#d’angelo and the vanguard

[clockwrkcabaret]

No Good

WARNING! This show is for adults. We drink cocktails, have potty mouths and, at least, one of us was raised by wolves.

The Clockwork Cabaret is a production of Agony Aunt Studios. Featuring that darling DJ Duo, Lady Attercop and Emmett Davenport. Our theme music is made especially for us by Kyle O’Door.

This episode aired on Mad Wasp Radio, 11.05.23.

New episodes air on Mad Wasp Radio on Sundays @ 12pm GMT! Listen at www.madwaspradio.com or via TuneIn radio app!

Playlist:

Vermillion Lies – No Good

Charming Disaster – Cherry Red

The Cog is Dead – A.I. Stole My Life

Dust Bowl Faeries – Vampire Tango

Pink Martini – Donde Esta Yolanda

Nouvelle Vague – Too Drunk To Fuck

Nina Hagen – Fever

Señor Coconut – Sweet Dreams

Shovels & Rope – I’m Your Man (feat. John Fullbright)

Elle King – I Told You I Was Mean

Amy Winehouse – Me & Mr Jones

Adele – Lovesong

Paloma Faith – It’s the Not Knowing

Janelle Monáe – Givin Em What They Love (feat. Prince)

D’Angelo & The Vanguard – Ain’t That Easy

The Harlem James Gang  – My Strut Is Incredible!

Eric McFadden – Womanizer

The Heavy – How You Like Me Now

The Mountain Goats – This Year

Jukebox the Ghost – Good Day

The Decemberists – 16 Military Wives

Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi – Two Against One (feat. Jack White)

TV On the Radio – Wolf Like Me

Interpol – Obstacle 1

They Might Be Giants – What Did I Do to You?

Radiohead – No Surprises

Placebo – Bigmouth Strikes Again

  Check out this episode!

[90363462]

Album of the decade: Kendrick Lamar’s ‘good kid, m.A.A.d city’

Like ‘The Autobiography of Malcolm X,’ the 2012 opus overflows with black rage, fear of abandonment, and a sobering understanding of death and rebirth

Like ‘The Autobiography of Malcolm X,’ the 2012 opus overflows with black rage, fear of abandonment, and a sobering understanding of death and rebirth

True, Kendrick Lamar’s 2012 opus good kid, m.A.A.d city is the longest charting hip-hop studio album in history. Yes, it was the 13-time Grammy winner’s major label debut. But good kid is the album of the decade because it is The Autobiography of Malcolm Xfor our time, overflowing with black rage, hopelessness, fear of abandonment, and a sobering understanding (and sometimes reckless disregard) of death and rebirth.

Aftermath Entertainment/Interscope Records

And as with Malcolm X, a name change is an important signifier. “I learned, when I look in the mirror and tell my story, that I should be myself and not peep whatever everybody is doing … If I’m gonna tell a real story, I’m gonna start with my name,” Lamar, who had previously performed as K-Dot, told Vultureon the eve of the album’s release.

good kid’s cover art shows baby Kendrick sitting on a family member’s lap. The album itself begins with a teenage Lamar chasing after a girl named Sherane and ends with him witnessing the death of a friend and undergoing a spiritual awakening. He rockets through a galaxy of themes: love, lust, loyalty, fear, anger, divinity, spirituality, toxic masculinity, gang politics, gun violence, racial profiling, teenage innocence, police brutality, survivor’s remorse, hope, self-awareness and mortality.

American civil rights leader Malcolm X relaxes on a couch on March 1964.

Photo by Truman Moore/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images

Still, there is plenty of competition for the mythical title of album of the decade. Beyoncé’s Lemonade or her 2013 industry-shifting, self-titled album, Rihanna’s ANTI,Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange or Blonde, Adele’s 21, Solange’s A Seat at the Table, Freddie Gibbs and Madlib’s Bandana, Anderson .Paak’s Malibu, Jay-Z’s 4:44, David Bowie’s Blackstar, Killer Mike’s R.A.P. Music, Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy, Noname’s Room 25, Jamie xx’s In Colour, Tame Impala’s Lonerism, SZA’s Ctrl, D’Angelo and The Vanguard’s Black Messiah, Travis Scott’s Astroworld, Miguel’s Kaleidoscope Dream,Vince Staples’ Summertime ’06, Waka Flocka’s Flockaveli, and a host of others, have stated their cases.

While good kid’s importance is widely recognized, its place in end-of-the-decade rankings varies widely. Rolling Stone puts it at No. 66! Vice settled at No. 28. Pitchfork gave it No. 18, claiming every autobiographical rap album in its wake “walks in part in its footsteps.” XXL didn’t rank its top 50 projects but noted good kid was “about as instant a classic as you can get.” Billboard ranked it as the decade’s 15th best project and NME and the Associated Press bestowed it No. 5 honors.

