New EP Release - FALL FORWARD, Plus New Album Announcement

Here it is folks, I've been dropping hints at this for a few weeks and it's finally arrived. My ode to Autumn in the Midwest and to change everywhere. Check out the write up and link below, and above anything, PLEASE LISTEN. It's free, but that doesn't mean it's not worth a whole hell of a lot more than what I'm offering it for. I just want you to have it. I want you to hear it. You can pay for the next album :)
Which leads me to a very important point: THIS EP IS A PRECURSOR TO NEXT YEAR'S FULL LENGTH, 'JAWS OF LIFE'. Serebellum One produced both the upcoming album and the EP. This brisk collection of songs is an example of what we can do together. 'JAWS OF LIFE' is in post production, and it already sounds INCREDIBLE. More to come on that. For now, enjoy this free download with alternate album artwork.

Fresh off producing Heidi Barton Stink’s “A Charming Gut,” penning a knockout guest-verse on Guante & Big Cats’ “You Better Weaponize,” performing in numerous Hip Hop Against Homophobia shows around MN and collaborating with Dameun Strange as the Halloween-flavored geek-pop duo Strange Perspective, Twin Cities MC and producer SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE is set to release two new solo projects, starting with the EP “Fall Forward.”

A collaboration with producer Serebellum One (who has worked with Slug of Atmosphere, I Self Devine, Eyedea, Gene Poole, Unicus of Kanser and other Twin Cities hip hop luminaries), “Fall Forward” is an EP about Autumn: a time of transition, a time for accepting and consciously creating internal, social and political change. A head-nodding tribute to the season, the songs are as much spiritual as they are political, with the smart-ass edge and boundless humanism that has made SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE one of the most underrated artists in a community full of them. “Fall Forward” represents the organic progress of an artist always striving to push boundaries while still paying tribute to the culture’s roots, a smart, community-minded voice refusing to follow trends or stand idly by while wackness and mediocrity flourish.

 

New Music - I Put A Spell On You

WARNING: This track does have magical powers. Without the right protection, you may be subject to it's influence. Any averse affects caused by the release of this sound into the atmosphere are the sole responsibility of the listener. SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE and the BOOMBOX EMPORIUM will not be held responsible for any, hauntings, possessions, time travel or inexhaustible willingness to download and share tracks or any other supernatural phenomena.



I've always loved this song. Whether it was Screamin' Jay Hawkins howlin' with a skull in one hand and a cigarette in the other, Nina Simone or Creedence Clear Water Revival, I...LOVE...THIS...PIECE.

Edit: Here's a video of Dameun Strange and I performing this for our Halloween Extravaganza a couple Halloweens ago for our Strange Perspective project, The Lost Souls Boys Choir. It was a lot of fun and I really wanted to get a solid recording of this. Especially since I hadn't achieved what I hoped for the last time around. If nothing else, this is a step in the right direction. I may spend my life trying to get it right, but I'll have a hell of a time doing it. No pun intended. The musicians featured with Dameun and I in this video are Kahlil Brewington, Bryan Berry and Christopher Cox.



In other news, I have some big announcements coming up, so stay tuned. I should be posting about two or three big projects in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks for reading and listening,

SEE

The Defintive Telling of John Henry's Tale (Recording)

I came up with this for a show my friend and collaborator Dameun Strange put together for the Fringe Festival last year. He asked me if I'd be interested in beat-boxing for a new piece of music he was writing inspired by Langston Hughes. I was honored. And then he asked me to read some of Langston's words...and I was amped. And then I found out he was also creating work inspired by the story of John Henry and the week before the show he asked if I was interested in writing something for that as well. Well, of course I was! So here it is. The Definitive telling...

I dug into the history and varied tellings of this old folk tale and I started seeing all of these connections with this things historically. I found the mountain where John supposedly dug his tunnel and what is said to be his hometown. I found the time he would've have lived in and started drawing parallels. With Harriet Tubman being a very spiritual person and being led to do what what she did in life by what she experienced in her dreams, I thought that this would be the place where John Henry was born. John Henry is a spiritual force, driving the lives of the righteous, those standing up for other people; for what is right. I imagined him as this spiritual and activist leader in this time, taking part in all these historical events. 

This is the way I want people to hear about John Henry. When they tell his story, I want them to recite this. 

Thanks for reading and listening.

New Music - New Vision

In the latest episode of the Boom Box Emporium, we offer another joint from an old Chicago group of mine. My man Insight and I as ESP...after all, that's what you get when you combine insight with seeing more perspective: extra sensory perception.

Back in the day, Insight and I were part of a crew called FREE SCHOOL. We put on shows called the Super Heroes of Sound and we wrote songs like crazy in a studio we considered a sort of "Danger Room" a la X MEN mythology... We did a lot of shows together and at one of those shows in a dark and dank Chicago basement bar, a man emerged from teh shadows with a gift: Beats. That man was Sonus and this is the only song we were able to put down before he disappeared, at least from our awareness. We never heard from him again.

I found this in the archives and was kind of blown away...This beat is just so unique and gorgeous. Lush and crisp and layered and changing and irresistible. I liked my flow, but after listening to it a couple times, I knew this piece deserved an update. So I tweaked the first verse ever so slightly, re-recorded it and wrote a whole new third verse. The hook is exactly the way it was, as is Insight's verse.

Enjoy.

Thanks for listening.

Please stop saying F***tard.

