MF Doom is at it again. The underground emcee managed to aggravate a whole room of fans on Saturday by billing a fake show at LA’s GrandStar Jazz Club. After standing around through opening acts and DJs, fans began to suspect that something wasn’t right when someone assumed to be Doom took the stage and then didn’t even take the mic. Boos erupted, and some of the commotion was even caught on tape by upset concert-goers.
Take a look at some fan footage from the venue and decide on the situation yourself:
Mischief has always been a large part of Doom’s persona. There were a few other live fake-outs in 2007, one of the most notable being the possible imposter at the Pitchfork Music Festival this year.
In March, Doom told Rolling Stone that the hijinks are a deliberate part of his persona:
“Everything that we do is villain style,” Doom says. “Everybody has the right to get it or not get it. Once I throw it out, it’s there for interpretation. It might’ve seemed like it didn’t go well, but how do we know that wasn’t just pre-orchestrated so that we’re talking about it now? I tell you one thing: People are asking more now for live shows and I’m charging more, so it must’ve worked somewhere.”
Is his music worth the hassle, or should Doom stop biting the hand that feeds him? Take a look at Current’s Embedded with Mos Def, where he talks about why the mask and villain concept are ingenious to him.
Owners of the new pocket video camcorder will be able to record video footage and then upload it straight from the camcorder over Wi-Fi networks both private and public, a feature currently being offered in some DSLRs.
Flips — especially those with HD — shoot a pretty strong quality video (see our episode of Embedded with Common for some Flip footage shot by his assistant and then passed back to Current), and are way more affordable than a DSLR camera.
I’ve shot a little bit of concert footage using the iPhone/YouTube app, and as a fan scouring the internet for clips from shows I couldn’t make it to, I’ve definitely noticed a decrease in lag time between actual concert and online viewing.
Would you buy a wi-fi Flip if it was, say, less than $150? What have you been shooting your best fan footage with?
Since we began shooting Common for Embedded, we have built a great relationship with him and his team. They came to us for Make Common’s Day because they knew Current had experience in doing these sort of viewer-created video call outs, and they wanted to take a unique approach to making a video for the song.
It was an opportunity with a big name artist that we couldn’t really pass up. It sort of plays off the VCAM initiatives as well as the Writer in Residence project, but seemed like a perfect way to bring Current’s filmmaker community together with Common to create something special.
From what Common’s team told me, he chose this one because it was overall a different vibe than your typical clichéd rap music video. It had a fun feel to it, and the use of clip art was simple yet effective, as was the way the producers integrated the green screen footage, and gave it a grainy clip art feel.
Watch Common’s pick for his favorite “Make My Day” video here, and tune in tonight just after our Embedded with Common special—so, about 11:30/10:30c—to see it make its TV premiere:
And check out these photos from when we shot the green screen footage:
On “Universal Mind Control,” Common tried out more “futuristic” and otherworldly ideas, beats, and imagery to push himself and take his music to places he hadn’t previously explored. Working with Pharrell Williams of producing duo The Neptunes played a huge part, since Pharrell is no stranger to enthusiasm for outer space themes and ideas. From his music label Star Trak, to his clothing lines, Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream featuring an astronaut as its mascot, and even citing scientist Carl Sagan as someone he really admires, Pharrell is often pushing creativity toward an interplanetary future. (Watch Pharrell talk to Current about his creative community ARTST here.) The first single and title track from Common’s “Universal Mind Control” is a perfect example of that.
But Pharrell and Common aren’t the only artists in hip-hop to focus attentions on off-world conquest. It’s been a source of inspiration and a big topic for a lot of emcees and producers in recent years especially. Since the beginning of his mainstream career, Kanye West has talked about escaping in a “Spaceship”, and his entire 2008 Glow In The Dark tour hinged on a plot line where he’d been traveling the unknown to find the meaning and inspiration that Earth had failed to provide.
A 2008 Slate magazine article suggested that the black “Afronaut” has roots all the way in the earlier 1900s. But young music fans and bloggers have suggested that what it makes appealing in most recent history—though even that extends back to Afrika Bambaataaa’s “Planet Rock” in the 1980s—is being able to identify with “the alien Superman.” There’s something relatable in the isolation of outer space existence, and then using that same “otherness” to present ordinary Earth with material that’s both unique and heroic, thanks to the grandness that comes along with huge spacecrafts delivering lifesaving resources that people need.
