The Mo' Better Music Well Dilemma

Many of Today's Beatmakers Seek to Reference the Here and Now, Not the Music Well of the Past

By Amir Said (Sa'id)

In the movie, Mo' Better Blues, there's a part where trumpeter and bandleader, Bleek (Denzel Washington) leads the quintet in an original, hip hop-inspired composition. The purpose of the piece, (as we learn in the film), is to give the people "what they want." Therein lies one of the major themes of Mo' Better Blues: How to remain commercially relevant, while playing jazz—a music form that has mostly lost its broad-based common appeal in the contemporary music landscape.

For Bleek, (who's torn as much between the choice of two women as he is between the choice of "selling out," and not playing the kind of jazz that's in his heart), it's important to maintain a connection to the essence of the Jazz Age (ca. 1930s-1950s), an era long gone. At various places within the film, we see his attempts to maintain this connection. In one scene, he laments about how jazz used to be. In another scene, we see how he guards his jazz record (vinyl) collection. And, in perhaps one of the most telling scenes, we see Bleek's commitment to practice—a practice regiment intentionally similar to saxophone legend, John Coltrane.

Although Bleek is firmly committed to keeping an emotional, mental, and stylistic connection to the essence of the Jazz Age, he is at all times acutely aware of the commercial realities of contemporary jazz. The club that Bleek's band headlines is pricey. For every one of his band's performances, there's a huge line, yet Bleek is troubled. In one scene, he complains to band mate and nemesis, Shadow (Wesley Snipes), about the lack of black people who attend his own performances. But what's even more disheartening to Bleek is his realization that the people who attend his shows have no idea what real jazz (the jazz age) sounds like.

Later in the movie, Bleek leads the band in the tune, "Mo' Better Blues," his ode to the style of jazz that he knows he will never be able to let go. After finishing the incredibly moving, "Mo' Better Blues," Bleek walks off the stage, refusing to perform another song. It is at this precise moment that Bleek realizes he no longer has to struggle to maintain a connection to the musical past; he knows that it's in him, and he's content with the fact that, for a moment, at least, the club-goers were able to take in a piece of music that was well within the jazz tradition he so admires.

For me, this story in Mo' Better Blues is analogous to the contemporary beatmaking climate. Like Bleek, there are some beatmakers who look to uphold the essence of the hip hop/rap music and beatmaking traditions. Unfortunately, however, there are many more, increasingly, who do not. Perhaps the best evidence of this is a brief exploration of the base influences that beatmakers reference.

In the 1970s, DJs (beatmakers) referenced early funk-makers. In the 1980s, beatmakers continued to reference early funk-makers, while expanding their references to include late funk, rock, and electro pop. In the 1990s, beatmakers further expanded their musical references to include jazz and a return to soul. Thus, between the early 1970s and the mid-1990s, beatmakers, by and large, referenced the vast music well of the past. Here, it's important to point out that this does not mean that during this same period, beatmakers did not reference each other. Of course, they did. It is impossible for beatmakers—like any other artists—to not be influenced (in some way) by the work of their contemporaries. However, it's worth noting that for more than 25 years, most beatmakers referenced a healthy balance of the past and their present. And it should be noted that many looked to the past, not only for inspiration and understanding, but for cues on how to create new sounds in the future.

But in recent years, referencing the past music well has increasingly become an unfamiliar practice for many beatmakers, who have, instead, chosen to flock—in clone-like droves—towards referencing only the music of their contemporaries. Such a trend, which, for all intents and purposes, flies directly in the face of one of hip hop/rap's most fundamental traditions: referencing (and studying) what came before, in order to be the sound- and style-leaders of the future.

Again, referencing the music (sounds and styles) of one's contemporaries is certainly not a bad thing for beatmakers. In fact, I support and encourage the practice. But I'm not in agreement with the notion of referencing one's contemporaries only. To me, I see that as a beatmaker's dereliction of artistic duty. For without some conscious link to the essence of the hip hop/rap music and beatmaking traditions, a beatmaker is more likely to ignore what came before. And by ignoring what came before, (whether due to contemporary commercial realities and/or some other concern), in favor of what "is now," a beatmaker, in effect, disconnects him (or herself) from the musical well of hip hop/rap and other musics of the past.

Thus, for me, Mo' Better Blues serves as a cautionary tale for beatmakers. If we do not want to go the way of the jazz legends; if we do not want hip hop/rap music to lose its cultural and commercial relevance; if we do not want hip hop/rap music to become something witnessed and experienced only by one affluent ethnicity, inside of plush, pricey clubs; then, I suggest we temper our musical referencing of the "here and now," and increase our referencing of the vast musical well of the past. Indeed, to strike such a balance means to enrich one's overall musical understanding. It also helps assure the survival of the hip hop/rap music tradition.

"Mo' Better Blues" (By Terrance Blanchard, performed by Brandford Marsellis Quartet)

Gang Starr - "A Jazz Thing"

Comments

[Donproductionsbeatz]

What i liked about this was the fact that the word "beatmaker"was used,i feel highly respected because everybody only use the term producer.I never saw the movie "Mo blues",but i certainly wud liek to check it out.Nice article,keep it up.

[Ethan]

I also like the term "beatmaker." There's nothing wrong with "producer" but it's so broad and includes so many different skills, I like the idea of a more specific term. It's interesting that hip-hop has been around long enough to have developed a conflict between its past and present, like the one that's been raging in jazz for decades. As for my own tastes, my favorite music finds ways to restate historical influences in contemporary terms. I love jazz musicians who take corny chestnuts of an earlier era and give them a fresh reading, like Coltrane with My Favorite Things or Monk with Sweet And Lovely or Just A Gigolo. For hip-hop, I always enjoy Missy Elliot's recontextualizing of old-skool samples and performers - that little snatch of Peter Piper at the end of Work It being my favorite.

[jonathan]

You just dropped science. Respect.

[Amir Said]

Don P,
Thank you for you comment!

I share your enthusiasm for the use of the term beatmaker.  In fact, I wear the title of beatmaker like a badge of honor!

Mo Better Blues is certainly a movie worth checking. 
Finally, thank you for you compliment.

— Said

[Amir Said]

Ethan, thank you for your comment!

Agreed...the term producer is indeed too broad to hold any special meaning.  In my book, The BeatTips Manual, I actually cover this subject extensively.

It is interesting that hip hop has been around long enough to have developed a conflict between its past and present.  However, its worth pointing out that hip hop has always had conflict with its pasts; seemingly every 3-5 years...
Im glad that you really caught my comparison of the plight of beatmakers to that of jazz musicians.  You make very good points about Coltranes and Monks work, respectively...
Missy Elliot is shrewd in her use of past popular hip hop/rap classics.

— Said  

[Amir Said]

Jonathan, thank you for your comment!

I appreciate that... and I return the respect to you.

— Said