This is what happens when i listen to Curtis Mayfield while I write:
*puts his mudfoot old man voice on*
Whut y'all yung boi's know about Mayfield?! When i was comin' up, dat mans was tha troof. tha troof, i tell you!
He made music. l said, the man made m-u-s-i-c-k! As in mu-"i'm sick of this mess today cuz it ain't got nuffin' on mayfield"-sic!
I tells you, Mayfied was on his back, paralyzed from the nose down to the toes-still making betta songs than these walkin' fools now. don't believe me? Listen to New World Order. 1996. I was coming off bunyion surgery so i know something about not being able to walk myself, and i put that New Word Order on... corns and bunyions was dancin!
That new world order was genius. I said the man ain't had no feeling nowhere in his body. couldn't pick his nose. couldn't scratch his butt. couldn't handle a woman-if you know what i mean... but he still could feel his soul. that's what black music is about, chill'ren: feelin' yo' soul.
"how did i get so far gone? where do i belong? and where in the world did i ever go wrong? if i took the time to replace what my mind erased, i still feel as i i'm here but i'm gone."
dat's poetry, you little snots! p-o... tree!
and it connects wit ya heart... unlike that weazely...weenie... hold on.
*looks for his nephew "raymond"*
Raymond, what's boy's name?
raymond: what, granpa??
Granpa: who's that boy? tha one you like? (pause) no child! the one that be kissing that man on the mouf? the country fool-child that always sippin' on nighttrain?
*silence*
i swear, that child and that madden video... if he put that much effort in his books he'd be a rhodes scholar. anyway...
i listens to Billy Jack right now and it makes me wanna get my slide on. With that Pops Staple guitar... Wah-wah pedal! Don't tell me black folks can't play no guitar now. guitar ain't nuthin' but strangs... Strangs and rope is close and old black folk know sumthin' about rope and being strung up!
And don't put no Trippin' Out on... I'll dust off my gators and hafta sho you sumthin! Watchout now! "I'm trippin' out... trippin' out over you..."
Another thing about that boy, Curtis... he loved the Lawd. I said Curtis Mayfield luved the Lawd. That's where his music came from. The boy was prayin' in his music. When you pray, you got hope. When you got hope you can sang. And when you sang hope, you make music.
that's all i'm tryin' to tell you yungins. Don't let this world take your songs away from you.
word to Mayfield.
