Senbei & Dynamic Souls present: “The Literary Ca(n)non”

It took us 2 and a half long years, but Aki, Kumar and I have finally completed our Hip-Hop project, “The Literary Ca(n)non.” It is pressed up and ready for distribution to the public. Dear God, thank you. I almost thought it would never happen.

My lil bros Ak ‘n Kumeezy are so incredibly talented and I am thoroughly blessed to have gotten to do this project with them. The album is produced entirely by DYNAMIC DUO, the Dynamic Souls (Akiyoshi Ehara & Kumar Butler) and features Lalin St. Juste, Tunji of Inverse and Jeimil of Broken Halos. Jeimil is partly responsible for this album because of its title. In “Glory Days,” one of the first the songs we ever recorded together, Jeimil opens his verse with: “This book of lyrics is a literary cannon: ready, cocked and aimed, taking out rap-Italians…” He is famous for this. Our first LP as ‘Braindrops,’ entitled “Apocalyptic Memos,” came from my hearing one if his lines over the beat that would eventually become the album’s title track. “We scribble memos of apocalyptic sorts, to remind us of history and its bloodsport…”

When some S.A.B. (sucka-ass-busta) threatened to sue Jeimil and I because the S.A.B. had trademarked the name “Braindrops,” for his tattoo/piercing parlor, my fiancé Emalyn suggested that we use “Broken Halos,” Jeimil’s solo track from “Apocalyptic Memos,” about innocence being stolen/lost because of oppression.

From a single line in my brother’s poetry, I was able to build a concept that spawned what I feel is my strongest lyrical content to date. Each song is named after a book I love (except the first and last tracks), and is what I personally view to be my own Amerikan literary canon/cannon.

lit·er·ar·y [lit-uh-rer-ee]
–adjective
1. pertaining to or of the nature of books and writings, esp. those classed as literature: literary history.

can·on [kan-uhn]
–noun
1. the body of rules, principles, or standards accepted as axiomatic and universally binding in a field of study or art: the neoclassical canon.

can·non [kan-uhn]
–noun
1. a mounted gun for firing heavy projectiles; a gun, howitzer, or mortar.

Senbei & Dynamic Souls present… The Literary Ca(n)non
(A track-by-track explanation)

1. Foreword (produced by Akiyoshi Ehara)
This song is the introduction/opening of my story. It basically encapsulates the way my mind works, and what I hope to accomplish through music and in life. This song was basically spawned by the cliché: “the pen is mightier than the sword.” All my references to weapons of any kind refer to the power of the written word to inspire the marginalized to combat their oppression. The prophet Mohammed is quoted in the Q’ran stating: “The ink of a scholar is worth a thousand times more than the blood of a martyr.”

2. Paper Bullets (produced by Kumar Butler)
This is the first chapter of my story and is named after one of my favorite books by Eurasian Amerikan author/artist, Kip Fulbeck. It speaks to and for my experience as a mixed race (Asian/Caucasian/Native) Amerikan and the plethora of confusion, clarity, sanity and craziness that runs through my brain each and every single day. “The last Samurai; the last King of Scotland; the last of the Mohicans rolled into one…”

3. The Color of Water ft. Jeimil & Lalin St. Juste (produced by Akyoshi Ehara)
This song features my brother from another mother, Jeimil of Broken Halos and my sister from another mother/Akiyoshi’s partner, amazingly talented vocalist Lalin St. Juste. This song is named for the autobiography of James McBride about his being raised Black Amerikan of mixed race, and his relationship with his white Mother. When McBride asked his mother as a child, “What color is God?” she replied “Baby, God is the Color of Water.” This song is about the power of God/Allah/Jah and how all is one and one is all. The theme of water is symbolic of the “age of aquarius,” and a revolution of the mind that will occur among the human race sometime during our next generation. Water is life (and it is running out).

4. The Alchemist (produced by Akiyoshi Ehara & Kumar Butler)
This song is named for what is probably my favorite novel of all-time, written by Brazilian author, Paolo Coelho. “Alchemy (n): Any power or process of transmuting a common substance, usually of little value, into a substance of great value.” This is for every single person whose made lemonade with lemons. “Through slanted eye-sockets, my people see a normal car and make a rice-rocket…”

5. Kindred (produced by Kumar Butler)
This song was named for Octavia Butler’s award winning science fiction novel about a journey through time and the effects of slavery on the human psyche. It is about the power of kindred spirits and this “chapter,” in my story was written for my partner, fiancé, lover and best friend in the entire world, Emalyn Lopez. (She also did all the artwork for the album!) None of my art is possible without my muse/light/love. Thank you Maganda.

6. Prophet ft. Jeimil (produced by Akiyoshi Ehara)
This song is named for the 26 poems that comprise the works of poet, author and philosopher, Khalil Gibran and features the incredibly gifted, Jeimil of Broken Halos. Gibran’s book as well as this song are about the human condition, life and what Jeimil and I forsee in the coming future. Aki flipped an old Willie Williams’ sample and the beat sounds like a bushel of bananas!

