“There is a reality we often don’t like to acknowledge.
It’s that the time it takes us to accomplish something is often determined by how long we’re given to complete it. It’s almost like some sort of mental jujitsu our brain does to us.
When we have a short time line we work faster and more efficiently. When we have tons of time to accomplish something our brains begin to see all of the nuances and somehow complicate the issue.”
Wow. I never thought about this but when I look back on my past projects, I always seem to make things happen when I’m limited on time.
“Asking ‘what if …’ or ‘why not …’ or just trying something that may not ‘make sense’ on paper is the simple and always available key to finding new connections in flavor — and expanding one’s world.” — Sally Schneider
That particular quote can be applied to pretty much everything in life and I love it.
On this special hour-long Embedded, Mos Def takes us on an all access seven-day tour of Japan while he performs his new album “The Ecstatic” to packed venues in Tokyo and Osaka.
During that week, he hits up the Harajuku fashion district, whoops it up at a sumo wrestling match, and gets a personal tour of the Tokyo Giants stadium from his friend and baseball phenom Mark Kroon.
Then, he brilliantly ties it all together by divulging the history of great thinkers known as “ecstatics,” showing that he is clearly one of the most insightful men in hip-hop.
This was amazing to watch. In a culture where people merely sit and nod to show appreciation at a show, Mos Def has the ability to get Japanese people moving and dancing to his voice and the groove.
Mos Def has some humourous and insightful commentary as well. I definitely learned a lot and although I already did, I definitely respect his craft a lot more.
That just goes to show you, making music that’s true to you allows more people to be touched by what you do and actually resonate with it as well. Let’s see other hip-hop artists here in the U.S. do that … yeah, that’s not happening.
