Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Baba-yetu!

     I fixed my Feeds (finally).  If you're still having problems, unfollow my feed and refollow it.  I had to change the URL since I changed my name.

     For those not closely into current gaming news, there was a big milestone reached a few days ago.  Christopher Tin was awarded a Grammy in the category of "Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists" for the piece "Baba Yetu".  What is unique about this is that song was primarily composed for the video game Civilization 4!  It is the first time that a song composed for a video game has won a Grammy!  It gives the composers of video game music a huge boost in the credit.  It is very easy for ignorant people to blow off art pieces just because "it's from a game" but with this latest award given out, I'm very happy that such recognition is finally given for a media that has a lot of negative bias associated with it.  Big congratulations to Christopher Tin, huge props to the choir for singing sublimely, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did and still do today!

     Babe Yetu is actually the "Lord's Prayer" sung in Swahali.  I'm not a man of faith, but GOD DAMN does this song rock so much. The game actually came out in 2005, but the album "Calling All Dawns" containing the song was released in 2009, which qualified it for this year's Grammys.

18 comments:

  1. Well deserved grammy. And why did you change your url?

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  2. While is it a great moment for video game music, there is much better music that came out in 2010. Any track with vocals from Final Fantasy XIII or Nier, for example. Video games almost need their own category, they are are so inaccessible for nomination. But I dunno, I tend to always disagree with award shows anyway. =P

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  3. those are some good gaming tunes, although i've never heard of the composer before. that's cool he won an award tho

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  4. well earned indeed. game music is my favorite kind

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  5. I was gonna say it was the lords prayer in swahili and blow some minds, but looks like you already knew. :/

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  6. Interesting.... I agree with you that music from games can be more than just background noise. Most are pretty darn catchy and easy to listen to.

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  7. Actually breezed this but didn't look into it. Thanks for the info! He really deserved it.

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  8. Nice post BRO!!!

    I wait on my blog!!

    $upporting!!!

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  9. A great song and video. The coming of the USA part of the video put chills down my spine.

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  10. such a great song and also one of my favorite games I've sunk so many hours into it over the years

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  11. Civ IV is such an epic game, some of the music really makes it as well, so well deserved grammy.

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  12. I've hear the song before but didn't know it's Lord's Prayer! Love it and it totally deserved the award :D

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  13. These are great news I knew it had been nominated but didn't know it won a Grammy. I still remember the first time I listened BabaYetu, It was beautiful, with Earth from space and then I discovered my country finally got a Civ in the game. I almost cried.

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  14. this song heralded many a sleepless night for me...

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