Wikipedia

Be Bop or Be Dead

Be Bop or Be Dead is the debut solo album by the American musician and Last Poet Umar Bin Hassan, released in 1993.[2][3] Hassan had spent many of the preceding years isolated from his group and his music while dealing with drug and personal issues.[4][5] The album was a commercial disappointment.[6]

Be Bop or Be Dead
Studio album by
Umar Bin Hassan
Released1993
GenreRap, jazz
LabelAxiom[1]
ProducerBill Laswell
Umar Bin Hassan chronology
Be Bop or Be Dead
(1993) 		To the Last
(2001)

Production

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The album was produced by Bill Laswell.[7] Laswell reached out to the Last Poets after the group had performed in a scene of Poetic Justice; only Hassan returned to the studio after the first day of recording sessions.[8] Bernie Worrell, Buddy Miles, Aïyb Dieng, Bootsy Collins, Foday Musa Suso, and Abiodun Oyewole were among the musicians who contributed to Be Bop or Be Dead.[9][10][11] A total of 15 musicians played on the album.[12]

"This is Madness" and "Niggers Are Scared of Revolution" are remakes of Last Poets songs.[13] "Malcolm" is a biographical song about Malcolm X.[14]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [15]
Calgary HeraldA[16]
Chicago Tribune    [17]
MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide     [10]
Spin Alternative Record Guide8/10[18]
USA Today    [19]

Trouser Press called the album an "acidic, jazz-centric" project, writing that it "is filled with riffs on jazz legends and autobiographical notes on the successes and failures of black nationalism."[9] The Washington Post concluded that "its most moving pieces offer mature reflections on life, love and the deadly seductions of the street."[8] The Washington City Paper panned the Last Poets remakes, but admired "'Personal Things' and 'Bum Rush', [which] recall the more traditional sound sculptures of early Last Poets, with a lone voice riding over a predominant mix of African-based instrumentation—dousongonni, kora, chatan, congas, and berimbau."[13] The Chicago Tribune opined that, "if Hassan has an overriding message, it is for African-Americans to learn to love themselves, while his poems confront the obstacles, both social and psychological, that prevent that from happening."[17] The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette declared: "The attitude is punk, but the voice is black and impatient."[20]

Vibe determined that, "outside of the remake of 'Niggers Are Scared of Revolution', the album just doesn't work ... [Hassan] has been in a cultural time warp for the past two decades."[21] Billboard deemed the album "an incomparable treatise by a true pioneer of our modern oral tradition."[22] Newsday stated that the songs "concern the energy of bebop jazz, Malcolm X, pop music, love, honor and 42nd Street ... 'Bum Rush', a didactic yet sympathetic look at the urban dilemma, observes, 'There's always the streets. From shoeshine boys to big time to trick or treat'."[23] The Calgary Herald called Hassan "as powerful as ever," writing that "his anger, his call for revolution, has not diminished over the years."[16] USA Today missed "rap's catchy rhymes and syncopation," noting that Hassan "speaks over driving backbeats or jazzy rhythms."[19]

AllMusic wrote that Laswell "virtually recreated the Last Poets tapestry, except that this time there's an electronic overlay as well as a percussive one ... [Hassan's] voice hasn't been dulled by the years."[15] The Spin Alternative Record Guide labeled Be Bop or Be Dead "a triumphant return to the inspiration and intensity of the Poets' first two albums."[18]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."Niggers Are Scared of Revolution"5:23
2."AM"7:59
3."Bum Rush"5:29
4."This Is Madness"5:27
5."Malcolm"6:23
6."Pop"4:41
7."Love"6:07
8."40 Deuce Street"3:48
9."Personal Things"4:30
10."This Is Madness (Metal Mix)"5:33

References

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  1. ^ "Jazzoetry". SF Weekly. September 20, 1995.
  2. ^ "Umar Bin Hassan Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ^ "One of the Last Poets". Miami New Times.
  4. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 5. MUZE. p. 101.
  5. ^ Smith, Patricia (11 Oct 1993). "Return of the Last Poet sounds a wake-up call". Living. The Boston Globe. p. 39.
  6. ^ Santiago, Roberto (December 31, 1993). "Hip Hop Walks the Cutting Edge". Friday. The Plain Dealer. p. 12.
  7. ^ Thompson, Dave (October 26, 2001). Funk. Hal Leonard Corporation.
  8. ^ a b "The Last Poets". The Washington Post. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Last Poets". Trouser Press. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  10. ^ a b MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 346.
  11. ^ Gill, Andy (21 Oct 1993). "Albums". Arts Page. The Independent.
  12. ^ Levesque, Roger (4 Sep 1993). "Record Reviews". Edmonton Journal. p. D4.
  13. ^ a b Hill, Bobby (October 8, 1993). "Poet Alone". Washington City Paper.
  14. ^ Mitchell, Rick (August 15, 1993). "Be Bop or Be Dead". Zest. Houston Chronicle. p. 6.
  15. ^ a b "Be Bop or Be Dead". AllMusic.
  16. ^ a b Muretich, James (29 Aug 1993). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald. p. C2.
  17. ^ a b Kot, Greg (29 July 1993). "Relevant as Ever: Umar Bin Hassan's Message: Blacks Should Learn to Love Themselves". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 8.
  18. ^ a b Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. pp. 222–223.
  19. ^ a b Jones IV, James T. (9 Sep 1993). "Slick tunes, mellow moods, rapper roots". USA Today. p. 10D.
  20. ^ Norman, Tony (August 6, 1993). "Music". Entertainment. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 18.
  21. ^ Powell, Kevin (Oct 1993). "Revolutions". Vibe. Vol. 1, no. 2. p. 116.
  22. ^ White, Timothy (Jul 3, 1993). "Umar Bin Hassan's poetic justice". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 27. p. 5.
  23. ^ Gehr, Richard (8 Aug 1993). "New Releases". Fanfare. Newsday. p. 21.
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