ladies and gentlemen this is ahmir.
its is 5:58am in the morning and i just got home.

i witnessed a miracle tonight and it is a MUST you read this.
and when i say miracle you have to think this on the level of
sam jackson trying to convince john travolta in pulp fiction to acknowledge
the miracle that just occured (them escaping death by *this* much)
i didn’t escape death tonight. actually i believe i found life again.

having just returned from a 3 week eurasia run the LAST thing i expected
my web mistress Ginny to tell me the day before yesterday was “you HAVE to see the Fela play!”

if there is a thing or two that i have learned in my 16+ years as a professional, i’ve learned that broadway NEUTERS the
ISH outta the live experience.

many of you have either seen my band perform or know of our reputation.

ALOT of that comes from the fact plain and simple: we are the loudest band on earth.

there i said it. we cheat. most concert experiences (let’s take the glow in the dark tour. standing at the soundboard i saw that the loudest show of the 4 of the night [NERD] was somewhere in 118dbs.)

the Roots are more 131dbs (”low end” registers as noise even though its not the back to the future opening scene of the guitar amp turned up to 11 “are you nuts?!?!” variety)–but think of our concerts as being in your boys new ride with the best sound system and he FORCES you to hold your stomach while he cranks the volume and bass up to 10.

broadway shows are more like 70 dbs (i think the last “musical” i saw was Wicked–while entertaining in that “happy to be with my family” way i was amazed at how WIMPY and nutless the music hit me) —if you can hear the woman 5 rows ahead of you exhale then that is some underwhelming ish.

i have to put into perspective to what my resistant mindstate was when i had my “i’ll pass” ready for gin before she even got to say “and it’s so wonderful!!”

–she deaded all that by adding “AND THE ANTIBALAS ARE THE BAND!!!”

basically its like my gym coach asking jordan to come to the playground to give some tips
or emeril cooks dinner tonight in your crib
or spike jonze makes home movies for you.

in other words…next to the dap kings, the antibalas are the 2nd most important retro/revision band working today. the scrutiny and standard they uphold in creating AUTHENTIC afrobeat music can only impress the music snob in me. they have the baton when it comes to carrying on fela’s torch.

yes even more than fela’s two sons who record today.

—i was NOT prepared at all for this experience.

from a sonic view:

a LOUD kick you in the ass standpoint? and no member of the roots payroll is not on the soundboards? wow.
this is the first musical that has concert standards in making sure that the music WHUPS THAT ASS.

from a “to the letter” view:

they left NO stone unturned. i am that guy that sits in the audience and dissects EVERY nilc and crannie. i swear it was killing me that these funky white boys were doing something i saw no group of black musicians do in 30 years: gel.

(now granted i don’t wanna ruffle no feathers (this email is going out to about 200 musicians, actors, writers, bandleaders, moguls, agents, managers, cats on they yacht in france, and beatmakers in their college dorms, activists, hustlers, wanna be’s, veterans and newbies)—but how black people lost their “soul” in 2008 is the biggest rubicon i’ll never figure out. i know the first decade of the new mill was the age of irony, but black musicians overplaying and showboating while white cats find their groove will FOREVER baffle me)

it hit me from a political view:

for those of you fortunate enough to see the music is the weapon documentary you will be amazed how they turned his story (EVERY ASPECT—no spoilers here) into the BEST MUSICAL EVER CREATED)

but man. the way they tied his run ins with the government and army and police and tied it to america (sean bell, diallo, king) REALLY put it into an amazing perspective.

it hit me from a spiritual view:

explained african religion and culture in a way that wasn’t “spooky” or “demonized” or “primitive”

it hit me from a creative view:

i HATE when music biopics won’t show the creative process. its like the snob engineer in me wants to know how he incorporated “that sound” not just “oh he had 70 wives and went to jail alot”—he broke it down like we were 8 years old from taking from calypso to taking from james brown to taking from king and x—the play dissected the VERY elements at why Fela’s music was so LETHAL.

man….i swear.
this is the most “uncut funk” production EVER.

because i wasn’t alive during the period of malcolm x and jake lamotta i can only go on “wow it was like seeing him on the screen” as spike and marty did a great job (you did spike….)

but this play is made for ALL you purists that HATE when they get references wrong in the music (hello Dreamgirl musicians! why are you slapping funk bass on a 60’s number?) or when the engineering is messed up (EVERY period biopic effs this part up bigtime and for all you directors and movie producers and agents reading this GABRIEL ROTH is the ONLY cat to capture that sound (see the Winehouse album)

its uncut.
its true to the vision.
its amazing!

there is no option. i expect death to be the only reason why you did NOT see this production.

it opens next week officially. playing to the broadway gatekeepers and the “old guard” if this can make it past those fogy traditionalists then i done seen everything in 2008.—i mean we about to have a black president—so ANYTHING can go on.

thus far the only “cool factor” people that have seen this production is me and ornette coleman. (and ladybug mecca….)

they basically wanted me to mouth piece this because this is going to be a HARD sell.

but they had me at hello.

