Tribute to Rap Duets

What up ppl?

I was just reading an interview with Ludacris on a hip hop site & learned that he & Shawnna were back together on Disturbing the Peace & they are supposed to release an album together as a duet. First of all, for those who haven't peeped Luda's album... I'm telling you.. it's tight. Anyway, I'm curious to know how they would come. If history serves me right, they do great music together.... "Growing Pains," her first single, "What's Your Fantasy" remix, & many others. Plus I would love to see Shawnna get her dues as an emcee & not just the "Gimme Some Head" chick. Even though that would be hard since she is fine with ass for days & lips... (DAMN.)

Regardless, this would be the first hip hop duet (male/female) albums. It's been some dope duet in the history of rap from Lyte & Pos. K to underground vets Bahamadia & Guru. The original Bonnie & Clyde (Cube/YoYo) to the later Jay-Z/Foxy Brown (before Beyonce.) With the demise of female rappers that is definitely missing in the game. (among other things.) And a part of it due to fem spitters being replaced for r&b singers or video dancers.

I decided to dedicate this blog to some of my favorite hip hop duets. I have plenty, but these are the few I could find.

What are some of your favorite hip hop duets?

Hip Hop Duets

Hip Hop vs. Internet

Did the Internet Kill Hip Hop?

This is what one person on a hip hop chatline (on AHH.com) stated. I just happen to scroll down & breeze through some of the answers & some I definitely understand where they are coming from. But my first response to that question was.. No!

First of all, I don't think hip hop is dead. I think it's taken an L from what the radio stations bumping & what the music TV networks chooses to play where we're limited to the same autotune, crunk, gun slinging, booty chasing rappers or singing rappers 7 days a week. So much so, that I don't listen to the radio anymore, unless it's on the R&B station. Nor do I watch videos on BET or MTV. Matter of fact, I find myself watching VH-1 videos with Coldplay before I watch 106 & Park.

Rap on the radio sucks, & to be honest.... it's always been bias & partial, even during the Golden Age when radio was sleeping on Tribe, Kane, GangStarr so many others, while playing the hell out of Coolio, Young MC, Tone Loc, MC Hammer & so on & so on. Not knocking them, but I doubt I'll see them on too many ppl's Top 10 G.O.A.T. lists.

In my honest opinion, the internet didn't kill hip hop nor did it hurt hip hop.

IT'S SAVING HIP HOP!!!!

TRUE... the youtube beefs from rappers where they're putting more time into tough talk & making cartoons dissing each other when they should be putting out records (i.e. 50 Cent vs. Rick Ross)...

TRUE.... The convenience of downloading has hurt record sales. But to be honest, with the crap playing on the radio... you can't blame folks for doing it. Besides, before downloading, rap music was heavily bootlegged more than any other music genre. So it's nothing new to hip hop. Matter of fact, the media didn't make a deal of it until Eminem (a white rapper) & Dr. Dre (his producer) complained about his music being bootlegged. As long as it was Blacks hurting Black artists sells, it was all good. But I won't get into that.

The bottom line... is even though the internet exposes a lot of the ugly sides of hip hop which can also be seen in the media, you can't deny that shows the beauty of it too. It's exposed us to some great talent that we know MTV nor BET will not give the time of day unless they're groomed by one of their media darlings.

So for anyone blaming the internet for the horror of hip hop today,

....go to Pandora or your satellite radio station that plays your favorite underground rap music that your local stations will never play.

.... go to youtube and look up your favorite artist at the moment & see the videos that you'll never see on your cable network with over 200 channels.

.... go to myspace & check out the videos & artists the Spitkickers acknowledges & sponsor them everytime they drop an album, a video or a single that you'll never see on your flatscreen HDTV.

.... bottom line... Our traditional media outlet before the internet has turned its heads on the everyday consumer... not just with hip hop.... but this is what this blog is about. All though everything is microwavable, nothing will ever take the place of a homecooked meal. And right now, the internet is the only reliable source to find out there's more to hip hop than what BET's been bringing for the past 5 years.... (which is why Rap City got cancelled after almost 20 years.)

The Hip Hop Head vs. The Backpacker

The Hip Hop Head vs. The Backpacker

What's good y'all? I've been a hip hop fan since 84 (The Breakdancing era), but ever since '88, I've been a hip hop fiend. In '90, I begun purchasing every album that caught my attention that would ultimately become classic gems.

