Growing up as a black girl who loved rock music, I didn’t have too many role models. There was no Janelle Monae, Noisettes, or VV Brown. Afropunk wasn’t around yet, “urban alternative” didn’t exist, and listening to obscure bands not only made you weird but “white.” Lines were sharply drawn back then and those of us who dared cross them learned early on to keep our rock and roll tastes under wraps. Finding other people of color who shared our secret took some serious digging in those days. I lived for those moments as a kid when I caught a rare glimpse of Living Colour on MTV or noticed another brown face in the crowd at a show.

But now things are changing and black folks no longer get the side-eye for listening to anything other than hip-hop or R&B. In fact, it’s a badge of honor to have “eclectic” tendencies. Indie’s gone mainstream, Beyonce’s doing Alanis covers, and even Weezy’s got a band. Suddenly, it’s not only cool to like rock but also a hell of a lot easier. But with so many new black fans coming into the fold, I thought it was time to pay respects to the forgotten black rock legends who paved the way for the rest of us.

Not just the OG’s like Little Richard or Jimi Hendrix. Or more recent classics likes Lenny, Me’shell, Fishbone, Living Colour, or Bad Brains. I mean the overlooked artists who helped set the standard for black boho cool, leaving broken barriers and obliterated stereotypes in their wake. These are my unsung black rock heroes. Add them to your collection and remember them next time you turn on some Bloc Party or J’Davey.

Tracy Wormworth/The Waitresses
She was the bassist for 80′s band The Waitresses. The group epitomized the new wave sound, right down to the angular guitars, skronky horns, and pogo-worthy drums. They had a minor hit with “I Know What Boys Like.” But my favorites were “No Guilt” and the theme to “Square Pegs” (starring a young Sarah Jessica Parker). Tracy’s still around and has gone on to play with everyone from the B-52′s and Sting to the house band for Rosie O’Donnell’s talk show.

The Busboys
These guys got famous off a scene in 48 Hours, which led to a hit song that sounded like it belonged in a beer commercial. They made classic bluesy rock and roll, sort of like a black Huey Lewis & The News. It may not sound all that groundbreaking today but they deserve a mention because it was a big deal in 1982 to see a group of brothas with guitars who weren’t playing R&B.

Alison Martlew/The Butchies
Back in the day, when everyone else was busy trying to copy Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill, I wanted to be a riot grrrl. I shaved my head, started a zine, and listened to bands like Sleater-Kinney and Bikini Kill. Their revolution girl-style led to an entire generation of DIY bands, including queercore rockers The Butchies. They stood out not just because of their music or their message. But because they were one of the few bands from that era with a black member, bassist Alison Martlew.

Polystyrene/X-Ray Spex
Punk purists talk about 1977 the way hip-hop heads worship the “golden-era.” X-Ray Spex was part of the original ’77 canon but always stood out from the rest of the three-chord pack thanks to lead singer Poly Styrene. She was a brace-face biracial girl in a sea of snarling white dudes, with a voice and style all her own. She brought a dayglo teenage rebellion to the mosh pit and over 30 years later “Oh Bondage! Up Yours” is still one of the illest anti-establishment anthems ever.

Jean Michel Basquiat/Gray
The patron saint of black bohemia. Most fans know him as the tortured graff writer-turned-painter who turned the downtown art world on its head in the early 80′s. But Basquiat was also a musician, producing Rammellzee’s proto-rap opus “Beat Bop” and forming the experimental no-wave/industrial band Gray. They’re weren’t exactly rocking out but no doubt laid the foundation for “Afrogaze” bands to come like Apollo Heights and Dragons of Zynth.

Betty Davis/Nona Hendryx/Joyce Kennedy
All three of these ladies are amazingly talented in their own right. But I’ve put them together because they represent the best of avant-funky sistas who were way ahead of their time. They were unapologetically “different” in an age when black women were either bouffanted R&B crooners or sleek pop divas. Betty, Nona, and Joyce (from the band Mother’s Finest) may have caught flak when they first came out but now their psychedelic fusion of rock and soul has made them cult classics.

Lisa Kekaula/The Bellrays
I never understood why Lisa Kekaula and The Bellrays didn’t get more credit for helping usher in the garage-rock revival. They were kicking out the soulful stripped-down jams long before The White Stripes or Black Lips. Lisa blows them all out the water anyway, with a big bold voice that sounds like Sharon Jones crossed with Joan Jett. You might also recognize her from tracks Basement Jaxx.

