Did he hurt people?

Was he a killer?

Why can’t we talk about him?

The film is anchored in Philadelphia, 1976, the year that marked the United States’ bicentennial. Night Catches Us forces viewers to question what lasting impact the Black Panthers Movement had on its many participants and the children born in the wake of the movement’s decline. In this film, the characters share a history of irreconcilable traumas. While some eventually choose to detach themselves from the movement and attempt to heal, others remain frozen and entrenched in the very places where those soul-shattering acts of violence took place. Through the masterful interplay of archival footage, a funky yet tempered soundtrack by The Roots, and nuanced interactions between committed actors, Night Catches Us is solid the way a debut film must be to spark a future career, but not altogether unforgettable. Slowly, the film’s characters cautiously unravel their protective emotional walls and fabricated identities. The script, like some hip-hop undertones in its musical score, feels sampled at times. This leaves viewers yearning for some missing charisma: retrospective frames of the Black Panther father with his young wife (played by Kerry Washington), perhaps?

Jamara Griffin (left) and Anthony Mackie (right). Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

There are muted scenes of violence, unexpected, animated snippets leaping from comic book pages which capture the imagination, and explosive acts of passion between lovers. But, these events are subdued by lulls in pace and underdeveloped characters whose dialogue can be contrived at times. Nevertheless, George Washington University alum Kerry Washington (“Ray,” “Lift”) is stunning as Patricia Wilson, the former wife of the ‘voice’ of the Black Panther Movement. Since her days as a Panther, Patricia has become an attorney with an inquisitive almost-ten-year-old to answer to, who wonders why they never left the house in which her father was gunned down by the police. Wilson’s current boyfriend has had enough of her nostalgia, whispering menacingly as he walks out, “You’re living in the past, Patricia. This house, this neighborhood. You’re all fighting imaginary enemies.”

These ‘imaginary enemies,’ along with real ones, seem to follow Marcus, too, played by irresistibly handsome Anthony Mackie (“The Hurt Locker”). After being accused of “snitching” on his former Black Panther comrade, Wilson’s former husband, Marcus disappears. Marcus is drawn back to the neighborhood he grew up in, after a four-year hiatus, when his father passes. In some ways, Mackie’s character is rendered intriguing by all he is unable to articulate about this self-imposed exile. But little is revealed about his time away, another mistakenly spared detail which could have added volumes to the narrative.

Amari Cheatom as Patricia’s cousin, Jimmy Dixon. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

The internal struggles of the real people who fueled the Black Power Movement are intelligently revealed in this film. However, at times the layers of these characters are peeled back so gingerly that we can only assume–rather than experience–their depth. Still, Night Catches Us shows that both holding secrets and releasing them can bring peace. What we don’t admit binds us to those with whom we share the silence.  Secrets can also unravel what we believe to be true about ourselves, and what may seem to function as survival tactics can haunt us gradually, insidiously. In her debut film, Hamilton reminds us that we will always harbor these ghosts if we do not face them somehow.

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ABOUT THE WEST END CINEMA

The West End Cinema–the only theatre in DC currently playing Night Catches Us through December 30th–recently opened at 2301 M Street NW and is as close to a home cinema as you can get, so curb your enthusiasm if you’re hoping for a multiplex. The screen is a bit small and the chairs are stand-alone recliners that look fit for a DJ’s basement studio. Viewers are privy to the staff working out the kinks of pressing “play” on the DVD player, while the lights awkwardly shut off one at a time. But, if you’re up for the adventure and the charm that comes with an indy cinema house, West End promises “all stories told here.” We look forward to seeing what other indy gems they’ll show.  For movies and showtimes, visit http://www.westendcinema.com/