Hip hop inspired me as a person, an artist, a poet, a rhymer, a storyteller.... whatever.... It was a huge inspiration. But y'all get the drift... right?

I can recall many great moments & great songs in hip hop history that got me respected by other hip hop fans in school & then later on the net.... so much I got crowned the Hip Hop Guru. LOL. Becuz I not only turned young heads on to old classics, but I turned old heads back on to underground gems.

Although I hate the state of hip hop today on the radio, I do respect some of these cats becuz it would be DEAD... if we stayed stuck in the past. I blame my disapproval on the fact that it's showing no growth. B/c I grew up to the culture, I would like to see it grow with me, instead of feeling I have to grow out of it.

Hip hop is the only music where this is the case. But what I speak is out of love not hate. Love/Hate..... that is the key difference btw a true hip hop head & a backpacker... which brings me to why the title.

Many years ago, during the Boot Camp Clik/ De La Soul "Stakes Is High" era... I would've declared myself a Backpacker, but that was before I realize what a Backpacker really is. I only claimed it, b/c it sounded cool & I was feeling more of the rappers considered as real by "backpackers." But as time would tell, especially in this day & age, I realize I never was..... & I'm glad I wasn't & that's purely based on my opinion.... b/c I know everyone has their own interpretation (just like snitching).

So what's the difference btw the hip hop head & a backpacker?

One.

HHH's are more opened to other music styles & more than likely listen to their favorite rapper if he decided to go another direction with his music. Even if they don't like it, they might be apprehensive to buy another CD from them, but they're gonna give them the benefit of the doubt.

a BP would automatically dismiss it based on the first track & vow never to buy another CD from them again.


Two.

When the fav. rapper of an HHH finally gets exposure & sells records, he/she's happy for them & proud to state they've been fans from day one.

When the fav. rapper of a BP finally gets exposure & sell records, they turn on them calling them a sellout & only focus on the negative things they didn't like about the album.

Three.

HHH might not like a lot of rap music on the radio, but they will acknowledge the few or some radio joints they like or any pop rapper they'd never buy, but they like the single.

BP's hate everything & everyone that plays on the radio & gonna constantly try name of rappers no one has ever heard of as being tighter.

Four.

HHH embrace hip hop as a whole regardless of region or style. They might prefer one over another, but they won't dismiss the other totally.

BP's only want to hear 1 type of hip hop... usually conscious rap... & hate on anything that's not thought provoking or lyrical to the point that even HHH's have to listen to it 3 times to get the metaphor.

Five.

HHH are more prone to hate specific music on the radio.

BP are more prone to hate rappers on the radio... PERIOD. 50 Cent can drop the illest verse, they'll still hate him, b/c he's 50 Cent. They will not give any credit to any rapper that doesn't fit their credentials of what hip hop is.

Six.

Although HHH & BP's might share the same love for hip hop... but HHH is more likely to critique a certain rapper & point out the good & bad things about them or their music, based on their taste without being hateful.

BP's are more territorial & despise with a passion anyone that doesn't please them as a brand.

Seven.

HHH are usually hip hop fans that grew up in the culture & sometimes outside of it but developed an appreciation for the root of the art, yet can still respect the newbies, while embracing the origin.

BP are usually posers (usually from the burbs, but can also exist in rural & urban communities as well.) who jumped on the bandwagon after being exposed to hip hop by either an HHH or another BP. They come across as overly self-righteous & only gravitate toward conscious underground rappers who are just as self righteous & overly negative about everything & everyone. They're like the Republicans of hip hop. LOL

Eight.

HHH can hate a radio rap joint, yet still dance to it while in the club.

A BP can't shut the hell up about how much they hate a radio rap joint when it comes on in the club.

Nine.

HHH either love, so-so like or hate a rapper's music based on the sound, the rhymes, & everything about the music ... collectively.....

A BP either love or hate! Point Blank! To them, all underground artists are nice, regardless of how wack they are, or how gimmicky, off-delivery, amateurish or preachy they might try to come off. And all commercial rappers suck & are to blame for hip hop's demise regardless of how they sound. To them, The Carter 3 is wack... although they've never heard it. And Asher Roth is god, although he sounds like Eminem.