For many, including Lamar himself, his third album, 2015’s To Pimp a Butterfly, takes precedence. It boasts what many believe is the most important song of the decade in “Alright.” Esquire and Independent both made this testament to the anger and isolation black America felt in the wake of the deaths of people such as Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, Mike Brown, Eric Garner and Jordan Davis, as their top album of the decade. Lamar himself told Billboard in 2016 that good kid was great work, but not his best. “To Pimp a Butterfly is great,” he said. And that he would’ve been upset by 2014’s notorious zero-for-seven Grammy’s snub “if I knew that was my best work, if I had nothing new to offer.”

The truth is multidimensional. Starting with 2011’s Section.80 and most recently with 2018’s Black Panther soundtrack, for which he served as executive producer, Lamar delivered a catalog of albums over the last 10 years that makes him one of music’s most important figures. His Pulitzer Prize for 2017’s DAMN. made him the first non-classical or jazz artist to earn the prestigious distinction. Every project he’s put his name on in this decade has shifted the culture.

So does Butterfly or even DAMN. check off more of the best-of-the-decade criteria than its predecessor?

“good kid, m.A.A.d city definitely set the table [for Kendrick’s decade]. And I’m a jazz guy so I’m always going to ride for To Pimp a Butterfly,” said Marcus Moore whose biography, The Butterfly Effect: How Kendrick Lamar Ignited the Soul of Black America, is aiming for a 2020 release. “But without [good kid], there’s no way he could have made To Pimp a Butterfly or DAMN.”

Malcolm X and his daughter Ilyasah leave John F. Kennedy International Airport for the Hotel Theresa in Harlem on Jan. 1, 1964.

Photo by William N. Jacobellis/New York Post Archives /(c) NYP Holdings, Inc. via Getty Images

By contrast, Lamar’s parents, both of whom are featured on good kid, are vital figures in his life story. They sought to both teach their son about street life in Compton, California, and also protect him from it. “They wanted to keep me innocent,” he told Rolling Stone. “I love them for that.”

Lamar read Malcolm X’s autobiography as a teenager, and in a 2017 interview with Vice, he spoke of the late civil rights icon in a near religious manner.

“His ideas rooted my approach to music,” Lamar said. “That was the first idea that inspired how I was going to approach my music. From the simple idea of wanting to better myself by being in this mindstate, [the] same way Malcolm was.”

X bounced around Michigan, Boston and Harlem before his incarceration. Lamar and turn-of-the-century Compton were joined at the hip, as evidenced by the bevy of local landmarks he name-drops: the intersection of El Segundo Boulevard and Central Avenue, Alameda Street, Gonzales Park, Lueders Park, Bullis Street, Food 4 Less and Church’s Chicken. Growing up in poverty for Lamar, and moving from the streets to foster homes for Malcolm X, meant resources were scarce. Hopelessness and helplessness were inevitable realities. Whether it was the Midwest and Northeast before the civil rights movement or Compton after the L.A. riots, both were conditioned to being repeatedly degraded for merely existing. The trauma was constant, as were the coping mechanisms.

“I had gotten to the point where I was walking on my own coffin,” Malcolm X wrote, reflecting on his hustling days when he was known on the street as Detroit Red. “Drugs helped push the thought [of getting caught] to the back of my mind. They were the center of my life.” “For the record, I recognize that I’m easily prey/ I got ate alive yesterday,” Lamar wrote on the title track “Good Kid.” “I got animosity building, it’s probably big as a building/ Me jumping off of the roof is me just playing it safe.”

Malcolm X and Lamar both understood that the way society is set up, success was never meant for them. Two flawed protagonists in their own stories, they felt backed into corners and responded with desperation and anger. Malcolm X talked of cocaine making decisions for him, constantly carrying a gun and fantasizing about committing violence on a black cop who loathed him.

By high school, when good kid takes place, Lamar was already running with a crowd that committed home invasions and eluded the police. They got him drunk, after being beat up by local gangbangers, and high, after breaking and entering (“flocking”). “Cocaine laced in marijuana/ And they wonder why I rarely smoke now,” he recounts on “m.A.A.d city.” “Imagine if your first blunt had you foaming at the mouth.” Like Malcolm X before his conversion to the Nation of Islam, death stayed just out of arm’s reach for Lamar. His mom would find bloody hospital gowns of friends who got shot at their house — or Lamar would cry in the front yard after surviving a shooting.

good kid’s “The Art of Peer Pressure” shares a demonic soul with Malcolm X’s recounting of his days in Boston. Malcolm X wrote about feeling unrecognizable as Detroit Red. Yet, there he was, running the streets of Boston with his best friend, Shorty.

