IT'S HARD OUT HERE BY RAYMOND TYLER

 AND NOW YOUR $600 STIMULUS CHECK

Icon Barbara Eden Remembers Icon Dawn Wells

 I just read about the passing of Dawn Wells and I am saddened that Dawn left us earlier today. She was such a fun, charming and funny lady. Dawn and I had known each other for years. My then husband Michael (Ansara) and I had met her father Joe first, then later Dawn. We often would visit Dawn and her husband at their home and play bridge together. Over the years our paths crossed continually, and she was always delightful and fun to be around.

My deepest condolences to her loved ones and family. While her health had been in decline, it is never easy losing someone so suddenly. I hope everyone will take a moment to think of Dawn at her brightest and happiest and hold onto that memory for Dawn loved to laugh and focus on the happy, positive joys of life.

She may have “left the island” but Dawn will always be in our hearts. -Barbara Eden

Marvel Unveils A New Costume for Their Flagship Character SPIDER-MAN

 

Over the years, Spider-Man has donned a host of iconic costumes from his classics digs to the black suit to Iron Spider. Now in 2021, everyone’s favorite wallcrawler will get a brand-new costume to add to his legendary wardrobe! Designed by superstar artist Dustin Weaver, this vibrant new look is unlike any that Peter Parker has worn before. The mysterious look can be seen on Weaver’s incredible variant covers for AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #62 and April’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #63.

 

“This design was really a collaborative effort between Nick Spencer, Editor Nick Lowe, and I. They reined in the weirder and more techy features I was bringing and helped create something that I think is simple and both futuristic and classical,” Weaver said. “I can't wait to see Patrick Gleason really bring it to life!” 

 

Following the traumatic events of Sin’s Rising, Peter Parker will wear this new suit for his faceoff against Kingpin in the next arc of writer Nick Spencer’s hit run. Discover the mystery behind this top-secret costume when AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #61 and AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #62 swing into shops this March! For more information, visit Marvel.com.

Deep Dope Soul Presents Vintage Heat Number One: Remembering John "ECSTACY" Fletcher of Whodini and The LP ESCAPE

 Vintage Heat Number One:  35 Years Of Escape By Whodini

Remembering John “Ecstasy” Fletcher
Words By Raymond Tyler

I purposely and thoughtfully refrained from writing about John “Ecstasy” Fletcher before now.

Like most, I prayed his passing was just another bad Covid dream.
I also wanted to take the time to get my thoughts in order.
I apologize now, because I know, I do not have the words to do his memory and what his music means to me and my generation justice….but I’m going to try.

35 years ago (more or less) I was listening to Power 99 on a jury-rigged set up in my bedroom.
In order to get FM radio stations from Philly to Va...myself and almost every hip hop head I knew in Atlantic City would attach a TV antenna to our radio to get static filled broadcasts from out of state. (In fact I am going to write about that whole situation another time)

I fell asleep but left my cassette on record and when I played the broadcast back the next day on my walkman headset?

A song came on called Five Minutes Of Funk by Whodini.
At that point everything changed.

First of all. 5 Minutes Of Funk was the first POST Grandmaster Melle Mel jam that made me want to be an MC! On my way to classes I was trying to remember the words and making up my own rhymes.

Then with the release of the LP Escape….Whodini brought hit after hit. Friends, Freaks Come Out At Night, Escape, Big Mouth.

I consider myself to have been a little early, on Whodini and considered Escape MY ALBUM.

The truth is for every kid that loved hip hop at Atlantic City High School….Escape belonged to us all. Well before hip hop artists were crossing over regularly...shoot before hip hop was embraced on Black radio...I had white classmates singing “Friends...how many of us have them?”

How special is Whodini to me even today? (I am not ready to start talking about the group in the past tense yet.) There is only one hip hop act I love to see live more than Doug E. Fresh (who actually right now is the greatest entertainer alive and top 5 all time.) Whodini is the group I enjoy seeing live more than Doug.

In fact my list of best/favorite concerts by living artists is Stevie Wonder, Sade, Gladys Knight, Whodini. (Yes I have seen Earth , Wind and Fire ...twice and they bring it.)

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1. I have seen Whodini about 5 times and I would see them every year if I could because they have never done the same show twice. The last time I saw them was in AC at a sneak attack performance and they killed as usual.

2. Their show gives you all the great elements of hip hop...great DJ, great dancing, and of course lyrics.

3. Their music remains the soundtrack to my youth. Not only that, their music holds up as well and sometimes better than their R & B counterparts.

In short Whodini created their own lane for hip hop, music and style.
We were still banging the Escape album when the buzz on the street came out about Whodini’s Back In Black Lp...and what they did to the streets with the release of Funky Beat? INCREDIBLE music and video.

As I see it….only Run DMC’s Peter Piper and Notorious B.I.G’s Hypnotize made a bigger buzz on the street before the albums actually dropped.

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I only met John “Ecstasy” Fletcher one time, along with his twin brother.
I was trying to behave like a professional journalist and not a fan. Thinking back now...I would have let myself behave more excited if I had to do it again. I played it too cool...like he wasn’t a legend...like his music had not changed my life...like his influence was not coming out in my visual art and journalism.

