“Before the music was known all across the map/We use to do a little thing with this thing called rap/So take it back/Take it back”
Critical Akklaim, “Take It Back”

When emcee Critical Akklaim (a.k.a. Dorian Johnson) speaks of “taking it back” on Souls of Rap Folks‘ new album And This Too Shall Pass, it’s a call to contemporary hip-hoppers to not only remember the music’s historical roots, but more importantly, to wrest control from those who are exploiting rap. And best believe, Johnson sees this as a People’s movement. Along with partner in rhyme, emcee Sin (Arsenio Ogilvie), Johnson views their mission as one that celebrates the glory of rap culture and its people by creating and performing music that embodies love, passion, community, and social concern.

“Music, particularly for Black people, is reflection their everyday life and their culture,” Johnson explains. “The trends I see in rap music are the same trends I see in society and politics, as relates to race and class.” Johnson’s cognizant message is evident on songs like “Seize The Day,” where he raps, “Leave the game alone/But the money is tremendous/Keep my agendas/Don’t have to pretend us/Endeavor’s gonna have to last forever/But I’m too clever to get locked up/Glocked up/Or my new girl knocked up/The Man thinks he can out-box us/Keep your fist tight/Nothing can stop us!” SoRF’s conscious dictums are not surprising considering the duo’s activist backgrounds.

Both Johnson and Ogilvie have spent years in the non-profit youth development field, running music and entrepreneur programs for kids from impoverished or at-risk backgrounds. Both have successfully helped dozens of youth–who would otherwise fall though capitalism’s cracks–launch careers and businesses. “Many of my attitudes on society and politics are based around my interactions and educational work in the Bay Area over the last 11 years,” Johnson relates.

“With the Bay Area’s increasing gentrification, particularly in San Francisco and Oakland, I’ve seen how poor and working class Black and Brown people are socially and economically reduced, and many are criminalized or incarcerated. For those left, there’s not much to do, which is why we have so many problems. There is also a serious fear of Black and Brown men, including teenagers.”

Johnson cites California State Proposition 21 (which increased penalties for juvenile crime) and the recent S.F. and L.A. gang injunctions as measures that have harshly targeted and stigmatized youth of color. At the same time, major corporations have flooded the radio and music outlets with rap that reflects mainly the worst aspects of urban life, reinforcing distorted perceptions about youth. Souls of Rap Folks music–even the group’s name (an allusion to W.E.B. DuBois’ book, Souls of Black Folks, published in 1903!)–aims to educate and inspire young people to take control of their lives and culture.

“[Hip-hop] culture has become a commodity,” says Johnson. “The music is overall less stimulating or inspiring. Souls of Rap Folks are about edutainment (education and entertainment). The entertainment is what will allow [our music] to be discovered by the mainstream, but its educational quality is what will make it useful for both fans of rap music and for those that would like to use it for the common good.”

SORF see themselves as not merely “conscious indie rap” or hyphy “street rap” but somewhere in the middle. Likewise, And This Too Shall Pass contains songs that appeal to the entire spectrum of hip-hop heads. The group is committed to delivering a message, while being unique and creative, and aims to reach the streets without being limited in the conventions of trends in street music.

“There’s a new paradigm shift in the mainstream towards conscious and alternative music, I see a window of opportunity for the Souls of Rap Folks.”

Souls of Rap Folks’ And This Too Shall Pass is out now.

Aesop Rock takes a giant leap forward with jazz-flavored hip-hop on his latest full-length, None Shall Pass. Likewise, Waajeed and partner Tiombe Lockhart up the ante with some serious soul on The War (which includes production work from the late J Dilla), and Wiley might be proclaiming that Playtime is Over, but he’s making quite an exit if that’s the case. Meanwhile, Detroit and Chicago have a head-to-head collision on Windimoto‘s new track, and the one-man band Blue States adds another solid track to the instrumental rock catalog.

Aesop Rock “None Shall Pass”

Tiombe Lockhart and Waajeed “The Overtaking”

Wiley “50/50”

Windimoto “Don’t Leave Me ALone (Nicolay Remix)”

Blue States “The Electric Compliment”

Waajeed and Tiombe Lockhart
Photo By Dustin Ross

Ultima Reborn
Did you know that the first big MMORPG (which, for the uninitiated, stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. This is the best they could come up with. Seriously.) was NOT, in fact, World of Warcraft? Heavens no! It was Ultima Online, which was birthed in the dark, dark age of 1997–when porn was still widely purchased at the gas station, Lindsay Lohan had yet to taste fame, blow, or penis (assumedly), and the Phantom Menace had yet to irreparably tarnish the Star Wars Universe for millions of teary-eyes super-fans.

Now, a decade after the game’s online lumber gathering and cow tipping came into vogue, Ultima Online is still kicking. And as of this week, not only is it still somehow alive, it’s REBORN! Yes, Ultima Online: Kingdom Reborn arrives this week with a graphical overhaul and re-jiggered user interface. Huzzah!

While the game still looks outdated, and we’d personally rather spend time blasting mutants with bees from our veins in Bioshock these days, Ultima Online: Kingdom Reborn is at least worth a gander for fans of the series and/or genre. A free download is available for subscribers, and those without can check it out free, with a 14-day trial subscription. Lord British awaits at www.uo.com.

