John Morrison
@John_Liberator
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Writer/DJ/Sample-flipper @NPRMusic @Wxpnfm @Tidal @thewiremagazine @RecordingAcad On-air personality: @Seriousrapshit @Worldcafe @NPRMusic
Philadelphia
Joined April 2011
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Pinned Tweet
Yo!
I want to announce that I've signed with
@QuartoBooksUS
to write a book about Philly legends Boyz II Men.
This will be my first book and I plan on digging deep into Philadelphia 's rich R&B and Hip-Hop history. The book should be out in 2025!
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T-Pain - I'm N' Luv (With A Stripper)
Men:
2 Chainz - I Luv Dem Strippers
Men:
Juicy J: Bandz A Make Her Dance
Men:
Woman Rapper: I Used to strip.
Men: HOW COME ALL YA'LL TALK ABOUT IS STRIPPING?!?!?!?!?
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I love this scene because Ra shows up from outer space and the kids immediately start roasting his shoes and shit. Lol
Sun Ra introducing himself and explaining why he is real.
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For years, I've kept a running playlist of rare Music documentaries and interesting videos that I find on Youtube.
Here's a thread that I'll be adding to throughout the day in between running errands. Check it out.
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I'm convinced that hearing this song on the radio everyday as a kid made me a better human being. They poured a lot of love into this one.
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@fluffyblkboy
Probably because historically, the "proper authorities" are just an institutionalized extension of white power and control. Especially if Black people are involved.
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I'm up listening to the Andre 3000 album and wishing I'd held off a few months before writing this.
"How Black Musicians Carved Out a Space in Ambient Music"
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@kalonge93
I think that this perception of Kendrick is coming from two places.
People have projected radical politics onto his work and his peers are so apolitical that it makes Kendrick's work appear more radical than it is.
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Madlib really used to drop the hottest mixtapes ever with no track listing like "happy hunting!"
I'm still finding joints off of these tapes.
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1970: Signed, Sealed & Delivered
1971: Where I'm Coming From
1972: Music Of My Mind
1972: Talking Book
1973: Innervisions
1974: Fullfillingness' First Finale
1974: Presents...Syreeta
1976: Songs In The Key Of Life
1979: Secret Life Of Plants
Stevie Wonder has no equal.
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When this song came out in 2011, I distinctly remember taking it as a sign that rap was moving in a direction that would be more Queer and Woman-centric than I'd ever thought possible.
Others may have had more direct influence on the music, but this shit opened up SOMETHING.
12 YEARS AGO TODAY: (Sep. 12th 2011) 🎥 Azealia Banks released the music video for her debut single, 212
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For heads who were into that lovely soul/jazz/deep house triumvirate that ruled in the early 2000s, this album was a gem.
Colorful, warm and singular. Amp made music that was a practical bridge between the past, present and future ❤️
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He made beats, could rhyme, did the beatbox, had crazy knowledge of records, and could cut it up on the wheels.
Biz is the culture of Hip Hop embodied.
This is heartbreaking. Rest In Peace to the Diabolical One…the one & only
@BizMarkie
. Thank you for being our hero. I’m very lucky I got to meet you, Dj with you & become friends with you. You will be truly missed big bro. This one hurts.
#BizMarkie
#TheDiabolicalOne
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I'm looking for music recommendations:
Name some trippy, Joe Meek-style 60s pop. Stuff with wet reverb and tape echo, theremins etc. Thanks.
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I want to start a thread of 90s rap records that aren't often discussed here.
I'll focus on singles that were dope/ringing off at the time because rap discussions on Twitter tend to focus on the same 15-20 "big ticket" classic albums, and this way, we can flesh things out a bit:
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@IntergalacticQ
@blairmil
When they're not chasing down and shooting people for jogging through their neighborhoods.
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Philadelphia is one of the most segregated cities in the country and sports fandom (mainly The Eagles and Sixers) is the only thing that comes close to bridging the cultural gulf between Black and white Philadelphians.
Any other time, we don't fuck with each other like that.
What’s an unpopular Philly sports opinion that’ll have you like this?
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But when Black beatmakers were on here talking about lo-fi and the gentrification of instrumental hip hop aesthetics, folks looked at us crazy. 🙄
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When I was a kid, I thought working at a record store would be my dream job and when I got there, the music elitism from my coworkers turned me off.
I engage with music with enthusiasm and curiosity, not snark and know-it-allism. That shit is weak.
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serious question: if the grateful dead is not the greatest band of all time from the united states then who is?
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Anita Baker - Rapture.
This album was released in 86' and its impact is profound. It's the people's champ of classic, enduring albums of the 80s.
