Malik & the O.G's
Malik & the O.G 's is a spoken-word performance band based in Liverpool. Its founder Malik Al Nasir put the band together in 2006 when he first recorded his poetry to music for his debut album Rhythms of the Diaspora Vol 1 & 2, featuring [1]Gil Scott-Heron and The Last Poets′ Jalal Mansur Nuriddin. Malik produced the album for Dubai-based label MCPR Music but as of 2014 the album is unreleased. In 2006 Malik & the O.G's produced a video for the song from the album Africa, an adaptation of one of the poems of the same name in Malik's book Ordinary Guy.
Malik & the O.G's was born out of the political poetry movement that was rooted in the civil rights era in America. In 1984 Gil Scott-Heron toured the UK and met Malik Al Nasir backstage at a concert.[2]
[3] Scott-Heron then trained Malik Al Nasir over a period spanning more than 20 years as a poet and also in the politics of the civil rights era. Jalal Mansur Nuriddin (of The Last Poets) wrote the foreword to the book Ordinary Guy,[4] which was a [5] tribute to Scott-Heron. In 2006 Malik recorded Rhythms of the Diaspora Vol 1 & 2, his debut album, with Gil and Jalal under his band name "Malik & The O.G's".
Malik & the O.G's also featured in a documentary,[6] Word up – From Ghetto to Mecca, with political black poets Gil Scott-Heron, Jalal Mansur Nuriddin of The Last Poets and UK Dub poet Benjamin Zephaniah, as well as Rod Youngs (drummer from The Amnesia Express). The film premiered at the Phoenix Cinema in Leicester, UK, in 2011 as part of the "Black History Season" dedicated to the late Gil Scott-Heron.
In 2011 Malik & the O.G's were invited to perform at Judith E. Wilson's Drama Studio at [7]Cambridge University. The band at that time included Malik Al Nasir lead vocal, Rod Youngs (Gil Scott-Heron's Amnesia Express), Cambridge-based bass player Tiago Coimbra, Senegalese percussionist Makhou and engineer Tom Parker.
In 2013 Malik & the O.G's were invited by Liverpool City Council to perform their poetry at the inauguration of Liverpool International Music Festival, where the band was placed on the "It's Liverpool – Legends" stage. After the festival Malik was asked to perform some anti-war poetry for online TV station Bay TV where he delivered the politically charged poem "Shock & Awe", performed at the Liverpool International Music Festival, which is based on Gil Scott-Heron's anti-war protest song "Re-Ron".
In [8] Feb' 2014 Malik & the O.G's supported Jalal of The Last Poets at the [9] live performance of "Hustlers Convention" at the Jazz Café in London.[10] with Jazz Warriors – Cleveland Watkiss, Hawi Gondwe (Amy Winehouse Band) and Orphy Robinson (Don Cherry Band) The sold out performance was filmed for a documentary on Hustlers Convention commissioned by Chuck D of Public Enemy .
Bibliography
- Ordinary Guy by Mark T. Watson a.k.a. Malik Al Nasir, Fore-Word Press, 2004 (ISBN 978-0954886707)
- "Gil Scott-Heron Saved My Life" Abdul Malik Al Nasir (as told to Simon Hattenstone), The Guardian, 19 June 2011.
- "Malik & The O.G's 2014" by Mike 'The Dood' Edwards, UK Vibe Magazine March 2014.
- "Interview with Malik & the O.G's" by Sunny Sharma D, I Am Hip-Hop Magazine 7 February 2014
Radio appearances
- BBC World Service, Outlook Extraordinary personal stories from around the world. with Matthew Bannister, Broadcast, Mon 27 Jun 2011 14:32 GMT, Mon 27 Jun 2011 19:32 GMT, Mon 27 Jun 2011 23:32 GMT, Tue 28 Jun 2011, 01:32 GMT, Tue 28 Jun 2011 10:05 GMT.
- BBC Radio 4, Saturday Live with Claire Balding and Al Jarreau.
- BBC Radio 5 Live, "Up all Night" with Dotun Adebayo Broadcast, Sunday 20 Nov 2011
- BBC Radio Leicester, 104.9 fm "Dulcie Dixon Show" with Erol Melbourne, Broadcast Sunday 2nd Oct 2011
Filmography
- Word Up – From Ghetto To Mecca, Film Premiere, Phoenix Cinema, Leicester, UK.
- Bay TV, Shock & Awe, August 2013.
- BBC News, "Liverpool riots - caused by government cuts", with Ed Balls.
- Hustlers Convention Documentary, release date Summer 2015.
Discography
- Rhythms of the Diaspora Vol. 1 by Malik & the O.G's
- Poets: Malik Al Nasir and Gil Scott-Heron
- Featuring: Larry McDonald, Rod Youngs, Marie Labropolus, Marivaldo Do Santos, LL Cool J, Sidney Mills, JD Smoothe, Charmaine Radcliff
- Rhythms of the Diaspora Vol. 2 by Malik & the O.G's
- Poets: Malik Al Nasir, Jalal Mansur Nuriddin a.k.a. Jalal and Ras Tesfa
- Featuring: Stanley Clarke Larry McDonald, Rod Youngs, Swiss Chris.
- Larry McDonald, "Drumquestra" [11] MCPR Music 2009 (Cat No: CPLM301)
References
- ↑ Graeme Thomson, "The Gil Scott Heron I knew".Uncut Magazine, August 2011. Issue. 171, pg. 32
- ↑ Marc Waddington, "Flashback: How meeting Gil Scott-Heron in riot-hit Toxteth changed my life". 9 July 2011
- ↑ Gareth Arnold, "Under the influence: the kindest, most generous man you could ever meet".The Independent on Sunday, 29 May 2011, Iss. Late, pg. 12
- ↑ Ordinary Guy by Mark T. Watson, Fore-Word Press (2004), Liverpool, UK. ISBN 9780954886707
- ↑ Jonah Weiner, "Tribute - Gil Scott Heron 1949-2011".Rolling Stone (USA)" 23 June 2011, Iss. 1133, pg. 30
- ↑ Aaron Frank, "Great way to learn about black history".The Leicester Mercury, 01 October 2011.
- ↑ University of Cambridge, "Events 2011/12-Ordinary Guy performance poetry by Malik Al Nasir (Drama Studio)".9 West Road-A Newsletter of the Faculty of English, 20th October 2011
- ↑ Mike Edwards, "Malik & The O.G’s 2014".UK Vibe Magazine" Feb 2014.
- ↑ Sunny Sharma D, "Interview With Malik And The O.G’s", I Am Hip Hop Magazine" Feb 2014.
- ↑ Graeme Thomson, "Hustlers Convention: rap's great lost album", The Guardian, 30 January 2014.
- ↑ Album Credits - "Malik Al Nasir Executive Producer" Allmusic.com