Kwesta and Gang (DJ Maphorisa, Dj Buckz and OkMalumKoolKat) in a Mayibabo Frenzy

Kwesta and his gang (DJ Maphorisa, DJ Buckz and OkMalumKoolKat) offer a song, Mayibabo, which is a delight to listen to, through all the 4:31 minutes of it. Its superior hook, verses and instrumental play keep it way ahead of the curve, compared to most South African songs released in 2016. Incidentally, the hook claims a whopping 1:50 minutes of the entire song, which it imprints with its unforgettably stamp. 

 Kwesta's nickname, created by himself, is DaKar (meaning, De King of African Rap). So DaKar has nothing to do with the famous city or annual auto rally in the continent's far west, or with any sort of symbolic car. Kwesta is a rapper -- irredeemably, perhaps. But he's clearly into a kind of rap that has tuneful soul, and resounding appeal. Mayibabo, specifically, is rap conflated with high-grade melody. You just have to click on the hastag, #Mayibabo, to track Twitter conversations about this song. That's it. 

Appropriately, as I've already suggested, the song that Kwesta drives here with his staccato lines is sumptuously powered by a melodic hook which in fact sets off the whole thing and tightly packs with vivacity all the spaces in-between the three verses (including Kwesta's) that we're treated to -- and which is tuned to near perfection. 

The opening images of the video are another thing. We see a flurry of 'preparatory' but inexplicable stage-activity of some kind -- which we also see at the end, and incidentally in parts of Innos'B's wonderful Elengi (for example, at 1:21-1:35 minutes). And then we see a stake-out quickly become a chase when a fugitive (one and only Kwesta) rushes into a waiting speed-car and takes off, hotly pursued by rather dumb undercover cops (or just bad dudes) on motorcycles, and on a mission. 

Like James Bond, he loses 'em; and dramatically gets away in another waiting car otherwise occupied only by the driver and one DJ Bucks. So the storyline so far is: Drive as wildly as toward Dakar, lose 'em in James Bond style. Pass the baton, or whatever, to DJ Buckz inside the car.

DJ Buckz wastes no time to give us in Verse 2, in a hard act to follow, a truly memorable rhap(sody) -- from 1:37 to 2:10 minutes of the video. I think that, besides the hook -- which overshadows everything else -- Verse 2 is the substantive high-point of the song. However, the #Mayibabo conversation alluded to earlier suggests that the high point comes in Verse 3 (from 2:44 to 3:39), with OkMalumKoolKat's turn during the boat ride. The reader will decide.

HERE: The Mayibabo Lyrics

There is a final phase of the chase by chopper, but who's doing the chasing at that point and the reason the getaway continues is long lost to the hapless viewer. The 'journey' only takes everybody back to where the story seemingly started -- a stage at some place in a big city. Regardless, right there, on the stage, there is a luxuriant and joyous finale, as all is well.

READ: Helen Chats with Kwesta About His Life in Music

Surfer Ra: Haiku

I'm a key boarder.
Surfin the hair waves. In
My parallel verse.

Void and Set Pieces

There'd be things all around
Us. But, only here,
A vase from far Mongolia.
A void to fill in, with
An ancient scimitar.

Here's the thing, tho:
Celestial spaces
Too neat for all the dirt
We'd be settling.
For all the faded memories we'd have.

To reckon with.

Of where we were:
There'd be a rainbow in the deep
Sky. Too neat for all the answers
We fancied.
Too brightly lit for crayon.

As
Music, here:
Two slim bodies slamming.
Snippets of life as a form
Unto itself. Unto one. Another.

Rain-washed stone tools. Fish mongers.

Three plus three verses
For all the (wanton) things
We ever wanted to do
So too vainly. Be
Not quite enough for a stool.

Here, in our time.
Here in this country.
The only moment.
Of glory. In such
A thing of beauty.

As here's my question, brother!

Why nature favours all sea similes (and stuff):
Ocean.
Desert.
Air.
The endless void into which pour all desires.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PS: Take a look: Images of Void

Kula

Savannah
Kula
Lasagna.
Ni ta
Tamu!

Savannah
Kula
Omena.
Ni mmm
Tamu!

Savannah
Kula
Ingoho.
Ni uu
Tamu!

Savannah
Kula
Sukuma.
Ni lo
Tamu!

