SkechoPhellah

R.I.P. Michael Jackson

2009-06-25T16:53:00.000-07:00

One if my favorite MJ joints of all times.

Obama dropping some Ether. LMAO

2009-05-26T04:55:00.001-07:00

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Wise Intelligent from Poor Righteous Teacher speaks

2009-05-25T05:30:00.001-07:00

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Worst of the Best & Best of the Worst

2009-05-22T14:28:00.000-07:00

Hello. This is actually I list I comprise up back in July of 2008 that I never got around to finishing. Anyway, after posting so many blogs on hip hop, one thing I never did was open up to some of the actual songs that were hot from artists that I liked, but I hated the songs, although it seemed everyone else loved them.

Also, even though I'm perceived as a hip hop head, I'll admit it's some fun songs that I wouldn't consider the best & probably get me scorned in the hip hop community for admitting that I liked it. For example, I actually liked Ja Rule's music b4 he let 50 take him out of his lane. Also, I used to sing along with Ginuwine to that Nas "U Owe Me" joint. But hey my list gets worst. Those are just examples.

First off let me acknowledge the songs you might've loved, but did nothing for me in the beginning. Some grew on me later, others, well... I learn to tolerate it.

Top 10 Songs I Originally Hated by Artists I Love
1. 2Pac - California Love
I know I'll get a lot of flack for this, but fuck it. I hated it when it first came out, even though I was a Dre & Roger Troutman fan. The reason was I felt it was out of 2Pac's element at the time.. or at least what I was used to. Plus I felt it was a subliminal hit at the East Coast. I just hated this new image of 2Pac going from attacking corrupt politicians & other racist figures to attacking his own bruthas based on coast or opinions (at the time.) I felt like if Biggie & Puff had something to do with his shooting, it should've stayed btw those camps instead of dragging the whole coast into it & anyone who spoke indifferent. But aside from that, I didn't like the sample used with it. Now I did like the original beat on the album version by Dr. Dre using his traditional G-funk style.

2. The Notorious B.I.G. - Juicy
When I first heard this I saw Biggie as an overrated rapper trying to ride off the West Coast dick with an East Coast sound, plus I thought the Mtume sample was too obvious & played out (should've been left alone.). Even today, even though I like the song, it's definitely a dumb downed Biggie, but I respect it now. Becuz truthfully, even lyricist have to dumb down on occasions to get a point across (i.e. Nas' " I Can"). I almost didn't get the album based on this first single & verse on Flava In Ya Ear. Even though his verse was nice... from a battling & punchline standpoint, he was so-so to me lyrically. But after I got his album (thanks to a friend that let me listen to his) I realize. Damn, I underestimated the man. But this is still one of my least favorite joint on Biggie's debut.

3. A Tribe Called Quest - I Left My Wallet In El Segundo
Crazy thing, since I'm probably the biggest ATCQ fan ever now. BUt originally, I liked it from a comedic standpoint (the video), but I couldn't see myself wanting to play it on my cassette player. I thought it was corny at the time, especially the chorus. Then they came with BOnita Applebaum. I liked it better, but still antsy. After getting 5 mics from the Source, & everybody... I mean folks that actually listened to real hip hop kept co-signing them, I finally broke down in 92 & got both the first & Low End Theory at the same time. And crazily, I love that song now. LOL

4. MC Lyte - Ruffneck
Til this day, this is my least favorite MC Lyte hit song. I felt she let ppl get in her head saying she needed to come harder after mixed reviews of her 3rd album (Act Like You Know), where she first started wearing make up, & dropped "WHen In Love". I admit, I wasn't big on that song, but honestly, with the exception of that & maybe 1 or 2 tracks out of about 17 songs, that album was tight. But ppl judged her off one track & she jumped on that Onyx/MOP Hardcore bandwagon spitting extra hard... like she wasn't hard b4 her first 2 albums. But also Boss came out that year, so every female starting playing the "gangsta bitch". (sadly... even YoYo). To me, that joint & album was more of the disappointment than the previous. Becuz at least the previous showed growth & maturity of a tomboy becoming a strong positive woman. While she was almost forced to becoming a butch on that album. Although the album did have some great moments, as a whole, I wish she would've stuck to her guns.

5. Salt-n-Pepa - Push It
I respect what this song did for not only SNP, but female rappers in general, b/c they opened the doors for them to not only sell records but get major deals. This gave birth to a lot of copycat girl groups trying to make that next party record. But honestly, compared to the original joints off their first album, this song was wack to me. Ain't no way "Push It" topped "Chick On The Side", My Mic Sound Nice", "Tramp", "I'll Take Your Man"... hell the whole album... including "Showstoppers" (response to Doug E Fresh & Slick Rick's "The Show") that was done 2 years earlier. Even now, my mind goes blank when this joint bumps on the radio. "Shake Your Thang" should've got more exposure than that, cuz not only was it a party song, the lyrics were fun to hear & better crafted.

6. Busta Rhymes - I Got U All In Check (Woo Hah)
I get hyped like I'm on ecstacy when I hear this now. But back when this joint first came out, I thought it was retarded. It was just weird to me, especially when it first premiered, & that "Everything Remains Raw" came on. I was bumping my head as hard as his multiple figures in that Range Rover. Then he came when that kiddie beat & lost my mojo. It took me finally getting the album for this joint to grow on me. But I really loved it when he remixed it with ODB (R.I.P.)

7. Fugees - "Killing Me Softly"
I know a lot of females are gonna bite my head off for this. But I'm sorry. I love Lauryn Hill & I loved the original "Killing Me Softly" by Roberta Flack. I even loved Al B. Sure's version. But I couldn't get into the Fugees' version. Lauryn killed it lyrically, but the beat was so simple, it killed it for me. Plus it was out of place on the album to me. I think if Clef would've played the original beat on his guitar (like the intro) instead of the 4 beats per bar, I would've liked it better. Every time this song comes on the radio, I go to another channel & I always skip over it when I play the album. Again, sorry ladies. But I blame Clef... like Canibus did for his first album. LMAO

8. Jay Z feat. Foxy Brown - Ain't No....
I hated this song based off the strength that it got more buzz than his first single, "Dead Presidents." When his first single dropped, I was all gassed & telling everybody to watch out for him.... he was mad nice. At that time, I saw him as the next Nas. But when he dropped this joint, I was like EPMD already used it & did a better job with it. And I love Foxy & her voice, but it like her verse never ended. Although I would've preferred just her verse alone on that song & take Jigga off. LOL. Then after hearing other joints, I hated this more, becuz to me, it was definitely meant for commercial status. But it worked, so I ain't mad at him.

9. Nas - Hip Hop Is Dead (feat. Will-I-Am)
Nas got lazy on this song (and the first few songs of the albums). With a title like Hip Hop Is Dead, I just knew he was gonna kill it & try to bring some resurrection to the game. But I should've known better off the strength that Will-I-Am produced it... even though I love what he did with Common (I Have A Dream). ANd to make matters worse, he used the exact same sample he used on "Thief's Theme" which IMO was a 10 time much better song lyrically & how the sample was done (much more gritty & sinister).

10. Eminem & Dr. Dre - Guilty Conscious
I thought "My Name Is.." was funny as hell, but I didn't see it as something I could rock with. Although I liked his delivery & lyrics, I saw him as a twisted white version of Will Smith during his "Fresh Prince" days or even Kwame. And when this 2nd single came out, I just thought it was predictable. Oh wow. A Dr. Dre/ Slim collabo. I did like the good conscious vs. bad conscious idea, but the beat was too typical of Dre to me & again, saw it as something funny, but couldn't take Eminem serious as a dope emcee. It wasn't until his 3rd single "Role Model" & a co-worker let me listen to her copy of his debut album that I started liking him.

Dishonorable Mentions
1. Ice Cube - The Bop Gun : Leave the funk to the pros (Parliament, George Clinton & so on...)
2. Common - Ghetto Heaven (remix): The original with D'Angelo was bananas. Why the hell they took it from the album & replaced with the wack version with Macy Gray IDK.
3. E-40 & Suga T - Sprinkle Me. I used to mock Suga T's high pitched. I used to think she was wack. But I heard her on a Lyricist Lounge freestyle & honey was straight fire. Plus this ended up being one of those songs that grew on me.
4. DMX - Get Me At Dog: he won me with follow up joints, esp. Ruff Ryders Anthem.
5.

Top 10 Hip Hop Guilty Pleasures
1. Dem Franchise Boyz - "I Think They Like Me" feat. Bow Wow & Brat - Brat killing that verse is what won me.
2. Technitronik "Pump Up The Jam".)
3. Marky Mark - Good Vibrations (I liked it from a work out regime & club banger. But not from a hip hop perspective.)
4. MC Hammer - Pump It Up (That shit was slamming back in the days... especially with B. Angie B. singing on the hook.)
5. Luke - Doo Doo Brown (The stripper anthem of all times.)
6. B Rock & The Bizz - "My Baby Daddy" (hilarious. B/c I knew a girl that talked just like the chick in the song. But "T-bird, I luh you.")
7. Project Pat - "Chicken Head" (another funny track with a funny video. I might be wrong, but LA Chat was perfect for the video cuz she looked like a chickenhead.)
8. KP & Envyi - "Shorty Swing My Way" (Joint still makes me wanna dance.)
9. Sadat - "Funk Dat" (We had fun with this joint back in the days where we'd come with our own questions & yell.... FUNK DAT)
10. Snap - "I Got The Power" ( I actually liked this version better than Chill Rob G's version, b/c of the chick singing.)

Dishonorable Mentions (& I Don't Care)
C&C Music Factory - Make You Sweat
US-3 - Cantaloop (Actually this joint sounds better than it did back then. I can't believe cats actually hated on this. Might go back & get that album.)
PM Dawn - Paper Dolls (liked them until they disrespected my man, KRS-One)

I had to go & find this LMAO.....!!!!

I Confess: I Love A Good Girl Fight

2009-05-21T14:47:00.000-07:00

Throughout my myspace experience, I've received a lot of props & a lot of love from the sistas. Actually it was the women that showed me more love & support on more than one occasion. And even though I don't consider myself a dog, I am guilty of one thing I must confess. As a kid, I was always a sucker for a chick fight. Whenever their was any action cartoon where a fight existed, I'd always look forward to see the good girl fight against the villioness. (e.g. Wonder Woman vs. Cheetah on Superfriends. or Evil Lynn & Teila or the Sorceress on HeMan.) I guess it came from always being taught that boys were not suppose to Chris Brown.... ooops... I meant... hit a girl. So it was always cool to see a real bitch get her ass handed to her by another woman.

So you know, I was a huge fan of GLOW. True, the fakeness was sooooo obvious when they wrestled. But where else did you see women go at it. Seeing good girls go at the vixens. And every now & then, cheered for the ahem.... vixens like Hollywood & Vine, Spanish Red, & the Soul Patrol. But Tina & Ashley were unbeatable (Tina Fierri would later become Ivory on the WWF). But the Russian, Colonel Ninochka had them all beat. Even good guys fiend for a bad girl every now & then. LMAO. This was before WWF brought women wrestling back with divas like Jacki, Sable, Trish Stratus & Lita. I still would've love to see Chyna & Nicole Bass go at it back then.

But 2 of my favorite female fights have got to be Kill Bill (actually 3 of my favorites came from that movie (B vs. Elle & B vs. Black Momba being 2 of the 3. O Ren Ishii's fight was nice, but not as exciting... although I loved the fight scenes leading up to it with the Crazy 8.) But my favorite was Beatrice vs. GoGo, b/c it was so unexpected & she came closer than anyone to taking Beatrice out in a fair one on one. (Is it me or does GoGo remind me of Mya)

My next favorite girl fight is from Player's Club... Diamond vs. Ronny (extra for slapping that bitch, Trixie. LMAO) Acting might've been suspect, but that fight scene made up for it.

Here are a few girl fights I would love to see & who I think would win.

1. Wilma Flintstone vs. Betty Rubble
(The way Wilma used to beat up on Fred, you know she'd kick Betty's ass.)

2. Marge Simpson vs. Lois Griffin
Marge has suppressed anger dealing with an idiot for a husband, & a juvenile delinquent (Bart). I think if she released that, Meg got some competition. But Meg ain't no joke. Look how many times she whipped Peter's ass & anyone that crossed her? Plus, she has a retard for a husband (Peter) & a future terrorist for a son (Stewie).

3. Wonder Woman vs. Supergirl
(one chunk of Kryptonite & Supergirl's a punching bag. Plus Wonder Woman got her with experience & skills while Supergirl might be stronger. She's immature. Plus the way Wonder Woman's been upgraded from the beginning to now with the Justice League, there was an episode where she gave Superman a run for his money. lol)

4. Cast of Girlfriend vs. Cast of Living SIngle
(No competition there. Living Single would whip Girlfriends asses. Synclaire might be the weak link to LS, but Girlfriend got 2 weak nonviolent women (Joan & Lynn) & a prima donna. Regine might consider herself a diva, but honey still street. Plus touch her weave, & you know it's curtains. And you know Khadijah & Max can whip that ass (probably all 4 by themselves), while Toni's more worried about her weave. Maya's the baddest chick in girlfriend, but seriously outnumbered.)

5. Nell Carter (circa 80's) vs. Monique
This would be the battle of all battles here. Nell didn't take shit from anbody. Even though she was the housekeeper, she kept Karl Keninski in order... a cop. But Monique is a hell raiser too, especially when you fuck with Professor Olgabee. Plus she's a crazy psycho chick, so I gots to give it to Monique. But it'll be very close.

6. Batgirl vs. Catwoman
(Catwoman b/c she has experience on her side, plus she's manipulative & can easily catch Batgirl at a blank moment to get the upper hand.)

7. Old Vivian vs. New Vivian (of Fresh Price of Bel Air)
(Original Viv would whip her ass. lol)

8. One for the ages ///// Ginger vs. Mary Ann

Mary Ann's a country girl, she'd beat the hell out of Ginger, plus she wouldn't want to get her hands dirty, anyway.

9. Coral (from Real World) vs. New York (from Flavor of Love)

This would be a dream match cuz these are the biggest bitches in reality show history. They've been mostly all bark with no bite (esp. NY). But Coral have kicked ass in actual athletic events (RW/RR Challenges), so she definitely got fight in her. But I'd love to see Coral.... "not wrestle, but beat bitches (like NY) down." Plus Coral has kinda, ummm, grown on me over the years. LOL

10. Monica vs. Brandy (90's classic battle of the brawls)

Monica would destroy Brandy. Come on.... she's from the A. Country street chick. Gotta be bias, since I'm from GA.

Honorable Mentions

The Destiny Children: Beyonce & Kelly vs. LeToya & LaTavia. (Would be a great grudge match, but I can see Beyonce's father tossing a chair at one of the new girls to help his daughter win. Along with Michelle in the background taking cheapshots while pretending to be so holy singing gospel songs. LOL. So by the numbers game... Beyonce hands down.... oh yeah. & Kelly too. LOL

Lil' Kim vs. Foxy Brown. (Foxy... but then again, Kim wouldn't scared to swing at BIG or her own pops. So Foxy better keep a cell handy as a weapon. LOL)

Dark Angel vs. Lara Croft (tough call... but I love me some Jessica Alba)

The Gift & The Curse of An Artist

2009-05-19T16:04:00.001-07:00

You know, it's amazing what life throws at you. Things are so much easier when you're a kid when you can only sit back & imagine how you want your life to be when you grow up. But even while pursuing them & succeeding in it, instead of smiling for fulfilling a childhood dream, instead, you ask yourself, was it really worth it.

