Official Tone Swep Blog

KEKE PALMER is DOPE

2011-11-17T14:14:00.000-08:00

Award Winning Actress KEKE PALMER Commands the Queen-Side Cover of DOPE Magazine’s “Black Friday” Onyx Edition #008.

Black Friday is the upcoming eighth edition of DOPE Magazine (#008), and the first in the publication’s industry anticipated ONYX series. DOPE MAG is produced by marketer/publisher ToneSwep, developed by creative company Undertone Global and marketed by fad firm Moxie Street Media. Issue #008 will be released in print and digital formats on November 25th, 2011 (Black Friday) and made available for shelf purchase at select specialty stores, indie newsstands, and niche tennis shoe boutiques worldwide.

DOPE MAG is also sold online via signature homepage www.HighBrowUrban.com.

The “Black Friday” Onyx Edition includes Tyga, Keke Palmer, Romeo Miller, Raven-Symone, artist Justin Bua, Monica Danger, Ace Hood and many others.

GAME Covers DOPE Magazine - Summer/Fall 2K11

2011-08-19T12:01:00.000-07:00

GAME

THE R.E.D. ALBUM

Arrives 8.23.11

www.ComptonGame.com

www.Interscope.com

www.MoxieStreet.com

www.HighBrowUrban.com

ICE DYNASTY - DOPE MAG JAPAN

2011-03-18T17:48:00.000-07:00

ICE DYNASTY

DOPE MAG JAPAN - Tokyo Exclusive

– Spring 2K11 –

Premiere Cover

Tokyo Hip Hop Crew ICE DYNASTY dons the Premiere Cover of DOPE MAG JAPAN. The Full Length Feature runs in the upcoming "Ocean Avenue" Diamond Edition of the Publication. The issue hits Specialty Stores, Street Boutiques & Indie Newsstands Worldwide on 4.5.11

www.HighBrowUrban.com

FABOLOUS - DOPE MAG Cover (Winter 2010)

2011-03-04T18:10:00.000-08:00

F A B O L O U S

DOPE MAG Exclusive

– Winter 2010 –

Diamond Edition Cover

Purchase Print Copies of DOPE MAG in Specialty stores, on Indie Newsstands, and in Street Boutiques worldwide. Or via the Publication’s “Online Mag Rack” at

www.HighBrowUrban.com

DOPE MAG - Angela Simmons - Cover Exclusive!

2011-02-16T18:49:00.000-08:00

DOPE MAG

**COUPE$ & CONDO$** Diamond Edition

ANGELA SIMMONS

Fly B-Girl Exclusive!

Cover Story written by Meosha Davis & ToneSwep

Purchase a Copy at DOPE Magazine’s Online HQ

www.HighBrowUrban.com

Angela Simmons + DOPE MAG Photo Shoot

2010-12-03T14:04:00.001-08:00

Angela Simmons

DOPE MAG

Exclusive Photo Shoot & Interview Session in Studio City

12.2.10

The Hip Hop Heiress & Entrepreneur headlines the eagerly anticipated “Coupe$ & Condo$” Diamond Edition of DOPE MAGAZINE along with FABOLOUS

FABOLOUS + DOPE MAG (12.15.10)

2010-11-30T13:27:00.000-08:00

Multiplatinum BK Emcee & Trendsetter

Fabolous

Headlines Moxie Street Media’s

DOPE MAG

COUPE$ & CONDO$ Diamond Edition #005

12.15.10

www.HighBrowUrban.com & www.MoxieStreet.com

DOP*E Magazine #003 & #004

2010-09-07T12:52:00.000-07:00

D O P E MAG DOPE MAG DOPE MAG

DOPE Magazine is urban elegance. Eloquent. Ambitious. Street Smart Intelligence… the indie Street Mag that keeps turning down publishing deals. (*No Thank, You*). We rep the Millionaire Mindsets that run Get High Society ✈www.twitter.com/D_O_P_E

Visit our Online Mag Rack at www.HighBrowUrban.com to Preview & Purchase a copy. The Hollywood & Vine Diamond Edition dropped on Labor Day and features, Travie McCoy, Bernice Burgos, Yelawolf, Teairra Mari, Bow Wow, Auburn, Laws, Chiddy Bang & more.

Created & Produced by: Moxie Street Media * Undertone Global * SIX13 Media Research Group

www.MoxieStreet.com

GO! - Vistoso Bosses

2010-08-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

how do you Not Love the Vistoso Bosses

Yo! B-O

2010-08-04T19:26:00.000-07:00

the white kids Loved to Color, but they didn’t love the Colored Kids. all this… televised emphasis on, Lesbian Lovers but little English on… what a brother did… well I believe Barack, changed that. restocked our social climate, like the sun shining on the Nasdaq… yeah, it’s a while after… but the Wow Factor, he has that. now he has to factor in the… factory workers, bring the jazz in that Motown Morale back… Iraqi Skylines, these are darkened days… a moment, we pray… 44th Presidential, got the 49er sittin’ sideways… yo, B-O… man-to-man, eye… Love your Life… and I have loved Sister’s more just watching you Love your Wife… a Toast!... happy blessed birthday…. here’s to many more

what He be On

2010-07-11T12:42:00.000-07:00

what He be On

written by Tone Swep

my hood was so dark, Noah's Ark was double-parked... like... flying with sharks in a Pacific Blue skylark... like... an addiction to Profanity… even my Cursive, it Curses... like... Dictionaries are Vanity items, for this ghetto boy wordsmith... like... been a man since I could stand. Which is why I can’t Stand not to understand... like... my Writing, enlightens Lightening. I hear the moonlight and thunder Fighting... over cloud 9... like... fast lanes crowded by Clouds on I-5... like... I love who She was, but Hate who she’s become... like... She's a stripper, but I don’t pay Cash to Watch Ass. I’d rather Watch my Watch Hands pass the time, to Father Time... like... I got money, but need a loan on Borrowed Time. just enough to Write this last line like a favorite Pastime... like... I heard the satellites are taking Photos, of N!99as in cornrows. should I pose from the Promos or seek shelter from the sweltering Heat... like… these critics, they want LeBron to straight melt in the Heat… like… if LeBron’s the King James version, Kobe must be the New Testament… like… of course, I like money. But it’s success that I’m obsessed with… money is just ass and tits, success is cul-de-sac bliss. studded wrist, married with kids… like that... like that... Tone Swep.... what He be On

K-O-B-E-L-I-E-V-E :: Truth Be Told - (Notes on Kobe Bryant)

2010-06-19T09:54:00.000-07:00

K-O-B-E-L-I-E-V-E

notes on Kobe Bryant by ToneSwep
The pundits will verbally arm wrestle over the value in his name, his legacy, his place in history, and his persistence on dominating the present until they are blue in the face (or red in the eyes), or flat broke from betting the house against him and losing their Ass and Assets as a result.

Kobe Bryant is a great professional basketball player. This is the only surefire truth. How great? Well, now we have to search for Facts which range from fickle to ficticious depending on the journalistic scientist manipulating the manure (and the Mantras). Gotta be more like Phil Jackson and get off that BULLShit. Because facts are more difficult to locate than a decent source of income in this mangled economy, but the Truth about Kobe Bryant’s legacy is simply this – he is without question the Greatest Winner of his generation.

Intellectual sports wordsmith Michael Wilbon wrote in a recent Washington Post article that Bryant is not as good, not as talented, as Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson. Wilbon is right. Jordan is celebrated as much for his global marketing magnetism as for his stellar athleticism and hyper competitiveness. And also for his remarkable ability to deliver the dagger, time and again, under duress. Johnson, who dominated the decade before Jordan, took a game mostly celebrated in either Rural or Urban environs (remember, Indiana Hoosiers and Kentucky Wildcat lore?) and made the indie B movies known as NBA basketball a universal picture only his Hollywood had the budget, audience, and stage to produce. The suburbs, the business suits, the lovely ladies and the ethnic minorities were not as dedicated to a game dominated by African-Americans and Europeans dribbling a “Rock” until Ervin worked his Magic.

The truth is that Bryant’s greatness is twofold. Firstly, the reason Bryant is only comparable to the Jordan’s and Magic’s and Bird’s and West’s and Baylor’s of basketball legend is because he is so much better than any of his contemporaries. There is no player in the fold who can command center stage like Bryant: No one in the Now to compare Mamba to. So we compare him to the Then. He is the game’s greatest lightning rod, player, and star presence even if, at times, he has been somewhat persona non grata.

The second point here is even more important; extends Bryant beyond Air Jordan and Magic Johnson. The NBA game has never been more athletic, fast, and big than it is today. Magic was the only 6-foot-9 player handling the ball. Now every team has two knock off carbon copies. Every team has at least one 7-footer. Every team has at least three players who watched Jordan growing up and cannot stand Kobe Bryant because he is the closest thing to him.

Kobe Bryant has won, consistently playing at an MVP level, while dominating TWO generations of players. His class of ’96 and the ensuing drafts produced Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, Ray Allen, Jason Kidd and a few others who fought Bryant to no avail. They are all “Ringless Kings” as Skip Bayless might say – Kobe is the reason why. Fast forward to right now. Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Kevin Durant, LeBron James… I’m already exhausted. Now homie is battling the upstarts and pushing them off the podium with the same force. Of course Wade, who in my opinion is the second best player in the NBA behind only Bryant and leagues ahead of James, is a champion and will replace Bryant when he steps down in a couple-few years.

Until then… it’s KB24 fever. It’s Black Mamba time: 7 NBA Finals Trips, 5 Rings, 2 Finals MVP’s. And he beat Boston. And he won back-to-back-without-Shaq. He’s that good. And that’s the stone cold truth. You just have to K-O-B-E-L-I-E-V-E (and quit hatin’).

A Note for GARY COLEMAN

2010-05-28T19:20:00.000-07:00

A NOTE for GARY COLEMAN

Interesting, you know. Gary Coleman's death. Tough to frame. He was born in '68, two months before MLK was assassinated. He dies here in the Spring of 2010, a year and a few odd months after the nation embraces its first Black president. The 42 years Gary lived, survived, starred, starved, suffered and, ultimately, succumbed to an early death are interesting. He stood, somewhat symbolically - at 4'8" - for the truncated state of Blacks, and Black Men, and Black Women, and Black People in Black Hollywood. Held under 5-feet by a kidney disease, he manifested that into a $100k an episode sitcom hustle only to have his earnings squandered by friends, family, and reportedly his own financial irresponsibility. Interesting, you know. Gary Coleman's death. Even more interesting, perhaps... was his Life. Gary, thanks for the laughs brotha. Sorry, truly I am, for all the tears they cost you.

DOP*E Magazine #001 (Premiere Issue) >< Melrose Ave Diamond Edition >< On Sale NOW!

2010-05-03T13:56:00.002-07:00

DOPE Magazine

Melrose Avenue Diamond Edition

On Sale NOW!

www.HighBrowUrban.com

www.twitter.com/D_O_P_E

HighBrowUrban Marketing

We Lit This for Get High Society

www.MoxieStreet.com

www.HighBrowUrban.com

DOP*E Magazine - by Moxie Street Media

2010-03-10T09:04:00.000-08:00

DOPE Magazine

Melrose Avenue Diamond Edition

Arrives Summer 2010!

www.HighBrowUrban.com

www.twitter.com/D_O_P_E

HighBrowUrban Marketing

We Lit This for Get High Society

www.MoxieStreet.com

produced by U N D E R T O N E / SIX13 Media Research Group / MX3

YOU AIN'T NEVER LIED - T U P A C (Video)

2010-02-24T18:32:00.000-08:00

MOXIE STREET MEDIA

TUPAC SHAKUR

HIGH BROW URBAN MARKETING

www.MoxieStreet.com

SIX13 Media Research Group

U N D E R T O N E

www.GORGEOUSPR.com

Shout Out to Ms. Versa Manos

ADDICTED TO LOVE - Dallas Austin (Video)

2010-02-24T12:23:00.001-08:00

MOXIE STREET MEDIA

HIGH BROW URBAN MARKETING

www.MoxieStreet.com

SIX13 Media Research Group

U N D E R T O N E

SO WHAT YOU SAYIN’ - Stat Quo / ToneSwep Exclusive! (Q&A + 3 Videos)

2010-02-22T12:19:00.000-08:00

His UNDERGROUND ATLANTA mixtape series took him to AFTERMATH Records in LA, took us to Thomasville Heights in Zone 3, then after the bullshit hit the fan - he took more time to make his street classic, STATLANTA, than James Cameron took to make Avatar. No matter. It's Here Now. Read the only STAT QUO Convo that Counts, Because After the Math comes things tend to get Shady. For Real Dough

“Come see me Homie. Don’t Test Me. The Cheat Sheet on Me” -- Stat Quo

TONE SWEP (TS) Quo, been a minute. What’s the business?

STAT QUO (SQ) You know me, man. I write and rhyme. I’m in LA right now recording with Game and Dre.

(TS) The last time we spoke was back in ’08, your Aftermath Records press day. It was all about the long-awaited release date for STATLANTA? What has happened since then family? Bring me us up to speed.

(SQ) Yea, I got a release date. (but) Then I realized that the album wasn’t going to come out over there. Not on the ‘Math, because the company had other priorities. Big, huge priorities like Em, 50, Game and then Dre (Detox). It was hard for them to seriously talk about a Stat Quo album when all of these artists go multi-platinum every time. I’d been there since 2003, recording my album and working on Detox. Both projects at the same time. For years. Waiting to drop STATLANTA.

(TS) You left Shady-Aftermath last year. Walked away from the dynasty. Any hard feelings?

(SQ) Initially I had some hard feelings, just because of the constant delays. No love lost with Em and Dre, or with anyone at those labels. But the business… I had to be mature about the situation and go to my attorneys and create a situation where I could leave. How long I’d been there? How much they’d invested in me and my album? I didn’t want to lose all of that, so I had to be intelligent about it.

(TS) Immediately after you left the ‘Math, I remember the whispers amongst the labels that you’d be signing with Def Jam. Then I heard G-Unit. Then I heard that Atlantic was cooking up a situation.

