The Analog Blog

Venonmize demo feat. Don Skorpion

2011-06-02T02:35:00.001-07:00

Venonmize demo feat. Don Skorpion by BRIDGE

It Really Don't Matter feat. Akil Nadir fka Cool Cee Brown

2011-06-02T02:07:00.001-07:00

It Really Don't Matter feat. Akil Nadir fka Cool Cee Brown by BRIDGE

The ANALOG CATALOG: featured artists

2011-04-22T23:07:00.001-07:00

The ANALOG CATALOG: featured artists by BRIDGE

Iyah Gift: When The Young Lion Roared EP

2011-04-10T19:22:00.001-07:00

Iyah Gift: When The Young Lion Roared EP by BRIDGE

New AMMO

2011-04-08T15:20:00.001-07:00

New AMMO by BRIDGE

Every Bone Steven Seagal Has Ever Broken

2011-04-07T22:33:00.000-07:00

AKIL vs. Cee Brown (featuring link to new "Orientation" mixtape)

2011-04-01T13:08:00.001-07:00

AKIL vs. Cee Brown (featuring link to new "Orientation" mixtape) by BRIDGE

Ski Beatz in the studio with Maschine 1.6

2011-03-31T18:42:00.000-07:00

Soul Ascension Preview

2011-03-29T20:24:00.000-07:00

2011-03-29T19:38:00.000-07:00

The Analog Artists by BRIDGE

2011-03-29T19:37:00.001-07:00

AKIL vs. Cee Brown by BRIDGE

EXTRA (video) - Resyte Theez feat DJ I:V

2011-03-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

BED INTRUDER SONG!!!

2010-08-01T21:16:00.000-07:00

THE YEARS PROMO

2010-07-19T16:17:00.000-07:00

Nona zshare audio preview

2010-03-25T20:16:00.001-07:00

http://www.zshare.net/audio/742012009fecae51/

I Have Returned...

2010-03-18T15:57:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been some time since I've blogged. A lot has happened. Some good, a whole lot of bad, but the good parts definitely more than make up for the bad ones. The best part? My lovely wife of about more than a year, Valery. She's made this life of mine so full, interesting, and simple to live. I've never loved or been loved like this, ever. Nuff said, no?

Anyhow, I've been working on new music projects, a book, and even a show. I won't divulge anything about the show at this point because I'm paranoid about protecting my idea. But I will say it directly involves something I love. The book needs completion, though. The music projects can't really move fast enough mostly due to my technical difficulties with the PC world! My computer crashed for the 4th and final time. It still activates, but it erases everything I put on it from the last time it was on. Good enough for web and burning CDs and that's it! My audio interface for recording was having issues, too, and had to be removed. I've stripped the lab down to a beat-making set up for now. I'm moving on to Mac ASAP, trust me. There are my current financial limitations, however. I guess I'll have to be as patient as I can. In the meanwhile, I've managed to pull together an album of the songs Claude aka Cool Cee Brown recorded over my tracks over the last few years. It's called "The Devilution of Claude Nadir".

Here's the download link for the single, "Cocky":
http://www.mediafire.com/?kwnqmyynymg

Great Quote By Mos Def in upcoming XXL

2009-06-16T08:47:00.000-07:00

XXL: Are you happy with where hip-hop is right now?

Mos Def: Hip-Hop? I was in the airport, right? Just yesterday. And a brother said, “When you coming out?” I said, “I got something this June.” He said, “Yeah man, come out. It ain’t nothing really out. It’s all mixtapes and people is mad.” There’s a couple releases that came out recently. Nas’ release was real good.

XXL: T.I.’s was good.

Mos Def: I liked T.I. always liked T.I.

XXL: Jeezy’s album.

Mos Def: Jeezy’s album was good. I like the new Cam’ron song “I Hate My Job.” Kanye’s album I like a lot. I like the Cool Kids. [Hip-hop is] just out of phase with reality. It’s not speaking to the times. It got ambitious but the ambitions are boring, you know. The ambition is to be number one so you can experience the sensation in your ego of being number one. It’s not… none of it is active or kinetic. It’s a lot of men but it’s not a whole lot of real manhood. It’s a lot of power but it’s not a lot of strength… Rap is not pop. We don’t have nothing to do with that. We shouldn’t. Because whatever makes us different, we should cultivate and maintain because it’s the thing that got us this far. Dudes don’t even really be wanting to say that they Black no more. Like it’s burdensome to say that out loud ’cause you don’t wanna hurt nobody’s feelings and you don’t want nobody to think that you radical or that it’s not in vogue. But it’s clear to everybody else. It’s an industry dominated by Black men between the ages of 15 and 40. I mean, almost exclusively. 95.9999999 percent is just Black men.

XXL: And the music that we hear doesn’t reflect that?

Mos Def: Not at all. It don’t reflect none of them sensibilities. It don’t reflect that there’s any care for the community outside of being just like a cheering section for your ego. Everybody wanna be the boss but there’s no plan. You just supposed to follow ’cause this dude got the most stuff or the shiniest things so he must be the leader ’cause look at his car. But these are not virtues—what a man owns. It has nothing to do with who he is. And sometimes a man’s wealth will exceed him.

For My Sisters: Beyonce's Cruel Regimen

2009-05-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

Beyoncé Knowles is nothing short of a glam goddess: on stage, in print, on screen and--as SELF found out when we shot her for our June cover--in person. She's also totally approachable, and all too human. That "Single Ladies" body? It doesn't come easy! The singer told us how she got in the best shape of her life for her current world tour.

She puts in the work. To get a tour-worthy body--one that can handle singing and dancing at the same time--the star works out five days a week with her trainer. Those workouts include 100 squats, step-ups and walking lunges (each!).

She makes it fun. An upper body workout can get boring with all those repetitions, so Knowles added her own twist. "I'll put on a song that I really like and do [biceps curls with] 5-pound weights the whole song," she told us. Or, using 3-pound weights, she'll box for the length of one track.

Unforgettable Lauren London Quote From King Magazine:

2009-05-04T07:54:00.000-07:00

"KING:So you want a man who’s both honest and thug?

London: An authentic gangsta—that deletes about half the rap game off your list. I love guys who are street. I won’t even give soft guys a chance. Menace II Society is my shit! Caine was like my first crush. Actually, O-Dog was my true dream guy. I was in love with him, from that opening scene where he pops the convenience-store worker. He had me from that gunshot [laughs]. He was ’hood, and I loved that."

AND NOW IN 2009, a NEW AND IMPROVED LAUREN LONDON?

"On how she’d prefer men to approach her"
Don’t be thirsty. Be comfortable in your own skin. Don’t mention anything about Hollywood and you’ll be OK. I don’t want to hear about your jet or your car. Be emotionally stable. I’m interested in a guy who’s a lover of God, a lover of music, a lover of poetry, a lover of women—"

Yeah ok, sis. After shitting on all the good dudes in the world in the mag read mostly by Black men, you turn around to a mag with a multi-ethnic base to say you love these other types of men? Get. The. Fuck. Outta. Here.

ALL MY PITY AND CONDOLENCES TO ALL FANS OF DRAKE

2009-04-28T13:47:00.000-07:00

Who I will always refer to as the "Flake". Overhyped, mediocre, pop bullshit that cats by the dozens openly fellate all over the Web. I really, really, feel sorry for you fools. When this at does drop, the disappointment is going to taste like the coldest Heinekein, the spiciest chicken curry, and the plumpest nipple all at once. Pending failure like this only comes once in a lifetime.

