DETROIT — Buffy Sainte-Marie. If you’re a baby boomer, the name surely rings bells. There’s probably a picture attached, circa the early-’60s folk music explosion, of a young American Indian girl with an acoustic guitar and a strange, singular vibrato as she performs protest anthems “Universal Soldier” and “Now That the Buffalo’s Gone.” If you’re a pop scholar, you think of her as the writer of “Until It’s Time for You to Go,” a hit for both Elvis Presley and Neil Diamond, and as coauthor of the 1982 Oscar-winning song “Up Where We Belong.”

In the decades since those pictures were fixed in our consciousness, the Canadian singer and songwriter has developed parallel and equally distinguished careers as a painter, computer artist and programmer, actor (there are those who know her only from her recurring “Sesame Street” role), educator and social activist.

She attributes our incomplete and out-of-date picture to U.S. government pressure resulting from her political activism, particularly regarding American Indian issues. “I was blacklisted, taken away from American audiences in my prime,” she says, “but that didn’t stop me. I had the rest of the world and lots of creative options to explore.”

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By BRETT JOHNSON/The Associated Press

For most indie-rap diehards, pairing producer 9th Wonder (Jay-Z, Erykah Badu) with South African-born, Brooklyn-bred rapper Jean Grae is an ideal match-up. Formerly of underground hip-hop darlings Little Brother, 9th Wonder’s known for subtly textured, retro-sounding beats - looped, dusty soul samples and drum kicks that pop. Meanwhile, Grae’s respected for being among a species of rapper facing extinction - the female MC.

Her immodestly titled disc “Jeanius” fulfills much of the promise of the vaunted collaboration. (An early version of “Jeanius” surfaced as a bootleg in 2004). Grae’s conversational flow is packed with equal amounts boasting and poignant insight. She’s as adept at punchline rapson “2-32’s” she explains: “Impeccable rap flow/ second to that wordplay/ akin to a verb hitting a piñata on the eve of it’s birthday.”

Yet Grae’s also willing to reveal details of a past abortion on the solemn “My Story” and her indie rap struggles on “Don’t Rush Me.” On the latter, she rhymes: “There’s nothing like knowing yourself/ Like the way I know that smoking’s kinda broken my health/ Like the way I know my flow don’t make appropriate wealth.”

By mid-disc, it becomes more evident that mainstream success has eluded Grae in part because her dense, deliberate flow - now over Wonder’s hypnotic, mid-tempo tracks - is strictly headphone music. Her songs require close listening to be fully appreciated. But that suits a lyricist like Grae, a cult heroine who’s sorely needed in today’s hip-hop world.

CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: On the sultry “Love Thirst” Grae plays a hyper-literate rap coquette, proving she’s not all about b-girl posturing and identity politics.

By Chris Catania/PopMatters.com

“… Side effects might include just being who you really are.”
—Lyric from “Niggy Tardust”

CHICAGO — Saul Williams wants to liberate you.

As an actor, screenwriter, poet, and musician, Williams has been offering you the opportunity for the last 10 years by releasing books of poetry, a feature film, and three albums, including his 2007 effort “The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust” — a self-released concept album unveiled in a pay-what-you-like Radiohead-style purchase method via his Web site.

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Six Shot.com sat down with the Harlem-born emcee recently to discuss his latest release.

“There are a lot of people that are conscious about lots of (issues). Think about this: How many people know how corrupt the society is, or how (messed up) their local government is? I’m not conscious; I’m revolutionary to address those things specifically, and to say that I’m going to take a stand in what I personally believe in. There are people that are willing to help us out, and I’m definitely looking forward to working with them.” - Immortal Technique

Related Links:

www.viperrecords.com

SAN FRANCISCO - Steven Garcia pulled into a Houston gas station recently to fill up the old Dodge van his punk band uses on summer tours.

For months, the 23-year-old singer-guitarist had been budgeting money and booking show dates for Something Fierce’s third tour - but skyrocketing gas prices have put the brakes on those plans.

“Once I ran the numbers it was a ‘There’s no (expletive) way’ kind of moment,” Garcia said. After much hand-wringing and grumbling from bookers who’d scheduled the band to play, Garcia canceled the tour.

Cramming into a rusty, creaky van and playing dive bars and house parties is a summer ritual for many young musicians and ambitious independent bands trying to get exposure, make a living and maybe build a solid future in music.

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In an interview with Tom Speed of All About Jazz, Alejandro Escovedo explains how his latest album, “Real Animal,” is a culmination of the sound his has been developing his entire career. “Real Animal” is very much an autobiographical album that takes listeners on a journey that is the life of the legendary songwriter. The album hits stores June 24. For the entire article, see the All About Jazz Web site.

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Here is the latest music video from Britpop outfit Supergrass. “Diamond Hoo Ha Man” the first single and title track off the group’s sixth studio.

According to Star Pulse Entertainment, Supergrass will be launching a summer tour alongside the Foo Fighters in support of their latest album “Diamond Hoo Ha.” The Britpop act released its sixth studio album on June 10 off their new record label Astralwerks. For tour information, see Supergrass.com.

By JAKE COYLE/The Associated Press

MANCHESTER, Tenn. - Bonnaroo began in earnest Friday with the rarest of double bills: Chris Rock followed by Metallica.

Metallica’s Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett introduced Rock, and the comedian in turn introduced who he called “the baddest … band in the world.” Both acts were unlikely fare for the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, which began in 2002 as primarily a jam band event.

But in recent years, Bonnaroo has broadened itself and brought more diverse fans to its 700-acre countryside site south of Nashville. Among the tens of thousands of festival-goers, Rock, Metallica and many other performers were very conscious of their entry into a tie-dyed world they seldom traffic in.

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