(SQ) Executive meetings. Too many (laughs). Yea, after I left I had several opportunities to sign with people, but I didn’t want to sign and get some little ass advance and then be locked in for 6 albums. So instead, I hopped back on my mixtape grind. I released a total of 8 mixtapes that sounded like full albums. Then Sha Money got at me and he’s always been one of my biggest supporters. Then me and Dre reconnected. Next thing you know I’m releasing an album on Sha Money XL’s Big Dream Ventures imprint. Then next thing after that I’m out here in LA with Dre helping him finish his album. And for the first time I can honestly say his album is going to come out. I’m here now really hearing the music.

(TS) Heard you and Slim Da Mobsta and Game been wrecking shit too?

(SQ) All I’ma say is this - Look for that COMMISSION album. (it) Will be crazy amazing when it comes out. That’s me, Game, Haze, and Slim Da Mobsta.

(TS) Here’s a line from THE STATUS REPORT, you’re latest mixtape: “I watched ngaz I was down with turn to JUDAS / stabbed me in the back like Ceasar / phuck Brutus”

Stat Quo - Success (Back To U) from Stat Quo on Vimeo.

(SQ) Ummm… I had a bunch of people on the team when I first signed with Shady-Aftermath. I mean, there were literally like 50 people in all my sessions. Now there are like 3. Where did those 47 people go? They’re not around now because my situation is different. They all have their own stories about why they’re not in house anymore, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that I was stabbed in the back repeatedly.

(TS) There hasn’t been an Atlanta artist before Stat Quo or since Stat Quo to take his style out to Cali, specifically Aftermath. In hindsight, do you feel like the opportunity to capitalize on the move was missed or…?

(SQ) It’s actually been the best move for me. The best thing for my career, Tone. And here is why: Being with Dre and Em and being able to watch them compete in this industry. Because, you know, they really compete you feel me. Add that to the caliber of artists they work with on a regular basis. From the producers and rappers to vocalists and executives; it pushes you to really go in and do it. Think of it like Slaughterhouse… You’re in a room with Snoop, Em, Game, Dre, and who knows whom else as a guest. Timbaland or somebody on that level. It’s imperative that you come harder than you ever have or you’ll get completely destroyed.…. And financially (laughs; hard prosperous laugh)… I’ve made more money than these guys who have hit singles. I’m str8. Where I’m at is where most rappers will never be, financially speaking.

(TS) You hear some rappers IN the industry straight dis the industry. As if they’re in the industry but not of it. What’s up with that?

(SQ) That’s entertaining in itself. When you hear somebody talking about they IN it but not OF it. He’s getting a check to be IN this music industry. Therefore, you are a product of the music industry. Everything that is done in Hip Hop can be perceived as a gimmick. You got different wrestlers for example. Koko B Ware wasn’t nothing like Hulk Hogan, but they were in the same game. Same industry. Getting’ them checks… But there is a big difference between Business and the Music Business. Gotta make that distinction because, in this game? There’s a lot of underhanded shit that goes on. And there’s nothing you can do about it. If somebody does some underhanded shit at your job you can get they ass fired. In Hip Hop they just switch companies and fuck over somebody else.

(TS) “Ghetto USA”, “Washed Away”, “Letter to 350”: Lotta pain in those songs. Lotta truth on those songs. What drove you to compose that Painful Truth music and drop it on Jerk dancin’ Hip Hop?

(SQ) With both THE STATUS REPORT (mixtape) and my album, STATLANTA, I went that direction. Everybody has their angle. Everybody has what they do. I had a real rough and tumultuous period. So I had to bring that energy and those times into the music.

(TS) Writing for Detox, ghostwriting for EVERYBODY, working with GAME? Any artist in rap period would love to be in that situation. How do YOU feel about your situation?

(SQ) I think it’s a blessing. Everybody that allowed me to be a part of their projects... Game, him allowing me to be in sessions with him while he doing his thing, that’s a blessing. It’s all God. I don’t take it for granted. Game is 10 times platinum. He can have anybody in them damn session that he wants. He chose to work with me. A lotta people do. And I’m loving every minute of it.

HIGH BROW URBAN

www.MoxieStreet.com

SIX13 Media Research Group

U N D E R T O N E

BOAZ - "ENEMIES" - Moxie Street Media (Video)

2010-02-15T22:16:00.000-08:00

BOAZ

High Brow Urban MARKETING

U N D E R T O N E

www.MOXIESTREET.COM

THE TRUCE - DONNIS Exclusive! (Q&A + Video)

2010-02-08T08:41:00.000-08:00

DONNIS Exclusive! - Q&A + Feature + The Making of His Hit "GONE"

THE TRUCE

The Industry Bidding War is over as Donnis decides that Atlantic floats his boat... No One is More Driven to Remain in His Own Lane.

There are times when art imitates life, and then there is Donnis – when the actualization of the fly-concept urban-outcast lifestyle manifests itself in Hip Hop art form. His music follows no format. There is no formula. He’s more just-go-off instinct than just-add-water instant.

With influences as wide ranging as Jay-Z and Goth culture to South Atlanta club scenes and Sunset Boulevard; oh, and don’t forget Tokyo, where a then 19-year-old Donnis moved homemade mixtapes like water for chocolate (or homemade lemonade for cash) on the streets of Japan. Donnis is everywhere. Always has been. Imagined it before he acted it out. Way before the deal. And he’s generally flyer than a piece of paper baring his name (or shopping for Japanese denim as we speak).

Now signed to Atlantic Records, joining a roster of Grand Hustlers who cash checks on the 1^st & 15^th while Rocin’ the Nation before riding out to those Trey Songz. But the deal didn’t come easily, at least not for the executives at Atlantic. Due to Donnis’ international buzz, strong industry ties and clever business acumen (that marketing plan was He) a 36 month bidding war ensued as record labels thirsty for the Next New Fresh Face of Hip Hop flirted with homie like an alcoholic hitting on the bartender: Donnis serves hits that read like scripts, but how much would it cost for that shit to exist? Interscope, Jive, Asylum, Def Jam… and so on. Dude has been opening love letters like Valentine’s Day on replay… for years.

So the deal with Atlantic Records was signed back in November. The honeymoon is over and the marriage begins. It’s official. He has issues. I bumped into Donnis in Atlanta during Super Bowl weekend, fresh off the XXL “Show & Prove” shoot and a day before he heads off to LA to “Record. Work. Record. Then maybe the beach,” as he says. Read the ToneSwep Exclusive!

ToneSwep (TS): My dude, for the last 3 years solid every label from Jive to Interscope to Def Jam has placed deals on the table for Donnis and the team at The Academy to sign. You never did. Not until now. What’s the deal?

Donnis (DO): Ummm (affluent pause)… With Atlantic, the fact that I got to be ME was the important thing. And Atlantic delivered that. And I definitely didn’t want to be the big fish in a small pond. I wanted to compete with my idols. I didn’t want to be in a position where there was favoritism for certain artist’s projects being preferred over others. I wanted to be in a winning position. Atlantic is all about show and prove. You get what you earn. They stick by their artists.

(TS): Competing with your idols is an interesting perspective; a different way to embrace the challenge of success. Which idols specifically?

(DO): Jay-Z and T.I. And Lupe definitely opened the door for my style and brand of music. But I mean, Plies is here. Trey Songz is here. Friendly competition man and I look forward to building with all of them.

(TS): When I first worked with you, back in ’06, you were rocking skinny jeans, stomping in Vans kicks and riding to Portis Head. I was like, What The Phuck is this kid????… Now the entire industry, specifically the 30-and-under set – your demo – has adopted that style. We were late. You were early. Was your pocket picked though? Do you have to flip your style now, D? Change the channel since everyone is watching the one you’ve been on for years?

(DO): The one thing you can always expect from me is ME. I’m not a street kid. I never sold dope or shot anyone. I’m not a pimp (his homegirl slash photographer Sydney giggles just a little). What you CAN expect from me are stories of trying to overcome. I know pain. But at the same time you can expect a good time. The good, the bad and the club (laughs). I like people, love music, love to travel and meet people. I love to discover new sounds, new places. I love fresh ideas. My sound and image are a reflection of my interests.

(TS): The Academy. Your imprint. Your company. How steep are the admission requirements over at The Academy? Cuz blood I got like a C- average.

(DO): (laughs). Naw, Tone. We’re good. You’re good. You’re in. But yea, The Academy! I’m building the name. Establishing my crew. I’m bringing in guys that deserve a shot. The game right now, unless you’re backed by Pepsi or some huge corporation, or unless you have some crazy street buzz that is backed by an established artist, people don’t get to hear about you. So we’re traveling, doing shows, working with major producers, and making the most of each appearance and PR opportunity. Getting The Academy known beyond just me.

(TS): Street Cred used to be the yard stick used to measure the plausibility of an artist’s projected success. 50 Cent had the most, and thus sold the most. How accurate is street cred today, in this market? The new market. How relevant is street cred to Donnis?

(DO): If The Love Below dropped today the streets probably wouldn’t think it’s hot. I don’t care what anyone else says about the streets, but I’m not looking to the streets for validation. I’m into Vampire Weekend and Avatar and shit that the streets may not think is hot. Or they might, who knows. But I don’t concern myself with that. I don’t really make music FOR the streets but more so for everyone. Some of everyone is going to like it. Some of everyone won’t.

(TS): You’ve been working with everyone since day one, especially producers. Who are you in the lab with right now? I know you were working with Ryan Leslie for a while.

(DO): Ryan Leslie and I are trying to get back in the studio right now. Whenever he’s in LA again that’s going to happen. I’m due to go in with Kanye soon. Eric Hudson. And a lot lot of underground people.

(TS): BASIC TRAINING is the title of your debut. Since we creatives Hear colors and See sounds; feel by seeing and see by touching, what can we expect BASIC TRAINING to look like when we hear it?

(DO): It would start off as a maroon then sort of veer into a deep undertone of light brown. It will then get into your blues and your reds before bleeding into something that is brighter. Like I said, I know pain and I know good times. It all balances out. When I was in Toyko handing out CD’s, my light bills were behind. I had eviction notices. The repo man was looking for me. I failed in school. I was in the military. My life has been a rollercoaster, but I learned and grew at every stage. Now, I get to take my parents on vacation and enjoy life. You’ll hear and see and feel all of this on BASIC TRAINING believe me.

(TS): Has the game changed you?

(DO): Yes it has… when you’re constantly around certain things: People that do drugs. People who don’t care about other people. People that transform every day, it changes you. But I don’t imitate people. I constantly care about the music. And I’m finding out more about myself with every new experience. When you’re placed in certain situations you find out how you’ll react. You gain a strong sense of self-respect. If Arrested Development walked into the studio today, maybe some producers wouldn’t think that they’re marketable or whatever. I’d sign them in a heartbeat, just because they know who they are and because their sound IS who they are. So the game has most definitely changed me in a positive light. I’m more aware of how awesome I am.

"GONE" - The Making of DONNIS' Hit Single "GONE"

On The Set With Donnis from Jayson Rodriguez on Vimeo.

UNDERTONE - HighBrowUrban Marketing - Moxie Street

TWITTER CONNECTS:

Donnis --- www.twitter.com/DONNISXDONNIS

ToneSwep -- www.twitter.com/UNDERTONE_SIX13

Fly Chica Sydney -- www.twitter.com/BANGINCHINGONA

SIX13 Media Research Group www.MoxieStreet.com

SPRITE STEP OFF - MTV2 - Moxie Street Media

2010-02-04T13:56:00.000-08:00

Sprite Step Off - MTV Shows

www.MoxieStreet.com

HighBrowUrban Marketing

UNDERTONE – SIX13 – MOXIE STREET

www.MTV.com/shows/sprite_step_off/series.jhtml

"OH AFRICA" Akon ft. Keri Hilson - Moxie Street

2010-02-02T10:58:00.000-08:00

UNDERTONE - HighBrowUrban Marketing - SIX13

www.MoxieStreet.com

HighBrowUrban Marketing ~ SIX13 / UNDERTONE

2010-01-29T16:34:00.001-08:00

NIKE (RED) - Athletes Lace uP to Save Lives - Moxie Street Media

UNDERTONE - HighBrowUrban Marketing - SIX13

www.joinred.com

www.MoxieStreet.com

PAUL RODRIGUEZ - NIKE SB - Moxie Street Media featuring KOBE BRYANT & ICE CUBE

2010-01-29T14:00:00.000-08:00

UNDERTONE - HighBrowUrban Marketing - SIX13

www.Nike.com/nikeskateboarding

www.MoxieStreet.com

LUPE FIASCO - THE L.A.S.E.R.S. MANIFESTO

2010-01-29T13:00:00.000-08:00

SIX13 – HighBrowUrban Marketing – F&F uP!

www.MoxieStreet.com

MOS DEF - "CASA BEY" Osaka, Japan (WebCast)

2010-01-27T21:08:00.000-08:00

UNDERTONE -- SIX13 -- HighBrowUrban Marketing

PHARRELL WILLIAMS - Paris, France (WebCast)

2010-01-27T16:34:00.001-08:00

PHARRELL WILLIAMS

UNDERTONE Global - SIX13 - HighBrowUrban Marketing

THE REVOLUTION (TELEVISED) - The Boondocks & Aaron McGruder Exclusive!

2010-01-25T10:52:00.001-08:00

RILEY FREEMAN is the most important animated man in America. With Dave Chappelle on infinite hiatus and Oprah face down in the mainstream, lil’ homie is the co-star of the only television show that matters: THE BOONDOCKS – an adult swimmer at once Controversial, Conscious, Comical and constantly pushing the non-commercial envelope to a black box near you. Creator AARON MCGRUDER explains himself, his series, and the seriousness of his revolutionary brainchild.

