In the mid-1990s the group became a staple of the New York City club scene. Their debut album "Cool and Steady and Easy" (1994) scored an underground hit with the rendition of Pharoah Sanders's "The Creator Has a Master Plan". "Cool and Steady and Easy" (1994) also featured prominent guests like Maceo Parker, The Tower Of Power Horns, Michigan & Smiley and even Dizzy Gilespie.
The album, "In The Buzz Bag"(1998), included Turkish folk music rythms and instruments, recorded with the Turkish band, Laço Tayfa. In The BuzzBag became a milestone in collaborative projects and earned BFE a Grammy nomination. It also escalated the group to a stadium capacity act in Turkey.
In 2000, BFE released their third album "Make Them Like It", which concluded where the first album left off: a happy mélange of funk, Latin, reggae, jazz, house, dub, electro and hip hop which featured the fan favorites ‘I Got Cash’, ‘Mambo Con Dance Hall’ and ‘Woman Thing’.
After the 2001 world tour the band members took a hiatus and pursued a number of noted solo interests.
Offers of recording and touring where plentiful, and BFE songs kept being featured on compilation albums around the world, and in the summer of 2006, a core of BFE members got back together again to do a tour of three world continents as BFE Sound System (mixing classic BFE with electro and dub). By the end of 2006, the sound system model had been abandoned for a return to the group’s original all live funk line up consisting of Hanifah Walidah, Papa Dee and Everton Sylvester (vocals), Lati Kronlund (bass), Yancy Drew (drums & vocals), Desmond Foster (vocals & guitar), Iwan van Hetten (trumpet, keys & vocals) and Philippe Monrose (percussion). The group continued touring the world in 2007.
In the spring of 2008 the band released a new album ‘Watcha Playin’. The songs on the album have been written and developed during the band’s tours in front of audiences around the world, and it has been recorded in studios in New York, Paris, Amsterdam, Istanbul and Stockholm.
The Revolution Was Postponed Because Of Rain
Brooklyn Funk Essentials Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It makes them like it
What?
The Revolution Was Postponed Because of Rain
The underlying
immediate
socio-economic
and trigger mechanism causes
were all in place when
some nee-gro or the other got hungry
had to stop at the McDonald's
had to get on the line
with the new trainee cashier
"uhh, where's the button for the fries?"
so we missed the bus...
Then the leader couldn't find his keys
didn't want some poor ass moving
his brand new 20" and VCR
out his living room on the shoulders.
It was too late when the locksmith came
Then our demo expert Willie Blew got arrested
came out with his head hanging under his hoody
"Didn't know they started doing that
for jumping the turnstiles," he said.
"How many times must we tell you -
Don't.. get.. caught."
We voted against shootin' him on the spot
In the winter we were all depressed
so we leaned our guns against the sofas
and listened instead to Tim Tim Tiree
singing about his dysfunctions:
Cool and steady and easy
It makes them like it
What?
"Sometimes I wonder if ah'll ever be free
free of the sins of my brutish daddee
Like the cheating, the stealing, the drinking, and the beating". . .
The weatherman said the 17th would be sunshine
and it wouldn't be too hot -
Tim Tim Tiree doesn't like sweatin'
but that night the weatherman came on crying
saying he didn't control the weather
that God was real
that he's lucky He, God, didn't strike him, the weatherman, with lightning
for taking the credit sometimes
and that he, the weatherman, was in no way responsible
for the hurricane coming
and that we, the viewers, should
pray Jesus into our hearts
before it was too late.
Superbowl Sunday was out
all the women wanted
to see the game
and the men were pissed
at their insensitivity
The 20th was supposed to be a definite
we looked for some Bastille to storm
didn't find any
settled on the armory instead
before they moved the homeless in...
"We'll bum-rush it anyway," I said
"It smells like a collection
of a thousand farts in there," they said
So we waited for the approval of the city
contract to build a Bastille
which set the revolution back five years.
Cool and steady and easy
It makes them like it
What?
Peace wanted to start the revolution on Tuesday
She was in a pissed-off mood
her tax return didn't come in time for the rent
But they showed the We Are the World video
on cable that evening
and we all held hands
and cried to stop from laughing
and our anger subsided
Looking back, it could've been a plot
but there are more substantive plots to expose
than the We Are the World conspiracy
Now we wait for the rain to stop
All forces on the alert
some in Brooklyn basements
packed in between booming speakers
listening to Shabba Ranks and Arrested Development
bogling and doing the east coast stomp
gargling with Bacardi and Brown Cow
breaking that monotony with slow movements -
slow, hip-grinding movements
with the men breathing in the women's ears to
Earth Wind & Fire's Reasons
and wondering what the weather will be like
next weekend.