Savannah
Kula
Githeri.
Ni ta
Tamu!

Savannah
Kula
Nyam'Choma.
Ni mm
Tamu!

Savannah
Kula
Pilau.
Ni uu
Tamu!

Savannah
Kula
Matoke.
Ni lo
Tamu!

Savannah
Kula
Bajia.

Savannah
Kula
Mandazi.

Savannah
Kula
Sambusa.

Ni ta
Tamu!

Ni ta
Tamu!

Ni ta
Tamu!







~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Note: Savanna paid us a visit yesterday afternoon. We didn't know she was going to introduce (and insist on wearing) her pink ballet tutu, till she arrived. And she didn't know in advance we were going to try something new for dinner: lasagna. You can't believe the clumsy fun we others had trying to dance ballet along with her, at her constant instigation. Several times at dinner time I told her, "Savannah kula lasagna." I think the child in her detected the rhyme and the humor in that refrain at some point. And that led, a day later, to this verse: Kula.

The Twenty Three Music Analects of Confucius

I recently came across, on the Internet, a brief comment, on music, by the great Chinese sage Kong Qiu (better known in history as Confucius, c.551-479 BCE); and got interested. As an aside to my Yambo Selection project, I wondered how many more sayings by him there were about music and closely related verse/poetry/lyrics in The Analects (that is, The Sayings); and, indeed, whether there ever was a proper count of the totality of his Analects on that subject-matter.

In Robert Eno's (2015) version of The Analects of Confucius consulted in this piece, I have found an (and hopefully the) answer. The word 'music' and excerpts of, or allusions to, poetry or lyrics feature in only twenty three out of the 509 Analects, or 4.52% of the total, put together in this 144-page, 20-"book" book. So that's a good start. In the end, the search wasn't quite like the  looking for 'a needle' in a giant haystack that I had dreaded at the start. For brevity's sake, let's lump them all together under the title The 23 Music Analects of Confucius.

Clearly, music was an ongoing matter of interest to Confucius, but not an overriding preoccupation of his. Still, the bigger point is that it was something important enough for him to "write home about", and for his 'disciples' to preserve for a posterity whose diversity, spread and sheer size they could never properly imagine.

So here are The 23 Music Analects of Confucius, captured in his own words (shown in quotation marks) and incorporating what else appears in the overall Analects anthology regarding the 'broad' subject matter:

1. [3.1] The Ji family had eight ranks of dancers perform in the court of their family compound. Confucius said of this, “If one can tolerate this, one can tolerate anything!”

2. [3.2] The three great families of Lu had the ode Peace performed at the clearing of sacrificial dishes in their family temples. The Master said of this, “Just how does the lyric,

The lords of the realm come to assist, 
The Son of Heaven stands all solemn

pertain to the halls of the three families?”

3. [3.3] "If a man is not ren, what can he do with li? If a man [is] not ren, what can he do with music?"

4. [3.23] To the Music Master of Lu: “The pattern of music is something we can understand. Music commences with unison, and then follows with harmony, each line clearly heard, moving in sequence towards the coda.”

5. [3.25] Concerning the Shao music, “It is thoroughly beautiful and thoroughly good.” Concerning the Wu music, “It is thoroughly beautiful, but not thoroughly good.”

6. [7.32] When the Master sang with others and they sang well, he would always wait and then ask them to repeat before joining in harmony

7. [8.8] "Rise with the Poetry, stand with li, consummate with music." [See Eno's (2015: 88) comment on the usage of the terms 'rise', 'stand' and 'consummate']

8. [8.9] "The people can be made to follow it, they cannot be made to understand it" {I venture to suggest that what is said here necessarily builds on the point made about poetry and music in 7. [8.8] above}

9. [9.28]
Free of resentment, free of craving, 
In what way is he other than fine?
Zilu constantly chanted this verse. The Master said, “What is so fine about the dao of this poem?”

10. [9.31]
The flowers of the cherry tree, 
How the petals wave and turn. 
How could it be I do not long for you? 
But your home is so far distant. 
The Master (Confucius) commented, “He couldn’t really have longed for her, could he – if he had, how could any distance have been too great?”

11. [10.24] At the change of one’s expression, they rise in the air, soaring up and then perching in a flock. Confucius said,
The hen pheasant by the mountain bridge, 
What timeliness! What timeliness! 
Zilu bowed towards them, but with three sniffs, they flew off.

