Hard Kore Nigga Komix: The Incendiary Politics of Mooney, Rock, Chappelle & Pryor

A Tribute from Onyango Oloo in Montreal

Without wasting a micronanosecond, let us FIRST, launch the hottest video in the world right now.

Here are the English lyrics which go with those images and audio.

Do you know who this woman in the pictures below is?





That is Siouxsie who fronts the band called Siouxsie (say it like this: Suzie)and the Banshees.

Tell you what, listen to their song called Kiss Them for Me and you can actually sing along to the lyrics.

You know WHY?

Because that is the ONLY time we are going to see, hear or talk about that legendary UK punk band in this essay.

This essay will be more infused with an ambience of another British band. Now most of you know just their poppy easy listening songs like Red, Red Wine.

But



UB40(named after the form the unemployed UK workers fill out when they are laid off) first made their mark with their political songs like Sing Our Own Song

The great flood of tears that we`ve cried
For our brothers and sisters who`ve died
Over four hundred years
Has washed away our fears
And strengthened our pride
Now we turn back the tide

We will no longer hear your command
We will seize the control from your hand
We will fan the flame
Of our anger and pain
And you`ll feel the shame
For what you do in God’s name

(chorus)

We will fight for the right to be free
We will build our own society
And we will sing, we will sing
We will sing our own song

When the ancient drum rhythms ring
The voice of our forefathers sings
Forward Africa run
Our day of freedom has come
For me and for you
Amandla awethu!

(chorus)

We will fight for the right to be free
We will build our own society
And we will sing, we will sing
We will sing our own song


as well as their other classic, One in Ten

I am a one in ten a number on a list,
I am a one in ten even though i don't exist.
Nobody knows me, but im always there,
A statistic a reminder of a world that doesn't care

My arms enfold the dole queen,
Malnutrition dulls my hair,
My eyes are black and lifeless
With an underprivileged stare
I'm the beggar on the corner
Will no-one spare a dime
I'm the child that never learns to read
Because no on spared the time.

(Chorus)

I`m the murderer and the victim
The licence with the gun
I`m a sad and bruised old lady
In an alley in a slum
I`m a middle aged businessman
With chronic heart disease
I`m another teenaged suicide
In a street that has no trees

(Chorus)

I`m a starving third world mother
A refugee without a home
I`m a house wife hooked on Valium
I`m a Pensioner alone
I`m a cancer ridden spectre
Covering the earth
I`m another hungry baby
I`m an accident of birth.

(Chorus)

And speaking of political songs and political bands,who ON EARTH would have thought that





PRINCE, the Artist Formerly Known as a Symbol would be so effing POLITICAL. Here is a cut from his hit
Musicology CD. The song is called 'Dear Mr Man'

The words speak for themselves:

What's wrong with the world 2day?
Things just got 2 get better
Show me what the leaders say
Maybe we should write a letter
Said Dear Mr. Man, we don't understand
Why poor people keep struggling but U don't lend a helping hand
Matthew 5:5 say "The meek shall inherit the earth"
We wanna b down that way but U been trippin since the day of your birth
Who said that 2 kill is a sin
Then started every single war that Ur people been in?
Who said that water is a precious commodity
Then dropped a big old black oil slick in the deep blue sea?
Who told me, Mr. Man, that working round the clock would buy me a big house in the hood
Cigarette ads on every block
Who told me, Mr. Man, that Eye got a right 2 moan?
How about this big old hole in the ozone?
What's wrong with the world 2day
Things just got 2 get better
Dear Mr. Man, we don't understand
Maybe we should write a letter
Listen, Ain't no sense in voting--same song with a different name
Might not b in the back of the bus but it sure feel just the same
Ain't nothing fair about welfare
Ain't no assistance in AIDS
We ain't that affirmative about your actions until the people get paid
Ur thousand years r up
Now U got 2 share the land
Section 1--the 14th amendment says "No state shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law"
Mr. Man, we want 2 end this letter with 3 words:
We tired a-y'all


It is almost Halloween.

As an African, I never knew White people were SO SUPERSTITIOUS before I landed on these shores in the late eighties. My goodness: there is first of all that old Roman Saturnalia Pagan bacchanal that has been transformed into the climax of the biggest shopping bonanza on the Western calendar; then you have that excuse to make flower workers in Kenya and elsewhere be exploited even more in the run up to Valentine's Day and of course you have that plain old urogi, ugagula na kumanga manga ukiwanga na kushtua majirani called Halloween-with people literally dressed as witches, wizards, ghosts, ghouls and apparitions










The DAY AFTER Halloween, it is the turn of the Haitians and all other people who practice Voodoo to celebrate the fete called Gede:













And of course, two days after Halloween and the morning after Gede, millions of Americans thoroughly pumped from all these superstitious rites, rituals and holdovers will march confidently to polling booths across the great United States to prove to the rest the of the world that this nation is the most advanced on earth.

Good luck!

One thing I know for CERTAIN.

A rich white man who went to Yale and belonged to the even more ghoulish Skull and Bones will be crowned President of the United States before Tuesday night is over.

Which Skull and Bones insider will ascend to the unipolar superpower throne?