More of my forgotten black rock faves:

24/7 Spyz: Punk-funk-rap-metal and Living Colour contemporaries

Chocolate Genius: Singer/songwriter, downtown NY legend, and BRC alum

Stew/Negro Problem: Spike Lee just turned his play Passing Strange into a movie

Skin: Bald, badass, British lead singer of 90′s alterna-rockers Skunk Anasie

The SoftLightes – Fuzzy indie-pop by the former Incredible Moses T. Leroy

Kimya Dawson: Quirky anti-folk lullabies and yes, that annoying “Juno” song

Stiffed: Santi White’s punk-pop band before she became Santigold

Carley Coma – Lead singer of the experimental metal-jazz-rock band Candiria

Kathy Foster – Indie sweetheart from The Thermals and All Girl Summer Fun Band

Who are YOUR unsung Negroclash heroes?

The Foreign Exchange, whose album Leave It All Behind was our top album of 2008, is coming back through the East Coast for a mini tour in October. In addition to their stop in NYC, they’re also hitting DC and Baltimore. If you missed them when they sold out the Black Cat this past spring then you might wanna cop your tickets like now.  Click on the venue names to buy tickets.

Oct 22:      8:00 PM       Baltimore –     The 8×10

Oct 23:      11:00 PM     New York City –    BB King Blues Club

Oct 25:      8:00 PM       Washington, DC – Black Cat

Last Thursday, the already legendary Zoe Kravitz (model and daughter of Lenny and Lisa Bonet) was in DC fronting her new band Elevator Fight at LIV. From what everybody says, they threw down and they will definitely be back through the Capital city. While my ass was in Ohio for my friend’s wedding, Lady Glock managed to grab the band away from the scores of paparazzi on 11th and U for a quick video interview.

In the vid, they group talks about putting Obama on the guest list, their favorite tracks, their love for DC, and give a special shout out to The Couch Sessions at the end.

If you want to check out Elevator Fight, they will be at The Roots Picnic in Philly this Saturday.

Check them out on MySpace and Twitter.

Jack Spash – Ringtone (feat R-Kelly and T-Pain)

If you don’t know, Jack Splash is the founding member of Plantlfie, and has been holding down the left-field side of the game for more than a minute now. Go back and check out The Return of Jack Splash, an excellent album that dropped in 2004. But for those who might want to dismiss this man, you might want to also check his production credits for the likes of Alecia Keys, Raheem DeVaughn, Solange, Jamie Foxx, and the now shelved (but excellent) collaboration with Cee-Lo called The Heart Attack.

For the track, “Ringtone,” Spash links up with T-Pain (rapping!) and R Kelly of all people for an electro-tinged, upbeat track that combines both elememnts of pop and mainstream. I remember in an inerview he did with Gilles Peterson that he was working with a lot more Top-40 artists for upcoming projects, and the result is pretty dope. I hear that there is a Jack Splash/Alecia Keys collabo floating around space somewhere. Anybody got it?? (via TSS)

As many of y’all know, I stan for Whole Wheat Bread. The Jacksonville, FL based rock band has been steady on their grind for years and is set to blow up in 2009 thanks to production by Lil John. If you’re tempted to pick up that Lil Wayne rock CD, check out WWW first. Let’s be honest, they will blow Weezy out of the water.

The dudes will be making local stops in DC (DC9) and Baltimore (Ottobar) so you have no excuse!

Tour dates via Rob Fields at Bold As Love.

04/29/09
8:00P
Picador w/ MC Chris
Iowa City, Iowa

04/30/09
6:00P
Granada Theater w/ MC Chris
Lawrence, Kansas

05/01/09
7:00P
The Conservatory w/ MC Chris
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

05/02/09
8:00P
The Aardvark w/ MC Chris
Fort Worth, Texas

05/03/09
8:00P
Mohawk w/ MC Chris
Austin, Texas

05/04/09
8:00P
Walter’s On Washington w/ MC Chris
Houston, Texas

05/05/09
9:00P
Spanish Moon w/ MC Chris
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

05/06/09
8:00P
The Parish @ House of Blues w/ MC Chris
New Orleans, Louisiana

05/07/09
8:00P
BottleTree w/ MC Chris
Birmingham, Alabama

05/08/09
7:00P
Good Time Charlies
Tupelo, Mississippi

05/09/09
6:30P
Orpheum w/ MC Chris
Tampa, Florida

05/10/09
7:00P
The Social w/ MC Chris
Orlando, Florida

05/11/09
7:00P
Jack Rabbits w/ MC Chris
Jacksonville, Florida

05/13/09
8:00P
Drunken Unicorn w/ MC Chris
Atlanta, Georgia

05/14/09
8:00P
The Pour House w/ MC Chris
Charleston, South Carolina

05/15/09
8:00P
Cat’s Cradle w/MC Chris
Carrboro, North Carolina

05/16/09
8:00P
The Soapbox Laundrolounge w/ MC Chris
Wilmington, North Carolina

05/17/09
8:30P
DC9 w/ MC Chris
Washington, Washington DC

05/18/09
7:00P
Ottobar
Baltimore, Maryland

05/19/09
8:00P
First Unitarian Church w/ MC Chris
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