So no I did not know him...but through Whodini, Ecstasy gave me more than I can ever really express. I guess I will remember most fondly; Whodini on stage and myself in the audience dancing and sharing some vibes with some outstandingly beautiful "honey's." I will reflect on being a teenager in my room and replaying Whodini songs till I could memorize them. I will remember being in my notebook and feeling Whodini inspire me. I will definitely remember playing Back In Black the day it came out. On that day my brother and I were amazed by the lyrics of Ecstasy on Fugitive and Echo Scratch.

It’s cliche to say you will never be forgotten but in this case it’s as true as the sun rising in the morning.

Jahlil Hutchins and John “Ecstasy” Fletcher...Thanks for what you gave/give to the culture.

 

Please Submit Your Music/Press Packages to
DeepDopeSoul@Gmail.com
Put The New Music Exchange In The Subject

If you're new here? 

Allow me to give you a concise music history of KRS ONE.

In 1987 KRS ONE and DJ Scott La Rock teamed up as a group called Boogie Down Productions and produced Criminal Minded one of the first and the best "Gangster Rap LP" EVER.

After the untimely murder of DJ Scott La Rock...KRS ONE proceeded to become one of the greatest voices for change, peace, health and humanity in the music world. 

His name should be mentioned with Marvin Gaye, Gil Scott Heron and Nina Simone. In fact when it comes to hip hop the only other name that should be mentioned with his is Chuck D of Public Enemy.

None of that is news. Just an update for those that are new here!

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Now The Good News! On December 21st 2020 KRS ONE is dropping a new project called 
BETWEEN DA PROTESTS.
He has already has given us 2 new instant classic singles from Between Sa Protest to add to his other classics
"Stop The Violence"  "Heal Yourself" "Poetry" "Illegal Business" and the rest of the great music he's birthed since 1987.

I have not heard the whole LP , Between Da Protests yet but let me say this.

KRS ONE was on top of the world when Black Music had 4 seasons ...which were SUMMER , Summer's Over, Not Summer and Summer's Coming.

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Today KRS One steps back up to the mic where now because of Covid season's mean nothing.

However, KRS ONE has always been speaking to  4 audiences which were and still are..The Informed, The Un-Informed, The Scared and The Not Scared.
As someone who loves hip hop and KRS One I am enjoying his current music and cant wait to hear what he's got to say next.

Don't Fall For It!

There comes a time in every MC's year when you have to just step to the mic whether it be on stage , in a booth or the invisible mic of the cypher and flow over dope beats.

With  the theme of waking up and getting your head together. KRS ONE COMES HARD!

With the secondary them of " KRS is INCREDIBLE" KRS IS PRETTY INCREDIBLE.

DON'T FALL FOR IT 
Is Classic Hip Hop made for the MC's whose hip hop uniforms do not include alcohol, expensive jewelry, women as props or bragging that cash makes you rich.

After watching the video I breathed a great exhale. It's nice to see an MC approach hip hop as an artform and not just a way to commercialize struggle, pain and talent.

BLACK BLACK BLACK

As a poet...I'm kind of glad KRS One is not a spoken word artist.
However, when you hear Black Black Black.
You realize.
If he wants to be?
KRS can definitely do a number on poetry and spoken word like he's done on hip hop.
This video is a 2 piece of 1990's style Hip Hop Black Power and the use of call and response more in line with spoken word then traditional hip hop.
What ensues is a merger or as we say in the homes (I'm too old for the streets "Son" )...A WIN/WIN.

You can and should support BETWEEN DA PROTEST as it should be available where ever you buy music today.

Saturday Morning Revival

 METV Brings Back 3 Saturday Morning Cartoon Favorites

Get ready to relive the enjoyment of the 1970′s/80′s best day of the week...SATURDAY. All across America kids sat about a whole one inch away from low low def TV screens. From WTF in the morning until noon when wrestling came on these kids, would make themselves the biggest bowl of sugar with some cereal mixed in to watch their favorite Saturday Morning Cartoons.

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In the 1970′s and 80′s ABC, CBS and NBC had some of the most creative new cartoon programming. On syndicated stations they would have goofy announcers bring on truck loads of old cartoons (done as film shorts from the 40's, 50's and 60's.) If you’d never seen these short cartoons before they were hilarious? Even if (like me) you could mouth the words to these cartoons you’d seen so many times before…it was still a great experience to enjoy in your PJ’s.

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 On January 2nd at 7pm. METV is rolling out a 3 hour block of Looney Tunes, Pop Eye and Tom and Jerry every Saturday Morning . I know that there will be many 30, 40, 50 somethings in their PJ’s watching on hi-def enjoying the cartoons they’ve seen before and if you’re like me…you’ll even wish the would show the commercials hawking “Easy Bake Ovens” , “G.I Joe with Kung Fu Grip” and “PSA’s on How To Make Friends.” If you do however see these middle aged people outside playing “KUNG FU THEATER” at about 1pm on Saturday….let them go….they need to work off all that sugar...and that's how  we were raised.