The preppy frat boy with Iraqi and Afghani innocent blood on his hands or the lanky New England billionaire's spouse with innocent Vietnamese and Geese blood on his hands and champing at the bit for the chance to kill hundreds of innocent Arabs under the pretext of fighting the terrorists?

Even though they say the Wish is Father(why not Mother?)to the Thought, I do really believe that millions of American voters are going to hand George W. Bush his ass by the time the ballot counting is done.

Do not believe the hype.

Forget those yumba yumbaring soccer moms in Iowa and those dithering wizened wheat farmers in Nebraska or those conflicted gun owners in South Dakota.

And especially forget those blathering pundits that Daily Show host Jon Stewart skewered so beautifully when he was mocking and poking merciless fun at that bow-tied Republican twit called Tucker "I-Am-Only-35-Years-Old" Carlson.

Whoever wins the election this year is going to win DECISIVELY.

Ralph Nader WILL NOT be a factor.

George Bush and his kid bro Jeb can steal ALL THE VOTES THEY WANT IN FLORIDA, they are still going to lose handily.

You just do not step in the same river twice.

History WILL NOT repeat itself.

John Kerry will defeat George W. Bush to become the next President of the United States. Since I am in the mood for reckless predictions, why don't I go all the way and say that John Kerry will win by 51% to 48% and that the Supreme Court will not have to use their dirty bag of tricks because the Democrats will get both the popular as well as the electoral college victories.

And yet,I WILL NOT BE AMONG THE PEOPLE DANCING IN THE STREETS because Dubya has gone down to defeat.

Why ever not?

Well, I agree with a lot of the analysis I have been seeing over at the Counter Punch website lately. They are firmly in the Ralph Nader camp which I think is rather sectarian. I am supporting the people who are voting for Kerry not out of any love for the rightwing Democrats who control that Republican clone, but rather because defeating George Bush on November 2nd is a GLOBAL IMPERATIVE and PREREQUISITE for the normalization of international relations and definitley a precondition in the quest for world peace, global equity and sustainable development.

One article that I read a few days ago should provide a REALITY CHECK even before John Kerry's inaugration in mid January 2005. Here is the link to that essay at the Counter Punch website.

It is precisely because of this AMERICAN TWO PARTY CORPORATE DICTATORSHIP in the States that I do not take their mainstream pundits on CNN and other media outlets seriously.

When I want to feel the pulse of America,I go to the experts.

And HERE are some of them:







Paul Mooney is definitely one of them.

You can find out more about Mooney from this link

Many people consider Richard Pryor to be the doyen of African-American comedy and of the most brilliant comic talents produced in America in the last thirty years.




Chris Rock is another brilliant political commentator that I admire, even though he has cleverly disguised himself as a stand up comic.







And Dave Chappelle is riding very high at the moment with his show, his multimillion multi-year contract and mainstream embrace, despite the fact that his tongue remains one of the most acerbic when it comes to denouncing racism as you can see from these two skits-one on the overt racism in the States which unlike Canada, is out in the open south of this border and this hilarious send up of
"Angry White Men".

Paul Mooney does not hold back when it comes to expressing his distaste for ex radio shlock shock host Howard Stern.

The humour of Richard Pryor, Paul Mooney, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle and other African-Americans is rooted in that experience that Black people in the States have undergone as descendants of slaves; as predominantly WORKING CLASS(as opposed to the Welfare Underclass dreamt up by Daniel P. Moynihan et al) as members of a community of communities with a long tradition of progressive and democratic values; as members of a people who have opposed Reagonomics and Star Wars and were the target of the so called domestic War on Drugs which has ended up with up to 25% of African-Americans in some stage or part of the criminal justice system.

That is why the best of African-American humour is not to be found on prime time network television. It is not an accident that two of the most political Black comics-Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle have won mainstream acceptance after going the cable show route rather than those empty headed vehicles that are cancelled after 7 to 13 episodes to replaced with some vanilla concoction before a little bit of chocolate is placed back on the menu in the next season.

Funny as this humour is and politically deep as it often is, we must remember that these African-American(predominantly male) comics are products of the very same American society that they critique and therefore one should not shocked to see the often UNFUNNY SEXIST and HOMOPHOBIC so called jokes, leave alone the standard mocking of people with speech impediments, physical and mental disabilities and the jingoistic put down of almost all immigrants whether they are Nigerians, Vietnamese, Mexicans, Haitians, Chinese, Russians or Germans. The utter idiocy of these sexist, homophobic, ableist and xenophobic forays undercores the time tested dictum that often "jokes" form part of the cultural and ideological conduits to transmit the twisted values of the dominant social groups in power-which is kind of ironic to find African-American (men) at the edges of mainstream US society finding someone BENEATH THEM to trash and vilify.

Having said all that, it is my opinion that comics like Paul Mooney, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle and Richard Pryor have politicized a wider cross section of younger Americans (especially of African descent) than many of the mainstream politicians and media talking heads.

Well as we say, talk is cheap, so let us hear from the comics directly.

We will start with Paul Mooney who used to write most of the material for Richard Pryor's famous stand up routine and has a recurring slot on Dave Chappelle's hit show(Mooney also had a small part in Spike Lee's brilliant Bamboozled panned by the mainstream because of its brutal honesty but well received in progressive circles).

