I can't pinpoint exactly what song was stuck in my head this week, so this time I chose to write about a song that I like. I DID say in my very first post that I'd mostly likely write about songs fixated in my head, not only. So, all is well. Despite that fact however, this song DOES have a relation to this week: the other day I started humming the tune out of nowhere... I have no idea why... but it made me want to listen and watch the music video again... so I did... I know, cool story, bro.
Anyway, last semester, some friends of mine living at the dorms introduced me to "Icky Sticky" by Jgeek and The Geeks. (The above photo is from that music video.) I could not BELIEVE what I was seeing: a boy band with a mix of electro craze and Maori culture. It was like watching something out of a Lady Gaga video, with an indigenous touch to it. What's so funny is the fact that it worked. Maori's are already crazy! (In a good way) And the side of Maori culture they portray fits perfectly with that Lady Gaga type of style. Looking back at it now, I think it was the music video more so than the song that grabbed and held my attention the most. (Even though it is a pretty catchy song.) After that I watched their "Maori Boy" and "Taniwha" video, which further blew me away. "Taniwha" has got to be my favorite video/song from them, only because there's an even greater integration of Maori culture into both the lyrics and the video.
So, if I hadn't already made it clear. Jgeek and The Geeks is, as they dub themselves, a "Metro-Maori electro craze group" from New Zealand. There's not that much about them on the web. They're not very well known around the world and haven't released anything new since November 2011. The most I found was on the founder of the group: Jermaine Leef (a.k.a. Jgeek). Jermaine travelled around the world, interviewed famous people, spent 10 years on TV, worked with C4 and Disney, gathered a good understanding of western pop entertainment, then put it all together and brought in Maori culture to create the group. Their goal is to show people Maori culture in a new, fun, silly, and crazy way. And that, in my opinion, is exactly what they're doing.
It's unclear exactly how many "Geeks" there are, there's a different number of guys in all their videos and there's no list of the members anywhere. But here's a picture of some of them. The middle guy is Jgeek:
Now back to the song. The lyrics to "Icky Sticky" aren't that important. Jermaine said himself that when one of the producers played the tune, the words just came to him. "Don't ask me what they mean, just listen and laugh - we did!" So here they are:
I've got some icky sticky love to give, c'mon
I've got some icky sticky love to give, c'mon
I've got some icky sticky love to give, c'mon
I've got some icky, icky, sticky sticky, icky icky, sticky sticky...
I've got some icky sticky love to give when you're licking up my face, see.
I've got some icky sticky love to give when you're licking up my face, see.
Cause number one, you best be good to me
And my number two, you've gotta be good to me
I've got some icky sticky love to give when you're licking up my face, see.
I've got some icky sticky love to give when you're licking up my face, see.
Cause...
Oh! Boom shaka laka I'm a pop vulture
Metropolitan of the maori culture
Hey John Key look at moi, I'm the sophisticated Taniwha.
Ra ra ra, i'm a monster.
Look at the maori Prime Minista, me!
Fiddle diddy well i'm a stupid eh crack
Watch out for me cause I'm a donkey head.
Icky sticky love to give when you're licking up my face, see.
I've got some icky sticky love to give when you're licking up my face, see.
Cause I want you to set the pace
And I want you to lick my face
I've got some icky sticky sticky sticky sticky sticky
Some sticky icky icky icky icky icky icky
I've got some icky sticky love to give, some icky sticky love to give
I've got some icky sticky love to give when you're licking up my face, see.
I've got some icky sticky love to give, some icky sticky love to give
When you're licking up my...
Icky sticky love to give when you're licking up my face, see.
I've got some icky sticky love to give when you're licking up my face, see.
Cause I want you to set the pace
And I want you to lick my face
I've got some icky sticky love to give
I've got some icky sticky love to give
And here's the video:
I think what these guys are doing is awesome. Culture is a living, breathing, growing, thing. It changes... Just as Hawaiians have brought in 'Ukulele's and guitars into their music, so has this group brought in hip hop. It's contemporary Maori music, a modern day "Sudden Rush." (Yes, Sudden Rush had a different purpose and message, but that's all I could think of to compare it to.) They've incorporated new ideas into the music they make, it's all for fun, and I admire them for their creativity. I hope they pick up where they last left off one day, and create more songs and music videos in the future.
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