Life is fiction, competition and contradiction
Petty perceptions, window dressing for misdirection
Love is a lotto, I know I know you know what I know
Hope is so hollow, that’s why winos follow the bottle
And people pressure, make death a hidden treasure
A guilty pleasure, lonely language inside a letter
It’s now or never, move it, move it, love it or lose it
‘Fore it’s recruited, then included in something stupid
It’s nature’s nature, pay the player and say your prayers
Naysayers, the haters, the major players, the beggars
You ’bout it, ’bout it, don’t allow it, pout witout it
Then those who doubt it, doomed to die to death of cowards
The world is yours, in a world we can’t afford
So ignore the law; start a fire, then start a war
If you’re sick and tired of your access denied
Free will died long before blogs and iPods…
(c) P.O.R.N. “Radio Daze”

P.O.R.N. is featured on two tracks on the album, “Walk Alone” and “Radio Daze”, the latter being quoted in a review by Andrew Shapter of The Huffington Post, “Why The Roots May Have The Best Album of 2010″.

Not a shabby introduction for the West Philly native and Money Making Jam Boy member. P.O.R.N. is currently hard at work on his mixtape due out in January. Philly DJ’s Mike Nyce and Rich Medina are collaborating on this upcoming project, and he’s expecting contributions from fellow Jam Boy, Truck North and Philly rapper Peedi Crakk among others.

You can follow P.O.R.N. on Twitter at @porndmc and check back here at The Couch Sessions for info and download links when available…this is a project from a dope new emcee you won’t want to miss!

The Money Making Jam Boys consists of: P.O.R.N., Truck North, STS Slim, Black Thought and long-time Roots Crew affiliate Dice Raw.

Jazz songstress, Nina Simone once said, “An artist’s duty as far as I’m concerned is to reflect the times”.  This thought is lost on a lot of music artists now who just want to party and bullshit their way up the charts.  Enter John Legend who with the assistance of the talented legendary Roots Crew, to step up to the plate and reflect using  revolutionary songs from  some of the 1960′s and 70′s that shines light on the plights that plague America in these times (i.e., recession, poverty and war…etc).  WAKE UP!  isn’t a throwback album, while all of the songs are some of the most noted Soul protest songs,  Baby Huey’s “Hard Times” and Bill Withers “I Can’t Write Left Handed” (which clocks in around 11 minutes, one of  THE best tracks) which Roots’ guitarist Kirk “Cap’t Kirk” Douglas lets loose with a dynamic solo , Donny Hathaway’s “Little Ghetto Boy”.   Legend’s vocals sometime fall short , but The Roots musicianship coupled with Black Thought’s lyrics grabs the ball and carries it home.

The message that  WAKE UP! delivers comes ringing through loud and clear, let’s hope these songs of change inspire a new generation of people.

Tracklisting

Hard Times (f/Black Thought)

Compared to What

Wake Up Everybody (f/Common & Melanie Fiona)

Our Generation (The Hope of the World) (f/CL Smooth)

Little Ghetto Boy (prelude) (f/Yusef Malik)

Little Ghetto Boy (f/Black Thought)

Hang on in There

Humanity (Love the Way it Should Be)

Wholy Holy

I Can’t Write Left Handed

I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free

Shine

All photos by Boney Starks | @boneystarks. PLEASE support.

I’m convinced that the Summer Spirit Festival is the grown and sexy Woodstock.

Over 20,000 people made the pilgrimage to the Merriweather Post Pavilion to see Eyrkah Badu headline an amazing lineup of modern soul and hip-hop talent, including Common, Janelle Monae, The Roots, B.O.B. and the one and only Chuck Brown. All jokes about Woodstock and pilgrimages aside, sitting at the pavilion you can tell that this was something special, and not just another concert night.

Unfortunately thanks to traffic I missed the set by Janelle Monae as she started on time to a gathering crowd. I did get a chance to witness B.O.B. make one of the most classic rock and roll mistakes that any rookie could make.

“Hello Boston!”

As the boos gathered he realized the mistake he made, and apologized, again thanking the fans in….Baltimore.

Goofs aside, B.O.B. put on another solid set, and his relentless touring has allowed his act to mature and get even stronger. Of course crowd-pleasers “Nothing on You,” and “Airplanes” got the pavilion moving and any ill will had in the beginning was long forgotten. You can tell that Bobby Ray has a promising career ahead of him.

