Devotion #18

“The Wire,” fifth and final season. Sunday, January 6. 9pm. HBO.

It's been a pleasure to witness the genius of "The Wire" all these years. It's inconceivable that anyone would ever be able to make a better cop drama - the core of the series - and almost preposterous to imagine that anyone would attempt a series so ridiculously ambitious as "The Wire" ever again (or have a network that would air it). It was a dense, morally ambiguous tale of killers and cops, innocents and avengers - and middle-managers from hell. It was told slowly, with no shortcuts, far fewer clues than American audiences were used to, no easy outs, precious few hugs, lots of blood, plus unavoidable issues of race and class. There were too many characters - each finely crafted to make you want to know about them. There were machinations both illegal and mundane that all did damage.

And in the end, there will likely be a lot of unhappiness, dead bodies, same-as-it-ever-was institutional failure, lack of responsibility and the triumph of self-interest over the greater good. Not exactly a Hallmark card, but one hell of an artistic achievement. – Tim Goodman, San Francisco Chronicle, January 3, 2008.

“Omar listenin’.”

Are you?

Eric B. & Rakim – “In the Ghetto” – Let the Rhythm Hit ‘Em (MCA 1990) is built upon a sample of 24-Carat Black – “Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth” – Ghetto: Misfortune’s Wealth (Enterprise/Stax 1973)

Leroy Hutson – “The Ghetto '74” – The Man! (Curtom 1975) is an updated version of Donny Hathaway – “The Ghetto” – Everything Is Everything (Atco 1970) (written by Hathaway and Hudson)

Donny Hathaway – “Little Ghetto Boy” – Live (Atco 1972)

Senya – “Children of the Ghetto” disco mix – Aston “Family Man” Barrett’s Cobra Style (Heartbeat 1999)

Ike Turner & the Kings of Rhythm – “Ghetto Funk” – A Black Man’s Soul (Pompeii 1969)

Moody Scott – “Bustin' Out of the Ghetto” pt. 1 (Sound Stage Seven 1970s)

Rudy Ray Moore & the Soul Rebellion Orchestra – “Ghetto Expressions” – Dolomite original soundtrack (Generation International 1975)

One.Be.Lo – “The Ghetto” – S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M. (Fat Beats 2005)