TheLegendsLeague | Bryan Espiritu

RED – I Should Tell Ya Momma On You

I was walking to the home of 2 of the most talented individuals I know, (and arguably the best matched couple ever), Jesar and Maria, with another one of the most talented individuals I know, (and without question the closest thing I have to a sister), Zaki Ibrahim, when she started singing some really ill shit. The lines were:

“Now here we go again.
Me and my lonesome best friend.
Spend up ya dough, fa’sho, man, I’m just sayin’,
I-I-I-I-I ain’t playin,
I should tell ya momma on you.”

Fucking rad right?

So I asked her who the hell that was, not thinking that it could’ve been her material and probably sounding like an asshole for assuming otherwise. She said it was a homeless man named, “Red”, who had been discovered by the Heavyweights. He was filmed by Ty G while singing the song and the video was posted on YouTube in December of 2008.

So last night, I searched the video before going to bed, and I was amazed…

Not only is the sound refreshing, the music incredibly catchy, and the talent and ability for this man to do this all with just his vocal chords impressive, the writing is outstanding to me. Out-standing. No pun intended.

“… for smokin on that grand daddy.
Make you wanna slap ya grand mammy.
Make you wanna hit that Laffy Taffy.
Wonderful.
When I do it, girl, you make me happy.

So we about to get hyphy wit it.
You claim that you don’t like me,
Quit it.
After hours, girl, I’m all up in it.
And after that she keep me Nike fitted.”

“I should tell ya momma on you.
Who else?
Monet, Soleil, and Sacha on ya.
Treasure, Smiley, Tasha on ya.
Regina or Lil Tina on ya.
Sabrina or Christina on ya.
Stacey or Tracey on ya.
Cagney or Lacey on ya.
Briana or Bianca on ya.
Lil Tanya or Tatiana on ya.
Cookie, Meesha, Cora on ya.
Sequoia or Latoya on ya.
Jasmine, Robin, Déja on ya.
Malasia on you.
For you haters, go get Kela on ya.
And if you don’t know, go get Coco on ya.
Sit me down, Ebobo on ya.
Might just sick a hobo on ya.”

Sure, it reads like just a bunch of names. But for a man whose dream of being a star in Hollywood turned to being homeless in the early 90′s, I can’t help but feel that there are echoes of a time where Regina Belle, Tina Turner, Latoya Jackson, Jasmine Guy, Robin Givens, and Coco (SWV) were all familiar household names. Whether deliberate or not, the fact that it can resonate those thoughts is beautiful. The brilliant stabs of Cagney & Lacey that might go unnoticed by a younger listener, the going “Malasia on you” talk that many of us are so accustomed to hearing our girls saying in threats, the reference of “Ebobo” which means “Gorilla”, and the tongue in cheek, “Might just sick a hobo on ya”, are impressive in their simplicity and remind me so much of Cee-Lo Green’s writing, which I love and admire greatly.

Listening to this song is a reminder of the talent that used to be required to make it in a now flooded pool of par and subpar acts and actors playing the part of celebrities on behalf of those who can believe in the power of a stylist, good wardrobe and properly tuned vocals in a post production session. It’s a reminder that talent alone can’t navigate us to the places we feel our talent rightfully deserves to be perched and presented. And it says something of what we’ve grown to accept as the talents we praise in our current day gazing.

Enjoy.

Red’s music has since been made available on iTunes and on a limited 7″ released by HVW8 and Stones Throw. If you like what you hear and see, check out more on RED at http://www.hvw8.com/site/2009/07/09/reds-story/.

Enjoy your day guys. And be grateful for what you’ve got, no matter how little or minimal.

Love&Respect,
be.