New artist Kid Cudi fits right into that idea with his debut, “Man on the Moon: End of the Day” (narrated by none other than…Common). The isolation of the space agent is crux of the album, and Cudi says that space as a concept appealed to him even as a child—going from traveling to his own world in his imagination to placing himself there more definitely as an artist.
Senior Producer Alex Simmons (left) interviewing Common
COMMON
For a lot of artists, talent carries them as far as they go, but for Common, it’s more than just his unrivaled ability that has gotten him to where he is today. Common is among the most respected rappers alive for several reasons. Of course you can’t ignore his raw talent and intellect, but beyond that, he works his ass off and is constantly hustling, but not just to get ahead. He works so hard to bring it for his fans and give them the music and the shows they deserve. (You don’t have to take our word for it—everyone from Pharrell to Will.I.Am to Mos Def takes the time to tell us how much they respect Common.)
Quite frankly, we lost track of how many cities Common hit on his way across the country promoting his latest album—even watching the footage we used of him moving from town to town to town was exhausting. Common didn’t complain at all, but he probably had a right to, according to co-producer Manoj Gopinanth.
“Always on the go from city to city, during his promo tour, he was pretty sick with the flu. This never stopped him from taking pictures with fans and radio station employees, talking to people who called his name out, and putting on a crazy show for his hometown Chicago in an old warehouse. Seriously, if I had the flu and tried to rock an hour long set, I’d probably be dead. I guess that’s why he has been a mainstay in Hip Hop since the early 90s. Passion and genuine love for the art of hip-hop definitely exist within Common’s soul.”
In addition to being extremely driven and gifted, Common’s about one of the nicest people you’ll meet. Whether you’re interviewing him for a TV show or if you’re a fan who approaches him on the street, Common will look you in the eye and sincerely speak to you as a friend. Senior producer Alex Simmons was struck by how much fans and other artists alike respected Common:
“’He is one of the coolest people I’ve ever met.’ That’s what Nate from Cold War Kids said when I mentioned we had been doing an episode of Embedded with Common. It turns out that Nate and rest of the guys in Cold War Kids had met Common at a festival a year or so back and he made a big impression on them. Nate went on to say that having a quick interaction with Common was kind of an epiphany for them, they realized that it is possible to be a rock star and be friendly and connect with the people you run across.
That is the impression that everyone gets when they meet Common. When shooting with him I’m constantly impressed by how he will have a real conversation with anybody that he meets, whether it’s a fan, a radio station employee or a fellow artist. He looks people in the eye, genuinely wants to know who they are what they are all about.
And without Val Vogt, who was Common’s assistant during the time of shooting and now runs his new media endeavors, none of this would have happened. Thankfully Val would often leave Current playing on Common’s TV and through that he became a fan of the network.”
LYKKE LI
Embedded executive producer Mark Rinehart helmed this Tour Stop segment, which started where most of our show does: asking the artist what they’d like to do. Lykke loves to shop, especially in used clothing stores like the one we hit up in San Francisco:
“She was a shopping machine. Vintage stores like Wasteland are huge overwhelming places to me. Lykke was completely oriented the whole time. Amidst the chaos, she had an ability to find great items quickly and efficiently. Oh and the Current umbrella that she was using was not intentional! It started pouring and it was the only umbrella I could find in my trunk. Glad we had it. She would have been soaking wet for her sound check if we didn’t have it.
My favorite interview response (that didn’t make the cut) was what she said when I asked her where she saw herself in 10 years. Without missing a beat she said, ‘I want to be in a long silky dress in a warm country with ten babies and I want to have a whisky voice.’ Loved that.”
Current teamed up with Common to give you the opportunity to direct your own music video with his track ‘Make My Day’ between September 14th and 28th, 2009.
From the many amazing videos, Common hand-picked his favorite, ‘Common’s Make My Day Music Video: Clip Art’, by Josh Milowe, Elizabeth Casal and Mike Potter, collectively known as Wealthy Pictures.
