Check it out, I know brothers have been slacking, but training for these fights and recording an album while looking for a job is NO JOKE. Very time consuming folks, brothas is out here exhausted!!!
Anyway, I dunno if this is going to be an every Friday thing, but I'ma try to make it work. You know mans be on Twitter with the Follow Fridays, but I wanna show love to what I hear that's new, and I like.
First off, Jasiri X. Every one knows, Jasiri is my brother from another mother. So check this, his video is blowing up all over the inter net. He shot this DURING G-20, in front of the jakes!!! Definition of Gangsta. Mansthem need to step there street cred up 10 fold now. The respectable Minister Jasiri was really in full effect. Check his video out:
The Only Color That Matters Is Green
Next up! My man G5 Clive out of Chocolate City (Washington DC for all of you ignorant suckas) just dropped a brand new mixtape called 'Reign Cheque'. Clive is one of the most creative and lyricaly flexible brothers out right now and also is one of DC's biggest names, right behind the 2009 break out artist Wale. Reign Cheque features the internet smash (and my favourite song out right now) Vice City, also featured on the production is some guy from Toronto named Fundamental. He's half of this group called Good Company, I dunno if you ever heard of them.
Sex Ed: Like Water (Remix) prod Fundamental
Reign Cheque
http://www.mediafire.com/?zjzcn3gyeon
Those familiar with my blogs, are familiar with Tito Lopez. Tito has been on a meteoric rise, from numerous mixtapes gaining steam online, to storming AllHipHop.Com and a fued with Saigon. I'm a little late with his newest release The Strictlee Tito lopez LP, but better late than never. This is 5 tracks of pure HEAT, from in my opinion the best MC with out a deal (next to me of course).
Last but not least, we're coming back top Pittsburgh. Jonny Quest is a new jack on the scene, and is ready to make noise. He has a song for us regular joes who deal with rejection from the opposite sex because we aint dope boys. Well ... Mr. Quest has some dope commentary on the subject with his song She Tried To Tell Me prod by Chemist. It's a real early 90s type feel, something like Lord Tariq would of done. So here it is!
She Tried To Tell Me prod Chemist http://www.zshare.net/audio/66408103993cf30a/
May the peace and blessings of God be upon you. To All my Muslims, Ramadan Mubarak! Only 6 more days left in this glorious and holy month. All praises be to the most high, the one God to whom all praises are due.
Sorry for the hiatus, but I like to take Ramadan off and focus on Islam. The blog will be back up with much new content after E'id, insh'Allah (God Willing).
Allow me to say one thing. This is MY blog. If you're familiar with me, you know I speak what I feel, I speak my mind, and I speak my heart.
For those who aren't familiar and have no idea who I am or haven't figured it out yet ... yes, I am a Muslim. (shocking init?)
Quick summary. In Islam we believe in praise to One God, the creator of all, the same God you all pray to, except we assign no partners to him. We believe in the Torah and The Bible, but we believe God sent us the Qur'an as a final sign and to clear up errors and make things right with both books, and the Qur'an is the actual word of God. We don't believe he had a son, we don't believe he came in the form of a man, or none of that. We believe he sent many prophets, whom all were Muslim and MuhammedIbnAbduallah of 1400+ years ago was the final prophet and seal of the prophethood. That's it, in short at least.
So I'm sure every one watched the VMAs last night, or at least heard about the antics. Kanye West again stole the show and made off like a bandit. Kudos to him for keeping himself relevant. Kanye West ladies and gents, taking over the world one non assuming white girl at a time. Say what you want, I thought it was staged and hilarious.
But that's not what I'm going to address!! *Gasp* I know, I know, I'm ever the rebel compelled to go against the grain. Nah, see what I'm going to put on blast is a joke every one thought was harmless fun, but in actuality was like 6 day old milk with a brussel sprout blend, very pour taste.
A Muslim brother by the name of Anas brought the following video of Jack Black calling for a Jummah (congregational) prayer to praise the Iblis (the devil). Watch below
I'm sure those who aren't Muslim are all too familiar with what is said in their respective books and religion about the devil, but what does is said in Islam? Well I have included two excerpts from Al-Qur'an to quench the thirst for the aforementioned knowledge.
Surah An-Nahl:
"When thou dost read the Qur'an, seek Allah's protection from Satan the rejected one.
No authority has he over those who believe and put their trust in their lord.
His authority is over those only, who take him as patron and join partners with Allah."
Surah Al-Ra'd:
"To Him is due the true prayer, any others that they call upon besides him hear them no morethan if they were to stretch forth their hands for water to reach their mouths, but it reaches them not: For the prayer of those with out faith is nothing but vain prayer."
There are other verses, but I felt those two dealt with the matter at hand quite fittingly.
See I wanna make this short and sweet. I don't care what you worship, or how you practice your beliefs. That is indeed your business. However, I do believe in showcasing strong moral fibre and upholding the theorem of responsible behaviour when amongst the presence of children and impressionable minds.
Yeh, yeh, I get it, Jack Black is a really funny guy. I'ma huge fan of his. But that was just straight out fuckry. I never expect MTV to show any type of cooth now days but come on. People were saying Kanye has no class for his antics. How can you even associate the words "class" and "MTV" in the same paragraph other than this very paragraph? To straight out co-sign devil worship is beyond me. I guess that really lets you know what time it is! ... I wonder if BET would of allowed that? Meh, I wouldn't doubt it.
Lemme bring it to a close on this note though. Lets say, one of these famous MUSLIMS, Akon, T-Pain, Mos Def, Lupe Fiasco, Snoop Dogg (chuckle), Dave Chappelle, or Shaq would of received an award and said "all Praise be to Allah" or something of that nature? I can PROMISE you that 1 of the following would occur. That segment would of been edited out of the broadcast, the speach would of been cut and the recipient of the award would be hurried off stage, he would catch immediate backlash for being "preachy" on stage and not keeping his beliefes at home, or he'd have been the target for any and all type of Islamic-bashing devices. But you can worship the devil on MTV. That's one hell of a message folks.
I really dont have any conclusion other than this. In the words of Jay-Z (who's new album is TERRIBLE)
"Dough to get, more shows to rip, I suggest you all roll with the click, who you wit?"
PS. I bet NO website or news out lets covers this outside of here ... so make sure to credit the source!
PPS. My birthday is Sept 16th ... just throwing that out there ... That's Wednesday. I'll be 24.
I wear a size 34-34 pants, XL shirt, 7 3/8 hat - thank you very much.
Whats gwaninBPW faithfuls? I know, I know, it's been a long time since I've made an installment on this thing, shame on me, right? To be quite honest, brothers have been bare busy, lots of things on the agenda, but this isn't about me. This BPW is a special BPW, unlike any I've ever wrote before. This is a movie review, of sorts.
