Be Bop or Be Dead

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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)

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]

Production[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

  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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