New Spoken Word Album title, artwork, tracklisting and some backstory

Edit: album release is shaping up to be this summer/early fall. Stay tuned. Homies,

You may have seen some cryptic and some not so cryptic messages regarding some good news, a new spoken word album and something about a grant. If you tirelessly follow my posts you may have pieced together that I received a VERVE grant from Intermedia Arts to create a new album of spoken word that I'm toting with me to Europe on...THURSDAY. haha.

You may also have read or listened to some poems that I've posted. Posts like this  and this. You can also read a little more about the grant  here.

Even after all of that, you may not know that I've put music to all of the poems. Music by yours truly. All kinds of percussion and home made sounds and effects and a couple of more (or less) traditional hip hop beats.

Around the beginning of October, I learned that I was awarded the grant. Since then, I have worked so hard to research subjects of my poems, imagine an arc for all the pieces record the vocals, post some of the work here and there and then finally, decided that I should probably put music behind ALL of the pieces...mostly over one weekend before handing in the project to the duplicators. There's no inspiration like a deadline :)

So after a couple of months of writing, researching, brainstorming and "musicifying", here's all the juicy details. Its probably my best work yet, spoken word, hip hop or otherwise. Its unlike anything you've heard from me and probably anyone else and I'm ecstatic with anticipation of you listening to this. Topics include John Henry, Dia de los Muertos, Zapata, Harriet Tubman, Thor, dreams, ghosts, Buddha, and the cosmos. Its fun.

The release date is loosely set for March-ish 2013. There will be a release party and hopefully an intimate listening party sometime in January.

The Cosmos According to Your Closed Eyes

Music and Spoken Word written, performed, recorded and engineered by

SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE

My Theory of Time and Space

Ofrenda

The Definitive Telling of John Henry's Tale

Dream Sequence #4 (Misery Loves Company)

Until Ragnarok

Interlude

Dream Sequence #5 (Buddhas of the Valley)

The Tiger of Morelos

Dream Sequence #3 (The Presence)

The Conductor

We Are Star Dust

The Cosmos According to Your Closed Eyes

Europe, Dream sequence #4 and new work update!

In less than three weeks I'll be getting on a plane to London where I'll be starting a three city, three country journey for 17 days. I'll be getting off the plane, getting into a car and going straight to STONE HENGE. I'll take some notes and at some point write about the experience in a poem. After that, its off to a pub before my wife and I go drop off our bags and rest up for an amazing trip through  London, Paris and Rome.

Obviously, I'll see some historical sites and I'll definitely come back with some new spoken word  that reflects on what I see and experience. Most importantly, I'm currently writing new work that I'll put on CD to spread around throughout my trip. That will be ready to go in about a week or so and I'll have an official Twin Cities release for that sometime in January or February. So stay tuned for that, cuz 2013 will be coming in hot!

Here's one I finished last week, from the "dream sequence" series about dreams of mine:


Through miles of jagged rock like a sky of broken shark teeth
there is a pocket of earth and rock smoothed into a home
a clearing with an air of humble majesty
and the every day sacred
ecstatic truth wrapped in the mundane

there are two inhabitants here
one, a custodian of sorts – a ragged man committed to a singular purpose
and the other, an ascetic of the highest order - living wisdom and compassion
there is an immense statue there of the greatest buddha
soft, milk white marble contours the imagination into a smile
just smaller, immersed and emerging from this supple colossus of knowing gentleness
is a golden, shimmering figure like the sun snuggled in a comforter of fog and sky

days pass and the old, kind worker tends to the dirt and polish and broom
he is lava, slow but certain
the enlightened one walks and sits, filling  the newly dusted grounds with ubiquitous thought
days pass in their clearing amidst the rocks and nothing changes, save where the dust gathers most
and where the thoughtful old gentlemen begins with his broom
days pass and an otherwise invisible fact emerges - these two characters trade  places every day
one always the custodian and the other always the holy man
as if two sides of  coin

I am an observer on the wind of this quiet, magical place
my presence  a still water tension, my breath held as to keep this constant, silent peace
suddenly, something occurs to me like the first breath to the drowning
these are not days that pass in the animated amber of this experience, they are lifetimes
centuries have lived and died over the course of this dream
there is a gift in this realization that is not meant for my waking hands
I learn something I cannot exactly bring with me as these tides of knowing and wakefulness wash over me simeltaneously
I am pitched out of this knowledge, Hurling through the last moments of understanding
I hit the ground running
My wholeself aimed at this lost truth
Strides of thought stretch toward  that gasp of realization
And I am still running

If you missed them, here's a couple other pieces from the project about dreams, cultural traditions, folk and tall tales and my journey  as a person and as an artist.  It might sound all over th eplace, but it really is going to make sense and I'm so proud of the poems I'm writing.

