Prevagen. Healthier brain. Better life.
Better life. .
. >>> THE END OF THE YEAR BRINGS
REFLECTION ON WHAT HAPPENED.
2019 IS THE YEAR THAT BROUGHT IN
A NEW CONGRESS, THE MOST DIVERSE
EVER.
EVER. OF COURSE IT BROUGHT IMPEACHMENT
THIS WEEK, THE FIRST EVER FOR AN
I ELECTED PRESIDENT IN HIS FIRST
TERM.
TERM. IT ALSO BROUGHT LORI LIGHTFOOT’S
ELECTION, THE LARGEST AMERICAN
CITY LED BY A WOMAN.
IT WASN’T JUST ABOUT POLITIC.
DRAKE HAS DISPLACED THE BEATLES
WITH 28 BILLION MUSIC STREAMS
WHILE BILLIE EILISH IS ONE OF
THE MOST POPULAR ARTISTS OF THE
YEAR.
YEAR. THE 18-YEAR-OLD NEWCOMER
WRACKING UP 6 MILLION STREAMS.
WHICH BRINGS US TO A SPECIAL
STORY TONIGHT.
STORY TONIGHT. AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH
ARTIST YASIIN BEY.
HE PERFORMED AS THE RAPPER MOS
DEF AND WE GET INTO WHERE
CULTURE IS MOVING ONLINE.
HE’S RELEASING HIS NEW MUSIC
OFFLINE ONLY.
OFFLINE ONLY. YOU CAN’T GET IT ON AN APP OR
RECORD STORE.
RECORD STORE. IT’S LIMITED TO HIS ART EXHIBIT
AT THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM.
PEOPLE CAN ONLY HEAR IT THERE,
NOT ON SPOTIFY, APPLE, ET
CETERA.
CETERA. WE JUST GOT TO SIT DOWN AT THIS
EXHIBIT AND HERE’S THE CONCISE
EXPLANATION OF THE NEW APPROACH.
>> MY PROPOSAL, SO TO SPEAK, IS
THAT ART IS NOT JUST A FINE ART
TO USE A PHRASE IS NOT LIMITED
OR RESTRICTED SOLELY TO WHAT YOU
CAN HANG ON A WALL OR THAT IT
INCLUDES MUSIC AS WELL.
I HAD A STRONG FEELING THAT IT
NEEDED TO BE A MORE DYNAMIC
EXPERIENCE THAN SIMPLY
DOWNLOADING IT FROM, YOU KNOW, A
DEVICE.
DEVICE. IT’S A MEDITATIVE REFLECTIVE
SORT OF EXPERIENCE.
>> EXPERIENCE.
>> EXPERIENCE. THERE ARE OF COURSE MANY WAYS TO
EXPERIENCE CULTURE.
EXPERIENCE CULTURE. AND THIS EXHIBIT CERTAINLY DOES
SLOW YOU DOWN INTO REALLY
FOCUSING ON THE MUSIC AND ART.
WE ALSO DISCUSSED SOME OF HIS
WORK INCLUDING HIS ICONIC ALBUM
"BLACK ON BOTH SIDES" WHICH HAS
MANY POLITICAL THEMES RELEVANT
TODAY.
TODAY. CAN I READ A LITTLE MATHEMATICS?
>> OKAY.
>> OKAY. >> OR DO YOU WANT TO READ IT?
>> YOU CAN READ.
THAT’S FINE.
THAT’S FINE. >> IT’S A NUMBERS GAME BUT DON’T
ADD UP SOMEHOW, LIKE I’VE GOT 16
TO 32 BARS TO ROCK IT BUT ONLY
15% OF PROFITS, A FIVE MINUTE
SENTENCE HEARING AND YOU’RE NO
LONGER
LONGER LONGER FREE.
LONGER FREE. >> THERE’S SOME OBSERVATIONS
THERE.
THERE. >> BUT NOW YOU GOT -- YOU EVEN
HAVE SOME REPUBLICANS SAYING,
YEAH, FIVE MINUTES, YEARS TAKEN
OUT OF PEOPLES LIVES, WE’VE GOT
TO REVISE THIS.
>> I DEFINITELY WAS COMMENTING
AND REMARKING ON THE WORLD I SAW
AROUND ME GROWING UP IN NEW YORK
CITY, AND SOME STARK REALITIES
AS WELL, VERY SINGULAR TYPE OF
EXPERIENCE TO SAY THE LEAST.