"IT DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU THINK IS CONTROVERSIAL" -- creator Aaron McGruder

Ever been to Woodcrest? It’s a different place. And Riley Freeman can’t stand different. He likes what’s hot, what’s sober to those on the surface but dope to shawty-them in the underground. Riley likes whatever 50 Cent is doing; whatever ngaz back home in Chicago are doing. Whatever Bill O’Reily and anybody else rockin’ a tucked-in button-up wit a buzz cut ain’t doing. Woodcrest, a sleepy suburb a long ass was from any bridges, big buildings, or big booty bitc…uhh… brownstones, is anything but hot. Not quite suburban quiet nor inner-city slum, the dressed up hillside dive hangs on the outskirts of the city like old clothes on young people – out of place basic and played-out pathetic. Riley Freeman ain’t feelin’ it.

But Riley Freeman is only eight-years-old, meaning he isn’t gainfully employed, doesn’t own property or a vehicle, and doesn’t yet possess, beyond his native intelligence and hood hustle, the education or wherewithal to demand his way out the ‘burbs.

Huey Freeman, Riley’s radically Black older brother, ain’t but 10. Though Huey’s political views have been well documented over the years - his quotes covering chests on t-shirts, stirring media controversy, and inciting critical haze from every Black cultural luminary from Larry Elder to Condoleezza Rice – is rowing in the same boat as his younger brother in arms. They ain’t got no bread so they can’t bounce up out Woodcrest.

Robert Freeman, they Granddad, is antebellum old and Woodcrest, the city the Freeman clan run like a political election, is where they be at. That’s broken English, but neither a broken dream nor a dream deferred. Aaron McGruder, creator and executive producer of The Boondocks series, is the one that started all this highbrow gangsta shit in the first place. This cover story is the thanks he get. Aaron McGruder is the only reason the revolution is televised.

“It’s a very complicated show,” McGruder begins, chilling in a director’s chair at Sony Pictures Los Angeles studios. “The kind of humor that I wanted to see, a kind of black political satire kind of thing, wasn’t out there very much,” he continues. “When you go down that road, and if you do it with any success, I think shaking things up just comes with the territory.”

The Boondocks centers on the Freeman family but includes a host of colorful neighborhood characters. Thugnificent is a world-renowned rapper who recently relocated to the neighborhood, while Tom Dubois, a family friend, and his pimp-on-salary marriage counselor, A Pimp Named Slickback, live nearby. This shock-solid assemblage of diverse personalities allows the intellectually eclectic McGruder to showcase a brilliant ability to reach a diverse range of viewers by voicing his reasoning through the presence of several characters. It isn’t that McGruder wavers on his poli-cultural stance, per se, but his gift, besides illustration, is in reaching people where they are. Riley and Granddad, Huey, and even Thugnificent to some degree, are essentially sharing the same sentiment, just on different levels of the IQ spectrum.

McGruder manipulates these animated mannequins to model his mindset to all classes of sidewalk shoppers. You buying any of this? “When you’re fighting with the animation or the animation is controlling you, you’re limited to what you can do,” McGruder says, explaining the struggles with developing an animated series featuring so many varying characterizations. “We looked at Season One. Looked at what worked and what didn’t and just tried to make it a better show. The storytelling is much better. The pacing is much faster. The show is much funnier,” he continues. “I’m all around really pleased with it.”

To add familiar voices to the edgy series mix, and in a smart effort to keep hip hop bumping at the house party McGruder throws, a number of emcee greats stepped in the voiceover booth for the second season. Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Mos Def, Lil Wayne, and Ghostface Killah are among the rap contingent holding the dialogue down. McGruder relishes being a writer, the autonomy he enjoys from producing a cable series versus keeping up with the tough grind of daily newspapers. “I can’t meet their schedule,” McGruder shrugs, referencing the newspapers demanding seven day comic strip schedule. “I tried to do both and it took a huge toll on me. Seven days a week is just too much. How many hours can I go without sleep? I don’t know.”

Not since Charles M. Shulz and Charlie Brown, Jim Henson and The Muppets, or Matt Groening and the notoriously resistive Bart Simpson, has a producer like McGruder created an illustrated product like The Boondocks and so clearly articulated his points of view through his art, in this instance Riley and Huey Freeman. Riley is the younger of the two Chicago-bred brothers. He’s all Hip Hop energy and ghetto militancy. A little naïve but up on game at the same time. Huey is serious and sinister, plotting a leftist takeover while remaining part Panther, part professor. Each represents opposing sides of McGruder, who defers to neither. McGruder doesn’t pick sides or fights. He just picks up his pen and delivers his inner fight with insight. Cartoon was the only medium with the cojones to Network with McGruder’s message. “The freedom of storytelling that comes from animation, having all these people work for you. You can kind of go beyond the scope of what a (comic) strip can do,” McGruder explains. “In terms of content, I mean. The newspapers are a very conservative and very sanitized medium. In terms of expression of ideas we’re allowed a lot more range on television.”

In 2005, The Boondocks series was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Comedy Series. In 2007, McGruder was honored with a Peabody Award for the episode titled “Return of The King”, a show depicting a 21^st century Dr. King awakening from a coma to address contemporary world issues such as the war on terror. Based on the infamously uproarious comic strip series by the same name, The Boondocks challenges us all to reflect on current affairs. Through sharp dialogue and throwback illustration, the series tackles topics most shows are afraid of. It is due to this constant pushing of the envelope that The Boondocks draws so much controversy. McGruder doesn’t push the envelope the old-fashioned way, he delivers it FedEx.

But honestly folk, if a poet voices his opinion to a standing-room-only crowd during an open-mic session, should the topics he selects be over-analyzed and criticized, or simply celebrated? Is an honest discussion about American popular culture and the associated flaws in the fabric of the flag controversial? “It depends of what you think is controversial,” McGruder begins. “Some people thought the Martin Luther King episode was controversial. I didn’t think so,” he offers, smug countenance in place. “Everyone draws that line in a different place.”

The Boondocks comic strip and series, as a continuum, has shaken up the American landscape on at least two levels. Firstly, the old-white-and-balding contingent forever at the helm of daily newspaper command and, thus, charged with the role of determining the language relayed to the people in mass readership, were taken aback by McGruder’s irreverently honest tirades and bluntly polar darts. Yet, because of the quality of the material and influx of fans demanding for access, they were forced to accept it. “A bunch of 70, 80-year-old white dudes were not exactly sure what to make of it.” The Boondocks is also successful in evoking responses from the rebellious left, especially the radical democrats, many of whom have continued to heighten McGruder to Obama status. But McGruder, more political satirist than purebred politician, refutes that designation. “I think it’s the vacuum that exists, particularly in black political leadership, that would make anybody look at somebody like me and want to elevate me to that status.”
Season Two of The Boondocks opened on October 8^th and ran through January of 2008. Miss a show and you didn’t only miss the moves, but you missed McGruder’s point. You missed homies insightful explanations of what the moves mean. “Is it smart and racially funny, or is this some coon shit that I’m doing,” McGruder asks rhetorically, careful not to sit on the fence that made Dave so uncertain how uncomfortable he was with his own Chappelle Show, he ultimately left. “There’s a whole bunch of people who have the job of telling political jokes, but that doesn’t make them political activists or political leaders or political anything, other than political humorists if anything.”
No discussion with McGruder would be complete without addressing the topic of Hip Hop. The Boondocks has possessed a music industry undertone since its comic strip days. Comments on everyone from Puffy to 50 Cent have been the topic of many a side street (or campus quad) debate. So how does McGruder, a University of Maryland grad and noted cultural critic, feel about the state of affairs in urban music? “My feelings on Hip Hop are simply that..,” he pauses. “I wish it were just better. I don’t get too much into what kind of words anyone is saying as much as the quality of the work,” McGruder elaborates. “It’s all about the art because, you know, even positive stuff, positive music can also suck. To me it’s about good music. Creating good art. To me that’s the most important thing.”
It’s late in Woodcrest. Riley Freeman hangs in front of his house, near enough to the front door so as not to encourage demands by Granddad to “get his ass in the house”, yet close enough to the gravel, to the block - and to Thugnifficent - to preserve his vitally important street cred. Riley, who once was pissed off because he earned a C+ grade and thought such a letter on his report card was too high, thereby threatening his credibility in the Trap, watches the remotely quiet, overtly prosaic street. He wishes he were back in Chicago, a city so windy that Twistas come through your Common area causing a swirling Fiasco – sending your ideas flying Mr. West. Still, Riley misses Chi-Ill. Misses that familiar stench, the griminess of the gutters, the freezing Winter concrete, the greasy heart-attack inducing food, the old fashioned barbershops, the block fashion, the pimp-suited brothaz hollering from the pulpits, the Derrick Rose-led Bulls, and all the bullshit leading up to every game. Riley’s only eight-years-old, and when he says “Bitches” he doesn’t mean any disrespect. He’s just frustrated that he lives way out here, in The Boondocks, where everyone is so damn animated, and the fam back home in Chicago can’t Cartoon-in until massa McGruder and the good folk over at Sony agree to drop Season 3 any-day-never-soon in early 2010.

SIX13 >>> SONY >>> THE BOONDOCKS

C.O.D. > CHAZ ON DELIVERY - Chaz Ortiz Exclusive! (Q&A)

2010-01-20T12:08:00.001-08:00

MOXIE STREET's TONE SWEP sat down with ZOO YORK Skate Sensation CHAZ ORTIZ to discuss Chi-Town Hip Hop, the ever evolving Latino skate culture, and living life as a pro shredder at only 16.

Shout out to Seamus Deegan & Sean Cronon of ZOO YORK for the Collabo

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C.O.D. > CHAZ ON DELIVERY

TONE SWEP (TS) CHAZ, what’z good bro. Talk a little about some recent skate competitions you have participated in. How’d you do?

CHAZ ORTIZ (CO) Tampa Pro was the last one. It was fun for sure. Not too many other recent competitions but I have a lot coming up, so it should be good. I’m going to skate in the Dew Tour again, and I’m hyped to be part of this year’s Maloof Money Cup. ZOO is putting on the street section.

(TS) You are one of the hottest skaters in the game. Are you surprised at all by the buzz?

(CO) (laughs) Thanks. Yeah man I'm surprised. It happened so fast. I still don’t know what to think. It's sick!
(TS) Whatz up out in Chicago right now? Kanye, Lupe, The Cool Kids: An exciting time for Hip Hop in the Chi right now. How do you feel about it?

(CO) Chi is going off. I'm chillin’ in Chi right now just skating. Chillin’ with the homies having a good time like always.

(TS) With all of the traveling and events involving your skating career, how are you able to find time for school and family?

(CO) Just keep it balanced and take advantage of any time at home. Luckily I'm not gone that much yet. It's crazy but I'm keepin’ up with everything so I'm hyped.
(TS) How’s high school life? What grade are you in? How are your grades?

(CO) High school is pretty fun. I’m in my sophomore year you know. I’m coming up. My grades? (long pause)… are doing better. We will leave it at that (laughs).

(TS) What are your educational goals, bro? Are you headed to college? Which one? To study what?
(CO) Just finish [high] school and then I’ll think about college. Haven’t thought about it yet but we’ll see; got some time still.

(TS) You are of Latin descent. How important is it to you that you represent Latino’s in skate, like Paul Rodriguez and others?

(CO) Umm… it's sick being Latino in skate. A lot of kids look up to me because of [my heritage], so it's tight. Paul has been holding it down for years.

(TS) Name some of the skate competitions you have won so far in your young career?

(CO) The biggest one for sure was Dew Tour last year (’08). There were so many others when I was younger but I lost count (laughs).
(TS) Where are your favorite skate parks? And what are you rocking in the iPod right now?

(CO) Lots of good parks out there, wherever I'm skating is fun. On the iPod is Lil Wayne, Lil Wayne, and more Lil Wayne.

(TS) Name your 3 Favorite Albums and 3 Favorite Foods:

(CO) I don't know about albums… just what's on my iPod playlist you know. Food-wise its pizza, spaghetti and Taco Bell (laughs). I live at Taco Bell.

FOR(D)RIVERS ONLY - Nelly Arrives GT Style

2010-01-12T14:57:00.000-08:00

The 2011 Mustang GT - from the Ford Motor Company

No Handclaps... Please

FOR(D)RIVERS ONLY

FORD ENGINEERED – DUB CUSTOMIZED – NELLY APPROVED

Custom gloss black paint job. Flat black racing stripes. Street Scenes body kit. Custom 22-inch front 24-inch rear wheels encased by signature Pirelli tires. Billet grille. Hood scoop. Tinted taillights. Angel eyes headlights. Borla exhaust. Complete with a suede/leather blend interior and custom JL Audio System amplified by a set of 12-inch subwoofers. 5.0 fender badges. A new GT engine cover. The speedometer increases to 160 mph and the tachometer redline advances from 6,500 to 7,000 rpm. To make matters burst -- three vibrant new colors will be added for the 2011 model: Yellow Blaze Tri-Coat, Race Red and Ingot Silver.

This daunting description of the Dub Magazine customized 2011 Ford Mustang 5.0-liter V-8 GT has Hip Hop mogul Nelly ready to pop the clutch. “I’m itching to get behind the wheel of my Mustang and really take it out on the streets,” states the 35-year-old superstar, whose collaboration with Ford’s design team and DUB’s customization has the streets buzzing. “This vehicle being a part of my album artwork is just a reflection of the direction and feel that the album has. To be able to partner with Ford again on another vehicle that is going to change the automotive game is exciting.”

A FEW NOTES FOR THE TECH OBSESSED

*The 2011 Ford Mustang GT arrives with an all-new advanced 5.0-liter V-8 engine, developed by a passionate cadre of engineers who rallied around the common goal of delivering more than 400 horsepower.

*The modern 5.0-liter four-valve Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT) V-8 engine in the new Mustang GT will deliver 412 horsepower and 390 ft.-lb. of torque. At the same time, fuel economy is projected to be better than the previous model and unsurpassed in the segment.

*The new Mustang GT continues Ford’s powertrain offensive with an all-new 5.0-liter V-8 engine, which uses advanced technology to deliver 412 horsepower and projected unsurpassed highway mileage of 25 mpg

*The 412 horsepower and 390 ft.-lb. of torque delivered by the 2011 Mustang GT 5.0-liter V-8 represent significant increases versus 2010 model year output levels.