New Poem - Ofrenda for Dia de los Muertos

This is the recording of a poem I wrote just in time for Dia de Los Muertos. It means a lot to to me to take some time for those we've lost, to celebrate them and honor them and to live life to the fullest for and because of them.

When I got the idea for this piece, it came from the thought of what I might like to see at my ofrenda, were I to saunter down to earth for a visit on Dia de los Muertos...I thought of the impact I'd like to make in this world and how the greatest honor would be to see that impact live on. What might my ofrenda look like 1000 years after my death?




This poem is for Dia de los Muertos. For everyone we've lost. It's for past generations and for future generations. This poem is for us.

Please give it a listen and if you enjoy it, feel free to share.

Thank you!!

Huge Announcement!!

My people,

As you may recall, I asked many of you (via Facebook) to think of me for a day, because something big was on the horizon and I was just about to hear back...on like 3 separate occasions. I want you to know that it was not in vain!!! I am so proud to announce that, thanks to the good people of Intermedia Arts, I've been awarded a 2012 Verve Grant for Spoken Word!!!

The VERVE grant program is designed for emerging artists who are ready to achieve their next level of artistic success, and who are interested in developing their abilities to become artistic leaders in their communities. In addition to their grant award, recipients will also participate in a 12-month cohort program that provides community, mentorship, guidance, workshops, and resources throughout the program year. 

Sounds cool, right? It's awesome. I can't wait to see my project come to life. And there's some very cool people involved. I'm looking forward to building with them as well.

I'm going to be creating new works of Spoken Word Poetry that explore different cultural traditions, folks tales/tall tales, and dreams, connecting to my growth as an artist and as a human being. These new works will be documented on my blog here and recorded onto a new album of Poetry that I will duplicate and bring with me to Europe in December! I'm currently connecting with artists and venues there to see what performances we can plan for. If you know anyone in London, Paris or Rome, feel free to give me/them a shout! I'd love to connect with your people there.

Stay tuned, this is going to start picking up pace like whoah.

Thanks and Love,

SEE

A Look at The Subtlety of White Privilige in Literature and World Culture

A while back I was having a conversation about good books. I was telling this woman how I didn't quite dig the opening for this excellent collection of short stories by Mexican Authors, most of which had never been published in English. I mentioned that he said some things that made it feel like he didn't really have a connection to the culture, these authors, their works or genre. She asked if it was because he was racist. I answered "maybe?". 

I don't think I would have talked about it in that way, but she kind of assumed how I might talk about an issue like this. Unfortunate, because without closing me off in that way and putting me in a box, we actually could have had a much more meaningful conversation...

Anyway, she said that white people almost have to try harder to prove themselves in situations like that, and while I agree that there needs to be some forethought to what you're saying as a white man introducing stories of a genre and culture with which you obviously do not participate in, I don't think there's an "unfairness" in that, as she was implying. 

I think that you need to be thoughtful, sensitive and probably learn a good deal about what you're talking about, before talking like an expert about something that's still new to you. Is that something that people of other traditions have to do to contribute to White American culture? Hell yes. Are the people of color expected to bend over backwards and assimilate to White American culture just to fit in? If you could bet on it 24/7 you would be the richest of the 1% (wait a minute...there might be something to that). Are people of color and alternate traditions so easily allowed to assume expertise about things that are new to us? Hell no. Is it a privilege that, as a white, mainstream American, someone can assume and impose an interpretation on a culture or its traditions? I'm afraid so.

It's also a privilege to call people who question these things too quick to "pull the race card". To assume that they're wrong. After all, racism is a power dynamic and privilege is one of the outcomes of that dynamic. There is people who hold power over others. Politically, socially, and Econimically. That privilege is asserted every time they get the benefit of the doubt. As in this circumstance, the benefit of the doubt that this man (me) is an angry person of color, hastily pulling the race card because he doesn't like white people - as well as the benefit of the doubt that an unknown white author (I didn't remember his name and she didn't seem to recognize his work) has to work harder than any author of color in that situation (introducing a book by people of color) because of the unfairness of angry, white-people-haters like me.

