"If I were president.."

I've been reminiscing about a Pharcyde track on their first album "Bizarre ride II the Pharcyde" This country has problems that can't be resolved in a simple 4-year term. I'd rather be president of a major company, make some serious changes. A company like...... Def Jam.

My first act as president would be to fire LA Reid. He had more success on his own imprint LaFace than at Def Jam. He is just a name with very little pull these days. (my opinion) Where is the wizard who worked magic with Outkast, Usher, TLC, etc. Okay....he can go to Motown if Sylvia Rhone isn't doing anything. For real.

Buffie da body would be my Condelecia Rice.

Next task would be to drop the following acts: Memphis Bleek. Rihanna, Tiearra Marie, Foxy Brown, Musiq, NO.R.E., Shyne, Young Gunz, Redman, Cory Gunz. No explanation required. Most are dead weight. No imagination, no creativity, no identity, no skill. No hits. If Jay....I mean Shawn can't see that he should be fired too. I don't care how many records you sold in the past. Desire to record should be the proof in the pudding. Buzz creates incentive to invest in the artist's careers.

Any artist that got his album leaked will not get a budget increase to change the album. If you can't control your team that's your bad. Kanye's had major leaks but did well so can you.

Bootlegging will never end so I would lower the price on CD's or force the artist to do Dual Discs.

I would shelve the Freeway album. The first CD was classic. All we need now is 50 cent to add to the sophomore jinx.

I would abandon any efforts to support Def Jam Clothing. Point blank- its wack.

I would try to sign the following artists: Common, Mos, Face, Lil Wayne, The LOX, dead prez, Killa Mike, Saigon. With Def Jam support these artists can make some bigger moves and bring money to the table. It would open the possibility for some interesting collaborations.

Imagine the video game. Common slapping Jay-Z in "Def Jam Fight for the Crown" by EA

Expand Def Jamaica by signing: Sizzla koulangi, Vybez Kartel.

If the following artists are still struggling with their label I would have a contract available for Maxwell and D'angelo. "Where you at?!?" That's a Boost commercial for real!!!

I would add Skillz, Lil Brother and Slum Village to Def Jam Left. Okayplayer!!!

I would back up the following projects: Joe Budden, Juelz Santana, Aztek and Tru-Life.

I would give Jay an ultimatum to record two more albums or lose his job to Damon Dash. And I want a song with Nas. And I need a response to Cam.

oh yeah and one more song with Black Thought.

I would kill Roc La familia. I think Reggaeton is really popping but there is no guarantee that there is any REAL profit the new Hector "el Father" project or the N.O.R.E project. Besides Def Jam should be the first to put out artists like Daddy Yankee or Don Omar, unless I sign Tego Caldron.

I would kill any idea of creating imprints. That phase is over. Signing your next door neighbor who has mediocre skills will not happen on my label. Hint... GLC, Consequence.

I would fire all the A&R's in the following cities Atlanta, Houston, NYC. Okay I wouldn't want them to lose there jobs but there is talent all over the globe. I want to see Nevada, Boston, Alabama, etc blow the heck up. Then next big thing is out there. And its not in NYC.

I would hire Kool Moe Dee to be VP just to piss off LL Cool J. LL is paid elsewhere why would he be interested in adding such a job to his resume. selfish. $%#^#

I would hire DJ Premier, Just Blaze, Amir "Questlove" to handle production on most projects. Sorry Kanye you've been demoted till u drop the hot ish.

Oh yeah. I would drop DJ Clue and give Green Lantern and Clinton Sparks some burn on a major deal.

Lastly I would get Siegel back in the studio. This time I would make his lazy butt really work. He has so much heart but he's been M.I.A. and not where the Heat play at.

Back to the Roots again....

I didn't want to repeat what happened yesterday so I left work and went straight to the city. I figured that the traffic would be crazy considering it was a Friday night and the rainy weather woudld impede traffic flow. But it was disgusting. I mean the Grand Central was shut down which helped none. the expressway was backed up for over 20 exits. It took me double the time to travel from Suffolk county to NYC. Lucky me I got there on time. I even Found a sweet spot that had no time retrictions. I can't afford another ticket.

