26. Vibrations
There was a moment somewhere between the 1980s and 1990s when black music turned gangsta. Was this music the explosion of black culture, or the implosion of black power?
There was a moment, somewhere between the 1980s and 1990s, when Black music turned gangsta. This moment shaped two of the worldβs most influential genres: American Rap and Jamaican Dancehall. The story behind the music is one of oppressed Africans unlocking the ancient powers of their ancestors to break free. The dark side of this story is that many of those Africans, descended from slaves, embraced the pattern of violence that had cursed them for so long and slowly turned against each other. Was gangsta music the explosion of Black culture, or the implosion of Black power? In the end, the market decides.
Warning: This episode contains very strong language and language which may offend, as well as adult themes.
Credits:
Written by George the Poet
Produced by Benbrick and George the Poet
Mixing, recording and editing by Benbrick.
With music from:
Bob Marley - Get Up Stand Up
The Sugarhill Gang - Rapperβs Delight
Billy Boyo - One Spliff A Day
Ninja Man - Murder Dem
Eric B. & Rakim - Paid in Full
Super Cat - Boops
Ice-T - New Jack Hustler (Ninoβs Theme)
Mad Cobra - Bad Boy
Bounty Killer - Copper Shot
The Notorious B.I.G - Juicy
Craig Mack - Flava In Ya Ear Remix
Bounty Killer - Disrespect
The Notorious B.I.G - Hold Ya Head (feat. Bob Marley)
All original music is written by Benbrick and recorded by the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Concert Orchestra.
Thank you to:
Benbrick, my Groomsmen and my nephews. My team: Sandra, Vidhu and Birungi. Dylan Haskins and the team at ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Sounds, Alex Entwistle, Adam Eland. ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Concert Orchestra.
Archive:
The first four clips document scenes of street violence and are taken from various YouTube channels. The channel names are Toyin Made (used at 01:14), axolotol (used at 01:18), Eyez-wide-Videos (used at 01:41), and The Scuttlebutt Report (used at 02:01).
The clip of Sam Cooke used at 03:27 is taken from his interview with Dick Clark on American Bandstand.
The clip about Rastafari used at 03:51 is taken from the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ documentary βRoots, Reggae, Rebellionβ.
The clip about Black people expressing their true selves used at 04:21 is taken from the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ documentary βSoul Deep: The Story of Black Popular Musicβ
The two clips used at 05:06 and 05:22 are taken from the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ documentary Jamaica 40: Blood and Fire.
The clips used at 07:55, 08:03 and 08:08 are taken from the ABC News 20/20 Hip Hop special report from 1981.
The clips used at 19:40, 20:36 and 21:01 about Bounty Killer are taken from the 1994 classic feature with Jamaica TVJ ER host Anthony Miller.
The clips used at 19:51, 20:21 and 20:58 is taken from the Yendi Phillipps Untold Journeys interview with Bounty Killer.
The clip used at 20:46 is taken from the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ documentary βReggae: The Story of Jamaican Musicβ
Have You Heard Georgeβs Podcast? is a George the Poet production for ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Sounds.
Commissioning Assistant Producer: Adam Eland
Commissioning Senior Producer: Alex Entwistle
Commissioning Executive for ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ: Dylan Haskins
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