I know that I am late on the Janelle Monae train but dear god am I glad that I’m finally on it. I don’t even want to have to pick a song to share because they’re all really good, but for the sake of this blog post I will.

Sincerely, Jane – Janelle Monae

I also very recently stumbled across a marxist hip-hop group from Spain called Chikos del Maiz (yep, you read that right.. children of the corn). Fortunately they’re not scary but actually really interesting. Here’s one of my new favorites (and if you know me you’ll know why..).

Intro – Los Chikos del Maiz

The first track I’m bringing you is by a group called AfroCubism which is collaboration between Cuban and Malian musicians.

Dakan – AfroCubism

This next track by Heavens to Betsy tells the story of a girl who died from performing a self abortion (presumably before abortions were legal in the US).

Baby’s Gone – Heavens to Betsy

And lastly I’ll leave you with a track from one of my favorite hip hop groups Dead Prez. Here’s an excerpt from this song:

Bring the power back to the street where the people live
I’m sick of working for crumbs and filling up the prisons
Dying over money and relying on religion
For help. We do for self like ants in a colony
Organize the wealth into a socialist economy
A way of life based off the common need
And all my comrades are ready
We just spreading the seed

Police State – Dead Prez

as always if you are the artist or you represent the artist in anyway and you’d like me to remove these tracks I am happy to do so.

Dorothy at Forty

This past Saturday I co-DJ’d with my partner Jack at WRFL 88.1 from 10pm to midnight. We were filling in for Los who does the revolutionary radio program which is an all hip hop block show. We wanted to honor the format of the show so I got to dig around through my hip hop collection. One of my favorites is Dead Prez. Their song police state feels super relevant with whats happening in this country with the various occupations and what not.

Police State

As always if you’re the artist or you represent the artist and you would like me to remove these songs, please email me at de las ondas [at] riseup dot net

Begging For Tips

Digging a little deeper into my collection today I found My Zap Mama album A Ma Zone. I first learned about this amazing band in 1999. The lead singer is from Belgium with roots in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She blends electronic, African rhythms, R&b and funk in a really fun way. Here is one of my favorites.

1-03 Rafiki

Another deep cut from my collection is from the Venezuelan Ska band, Desorden Publico. I picked up their album Diablo while I was in Miami visiting my grandmother back in 20o1. I had never heard of them before but the cover art was fun so I took a chance. Boy was I pleasantly surprised! First of all, they’re fun as hell, and they’re blending of traditional ska rhythms with afro-Venezuelan beats is the shit. They’re lyrics are also often pretty political which if course if a plus for me. These guys aren’t all serious all of the time though – the song that I picked to share is about eating tasty food.

Como Sabroso

Enjoy!

xoxoxoOndine

As always, if you’re the artist or you represent the artist and would like me to remove these tracks please let me know via email and I am happy to do so. delasondas [at] riseup dot net

I’ve been at a local coffee shop for about three hours today working on stuff and listening to Patti Smith’s album Outside Society. She is amazing. This album is amazing. Honestly, I can’t say enough about it. I’m not a music reviewer and I’m not gonna try to be one either. Just know that this album stands the test of time. Here’s a sample:

Glitter In Their Eyes

If you are the artist or represent the artist and would like me to remove the above links, please email me at de las ondas at riseup dot net

I’ve also been on a big Cuban hip hop kick lately. I’ll probably be sharing a lot of my Cuban music collection in the coming weeks, especially as I prepare for my trip to La Habana. I’ll kick you off with a song from one of my new favorite groups Las Krudas Cubensi. Las Krudas are an all female, lesbian rap group from Havana (although I read recently that they’ve relocated to Austin?!). This next song titled Gorda, is about the need to love your body no matter the size. One of the lyrics that stuck out to me was when she calls out the irony of people dying from anorexia while people are dying from war.

Gorda

xoxoxoxOndine

And in other news I found a one piece jump suit thing at the peddlers mall and had to get it. Yes, I have worn this in public.