I know that at one time, I may have fallen for some cheap pop bullshit like Flake, but not anymore. I'm not falling for anything after Conye's "808's" heresy.

All y'all go ahead and keep suckin' tho.

Dudes Who Dog The Thickness: Undercover Bee-yotches

2009-04-06T06:30:00.000-07:00

This is something that annoys me all the time. As a man, and as a Black man.

Whenever I see negative comments about a black woman's body, my blood boils! It doesn't even make sense to me. Shouts to Clicknspark. Love to my wife, Val, whose shape is like coke bottle, and respect to the models I'm a fan of, especially Temeca Freeman and Ms. Koi.

There are these comments about a black woman's weight, her ankles, her ass, her skin tone that always highlight some sick, Euro-centric view on beauty. A woman can't have a thick ass and a flat stomach and not be fat to a lot of idiots out here. Trust, I am well-aware of the difference between a woman being thick and being obese. I am no fan of obesity, but I am a hardcore fan and supporter of VOLUPTUOUSNESS.

I am never going to be attracted to a woman shaped like a man. No ultra-athletic builds, no tiny, flat, non-existent asses, and no unreal expectations either. These bitch-ass dudes always come off like they've been pimpin' since birth with nothing but perfect women in their lives. Truth be told, if they had SO many skinny-ass, oh-so-perfect women in their lives, they'd have no time to comment on women they clearly can't handle. Stop shoving your closet tendencies down everyone's throats. Do I comment on slim women like that? No, never have. Why? Cuz I know there are dudes who like that, so I leave that to them. But when some of these bitch-made cats go on rants about black women's weight issues and having "unreal" shapes, it smacks of several possiblities.

One, that those commenters are not men at all, but hating-ass women posing as men.

Two, closet cases trying to promote their "manly" tastes.

Three, dudes who've been burned by women built like that since day one. These bitches have never been to a strip club, can probably only scoop average, non-black women, or had the chance but got INITIMIDATED by the woman's body. So, after that, they call all women with some serious ass "fat" and overweight cuz they COULDN'T HANDLE IT. So, I guess their tastes start going for smaller, trimmer, bonier frames similar to their own.

Either way, FUCK THEM. I've been with shapely women ALL my life. I only had one instance where the girl had a flat ass and was all chest. She was still sexy, and the deed was done, but I still know what I like.

I've never openly criticized a woman's shape I didn't like unless I was asked. And even then, I acknowledge immediately that everyone's got their own tastes, and I happen to prefer my women to be SHAPED LIKE WOMEN, NOT MEN.

TWO Things To be Said

2009-03-27T09:43:00.001-07:00

1. If MEAGAN GOODE goes online and says "apparently, he's not into chicks" about YOU, YOU FAIL SON. FAIL FAIL FAIL. But the TRUE fail is the fact that no one sees you with women, EVER.

2. If you trying to do Rock music and WHITE PEOPLE are telling you to "fall back man, just do something else..."; DO something else.

Black Couple Married 84yrs!! Guinness Book of Records Awarded Certificate to Couple

2009-03-16T13:06:00.000-07:00

Liz Bowles/Sun Journal

Zelmyra and Herbert Fisher have set a world record as the oldest living couple married the longest. A Craven County couple are in the Guinness World Records book. The two did nothing outlandish such as sky-diving upside down, dancing for days, taking the longest lawn mower ride or having the most tattoos. No, Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher of the Brownsville community have been married for more than 84 years. That is a feat in itself.

They have the world record of the longest marriage for a living couple. They can thank their granddaughter Iris Godette for getting the recognition. She submitted the information to the Guinness Book of Records. The information was apparently checked by Guinness and a certificate was given to the couple. However, when you ask Herbert about the Guinness recognition, he just says, "Oh, Yeah?" The recognition has not changed their life. He still looks at her with love and concern, as she looks toward him as if he will give her strength and guidance.

They have lived for more than 50 years in a house near the Coastal Carolina Regional Airport. They lived in James City before thatbut the land was purchased for apartments and the two moved. Herbert was born June 10, 1905. His hearing is going but his mind is sharp. Zelmyra was born Dec. 10, 1907. She uses a walker to get around the house and yard. The two of them can still give their reasons for marrying on May 13, 1924. "He was not mean; he was not a fighter," Zelmrya said. "He was quiet and kind. He was not much to look at but he was sweet."

Herbert said Zelmyra never gave him any trouble. "No! No trouble at all. We never argued, but we might have disagreed," he said. Norma Godette, one of the couple's five children, said her parents have gotten along well through the years. "One time, mama wanted to work. Daddy told her she could not work, that he could take care of the family. She slipped down to Cherry Point and got a job as a caretaker there," Godette said. "Well, it was done; she got the job. I had to let it be," Herbert said.

Different religions did not tear the two apart. He is a member of Pilgrim Chapel Missionary Baptist Church. She is a member of Jones Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. The churches are in James City, where they both grew up. For all of their married life they have attended their own churches. They go their own ways on Sunday morning. He reads the Bible daily. The two watch television together. "We separate when the baseball comes on," Zelmyra said. Herbert loves baseball, especially the Atlanta Braves. He also enjoys golf, because one of his son-in-laws plays the game. They have no secret or sage advice as to why their marriage has lasted so long. "I didn't know I would be married this long," Herbert said. "But I lived a nice, holy life and go to church every Sunday. "Yes sir, anything for her." Zelmyra said Herbert was the only boyfriend she ever had. "We got along good," she said. "There was no trouble." She said she is not tired of seeing him. "I didn't think I'd be married this long. He is quiet," she said.

Zelmyra said her husband had no annoying habits. They both said they shared the title of "boss." The two sit on the porch and as a train goes by they count the cars.They also watch the neighbors who walk by. "They were excellent parents," said Norma Godette. "We were poor, but we didn't do without a thing. If he had two cents he saved one cent." Herbert worked as a mechanic at the Coca-Cola Bottling Company in New Bern for 35 years. He took a bicycle, caught a cab or had a neighbor drive him to work. That hard work and savings put all five of the children through college. Inside the house are plaques, letters of recognition, and awards that both the Fishers and their children received for accomplishments in civic duties and church.

The house where they raised their children has two sitting rooms and three bedrooms. Now that the children are grown, the Fishers enjoy having a bedroom for each. Herbert Fisher can stay up until the last ball is thrown in the ballgame he is watching. And he does. Herbert makes his bed each day and sweeps his floor. He also checks on his wife as she rests. Between the rests, they enjoy their children, ten grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and nieces and nephews.

Both say that if they had it to do over, they would not change their lives.

Thom Yorke to Remix DOOM

2009-03-12T13:35:00.000-07:00

The enigmatic underground rap icon DOOM (who, as we reported last month, just dropped the "MF" from his name) wears a clunky metal mask. That mask is a big part of DOOM's mythology, and it links him with his namesake, the greatest villain in the history of his beloved Marvel Comics. But it's also had a smaller, more practical side effect: It's allowed DOOM to walk down the street without being recognized.

I can only imagine that Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke wishes he'd thought up that trick first. In any case, Yorke is a fan of DOOM, since he's remixing the guy. (He also included "Meat Grinder", a song from the DOOM/Madlib collaboration Madvillain, on his Grammy poster.) Later this month, DOOM will drop his long-awaited comeback album BORN LIKE THIS. Yorke's worked his magic on "Gazzillion Ear", one of the songs from the album, and people who buy BORN LIKE THIS on iTunes will get the song as an iTunes-only bonus track. This could be pretty awesome, and it'll be even better if it convinces Yorke to dip his toe into rap beatmaking more often.