05/20/09
8:00P
The Blender Theatre at Gramercy w/ MC Chris
New York, New York

The Carps – It’s Raining In The Projects, But It’s Sunny in Africa

If you’ve been reading the site for a long time (like 2005 era), you know that I’ve been a HUGE fan of Toronto duo The Carps. Not only does lead singer/drummer Jahmal Tonge have the most soulful voice in North America (whom you might of heard on the MSTRKRFT album Fist Of God or from their song with The Cool Kids), but the dude combines this voice with the hard rock backing of bassist Neil White.

Catch up with The Carps by copping their previous EPs, and their latest track, It’s Raining In The Projects, But It’s Sunny In Africa shines light on a full lenghth album that will hopefully drop soon. (via JT, 1Love T.O.)

myspace.com/thecarps

Some of y’all might be out on K-OS, but the dude has always kept it creative with this music and his style and this video might be his best one yet. The live action stop motion animaiton for 4, 3, 2, 1 (not to be confused with felow Canadian Feist’s 1,2,3,4) is is visually amazing and yet another example of how this artist continues to flip the script. 4,3,2,1 is the first single off of his newest album, titled Yes!, which drops in Canada on March 31st. No US release is planned. (via Elitaste)

Tokin Black Guy – Body Clock

Tokin Black Guy – Turn My Music High

Tokin Black Guy is a mysterious figure. Some people say that he is an up and coming Japanese artist who Kanye is secretly producing. Others say that it’s Kanye himself. As of today, no one knows. What I do know is that these two tracks got the Internets goin’ nuts. Kanye’s camp has denied any involvment with Tokin Black Guy and I’m skeptical that ‘Ye is involved–the vocals sound nothing like him, nor does the produciton carry his signature style. The music itself, however,  is off the chain, and I’m looking forward to more tracks by this dude if they ever drop. (via Cool Deal)

“Welcome to Heartbreak,” is the newest single off of 808 and Heartbreaks featuring known Reebok hater Kid Cudi. This is my least favorite song on the album, and personally I thought that Paranoid (feat. UK artist Mr. Hudson) or Amazing would’ve probably been a better choice, but of course Kanye is doing his own thing with ths album. (It’s worked for him so far.) 

The video itself is a little on the weird side, but I can dig it. I hope it dosen’t give anybody seizures though.

Thunderheist - Jerk It

Thunderheist – DFA Demo Mix

(Late pass on this, I know) Thunderhiest, the Toronto/Montreal duo of rapper Isis and producer Grahm Zilla, have been making waves in the hipster scene lately, with their wired up electro/rap combination. The duo got their start when Isis went to to Montreal to make a hip-hop album, but what resulted is a mish-mash of electro, hip-hop and whatever they throw into the pot. If you’ve been knee deep in the blogosphere you might have already heard their song Jerk It, which has been making the rounds. However, my favorite song that I’ve heard so far is this DFA Demo Mix, which demonstrates that Isis definitely has some lyrical swagger. I’ve heard that their parties are off the chain, and I can’t wait to check them out at SXSW.

myspace.com/thunderheist

DJ Fashen Live @ The Do Over – The New Over

1. Fashen Intro / Soul By The Pound – Common
2. Music Man – MAsta Ace
3. Hip Hop Junkies – Nice & Smooth
4. Fat Pockets – Show & AG
5. Who Got Da Props – Black Moon
6. Last Dance Dance Before Central Booking – Dj Enuff
7. Shook Ones – Mobb Deep
8. Footprints – A Tribe Called Quest
9. The Funky Piano – EPMD
10. J Beez Comin Through – Jungle Brothers
11. Ghetto Red Hot – Supercat
12. Dem No Worry We – Supercat
13. Fakin The Funk – Main Source
14. Uptown Anthem – Naughty By Nature
15. Heaven And Hell – 20th Century Steel Band
16. Time For Some Aksion – Redman
17. Soul Clap – Show & AG
18. I Wish – Stevie Wonder
19. Everything’s Gonna Be alright – Father MC feat Jodeci
20. I Want Her – Keith Sweat
21. Ain’t My Type Of Hype – Full Force
22. Do This My Way – Kid & Play
23. Cool It Now – New Edition
24. What Have You Done For Me Lately – Janet Jackson
25. Vibe – R. Kelly & Public Announcement
26. Just Got Paid – Johnny Kemp
27. Ain’t No Stoppin Us – Ollie & Jerry
28. Boogie In Your Butt – Eddie Murphy
29. Fresh – Kool & The Gang
30. Midas Touch – Midnight Star
31. Lost In Emotion – Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam
30. IOU – Freeze
31. Object Of My Desire – Star Point
32. Shake That Ass Girl – Mister Cee
33. Shotgun – Jr. Walker & The Allstars
34. Sex Shooter – Apallonia 6
35. Raspberry Beret – Prince
36. Controversy – Prince
37. Jungle Love – The Time
38. If Your Ready & You Know It – Dj Kool
39. Livin Proof – Group Home
40. Tonite’s Da Nite – Redman
41. Heart Of The City – Jay-Z
42. Million & One Questions – Jay-Z
43. D’evils – Jay-Z
44. PSA – Jay-Z
45. “P” Is Still Free – Boogie Down Productions
46. Luchini – Camp Lo
47. Buddy Bye – Johnny Osbourne
48. Bam Bam – Sister Nancy
49. Bam Bam – Fashen
50. Sound Of The Police – Krames
51. Full Clizzy – Grandtheft
52. Oh Boooy – Mr. 1derful
53. Champ (The Funky Drummer) – Bladerunners
54. Universal Bambaata – Mr. 1derful
55. Reckless – Ice T
56. Biggie Theme – Dj Sega
57. Juicy (Brooklyn Club Edit) – Dj Illo
58. I’ll House You – Jungle Brothers
59. On The Bugged Tip – Big Daddy Kane