this hit me like it was the musical version of Roots.

i felt all that cliche stuff when overexcited people experience a miracle the audience dance, we cried, we shouted, we gasped, we were amazed. we fell DEAD silent.

i want you people to see this play IMMMMMMMMMMEEEEEDDDDDDIIAAATLY.

there is a month left and tickets are leaving QUICKLY.

i want yall to forward this mail to ALL of your industry friends.

i want yall to buy tickets for kids that need to see the best connection to african music and the funk that propelled many of your childhoods.

this is NOT just some “oh ahmir is being dramatic shit”—

alan: this is your chance to see and experience a real life TAMI show moment
chuck: you can now see someone besides yourself be the sharp critic of corrupt government and be in the audience for once.
spike: the producers mos definitely wanna talk film
jurn: you can have an experience on par with denver—twice in a month!
wendy: real life chicken greasing!
tom, toure, brian, austin et al: the experience is like being there!
all you assistants on this CC: jedi mind trick your bosses to see this. i COMMAND THEE!
all you sidekics, tourmanagers, and the lefthands to the icons that have you on payroll: read this email to your bosses
you publicists?: blast this shit. this is the solar eclipse of creativity: a play 100% authentic in its reference points and creativity
and everyone in between….yes the “wow i wish i could see this” cats saying that right now.

get
off
your
ass
and
see
this
NOW!

-with love and respect.
i thank you for reading.
now go change someone’s life and pay it forward:

-ahmir k thompson.

PS. in my excitement and it being 7am when i finished i neglected to give a shoutout to Bill T Jones: director and visionary. Job well done brother!

well.
i looked at my watch.
and apparently i still have some cred round these parts.
whenever the opportunity arises i am more than happy to
do my part when it comes to putting people on to a certain act
that they otherwise might not be too privy of.
unlike my pre internet ravings in the press about d’angelo, erykah, and jill.
and my religion created especially for slum village.
and the list goes on and on and on for the likes of little brother, sa-ra, j’davey, tonya morgan, esperanza, and the gaspers of all gaspers solange.

well. time to roll out the barrel yet again (i’m slightly late because frank featured them in “rappers i know ahmir won’t bandwagon until it’s too late” section)

i dont wanna make all that a big deal about them. i simply wanna give you a chance to “in” yourself on the bottom flo.

ladies and gentleman: *drumroll*

HISD

Scottie Spitten

Spitten King

Lenoge

King Midas

here is a view of our trip to the russian square.

from left, Owen “O Ski Love” Biddle, Damon “Tuba Gooding Jr” Bryson, “Cap’n” Kirk Douglas, Nikeposterboy, tourmanager Dom Kesca, production manager KMack!

kirk is feeling blue.

kmack is serious business son

watching you…..

oski love makes a point

tuba rides the stairway to heaven

we became the tourists we hate in the states.

man. no words can describe the site of it.

this is just a camera filter on the G9. it can turn your lips Obama Purple.

i know i know i know i know some more.

tuba uses didi7 for everything. including teeth

o and dom look at them looking at us.

santa came from russia. didnt know that didja?

the house that busta built: ehh hnn ee hnnnn

your lens man for the evening.

ok.
NOW
i can tell the whole story!

those 3 events that i’ll be dj’n live in the stores?

a lil reminder

On the 1st
Alife Rivington Club
158 Rivington St
New York, NY 10002

On the 5th
UBIQ Walnut Street
1509 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102

and on the 6th
THE MONTALBÁN
1615 Vine St.
Hollywood, CA 90028

there will be a special edition (just act like this is the first time you hearing this…..)

12 lucky people (per city) will get the Golden Tickets!

basically all the shoes will be sealed (that way the retailer can’t pull no “sorry kid we all sold out”—only for you to be charged a crazy amount on ebay)—and a lucky 12 will get a pair of these

IN ADDITION to the Questo 1’s

you heard right….

come to the event…

purchase some kicks…

if you get the golden tix?…..you also get the OG’s as well.

much love to all the REAL sneaker heads that respect the game
they all know what time it is.
some of you window shoppers got stale taste…this is a grown man’s game
not no “that’s my car!!!”—only those with no shoe game can front son….im sorry step it up!!!!!
next pair will be even crazier than this.