I, for one, would love nothing more than to see Thom Yorke become the next Just Blaze.Lex will release the BORN LIKE THIS on March 24. Even without that Yorke remix, it's shaping up really well so far, so mark your calendars.

For All You Singers Out There...

2009-03-09T08:35:00.001-07:00

http://www.mediafire.com/?uoo1zjkyiye

A few tracks I thought y'all might like. Let me know.

Respect The Ladies: Shouts to Amanda Diva

2009-03-04T12:03:00.001-08:00

I'm just going to keep it 1000 with all of y'all. I love women. I love my wife, my mother, my sister, my homegirls...all of the women who had/have a positive impact on my life. For all the women who did me wrong, fuck y'all, but I'm not going to dwell on y'all. I've got a beautiful, brown wife with all the ass a black man could want. I'm good.

My sentiment is something I carry with me when I see women who carry themselves like real people. This is a big shout to Amanda Diva, my fellow West Indian, who was subject to some really crude and disgusting comments over on 2dopboyz.com some time ago.

I don't agree with how the site's mods handled it: it was pretty much hands-off attitude with free speech excuses sprinkled on top. Personally, I wouldn't be having that shit. I don't want anyone I associate with to feel like they can spontaneously insult my female guests or any female or male presence with disgusting comments, I don't want anyone to think that shit is cool. It's one thing to make a statement after the fact about cats' freedoms, it's another thing to sit idly by while something heinous goes down ON YOUR FUCKIN' TURF.

Ok, it's their site. So, I guess it's cool to shit on any woman who's there, then. That's the 2dopeboyz.com policy to me at this point. I don't agree at all, but I do know they'll see some repercussions from this INACTION. Y'all are cool with the music and everything, but that was some punk shit y'all pulled on Amanda. Defend the women! No matter what goes down, as a man, as a rational man, it is your duty to defend and uphold a real woman's honor when a situation is clearly out of control. Hey, keep making excuses, that's all they've got at this point.

Which brings up a bigger point. Why all this disgusting talk towards respectable women? I'll tell you why. Because those DUDES DON'T LOVE WOMEN. So...I guess they got a little more "love" for "their niggas", right? Correct me if I'm wrong! I'm sorry, dudes, if you LOVE PUSSY, you don't WHUP on it, you stroke it, cherish it like it's going to be your last cuz that pussy will love you back, real fuckin' talk. I mean, yeah, I got my sex-nasty thoughts in MY HEAD when I see Amanda (the legs are kee-razy), but as a MAN who respects women and loves pussy, I'd never say that shit to her or comment about it on a blog! Every one of you fools FAILS cuz it's clear:

Y'all don't love women. Y'all don't love pussy. So, logical thought only tells me that you guys must love yourselves some niggas.

Potential Remains: Take 3 w/DL LINK

2009-03-04T06:38:00.001-08:00

http://www.mediafire.com/file/uoo1zjkyiye/POTENTIALREMAINS.zip

Potential Remains ver. 3.0

2009-03-03T06:31:00.001-08:00

Ok. Here I go again. The tracklisting and sequencing for the album has changed again, and I believe, for the last time. I'm hoping to get it mixed again over the next 2 weeks, though.

I've gotten some good reviews and about 19 downloads so far, but this is all without the final mixing or artwork or marketing tools included. Someone has irritated me already, though.

In fact, the exchange was quite coincidental in that the person who annoyed me was one person who I intentionally left off of my album. Shit, I just removed what was left of the song that had her on it off the album, too! It was the "Burnin" song, which was really supposed to be a hidden bonus clip attached to the end of the last song on the album. I just wanted to include an extra verse from Isabella to tease the listeners, but after some new critiques, I decided to cut it off the record and put my man Khalil's song as the teaser clip. The main issue with "Burnin" is that it used the same beat as the "Bounce" song, and the recycling was noted more than once. I was hoping the Isabella clip would be seen as a freestyle, but it doesn't matter. The album is more even and consistent than it was before and I don't think there's anything else I could add on there.

Anyhow, here's the new tracklisting:

"Potential Remains"

1. Potential Intro
2. Government Game feat. Cool Cee Brown
3. Untitled by Omar Retnuh aka Mr. HU
4. Miraculous feat. Boogieman Ghost
5. Potential Interlude
6. Through The Dark feat. Isabella Banneker
7. Big Boy feat. Cool Cee Brown
8. Bounce feat. Iyah-Gift
9. Sectors feat. Boogieman Ghost
10. Pick Your Ride feat. Shad E.
11. BONUS Clip - Days Never End feat. Heron Gibran

I'll be posting a new DL link soon.

Eminem’s Digital Royalties Suit With Universal Goes To Trial

2009-02-24T11:43:00.000-08:00

Two years after Eminem filed a lawsuit against his label Interscope records’ parent company Universal Music Group over unpaid royalties, the case will be going to court today.

TheWrap.com reports that Em, who filed the suit via his F.B.T. Productions company in 2007, is legally trying to determine how much money he is entitled from digital downloads that UMG sells to third party distributors like Apples’ iTunes service and cell phone companies like Nextel and Sprint for ringtones. It is up to the jury to decide whether it is a distribution or a licensing issue.

The lawsuit is a very important because it affects the entire music industry as there is no precedence for how much an artist is supposed to get paid for digital downloads. It could potentially cost the music industry millions of dollars and change the way music contracts are written in the future.

“This [a] is very significant case,” Jay Cooper, an entertainment lawyer told TheWrap. “A lot of people are going to be watching very closely because there’s a lot of money involved.”
The case will go to trial in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California today. While Slim is not scheduled to take the stand, Interscope founder Jimmy Iovine is expected to testify, as well as a video testimony by Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

UMG, which is the world’s largest music company, has a huge list of hip-hop heavyweights under its umbrella, including Lil Wayne, Kanye West, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z and Young Jeezy.
Coincidentally, Em’s latest single with Fif and Dre, “Crack A Bottle” made history after being downloaded 418,000 times in one week earlier this month. The track was later beat out by Flo Rida’s new song, “Right Round,” which received a whopping 613,000 downloads last week. – Elan Mancini

ALBUM REVAMPED!

2009-02-24T06:46:00.000-08:00

Wow, I'm already being the mean editor with my own album. There are 2 songs that have to go, like now! "Get Up" by my dude don Skorp and "Upright" by Iyah-Gift. Shaving off those 2 songs will make my album and EP...and that's fine with me. I don't want any weak links with what I've got, you know?

On another note...I've definitely learned to keep my own counsel when it comes to evaluating certain things. In other words, since I have nothing nice to say about something, I won't say anything at all, and in fact, will ignore them in general. But I will say this:

I'm never supporting bullshit. Never ever ever.

2/25/09:

This is the revamped version of my album that I feel much stronger about:

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=f458fd9ebb91fd99d2db6fb9a8902bda

Essential Traits of a SupaMC

2009-02-23T12:31:00.000-08:00

There are specific traits I've always been drawn to, or looked for, in Hip-Hop artists. I'm going to get into this because it seems that the standards that were established in the 90s are almost non-existent these days. This is not to say that these MCs are totally extinct, but the qualities of the excellent MC have diminished.

One of the first things I know we all notice are the beats an MC chooses to perform on. The backdrops an MC chooses is critical. I've realized over my many years of track writing and recording MCs that having an ear for the beats you need is essential. It reveals how much you really know yourself as an artist and what are the most effective elements of your talent that actually reach people.