*A Brembo brake package upgrade will be available for serious enthusiasts. This package includes 14-inch vented front discs from the GT500 Mustang, unique 19-inch alloy wheels and summer performance tires.

*New convenience technologies

Standard message center
Integrated blind spot mirrors
MyKey^™ programmable vehicle key
Rear headrests

www.Ford.com

FORD MOTOR COMPANY >><< SIX13 >><< CHAMBER GROUP >><< DUB

L TRAIN OF THOUGHT - Lupe Fiasco Exclusive! (Classic Material - Summer '06)

2010-01-11T22:21:00.000-08:00

Back in the summer of ’06, a handful of months before the release of the now certified classic Food & Liquor and a full year after the global buzz of said albums lead single “Kick Push”, I was the streets editor for ATL-based The Juice Magazine. Atlantic Records held a media day and listening session for the project that would serve, along with T.I.’s Trap Muzik, to catapult the then R&B laden label into Hip Hop royalty. That afternoon at the Biltmore Hotel in Midtown Atlanta we were introduced to the Fiasco. I left with a Chi-Town Guevara mixtape, Lu’s handshake, a little Hip Hope for raps future and a promise – from then A&R Amir Boyd – that Lupe Fiasco was next. He wasn’t lying. Firm handshake too.

Classic Material - “L Train of Thought” – Lupe Fiasco – Summer ’06 – ink by ToneSwep

>>>>>><<<<<<

THE INDUSTRY LEAKED A FORECAST OF A TOPICAL TORNADO WARNING OF THE LYRICAL VARIETY. AS A RESULT, THE CONCEPTUAL CYCLONE BREWING OVER AT ATLANTIC GOT KICK-PUSHED BACK. SO BE IT. THE LUPE FIASCO BRAINSTORM NOW CONTINUES WITH UNDIMINISHED VIGOR. THE EN-LIGHTNING VOICE OF CHI-CITY CIRCLES BACK WITH AN EASTPACK FULL OF SOUL FOOD AND CEREBRAL LIQUOR. PREPARE FOR A NEW SPIN ON THE CITY OF WIND. AND KEEP A FLOOD WATCH. IT’S COMING.

“He wasn’t the greatest rapper, but he was a great individual. One of those people who came around and had the same ability to relate to and move the people with a message like a Martin Luther King. He had an aura of positivity overall, even at times in his negative actions. But he was human, and though he had extraordinary abilities, he was laced with contradictions and hypocrisy. But so am I. What person walking this earth isn’t?” == Lupe on Tupac

It is an unreasonably humid early afternoon in the bible belts top-notch town. One-wayffic gridlocks the highbrow eye sights and halogen headlights of drivers and their vehicles; a dreadlocked unification so intense that all vantage points agree to stare until they share a synonymous outlook. Street side, vendors move everything from newspapers to mixtapes, potato chips to pigs’ feet. The buyers? Briefcase-toting pinstripes foot shuttling between the Bellsouth building and Bank of America’s southeastern headquarters. If you watch the block in black and white, it reads like an ill-planned post-industrial dive come alive; a breathing Sunday classified section where everyone is eagerly awaiting the next opening so they can hastily apply to get on, get over, move on, or move up: All in hasty pursuit of the shortsighted life goal to get by.

Executive decision-makers dine and decide as panhandling homeless folk keep their eyes on the surprise. Together they represent the juxtaposed aftermath of a city still reeling from damage done B.C. (as in before Campbell), and also one that continues to mourn A.C. (as in after Coretta). Citizen neglect and urban sprawl simplified by lunch hour bumper rubbing and sold out courtside stumblebum seating. Clouds knuckle-up like confused fists, hang on the skies back like old burdens on the new south, uncertain whether they wish to reign, or rain, or simply pull the reins just a moment longer prior to reasserting their dominance over the people.

Only those in possession of a mind as open as the eyes are watching for the signs

The brick-and-mortar gorilla in the midst of this neo-jungle is the Biltmore Hotel, a posh bar and lounge luxury kickback at the center of Atlanta’s upscale Midtown district. Atlantic Records, home to Lupe Fiasco and his 1^st & 15^th collective, is hosting a listening session slash business mixer for the crowned prince of cognizant content and lyrical make-sense. The magical hip hop genie coasting across continents on a skateboard as if it were some magical carpet, as if his subject matter only addresses subjects that matter, thus making Lupe less style and delivery and more aura and epiphany. This ain’t hip hop, my nga. This is hip hope.

“Chi-Town is a very socially active and aware place,” Lupe says, taking a moment to discuss the various dichotomies the city that raised him and influenced him to raise the bar warehouses. "There’s a certain mood there, a certain je ne sais quoi I’d say. You had the ’68 democratic convention and a lot of Mississippi natives transplanted up highway 57, but then the gang situation is crazy. Blues and gospel are hot too, but then they’re tearing down the projects,” he continues. “Black history and black life lives in Chicago.”

Upon entering the hotel lobby on the floor of Fiasco’s invite-only jump off, I am greeted by a polite Warner brother, a polished Bad boy, a few pirates of the Atlantic an oversized hick from the sticks who appears to be hotel insecurity, scattered cliques of would-be odalisque model chicks, and a table of fresh sandwiches and cold sodas. I join the forty-or-so attendees present to witness the Westside Chicago native punch lines and stack stanzas like a middleweight-hustling-poet. Every word hitting hard, advancing him forward, and heated like you’d have to hear to see, or at the very least see to believe. Sea what I’m sailing?

Though Fiasco is easily the league favorite for hip hop rookie of the year, raps laureate is not lying around taking his many gifts for granted. He is making moves to maximize the opportunities he creates by performing and appearing as often as recording and networking. Just days before our interview Lupe performed three shows in one day in a South Carolina city, just to make his presence felt in the small market. If our united mind state of ghetto-hustler, stay-on-my-grizzle war chanting were to apply as strict a practice to that street preaching as Fiasco has to career advancement and, far more purposefully, an ever evolving self-actualization, the hood wouldn’t be so desolate. Unfortunately, our urban trenches resemble the black holed limited space odyssey portrayed in the penitentiaries of HBO’s Oz series. And Lupe is off to see the Wizard.

“Lupe is Martin-Tchaikovsky-X,” he remarks, fusing a glimpse of the diverse political and musical experiences which influence the Fiasco. “A kid who came up in one of the most consistently violent places in the nation, yet still balanced out with an immense amount of culture. Martial arts, spiritualism, music, education,” he continues, insisting on referring to himself in third person like he’s riding shotgun while driving – on the way to pick himself up from the airport, after stepping off a plane he piloted. “Lupe. He’s an enigma.”

Food & Liquor is the most anticipated album of 2006, and not just in hip hop. September 19^th will symbolize the date when a daringly verbose urban linguist launched a crossover project without crossing anyone in the projects. Lupe speaks in Madison Terrace tongue while tying in Cornel West-like socio-cultural analysis. What is most important and refreshing, and empowering, and hopeful is that unlike accomplished microphone maestros tagged with the conscious brand, such as a Common Sense or Mos Def, Lupe sidesteps that pigeonhole. His free spirit can touch the skies and fly free. “I try to stay humble as possible and remain under the radar because for me what’s important is longevity, but also the ability to reinvent yourself,” he explains. “Why is Madonna’s career still alive today? Because she is capable of evolving,” he continues. “I wanted to set up a platform for my album. Not pigeonhole myself as a gangsta or a conscious emcee or whatever,” he pauses to assist a 1^st teamer. “That’s dangerous.”

The Fiasco debut features Philly songstress Jill Scott, Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda, and production from Kanye West, Needlz and The Neptunes. If you have yet to witness a sample of the emcees topical versatility and impressive storytelling ability you need only Google the guy and you will soon see more links than a Jacob chain. He is all world. All over the place.

The varying theories as to what components comprise the makeup of a doped emcee are highly arguable and not often agreed upon. But in a nutshell, you have your battle rappers, your concept technicians, your organized crime kingpins, your gangsta rappers, your storytellers, your conscious cats, your pimpin ass hustlers, your tare the club up ruffians, and then there is Too $hort, whose legacy is constructed on the foundation of a five letter word and supported by the philosophy of capitalizing off that bitch and her insecurities.

The great ones, however, develop a manifold program consisting of a command of each of these variable strata, thereby appearing before sold out crowds only after the FYE shelves have been emptied. They are whole. Complete. You can hear it in their voices, read it between their lines, see it behind their scenes. Right now, at 25-years-old, it can be argued that Lupe is on a different path. He isn’t here to match that narrow definition, but extend it. “I think we live in pop culture, as in popular,” he enunciates. “And I think that comes from the rule of democracy that we live in. Make everyone a cog, a consuming part that perpetuates the machine. America is a secular society and spirituality has no place, but pop culture does,” Lupe discusses. “There’s nothing spiritual about shopping or dressing fly. But this culture is set up to make you an obedient machine that bows to the system.”

Fiasco, like his executive producer Jay Z, is a business man. And much like Jay, Lu is also focused on making sound business decisions. Smart transcontinental actions that are one day profitable and lead to any continent auto-teller transactions. That’s cash flow deriving from working capital after a return on investment for all you business majors following at home.

Is Lupe a capitalist? Not likely, though he fully understands the power and necessity of the dough. He just ain’t in love with it. “Money itself is not evil. The love of money is the root of all evil. Your intentions for it and your purpose for pursuing it.” Lupe states informatively. “I love music. I love business. I hate the music business. This is a very deliberate game and there are a lot of politics in this game,” he reveals. “Don’t get it confused.”

If he weren’t in the rap game, Lupe wouldn’t be perfecting his wicked jump shot, moving product to his people or sticking up big-chain-wearing-ass-mufuckas on the green line. The patient thinking, whippet quick speaking Chicagoan would be in pursuit of a career in writing or science. With his scientific approach to lyrical composition, in many ways, he is doing just that. “I don’t want to be remembered as someone who led people astray. I’m not here to raise anyone’s kids either,” he says humorously. “I want my kid, my mother to be proud of the music that I make. Hopefully they’ll say ‘he led a righteous life and had a positive impact on the game’. That would be my hope.”

Classic Material - “L Train of Thought” – Lupe Fiasco – Summer ’06 – ink by ToneSwep

FLASH DRIVE - Brandon Jennings Exclusive!

2009-11-02T10:56:00.000-08:00

FEARLESS TRENDSETTER BRANDON JENNINGS CREATED A NEW PATH TO REACH HIS GOAL OF NBA STARDOM. BUT THE JETSETTING POINT GUARD COULDN’T MAKE THE MOVE WITHOUT TRAVELING… TO ROME - WHERE HE RAN POINT (For Millions) WITH ITALIAN PRO LEAGUE TEAM LOTTOMATICA ROMA INSTEAD OF RUNNING POINT (For Free) WITH THE NCAA's ARIZONA WILDCATS. ONE WAS PAYING. THE OTHER WASN'T. DO THE MATH. NOW THE NBA's YOUNGEST BUCK HAS SUCCESSFULLY TRANSITIONED TO LIFE IN THE LEAGUE, BREAKING ANKLES WITH THAT COMPTON CROSSOVER AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY, WINNING GAMES WITH THE MILWAUKEE BUCKS. AND CAN'T NOBODY GUARD HIM. STILL

Athens, Greece. An aged Krik?Krak! crumbling parquet floor, resembling both the old Boston Garden and an Edwidge Danticat novel, responds like an old bad back to every cut, pivot and stomp of the 10 pro players competing on top of it. Nearly 40,000 wildly enthusiastic fanatics crowd every inch of the 94 foot basketball court. Brandon Jennings demands the rock after a defensive rebound, weaves through traffic at hyper-BJ3 speed, loses two defenders, draws a third opponent away from a teammate and delivers a picture perfect mead meets sms text book pass to an awed teammate, who bobbles the ball out of bounds. “There were so many fans at the game. If felt more like a soccer match,” Jennings recalls, describing life on Italian hardwood. “The fans were crazy into the game. Smoke was everywhere. Like, they can smoke during the games. We lost by 32,” he continues. “Feels good to be on US soil.”

Like Kevin Garnett (’95), Kobe Bryant (’96), Tracy McGrady (’97), Amare Stoudemire (’02), and LeBron James (’03), Jennings was the consensus #1 US basketball player in his class of 2008 – the best amateur basketball player in the world. And just like those five star players, each an NBA All-Stars soon after making the leap from high school to high court, Jennings was intent on entering the NBA straight outta high school. With averages of 32.7 points, 7.5 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 4 steals per game as a senior at national B-Ball powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, Jennings, whose quickness, competitiveness and athleticism have drawn comparisons to Allen Iverson, scooped up virtually every award granted to national players of the year. Naismith, Parade Magazine, EA Sports, Gatorade and MaxPreps all named the exciting point guard '08's Player of The Year. ESPN’s Scout.com rated Jennings the #1 high school senior for 2008. Jennings also starred in the ‘08 McDonald’s All-American game, scoring 12 points and handing out nine assists. He even resurrected Hip Hop’s high-top-fade, rocking a 5-inch-high Gumby during the game: Yeah, with the slanted part to match. The Big Daddy Kane of B-ball.

A funny thing happened to Jennings just as he was graduating high school and preparing to enter his NBA dream – David Stern, commissioner of the NBA. Stern changed the rules. The elite player could no longer head to the NBA Str8 Outta Compton. Jennings would have to arrive Str8 Outta College. The rule: “Any player who is not an ‘international player’, as defined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, must be at least one year removed from the graduation of his high school class” before entering the NBA. No more prep to pro. The rules change ultimately altered Jennings’ path, but not his plans. “It has always been my goal to star in the NBA. Always, since day one,” Jennings shares, having just arrived in his native Los Angeles from Rome. “I’ve always dreamt of making it to the league. Running a team. Helping an organization win a championship.”