Pretty Please. How did this word get so popular? It sounds so dumb and it makes you look so bad. Seriously, I'm embarrassed for you when you use it. Is it just online or does that word actually come out of your mouth in conversation? *shudders*  

With A Cherry On Top. It's literally impossible for you to use that word and come off as cool, thoughtful or intelligent...It's kind of like you're classifying yourself into whatever group you're trying to classify someone else in, at the same time. Two for one. There's lots of other good reasons not to say it, but number one: it just sounds so. dumb. 

And as long as we're on the topic, here's some other good reasons not to use it:

It's an even more violent version of "retard", which is hurtful enough as it is, thank you very much.

As the son of a woman with Muscular Dystrophy, I learned how the r-word is used in violent, hurtful ways, even though it never even made any sense to me whatsoever...and it will never be funny to me.

Why do people feel like it is their god given right to use words they KNOW (or willfully refuse to understand) HURT and DEGRADE another human being?  Why would you choose to ignore people when they tell you it makes them feel like shit? Because that's not how you meant it? So the impact of that word in society is null and void because of the way you choose others to interpret how you use it? I'm sorry, but just because that's not how you "grew up using the word", doesn't take away all the times that word was used with hate and belittlement. And how is it that you grew up using that word? AS A WAY TO PUT DOWN, DEMEAN or DISREGARD SOMETHING.

...I'm sorry, but it's really not about you. Yet everyone is just supposed to "understand" what you mean; that it's not supposed to be "taken that way" How about trying to understand the hurt and frustration that word causes on a daily basis? To try to understand the people who are being PUT DOWN and DISREGARDED by the use of that word everyday? Where's the understanding for them? Why should anyone have to work so hard to find fun and humor in words that have been used against them every day of their lives? And how many times do you think that word comes along with the many forms of bullying? With a push or a shove or even a bit of spit? Sounds terrible right? Believe me it gets far worse than that...


Why should someone be forced to live in a world where they are constantly being put down? Because "We don't mean it that way"? These hurtful terms (Retard, Gay, Bitch, Pussy) are being hurled out, either violently or casually (with the same emotional impact) everywhere, every minute of every day. At the time I wrote this, there had been over 1200 uses of the r-word since 12am on twitter alone. It's just after one and Twitter had been down worldwide for at least a couple of hours. What about Face Book? And texts? At the water cooler? Are you kidding me?!! Would you consider it ok to casually make fun of your friend by calling them a spic, chink or nigger? If so, we've got way bigger problems to address (and believe me we definitely do). You may not see those words in the same light, but the have THE EXACT SAME EMOTIONAL IMPACT on people who've experienced those words in hateful, belittling ways.


"In closing" (and from a conversation on the topic I just finished on Face Book), I'm simply asking that you not use language that puts down or demeans anyone. What I'm doing is civilly engaging in dialog about what is offensive to me and millions of other people. You are not a victim here, just someone who didn't understand the effect of their words on the people and world around them. There's billions of you, so it's easier not to see. The majority of people can't see the effects of hate language because they don't have to. Someone with disabilities doesn't have that luxury; they're reminded of that every day.

Thank you for reading and thinking,

SEE 

PS (edit) - although this may seem condescending at parts or the whole thing or whatever, this is truly how I feel and it comes from a place of LOVE and RESPECT. A Love and Respect that we all deserve. That's the whole point. Peace

New Song/Album Preview and the New Series of Boombox Emporium

 

 The new series of the Boombox Emporium is on and poppin'! It's the third installment of free music that comes once every month or two. I'm shooting for a song every month from here on out. It's been held up in the past with transitions from the old label and such (also tons of work within and without music; teaching, traveling, etc), so I'm looking forward to dropping new (and some old) tunes on you more consistently. Check out the the first two volumes HERE. All that music is free (for now) and it's REALLY EXCELLENT WORK. It illuminates some of the depth and variety of my work and I'm truly proud of every last song.

And here's the latest song, not only to be released, but to be CREATED by yours truly. I literally recorded this two nights ago and wrote it on the plane ride to Vermont a week ago. I put the finishing touches on it last night and here it is. It's the first leak from the new solo album I'm working on with super producer Serebellum One, who's worked with Twin Cities' Hip Hop luminaries Slug of Atmosphere, I Self Devine of Dynospectrum (as well as Rhymesayers Entertainment), Gene Poole (also of Dynospectrum and RSE fame), Unicus of Kanser and so many more.

The song has a bouncy, playful, golden era vibe to it and the lyrics are funny and sweet, rhythmically dense and expertly crafted. It's a nice appetizer for the full length which is just 3 songs short of completion. I don't want to get too much into it just yet, but this album is going to be something special, something sharp and something very different (nearly every song will boast a different vocal style, or two or three). For now, enjoy this new jam in the sun, at the office, or in the AC and devise how you can find someone who satisfies you to the core and vice versa. It's for my amazing partner on our two year anniversary. Please feel free to share it far and wide. Enjoy.

Heidi Barton Stink/A Charming Gut in the City Pages

Lily Troia wrote up a great interview for The City Page's Gimme Noise blog with my girl Heidi Barton Stink about her work as an artist/activist and the new album I just produced for her (and am soooo proud of). It's thoughtful and honest and I get a nice shout out. It's good to be in the City Pages, check it out HERE.

Heidi's album, "A Charming Gut", is the closest thing to a new album from me in a while. I did all the music and rap on it a few times . I'm genuinely honored to be a part of this project. It's great. Make sure to hit up iTunes, Amazon, other music sites, or Heidi's bandcamp page to listen to/download/share the album.

If you're feeling any of the material, please feel free to like it on Facebook, tweet it on Twitter and talk to your friends about it. All of your support is sooo very much appreciated!

Thanks and Love,

SEE