doesnt have that loose funky innovative style that Chris and Mark bring. The bass player they have seems like a beginner compared to Derrick Hodge and do i even need to elaborate about the keys comparison?
In the end i sorta blame it on "Black Radio" being super conservative and extremely crossover, because anybody who has been a fan of Robert Glasper Experiement before this album knew the band was really pushing the boundary and being extremely left field with the music they were making and then chose to sorta dumb it down on their debut.
15. "I was definitely hoping the RGE album would be more EXPERIMENTAL" In response to Reply # 11
Especially considering how experimental they are live. I sort of chalk it up to the notion "a safe album draws them in." Conversely, ain't it crazy how a jazz album with Mos Def, Meshell Ndegeocello, and a cover of rock song is called safe and crossover? It's a shame BBNG started chirping, their music is good. Their "Mass Appeal" cover is dope. Pretty coincidental that they're Gang Starr cover doesn't have vocals either. Hmm...
"Your current frequencies of understanding outweigh that which has been given for you to understand." Saul Williams
13. "Have another trick pony?" In response to Reply # 9
The fact that he can riff off popular music, his original jazz compositions and standards make him far more superior then BBNG. His live concert was full of surprises. I have had ample opportunities to see them around town but for some reason I have thought I would grow bored at a concert. I do agree, until I hear BBNG do original compositions then I will only see them as a gimmick. That pony may very well have one trick.
------------------- village.fm/okayplayer | @delajoo "Whether you're a rock star or a garbage man, if you think about yourself all the time, you won't be very good at what you do." - Frusciante
10. "When did Glasper ever take a stance against Lil' Wayne?" In response to Reply # 0 Sat Mar-24-12 11:31 AM by rhymesandammo
The rappers that actually do appear on Glasper's albums have also done full live shows with him at Blue Note and stuff. I'm sure if Wayne expressed interest, Glasper wouldn't turn down an opportunity to have The Experiment rock with him.
Glasper's got more talent in his pinky than these three foolios combined. They can keep talking, though...this is the most people will be hearing about BBNG, maybe ever.
Sidebar: a group of 20-something whiteboys into Waka Flocka Flame, Odd Future, Lil' Wayne and backpack-bashing are just as detrimental to the development of the artform as someone who pulls out their real hip-hop oldhead card every chance they get.
Esteemed author of the celebrated, double-platinum post: "Drake - Wu-Tang Forever".
>Sidebar: a group of 20-something whiteboys into Waka Flocka >Flame, Odd Future, Lil' Wayne and backpack-bashing are just as >detrimental to the development of the artform as someone who >pulls out their real hip-hop oldhead card every chance they >get.
extremism on either side is rubbish.
and one day, Waka, OF, Wayne will be "old". and some new dudes that make them look like they came from the Ice Age will be out, confounding 'em.
20. "so much better live." In response to Reply # 19
and when you understand how incredibly talented casey benjamin is and how he's featured with the experiment, and how much the vocoder is a reference to herbie hancock and the ilke, it's brilliant live.
>but people should be able to appreciate it without context >(without knowing all of those music facts)
I think it stands on its own merit, but as a known champion of said artist, said device, and said artist's use of the device... I cracked a big grin when I heard it. I realize that I might be standing alone on an island with that... I'm used to it, lol.
best of all, it opened my ears to some new shit in the process.
I think that their BBNG's take on Glasper (or rather throwing his name out) was damn near Stanley Crouch-ish, which is ironic as shit.
27. "they're just kids that don't know how to give an interview" In response to Reply # 0
thats a conversation that shouldn't have left the living room or lunch table.
i don't think their wrong for their opinion, i've heard plenty of other musicians & producers say the same or similar it was just naive of them to say it in front of a journalist.
>thats a conversation that shouldn't have left the living room >or lunch table. > >i don't think their wrong for their opinion, >i've heard plenty of other musicians & producers say the same >or similar >it was just naive of them to say it in front of a journalist. > > I like those kids, but that was a stupid thing to say...lol
33. "dont really care about the messenger-Teen Spirit covers in 2012 are lame" In response to Reply # 0
that's been run into the ground so many times at this point there's no longer anything remotely interesting about doing it & they've all pretty much sucked starting with Tori Amos in '92 & continuing up through now with Glasper/Miley Cyrus or whovever's next.
And for OKP-ers, yes this includes J*DaVeY's version too.
They accuse Glasper of being close-minded on "that 'real' hip hop" mentality and then proceed to cover a song that the hip hop elitist's handbook is practically written around.
They said 'Fuck Glasper' in a way that, pathetically, echoes Tyler's self-perceived sense of humor stolen from the image of punk rock via Johhny Rotten.
The dude is a 20 year old geek. Trying to make the point that hip hop purists don't know how to have fun anymore. Imo, a fair enough suggestion. I'd suggest they're trying to distance themselves from this purist 'backpacker' scene and trying too hard in the meantime.
But I'm not gonna dismiss the music cause of some off-handed comments they make in an attempt to find the hip in their nerdy lives. I respect their music.
42. "their music is dope" In response to Reply # 40
I do think that their dangerously close to being up their own ass since they have this little buzz going. I think they also wanna bring the whole "beef" mentality that rappers are known for, and ironically bring it into the sphere of jazz.
------------------- village.fm/okayplayer | @delajoo "Whether you're a rock star or a garbage man, if you think about yourself all the time, you won't be very good at what you do." - Frusciante
61. "RE: Except for the F.R.G part, they're right..." In response to Reply # 56
>That cover is wack and out of touch. > >Low point on the album. > >But go see Glasper live and it won't matter. Nothing will >matter because you will be transported to a better place. Know >this.
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