I'm honestly coming from a perspective of a somewhat beaten-down track writer who could care less about "regional love". I'm trying to get away from my recent bitterness and revelation that everyone must take their L's on some personal level, no matter what they tell you about how it's "all business". I could keep that attitude in my earlier years doing this, but after considerable time invested in artists who only abandoned me, it became almost impossible for me to not take subsequent rejection on a personal level. I keep the emotion quite short and quick, though. I just say "fuck em" and write them off as ANOTHER egotistical rapper who's stuck on their click, the smell of their own shit, or some need "expand" on something that just isn't there.

I'm having a rough time getting back into my beats, really. Khalil may be my only hope/shining light left, so I better get excited about something soon. Shit, I just bought almost $200 worth of new equipment! I just don't know how good I am these days.

1st Mix of "Potential Remains" - Open for feedback

2009-02-23T07:35:00.000-08:00

This is an initial mix of my album, "Potential Remains". It's basically a collection of songs from artists I've worked with over the years. These songs are all probably what you'd consider in their "demo" stage, but I felt strongly enough about all of them, and myself, to share with as many as I could the contribution I would have liked to make and still do want to make to this music. A friend of mine did some polishing and balancing, but I know the sound quality won't be perfect, so bear with me, lol...the link below will allow you to download the whole album as a zip file. I'm looking for basic feedback to touch it up the best I can in terms of song order and quality, so your honesty would be greatly appreciated.

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=f458fd9ebb91fd99d2db6fb9a8902bda

Hip-Hop's Evolution

2009-02-18T06:59:00.000-08:00

My main dude Daryl actually told me he's feeling a couple of new kids on the Hip-Hop scene. He actually fucks with Charles Hamilton. That "Brooklyn Girls" song and vid are working that kid's buzz like crazy! We got into a little discussion of how refreshing it is to finally here some new kids we can fuck with, and I had to notice how different the tastes are changing, YET, the caliber of skill and creativity has FINALLY been set a bit higher...and begun to be accepted.

I had to tell Daryl that the "street" rappers out there on the come-up now have to step up their game, cuz these "different" kids (Charles Hamilton, Jay Electronica, Nicki Minaj) are making these street cats look like idiots now. Even Young Jeezy stepped his game up and is now making cats check for those verses!

Even 50 had to step up his ear for beats and holla at Preemo and Dre for this new album! So, for all you street/hood dudes, look deeper into self if you want to connect with the people. All that ultra-negative, hyper-realistic bullshit isn't fooling anyone anymore. If you want to make us believe anything, tell us about your strength in adversity, strength in your commmunity, and your desire for change in your life so you don't have to feel like picking up weapons and killing your brother, or sister. Y'all need deeper angles in your "trap rap" now.

Get to work.

Happy Birthday Dilla Dawg!

2009-02-10T08:10:00.000-08:00

I'd like to say Happy Birthday to one of the most influential figures in my life: J. Dilla. He inspired me in ways no other musician has, and his death was a loss in every sense of the word for me, for Hip-Hop, and music itself.

I will always turn to Dilla as the standard I must revere and exceed as I continue my own journey through musical expression. I can go on for days about this amazing man and his work, but it might take a toll on a brother, so I'll just leave it like this for me and all Dilla fans: RAISE IT UP!

It Gets Worse (Nadya Suleman Stupidity)

2009-02-09T12:27:00.001-08:00

HERE's my reason I'd love to backslap this bitch:

From yahoo.com:

Angela Suleman said Nadya's boyfriend was the biological father of all 14 children, but that she refused to marry him.

"He was in love with her and wanted to marry her," she said. "But Nadya wanted to have children on her own."

Nadya Suleman, a divorced single mother, told NBC's "Today" show that the same fertility specialist provided in-vitro fertilization for all 14 of her children.

Angela Suleman seemed to contradict that account, saying the fertility specialist who helped her daughter give birth to the octuplets was a different doctor from the one who aided in the birth of her first six children.

Angela Suleman said she and her husband pleaded with Nadya's first fertility doctor not to treat their daughter again, so Nadya found another doctor to work with.

"I'm really angry about that," Angela Suleman said of the doctor's decision to perform the procedure.

A Medical Board of California spokeswoman said Friday that it was investigating the doctor — who has not been identified — to see if there was a "violation of the standard of care." The spokeswoman did not elaborate on the nature of the potential violations.

Fatherless Octuplets

2009-02-05T13:04:00.000-08:00

This news story about this single mom with 14 children is shameful and just ridiculous! There is a new story out now talking about how none of the companies who usually step forward and donate goods to families with multiple births have donated nothing to this woman. The article asks why the companies haven't come forward.

I'll tell you why. Because this stupid woman is a single mother of 14 children BY CHOICE. She has said she didn't want to get married, which I can respect as long as you don't go forward having children on your own and call that a family. I'm sorry, I have seen the damage done to children without a balanced homefront. Some of these kids make it through to adulthood with no visible problems/issues, but there are so many overly emotional men in the world now who were raised soley by women, so many issues with these people who have not had that male figure in their formative years, that I cannot and never will agree with any woman who consciously, and premeditatively chooses to "have a family" without a husband. It's selfish, shortsighted and totally unfair to any child.

So, when I saw this story, I wasn't surprised. None of those companies wants to be known as a supporter of someone who doesn't believe in basic family structures. It's not a good look at all. If she had a husband, this would not have happened.

In fact, I'll go as far as to say that I have NO sympathy for this fool woman. She has chosen to raise her children in a deliberately broken home. For that, fine, be a fool and fail on your own. God bless her children.

Strictly For My Gamers: My Predictions for the PS3, Xbox 360 & The Wii

2009-02-05T09:48:00.000-08:00

I've got to get this off my chest, lol. I was having a crazy debate with my dude Khalil over what's going to happen to the PS3, Xbox 360 and the Wii. I'm a proud owner of a Playstation 3 and a Wii. My dude has a 360 and a Wii, too. But, my story is that I actually owned a 360 first and traded it in for a PS3.

Why?

Two main reasons. 1) Faulty hardware. Regardless of Microsoft's nice gesture in fixing it for free, I've witnessed 360 owners mail their systems back in from one to even 5 times. Why would I spend money on something that spends half its life in the postal system? Microsoft would see my 360 functioning more than I would! 2) Limited library. When I bought my 360, I was gassed. So gassed that I subscribed to the 360 mag. Wow, what an eye-opener that was. Shooters, FPSs, and military-online-squad shit from back to front! Sorry, I'm not the gamer that wants hyper-realism, and FPSs never garner more than a cursory read of their previews, much less actual interest, from me. I like variety, creativity, and wild, off the wall concepts in games. Games that take me somewhere else. the 360 library was, and still is, sorely lacking in that department.

So, I made my trade and never looked back. Unfortunately, during my 360 high I convinced my dude Daryl to buy a 360, too. When he first got it, he already had a huge HDTV, so he fell head-over-heels with the 360. He only plays Madden and 2K9 on it.

But, what happened to Daryl, and his subsequent decision, made me believe that the farce that is the Xbox 360 will soon come to an end ("soon" being a relative term in big consumer business, anyway).

After Daryl had received his repaired 360 and watched as another great game on Madden freeze into oblivion, he said the fateful words: "Man, I just want a PS3 now."

See, Daryl had an interesting encounter at UPS when he went to send off his 360. The person behind the counter KNEW what he was sending, how much it weighed and cost when WALKED IN the door! Needless to say, Daryl was surprised and curious. He told me that UPS sees about 6 guys every couple days sending 360s back for repair.