Ten.

HHH = Hip Hop + Love + Respect + Inspired
BP = HATER.


There you have it. LOL

Sanford & Son with the 3 Degrees.

For some reason... this episode with the 3-Degrees has been in my head all day, & I haven't seen this episode in decades. LOL I was so jealous of Fred being serenaded like that. Even though, I was probably in diapers (or not even born) when this came out.

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!

"EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!"

Remember a time whenever you heard that, you expected to see an image of a young boy trying to sell newspapers & broadcasting the headline news? That was my image of how metropolitan ppl got their papers, while I had visions of the "delivery boy" on the bike sending us ours at the doorstep or putting them in our mailbox.

Yeah! The good ole days. Although I didn't care about the news back then (I was a carefree kid), I did look forward to reading the comics, especially the Sunday's edition.

Of course it changed when I got older & became more aware of the world & the news came viable in knowing what was going on in your community. Of course, before the internet. I never thought I'd be a part of it as a Graphic Designer 11 years ago. From building intense car ads to help them sell designing an entire classified section, crossword page, cover pages & layout of special publications & even magazines, to learning the ins & outs & what really goes on & how stressful it is working at a newspaper. And I've been at 3.... different toilet, same shit.. with each movement the bigger the shit, the harder to flush out. But it did.

When I first told ppl I worked at our local paper, the immediate response was... "damn, you have to get up early don't you?" assuming I must do the delivery. Not thinking a Black man can be behind the scenes in the creative process of the paper. lol. But sadly, that's where most of the bruthas were... either in delivery or in production pressing the paper & preparing it to be delivered. Some times for little of nothing.

At one of the papers I worked for, I used to volunteer to help them out printing the paper when things were slow for me. In my field, it's hard at times cuz I'd either be the only Black person or the only guy..... or worst... BOTH!!!! B/c I worked with mostly females at that time, I enjoyed chilling with them. That was 8 years ago & time's changed as everybody moved on. But I'll never forget those good times.

Although the newspaper has been the most stressful job I've ever been in, I definitely enjoyed the experience & hope I never have to work at one again if I can help it... (unless it's in Editorial or Marketing, & far from Advertising)

Last week, I found out my former employer of the past 8 years is closing down their Production Department & sending the paper to be printed at another facility 2 hours away. According to their site, that's gonna be 58 ppl out of work. And this takes effect in April... Almost a year from when they gave us Artists the axe. As for the remaining employees, they've frozen their pension & suspended their 401K. Damn!

I hear a lot of ppl blame the fall of the newspaper on the internet, when actually there's a market for them on the net. They make money each time a person hit on their site. Plus, if they wanted (& some do), they'll charge ppl to subscribe to get it over the net. This might not be good for pre-press, but it's great in this "save green" kick we're in & saving them money on newsprint, which is costly.

BUt what really doesn't surprise me about the fall of this particular paper was becuz.... they no longer cared what their local public wanted. They never covered local news. Instead they focused on the random shit you can find ANYWHERE on the net. It lost its home feel, becuz it sold out. And that's what happens when you have large corporations in charge of local businesses. It's no longer the community's paper, but the company that owns it. And I haven't even spoke on the shadiness & behind the scenes dealings I've heard about it.

I've seen this with a lot of newspapers. And until they become a part of the community & not just another brand for companies to drain money from, the newspaper will become as extinct as the 8-track.

The Death of the Female Rapper part 2

Crazy. I was checking out AHH.com & came across the audio mixtape by Jazzy Joyce which pays tribute to female rappers. For those that don't know.... Jazzy Joyce is a female DJ pioneer who's been putting it down from day one.... (even before the Original Spinderella). The first time I acknowledged her was on Sweet Tee's classic joint, "It's My Beat."

Anyway, she's hosting the Ladies First mixtape where they're mixing a lot of classic female rap joints & I have to say... brought back a lot of memories & was nice to hear collectively reminding folks that bruthas didn't keep hip hop alive alone. My only problem was their choice of Jean Grae joint & no MC Lyte tracks. (out of all the females... hell no.) But after listening to all 75 minutes of it, JJ gives props to her at the end & say she's hosting the volume 2 version. (After hearing that I was cool, but still mad. LOL)

But after getting that high off of some good ole fashion hip hop with a woman's touch... I started to read the comments. Bad mistake, since it seems like the ppl that were commenting didn't listen to the audio as they were only giving props the names mentioned on the header. Another asking "Where's Lauryn?" when they played 3 songs she spitted on.

