Ithaka: "Somewhere South of Somalia" Usikose mojawapo ya matoleo ya awali ya mwaka ya hip hop!"

Wacha nianze kwa kukuambia mwisho "Kimbia, usitembee, na ununue CD hii! Usikose mojawapo ya matoleo ya awali ya mwaka ya hip hop!" 

Somewhere South of Somalia, albamu ya tatu kutolewa kutoka kwa msanii Ithaka, ni mkusanyo mpya zaidi wa midundo ya hip hop, maneno ya nyimbo za rap na maneno ambayo nimeyasikia kwa muda mrefu sana. Iwapo unahisi hip hop lakini umechoka zaidi ya kusikia rappers wakitema ho's na 4/0s, rimu za inchi zipatazo ishirini na usiku mzima; ikiwa wazo la Jay-to-the-izzo moja zaidi linakusababishia maumivu zaidi kuliko kucha kukwaruza kwenye ubao bila huruma basi Mahali fulani Somewhere South of Somalia ni kwa ajili yako. 

Muda wa ukaguzi huu haufai. Hivi majuzi niliketi kwenye jopo kwenye mkutano wa Muziki wa Mjini ambapo nilishughulikia hali ya uhalisi, au tuseme, ukosefu wake katika muziki mwingi wa leo wa mijini. Mahali fulani Somewhere South of Somalia ni asili kama zinavyokuja, iliyoandikwa kwenye eneo la Kenya na Tanzania, ni shajara ya wahasiriwa, kumbukumbu ya hip hop ya kutoroka kwa roho ya mtu mmoja hadi pwani ya mashariki ya Afrika. Ithaka Darin Pappas ni msanii wa kuona na mwandishi. Yeye pia ni msimuliaji mzuri sana ambaye huchunguza mada ambayo wakati mwingine husahaulika ya kutoroka. 

Albamu inacheza kama jarida la matukio ya hip hop. Mahali fulani Somewhere South of Somalia hutuletea hadithi za ngano za makabila, hatari za mijini, magonjwa ya milipuko, na voodoo. Inakumbuka uzoefu wa kutishia maisha na misiba ya wanadamu. Inachekesha; ni mbaya na wakati mwingine ni ya kimahaba. Kuna nyimbo kumi na tisa za nyimbo na mwingiliano kwenye toleo hili la kipekee sana. Ingawa iliandikwa kwenye eneo la Afrika Mashariki, ikifuatiwa na kukaa Lisbon, Ureno, Mahali fulani Kusini mwa Somalia ilirekodiwa huko Los Angeles na mtayarishaji-mhandisi, Conley "Conman" Abrams (Tupac, Snoop Dogg, Queen Latifa, Heavy D, nk.). Mtindo mahususi wa Ithaka wa kurap lakini wenye nguvu unapongezwa na midundo asilia ya daraja la kwanza na mipangilio ya sauti. 

Ubora wa jumla wa uzalishaji ni kiwango cha kwanza. Ni dhahiri kwamba mawazo mengi yaliingia katika utengenezaji wa kila wimbo. Takriban ushupavu kama nyenzo za albamu yenyewe, Mahali fulani Somewhere South of Somalia hukusafirisha kutoka kwa muziki wa kufoka hadi kwa maneno ya kusemwa, hadi kwenye trip-hop, yote yamefanywa bila mshono na kukupa hisia ya kweli ya ugunduzi. 

Rana Linda ni hadithi ya mwandishi wa habari wa vita vya kigeni kutoka Colorado ambaye amekuwa akiandika matukio nchini Rwanda na sasa anapambana na uhalisia wa chaguzi ngumu. Ugly American anasimulia kuhusu biashara tajiri anayehamia Pwani ya Kenya, kuharibu misitu, kumdhulumu mjakazi wake kingono na kuua viumbe vilivyo hatarini kutoweka kwa ajili ya kujifurahisha. 

Black Rock ni wimbo unaotokana na mila za kabila la Tanzania za jiwe jeusi lililoripotiwa kuokoa maisha ya wale wanaoumwa na nyoka wenye sumu kali. Kwaya ya kuvutia huimbwa na watoto wa kabila na kuungwa mkono na msingi mnene wa mdundo wa hip-hop wa kikabila. 

Lapis Lazuli & Mother of Pearl ni tangazo la neno linalozungumzwa la mapenzi na wimbo wa ndoano ulioimbwa kwa sauti na IZREAL (kutoka kwa wimbo Rana Linda) na kufumwa kwa tarumbeta iliyonyamazishwa vizuri na mipigo kama ya jazz. Wimbo unaongeza utofauti na utajiri wa albamu. Vizuri sana. 