My question at that point was, "how much can a dude stand this?" People sending a system in for repair more than ONCE makes NO sense to me. The 360's worth is a lie. A sham. An elaborate marketing illusion that is about to fade.

Therefore, I can only theorize that there must be millions of dudes like my homie Daryl who would much rather have a fully-functioning and totally reliable system like the PS3. The only thing really stopping these potential PS3 owners is the $400 price tag that remains. Now, to be clear, I did not pay full price for my PS3. I traded in the 360, all the games, and even some old PS2 games for store credit. My unit was a barely used one. 80GB, backwards compatability, AND total reliability. Copped it for about $250.

But, I get the feeling Daryl's not a fan of used equipment, so there he sits as the sports seasons come to a close, with a big, white, useless brick next to his jealousy-inducing TV, lol. I feel for him. And ALL my dudes out there suffering while the season passes them by. Eventually, all of these guys will be very, very happy Playstation 3 owners.

Now, onto the Wii. I like my Wii. My wife likes my Wii. There was a point when I had more games for my Wii than my PS3. There was a point when I was playing it a lot more, too, because I could play most of the games with my wife, while the PS3 only had "Heavenly Sword" which, by accident, became a co-op game for me an the missus.

But, here's my main beef with the Wii. See, the Wii is Pop. As in, a part of Pop culture. It's mainstream, easy, accessible and cute. Nothing wrong there, initially. But, the tremendous success of the Wii has apparenly bred only greed for the quick dollar among its game developers. The Nintendo Wii's Achilles' Heel will be its massive library of shitty games. And I mean AWFUL. Like, tons of awful. 30-games-in-a-month-that-suck awful. The developers keep relying on the motion sense tech of the Wii to try and get away with poor design, weak concepts, ancient gameplay, and gross glitches.

My theory about the Wii is that will burn itself out. People will simply become bored and tired of kiddy games, Wii Sports and Play, and even Wii Fit. The writing was on the wall when Wii Music was revealed. It was such an obvious pandering tactic that was destined to fail, but Nintendo was filled with hubris at that time. When the game flopped, they made nothing but excuses. Well, they better get a phone book's worth of excuses when people stop buying the console. The Wii has marketed itself into a corner with the mainstream audience, who will never, ever be as loyal as true gamers.

The Wii will burn itself out. Sure, they may try to cater to the gamer set, but it'll be too little, too late. "Dead Space" for the Wii? Yeah, ok, sure. Try something NEW, gentlemen. No more Nintendo sequels (except a totally revamped Zelda), no more ports from the PS1, PS2 or Gamecube, please! But, Nintendo is not likely to listen before its too late.

One More Thing...

2009-01-29T07:14:00.000-08:00

Women who state that they plan to have a family "with or without" a husband are egotistical, selfish, and scared women who actually PLAN to fracture their child's foundation before it even STARTS.

Disgusting.

And You Wonder What Happened To Music?

2009-01-29T07:08:00.000-08:00

Here's a quote from a model who was asked about her opinion of Kanye and 50; she's appearing on HipHopDX right now:

" I don’t even like him. I love 50 Cent. Even my mother loves 50 Cent. I like his rhymes, his beat. I love the perception that he gives off. Kanye is too… too deep. I just want to be energized. Kanye sometimes puts you in a zone and you have to think too much to listen to his music."

Now, of course everyone on this green Earth is entitled to an opinion, but I find this mentality towards music so fucking annoying, ignorant and disrespectful to art and culture. The worst part is, women are one of the major consumers of music next to young, white teens. Such blatant disregard for any substance, variety, or direction in your personal tastes is too often reflected in the mainstream. Am I implying something kind of cruel here? Yes.

Women's taste in music, or lack thereof, has directly contributed to the devaluing, cheapening, and continuous decline in quality of urban music as a whole.

There, I said it.

Article of Interest from Yahoo!: America's Best and Worst Burgers

2009-01-27T09:26:00.000-08:00

America's Best and Worst Burgers

By David Zinczenko, with Matt Goulding - Posted on Tue, Nov 18, 2008, 10:51 am PST

The burger industry in America is looking more and more like an arms race these days. Every few months, we watch in horror as another bacon-enhanced, cheese-embalmed, ranch-riddled weapon of mass inflation hits menu boards at the country’s largest restaurant chains.

The Baconator, the Monster Thickburger, the FlameThrower — they sound like weapons, not something you’d order for dinner. What makes our hamburger habit particularly scary is the Super Size Phenomenon, which for years has been mutating our burgers into double burgers and our double burgers into 1,250-calorie Triple Whoppers with Cheese.

A 1957 burger contained little more than one ounce of meat, but by 1997 that same meat wad had grown to six ounces. Stack one of the bloated burgers out there next to a beverage like those among these unhealthiest drinks in America and you’re risking two days' worth of calories in a single, misguided meal. Each year Americans eat about 40 billion burgers, which means that each of us downs nearly 150 of them. Choose better burgers, and you can save 10 or 15 pounds over the course of a year.

To get you started on your own burger war, we’ve compiled a list of the seven greasiest patties ever to be sandwiched between two buns. But because we understand you still need your burger fix, we’ve thrown in five of our favorites that you can eat with relative impunity (along with a delicious burger recipe at the end of this post).

Chili’s Smokehouse Bacon Triple-The-Cheese Big Mouth Burger with Jalapeno Ranch Dressing
2,040 calories
150 g fat (53 g saturated)
110 g protein
4,900 mg sodium

You know this burger's in trouble when it takes more than 20 syllables just to identify it. If you think the name’s a mouthful, just wait until the burger hits the table. You’ll be face to face with two-and-a-half day’s worth of fat — a full third of which is saturated. To do that much damage with roasted sirloin, you’d have to eat about eight 6-ounce steaks. It’s nearly three days’ worth of saturated fat.

T.G.I. Friday’s Cheesy Bacon Cheeseburger
1,590 calories
unknown g
fat unknown
mg sodium

Although Friday’s is mum on the fat and sodium, it takes only one number to realize that this burger suffers from bigger-is-better syndrome. T.G.I. Friday's average burger has 1,250 calories, and their appetizers are some of the toughest in the country to swallow, calorie-wise, as we've shown with this America’s worst appetizers list.

Red Robbin A.1. Peppercorn Burger
1,440 calories
97 g fat

There’s hardly a burger on Red Robin’s menu that contains fewer than a thousand calories. What pushes this particular burger to the position of worst — aside from the gratuitous use of cheese and bacon — is the bed of fried onion straws wedged between patty and bun. Now we’re beginning to understand why, while researching the story 16 Secrets the Restaurant Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know, it may have taken Red Robin so long to come clean about the impact of its burgers.

Denny’s Double Cheeseburger
1,540 calories116 g fat (52 g saturated, 7 g trans)
3,880 mg sodium

Add this to our ever-expanding list of the Trans-Fattiest Foods in America. (This burger has more than three days' worth of the stuff.) In fact, with as much saturated fat as 52 strips of bacon and more sodium than 21 small bags of Lay’s potato chips, this burger also belongs on the salt-packed list of 20 Foods Your Cardiologist Wouldn’t Eat.

Dairy Queen ½ lb. FlameThrower GrillBurger
1,140 calories82 g fat (27 g saturated, 1.5 g trans)
1,940 mg sodium

Regular consumption of the FlameThrower will torch any hopes you have of losing weight. This potential aortic uh-oh contains 60 percent more calories than the Bacon Cheddar Grillburger and more than twice as many calories as DQ’s own Double Hamburger.