I hate reading comments on hip hop sites sometimes. Guess that's why the first time I got on the hip hop chatroom on Yahoo (way back).. was the last time. It was only a back & forth rant, cursing match, or somebody tryna hook up, or some racist mofo trying to get a rise out of Blacks on the site.

But one thing that's really messed up & I'm sure it's some ppl that would agree with this (I don't). One reader blamed Lil' Kim & Foxy Brown for their sexually explicit lyrics for the downfall of female rappers. WHAT?

First off. Both sistas are 14 years deep in the game & proceeded by a slew of females that took rap even further (i.e. Missy, Eve, Rah Digga). They revolutionized the game making it okay for females to not have to look or sound like a boy to be recognized. And plus, I think they were something needed to show a different side of women. All sistas can't be regal like Latifah, pro-feminine like YoYo, conscious like MC Lyte, classy like Salt-n-Pepa.

If anything, they gave female rappers another option. But the bad part is it opened the door for least talented females who can get over on being sexually perverted (i.e. Trina, Khia), while more deserving femcees struggle to be heard (i.e. Jean Grae, Rah Digga).

Once upon a time, the sistas had to come tighter than the bruthas just to be acknowledged, while a wack male rapper can get a pass. But now a days, wackness sells no matter the gender.

Kim & Foxy's last albums were actually nice, & these women actually do have more to offer than just sex talk. But truthfully, look at their history. Foxy's Broken Silence only went gold & the first 2 singles (BK Anthem & Oh Yeah) were mad hot on the streets. But what got more bang on the radio? "I Taste Just Like Candy."

Lil' Kim's last 2 albums were both critically acclaimed & high marked on the Source. And neither were as sexually explicit as earlier albums collectively. But what's the last hit RAP song she's had? "I Got the Magic Stick." In other words, if they didn't do sex songs, they wouldn't sell nor would they get play on the radio, in spite of the high marks received on their albums.

Shawnna is another example. That woman is a beast on the mic & what's her biggest & only hit? "Gettin' Some Head."

So is Kim & Foxy the blame for the fall of female rappers? NO! It's us. The consumers that don't support the females providing alternatives. If you're not buying their CD's, why should they continue to cater to you?

Serve Ya With Some Southern Hospitality

PH-1 : Serve you with some Southern Hospitality.

Remember around the early 90's when the West Coast was dominating the rap scene? It was crazy how the game was divided & how folks were simply choosing sides. I even found myself deciding would I be an East Coast bias, since most of the cats I listened to were from the East.

And I wasn't particular fond of too many gangsta rappers back then. Not necessarily becuz they were from the West, but becuz back then, it seems the more real of a gangsta they were, the wacker their rhymes were. While the East might've had fake killers but dope spitters, the West had some dope dealers/wack spitters.

Don't get me wrong, I had my favorites like Ice Cube, D.O.C., Warren G, Ice T., Cypress Hill, Death Row, MC Eiht & DJ Quik just to name a few. But the thing that was fucked up about that characterization is there was a whole other movement going on in the West that wasn't & should've been getting the buzz it got. For example.... the whole Hieroglyphics (Souls of Mischief & Del.. etc.), Ras Kass, Xzibit (b4 Dr. Dre), Paris, The Pharcyde, DIgital Underground, Tha Alkaholiks, Luniz, Fort Minor (yeah... I like them), Black Eye Peas (b4 Fergie), Jurassic 5.... just to name a few dope emcees that came out the West & rep it just as nice, but their skills outshined their gangsta. I feel bad now when I used to hear folks say they sound like the "east coast", when they were simply doing them.

Even til this day, The West still has some fire that's not being acknowledged (except Game) like Murs, Pac Div., Mystic, Evidence / Dilated People & too many to go back to recollect. But that's not the point of this blog.

The point is that I see the same thing with the South. It's been a lot of folks complaining about the music, including myself. But the one thing that's disappointing is The South being blamed for it. No one blamed the West when they were winning all the awards & the only rap that was selling was gangsta music who's subject matters was just as, if not, worser on young minds. But that's not the point of this blog either.