12. [11.1] "Those who first advanced in li and music were men of the wilds. Those who later advanced in li and music were junzis. If there were a chance to put them to use, I would follow those who advanced first."

13. [14.39]  “Is it really so? There’s nothing hard in that," to a passerby at his gate in Wei who found him "striking stone chimes" and [the passerby] asked, “What heart there is in the playing of these chimes!”, then added, “How uncouth, this clanking! If none recognize you, then simply give up. When it’s deep, you wade straight through; When it’s shallow, you lift your skirts.”

14. [15.11] In reply to Yan Yuan, concerning managing a state, “Implement the calendar of the Xia, ride the carriages of the Yin, wear the ceremonial caps of the Zhou. For music: the Shao dance. Get rid of the melodies of Zheng, and keep crafty talkers at a distance – the melodies of Zheng are overwrought; crafty talkers are dangerous.”

15. [15.42] When the {blind}Music Master Mian, who came to visit, reached the steps, “Here are the steps.” When Master Mia reached the mat, “Here is the mat.” When all were seated, said to Master Mian, “So-and-so is here, so-and-so is there.” After Music Master Mian left, Zizhang asked, “Is that the dao for speaking to a music master?” Confucius said, “Yes. It is indeed the dao of assisting a music master.”

16. [16.2] "When the dao prevails in the world, li, music, and punitive military actions proceed on the order of the Son of Heaven. When the dao does not prevail in the world, li, music, and punitive military actions proceed on the orders of the feudal lords. Once they proceed from the feudal lords, it is rare that after ten generations those lords have not lost their power. Once they proceed from grandees, it is rare that after five generations those grandees have not lost their power. Once subordinate officers control the fate of the state, it is rare that after three generations they have not lost their power. When the dao prevails in the world, governance does not lie in the hands of grandees. When the dao prevails in the world, the common people do not discuss governance."

17. [16.5] "There are three types of delights that improve you, and three types of delights that diminish you. To delight in li and music, to delight in speaking of others’ good points, to delight in having many worthy friends – these improve you. To delight in arrogant pleasures, to delight in idle wanderings, to delight in banquet parties – these diminish you."

18. [17.9] The Master said, “Young friends, why do you not study the Poetry. By means of the odes one may inspire, one may reveal one’s thoughts, one may gather with others, one may voice complaints. Near at hand, they can guide you to serve your fathers; more distantly, they can guide you to serve a ruler – and you can learn the names of many birds and beasts, trees and grasses.”

19. [17.10] The Master said to Boyu, “Have you learned the odes of the Zhou-nan and Shaonan? A man who does not learn the odes of the Zhou-nan and Shao-nan is like a man standing with his face to a wall.”

20. [17.11] "Li, li – is jade and silk all we mean by it? Music, music – are bells and drums all we mean by it?"

21. [17.18] "I detest that purple has displaced crimson; I detest that the melodies of Zheng have disordered the music of court; I detest that crafty mouths have overturned states and households."

22. [18.5] A madman of Chu encountered the chariot Confucius was driving, and walking across its path, intoned:

Phoenix, phoenix, 
How virtue has withered! 
What is past is beyond repairing, 
What is to come is still worth pursuing. 
Enough, enough! 
Danger now for those at court.

Confucius stepped down, wishing to speak with him, but the madman hurried to dodge away, and Confucius was unable to speak with him.

23. [18.9] Grand Music Master Zhi fled to the state of Qi; the master of the second course, Gan, fled to the state of Chu; the master of the third course, Liao, fled to the state of Cai; the master of the fourth course, Que, fled to the state of Qin; the drummer, Fangshu, fled up the Yellow River valley; the hand drum player, Wu, fled down the Han River valley; the Master’s assistant, Yang, and the beater of the stone chimes, Xiang, fled out to sea. [It is not clear who said this, but it is an intriguing summary. Eno (2015: 103) has an illuminating comment on this "extraneous", and apparently posthumous, Analect. He associates it with the intellectual/ideological rift that followed the defeat of  the Shang king and also revolved, in equal measure, around the death of Confucius himself and of the Duke of Lu. I include it in the list nonetheless, as it is an integral part of the Analects in Eno's book.