This is the language of oppression, of privilege, and it has been created as something subtle so that it can survive. If people had to say, "I think you're worng because your brown" and "I have inherited a sense of entitlement because of the way that our racist country has raised me", it would be hard to argue with the truth. Instead, well meaning, everyday people assume they're in the right about things they don't understand because of what we are taught in this country on the most basic level: That some people are better than others. It's in the schools, it's in the neighborhoods and outlet malls. It's on TV and in our books. Most people don't consiusly believe that some people are better than others of course, but they also don't understand it and how these themes play out in the world around them, nor how their ignorance on the issue contributes to it.

The only way to arm yourself against this nefarious subconcious American and Human phenomona, is to learn. There is classes, books and people to talk to all over who are not enraged, white-people-haters, spewing everything they can just to hurt and demean you because they "don't have it good". Talk to these people, learn from these books and courses and make the world that much better.

Thanks and Love for reading and thinking,

SEE

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

Under Water Journey to the Sun

What can I say? It's epic...

I produced this (made the music, for those of you who might not know) a few years back with some assistance from homie and associate itchie fingers back in Chicago. I released it as "A Star is Born" on my two volume beat tape, "Breaks in The Clouds". The rest is magic...starring my God Daughter.

If you like this instrumental, and are interested in hearing more of this lovely, all-instrumental project, it's available for download at my bandcamp page  as well as from Tru Ruts, where it was originally released.

As always, feel free to share this on th enet and in real life, or just talk about my work with your friends.

My sincerest thanks for checking me out.

SEE

New Album - Heidi Barton Stink, A Charming Gut produced by your friendly neighborhood SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE

It's here folks!

Heidi and I have been working on this fine album for over a year and it's finally finished!






We've dropped two singles: "Won't Let Ya Slide", featuring Guante and my self on the rap verses as well as Dameun Strange on some funked out keys, and "Consent Song", a heavy BoomBap masterpiece about communication and responsible sexuality.

Here's a way to frame what you'll hear:

Heidi Barton Stink's first full-length release strays far from conventional Hip Hop fare, yet offers a sense of tradition. "A Charming Gut" features a framework of rich vinyl-based production by SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE with a boom-bap-era flavor and traditionalist forward momentum. The content of Heidi's poignant & masterfully dense lyrics are rooted in story telling, the most fundamental element of rap, yet push further both creatively and emotionally than most MCs are willing to go. Addressing topics as diverse as the construction of gender, chosen family, colonialism, rape culture, revolution, mental health, suicide and the power of hope, The album might sit a little heavy, but also celebrates the bitter-sweet, and reminds us of the transformative power of art. “A Charming Gut” is gritty, sharp, heartfelt and just straight-up knocks in your sound system.

SO...we've celebrated the release of the album at Hell's Kitchen with Heidi (of course), Guante, Desdamona, Ganzo Bean and myself. Heidi shared a bunch of the new songs and everyone killed it.

We've made the album available for your listening and purchasing pleasure.

NOW IT'S ON YOU. Please show your love and support of our sweet, sweet music, dedication, thoughts and faces. Please contact us if you're interested in a hard copy and feel free to post and repost any info or songs from the album.

I know you'll do the right thing.

Thanks and Love!

A dream about a show about an artist

I had a dream where I was performing under low, soft light on a proscenium stage with stadium seating full of people.

I don't play bass. (However, I'll be damned if I won't use one and create something beautiful, so don't take me off the list of people to give your old, unused stand up bass to). Anyway, I don't play bass.

In this dream though? Killin' it.

Like you couldn't imagine...getting more and more involved, creating more and more intense music, doing things that have not been done. Beads of sweat reflecting light as they splash onto the instrument below me, over which I crouch and stretch like an ecstatic lover, plucking the strings of this bass like the very fabric of the universe itself. Seriously. Incredible. And the more I got into it, the more people left.

Yep. Here I was, pouring my soul into this instrument, transcending music, offering the performance of a lifetime and the deeper I got into the performance, the more people were leaving.

Heart break.

Finally, there I was at the end of my performance. Alone...or maybe there were a few people there.