The lyrics of Brooklyn Funk Essentials' song The Revolution Was Postponed Because of Rain talk about how a revolution that was planned by a group of people was hindered and eventually postponed due to various factors. The first few stanzas of the song sets up the background and the eventual outcome of the planned revolution. It talks about the immediate socio-economic and political causes that were in place and how a seemingly insignificant event like stopping to get something to eat at McDonald's led to them missing the bus. Later on, the leader couldn't find his keys, and one of the members got arrested for jumping the turnstile, causing the group to vote against shooting him on the spot. In the winter, they became depressed, and hence they listened to music by Tim Tim Tiree.
Superbowl Sunday was out, and the women wanted to see the game. They were pissed about this, and they looked for some Bastille to storm. However, when they didn't find any, they settled on the armory instead. Because it smelled terrible, they waited for approval from the city to build a Bastille, which set the revolution back five years. The lyrics highlight how different factors and events outside of their control conspired to hinder and eventually postpone the revolution. The song ends with the group still waiting for the rain to stop and all forces being on alert, indicating that they are still hopeful of starting the revolution.
The lyrics of The Revolution Was Postponed Because of Rain are open to interpretation, and multiple meanings can be drawn from them. It talks about how different factors can affect the course of events and how revolution, which often symbolizes a significant change, can be hindered and stalled by such events. It highlights how the most ordinary of things could lead to a revolution's delay and also underscores how people are still hopeful of bringing about change, even after multiple setbacks.
Line by Line Meaning
Cool and steady and easy
The situation was under control and there was no hurry.
It makes them like it
The general public tends to like when the revolution is delayed.
The underlying immediate political socio-economic and trigger mechanism causes were all in place when some nee-gro or the other got hungry
All the factors leading up to the revolution were in place, but an insignificant event caused a delay.
had to stop at the McDonald's had to get on the line with the new trainee cashier uhh, where's the button for the fries? so we missed the bus...
A small delay (visiting McDonald's) caused them to miss their intended action (getting on the bus).
Then the leader couldn't find his keys didn't want some poor ass moving his brand new 20" and VCR out his living room on the shoulders. It was too late when the locksmith came
The leader's personal priorities delayed the revolution, causing them to miss their opportunity.
Then our demo expert Willie Blew got arrested came out with his head hanging under his hoody Didn't know they started doing that for jumping the turnstiles, he said. How many times must we tell you - Don.. get.. caught. We voted against shootin' him on the spot.
Their team member being arrested delayed the revolution and they tried to solve the issue democratically instead of with violence.
In the winter we were all depressed so we leaned our guns against the sofas and listened instead to Tim Tim Tiree singing about his dysfunctions.
They were too depressed to continue with the revolution and resorted to listening to music instead.
The weatherman said the 17th would be sunshine and it wouldn't be too hot - Tim Tim Tiree doesn't like sweatin' but that night the weatherman came on crying saying he didn't control the weather that God was real that he's lucky He, God, didn't strike him, the weatherman, with lightning for taking the credit sometimes and that he, the weatherman, was in no way responsible for the hurricane coming and that we, the viewers, should pray Jesus into our hearts before it was too late.
The weatherman's false predictions, followed by a natural disaster, delayed the revolution and caused them to question their beliefs.
Superbowl Sunday was out all the women wanted to see the game and the men were pissed at their insensitivity
A difference in interests caused an internal conflict and delayed the revolution.
settled on the armory instead before they moved the homeless in... We'll bum-rush it anyway, I said It smells like a collection of a thousand farts in there, they said So we waited for the approval of the city contract to build a Bastille which set the revolution back five years.
They chose a different target and even though they were going to act without approval, decided to wait for the city's approval which delayed the revolution for five years.
Peace wanted to start the revolution on Tuesday She was in a pissed-off mood her tax return didn't come in time for the rent But they showed the We Are the World video on cable that evening and we all held hands and cried to stop from laughing and our anger subsided Looking back, it could've been a plot but there are more substantive plots to expose than the We Are the World conspiracy
Peace wanted to start the revolution but was distracted by a humorous video and lost motivation to do so.
Now we wait for the rain to stop All forces on the alert some in Brooklyn basements packed in between booming speakers listening to Shabba Ranks and Arrested Development bogling and doing the east coast stomp gargling with Bacardi and Brown Cow breaking that monotony with slow movements - slow, hip-grinding movements with the men breathing in the women's ears to Earth Wind & Fire's Reasons and wondering what the weather will be like next weekend.
Currently, they are waiting for the weather to clear up before proceeding with the revolution and are passing the time partying and drinking.
Contributed by Emily W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.