Look at the definition of "Cool". Cool is more than a vague temperature placement. Cool is an adjective; following suit of a trend, a state of acceptable being with report and praise, relative to ones point of view. Brother Lupe Fiasco dropped an album called "The Cool" which utterly and irrevocably embodied the definition. There are a lot of new trends, a lot of new things we as a people as a culture find attractive and refreshing. Be it detrimental or not, what ever the vast array of subjects in question, from the music we listen to, to the dress we fashion for ourselves, to steroids, selling crack, it's all "cool" at one point. So for a religion to be new, cool, exciting, and what ever else, seems kind of like a contradiction, right? Wrong. The New Muslim Cool is sweeping the world over, as Islam is the fastest growing religion in the USA and now the number one practiced religion in the world, with numbers well exceeding 1billion. Islam is a religion that dates back centuries, so why is the prefix "new", attached? Well the influx has become increasingly noticeable since the events of September 11th. Islam before may have been a 2o minute discussion in your social studies class. You may have had one or two exchange students who were Muslim, but you were never really that interested in them, so you didn't ask many questions. Now look at it! All the sudden Islam is every where you look. In the classroom, in sports, in cartoons, and even in movies.
PBS and POV films banded together to create a very fresh and insightful look into a young man who is an MC, a father, an activist, and above all a Muslim, Mr. Hamza Perez. A member of the well known Hip Hop group M-Team, Hamza is a Nuyorican transplant living in Pittsburgh. Now I don't wanna give away the film because it's an amazing body of work, however, I will give a short synopsis. The cameras follow brother Hamza through out his day to day life. The jihad (struggle) of self, the jihad of religion and the trials and tribulations all mighty God places in front of us to keep our faith strong and our hearts pure. You will see Hamza performing his daily fatherly duties, in the studio with his brother, and partner in rhyme Suliman, working as a religious leader in prison and even getting married. Depending on how familiar you are with the Pittsburgh Hip Hop scene and how well you network, you may see some people you know all through out the film.
I met Hamza and his brother once, my first E'id Al-Fitr in the Pittsburgh Muslim community in 2006, they forever made an impression on my heart and brain. They were two of the most warm, kind and inviting brothers one would hope to meet. So upon hearing the news of this documentary, I was overjoyed that an occurrence of this magnitude was taking place so close to where I am and involving people with in my cipher.
This is more than just an opportunity for a brother to get press, or to get his 15 minutes of fame. This is something far greater. With the misrepresentation of Islam ever prevalent in the biased Zionist media, in schools, in the books you read, a counter balance was past due. All too often the image of the "towlhead" warrior and or suicide bomber yelling "Allah'uakbar" is seen in movies, magazines and nightly news stillshots. All too often is the image of the long robe wearing, oil hording greedy Arabian Muslim presented to you with no alternative to digest. "New Muslim Cool" opens up the viewers eyes to a tangible facet of society that is no different than the every day American encounters. In fact the places of Hamza and the deacon at your church could be easily changed around and the exact paths would still be trodden, more less.
This documentary is paramount in bridging the gap between a world with in a world that has been victim of slander, demonetization while literally sitting across the street from your residence. As Islam continues to grow and more and more people begin to recognize and accept the presence of it as a mainstay in American/Global culture. It behooves one to educate themselves on the unknown. What better way then watch a former drug dealing, PuertoRican Muslim from New York who was raised Catholic go through his day to day ordeals? "New Muslim Cool" is an accurate portrayal of true Islam, the peace and the submission of one's will to the one God. This film shows exactly how real Muslims deal with real struggles in real life. I hope you all enjoy this as much as I did.
I have to give an over sized phat shout to sister Rashida James-Saadiya who blessed me with the link through the will of Allah (SWT) and had a hand in getting this wonderful documentary viewed in Pittsburgh. May Allah (SWT) continue to bless and reward you, those responsible for the creation of this project, and its focus points.
Peace and blessings, loyal Backpacker Weekly readers. I hope every one's week was spent intelligently. You know, it's been kinda hectic the past few weeks, and I'd like to take a quick moment out to honour those we've lost. Boxing (the sport I hold nearest and dearest to my heart) lost two great, great, competitors. Arturo "Thunder" Gatti, and Alexis "El Flaco" Arguello, both have passed on. Foul play is suspected in both deaths. May God have mercy on them, and all those we've lost recently.
Lets open up Today's installment with a simple word. Ambivalence. Don't know what that word means? Well, our problem stems a might bit deeper than the matters at hand now, doesn't it? The biggest "news" of late, has been the timely passing of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. I say timely because, God is sufficient, and disposer of all affairs. When it's time to go, it's time to go. There is no hold up, no wait, there is no "well, I was kinda in the middle of something". When your number is up, that's it. So Mike, thank you for the talent you've shared with us, and also, thank you for spawning the catalyst for this here blog topic!
Entertainment. To be entertained, distracted, to indulge in something. What do we use entertainment for? We use it for a myriad of reasons; we use it to make us laugh, make us cry, make us forget, we use it to fill up time in an empty schedule, we use it to distract us from reality. To distract us from reality. Above all else, does that not hold the most truth to it? Does that not encompass all of the given definitions and then some? I'll be the first to admit, reality is a motha ... the saying "its real in the field" didn't just pop up because it rhymes, entertainment takes us away from what ever it may be that we're dealing with in our lives and allows us to immerse ourselves into a realm of fantasy. If not fantasy, it provides an outlet of escapism that we can harness to alleviate a number of ailments. Do we allow it to control us? Do we give entertainment too much of our attention? I ultimately pose the question, do we as African Americans, a people who use entertainment like air, allow it to hinder and impair on very basic judgment and obstruct evaluation of moral fibre?
African Americans love to be entertained. Do we ever. No one can refute that. Don't even try. I'll do the knowledge on that, in case you aren't quite yet in the know. As slaves. We we stripped away from our roots. Literally cut off from all ties to what made us African. The only thing we had left was oral translation, spirit and soul. I tell you what. Lemme lock you up some place in Georgia and make you pick cotton, endure torture beyond belief and eat the foulest of mother nature's creations. Let's see what you do to take your mind off of all that. We did what the slave owners couldn't fathom. Called upon our spirit for help. Negro spirituals, song, dance, that became our weapon in a seemingly limitless arsenal. That's what got us through the deepest pain. That stayed with us, just like high blood pressure from all that pork. That's my synopsis.
I'm going to use two main focus points, and I will not allow my personal beliefs and ideologies to make their presence known ... that heavily.