Check out the video above, and look for its on-air premiere Wednesday, November 4 at 11/10c during Embedded featuring Common:
Our music programming supervisor Manoj Gopinath represented for Team Current at the Common & Friends Benefit this past weekend in LA. Here’s his recap and some (shaky) YouTube clips we found. —SNK
Hip hop’s finest all came out to flex their performance muscles at a great concert this past Saturday at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, CA. The concert, curated by rapper/actor (and friend of Current Music) Common, and supporting his Common Ground Foundation, brought out a diverse group of performers, including himself. The event was organized by Jodie Blum, the executive director of the Common Ground Foundation, and Common gave all the props to her for getting all the artists to come out and perform. I was lucky enough to have a chance to check out the show, which I would rate as one of the best I’ve seen in a while. That’s saying a lot, as I’ve been to a pretty fair amount in the past two years working at Current.
Hosted by KCRW’s Garth Trinidad, a good friend of Common, the show started off with a bang when he introduced hip hop underground royalty De La Soul, who performed a couple of their hits, including “Buddy,” “Stakes is High,” and “Oooh.” One of the early surprises was when a masked MF Doom showed up to drop his verse on “Roc Co.Kane Flow.” I’m not sure most of the skinny-jean wearing hipster crowd knew who he was, but the true hip hop heads in attendance were definitely bobbing their head ferociously.
The man of the night then appeared, as Common came out and rocked with De La Soul, performing a couple of their collabs. Common then took over the stage and went on to perform one his staples of all his live shows lately, “The People,” shouting out President Obama and the new generation of our diverse population. He then segued into a version of “Come Close” set to the live band’s rendition of D’angelo’s “Brown Sugar,” a definite highlight for the ladies in attendance. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, ?uestlove and Black Thought came to the stage to rock the drums and mic, and launched into an impromptu freestyle session with Common, while DJ Dummy—Common’s DJ and the house DJ for the night—was searching for their collab record to throw on. It was a great moment where three amazing artists went off the top to give the crowd what they expected. Real hip hop!
Next up was an unusual guest in the mostly backpack/conscious line-up, none other then ATL’s own Ludacris. You wouldn’t be able to tell by the crowd though, as the energy was definitely lifted a notch when Trinidad brought him out. Luda took us back with his classic hits “Southern Hospitality” and “Move B#$&%.” But the theme of the night was not forgotten, as he thanked Common, who he mentioned as one of his favorite rappers, and thanked hip hop, then fittingly launched into his current collaboration with Nas, “I do it for hip hop.”
And wouldn’t you know it, Mr. Nasir Jones then came out to spit his verse. He then took over the stage, as the band’s keyboard player dropped the inspirational “In the Air Tonight” riff from his hit “One Mic.” Judging from Nas’ performance, his energy level was definitely off the charts, even forgetting some of his lyrics, as the crowd cheered him on. As he performed “The World Is Mine” and “NY State of Mind,” Common played hype man, even helping him out with some of the lyrics, fittingly changing NY to LA on the hook, which the crowd loved. Common even rapped one of Nas’ verses, paying homage to the Queens Bridge legend. The two hip hop icons then joined forces to introduce another surprise guest, one of their personal favorites, none other than the overweight luva himself, Heavy D. Most of the younger crowd probably did not know the history, as the energy digressed a bit, but I myself was taken back to my days in elementary / middle school, a lovely time in my life:), as he performed “The Overweight Lova’s in the House” and “Nuttin’ But Love.” I have to admit, while watching the sound check earlier in the day, and seeing Heavy D run through his set, I was pretty excited, as I’d never seen him live before—so added bonus for me, not so much for the skinny jeans crowd.
Just when you thought the night might be winding down, Common hit the stage again, while DJ Dummy dropped the instrumental for his collaboration with Black Star, “Respiration.” Could it be? Could both Mos Def and Talib Kweli be in the building. Judging from how the night had gone so far, it was pretty much a given. Right on cue, Mos’ melodic voice blared over the PA, launching into his verse… The crowd was at an all time high! When Talib appeared, you knew the night was a special one for hip hop. Mos and Talib each did their respective solo cuts too, “Umi Says” and “Get By,” with the latter getting a crazy response from the crowd. Common even admitted to the crowd that Talib and Mos were last-minute additions, who called him the night before and said they wanted to rock at the show. I was thinking to myself, now that is what hip hop is all about!