Here is Paul Mooney LIVE

And Chris Rock is definitely not to be outdone.

Bring The Pain was a HBO special that garnered him TWO Emmy nods in 1997 while Bigger and Blacker won him a Grammy.

To understand why Dave Chappelle is so hot, check out his Killin'Them Softly recording.

If you have NEVER EVER listened to or watched a Richard Pryor show then you should approach this next link with EXTREME CAUTION and know ahead of time that this comic genius is wild, he is ribald, he is raw, he is vulgar, he swears a lot, he says a lot of upsetting things while remaining one of the most stubborn shit disturbers on the American pop culture scene. If you are offended by colourful language please stay away from Richard Pryor. Also, in ways very similar to Mooney, Rock, and Chappelle, you will find his act peppered with a lot of sexist putdowns that often wipes away a guffaw induced by one of his rib cracking running jokes.

At the same time I am assuming that my readers are mature adults who deal with explicit material every single day of their lives and can exercise the necessary discretion.

So without further ado, I present our final act:


Richard Pryor from his album, "That Nigger's Crazy" with material which dates back to 1975.


Onyango Oloo
Montreal

The Infectious Magical Genius of Alpha Blondy

[A Review of the October 20th, 2004 Concert Performance: Alpha Blondy and The Solar System; Live at Club Metropolis Montreal; Quebec]

Written by Onyango Oloo


Seydou Koné was born on New Year’s Day, 1953 in a small village called Dimbokro in West Africa.

When he was in his twenties Seydou Koné flew from an African country considered one of the most francophilic on the continent to go and train as an English teacher in two universities in the New York area. There was a time when Koné's own parents were so convinced that he was losing his mind because of Seydou's love for Rastafarianism that they had him committed to a psychiatric hospital for TWO YEARS. A police raid left Seydou Koné so battered that he almost died. He once helped to negotiate a truce that led to a lull in hostilities in a nation ravaged by civil war. When Seydou Koné tours, he speaks Arabic in Israel, Hebrew in the Arab world and English and French elsewhere. He comes on stage with a Bible and the Koran. Born into a Muslim family, Seydou Koné worships Haile Selassie as Jah.

And he just so happens to be one of Africa’s most lovable and authentic superstars.

Of course, if you call him "Seydou" no one will know who you are talking about.

If you want people to know who you are talking about, call Seydou Koné by the nickname that his grandmother(who reared him) gave him.

What’s that?

Try “First Bandit”.

Who are we talking about?

Well, here he is:





















An Alpha Blondy concert is a magical, incredibly and totally indelible, mind blowing experience as millions of his fans around the world can readily testify:




























Details about Alpha Blondy’s life can be gleaned here and also over here and on this link as well this one.

The essence of Alpha Blondy’s credo and world outlook, for me, is captured in this excerpt about Dimbokro, the kijiji where he was born:

" ... a small village where all the big politicians went to school. There is a Catholic missionary school that we all attended...and then during vacations they sent me to Koranic school. In Dimbokro we are so mixed. So do not judge somebody by his Muslim name ...he may go to church, he may drink wine...Christian make baby with Muslim...The Imam of the biggest mosque in the Ivory Coast [has a Catholic wife].' (Maroni p. 50). This exposure to religious diversity and tolerance influenced his universal outlook. He told Maroni that : 'People who do not know where I come from do not understand. But me, I feel very confused. When people ask me the difference between Muslim and Christian, or Jew and Muslim, I don't have no answer. The Bible says God, the Koran says God, the Torah says God. God is the common denominator.' (Maroni p.50). It is not only religious but also national identity that is challenged by Blondy's perspective. He has said that 'I don't believe in geography ... whether I am in America, or Paris, or Abidjan...I am living in the big Israel, because creation began in Israel.' (ibid p.73).

You can read the rest of the profile by clicking on this link.

Cote D’Ivoire has been wracked by a debilitating civil war. At the time of the coup in 2000, Alpha Blondy SUPPORTED the ouster of the then civilian government. His views have drastically hardened. His brand new, yet to be released song “Sankara” expressed the dour view that coups only breed more coups.

On October 19th and 20th, 2004, Alpha Blondy and the Solar System performed at the Metropolis Club located at St. Laurent and St. Catherine in downtown Montreal. Onyango Oloo was among hundreds of enthused fans who attended the last show.

Local reggae mainstay Kali and Dub was the opening act and they did not disappoint.

But nothing could have prepared me for the next two hours.

Alpha Blondy kicked off the show with a deep spiritual moment, clutching a holy book (was not sure whether it was the Bible or the Koran) as he gave a very somber rendition of his classic "Jerusalem” in a very moving delivery that captured the crowd from the get go.