Just like mainstream did with the West Coast 15 years ago, they're looping all Southern rappers into one image. 15 years ago, the images of a west coast rapper was a ruff looking nigga in a doo rag, plaid shirt & kaki pants with a gun, just as ballys & a kangol was an image of an 80's NY rapper. & later baseball cap, jersey & baggy jeans with a toothpick in they mouth in the 90's. Well for Southern rappers, it's wild hair, gold/platinum grill with matching jewels & accessories looking like Tyrone the Pimp on Martin.

In other words, Southern Rappers are made to be a joke in hip hop. By the same ppl that never respected the South, cuz we were looked upon as backwards. It used to be made to feel embarrassed for having a country grammar. 20 years ago, I purposely worked on my pronunciation & syllables when I spit as to not sound too Southern. But funny now how even other regions are trying to cater more to the South now & sound like them. And not the ones that deserves to be acknowledged either.

But you know what's sad? Just like the West, there is a great breed of talent down here, that may never get the props they deserve becuz they're not "crunk" enough, ain't got enough "swag", ain't got no "dance" or "gimmick" going. But one thing they have that a lot of these Southerners that stoop those level don't have.... skills.

Even some of the established Southern emcees that ppl scorn on, if cats actually listened to some.... they are really nice on the mic. Even Young Jeezy, if he got better beats & less "DAMN!!!!" "YEAH!!!!". I might get lynched for this, but IMO, even Jay-Z, New York's god of rap, got murdered by both T.I. (on Swagger Like Us) & Luda (I Do It for Hip Hop). Honestly, I even liked Cris' verse slightly better than Nas'. He did his things, but he didn't kill it. And I haven't even touched on 3 Stacks, Phonte, Scarface or Supastition & many others. In spite of ppl's opinions on that, you can't deny skills & it isn't measured by demographics.

And the South has been the main voice in mainstream hip hop for the past 4 or 5 years. But just like the West Coast before them... for every one (1) mediocre rapper that gets a contract & dominate the airwave, there are about 10 nice emcees that can't get spins or even get love in their own hometown. (See North Carolina. How Carolinians sleep on The Justus League & their affiliates is beyond me.)

I'm not gonna name names.... I'll just let the music speak for me. These are just the few Southern emcees I threw together.

FTR. According to history, Virginia counts as a Southern state, but not looked upon as one in hip hop. So instead of acknowledging more VA artists, I just included the man behind the VA hip hop blueprint, Mad Skillz.

Fat Chance

Fat Chances Pt. 1

5 o' clock on a weekday morning....
awaken by NBC broadcasting news. I'm yawning...
Lay there for hours anticipate the sun before/ I start my morning jog
then hit Fitness Plus to work my abs, cardios & quads
tryna abort this permanent infant I've been carrying ever since
I could remember. As my belly's steadily extending
The pregger of A stubborn baby I can't abort, though try to starve it.
crunch it & other acts to target
to get to the core to flush it.
Pray for it's death while
in the Milledge building up sweat while I'm treading
& sprinting for miles & miles.
Harder & harder....
only to come up torn hamstrings & broken tarsals
While this toddler I try to keep pacified with water bottles
Sweet cravings become more dominate. Krispy Kremes keep callin' a
brutha like Pookie. I'm resistant
til trips outside of the woods got me tempted to get my fill,
b4 I hit home, where civilization's a distant.
Stuck with what's in my refrigerator, with no desire to bake or
fry up a meal. A salad would only make a brah pissed,
can't get a full sensation. back & forth in the fridge craving
for something to stick & leave him with his belly aching.
canned beans & rice in dbl portions & any meat substance
Got me feeling I cheating myself & my morning workout was done for nothing.
All becuz I couldn't resist a doughnut.
& another... & another dozen.* But shit was delicious.... So Fuck it.

Fat chance I'd have a 6 pack to show like Usher
A fat chance, I'd have an ass you can use to bounce a quarter
A fat chance... but ain't bitter, You see
God made me who I am..... I can only be me.....

Fat chance I'd have a 6 pack to show like Usher
A fat chance, I'd have an ass you can use to bounce a quarter
A fat chance... but ain't bitter, You see
God made me who I am..... I can only be me.....