1. opened my eyes
2. re watched weeds i fell asleep on late last night (nancy botwin’s defiance on just “being” and not asking a bunch of questions is so ginny lol)
3. went to the gym with jonas
4. while on the bike and watching that minor league brawl reminded me i haven’t been to a ball game and this is my only chance.
5. called the phillies and asked for 4 tix.
6. cussed jonas out after the crunches
7. went bachelor grocery shopping (when you go supermarket shopping at a corner store)
-tuna
-peanut butter
-bread
-hot sauce
-relish
-soup
-onions
-milk
-special k
-unsalted nuts
-wheat thins
-fruit
-mayo
-lighter
-candles
-toilet tissue
8. got changed
9. phills guy informed me that since these mofos are in first place all 4 of my tix are separated. but! i can sit with the cats from clearchannel in their box if i wish. but only 2 are allowed.
10. i broke the bad news to crazy steve (engineer)
11. high tailed it to 30th street station to pick my pal up (she’ll be blogging here in about a month….don’t worry you’ll tire of her soon enough)
12. drove to stadium got tix.
13. spent the first 4 innings standing behind home plate (which i assumed couldn’t be a better view).
14. got a hot dog, popcorn, peanuts, crackerjacks, and leamonade (yes we are that dumb)
15. sang the bernie mac version of “take me out to the ballgame”
16. used basketball metaphor to explain the importance of Howard and Rollins (”see he would be Kobe….”)
17. went up to the suites in inning 5 and just as i suspected….a “scratch record over the needle” entrance that of the old western flicks when Billy the Kid would enter a room and even the piano player hit the road.—
18. silence and stares (ok…real quick, two boho looking black people–one wearing watermellon colored shoes i may add–in a room that looks like the haliburton baseball retreat. with a LOT of pabst blue ribbon.
19. one of the ribbon guzzlers made me out after about 27 seconds…this is when i knew that i was a guest of a guest of a guest (phillies gave me to clearchannel, who musta gave me to their pals who had room in the inn.)–”wait….questLOVE?” (white cats say quest-LOVE!!, drunk white cats: QUESTLOVE!!!!!!!!!, non black chicks: Questluuuuuuuv, artistic blacks: yo quest, 99.44% blacks: “ehy…..yo yo ….aint that the bol from um….nappuh ruuts?*)
20. i watched half an inning from the box when i saw her going for the food. true i woulda threw down (all the free cheesesteaks you can eat!! word to bass mccary**)–but i knew we weren’t gonna eat later so i threw the popcorn away*** and made us leave for she decided to make a samich.
21. we watched up until the 7th inning stretch when i had an inspiration to record something right then and there on the spot. so i called james poyser and my engineer steve.
22. we drove to the studio and i decided that my incomplete Madlib tribute record of Stevie songs needed to get done (Sadlibs….per James’ engineer not snark as PBWolf would have me jokingly think)
23. we made a 10 minute version of a stevie song that bill and phonte will be all too happy to reveal on a future GGR show.
24. i made this list while james and steve bicker over a punch in.
25. i made this list.

never let it be said that dreams don’t come true.
4 years ago i watched BAPE/reebok shower Pharrell with
all these kicks on the Sprite Liquid Mix Tour in the summer
of 2004.

i said to my stylist “when am i gonna get enough clout to get such an honor?”

well kids.

there is many a milestone in my career, and i have to stay that this ish right here?

man oh man…

this is my FAVORITE part of my life.

my very own shoe.

i present the (h)Air ?uesto 1

this shoe was actually in the making about a year ago but i was so excited the first time around i included everything but the kitchen sink.

and it showed lol: 9 different skins, 13 colors. the shoe was literally mitched/matched (as are these but to a lesser extent)

i wanted something that screamed “!@#T!@#$#!@#$@#$@#~@$@#!!!!!” but left me a lil room to really go crazy for the other 4 down the line. (my cream de la creme is the 3rd shoe, i got a vision Doc Brown style Flux Capacitor style that im still perfecting and HOPEFULLY in two years they will find a way to come up with the material i need to make it work)

so in short (its late and im lucky that nike is letting me get away with this much)

the shoe comes out aug 1st.

i will promote the shoe by dj’n/partying at the following stores

aug1- i’ll be at ALIFE in NYC
aug5- i’ll be at UBIQ in philly
Aug 6th - i’ll be at Nike Sportswear presents: The Montalbán
1615 Vine Street
Hollywood, CA 90028
the twist is the shoes will be sealed.

why?

details later

much thanks to crazy rebecca, zenobia morrow, dj clark kent, shawn gee, jesse, dawn baxter, and the staff at nike for making dreams come true!

(original post is at the bottom of this entry)

CLICK HERE for the snippet

and here is my entry some 24 hours later.

i am mad as fuck yo.

1. this shit is under a minute (whoever has that track got the whole shit and need to share that shit not just some “let them eat cake” and give portions.)

2. but then im like listening to this shit as a real song like 4 hours in a row which then makes me a lil crazy.

(more…)

i mean i saw no harm in that.

sheeeeit if anything it borderline helped my sanity all the years that i too was wondering
“what the fuck we gettin slept on for”*

(more…)

wow.
its taken me long enough to get down to business but here it is….my very own official blog.

its so much pressure in here.

i had a built in myspace audience of 200,000+ people….but now i’m back to square one for the okayteam wants me to put all my energy into this website–i mean after all i created it right?

my publicist wants my blog to be as politically charged as my band’s albums so that we can establish me as the new political rage–but i got all the time in the world to wax poetic right?

i figured i’d start off with a simple blog.

imma have the okayplayers from the general boards ask me 20 ?uestions and i’ll answer as best as i can.

robone4 (and his non scrabble ass from Rancho Cucamonga, Ca) asks “when are you going to write a tell all book”

(more…)