Upendo ni dakika nane na sekunde ishirini na sita za trip-hop ya hali ya juu na ya kuchukiza. "Bwana Lapis Lazuli" akipokea somo la lugha kutoka kwa "Mama wa Lulu" (njia 50 za kusema NAKUPENDA kwa Kiswahili). Kwa uwezo wa kuongeza hisia, Upendo anasimama kidete akishirikiana na "Kanuni za Tamaa" ya Enigma (MCMXC a.D.) na "Desert Nights" ya Lonnie Liston Smith kutoka kwa albamu yake maarufu ya Expansions. Ningenunua Mahali Pengine Kusini mwa Somalia kwa albamu hii pekee. 

Akivinjari viunga vya Barabara ya River Road ya Nairobi, Ithaka anasimulia hadithi ya jinamizi lililogeuka kuwa la kutisha linalohusisha wababe, wauza dawa za kulevya na magenge ya kutumia visu. Inaisha kwa Ithaka kukimbia kwa maisha yake.

Mwajuma, anasimulia hadithi ya urafiki usiowezekana kati ya kuhamahama, Ithaka, na mtumishi wa nyumbani kwa wasomi wa Nairobi. Hadithi inatokea kwa mkutano mwepesi kwa ugunduzi wa Ithaka kwamba rafiki yake mpya amepimwa na VVU. Mumewe tayari amekufa na anatafakari kuhusu mustakabali wa watoto wake huku angali akionyesha kujali sana ustawi wa Ithaka. Cynthia Denise Farmer anaimba kwaya ya injili inayosonga, akimalizia kwaya kamili. Wimbo huo ni ukumbusho wa nguvu wa janga la UKIMWI ambalo linaharibu sehemu kubwa ya Afrika leo. 

Udadisi wa Ithaka wa maeneo na watu unafichuliwa kwa moyo wote Mahali fulani Somewhere South of Somalia. Safari zake zimempeleka Ulaya, Afrika na Pasifiki ya Kusini. Akiwa Lisbon, Ureno, muda mfupi kama mtangazaji wa redio ulimpa mkataba wa rekodi na kampuni tanzu ya EMI. Mnamo 1998, alitoa wimbo wa e.p. Escape (Nortesul/EMI Portugal) ambayo iliangazia upya wimbo wake wa hip hop "Escape From the City of Angels" kutoka kwa albamu yake ya kwanza. Wimbo huu ulimletea Ithaka TUZO YA SCYPE (Tuzo la Chaguo la Msikilizaji wa Redio ya Ulaya) na baadaye ukaonekana katika wimbo wa Filamu za Columbia "The Replacement Killers" iliyoigizwa na Mira Sorvino na Chow Yun Fat. 

Mahali fulani Somewhere South of Somalia ni muendelezo wa falsafa ya Ithaka: iishi, iandike, irepue kama vile albamu bora ya hip au kukusanya kama kweli. Ni kweli. malizia pale nilipoanzia: Kimbia, usitembee, na ununue CD hii Usikose moja ya matoleo ya awali ya hip hop ya mwaka! 

Novemba 19, 2001 

Uhakiki wa Jack Baer BIGBAER.COM 

Jarida la Muziki Mbadala la Mjini

Ithaka Darin Pappas

Ithaka's Somewhere South of Somalia album review

Big Baer Magazine: The Urban Alternative Music Magazine

November 19th 2001

Let me start by telling you the ending” Run, don’t walk, and buy this CD! Don’t miss out on one of hip hop’s most original releases of the year!”

Somewhere South of Somalia, the third album to be released from the artist Ithaka, is the

freshest compilation of hip hop beats, rap lyrics and spoken word that I have heard in a very long time. If you are feeling hip hop but are more than a little tired of hearing rappers spit about ho’s and 4/0s, about twenty inch rims and all-nighters; if the thought of one more Jay-to-the-izzo causes you more pain than fingernails scratching mercilessly on the chalkboard then Somewhere South of Somalia is for you.

The timing of this review is impeccable. I recently sat on a panel at an Urban Music conference where I addressed the situation of originality, or rather, the lack of it in much of today’s urban music.  Somewhere South of Somalia is as original as they come, written on location in Kenya and Tanzania, it is an adventurers diary, a hip hop recollection of one man’s soul-searching escape to the east coast of Africa. Ithaka Darin Pappas is a visual artist and a writer. He is also a superb storyteller who explores the sometimes forgotten topic of escapism.