In “Peer Pressure,” Lamar and his friends L-Boog, Yan Yan and YG Lucky had just finished playing basketball. Now they were chain-smoking blunts in a Toyota, hollering at girls and pressing guys they saw wearing the wrong gang-affiliated covers. Red and blue had, from a ‘hood politics perspective and the police, become colors that signaled colors long representing factions counterintuitive to Kendrick’s survival. “I never was a gangbanger, I mean/ I was never stranger to the fonk neither,” Lamar raps. The group of teenagers commit a home robbery only barely escape police. Lamar knows he barely escaped. The song’s most important bar, though, is “One day it’s gon’ burn you out, but I’m with the homies right now.” In that moment, breaking the law doesn’t matter. Nor does the possibility of getting killed by gangbangers.

Kendrick Lamar performs during the third day of Lollapalooza Buenos Aires 2019 at Hipodromo de San Isidro on March 31 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Photo by Santiago Bluguermann/Getty Images

“The really interesting thing is how K-Dot and Detroit Red [wrestle] with black rage. Rage about feelings of nothingness in their present or future. Rage about feeling their lives are meaningless. And having to fight to matter and fight to survive,” said Justin S. Hopkins, a clinical psychologist in Washington. “They both turn to drugs to deal with this unbearable pain. And muster a sense of agency and control over what feels impossible. By so doing, [both] cope with constant fear and annihilation.”

Both good kid and The Autobiography of Malcolm X highlight experiences with pain. And how exhausting it is when one feels that pain doesn’t seem to matter to society at large. “Am I worth it? Did I put enough work in?” Lamar asks on “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst.” The record is an epic multidimensional confessional that finds him rapping from the perspective a slain friend’s brother (who eventually gets murdered himself), the sister of a young woman condemning Lamar for telling her sister’s story through song (she, too, dies after years of working the streets as a prostitute) and finally himself dealing with the burden of survivor’s remorse. You learn not to care about yourself when the world doesn’t.

Turning points define both works and the lives they chronicle. For Malcolm X, it took being sentenced to 10 years in prison before a spiritual awakening set the course of his life on a completely different trajectory. By the time he reemerged into society in 1952, Detroit Red was long dead, and the world would soon come to know, loathe, love and fear Malcolm X, who would help propel America into a decade of racial reckoning.

Growing up, Lamar, had seen a “light skin n—- with his brains blown out,” as he noted on “m.A.A.d city,” and his Uncle Tony was shot twice in the head outside of Louis Burgers in Compton, which he depicted on “Money Trees.” The true pain of which could never be resolved any sort of monetary success or commercial acceptance. But watching his friend Dave die after a shootout with guys who had jumped Lamar earlier in the day set in motion his own reality check. While he is walking around in a haze of anger and grief and carrying a gun, a neighbor, voiced by none other than Maya Angelou, persuaded him and his surviving friends to let God into their lives and leads them in reciting the Sinner’s Prayer. The conversation is poignantly similar to one she had with Tupac Shakur on the set of Poetic Justice 20 years earlier. “Now everybody serenade the new faith of Kendrick Lamar/ This is King Kendrick Lamar,” he booms on the album’s victory lap, the appropriately titled “Compton” featuring Dr. Dre.

Rapper Kendrick Lamar attends a ceremony honoring him with the Keys to the City of Compton, in Compton, California, on Feb. 13, 2016.

VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images

“Both of them go to the depths of their trauma and learn how to acknowledge the deep sense of loss and vulnerability that they feel,” said Hopkins. “They start building a foundation for their own self-worth despite all the things that were attacking it all along. It’s a beautiful and triumphant story.”

Their stories spoke of resilience, acceptance and bravery from the perspectives of young black men who had seen hell and found some peace before they got to heaven. Even if, in Malcolm X’s case, he was — as he predicted in the final pages of his book — assassinated before he could hold a copy of his life’s journey in his own hands. The results resonated deeply in the generations they spoke for. For Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who first read The Autobiography of Malcolm Xin 1968, the book became gospel for him.

“His story couldn’t have been more different than mine — street hustler and pimp who goes to prison, converts to Islam, emerges as an enlightened political leader — but I felt as if every insult he suffered and every insight he discovered were mine,” the NBA’s all-time leading scorer wrote in his 2017 memoirCoach Wooden and Me. “He put into words what was in my heart; he clearly articulated what I had only vaguely expressed.”

Four-time NBA All Star and Compton native DeMar DeRozan expresses the same sentiments when discussing the impact of good kid, m.A.A.d city. “A lot of people who come from a lot of trials and tribulations can’t vocalize the traumas they’ve been through,” he said. “Listening to that album, it’s therapeutic. You’re hearing things you went through. Things you seen, things you may feel but you don’t know how to express in words. But Kendrick did.”

Civil rights activist Malcolm X poses for a portrait on Feb. 16, 1965, in Rochester, New York.

Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Malcolm X’s life story was one of transition. From Malcolm Little to Detroit Red to “Satan” (as fellow inmates dubbed him when he’d curse God and the Bible) to Malcolm X to El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. And though his ideology and the targets of his rhetoric changed over the last 13 years of his life, Malcolm X had come to know who he was. He was a black man his family could be proud of, who articulated a philosophy of how the black man should act and what he should demand of America. In the final chapter of his autobiography, titled 1965, he said, “I have given … so much of whatever time I have because I feel, and I hope, that if I honestly and fully tell my life’s account, read objectively it might prove to be a testimony of some social value.”

Lamar, now 32, engaged and the father of a baby girl, is nearly a lifetime removed from the 17-year-old who lived, bled and cried the story that eventually became good kid, m.A.A.d city — it, too, a testimony of social value. And near the end of good kid, it’s Kendrick’s mother, Paula Duckworth, who delivers the underlying message behind the album on “Real,” and one Malcolm’s legacy would carry longer than his physical ever would. “Come back a man. Tell your story to these black and brown kids in Compton. Let them know you was just like them, but you still rose from that dark place of violence, becoming a positive person,” she said. “But when you do make it, give back with your words of encouragement, and that’s the best way to give back.”

Unlike Malcolm X, Lamar is far less outwardly fierce — away from a microphone, at least. He rarely conducts interviews and therefore the evolution of his philosophy must be read through his art. At the root of both To Pimp a Butterfly and DAMN. was the value of black existence — the hope, the despair, the odiousness, the fury, the pride and everything in between. And both albums build from the process of self-enlightenment introduced on its 2012 sibling.

“good kid, m.A.A.d city represents that first level of self-awareness where you’re just starting to reparent yourself, revisit your inner child and have that first access point of self-discovery and self-awareness,” said wellness advocate and author Devi Brown, who has interviewed the Grammy-winning MC multiple times throughout his career. Malcolm and Kendrick represent, in her words, the archetype of a platform that converted pain, confusion and violence beyond their emotional and moral jurisdictions. Yet, both used that not only for radical change in themselves, but what they shared with the world. “You realize how much you have to unlearn. How much of life is dictated by things out of your control.”

“[Kendrick] puts his life in his music. Everything. The good, the bad and the questionable. That’s why it resonates with so many people, because he’s giving listeners something positive to aspire to. Yet, he doesn’t shy away from the negativity that almost took him under,” said Moore, the biographer. “Malcolm earned that trust by speaking truth to power, and by doing so in searing fashion. Though he masks certain things in poetic fashion, Kendrick’s work is remarkably honest and hits the same way. No matter when you play it.”

Lamar’s death is not required for good kid to be the modern-day version of The Autobiography. The album, like the book, is an evolving piece of art. Birthed in the same struggle for purpose and cultivated through a series of environmental roadblocks and self-induced insecurities. Both produce different experiences as they age, but more so as we age. Certain lessons are only unlocked through putting one foot in front of the other.

Like Malcolm X, only the mistakes have been Kendrick’s. Thankfully he’s still here to tell his story.

Justin Tinsley is a senior culture writer for Andscape. He firmly believes “Cash Money Records takin’ ova for da ’99 and da 2000” is the single most impactful statement of his generation.

[jwscrobbles]

Top 50 Songs Scrobbled for the Week Ending 3/15/2015

TW LW Artist - SONG 1 1 Take That – THESE DAYS(2 weeks @ #1) 2 2 D’Angelo & The Vanguard – REALLY LOVE 3 4 J Cole - APPARENTLY 4 3 Taylor Swift – BLANK SPACE(1 week @ #1) 5 5 Nicki Minaj/Drake/Lil Wayne - ONLY 6 6 MNEK – The Rhythm 7 7 Gorgon City/Jennifer Hudson – GO ALL NIGHT 8 9 Ella Henderson - GHOST 9 10 Drake – HOW ABOUT NOW 10 12 Calvin Harris/Ellie Goulding - OUTSIDE 11 15 Usher/Juicy J. – I DON’T MIND 12 14 TV on the Radio – HAPPY IDIOT 13 8 Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars – UPTOWN FUNK (3 weeks @ #1) 14 19 B.o.B./Trey Songz – NOT FOR LONG 15 20 Jessie Ware – WANT YOUR FEELING 16 16 Wale/Jeremih – THE BODY 17 11 Ariana Grande/The Weeknd – LOVE ME HARDER(1 week @ #1) 18 18 Spoon – INSIDE OUT 19 13 Jessie J/2 Chainz – BURNING UP 20 27 Tove Lo – TALKING BODY 21 28 Pitbull/Ne-Yo – TIME OF OUR LIVES 22 26 Madonna – LIVING FOR LOVE 23 30 Maroon 5 - SUGAR 24 31 The Weeknd – EARNED IT 25 23 Nico & Vinz – IN YOUR ARMS 26 24 Sia – BIG GIRLS CRY 27 17 Hozier – TAKE ME TO CHURCH 28 21 Elle Varner – F**K IT ALL 29 29 Nicki Minaj/Drake/Lil Wayne – TRUFFLE BUTTER 30 22 Childish Gambino - SHADOWS 31 42 Beyonce – 7/11 32 25 Milky Chance – STOLEN DANCE 33 39 Banks – BEGGIN FOR THREAD 34 33 Teyana Taylor/PushaT/Yo Gotti - MAYBE 35 40 Ellie Goulding – LOVE ME LIKE YOU DO 36 38 Prince Royce/Snoop Dogg – STUCK ON A FEELING 37 35 Maroon 5/J Cole – ANIMALS(1 week @ #1) 38 32 Phantogram – NOTHING BUT TROUBLE 39 45 Giorgio Moroder/Kylie Minogue – RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW 40 46 Ne-Yo/Juicy J – SHE KNOWS 41 34 Charli XCX – BREAK THE RULES 42 36 Mary J. Blige – WHOLE DAMN YEAR 43 41 Sinead Harnett/Snakehips – NO OTHER WAY 44 43 David Guetta/Sam Martin - DANGEROUS 45 37 Iggy Azalea/M – BEG FOR IT 46 48 Nick Jonas - CHAINS 47 44 Nick Jonas – JEALOUS(1 week @ #1) 48 --- Kelly Clarkson – HEARTBEAT SONG 49 --- Sam Smith – LAY ME DOWN 50 49 AlunaGeorge - SUPERNATURAL

