Shapes, Colours, African Kidz

I’m really gonna give this subject a rest soon, but let me attempt a slightly more oblique approach. One dimension of the underlying critique in Grant’s comments seeks to draw lines of value and authenticity between what he wants to position as a kind of first-order cultural production (doing/making stuff) and second-order skimming (talking about […]

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What Lamin Did

Last week Dutty Artz released a lovely, largely unpredictable set of 4 tracks produced by longtime blog/label staple but debuting artist, Lamin Fofana. (You can hear & buy individual tracks at Amazon and elsewhere around the web.) I wasn’t sure what to expect, never having heard any of Lamin’s productions. Sure, I’d heard mixes and […]

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Other Sides!

I was surprised and delighted to learn last week (h/t Rizzla) that everyone’s favorite pair of singing Boricuas from Queens, Nina Sky, have released a handful of new tracks, all for free DL (long as you give them your email address, which, in this case, seems a fair exchange). Apparently, the release comes in response […]

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Wata Gwaan?

Mil gracias a Marisol LeBron, who not only first brought to my attn the wonderful nueva-media phenom of “Watagatapitusberry,” but who has offered some interesting thoughts on its homosocial joi de vivre (check her initial round-up of home videos) and has kept up on the latest developments around the song. Most recently, the launch of […]

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Global Hip-hop

Since I’m in a syllabus sharing mood, I figured I should finally get around to posting the one I put together in Spring 2008 for a course on “Global Hip-hop.” A series of case studies examining how hip-hop travels outside the US, what it carries with it, and how people adapt its forms to their […]

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Loo$e Change, Tight Flick

I enjoyed this so thoroughly yesterday that I need to post it here. Thanks to Frank Roberts for the tip. Becca called this 15 minute film “pitch perfect,” and I think she’s right. Hope you dig this as much as we. Someone needs to give Mykwain Gainey the resources to produce a series or something, […]

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Reggaeton Radio

If you missed me & Raquel on /Rupture’s radio show last Wednesday, you can still hear it here. Update! If the audio is no longer available at WFMU, you can stream it below, but see the link above for tracklist, etc. [audio:http://wayneandwax.com/wp/audio/muddup-radio-reggaeton-090506.mp3] Thx to all who came to the NYC book launch events! The Hunter […]

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¡Que Libro! ¡Que Bajo!

Hopping the Fung Wah this pm in order to make it down to NYC/FMU in time to join Sñr /Rupture, Sñr Fofana, y mi querida compi, Raquel Rivera, on MuddUp Radio to talk (and play) reggaeton. As Jace sez — From Panamanians to Playeros to post-DemBoleros, [we]’ll be spinning rarities alongside discussion of the genre’s […]

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Dem Bow Dem

I’ve already discussed and DJ-demo’d the degree to which the Dem Bow riddim underpins the lion’s share of reggaeton tracks. But one remarkable part of the story I haven’t given much focus here is how “Dem Bow” the song — in particular, the chorus melody, but also the basic theme of the lyrics — has […]

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Reggaeting o Reggaetang

Speaking of the difference between hip-hop and reggaeton, there’s been a heated discussion over at Raquel’s reggaetonica, redrawing yet again the lines in the sand between the two genres and rehashing lots of tropes about Puerto Rico, blackness, hip-hop, and so on. The debate was initiated by a polemic published last fall by a god […]

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Musee de Beau Zack

History of Hip-Hop Radio (NYC 1986-1991) / audio – GRANDGOOD wow — a mixtape combining excerpts from golden age NYC hip-hop radio — nice work! what a window into a wonderful world — (h/t noz) (tags: hip-hop NYC radio mix archive goldenage) CBRAP » A Very Fresh Way To Learn butterfly in the sky, i […]

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The Anxiety of Influence

With a thread titled “weh unna tink bout this dancing ting inna the dancehall?????” discussants have taken up the subject of tight pants / “how mi look” fashion over at dancehallreggae.com. Me nuh really rate chatroom passa passa, so I wouldn’t have noticed, except that someone (here’s lookin at you, SELVATRON) linked to my recent […]

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Pimp My Piragua

El Ganso Gris has a nice lil piece today (w/ video!) about Miguel Luciano‘s “Pimp My Piragua” project. I’ve talked about Miguel’s work here before. It’s stunning stuff, and I’m thrilled to report that a shot from his “Pure Plantainum” series is gonna grace the cover of our reggaeton book (due out this spring!)!

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omg cholesterol

The Elephants Child: SeneRap, Rap Galsene : Hip Hop SeneGal rachel makes an interesting point about parallel discussions happening in other places on the network — "It's really fun when I find discussions in the comments on various African music sites engaging similar questions as the folks at wayneandwax.com and dutty artz." :: this needn't […]

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Linkthink #74943: The Future Is Later

todo mundo » Blog Archive » Is that Lil Twane on the keytar? great post by kevin linking lil wayne to coltrane, miles, george duke and other techno-musical visionaries :: including the great question, "Is not Auto-Tune the wah pedal of today’s Black pop?" :: and, to boot, he inserts his video-supported commentary into recent […]

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Doblando pa la Izquierda

I’ve been trying to get around to posting about Miti Miti, and since Geko Jones (notably, while making reference to the duo) and others have been wondering aloud again about the practice of global gobbledicrunk, while Kevin’s translating salsa songs & whatnot, today seems as good a day as any. Primero, I need to thank […]

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linkthink #519292: Loosing My Mind [sic]

Shaggy feat Trix & Flix – Feel The Rush | The Heatwave Blog – dancehall reggae and bashment “la cumbia cienaguera” of samim’s “heater” fame (and a hit in its own right in south america for decades) gets yet another odd reanimation via shaggy and the euro 08 football cup :: and round and round […]

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linkthink #69377: Who Wants to Bet That Obama Becomes a Far More Common First Name Than Barack?

Berkman Center pioneers steer the course of cyberspace – USATODAY.com gwaan charlie & co.! (tags: berkman harvard internet academia education activism charlie) DTLBASSTOWN.mp3 (audio/x-mpeg Object) crazed dance mix by dropthelime, as played recently @ basstown (tags: DJ mix mp3 house techno club remix boston) Energy Flash | Gas (director’s cut) simon reynolds on gas (wolfgang […]

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linkthink #04676: ATCQ Has a Posse

The Cosmopolatino Map consuming cosmopolitanism en español en NYC (tags: cosmopolitanism newyork latinidad class) NYMosaico :: Profile Manager :: calabashmusic.com “Cosmopolatinos are young, urban, and bilingual, and are fusing aspects of Latin America with other global trends to create a unique cultural space in New York and other cities.” :: ocio cosmopolatino, eh? (tags: cosmopolitanism […]

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MixxThink #5736: Yip Yip Yip, Uh-huh Uh-huh

muzikmix.mp3 (audio/mpeg Object) :: http://www.myspace.com/deejayrasputin “a new 45 min DJ Rasputin mixset with the latest selection of trubaci, chalga, albanian pop, türkish rhythms and gypsy frenzy!” (via blentwell) (tags: mix turkey albania gypsy balkan europea) dj_nron_the_collaborator.mp3 (audio/mpeg Object) new mix from comrade n-ron: wide-ranging electro bizniz (tags: mix hip-hop dubstep electro electronic orientalism) videyoga ::

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