Click the cover for the link…

1. Dim Mak Intro
2. Rombo – The Boody Beetroots
3. Bounce (Felix Cartel Remix) – MSTRKRFT
4. Little Bit (AutoErotique Bootleg Remix) Lykke Li
5. Get Money Kids – Pase Rock
6. Stomp Yo Shoes feat. Tommie Sunshine (Bloody Beetroots Remix) – Aston Shuffle
7. Kalifornia (Graveleaf Remix) – Fatboy Slim
8. Pets Dance (Les Petits Pilous Remix) – SPA
9. Beat Bang (Action Mans Tank Trax Remix) – Machines Don’t Care
10. The Golden – Shinichi Osawa
11. Haus of desert fegs (Laidback Luke Remix) – Weird Science
12. Dead Meat – Steve Aoki
13. Beyond God and Elvis (Mixhell Remix) – From Monument To Masses
14. Cornelius – The Bloody Beetroots
15. Mind Dimension (Fashen Remix) – Tiga
16. Jugs – Machines Don’t Care
17. VuVuVu – MSTRKRFT
18. Electro 411 – Shinichi Osawa
19. Dumbo – SPA
20. Beat Bang (Mujava Remix) – Machines Don’t Care
21. 2 Skin Dive (Steve Aoki Keyboard Club Dub Remix) – Duran Duran
22. Star Guitar – Shinichi Osawa

DJ Fashen @ Thee Mike B –

Saul Williams – The Government

On the morning of last week’s historic Inauguration, Saul Williams dropped a track into the Internet with his thoughts of the moment:

We have overcome.

Except those of us now in Gaza. Except those of us whom police kill. Except those of us who are suspects. Except those of us whom the church hate. Except those of us damned to taste good. Except those of us held by fate. We are meeting in the capitol. Word is, freedom will not wait.

All that once was never shall be.
All they could do won’t be done.
All we sang of is now happening.

[note to self:]
Must write
new songs
to become…

…And so it was. Through the collective imagination of the people, the force of will and human potential, and an unflinching ability to hold himself to task, Niggy Tardust was liberated. His ability to see beyond the boundaries and obstacles of ‘genre’, ‘race’, and suppression, allowed him to encompass a grace and sound that embodied the all. All that had stood against him, now stood with him. All that had claimed a lesser harmony, now craved voice and resonance. He stood with poets, painters, dancers, students, children of the night who had transformed themselves into a million bright ambassadors of morning, and proclaimed,

“We declare declaratives and deny the official. Based in the landmark of the G-spot, we have overtaken ourselves and overthrown our forefathers. Let there be light within the light and let it answer to the name of Darkness. We are forever risen from the deadly: the anti-virus and the All Stars. Granted power by forces unbeknownst to us. Made in the likeness of kindness. We offer anger to the angry and fear to the fearful. We dance at our own funerals to forsake the mourners…

…This is no time to cry! This is no time at all! Here is the moment of the overlooked and the unforeseeable. We are the elected officials of the people: poets and artists. We are the declarative statement of the inarticulate, the irreparably damaged goods of the bad meaning good. We are the government! We are the government! We are the government!”

The attached song proves that the dude is STILL fire. O”The Government,” built off of a funky horn and drum section is a bit more accessible than anything on his Trent Reznor produced last album, which after his Nike commercial, should bring more fans into his revolutionary fold. Also, let’s be honest, “The Government,” is the song that Mos Def wishes he could make.