The album plays out like a hip hop adventure journal. Somewhere South of Somalia brings us stories of tribal folklore, urban dangers, epidemics, and voodoo. It recalls life threatening experiences and human tragedy. It is funny; it is serious and at times wildly erotic.

There are nineteen tracks of songs and interludes on this very unique offering. Though written on location in East Africa, followed by a stay in Lisbon, Portugal, Somewhere South of Somalia was recorded in Los Angeles with producer-engineer, Conley “Conman” Abrams III (Tupac, Snoop Dogg, Queen Latifa, Heavy D, etc.). Ithaka’s distinctive laid-back but powerful rap style is complimented by first class original beats and vocal arrangements.

The overall production quality is first rate. It is obvious that a great deal of thought went into the production of each track. Almost as adventurous as the album’s material itself, Somewhere South of Somalia transports you from rap to spoken word, to trip-hop, all seamlessly done lending a true sense of discovery.

Rana Linda is a story of a foreign war correspondent originally from Colorado who had been covering events in Rwanda and now struggles with the realities of difficult choices. Ugly American tells of a wealthy business who moves to the Kenyan Coast, destroys forests, sexually abuses his maid and kills endangered species for fun.

Black Rock is a song based on Tanzanian tribal tradition of a black stone reported to save lives of those bitten by venomous snakes. The catchy chorus is sung by tribal children and backed by a thick base of tribal hip-hop rhythm.

Lapis Lazuli & Mother of Pearl is a spoken word proclamation of love with a melodically sung hook-line by IZREAL (from the song Rana Linda) and woven throughout by a beautifully muted trumpet and jazz-like beats. The song adds to the diversity and richness of the album. Very well done.

Upendo is eight minutes and twenty-six seconds of superb and outrageously erotic, trip-hop. “Mr. Lapis Lazuli” receiving a language lesson from “Mother of Pearl” (50 ways to say I LOVE YOU in Swahili). For sheer mood enhancing power, Upendo stands tall in the company of Enigma’s “Principles of Lust” (MCMXC a.D.) and Lonnie Liston Smith’s “Desert Nights” from his hallmark Expansions album. I would buy Somewhere South of Somalia for this album alone.

Exploring the outskirts of Nairobi’s notorious River Road, Ithaka relates a tale of adventure-turned nightmare involving pimps, drug dealers and knife-wielding gangs. It ends with Ithaka sprinting for his life.

Mwajuma, tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a wandering nomad, Ithaka, and a domestic servant to Nairobi’s elite. The story unfolds with a light-hearted meeting to Ithaka’s discovery that his new friend has tested HIV positive. Her husband is already dead and she ponders about the future of her children while still showing great concern for Ithaka’s well-being. Cynthia Denise Farmer sings the moving gospel chorus, building to a full choir ending. The song is a powerful reminder of the AIDS epidemic that is devastating much of Africa today.

Ithaka’s curiosity of places and people is revealed wholeheartedly in Somewhere South of Somalia. His travels have taken him to Europe, Africa and the South Pacific. While in Lisbon, Portugal, a brief stint as a radio host landed him a record deal with a local subsidiary of EMI. In 1998, he released the e.p. ESCAPE (Nortesul/EMI Portugal) which featured a remake of his hip hop dance track “Escape From the City of Angels”off of his first album. The song earned Ithaka the 1998 SCYPE AWARD (European Radio Listener’s Choice Award). Note the song's original version appeared in the soundtrack of Columbia Films’s “The Replacement Killers starring Mira Sorvino and Chow Yun Fat directed by Antoine Fuqua.

Somewhere South of Somalia is a continuation of Ithaka’s philosophy: live it, write it, rap about it. It is an excellent hip hop album as well as a true collector’s offering. Now I can finish right where I began: Run, don’t walk, and buy this CD! Don’t miss out on one of the most original hip hop releases of the year!”

Review by Jack Baer 

Lapis Lazuli & Mother of Pearl (official video)

Ithaka on the microphone

(album Review) Ithaka's Somewhere South of Somalia (Ithaka Darin Pappas)

Review in BIG BAER-Urban Alternative Music Magazine (Nov.2001)

http://www.bigbaer.com/ithaka.htm

Somewhere South of Somalia

Let me start by telling you the ending: "…run, don't walk, and buy this CD! Don't miss out on one of the most original hip hop releases of the year!"

