still listening to
sadat x

black october
album he made

before going to jail
on a gun charge

which will probably cost him
his teaching credential

which is a god damned shame
since I don't doubt

that he was an excellent teacher
you might say

"what was he doing carrying a gun"
to which I would respond

"shut the fuck up"
I mean I'm not into guns either

but walk a mile in a man's shoes you know
anyway

in 2006
knowing he's about to spend the better part of a year

locked up
he goes into the studio and makes this album

on which there is not a single track
that I don't love

most of the beats are loping mellow window-blasters
old school I guess

but brand nubian always had their own thing
texture like fading film

and sadat x has his own thing too
a kind of latin jazz bounce

and a flow that's very tight
without feeling too tight

it is an absolutely beautiful album
which I thought I would mention to you

while waiting at the kitchen table
for my rice to finish cooking