That unforgettable concert can not be reproduced on the pages of a blog stashed away in one of the most obscures corners of the internet. You simply had to be there at the Metropolis Club in downtown Montreal this last Wednesday to capture the joy, the verve, the vim, the laughter, the high energy, the melancholy and of course those nostalgic roots reggae vibrations that evoke the golden era of reggae music before all the tuneless sexist and homophobic slackness of latter day overproduced dance hall throttled that one love one heart feel good spirit…

Surveying the crowd, I marveled for the umpteenth time about the unsung heroic role of Black musicians as promoters of racial harmony, international cooperation,global unity and inclusiveness. Believe it or not, MOST OF THE PEOPLE at the concert were of Caucasian origin and the people of African descent ran the full gamut from a fiercely patriotic Ivorian contingent next to the stage throwing T shirts emblazoned with the their national flag and a message of peace to the musicians; to the Jamaican Rastafarian who waved a giant Ethiopian flag throughout the duration of the show (on two different occasions, Seydou grabbed it and waved it triumphantly in solidarity) to Kenyans, Sri Lankans, Quebecoise, Algerians, Montreal Jews, Sudanese Arabs, Southern Christian Sudanese, Portuguese Canadians, American students studying at Concordia, Japanese tourists having a good time, Somalis with their unmistakable flag, you name it. There were as many women as men and it terms of age, you could see the salt and paper tomes of graying reggae lovers jostling with bobbing dreads of twentysomething Nyabinghi adherents. And the crowd kept moving, dancing, waving, shouting and cheering.

There is simply NO WAY on earth for a mega group like Guns and Roses or a superstar like Garth Brooks or any of the rock and roll or country and western icons could come even remotely close to matching the racial, multi-cultural, linguistic, age, gender and sexual orientation diversity that African griots like Alpha Blondy, Baaba Maal or Miriam Makeba are GUARANTEED to pack in wherever and whenever they appear in Canada, the United States, Europe, Japan, India, the Caribbean, Latin America and other parts of the world.

At one point, Seydou Kone turned off the music to address us in French about the plight of his tortured Ivory Coast and the rest of Africa. Without going into a lot of details, let us just say that he had a lot of very uncomplimentary things to say about the Eyademas, Mois, Barres and other neo-colonial African despots.

The one thing that stands out for me about Alpha Blondy is his commitment to two ideals: peace and global harmony. That seems to be what drives his music and he practices what he preaches even in his band: his rhythm guitarist is a lanky European who proudly donned a jersey of the Spanish national soccer team; one of his two female back up singers is a continental African while the other one is obviously of mixed heritage which may or may not point to a Caribbean origin; the rest of the band is similarly diverse.

So, why do people love Alpha Blondy?

His enormous generosity of spirit and easy camaradarie with his audience.

You can see this clearly as you observe him interacting with the crowd that this is an artist with hardly any airs, someone who genuinely loves interacting with people- Alpha Blondy kept shaking and clasping hands throughout the show and accepted all the gifts(from T shirts to cold hard cash) except the marijuana joint that a very mellow fanatic tried to slip him right at the beginning of the concert.

The guy is not only a gifted artist but a consummate professional to boot and as one of my fellow radio programmers here in Montreal commented wryly- he does not skimp on the sound system. You could feel the pulsating reverberations of the bass right inside your rib cage and knocking on your liver...

The Alpha Blondy/Solar System stage show is not contrived- not at all, even though it it is obvious that Seydou and his crew work very hard to prepare for a great performance judging by the synchronicity of the band and its leader( only one discordant moment when Alpha Blondy sheepishly and impishly blurted out the confession that he had forgotten some of his own lyrics and redid the song three times before he got it right) no, there is no artifice-in fact apart from being a an intense and passionate singer, Alpha Blondy at times is more theatrical than musical making me wonder at such junctures whether or not Seydou ever tried acting as a career alternative because he seems to have the charisma, athleticism, presence, vocal mastery and rapport with audiences that distinguishes the great performers and entertainers from the ham actors who as they say in Kiswahili, ni fungu peni.

If I were to rate Alpha Blondy and the Solar System, I would put them up,way, way, way high up theerrrre along with such legendary performers that I have seen live like Angelique Kidjo, Zap Mama, Oumou Sangare, Rokia Traore, Femi Kuti, Baaba Maal, Salif Keita, Papa Wemba, Mzwakhe Mbuli, Suzzana Owiyo, Samba Mapangala, Amampondo, Maryam Mursal and Oliver Mtukudzi.

Of course, a big chunk of the world wide army of Alpha Blondy's fans have never seen him and will never see him live in performance.

And yet they love him so.

How so?

The quality of his recordings sets him apart from other wannabe reggae stars who try, perhaps too hard to clone Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Dennis Brown, Black Uhuru and Burning Spear instead of just doing their thing.

It is music you can dance and sing to, even if you do not know the words or understand the tongue.

One of the most rewarding moments as far as appreciating the talent and contribution of Alpha Blondy came within the last few days when I started researching for this very essay you are perusing right now. I rummaged around and came across some of the lyrics of his well known classics.

And so, for the rest of this digital intervention, I will let the voice, the sounds, the beats and rhythms and yes the LYRICS of Alpha Blondy delineate the journey of the boy who was named after his Muslim grandpa and renamed Blondy (a corruption of the French word for “bandit").

Let us start with Seydou’s ROMANTIC SIDE because this artist seems to have the charisma, eloquence, melody, harmony and poetry to completely and easily seduce the negligee and lingerie off many a female with a fluttering heart and racing pulse and heaving bosom by his crooning professions of amour and affection.

