“Okay, everybody’s stupid, everybody’s dumb, shout out to the moon, shout out to the sun!” – Kool A.D. “Hickory”
Wow, let’s blow the dust off this keyboard…It’s been a while since I last had the time and energy to post something on this blog, but you know what LL said: “Don’t call it a comeback!”
Where to start? Well, how about I post one of my favorite animated music videos from last year, directed by Lima, Peru’s very own multi-disciplinary graphic design Youth Experimental Studio and animated by Muriel Holguín, with drawings by Paulo Novoa, Muriel Holguín and Delphine Lejeune.
In what looks like multicolored aquarelles, the team painted up a gorgeous, existential storm to visualize the song and lyrics of Kool A.D., uberprolific rapper-extraordinaire (formerly of the extinct but legendary Das Racist), artist/thinker, author and well yes, full-fledged lyricist. Here’s the video to the Amaze 88-produced “Hickory” featuring Talib Kweli and Boots Riley, off A.D.’s 2013-released free download mixtape “Not O.K.”, followed by “Word O.K.” in 2014 and the !100!-track “O.K.” in 2015. (Get ’em all!)
I’ve been watching and listening to “Hickory” a lot during the past few months, always returning for another dose of that confidently laid-back, happy-go-lucky flow, urging me to follow my inner voice, stay focused and most of all, be patient: “Stick with what’s in front of me, until I see a better plan”. How’s that for a new year’s resolution?
Happy new year everyone, stay inspired!