This shows vibe would be different because the night before was strictly Hip-hop this one would have a more R&B feel. Same deal balck Thought, Hub, Kamal, Rahzel, Quest, Kirk and DJ Jazzy Jeff played the sounds inclucing the horns whom I have no idea the members are. The Roots changed the itinerary from the night before. switching up the order of songs. Angeligue Kidjo performance was okay I am unfamiliar with her work. Another performance which was a bit strange was R&B duo J. Davey. the lead singer was a tall slinky long legged woman with a native american head dress. She had legs for days. It was very alternative a mixture of Lauryn, Gwen Stefanni and Kelis. She sang and rapped. The tempo was very fast but I my foot tapped to the beat. Guess I liked it. This time the sound man was on point. Skillz could be heard this time. I still cant tell who was the other artist that joined them. The show was a continuation of the tribute to J. Dilla. Mos Def took the stage. He was very mellow but he killed. Mos got a lot of love. It felt like the crowd was louder for Mos than when Common came out the night before. I guess since he is big Movie star (italian Job,Hitchhikers guide.., 16 blocks). He also ran through the aisles which the fans reallu appreciated. what I find interesting of Mos is that althought he has a lot of positive things working for him you will never tell by his appearance. Mos joined Slum Village the group of the late J. Dilla to sing the hook for Selfish. Bilal made an appearance as well. He did is strange cat that belts sounds to the rythm but makes it sound official. He then did sometimes and then kicked rocks. The first big suprise was to see Dave Chappelle. He did about ten minutes of Stand up. He was hillarious. He explained why he left his own show in a joke, but If I tell it will lose its comdedic edge. it started to feel like Dave's Block Party part two. later Eryah Badu did her thing. It was refreshing to see how versatile the Roots were... backing up all the artist that apearred both nights. Erykah has a presense about her feels regal. She is one of my favorite R&B artists. As the show was winding down. THe roots began to play a medley of instrumentals. Then they played the Intro for "Public Annoucement" then Jay-Z sneaks on stage with a hoody tryin to disguise his appearane. The roots pulled a rabbit out the hat. All in all it was a great two night. I would have regret if i didn't buy my ticket. I witnessed history in the making. The Roots have planted themselves deep into the ground and they florish from this point forward. if You were not a fan you will be now.

Once again Rest in Peace to J. Dilla.

Back to my roots...

It was Thursday night show. There I was rushing into the city, a my long trek from Suffolk county. I made it in the city on time but finding a parking spot was an absolute mess. Mayor Bloomberg is really trying to lock ish down. I mean I could not find a "free" parking spot for 40 minutes. Everyplace I turned it was Munipal Parking and I only had enough quarters to last me an hour and a half. All the spots where I used to park had new signs that wouldn't allow me to park. I found and empty spot and I dashed to get to Radio City. (Keep it real man!!) Okay I am not physically fit enough to make that 12 block sprint so I hailed a cab. I got there at 8:20. Ah man, Nas is on stage already. The crowd was amped I only heard 3 songs and he was ghost. THe Roots performed a bit and they are live an on point as usual but I was disappointed about missing some of the festivities. Rahzel played the role of hype man. Malik B was missing as usual. and the rest of the band was there including my favorite DJ ever, DJ Jazzy Jeff on the one and two.(minus the fresh prince). I am hipped to the game I must have seen the roots perform like 12 times in the past 7 years. I knew they would pull a rabbit out the hat. As Black thought went into "Boom" Big daddy kane comes out and kills his verse. It looked like they fumbled cause Kool G. Rap should have came out next. Kan looked over to stage right and no G. Rap. He continued to perform. Set off kane, Wrath of Kane. for an old schooler he had all the fans jumping. Kane steps off and The roots continue to Rock. They go into a new tune where Skillz ( he's not mad anymore) and someone else get on stage. Unfortunately the sound man was sleep. No volume. It looked like he was letting loose some serious stuff too. Jazzy Jeff did a DJ few tricks some which I recently learned. It was crazy.

Minutes later Common jumped out like he was on "speed". I mean he had a serious amount of energy. as he did "Go", "Testify", "I Used to love her". He freestyled and all he had a great response too.

Talib Kweli was not as medicore. I think they should have had Common close to last. Talib's show was good but I think its not the same doing "Definiton" with Mos. It was still early and most of the schedule acts had finished. Rahzel took the mic and did the most impossible performance ever without any electronic enhancements. It was bananas. Over all it was a decent show but not exactly what I expected. I thought I would see more suprises. I have to mention Kirk the newest member and guitar player was sick he did some Jimmy Hendruix ish that just surpised the fans including myself.

