Post

The attention doesn't always have to be on what is new and shiny

Greetings,

Here are seven, kinda, things I want to share this week.

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1

There was a time when, to try and become a better writer about music, also known as a music reviewer, I enrolled in an online songwriting course. I dig a good feature concept, like this one from Pitchfork: “Each Sunday, Pitchfork takes an in-depth look at a significant album from the past, and any record not in our archives is eligible. Today, we revisit Björk’s second album, the foundation for one of the most consequential careers in pop history.” I am a Bjork fan and the review of the album Post had me dipping back into the music with a bit more context.

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2

So many people slipping through the cracks of history because we, as Africans, do not document and archive enough. Paul Bonga Bonga is the greatest African footballer you’ve never heard of.

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3

“The Empty or Vacant Land Theory is a theory that was propagated by European settlers in nineteenth-century South Africa to support their claims to land. Today this theory is described as a myth, the Empty Land Myth because there is no historical or archaeological evidence to support this theory.”

Too often for my liking, I will see a post or hear a comment about how the area that is South Africa was ‘empty’. The Empty Land Myth explains how much of a myth that is and how it was used to colonise the region.

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4

Every two to three months, I go back to Black Thought’s freestyle on Hot 97. And every time I listen to it, I hear something new. Black Thought is in my top 5 favourite emcees. Don’t ask me the others because it’ll probably change depending on day of the week and who I am talking to, but Black Thought is a true lyrical genius. Everything Writes Itself: An Interview with Black Thought gives a glimpse into his mind.

If you prefer listening to reading, check out the interview he did with Dario from the Institute of Black Imagination.

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5

An Archive of Iconic Photos from the Golden Age of Jazz: William Gottlieb’s Portraits of Dizzy, Thelonious, Billie, Satchmo and More. I know some of the portraits, I just never knew who made them. The actual William P. Gottlieb Collection online is something else. One could spend days scrolling.

Thelonious Monk by Willam Gottlieb

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6

The Fan Who Infected a Movie Star episode of Tim Harford’s Cautionary Tales is particularly poignant at this time as it explores the human cost of thoughtlessness.

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7

A book I am currently reading is Neil Gaiman’s Smoke & Mirrors and just finished his masterclass on Masterclass. I still can’t get over how brilliant his short story Nicholas Was actually is.

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That’s it for this week. You know what to do. Comment, share, subscribe. Until next week.

Easy

Kojo