Ta-Nehisi Coates

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Flash the message, someone's out there...

25 Nov 2008 04:00 pm

Namely John Forte, who just got pardoned by George Bush. Gawker kicks the ballistics. Meanwhile, in a nod to John, let us remember the days of hip-hop past. Damn, we even make John Travolta look good...


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Comments (12)

"Stayin' Alive" was that joint back in '97. When I read that Forte got pardoned, the first thing I thought was "wtf" and the second thing was "John Forte, grab the microphone and sway this waaaaay."

I'll def be listening to "The Carnival" tonight.

The Carnival is a great slept on album.

The Score, The Carnival & Miseducation all fit in my Fugees folder on the hard drive, all three are classic albums with so many great tracks.

On The Carnival, I always dug that Guantanamera and of course To All The Girls I Cheated On Before...

Why did Bush pardon John Forte? I don't get it.

Wow. I forgot how much of a heatrock "Flash the Message" was. I remember the video came out during the headiest days of crazy-surreal rap imagery. Does anyone remember the Mystidious Misfits (sp)?

Oh man, that takes me back. In college, the last song my friends and I used to listen to before rolling out on weekends was "Stayin' Alive". I had no idea John Forte was just pardoned by Bush, that's hillarious.

Why did Bush pardon John Forte? I don't get it.

I guess it pays to eat mangoes in Trinidad with attorneys.

I guess going to Exeter finally paid off for him...

I thought his sentence was commuted...didn't know he was pardoned....good stuff anyways....he deserves it.

A couple of years ago, I saw Carly Simon on CNN or 60 Minutes making the case for his release. I'm glad he gets a second chance.

Forte got his sentence commuted through some Phillips Exeter connects. He is buddies with Ben Taylor, the son of songwriters Carly Simon and James Taylor, who also went to Exeter. (Bush is a Phillips Andover grad.) Ben and his mother Carly supposedly lobbied hard for John.

And the lesson is: it is worth going into special programs that pluck students of color from public school and puts them into private school, especially if you want to wild out and walk through an airport with a ridiculous amount of WHITE.

Funny enough, Forte and I are alum of the VERY same program in New York City called Prep for Prep. But I think I'll pass the coke in the airport thing...Why chance it?

http://gawker.com/5098565/bush-pardons-jailed-rapper-after-hearing-he-went-to-exeter?skyline=true&s=x

Also, John Forte's album is UNDERrated.

Been waiting for you to post on John "grab the mike and come sway this way..." Forte. Is there anything more to say about this than it pays to go to Exeter? I think that's such an interesting dynamic, but maybe that's all it boils down to.

I'm hoping he uses this as a forum to talk about the war on drugs. I read an interview in Rolling Stone from back after he first went to jail where he talked about how many people were locked up for dealing small amounts of crack.

Also, SH, doesn't he have two albums? Which one is good?

John Forte's second album, I, John is GREAT. He recorded it right before he went away, seven years ago. He was doing then what people like Phonté and Kanye are trying to do now, introspective soul-hip hop. It still holds up. It is almost impossible to find these days (I got mine at Fat Beats in NYC) but well worth hunting down. Check for Harmonize and Trouble Again, his duet with Tricky!

OK, now Bush needs to fix whatever's wrong with Lauryn Hill and I will, personally, consider him a more successful president than Millard Filmore.

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