Hardee’s Two-Third Pound Monster Thickburger
1,420 calories
108 g fat (43 g saturated)
2,770 mg sodium

Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. take a misplaced pride in their shamelessly caloric approach to everything they put under a heat lamp, which is probably reason enough for some to find another place to eat. Need more motivation? Many of their burgers break the perilous 1,000-calorie barrier; their worst bun-buster has nearly 75 percent of your entire day’s calories and as much fat as a dozen Taco Bell soft tacos.

Ruby Tuesday Bella Turkey Burger
1,057 calories
65 g fat

The scariest part about this burger is how completely harmless it sounds: a slice of Swiss melted over sautéed mushrooms and ground turkey. Yet somehow Ruby Tuesday manages to slick it up with as much fat as five Baby Ruth bars. The kid’s version of this — the Turkey Mini — has an astounding 893 calories, earning it the No. 7 spot in our list of the 20 Worst Kid’s Meals in America. (To find out what’s best (and worst) for your kids at the nation’s big restaurant chains, check out this revealing report first.)

THE EAT THIS! BURGER HALL OF FAME
DQ Original Burger
350 calories
14 g fat (7 g saturated)
680 mg sodium

Wendy’s Quarter-Pound Single
430 calories
20 g fat (7 g saturated)
870 mg sodium

Burger King Whopper Jr. w/o mayo
370 calories
21 g fat (6 g saturated)
570 mg sodium

McDonald’s Quarter Pounder
410 calories
19 g fat (7 g saturated)
730 mg sodium

In-N-Out Protein-Style Protein-Style Cheeseburger
330 calories
25 g fat (9 g saturated)
720 mg sodium

And to make your very own gourmet burger at home with great supermarket brands — with just 350 calories and $3.79 a serving — check out this great recipe.

After you’ve conquered the burger field, make sure to nail down the rest of the all-time best restaurant swaps while you’re at it. With knowledge and discipline, you can eat all of your favorite foods — without ever being on a diet — and still lose weight!

And don't forget about these 17 best fitness foods for women.

My Album Has Been Mixed

2009-01-26T11:19:00.000-08:00

Wow.

I finally got myself together enough to make this happen. After all the years of "patience" and supporting everyone else, I decided to support myself! My dude John is supposed to drop it off at my house this afternoon, so I'm looking forward to seeing it and reviewing it for myself.

I did have plans to record brief interludes for the record, and I think I'll still do that. I just wanted to hear the "final" product, per se, to get a clear picture of what I could say about the songs.

The album is called "Potential Remains". It has 2 meanings attached to it. One, a positive, explains my heartfelt sentiment towards Hip-Hop and my region's scene; as in saying "Potential remains here in DC, in me." Another way to look at the title is as a somewhat melacholy descriptor of the last vestiges of pure Hip-Hop remaining, as in "these could be the potential remains of this culture".

It's a collection of songs I've produced for various artists that I feel have potential, or could potentially never be heard from again. I got tired of waiting on artists to wake up and have a professional plan. I got tired of being used for demos and discarded. I got tired of investing years upon years of my personal time, energy, and creativity into people that were most likely going nowhere...much less even willing to pay me $50 for my time (if you ever read this, you know who you are so stay where you are).

I hate instrumental albums (except "Donuts" by J. Dilla). I hate compilation albums even more. And as much I love rhyming, freestyling, and writing verses, I never had enough drive to push myself through more than one verse without totally doubting myself (which may change soon, thanks Mecca). I've always wanted to be in a group! There's a slim chance of that happening, too, but only time will tell. I really want this album to let people know where my head and heart are at with Hip-Hop music and culture. I want people to know what I want to contribute to this music and culture. I'm not one of those who wants take anything "back". I just want to move forward with the music, yet, still have a firm grasp of everything beautiful and ugly about its past. I want the album to be my best calling card to action, business, and creativity. This album is my line in the sand. My flag on the moon.

Hope y'all will enjoy it when it drops.

Rejection

2009-01-26T07:38:00.000-08:00

One thing I have to remind myself about music is that it is a personal and subjective topic...kind of like religion minus the marketing.

So, when something happens like, say, getting rejected by a local artist, I have learned over the years to take such incidents with a grain of salt and move on. Everyone says to take nothing personally, but I know this to be a lie they tell themselves yet choose to say only to make themselves seem more emotionally evolved.

We all take hits. We all take losses of all kinds. And they all affect us on some level personally.

So, when I submitted some tracks recently to a local artist who seems to be of some renown through the blog of another burgeoning producer and said artist rejects all of my beats...I was a little put off. I wasn't expecting any money out of it, just a chance to make some music that promote both of our careers. I also submitted tracks that have gotten a good response before, so I at least hoped to get a response like "maybe not these, but send some more".

Nope. Homegirl responds by thanking me for submitting but that she wasn't vibing to none of them. Ok, for one, no one wants to read rejection letters. Two, being that we're from the same scene and going after---perhaps---the same thing, I know I would have at least given me one more chance to submit something, maybe even up the ante by asking for 4 or 5 tracks since I KNOW I was one of the first to submit anything. Another thing...she's not even THAT nice. Cool flow, ok voice...but overall, kinda average to me. Considering the tracks I sent and the slightly garish aspects of her image I thought I was giving her something somewhat outside the box as well as entertaining. Especially since I've never heard of her before I saw this blog. Another thing about me as a producer is that I have a special taste for female Hip-Hop artists, so I hold them to a higher standard. Rejecting me tells me that you got to be on some super fyah shit, right?

Wrong.

On the whole, homegirl was average. The beats I heard? Eh, so so. So, in the bigger picture, her rejection wasn't a huge loss. Just annoying. And not encouraging. So, if she expects support...fuck off because you couldn't even give me one more chance to just maybe give you the break-out hit we all need here.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SADE!!!

2009-01-16T05:09:00.001-08:00

The queen turns 50 today!

How New Artists Fuck Shit Up For Themselves

2009-01-13T11:39:00.000-08:00

Man, it's getting so hard to find real, hardworking, and smart new artists. I would love to stumble across a young lady who had Lauryn's level of skill and just as much vision to match. I ask for this because I keep running into situations where a new artist will quite literally shortchange themselves of creative opportunities. Why put things in the way of possibly recording your big hit single with a new, energetic producer who will cut you a break on his fee?

WHY do you new cats keep doing this to yourselves? You keep NOT calling me, you keep referring me to your useless managers, keep holding up some crew of do-nothing niggas who haven't performed in over 6 months, keep holding up some random "production team" who actually got your ignorant ass to sign something before you even get noticed by what's left of the industry; you new cats keep remaining loyal to people and forces that will never, ever, ever be truly loyal to you once the money stops coming in.

Y'all don't get it. There are no friends IN this business. Whatever friends you had before you got in are the ones you stick with. Whoever you meet needs to be evaluated from a few specific fronts before you agree to let them into your head, heart, and wallet! Y'all don't get it at all.

Telling me to "see your manager" means NOTHING to me. Why? Becauese most likely, he's going to dismiss me because he has a side-deal with your "production team" already and doesn't want any other hands in the pie that is YOU, the new artist. See, I'm probably one of the loose handful people you'd meet coming up in the game who really wants to make some great music, touch people, and create partnerships based on respect, honor, and true talent. We can call rock, and we can all eat. Your "team" is not thinking like that. Trust me. YOU like my beats. Your manager will find reasons for you to not like them and to stick with "your" guys. So, when you hear MY beat under some other cat IN a club or ON a radio...call your manager in for a meeting and beat him with a bat. No, better yet, beat YOURSELF with the bat.