Fat Chances Pt. 2
I could take pills to speed my metabolism. It won't matter
cause even if I lost weight, I'd still be above the average
Not according to the mass of me. Based solely on personality
I cry for Mary Blige. Cuz she missed out on a man like me
Happiness can't be measured, as I give props to the Heavy Hitters
Never followed society standards, I can't dismiss my sistas
Pleasantly plump. Like any carnivore, GIVE ME MEAT
Fuck a wine & dine. Rather hit the buffet with Monique
Ain't nothing like the Real Thing, modern Marvin in search of Tammi
Some use extravagance as an executed plot to get in the panties
Use her insecurities against her to hit her then quit her
Like he doing her service getting served by a pretty nigga
Always dishes on the side. Never the trophy wives.
So it seems.....
cause men are more vain, than women could ever be.
But attitude goes a long way baby.
ain't nothing sexier than a woman with a high self esteem,
& a heart humongous synoymous with her appetite.
Though still count calories so her jeans won't get more tight
Not to keep me, that's how I saw her from the get-go.
Besides that's what attracted me. Loving to see her fat ass as it wiggles.

It's a fat chance U'd have a body that kills like Janet
A fat chance, U can get away with sport thongs to attract men
A fat chance... don't be mad. just more to love, boo.
God made u who u are.... You can only be U.

It's a fat chance U'd have a body that kills like Janet
A fat chance, U can get away with sport thongs to attract men
A fat chance... don't be mad. just more to love, boo.
God made u who u are.... You can only be U.


*(FTR..... I can not devour more than a dozen in one day.)

© 2008 GeeDeVille Publishings


SIDENOTE: I was 10 lbs. heavier when I did this. HAHAHA!!!! (2 months ago) I said I was gonna try to get out the 200's by March, but I'm already 198. YEAH!!!

Is It Just Me... Pt. 2

Is It Just Me

But I'm still shocked from the Chris Brown situation involving him assaulting Rihanna. I hope it's not true or just fabricated. Although I'm not a fan of his music, I can't stand to see young bruthas caught up in situations like that. And as I'm watching the news.....

Is It Just Me

but the media is really fucking Chris right now. He got pulled from the "Milk" campaign, the Wrigley's Gum, & other events. There's even possibilities of pulling his music from radio stations. I don't believe that. Maybe with pop radio, but definitely not the urban. I don't care how some folks feel, but if they continued to play R. Kelly when his this 40+ y/o man was having sex with underaged girls... I doubt they would CB. It'll hurt him, b/c this wasn't a random chic.... IT WAS RIHANNA! UMBRELLA-ELLA-ELLA EA-EA-EA....


Is It Just Me

I know that song's old but I couldn't resist....

Is It Just Me

but doesn't 9 years in jail seem a little steep since T.I. got less time for multiple counts of weapons charge while on probation... while this is just Chris' first offense? Brotha's definitely gonna be sweating this out for the rest of the year (or more)... but

Is It Just Me

I think he'll survive it, since he's got a lot more sense than Yung Berg who doesn't know when to STHU. Reasons why he's more known in hip hop for getting beat up or dissed than for his music. Hopefully he's learned from last year. Plus Chris Brown is young & he's human. I hope he can pull through & that experience helps to make him a better man. Stay up, CB.


Is It Just Me

But I'm kinda curious how both 50 Cent & Rick Ross are gonna come out. They have a beef going on back & forth with videos & interviews & talk radio... but...

Is It Just Me

but... I wanna see what they bring on the mic .. on their albums.... NOT MIXTAPES....PLEASE... NO! MORE! MIXTAPES!!!!!!! I doubt they bring that fire like Nas & JayZ's battle.... but...


Is It Just Me

I definitely can't wait to see what Foxy Brown come out on her response to 50's talk. To me, but she's more lyrical than both them cats. And she's had a riff with Lil' Kim expanding a decade.... 10 YEARS Y'ALL!!!! So 50'll be in for a war against her... (fuck a battle. ) lol... speaking of wars....


Is It Just Me

But after the beef over the Notorious Movie & Voletta Wallace responding to Lil' Kim's complaints & displeasures of her character, I can't wait for Kim to respond on her next album to her & Faith. I know that's wrong, b/c that's BIG's mom, but eff it. She's been publicly hating on Kim from day one, like the shit her son did to her wasn't disrespectful enough. But...