However, he still needs to take notes from Common.

The internet might rag on Common (and my family has beef with him), but you can’t deny the dude’s stage presence and the palpable love he received from the crowd. Who said so-called “conscious” rappers can’t move the crowd? Hitting on tracks like “The Light,” “Go!,” and “The Corner,” in addition to a medley of hip-hop hits the audience was out of their chairs, throughout his whole performance.

Of course having one of the best DJs on the East Coast (DJ Dummy, trust me) and serenading girls on stage helps.

But if Common could get the crowd moving, what did you think Chuck Brown did?

Even though the audio mix during his set was kind of weak, there is no denying that Chuck Brown owns the DC area. The go-go revival was most certainly the highlight of the festival not only showcasing Chuck’s hits like “Bustin’ Loose,” and the newest “Chuck Baby,” but covering other go-go favorites like Rare Essence’s “Overnight Scenario” and the hit cover “Pieces of Me.”

The Roots unfortunately had a tough act to follow and they did their best to entertain the crowd. As a die hard fan, I have to remember that even though Questlove and crew are the hardest working crew in show-business, they still have a ways to go to make inroads into the mainstream community. After the raucous acts before them, the crowd was a tad subdued for the boys from Philly. It was only until their hit “You Got Me” (and Capt’n Kirk’s subsequent guitar antics) that the crowd came alive.

After 4 hours of performances it was time for the woman of the hour. Ms Badu, entering the stage with a blonde mohawk and a flowing African gown easily won the prize for best costume (let me stop). Unlike some of her previous shows, her act was more subdued, which might not have been the best look for some tired and weary fans. Having that said, her set was always entertaining and she pulls no punches to deliver a great performance.

“Revisiting”  will be a monthly feature focusing on returning to and reviewing a ”classic” album.  

After one listen to How I Got Over, it was apparent to me that the legendary crew from the 215 had made a return to glory. Say what you want but, Rising Down was a dissappointment. The first half was raw and energetic but the remaining songs, with the exception of “Rising Up”, were misguided at best. Like Marcus so eloquently stated, How I Got Over, is a cohesive effort. From start to finish, it plays out like a soundtrack to the perils of inner city life leaving the listener with the promise of hope and motivation (see: “The Fire” and “Now or Never”). Rewind back to 1996 where ostentatious and over indulgent tunes began to dominate the airwaves and somewhere amongst the glitz, glamour and fraudelent tales of mafia life, stood Illadelph Halflife.

Hip Hop has always been a genre in which style supercedes substance but beginning in 1996 groups like The Roots, De La and OutKast began to challenge the norm. Illadelph Halflife, a barrage of brash lyricism and artistry, was a potent response to the flimsy content that began to infiltrate hip hop. Black Thought, Malik B. and ?uestlove, led the band and the listener through a 70 minute crusade to rid hip hop of its unoriginal, deeply pretentious clones.

It begins with Black Thought urging his hip hop peers to ditch the phony mafia personas and return to the original artform of MC’ing with “Respond React”. They waste little time getting to what they do best, and that’s giving listeners a glimpse of life from the perspective of young Philadelphians. The next four songs do just that, with the pinnacle being “Episodes”. Equipped with a mellow, narrative-inducing backdrop Black Thought peers out of his bedroom window to carefully describe a scene of drug abuse, prostitution and violence. Dice Raw and Malik each contribute equally vivid verses making “Episodes” a highlight of the first 20 minutes of the album.

To further prove that they can tackle the same issues as their hip hop peers without using trite and unoriginal concepts, “What They Do”, as Black says, serves as a dedication to the “one dimensional, no imagination, excuse for perpetratin’”. The video, a parody of hip hop videos of that time, remains one of the most creative visuals in hip hop’s recent memory. ”Clones” doubles as both a midway and turning point for the album, shifting the theme from poignant tales of street life to old fashion mc’ing. They pick up Common and Q-Tip along the way, to contribute their unique voices to “UNIverse at War” and “Ital”. “The Great Pretender” proves Malik is fully capable of maintaining the listeners interest without the help of his often masterful counterpart Black Thought. Infused amongst the Philly street tales and energetic lyricism are interludes tieing the album together with the help of beatboxing, spoken word poetry and even contemporary elements of  jazz.