Somewhere South Of Somalia, the third album to be released from the artist ITHAKA, is the freshest compilation of hip hop beats, rap lyrics and spoken word that I have heard in a very long time. If you are feeling hip hop but are more than a little tired of hearing rappers spit about ho's and 4/Os; about twenty inch rims and all-nighters; if the thought of one more Jay-to-the-izzo causes you more pain than fingernails scratching mercilessly on the chalkboard, then Somewhere South of Somalia is for you.

The timing of this review is impeccable. I recently sat on a panel at an Urban Music conference where I addressed the situation of originality, or rather, the lack of it in much of today's urban music. Somewhere South Of Somalia is as original as they come, written on location in Kenya and Tanzania, it is an adventurer's diary, a hip-hop recollection of one man's soul-searching escape to the east coast of Africa. ITHAKA Darin Pappas is a visual artist and a writer. He is also a superb storyteller who explores the sometimes forgotten topic of escapism.

The album plays out like a hip-hop adventure journal. Somewhere South Of Somalia brings us stories of tribal folklore, urban dangers, epidemics and voodoo. It recalls life threatening experiences and human tragedy. It is funny; it is serious and at times wildly erotic.

There are nineteen tracks of songs and interludes on this very unique offering. Though written on location in East Africa, followed by a stay in Lisbon, Portugal, Somewhere South Of Somalia was recorded in Los Angeles with producer-engineer, Conley "Conman" Abrams (Tupac, Snoop Dogg, Queen Latifa, Heavy D, etc.), ITHAKA's distinctive laid-back but powerful rap style is complemented by first class original beats and vocal arrangements.

The overall production quality is first rate. It is obvious that a great deal of thought went into the production of each track. Almost as adventurous as the album's material itself, Somewhere South Of Somalia transports you from rap to spoken word, to trip-hop, all seamlessly done lending to a true sense of discovery.

Rana Linda is the story of a foreign war correspondent originally from Colorado who had been covering events in Rwanda and now struggles with the realities of difficult choices. Ugly American tells of a wealthy businessman who moves to the Kenyan coast, destroys forests, sexually abuses his maid and kills endangered species for fun.

Black Rock is a song based on Tanzanian tribal tradition of a black stone reported to save lives of those bitten by venomous snakes. The catchy chorus is sung by tribal children and backed by a thick base of tribal hip-hop rhythm.

Lapis Lazuli / Mother of Pearl is a spoken word proclamation of love with a melodically sung hook-line by IZREAL (from the song Rana Linda) and woven throughout by a beautifully muted trumpet jazz-like beats. The song adds to the diversity and richness of the album. Very well done.

Upendo is eight minutes and twenty-six seconds of superb and outrageously erotic, trip-hop. "Mr. Lapis Lazuli" receiving a language lesson from "Mother of Pearl" (50 ways to say I LOVE YOU in Swahili). For sheer mood enhancing power, Upendo stands tall in the company of Enigma's Principles of Lust (MCMXC a.D.) and Lonnie Liston Smith's Desert Nights from his hallmark Expansions album. I would buy Somewhere South of Somalia for this song alone.

Exploring the outskirts of Nairobi's notorious River Road, ITHAKA relates a tale of adventure-turned nightmare involving pimps, drug dealers and knife wielding gangs. It ends with ITHAKA sprinting for his life.

Mwajuma, tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a wandering nomad, ITHAKA, and a domestic servant to Nairobi's elite. The story unfolds from a light-hearted meeting to ITHAKA's discovery that his new friend has tested HIV positive. Her husband is already dead and she ponders about the future of her children while still showing great concern for ITHAKA's well being. Cynthia Denise Farmer sings the moving gospel chorus, building to a full choir ending. The song is a powerful reminder of the AIDS epidemic that is devastating much of Africa today.

ITHAKA's curiosity of places and people is revealed wholeheartedly in Somewhere South Of Somalia. His travels have taken him to Europe, Africa and the South Pacific. While in Lisbon, Portugal, a brief stint as a radio host landed him a record deal with a local subsidiary of EMI. In 1998 he released the ep, ESCAPE (Nortesul EMI/Portugal) which featured a remake of his hip-hop dance track "Escape From The City Of Angels" off of his first album. The song earned ITHAKA a SCYPE AWARD (European Radio Listener's Choice Award) and later appeared in the soundtrack of Columbia Film's The Replacement Killers starring Mira Sorvino and Chow Yung Fat.

Somewhere South Of Somalia is a continuation of ITHAKA's philosophy: live it, write about it, rap about it. It is an excellent hip-hop album as well as a true collector's offering. Now I can finish right where I began: run, don't walk, and buy this CD! Don't miss out on one of the most original hip hop releases of the year!"

review by
jack "papa" baer
november 19, 2001

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