[cosmicanger]

December 15, 2014 D’Angelo and the Vanguard released Black Messiah

[laughinbutthejokesnotfunnyatall]

Hi, welcome to my music blog! I’m Liam

About me:

I am a 28 year old Music Connoisseur™. Music has been a guiding light in my life and I love delving into different sounds and discovering new genres. I listen to every genre (including but not limited to metal, country, rock, alternative, electronic, experimental, classical, jazz, R&B, hip hop, Caribbean music & Latin music), but contemporary pop music is my favorite. I am a queer Black non-binary man, and my pronouns are he/they. I grew up listening to mainly gospel music, as my dad was a pastor at a church in NYC. I also listened to old school R&B/soul music alongside classical music, contemporary R&B, pop, hip hop & Caribbean music.

My favorite artists/bands are as follows:

Adele

Against Me!

Anderson .Paak

Animal Collective

Aphex Twin

Arca

Ariana Grande

Azealia Banks

Bad Bunny

The Beatles

Ben Khan

Beyoncé

Billie Eilish

Björk

Black Dice

Blood Incantation

Bob Dylan

Britney Spears

BROCKHAMPTON

Cardi B

Carly Rae Jepsen

Chappell Roan

Charli xcx

Cloud Nothings

cupcakKe

D’Angelo

D’Angelo and The Vanguard

Daft Punk

David Bowie

Deafheaven

Deerhunter

Dirty Projectors

Doja Cat

Drake

Drake & Future

Dream Unending

Earl Sweatshirt

Erykah Badu

Fiona Apple

FKA twigs

Flo Milli

Frank Ocean

Funkadelic

Future

GloRilla

Grateful Dead

Grimes

Harry Styles

Ice Spice

iLoveMakonnen

Inter Arma

Isaiah Rashad

James Blake

Jamie xx

Janelle Monáe

Janet Jackson

JAY-Z

JAY-Z & Kanye West

Jazmine Sullivan

Jeff Bridges (specifically his album Sleeping Tapes)

Jeremih

Jessie Ware

Jesus Piece

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

John Coltrane

JPEGMAFIA

Justin Bieber

Justin Timberlake

Kacey Musgraves

Kali Uchis

Kanye West

Kendrick Lamar

Kesha

KIDS SEE GHOSTS

Knocked Loose

Koffee

Lady Gaga

Lana Del Rey

Lauryn Hill

LCD Soundsystem

Leonard Cohen

Let’s Eat Grandma

Lil Nas X

Lil Peep

Lil Uzi Vert

Lorde

Lou Reed

Mac DeMarco

Madonna

Marvin Gaye

Megan Thee Stallion

Michael Abels

Michael Jackson

Migos

Miguel

Mitski

Moses Sumney

Nicholas Britell

Nicki Minaj

Nina Simone

Noname

Normani

Olivia Rodrigo

Panda Bear

Perfume Genius

Pink Floyd

Post Malone

Prince

Prince & the Revolution

Radiohead

Rihanna

The Rolling Stones

ROSALÍA

Run The Jewels

Sabrina Carpenter

Seafoam Walls

Sexyy Red

Shaboozey

Solange

SOPHIE

St. Vincent

Stevie Wonder

Sufjan Stevens

SZA

Tame Impala

Taylor Swift

Tems

Teyana Taylor

Tomb Mold

Troye Sivan

Tyler, the Creator

Undeath

USHER

Vampire Weekend

The Velvet Underground & Nico

Vince Staples

The Weeknd

The xx

Young M.A

Young Thug

Yves Tumor

ZS

21 Savage

The 1975

This blog contains mainly pics & gifs of these artists/bands. I consider myself primarily to be a Swiftie, BeyHive, and a Drake stan, but I also stan Billie Eilish, Frank Ocean & Lil Nas X. Additionally, I’m also a huge fan of The Weeknd, Lorde, Animal Collective, Kendrick Lamar, Ice Spice, Cardi B, Olivia Rodrigo & Doja Cat.