First. Hip Hop. See, we as members and fans of the Hip Hop culture allow a lot of bullshit to pass. All to often excuses are made for brothers who generate income off of the production and consumption of social pollutants. We take it all in. We do all but except it, and then give mans passes like "yo, he's just expressing himself", or "yo, he's just dictating his point of view for his struggle and those a like". Yeh, I've heard all that before, and to be honest, it's quite a weak excuse. That's like saying Hitler gets a pass for the Holocaust because some one pissed in his Cheerios, and he felt the only way to rectify his unfortunate breakfast dining experience was to erradicate some Jews. I don't wanna hear it. People, point blank, period, we've become accustom to the bullshit! We've become all to complacent with mindless drivel and accepting mediocrity. Think about it. If a brother comes on the radio with a record like "I'm Black", the Styles P song, it doesn't get spun, you probably didn't care to hear it when it was spun. It's automatically ruled as "that bullshit". You say, "man I can't dance to this shit, I can't hear this at the club!" But when the Ying Yang Twins dropped "The Whisper Song" you were all over it. It's because "I'm black, even though my skin's kinda light/ that just means my ancestors was raped by some body white/" makes you deal with actual reality. Whereas "Wait till you see my dick" doesn't. Well, not really any thing relevant at least. There is a reason Gucci Mane and Young Jeezey are in current rotation, and Mos Def, Talib Kweli, artists of that caliber are pushed to the back burner. Kids now days are especially susceptible to this because of the emphasis on monteray gain. I remember building with brother Jasiri X about his after school programme he runs for children in Pittsburgh. He uses Hip Hop as his education method. He brought up OJ Da Juiceman in his discussion, and explained to me, the kids loved him because "he gets paid". They dont really overstand he what he represents, and if they do, they turn a blind eye to it because of what he "has". How often has that happened through out the course of Hip Hop? If Nas was convicted of leading a child porn right tomorrow, I bet you all the tea in China I break every Nas album I own and curse him to the grave. I don't care that he was one of the best lyricists ever! He was soliciting kiddy porn! The scale doesn't balance out people!!!
Second. Mike Jackson. "Damn, damn, damn, Jaxx. You really gonna go in on old Mike? Pause." Nope. I'ma just keep it 100.
My man James "Cyfe" Moore posted a note on facebook the other day, concerning Mike's death, his funeral and all the subsequent fuss. He really made some poignant points. Essentially he required that we hit the "nigga please" button and stop saying Michael was in the same echelon as Malcolm X and Dr. King. I agree whole heartedly. Was I a fan, of course? Did I succumb to the rumours? Most Definitely. Do I have my own opinions, of course. One thing y'all gotta overstand is that, Mike died Muslim. So I'm not gonna sit here and bash no Muslim. Not happening. However, I will say this. Mikes passing DID NOT keep me from my day to day actions at all. I purposely missed his funeral for a few reasons. One, I buried my best friend, I don't wanna see that shit again. Two, no ones funeral needs to be that public in the first place. Three, I don't want that funeral turned production to some how alter my opinions, what ever they maybe, to far past hypocritical levels. Was Mike iconic? Certainly. Did he impact millions? Absolutely. But I don't remember Mike ever really pushing religion, philosophy or knowledge to the level of real world leaders and brothers who fought died for the struggle and the message. Y'all making Mike out to be prophet. Fall back with all that nonsense!!!!
This illustrates my point. Our culture, us as a people put far too much weight on irrelevant shit. We would rather be entertained then deal with the truth at hand. That's God's curse on our people for our actions. My Imam has told me that time and time again (yes, he is black), that our people have been cursed for our ignorance, and that is it. Do I really need to cite examples? The proof is in the pudding. I pose this final inquiry. Have we let the entertainment business dictate our lives beyond repair? Or is this something that can be overcome, like the countless social and physical obstacles we've encountered as a people? We gotta come to terms with our own reality and consciousness, we gotta acknowledge the tangible occurrences present in our immediate vicinity. That's all we have to do to begin to ween ourselves away from the entertainment, and lean ourselves towards the edutainment. Learning can be fun ... you just read this blog, didn't you? :)
*Editors Note*
I used "Ambivalence", above. I used that because, I rap. I am an entertainer. Though I'm not the status quo. I don't shuck and jive, finger pop, coon out and fool myself. I take a stance and use my gift, my abilities to educate and shed light. I do all that, but I still have a good time. I make sure those who watch my show, and listen to my music, those who read my blog, genuinely enjoy my work. I'm not bashing entertainment, I'm just asking where your head is at. You, the reader! Where is your head right now? Do you spend too much time away from reality? I do from time to time. But I overstand where I am in life. Do you?
You know, there are a lot of things that one expects from a Hip Hop show. Loud music, of course. Black people, always. The show never starting on time, you bet. However, there is a difference between running on CP time, and running on "I don't give a fuck, they'll wait because I'm so and so" time. The latter is apparently what last night's "headliner" Bronze Nazareth was currently on.
Shadow Lounge, East Liberty, Pittsburgh, Pa. Wu-Tang affiliate Bronze Nazareth was scheduled to preform on July 10th, 2009. The show's opening acts? Verbal, who brought A.P.E.X, Divine Seven, whom I accompanied on stage (we shut the spot down), EMS, Living Proofe, and Idasa Tariq. The doors opened at around 8:45-9p (at least they were open when I arrived at that time lol) and the show was to go on at 10pm. See thesis statement. No Hip Hop shows start on time. It just doesn't make sense for them to. That's the natural order of things, I get that. So every one (not that many people, 35-40 tops) are waiting around, building, talking, what have you until the show starts. It's now around 10:15, no sign of the headliner. People are getting antsy but not too much. A not so subtle ruckus is the now standard decibel level raised with the influx of people walking down Baum Blvd. Inside DJ Shade Cobain is keeping the people happy with an amazing selection of local and under ground music. A rough announcement is made through word of mouth outside that the show will be starting at 11p, go nigga, I mean go figure.
Around 11:20 or so, the first act takes the stage. To my surprise the small crowd is actually quite lively and very receptive. Cheers, hollers, claps and whistles ensue while Verbal and Aris of A.P.E.X take the stage. Out side of the sound man being a bloody putz, the show moved on pretty smoothly. by around 11:45 close to 12, no sign of Bronze Nazareth. It was then told to every one that, Bronze was no longer showing up. This went from a show with opening acts, to a regular local Hip Hop show. Fine, that's peace, every one else seemed to be pretty ok with that. I mean, all the signs pretty much lead to it being another local Hip Hop show anyway. So around 12:45, some dudes just start setting up on stage. At this point, there are maybe 9 people inside of the Shadow Lounge. In comes Bronze's small posse and opening act. What a waste of time that was. Bronze takes the stage around 1:45. He rocks until I have no idea when. He was though, very displeased no one stayed around to watch him rock. I get home at 4 am, thats all I know. I was outside building with my people, and some females.
