Black music by the decades. Each season will deconstruct the most popular Black music of the decade, including what was happening in Black America at each moment in time. Each episode of this audio docuseries focuses on a single song that defined a decade and changed the world. This music series explores cultural, political, and creative change one decade at a time. The first season will explore the Black music of the 80s and the sociopolitical roots of that music. Each episode looks at a single song from the era and what was happening socially at the moment that led to that song. We tell the story of each decade through music. Our host and lead writer Touré, interviews experts, cultural commentators, academics, and political thinkers, who will leave you feeling like you learned more about the music of the period.
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Black music by the decades. Each season will deconstruct the most popular Black music of the decade, including what was happening in Black America at each moment in time. Each episode of this audio docuseries focuses on a single song that defined a decade and changed the world. This music series explores cultural, political, and creative change one decade at a time. The first season will explore the Black music of the 80s and the sociopolitical roots of that music. Each episode looks at a single song from the era and what was happening socially at the moment that led to that song. We tell the story of each decade through music. Our host and lead writer Touré, interviews experts, cultural commentators, academics, and political thinkers, who will leave you feeling like you learned more about the music of the period.
"My Brother’s A Basehead” is a true story. Posdnous from De La Soul had an older brother who had a crack addiction and it was very damaging for the whole family. For Pos and his parents, crack was literally in the house just as it was in many houses and many families during the crack era. Crack decimated many families and De La Soul made one of the most powerful songs about all that. In this episode we talk about how crack destroyed families and what went into the making of "My Brother’s A Basehead.” We talk to Prince Paul, De La Soul’s producer who’s sometimes called the 4th member of the group. We also talk about a very different song about crack users, Public Enemy’s Night of the Living Baseheads, which looked down on people who used crack while one of the members of PE was a crack addict. PE's producer Hank Shocklee joins us for that.
Guests:
Prince Paul, Producer - De La Soul is Dead
Hank Shocklee, Producer - Public Enemy
Credits:
De La Soul - My Brothers a Basehead
Writer: Posdnuos, Trugoy the Dove, Prince Paul, Maseo, Clint Ballard Jr. & Robby Krieger
Label: Tommy Boy Records
Publisher: Tee Girl Music, MCA Music, Shapiro Bernstein & Doors Music Co.
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5 - The Message
Writer: Clifton ‘’Jiggs’’ Chase, Sylvia Robinson, Duke Bootee & Grandmaster Melle Mel
Label: Sugar Hill Records
Publisher: Sugar Hill Records
De La Soul - Me Myself and I
Writer: Posdnuos, Trugoy the Dove, Prince Paul, Maseo, George Clinton & Philippe Wynne
Label: Tommy Boy Records
Publisher: Birdsong Edwin Music Pub, Bridgeport Music Inc, Daisy Age Music, Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Co
De La Soul - Potholes on My Lawn
Writer: P. Huston, K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason
Label: Tommy Boy Records
Publisher: Tommy Boy Music
Public Enemy - Night of the Living Baseheads
Writer: Chuck D, Eric Sadler & Hank Shocklee
Label: Def Jam Recordings
Publisher: Def American Songs Inc, Reach Global Songs, Shocklee Music, Songs Of Reach Music, Terrordome Music Publishing Llc, Your Mother S Music Inc
Crack User in the 80’s epic interview, EurointheCut
What is the Drug War? With Jay-Z & Molly Crabapple, Drug Policy Alliance
Lawn Order, 99 Percent Invisible
Toure: Why I Quit, Touré
Speaking Freely: Chuck D, Freedom Forum
Malcolm X’s Fiery Speech Addressing Police Brutality, Smithsonian Channel
Being Black- The '80s
Black music by the decades. Each season will deconstruct the most popular Black music of the decade, including what was happening in Black America at each moment in time. Each episode of this audio docuseries focuses on a single song that defined a decade and changed the world. This music series explores cultural, political, and creative change one decade at a time. The first season will explore the Black music of the 80s and the sociopolitical roots of that music. Each episode looks at a single song from the era and what was happening socially at the moment that led to that song. We tell the story of each decade through music. Our host and lead writer Touré, interviews experts, cultural commentators, academics, and political thinkers, who will leave you feeling like you learned more about the music of the period.