After briefly considering playing at the University of Arizona where Gilbert Arenas, Jason Terry, Mike Bibby, Damon Stoudamire and other elite NBA point guards studied while starring for famed college coach Lute Olson, Jennings elected to play professionally in Europe. No age requirement overseas, just a game requirement. Young homie had plenty of that. Jennings was described by NBA scout Hoops Hype as a “Flamboyant and exceptionally talented lefty point guard with a flair for the spectacular and the demeanor of a star”. That was stating it lightly. In truth, the entire nation knew that Jennings had next like Drake. The entertaining guard only needed a Lil backing and some Young Money to introduce his game to a larger audience. The world.

On July 16, 2008, Italian league team Lottomatica Virtus Roma signed Jennings to a deal worth $1.65 million, net income guaranteed. Shortly after, Jennings agreed to be the signature hoop star for Under Armour – the face of their new basketball division. A deal worth a reported $2 million. Jennings relocated to Italy along with his mother, Alice, and younger brother Terrence. The Brandon Jennings “When In Rome” Under Armour campaign has been a success in both Europe and the US. Jennings transition to living and working in Rome had its ups and downs, which is basically the defition of life. On the court, however, Jennings was right at home. “He’s one of the top talents that I’ve ever seen,” remarked Roma’s general manager Dejan Bodiroga, himself an Italian League legend.

During the exhibition season, the 6-2 jetsetter averaged 20 points, 7 assists and several jaw-dropping moves that had fans eagerly anticipating the start of the official season. An opportunity to see an NBA-caliber star in their own Roman gym. “Living in Rome and playing pro ball there was an amazing experience that could never be replaced,” Jennings says. “I mean, you’re an American living in one of the cultural capitals of the world. My mom and I. My brother. We got to travel all over Europe.” The only downside was that Jennings developed tastes for cuisine and women that is hard to find here in the states. “I’m still looking for Risotto. It’s a rice like dish they serve there in Italy. Man it’s delicious.” And the chicks? Come on B? “Man, the women in Barcelona are amazing. Smart and gorgeous. Safe to say I looooved Barcelona.”

Homie possesses what is referred to in NBA scouting lingo as “Game Changing Speed”. He is the fastest player in the 2009 NBA draft. That speed is not simply referring to movement, but also thought. No one makes moves as fast as Jennings. From processing the thought, creating the move, to blazing by opponents and weaving through traffic to actually pull it off, he does this with a random innateness unseen in the decades since speedy playmakers like Kenny Anderson, Stephon Marbury, Iverson, Tony Parker, Jason Kidd and Steve Nash entered the league more than a decade ago. Sure, Chris Paul and Daron Williams are seen as powerful, quick, and clever creators. Jennings is more or less the Ferrari to their Porsche. Not so much staggering quickness as fast lane fury. “Yeah, I’m fast,” Jennings laughs, knowing that he is understating the obvious. “The goal for me is to get a stop and get out in the open court. Create scoring opportunities. Find my teammates,” he continues, adding. “That and leadership is what I bring to a team.” It didn't take long for Milwaukee Bucks coach Scott Skiles to convince the Bucks brass to take Jennings in the lottery, the #10 overall pick. Through the first few games, he is averaging 20 points, 6.5 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and just over 2 steals per game.

Aside from hyper speed, a daring competitiveness is the other key ingredient to Jennings game. The kid is just plain fearless. “I grew up playing with my older cousins and their older friends. In Compton,” Jennings explains. “I was like five or six. Really the only way they would let me play everyday was if I didn’t cry. So I never did.”

The daring aspect may derive from something else. Jennings is a popular culture kid. A hooping trendsetter and tastemaker who likes to take what’s hot and put his own spin on it. Today he’s shopping for his draft day suit. “Right now I’m rocking the Mohawk you know. Just got chopped up.” Jennings is happy to be back in Cali, though his next few weeks are booked with NBA workouts, television and radio appearances, press pop-ins and of course the requisite girl chasing, shopping and chillin’ with friends. He is young, having fun, and has a tremendously bright future ahead. Who can blame the kid for kicking it? For soaking it all in, enjoying the moments.

“I’m feeling the Kanye West movement. That’s the movement right there. He’s setting trends and always trying to be different but win too,” Jennings elaborates, essentially drawing similarities between his approach to basketball and West’s approach to music and fashion. “Some people just lack creativity. I’m not one of those people.” A prime example of Jennings’ creativity is his signature Under Armour clothing line - “Young Money”, which launched late in the summer: Everything from active wear and leisure apparel to signature Brandon Jennings kicks. “I’m involved so of course it’s gonna be fresh,” Jennings laughs. “It’s gone be hot fasho.”

Brandon Jennings is the classiest young man I’ve ever met. He is gregarious, conversant, fun-loving. Qualities that will unquestionably compliment his on court ability, giving it the star quality the greatest athletes possess. Although Jennings grew up in Compton surrounded by gang activity, poverty, police corruption and under-funded public schools, he was raised by an immensely strong woman, his mother Alice. Jennings’ mother instilled honesty and truth, integrity, accountability and a love of self that strengthened the young man. He is well prepared for any challenge. Jennings was never distracted by Compton. Alice never allowed it. “Because of my mom, I have a different perspective of Compton. Good, strong people facing a lot of hard challenges. That’s Compton.” Jennings then expresses the importance of his mother; her fortitude – the young man she made showcasing the same intelligence, class and style he displays when competing.

“Everything happens for a reason. My father’s absence made my mother stronger,” Jennings begins, sharing deeply personal thoughts with a straight-faced ease and openness that is very uncommon for a 19-year-old. “She never allowed me to get involved in any of that kinda stuff. Gangs, running with the wrong crowd, doing bad in school. My mom didn’t play that,” he continues. “Plus, I’ve had a younger brother since I was in like first grade, so I was expected to be a role model for him. A leader because he looks up to me,” Jennings continues, concluding with a statement every young man can benefit from: “When you have a mother, especially a single mother who sacrificed everything to support you in your dreams. You can’t take her for granted. Gotta love moms.” I agree. And you gotta love a kid who knowingly accepts this as truth at such a young age. BJ3. Young Money. Whatever the moniker. Brandon Jennings is the truth. Now if I can only convince dude to show me around Barcelona.

BED-STUY STUDIES - Papoose Exclusive!

2009-10-09T14:01:00.001-07:00

PAPOOSE MAJORED IN HOOD POLITICS ON THE BLOCK IN BROOKLYN. HIS SENIOR PROJECT? CONSTRUCT THE NACIREMA DREAM. GRADUATION GIFT? $1.5MIL DEAL FROM JIVE RECORDS PLATINUM COATED DRIVE THROUGH (Project) WINDOW. FIRST JOB? REBUILD NEW YORK HIP HOP ONE LYRICAL ASSAULT AT A TIME.... AT LEAST, THAT WAS THE PLAN.

NOW AFTER BEING DROPPED FROM JIVE (AND WITH THE NEW YORK PENAL SYSTEM BOTTLING HIS REMY) CAN THE CROWNED MIXTAPE KING STILL RESURRECT NYC HIP HOP? OF COURSE! THE ULTIMATE COMEBACK STORY – AIN’T THAT THE NACIREMA DREAM?
The business, the bricks, Bed-Stuy project buildings and the New York Knicks. Papoose just landed in the midst of this convoluted mix a couple days ago, an inner-city distillery brewing with ubiquitous turmoil and unbelievable financial transactions. Heads slump posted up, backs against the wall, dwelling like ethnic gargoyles puffing peach-flavored blunts and washing the smoke down with peach-flavored Schnapps. Everything ain’t peachy though homie because - you know it’s funny - but the fellas are truly no more than a 10 minute power nap and 5-buck subway hop from Wall Street: Where the livest stock is exchanged. But their lives are headed in a different direction, so they don’t walk that paper route. They just stand here and puff, sip, curse and chill out until a cold summer freezes them to death.

Guess Papoose is the only cat who can wear the coat and keep a hand tucked in both pockets: one stuffed with concrete, the other consciousness. “I represent the educated thugs,” Papoose begins, his BK accent apparent from the first word. “That’s the whole concept of my organization and of my album. We building consciousness in the streets right now.”

The Nacirema Dream was arguably the most anticipated Hip Hop debut since The Game premiered in his own lyrical Documentary back in ‘05. But after signing the Brooklyn emcee to a colossal $1.5mil deal, the execs at Jive Rec forgot how to market NY Hip Hop, dropping the artist from the label early last year. No matter, Papoose remains focused on his immediate future and the prospects for success. Undaunted by the weight the label would have liked the world to rest on his shoulders, Pap is actually more excited about not keeping that world waiting. That Jive talk ain't change nothin'. “It’s no pressure at all, just a lot of opportunity. That’s all I see. Opportunity,” he states firmly. “If it was something I wasn’t good at, like golf or tennis, then maybe there would be nervousness. But hip hop music run in my blood. I am hip hop culture.”

Papoose was not escorted into the music industry. His father is not a record mogul, his mother is not an entertainment attorney, and his native settlement of Bedford Stuyvesant, though rich in Hip Hop history having Mos Definitely delivered some of the BIGgest artists we will every Jay-Z, didn’t offer much in the form of opportunities for success. Pap had to chart his own path and then march that uncharted territory alone. “My journey from my hood to where I am now…” he pauses, shaking his head as if reflecting on the path. “…overall it’s just too hard for us as underdogs. There isn’t enough opportunity. I had to fight for mine.”

And fight he did. The story of Pap waiting in the streets to initiate a chance meeting with mixtape kingpin/radio personality and Streetsweepers Entertainment CEO DJ Kay Slay to exit his NY offices after a session, all in hopes of handing brotha a demo, his contacts, and the firm promise that he was next, is now urban folklore. A story remixed, repeated (and likely recycled) so many times that Pap should be receiving royalty checks from his hustles reuse. “We can’t always claim our destiny because a lotta times we get knocked off track, lose our balance, and fail to move forward.” Papoose’s moves were fueled on willpower.

Pap is noted for his lyricism. Certainly, he possesses all the metaphorical twists, syntactical turns, and bluntly nonchalant downshifts mastered by the greats he studied - from G-Rap to BD Kane - but the kid from Brooklyn possesses a style even more celebrated for its content and explanatory structure. “I read and incorporate current events into my songs, so my concepts are more organized,” he details. “As emcees we have to educate and inform the people and each other.”

The now legendary Law Library series - which ushered in a stunning mixtape collection from Papoose now numbered in the 20’s - breaks down the hidden flaws in the judicial system. The songs are constructed to caution listeners on ways to avoid the common pits the charged but not-yet convicted inner-city resident typically falls into, particularly those of us misrepresented by a public defender. “Being observant and understanding the legal system could be the difference between doing two or 10 years,” he states, the importance jurist prudence holds to Pap clearly recognizable. “My understanding of the penal code made me want to spread the word. I got a lotta people in the penal system that I help. Others I’ve helped avoid incarceration altogether. Growing up in the hood, seeing people go to jail, never come back…” he pauses, allowing the informative drink he just poured settle before adding another life sentence as a garnish. “…Based on the judicial system your rights as a citizen are hidden. I talk about it. Put it out there so the people can hear it. Know they rights to a large extent.”

Part street lawyer, part hustler, part social capitalist (think Magic Johnson not Bill Gates), part style trendsetter, and part alleyway thug, Papoose is a complex personality. In conversation as in the sound booth, his message is delivered with a directed intensity that bespeaks a business approach to all things beyond his immediate circle. In comparison to other Brooklyn emcees – a comparative segue that will likely always follow the mention of his name in barbershop/pool hall/office park conversations - Papoose is more standout than fit-in amongst his native elite. More confluence than influenced. You hear traces of BIG’s nonchalance, Jay’s capitalism, Mos’ allegiance to BK, even Kweli’s penchant for informing the people is heard in Pap’s work. The difference? Papoose will compile all ingredients in one black melting pot then season it with his own tastes.

Lyrical example: On the Cali-flavored, Scott Storch-produced “Bang It Out” (the first single from Nacirema prior to the artist leaving Jive) - featuring Snoop Dogg - Pap spits: “This is a busy town/Kind-a like Miami/I might lock it down…. Pinky Ring and Bracelet /Kind-a loud/I gotta lotta jewels/‘cause I gotta lotta style…. Before I Got here my homie was on trial/Walked in the court/The jurors was like ‘Wow’/The best of both worlds is a kilo and a pound/In case I gotta bang I’m toting the .40 cal”.

Here's a BK comparative analysis
The in-rhyming (gotta-lotta) and repetitive usage (kind-a used 2x) are the products of strong writing and poetical nuance, ala Def or Kweli. The flashy references to jewelry and a stylish, somewhat envy-breeding public presence speak to Hov's acknowledgment of an urban-bred youth’s need for immediate gratification. That’s a common inner-city wish. Like stic.man from Dead Prez explained – “in New York the average person can’t afford a car or a house. Nice clothes and jewelry are the main ways to promote your value.” Moreover, Papoose’s dual ability and willingness to combine the offsetting ideas of leisurely travel and the enterprising possibilities of locking down a city, all while forecasting that such success ostensibly breeds hate, hence the violence associated in needing his pistol, speaks to BIG’s neolistic-realism, neo-Mafioso cinema, and “mo money, mo problems” philosophy. Finally, the fact that Pap is riding a super-producers track alongside a west coast vet in Snoop, all while making certain to mention that his “homie was on trial” yet he walked in this secure, conservative, constitutional environment all hood and jeweled up? That’s all Pap: Ghetto militancy BK style.

If you were a music label executive, one in charge of Lupe Fiasco’s sophomore project, would you consider Lu’s debut a failure? Fiasco had a cosign and co-executive credits from Jay-Z, a solid marketing push from Atlantic Records, and the very single, “Kick Push”, that beget this whole download frenzy. Lupe was even awarded a Grammy. So, with that said, the idea that homie’s project failed to reach Gold status. Is that symbolic of failure? Papoose says hell no. “I’ma be 100% real with you. I came up looking at Hip Hop differently,” he begins, somewhat defensive in tone. “Kool G Rap, Busta Rhymes, Big Daddy Kane, and you can’t leave BIG and ‘Pac out. If you look at they first albums, they ain’t really sell no whole lotta albums,” Pap continues. “But they all set a platform for their careers by remaining consistent. So did Lupe. He ain’t fake to be no gangster or fake like he was rich,” Pap stops, his mannerisms indicating that he is done with the topic of this song, only to pic the mic back up and address ya’ll one last time. “The labels want you to base everything off sales. But you do that and you’re disrespecting the greats if you basing your whole career on sales. Illmatic ain’t go platinum at first. Jay first album ain’t either. But eventually, by both of them remaining consistent and constantly delivering that top product to the people, all they albums have been successful.”