Those of us who are from East Africa think that “Fanta” is the name of an orangish pop drink bottled and marketed by the Coca Cola corporation. In actuality, it is also a woman’s name prevalent throughout West Africa.

So.

Give a listen to the song called “Sweet Fanta Diablo” composed by Alpha Blondy many years ago. It is in English, but just in case you want to sing along, here are the lyrics:

SWEET FANTA DIALLO

Sweet sweet Fanta Diallo
ouh! ouh! Fanta Diallo

FANTA walking on the rainbow now!
FANTA shivering in moon light waves
FANTA hogging on the mountain top
FANTA kissing me on the burning rock

Sweet sweet Fanta Diallo
ouh! ouh! Fanta Diallo

One day, one day Fanta flee away
with the sun
one day, one day, Fanta ,melt away
under the sun
one day, Fanta flee away
with the sun
over and over I guess
she melt away under the sun
again and again
I keep on wondering
where she's gone
the last time I saw her,
psychiatric hospital
Now I know that I did you wrong
Yes I love you rainbow
And I love you rainbow ray
please help me rainbow
you got to lead me rainbow

Next give a second, third and fourth listen to the song called “Rendez-vous” and once more you can sing along below:

RENDEZ-VOUS

When the night, all right
and the full moon light shinning so bright
don't go away, please stay
my love for you so strong
we just can't go wrong
tears in your eyes, you can't deny
You've been crying, crying all along the day
tears in your eyes can't lie
Stop crying, crying before it gets too late

Barbozi, Barboza
rendez-vous tonight at Barboza
Barbozi, Barboza
rendez-vous tonight at Barboza

Yes, I know that youe first love hurt you so
I wish my love could heal your broken heart
and if you want tomorrow to be a brighter day
Now! Oh Lord love me the way you love no one else
love me the way you love no one else
I beg you love me the way you love no one else

So Barbozi, Barboza
rendez-vous tonight at Barboza
Barbozi, Barboza
rendez-vous tonight at Barboza


Before he made it big with “Jerusalem” Alpha Blondy had a giant hit in Ivory Coast with a song called “Brigadier Sabari”(poor silly me, I had made up my own title and Kiswahili lyrics for this number). He composed the song to give testimony to a very brutal police raid during which he was beaten within an inch of his life. Click here for “Brigadier Sabari” and once more here are lyrics:

Brigadier Sabari

Soufé yara magni dê
Niya sêbê man dafa
N'ko bandiya mangni fêssê fêssê
Hôronya lé gnongon têssan

Opération coup de poing
Opération coup de poing
Opération coup de poing yeh!!
Opération coup de poing

Néko wohouho woyo yohi
Brigadier Sabari
Néko Aïe Aïe Aïe
Brigadier Sabari
Néko koutoubou sakidi!!!
Brigadier Sabari
Néko koutoubou sakidi!!!
Brigadier Sabari
Néko Pati sanganan!!!
Niyongon téné sôrôtougou

Brigand ya mangni dê de N'Téri
Hôronya lé gnongon têssan
Soufé yara mangni fêssê fêssê
Nyia sêbê man dafa

Opération coup de poing
Opération coup de poing
Opération coup de poing
Opération coup de poing

Néko wohouho woyo yohi
Brigadier Sabari
Néko Aïe Aïe Aïe
Brigadier Sabari
Néko koutoubou sakidi!!!
Brigadier Sabari
Néko Pati sanganan!!!
Niyongon téné sôrôtougou

Thanks goes out to Esben I. Jensen for this one

Another mainstay of all Alpha Blondy shows is “Cocody Rock” which you can hear if you press on this link. Apparently Cocody is one of the neighbourhoods of Abdijan:

Cocody Rock

Rockin' Rocker
Rockin' Rocker from Zion I.C.
We're ready ready ready, ready to rock
We are the rockers from Zion Ivory Coast
We're ready ready ready, ready to rock

We sayin'

Coco, Coco, is Cocody Rock
Coco, Coco, is Cocody Rasta
Coco, Coco now, Cocody Rock
Coco, Coco, is Cocody Rasta

Somebody, somebody is working out the sound system
(the sound system)
Say Jah Jah rythm
(Jah Jah rythm)
We movin through space and time
Brother Tom fear
Ain't got nothin', he's beatin' down the bass line
Why don't you get on board the Zion Express

We sayin'

Coco, Coco, is Cocody Rock
Coco, Coco, is Cocody Rasta
Coco, Coco now, Cocody Rock
Coco, Coco, is Cocody Rasta

Rockin' in, rockin' out
Rockin' in, rockin' out
We're gonna rock you
In the Night, in the day
We bound to rock your soul
We positively movin up - oh
Weavin' Jah time
No matter what you say or do
Jah bound to rock you down

That's why we're sayin'

Coco, Coco, is Cocody Rock
Coco, Coco, is Cocody Rasta
Coco, Coco now, Cocody Rock
Coco, Coco, is Cocody Rasta

-----------------------------------------------------
Annotations:

Cocody is an upscale quarter of Abidjan (Capital of I.C.)
-----------------------------------------------------
Thanks goes out to Esben I. Jensen for this one
-----------------------------------------------------