Lemme state my piece, now that the facts have been established.
Bronze Nazareth is a Wu-Tang affiliate who came out around the time it was, well, wack to be associated with the Wu. Period point blank. He made some alright records back in the mid to late 90s and just kinda faded into obscurity with a whole bunch of other un important niggas who suffered from delusions of grandeur. Hey, it happens. Here's the break down. I think maybe 3 people were there to actually see Bronze Nazareth rock, coincidentally those 3 people were the only ones who knew who he was. Every on else was there to see the opening acts. That's gotta sting. This nigga is supposed to be there at 10, doesn't go on until 2am, and about 80% of his set, ROCKS OVER OTHER PEOPLES BEATS!!!!!! WTF?!?!!? Like dude, who do you think you are?!?! Are you really that arrogant, that self centred to think that a place with a confused Hip Hop scene is going to wait for YOU? YOU? Really? You got some bloody nerve. Not only was that unprofessional, that was highly disrespectful to what ever fans you may or may not have had at the show, the promoter and owner of the venue, and the city of Pittsburgh. You aren't even part of the original 9 members of the Wu-Tang Clan!!! Where do you get off on that fuckry? You should be ashamed of yourself. I never considered my self a fan, but I never said I wasn't either. But I'll never check anything you do again, you fucking clown.
See, I came on as a special guest. I did 24 bars in Divine Seven's set, and had the crowd nuts! You wanna see a real show? Come check me preform with Tanya Morgan next Thursday, July 16th at the Shadow Lounge. I promise it will be a real event.
Phat shout to all the performers of Friday's show!
A lot of you responded to the one blog I had stating that, during my hiatus, I was dissed in a record by some individuals who shall remain nameless. I also stated in said blog that, I wouldn't respond. I tend to contradict myself at times.
Here's the break down.
About a month or so a go, Mysterious had phoned me and informed me some one made a diss record aimed at me, but not exclusively about me. I asked who the guy was, he said he never heard of him. People, it's to the point now that, if some one hasn't heard of you on a broad scale on the scene here in Pittsburgh, you've lost before you've come up out of the blocks. Anyway. I asked a few people if they heard the record, and every one said it was wack, it was lame, this that and the third, but he said somethings about me, that he didn't say about any one else in the song (yes he dissed other people).
One of the lines that caught my attention through word of mouth was that, he'd spit on my hand or something of that nature. I never really cared to listen to the diss because, I had other things on my plate.
It took a toll on me though, just how cowardly this was executed. I've never heard of dude, he wants to make a diss record because he seen me putting in work, and reaping the benefits. Cool, I get that, success taking a shot at you. But you talk about spitting on me, and have your boys promote this record like it's a hot single, THEN when some one actually says something like, oh Jaxx is gonna be pissed or what ever it was they said to you, you pull the record down like a hoe, and just talk shit. That's cowardice, people.
So I was going back and forth about making a record, then I downloaded 50 Cent's The War Angel LP two weeks ago. That put the battery in my back, so to speak to go ahead and drop a record. He went back to his old style, the raw mixtape 50, with songs aimed at folks, just with out names attached. Thats what gave me the idea...
I told my man, Chim Beats to pull through on a raw gritty mid 90s type song that I could go in on, but still make a dope record off of, not just 500 bars with no hook or anything. He pulled through in the clutch!
I'm not saying no names, I'm not making a diss record, but I am. I wanted to do what these morons couldn't do. I say morons because my name was put in a song by an even more irrelevent guy months before this. If you go back and read the blogs, you can find out who he is, he gets no more free promo from me. So I make "Wha Gwan".
Alot of you have no idea what "Wha Gwan" means, apparently? So I decided, why not make the record title, "Wha Gwan". What I set out to do, was just make a strong record that Hip Hop heads would like. Something aggressive, something old school, something that makes you respect the spirit of competition! See, I will battle, but only if it's worth my time. I'm not name dropping and building your career based off wack records. You wanna enter into that realm, step your pen game up, because mine is at a level you can't even cheat to reach. You diss me and can't get a buzz? Pathetic.
True Battle rappers in Pittsburgh are almost an oxymoron. MCs who remain true to themselves, true to their craft, and humble even in this bravado filled contact sport called Hip Hop are even more scarce. So as one would imagine, actually meeting that specific class of MC would really be extraordinary ... Meet Trevor "Real Deal" Weller.
The Ayatollah: Real Deal, my man, it’s been long over due, wha gwan?
Real Deal: Nothing much my man. Seeming to finally reap a little bit of the reward from ball busting.
Seen, I hear that. How has the mini tour you’ve been on treating you? Liking the different scenes?
Shit has been amazing man. I go out there and people recognize me and know lines of mine and big up me. Then I come back here and the Burgh is so appreciative to have an emcee that represents what their city is about, hard working, blue collar, hard nosed shit, ya know? Other cities are so diverse it’s wild, very dope though.
Trevor Weller/Real Deal. You’re a single father, a teacher, an MC, starving artist. Which facet takes precedence?
Father first, my man is my life. You can say my rhymes suck and I can’t teach but question me as a father and I will tombstone you threw concrete. Secondly I think a starving artist because I love music so much….not just hip hop MUSIC! Teaching is my plan B, I enjoy it and it pays o.k f or the time being but we all know you have a small window to break through in hip hop ya know?
Since you’re an educator, answer me this. How important is it to you to hear MCs come intelligent on and off the mic?
I cannot stress what a great question this is. I often receive test papers that look like people were texting their friends about going to the club. I know we all want to break in music but if you think people like Jay- Z, Nas, and even 50 are only as smart as they lead on record than you have another thing coming. These young people have no idea how just a salutation or a handshake can change the course of their life. Save the rapping for tracks, any other time speak as an informed intelligent human being.
Would you want your son’s friends to look up to you as a roll model, or other young fans? In the broad spectrum, are rappers good role models?
I would want my son or son's friends to look up to me for reasons other than rap. Not that my rap doesn’t produce anything positive but as I said I’m a man and father first. I display a lot of upstanding qualities in my music but admittedly I have material all be it that I would like not to be taken literal.
We are not good role models in my opinion. We too often glorify the negative aspects of what we do and shed little light on the positive. We too often make tracks about nothing and sound redundant when we could be reaching out and helping someone with our music. We too often view the almighty dollar over all else. And notice I say “We” because I have a paddle in the boat with you.
Let’s talk music. It’s 2009, every one knows white boys can rap now, but it still kind of has a novelty attached to it, how do you feel about being a Caucasian MC now days?