This seemed like a perfect avenue to bring another guest in, huh? Common took to the mic to send his apologies from Mr. West, for not being able to make it, as he was trying to stay out of the spotlight, and also took a minute to defend his brother. For a split second, I actually believed him, but as the adrenaline level in the crowd seemed to increase, and Common chanted “the only way to get up from this was to ‘Get em high,’” the instrumental for his collaboration with Kanye and Talib dropped. As Kanye appeared, rapping his verse, the crowd pretty much exploded, and the energy in the Palladium was at an all time high. Kanye might have been taken aback a bit, as he forgot some of his lyrics, but Common and Talib stepped in to back him up.
Kanye then went on to perform “Good Life,” probably the all-time high of the show for the crowd, and “Flashing Lights,” with Mos Def filling in for Dwele’s soulful hook. Common and Talib played his hype men, and did a fine job if I might add. You would think this would be the fitting end to an already amazing show, but just as “Flashing Lights” was coming to a close, a female voice was heard over the speakers—none other than Queen Latifah. Assisting Mos with the hook probably wasn’t a good idea, but in any event, the Queen herself closed out the show, as Common and Kanye backed her up. She ended her set with her classic cut “U.N.I.T.Y.,” a fitting end to an amazing night. Unity was definitely the theme of the whole show, as an eclectic group of performers came out for a great cause. This was definitely 2.5 hours of my life that wasn’t wasted, and I’m sure everyone in attendance would agree with me. Props to Common, Jodie , the Common Ground Foundation, and everyone who supported the show.
The best part about my job as online producer for Current Music is that I sit right here in the heart of the department, and since January I’ve had a front-row seat to watch the development of a new show unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Embedded, premiering on Wednesday, October 14, is the kind of TV any music fan dreams of—and though you have no real reason to believe me, I swear I’m saying that first and foremost as that lucky music fan, not because I work here. (Rolling Stone also picked us as one of their 50 reasons to watch TV. In one of the weirdest but most awesome and accurate reviews I’ve ever read about anything, they said, “If Animal Planet had a show that captured musicians in their natural habitats, it would look like this refreshingly raw documentary series.”)
I think Embedded could hold its own even if there were a dozen shows like it on the air, but there just aren’t, not on Animal Planet or even MTV for that matter. Anyone who’s gotten a glimpse at the inner workings of an entertainment publication or TV show has a laundry list of sad stories about how hard it is to actually document the life of a musician, to get enough time with an artist or a new album that you can actually feel justified in making a bold pronouncement, anointing a new heir or crowning a new queen.
Embedded is a descendant of the best of Current Music’s short- and long-form content, all organized around a simple, essential set of principles: Intimate. Exclusive. Access. We aren’t going into each part of the special with a set idea of what the story is. Instead we start with the artists we most respect and collaborate to create opportunities where we can film them on stage and off, in the moments when most other crews are kicked to the curb or put down their cameras. We spent a week on the ground in Japan with Mos Def, perched on Silversun Pickups‘ shoulder as they played “Swoon” for the first time in front of a live audience, and criss-crossed the country with Common as he worked harder than a campaigning politician to prove to new and old fans just how powerful he thinks music can be.
And true to Current’s own hybrid heritage, we’ve been (if quietly) taking the temperature of online communities as we select which artists to work with, what to ask them that won’t be the same 10 questions they’ve heard at any album release press junket, and how to use the best and smartest information on the web to make TV like you’ve never seen before. Instead of waiting for a polished produced piece, we posted clips from a secret tweet-up show with Amanda Palmer within the week and dropped three a capellas with Mos performing songs from “The Ecstatic” the week before that album dropped. I’m working to stack current.com/embedded with all the extras, inside information and interaction I’ve always wanted as a music fan. Plus there will be some incredible interactive features you won’t see anywhere else—because the brainiacs behind Current.com had to invent them.
The worst part about my job is not yet being able to tell you every single thing about what you’ll see on the six parts of Embedded. But here’s a little tease, and leading up to October 14, we’ll have a little more, and then (the part we’re really looking forward to) we’ll get to hear what you think of it all.
On Saturday, September 26 at the Hollywood Palladium, Common is throwing a benefit concert for the foundation with an insane lineup that includes The Roots, De La Soul, Ludacris, Nas and a special guest.