Probably the most recognized song by Alpha Blondy is his monster hit “Jerusalem” that features Hebrew, Arabic, Dioula, French and English words:

Jerusalem

BAROUH ATAT ADONAÏ
(BAROUH ATAT ADONAÏ)
BAROUH ABA YÉROUSHALAÏM
(BAROUH ABA YÉROUSHALAÏM)
BAROUH ATAT ADONAÏ
(BAROUH ATAT ADONAÏ)
BAROUH ABA YÉROUSHALAÏM
(BAROUH ABA YÉROUSHALAÏM)
From the Bible to the Koran
Revelation in JERUSALEM
SHALOM, SALAMALEKOUM
You can see Christians, Jews and Muslims
Living together and praying
Amen! Let’s gives thanks and praises
BAROUH ATAT ADONAÏ
BAROUH ABA YÉROUSHALAÏM
BAROUH ATAT ADONAÏ
BAROUH ABA YÉROUSHALAÏM
JERUSALEM here I am
JERUSALEM je t’aime
JERUSALEM here I am
JERUSALEM je t’aime
ISRAELA YAKIRATI
ISRAELA YAKIRATI
ANI OHÊV OTARH
ISRAELA YAKIRATI
ISRAELA YAKIRATI
ISRAELA YAKIRATI
ISRAELA YAKIRATI
ANI OHÊV OTARH
ISRAELA YAKIRATI
From the Bible to the Koran
Revelation time
SHALOM, SALAMALEKOUM
You can see Christians, Jews and Muslims
Living together and praying
Amen! Let’s gives thanks and praises
BAROUH ATAT ADONAÏ
BAROUH ABA YÉROUSHALAÏM
BAROUH ATAT ADONAÏ
BAROUH ABA YÉROUSHALAÏM
JERUSALEM here I am
JERUSALEM je t’aime
JERUSALEM here I am
JERUSALEM je t’aime
ISRAELA YAKIRATI
ISRAELA YAKIRATI
ANI OHÊV OTARH
ISRAELA YAKIRATI
ISRAELA YAKIRATI
ISRAELA YAKIRATI
ISRAELA YAKIRATI
ANI OHÊV OTARH
ISRAELA YAKIRATI
JERUSALEM here I am
JERUSALEM je t’aime
JERUSALEM here I am
JERUSALEM je t’aime

When Seydou is singing about Masada, what is he talking about? Well follow along with your ears and eyes, if not your mouth, throat, nose and tongue:


MASADA

I'm gonna sleep by the dead sea
and rise up with the birds from the hills
and clean up my sins
while the birds sing
I'm gonna walk up to the top
of the rock od sacrifice
cause I know now, that life
ain't no dice
yes I know now, that life is a sacrifice

I'm gonna withness the rising sun from Masada
Withness Jah rising sun from Masada... (Bis)
Sleep by the dead sea
and rise up with the birds from Jah hills
and clean up my sins
while the birds sing
I'm gonna climb to the top
of the rock od sacrifice
'cause I know now
That the Lord had conforted his people
yes the Lord had conforted his people
and the Lord had conforted his people

Elohim YEVARECH ETE MASADA
YEVARECH, ELOHIM ETE MASADA... (Bis)

Withness the rising sun from Masada
Withness JAH rising sun from Masada
Yes from Masada... Song for Masada


In the waning years of the last decade of the 20th Century and tentative years of this new one, all Africa was abuzz and ablaze with the craze that the late Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere called “Coca Cola Democracy.” Here is the song MULTIPARTISME (MEDIOCRATIE) by Alpha Blondy and the Solar System:

Missikara djarati wari!! Wari!!

Wari-banan, wari banan Gbêrêya bé bê-kan
Wari-banan, wari banan Gbêrêya bé bê-kan
Wari-banan, wari banan Gbêrêya bé bê-kan
Wari-banan, wari banan Gbêrêya bé bê-kan

Angné bin Kélé man, M'badé lou Eh!
Angné bin Kélé man!!
Angné bin Kélé man, M'badé lou Eh!
Angné bin Kélé man te

Multipartisme c'est pas tribalisme
Multipartisme yeah, c'est pas tribalisme

Ni-kouibé kouman oh! Tais-toi, tais-toi Dioula
Ni-kouibé kouman oh! Tais-toi, tais-toi Bété
Ni-kouibé kouman oh! Tais-toi, tais-toi Baoulé
I kouibé kouman dôni Tais toi Bôyôrôdjan!!

Les militaires sont fâchés
parce qu'ils sont mal payés
les policiers sont fâchés
parce qu'ils sont mal payés
Les professeurs sont fâchés
leurs droits syndacaux baffoulés
Les étudiants cont fâchés
ils veulent plus de liberté
"Papier longuer" le mourouti
parce qu'ils ont été cognés
les médecins sont fâchés
parce qu'ils sont mal payés
les ouvriers sont fâchés
parce qu'ils ont été compressés
Le gouvernement est fâché
les caisses de l'état vidées... vidées...


Wari-banan, wari banan Gbêrêya bé bê-kan
Wari-banan, wari banan Gbêrêya bé bê-kan
Wari-banan, wari banan Gbêrêya bé bê-kan
Wari-banan, wari banan Gbêrêya bé bê-kan

Missikara djarati wari!! Wari!!