I think it lost pretty much all of it’s shock value ya know? Hip hop has been transforming into a melting pot and that is awesome. I just wish the generic comparisons would stop. I am not slim shady and never will be. I realize it is a compliment but it loses it’s value when you tell a million other emcees the same thing.
Scribble Jam, unfortunately is no longer with us R.I.P. I agree with you in some ways but others not as much. Battle rapping has just evolved. Grindtime put forth the ideal format to cut out filler and give emcees a chance to really display what they can do lyrically. Admittedly some still suck but I think since the league is run by battle emcees they can figure it out to make it not become oversaturated, ya know? Scribble was dope because it brought people back to the good ol days. People came form across the country to network and battle. As far as our scene goes, I wish we had one. I wish people didn’t act like such premadonnas and get the fuck out and battle. Big ups for you holding that battle. We need more shit like that. It seems our city has too many emcees that are too cool to battle, shit is unfortunate because it only makes you better.
Are you worried about the Battle Rap Stigma? Not being able to make songs, being stuck in the same place pretty much forever? Some people are already saying that you’re a one trick pony. Trevor Weller says?
That theory is so wild to me because there are so many musicians in the battle circuit that make phenomenal music. I will always be a musician first. Battling for me has just been a great avenue to expand and market and network. I honestly think people just center that idea around Jin and Cannibus. Eminem was a battler and I think he did well right?
Well let's see ... Charles Hamilton got punched, Asher Roth makes white folks cringe, Eminem is so far left he’s almost irrelevant, and Jay Z is eliminating his credibility with every new song. What’s the lamest shit out right now to you?
Anything with Autotune lol…But I just think mainstream in general is horrific! We are just a year or so away where the radio will play a song on called “Suck a dick” and hint that the beat is catchy and you can dance to it and it has a solid chorus... Maybe they will edit dick and put “Prick” lol.
Hip Hop is indeed in an odd place right now. Rappers singing, singers rapping. Masculinity has taken a back seat for the first time ever in rap. Where do you see things going by the end of the year?
To be honest man, I don’t care what you wear as long as you don’t use it to draw attention to yourself. When you do that it becomes a fashion display. I do admit it is odd that super gangsters are wearing muscle shirts lol but eh, whatever floats your boat. By the end of this year I see a continuing decline in the importance of looking hard which in my opinion is a good thing.
Zoom the microscope in. Pittsburgh, PA. Home for you and I. As one of the most respected names on the scene, what do you feel is missing from your game plan? Who is your immediate competition? What is your advice for the legions of Caucasian MCs who want your spot?
I think I am missing a few things. Production being one of the first that comes to mind, time being the second, and dependable people being the third. I do everything myself, and I can dig that, but it’d be nice if once in a while someone threw you a bone ya feel. And believe me I have some cats that definitely hooked me up, but in the grand sceme of things I could use an occasional lift.
I honestly don’t feel I have competition because I am a different breed of emcee, ya know? Not to sound cocky or arrogant but, Wiz does his thing, Boaz does his, S.Money does his, I don’t make music the way they do and I’m happy for whatever success they achieve for our city. I think my sound is unique enough where I don’t really have an obvious competition. Here is my advice to those caucasion emcees, BE YOUR FUCKING SELF!!!! Stop trying to impress other people. If you were raised in Mt. Lebanon don’t act like you grew up in Homewood. Just do a style that is most comfortable to you, set your own trend. I think black people are not impressed at how well you can imitate their style without enduring their hardships….Im pissed now Jaxx lol.
Wusai, Wusai. Take a breather champ. Lets talk more about Pittsburgh. Rhyme Cal has provided an otherwise absent platform for MCs in Pittsburgh. If you could name one element missing from our scene, where would you toss the dart?
I’d have to say freestyle ability. No one freestyles it seems. Cyphers have become platforms for written verses. People release “freestyles” on their miztapes and have fucking adlibs!! We need this back. You take the pen out of a lot of our younger emcees hands and they are up the creek, ya feel me?
What’s on the plate for the Real Deal in 2009?
Definitely some more battles but I am going to ease off the gas a little bit for that. I want to direct a lot of attention to music and capitalize off any buzz I might have generated. Raising the Jr. and bigging up the 412.
After a month or so hiatus, the critically acclaimed series is back! This week, I'll be talking about trend hoppers, Jay Z's new singled "D.O.A" and discussing what I feel will bring the proper perspective in Hip Hop Back...
Guess whose bizzack? Back on the net with those Blogs … Ayatollah Jaxx been gone too long …
I need an encore, y’all should welcome me back! Wanna blog till you fall; I can help you with that!
Don’t call it a come back, I been here for years! Typing my jeers, keeping other bloggers in fear!!!!
Alright, enough with the renditions. I’m back baby!! BPW is back in full effect. It’s been a minute, but we’re back in business. I don’t wanna waste any time, I wanna get things underway.
Following trends is nothing new to Hip Hop. We set, establish, cast away and follow new trends damn near weekly. Hip Hop is what people look to to know what’s cool, what’s trendy, what’s hip. That’s almost part of our job description as members of the Hip Hop culture. Parents want to stay in touch with their children so they look to MTV, BET, to see what their kids are listening to, how they’re speaking and dressing. It’s not uncommon for the younger generation to imitate that which came before, but how often is that really the case?
See I come from a time of rebellion. I came up during Regonomics, during the Crack Wars, When Sadaam said “Fuck Bush”, twice, when welfare was cut. When mans said you pick on me, I’ma shoot you and every one in the school who ever did. I came up when my uncle Shadow had the illest 64, and would come through the hood like the ice cream man. I came up when cops were killing and beating brothers, and the West Coast rioted over it. I came up when Johnny Gammage was killed, and police brutality spiked in the country. So when I look at all this conformity in Hip Hop, I get confused? Hip Hop as I remember was a middle finger to society. It said, you wanna ignore us, fine, but we’re still gonna bring this side of life to the forefront. I remember when Tupac was a threat to the camera, not an anniversary show or issue.
“What is he talking about specifically?”
We all know those are facts, but we need isolated instances. Skinny jeans, first. Why do you wanna dress like a woman, dude? Why? That shit is mad homo. You definitely don’t have to look like baggin saggin Barry either, but still. Men in and out of hip hop are looking more and more feminine by the day. What’s next, a take over of glam rappers?
Next, Drake. How many of you can honestly say you were fans of Drake from Room For Improvement, and Come Back Season? I love that the brother has been getting his shine, but how many of you can say if he wasn’t with Wayne, that you would have cared about another Canadian MC trying to cross over? I’ll wait … There are plenty of us trying to jump that border, and none have really done it successfully. I suggest you look more closely at the Toronto scene if you're really involved new Hip Hop.
I have never ever in my almost 24 years on this planet seen grown men so insecure with who they are; so they imitate other men, who look like other women. It’s a real bloodclot trouble.