At end of the show Dave Chapelle and Eryka Badu came out to give hugs to the band. The show was dedicated to J. Dilla aka Jay Dee, super producer. He would have been pleased regardless of the obvious no shows.

My night was highlighted with a orange sheet on my windshield courtesty of NYPD, a ticket for $115.

Part two tomorrow.

No Killa Season just Suicide Season....

Decades ago there were a few hip-hop crews like the Native Tongues and the Juice Crew. These days we have: Wu-Tang, Boot Camp Click, Heiroglyphics, Terror Squad, Cash Money and No Limit(well what's left of them), Flipmode, and G-Unit. Among them comes Dipset representing Harlem, USA. Diplomats aka Dipset has filled the void of Harlem's misrepresentation. Cam'ron spearheaded that evolution of Uptown, NYC hip-hop. Dipset's fan-base is like no other. The Dips consist of Killa aka Cam'ron, Juelz Santana (Human Crack), Jim Jones (Capo), JR Writer, Hell Rell (Hell Raiser), Jha Jha, Duke (God), Shiest Bub, of Purple City and many more. Nothing like the Juice Crew of old which had Roxanne Shante, Kool G. Rap, Big Daddy Kane, Masta Ace and Craig G. or even the Wu-Tang movement from Shaolin [Staten Island]. Personally it seems to be a crew of trap boys that laundered the drug money into hip-hop. "Bird Game all day!!!" shouted by Jim Jones. Bird game is the code word for drug trafficking. Sometimes I feel like its stinking up the [hip-hop] game up for the future artists that don't live that lifestyle and have real talent. Regardless I have every CD or mixtape. Why?? Guilty pleasure. Although the not all the members are lyrically talented they select good music, have some catchy hooks and have vision to expand their business whether the liquor (sizzurp), possibly a clothing line and film i.e. "Killa Season". They have created a lot of visibility to spark interest. aka BUZZ or HYPE.

I am losing focus, back to the killa season album. Cam'ron is a multi-talented artist. He did a decent job in the film Paid in Full. Has over 4 albums. Ghost-wrote songs for Diddy and others. He wrote the mixtape blueprint for artist like 50 Cent to blow up. Cam is respected and feared by many in the industry and on the street. But my first problem for me is him getting at Jay-Z. Not a good marketing strategy. We all know that he would get scrambled and ate for breakfast.
I understand the need to expose the shady side of Jay but it gives the semblence of a challenge to battle. In that case Cam is not ready. Cam has all that an A&R wants confidence, swagger, appeal, etc. However I am not impressed with this album because truly Cam is lazy. In interviews he says he knows he's nice but he is in it for the money. At his prime, he was a wolf in sheeps clothing. Now that he is Killa president of Diplomat Records, his best song lyrically was on "Down and out" on the Purple Haze album. (my opinion of course.) I listed to Killa Season twice it has some heat but only enough to start a small barbeque for a party of 12. It lacks passion and drive. That is the missing ingredient for most artist these days. They tend to lose it after the money rakes in. I really like the "Love My Life" featuring a very talented Nicole Wray. But it does not have enough to help him sell the amount of units as his Roca-fella debut. I think too many songs were leaked too early to public which could be a reason for the lack of momentum. "Get 'Em Daddy" , "Girls, Cash, Cars" and "Something New" feel like its months old.

I even watched Killa Season movie as well. It was not great but had potential. I can say it was better than State Property or Bout it but that is not much of a compliment either. Somethings felt like he just ripped the idea from Belly. (I got a friend who was part of the cast. Movin' that hand-to-hand. lol.)

Cam'ron left Def Jam to join Asylum. I wanted to see the next level. I expected more and I was thoroughly disappointed. Cam's longevity is questionable now. Cam get the wet wipes and clean up the mess you made. I prefered Purple Haze but its up to the fans if they want to touch it or not.

until tomorrow. I will give the run down of the Roots in Radio City in NY.

"Just another day livin in the hood....." -Queen Latifah.

Saturday was cool. I met the DJ Alamo from Brand Nubian fame at the Scratch Academy. The class was cool too. I learned the Transformer Scratch, the Millitary scratch and more. it was pretty intense. The instructor DJ Trife is real talented. I just want to reach half his skill.

