New urban Soul, is that what they calling me now? Ain’t nothing “new” about it. I’ve been this way, every life all my life on this confusion infused mass.
These naps on my head--they ain’t new. The made the trip across the water before I ever thought about making it. They can’t be changed. I can bend them, straightened them, lock, twist,press, curl, iron, flattened, and shave them; but change don’t come for these naps--adaptation…yes--change…no/ ain’t nothin’ new about them.
The skin I’m wearing--well it ain’t new. Newly appreciated by some, but not new. It don’t change. Sometimes change is wanted--but it don’t change. I can bleach it, lotion it, tat, scar, pierce, and abuse it; but change don’t come for this skin. Ain’t nothing new about this largest organ we call skin.
So, what makes new urban soul new? What makes it urban? Hell, people in the country been rocking this style sense before they was a city. When county was all there was, we been had this soul thang on lock. Ain’t nothin’ new about that.
May be it’s new and urban cause the other who ain’t ever been us got wind of fried chicken and dumplins and liked what they smelled even in the city. This soul thing has always been a Black thang.
We have always had the beat, the rhythm--not to music but to life which is music. We had our beat, rhythm, and connection to life, spirit, and love in the physical long before it became in vogue. This ain’t new to us.
May be it’s new because those who were born with it don’t want it and those who were and could never be us have found it and well it’s new to them.
Maybe it’s urban because when we who have always been us fled what destroyed and confused us, we took it up north to the cities and dropped it off--cause well, you don’t need it in the place that promised you reparations.
Now soul. Soul don’t change--it be like these naps on my head and this organ that breathes and moves and grows with me. Soul was, is and forever will be the beat, the rhythm and the connection to life, spirit and love in the physical that takes us beyond physical into spiritual that gives us life to get the beat that supplies us with the rhythm that ultimately connects us to life, spirit and love in the spirit.
New urban soul. So that is what they calling me now. Ain’t nothin’ new about it.
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