What album by a Black woman in roughly the same time period 80s to now, would you consider among the all-time classics in the way that we think of albums like Thriller, and Sign of the Times? Has a woman created a full album that is that much of a classic in your view?
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Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise. A few years ago
@cineSPEAK
screened this film at the International House in Philly which is the same location the rooftop footage was shot back in 1980.
I hosted a pre-screening talk with the director, Robert Mugge. Lovely night
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Sometimes, I'll just let 20 minutes of a James Brown concert play on my radio show. Zaire 1974 is one of my favorites.
James Brown performing “The Payback” live at the three-day music festival Zaire 74 in 1974.
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Just putting it out there, but I'd love to do a regular column about drum breaks/breakbeats for a publication.
Each edition focused on a single break, gives background on its recording, it's use in hip-hop and DJ culture etc. Each break with its own narrative history.
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My latest for
@SPIN
is all about the role that cassette tapes played in the spread of early hip-hop.
S/O to
@danielkohn
for editing this one.
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Speaking of Shoegaze and dreamy sounds: Both Kevin Shields and J Dilla used to use Yamaha SPX effects units to process their sounds.
Dilla and Todd Fairall used to send samples from the MPC to the SPX "Symphonic" effect when they did Fantastic Vol. 2.
The 900 pictured is mine.
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Recently, I sat down with Mike Maserati (aka Mixmaster Mike), who was the resident DJ at Philly's most storied Hip-Hop club, the After Midnight.
Mike's story and the After Midnight is a rich throughline that connects Disco and early Philly Hip-Hop. 🧵
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Neneh Cherry had Gang Starr and Geoff Barrow from Portishead on this album and she got Biggie on one of the remixes. She also took Massive Attack on their first tour.
A living legend.
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Ok, so I'm going to talk a bit about the history of Hip Hop culture in Philadelphia today.
There's obviously a bunch of stuff that I don't know and moments in time that I was not around to experience.
Anyone who knows better, feel free to jump in, and make corrections:
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Don't be the type person that shits on someone else's moment of discovery.
We all have different starting points/contexts and we're all still learning.
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There's nothing wrong with flipping old "overused"
breaks. That shit's foundational like a 12-bar blues.
What’s a music producer / beat making opinion that would have you in this scenario ?
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Last night, I was thinking about how ATCQ recorded with Ron Carter when they were in their early 20s.
Carter played with Monk when he was 22.
Monk came up under the great Stride pianist, James P. Johnson.
That's a long continuum of Black music in a handful of individuals.
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A few Philly articles from 88 & 89' on the Acid House phenomenon.
The music was created in Chicago but Philly had its own scene where the music was played too.
Today, I'm working on something about the history of electronic dance music in the city so here we are.
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I've always been curious about the post-production process behind J Dilla's music.
To help satiate that curiosity, I sat and talked with Bob Power, David Kennedy, Dave Cooley and Todd Fairall about mixing and mastering some of Dilla's best work.
Engineering Dilla: How J Dilla's Classic Albums Were Mixed and Mastered
Article by
@John_Liberator
via
@reverb
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YO!
My deep-dive on
@theroots
Do You Want More?!!!??! for
#HALFWAYBOOKS
is live!
Click the link here to purchase a PDF. I'm gonna go grab some coffee and come back to drop some gems about this wonderful album!
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I love working
@reverb
because it allows me to write about music from a more technical engineering and production perspective.
Here are a few of my favorite joints we've done over the years:
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Yup.
Black artists sampling = stealing.
White artists sampling = postmodernistintellectualsoundartandrecontextualization
Remember when music journalists en masse were saying The Avalanches “Since I Left You” was arguably the greatest sample based record ever & they LOVED “Discovery” by Daft Punk? I wish Rap records that were sample based got that kind of love from music journalists circa 1988/89...
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@shOoObz
This shit is so goofy. So, the cops have a right to shoot me because some other nigga in the community got shot? Gtfoh.
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I once said on FB that it was hypocritical for 90s rap fans to browbeat young people for not knowing 90s rap, when so many 90s rap fans don't really know (or care about) 80s rap.
Folks were not pleased, but I stand by it.
The early 80’s disco rap era doesn’t get the respect it deserves
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I want to start a thread of Philly Hip Hop music that came out on independent labels. Just some of my favorite joints from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and early 2000s.
Throughout the day, I'm going to be adding to it. Add on if you'd like.
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@teezuscrust
I didn't go through the whole thread but I assumed Shante was already mentioned. "Roxanne's Revenge" was definitely a game changer tho
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Man, this record was MASSIVE when it came out. You really heard this jawn everywhere.