So what is this? Is it that I feel like I'm giving everything I have, just to see it it bounce off of the masses? Is it that strange, unexplainable and unshakeable feeling of the outcast; even at my own shows?

Maybe it's Accepting that the music I've chosen to make is not what the popular market demands...Maybe my music isn't for this generation...

I know that it's certainly not because it's not any good.

At any rate, I know that if my music, my art, my life are of use to even a small fraction of the population, it's for them, and that it has it's place.

I know people stop doing what they love because they don't end up on the covers of magazines or paid millions of dollars. I have only this to say about that: If you don't believe in why you do what you do, and don't make every attempt at making it the highest form of expression that you possibly can, then stop. If you do, then don't stop, make it work. Even if your audience hasn't been born yet.

Seven ways to stop being an asshole on Cinco de Mayo.

...the second in the series of "ways to stop being an asshole".  This piece addresses the Dos and Don'ts of celebrating Cinco de Mayo. With these simple steps, I think you can also glean an an understanding of how to approach other cultural holidays in America as well.

DON'T:

1. Mistake Cinco de Mayo as Mexican Independence Day.
2. Argue with people who inform you that Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day. You're wrong and you look really really silly arguing with someone about it. na-a-ah...
3. Wear a sombrero or fake mustache. Even if you're of mexican descent, it could send the wrong message: that we are caricatures. Even if you're the f****** POPE (yes he did, and it wasn't even Cinco de Mayo).
4. Speak broken, messed up Spanish to people working at Mexican restaurants...they'll put up with it out of patience and a vested interest in making a good tip, not because they think it's cool that you're practicing on them (it's obnoxious, especially when you're drunk).
5. Be the expert on Mexican tradition because you went there over spring break one time...you're experience is valid, but it never makes you an expert on any subject (even if you out do everyone in the room by having lived there for a year, or a semester). Culture is larger than a college class or singular experience, it's an amalgamation of history, multitudes of shared experience and the nuance of family heritage across generations.

DO:

1. Know what you're celebrating. Learn the history and cultural relevance of Cinco de Mayo. It's actually a really cool and inspiring story.
2. Enjoy Mexican food, drink and entertainment without making a joke out of it, after you've learned about what it is you're actually celebrating.

Cinco de Mayo isn't a novel Holiday, it's not a joke. It's not "Mexican Day". It's not a day to enjoy Mexican culture while simultaneously degrading it. There's a real story behind it. There's a reason why it's celebrated. If you go out, ask yourself what it is that you intend on celebrating and why you are celebrating. Learn the history and answer those questions...THEN we can kick back and have a margarita, with respect to the holiday and the culture it comes from.

Warning Shot from Heidi Barton Stink's upcoming 'A Charming Gut'

So here we are, at the cusp of an incredible release: Heidi Barton Stink's debut full length release, 'A Charming Gut, Produced by SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE'. We are so proud of it. It's gorgeous. It's rugged. It's razorsharp, funky, and on point! I've gotta say, it might be the best thing either of us has produced to date. This is the warning shot. Get Ready. Pre-order the album here.

"Radical-trans-activist-queer-liberation-MC Heidi Barton Stink's full-length debut album, "A Charming Gut," will be released on May 15, 2012. This track, featuring See More Perspective (who also produced the entire album) and Guante, serves as an appetizer. An anthem for people who give a f***, "Won't Let Ya Slide" foreshadows the tone and content of the upcoming LP: funky, funny and heartfelt. Download the track for free, and watch out for more previews, videos and promo for "A Charming Gut" coming soon!"

EDIT: Here's another single to wet your appetite.

The release party is coming up, check out the details here and rsvp to let us know how much cake to bring.

An hour or so at school

Arrived at the school with the cool morning wind
Hot coffee and parking spaces
a nearly finished madlib
that last random word, expertly placed

Welcome, peace
Think and wonder
Imagine Laugh and ask

We talk about the possibilities and connecting the dots
The stars could be constellations of your choosing
If you can just...make it so
The bell rings as if to put her statement in bold letters

She gets it

and we break like the dj dropped the beat
Footsteps flood like the echoes of youth in the city

Ask, wonder Critique and reshape

The Hallway fades
And Dj Day blends in a voice

His situation
Her's too
And their's is in every school

They're edging him out
cornering him through the door
"you want me to leave, you're just trying to take the easy way out"

 And they do...and they are.

