I had the unique opportunity, pleasure, and privilege of playing with the Berklee J Dilla Ensemble at this year’s Boston Urban Music Festival. With seven other talented musicians, together we performed the music of the legendary producer J. Dilla, at a daylong festival, in a city known for its intellect and revolutionary tendencies.
Here’s a few things I learned, both on- and off-stage, worth sharing:
1. Trust no Festival
This became the motto for the group when our mentor and musical director let us know the show was shortened by 2 hours and the order was switched. We were supposed to open for Talib Kweli. Instead they bumped us back two spots, and didn’t mention it until that morning. It was upsetting, but our paladin rapper/trumpeter Ryan Easter said, “Now we gotta kill it even harder.”
Ultimately, we kept our minds sharp to the stage, destined to own. Bands need leaders like Ryan. “Trust no festival” is not an artist’s cynicism to the establishment of the festival by any means, but a musician’s Murphy’s Law at the gig. You never know when unforeseen circumstances will block the seemingly paved road to glory; great musicians know how to improvise life and sound. We would soon learn more about the festival’s abrupt changes and who really implemented them.
2. Boston Loves Hip Hop
Regardless of scheduling conflicts, Boston showed up at their Urban Music Festival. There were faces in that plaza before I got there until after the stage was broken down. True artists recognize and respect appreciative audiences. The attention given to each act, big or small, shows the conscience of Bostonian hip hop fans. Every act received applause and responses to their calls (when I say X, you say Y). Everyone sang a hook, and everyone doubled a bar. It was, for lack of a better word, ill.
The Boston hip hop community deserves much more attention from the nation. If you put any of the members of this year’s lineup, Mr. Fritz, Latrell James, or Dutch Rebelle, on stage at the VMAs or Coachella, they would be Grammy nominated within the year. Their beats were tight, their bars well versed, and they were creative, articulate, and downright dope. When you overhear someone saying, “I would buy their album,” that’s a true sign of real music today.
3. DJs vs. Live Bands
Out of about a dozen acts, we were one of three bands that played. A younger, more narrow minded me would have been appalled by this statistic. It was as if our instruments and many cases of them seemed foreign to those folks backstage, except for the sound techs of course. After watching some of the talented DJs, however, I realized that people, myself included, like the sound of what they know.
You should have seen the look on my face when two DJs (not producers, there’s a difference) were battling on turntables and scratching. Their hands had to be in 3 places each per second to play around with bpms; their techniques were downright ingenious. My ignorance and judgment were quickly swept aside, for DJs and live bands clearly had the same motive. Sure, we were making noise on the spot instead of pre-recorded tracks, but both groups played other peoples compositions and needed to maintain a steady beat in time and rhythm physically, with our hands, wrists, arms, and lungs. Real scratching DJs can hang with the bands.
4. The Authoratah
The one thing I think few expected was how much Boston law enforcement was on site. Granted, the venue was city hall plaza, but the statement they made was loud and clear. I saw municipal officers in neon pinnies, regular bpd officers, a k-9 unit patrolling through the crowd, and even a bomb squad officer. Anyone living in Boston in April 2013 became abruptly aware and used to well numbered, well armed police forces in daily life, especially on those precious dry sunny days New Englanders beg for in the warmer months. The sheer presence of security showed that the authority does not trust the world at larger and unfortunately, the “urban community.”
We later learned that the city tried to shut down the festival the week before. Why? Because they were afraid that if Talib Kweli went on too late at night (8:30pm), it would incite a riot at the heart of Boston. At least the festival staff didn’t outwardly distrust us like Boston law enforcement did. That amount of force just wasn’t necessary; the people at the festival behaved peacefully throughout the entire day. It is times like these that show that the tragedies that happened in Ferguson, MO are not just matters of race (which they are), but of citizenship and what it means to be an American.
5. Talib Kweli: Music as a weapon of nonviolence and activism
When Talib Kweli rushed onto the stage, the mood changed from good vibrations to a heavier empowerment. All day was nothing but a community, predominantly African American, enjoying local music and conscious hip hop. However, there was no violence. Not even booing an act. The law enforcement chose fear, while the people chose love. No crimes committed, and not a single arrest.
Between songs, Kweli told us that Fox News and CNN don’t ever determine when political unrest and righteous protests occur, we do. He said activism happens everyday, and if you aren’t in those circles, then the time to join is right now. No excuses. He said what he saw in Ferguson was men, women, and children attacked by riot police, with women leading the charge and heeding the call to act.
Talib Kweli is an artist who truly uses music as a weapon of non violence and activism. He appeals to intellectual, hardworking, and respectable people, such as those at BUMF this year. It was an honor to share the stage with him, as it has left me reflecting about why I make music. People use music of all forms and fashions to do their good and evil. The music you create and hear can and will change how and who you are. Does the music you listen to make you a better person? Well, it fucking should.
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The Boston Urban Music Festival is the place to be for those who want to hear true hip hop music. They put it on for free! The four aspects of hip hop culture (rapping, scratching, break dancing, and tagging) were represented in full healthy form. J Dilla’s productions will change your life if you put them on, close your eyes, and nod your head to the beat. Be mindful of police, for they are twice as mindful of you. Be patient with festivals and artistic organizations that have altercations, for not everything happening in life is meant to pleasure or spite your ego. If creativity is your modus operandi, create in the names of love, truth, and justice. These are some of the things put in my path to learn, marinate on, and share with you at the Boston Urban Music Festival this year. Next year will be even better.
-Jack Sheehan