In his latest blog post for the Star Tribute, spoken word artist Bao Phi looks back at the last decade's best Asian American spoken word, recounting what the last ten years has meant to him as an artist and a member of the Asian American community: A Decade of Asian Am Spoken Word - A personal history (and my favorite Asian Am recordings of the decade).
It's not just an average top ten list. It's clearly evident these recordings are deeply personal, meaningful works for Bao and his journey. It's not just poetry, nor just music -- it's the soundtrack to a struggle and celebration. I still don't know what we're calling the first ten years of this century, but we can all agree -- a lot of important shit went down.
Take a look at the list, familiarize yourself with the Best Asian American Independent Recordings of the Decade. There's a bunch of stuff on there that I revere and respect, and others that I've never heard of. Can't wait to discover (and re-discover) these works.
Oh, and I have to add my voice to the chorus of people who must insist that Bao includes his own album Refugeography as one of the best recordings of the decade. It's a hell of a work that deserves recognition. If you haven't checked it out, get yourself a copy here.
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