7. Reefer Madness (produced by Kumar Butler)
This song is named for the book by author Eric Shlosser about three pillars (marijuana, migrant labor, pornography) of the “underground economy,” that produce almost 10% of the Gross Domestic Product each year. This “chapter” is about how the effects of cannibus are an extremely “slippery slope,” for young working-class men of color who seek escapism. The song describes the immensely negative effects of marijuana, as well as the feelings using it brings that would entice people like me to seek it out. “It’s a suit of armor, when busters try to harm us / I beg ya’ pardon your honor, but I’m roasting flora and fauna…”

8. Wretched of the Earth ft. Tunji (produced by Kumar Butler)
This song was named for the groundbreaking literature published by Frantz Fanon, who was the 20th century’s preeminent thinker on decolonization/colonization and the pyschopathology of the colonized mind. This “chapter,” features my good friend & incredible emcee, Tunji of Inverse. This song is about the blatant and the undeniable fact that there will never be peace in this world until there is true justice. This song is dedicated to Kumar’s big brother, Jahmari Butler: We love you and we’ll see you when you get there…

9. Things Fall Apart (produced by Akiyoshi Ehara)
This song is named for the opus/novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, about the development of the conflict that arises when tradition clashes with change. Not unlike Achebe, I use my storytelling voice for this one. This “chapter,” speaks widely to my Buddhist beliefs in regards to thinking about suffering being a fundamental part of life, and that everything in our world is impermanent. It is about cherishing what you possess that is good in life, but also understanding fully, that the “bad,” won’t be around forever either. I will not always be blessed with my youth and surrounded by loved ones; while ate the same time like Rome and England before it, my country will not always be the most powerful in the world. I wrote this song for the victims of 9-11 (when did we stop thinking/talking about that?) and every single person, regardless of origin who has died senselessly since then. “Everything’s impermanent, it crumbles and breaks…”

10. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (produced by Kumar Butler)
This song was named for the memoir written by David Eggers about his caring for his younger brother, following the cancer-related deaths of their parents. This final “chapter,” is about my growing up in the Richmond Public Schools, my view of the state of Hip-Hop expression, the affects of poverty and oppression on the minds, hearts and souls of all marginalized people in Amerika, and my hopes and prayers for the beautiful young people I work with everyday. This final “chapter,” is about how hard I am working everyday to see that the people I love are taken care of and have the biggest lives possible, despite the plethora of obstacles in their/our way. This final “chapter,” is a testament to how Hip-Hop saved my life.

11. Epilogue (produced by Akiyoshi Ehara)
This track is the closing of “The Literary Ca(n)non.” It features snippets of my SHERO Arundhati Roy’s “Come September,” speech and is a wrap up of the entire album. It is my final attempt to unite literature and Hip-Hop music/expression. Arundhati Roy states:

“Writers IMAGINE that THEY call stories from the world, and I am beginning to believe that vanity makes them think so. But it’s actually the other way around. Stories call writers from the world. Stories reveal themselves to us. They colonize us. They commission us. They insist on being told.”

There were a multitude of obstacles and voices in my head, insisting that no one would ever care about the story of a Japanese/Scottish/Mohawk kid from the east bay told over breakbeats and boom-bap. But the world called this story from me. It insisted on being told. “The Literary Ca(n)non,” is the unabridged autobiography of the last 3 years in my life and proposes that, “The American way of life is simply NOT sustainable, because it does not acknowledge that there is a world beyond America.”( Arundahti Roy) I hope you enjoy my/our story.

(The answer to your questions are: YES, I am reading “California for Dummies,” YES, I am holding it upsidedown and YES, WeGoesStueyLikeYadadaiYeetadee.)

The album can be purchased at the Broken Halos MySpace Page, Amoeba Records (SF & Berkeley Stores) & from myself, Aki and/or Kumar for ONLY $5 (maybe more at Amoeba). Holla at cha kinfolk!

“Most emcees are also concerned about telling their own coming of age stories. Their voices are easily likened to the voices of young poets, often contemplative and introspective to the point of questioning their reality, upbringing, and the society that bore them. Yet, where a special form of attention is paid to crafting a poem or a prayer, it is seldom the same sort of attention used in writing a rhyme. The braggadocio aspects of emceeing are a distinguishing factor. Part of the unique power of hip-hop is its internal sense of competition. Every emcee is automatically pitted against the others. The competitive nature of the art helps create an environment where most are concerned about displaying their skills while at the same time putting down the skills or abilities of others. As in any gladiator-like sport, those involved are most concerned about not leaving themselves vulnerable on any given side. It is this factor that serves to distinguish the emcee form the poet. Whereas an emcee may see displaying his or her vulnerabilities as a weakness, a poet will often see the ability to display vulnerability as a strength. It is when the careful balance between the two is found that hip-hop is at its most powerful…”

-Saul Williams