When I was a kid, I just wanted to draw. I didn't know anything about computers, until 9th grade using it for typing term papers. I didn't know anything about marketing, graphic designing or there was no such thing as a web designer. My only thought of an artist was someone who could draw or paint. And you know what? I was content with that idea.

Unlike 16 years ago, a lot of these cats now jump on the bandwagon seeing graphic design as simple as putting text, clip arts (not their own) & pictures together with colorful fonts acquired on CDs & also learning new tricks & filters in Photoshop & call themselves graphic artists. This is not a stab at graphic designers that can't draw, b/c even when I was in school, some of the best GD couldn't draw, paint or sketch, but they made up for it by being creative with cut & pasting. So it was still an art to their craft. But regardless, we didn't have the computer to actually do the work FOR us.

But I'm knocking the computer either. I just realize as much as I love it & how it's made my job a lot easier, it's also taken a lot of the fun away from my position. Becuz before I was a Graphic Artist or a commercial artist, I was simply just an Artist. And the beauty of being an artist was having the ability to express yourself through whatever craft you chose. You got a chance to let ppl see who you are & what you stand for just by your work. One picture could tell an entire story.

That was the beauty of being an artist. Even at 36, my art lets me return to my inner child. I wouldn't call it a 2nd childhood as Nas would say, b/c I never left my first. It was preserved through my drawings from characters I mimmicked at 5, to those I created on my own.

When I started in my profession, I loved it. The thrill of being paid to do something that I "thought" I loved. The reason I thought I loved it was becuz it was in the art field. But it wasn't the actual ART that grew up loving.

Unlike Art, in my profession, commercial or graphic arts, you spend your life trying to sell yourself to others & to certain markets & genres. And in the end, everything you do is please everyone.... EXCEPT YOU!!!! THE ARTIST.... In this profession, it's so easy to lose touch of you are as an artist & I understand why a lot of artists turn away from it. It's exhausting, becuz it's no longer about YOU.... BUT EVERYBODY ELSE.

And when you want to do things for yourself, you're stressed for time. And sometimes, you'll be so exhausted with trying to please a client with either a logo design, a brochure, a branding, or whatever for whoever... you put yourself in the backburner with incomplete projects that may never see the light of day.

When did it become this? Just wanting to be an artist looking up to ppl like Van Gogh, Michelangelo (during the Blue Period), Harlem Renaissance artists & being inspired by comics like Spiderman, X-Men, Justice League & even G-Force just to end up as hired help trying to please everyone but yourself & many times go unnoticed & never acknowledged like X-mas elves creating the toys that Santa gets all of the praises for.

The only thing that keeps my love fresh is my sketch pad nowadays, in an age when all a person needs is a laptop & certain softwares to be considered an artist. Leaving me with a closet full of mat boards, canvas, different pads, pastels, markers, color pencils, charcoals, oil & acrylic paintings that I'll never know when they'll ever get used again. I say when, b/c I plan on it. Because no matter how much technology grows in the next 20 years, it'll never replace the meaning of true art. And you know, I won't matter who doesn't like it or prefer more "technical" work, b/c I'd want my art to go back to being about me..... Not everybody else, except me.

And plus, if we end up becoming a 3rd world country with no electricity & have to go back to square one, I'd still be able to call myself an artist. And my hieroglyphics will be dope. LOL

An Anti-Stereotype: How Black I "Ain't"!

2009-05-16T15:58:00.000-07:00

Here's a blog I've been sleeping on for some time now. This was something I wanted to do for ppl to get to know me a little better & to show how "Black" I'm Not. When I say that, it's in reference to how throughout the years, we have allowed ourselves to be put in a box & looked upon as monolithic sharing the same brain, the same food choices, the same lifestyle & mannerism. Like all sistas in the ghetto are hoodrats. All bruthas are dogs or hoodlums. All fathers are deadbeats. And so on. While rather than proving the obvious of these theories, I rather speak on myself on how "Black I'm Not."

1. The Fried Chicken Theory: In spite of Flavor Flav infatuation with fried chicken, that ugly cat looking straight from a Minstrel Show does not represent me. I like it to a degree, but I can go without it. The reason why chicken has always been affiliated with Blacks is not becuz it's THAT good. It was more affordable, & actually pretty good compared to the other affordable slop Blacks were forced to endure as slaves. But personally, I like baked chicken much better anyway. I every now & then try different varieties of seasonings..... lemon-pepper, garlic-pepper, honey & cinnamon, teriyaki, mesquite BBQ, etc.

2. Watermelon Theory: I liked it as a kid, but hated having to keep spitting out & picking through seeds. Honestly, the reason why it was even a summer thing for us was becuz it was big & enough to feed everyone. But I'll take a raw fresh uncut pineapple before a watermelon any day. Expensive, but good as hell. Naturally sweeter than that syrupy shit from a can. Hmmmm. Not just for mix drinks for me.

3. Hot Sauce: If I put hot sauce on a dish, it's not good enough to go without. LOL. Seriously. My mom's collards used to be the bomb. But I didn't start putting hot sauce on them until I would eat others. Including my own, since I try to eat healthier & not put pork products in my collards. But I much prefer jalapeños & recently (if I can afford it) banana peppers.

4. Slave Food (chitlings, fat back, black eyed peas)... As a kid, I loved fat back. To me, it was bacon without the meat. LOL The smell of chitlings while my mom prepared it on New Years back in the days turned me off from wanting to eat it. For the past 10 years, I cut back on pork tremendously. I only eat pork chops & occasionally eat pork sausages & ham (very seldomly), but I won't buy it. Only eat it when I'm at my moms & she has it maybe once a month. But as far as a lot of traditional foods (I call slave food, b/c it was the scraps slaves were left to eat & they made them in to delicacies.) I hardly eat them if ever.

5. Malt Liquor.... I didn't drink a beer until I was 19, when I worked for my uncle at his BBQ pit. But he didn't sell Bull or Old E. Instead he had the Millers & Budweiser. Bud was okay, until I started drinking Miller. After that I hated Bud. Back then, I didn't keep change for the soda machine, so on those hot days alone in a hot BBQ pit, you get thirsty & drink what's available. So it was more of a thirst quencher with a slight advantage. But in college, that's when I got into the Malt Liquor (among other liquors. LOL) My friends & I used to go to a convenient store across from the campus every Thursday & Friday & grab some Ol' E & whatever we could afford. But out of all the beers my lips have touched, I'd still take a Miller Genuine Draft over any beer, b/c of the taste & it's not as heavy as the others.

6. Loud booming Music..... I get irritated when I hear music too loud. Folks might say, "that's cuz you're getting old... blah blah blah." But truthfully, I always hated it. Even during the golden age in hip hop or before when cats used to have Miami bass rap music bumping through the speakers. I loved some of those joints back in the days at skating rinks & parties (e.g. Give It All You Got", "Drop the Bass", earlier Southern bass hip hop music.) But If I couldn't hear the melody or anything else besides the boom, I didn't see the point, except to impress the other cats roaming the streets. But I wasn't impressed, cuz I couldn't hear the actual music. I faked like I did as not to be "down."

7. Rocking Jewelry.... With the exception of my class ring & a fake thick gold rope I stole from my pops during the Slick Rick days (LMAO)... I've never worn jewelry, not even a cross. I don't knock anyone who wears a cross, but personally I'd always questioned why wear a symbol that represented death. I'm sure so one has a logical answer for that. But I had an issue with that back then. But over all, with the attention I got with the fake rope (some good... some bad... BUT MOSTLY GOOD) I hated a spotlight. And that's what made me stop sporting it & jewelry altogether.

8. Music.... I'm definitely a hip hop head til death. However, before rap, during the 80's when a lot of respectable Black artists started doing more poppy tunes (e.g. Aretha's "Pink Cadillac", Whitney, "How Will I Know", Lionel Richie "All Night Long") I started liking the music of the white artists (e.g. Police, Simply Red) on those same pop stations more than I did the black music. Of course that was b4 BET & before New Jack Swing brought a little more excitement & soul back into Black music. Even today with hip hop going stale in the past decade, I find myself liking the videos on VH-1 over BET. Pink always come with some dope shit. That "Please Don't Leave Me" video is dope, playing off the movie, "Misery". I love Cold Play, Gorillaz, (some) Björk, Maroon 5, Linkin Park, Amy Winehouse (b4 she went crazy), John Mayer, & a few others. ANd it's a new group called MGMT who has a joint out called "Electric Feel" that I think it's tight. Reminds me of some Prince & The Revolution 80's vibe. Their videos kinda cheesy, but it makes me like it more cuz it has that old psychedelic vibe.

9. TV Shows.... Some shows that may be considered as corny to the stereotypical Black person, I can watch with no problem. Shows in syndicated such as "Friends", "Seinfeld" (after the Kramer incident I stopped, but recently started back after being out of work..... Besides George Castanza was my favorite character anyway. LOL), "Everybody Loves Raymond", & a few others. I actually watch "Save By The Bell." Although I'm tired of it. It's nothing else on when I wake up. Plus it comes on after one of my all time favorite sitcoms.... "Married WIth Children." Another favorite after Bernie Show (R.I.P.) is Malcolm In The Middle (love the theme music too) & That 70's Show.

10. Athletically Challenged..... Yeah. I said it. LOL. For the record, I can play football, volleyball & some sports. But I cannot play basketball. I'm one of those cats that passes, but never shoots. LMAO. I'll also foul like a mugg. I'm 5'9" 200 pound (short & thick), I sweat easy. LOL. All the gym & running can't help my game. I'll just sweat less. Baseball, I could play a little. (on the street). But in school, I used to choke & felt like Charlie Brown. If I was on outfield, I'd pray the ball wouldn't come my way. And damn!!!!! My issue was my left hand was much stronger & I could catch & throw with that one, but weaker with my right. If I caught the ball, I had to take off my glove to throw it or risk getting laughed at for throwing like a girl LMAO. But I eventually learned to catch with my right hand, which made me better. But still, those bad memories made me shy away from games.

ANyway.... That concludes this blog, which is not meant to depict what's Black & what's not. It's instead of destroy the myth that Black is an action word, when it's just simply what Cecily Tyson said on "Brewster Place".... Black is just Black.

What Stereotype Do You Not Fit?

Eminem: The Greatest or Overrated?

2009-05-13T16:34:00.000-07:00

Got my ears on the new Eminem album. Don't ask, I know it's supposed to be out May 19th. I'm broke! OK? LOL Anyway, it's not bad at all. It's pretty good. Not his best, but definitely better than a lot of crap on the radio now & actually like it over his past 2 albums, even though I hate his first single, but that's typical Eminem.

Now saying that... as I read all these comments on AHH about him being the Greatest Rapper Alive or he talks about real issues that other rappers don't discuss, I get a little aggravated. Not to discredit Em, b/c truthfully, I am a fan. I have all of his albums, including the D-12 joints. But calling him the G.O.A.T. is reaching. Best in this decade? Definitely in my top 10. But of all times? I'm too old with too much love expanding 30 years to agree with the average fan that was guzzling their mama's breast through the golden years of the music or swimming in their daddy's sack. So I can't hate. Music's supposed to expand. And it can't grow if new patrons don't carry the torch even further. Although lately, it seems the torch has been getting dimmer & taken to CEO's in corporate America to water it down, instead of the streets to bring more heat to the flame.

Well, I'm getting off track now. The bottom line, I think Eminem is a dope emcee & actually a breath of fresh air, b/c it's nice to hear someone NOT flossing. Violent, yeah... but from a more sometimes comedic place or more introspective, instead of crime boss imageries or thug mentality. It's more of that kid sick of being bullied & ready to Columbine a school. His violence comes more from someone scorn & just spitting his evil thoughts out of anger... verses spitting... a false realism of what hip hop is supposed to be now according to a new generation of fans.

Honestly, I relate more to Eminem than any mainstream rapper in the game. Who hasn't had a boss, bully, school teacher or family member you hated so much you wanted to cause them pain in your head? Who hasn't dealt with personal demons still faced & hard to get rid of. I relate more to that than riding around in chrome wheels, banging the hottest chicks, sipping the finest wines & my Timex digital is nowhere near the platinum/gold watches they sport. The only ice I got is in my freezer.

So, no, I can't relate to these Black rappers. And it's pathetic that in the very music we created, I relate more to a white guy in a trailer park than the millions of Black rappers who grew up in areas similar to mine or worse. And honestly, I don't know any Black folks who does. The few I do know are young cats poorer than dirt mimmicking the videos.. selling drugs to the side with rims more expensive than their car while still in their momma's crib in an apartment house or project. But even the Blacks I know that have money, they might have a nice ride, but I don't know them to have gold fronts, in goudy clothes, got 5 or 6 chicks riding. Might have a wife, but if there are others... they're kept on the low. But they're not sporting them like blue ribbons.

Either way, with so much going on in the world & with the problems that still exist in the Black community... why aren't there any mainstream Black rappers like me or coming as real as Eminem? Becuz of Black People!!!! We can blame the industry to a certain degree. BUt a lot of times, we put ourselves in that box.

Let a brotha talk about being picked on in school or being a nerd. No matter how nice he is on the mic... we're gonna call him soft. Let a black rapper talk about any thing Eminem discuss... like sodomy (like his Ken Kaniff skits) or one of his joints where his step father molesting him (Insane). We'd be questioning his preference making butt pirate jokes & all. If that's not true, look how many turned on Kanye when he admitted he grew up without a pops & developed some feminine traits from his mom & used to get called a fag. And it made him more conscious, but also turned him homophobe as a kid, until he grew out of it & began to support them. Cats quickly started questioning his sexuality after that.

And this is worst. Bizzy Bone was actually molested by his step father as a kid. He never spoke on it, but it came up when his step pop was arrested. Instead of ppl feeling some sort of compassion for the man (b/c that's a hard thing to deal with... especially for a male)... folks start questioning his sexuality. We box ourselves in, which is why every rapper either sounds like the tough guy that never had an ass whipping, overly macho to the point they're Superman with pussy their only Kryptonite. But look at rappers in history that brought about the other side & see where they are. The Kwame's, The Kid'n Play's, The Dana Dane's. ANd although some mainstream rappers have spit about real hardships or personal endeavors, they either go unnoticed (or hardly noticed) as their club joints dictates their sales. And then we wonder why they don't do more deep songs?

Even today with the so-called hipsters in hip hop some labeled as alternative in contrast to the gangsta norm. But it's not their raps that make them hipsters. It's their throwback 80's clothes that sadly were wack back then & geared more towards the Madonnas & Culture Club than it did the Run DMC's or even Afrika Bambaataa. But their raps might not be as violent & sometimes clever, it lacks substance & character. Which.. to me... spells another gimmick. Becuz they talk more about their sneakers than they do life, which is the same as what Diddy did in the 90's under a different term: jiggy.

