NEO-SOUL

The term Neo-Soul, also known as "Nu Soul," was originated in the 1990's by Motown Records' Kedar Massenburg. It is a genre which branches off that of R&B. It focuses less on popular appeal and more on "inner interests" or expression. Wikipedia describes the difference separating this subgenre from R&B's other subgenres is its relation to the ethnocentric sense of music. Neo-soul artists (or as they like to be called: teachers, educators, or musicians) tend to be well learned on the topics of the African-American people and their African roots. They relate a lot of their music to the disciplines, morals, and ways of love and living of the African - or Black people. What makes this genre so well liked and popular is its connection to poetry. Neo-soul songs are like a sung poem. It embodies the same emotion, rhythm, and smooth groove of many "Def Poetry" poets such as Shihan, Jessica Holter a.k.a.Ghetto Girl Blue, or Shanelle Gabriel (all which can be found on YouTube and/or Myspace). Many listeners have made claim that this genre provides a sort of spiritual release and offers a true connection of reality while teaching wisdom both new and old. From the 1970's soul music existed - its origin both questionable and debatable. It wasn't until Erykah Badu (who was discovered after opening a show for D'Angelo one night) came out with her debuted album "Baduizm," that Massenburg, changed the direction of Motown music and began calling it "Neo-Soul," neo meaning New. However, though, the movement may have began here, it was Lauryn Hill's "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" which set the gears in true motion for this particular type of music and grabbed the attention of many other artists.



In the Beginning
Craig Lewis, a "musical-researcher"(if I may call him so), has put together a video, Exodus into Egypt, branching off of his first video called "The Truth Behind Hip-hop." Within this video he speaks on the musical genre labeled "Neo-Soul."
Africa Bambaataa, he begins, was a man who traveled to Africa determined to find the cause to the constant downfall in the Black race. After joining a group of people called Amazulu, he came back to America with the teachings he had acquired, one of them being that the Black man was God. Wanting to pass to the American Youth his new found knowledge of Pharakhan being the one true God, black people being superior begins on Earth, the need to obey only to oneself, and so-on and so-forth, he conjured of a creative way to impact a tremendous group of people at one time.
Music.

Neo-Soul music has been said to change behavior in people. It has been said to change characters and attitudes. In one document, it was said to have had sexual affects on its listeners, turning a natural heterosexual into a homosexual. One girl reported that it the feelings were "almost instant." Claiming that the music gave her a sense of freedom, a free spirit have you.

Craig Lewis explains in his video how Africa Bambaataa and a couple of other people (Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash) got together and began to place their messages within beats, rhythms, and lyrics in music. Lewis notes that though the listeners never knew what they were actually saying, the spirits knew. Bambaataa started The New Nation (song: Planet Rock) which, as a group of followers, believe in one God of many names (Jehovah, Allah, Jah, etc). The group believes in the Bible and the Quran (- the two contradict each other). Bambaataa wore and encouraged the wearing of the Ankh, which Craig describes to mean 360 degrees (the circle about the cross), man and woman are God. Three hundred-sixty meaning it comes back to you, you are your own God.


KRS 1:
"In Hip Hop, there are no gods or goddesses. We are the gods and goddesses. We say to each other, 'peace god, peace goddess.' This concept has been lent to us by the 5% Nation of Gods and earths...Be God, stop worshipping god. Be God. If your religion is Islam, eliminate the distance, stop worshipping Allah. And be Allah. If your religion is Judaism, stop studying the 5 books of Moses. Be the law. Be Moses. If you are Christian, stop worshipping Jesus Christ and calling his name out. Be Jesus Christ. Be Buddha. Be Krishna."

Recall, if you can, King Solomon. The Bible tells that the Son of God was to come out of the house of David to produce Jesus Christ. This seed is in Solomon. Solomon was known to mess around with the Egyptians, which caused him to produce what Craig Lewis describes to be a "false lineage." A man named Ras Tafari (who later changed his name to Haile Selassie) was became king of Ethiopia. Rastafarians believe that Haile Selassie is the true Jesus Christ - the black one. Worshipping him as so, they believe that he is the lion of Judah, as the Bible says and so they began to wear their hair as the lions do...
Dreads.

EXTRA EXTRA!!
On D'Angelo's "Voodoo" Album
"I am using the word 'artist' loosely. I personally believe in art as it exist in the context of the phrase 'thou art God.' In this phrase, Art is the word that connects the individual (thou) to their higher self (God)...We have come adorned in apparel of the anointed. We have come to seduce and serenade the night and the powers of darkness."
Craig Lewis claims this artist, D'Angelo, went to Haiti, the country which has declared Voodoo to be their official religion, and performed a voodoo ceremony on his album (calling it "Voodoo") so that Christian woman would buy it. Knowing he could never get them to change their ideas, and agree with his Anti-Christ ideas, he plays his beliefs in their head with his subliminal messages within the songs.

Erykah Badu: "On and On"
"Peace and blessings manifest with every lesson learned, if knowledge were your wealth then it would be earned. If we were made in his image then call us by our names. Most intellects do not believe in god, but they fear us just the same."
In Genesis 1 verse 27, the first book in the Bible, it says: "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female, he created them." Being made in the image of God is not simply taken in the physical, but meant also in the sense of the emotional, the mental, the spiritual. Therefore many neo-soul artists (as well as HipHop artists) believe that in the image of God, they themselves are gods.
"I was born under water, with three dollars and six dimes."
You might be thinking - Okay, so what?
"Yeah, you may laugh, 'cause you did not do your math."
Number one, references to things under water tend to involve occurrences that are demonic, or wicked. Two, "three dollars and six dimes (3.60)" may be Erykah's reference to 360 - three hundred sixty degrees, Erykah is "god"(in referrence to what I mentioned concerning the Ankh). Without doing your research - yeah, you might laugh.