“Neo soul” is a common, if not overused term in the music world these days. Everything with a smooth, jazzy beat and soft vocals can be labeled as neo soul, providing the contrast from “old soul” like Marvin Gaye and Otis Redding. Or even the “normal soul” or Luther Vandross and Keith Sweat. Back in the 90’s, Neo Soul was really new, and was specific to the sounds coming from artists like Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild and D’Angelo.
OSHUN is a return to that classic Neo Soul sound. The musical offspring of Ms. Badu and Ms. Scott, OSHUN (duo Thandi and Niambi) employ the same rap-sing style, backed by a Dilla-esque beat. They refer to themselves as the sonic manifestation of Afrofuturism, which is the reimagined future seen through a Black lens. Like the musical Wakanda. Their excellent 2014 song, Stuck, is this week’s track of the week.
Stuck is a song about becoming unstuck, something we all aspire to do. They start with present state:
“I’m stuck here feeling insecure, weak and immature”
Then comes the realization:
“The competition that I’m fearing does not exist”
And ends with the simple solution that applies to a specific hairstyle associated with freedom and non-conformity:
“Maybe I need one more lock and little more Shea”
Anyone who has had their hair twisted, loc’ed, or braided knows the calming effect and serenity it brings. Not uncommon to see someone drifting off to sleep under the hands of a natural hair stylist. Find your method to obtain that inner peace, cause as OSHUN says,
“Once I find my center I’ll begin to flourish once again”
Who’s ready to quit their job and grow out those locs!
You can learn more about OSHUN here:
About the Curator - Ben Young:
Ben Young lives a life of polarity. He has split his life between the coasts: half his life on the West (California) and half on the East (Georgia and Virginia). He has pursued careers in the art world (film school graduate) and the corporate world (executive with Fortune 500 companies). And he is Biracial, the personification of being two things at once.
Ben’s musical influences were formed by music loving parents, raised in a world of John Coltrane and John Lennon, James Taylor and James Ingram, Huey Lewis and the News and Prince and the Revolution. Saxophones, electric guitars, synthesizers, and breakbeats filled the air Ben breathed from birth. And being born one year after the birth of Hip Hop, Ben has been joined at the hip with the genre his entire life.
Check out Ben’s blog where you can get more recommendations on great music, presented from a Biracial point of view: www.khameleonkurator.com.
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