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As part of Light In The Attic's year in review, Stone's Throw CEO Peanut Butter Wolf compiled a list of his top 10 favorite underrated LA DJs. I fucks with pretty much every cat on this list. So believe me when I say it's an honor to be mentioned amongst them...

http://www.lightintheattic.net/?p=608

Peanut Butter Wolf, Stones Throw

Top 10 DJs in LA you may not know if you don't live here. These guys keep the party moving without resorting to the obvious hits. In no particular order.

1) Kutmah - One of those guys that always has me running up to the turntables asking "what was that?". Possibly too known outside of LA for this list, but oh well.
2) Coleman - When he's not taking photos for the Madvillain album cover, he's rocking various weeklies and house parties around the city and reads the crowd perfectly. He stole the show at my friend's going away party.
3,4,5) Randy Watson/Laroj/Billy Goods - They all hold down Funkmosphere along with Dam-Funk. No hits.
6) Max - He's got good taste for the soulful stuff from every era. He should spin out more.
7) Jun - He's been doin it for years and doin it well. Almost doesn't count for this list also cuz he's too known.
8) Mona Lisa - Been in the music industry for years, but just started spinning out. Hearing her, you'd never know it though.
9) DJ Jedi - not only is he a good DJ, but he brings the energy when he's not spinning as well. I'm gonna have to start hiring him to stand in the crowd during my gigs to cheer so everyone else does.
10)J Logic - might be too known to be on the list as well, but he won with his 80s rock set at Do-Over a couple of weeks ago.

There's plenty of others so if I left you off, I either haven't heard you spin lately or you're too known. Sorry.

*Goal for '09: Get too known to make PBW's list. LOL*

The following is a very well written and highly informative article on the DPs and the many references in their music to the Black Arts Movement, courtesy of my man Mike (The Poet) Sonksen. Enjoy. THANKS, MIKE!!!!

DIGABLE PLANETS & THE BLACK ARTS MOVEMENT

Digable Planets are the hip-hop incarnate of the Black Arts Movement. Called upon after the assassination of Malcolm X by Amiri Baraka in 1965, the Black Arts Movement was the artistic branch of the Black Power Movement. It remains a groundbreaking movement known for its union of art and politics. It was a multimedia movement based in music, poetry, dance & theater celebrating Self-determination, Respect, Blackness.. Birthed in Harlem, it took off in Los Angeles after the 1965 Watts Riots as well as the Bay Area, birthplace of the Black Panthers. Poets like Amiri Baraka, Larry Neal, Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez, Don L. Lee aka Haki Madhubuti & Jayne Cortez were important voices that came to rise. These writers were the vanguard of "New Black Poetry."
The closing lines of Amiri Baraka's manifesto poem BLACK ART capture the spirit of the movement..

Let Black people understand
that they are the lovers and the sons
of warriors and sons
of warriors Are poems & poets &
all the loveliness here in the world
We want a black poem. And a
Black World.
Let the world be a Black Poem
And Let All Black People Speak This Poem
Silently
or LOUD..

Baraka kicked it off. He changed his name from Leroi Jones after Malcolm X was shot. He helped start the Black Arts Repertory Theater in Harlem with Larry Neal in 1965. Soon, The Black Arts ethos spread like wild fire literally & figuratively. Riots in Watts & Detroit gave folks lots to talk about. Poetry workshops, dance & Black Theater Productions happened coast to coast in the late 60s in response to the times. The Black Arts Movement ethos spread even further through the recordings of groups like The Last Poets, Watts Prophets & Gil Scott Heron.

New Black Poetry paved the way for hip-hop. Free jazz was the soundtrack, post bop Space is the Place, Sun Ra, Archie Shepp, Ornette Coleman. Besides Gotham, Watts & Oakland, the movement grew strong in the Chicago-Detroit nexus with independent publishing companies like Broadside Press & Third World Press. Other cities like Atlanta, Cleveland, St. Louis & New Orleans were also fertile soil for the movement. History books say the Black Arts Movement lasted from 1965 to 1975, but anybody with their eyes open can see it continues to this day in hip-hop, spoken word, dance & emerging theater. The Black Arts Movement set the table for hip-hop.