Abidjan ya drap
A Cotonou ya drap
A Bamako drap bâtard

A Lome ya drap
A Conakry ya drap
A Monravia drap bâtard

A Lome ya drap
A Kinshasa ya drap oh!
ADDIS ABEBA drap bâtard...

Abidjan ya drap oh!
A Cotonou ya drap
A Bamako drap bâtard

Wari-banan, wari banan Gbêrêya bé bê-kan
Wari-banan, wari banan Gbêrêya bé bê-kan
Wari-banan, wari banan Gbêrêya bé bê-kan
Wari-banan, wari banan Gbêrêya bé bê-kan

Angné bin Kélé man, M'badé lou Eh!
Angné bin Kélé man!!
Angné bin Kélé man, M'badé lou Eh!
Angné bin Kélé man te

Ni-kouibé kouman oh! Tais toi PDCI
Ni-kouibé kouman oh! Tais toi PIT
Ni-kouibé kouman oh! Tais toi USD
I-kouibé kouman dôni oh! Tais toi FPI

Tout'l monde est fâché, Fâché, Fâché


What does Alpha Blondy think of God?

Well the lyrics below are self explanatory:


GOD IS ONE

Some call him Allah
Some call him Adonaï
Some call him Jehovah
JESUS, HIAVE, Buddha, Krishna
But he is one, yes He's ONE
Like a tree with many branches
Many in ONE...
Alleluja God is Great
Alleluja God in ONE
See the sunrise
and see the sunset
no one can explain this mistery
Alleluja God is Great
Alleluja God is ONE
Some call him Allah
Some call him Adonaï
Some call him Jehovah
JESUS, HIAVE, Buddha, Krishna
But he is one, like a tree
with many branches, many in ONE
Alleluja God is Great
Alleluja God in ONE
(DUB)(KORA)


If Seydou Kone was an American voter, would he cast his ballot for the dimwitted frat boy having empty headed dreams in the White House or for the lanky humourless lawyer and Vietnam Vet? Does Seydou approve of the invasion of Iraq and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. I did not see anything speaking specifically to these questions when I mined the internet for 411 but I did come across this composition called DESERT STORM:

Arrêtez! Ne tirez pas
Arrêtez! J'ai des amis là-bas
Arrêtez! Ne tirez pas
Arrêtez! J'ai des frères là-bas

Je ne voudrais pas me mêler de ce qui ne me regarde pas
mais à la télévision on ne voit plus que ça
à la radio dans les journaux
on ne voit plus que ça
C'est la guerre du Golf, war in the Gulf
War in the Gulf, crisis of the Gulf, we say!!
Libérez le Koweit
Libérez le Koweit
Libérez le Koweit
Libérez le Koweit
Je ne voudrais pas me mêler de ce qui ne me regarde pas
Apparemment pas!!
Mais dans un pareil cas, un cessez-le-feu se doit
négocier, renégocier, éviter le sang versé
Comment peut-on envoyer des enfants de Dieu
tuer d'autres enfants de Dieu
au nom de Dieu, hm!! Je n'y comprends rien
C'est pas saint
No Holy war, no Holy
War is not a holy thing to do no, no holy war
Ne tirez pas sur me frères les Français
Ne tirez pas sur me frères les Anglais
Ne tirez pas sur me frères sénégalais
Ne tirez pas sur me frères américains
Ne tirez pas sur me frères égyptiens
Ne tirez pas sur me frères saoudiens
Ne tirez pas sur me frères koweitiens
Ne tirez pas sur me frères istraéliens
Ne tirez pas, ne tirez plus, ne tirez plus
Ne tirez pas, ne tirez pas...
Libérez le Koweit
Libérez le Koweit
Libérez le Koweit
Libérez le Koweit
Je ne voudrais pas, surtout pas
me mêler de ce qui ne me regarde pas...
mais dans un pareil cas, un cessez-le-feu se doit

Ne tirez pas sur me frères les Français
Ne tirez pas sur me frères les Anglais
Ne tirez pas sur me frères sénégalais
Ne tirez pas sur me frères américains
Ne tirez pas sur me frères égyptiens
Ne tirez pas sur me frères saoudiens
Ne tirez pas sur me frères koweitiens
Ne tirez pas sur me frères istraéliens
Ne tirez pas, ne tirez plus, ne tirez plus
Ne tirez pas, ne tirez pas...

Libérez le Koweit!!
Libérez le Koweit!!
Libérez le Koweit!!
Libérez le Koweit!!


And there is nothing ambiguous about his attitude to Liberia a neighbouring country where he did his high school education after being expelled from a series of schools in his native Ivory Coast. Here is his song, PEACE IN LIBERIA

We want peace in Liberia
Peace in Monrovia
We want peace in Liberia
Peace in Monrovia
Cause Babylon shall not rise again
Babylon shall not rise again
Babylon shall not stand again
Babylon shall not stand again
'Cause everyday they talking about
the Liberian civil war
and everywhere over JAH land
muddy rivers of blood oh Lord!!
No matter who wins, Liberia is crying
no matter who loses, Liberia still crying
no matter who's right, they've got to stop the fight
no matter matter who's wrong, the devil still stronger...
So we want peace in Liberia
Peace in Monrovia
We want peace in Liberia
peace in Monrovia
Cause Babylon shall not rise again
Babylon shall not rise again
Babylon shall not stand again
Babylon shall not stand again
We calling on Jesus Christ to save I and I
We calling Jesus Christ to save I and I
We calling on Allah to save I and I
Calling Adonaï to save I and I
cry, cry Liberia...


