Gary Byrd and the GB Experience | |
---|---|
Origin | United States |
Genres | Pop music |
Years active | 1980s |
Labels | Motown |
Associated acts | Stevie Wonder |
Gary Byrd and the GB Experience was an American male/female vocal/instrumental group, who had a single titled "The Crown", in the UK Singles Chart. It was released on the Motown label, entered the chart on 23 July 1983 at number 21, and rose to a high of number 6; it remained in the chart for 9 weeks.[1] It had previously been released in the US on Stevie Wonder's short-lived Wondirection label, but had not been a hit there.
"The Crown", released on 12" only, ran for 10 minutes 35 seconds, making it one of the longest tracks ever to chart in the UK. It was written by Gary Byrd and Stevie Wonder, and presented a wide-ranging historical narrative of human progress (beginning with the ancient Egyptians and continuing to the present day) with an emphasis on African heritage. It featured spoken/rapped verses by Byrd (an American DJ), with one verse sung by Wonder and Crystal Blake.
Imhotep (/ɪmˈhoʊtɛp/; also spelled Immutef, Im-hotep, or Ii-em-Hotep; called Imuthes (Ἰμούθης) by the Greeks; fl. 27th century BC (c. 2650–2600 BC); Egyptian: ỉỉ-m-ḥtp *jā-im-ḥātap meaning "the one who comes in peace, is with peace") was an Egyptian polymath who served under the Third Dynasty king Djoser as chancellor to the pharaoh and high priest of the sun god Ra at Heliopolis. He is considered by some to be the earliest known architect and engineer and physician in history, though two other physicians, Hesy-Ra and Merit-Ptah, lived around the same time. The full list of his titles is:
He was one of only a few commoners ever to be accorded divine status after death. The center of his cult was Memphis. From the First Intermediate Period onward Imhotep was also revered as a poet and philosopher. His sayings were famously referenced in poems: "I have heard the words of Imhotep and Hordedef with whose discourses men speak so much."
The location of Imhotep's self-constructed tomb was well hidden from the beginning and it remains unknown, despite efforts to find it. The consensus is that it is hidden somewhere at Saqqara. Imhotep's historicity is confirmed by two contemporary inscriptions made during his lifetime on the base or pedestal of one of Djoser's statues (Cairo JE 49889) and also by a graffito on the enclosure wall surrounding Sekhemkhet's unfinished step-pyramid. The latter inscription suggests that Imhotep outlived Djoser by a few years and went on to serve in the construction of King Sekhemkhet's pyramid, which was abandoned due to this ruler's brief reign.
Imhotep is a video game for the Commodore 64 released by Ultimate Play The Game in 1985. Although published by Ultimate, it was developed by an independent programmer, Manuel Caballero, over a period of ten months. Unlike earlier arcade adventure titles such as The Staff of Karnath or Entombed it is a straightforward shooter game, with an Ancient Egypt theme.
Pascal Perez better known by his stage name Imhotep (born in Algiers on 19 May 1960) is a DJ, mixer, beat maker, songwriter and producer. In addition to his solo work including albums Blue Print and Kheper and producing of other artists, he was one of the founding members of the Marseille rap group IAM and its sound architect.
Pascal Perez after getting his graduate diploma worked as a school teacher for 4 years. But greatly influenced by music, having affinity to a number of versatile musical genres from the start, he played in a number of formations with blues, rock, reggae and funk influences. He also made the night circuits with electronic music and became a pioneer of beat-making in France.
In 1989, he joined IAM adopting the name of the historic Egyptian character Imhotep, alongside Akhenaton (Philippe Fragione), Shurik'n Chang-Ti Geoffroy Mussard, Khéops (Eric Mazel) and Kephren (François Mendy). Imhotep had major responsibilities in developing the IAM sound and using of Mediterranean and Oriental beat-making.
People of the world wherever you be
welcome to Cosmic YOUniversity.
Where life is the journey and love is the trip
And the study of them will make you hip.
I'm professor of the rap and when I speak
I guarantee that my lines will not be weak.
They say a mind is a terrible thing to waste
That's why I'm here and on the case.
Rapping up every mind with a special degree in socio-psycholo G.B.E.
The Gary Byrd Experience is my course
When you take my class you will feel the force.
'Cause I know the roots that the rap is from
When I speak to you I am not dumb.
Hear my rap and begin to dance
and I promise you this you will advance.
You may have seen the Raiders of the Lost Ark
But you still lefl the theatre in the darkl
So clap your hands to the beat as the Wondersound
And the G.B.E. shine on the Crown.
You wear the Crown
I wear the Crown
So proud to say that we all wear the Crown
the Crown.
I do recall so very well
when I was just a little boy
I used to hurry home from school
I used to always feel so blue
Because there was no mention in the books
we read about my heritage.
So therefore any information that I got was education.
Bums
hobos at depot stations
I would listen with much patience
Or to relatives who told the tales that they were told to pass ahead.
And then one day from someone old
I heard a story never told
Of all the kingdoms of my people
and then how we fought for freedom
All about the many things we have unto the world contributed.
You wear the crown. - We wear the crown - we wear the Crown.
It's not Star Wars
it's not Superman
it's not the story of the Ku-Klux-Klan.
The crown will appear in the G.B.E.
but it's never seen on your T.V.
It's in black and white in your gold mind
a picture so old it defies time.
Alex Haley drew it in his book
it's what Kunta kept in his other foot.
Ghana Songhay and old Mali
they are the roots of your own family tree.
Kingdom so vast and knowledge wise
They removed cataracts from human eyes.
And yet today some refuse to see
and live in fear of their discovery.
Now in fourteen hundred and ninety-two Columbus sailed to ocean - true.
But years before in Alkebu a ship set sail with a chocolate crew.
2000 years before Columbo came
the Olmecs paid tribute to their fame.
Stone heads with faces eight feet high
that the Hulk could not lifl to his thig
Though the facts historians avoid
first to arrive was the Africoid.
It may shock the House and Shockley
And if you're not prepared it may shock you
While some had doubts that the world was round.
In America guess who wore the Crown.
I wear the Crown
you wear the Crown
So proud to say that we all wear the Crown
get down.
You wear the Crown
I wear the Crown
So proud to say that we all wear the Crown