The Nacirema Dream, the first official album from Papoose, has been pushed back more times than an OGeez hairline. Now the project is due to hit shelves and iTunes sometime in 2010. However, if you are a true Papoose fan, a true school follower of NYC Hip Hop (the lyrics), you have followed Pap’s all too official-album-level-mixtape grind since “Art & War” dropped back in early ’04. More recently, the artist has released the menacing “Build or Destroy”, “21 Gun Salute”, and “Military Grind” via his viral movement http://www.papooseonline.com/ – the one stop shop for all things Thugacation. That in addition to touring recently with 50 Cent.

The sales success of his mixtapes are indicative of a rap artist perfecting the indie route so many artists flirt with but never officially marry (or even date). Papoose set a new precedent for the independent game by packaging a higher quality product, including original production, thematic cutting-edge design, virally marketed music videos, and international availability via the worldwide web. Dude is smart. “When I go to LA, Miami, or if I’m overseas, in the malls and in the streets, people come to me and say ‘you bringin’ New York back’,” he shares. “I represent New York hip hop and I say that proudly. It’s an honor to carry the city with me wherever I go.”

When it’s all said and done, a torso-statue of Papoose will display in Hip Hop’s hall of fame, next to no one, just beside the points he’s made. Pap stands by his musical messages firmly. “I may or may not sell 11 million records, but I will change 11 million lives. In some way, my music, the message in my music will affect that many people,” Papoose predicts. “I want to spread knowledge of self to the world. And I want to make history. Those are my goals,” he continues. “With my albums you gone get lyricism in its biggest form. My albums are untouchable in Hip Hop around the world. I’m just coming from a different angle.”

MADDOX PARK - notes on T.I.

2009-10-06T12:03:00.000-07:00

THE STREETS. THE POLICE. PUSHIN’ WHITE. PUFFIN’ BLACKS. LOUD LIES. SILENT TRUTHS. STOIC STARES. PUBLIC TRIALS. PRIVATE ERRORS. INTERNAL CONFLICTS. GHETTO POLITICS. ALLIES, ENEMIES, ALLEYWAYS, HENNESSEY, TRAP MUZIKAL MILLIONS, MEDIA WITCHHUNTS AND THE CONCRETE CAULDRON THAT IS MADDOX PARK <<<~~>>> an essay by ToneSwep

Central to Marxist theory is the idea that we, the people, could create a perfect world by rearranging the means of production. Add to this the people’s power to redistribute the means of said production and market those goods and services to current and prospective clients and you arrive, fundamentally, at free trade. And on a micro level, equal opportunity.

If you are native to a developing country, one exporting coffee, sugar, bananas or cotton to a developed country (wealthy nation), free trade (or perhaps even Fair Trade) is your saving grace. However, if you’re from a lower-class, drug and violence infested American community like Bankhead – like T.I. –free trade is illegal. And fair trade doesn’t even exist. Ironically, those are your only ways out of the hood homie. Dope boys literally go from sportin’ rags to spendin’ riches via kitchen stove sole proprietorships. That’s instantly gratified social status melioration from hand-to-mouth to 4-bed-2-bath-half acre house for those of you following at home.Typically, this is an unrealistic deal to close unless you can conjure a grand scheme; a grand hustle. A great way to trade your harsh reality for happier times.

<<<~~>>>

To advance from proletariat (unskilled laborer) to bourgeoisie (the upper crust) in one generation is an almost absurd supposition. How hell we ‘pose do that shawty? Go from flat broke runnin’ from them folk to... living like actual human beings? Ain’t no way under the current system of Amex democracy: Where socialism is confused with communism on purpose – so the people feel that helping each other and themselves rather than entrusting a corrupt government to do so is wrong. Right? Beg. Borrow. Just don’t Bet on your own abilities to find a way out.

Unless you’re rapping, or selling drugs, or rappin’ ‘bout sellin' drugs. Now suddenly you own the means of production, marketing. You control distribution. You’re a decision maker, an oval officer. Your clientele – either dance or dope addicted – are the kind that don’t tell. And you, by adding rap music to the economic mix, have just extended Biggie Smalls classic line – “either you’re slangin’ crack rock/or you got a wicked jump shot... or can spit ghetto narratives like it ain’t no thang but a chicken wang.”

T.I., crowned king of the south soon after he spoke his own legend into existence, derives from this only-in-American bullshit. Bankhead is every ghetto. Tip’s struggle is every US citizen’s. It belongs to all of us. If Tip is indeed the poster boy for dirty south poverty, that poster most certainly hangs on all of our walls like strange fruit – at least until we can no longer afford the deed (or the lease is up).

So then his Grand Hustle is introduced. No, not “I’m Serious”, the record LaFace initially backed then backed off of, but “Trap Muzik” – his lawless response to every criminal case held in Bankhead Court, every impoverished family existing in a Bowen Home, and all the bouncin’, shoulder leanin’, rim ridin’ folk smashing through Maddox Park bumping “Be Easy” anthems. T.I. introduced the infested terrors of the Trap and it became and infectious term in southern hip hop. If only one reason is needed, then Trap Muzik is a classic for that reason alone.

T.I. introduced himself as a well spoken, muddy mouthed hood musician trapped in the gateway to the south’s most underachieving ghetto. 5-foot-8, skinny and stone-faced, Tip single handedly placed hardcore A-Town rap on the national map. This wasn’t Luda’s entertaining outrage or Big Boi’s tongue twisting tales of tough times buttressed by 3000’s eclectic brilliance. This wasn’t Jermaine Dupri kris crossing harmless acts like Da Brat and Bow Wow with jagged edges and young, fly, flashiness. Nor was it Goodie Mob’s soulful consciousness. And it sure as hell wasn’t TLC water falling or Usher starting a new relationship. This was different. Tip was different, or maybe a commoner with a different outlook, so his insights made a difference.

This was... Trap talk. Swamp cooler convo. Tip’s lyrics of focused fuck all ya’ll announced a new brand of hood hubris. A bravado backed Southeastern swag that seemed to affectively fuse Pimp C’s straight talk, ‘Face’s penmanship, and an aristocrat’s persuasive candor with N.W.A’s justifiable rage-that-hate-made anger. T.I.’s style was and remains a sort of “I could have been anything, but this is what you made me” statement that commands respect of the artist while inciting suspicion in the system he is rejecting.

He offered first person accounts of ghetto life in the inner-city south, specifically Atlanta’s raggedy ass Westside: Bankhead. This was 2003 and precisely what hip hop needed. An authentic voice. Any comparison’s insulting his intelligence.

T.I. is virtually incomparable since he is the first, and only, Hip Hop artist to merge legitimate emcee skills, a gangsta rap ethos and a quarter-pass-five-tilted A-Town cap into one lyrical lane. That said, this is ToneSwep and it is forever my point-blank aim to dispel myths and dispense game more so than please (or miss the point altogether). Here are two fearless comparisons between T.I. and a couple of your Fav5 rap artists.

T.I. - vs - LIL WAYNE

Since Wayne’s semi-rescent emergence as one of Hip Hop’s elite, the question is presented by the barbershop philosophers and rap analysts: Who is better – Lil Wayne or T.I.? Which is the true king of the south? Well, Tip for three reasons. 1) He stood on his own. Wayne arrived with Baby, Juve, BG, Turk, and the Cash Money millionaires. Tip showed up with an A-Town hat, a duffel bag filled with Toomp tracks and all four jean pockets stuffed with unforgivable arrogance. 2) For all his cleverness and verbal creativity ,Wayne lacks the topical tenacity and biopic offerings of T.I. Additionally, a posse of seasoned N.O. geez (again, Baby, Juve, BG, et al.) delivered Wayne into the rap world, standing as front men while Weezy honed his skills. Tip just arrived with a Bankhead delivery. No posse. No clique to speak of. No crew. 3) This argument lends itself to the Jay-Z vs. Biggie comparison, whereas Big had Puffy to double the swagger factor. Jay just arrived with a Brooklyn delivery. Edge to Tip the self-made millionaire.

T.I. - vs - LUDACRIS

T.I. is often compared to Luda. Not lyrically – Luda entered the game animated like, say, a Busta Rhymes. Free flowing about girls, clubs and college student carefree fun. Tip arrived snappin’ ‘bout guns and street funds. They do, however, rep the same A-Town, are close in age (Luda 32, T.I. 29) and run rap labels headquartered in Atlanta. And that’s where any comparison of the two should cease

Ludacris is an MCEO. A businessman. T.I. is an emcee being monitored by CO’s since May of this year, a one year sentence stemming from federal gun charges in early ‘08. Cris is also a college kid whose comedic crossover raps and non-threatening party starter persona are quickly embraced by mainstream society. Tip’s bragging about slangin’ dope in the hood, shooting guns in the hood, playing women and checking adversaries. Ain’t no jokes. Comparisons of T.I. to Luda are reminiscent of Jay-Z and Nas, where Hov is the shrewd business man and Nas the quintessential NY emcee. Same argument here. Although T.I. has definitely diversified his portfolio by starring in successful box office films (ATL, American Gangster), producing two reality series (Road to Redemption and Life on Marz), and investing in popular web channel streetcred.com. This alongside a host of local Atlanta business ventures in the service industry. Ludacris, by comparison, is one of the most successful label heads in rap, his DTP reportedly disturbing another piece of Island Def Jam’s bread pie. Edge to Tip the emcee. Edge to Luda the CEO.

HALL OF PAIN

Does poverty, pain, and poetry equal emcee? If so, T.I. rounds out a fearless five in raps hall of fame alongside Biggie, Makaveli, Hov, and Shady. They’ve mastered the ceremonies surrounding deeply introspective portrayals of the ills and blood spills in their respective regions. These five cover the nation: Biggie and Hov Brooklyn, Makaveli’s Cali, Shady’s Motown, Tip’s A-Town.

T.I. is all swagger factor and stoic stare, but for all the criticism surrounding his one perceived weakness – an inability to leave the block for Broadway, to abandon his hustle mentality for Hollywood handshakes – the others on this list have struggled in this area as well. Street life is the life they know and flow about. Not so much gangsta gun toting gambinos as suffering intellectuals amid the American quicksand where for every one man’s come up is at least one others downfall. Still believe the tradeoff is Fair or Free?

Let’s hope T.I.’s multi-platinum “Paper Trail”, which began in Bankhead fasho, extends to Buckhead and beyond to Bangkok and other bankdrops where the currency changes but still exchanges when his name is dropped. Let’s hope the project was enough to satisfy his street dreams and his fans’ need for newly minted street credibility.

He’s too good an emcee, too authentic a voice and presence in Hip Hop culture, to go out any other way. For in today’s fickle climate of unforgiving, forgetful fans, it is truly every D boy for himself. The people will sing along to your catchy hooks, read your feature stories and cop your CD that first week when its on sale for a paltry 10 bucks. But when and if your shit hits the fan, they’ll turn their backs, move on to the next hot rapper from your town and bury your memory a G – somewhere near Maddox Park.

GUITAR HERO - notes on Jimi Hendrix

2009-10-05T13:50:00.000-07:00

Is It Tomorrow... or Just the End of Time?

Wednesday. October 16^th.1968. Mexico City. Mid-morning. US sprinter Tommie Smith won an Olympic gold medal for his then-world-record setting run of 19.83 in the 200 meter race. US sprinter John Carlos, Smith’s classmate and teammate at San Jose State University, placed third at 20.10 seconds. Both sprinters raised a black-leather-glove-covered fist as a Power to the People salute. The 60’s protested like this.

Later that same morning of 10/16/68, a 25-year-old Jimi Hendrix would release his third and final studio album, the sole #1 album of his career – “Electric Ladyland”. The 60’s sounded like this.

Six months earlier, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. The 60’s was plagued by racial tragedy like this.

<<<x>>>

Tupac Shakur was born 20 months later, to the day, on June 16, 1971. The 60’s beget child rebel soldiers like this.

The Vietman Conflict would not cease fire, despite widespread global anti-war protest, for another 7 years. The 60’s lived to die at war like this.

35 years later, Rolling Stone magazine would name Hendrix the #1 guitarist of All-Time on a list of 100. The 21^st Century still pays homage to the 60’s like this.

Jimi Hendrix, raised James Marshall Hendrix in Seattle, Washington, was of Caucasian, Native Indian, and Black American descent and, thus, lived as a walking, breathing, songwriting embodiment of multi-racial American culture and politics as expressed through audio-visual art.

His music can possibly be defined as guitar string motivated, hypnotically performed, sonically choreographed poetry as colorful in phrase and focus as its pro-creator, Hendrix. Studied across genres: from his art-imitates-lifestyle to his demanding creative control over his magnum opus Electric Ladyland to his request to select his own album cover art to his global pop appeal, Hendrix inspired Frank Zappa, Rick James, Prince, Lenny Kravitz, Carlos Santana and many other greats.

Hendrix was, all at once and in a monumental hurry, James Dean; on stage, off screen and equally as iconic to his own generation. Hendrix was, at times and when so moved, Langston Hughes in song and sequential explanation of how the movement appeared Live! Hendrix remains, to most anyone you pose the inquiry, a vastly important figure in populist culture.

