What happens when an acclaimed 48-year-old professor of Afro-American studies morphs the content of his legendary lectures into hip-hoppish spoken word rhymes? The ivory towers get "jiggy wit' it," that's what. Sketches of My Culture captures this awkward yet useful synergy in a salvo of funk beats and scholarship-fuelled rhymes.
It's easy to overlook the shortcomings in West's lyrical flows, along with some of the pedestrian musical arrangements, because the subject matter is so compelling. After repeated listens of "Stolen King," an exploration of slavery's regrettable legacy recorded over some dusty soul grooves, and "Journey," a discussion of the generational links between spirituals, blues, jazz, and hip-hop, this release (whipping by in 35 minutes) acts as a good audio appendage to West's acclaimed Race Matters. He's not exactly trading dope lyrics with Tricia Rose over some hot rhythm tracks cooked up by DJ Premier, but West's learned flow appeals to all of rap's expanding demo, from shorties on the street corner to elitist intellectuals who enjoy a good dose of 50-cent words, in rhyme. But that said, West shouldn't give up his day job. --Dalton Higgins
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5.5 x 5 x 0.25 inches; 3.2 Ounces
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When I initially heard previews of the CD I liked some songs and disliked the sound of others. When I heard Cornel talk (3 hours) on CSpan recently before his surgery, he spoke at length about this CD and its aim - an attempt to use music and the word in a variety of forms to help reach and educate young people about their past while inspiring them to continue the struggle. He adamently proclaimed that it wasn't "rap" cd - but mainly spoken word poetry behind a rich variety forms from the music he talks about. The purpose of the CD? To connect with the younger generation and pass on the history. I shared some of the CD with my students in class (at-risk urban middle school)and they really liked it. Why? Because through the music (good and bad) they got the message and had much to say about it. In this sense I think it succeeds - and that was the point. This CD defies catagorization - educational, maybe? West was a keynote participant in the first Hip-Hop Summit - The Political Influence held last June 2001. Here he spoke of the importance of each generation understanding its past and where it came from - especially within music. This CD seems to encapsulate his message during that summit. As for achieving its purpose - this CD gets 5 stars.
Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2009
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This CD reflects what can happen when powerful, principled Black Men come together without the record industry hacks and MTV culture. Peace, Chief Saba
There's a few things we have to get straight to have any meaningful dialogue about a CD like this: 1) No matter what you heard on TV or read in some magazine, while this CD may be an attempt to counter the negativity of much of rap in this day and age, the actual content of this CD falls squarely in the camp of spoken word. Not poetry, but spoken word. More on that in a mnute. 2) Cornel West is no musician, no rapper and no poet...but he talks a great game. 3) Just because the intentions of a record are noble does not make it a good record. It makes the artist a good person, but doesn't mean anything in relation to the actual execution of the musical ideas contained therein. No matter how funny and cool Prince might be in a pick-up game at the local basketball court in your neighborhood, his albums still have to bump to garner any actual props for his artistic ability. EVERY record has to face THAT music. So: we're presented with a record here featuring noted scholar Dr. Cornel West delivering what we are to assume are musical lyrics over some very contemporary beats of various stripes. The quetsion is: is the thing any good simply because it means well? The answer is: of course not. I love West. I buy his books, I'll go see him speak if he's in my area, I am riveted to my television on any show he may appear on. I agree with many of his platforms (though not all), and find him a frighteningly intelligent individualist. He just shouldn't make records. ANY kind of records. Unless they're recordings of his speeces, there shouldn't be a copy of this on a shelf with any other item of musical art. The music is fairly stock stuff, each track pretty much sounding like a cleary subordiante version of something else. "Elevate Your View" sounds like about 4 Tony Toni Tone songs, "3M's" sounds like a smooth jazz version of a Warren G riff, and "N-Word" has about as much actual funk as Yanni playing at a methadone clinic. The preaching - and let's be honest, it's preaching - is so blatant, no self-disrespecting thug is going to listen to it long enough to consider changing his ways...he'll be too busy laughing at the audacity of the messages. I chided the latest Lauryn Hill and Prince records for being too preachy, but the "lyrics" on this record make the other two artists seem like they're doing X-rated versions of "Darling Nikki" on Saturday morning Nickelodeon. "Stolen King" could've made a good slow jam if it wasn't a song about slavery and its effects on the Black psyche. Hey, every slow song ain't a slow jam, and every grouping of words said to music isn't a poem, and nowhere obviously moreso than on this record. These are treatises, not poems. Records intended to be deemed musical in some respect have to be measured against other records that are clearly musical, regardless of their intentions, and this record doesn't ring solidly enough to work as anything more than the sating of curiosity or belly-laughs, of which, sadly, there are many. I admire the politics and thought that went into the messages of the music, but the problem here is that West has nothing to lose if no one thinks its good, and this comfort handicaps the record from the outset.
Dr. Cornel West is not cool. To be cool, you have to be a dispassionate observer willing to focus on the meta issues of life. Dr. West can't do that. He gives a care. "Sketches" is not the work of the Academic Cornel West at his most ambitious and intricate challenge to the academy. Rather, this is West trying to get a message to the street. To get a message to the street, you have to use the language of the street. Via poetry, soul, and hip hop attitude he does that. The message? Embrace your proud heritage! Cast off the shackles of prejudice and live a powerful soulful life. No one can be diffident and cool while trying to get this message out, still you have to admire the attempt. KRS-ONE was a rapper who tried to get academic with his listeners. Cornel West is the converse: an academic trying to rap to his listeners. If you like the former, you'll probably enjoy the latter.
This is a pop album, an album of rap. All the ballyhoo about Cornel West's ideology means nothing; it doesn't matter. The question a reviewer should answer is: How's the music? That answer: wretched. West is neither a rapper nor a singer, and he wisely avoids attempting either. Rather, he simply delivers his lectures over backing tracks. This might be tolerable, and indeed interesting, if the music wasn't so bland. It sounds like the low-quality, mass-produced gospel/funk/soul that fills up the hours on local radio stations. This in turn throws West off. Despite being known as a dynamic lecturer, here he tries to speak in time with the music. The rhythms are not natural, though, and his words have little rhythm and no flow, so he ends up sounding like precisely what he is: A fifty year old academic delivering a lecture for the hundreth time to students who are only pretending to be interested (only here the students are his backup singers and others who perform on the album). The album, in sum, is a horrible failure. As an introduction to West's thought, the recently published "Cornel West Reader" is far better. As music, almost anything is preferable.
Beau voyage à travers l'histoire de la musique noire américaine. Des paroles et une voix uniques! Dr Cornel West est une voix africaine-américaine sereine et passionée
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