“Times change, Jaxx, times change, take it easy”.
I know that however, let’s look at those times, shall we? People need to grow, people need to develop. Nine times out of ten, if you ask me how I’m doing, or what I’ve been doing, my answer is “Growing and developing brother/sister, how about you?” But this is where I get vexed. I get vexed when mans try to hate on where they were just last year, acting like those shoes were never being worn by the subject in question, just because it's not trendy any more. Like dude, you were wearing tall tees and expressing your gangstadome to any one who would listen just two years ago. Now you’re an all swagged out punk rock banging Mohawk sporting faggot who is wearing his sister’s jeans. Now I’m not pointing fingers right now, however, I will illustrate evidence.
When Wiz Khalifa first came out, he was almost a pretty typical punch line rapper from Pittsburgh. Always talking about how he can clap a man like Pakistan, this that and the third. Now listen to his lyrics … stark contrast. I was just watching his interview with Peter Parker on WorldStarHipHop.com and I got seriously annoyed. See I never said I expected Wiz to stay in that place, he was a kid then, now he’s in his 20s. He still makes some really good music, but some of it is just ultra wack. But he's reaching out as an artist, so I' not that mad. However, he totally wrote off his “old image” as if he was never there in the first place. Don’t believe me? Check for your self:
Even one of my favourite MCs out now is on that same bullshit, moreless. When Drake first came out, he was damn near a conscious rapper, and the only time he really rapped about women were positive rhymes. “Video Girl” for instance is a record about trying to keep women from choosing the lifestyle of a video vixen, being abused by Rappers and Ballers, ala Karrine Steffans, and a few other choice songs that were really dope, really powerful records that didn’t gain him the fans of the ignorant misogynistic stereotypical records. Now you hear his newer records, and it’s all about pussy, pussy, puss, fucking this bitch, this that and the third, or he's embracing all the falsititudes presented to him with his new found fame. Makes you wonder how highly these entertainers regard that record deal and executive approval. Will that make you look at things differently? Who knows, but the proof is in the pudding. Jay Z once rapped against his one time rival “is it black girl lost, or shorty owe you for ice?” That says it all.
Now we’re on Jay Z. Pause. Quite possibly the most overrated MC of all time, if not proving to be one of the worst as time goes on. But lemme reflect for a moment. Jay just dropped “D.O.A”, Death of Autotune. I got into an argument with my man Nuc about how bad that record sucks, but he told me it’s about the message. You know what, it really is. However, Jay has surrounded himself with nothing but Autotune users, and has all but co-signed every new trend out. Now all the sudden he wants the bandwagon riding to stop, he wants the autotuning to stop, but he refuses to say any names. Sounds like a bitch move to me, nigga. How are you going to claim to be the voice of a generation, or of a movement, when you remain silent and passive about all the suspect shit that occurs around you, son? You can’t pick and choose…
That’s the problem now. We all co-sign too much bullshit. We allow too much stuff to go on. Same thing as in the streets. Mans aren’t taking snitching personally. It’s just business as usual now. Mans say “oh he never snitched on me, so I don’t care”, until they get federally indicted. See we, as members of the Hip Hop culture; people with voices need to be more vocal about saying what’s wack, what’s hot, etc. It’s our civic duty, at the very least. DJs co-sign way to many wack records. MCs are just doing features with any one, regardless if they're wack or not. What is going on here?
Now I know that we all need bandwagon riders and trend hoppers because if there weren’t any of those, trends would cease to exist. Except for Steelers football. All you faggot ass fair weather Steelers fans need to get the fuck on with all that nonsense. Where were you when we sucked? I digress …
See trend hoppers and bandwagon riders have always been a factor in Hip Hop, but for the most part we always got on our Warren G and regulated that ass, pause. But now it’s waaaaay to far out of hand. So the Ayatollah has stepped up and I hope that’s enough to start a trend to get people to speak out against wackness and garbage in Hip Hop.
Once again, I'm not expecting every one to platue, and cease to improve. That'd be redundant. The game has witnessed enough of that, and now it's like a land locked pond in the Florida everglades; stagnant and filthy, with no sign of any fresh circulation.
So what do we do? How do we quell this not so subtle scratch in that hard to reach area? At his point, what is protocol? Bloggers, like wack MCs have infiltrated the culture and begin to unload cancerous, useless commentary that has rapidly initiated relevancy asfixiation, one fodder filled blog at a time. (Where does that leave me, you ask?) I'm far from an arm chair quarterback, baby! I got the game plan drawn up, and I'm running all the plays, coach.
START CALLING THINGS LIKE THEY ARE!! Don't know how? Allow me to lead the way.
Tell Royce 5’9 to quit bullshitting and release “Street Hop” or he’s about to loose a fan. I’ve been waiting three years for that album. What’s the hold up? MCs, if you're gifted enough to sing, do it, just make sure you actually have talent. The group that is being passed off as R&B singers need to give the hell up, you all suck. Wiz, start dressing and rapping regular. Drake, your album better be amazing. I'm counting on you! Wale, quit wearing skinny jeans and punching fans for bullshit reasons. Jay Z, retire, and get off Young Jeezy’s dick. Since you soft ass urban media outlets in Pittsburgh are scared to issue the real truth, here it us. You all should take a note from me ... Humbly speaking, of course.
The debut album from Atari Blitzkrieg after 11 EP's features appearances from Louis Logic, Roc C, Vast Aire, LMNO, Moka Only, Akrobatik, Existereo, Breez Evahflowin, Krohme & Mike McTernan from Damnation A.D. Production by Krohme, Atari Blitzkrieg & Moka Only.
Atari has been featured in and on almost every possible media outlet in publication and online including Urb Magazine and the promised land for artists, Rolling Stone.
50 Cent is back, baby! After straying as far as possible from the gruff voiced slur he made famous a decade ago via the then bustling New York Mixtape Circuit, 50 Cent is back with what he is calling his best mixtape work ever with the "War Angel LP" I can't agree more. Queens get the money!!!
Pittsburgh's Official MC Competition, "Rhyme Calisthenics" may be going prime time.
Monday, June 29, 2009
By Deborah M. Todd, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
As David "Thelonious Stretch" Hughes pondered an audience member's suggestion for a Rhyme Calisthenics All-Star rap challenge Thursday, the crowd at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater started growing restless.
Hughes, the show's host and co-founder, already had rejected three topics -- including one about leather pants -- and the audience wasn't about to let another quirky, freestyle-rhyme possibility pass them by.
"I thought this was crowd topics -- you can't choose," a woman in the audience called out.
"OK, the topic is ... Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch!" Hughes said, eliciting laughter and groans from the crowd.