END NOTE: The reader should consult the glossary provided in Robert Eno's text shown below for the meanings of these and other useful concepts: Dao, Li, Junzi, Ren and Wen.


REFERENCES
Confucius The Analects. Cambridge, MA: MIT { classics.mit.edu }
Eno, Robert (2015) The Analects of Confucius: An Online Teaching  144-pageTranslation, Ver. 2.2
Jennings, William (1891) The Shi King: Chinese Book of Odes {SOURCE: Misc (Confucian School), The Shi King, the Old “Poetry Classic” of the Chinese. A Close Metrical Translation, with Annotations by William Jennings (London: George Routledge and Sons, 1891). 1/31/2016.} 

Inner Limits

Protection is never
As strong as we want it 
To be:

To save life
From certain,
Individual, end.
Or, alas, extinction!

MUSIC: Vector's King Kong Remix

In King Kong Remix, Vector and his cast of heavyweight artistes -- Phyno, Reminisce, Classiq and Uzi  -- deliver an inspired and uplifting piece of music video. In an epic mode.

It displays a montage of great lyrical artistry and an ebb-and-flow of superb visual acts and images. Images of living, made and ghostly things. Of masks and skulls and whatever lurks behind them. Stuff to scare a chile, even. Of totems. All of which are the hallmark of an ingenuity that's at once expansive and explosive and full of charming turns of 'phrase', and surprises. 

Controlled lighting. Atomic nuances. Exploding (uni)verse. Phyno's inimitable voice!

Of dripping, make-believe blood and flowing goo. Falling and perched souls. Motor-mouth rappin'. Frosted faces, and a mystery tongue seeming always ready to devour frosted stuff. 

Of crumbling, gravity-stressed letters. Tailed dancers and cool twerking. Supple Ness, Disintegrating ice sheet.

In all this motion, the colour accent, which works for the creation, is on red and black, against a background canvas that mostly alternates from red to grey-white to darker grey to red all over again, and so on. 

All this stuff we come upon is wrapped in a conquering beat: Ding, Ding, Dong.

It is grand theatre, there!



Click to view the King Kong Remix

Homing Bird [Haiku]

And I flew headlong.
Settled in my cosy pathway.
"Look I know those clouds."

Bonde Cliff: Haiku

Sun-baked, wind-swept. Dream.
Is how you peel that matter.
Dove's verse. Two too fars!

Toxic Tout, Trout: Haiku

Weigh tin 2 de tox:
All de while, I'm here, all tight.
All dem little t'outs!

A Dog's Life

Froze by the headlights.
Something else will matter now.
Time! Nor will mine fly.






[Haiku]

Time Traveller

Achtung! The man said.
You weren't the only one there.
One froz'n tear drop.





[Haiku]

Harvest

Dreams & Else Sunday:
Tomatoes und May-on-Nais.
A sudden rain dance!








[Haiku]

O New Age!

New types of people
Stream into these new places.
Their moults at the bay.






[Haiku. Poem]

Over 30

All the cats are in.
Students wait for the results.
Lecturers mark time.





[Haiku. Poetry]

Tumult

Petro Doll. Displaced.
Laced passions crowd the badlands.
Let there be peaceable.

Poromoko [Swahili Haiku]

Niri Tereza.
Dunia kitongoji.
Siku ri-zi-ka!



[Haiku in Swahili
(with a Tanzanian accent)]


Below is my English translation of Poromoko,
touched up using my poetic licence:

Found me on the skids.
The world's a marginal place.
I was not ass-u-aged!

[Alternatives to the last line: I was not satisfied /
I made no nothing / Day, be em-pow-ered]

I might as well have written the seven-syllable line as:
"The world's a seductive place". To me at least,
there's a thin line between Kitongoji (= marginal,
peripheral, peri-urban place) and the word that, I think,
intuitively and perhaps happily derives from it
(certainly in 'fertile minds'), Kitongozi (= Seducer), itself
treated, here, as a derivative of the more prosaic,
proletarian and Eastlander word: Kutongoza (= to seduce).

Phantom

All's gold that glitters,
On his phantom ring finger.
Charms the Old Town none.




[Haiku]

Suitor of Sachang'wan

Sightless tho I be,
I see what my heart shows me.
You're all, all I see!




[Haiku]

Gabsule

After dinner, chads.
Of meaning. Why distance hurts.
And lasts two seasons.




[Haiku]