Boyz II Men came out swinging with “Motownphilly” a perfect debut single .. it introduced you to the group & it was catchy, didn’t have to be from Philly to jam to this 🔥
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Rest in Peace to Elvis Moreno aka Tapemaster.
He was the official recorder of the Cold Crush Brothers and a lot of the early live hip-hop recordings we have were made by him.
📷: Mr. Biggs (Soulsonic Force)
My latest for
@SPIN
is all about the role that cassette tapes played in the spread of early hip-hop.
S/O to
@danielkohn
for editing this one.
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Last year,
@thewiremagazine
asked me to write about jazz fusion in its contemporary expression and Greg Tate wrote about the music's past.
Our essays appeared side by side in print and I took it as the highest honor.
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The new Andre 3000 record is co-produced by Carlos Niño and Matthew David is on it? Count me in.
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Someone on here once called me a racist and said that I "don't know how genres work" when I suggested that Techno was made by Black folks in Detroit.
Clown shit.
People on the Sónar TikTok channel violently disagreeing with the idea that techno came from Detroit. Sometimes wonder why we even bother?
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Just thinking about how we went from "Rappers Delight" through the drum machine era, to 3 Feet High & Rising in the span of 10 years.
There were technological innovations behind it, but pondering the conceptual leaps required to make that journey is blowing me away right now.
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My latest for Spin is all about the drummer Earl Young.
He played on countless MFSB/Philadelphia International and Salsoul classics and backed up everyone from Wilson Pickett to Dusty Springfield. Lots of disco and Philly soul history in this one.
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So many classic rap songs got their drums from these two records that were released in 1993 and 94'.
I'm writing something about how they were made very soon.
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Today, I learned that part of Whodini's first album was recorded at CAN's studio (formerly known as Inner Space) in Weilerwist, Germany.
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For the past few months, I've talked with engineers Bob Power, Dave Cooley, David Kennedy & Todd Fairall about mixing and mastering Dilla's production.
Here's what they told me.
@reverb
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In honor of Sun Ra's birthday, here is a thread of some of the things I've written about him over the years:
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I'm super excited! I get to write about one of the best records in Philly rap music history 💯
everyone say hello to John Morrison (
@John_Liberator
) — he put together a pitch that let us know immediately that he knew his shit and that he was connected to the material on a personal level — he’s writing about The Roots’ Do You Want More?!!!??!
welcome to HALFWAY BOOKS, John
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@yusufyuie
RZA once jokingly scolded me for eating all his Swedish Fish. I said "Damn, I thought these were for everybody" 😂
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If you've ever been to a party and the DJ plays Stevie Wonder's "As" to end the night, it's because they love you and want to send you home right.
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The making of Pete Rock's Soul Survivor album
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I recently had a conversation with one of hip-hop's greatest producers, Marley Marl.
While his influence on rap music has been widely discussed, I wanted to talk with him about his roots in disco and dance music. 🧵
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Yo!
Starting 1/31, my show, Culture Cypher Radio on
@wxpnfm
will be moving to once a week!
I'll be on the air every Wednesday night from 10pm-11pm playing hip-hop, funk, soul, jazz and everything else that comes to mind. Tune in!
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I sat with four incredible engineers and dug into the specifics of mixing and mastering some of J Dilla's most beloved albums.
S/O to
@reverb
for working with me on this one.
Much has been said about J Dilla's unique approach to production. Today, four engineers who worked with him—Todd Fairall, Dave Cooley, David Kennedy, and Bob Power—tell us how the hip-hop legend's beats became finished tracks.
✍️ :
@john_liberator
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This exchange between Saul Williams and Charlemagne.
For some reason BC took his interview down 🙄
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Latin music legend Joe Bataan was the person who first introduced Arthur Baker (producer of "Planet Rock") to Hip Hop.
He invited him up to the Bronx like "Yo, you gotta hear these kids talking over records". Lol
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A lovely Dilla documentary by Brian "B. Kyle" Atkins
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Here are my 13. These are probably the albums I've listened to the most in my life.
No cheating - your Quietus style Bakers Dozen. 13 albums (off the top of your head) to know you by. Not looking for a perfect list, looking for a list that you instantly regret posting because you then remember something else.
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@SebastianAvenue
@rahman_noodles
"THIS WHAT I DO NIGGA!!!"
Kiss was on fire the whole night 🤣
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Two of Sun Ra's greatest disciples passed away in Philly this week. Visual artist Leroy Butler and Multi-instrumentalist Danny Ray Thompson.
R.I.P. and safe travels to both <3
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@DeePhunk
The fact that my man broke out of jail and came straight to the intervention gets me everytime
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I recently had a dope conversation with Kurtis Mantronik, one of the most influential hip-hop producers ever.