This is where the Digable Planets come in. The Digable Planets know a thing or two about "new Black poetry." Hip-hop is poetry. Rhyming & oral storytelling. Oral story telling is the oldest form of communication. Digable Planets paid homage to Black Arts & jazz pioneers while carrying the torch further with their two albums, REACHIN' (A NEW REFUTATION OF TIME & SPACE) & BLOWOUT COMB. The Planets did their thing over a very brief period. About 5 years. 2 monster albums. The first record came out in 1993 & the second came out in 1994. They won a Grammy, the first album went Gold & they toured the world. BY 1996, they each faced some family ish & changes put the project on ice for awhile.



Fortunately, The words live on. Digable Planets lyrics are stacked. Straight packed with dozens of references to the Black Arts Movement. They also pay homage to Marxism, existentialism, Blaxploitation films, revolutionary writers & freedom fighters. Their lyrical phrasing also bears mention. They mix esoteric references with clever storytelling. Their two albums are so loaded with references that only now a decade later do I know almost all of the names they cite.

When their debut album REACHIN' (A NEW REFUTATION OF TIME & SPACE) dropped in January 1993, I was a freshmen @ UCLA. These were the days when we drove all over the city listening to Digable Planets, Pharcyde, Brand Nubian, Tribe, De LA. I listened to hip-hop religiously & had just begun researching music & politics. Digable Planets covered both better than most. The frequent names mentioned in their songs inspired me considering I was just starting to enjoy writing poems & critical essays. I knew a few of the names like Miles Davis, Coltrane, Jimi Hendrix, Sly Stone, Nikki Giovanni, Maya Angelou, Ice Cube, KRS ONE, Doug E. Fresh, Sarte, Camus, Marx, Che Guevarra & Marvin Gaye. I knew those names. Those names though are just the tip of the Digable Planets iceberg.

It took many years of reading books, listening to records, watching films to learn about some of their other references like Sun Ra, Cleopatra Jones, Black Caesar, Superfly, Shaft, George Jackson, Kwame Nkumrah, Bell Hooks, Chairman Mao, Erich Fromm, Teddy Charles, Geronimo Pratt, Mark Essex & Mumia Abu Jamal. Google a few of those if you dare. Along with KRS One, Public Enemy, Poor Righteous Teachers, a few others, the Planets were pioneering Hip-hop intellectuals educating their audience in several ways. The records sampled by them might be the most enlightening of all. A perfect example is 'Spaces & Places' by Donald Byrd. What an incredible record. Digable told me about it first.

(The song is by some groovy cats.
If you can dig
the cats, you can dig the song.

The list of Digable Planets samples & musical sources could be its own hall of fame.. Peep game: Roy Ayers, Donald Byrd, Charlie Parker, Herbie Hancock, the Last Poets, Watts Prophets, Edwin Starr, Ohio Players, Bobbi Humphrey, Eric Dolphy, Curtis Mayfield, Thelonius Monk, Charles Mingus, Lonnie Liston-Smith, Pharaoh Sanders, Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers, Herbie Mann, Shuggie Otis, Isaac Hayes, KC & the Sunshine Band, Bob James, Tavares & Eddie Harris.
Heavyweights!!
Each of these giants made a lot of great music. If you don't know these artists above, look 'em up! These giants created the soundtrack of the Black Arts Movement. Check the poetry in Records by heavy brothers like Lonnie Liston-Smith.