The Last Man Standing For Hip-Hop

2009-01-06T06:23:00.000-08:00

I have been witnessing a sad and rather pitiful transition amongst some of my peers and in some writings of bloggers around my age---the mid-30s, to be exact.

I am reading and hearing too much about abandoning Hip-Hop as a whole because of what it appears to be today in the mainstream media. This sounds too much like a fucking cop-out to me. For all the passion and great memories Hip-Hop provided for us as a generation, only for that generation to discard it in ignorance and laziness speaks volumes about our what we truly hold dear about our culture as Black people in America.

See, for me, I've seen no reason to abandon Hip-Hop because I'm STILL enjoying excellent Hip-Hop right now. The mediums through which we get our music has changed and I eventually changed with it and stumbled on a new generation of dedicated MCs who weren't stuck on the past, but inspired by it and clearly hold it true in their hearts. Not everyone is a Super MC to me, but dammit, the potential of this generation is finally shining through only to have segments of mine turn away from the music to listen to R&B, dead-and-gone "neo-soul", and other supposedly more mature forms of music.

It's pathetic.

James Baldwin on being a writer

2009-01-02T09:35:00.001-08:00

"But I still believe that the unexamined life is not worth living: and I know that self-delusion, in the service of no matter what small or lofty cause, is a price no writer can afford. His subject is himself and the world and it requires every ounce of stamina he can summon to attempt to look on himself and the world as they are."

- James Baldwin, “Nobody Knows My Name”

NEW TALENT PLEASE!

2008-12-22T12:48:00.000-08:00

Man, it would be great to run into a new and driven MC or singer. The guys I'm working with now are kinda...boring me, lol. Bad thing is, I used to be so gung-ho, but now my excitement for making/recording new tunes comes in crazy spurts. A lot of it has to do with my current living situation, though. My new wife and I are feeling cramped in our 1 BD apartment, but we are finally about to close on a 3 BD townhouse! I'll get my own room for my lab, too, so I know I'll finally be able to indulge and immerse myself fully into the music! I can't wait!

To Be Prince Charming

2008-12-17T09:09:00.001-08:00

Last night I got a hint that my wife might be a little regretful about not having a full-blown ceremony. And it's not that I don't let her know how happy I am that I married her, but I'm realizing now that for everything that she's gone through with me until now, and for everything she will go through with me she deserves a very special day celebrating our union.

I know we have plans for a big party/reception for the late summer or fall, but I think I'm going to have to put some extra effort in recreating our ceremony for our friends and family. I told Val about a new episode of a wedding show she always watched before we got married, but she remarked that she doens't see the point now and there was a little look of sadness...I only want her to be happy. I don't think she regrets marrying me, I think she may be somewhat wistful about having a wedding day.

The "Unmarryable" Woman

2008-12-10T11:42:00.000-08:00

I'm about to speak on something that may offend some women out there. I'm 34 years old and recently married. Before this, I was a somewhat happy and single man looking for a serious and meaningful relationship that accepted me for who I am. There were triumphs and tragedies throughout my dating experience, but I was able to come to a major conclusion after I met my future wife.

There are a number of women out there who will never, ever be married. Women who possess characteristics that could not possibly appeal to any rational, adult man who has the desire to build a family. These women are beautiful, smart, resourceful...but deeply flawed.

Now, far be it from me to claim any level of perfection, but I find as one grows older and more settled into their ways there has to be a moment of self-evaluation! For these women I deemed "unmarryable", it seems that they had convinced themselves that their standards were reasonable and fair, that how they deal with men is the only way they won't get hurt. This is the mark of a damaged woman. A woman so damaged that she has immersed her own ego into the pain and twisted it into a new viewpoint on life as a whole. These views also seem to be far too lofty beyond their own financial and emotional realities. How can you want a "king" to help build an empire and you're using food stamps and working temp jobs with an Associate degree? It's just like the saying implies, "Having champagne dreams with kool-aid money."

These are women who have unreal expectations of the men they want and meet. They may have tasted some success in their own lives OR tasted a successful man's success, but the effect is the same: a tainted view of how all men need to be, and with no regard for your own status in life beyond how cute you are!

I know women I do find very sexually attractive, but I could never in my life envision them with husbands, homes and families. These women would drive even the most thugged-out dude UP THE WALL. These are women who have been engaged SIX times, end up divorced with a child at age 30, or have odd views about sex. I don't know how many times I've told myself, "damn, I'm so glad I never got her pregnant" or fooled myself into getting into serious relations with them.

This is not to say I haven't made that mistake. The woman I was with before my wife was probably the worst girlfriend I've ever had since my first girlfriend. She cheated on me twice and banned me from her apartment for 8 months! I was definitely a glutton for punishment in those days. I'm the kind of guy who will fight for the health of a relationship, it's hard for me leave something like that. But, for some reason, I stuck with this girl. She still wanted to be with me...I think, lol. Either way, it's fairly obvious that marriage could've never been in the picture with her. She even brought it up once closer the end of everything, and my weaknesses showed at that time because I actually told her I thought about marrying her! Of course, that was never close to happening because of several other factors. Factors that she never acknowledged until much later in roundabout ways when we settled into a friendship.

As men, we do have a lot to build up in and around ourselves to feel ready to take that next step in becoming husbands and fathers. But, it seems like a double standard when women consider marriage; almost as if just by considering it that they are instantly eligible to be someone's wife.

No. Hell no. Sisters, you got work to do. And, no, not to impress me. Impress yourself first before you let yourself be impressed by the next man's potential. What is YOUR potential?

Meet Mrs. Valery Henery

2008-12-01T11:52:00.000-08:00

Wow. I'm a married man. Happily married at that. She's the ultimate partner, and now my best friend for life and it shows everyday we wake up together. We got married on November 26th at the County Administration office in Upper Marlboro at roughly 10am, lol. It only took FIVE MINUTES.

But, I gotta tell you, those were a very intense 5 minutes. Marrying only made sense, though. I've never been loved like this, nor have I loved anyone like this.

The new chapter begins now!

Finalizing My Ultimate Merger: Marrying Val

2008-11-24T08:13:00.000-08:00

Well, this is it. About two weeks ago, my lady and I took off from work early to get our marriage license. It was pretty simple and straightforward, lol. Since then, we'd been waiting to hear from my job to allow me leave to finally marry Valery Dragon.

This Wednesday!

Wild, right? Well, the plan to get married now and have the big ceremony next November. We're going to get a house between the rest of this year and the next, which will all be a part of this big transition I'm making with my life. It's a little daunting, but I'm ready, willing, and for the most part, able, to meet all the challenges.

Especially with my Pooh Bear by my side.

Some Things Change, others, however...

2008-10-03T11:30:00.000-07:00

...just stay the same!

Check this out. My man blows up my cel yesterday trying to reach me. Usually when I get home from work, I ignore calls around 5:30 to about 7pm. But I hadn't heard from this cat in a while, so I pick up. We chop it up for a sec and he asks me if he can record at my spot this weekend. I was like, cool, I do have some things to do, but I figure I got time to record a couple songs for him.

Then this fool comes out his mouth and says he wants to record SEVEN songs in one session. SEVEN. For some free CD he wants to hand out at Howard's Homecoming. Now, there are a few things I notice off the bat. One, no mention of any compensation for me for so much damn work. Two, no mention of using my beats. This cat actually thought he could ask me to record SEVEN of his songs over HIS beats at MY place for FREE.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK NO.

