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Znet Article Billet: Respect For All, Not Just Some

Znet Article, January, 15 2009 Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page

First thing's first: much respect to the Queen of Soul! To be even writing a letter addressed to you is something of an honor. I remember the sounds of your songs wafting through my house as long as I've had a memory. My parents were children o...

Commentary Billet: Can You Handle Tha Truth?

Commentary, January, 14 2009 Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page

To say that Tha Truth is eager is something of an understatement. The Philly MC is downright fanatical--a term this writer uses in its most positive sense. War, racism, sexism, the prison industrial complex and police brutality are all explicit ta...

Znet Article Billet: Pop is Dead! Long Live Pop!

Znet Article, December, 30 2008 Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page

In many ways, 2008 was a predictable year in music...

Znet Article Billet: Rock and Roll and Revolution!

Znet Article, December, 11 2008 Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page

The (International) Noise Conspiracy's moment in the sun should have come a long time ago. One would think that a group who sought to be "a cross between Elvis Presley and Che Guevara" would have rule of the roost in the garage rock revival circa...

Znet Article Billet: Collisions Ahead

Znet Article, November, 13 2008 Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page

If there's one word that can sum up what happened last Tuesday, it would have to be "catharsis." The election of Barack Obama set off a mass of spontaneous celebrations; dancing in the street from Harlem to the Castro.

Znet Article Billet: It's About All Artists"

Znet Article, October, 21 2008 Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page

The image of the pampered pop-star is an insidious one. But for every artist living the high-life, for every Madonna, U2 and Metallica out there, there are hundreds, if not thousands living hand-to-mouth, paying their touring expenses out of pock...

Znet Article Billet: “I’m a Human Being, Y’all”

Znet Article, October, 03 2008 Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page

On their new release All Rebel Rockers, Michael Franti and Spearhead have done their best to channel the insurgent spirit of that most insurgent style of music: reggae. To be sure, Franti has always let the inspiration of Marley, Brown and Toots ...

Znet Article Billet: Militant Entertainment

Znet Article, September, 24 2008 Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page

Watching the Democratic and Republican National Conventions each election year is a lot like sitting through a festival of Elvis impersonators. There is guaranteed to be plenty of flash, plenty of slick moves and smooth voices, plenty of nostalgi...

Znet Article Billet: A Different Brand of Humor at the VMAs

Znet Article, September, 11 2008 Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page

If MTV is the massive, monolithic bastion of music's lowest common denominator, then their yearly Video Music Awards are the hulking, empty-headed sentinel standing outside the gates. This year's show was, for the most part, no exception. Between ...

Znet Article Billet: We The Fire Next Time!

Znet Article, August, 06 2008 Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page

In the five years since the release of his searing debut Blood and Fire, Baltimore-based MC Son of Nun has gone from playing small fundraisers and local open mic nights to sharing stages with the likes of Wayne Kramer, The Coup and Tom Morello. Hi...

Znet Article Billet: Nas, the N-word, and the Changing Face of Hip-Hop

Znet Article, July, 28 2008 Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page

Expectations have run high for Nas' new album Untitled. It seems impossible to read a review of it without references to his previous album Hip-Hop is Dead. Ultimately, the question on people's minds seems to be "If hip-hop is dead, why is Nas sti...

Commentary Billet: Still Stuck in 'Guyville'

Commentary, July, 18 2008 Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page

Listening to Liz Phair's debut Exile in Guyville, recently reissued by ATO Records after years out of print, it's striking how fresh and new the album sounds. It's raw, coarse, cocky and confrontational; it fits right in with the kind of rock albu...

Znet Article Billet: The Struggle of Rebel Diaz

Znet Article, June, 26 2008 Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page

We live in a society that makes scapegoats of people: immigrants, women, people of color, gays and lesbians or anyone else who can be conveniently labeled "the other." We also live in a society where anyone who questions such labels, from activist...

Commentary Billet: Tellin' It How It Is: Hip-Hop Stands Up For Sean Bell

Commentary, June, 08 2008 Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page

"With the Sean Bell situation, New York is basically saying 'fuck niggas.'" Who in their right minds can honestly disagree with these words, bluntly stated by rapper/producer/activist David Banner? The April 25th aquittal of three New York City ...

Znet Article Billet: The Groundbreaking Beat of Bo Diddley

Znet Article, June, 05 2008 Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page

Bo Diddley was known for many things; his rectangular home-made guitars, his dark sunglasses, the energetic performances he was able to conduct even when age and diabetes dictated he do so sitting down. Diddley was much more than a unique performe...

Znet Article Billet: Rebel Music

Znet Article, May, 01 2008 Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page

Today the National Front is a shadow of its former self. However, the threat of racist scapegoating at the ballot box is far from over...

Commentary Billet: The Disney-fication of CBGB

Commentary, April, 21 2008 Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page

There is something obscenely wrong with what sits in the former location of CBGB. Some of what defined the legendary rock club remains; a few walls are still covered with fliers and graffiti. But the stage has been replaced with a tailoring shop...

Znet Article Billet: Songs of Survival and Hope

Znet Article, April, 09 2008 Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page

What is the human cost of war? Ask Tomas Young. In 2004 an Iraqi insurgent's bullet ripped through his spine, paralyzing him from the chest down. His physical and emotional struggle as both a veteran and anti-war activist is the subject of the ...

Znet Article Billet: Freedom Songs

Znet Article, March, 04 2008 Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page

It's been four and a half years since Erykah Badu released her critically acclaimed Worldwide Underground EP. Now, with New Amerykah Part One (4th World War), it seems the Dallas-born soul singer is making up for lost time. 4th World War is the ...

Commentary Billet: Barack's Big Hype: Is Obama the candidate of the Hip-Hop Generation?

Commentary, February, 23 2008 Alexander Billet
Billet's ZSpace page

For many, the answer to this question might be an enthusiastic "yes." In recent weeks I have spoken on a radio show on "the hip-hop effect on the Obama campaign." I've talked to politically active MCs who are beyond stoked that Obama is ahead in...

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