What is the legend of Jimi Hendrix? Is he the most visible, creatively exacting poster child of the most controversial era in modern American history, the 60’s? Plausibly so, though to place Hendrix in that categorical cage would leave a free-spirited Man of music encumbered and burdened; unhappy. I would venture to say that Hendrix is grand, but imperfect, making him human. A flawed hero who overdosed on the era he rocked to represent: The high rollin’ 60’s. I wish only to extend a handshake of appreciation, respect, gratitude, and awe-laced disbelief to Hendrix for lifting the guitar as a youth, for perfecting his craft, for raising future generations of rockers, and for Woodstock ‘69. Excuse me while I kiss the sky for this guy. Stay up, Jimi. Stay all the way up there brother. Don’t ever step down from cloud If 6 Was 9.

BIG ELOQUENCE - notes on Harlem legend BIG L

2009-10-01T12:09:00.000-07:00

HE WASN’T POLISHED. HE WASN’T COMMERCIAL. HE DIDN’T HAVE A 7-FIGURE MUSIC VIDEO, A 6-FIGURE ALBUM BUDGET, A 5-BEDROOM CRIB WITH 4 EURO WHIPS IN THE GARAGE. HE DIDN’T HAVE 3 HOODRATS FLANKED ALL OVER HIM IN HIS EVERY PHOTO OP, HE NEVER MADE 2 EXCUSES FOR BEING SO UNMISTAKABLY BRILLIANT AN EMCEE AND HE NEVER LOST A BATTLE. NOT 1.

WHAT BIG L DID POSSESS, IN AWE-INSPIRING, CREATIVELY DOMINANT, NOW LEGENDARY ABUNDANCE, WAS EVERYTHING ELSE. ALL THINGS GOD-GIVEN: DEAD AT ONLY 24-YEARS-OLD, AT LEAST A DECADE PRIOR TO HIS PRIME, BIG L SEWED SITCOM WIT AND GRIOT WISDOM TO DOWN-N-DIRTY STREET SHIT AND UPTOWN FASHION SENSE.

HE WAS THE TRUTH. HE WAS TAKEN. TONE SWEP TAKES A LOOK AT THE GREATEST RAP PURIST OF ALL-TIME. BIG L

“The poor man looks at God’s world differently” - wrote 19^th Century Russian essayist and philosopher Fyodor Dostoevsky. And, in the author’s defense, I too, would consider this axiomatic statement to be universal truth were we applying that logic to any urban artist other than BIG L. Harlem World’s finest homegrown MC is the greatest pure lyricist in Hip Hop history, a distinction that required so much God given talent that Shatan himself is most certainly jealous. Given this, the fact that BIG L was supposed to Be, I wouldn’t think his being planted in the same melting pot with Hip Hop’s origins were to his disliking. The greats need to be from it, in it. In order to truly be of it.

BIG L did not look at God’s world differently. Honestly, I don’t think he caught more than a glimpse, never took a second look at mother earth’s lying ass. Most rappers get in it for the rim and chain fame. L was in it to reign and change the game.

The kid had a poker face. Didn’t look at you and didn’t look past you. L looked to you, if only for a legitimate explanation for your presence in the cipher. "Why are you here? Don't you know who I am?" his stare seemed to suggest. He never stuttered. Never stumbled. Never saw a battle rapper who didn’t look like lunch. “I started winning rap contests and battling everybody in my ‘hood and roastin’ em,” remarked Big L. And this hood, Harlem, housed fellow emcees such as Cam’Ron and Mase, Big Pun, artists as respected for their rap skills as for their grind to gain entrée into the industry. L was in elite company and fit right in.

The rap habits and hustle weren’t high tech. Wasn’t no Myspace in ’97, homie. Steve Jobs hadn’t awakened in the middle of his sleep, sweating iTune ideology and music business collapse dual-takeover bullets just yet. BIG L wasn’t even a mixtape artist. BIG L was official. As a high school junior he was discovered by Showbiz and Finesse, founders of the D.I.T.C. clique, a rap collective that included Fat Joe. Though D.I.T.C. remained an underground rap group, selling independent albums and hosting shows in the Tri-State area, BIG L’s remarkable talent and ability caught the attention of record executives at Def Jam and Columbia Records. Having enjoyed crossover success with Queensbridge MC, Nas, a friend of BIG L’s, Columbia offered L the best deal, signing the Harlem emcee in ’94.

The next year BIG L dropped the widely respected Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous, a 12 song warning to every veteran and rap fan alike that the game’s rookie of the year was working on his Hook shots, practicing his Crossovers, and learning to Defend his position in the game. Lifestylez introduced then little known NYC rappers Jay-Z and Cam’Ron to mainstream rap audiences. Though the album was fairly well budgeted, Columbia spent little time, energy or aegis directing the project, opting to let BIG L’s unmatched street cred and widespread cypher reputation do all the selling. As a result, the album moved just over 300,000 copies on the strength of L’s New York City word of mouth marketing, two low-budget videos, and four street singles: Put it On, Danger Zone, MVP, and Street Struck.

“The album sold pretty good. It did well, extremely well when you take into account that it didn't get much airplay or video play but peoples still sent out and supported it,” L said in an interview with Hip Hop Connection. “If you took the promotion and video play away from some other artists, they couldn't sell what I sold. It sold just by word of mouth. People were like, ‘Big L is hot, we like him’, not because the label put me out there or supported me.”

L knew he had the fan support of the streets and rap purists. What BIG L needed was backing. A corporate belief system. Brothaz in the boardroom. He needed… Roc-A-Fella, perhaps? Dame and Jay were a week away. “… he had just made a record called Ebonics a week before he passed,” remembers Jay-Z. “We were going to sign him the following week.”

He was betrayed. Murdered violently, maliciously, at the turn of the 21^st Century. A year before the release of his highly anticipated follow up to Lifestylez, the posthumously Gold-certified The Big Picture. Just three months shy of his 25^th birthday, a mere week before signing with Hip Hop juggernaut Roc-A-Fella Records, with Jay, Dame and Biggs at the helm. Listening to classic BIG L songs like Ebonics, Flamboyant, The Heist, The Enemy, and especially the cinematic Casualties of a Dice Game, one can only imagine how L’s concept poetry would have rapped over the Roc’s then in-house (or down with the house) production crew at Roc-A-Fella Rec. The MPC dream team that worked on Jay’s classic Blueprint ('01) - Kanye West, Just Blaze, Poke & Tone, Timbaland, Bink, and Eminem.

But this wasn’t to be. BIG L, born Lamont Coleman in Harlem, was shot and killed, allegedly by a lifelong friend of the family: A man drunken off jealousy, revenge, and too many more of the seven deadly sins to name. As such, Hip Hop was robbed at gunpoint of the most innately talented rapper ever. The Kevin Garnett of Hip Hop. L went from high school straight to the league, swinging from one NYC borough to another like some DJ Premier-influenced Black Spiderman just to battle upstarts and further his reputation for lyrical kingship.

BIG L never turned down a battle; never lost one once he showed up. He never missed. Hip Hop missed out when the streets took the big picture – away.

UPPER CLASSMENTALITY - Clipse Exclusive! (Q&A)

2009-09-25T13:48:00.000-07:00

THEIR UNLIMITED PARTNERSHIP WAS CEMENTED OVER 30 YEARS AGO – IN THE THORNTON HOUSEHOLD – DECADES BEFORE THE RAP MONEY AND OUTER-PLANETARY NEPTUNES SOUND ARRIVED. MALICE AND PUSHA T, KNOWN WORLDWIDE AS THE CLIPSE, STOPPED BY TO DISCUSS PLAY CLOTHS, STIMULUS MONEY, MIKE VICK’S RAW DEAL, AND WHY BROTHERHOOD ALWAYS COMES BEFORE BUSINESS. AND THAT’S ‘TILL THE CASKET DROPS

(TS)
You cats have a brand new house. Columbia Records. How thangs over at Rick Rubin's?

(CL: Clipse collectively)
Good times. These are great times right now. Everybody [at the label] seems to be working diligently to make it happen. Our singles are out, photo shoots, interviews, videos. All things are aligned. These are just really good days for us. It feels like the Lord Willin’ days. When the label was really and truly excited to get the Clipse music out there.

(TS)
In previous interviews you stated that the Clipse are the last of the Mohicans. How so?

<<<{}>>>

(CL)
As far as the level of lyric driven Hip Hop. The lyricism and focus on the fundamentals of Hip Hop. Truthfully, I don’t know any other approach. This is how I make Hip Hop music. How I’ve always made it. By focusing on the lyrics.

(TS)
There are a ton of heavy hitting producers on ‘Till The Casket Drops. DJ Khalil, The Hitmen. The Neptunes. Can we expect a different Clipse sound on this project?

(CL)
This album, I think, has the same synergy and cohesiveness. Khalil… really all the producers brought their own level of raw energy and aggression. And then when we worked with the Neptunes. Their unorthodox originality to go along with the energy they bring is why it gets amazing. <<<{}>>>

(TS)
Clipse hit the scene around 2000, at the turn of the century. When lyrics and success were at a premium; when competition was present to push you two. What drives you now? You’ve accomplished hit songs, records, and money already. You've achieved success.

(CL)
I think it’s just our love for Hip Hop. Our dedication to the music. I don’t know any other way to step in.

(TS)
The current economic downturn, Barack’s stimulus plan, and rampant unemployment have been the hottest topics in America all year. What’s your take on the politics in these times?

(CL)
Well, you know… The economy is affecting everyone. One way or another you are affected by this. And I think at first everyone was shocked. It kind of caught them off guard like - “I lost my job. And now you’re telling me that there aren’t ANY new jobs?” – But at the same time, it is now time to stop complaining and start rebuilding. Find a new hustle or change your current hustle. Time to change. To evolve with the times.

(TS)
Michael Vick is one of VA’s native sons, just like Clipse. What are your thoughts on all the attention he received regarding the dog fighting charges, incarceration. The time he was forced away from the NFL and so on?

(CL)
Of course it was overblown. Of course Mike Vick should never have been in jail in the first place. Of course he shouldn’t be playing his first regular season game in two years this Sunday. There are people, some celebrities and some not, that have done way more heinous things than what Vick did. And many of them walked. But I’m glad to see that Michael Vick is back in an NFL uniform. I’ma always support the home team. Virginia.

(TS)
Play Cloths has really taken off as a brand. Talk a little about stepping into that role as couturiers and brand owners. How is life as lifestyle brand executives?

(CL)
Four seasons. Four sellouts. Our one year anniversary is coming up, in October. I’m in Atlanta right now for a collaboration with Wish (www.wishatl.com) to showcase our line here in the A. And we have a Play Cloths/G Shock watch coming soon. So, you know, things are good. Business is good. Play Cloths is not a fad. It’s here to stay.

(TS)
I’ve been following Hip Hop for a long time; seen so many groups and duos come and go. The money. The power struggles. The ladies. Creative business differences. Something always gets in the way. How have the Clipse been able to maintain such a strong tie? Never heard of a fallout between you two.

(CL)
We are brothers [laughs]. For real, we are brothers. We have the same father. The same mother. We can't disband. It would not be allowed. And we ain’t never shared no women. And we’ve always made our own money. Even though we’re a group and we are in business together, we split everything down the middle. There has never been any reason for us to be at odds. It will never happen. We are brothers for life.

<<<{}>>>

(TS)
You cats record, tour, work constantly. Does that leave time for Malice and Pusha T to sometimes just be Gene and Terrence? The Thornton brothers that grew up playing pick-up ball or tossing the football in the yard?

(CL)
I think we definitely allow room for that. I’ve never considered myself to be in this industry. Not in the way that some rappers are. My life is an open book. You can look at my life and you wouldn’t know that I’m a rapper. Or that I rap. We live in Virginia. We don’t live in New York, or Miami, or Atlanta. There is a lot, a whole lot, going on in our lives away from the rap game. Away from the music industry. Our lives are real.

(TS)
Any expectations for ‘Till The Casket Drops?

(CL)
I don’t really have expectations. Not sales-wise. I don’t set them. I heard Fab [Fabolous] say the other day – “Record sales aren’t the criterion for my album. The effect my album has on the industry is the criterion”. I thought that was real coming from Fab. He’s an artist who always does platinum numbers.

(TS)
And Hip Hop?

(CL)
Hip Hop needs to follow the Rock and Roll business model. Record a great album, put it out, then just tour everywhere doing shows. Pubs, clubs, bars, stadiums, wherever there are fans to support you. Look at the Rolling Stones. They aren’t concerned about putting out another album. But I bet you can look in the back of a USA Today and you’ll see that they just did a tour. And that their tour made them $57million or some crazy number. And that is because the Rolling Stones are working. It’s time to earn your album. Earn your fans. Earn your place in the game.

www.playcloths.com

www.clipseonline.com

VITAL SIGNS - notes on Wale & J. Cole

2009-09-23T14:35:00.000-07:00

Okay so, I will admit. My paragraphs are pricey, but not over-priced. I don't bartend, pretend to blend in, club or drink at the bar - so don't card me/just leave your facade where your car is parked, and bring a charge card so you can afford me. Wait, that sounded sorta capitalist. Wait (again), my rent is due - so I sorta don't care. capitalize That.

You see, I'm for price-tagging whatever the market will bare and, even in a bear market, my signature brand of bare-your-soul artist marketing is deemed urbane exclusive. I don't need the industry, the inner-city is with me/but I was happy to hear Whitney rekindle her soulful chemistry. Yeah, from that Songs of Freedom button up all the way down to the soles of those Carmelo-blue kick backs, I dress the truth like it's stuffed in a turkey on the last Thursday in November. Give thanks.

eSpeaking of thanks... In lieu of every Hip Hop is Dead themed maniesto toxically secondhand smoking its way through the lungs of our illogical blogosphere, I gotta admit (my 2nd admission) that two cutting edge artists forever in pursuit of lyrical happyness are present to FedEx the envelope when everyone else seems to be just snail mailing it: Wale and J. Cole. Let them forward your mail from fad-rap to Hip Hopeful. The best way to pay homage to the past is to make the future your new home page.