Over all, the ppl angry about the overratedness of the man called Slim Shady only need to angry at the whole spectrum rather than the man himself. That man's just doing him, & we embrace him. BUt a brutha do it, we want to measure his blackness, his hood credentials & so on. Until we stop putting ourselves in a "black" box, by the next decade, half of the top 10 rappers in the G.O.A.T. list will be white, with Eminem on top, along with Asher Roth as pioneers. While Diddy (or whatever his name will be in 2020) will still be doing Making The Band trying to create the next white rap group.

Say it ain't so? White consumers already control the flow of record sales, not to mention, they own all the major labels force feeding us the crap pushing real artists on independent labels closer to the Matrix or either killing each other off verbally in Fight Clubs & overwhelming the game with mixtapes instead of albums. Plus, they did it to Blacks before with rock music & every other music genre that Blacks originated. That's the reason why Eminem jokes about being the Elvis of Rap, b/c he knows the history & the truth.

Before I conclude, this blog was not written to discredit Eminem or white rappers in general, b/c I am an Eminem fan. I'm just not a Stan. Plus, I applaud & support any emcee perserving the music with lyricism, creativity & emotions. But this to acknowledge as Blacks, we need to stop boxing ourselves into our race allowing for others to step in & do what we should be doing. Being ourselves & not what a label or other Blacks tell us how we supposed to be, what we're supposed to sound like, telling us what's real, what's black, what's hood & so on & so on. Hello... suicide goes on in the hood. Every brutha in the hood is not a gangsta or thug. It's not about keeping it real. It's about keeping it honest. Becuz there are more Blacks out their lost, suicidal, dirt poor, dysfunctional, abandoned, alone & bitter than there are Blacks wealthy, dressed to kill in extravagant cars & jewelry, being escorted by groupies of all genders.

Keep It Honest.

Where's the Inspiration??

2009-04-26T17:26:00.001-07:00

Blog I wrote some months back.....

I was reading a comment from a post on a hip hop site. I can't remember what the subject was about. But you know... the same ole comments to usually comes in any blog or story related to hip hop.....

Either.....

1. Pac this.... Pac that. Pac was the Greatest.... Pac Pac . Pac Pac Pac Pac Pac..... Top 5.... Pac...Pac Pac. Pac Pac..... I call these commenters the The Shakur Rooster for 2 reasons.....

1. they can't get off of Pac's cock in any subject regarding hip hop. and....

2. When they talk, they sound like a chicken.... bak bak bak bak bak bakkkkk! Except with them it's pacpacpacpacpacpac PAAAACCC!!!!

(SIDENOTE: I ain't hating, I was a huge Pac fan in the 90's, but DAMN!)

2. Old school vs. New School. (Sick of this debate. B/c some times, neither Golden age old heads nor 106 & Park knuckleheads are checking out nor supporting good music outside of the radio, b/c old heads are stuck in the past & new heads are letting soundscan dictate what's hip hop.)

But one thing a commenter spoke on that I truly admire was about the difference in rappers from different eras that made a lot of sense to me.

If you go back to old interviews of rappers from back in the days.... most of their influences expanded outside of hip hop from P-funk to James Brown & soul music. Then you had jazz that inspired rappers like Guru & Rakim, Stetsasonic, The Roots & so many others. Had reggae (Bob Marley) that influenced KRS-One... Rock inspired Run DMC, Ice T & Black Sheep. Alternative Woodstock type samples is what got De La Soul categorized as hippies during the Daisy Age.

Even spoken words from Gil Scott Heron & The Last Poets were influential for Public Enemy, as well as conscious soul music from cats like Marvin Gaye, Donnie Hathaway, Stevie Wonder. Even The Jacksons. But if you ask a lot of these new rappers what they're musically influences are.... hardly does it goes outside of hip hop... Which leads to the Shakur Rooster pac-ing..... What's sad is listening to their music, you don't hear the Black Panther influenced side of Pac or the emotional side of Pac. The bruthas got to fight & come together Pac. The anti-media telling the world what they need to hear Pac. NO!!!!! .... You hear the Bad Boy Killa Pac... The beefing with every rapper Pac. The Thug Life Pac. The we're selling millions over here Pac. The later Pac that I detested that probably contributed to his death. And for some reason, that's the "Pac" that these new rappers gravitate to when with the problems we've been having, we could really use another 2Pac (before Death Row) that was inspired by the Panthers & Malcolm X. But with all these Shakur Rooster, that part of him is never exposed.

The beauty of hip hop back then was its diversity. And that came from each artists being inspired by so many other forms of music that it was beautiful, & not just biting off what their neighborhood celebrity's doing. That's one thing that's definitely missing with these new breeds. Their influences doesn't go outside of hip hop. And with so many rappers singing with autotunes or doing singy song rhymes & R&B singers singing rap verses instead of love serenades these days.... you can't tell a rapper from a singer & it's all being attached as "hip hop." Back in the days, many veterans during their times were scrutinized for having singing or r&b on their records. Now it seems today, that as long as it's urban, it's hip hop, which includes r&b & rock (with urban producers). So contemporary r&b & hip hop has become synoymous, b/c rappers are singing & everybody's using auto tunes. Sucks, becuz even though I'm a hip hop head, 70's soul musicians were my biggest inspirations when I started writing. Becuz the soul put in those songs, was the soul that made me feel certain songs. And I think 2Pac had that same soul, but I think a lot of these Shakur Roosters are so caught up in the Thug side, they don't feel it... cuz it's definitely not in their music.

Although there are some real great soul singers out there like Choklate, Eric Roberson, Anthony Hamilton, Dwele... unfortunately they're in the same boat as underground emcees. Either forced to dumb down their music for the masses (See Jamie Foxx, John Legend's "Green Light"... Not hating... I like the song... but it's a Andre "Hey Ya" sequel) or having to settle for zero play on major networks & might get a little spin on the oldies soul station that older ppl (who're so disgusted with the trends, probably don't buy music anymore) listen to. So to me, it's not a question of whether hip hop is dying, but is it music altogether.

To me, the problem with hip hop is not one or two artists. Like T-Pain (for example)... I've actually grown to like some of his music, especially after his 2nd album. Even without an auto tune, it's nice if you listen to it. But it's with too many cats jumping on the bandwagon trying to sound like T-Pain (Like Ron Browz.... & Is it me, but why NY'ers hate on T-Pain but love him & call him the future when he's totally jacking T-Pain? hmmmm. Sounds bias to me.) So what we have in the media are a lot of monotonous music close-minded to anything that's ....

A. not on the radio...
B. not what is considered hip hop (Which is easier now... since all you need is street cred & a Black producer)
C. not "black" enough or ghetto enough (for you ignoranuses.)

Now let me shut up & enjoy this masterpiece I happen to come across. I discovered Nujabes on youtube after they had one of my favorite emcees featured on their joint. I found this by accident thinking it featured Kweli & HiTek (Reflection Eternal).... but I was wrong. ANd glad I was, b/c the music is beautiful & just another example of how good music is being slept on.... & not just in hip hop.

I'm out.

Hip Hop Heads Up Vol. 2 - Supastition/Kam Moye

2009-04-13T15:30:00.001-07:00

What up. Another Hip Hop Heads Up. I said I wanted to do something like this every month.

Actually, this year so far has been a little slow when it comes to music, especially since nowadays gotta rely on youtube videos & word of mouth through cybersace (since I'm in the deep South where if it's regionally bias, but eargasmically wack to me.)

I'm from the South, so I'm not hating. (Remember, I did a tribute to Southern hip hop some months back.) But it's this regional sound-bites of one another that drove me away from pursuing rap 10 years ago. My lil' brother's still tryna get me to step to the mic, & I'm like... Although the skills & the love for the music are still there, but the hunger died, when everybody started serving "junk food." Seemed like everyone started getting greedy as soon as Master P got discovered after selling music out of the trunk of his car. Now the radio's constantly promoting crap & giving the South a bad name. While hip hop's gone from the Black CNN to the "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous." Sadly, it's some dope Southerners that may never see the light of success, b/c they're not a gimmick. And this brutha is one of them..

Kam Moye AKA Supastition hails from Charlotte, NC. Ppl may know him from his works with Little Brother. I've been a fan since the first time I heard "The Williams" joint from the OK Players compilation album & again, after peeping.. "Boom Box" from NBA Live Show on MTV. Immediately after those 2 singles, I went to Amazon & purchased his albums at the time "The Deadline" & "The Chain Letter." Both of those albums were amazing, but I was more hooked on "The Deadline EP", b/c I related so much to the subject matter (e.g. Soul Searching, Nowhere to Run).

B/c his debut, "7 Years of Bad Luck" was out of print, I literally went on Limewire & downloaded every track on that album & burned to CD, in addition to any other song he'd done & burned them into a separate one. Even after 3 years of becoming a fan, I still every now & then & peep his earlier works. I think they did finally re-released the debut & included another favorite that wasn't on the original... "Me Minus U." Btw that & "Mixed Emotions" this brutha got mad heart. That whole album was also

Last year, he dropped a free EP available for download called "Self Centered", which is also the first album he went by Kam Moye, which is his birth name (reason? peep "Where & Why"). I definitely recommend this joint for 2 reasons... 1. It's dope & 2. It's free. And being unemployed, I definitely appreciate that. (click the album cover above or HERE for a free download.) But he also released another EP under his Supa alias called "Leave of Absence." The beauty of both of these EP's, is that if it was 15 years ago, they'd be considered albums, b/c they're 9 to 10 songs & most likely, flawless from beginning to end.

Last I heard, I has a new label affiliated with Koch, so hopefully that will finally put him on ppl's radar outside of the underground, b/c he's definitely an emcee worth checking out. Whether he's repping Supastition the emcee or Kam Moye the man, he's the true personification of what keeping it real truly means. This is the kind of emcee the South should be embracing & stand by proudly.

Supastition

ALso check out some newer music on his myspace pages.

http://www.myspace.com/supastition and http://www.myspace.com/kammoye

Make UP to Break UP (Top 10)

2009-04-09T04:50:00.000-07:00

For those interested, I've posted my Black History of April on my new blogspot page that can be accessed on the banner above (also the banner at top). But anyway...

I just happened to be checking out Global Grind site to read the latest news when I saw someone posted their list for top groups that should've never broke up. Kinda pissed me off b/c 2 weeks ago I wanted to do such a list after finding out Digable Planets disbanded again after reuniting & doing tours.

As a fan, it always suck to see groups break up. But looking at it from a humanistic side, it's worst. A lot of times, they started off as friends & it a lot of time demonstrates how fragile friendships can be when certain factors come into the equation. Whether it's money, fame, women, drugs... whatever.

Who are some of your top favorite groups you wish never broke up?

and also....

Have you had anything to come between your friendships?

Top 10 Groups That Should've Never Broke Up
in no particular order

1. A Tribe Called Quest
2. The Fugees
3. Digable Planets
4. GangStarr
5. Goodie Mob
6. Pete Rock & CL Smooth
7. Black Sheep
8. EPMD
9. The Pharcyde
10. Wu Tang Clan

Honorable Mentions:
Organized Konfusion
Brand Nubians
Leaders of the New School

PH-1's Top 15 Favorite Female Rap Albums

2009-03-27T13:55:00.000-07:00

A lot of ppl see me as a hip hopologist, which I hold as a compliment. But I see myself as just merely a die hard fan. But even I have slept on some albums during their great years (e.g. Lord Finesse, NWA, even Kool G. Rap). But one thing I've never slept on were raps based on region or sex. Dope music is dope music. PERIOD!!! But from day one for every 100 male rappers, there was always one female, which makes it easy to get left out of a list of great albums or hardly mentioned.

After my last Top 10 Favorite 1998 Hip hop albums, I had mixed feelings about including Lauryn Hill, only becuz it was more r&b than hip hop. But honestly, there wasn't many dope albums that year, so I included her by default. But acknowledging female rap albums period of all times, it's hard to include it. Now if it was best female album PERIOD or female R&B album or even best Female rap/hip hop single, then it's all good.

Not taking away from her as an emcee, b/c skillfully she can kill most these sistas on this list & most bruthas for that matter. But is it fair to compare a Lauryn album to an MC Lyte album? That's like comparing John Legend to Common. Either way, this is MY list of my favorite female RAP albums, so hey... don't bite my head off, b/c L.'s not on this list. LOL.

I also did this off the strength of a previous list of my top 3 albums per year in the 90's where I didn't acknowledge any female rap albums. One thing about these lists is that mine is liable to change in a minute, b/c nothing is set in stone for me. I love music period. And a lot of times, I do this to introduce ppl that yearn to hear an alternative from the stuff forced down our ears whenever we turn on a radio. It's not for me, b/c I have these albums. But if ppl have other recommendations... hey.. share them... exchange recipes so we all can enjoy the same delights.

Top 15 Favorite Femcee Albums of all Times.
no particular order

1. Salt-n-Pepa "Black's Magic" 1990
This might be a shocker to most, since this album don't get the accolades that the albums before (Hot, Cool & Vicious) or afterwards (Very Necessary) got. But one thing this album did that their previous didn't do & no album can do til this day.... release hit records even in a 4 year span. '89-90 - Expression & Independent, '91- Do U Want Me, '91-92 "Let's Talk About Sex" & "U Showed Me". And that's not including bangers that didn't get play like "Black's Magic", "I Don't Know" (w/ Kid'n Play), "Doper Than Dope" & Salt killing it solo on "Swift."

This also the album where they step up out of Hurby's choke hold (just an inch, but enough to let the world know they could write, they were no fad or just eye candy... especially since this was during their fat (oops.. I meant.. pregnancy) stage (although Salt was still fine in all-black). The only thing that hurt them with this album was the remixes that catered more to the UK, but made them appear selloutish over here. I guess the remix came as a result of re-creating songs that were 2 or 3 years old. But the original 1990 album version is a classic, although the original "Let's Talk About Sex" is no longer on it. (sucks cuz the remix omitted the 3rd verse, which was the best verse to me). Plus that album cover is phat!!!!

2. MC Lyte "Eyes On This" 1989
Although her debut is definitely a classic, this was the album that turned me into a fan. At that time, I was a fan of both Lyte & Antoinette, but more so Antoinette becuz of her sound. But Lyte killed not only her with this album, but all competition with this joint. The production was flawless, & her lyrics was amazing. Til this day, this still plays in my I-Tunes every now & then.

The main reason I loved this one more than the debut was becuz it felt more polished without losing the grit that made the debut amazing. She still had her storytelling rhymes... "Cappuchino", "Not WIth a Dealer" & my personal favorite... "Please Understand" where she spoke a lot of real relationship issues & how she dealt with them. The first verse was actually something that reign true with my older sister at the time. But the way she told it was funny as hell. But my favorite was a cut called "Rhyme Hangover".... (sampled Diana Ross' "Love Hangover") which really displayed her lyricism where she came across as a Doctor prescribe good music for those that need it. Classy. I can go on & make a whole blog about this album... LOL... so let me continue. (Just take my word for it... it's tight.)

3. Rah Digga "Dirty Harriet" 2000
The first time I fell in love with Digga was on the Lyricist Lounge joint exchanging bars with Bahamadia, "Be OK". That joint was crazy tight. ANd then later on Busta's 2nd album with Flip Mode. I was that groupie waiting on her debut to finally get released & was well worth it. She had a lot of tight tracks, but my favorite til this day that I play on repeat everytime is the "Straight Spittin' Pt. 2. Sucks her sophomore album never dropped in stores (although it wasn't as good as the first. I have the unreleased bootleg), & she's become another dope femcee from a crew to get suffocated in the overcrowded industry.