Along with De La’s Stakes is High, of the same year, Illadelph Halflife stood as a defense against the contagious evils that were threatening to destroy the artform. Much like the albums outro suggests, The Roots were at the time and still remain a bit of an enigma; a hip hop band that despite being signed to a major label, has been able to defy the coporate model and push the boundaries of hip hop. 1996′s Illadelph Halflife and today’s How I Got Over show a band of persistent outsiders determined to unsuspectedly carve their own mark in hip hop history as a voice for the unapologetic, challenging and creative artists.

John Legend & The Roots – Our Generations

The  iconic denim company Levi’s, recently enlisted a dozen influential musicians of different genres to help launch their 2010 Pioneer Sessions, a platform used to showcase ‘pioneering’ artists interpreting a song that has inspired their sound  (all which are available as a free download).

Last month we told you about the first release which was from veteran rapper Nas, who did an awesome job re-creating the hip hop anthem “Hey Young World” originally done by Slick Rick. Since then everyone from Raphael Saadiq,  The Shins Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat have stepped into the booth to record their versions of  a classic.

The latest installment currently available comes from John Legend and The Roots who do a cover of song called “Our Generation” which was originally recorded from a Louisiana soul singer named Ernie Hines.

Legend and The Roots’s modern interpretation of “Our Generation” retains the all of the authenticity of the original track: It gets funky from the outset, with big fat brass and an ice cold keyboard vamp, inspirational backing singers and a particularly gritty vocal by Legend who reiterates Hines’s 40-year-old message about making the future better by “getting rid of all the hate.”

John Legend and The Roots are also gearing up for their soon to be released collabo album Wake Up! which will drop September 21.

This album didn’t have to end up this way. The Roots are pop stars now.

The Roots – The Day (feat. Blu, Phonte & Patty Crash)

In 2010, let’s consider it impressive that the world’s most trendsetting hip hop band crafted an album as influenced by indie pop as by Curtis Mayfield. How I Got Over, The Roots’ 11th studio album is a celebratory album of the aims of the yearning of the human spirit, but still at the same time thoughtful, reflective and completed with the cautious optimism of intellectual souls. This album is informed most by Barack Obama’s “Yes We Can” directive in the face of the farcical Bush administration, but trends deeper into a discussion of survivalist tendencies when dealing with soul crushing doubt and depression. The Roots have always been vocal and sonic poet laureates of the urban experience, and here is no different, possibly showing more focus than ever before, a concept speaking directly to the years of diligent work as a collective unit and a shared expression on this record. This is simply phenomenal hip hop, possibly the year’s best album to date, from a totally expected source for such acclaim.

This album didn’t have to end up this way. The Roots are pop stars now. Serving as Conan O’Brien’s Max Weinberg Seven or Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show Orchestra or Arsenio Hall’s The Band to late night talk neophyte Jimmy Fallon, this could’ve turned out REALLY ugly. The Roots can play pretty much anything, their concerts becoming hip hop’s answer to the Grateful Dead or Phish, the “Legendary Roots Crew” taking concertgoers on trips that make as many stops through Brownsville Queens, NY and Ishkabibble’s on South Street in Philly as to the dank recesses of the eyes and ears of Kurt Cobain meandering through the grunge streets of Seattle. This album could’ve involved Weezer, Wacka Flocka, Rihanna and Lady Gaga, and well, the production and instrumentation would’ve still been dope. But this is a hip hop album by the best hip hop band of all time, guaranteed first ballot Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, so, yeah. We get Dice Raw, Peedi Peedi, Blu, Phonte of Little Brother, a masterful Joanna Newsom sample, the Monsters of Folk collaborative, and members of indie pop darlings the Dirty Projectors. One foot still squarely marching through the hood, yet another walking into Bonnaroo.