While one of the more unusual topics of the evening, Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch stood out as the perfect example of what Rhyme Calisthenics is all about. Part "8 Mile," part "Wheel of Fortune," Rhyme Calisthenics uses the "Wheel of Skillz" to assign challenges to contestants.
While considered veterans, the four Rhyme Calisthenics All-Stars -- Trevor "Real Deal" Weller of Mount Oliver, Malcolm "Mac Miller" McCormick of Point Breeze, Farooq "A-Jaxx" Al-Said of New Brighton and Daniel "Zone" Hopkins of Sheraden -- know better than to underestimate the difficulty of the wheel.
A-Jaxx, 23, ended his Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch freestyle with: "I want breakfast, I'll say it until I'm exhausted -- 'Hey ma, where's the turkey sausage?' " sending the crowd into frenzied hoots and hollers.
"Rhyme Calisthenics tests your skills as an artist in the best way physically and mentally possible," he said. "I definitely had to communicate with more wit and be a little more on my feet."
In "Mirror Match," contestants look into a mirror and battle rap their own image. In "Mackin'," contestants receive details about a woman's interests and then create an on-the-spot rhyme to woo her. In "Grab Bag," contestants pull items out of a bag and create rhymes for each object. It's all designed to test the rappers' skills and stretch their imaginations.
"If you can think of any concept an MC can do, it's on that wheel," Hughes said. "We broke this hip-hop thing down to a science."
Hughes, a Wilkinsburg native, met Rhyme Calisthenics co-founder James Brown when he moved to Harlem in New York City in 2000. The show, created two years ago, is loosely modeled after New York's "Challenge of the Champions," a similar freestyle battle.
"We wanted to have some kind of workshop event for local MCs in Pittsburgh to push them to be more creative, innovative and artistic with their music," Brown said.
A-Jaxx believes this kind of contest also can highlight the skills of Pittsburgh artists in ways a mere demo tape never could.
"If Rhyme Calisthenics blows up, it's gonna cement Pittsburgh hip-hop as a truly up-and-coming talent pool and will showcase a plethora of talented MCs," A-Jaxx said.
Zone, whose first-place finish earned him $100, four hours of free recording studio time and tickets to a Shadow Lounge anniversary event, said the showcase gives local hip-hop artists a chance to shine when the area is about to lose WAMO-FM, its only predominantly hip-hop and R&B station, in a few months.
"The rap city in Pennsylvania right now is Philadelphia," Zone, 19, said. "If Rhyme Cal blows up, it's going to mean we're right up there with them."
Hughes and Brown taped Thursday's performance and are shopping around the show to major television networks. They also hope to take Rhyme Calisthenics national, hosting competitions across the country.
"This isn't a local event," Hughes said. "We're definitely doing our thing in Pittsburgh but we're going to change the whole game -- change the face of hip-hop.
Check the highlight video of the Rhyme Cal All Star Competition here:
106.7 FM WAMO, for years has been the sole outlet for Urban radio in Pittsburgh, PA. Just recently, WAMO was sold off, and expected to be turned into a Gospel station. Jasiri X went straight to the source to get the words of the streets and the people for RealTalkXpress.Com
Sha Stimuli is one of the most underrated MCs out right now. With my BPW series, I wanted to highlight and showcase some of my favourite MCs, and ask questions that you, the readers really wanna hear, and really wanna get answers to. Sha and I spoke about label politics, the useage of the "N" word, Nas, Barack Obama, the economy and respect, or rather, a lackthereof.
Jaxx: Peace and blessings ahk, I appreciate you taking the time out in your schedule, how you living brother?
Stimuli: I cant complain at all, Im breathing, sleeping, waking up and all that. Life is good.
In case niggas been living under a rock, tell em who Sha Stimuli is?
Hmm, hopefully they have computers under rocks because then even those cave people might know who I am. I'm still trying to figure out who I am myself but to sum it up, I'm what some would call a hip-hop artist that's pretty seasoned when it comes to how long I've been actually writing and how long I've been around the game. I won some awards for being a good rap guy and I get praised for putting words together but to be honest I feel like much more than a rapper. I use words to vent and music to me is bigger than just spitting bars. If you pick up my Stevie Wonder tribute "Hotter Than July" it will give you a good gauge as to what a versatile human with a gift for wordplay sounds like. I go through a lot of shit and I am vulnerable enough on record to put it all out there.
Let's cut the bullshit out the way, whats up with Virgin, all the label politricks, whats gwanin with that?
Man I have been advised to tone it down because I had stopped giving political answers for a while and I was just saying what it was. But the truth is I messed up my deal. I listened to people that told me I was going to be straight by leaving a label that believed in me. I didn't have records to take me to the next level at the time, well I did but we pushed the wrong ones and I wasn't with a team that was ready for fame and money. Some may call what I went through an obstacle but I see it as an opportunity for growth. I could be delusional though. Some may have seen me online saying Shawn Carter ruined my life or Def Jam stalled on me, but the reality is when you place yourself in a situation whatever happens is on you. I have to thank Virgin for believing enough in the beginning but I'm straight with being on a major. If it happens again I'll be ready.
Now, you've been going in hardbody in the streets, your buzz is banoodles right now, but do you feel that, honestly shit is where it's supposed to be? What's missing in your career right now?
I think I'm missing the kind of exposure where I'm more recognized by the fans of real music. I want to say that hip-hop for the unsigned emcee has turned into a popularity and buzz contest. It's about who can get hotter in the streets without even being hot on record. So with all that said, I am so grateful for the level I'm on but I don't think I'll ever be satisfied since I'm a big dreamer. If I can do music free of pressure and then jump in a few movies I will be more than happy. Right now I have to watch Joel Osteen on Sundays to tell myself I'll be ok. I'm joking, but for real I get this question a lot in different forms, when are you gonna be on tv? Why aren't you further? Why didn't you quit? I guess i'm just a dreamer that will not give up. I don't have an answer as to why I'm not a household name but the fact that i get questioned on it means that there are people that believe I am destined to do something special.
12 Mixtapes in 12 months, at the bare minimum, thats 120 new songs at least, in one year. You still moving forward with the idea, or what?
Yea when I started it seemed like it was going to be tough idealistically to come up with the music but the issue became keeping everyone around me motivated after knocking out some hot shit. Then once the Stevie CD got so much love I had to let it breathe. I stopped at 6 and did a little halftime and now i'm closing out with 6 more. I'm dropping Vs. The World and March on Washington (Election Edition) then I have 4 more that will come out in the next 2 months then I'm done with the mixtape game forever... I hope. Music is my release so I must say that this has been fun to do and a lot of work. I wish I had the resources to do 5,000 copies every month but online I've gotten great responses and people are enjoying what I have to say. I don't think any other artists on my level can do what i'm doing this year. I'm not just releasing old songs, I'm recording time sensitive relevant music and people can identify with it.