One man that knows these records is DJ JedI. Jedi became the Digable Planets DJ in 2005 for their reunion tour. JedI got the gig cuz he knows records. I first saw JedI in 2001 mixing @ events with the great poet Ratpack Slim. JedI would hear a line out of somebody's poem & put a record ..words with the line in it. Always on time. Jedi knew his rare funk, soul, jazz grooves better than just about anyone. He was the perfect dude to DJ for Digable Planets. Jedi had been preparing for an opportunity like this for a long time. Not only was he a fan from day one, he loved records like Bush does oil. They hired him quickly. JedI's knowledge, charisma & scratching ability mixed perfectly with the Planets when they went on tour. Within a few weeks of knowing JedI they were already family. They are touring with JedI again in Fall 2008.



Along the way, JedI made a mix cd called BLOWOUT BREAKS. The mix is all of the source music for the Planet's two albums. Soul, jazz, rock, funk. Over 70 minutes of rare breaks laced up real tough. The mix is epic. 32 songs including Roy Ayers, the Last Poets, Edwin Starr, Ohio Players, Bobbi Humphrey, Curtis Mayfield, Lonnie Liston-Smith, Pharaoh Sanders, Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers, Herbie Mann, Bob James, Tavares, cut after cut, JedI cut it up in a fierce crescendo. Source material, blended beautifully to let fans know where the Planets gold came from.



"Check out the funk brown bass my man, This be the medium used by Dig Plans"

There were a few other groups in the early 90s sampling many of these records like A Tribe Called Quest, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Gangstarr, Diamond D., Main Source & others. They made a lot of great records. No question, A golden age of hip-hop. Those groups are all brilliant. None of them though were as focused on the ethos of the Black Arts movement as Digable Planets. The phrasing of the Planets lyrics adhered to a tight theme of empowerment, self-determination & Blackness. The countless References to Black Arts poets, musicians & visionaries roots the Digable Planets music as a continuation of a long line of voices. Voices like Malcolm, Martin, Marvin, Jimi, Maya & Nikki.

Nikki Giovanni and Maya, flam
with poems so i tried it for the units, cause damn..

Digable embedded endless references to the Black Arts Movement deep within their lyrics. Some may have missed the depths of their references cuz Digable Planets are very subtle. A few just thought the Planets were cool & Jazzy. Current artists like Dead Prez or Immortal Technique are more obvious with their references, but if you really listen & check the lyrics, the Digable Planets packed their lyrics with more references to artists, authors, musicians, filmmakers, revolutionaries, than just about any other hip-hop collective yet. Talib Kweli, Dead Prez & Immortal Technique carry the torch now. All equally brilliant delivering their individual expression of a similar message. Pan Africanism. Class consciousness. Equality, Love. Digable Planets are hip-hop pioneers that elevated the art form..

Imported on the ships, with irons around the fist
gradual to afros, black cats, and fist picks
still creating boogies, and the styles they want
Now they try to move us, for the styles we flaunt..

DJ Jeremy Sole told me KRS One schooled him with epic songs like, "YOU MUST LEARN." Bradley Nowell of Sublime said the same thing in a song about KRS One. No wonder KRS called one of his albums, "Edutainment." KRS One & The Planets along with groups like Beastie Boys & Sublime are postmodern musicians educating their listeners with the records they sample & lyrics packed with esoteric references.

Musical footnotes if you will. Both the Beasties & Sublime give props to pioneers like Lee "Scratch" Perry, Bad Brains & numerous Punk pioneers. The PLanets do the same as far as showing respect to their sources. Everyone has influences, role models & heroes. This is why the Planets celebrate the greats they sample. The liner notes to Blowout Comb are thorough with book recommendations, song lists and well written dedications to original pioneers & freedom fighters.

Digable Planets reunited in 2005. They released a Greatest Hits Compilation Album that included a few unreleased B-sides. They have toured several times with Dj JedI over the last 3 years. Rumors swirl around about a future album. For this writer it doesn't matter, their legacy is secure. The bottom line is the Digable Planets made 2 highly original records that stand tall in the canon of influential hip-hop albums. Like their heroes of the Black Arts Movement, Digable Planets pushed a knowledge packed program uniting art and politics. By paying homage to the masters, they keep the tradition going. In their own words from "Jimi Diggin Cats,"..

