Thoughts #3 — Remembering today’s music, tomorrow
This a series cataloguing my favourite half-baked thoughts throughout the day/week/month/whatever. Hopefully they raise some interesting questions or merely provide some cool insight.
Future-Classic Music (Hanging with le broski’s in Jan)
“Rare groove is soul or jazz music that is very hard to source or relatively obscure”
Towards the end of Jan I was chilling with my best friend (Anthony), his little brother and my younger brother, all intoxicated at 3am, bumping music and playing Naruto on PS4 — I was winning.
Randomly, Anthony started talking about music in the future. He noted how popular one-hit-wonder songs we know and love today will someday become the “Rare grooves” of tomorrow. I didn’t pay too much attention because I was still winning at Naruto but he went on to drop an example.
“Imagine being 60 and hearing ‘BITCH YOU GUESSED IT… HWAH”
As if on automatic cue we all responded in perfect unison “… You was right!”.
The ‘you was right’ part was simply the next line in the song but writing this out has made me realise how fitting of a line it was for that moment.
Anthony was right.
For those unaware those were the lyrics to OG Maco’s — U Guessed It, released in 2014.
I started thinking about other one-hit-wonders and songs which became absurdly popular during their time. Songs that I would lose my shit to now if they came on, and would probably lose my shit to in 40 years.
Chief Keef — I don’t Like, Trinidad James — All Gold Everything, So Solid Crew — 21 seconds, 3 of a Kind — Babycakes. All massive hits in their time. Drop any of them at a party and I guarantee you’ll hear someone randomly yell “Oiiii that’s my tune”.
Unless they’re British then you’ll probably get an eloquent “nah fuck offfffff” accompined by this sort of face.
I spoke to my mum about current rare grooves after this and she started vibing just talking about music of her generation. Artists like Earth, Wind and Fire, Bootsy Collins, George Clinton, Lionel Richie etc. Artists that were popping during her twenty’s — around the same age as me now. This was pretty trippy to think about because as timeless as music is, it also captures specific moments of time.
We’re listening to modern-classical music.
Anyway, I started visualising retirement. Old and relaxing on a lakeside porch somewhere, listening to future-music on the future-radio. The presenter interrupts with a smooth-silky voice like waxed clouds “OK ladies and gents, we’re gonna take it wayyy back to the Tens with this classic”.
My ears twitch curiously, I grew up in the Tens. Memory filled with beautiful music over the decades passed, I cant fathom what they’ll play.
All of a sudden a slowly winding sirens cut on, punctured intermittently by rasping and crackling sounds, I recognise the familiar atmosphere building but can’t place its origins until… “JAHIL BEATS, HOLLA AT ME”.
Bobby Shmurda — Hot Nigga, sets off.
Believe me when that day comes I’ll throw my hover board and future-hat into the air and shmoney dance. Covered in tatts and piercings; dreadlocks swinging; surrounded by mortified grandkids. I’ll still catch a vibe. And show them how we got down in 2017.
To read about my previous thoughts describing being homeless, Trump’s preparation’s for war, and the next stage in Human evolution -> Boom.