4. Foxy Brown "Ill Na Na" 1996
This was when Foxy was at her best & sexiest, even if Jigga wrote most of her shit at that time. It was a dope album. Actually my favorite cuts on the album was "Holy Matrimony" & "The Promise" that I think she did write. Although she's done later albums each with mixed views, this was the album where she set herself a part from other females, even Lil' Kim, although ppl were lumping them together. She came across more classy & sophisticated with her flow & one of the most unique, distinctive voices. This was before she got hollywood, then later hollyhood to the 3rd power.

But I still hope she come back strong, b/c dope female rappers that actually still RAP. (not sing or with a singy song flow... but RAP & tight with it.) is rare. Her unreleased "Ill NaNa 2: The Fever" is also another bootleg I got a hold of & it was actually tight. But fell into the curse of the "push back til eternity until label change & never see the light of day" that happens a lot with especially new artists & female rappers that labels don't know how to promote. Black Roses (her supposed next album) might meet the same fate as "The Fever" since it's been 4 years since it was supposed to drop & been 8 years since she's had an official album released... (Since Brooklyn Don Diva came out without her consent.)

5. Jean Grae "Jeanius" 2004
Don't act like yall didn't know. LOL. Actually I was torn btw this & her debut, Attack of the Attacking Things... & even the new "Evil Jeanius" (I recommend downloading, cuz her former label's did a "Suge Knight" on her...*) But the original Jeanius album is a masterpiece. I say "original", b/c the version that dropped this year (2008) had to be tweaked for uncleared samples. They did a decent job to try to keep the same vibe, but the original 2004 version is 9th in his element & brought out the best in Jean's flow. But it's another example of how the industry is killing the art.

6. Lil' Kim "Hardcore" - 1996
I almost put "La Bella Mafia" b/c that was a dope album. But the thing I love about this album was it's originality at the time. I just wish her remixes (Crush On You & Not Tonight) would've been on the actual albums instead of the originals (Although the original "Not Tonight" is funny as hell. Keep that...). But in comparing her & Foxy at the time, I think Foxy had a better album as a whole, but Lil' Kim had hotter singles. "Drugs", "Spend a Lil' Dough" (great storytelling), "Queen Bitch" & "MAFIA's Land" were among fav. joints. And that "No Time" video was the shit. To be honest, I liked the clean version better than the explicit one (it omitted my favorite bar... "I'll have you speaking in French... oooo la. wee wee." LMAO)

Even today, I'm still a fan. I might joke about the surgery & the clothes or whatever stunt she pulls. But IMO, she still put out good music. It's evident with her last 2 albums (The Naked Truth & La Bella Mafia), even her mixtape.... Mz. G.O.A.T. where she paid tribute to female pioneers & doing them justice while proving she can still rip the mic without her clothes following. Even Notorious K.I.M., although it gets a lot of flack, when had too many songs... 5 were fillers she coulda omitted & came with a better package. But Hardcore will always be the shit for me.

7. Mystic "Cuts for Luck & Scars for Freedom" 2001
For those never heard her album but aware of her hit single might think I'm being hypocritical acknowledging her & not Lauryn Hill. But although she does sing on her album, her rapping is more dominate... just like Mos Def. But the one thing I love about her is her emotions. She speaks from a personal standpoint which is something very few rappers do, especially women, cuz they're trying to come across as hard as the guys. There's only been a few females that show emotions in their music through wordplay. Foxy Brown & Jean Grae... off the top of my head are 2 examples... although they're both not acknowledged for it b/c their machismo takes away from their humanistic sides. She can spit with the guys, but her heart is what makes her album timeless b/c they stick out more than her boast songs. "Fatherless Child" & "A Dream" are true gems, just to name a few.

8. Bahamadia "Kollage" 1996
I was a fan prior to this album, after her first video in 94, "Total Wreck" & a year later on guru's Jazzatazz Vol. 2 "Respect the Architect", Big Kap's joint "Da Ladies" that also featured Lauryn Hill. I couldn't wait for her to drop. I even bought the "Uknowhowedu" single that had "True Honey Buns" on the B-Side. Funny thing, I liked the B-side joint better. I was totally blown away when it finally came out, b/c It was a lot better than I expected. Not only did her butter flow & clever wordplay make this album the masterpiece it was... but DJ Premier produced if not the whole album... a huge chunk of it. I don't think he did... Da Jawn which featured The Roots, but that is my favorite joint on the album. Then again, I always get jones for music when B & The Roots get together on a track. Always make me wish I was in Philly to absorb some of the soul that was being transported thru the music back then.

9. Queen Latifah "Black Reign" 1993
A lot of ppl praise Latifah's debut when acknowledging albums of all times. Honestly, when it comes to ppl rating classic hip hop albums, ppl never look beyond a female rapper's first album. BUt in my opinion, this has to be the best album she's done. ANd it came after the death of her brother, Lance, too. So she put her heart into this album. Just about every song on there could've been a hit single, but U.N.I.T.Y. was definitely needed during that era (even now).

I thought it was jacked up how she got a mediocre review from the Source (3.5) where they complained about the singing. Honestly, I think with this album it worked best compared to her previous. On her first, it was nice... but the singing didn't work at times with certain songs & often took away from her rapping. On her second, she was trying too hard to do both & a lot of times felt like she should just rap & stop trying to sing. This one, I think it worked better hand in hand. Where she stayed on point lyrically & added a singing hook as icing on the cake.. As much as I love Latifah, she is no Lauryn Hill when it comes to singing. But it does work for hooks (Just Another Day) with sometimes a ting of reggae (Weekend Love). But as far as heart, I feel her more when she raps & that's what she did with Black Reign.

10. Lady of Rage - Necessary Roughness 1997
The only thing that hurt this album was the fact that it came out at the wrong time. 1. 2Pac has just passed; 2. Everyone fell out with Suge Knight, plus he was incarcerated; 3. The east vs. west was in full effect & she stayed out of it. Folks might have a fit by me saying this, but fuck it. I always thought Rage was the illest lyricist in Death Row, but she never got her shine. She should've been the first female to go platinum, if Death Row didn't push her back & let Brat take that opportunity away. ANd that album was proof. cuz it was straight fire. This was also during a time when a new crop of females started selling records (Lil' Kim, Missy & Foxy Brown) either through sex appeal or, in Missy's case..., being animated. And if you weren't showing some sex appeal.... forget it. MC Lyte escaped the omission barely... thanks to Puff's "Cold Rock A Party," & Brat finally showing a feminine side, while YoYo, Latifah & SNP fought to stay relevant. (Luckily, Latifah still had her TV show, talk show & Hollywood later on). This was when the hard core female emcee, like the Rage's, Heather B's, Nikki D's, MC Lytes) started becoming extinct.

11. Heather B - Takin' Mine 1996

Most notably known for "The Real World", I don't think she truly got the props she deserved as an emcee. I was a fan b4 TRW, b/c she was a part of BDP & she was spitting fire back then. I still would love to get my hand on some of those tracks she was spitting while on TRW. But her first studio album definitely didn't disappoint. She was the true personification of hard core & hip hop at its grimiest, cuz every track she was on, she was ripping it harder than most men & with mad passion. So much so, you felt what she was saying when she used to spit, "If Heads Only Knew... how I feel about the rap game." b/c you was chanting it along with her & believing that shit.

12. Monie Love "Down to Earth" - 1990
She'll be known for "Monie in The Middle". But on that note, it's better to be a one-hit wonder rather than never being acknowledged at all. But the sad part is her album was actually pretty good. It was definitely for the Native Tongue heads & ppl might've been brushed off by the album cover with the colors & such. But she touched on a lot of stuff before a lot of rappers did. Not only was she the first rapper I heard spitting a fast flow, but she was the first rapper I heard period to speak on domestic violence (Just Don't Give A Damn) & women prostituting themselves (Pups Lickin' Bones.... 1st joint introducing The Beatnuts). She set a lot of trends that she'll never get credit for. But true heads know the deal.

13. Da Brat "Unrestricted" 2000
This album was Brat at her very best. She wasn't on Snoop's jock anymore, but went back to her Chicago roots with her flow while still keeping the mellow vibe. I was shocked when I heard "That's What I'm Looking For" b/c she was killing it lyrically & at the same time looking sexy as hell. It's easy to say she bit off Twista a little, but I see it as all Chi- love, & at the same time, it was the speedy rap that turned me on to her in the first place when she debuted on "Da Bomb" from Kris Kross' 2nd album. Honey stepped her game up on this album & probably came with the best material she's ever done... "We Ready", "Pink Lemonade", "Chi-Town". If this would've been her first album, I think she would be more acknowledged as a pioneer along with the Lytes & Latifahs, b/c this album deserved more praise than her first that only sold on the strength of JD. On this one, her music sold her.

14. Apani B. Fly - Story to Tell 2003
This was an album I honestly found by accident. I've always liked her off the cameos she did... (Pharoah Monch, "The Ass") but when I heard her & Jean Grae tag team on a joint call "Shut the Fuck Up (that samples another legend, MC Lyte), I started researching her & finding more treasures from her. I don't think this album was ever officially released (at least not in the U.S.)... but its definitely something worth checking out. Like Mystic, this is the only collection of work of hers. But like Jean Grae, she's done enough features on compilations & cameos that it should be a double album within itself. But 2 of my favorite joints on this album.. "Right The Wrong" reminscing on lost friendships due to time (something I can relate to) & "Picture This" talking about the hardships of the street. Whether she rapping about love "Tequila" or dropping knowledge "A Million Eyes" her word imagery overall is something that's timeless, & unfortunately is not something appreciated in this age of mother goose rhymes about tossing dollars.

15. YoYo - Black Pearl
This album was straight fire, that it still baffles me that it didn't get the props it should've. No way was this a sophomore slump when it was musically better than the first & philosophically & conceptually her best work. Homegirl Don't Play That was straight fire... ANd "So Funky" used the same sample as 2Pac's "Keep Your Head Up." (b4 Pac's came out) And her remake of Shirley Brown's "Woman to Woman" is hilarious at best. When she drop knowledge like on "Few Good Men," "A Long Way Home" & "Cleopatra", she's no joke & truly an Intelligent Black Woman that supports her man. I even liked the smooth out R&B collabo with The Good Girls (remember them?) called "Will You Be Mine."

But like Rage's debut, this album suffered from bad timing. It didn't get the props it should've got for 2 reasons... One. It was positive..... and Two. It had r&b samples & hooks that would've sold if the G-Funk era wouldn't have taking over the West Coast sound in the same year of 92. So in less than 6 months after this album was released, YoYo rushed a harder more gangsta album, "U Better Ask Somebody." which also dissed this album calling it wack. But I had to disagree. Honestly, I think this was YoYo's best album where she continued her IBWC movement from her debut with uplifting songs for women. But she also spoke on having real Black pride beyond the X-hats & dashiki's that were the trend back then. This album had everything that the first was missing & a lot more melodic & original than her later that tried to target the Boss market.. making the same mishap Lyte did with Ruffneck, (although that got Lyte her first Gold plaque, it was a far step from her earlier work.)

Honorable Mentions

The Conscious Daughters - Ear to The Streets 1993
Invincible - Shapeshifter - 2008
Antoinette - Who's The Boss? 1989
Nikki D - Daddy's Little Girl 1990
Sweet Tee - It's Tee Time - 1988
Mia X - Unladylike 1997
Missy Elliott - Under Construction - 2001

THIS IS UNOFFICIAL OFF THE FACT THAT I TRIED TO ACKNOWLEDGE ONE ALBUM PER EMCEE. IOW... DON'T BITE MY HEAD OFF IF (E.G.) LYTE AS A ROCK IS NOT LISTED IF I ALREADY HAVE AN MC LYTE ALBUM ON HERE.

PH-1's Top 10 Favorite Posse Cuts

2009-03-19T08:28:00.000-07:00

What up ppl? It's been 2 years & I'm finally releasing this list. Back in 2006, was when I first got recognized on myspace as the Hip Hop Guru after doing a series of blogs acknowledging my Top 10 Favorite lists.... I had a list for my favorite male emcees, one for favorite femcees & one for rap groups. Since it seems my time on myspace is limited, I figured it was time to finally release some of the blogs I've been holding out on for the past 2 or 3 years.

I still have a list of my top 10 Posses or Crews, DJ's/Beatmakers, but for now here are my top 10 posse cuts. For the record, this list is based on rap acts consisting of 3 or more emcees on one track. So don't expect to see groups on this list (e.g. Wu Tang Clan, respectively) or collabos with less than 3 solo rappers (e.g. Redman & Method Man, respectively).

POSSE CUTS/ COLLABOS

10. Leflaur Leflah Eschoshka
Fab -Five (Heltah Skeltah & Originoo Gun Clappaz)
I used to love just saying the title back in the days.... "Leflaur, Leflah Eshskoshka"!!! HAHAHA. I loved Headz Ain't Ready, but this was the joint that made me a bigger fan of the entire Boot Camp Clik.

9. Crooklyn Dodgers
Masta Ace, Buckshot & Special Ed.
Already a big fan of the movie, this joint & the Marc Dorsey single made me wanna rush & cop the soundtrack, until finding out they were the only new songs with a bunch of classic soul tracks. This joint actually introduced me to the Negro Leagues, another part of Black History that's never told. But aside from it being a salute to Brooklyn, being a 70's baby, I definitely related to this joint as well as the movie. Plus I was already a fan of Buckshot & Special Ed. This joint was what made me become a bigger fan of Masta Ace. Props to Jeru, OC & Chubb, b/c the sequel was tight... also. But gotta give it to the original.

8. I Shot Ya
LL Cool J. feat. Fat Joe, Prodigy, Keith Murray & Foxy Brown
The beauty of this song is that the hottest bar spitted was from Foxy Brown & not only was she the only female, but the only rookie. Taking nothing away from the bruthas, b/c they all killed it. LL's verse coulda been better. It was good, but not as fierce as his verse on 4.3.2.1. But over all, this joint as hot.

7. Flava In Ya Ear (remix)
Craig Mack feat. Notorious B.I.G., LL Cool J., Busta Rhymes, Rampage)
I might lose cool points when I say this, but I think LL had the hottest verse on here. "Word to mama, I'll tongue kiss a piranha, electricute a barricuta, I'm hear to bring the drama." Plus, he shocked the world finally revealing his bald head after hiding his head under a hat for 10 years. That was historic to me. Biggie's verse was tight, but wasn't as hyped as it was made out to be. Even though I loved it when he said, "don't be mad, UPS is hiring." Funny shit there. To me Biggie didn't get better until later in his career.

6. Git Up Git Out
Outkast feat. Goodie Mob
The song that introduced Goodie MoBee, back when CeeLo actually rapped. Two of the best groups to come out of the South (& Atlanta period) on one track.

5. Ice Cream
Ice Cream - Raekwon featuring Method Man, Ghostface Killah & Cappadonna
I almost left this out b/c I see Wu Tang as a group rather than a posse (although they are..... but I could make a top 10 with just Wu joints alone) But I figured since this came from Raekwon's album, I'm counting it as a posse cut. Plus, I fuckin' loved this joint back then. Everytime that beat dropped, I was on my feet with my hands waving to the rhythm while reciting Method Man on the chorus.

