I am watching Phat Phat and All that right now and I’ve got to say, N.O. Hip Hop is BACK. Not back to the level it was back in those good old days, but compared to other music in New Orleans, rap is leaps and bounds ahead of everything else in terms of providing a musical representation of what the city is going through. A lot of these artists aren’t even living here but are still pumping out relevant, often humorous insights into our current condition. We need this. We need to be able to laugh at ourselves and get a release through music. That is the foundation of this city, and there’s been a definite Lenten lull in fun, irreverent expression lately. We’re getting too angry. I can feel it.

Yesterday I was introduced to the new 10th Ward Buck DVD, entitled “The Katrina Story.” Info can be found here: http://www.buckisback.com/katrina_story.htm. It contains a couple of music videos including the brilliant “What’s Your FEMA Number”– to the tune of D4L’s “Laffy Taffy” — and Da Dream Team’s “Survivor”, which features Buck & company in an angry protest of Katrina related government action. But the highlight of the DVD is the home video footage of Buck & friends waiting to be rescued from a New Orleans East apartment complex immediately following the hurricane. Spanning three days, it features great footage of Buck building a makeshift grill from oven racks, floating in the floodwater on an inflatable mattress (to relax), and showing off the hole he cut in the roof to get airlifted. It’s an instant classic and is one of the rare videos that show people maintaining a sense of humor and hope throughout the awful days during that first week of September. Don’t hesitate to call him and order a DVD. Will be a collectors item someday.

Fanaticism in the realm of New Orleans hip hop & bounce is one of the few things that give me pleasure these days. I really can’t explain it, but it sure is better than this Cream video that’s on Vh1 Classic right now.

Related posts:

1. N.O. Hip Hop Post Katrina
2. Former New Orleanian shoots, scores!
3. Current State of The City
4. Sundance dawlins
5. A View From Bloomington