Tag Archive for 'Rap'

Science Song of the Week: Tom McFadden & Ms Kauer’s 5th Grade Class Present “Clouds Make It Rain”!

patricia published on September 25, 2009 in zeitgeist. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , .

Happy Friday SuperForest!

Me, I love a good educational rap song (have you heard SuperForester Jackson’s Dolphins Are Awesome?! check it – Dolphins Are Awesome!)

It’s a rich, varied and often hilarious musical sub-genre (I promise to share more soon), and I came across this gem. Tom McFadden is an instructor in human biology at Stanford who is responsible for some great comeducational science raps (check out “Regulatin Genes“). Tom helped to teach Ms. Kauer’s 5th grade class at East Palo Alto Charter School, CA a series of lessons on the science and local issues of water – culminating in this awesomeness: a song written and performed by a group of the kids, with some help from Tom. Listen, learn, love:

 

Tom McFadden, Ms Kauer’s Class – You Rock!

Love
P

Dolphins Are Awesome Japanese Rap Win!

jackson published on September 18, 2009 in art and zeitgeist. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Gooooood Morning SuperForest!

I wanna show you something exciting. Check this out:

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That’s the Dolphin Rap translated into Japanese! SuperForester Aiko just sent it in!

I’m not sure if you’ve been following the story in Taiji, but sadly the dolphin hunting has resumed. Happily, we have a plan!

I am teaming up with an elite crew of Hip Hopera stars here in NYC to bust some fresh grooves and record videos for both the English dolphin rap, and the Japanese Dolphin Rap (which I’ll learn phonetically.) Then, Bee Ladd and I are going to teach the rap to the 4Fives and record a video of them rapping and singing, and finally, we’re going to team up with a school in Japan to have kids there make their own video and version of the Dolphin Rap.

We’re going to go the “spread happy information in the form of a silly song” route.

I’ve been emailing with Ric O’Barry and he and I are discussing the best way to proceed. I will keep you posted.

Cheers to Aiko, and to SuperForester Betta, who introduced me to Miss Aiko. Thanks to you both.

Love!

-Jackson

p.s. Check out Dolphins Are Awesome! Because Dolphins ARE Awesome.

MC Smart Marc – “Dolphin Fresh”!

jackson published on August 26, 2009 in art, celebrity and zeitgeist. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , .

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One of my hands down favorite British rapper/MC’s, the legendary Smart Marc, has thrown down some verses of his own Dolphin Rap song!

Dolphins Are Awesome! is really coming to life.

(click here) Smart Marc – Dolphin-Fresh (click here)

Smart Marc was the frontman of perhaps the most incredible band that you’ve never heard of, The Rhyme Chemists.
Thank you, Smart Marc! I consider the Dolphin Rap gauntlet thrown down and I will step to the challenge.

Hear me, Smart Marc, no one breathes hot fire down my neck without feeling my sting in return.

Even though you are the world’s greatest MC.

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LOVE!

-Jackson

Dolphins Are Awesome! The Rap! The Lyrics!

jackson published on August 25, 2009 in art, celebrity and zeitgeist. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

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I realize that my verbage in the Dolphin Rap might be a bit incomprehensible. So here’s the lyrics I’m spitting like hot fire.

“This is Jackson, and today I’d like to talk about…
Dolphins! They are the best.
Look good in a hat. Look good in a vest.
They are magicians! Magic from the sea.
Friend to the whale and friend to you and me.

Dolphins!
(I never saw such a happy fish!)
(I love the way they leap and play!)
And now I’d like to introduce you to my special friend…
(We call him)
Dolphin! Dolphin!
Master of the sea, cause he’s got a masters degree in Oceanography!
Oooooooh!
What more can you say? I mean, that’s basically it, right?
Oop! Oh wait, no. Wait, no. There’s more!