I also keep a music journal:

Every week, since the week beginning May 24th, 2012 (from Thursday to Thursday), I've picked one song a week to be my most favorite song for that week. Songs can also be my favorite for multiple weeks or even consecutive weeks. I compiled a playlist of these songs shown below. I use this as an encrypted diary & as a mnemonic device to help me organize my musical memories (and/or just memories in general):

[mystlnewsonline]

New York AG Ends Harmful Labor Practices - Title Insurance

Attorney General James Ends Harmful Labor Practices at Major Independent Title Insurance Agency Kensington Vanguard to Pay $1 Million for Having Illegal No-Poach Agreements with Competitors AG James has Secured $9.25 Million from Title Insurance Companies for Illegal No-Poach Agreements. NEW YORK (STL.News) Harmful Labor Practices - New York Attorney General Letitia James Thursday announced an agreement to end anti-worker practices by one of the nation’s largest independent title insurance agencies, Kensington Vanguard National Land Services, LLC (Kensington), and its underwriters.  An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) discovered that Kensington and its title insurance underwriters entered into illegal no-poach agreements where they would not solicit each other’s employees, reducing competition and, therefore, negatively impacting wages and opportunities for workers.  As a result of today’s agreement, Kensington will terminate any existing no-poach agreements, pay the state $1 million, and cooperate with OAG’s ongoing investigations in the industry.  Today’s agreement raises the total amount secured by Attorney General James from title insurance companies for illegal no-poach agreements to $9.25 million. “Hard work and experience in any career are supposed to help employees grow and achieve better wages and opportunities,” said Attorney General James.  “However, when companies illegally collude and make no-poach agreements, they hold workers back.  No-poach agreements have become a systemic problem in the title insurance industry, and that is why my office has been focused on rooting out this unacceptable practice to protect workers.  New Yorkers deserve fair pay for their hard work and experience, and their career growth should never be threatened by companies cutting illegal deals with competitors.” Kensington sells title insurance policies issued by title insurance underwriters.  Underwriters also sell title insurance policies directly, in competition with Kensington and other title agencies.  Underwriters’ direct agents and independent agencies are competitors in the labor market and should be able to compete for employees on the basis of salaries, benefits, and career opportunities.  Kensington’s no-poach policies with its underwriters prevented that from happening.  The OAG’s investigation concluded that Kensington entered into no-poach agreements with title insurance underwriters, and those agreements effectively reduced career opportunities and wages for workers.  Today’s agreement ends Kensington’s no-poach agreements and requires the company to pay $1 million to the state and cooperate with OAG’s ongoing investigations in the industry. Today’s agreement continues Attorney General James’ work to stop unlawful no-poach agreements that stifle both competition and careers.  Attorney General James has now ended the use of no-poach agreements by four of the five largest commercial underwriters in the United States Fidelity, Stewart, Amtrust, Old Republic, and two of the largest independent title insurance agencies, First Nationwide and Kensington Vanguard today.  In March 2019, Attorney General James and a coalition of attorneys general entered into an agreement with four national fast food franchisors  — Dunkin’, Arby’s, Five Guys, and Little Caesars — that ended their use of no-poach agreements. This matter was handled by Senior Enforcement Counsel Bryan Bloom, Assistant Attorney General Michael Schwartz, and Deputy Bureau Chief Amy McFarlane, under the supervision of Bureau Chief Elinor Hoffmann — all of the Antitrust Bureau.  The Antitrust Bureau is a part of the Division for Economic Justice, which is overseen by Chief Deputy Attorney General Chris D’Angelo and First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy. SOURCE: New York Attorney General Read the full article

[melanatedqueen-18]

Heavy rotation (October ‘21)

5 STAR - CL

My Absolute - Mar

When I’m in your arms - Cleo Sol

Like I feel - Xavier Omär (feat. Mereba)

Pretend - Brandee Younger (feat. Tarriona ‘Tank’ Ball)

Mystery Lady - Masego (feat. Don Toliver)

Red Room - Hiatus Kaiyote

Betray my heart - D’Angelo and The Vanguard

Around you - Harrison

[listeningwind]

D’Angelo and the Vanguard - “Black Messiah” (2014)

[jwscrobbles]