New Interview with the Boom Bap Club

As I was blessed to visit South West MN State a few weeks ago, the opportunity arose to kick with a cohort in true school hip hop, The Rube aka Saul Goode aka Dave Kelsey-Basset. He and his homies Oak Groove and Paul Dunyon host a really fun and cool podcast by the name of The Boom Bap Club. It's funny and informative, thoughtful and chalk full of bangin' tunes.

We got together and talked into the wee hours, exploring everything from new, old and upcoming projects to my influences as an artist, to periods of of my life and growth as an artist to artistic approach and process. We even got into comparing how the 'Impeach the President' break beat was used in a Wu Tang song, a Digable Planets joint and a super old Paul C cut (among so many others)!

It was a great time and the product is a two hour extravaganza interview complete with new tunes, leaks and songs that have inspired me throughout the years.

It's fresh, download/listen to this:
The Boom Bap Club featuring SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE

Thanks and Love!!

'Live Forever' - A Capella Recording

I first fell in love with this tune during an excellent film about country music starring Jeff Bridges. This movie spoke beautifully on love, music and facing one's personal demons. Robert Duvall is in it as well, and there's a scene where he sings this song. I fell in love...I thought maybe it was just an old folks song in the public domain and that I'd never know who really wrote it...Like it was just a melody floating through the collective subconscious.

I was totally and completely wrong. It's written and performed by Billy Joe Shaver. I don't know much about him, but it's exceptional, simple and heart rending writing.

In my opinion, the version on the film is by far the best, with ol' Bobby Duvall (I've never heard him referred to that way and will probably never do so again) just rolling through it like a salt truck on a honey road. I know that probably doesn't make much sense, but it might if you go find his version on the Crazy Heart Soundtrack.

So anyway, I've been wanting to sing this for a while; I figured at some live show where the mood might be just right...It hit me yesterday that I should just record it and post it on the Boom Box Emporium. So here's my version, based off of Robert Duvall's.

enjoy.

One and Another

I recorded this on the way back from Southwest MN State University yesterday, risking my life in the process...

This is my part of a song I do with Guante. He wrote the hook and two verses and asked me to do a guest verse on it. It's definitely one of my favorites. We don't often get to do it because it's so laid back and at so many of our shows we're usually tryin' to punch the crowd in the mouth with some high octane boom bap type stuff. It's a sweeping story of human connection on the road in the midst of art and philosophy. The official version isn't available anywhere as of yet, so I thought it'd be fun to share it here, since it's a little bit of a sleeper. There's an intro here with some humorous moments, so it's kind of fun all around. I hope you enjoy it.

Amani Media Interview pt. 2 (the interview)

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of sitting down with Caroline Iman from Amani Media for an interview about identity, culture and community. The Interview is in two parts. The first part is an a capella version of one of my favorite pieces and in a way, one of my most personal. That video is is in the blog entry before this. The second part is more of a meditation on who I am as an artist, where I'm coming from, the community in the twin cities as well as a look at some upcoming projects to look out for. That video is below. 

Amani Media Interview pt. 1 (Self Taught A Capella)

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of sitting down with Caroline Iman from Amani Media for an interview about identity, culture and community. The Interview is in two parts. The first part is an a capella version of one of my favorite pieces and in a way, one of my most personal. That video is shown below. The second part is more of a meditation on who I am as an artist, where I'm coming from, and what's happening in the twin cities as well as upcoming projects to look out for. I'll post that sometime this week.

Self Taught, from my latest solo effort Architextual Design, is an intimate illustration of my spirituality and my growth as a person through different stages of my life. These are true stories (albeit mythicized---yes. mythicized. hah) of my own life from childhood to now. Aquil sets it up perfectly with his own story, an aside of spiritual and intellectual development that shares the power of dreams and self directed learning.

The poetry of this piece speaks to the nature of my approach to education and spirituality; How I've spent my life learning from the world around me more so than from any educator or institution. While I believe it's important to learn from everyone and everything, I hold to the idea that true learning must be driven from the inside out, otherwise it's just socialization stacked against all kinds of other "ations". "Ations" and isms of which churn ugly products into the world around us in all the facets of learning, religion, business, culture, art, family, romance and everything in between.

I hope you diggit. Caroline did a great job producing this. Enjoy.