>> MUSIC CAN OPEN OUR EYES TO
OTHER PEOPLES EXPERIENCES.
I THINK WE ALL KNOW THAT.
I GOT TO ASK BEY ABOUT ANOTHER
ONE OF HIS FAMOUS TRACKS FROM
THAT SAME ALBUM WHICH PUSHES
LISTENERS TO ENTER THE
EXPERIENCE OF A SUCCESSFUL BLACK
MAN WHO FINDS RACISM WAR AS HE
BECOMES MORE PROMINENT.
THE DOUBLE STANDARDS DON’T DEFER
TO HIS SUCCESS BUT REPOSITION
AROUND IT.
AROUND IT. I EVEN BROUGHT SOME OF THE
LYRICS TO AN INTERVIEW AND IN A
SURPRISE YOU’RE GOING TO SEE BEY
ENDED UP RAPPING THEM HIMSELF.
I’M THINKING ABOUT ANOTHER SONG
THAT REALLY HOLDS UP I’M ONLY
GOING TO SAY IT A CERTAIN WAY
MR. N WORD.
>> YEAH, MR. N WORD.
LORD HAVE MERCY.
>> SO I BROUGHT THESE LYRICS TOO
BECAUSE THEY HOLD UP.
THIS IS INCREDIBLE STUFF.
>> OKAY.
>> OKAY. >> BECAUSE YOU STAY AND PEOPLE
TRY TO KEEP YOU IN THAT BOX EVEN
WHEN YOU TRANSCEND.
>> IF I KNOW YOUR GENE AELG OR
WHERE YOU’RE FROM I KNOW
SOMETHING ABOUT YOU AND I CAN’T
PRETEND TO KNOW A PERSON JUST
BECAUSE I KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT
THEM OR REDUCE THEM TO A SET OF
LIKE SCIENTIFIC RESPONSES.
AND IT’S RIDICULOUS.
I MEAN SOMEONE’S SKIN COLOR,
IT’S LIKE PEOPLE WITH ACNE ARE
BAD PEOPLE.
BAD PEOPLE. WE’RE HUMAN BEINGS.
YOU KNOW, IT SEEMS LIKE BEING A
RACIST IS REALLY LABOR-INTENSIVE
AND JUST KIND OF DRAINING, YOU
KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
>> DRAINING?
>> DRAINING? >> YEAH, NOT VERY REWARDING.
DON’T SEE A LOT OF JOYOUS
RACISTS YOU KNOW WHAT I’M
SAYING?
SAYING? LET’S GO HATE TODAY.
THEY’RE NOT VERY --
>> EVEN WHEN THEY HAVE THE TIKI
TORCHES THEY DON’T SEEM --
>> THEY DON’T SEEM LIKE THEY’RE
HAVING A REALLY GOOD TIME.
>> THAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
IF YOU’RE EVER LIKE AT THE
HARDWARE STORE.
HARDWARE STORE. IF SOMEONE’S GETTING LIKE FOUR
TIKI TORCHES, THAT’S A DINNER
PARTY.
PARTY. BUT IF YOU SEE THEM BUYING LIKE
20 TIKI TORCHES THAT’S LIKE AN
ANTI-SEMITIC ANTI-BLACK HATE
RALLY.
RALLY. THAT’S HOW YOU KNOW.
IT’S TOO MANY.
>> TOO MANY TORCHES.
WHAT ARE YOU GUYS UP TO?
>> WHAT ARE YOU DOING LATER?
TOO MANY TIKI TORCHES.
WATCH OUT FOR THAT.
I GOT TO ASK THIS FAMOUSLY
CONSCIOUS MUSICIAN AND HE HAD A
RESPONSE THAT AFTER THIS LONG
WEEK AND LONG YEAR ARE SOMETHING
OF OUR LAST WORD TONIGHT.
A LOT OF PEOPLE IN AMERICA ARE
OBVIOUSLY DISPIRITED ABOUT
LEADERSHIP IN GOVERNMENT AND
POLITICS.
POLITICS. >> YOU ARE HERE.
TODAY’S AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO
SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL TODAY SO BE
GREAT TODAY, AS GREAT AS YOU
CAN.
CAN. BE CHEERFUL, STRIVE TO BE HAPPY.