The Roots set an exquisite mood on this record. A fully and entirely live production, it flows seamlessly like a stream of consciousness conversation between instrumentalists, vocalists, and the universe. For instance, “Dear God 2.0,” the impressive already leaked single, features an impressive co-mingling of such magnitude that it feels more like a sermon than music. “Why is the world ugly when you made it in your image?/And why is livin’ life such a fight to the finish?/For this high percentage/When the sky’s the limit/A second is a minute, every hour’s infinite.” In writing and producing a track that speaks to the Lord, well, the band expressly tries their damndest to reach him. Jim James’ vocals on the hook, Black Thought’s intellectual preaching, and Questlove providing the backbone of the entire enterprise really takes that track in a rarefied direction.

Available now on iTunes and in stores tomorrow, Tuesday 6/22/10.

The Roots long-awaited 11th studio album, “How I Got Over”, is finally here! Support talented musicians and great hip hop!

We’re partnering up with Philly 360° to give away a weekend getaway in Philly for The Roots Picnic, which takes Place June 5th, 2010.Y’all already know that the Roots Picnic is one of America’s hottest music festivals, and the lineup this year includes Mayer Hawthorne, Clipse, the Very Best, Nneka, and Vampire Weekend.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE CONTEST!

The package includes:

• Two night stay at the Hyatt Regency Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing for the nights of June 4-6, 2010
• Two roundtrip tickets on Amtrak Northeast Regional
• Two tickets to The Roots Picnic + entry to VIP media area
• $100 Garces Restaurant Group gift certificate
• Philly 360° gift basket featuring items from local boutiques

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE CONTEST!

Nearly 20,000 people came out to National Mall to help raise awareness for Mother Earth. This was the first time in about four years that Earth Day wasn’t a washout. Various speakers from all walks of life were there; Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., Trudie Styler (Sting’s Wife), Football player/Reality show personality Dhani Jones, Director James Cameron and the Cast of Avatar—C.C.H. Pounder, Laz Alonzo & Giovanni Ribisi, as well as various scientists, activists and political figures. They all spoke of ways to give back to the Earth; washing clothes in cold water, driving 10 miles less each week, starting a garden –all just a few easy cost effective ways to help save the Earth.

The musical performances this year were a who’s who of the entertainment world, Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead, Willie Colon, Passion Pit and Jimmy Cliff who was accompanied by soul crooner John Legend. But it was the mighty Legendary Roots crew from Philadelphia PA, who set the precedence for the remainder of the day. The Roots performed a medley of their hits; Break You Off, The Seed and the latest single “How I Got Over” from their forthcoming album. Mavis Staples of the Staple Singers performed “I’ll Take You There”, followed by a Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy performing the timeless Bobby Womack classic, “If You Think You’re Lonely Now”, which surprised me because I didn’t know that Patrick could belt out a tune like that. Joss Stone, Robert Randolph, Booker T (Booker T & the MG’s) and Bob Weir were also part of the Roots and Friends segment of the show. John Legend returned to the stage, to debut his new single “Wake Up” with the Roots from his fall forthcoming album.

After a wonderful performance by Legend, Sting was next up to bat—and boy did he knock it out of the park! He looked great and his voice was awesome, “Message in a Bottle” was a fitting song for the event, the way he sang the song made the song seem more about the Earth than what it was originally was. Mind you they were all backed by the legendary hard working band, the Roots. It was the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

While the musical acts were a great part of the day, let us not lose focus of what this day was really about. There are many ways in which we can help! Please learn more information about Climate Control and other ways you can help stop the destruction of this planet at www.earthday.org.

One of the biggest surprises when I was at the Roots Pre-Grammy Jam in LA last month was seeing the one and only Scott Storch take his place back on the keys. If you didn’t know, before Storch produced hits for Dr. Dre and Paris Hilton (?), he was a member of the Roots crew. Scott fell on hard times after blowing over 70 million dollars, but I’m glad to see that he’s still in the mix. (via Please Don’t Stare)

And I forgot that I NEED to post my pics/vids from the Grammy Jam. I will do soon.