By GumbyDammit! For those in the Playahata fam who don’t know or are simply
uninformed, Master Griot of the highest order,Oscar
Brown Jr. joined the ancestors a week ago on as “the High Priest of Hip” Oscar
Brown’s ability to tell a story and hold an audience captive with his wordplay long preceded Hip Hop,
laying a groundwork for the storytellers that would follow. I believe that Melle
Mel’s lyrics in “The Message” are like the offspring of Brown’s legacy. I know that many of U ‘Hatas may
not be so versed, but Oscar Brown Jr. was a immensely gifted jazz musician, poet and activist without equal.
Much of his songs dealt with love and such, but he also told the story of our people and our struggle to
exist in this land since we got here. His songs painted a lyrical tapestry of our pains and pleasures
our failures and triumphs. From ”Bid ‘em In” to “Work Song” to “Somebody Buy Me A Drink” to
“Watermelon Man”, the gothic images of the African in this society are on display, from the slave to the
desperate criminal, to the tragic drunk to the hustler selling his wares directly to his community on the
streets; however,Brown gave these characters a
dignity that was not only deserved but necessary.
Compared with what runs regularly on television in news and entertainment, Oscar Brown Jr.’s voice was a
light in the otherwise darkness. My father put me onto Oscar Brown Jr. when I was just a
young buck, but then, my father had jazz all over the place, so I was exposed to a
lot of great shit that most kids my age weren’t getting in their diet. That I grew up during the birthing of what is now the Hip
Hop industry, is significant. Hip Hop has always had its great storytellers. But where
many believe that these voices were born in a vaccuum,
I immediately understood that they
came from an oratory tradition. Last Poets. Gil
Scott-Heron. Oscar Brown Jr. The difference between these
Master Griots and most of today’s rap artists is
honesty. These cats didn’t lie. Oscar Brown Jr. never
lied in order to sell records, to make himself into
something larger than life, be it for positive or
negative imagery. So many rap artists make their living on the grounds of falsehood and make-believe but fail
to distinguish to their fans the line between fact and lyrical fiction. Today, so many rappers make jail seem like a badge of honor,
like a bid is a cool adventure or a someplace U should aspire to go. Our Master Griot never crossed that line. Alot
of these young cats need to learn from the example of greatness that
was laid long before they ever approached a microphone, when cats like Oscar Brown Jr. where telling
the stories of our people straight, no chaser without selling their souls or “losing their religion”. Rest In Peace, Oscar Brown Jr.,
1926 - 2005 Source: http://playahata.com/hatablog/index.php?p=577