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Movin through places, space and time · by Sach O
Can’t stay trapped in a Reaganomic world view
Mos Def – Travellin’ Man
Maybe it’s because I’m spending my Spring Break locked in a cramped old school editing room cutting and taping magnetic stock like Doom in 89’, but I’ve been fiending for a vacation. On the real, February in Montreal is the kind of environment that demands non-stop Liquid Swords and Infamous playbacks: it’s cold, dark and perfect for hard core Hip Hop but not ideal if you’re looking to have fun or let loose. Consequently, anyone who can afford it gets the fuck out of here, but my pockets are touching and that ain’t happening so I’m doing the next best thing: bumping old travel mixtapes.
As much as I love my I-Pod for day to day listening, I’m a staunch proponent of the travel mixtape. There’s something about dubbing a couple of mixes for a trip and letting memories develop around the music, not to mention the opportunity for trades and conversations along the way. Sure you can bump the same shit that you do at home, but the whole goal of traveling is to give your brain a rest from routine and switch it up. It also doesn’t help that most Hip Hop I listen to tends to be the antithesis of travel music. Despite Saul Williams’ claim that Hip Hop is best understood on mountain tops, my experience has shown that rap is best appreciated when the going gets rough in the city. From Melle Mel to Saigon, Hip Hop has a claustrophobic sense of all-absorbing urbanity that just doesn’t feel right when you’re freely enjoying yourself on Holiday. It’s a little different for West coast material, but mostly rap doesn’t mesh with absolute freedom by nature. Or maybe it’s just me: I’m equally suspicious of people who play folk music in the city or dance music when they’re not dancing.
“Eye for an Eye” and “Cold World” are out of the question so what’s a Hip Hop fan going to bump when he’s OT for a few months? A Tribe Called Quest, Brand Nubian and J-Live all got jams for the road, mostly because they made their livings touring and had a tendency to stretch the verbal and topical limits of New York boom-bap, but my favorite emcee for the road is Mos Def. Sure Mos has gone all sorts of insane in recent years and he deserves to be clowned, but at his peak none of his contemporaries could see him on the mic. Plus the future “Mr. True Magic” is responsible for “Travelin’ Man”. Produced by DJ Honda for his own HII compilation, the song’s combination of nostalgia, introspection and feel-good consciousness won’t get play from those looking for Redman’s rah-rah attitude or Three 6’s violence on wax but it’s ideal for the constant stimulation and rush offered by travel. Anchored by a heavy ass drum break, expert scratching and a killer bass line, the rhymes are equal parts discussion on the grind, celebration of the touring scene and thoughtful reflection of how much your perception of home can change after a long trip. As a city kid, I can’t stress how much one’s understanding of life and reality can shift after an extended stay in another environment and this song captures that perfectly. Although that’s no excuse for dropping those last two Mos Def albums.
If that’s not enough, here’s a couple of (slightly more obvious) videos by some of the aformentioned artists
A Tribe Called Quest – Award Tour
A Tribe Called Quest – I left my wallet in El Segundo
Mos Def – Umi says
Comments for "Movin through places, space and time"
true indeed. i miss cassettes.
— khal Feb 23, 03:17 PM
“travellin’ man” was/is my shit. got the cd single (now scratched up) in ‘98 since i wasn’t really feeling that honda comp. good shit.
— jb Feb 23, 03:29 PM
Great song.
lol @ that kweli pic you found.
never let them see you sweat.
— Rafi Feb 23, 04:58 PM
That Mos Def song is the worst song on that Honda compilation. Bad move there, hon.
— R.H.S. Feb 23, 05:54 PM
I had a hunch you wouldn’t be feeling this track actually. pseudo-hippie-travel-hop gets no love in the hood.
— Sach Feb 24, 12:52 AM
“That Mos Def song is the worst song on that Honda compilation.”
are you fucking kidding me? jesus, i didn’t realize “probz the pro” and black attack had fans (outside of the beatnuts). don’t get me wrong, we all liked “correct technique” for, like, five minutes, but c’mon, the majority of the tracks on that “h2” lp are complete garbage.
doe v & krs-one? bad move there, hon.
— d-luv Feb 24, 02:28 PM
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=S2HGC353
this is my favorite travel song
— Mathew Feb 25, 06:53 AM
I’ve got a real soft spot for this Mos tune. I bought the twelve which had two different mixes on it and it was the soundtrack to a summer.
I agree that hip hop’s intrinsically urban nature means that it feels wrong out of context. I love nothing better than a dark, stormy night wandering the streets on my way home with the earphones pumping some hardcore ish… the only good thing about winter in the UK.
Peace!
Dan
— Dan Love Feb 26, 04:27 PM