I can make all of Lil Waynes fans disappear like Lil Zane" - How do you feel about Wayne winning Lyricist of the year at the BET awards?
I didn't watch the awards so I didnt know he won. I will say this, there was a time when the most devout hip-hop fans and people in the industry would tell me to dumb my lyrics down and that the day of the emcee was dead. A bunch of folks said that noone cares about what rappers say anymore and that its all about the beat and they're image. Wayne put 10 yrs in the game making records before getting his just due and 90% of the reason listeners took notice is because his pen game stepped up. Do I think southern rappers are graded on a curve? Maybe. Do I believe that he thinks he can say whatever he wants now and get away with it? Perhaps. But the truth of the matter is he spits and its genuine and he works hard at his craft and no matter what region you're from when that happens it will be respected. I am happy for Wayne, especially with him selling all those albums showing the world that the recession will not stop good music.
I'm east coast born, east coast raised, and to this day my mp3s are pre dominantly east coast played. With NY pumping out brothers like Sha Stimuli, Skyzoo, Joell Ortiz, Corey Gunz, Saigon, Aasim, you know, is there any competition, any egos clashing?
I think there is always friendly competition between emcees that want to reach the top and claim the spot as the next to emerge from hood celeb to worldwide fame, but I think it's healthy. I don't believe egos are involved because we will all get on songs with each other and it will be no problem at all. For me personally, I dont try to be better than anyone else, I strive to be better than myself. If I was good last week, I want to evolve and find a new way to approach music that will inspire someone else.
You've collaborated with all of the above, do you have personal favourite record? In the same breath, is there any one who is out of the question in terms of working with?
I dont have too many records of mine that I like after I record 'em. I always hear things that could've been better. I like what Joell and I did on "Countdown," I like the collabs Sky and I have done. At this point, I would like to work with Andre 3000, Ceelo or Eminem. As far as people I wouldn't work with...I dont know. I could say a name and then meet that person or get in the studio with them and it be a whole different vibe. And this isn't a political answer I really just dont hear enough of these dudes to know who I wouldn't work with.
March On Washington, amazing mixtape. Given the current state of the union, do you think it's like Nas said? "trendy to be, the conscious MC"?
Nas said that? That bastard! Nah I dont think so. What people have to understand is that art imitates life. If we are in a state of emergency and popping bottles is not what folks want to hear then why would you put it out? At the same time why would you do what everyone else is doin? It may seem trendy but if you follow my track record I've never been too far to any one side. I speak about real things and if conscious means aware then I am aware, but I cannot be boxed in. And if you really think about it, that trend wouldn't be so bad for our youth and our music and our people as a whole. Saying something is how rap has lasted this long. Now the radio is filled with songs about nothing and we wonder why the kids know nothing.
I gotta song called "The N Word", and I personally try to say, ahk more, or brotha, but nigga always seems to re-enter the vernacular. Why do you feel that is? Why is does nigga ... come out with ease?
Its because its a part of our vocabulary and we may have disempowered it in the sense of taking away its negative connotation but it is still a word. Words are powerful no matter what we say or what context. They can wage wars, people die over them, and "nigga" is one of the most hateful words there is. We are surrounded by the word so much that we have taken on its characterstics and made it a separate species from Black people. It comes out easy because we allow it to. White people don't call themselves "Crackers" and even if they did it would take years for it to catch up to the same feeling of hatred. And without years of oppression and lynching and death added to it, there will be no other word in history to match the pain felt when one is called a "nigga." Is there a solution to it? Well in order to have Black people stop saying "nigga" we would have to simply stop saying "nigga". It starts with me, you, every public figure, every rapper everyone has to make a conscious decision to remove it from our vocabulary. As long as we feel like it may be ok or it's not bad if Jay-Z says it or Chris Rock makes it funny then it will remain there. Maybe in 40 years it will be a distant memory. I recorded that song with the hopes I would stop saying it and it almost worked. When I write rhymes now I try to exclude it unless i'm addressing it. In everyday life, I have more of a struggle because its like a smoking habit or something. But pay attention, things will change.
Just to make things interesting. Hypothetically speaking, if Obama happened to really fuck up in office, how would you feel? Do you think the hip hop community would completely loose hope in politics? Or would we make a truck load of excuses for dude?
I don't know what people expect, getting troops out of Iraq, cutting taxes, telling parents to focus on raising their kids, giving anyone with a dream hope are all things that are attainable and are already in motion in my eyes. I don't think anyone should start out putting hope in politics. That's like paying tithes at church and thinking your lights are gonna miraculously stay on. Faith in God and yourself is what we need. Barack is a representative for change in a country that needs it. He's part of a bigger process and a continuation started by a man that envisioned this and broke barriers 40 years ago. If he doesn't do what he promised right away or the country gets worse financially then I wouldn't blame him, the same way I dont blame George Bush for anything.
As MC's we all under go a certain, metamorphosis. On Joell's CD you say "I used to run in labels like, yo you should fuck with me I'm hot". How have you grown up in the game, and to what do you owe the, "coming of age" of sorts?
When I made that statement I was thinking about my days of taking meetings and searching for a record deal. That was the end all be all to get a deal and be able to live and do what I love doing. It worked out that way for a certain amount of time but I didn't capitalize off of it the way I could have. That alone has taught me a lot about life and music altogether. When team members come and go and when people depend on you to make it to a certain level and then you don't it can wake you up really. I always imagined getting to the top with the people I started out with and as your dream changes it doesn't fade, but it does alter a little bit. Nowadays I don't have the same desires I had in the beginning to be some rap superstar. I'm not focused on just being hot and selling a bunch of records. I've grown as a human with more to say and more folks to touch.
At one point in the game, it looked like, a lot of dudes were too nice for their own good. Even now, some of the illest dudes aren't securing good deals, not getting any promo, shitty album budgets, do you still think that's the case today?
Yea but it's a part of the game, sometimes the less talented will get the spoils, sometimes the best will get nothing. Then it may switch around again. There is no formula or sure fire way to make it in this biz. There is, a way to remain sane and be able to look at yourself in the mirror. The hip-hop audience we once knew is growing up and its a new generation of adults that grew up at the same time hip-hop did. These people still want to hear good music and will support it so that these artists we grew up on will become Ojay and Temptation type legends. The fast buck may not be the best thing right now, so artists may have to revamp and think about what will not only work for now but what will keep them around for years to come.
Look at the game now, and what's coming up; who's about to release albums, who are you really excited about?
Andre 3000 and maybe Kanye if he doesnt T-pain every song. Other than that I dont know.