File Under: Huh? Joust: The Movie
There were plenty of memorable arcade games in the ’80s that many of us will hold near and dear to our hearts. But looking back, most of them, while taking total advantage of the day’s technology, were total crapola. Fond memories often overshadow the reality, and many of the games were just not that great. And we will go on record as saying Joust was one of them.

So color us baffled when news hit this week that some Hollywood production company has acquired the rights to Joust, the epic tale about, well, nothing cool. At all. It’s a game about riding ostriches and collecting eggs. Lord of the Rings it ain’t. Hell, Moon Patrol it ain’t, for that matter.

Presumably they are just going with name recognition on this one and creating an entirely new universe for the film.

From Gamedaily: “The plan is to launch the new Joust franchise with a graphic novel, which is being penned by Steven Elliot Altman, of DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics, and will be based on Gottlieb’s screenplay. The film has been given the fast track by CP Productions and should be wrapped by June 2008. Several A-list directors are already interested in helming this sci-fi/action project.”

Yay.

Family Guy Comes to Xbox Live
For Xbox 360 owners who also happen to be fans of drunk dogs, gay babies, and fart jokes (like us!), today is your lucky day.

Beginning Monday, September 3, you will be able to download episodes from the first two seasons of Family Guy, as well as Family Guy presents Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story, for 160 Microsoft points, or about $2 each.

This is significant, as this will be the first time that the popular show is available for download anywhere, somehow beating iTunes to the punch, and is the first Fox property to make it to Xbox Live at all.

From Reuters: “This is our first one,” said Jamie McCabe, executive VP at 20th Century Fox. “We hope to have other content on there, but right now with the launch of Halo 3 and the launch of the new season of Family Guy coming out, the timing really worked well for this one.”

To nerd things up further, the season premiere of Family Guy‘s fifth season next month will be an hour-long episode that features a near shot-for-shot (as much as can be done in an hour) retelling of the original Star Wars. I’ve always wondered how the movie would be with more flatulence. Really.

Xavier de Rosnay and Gaspard Augé (a.k.a. Justice) will have their hands and suitcases full for the next few months, hopping from continent to continent, crossing hemispheres, and igniting crowds with their distorted electro chops that have inspired an entire wave of music over the last couple years. And gone are the days of watching the short one do all the DJing while the tall one stands by idly smoking cigarettes and flipping through CD booklets. This time around, the boys will present live sets on each of the dates, presumably with tracks from the recently released † (Vice).

Meanwhile, we await the Justice/Kanye showdown #2, at the MTV Video Music Awards. Tune in on Sunday, September 9, and let’s hope drama ensues.

Tour Dates
09/06 London, UK: Koko
09/07 Glasgow, UK: Arches
09/12 Cologne, DE: Prime Club
09/13 Berlin, DE: Maria
09/14 Hamburg, DE: Gruenspan
09/22 Melbourne, AU: Parklife
09/29 Brisband, AU: Parklife
09/30 Sydney, AU: Parklife
10/01 Perth, AU: Parklife
10/09 Los Angeles, CA: Henry Fonda Theater
10/10 San Francisco, CA: Mezzanine
10/11 Portland, OR: Holocene
10/12 Seattle, WA: Neumo’s
10/13 Vancouver, BC: Commodore Ballroom
10/16 Minneapolis, MN: Foundation Nightclub
10/17 Chicago, IL: Metro
10/18 Toronto, ON: Republik
10/19 Montreal, QC: Metropolis
10/20 New York, NY: Terminal 5
10/21 Philadelphia, PA: Starlight Ballroom
10/27 Reims, FR: Electricity Festival
10/31 Nantes, FR: L’Olympic
11/01 Strasbourg, FR: La Laiterie
11/02 Nancy, FR: Autre Canal
11/03 Clermont Ferrand, FR: La Cooperative
11/08 Lyon, FR: Le Transbordeur
11/09 Paris, FR: Festival des Inrocks
11/10 Gent, BE: I Love Techno Festival
11/15 Toulouse, FR: TBA
11/16 Bordeaux, FR: TBA
11/17 Caen, FR: Nordik Impact Festival
11/23 Lille, FR: TBA
11/24 Amsterdam, NL: Paradisio
12/12 Milan, IT: TBA
12/13 Bologna, IT: TBA
12/14 Turin, IT: TBA
12/15 Rome, IT: TBA

Despite its slightly humiliating name, Way Out Ware’s KikAxxe virtual vintage analog synthesizer is one of the few software instruments that measures up to the original. This 16-step sequencer is a direct emulation of the ARP Axxe, a lightweight, monophonic beast that rivaled the MiniMoog back in the day. In addition to replicating the ’70s crunch of its analog peer, the Kik Axxe–which just so happens to be PC and Mac compatible–also features a drum machine that can be assigned to a separate MIDI channel (which can make for some serious live potential).

But it’s not the authentic vintage sounds or convenient compatibility that make the KikAxxe a step ahead of many virtual synths–it’s the effects (and the $70 price tag). By using the tape-delay-styled effects with tremolo and reverb presets, leads can either become cosmic journeys or sharp, percussive accents to any track. Just try not to tell your producer friends that you use a synth called “KikAxxe,” and you’re on easy street.

The Way Out Ware KikAxxe is available now through M-Audio.