4. Scenario
A Tribe Called Quest feat. Leaders of the New School
This is a no brainer here for me. The joint that made Busta Rhymes the superstar he is today. (Damn... 18 years ago... I'm old) Busta might be the star now, but Tip is still the man & the artist in my eyes. And those who've listened to "The Renaissance" album know what I'm talking about. Homey's music is timeless.

3. Buddy
De La Soul feat. A Tribe Called Quest, Jungle Bros., Monie Love & Queen Latifah
The Native Tongue. I'd love to see a reunion of them. The original members plus Black Sheep, Chi Ali, affiliates like Digital Underground & Common, Jay Dee (R.I.P.)

2. Symphony
Marley Marl feat. Masta Ace, Craig G., Kool G. Rap & Big Daddy Kane
Besides the Krush Groove joint in 84 or 85, this was the first posse cut that fell in love with. I had just started watching Yo MTV Rap in late 88, & this video made me an instant fan of Big Daddy Kane (this & "Ain't No Half Steppin'") Kool G. Rap was fire, too. I admit though, although I loved Masta Ace's verse, I slept on him until the late 90's. Kane & G. Rap might've been the most acknowledged, but even 21 years later, Ace is still repping for the underground.

1. Self Destruction
Boogie Down Production feat. Stetsasonic, Kool Moe Dee, MC Lyte, Just-Ice, Heavy D & The Boyz, Public Enemy, Doug E. Fresh
My favorite posse cut of all times. The song that started all the conscious posse cuts like West Coast All-Star, H.E.A.L.... but the Stop the Violence Movement is kinda what inspired me to want to be a rapper at that time to help contribute to ending Black on Black crimes. Sadly, 20 years later... it's needed twice as much since now even white kids are shooting up schools & killing themselves.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
1. Don't Curse (Heavy D feat. Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Big Daddy Kane, ATCQ, Grand Puba,
2. Respiration (Mos Def, Talib Kweli & Common)
3. I Wanna Be Down (remix) MC Lyte, Queen Latifah & Yo Yo
4. Cowboys (Fugees feat. The Outsidaz & Rah Digga)
5. It's All About the Benjamins
6. Crooklyn Dodgers 2
7. We're All in the Same Gang
8. HEAL Yourself
9. The Basement (Pete Rock & CL Smooth feat. Grand Puba, INI, Heavy D)
10. Live At the Barbecue (Main Source feat. Nas & Akinelye)
11. La Familia (remix) (Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown & Cormega)

Posse cuts

The Real Golden Age

2009-03-17T19:35:00.000-07:00

This is one of the new illustrations I created this past weekend. I actually wrote a piece to go with it this morning. But I'm sure this art is controversial enough without the writing to match. LOL.

The one thing I do hate about blogspot vs. myspace is that image size is limited. But I guess that's a good thing considering some folks get image happy with their pages. So it's all good.

This actually inspired me to start working on a Black History calendar for 2010. Too late for this year, plus it gives me more time to do more works to add to it.

Fashion.. Never No Mores

2009-03-13T14:28:00.000-07:00

Is It Just Me.... But Kanye West's new Louis Vuitton looks like them wack ass -knuckle tennis shoes my mom used to buy at Family Dollar or K-Mart when we couldn't afford nicer kicks. And this shit is retail priced at $840? Are you kidding me? sigh.... Oh well, kids. Y'all gotta go through this phase just like us now adults had to. Loving it now... wearing them while others sweating you & gassing your head up. 10 years later, you're embarrassed to even claim that past. Don't worry.... We all go through it.

Here's some of my 5 Never No Mores.....

1. crazy hair cuts... from high right/low left, shag, S-Curl kit, hair color tint, bunny tail in the back.... that f..king mo-hawk that celebs like Bobby Valentino & Kanye West trying to bring back. If you're not Mr. T (the originator)... let it go. I could do an entire top 10 off bad hair styles, but that'll be a whole other blog.

2. steel-toed boots... I got hooked to them when I first joined the military & got discharged to come to find out they'd become popular in the early 90's. This was during the Jodeci (baggy denim shorts & steel toed boots phase.) & later the Boot Camp Clik (baggy jeans & steel toed boots). I ain't gonna front, I loved it back then along with the loose button down, plaid or flannel shirts & so on. But I don't think I can go back to having sore & sweaty feet again.

3. parachute pants.... thank God they didn't last long. They made too much noise while walking. But what was visually worst.....??? Hammer pants.... sigh.. . This was before the baggy jeans phase. Although I loved the comfortability & they weren't really Hammer pants, just baggy "cargo pants", sigh.. Never no more... Strictly jeans (slightly baggy,) slacks, shorts down to my knees & sweats for me. I'm just glad I didn't get caught up with those multi-colored hammer pants with the matching fanny pack that a lot of grown men at the time used to wear.... ( a la Hulk Hogan) LOL

4. Polka dots. I'm not gonna front. I actually liked them back in the days & wouldn't be mad if they came back in style.... but just more irregular sized instead of proportioned. But I wouldn't wear em though.

5. Shoes with velcro instead of shoe strings. I can't believe I ever wore shoes with the flaps you attach & detached to put them on & off. The only excuse I can think of I was too lazy to tie my shoes.

In conclusion.. young ppl. Enjoy your styles & your fashion. Just think & remember that what ever you sport today, can be used against you 10 years later down the line & we will laugh at you. LMAO.

Question: What are some fashion hell-no's do y'all remember?

The Homecoming 2009 _ SkechoPhellah presents

2009-03-12T06:35:00.000-07:00

I told myself in 2009 that I wanted to start back adding color to my illustrations. Being a year out of work might've had it's rough moments. But one thing it did was bring me back to why I love being an artist & why even if I didn't make a career out of it, I'd still be doing something with it.. even for mere self-gratification. I spent the last 2 days working on 2 entirely different pieces from my old archive.

This is one of the 2 illustrations.... called "The Homecoming."

I came up with the original concept back in 2002, & sketched out about 3 or 4 different versions since then. The last version was inspired by a joint by Supastition called "Worst Enemy" which re-triggered the concept back in my head. I combined the 2 previous versions & came up with this.

It's pretty much self explanatory, acknowledging how college grads are shunned upon in the streets as more gratification is towards the ex-felons, cons & thugs. In other words, how we gravitate towards the negative.

Hip Hop Heads Up Vol. 1

2009-03-06T20:01:00.000-08:00

Hip Hop Heads Up vol. 1

What up ppl.? The Hip Hop Guru has returned. This was something I planned for 2009, before the myspace recession that I decided. Throughout the past 3 years, I've spoken about my stance & my love for music, especially hip hop. But one thing I've done rarely & wish I would've done more in the past was introduce ppl to some of the albums I'm checking & listening to.

It's been said over & over that hip hop is dead, & whatever. And I've declined that statement. And although I've given ppl a reason why it isn't, I never "showed" them why it isn't.

Well, I just happened to be fishing through youtube & after revisiting my love Apani B. Fly (the femcee on 2 joints of the duet dedication (one with MF Doom & J. Rawls & Mr. Complex), I discovered a new joint which was released on an album produced by 3 producers out of France called the Jazz Liberators. And believe me, they live up to their name.

This is probably the best combo of jazz & hip hop since the Jazzmatazz days of Guru, US3. The album is called "Clin d'oell (don't ask me what that means), but has some great instrumentals & some nice collabos from Tre & Fatlip (both originally from Pharcyde), J-Live, J.Sand, Asheru (another underground fav. of mine.), Buckshot, & some I've never heard, but I'll be looking for them in the future. Anyway, here's some samples if you wanna check it out.

Here's there page on myspace : http://www.myspace.com/jazzlib

I Am Hip Hop (ft. Asheru)

When the Clock Ticks (ft. J. Sands)

The Process (ft. Apani B. Fly)

NOTE: ads on top is from JazzLib's myspace page, so I can't take credit for it.

New Black History Chronicle banner & header

2009-03-03T16:55:00.000-08:00

click on the banner above to peep my new Black History page on blogspot.

Making History Again....

2009-03-02T11:33:00.000-08:00

What up ppl? I reniged on a promise to self to continue reposting my Black History blogs. I felt like after 2 years of doing it on top of the demise of ppl, I felt like what's the point. Instead, I opened up a new blogspot page just for them. I haven't put all of each month on yet, but I have put the previous 3 months thus far. I see it as doing it easier this way, b/c I won't have to fish through over 350 blogs to find them since dividing them by category doesn't work anymore.

Anyway, for those interested (or care)... it's located at http://blackhistorychronicle.blogspot.com

Tribute to Rap Duets

2009-02-26T18:29:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-24T15:37:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-18T13:32:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-02-17T14:58:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-02-15T05:14:00.001-08:00

"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

2009-02-14T18:27:00.001-08:00

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

2009-02-12T10:58:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-12T10:50:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-11T14:34:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-10T05:06:00.001-08:00

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

2009-02-04T20:08:00.000-08:00

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...

25 Things About Me You May or May Not Care About....

2009-01-31T18:31:00.001-08:00

What up. After my former partner-in-ads & good friend Scott did this I had to oblige & come up with one of my own. On Myspace, I've been tagged enough times that I probably could've got away with reposting some of those. But once again, retrieving old blogs after over 3 years is like trying to pull a raw tooth from your mouth by hand. Hard & painful. Especially since the "Browse By Category" no longer works. But you know.... I write how I sketch.... straight off the head. So I'm gonna take a whip at it.

1. I come across anti-social, when really I'm just analytical. I'm very cautious of the company I keep, becuz I despise drama & fall back when it comes to those who bring it, instigate it or cause it. When it comes to friends, it's all or nothing with me. Fuck having "associates." I'm too old to hang with ppl I have to question & watch my back of. That was high school.

2. I still watch cartoons. I don't know if it's becuz I'm an artist & I feed off of it, but it's great for them days when there's nothing on the tube. I'm not too ashame of it, since my grandma used to watch the hell out of them before her death.

3. I'm a music fanatic. (no surprise there... huh? lol) Sometimes a dope CD is all it takes to get me in a good mood. In the gym, hip hop puts me in a trance where I'm in unison with the beat while I'm working out... especially during cardio. But although I primarily listen to rap (more underground or Golden Age.... not that crap on the radio.), it's nothing for me to listen to other genres. Right now, I'm loving Anthony Hamilton's new album & Coldplay.

4. I'm not a cat person. They come across sneaky, possessive, needy & manipulative...... (like some of the women I've encountered.) LOL.. I made the mistake of feeding one & it wouldn't leave me alone. It kept meowing repetitively at my door step for months. Never again.

5. I was in chorus in Jr. High. I actually wanted to continue in high school, but I didn't like the teacher at the time, & by the time they got someone new, they no longer allowed guys (baritones, tenors & bass) to join. Sucks. I would like to eventually join a church just to sing in a choir. To be honest, I'd join just to do that, cuz singing definitely feeds my soul.

6. I used to love ciphering at my old college campus. Even though I no longer aspire to be the "King of the South" (since T.I. beat me to it. LOL...), I still have a love for writing lyrics & poetry.

7. I would like to jump from a plane & sky dive some day.... (as long as it's not near water.)

8. I wear my heart on my sleeves. Becuz I didn't have any REAL friends coming up, I appreciate the friends I have & will go out of my way (if I could) to help one in need.

9. I can hold a grudge until doomsday. I've gotten better over the years, especially toward ppl I really like or respect. But it's still a problem with those I truly don't care for. And sometimes, I'd keep a grudge going to have a reason NOT to have any dealing with them at all.

10. I hate sarcastic muhfuckas... for real. I see sarcasm as a cowardice way to attack someone, especially when it's done in spite of someone that's done absolutely nothing to deserve it. Usually weak, bitch asses that's got to tear someone else a part to make them feel strong.

11. I love dogs, especially German Shepherds. They're easy to train & the most loyal breed I've ever raised. I'd like to get one when I get my living conditions situated (& find a reliable source of income..... Help me Obama.)

12. I'm experimental when it comes to cooking & eating. I'll try anything once if the ingredients sound good together. And if it's tight, I guarantee I will try to make something similar when I hit the stove.

13. The first gun I owned was a B&B gun & it got taken from me when I was a kid, b/c I got mad at my sister & a friend, Eve, & tried to shoot them with it..... speaking of that...

14. I have a quick temper. Becuz I try to be a nice guy, I get heated when someone takes my kindness for weakness. I let a lot of shit slide when I was younger. But I ain't THAT SHY anymore. lol

15. I'm a huge Adam Sandler fan. I've loved his movies since Happy Gilmore & Billy Madison. His later movies may not be as funny as his earlier ones, but they are still entertaining. My favorite is "The Waterboy" & one of my favorite all time moments was him singing "I Will Always Love You" in the shower on "Bulletproof" with Damon Wayans. I will watch any movie w/ him in it, b/c I know it's gonna be funny.

16. I signed up for the Marines straight out of high school during the original Bush Administration & almost going to war with Iraq then (1990-91). I originally joined to get the G.I. Bill for college. But in the middle of training, I got injured & was honorably discharged.

17. After so many months of job hunting, I've become frustrated with Atlanta. I'm actually considering moving to North Carolina. A friend told me Charlotte is a great city & reminiscent of ATL 10 years ago.... (before it got too big for it's britches & too big time to hire GA ppl outside of ATL). Plus, after it being 1 of 2 Southern states where Obama won, I'm already a fan. I may be making a trip there in the next couple of months. (I ain't gonna front... looking at the picture above of Charlotte, really got my interest up.)

18. I'm a sentimental pack rat. I keep everything with sentimental value behind it... from every birthday card (esp. from my cousin Latasha R.I.P.), to Christmas cards, photos, anything.

19. In the 80's, I used to love sitcoms where they spoke sign language. So I taught myself the hand alphabets & a few signs that I've forgotten.

20. I can adjust to any setting whether it's in the city, in the woods.. whatever. I can always find the beauty in any surrounding & embrace it.

21. I'm the most non-cliquish person I know. In my profession, being the only Black man majority of the time, I've learn how to communicate with anyone & learn to build relationships with others from different backgrounds & upbringing. Although, a lot of times, I've encountered some that have to remind me of what I am & have known since conception.... lol.... But the ones that look past it & see the real me & not my color makes up for the ignorance of others..... (including ig'nant black folks.... that'll screw face me having a white female friend, but won't give me the time of day, if I was alone.)

22. I do want kids someday, but I don't want babymamas. No Ring. No Seed. So don't ask why I don't have kids.

23. I chose art as a profession to spite my father who told me there was no future in it & a waste. Hmmm. That shit kept a roof over my head for the past 11 years & loved every minute of it. Regardless of my situation, I don't plan to give it up anytime soon. I'm seeing bigger plans with it. Thanks for not believing in me back then.

24. I haven't got gas from a Texaco or eaten at any Denny's Restaurant since the racial comments made back in the 90's (at Texaco) & the racial discrimination at Denny's. Even after they used Steve Harvey (ole country, non-funny bamma ass) to endorse their product, I still wasn't buying it. Told you I can hold a grudge.