Yeah, I can really dig how these cats get down with the
sound as it is today. The way they're bringing it all
together, they're cool. Brothas are doin it right. And
they're paying good respect to the masters, I can
dig it. It's exactly the way it should be.

Digable Planets stand as an important voice of the 1990s. Their two albums harkened back to Jazz & the Black Arts Movement while simultaneously breaking ground with their own new sound. Sankofa backwards to go forward. Carrying on the legacy of the past but flipping it forward. Avant-garde hip-hop like Bird Parker bebop. Dig Plans not only made cutting edge music, they paid respect to the masters & introduced a new generation to the Black Arts Movement. If you dig the song, you dig the cats. Dig Plans are cool like that.

Big ups to Lee Stranahan for putting these out over the course of the last month.

History was made tonight.

I feel like I'm just now waking up from an eight-year-long nightmare.

Number 2: Stop The Crazy.



Number 1: My Kids.

For the final 30 days leading up to Election Day, Lee Stranahan is doing a new video every day listing his reasons why he's voting for Senator Obama. I'll be reposting them here as often as time, energy, memory, and internet accessibility will permit.

For the record: I already voted. Me and the GF made the pilgrimage to the Registrar's office in Norwalk (evidently, the only place in the ENTIRE County of Los Angeles where you can vote early) and cast our ballots on Wednesday. We waited in line for two hours in beaming 80 degree heat. Interestingly enough, everybody seemed to be in good spirits.



It was beautiful. I don't think I've ever been prouder to cast a vote. Win or lose, we're experiencing history right now.

^^ That was actually pretty disingenuous of me just now. I'm gonna be heartboroken if Obama doesn't bring it home. But this IS a historic moment, regardless.

Another random thought. We REALLY need to do something about our electoral process. Nobody should have to wait in line for 2 hours (or more in many cases) just to cast their vote.

Anyways: Enjoy these three clips. Number 4 in particular struck a chord with me.

ONLY ABOUT 48 HOURS TO GO!!!!!!!! =D

VOTE!!!!



Number 5: Fishing.



Number 4: He's Asking More.



Number 3: After Obama.

For the final 30 days leading up to Election Day, Lee Stranahan is doing a new video every day listing his reasons why he's voting for Senator Obama. I'll be reposting them here as often as time, energy, memory, and internet accessibility will permit.

WE'RE IN THE HOME STRETCH!!!!!! =D

Number 10: Grace Under Pressure.



Number 9: Medical Marijuana.



Number 8: Kids.



Number 7: Restraint.



Number 6: Week To Week.

For the final 30 days leading up to Election Day, Lee Stranahan is doing a new video every day listing his reasons why he's voting for Senator Obama. I'll be reposting them here as often as time, energy, memory, and internet accessibility will permit.


Number 12: Priorities.



Number 11: Peace & Quiet.



Re: Number 11. I don't know the severity of his grandmother's condition, but I'm hoping that she'll be able to hold on long enough to see Barack make history on Election Day. In any event, my prayers go out to that entire family.

For the final 30 days leading up to Election Day, Lee Stranahan is doing a new video every day listing his reasons why he's voting for Senator Obama. I'll be reposting them here as often as time, energy, memory, and internet accessibility will permit.

About a week's worth.

Number 18: Lobbyists = Corruption.



Number 17: Unbreak My Government.





Number 16: His Background



Number 15: Hope.



Number 14: This Dude.



Number 13: The World.



For the record: Contrary to Lee's opinion, I'm actually VERY mad at that dude in Number 14 and the racist fucks like him sprinkled across the country. But he's right though: He CAN'T win.

Also: He's DEAD ON in Number 13 about how the world percieves us. In my travels and interactions with people from outside the U.S., I've encountered the exact same scenario more times than I can count.