Honestly, both Wale and J. Cole are damn good. Need proof? Listen to "Beautiful Bliss", available on Wale's stellar debut Attention: Deficit (drops November 3rd). Bliss isn't a street single per se, only a singular example of how talent, character and musicianship out weigh label training, pr packaging, and a fly-for-dummies ad campaign. Any day (or night) of the week (or weekend) a true artist can take a blank canvass and produce art. The industry machine, conversely, cannot take a blank canvass and produce a true artist. Hip Hop has been weakend by those who only work weekends. Wale and J. Cole appear to be on that 25/8/366 grind that made rap special.

The game definitely needs J. Cole. A laidback Nawf cack-a-Lack rapper with factual information, rabid imagination, and relatable circumstances stuffed in his delivery satchel like a Dew Tour paperboy saddled on a Mongoose tossing metaphors at a pro tools screen - always ramped up.

Wale is another story altogether. In fact, his story may easily make Hip Hop history simply by using his futuristic presence to assure the genre remains present. Wale is Hip Hop's insurance policy. If Jay-Z is Aflac in all black for a whole year, Wale is AIG, the colorful D.C. pioneer.

Come here. I want to share something with you; let you in on a lil' secret. I promise I won't even charge you this time (fingers crossed, hers are too). With Lupe Fiasco, The Game, Wayne, Drake, Soulja, Glasses, Wale, J. Cole, Cool Kids and a small collection of rap-obsessed under-30-somethings releasing ultra creative projects in the next six months, there is absolutely no way that Hip Hop music, culture, marketing or the resulting trendsetting (and following) is dead. Hip Hop lives. Wale and J. Cole are two Vital Signs verifying rap music's pulse rate, body temperature, and respiration are all on pace. No hesitation.

The homies grandmother used to profess this in-house axiom; she'd say "Hate is the absence of Love". Truth to that. Of course, we all have grown to understand that hate and love are also symbiotically intertwined. They own and owe, and thus are, each other. One cannot exist without the other. Here's a love-hate haiku: hate/the commode love shits in. the ocean axis her world spins within. Hip Hop is love. Don't hate. Don't spin that shit. Every time a new name drops, ya'll name drop, pull out the red signs that yell Stop! All in an effort to hault the evolution of the solution. J. Cole got next like Mark Sanchez. Wale got now like Eli Manning. I own more football analogies than Stuart Scott and I'm about to fashion cop that new Porsche Panamera (wait, can I put it on your moms insurance?).

Attention: Deficit has some vitally important moments. Wale's content ranges in reminiscence from Esco's "Black Girl Lost" to Hov's "Never Change". J. Cole arrived in rap like Coca Cola, soap box cocaine on a cracked mirror - so his lines will headline every inhaler, raise their awareness, then leave them hung over: addicted to the diction like Webster's in the reference section at Barnes & Noble. And before I smash off, I'll express to you the fundamental difference between me and your 2nd favorite writer:

They're in it for the Fame. I pen in it for the Fortune. Their actions attract the wrong acclaim. Left jaded and drained by their misfortunes. They just want to be seen and seem important, but I never see them on the scene/ not even in a portrait. Here/ I'll case-in-point it: I was in LA - all day - yesterday. We ate at the same time/ same place/ according to their Twitter page. Now, I don't know how much their baby-sitter's paid. I had the fresh ceasar with a steak. Guest list was never messed with/ perhaps they named the wrong place. In that case, my mistake.

CAN'T STAND WHAT WE'VE FALLEN FOR - Notes on Tupac Shakur

2009-09-12T14:05:00.000-07:00

TUPAC SHAKUR DIED FOR WHAT HE STOOD FOR. DOWN TO RIDE IN SEARCH OF WHAT HE WAS LOOKIN’ FOR. ARE YOU LIVIN’ OFF WHAT YOU FELL FOR? WELL DON’T-CHU FEEL POOR? KNOWIN’ THAT YOU'RE A SELF-PIMPED CURB CULTURE WHORE. 2PAC KICKED IN THE DOOR. WHY YOU STANDIN’ IN THE CORRIDOR?

WHAT I’M SAYIN IS WE WAISTIN’ CHIT. TALKIN’ LOUD AIN’T SAYIN’ CHIT. DRAWIN’ CROWDS AIN’T PAINTIN’ CHIT. BAD CREDIT AIN’T PAID FOR CHIT. PROMOTED FROM THE SLAVE SHIPS ONLY TO SETTLE FOR GHETTO HOOD SETTLEMENTS. NOW WITH CAR NOTES AND RENT AND CHIT. PEOPLE CAN BARELY RAISE THEIR KIDS AND CHIT.

WE USED TO RAISE OUR FISTS AND FIGHT FOR THIS. STAY PISSED AND RIP THE STAGE FOR THIS. READ, WRITE & POOL STICK. RHYME, FIGHT & POLITIC. NOW WE SING SIN AND THIN GIN. NOW WE JUST JAZZ JUNE. 2PAC KNEW WE AIN’T REAL COOL. DAMN THAT DUDE DIED TOO SOON.

>>>>{}<<<<

There isn’t much about Tupac Amaru Shakur that hasn’t been covered in the decade following his murder. In death, his life has been elevated to a level of veneration, mainly by a worldwide contingent of allegiant followers and an industry eager to capitalize off of his undying presence and free flowing influence. And while several rap artists have emerged attempting to sound, almost parasitically, like Pac; all of those Pac offspring have since run-off into the mainstream. They have come and gone. No one who truly captures the essence of his music and message has made a major impact on the rap game in the same way 'Pac did. In this day and age in the music industry, rare the rapper would even attempt such a feat. If you claim to be picking up where Tupac left off, you ultimately have to deliver. I haven’t received anything yet. Not even a tracking number.

Tupac was known to make prolific social music, which is why it’s not surprising a legitimate heir has yet to emerge on the scene from his lyrical line. Is it because 'Pac himself was so great? Is it because artists today don’t make music for the same reasons 'Pac did? His music was timeless, memorable and undeniably filled with the contrasts of passion and pain.

In 'Pac’s time no one could imagine a conscious west coast rapper. In fact, just the word “conscious” alone can be considered a music industry no-no. Consciousness, it is argued, alienates fans, restricts the marketing planners and negatively effects sales in a get money era of record making. Being conscious or, to threaten further by succinctly defining “consciousness”: influencing the ethnic masses to question their governing infrastructure and self-study the arts, sciences, mathematics, and religions all, in effect developing a strengthened, universal understanding of themselves, everyone around them, and the world they all share – doesn’t exactly add up to major record sales.

Present day artists thrive on the ability to move units, but few are able to obtain that much less laudable goal in the industry, to pour what’s raw and what’s real into what rhymes and create a song. No longer do they toil to etch their emotions into art. This is the exclusive reason their voices, their sound, doesn’t resonate with anyone, anywhere, who hears it. This is what 'Pac did with his music and as a result he sold more than 50 million albums worldwide. Homies now are fortunate to go Gold tooth.

It is because of this common phenomenon in the rap game that we are left with senseless studio gangstas whose penitentiary preaching’s don’t originate in the pen at all. They exist only with the pen, as in ink pen, that’s if today’s rhymes are being written at all. Their lyrics often do more to berate our people than to uplift them. Tupac understood the prophet was not excused from the prison and took some of the most negative moments in his life and spun them into poetry and social commentary that spoke volumes on the ills of the world. It is for this reason and this reason only that 'Pac is the only artist ever to have an album at number one on the Billboard 100 while serving a prison sentence.

He was able to do this as he accepted his position and his role as a teacher first. He battled for the opportunity to speak his lessons and truths through music. 'Pac allowed his greatest anxieties, hopes, joys, setbacks and profoundly darkest moments to play out via the tracks he released on each album. In exchange for unbridled honesty in his art, the world distorted his image into that of only a hoodlum, a thug, and an animal instead of a griot, socio-cultural savior and a sage. 'Pac was a thug yes. But the "Thug Life" he barked aloud and embattled alone - with such brilliant aesthetic defiance -was but one single sheet from the scroll of Tupac Shakur. Tormented but never torn; forever spoken in his sacred sanskrit. The man was a book comprised of a thousand pages. 2Pac and The Source were hip hop’s bibles.

What 'Pac did with his music is bring a much needed message. A positive omen of what Hip Hop desperately needed (and still needs). Music that in the end united urban ethnic groups, bridged music critics with club hoppers, and built truth on an American foundation of lies by speaking from the heart about the human experience. This was Latifah’s U-N-I-T-Y on some globe trottin’ gangsta shit.

>>>>{}<<<<

'Pac firmly stated that black men, however wrong-right-violent-flawed-riotous-or-self-righteous, are human. And were not being justly acknowledged as human beings. And he considered this a crime. And the criminals were not being punished. And sometimes we, each and every one of us, were the criminals. And other times we played the victims. And 'Pac was strongly suggesting that we stop sitting and watching the political stage play, get on stage, and play our parts.

'Pac was, if arguably nothing less, a black man at odds with American ideals, American history, and the direction America is headed in. This largely because America, in Tupac Shakur's 20th century era and since, exists in denial. So do many of its citizens. Still, we’re not all bad. Still, it ain’t all good. Stop pretending. Stop all the wasteful spending. Start bumpin’ that 'Pac in your ride. Ride 'till you die. Holla if ya heard that shit!

SOURCE: Includes a reinterpretation of “We Real Cool”, from The Bean Eaters by Gwendolyn Brooks. Published by Harpers © 1960 by Gwendolyn Brooks. All rights reserved. "Can't Stand What We've Fallen For" an essay written by ToneSwep. Published by UNDERTONE Global/SIX13 © 2008 by ToneSwep. All rights reserved.

COME FLY WITH ME - Theotis Beasley + Nike SB Exclusive!

2009-09-12T10:55:00.000-07:00

Cool, calm, and collecting sponsors like kid brothers collect comic books. Theotis Beasley is the fASTEST rising star in THE NIKE SB kick push galaxy.

THEOTIS BEASLEY is a sky rider who skates with more style and skill than most. Ironically, what is most authentically refreshing about the Morningside High senior has nothing to do with his signature Baker board or surname-tagged SB Dunks (innovation kitchen cookin’ them BeasleySB signature kicks up right now). No, the dopest thing about Beastly - the flyest aspect of his character - is that he doesn't do drugs, thug, or mean mug; that he's grounded.

Theotis is easily the coolest, most easy going and kind natured Gen-Y reppin’ shredder you will ever know.

In short, he’s grounded. Of course, you’d think that even the mellow man Theotis - or “Be Easy”, a moniker I often reference him by - would find it difficult to maintain his footing when his hometown of Inglewood is registering 4.0 on the Richter scale. But even an earthquake can’t rattle this kid. He’s too devoted to being focused; too fearless to allow mother earth to speed up his father time. Homie has his own pace. “Yeah, we had a little shake-up today. A little quake or what have you, just a little one” he says, spoken like a true Cali native. “Two days ago we had a bigger one. But no biggie. I went home after. The key still fit in the door.”

Theotis grew up in Inglewood, near Jesse Owens Park. He made a name for himself like a local trap-rapper gains freestyle fame – by always being on the skate scene and being known locally as one of the best at what he does. His surrounding environment was rough, gang-riddled; impoverished. Theotis used skateboarding as a means of remaining positive. He began skating when he was 10, a 5^th grader, and has been headed forward towards an identified goal ever sense.

“Living in the ghetto, you have to find something positive to cling to. You don’t want your life to always be that way, so you try to make something of it,” he says. “Grab something to believe in, something that motivates you to stay out of trouble,” he continues, giving advice with a maturity well beyond his 18 years. “I grabbed a skateboard.”

Theotis has a list of sponsors that reads like the back of an all-star athlete’s Topps card – Nike, Vitamin Water, Active – but it was his chance encounter with Baker Skateboard founder and Hollywood thrash legend Andrew Reynolds that altered the surface this charismatic kid skates on. “I skate at Hawthorne [skate park] a lot. Compton Skate Park. Wilshire 10. P-Rod’s,” Theotis begins. “I was skating at Hawthorne and Drew stepped to me. Asked for my address. Later he stopped by and asked me to skate with his Baker crew. I showed and proved. We’ve been down since then.”

Though he hails from LA County where gangsta rap legends like Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Eazy E, MC Ren, King Tee, and DJ Quik paved the rap industry roads smooth for the current set of G’z such as Nipsey Hu$$le, Jay Rock, Roccett, Glasses Malone and especially The Game to honor roll on, Theotis’ Hip Hop tastes point more towards the Southside of things. As in, south of the Mason Dixon line. Wayne’s “Carter III”, Rick Ross’ “Deeper Than Rap”, Jeezy’s “Recession”, and T.I.’s “Paper Trail” are the main rap albums he iPod’s too on the daily. “It changed up. Switched up from East-West to South mainly,” he says. “But I don’t have to listen to West Coast [rap] that much. I live that already. I live what others are entertained by but aren’t really familiar with,” he continues. “Gangsta rap lyrics are home to me.”

His signing to Nike’s official skateboard division, Nike SB, had the net buzzing for months. Theotis’ warm web “Welcome” on the Nike SB home site generated thousands of hits and registered even more Google searches. The people are checking for Theotis Beasley, and with good reason. He is by all accounts the perfect role model for any young kid coming up: Driven, goal-oriented, appreciative of his gift and possessing the work ethic to maximize his given talents.

Too often, phenoms in any sport, from B-Ball to Boarding, have the talent to allow their professional arrival, but not the character and mental toughness to claim residence. They have amateur attitudes. Not the case with Theotis. “Having a nice attitude will take you far in life,” he shares, again speaking with a wisdom that belies his 18 years. “When you’re positive and fun to be around, a good person in general, gifts will come out of nowhere. Things you never even expected, good things, will come your way,” he continues, before adding. “I’ll keep the youth coming up on a good track. I can do that.”

http://www.nike.com/nikeskateboarding/v3/#/rider/13743

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FOR(D)RIVERS ONLY - Nelly Arrives GT Style

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CAN'T STAND WHAT WE'VE FALLEN FOR - Notes on Tupac Shakur

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DOP*E Magazine #003 & #004

DOP*E Magazine #001 (Premiere Issue) >< Melrose Ave Diamond Edition >< On Sale NOW!

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