My bilingual French readers will tell me which dogs is Alpha Blondy singing about in LES CHIENS

WAHO WAHO!! (Bis)
WAHO WAHO!! (Bis)

Les chiens aboient!!
Les chiens aboient!!
La caravane passe...
La caravane passe...
Elle n'a pas le temps de ralentir
tu peux continuer à ma trahir
je sais que je vais mourir
mais de ma tombe je vais te haïr

Petit chiens galleux
Gros chiens pouilleux
Petit chiens baveux
Tu me tueras s'il plaït à Dieu
Tu me tueras s'il plaït à Dieu

WAHO WAHO...
WAHO WAHO...
Ils aboient de jalousie
ils se glorifient dans l'hypocrisie
je serais le sacrifice qu'ils ont choisi
le sacrifice choisi
Tu peux continuer à me trahir
mais de ma tombe je vais te haïr
oui de ma tombe je vais te haïr
et de ma tombe je vais te haïr
Toujours aux abois, les chiens aboient
Toujours aux abois, le mêmes chiens aboient

And what are the following lyrics about?

SCIENCES SANS CONSCIENCE

Sciences sans conscience
n'est que ruine de l'âme
Sciences sans conscience
n'est que ruine et larmes

Je ne m'y connais pas en balistique
je me méfie de la politique
armes chimiques ou bactériologiques
défient toutes les lois de la logique...
Je vous dis...

Sciences sans conscience
n'est que ruine de l'âme
Sciences sans conscience
n'est que ruine et larmes

Devant l'escalade de la violence
l'homme découvre son impuissance
il appelle à l'aide le maître du temps
c'est un S.O.S. su tu m'entends

Sciences sans conscience
n'est que ruine de l'âme
Sciences sans conscience
n'est que ruine et larmes

Les océans sont radioactifs
avec les missiles qui réfléchissent
la terre entière s'asphyxie
c'est un vrai suicide collectif

Sciences sans conscience
n'est que ruine de l'âme
Sciences sans conscience
n'est que ruine et larmes

Je ne m'y connais pas en balistique
je me méfie de la politique
armes chimiques ou bactériologiques
défient toutes les lois de la logique...
Je vous dis...

Sciences sans conscience
n'est que ruine de l'âme
Sciences sans conscience
n'est que ruine et larmes


Let us end with the ultimate tribute that Alpha Blondy could give to one of his main role models Bob Marley. This is Seydou’s rendition of the Wailers standard “War”.

Now, I know I am asking Bob Marley fan club members to lynch me when I boldly say the following:

Alpha Blondy’s LA GUERRE that you can hear here is BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL COMPOSITION by the World’s most famous reggae poet and philosopher:

Tant que cette philosophie qui fait
Une race supérioure et une autre inférieure
Ne sera finalement et permanament
Discréditee et abandonée
Partout sera la guerre
C'est la guerre!!
Tant qu'il y'aura
Des première classes
Et seconde classes citoyens dans toutes les nations
Tant que le colour d'un humain
Aura de la signification comparée à ses yeux
Et j'en passe!!
Tant que le droits universels ne seront attribués à tous
Sans distinction de race... Et j'en passe!
En attendant, ce jour, le reve d'eterniser la paix
Entre citoyens du monde
Ne sera qu'une illusion désespérée
Qu'il faudra pourtant trouver le moyen de
Transformer en réalité
Et partout c'est la guerre... C'est la guerre.
Guerre à l'est!!
Guerre à l'ouest!!
Guerre au nord!!
Guerre au sud!!
Guerre! Guerre! Hommes de la terre!!
Mais en attendant ce jour
Le continent Africann'aura pas de paix
Nous Africains nous nous battrons
Si cela est nécessaire
Et nous savons que nous vaincrons
Car nous sont confiant
En la victoire
La victoire finale
Du bien sur le mal
La victoire finale du bien sur le mal
C'est la victoire de Dieu
De Dieu sur le Diable
Sabari Sabari Sabari!!
Sabari Sabari Sabari!!
Massa nitche Allah nitche
Massa nitche Allah nitche
Sabari Sabari Sabari Sabari
Aye Sabari! Enterrez les haches de guerre
Enterrez les haches de guerre
Mais pourquoifont-ils la guerre, ont-ils pensé aux enfants
la race des Dieux ne doit pas s'entretuer
Il faut se rendre aux Nation Unies
Et en discuter eh! En discuter eh! En discuter eh!!

I hope you have enjoyed that musical journey in meeting and getting to know Seydou Koné a little better than you thought you already did…

Hey almost forgot to give you one last treat. You can WATCH a brief video clip of an Alpha Blondy concert by pressing here if you have Real Audio and over here if you have Windows Media.

Enjoy the show....

Onyango Oloo
Montreal