I want to talk a bit about him and how his sound shaped multiple facets of modern music. 🧵
S/O to
@Reverb
and
@FessGrandiose
for editing.
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When this came out and Pos said "that's why the Native Tongues have been officially been reinstated" I got a chill in my spirit.
24th Anniversary of this classic album and one of the best songs of all time.
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I recently had a conversation with
@kingbritt
about the history of Black electronic music and his
@blacktronika
course at UCSD
We listened to groundbreaking tracks by Sun Ra, Jeff Mills, Stevie Wonder & more to discuss the gear and creativity behind them
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I spoke with engineers, Bob Power, Todd Fairall, David Kennedy and Dave Cooley to talk about mixing and mastering some of Dilla's best records.
We (rightfully) talk a lot about Dilla's production techniques, but what about post-production?
HBD to the best ever ❤️
32) Engineering Dilla: How J Dilla's Classic Albums Were Mixed and Mastered
Article by
@John_Liberator
via
@reverb
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This is the song that inspired this post. One of my favorites to play at parties.
Madlib really used to drop the hottest mixtapes ever with no track listing like "happy hunting!"
I'm still finding joints off of these tapes.
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On January 17th, 1995, The Roots released Do You Want More?!!!??!
In so many ways this DYWM?!!!??! feels tastes, and sounds like the spirit of Philadelphia in the mid-90s.
Grab a copy of my ebook on the album here:
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I've been writing about my city's music culture and history since I was in High School and I did a lot of that this year too.
Here's a thread of 2021 Philly joints.
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@GrimKim
Not to hijack the thread but I wanted share some resources on Black/African Diasporic anarchism for the fam who might be interested.
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"Is That Your Chick?" sounded like it was beamed in from a spaceship when it first came out.
Joint used to mash the radio and parties. Crazy.
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I was today years old when I found out that it was Bobby Seale who invited Sun Ra and the Arkestra to come live in Oakland.
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This year has been brutal in many ways.
That being said, I'm very proud of the work I've done over the last 12 months.
It's been a joy seeing my peers post the work they've done this year, so I'm going to take some time to talk about some of my best writing of 2023. 🧵
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Marley Marl is spinning in Philly tonight and I sat and spoke with him about his roots in dance music.
We talk a lot about disco, sound systems, tape-editing and legendary NYC clubs like The Paradise Garage, Better Days and The Shelter. Check it out <3
Tonight, hip-hop icon Marley Marl spins a DJ set at
@worldcafelive
supporting dance legend
@theladyalma
. In this interview, Culture Cypher Radio's
@John_Liberator
talked with him about bridging his roots in disco with his career as a record producer.
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Music/A&E Editors: I have a really dope piece that needs a home.
It's all about the role that tape-trading and bootlegging played in the spread of early hip-hop culture. I've already interviewed subjects and I'd like to see this piece come to life. DM me if you're interested
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I'm working on a project with Community College of Philadelphia where I make a beat tape out of student-created samples.
Today, we spent the afternoon jamming on a room full of synths and recorded some trippy guitar + tape delay. Perfect day ❤️
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I remember browsing through magazine ads and seeing mad listings for 45 King's break records.
Mark's name rang bells all throughout my childhood, so it's hard to articulate just how great he was. I wrote a few words about his life and work for
@TIDAL
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Like many folks, I was blown away when I first heard
@ShortieNoMas
on De la Soul's Buhloone Mindstate back in 1993.
I recently sat and talked with her about her story and her brand new album.
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This has been a long time in the making but tomorrow, I'm doing a thread about one of hip-hop's most influential producers, Kurtis Mantronik 🧵
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Former Black Panther and Philly revolutionary Russell Maroon Shoatz has been released after 50 years in prison.
I made a documentary today.
"Maroon is free." chronicles the moments this morning after Russell Maroon Shoatz was freed from prison. I asked his son/my friend, Russ III, what the first thing he wants to say/do when he sees his dad.
When we fight, we win.
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in the 1960s, North Philly's own, Darryl "Cornbread" McCray invented graffiti as we know it (his style was distinct in function) from earlier gang tags.
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@extinctdaemon
I said this about Detroit and Chicago and a dude on FB accused me of "erasing the contributions of the European LGTBQ community." Imagine. Lol
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Marshall Allen is 100 years old and be smoking black and milds like a true blue Philly bul.
HBD to the legend ❤️
In celebration of Germantown-based saxophonist Marshall Allen's 100th birthday, take a look back at our interview with him from last year, and learn why he is still exploring Sun Ra’s "space music."
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