25. I, every now & then, have nightmares of someone trying to run me over in a moving vehicle. I have no idea what that means. lol

Not A Freestyle... But Free Therapy

2009-01-30T11:12:00.001-08:00

9 Months of unemployment playing with my mental. Questioning
my existence.
Cursed with the feelings of insignificance.
Thank God for my MacBook, sketch pad or composition on the looseleaf
Between gym memberships & art projects, keep myself busy
I've had my moods & moments of aggressions & mild depressions,
I digress address my confessions into poems or sketches.
This ain't a freestyle.... it's free therapy.. for Skecho PhellahG
Solitarily, rely on no other to care for me.
Adapted to being a square outside of circles, it's geometric
If I don't fit in, why force it? Never liked being pegged in
I'm that wierdo with a pen or a pencil in the back of my ear lobe
Gifted with sentences, not pursued, b/c I feel old
A father to 106 & Parkers minus the fertilization
instead stimulating the head of my membrane. With my left hand
ejaculating
phrases. Pages & pages I masterbath.. a
Masterpiece created in the confinements of my basement.
To release me when I'm going through phases. Hearing voices debating
my fate. But act as if I'm not hearing their conversations.
To only conclude that I'm crazy. Well... maybe. At my age, playing ...
doctor. Don't need a degree. All I need is patients. (patience)

When Rappers Stop Rapping

2009-01-28T21:00:00.000-08:00

As a die hard hip hop fan, (by Bush Babee's original definition.) I'm not gonna front, I get frustrated when my favorite spitter decides out of the blue to start either singing or going a different route with their music. Although the artist in me totally understands, the fan in me hates it.

the reason why the fan in me hates it is becuz with the current direction hip hop is going, it sucks already to having to deal with the noise pollution of a Souljah Boi & oversaturation of T-Pain & Lil' Wayne 24/7.

But to have rappers that I could always count on to give me hope for the radio (Kanye West) to go from conscious hip hop or dope lyricism (Common) to singing on autotunes & party records, it's forced me to accept the fact that I'm old & flick my radio to the oldies station where they play "Brick House" & "Flashlight" all day & having to embark on Tom Joyner & his legion of anti-rap hating bammas in the morning... since there's no station for neither old school nor underground hip hop in GA (outside of ATL that I know of.)

I'm in no way bashing my bruthas, b/c honestly I do like Kanye's album & I respect Common's need to experiment. But I'd be lying if I said I played Com's UMC album as repetitively as I did his previouses (except Electric Circus). Or that Heartbreak by Kanye gives me the same goosebumps I felt the first time I heard, "Can't Tell Me Nothing." or "Flashing Lights."

Kanye & Common aren't the first to do this, & I shouldn't even include Com, since at least he still raps. But there have been other artists that have stepped outside their hip hop thrones & got their feet wet in other unique music. And I do have to give it up to some that truly impressed me with their transitions.

1. Mos Def - Umi Say
The first time I heard this, I instantly fell in love with it & forgot I was actually listening to a hip hop CD. Mos has one of those voices that makes you think of a civil rights fighter with the wit of a spoken word poet. There's a lot of power in his voice & doesn't matter whether he's singing or rapping. He's truly a gifted brutha.

2. Queen Latifah - Weekend Love
Before Hollywood & 2 jazz albums, Latifah was one of the best femcees to bless a mic. But one thing that separated her from the rest (males or females), was she actually sung as well. And one of my favorites was "Weekend Love" (another was "Gimme Your Love" from her 2nd album) because of the feel good Caribbean vibe. This is one of her few songs where she didn't overdo it or come across as a rapper tryna sing. But instead a woman happily waiting on her weekend fling.

3. Phonte of Little Brother - Foreign Exchange
This brutha has to be the male equivalent of Lauryn Hill. The first time I listened to him with Nicolay on the debut of FE, "Connected", I actually forgot that I was listening to the same brutha that was dropping some of the hottest bars on all of Little Brother's albums. And FE recently released their sophomore effort, where Phonte is singing on 95% of the album, & I'm not even sweating it, b/c it's a masterpiece.

4. Lauryn Hill - Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
This woman deserves all the accolades she gets. Her talent is so overwhelming that you'd be hard pressed to find someone who hasn't been yearning for her to return with another album after an over decade hiatus (7 years including the Live Unplugged album.) I still miss L. Boogie the emcee, so I'm hoping her next album be a double album (one singing/another spitting.)

5. Andre 3 Stacks of Outkast
I've been an Outkast fan from day one (1993 - Player's Ball). So my first response to Andre's "Hey Ya'" joint was a little disappointing for the same reason I did Kanye 2008. But eventually, after seeing the artistry in the video & actually listening to the album, I actually started liking it more than I did Big Boi's album (which was total rapping with more of an Outkast original feel.) Then with Idlewild & the songs he was doing on his Cartoon Network show, I truly have a lot more respect for him as an artist. And funny thing, the rhymes he started coming with afterwards actually got tighter (as if they weren't tight before).

6. CeeLo of Goodie Mob - Gnarls Barkley
From his own solo joints post GM, cameo performances & hooking up with Dangermouse to form Gnarls Barkley, definitely can't sleep on him.

7. Q-Tip - Kamaal the Abstract:
this album was never officially released becuz his label didn't know how to market it & didn't think it would sell, since Tip wasn't spitting on it. But if you love Mos' style of singing, you'll love this one.

8. Wyclef Jean - post-Fugees
With all the reggae albums he's done, it seems I haven't heard Clef spit a verse since the 90's. He's very underrated as an emcee, b/c so much emphasis was on Lauryn when the Fugees were hot.

Joints I Remember
Lil' Kim - Lighter's Up
Snoop Dogg - Sexual Seduction
Heavy D - Don't You Know

Joints I Wanna Forget
Salt-n-Pepa - Start Me Up (Was on some TLC shit)
Biz Markie - Let Me Turn U On (Tried to hard to repeat "Just A Friend")
Big Daddy Kane feat. Barry White (no comment)

The 2008 Hip Hop Rap Up My Favorite Picks

2009-01-19T17:38:00.000-08:00

2008 Rap Up

I was gonna do a Rap Up, Skillz style.. LOL. But I decided not to go that route. I got enough unfinished rhymes & poems floating that I need to complete. lol. PLUS, I've been wanting to do this for the past few months.

This year there have been a lot of complaints about the music (many I agree with). But I want to focus on the positive music that came out. Yeah, this was the year of Lil' Wayne. But before I name my favorites I want to say for the record why Lil' Wayne is not acknowledged on my list. It's simple really. Becuz I didn't listen to his album to place it. So this list is purely based on the albums I've listened to & either enjoyed or didn't care for.

So if anyone has a qualm about my list, it's not to say your choices weren't good. But either I didn't listen to it or wasn't feeling it. And honestly, I've never (EVER) been a Weezy fan, not even during the Hot Boyz days. Not to discredit, but he just does nothing for me. But if anyone has any albums to add, feel free to acknowledge them, becuz I'm always looking for new music to embrace. Lord knows you won't find them on the radio. (sigh....)

Anyway, I have 4 different list.....

1. Top 10 Favorite Albums of 2008 (those released in 2008)
2. Top 5 Honorable Mentions (breaking them down to 5, so I can get others feedback & suggestions)
3. Top 5 Georgie-Come-Lately (albums I discovered this year, but dropped in 2007)
4. Top 5 Disappointments (albums I wasn't too fond of)

TOP 10 FAVORITE ALBUM OF 2008
no particular order

1. Ludacris: Theaters of the Mind
I will say this has to be my favorite Luda album of them all. Although he caught flack for it, I even like the T- Pain joint. My only 2 gripes is that he didn't have one particular song, "Let's Stay Together" from his mixtape which talked about rappers coming together & squashing beefs. Another gripe, I like the T.I. collabo on T.I.'s album better than the one on his. & wish that was on this album also. But I have both, so that don't matter.

2. Nas - Ni66er (Untitled... but we know the deal. lol)
I'm not surprise this album didn't get the buzz it should've got, although I'm still mad he lost "Best Lyricist Award" to Lil' Wayne at the BET Hip Hop Awards. But I'll leave that alone. I had the same gripe when he lost to Biggie in 95, so it's no diss to Wayne. Conceptual wise, this has to be Nas' best body of work or close to it. Production-wise would be my only complaint. That has been his achiles heal for the past 3 albums (this, Street's Disciples & Hip Hop Is Dead). But this is the stronger of the past 3. Either way, I hope he drop another Lost Tape, cuz it seems his best production works are the ones he DON'T release. lol

3. Jean Grae - The Evil Jeanius/Jeanius
To be honest, I didn't want to acknowledge "The Evil Jeanius" album since it was done by her old label without her consent & she's not collecting any funds off of it. This is sad, b/c the production of Blue Sky Black Death did an excellent job. The dark sinister beats & dope production fits her delivery to a tee. This is probably the best body of work I've heard since her debut, "Attack of the Attacking Things." But I can't take nothing away from the "original" Jeanius either, which is why I included it (although I much prefer the original 2004 bootlegged version becuz it sounds more raw & organic), but the Evil Jeanius is definitely worth a listen. (But I'd bootleg that particular one, since she won't see a dime of it.)

4. Elzhi - The Preface
This was one accident I'm glad I discovered. I've liked this cat since I heard him on Slum Village's Trinity album. Although he was a replacement to Jay Dilla in the group, I saw the dope lyricist in him right away. And ever since he ripped with Phonte on "Hiding Place" off the LB's Minstrel Show album, I'd been looking for him to drop something. I was already sold after coping the "Out of Focus" EP, but when he dropped this jewel, he immediately became my favorite emcee out of the "D". Although it's a tough call b/w he & Royce... (& maybe One Be Lo.)

5. Tanya Morgan - The Bridge
A co-worker discovered them on myspace & turned me on to them. At the time, they had (still have) a free download of their mixtape called "Tanya Morgan is a Rap Group", which I thought was clever since I originally thought it was a female singer. lol. The mixtape was actually pretty good & honestly felt more like an album to me. It was so good, before this album came out, I decided to peep their debut, "Moonlighting" which is also a tight album, & actually made me more anxious to get this. And it was definitely not disappointing in the least. My only gripe is that it's an EP with 10 songs. But at the same time, every joint on there is a banger. So I'm definitely not too mad.

6. Torae - Daily Conversations:
He has to be one of the nicest to come out of NY in a minute. But even the birthplace of hip hop has a tendency to sleep on their own talent. Why else would he go under the radar, yet 50 Cent, Maino (50 junior.... 25 Cent. LOL), & Dipset remain to be relevant? this brutha has major skills, then on top have some of the best producers on here (Marco Polo, Premo, 9th, Black Milk, Khrysis). And this was actually his debut album.

7. Q-Tip - The Renaissance
I was totally caught off guard by how dope this album was. I'm a be honest, I expected it to be okay. I purchased it off the strength that it was a Q-Tip & ATCQ fan. But although it's number 7 on here, this would have to be in my top 5 if this list was in order. I think this one of, if not, the best comeback in hip hop history. He definitely reminded me of what he could do not only as an emcee, but as a producer/beatmaker as well. I can't wait for the next album with he & Common together.

8. J-Live - Then What Happened
This one almost escaped me, since it came out earlier in the year. I had to go back & replay it to remember how dope it was. I've been a fan of J-Live since I got first introduced to him by another friend around 2002 or 2003. I still want to go back & listen to this again.

9. EMC - The Show
This was another album I read about from a friend. As soon as I did the research & saw it was Masta Ace's group along with Wordsworth, it was a no-brainer. I had to have it. And been enjoying it ever since.

10. Black Milk - Tronic
I really didn't expect to like this since I was late checking the "Sound of the City" CD & still feeling the "Popular Demand" joint. Some ppl can't do albums back to back, & I didn't think he could after 2 hot albums plus producing other albums (see Elzhi's "The Preface"). But brutha is definitely one of the best producer to come out of Detroit since Dilla. And he's pretty good on the mic, too.

TOP HONORABLE MENTIONS

1. Illa J - The Yancey Boys: J Dilla's younger brother who looks just like him in pictures. There'll never be another Dilla, but homey's not bad at all. Plus he sings & raps pretty good (not as good as Black Milk.. but he's decent & it compliments the beats). I think he used some of Dilla's beats though, as well as his own... So it's definitely a dope tribute to one brother & an intro to another. We'll see.... but he's got some BIG shoes to fill.
2. Supastition - Leave of Absence: He is at the top of my HM, cuz I really wanted to add him to my top 10. He has to one of my favorites, b/c he's definitely the blue collar emcee that speaks things anyone can relate to. I was torn b/w this EP or his other as Kam Moye "Self Centered" (Black Enough joint posted on my "Who's Blacker" blog), but their both hot & the later is available on his site for FREE download.
3. Invincible - Shapeshifter: Between her & Jean Grae, it should be a crime that femcees don't get the credit they deserve. And she's a white girl, so you'd think they'd be all over her trying to make her more Feminem. (not a mispelling) LOL. But this girl has crazy skills. I discovered her on my Pandora radio, & didn't know she was white until I peep the album cover. But you wouldn't think it if you heard her lyrically content. Very deep & positive.
4. Black Sheep: I think this came out the very end of 2007 (Dec.), but this was actually a dope album. I wasn't surprised after peeping one of their videos on The Spitkickers page. Unfortunately, Mista Lawnge left after the album was released so Dres is solo carrying the Black Sheep name (like it mattered, since Dres was the true star of the group anyway). But it's definitely worth checking.
5. Hezekiah - I Predict A Riot: This was an album I had to get reacquainted with cuz I hadn't heard it in awhile. It was a toss up b/w this & Large Pro's "Main Source" & also Heltah Skeltah's "D.I.R.T." and a few others. BUt overall, I liked this one better.

TOP 5 DISAPPOINTMENTS OF 2008

1. Kanye West - 808 & Heartbreak: FTR, I think it's a pretty good album for what he was going for. But from a hip hop standpoint, it's disappointing b/c he's always been like the saving grace for the past 4 years. When everybody was on some trend or coming lame, you could always count on Kanye to bring that love back. But this year, he brought us heartbreak on autotune. LOL. I ain't mad, cuz I got his other 3 to keep my ears warm. lol
2. Common - Universal Mind Control: I respect his experimentation & I actually like the title track, cuz it takes me back to the "Planet Rock" days. But over all, I can't see myself playing it as much as I did "Be" or "Finding Forever". On a good note, I can tolerate it better than I could "Electric Circus." But I know he'll redeem himself with his album with Q-Tip. I just hope the Neptunes are not involved. (Sorry, I like them... but judging from UMC & Electric Circus.... Common needs a restraining order from them.)
3. The Roots - Rising Down: I know I'm gonna catch some heat for this. But, I wasn't feeling it. Whenever I hear this, I just want to go back to their old archives. I think it's too much emphasis on showing their a live band instrumentation that Black Thought is over drowned by the music. To me, it's too crowded. Less is more, especially in hip hop. Not knocking them as a band, but it just makes me fiend for a Black Thought solo album. and what sucks, this is the 2nd album from Def Jam & it got more buzz than Game Theory, when that one was a much tighter album.
4. Immortal Technique - 3rd World: I got turned on to him on a satellite radio station with a joint from his 2nd album (Revolutionary vol. 2). Definitely on some deadprez meets KRS shit. I loved the album so much I went back & retrieved his 1st (which was decent)... then later this album. One word..... GARBAGE. Total disappointment. I skimmed through it & haven't been back to play it since.
5. Sheek Louch - Silverback Gorilla: I was torn b/w this & LL's Exit 13. I figured since LL hasn't dropped an album I liked in 8 years then it's not truly a disappointment, but expected. LOL. (Sorry Keia. the mixtape was okay.. somewhat, but the album was a let down....) But Sheek from the Lox in my opinion, although not the sharpest rhymer in the group, I always thought put out better songs than Jada & Styles. But he definitely got contaminated by the mainstream bug this time & left this album with nothing but crap.