The days of me doing favors like that for ANYBODY are long, long over. Yes, I used to let cats take advantage of me and use up my time, electricity and know-how for go-nowhere projects and songs for FREE for YEARS. No more. If my dude at least offered $100, I'd consider it, but for real, I'd want like $200 or $250 for all that damn work. To have to sit through recording all his beats and rhymes, and his partner's? That's asking a lot. Too much. We're not teenagers anymore! We're not living with our parents and taking the bus anymore. I got bills. Responsibilities. Goals. Doing favors for friends like that in those circumstances can't happen anymore. Val got mad as hell, too! She could be a really good manager, cuz she does not play when it comes to my business, lol. Well, that's why I'm marrying her!

Anyhow, I was really just baffled at how selfish this guy was. In fact, he's a selfish person overall when it comes to this music. And I'm done with him on that note for good.

The Real Challenge For New Artists in 2008: GETTING THE GIGS

2008-10-02T09:01:00.000-07:00

I'm sick of doing mixtapes. The real deal right now is getting physical exposure on a consistent basis. THAT'S the real work for a new artist in 2008.

Analog Arts E.P. Idea: "Potential Remains"

2008-10-02T08:52:00.001-07:00

I'm thinking of pulling together this EP of songs by the various people I'm working with. Here's what I've got so far:

-Tentative Title: "Potential Remains"

Tracklisting:
1. Big Boy starring Cool Cee Brown
2. Get Up! starring Don Skorpion
3. Pick Your Ride starring Shad E.
4. Untitled Mr. Hu song
---Interlude 1---
5. Miraculous starring BoogieMan Ghost
6. Through The Dark starring Isabella Banneker
7. TBA Heron Gibran
---Interlude 2: unreleased Isabella verse---
8. Outro/Song History

The Struggle to Move!

2008-07-09T06:47:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has been a real long time since I blogged! Well, a lot has happened since February.

I'm still here at NIH, and rather unhappily I might add. This is definitely not the move I wanted to make, but the money is decent. Yet, I am on the hunt for a proper position and salary. And, it looks like that search could take me out of town. Finally.

Bored and Anxious

2008-03-31T10:28:00.000-07:00

I'm working two jobs now. My bills need to be downsized so I can ease some stress and move forward with life! I'm also trying to make a little extra with this music, but it's ridiculous. Most cats, even the talented ones, lack any real professionalism or consistency. I've really got to find a space to get back into my writing, too. I still have the music bug, but it's getting harder to fulfill it with my lady around. She uses the computer a lot, so whenever I feel like getting down, she's usually on it working on something for her job. I can't fault her, but damn, I'd really like to get creative again. Neither of my jobs is creative in the slightest. And I've got to do something about that. I'm glad my baby looked out for me by applying to this job for me, but the government/health/contract work industry is not for me for the long-term. And working at night on Mondays is becoming a real hassle. The job is real simple, but annoying to get to along with other little annoying details. But, if I really want to get this ring for Val and travel comfortably, I HAVE to get these bills under control!

Another thing I have to get off my chest are these cocky, arrogant bitch-ass R&B producers on this one site I frequent less and less these days, "Futureproducers.com". The damn site has been taken over by these pompous, undeserving, elitist assholes! That's all I'm gonna say, cuz cats don't even deserve to be acknowledged by name. It's just fucked up that these idiots may have to considered my "peers" to some! To that, I say HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLL NO!

I've been having my ups and downs lately, I'll admit. My future seems like a dull blur that I have no control over. There was, and still is, so much I need to accomplish. I don't know if I'll ever be really happy with my life. There's always something pulling it away from what I need or keeping it mired in whatever routine I need to survive on a regular basis. I'm trying to devote more time and energy, but I also need a new environment. I'm SICK of all these cats that know me and my talents, yet see no value in them.

Analog Arts Project List 2008

2008-03-11T08:45:00.000-07:00

It looks like things are picking up a little with the music finally. I've gotten over any overpowering need to produce 6 million songs for every artist I know! It turns out that I'm spreading out some select tracks over 4 different albums. Khalil's got two from me, YU has one from me, James has one from me, maybe more, and Claude is the latest to snatch a track. I'm going to keep it real simple for myself and everyone involved by limiting my involvement to a 2-song maximum. Plus, I don't know who's going to pay me, so I have to keep the output very select and concise.

Had to update this! Looks like cats are already falling the fuck off my to-do list. This cat Claude is really talented. We, no make that I, tried to work with him years ago. The day we were supposed to link up, this fool stands me up! So, since then, I just never took him seriously. Years later, he's putting out indie records with a partner or two, but I'm not really impressed because he has a foolish fixation on the mythical "DC market". I guess Khalil put a good word out there, because out of the blue Claude gets at me through Gmail. I send him tracks, he likes them, we discuss and decide on a day to meet and get ONE song down. He admitted early on that he couldn't pay me, which I appreciated. But, the day of the session, he stands me up AGAIN. But, guess what? It's not 97 anymore. I DON'T CARE if we EVER do a song, especially for free. I really thought dude was 'bout it, but apparently not 'bout it enough.

Hard Being Righteous - Snake-Eyed "producers"

2008-03-06T08:30:00.000-08:00

I've come across some people online recently that have truly shown me the negative effects of this digital communication medium known as the Internet.

I am what I would call myself a Hip-Hop "track writer", and have been doing so for about 16 years strong. I was brought into this music by pioneers like Erick Sermon, Pete Rock, Large Professor, the Bomb Squad, DJ Premier, and the late, great J. Dilla. These were men who accomplished much with very little, and put their heart and soul into albums like "Mecca and teh Soul Brother", "Welcome 2 Detroit", "Daily Operation", and "Amerikka's Most Wanted".

Their interviews showed me how to perceive my role in this music to effectively, and purely, create some honest, banging Hip-Hop. These guys taught me what was important in the equation. They taught me integrity, openess, and the strength of collaboration and spontanaeity.

But, as time is wont to do, times change. While I feel I have adapted and maintained my own code of ethics, it has become alarmingly evident that there are those who have nothing on their minds or hearts besides money when it comes to this music.

Progress Beyond Dreams Deferred

2008-02-27T09:29:00.000-08:00

There are many, many days where I wake up and do not look forward to living life that day. That feeling is mostly grounded in several realities I am either accepting, fighting, or discovering. There is so much I want out of my life. I often feel like my purpose is just beyond my grasp, and is forcing me to reach and stretch and extend myself through numerous trials.

I can only speculate at this point, that point being 33 years old, that this is what life must be composed of.

No Need For Introductions...

2008-02-25T08:40:00.000-08:00

This first blog of mine will be used to re-introduce me to the writer that has always been inside of me. It's taken me some time to motivate myself into consistently writing anything these days, but it is something I have to do. I have to pursue my purpose again.

It's become far too easy to become distracted in this life. I have written since I was in elementary school. I honed and explored my talent for years on end. However, I suffered several disappointments along the way in pursuing a career with my talent. It became hard to focus and push forward when my ego and heart were being so bruised. I had to develop a thicker skin. I found that inflating one's ego leaves one tender for life's harsh realities!

I'm not sure what I will end up documenting here. On my MySpace page, I found myself venting a lot about my music, my ex, and my life in general. I wasn't in a happy space in 2006! Fortunately, just about everything's changed since then. Unfortunately, I'm not satisfied with these changes. I need more.