New Video - Luv 'n' Dedication (Live)

My brother Nye sent me this beat sometime ago and I immediately thought this was one of the illest beats I'd heard in a while. I've been so busy writing for other projects that I never got to write something proper to this...As I'm always looking for ways to spruce up a set or a song or whatever, I went digging for beats one day prepping for a show and tried spitting the "Luv 'n' Dedication" verses over this. Right away, it made the song feel brand new. The verses kind of skip over the beat like a rock on a pond, or maybe more accurately, concrete.

This song is actually a mash up of "LnD" and another older song called "The Lead"...It's basically two of my favorite verses to spit over a really funky beat. The drums just sink into this weird groove. It feels so boom bap, but it's deceptively in a weird time. I'd still like to write another song to this sometime, and I think that'll be a really special day...but I digress.

I hope you dig the performance here from the Artist Quarter for the 2012 Amplified Life Showcase with Toki Wright, Rodrigo Sanchez Chavarria and more. It was a good night. Enjoy!

My brother Nye sent me this beat sometime ago and I immediately thought this was one of the illest beats I'd heard in a while. I've been so busy writing for other projects that I never got to write something proper to this...As I'm always looking for ways to spruce up a set or a song or whatever, I went digging for beats one day prepping for a show and tried spitting the "Luv 'n' Dedication" verses over this. Right away, it made the song feel brand new. The verses kind of skip over the beat like a rock on a pond, or maybe more accurately, concrete.

This song is actually a mash up of "LnD" and another older song called "The Lead"...It's basically two of my favorite verses to spit over a really funky beat. The drums just sink into this weird groove. It feels so boom bap, but it's deceptively in a weird time. I'd still like to write another song to this sometime, and I think that'll be a really special day...but I digress.

I hope you dig the performance here from the Artist Quarter for the 2012 Amplified Life Showcase with Toki Wright, Rodrigo Sanchez Chavarria and more. It was a good night.

Funky Lil Earth Part One

Here's a lil video I made with a toy and a beat from 'Breaks in The Clouds Volumes One and Two'. It's also on Heidi Barton Stink's album 'A Charming Gut', which I produced! Look out for that this spring!

It's fun. I hope you giggle.

Strange Perspective's 'Ultimate Weapon'

Here's the newest from the FREE and new music series, 'SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE's Boombox Emporium'  This one's a gift from me and my good friend and collaborator Dameun Strange. It's from the upcoming 'Diary of a Droid' which we plan on finishing this spring and releasing later this year!

The follow up to 'Strange Perspective and the Lost Soul's Boy's Choir in Jazz Funeral', is a sci-fi opus of boom bap electronica, rugged and thought provoking dance music, mango sweet melodies, and sharp, gritty philosophical lyricism. 'Ultimate Weapon' is the second song to emerge from the upcoming 'Diary of a Droid'. The first is 'Nobody Sleeps Tonight', also available for free download from The Boombox Emporium (in volume one).

This song emerged from a concept that Dameun pitched about how the most powerful weapon that could ever be would actually bring people together. It's a story of this droid's exploration of consciousness and decision to live for something greater than itself. This droid literally goes through the process day in and day out of creating the ultimate weapon out of itself. Working into it's own consciousness, it's own memory, circuits and spirituality to build the ultimate weapon from the inside out.

So Grateful (a capella)

Having just booked the Amplified Life Showcase 3, I was asked if there was a video I'd like to use for promo. I paused. I did a google search and realized a lof of those vids are pretty old and what's more, that I'm sitting on some pretty ill video from a couple of different shows as well as a brand new joint for Frank Lloyd Wright which you can listen to here...I have lots of new music up and around, but the video, while there's plenty of vids to watch, is very behind.

So I did what any self respecting artist would do. I recorded a home video of an a capella to submit for promotion.

I hope you diggit.

You can find the official version this song here

My Ten Hip Hop Commendments

I just found this...out of a notebook circa 2000...
it's kind of a dead mc scrolls kind of thing,
and it makes me very happy.
I'm proud to say I've followed these goals faithfully.
I hope they inspire you.

1. Affect everyone and anyone who comes into contact with me or my music in a positive way (whether they realize it or not).
2. Never be careless.
3. Always Be Honest.
4. Grow every time I create.
5. Learn from everything.
6. Create works of integrity independently.
7. Make music that's equal parts important and interesting both lyrically and musically.
8. Collaborate with as many like minded artists as possible.
9. Have fun, rock shows, blow minds.
10. Never Stop.