TOP 5 GEORGY COME LATELY
1. Blu & Exile: Below the Heavens - Dope album, & everybody should be on the lookout for Blu out of Cali
2. NY Oil: HoodTreason - he's an arrogant pompous in interviews, but a deep brutha.
3. Mos Def : Mos Definite - actually an import that should've been released in the states.
4. One Be Lo : R.E.B.I.R.T.H. - just discovered him through someone's debate on who's better, him or Elzhi & I've been playing his whole catalog for the past week. (The answer, Elzhi still the winner.... but One Be Lo ain't no joke.)
5. Marco Polo - Port Authority - this album is amazing. Marco Polo has to be one of the best beatmakers I've heard in years, & he has a lot of nice emcees on here spitting to his beats.

Over all, in spite of the oversaturation of autotunes & stripper music, all I gotta say is... thank God for the internet, youtube & the Spitkickers for providing an alternative. And also thank God for my high speed internet. (Can you believe it's been a year since I got rid of dial-up. LOL)

Notorious BIG DEAL

2009-01-15T11:39:00.000-08:00

Well Friday, Jan. 16th will be the release of the "Notorious movie chronicling the life of Christopher Wallace AKA The Notorious B.I.G. AKA Biggie Smalls... Frank White... & so on & so on.....

I've heard so much about it, that it seems like it's becoming priority to MLK day & Obama's inauguration via Black media. Which is why I don't watch BET like I used to... if any, although this week, I found myself watching one of the syndicated shows (Smart Guy.... which I actually liked back in the days.) And they had the cast of the movie.

Now, I've been an admirer of Biggie's music since the first time I heard "Bullshit & Party" in 92 on the "Who's the Man" soundtrack & even when he repped on Heavy D's "A Bunch of Ni66az" from his Blue Funk album. (BTW... The best album The Hevster dropped & an unsung treasure.)

I wasn't really feeling "Juicy" when it dropped & he was cool on "Flava In Ya Ear" remix (he didn't smash it... I guess it was b/c he went first... IDK), but my roommate at the time, Trisham, had a dubbed copy that he begged to have played on my cassette player. (yeah.. yeah... this was 94, before CD's took over.) After countless begging & him promising me that I would actually like the album, I went ahead & let him bump it.

After listening to it (with the exception of the last 3 or 4 cuts... cassette's was only 45 minutes on one side & didn't get all of it. LMAO.)... that following weekend, I drove to the mall in Macon & purchased the CD.

I say this to say, I was a huge fan of Biggie back then & copped everything he rep. He put Bad Boy on the map... (not the East Coast to me since... Wu, Nas, Boot Camp Click, & so many others was bringing that raw shit prior to & during Biggie's reign.) And he's definitely one of my Top 10 Favorite Emcees of All Times.

However, it's hard to classify him as "The Greatest" in my opinion. (AND MINE ALONE... SO BIGGIE STANS FALL BACK. LOL) Everything that's been said about the movie I'd already known about or read about in other documentaries, so I doubt if there are many surprises. However, I am wondering about how 2Pac & Lil' Kim are gonna be portrayed.

And honestly, I feel kinda bad for Lil' Kim. Becuz if anyone seen the vh-1 behind the music of her life told by other ppl (not Lil' Kim herself). BIG used to physically & mentally abuse her. I think she genuinely had feelings for him, but b/c of her upbringing & putting so much love in him, she was looked upon as an easy lay, so he settled for marrying Faith after only a few months.... (although he was screwing around with Kim b4.)

Lil' Kim fell into the trap a lot of sistas made. Allowing a man to define their happiness & instead of being mad at him, she took it out on the woman, Faith. And telling by the plastic surgeries, she's definitely have self esteem issues. Come on, I was in love with Lil' Kim in the mid 90's on that "No Time" & "Get Money" video & a few others..... And on that Skin Deep joint.. OMG. Why Kim? Why? (Wish I could post a pic of her in that video, but even on Google, it's hard to find pics of her before the surgeries.)

I-ight..... I'm getting off topic.

Even though I was a huge fan of Biggie, it's hard for me to want to waste money on this movie in theaters when I know how it's gonna end. Besides, like a lot of ppl, I'm tired of the exploit of BIG & 2Pac, when it's so many living emcees that can't get a break. Hip hop didn't die with him, cats don't want to give newer emcees saying something different the time of day. Plus, I don't buy that whole Biggie the G.O.A.T. or he put Brooklyn on the map (as if Whodini, GangStarr, Jeru the Damaja, Big Daddy Kane, Masta Ace, Chubb Rock, 3rd Bass, Digable Planets, Boot Camp Clik, Special Ed, MC Lyte, & so many others didn't exist before him. Brooklyn have always been nice.).

If Biggie was alive today or 2Pac, there probably wouldn't be a debate over who's the G.O.A.T. & if it was... they probably wouldn't be on many ppl's top 20, more or less they're top 10. IMO, Nas has been the nicest from day one, but cats hate on him saying he need to give it up or keep throwing "Illmatic" back in his face. I bet those same ppl would be calling him the G.O.A.T. if he woulda died at a younger age.

It's amazing how an artist has to die to be appreciated. And you still have ppl eating off his legacy, when they should be trying to find his killer.

But... anyway, I'll wait for the bootleg & for Lil' Kim to drop her album to expose everybody. I believe she will... And anybody that's heard the original "Big Mama Thang" (minus Jigga with verse dising Faith & Pac).. know I'm right. LOL

Black History Moments in February

2008-02-02T04:44:00.001-08:00

February

*-not accurate date

1. 1960: 4 North Carolina A&T students stage a sit-in in a dime store which began the 1st of the historic 1960s sit-ins in Greensboro, N.C.

1865: John S. Rock, 1st Black to practice before U.S. Supreme Court.

1902: Langston Hughes, poet & author, is born. (1902-1967)

2003: Michael P. Anderson, Astronaut, dies in Columbia Shuttle explosion with 7 other astronauts.

2. 1915: NAACP picketed the opening of D.W. Griffin's "Birth of a Nation." for its racist content.*

1902: Birth of author Langston Hughes

3. 1870: 15th Amendment ratified (Black's right to vote)

1965: Geraldine McCullough wins Widener Gold Medal for Sculptor

1874: Blanche K. Bruce elected to U.S. Senate.

4. 1845: Fairbanks was sentenced to 15 years for successfully assisting 3 runaway slaves.*

1864: 24th Amendment abolished the Poll tax

1999: Unarmed street vendor, Diallo, shot 41 times by 4 NY police officers

1967: Peabody Fund set up by George Peabody giving $1 million to aid in Black education

2007: For the first time, the opposing teams of The Superbowl Championships of the National Football League are both lead by two Black coaches, Lovie Smith (Chicago Bears) and Tony Dungy (Indiapolis Colts)

5. 2003: Russell Simmons calls for boycott of Pepsi Products for pulling rapper's ad campaign because of his explicit lyrics, but uses dysfunctional family, The Osbournes, instead.

1934: Birth of Henry "Hank" Aaron, Home Run King of Major League Baseball.

6. 1961: Jail-In Movement established in Rock Hill, SC.

1820: First organized emigration of Black Americans back to Africa from New York to Sierra Leone (hmmm. where Blood Diamond was based.)

1867: Peabody Fund established to promote Black education in the South.

7. 1867: Fredrick Douglas w/ Black delegation saw Pres. A. Johnson at the White House.

1945: Irwin C. Mollison is appointed by President Harry Truman as the judge of the U.S. Customs Court.

????: Freedman's Aid Society (originally founded as the Fugitives' Aid Society) formed promoting the education among Blacks.

8. 1925: Marcus Garvey enprisoned

1951: Pvt. Edward O. Clearborn receives Distinguished Service Cross.

2001: Robert Wilkerson, "Angola Three" released after 29 years in solitary confinement for a crime he didn't commit.

9. 1965: Martin Luther King Jr. meets Pres. L. Johnson at the White House.

1906: Death of Paul Lawrence Dunbar, 1st poet to use Black dialect in his work.

1971: Leroy Satchel Paige is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

10. 1817: Birth of Frederick Douglass, Abolitionist/Publisher

1966: Andrew Brimmer becomes 1st Black to serve on the Federal Reserve Board

11. 2003: After protest threats, Pepsi backs down & offers to partner up with Russell Simmon's & Ludacris' fundraisers which support creative arts in inner city communities.

1990: Nelson Mandela, leader of the democracy movement in S. Africa, is released from prison after 27 years.

1977: Clifford Alexander, Jr. becomes first Black Secretary of State.

1933: Birth of Lois Gardella (Aunt Jemina)

12. 1809: Abraham Lincoln, the U.S. Pres. who abolished slavery, is born

1973: Fugitive Slave Law passed by Congress.

1909: Founding meeting NAACP, after the riot in Springfield, Illinois.

1926: Negro History Week was initiated by Dr. Carter G. Woodson.

13. 1957: SCLC founded. Southern Christian Leadership Conference

1996: Fugees broke cultural barriers between Black American & Caribbean Blacks with their second album, "The Score."

1923: Organization of the first Black pro basketball team, "The Renaissance"

14. 1760: Richard Allen, Founder of African Methodist Episcopal Church.

1867: Morehouse College in Atlanta is founded.

15. 1957: SCLC founded. Southern Christian Leadership Conference

16. 1874: Frederick Douglas appointed President of Freedman's Bank & Trust Co.

17. 1950: Thomas L. Griffin accepted with L.A. Bar Association.

2001: Death of Khalid Muhammad, former Nation Of Islam minister & Leader of the New Black Panther Party.

18. 1688: Slavery were first protested formally by the Quakers.

19. 1790: George Bridgetower, Violin virtuoso, makes London debut.

1919: William E.B. DuBois organizes first Pan-African Congress in Paris.

20. 1895: Death of Frederick Douglass

1997: Jazz drummer, Tony Williams dies.

21. 1965: Malcolm X, El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, assassinated in Audubon Ballroom, NYC. by 3 alleged Black Muslims.

22. 1988: Black rap artists united to boycott the Grammy Award Show after refusing to televise the presentation of the first "Best Rap Category" given to Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince.

1967: A.C. Powell, Jr. stripped of power.

23. 1868: Birth of Willam E.B. DuBois, Founder of NAACP.

24. 1811: Birth of Daniel A. Payne, Leader in Education of the AME Church.

25. 1964: Muhammad Ali defeats Sonny Liston for the World Heavyweight boxing champion.

1870: Mississippi's, Hiram Revels, elected & becomes the first Black in the US Senate.

26. 1776: Phyllis Wheatley's letter answered by George Washington.

1877: Political agreement reached that ended Reconstruction.

27. 1844: The Dominician Republic established

1988: Debi Thomas, Figure Skater, becomes 1st Black to win a medal at the Winter Olympics.

1998: The first real-live Hip Hop tour, The Hard Knock Life Tour, begins.

28. 1984: Michael Jackson wins 8 Grammy Awards revolutionizing pop music.

1784: Poetess, Phillis Wheatley dies

29.

Getting ANIMATED pt. 1

2008-01-18T17:59:00.001-08:00

What's up y'all. Don't worry I'm keeping this brief. Just wanted to introduce my new banner with a little animation. For those that don't know, 2 years ago, I was trying to teach myself animation. But because of the threat of outsourcing at my job, all of the graphic artists were given a program & a DVD that taught us animation using Flash. I've only been learning it & trying to master it full-time at my job for almost 2 months.

It's not much, but I'm very proud of this & I got more to come once I master this bitch. LMAO. All I need is Dreamweaver & Fireworks & I'm on fire. But anyway, let me know what you think. And if anyone know of any tricks, feel free.

How I Avoid Myspace Drama?

2008-01-18T17:55:00.001-08:00

How I Avoid Myspace Drama?

What up ppl. I missed my gym this morning cause I was inspired to write something. And I happened to come across a blog addressing how he's sick of Myspace Drama. This seems to be the popular vote nowadays. But where is the drama coming from? When did myspace become a Fight Club? Personally, I don't know, b/c in the 3 years I've been on. I've only had very few encounters, & basically they were mostly race related, but we weren't on each other's list to begin with. So it was small, & something I really wouldn't consider beef. Cuz we spoke each other's peace & kept it moving. I didn't call him out in a blog. (actually I did once. LMAO.) But bottom line, it was over the next day. I wasn't logging on looking for it, or entertaining it.

I guess that's why I'm glad I'm the last to know the Beef of the Week or what drama's transpired. Becuz, honestly, I don't take it too serious. I put my heart into my art & my writing. So what you know about me thru my writing, you all know. And I read others just to learn about them as individuals, not to see who's done what. Becuz anyone that knows me in real life, knows I hate talking about ppl, I don't know, unless they do something personal to me to piss me off. But awhile back, I did kinda almost slipped into it, but I had to check myself & keep my distance & keep my blogging experience about me. And those that read will get a taste of who I am, not who did what. What I'm about. Not what's poppin' between so & so.

But just like in real life, I've always managed to stay drama free for the most part. Mainly becuz I know who my true friends are. and with me, I don't use the term friend loosely. And the minute one turns against me or does something to make me question them.... it's done. I might stay cool with them, but you won't reap the benefits of the type of friend I can be. The one that'll go through the storm with you. The one that's gonna have your back when no one else does. The one that if you wrong, I'll let you know as a friend, but I'll never snitch you out. I'm that friend.

And I expect the same in return from a friend. It's called mutual respect & treating ppl the way you want to be treated. that's what I'm about. And the minute someone comes across to me as not sincere or shady, I might not drop them right away, but I will keep my distance & keep it cool & simple. Only if they get personal, will I drop them. I got too many others I'm feeling to worry about a handful not reciprocating my support.

But I'm glad to say that I haven't had too many problems with ppl on da space & that might shock a lot of ppl who've had rifts here & there & might think I'm blowing smoke or whatever. But here are some of the methods of how I stay myspace drama free.

1. Blog what I know & what I feel, but always be opened to other ppl's opinions.

I've always valued the opinions of others, especially if they're valid & from those willing to talk intelligently with you about it & not get all personal & extreme. Becuz, believe it or not, the world is not centered around one person. PERIOD. I've discussed race relations with whites without it resulting to name calling or blocking each other, & still cool til this day. And that's just one example. Debates are always cool, but keep emotions out of it & try to be opened to other's opinions. Hell. You might learn something.

2. Block assholes & move on. PERIOD!!!!

It's always gonna be assholes on the space, but that's life. But guess what? You choose to either accept or decline them. If they can't act right, decline, block, whatever & move on. So what if they say something on the same blog about you. Don't even look for it or entertain that shit, cuz eventually other folks are gonna see it too, if you're valid. Becuz if you talk negative about someone to one individual, you're opening yourself up to be judged or ridiculed. I'm very paranoid, so when I hear 2 ppl act cool with me & someone, & they talk negative about someone to me that I've assume are cool with one another. Guess what? I'm gonna assume you talk behind my back too. But I don't dwell on it. I just keep it cool, cuz as long as they don't disrespect me blatantly, then we cool. Cuz talking behind my back, only makes them fake & a coward.