Top 50 Songs Scrobbled for the Week Ending 11/15/2015

TW LW ARTIST - SONG 1 4 Alessia Cara – HERE(1 week @ #1) 2 1 Lianne La Havas – WHAT YOU DON’T DO(1 week @ #1) 3 6 Disclosure/Sam Smith – OMEN 4 3 The Internet – UNDER CONTROL(1 week @ #1) 5 5 Tink - MILLION 6 2 Demi Lovato – COOL FOR THE SUMMER 7 8 J Cole – NO ROLE MODELZ 8 13 Katherine McPhee – LICK MY LIPS 9 14 Janet Jackson - UNBREAKABLE 10 10 Teedra Moses – GET IT RIGHT 11 18 Nick Jonas - LEVELS 12 7 The Weeknd – THE HILLS(1 week @ #1) 13 21 Jeremih/J Cole - PLANES 14 9 Jill Scott – FOOL’S GOLD(2 weeks @ #1) 15 19 Drake – ENERGY 16 12 Kendrick Lamar - ALRIGHT 17 23 Sam Sparro – HANDS UP 18 11 Tori Kelly – SHOULD’VE BEEN US 19 15 Rihanna – BITCH BETTER HAVE MY MONEY 20 24 Kylie Minogue/Garibay/Sam Sparro - IF I CAN’T HAVE YOU 21 22 FKA twigs – TWO WEEKS 22 27 Beach House – SPACE SONG 23 28 Disclosure/Lorde - MAGNETS 24 16 Kygo/Parson James – STOLE THE SHOW 25 20 Ciara – DANCE LIKE WE’RE MAKING LOVE 26 30 Alina Baraz/Galimatias – CAN I 27 17 Robin Thicke – MORNING SUN 28 33 Janet Jackson/Missy Elliot – BURNITUP! 29 34 Drake – HOTLINE BLING 30 32 Lady Leshurr – QUEEN’S SPEECH 31 25 Major Lazer/MO/DJ Snake – LEAN ON (1 week @ #1) 32 26 Janet Jackson/J Cole – NO SLEEEP(3 weeks @ #1) 33 35 Jody Watley/4hero – BED OF ROSES 34 29 Tinashe – ALL HANDS ON DECK 35 40 Hailee Steinfeld – LOVE MYSELF 36 41 Jhene Aiko – LYIN’ KING 37 31 Omi - CHEERLEADER 38 43 Ellie Goulding – ON MY MIND 39 36 The Weeknd – CAN’T FEEL MY FACE(1 week @ #1) 40 37 Florence + the Machine – SHIP TO WRECK 41 44 Chris Brown - LIQUOR 42 45 Adele - HELLO 43 46 Rudimental/Ed Sheeran – LAY IT ALL ON ME 44 38 D’angelo and the Vanguard – BETRAY MY HEART 45 50 Ciara – ONE WOMAN ARMY 46 --- The Bird and the Bee – RECREATIONAL LOVE 47 39 The Bird and the Bee – WILL YOU DANCE? 48 --- Taylor Swift – WILDEST DREAMS 49 49 Lana Del Rey – HIGH BY THE BEACH 50 --- Zhu/AlunaGeorge - AUTOMATIC

[nasfera2]

undefined

D’Angelo & The Vanguard performing “Spanish Joint” live at the 2015 North Sea Jazz Festival.

[renegadewoman]

Black Messiah - D’Angelo and the Vanguard

[shemakesmusic-uk]

TRACK BY TRACK BREAKDOWN: In the Sun In the Rain LP by Fieh.

The rural Norwegian countryside might not be where you’d expect to discover your new favourite neo-soul collective, but that is where 7-piece band Fieh originated from. Founded by frontwoman Sofie Tollefsbøl, Fieh stormed into prominence through the release of their debut single ‘Glu’ back in 2017. In 2019 they released their debut album Cold Water Burning Skin, on which the group established their unique blend of jazz, R&B and soul. Now, they are ready to unleash new LP In The Sun In The Rain, which is out today via Jansen Records.

In the Sun in the Rain was recorded with famed Norwegian musician and producer Lars Horntveth (Jaga Jazzist, Susanne Sundfør, The Staves, Kimbra) and mixed by the legendary “Analog Ninja” Russell Elevado (D’Angelo, Angélique Kidjo, The Roots). Centered around groove, Fieh’s new album integrates the funk bangers that initially introduced the band with more experimental and orchestral songs. Citing inspirations as diverse as D’Angelo’s The Vanguard, The Roots, Joni Mitchell, Erykah Badu, The Beatles and Solange, Fieh’s new album is brimming with creativity. Much like their debut album, the song remains at In The Sun In The Rain’s core, with lyrics that revolve around everyday life, people and love – real stories from real life.

We asked Sofie to do an in depth track by track breakdown of the In The Sun In the Rain for us. Read it below.