Is It Just Me...

She shouldn't be too mad, since the girl that played her was FINE... sigh... WHY THE PLASTIC SURGERIES, KIM? WHY?


Is It Just Me

But I'm hoping with all these pissed off sistas, they'll bring back femcees. LOL. Hell, look what beefing did for MC Lyte's career... (Antoinette, Roxanne Shante).




Then again... they might save it for more.. mixtape music... sigh.

Is It Just Me

But I'll be glad when mixtapes die out & folks start putting out REAL albums. Hell, I'll settle for a collection of unreleased joints (i.e. Nas' Lost Tape.... CLASSIC). But no more rapper spitting to classic beats. No more DJ's talking on the track. No more mixing & repeating a rappers first 2 or 4 bars continuous. NO MORE MIXTAPES...... PLEASE!!!!

but that's just me.

Q/A: Up & Coming Graphic Artists

This come from a previous blog of Q/A's I posted a year ago today on myspace celebrating my 200th Blog at the time. This is from a friend & fellow Graphic Designer, Jay Millionaire. It was actually a reply that I wish I would've blogged back then, but here it is... one year, 135 additional slept-on blogs later. Hopefully it'll inspire other artists. Peace!!

Question:
What advice I'd give to a young graphic designer just starting in the field?

Answer:
Learn as much as you can as far as media & software. The more you learn & get familiar with programs & different media, the easier it'll be to find a good job. Becuz, being an artist is hard, & being Black just makes it even harder. So you want to absorb as much as you can & make sure your shit is tight, regardless. Because you want strong pieces for your portfolio & diversity.

Also, too. Something I had to learn, never allow yourself to get settled on one particular style or catering to one particular audience. Because the more versatile you are, the better. And wherever your job or career takes you, you might have to dumb down a little to cater to a certain audience. But don't let that interfere & dumb down your own creativity. That's why I keep a sketch pad on me. Whenever I feel an urge or get an idea, even if I don't have plans for it now, you'll never know if it might be good for you in the long run. Even if it doesn't get used, it keeps your creativity sharp.

Example.. My Black history blogs started off as a simple calendar I designed to teach myself. It almost went to print at my job. Unfortunately, it fell through, cuz they didn't try to sell enough advertising, nor did they promote it. So instead, they did a spread page ad for it. I designed that, but I didn't put any of the content of my calendar or any of the other stuff I researched, b/c I plan to take it with me & use it for myself.

Another word of advice, whatever media you work with, as for instance Magazines, look at other magazines with a similar target audience for inspirations as far as colors & style. Sometimes art, photos & print magazines can be inspirations, too. Everything I look at from album covers to package designing, even picturing images I see in real life can spark ideas. In other words, being observant is something very useful from the little things ppl take for granted.

And don't be afraid to think outside the box or jot down something that may seem weird or stupid. And never throw away failed projects becuz what might not work for one client or job.... might work for another.

GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS PART 2

Part 2.... (Part one on Myspace... sorry)

I have Good News & Bad News



The Good News: Although I have 3 other blog places, I prefer myspace when it comes to my more personal blogs.
The Bad News: I still like blogspot better. LOL

The Good News:... Janet Jackson & Jermaine Dupri are over according to AHH.com
The Bad News: I can't comfort her. (looks down with a Charlie Brown frown & the music theme plays.)

The Good News: this might bring out better music from Janet.
The Bad News: it might not. Even though, I think she still release dope ballads, but she puts too much focus on dance records.

The Good News: I've gotten some great responses for my online portfolio.... but
The Bad News: I'm still unemployed. lol

The Good News: I've gotten a lot of great freelance job offers that I'm feeling good about.
The Bad News: nothing is set in stones. But....

The Good News: I'm still optimistic. So much so, I think I'm done with my logo... although...
The Bad News: I did away with "SkechoPhellah" becuz I don't want to focus on just artwork, but graphic design as a whole...

The Good News: I decided to stick with the name I've gone with since conception Phellah + Graphics & you got...... phellahGRAPHICS.... hmmm. Got a nice ring to it, too. I might have to play with the colors, but overall I'm pleased with it.



The Bad News: I say that now, but I'll probably change it again. LOL...