3. Stay out of other ppl's drama & beefs.

This is hard to do, b/c it's some ppl on here I truly adore & respect. But sometimes, you have to stay neutral, & I don't mean America's definition what we learned in history class. But like
Switzerland. I'm guilty of such & I hate that, b/c I hate the idea of turning on A, b/c of what he/she did to B, when I've never had personal issues with A. Even though I might hear others turn against A, it's not in my heart to just turn on someone, if we never had issues. Cuz if I did that, I'd only be falling into a clique & basing it on ppl I know about as much as I know A, & that's hardly, which isn't fair. Now I might watch my back & be cautious of A, based on, but I wouldn't just join a "Fuck "A" Coalition." Becuz how would you feel if someone hated on you & turned others against you, too? And what if it's ppl you actually liked?

4. Avoid cliques & be open to everyone (even if they're not within the circle.)

One thing I hate is being judged by the ppl I'm (supposed to be) cool with. I feel like I'm a kid again, where I get into a fight with my cousin, & b/c he's the bossy one everyone listened to, except me, he'd turn everyone against me, saying, "don't play with Phellah." And they'd talk shit to me, when I've done nothing to them, but they're entertaining this nigga who (9 X's out of 10) started it to begin with. That's how it is on here sometimes. I actually lost friends b/c of my affiliation with La Familia, cuz of beef I knew nothing about. Originally, it pissed me off, but now I look at it as them being petty & childish, cuz they judged me without even knowing me or
trying to get to know me. But lump me in with the BS that I knew nothing about. That's past & it's done, & I feel stupid now letting it get to me. Cause to me, that was their loss. Not mine. Cuz if they were that petty to drop me based on an acquaintance, then get the fuck on then. Cuz how would they feel if I dropped them based on the same thing? It sums up to they were never a friend to begin with & not worth the trouble, so in the words of Keyshia Cole, Let it Go.

5. Keep some things to yourself.

This includes secrets you wouldn't want others to know. I don't care how a good of a "friend" someone appears on screen. That's just it. Appears!!! My best friend of 16 years didn't start off as us telling each other our personal business after a year or 2. Like any relationship it has to grow into a real friendship. I even have friends over a decade that I consider real friends, but don't tell them everything. Not becuz I don't like them, but I know they're known to talk a little too much. Especially when alcohol's involved. But that's who they are, & I accept that. But be damn, if they'll have my business on front street.

This also includes talks about others within the circle. In college, I turned on one of my friends after some shady shit he did to me, personally. But I kept it to myself, cuz I didn't want to cause
tension within, plus I didn't want to sacrifice the real friendships I did have. But I kept my convos with him to a minimal & just talked about petty stuff, just to keep up appearance. In the end, his shady spirit was exposed & they turned against him, too. And by the time that happened, that's when I confessed to my best friend that I'd never really liked him, & exposed the shit he did to me. Which made our circle closer, b/c we didn't have that baggage anymore that we had to pretend wasn't there. And the fact that we both kept quiet in hopes of not losing each other as friends, strengthened our friendship. And that's hard to find sometimes.

Bottom line, if X, Y, & Z are supposed friends, and if Y falls out with X, keep it to yourself. If X is wrong, Z will see it sooner or later. Y could be sacrificing he & Z's relationship, talking about
X. And who's to say Z won't go back & tell X. Let Z find out on his own, especially when you haven't known neither for a good period of time. But if you know X is a snake, then don't feed it information that could poison you with venom.

BTW.... This is no subliminal diss or bullshit... I just re-read what I typed & "X" is not who you think it is. So no breathing more into stuff that it isn't. That's another way to avoid beef & drama.....

6. Don't take everything so serious & personal.

If a person feels they're being talked about, so what? Fuck em. Personally, that's how I feel. I'm 35, I'm too old for back & forth B.S. LOL. But if you must know if you're being disrespected or
misrepresented, at least go to the person..... but in respect & not in anger. See, that's where we mess up & make a problem worse. Who knows, it might be a misunderstanding or it might be about you based on a misunderstanding. Either way, you can ressolve the issue at hand
& can once again enjoy your myspace experience.

Sometimes addressing someone, it's best to come with knowledge & wisdom, & not emotion. Cuz H-Town said it best, "Emotions'll make you cry sometimes."

And That's one to grow on. lol

Does anyone have any other drama-free methods to add based on their own experience?

2007-08-14T06:44:00.001-07:00

What up peoples.

Right now, I'm feeling pretty good. Anyone that's been in touch with me for the past 4 or 5 years know that I was unhappy & miserable with my job. But luckily, 2007 has been a blessed year for me. For those that peeped my Apparatus rhyme, & wondered what happened to Part 1. Well it was still being processed in my head cause I still can't believe it. The Apparatus in this case was not a microphone, BUT a magazine concept I created for my job.

Recently, my responsibilities at my job took a turn for the better, because after years of being stuck doing the same tired redundant ads & doing more production work than creative work, I was getting more frustrated. And what was sicker, the artists that were the least creative, was doing more creative & career-growing things, while I felt like the token Black guy to run to when they wanted to know "how to do this in Photoshop", "how to do that in Illustrator", "what's a good font for that?" I was there to teach them, while letting my creative juices evaporate in the steam my boiling temper was creating.

After new management, especially from someone who has seen my contributions first hand in the past 6 years, I'm finally getting a chance to be heard. Right now, I'm assistant managing the magazines our paper are currently running. Great from a creative side, but annoying from a moral perspective, especially as a Black person. Especially on one of the spreads I built about a city in GA called Fort Valley. I chose to do it with pure excitement, cause that was where I went to college. This was a 112 y/o Historical Black University. Now as I read the article to get an idea what to put.... all they talked about was a Packaging Company that specialized in can peaches. WHAT? Now I'm pissed, but then I maintained & remember the establishment I work for. The same establishment that during Hurricane Katrina, after such travesty, they focused a lot of attention on picturing Black victims as looters, while whites were there struggling to survive. I was disgusted then, I didn't even trust the Red Cross there, instead I gave to the churches that were helping victims, cause I assumed Middle GA RED CROSS WOULD BE AS BIAS AS THE REST OF MIDDLE GA.

This leads me to "The Apparatus", my manager wanted us to think of some good ideas for her to present to the board for new concepts & ideas to generate more business to the newspaper. Currently, our marketing dept. is predominately middle-aged white women with no marketing experience. So everything they cater to is for them.... middle-aged white women.. which eliminates the buying power of men, minorities, & the youth. 2 other guys & I came up with a magazine catered to men (although I ended up doing most of the work, with little help from one, & none from the other.) But if that comes into play, they getting off their asses. But the Apparatus was 100% my idea, where I wanted to create an urban magazine that is going to cater to the urban-communities, which is predominately Blacks in this area.

On my premises, I just got real with them & didn't give a damn who I offended. But the place I worked has never been urban friendly, but more conservative. Honestly, I don't expect it to be what I want it to be. But I want to at least let the first one something I'm so proud of, I can put into my portfolio I said, "I created this, cause I wanted to give a voice to people like me." Which was why I called it the Apparatus, which in hip hop has always been a microphone. But here, it's the magazine.

Back to why I think it won't be the way I want it to be.. B/c the same middle-aged white women that knows absolutely nothing about urban or Black culture would probably to managing it. And probably instead of addressing black issues, they'd want to make it like the other lame magazines we have, but have Black people on it. Instead of race issues, Black History facts or police brutality issues, they'd want to put chitlins & collard green recipes on something. or maybe get risque & wanna showcase who has more bling, bling. lol. Either way, before it takes off, I want to get members of the MGBJA (Mid. GA Black Journalist Association) in our Editorial Dept. involved.

In addition, I've been wanting to join the 100 Black Men organization in my area. I finally got a contact number, but I've been too preoccupied to finally call him up. But if I can get in with them, I can advertise their contributions & help in their contributions. A win/win situation for me. And if I could, showcase some great blogs (of course, I'd have to do some editing, to show we don't cuss all the time.. lol. But I know how it is, in the heat of a debate.) BUt I don't just want to showcase Blacks, cause there are other ethnic groups (including whites) that go through things in the urban community as well, so I'd definitely welcome such diversity. Bottom line, I want to give a voice to those that don't get to be heard. cause as long as the ppl involved in the problems in our system are mute, the more it'll persist.

But I'm not putting all of my eggs in this basket, cause like I said. This is a corporate business I'm in. And to be honest, I'm using this opportunity to not only get our voices heard, but to prep myself in starting my own magazine, which I won't have to edit. I can be me all day everyday. I almost kept this idea from my job, but I thought about Ted Demme (R.I.P.) that started Yo! MTV Raps. Before that program, MJ, (like I said in previous blog) was the ONLY Black artist MTV played & they showed other black musicians, especially rap artists no love. But Ted Demme changed all that, all because of his love for hip hop. MTV might've played a part in exploiting Black artists later, but it didn't start off that way & wasn't meant to be that way. If anything, I think BET is doing more damage than MTV at the moment. But if not for MTV Raps, we probably wouldn't have "The Source magazines," "Rap City" & all these other programs, past & present, that cater to hip hop whether good or bad. I can't forsee the future, but I can do what I can while I'm here to try to make things better.

What is Real Hip Hop?

2007-08-13T20:14:00.000-07:00

What's real hip hop?

Somebody tell me, cause nowadays, it's hard to tell.

Salt-n-Pepa were once accused of not being real hip hop. But in an article back in 94, who's to say if they were real or not. They were women being women on the mic & not playing the gangsta bitch or tomboy role that a lot of women fell into. And to have sistas doing the same thing later (e.g. Eve & Missy) but be considered hip hop, when S-N-P were labeled R&B. And not just women. Big Daddy Kane caught a lot of backlash when he started making his songs more R&B. But Jay Z does it & considered Hip hop royalty. So again, what's real hip hop?

I used to be accused of having a backpacker mentality b/c I chose conscious & or lyrical emcees over most gangsta rappers (except Cube & Ice T). However, I still kept a collection of LL, Heavy D, Kid 'n Play. I even had Hammer's 2nd cassette, & I don't apologize for it. Cause then, it was all hip hop to me. But because I preferred songs that entertained my mind & chose not to follow the norm (in the South at the time) I was considered hip hop & I felt like an outkast before Andre & Big Boi changed the game. Even though the South had it's own brand of hip hop, it was considered bass music, or booty or sometimes just "rap.", but not considered real hip hop, b/c it was more bass driven & less lyrical. But so was Afrikka Bambaattaa & many of the early artists.

So again, what's real hip hop?

After Master P came on & pushed his music into the mainstream, everybody & their mama were calling themselves hip hop. I used to be bitter about trying to get noticed in the game, but then turn around a lot whack bamas that couldn't spit nice, if Nas wrote it for them. But these cats selling records? I was "hip hop" & country before it was trendy or cool. Yeah, I was hating, but was it justified at the time? Especially with what I considered hip hop was becoming more of a get rich quick scheme for ninjas w/ crime records & a keyboard, while true artists had to either go underground or another route.

Now I ask what is real hip hop?

But on the flip side, a lot of Southern emcees have been attacked by those who consider themselves "real" hip hop fans... but question. If Dem Franchise Boyz is less hip hop, b/c either they're not lyrical, or b/c they're more catered more to the club than the coffee shops or Black summits. But if that's the case, wouldn't that make Afrikka Bambaattaa not hip hop?

I'm not a fan of Dem Franchise Boyz, D4L, LIL Jon & plenty other Southern rappers oversaturating the game with monotomy. But is it fair to blame the South for the negative in Hip hop when instead of others trying to bring something different, their following suit (e.g. Fat Joe & MIMS (both from NY) & E-40 (West Coast)). In fact the only new cat in the industry I've felt last year was Lupe Fiasco, while the rest have been underground artists that if I name, you'll probably be saying ... "who? huhh?" And as far as Southern emcees, I love Luda, Outkast, T.I., & Little Brother. The bottom line is, I don't hate any emcee for they do, (if they're being themselves....). Cause the truth is, there's enough pie for everyone, but who wants to keep eating the same flavor? I'm not anti-mainstream, I'm pro-diversity. Cause truth is, I'd rather hear some Lil' Jon & some "Throw Some D's" at a club instead of "Runaway Love" or "Hip Hop Is Dead.".

But Is one less hip hop than the other? And Who's to say?

I remember what real hip hop used to be for me. It used to be dope rhymes & dope beats. Even if you weren't the best lyricist, the music did something to you. It made you want to embrace the culture. And NO!! You didn't have to learn it in a book or a reality show, b/c you were so hypnotized, you let your ears do your research, not your eyes. Now I went through that gimmick phase of Cross Colours, parachute pants, fake thick rope, high top fade, The X-hat. Even to set myself apart from others as a wannabe emcee, I used to put a thin paint brush in my ear matching whatever gear I had. lol. But regardless, the music came first!! Not the image.

WHO'S MORE HIP HOP

The thing that's effed up about hip hop is that, it's become so popular that anything affiliated with Black (e.g. R&B, Soul or Reggae) is being considered hip hop. Black culture & hip hop are not the same. My mom is NOT hip hop. My sister, who's the same age as me, is NOT hip hop. Hip hop is inspired by Black culture, but not vice versa. It's not one of the same, just like all Blacks are not ghetto. But should non-ghetto breds be forbidden from rhyming although they're nice? Are they exempt from being considered real hip hop? What about Eminem because he's white, when this cat can probably name drop more hip hop influences than 95% of the new black rappers today who just jumping on a bandwagon with no legitament love for the culture? It pisses me off when rappers say they're not rappers, but a hustler. If this was 15 years ago, their career woulda been done as soon as they made that comment.

But does that make them less hip hop?

Now here's another thing that ponders me...... when did R&B artists started become classified as "hip hop?" I love my girl, Mary J. Blige. She's my absolute favorite female artist of my lifetime. She is the queen of Hip Hop Soul. But to me, She's Soul first, with hip hop influences. She uses a lot of hip hop influences yes. But Tribe, GangStarr & Dig. Planets were influenced by jazz. But you wouldn't see them getting acknowledge as Jazz artists. Not even The Roots, & they play their own instruments. Black Sheep was influenced by Rock. Dr. Dre & EPMD by Funk, Outkast & Snoop by 70's Funk & Soul. Geto Boys the Blues. But you'll never see them acknowledged as their influences. Hip Hop was built off other music, & now it's returning the favor by influencing other genres. But being hip hop influence, doesn't make it Hip Hop period.

So why when it comes to women in hip hop, a Mary J. or Beyonce would be acknowledged before a Roxanne Shante? And not just women, but why on Hip Hop countdown shows, I see as many R&B artists as rappers. I thought this was about hip hop? does anyone know that CL Smooth is back with a new album? No. But everybody know Justin Timberlake got a new video that sounds exactly like "Cry Me A River", but not as good. But it's hip hop according to media, because Timberland produced it. ok.

To me, that's not hip hop... much less real hip hop. But that's my opinion.

So is real Hip Hop dead? It's dead to the public. It's dead on the radio. But it's NOT dead, especially when there are underground cats & independent labels circulating. It's not dead as long as the few that's keeping it real still breath.

(A guide to Hip Hop's Underground Railroad coming soon....)

But my question for the day, what is real hip hop to you?