What about the Walrus?!
The walrus is good too, but a dolphin is cuter, has a higher IQ.
Ha ha! Right. You ready for this? I’m gonna drop some science.
Here we go:
The dolphin is warm-blooded! Cares deeply for its young!
But equally important, dolphins know how to have fun!
Fishermen!
You are the best!
So careful with your hooks, so skillful with your nets.
Nets, nets, nets, nets…

A good fisherman knows, that the dolphin is his friend.
Dolphins saving fishermen time and time again.
Now the time has come to return the favor.
Be a dolphin’s hero! Be a dolphin life-saver!

A good fisherman knows, that the dolphin is his friend.
Dolphins saving fishermen time and time again!
Time and time again!

Dolphins!
Dolphins!
Dolphins!

Dolphins are awesome!”

Come join in the fun. Spit some hot fire of your own! We’ll mash it all together and create the world’s longest, biggest, happiest, most internationally collaborative song.

Check out Dolphins Are Awesome!

Love,

Jackson

Jackson’s Journal (8/25/09) – Dolphins Are Awesome! The Rap!

jackson published on August 25, 2009 in art, superforest journal and zeitgeist. 7 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .

I finished this last night at 4:30 AM. I’ve never before rapped, recorded, or written a song, so please take it easy on me… I hope you like! I’m going to do a better video and have that up soon.

If you like my song, please comment, email it around, embed it on your blogs, remix it, whatever gives you joy. nothing would make me happier than seeing this song sread around the world.

Special thanks to the Winstons, Nate Harrison, and whoever wrote the Flipper theme song.

Check out Dolphins Are Awesome!

Love,

Jackson

Jackson’s Journal (8/24/09) – The Dolphin Song!

jackson published on August 24, 2009 in art, build, celebrity, superforest journal, transportation and zeitgeist. 5 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

Goooooood Morning SuperForest!

I am home rapping today. I’m working on a little something for the Dolphin Song for Dolphins Are Awesome!

This is my hastily assembled home studio:
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As you can see, I have turned a vornado fan into a very effective laptop cooling device. Got a little USB mic, an external drive, and my cans (that’s studio-speak for “headphones.”)

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I’ve sampled one of the very best samples of all time, the “Amen break” from the Winstons 1969 song “Amen Brother”.

Here’s Nate Harrison’s amazing short documentary about this amazing 6 second song snippet and its incredible effect on our culture:

So, I’ve got some lyrics, and my studio, and now to rap rap rap, like I’ve never rapped before. (I’ve never rapped before.)

Dolphins Are Awesome! now has 49 members and growing! Thank you to everybody who joined! I’ve asked a lot of musical cats I know to contribute parts to the Dolphin Song and we’ll use Dolphins Are Awesome! to put all the parts together.
(If you’re just tuning in, the Dolphin Song is a collaborative, multi-part, international song that anyone can add to. The only rule for entry is that it must be a happy song about dolphins.)

Life is such fun.

Love to All,

-Jackson

K’naan – “Dreamer”

jackson published on July 6, 2009 in art and celebrity. 2 Comments Tags: , , , .

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“Yeah, I’m a dreamer. But I ain’t the only one…
Got problems, but we love to have fun…”

K’naan is rad. Read his wiki-wiki-wiki aloha!
Here’s his site.

Thank you, SuperForester Lindsay, for telling us about K’naan!

LOVE.

The Gregory Brothers: “Martin Luther King Sings” – Autotuned I Have a Dream

jackson published on April 26, 2009 in celebrity. 3 Comments Tags: , , , , .

I love this!… Bravos to the Gregory Brothers!

People I Love: M.I.A.

jackson published on December 3, 2007 in celebrity. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .


What can one say about Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam, that hasn’t already been said by the adoring hipster press?

The only Tamil/Brit/Sri Lankan Grime/Hip Hop/Graffitti artist I can name, this lady has stones bigger than most New York rappers.

Her songs are immensely listen-to-able, and each one has amazing lyrics on a wide variety of topics, like standing up to authority, working to help the downtrodden, and generally being aware and alive. Love her.

Check out her music:

Her wiki entry: wikipedia.org

Her official site: miauk.com

Her myspace: myspace.com