I celebrated Momma day with Ma Dukes on Sunday. Shout out to her cause without her there would be no me. shout out to my Twin. His DVD Xtra Clips got mentioned in the latest Vibe magazine page 160 with Busta Rhymes on the cover.

two more days til the Roots at Radio City Hall in NYC.

And the beat goes on....

Tuesday was the first day of many at the Scratch Academy. This time I was taking a new class Beat Making 101 with my homey Pablo. I can't front I was a bit hesitant because I feel so unoriginal. NYC is the place where people want to make some quick cash whether in the trap, to act, to perform whether in sports or entertainment. In my hood everybody wants to either rap or make beats..I mean produce. (LOL! Jojo hates when folks say, "Make beats.")

To keep it hundred, I am not in the it bag women or for the money but because my inquisitive nature brought me there. (not there is something wrong with women and money.) I have always been fascinated by music but my connection is with the hip-hop and some dancehall. My peoples will be shocked I mentioned dancehall but I feel like they are both fraternal twins just like I am. The two genres were the theme music of Brooklyn life in 80's & 90's. And I wanted to find out the ins and outs of creating and playing music. I was inspired by Reality (he is going to leave a comment I am sure.)

About the class the instructor is not really structured. He is a bit all over the place but I did learn from one class how I could make a track using the software technology provided today. Now I have to practice. I'll make sure the first song I produce will be on my blog no matter how corny it sounds.

Back to the grind....

Summer in Miami.....

Fresh from Florida, where its already 90 degrees compared to the 50 degrees in NYC. Well my travel to was foiled due to poor communications with my ride to the airport. I missed most of the festivities of Cinqo de Mayo in Miami Beach. I heard it was poppin. When I got in I was pretty tired since my flight was around 6 AM and I was out all night. I slept half the day but I did got to visit my family and friends out in Ft. Lauderdale and Kendell. Then I headed out to West Palm to join my family for a Graduation party. Congrats to the Biju.(aka Drama Queen) then back to Ft. Lauderdale.

Next course of business was to attend the wedding to a promising producer/artist from an upcoming Haitian band, RNZouk. His brother is also an aspiring musician/producer/artist from Mona Liisa Productions (www.monaliisa.com). I became the unofficial photojournalistic photographer for the evening. It would be my second opportunity to get my practice on. The wedding and ceremony was by the beach at the Crown Plaza Hotel. It was beautiful. So I got some really hot shots. I must have taken like 500 shots. I did realize that although I had the right equipment it is the skill of the person holding it is that makes it happen. Just like my DJ class timing is everything. Hopefully one day I can take a class to build my skill. It was an enjoyable weekend. Met a lot of folks including a young dude that is on an internship with Salaam Remi. Sorry I forgot your name. Shout out anyways. Wow. I know a handful of folks in the music industry but still trying my best to get my self involved and staying away at the same time.

Back to my grind in NYC.

What was I thinking.....

The other day I made my 4th appearance at my DJ class at the Scratch Academy. I feel like I am going way over my head. DJ-ing was my passion as a yute.(many moons ago) but this #$%! is harder than I thought. It is so cerebral. I mean you brain has to be sharp as a Ginsu knife. Props to all DJs big time or local. So much memory, timing, poise, speed is involved that no one knows about. sort of like martial arts. It's remarkable. I have a new found respect for the unseen person sweating in the booth for 4-6 hours. no love to all you who think its just putting records on.

Last week the instructor taught us about BPMs (beats per minute) and dropping on the one (translation cueing the song at point where the mixture/blend between both channels don't sound like a mess.) He showed us some tricks to adjust the speed of the turntable to help accuracy. but yesterday he showed us beat-matching (playing two songs as if they are one song) and I am just lost. I mean there are like 20 students doing their thing. I am trying to listen to my monitors and my headphones. My head was about to explode from the confusion. But I got some comfort when the instructor mentioned that all of us would not get it in a day. so now I am off to find some vinyl for the next session. I also took another class for the to learn the more of the scratching aspect. the class I am taking is only teaching the fundamentals. My only dilemma is parking in the city on a Saturday afternoon. I think I will add another day in my schedule to go practice or man up and by some real turntables instead of the CD ones I got. Ahhhh!!! more debt.