In the Sun in the Rain (Move on Up)

A song about having good friends who – if life turns to piss – will dance with you in the piss. The song is built around a quote by Lyder (Øvreås Røed, horn player): “Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.” Rephrased for the occasion as dancing in piss.

Fast Food

Sometimes you spend a lot of time and effort on cooking up something really good, only to realize that it’s not what people want – they’d actually prefer something quick and crappy, for instance a Big Mac. This song is about that feeling.

Telephone Girl

A song about telephobia. This song is a public apology to everyone who’s ever tried to call me. It’s not you, it’s me. I came up with the bass line in the shower back in 2019 and had a clear vision of a minimalistic soul banger. We’ve played several versions of this one live but went for a minimalistic approach in the studio.

Rosalie

About a girl in a difficult situation who clearly needs help. But no one takes responsibility to help her, and she just ends up floating around like a small boat on a vast ocean. She feels that the world won’t care if she burns up and disappears from the face of the earth. Andreas (Rukan, bassist) provides the fundament for the song with a disco bass line on the versus, while we go more Kate Bush-like on the chorus.

Grendehus Funkadelic

A love story from you local grendehus. ("Grendehus" is a gathering place in the countryside, like a small community house or "village" house. Where you usually have everything from prom night, to weddings, funerals, fundraisers, etc.) Inspired by how people walk around all week being all calm and shy, and come Friday night they’re totally wildin’ at grendehuset. Illustrated by how people sit and behave nicely between 7 and 11PM, before going amok on the dancefloor shortly after, ending the night half naked in a ditch. Towards the end of the song, the one you were waiting for all night, shows up, and it all becomes magical and chaotic at the same time.

Allthetimeevenwhen

This one is about friendship and love. It’s about wondering how a friend is doing and wanting to support someone who’s lonely. Even though you might not hear it, one of the inspirations behind this was Steve Reich. I told Lars (Horntveth, producer) that I loved the strings on ‘Venus As a Boy’ by Björk, and he arranged something awesome based on that.

Englishman

About a capitalist who works in the music industry, enjoys fancy dinners, only cares about making money, and who lets his greed overshadow everything. He likes music, but he likes status and money more. The song poses “The Big Question” in the chorus: Could there be other universal values that he doesn’t appreciate – might there be things you can’t put a price on? We wanted a pop chorus here, and I think I listened to some David Bowie while arranging the chords.

Rooftop

Me and Ola (Øverby, drummer) came up with the bass line one night at rehearsal. The lyrics are about returning to you hometown and written in a stream-of-consciousness type way. I wrote them on a bus ride while it was snowing hard. The outro sounds like falling snow – at least in my head it does. The bridge contains a few obvious nods to The Beatles.

Anger Management (Jesus)

When you’re about to fly off the handle, there’s just one thing to do; ask Jesus to take the wheel. This song is about being pissed off and developing a kind of anger issue that certain people and situations constantly provoke.

Howcome

To see someone you like, flirt with everyone else is the worst feeling in the world. So, this song is about jealousy. We’ve been playing this live for years in different versions, but it turned out new and different on the album.

Hero

A song about someone who’s a bad role model and glorifies heroin. I wanted it to have a partly peaceful and partly scary/uneasy vibe, which I think the strings and the mix really add to the song. I know Lars (Horntveth, producer) was inspired by the Psycho soundtrack to create an eerie sound.

Photo credit: Jonathan Vivaas Kise

[treethymes]

tagged by @crastinating to shuffle 10 songs but real stans know that i don’t really use a music library these days. usually i just listen to random albums on youtube. but on my computer i have a core playlist of a few albums that i play on shuffle. currently, the albums are:

d’angelo and the vanguard - black messiah lianne la havas - lianne la havas sade - promise jeff buckley - grace pj harvey - to bring you my love kids see ghosts - kids see ghosts janet jackson - control song dongye - north of anhe bridge

[profeminist]

OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS, a new vanguard of African-American creators has helped define the 21st century. Jordan Peele. Ta-Nehisi Coates. Kara Walker. Ava DuVernay. It’s the first time since the 1970s that black art, history and political life have come together in such a broad, profound and diverse way. That convergence was evident in the farce of “Chappelle’s Show”; on the pair of albums D’Angelo released 14 years apart. You can see the imprint of the Barack Obama presidency on “Black Panther”; Black Lives Matter on Beyoncé; the country’s prison crisis on Kendrick Lamar. You can sense that convergence haunting the fiction of Jesmyn Ward.

For eight years, all sorts of black artists sailed through the White House, and shaped the depiction of black America, by thinking transcendently, trenchantly, truthfully. They adjusted the way the entire country can look at itself. So we asked 35 major African-American creators from different worlds (film, art, TV, music, books and more) to talk about the work that has inspired them the most over the past two decades: “Atlanta,” “Moonlight,” “Get Out,” “A Seat at the Table,” “Double America 2,” and on and on. These are edited excerpts from the conversations.

Check out the full piece here