3.06.2005

about time right?
it's been a minute yall i know but i've been good. spirits are doing well, i was on vacation for a week just chilling out kicking it with some folks, building on the book. feeling like fuck it i think i'ma hafta do this independent styles. if no one's gonna offer anything, i just wanna get it out. so it's like that and that's the way it is.

went to a bed and breakfast upstate. nice bed terrible breakfast. check out www.akwaaba.com for some real jawn. if yall plan to go let me know how it is. i just heard about it and it looks real chill. my bad juma just putting people on.

performed at a tsunami benefit for latino greeks in the city. big ups to all the folks there doing an incredible thing coming out to support. not really a poetry venue but thats all good. met some people and even got the chance to perform some new hot shit. my parents came through and had a good time.

next week i'll be rocking at some college in the city. don't really have the details right this second but it will be good to get out there again.

hip hop reviews
well i'm sure yall been heard about the 50 cent beef with like everybody in the industry. for him to go at jada nas fat joe is crazy cuz he's messing with some lyrical giants. but it raises an interesting question: do lyrical skills result in record sales? in the peoples i just mentioned sadly no it doesn't, but does that make you less nice? never that. even though i don't consider 50 within the top 10 today, he is a problem. just like hammer and vanilla ice needed to be looked at for their contributions to hiphop, how has 50 changed the game? bringing the guerilla mentality to mixtapes, he killed the streets flooded the market before his first jawn dropped and created the buzz that many artists crave for. instead of putting the power in someone else's hands he manifested that shit himself. can't sleep on his hunger and motivation that's for sure.

who's gonna win? some think that answer is with who's gonna sell more records. sad but true, 50 will win that one (especially when you consider the amount of publicity he's getting in the news and even a little picture in best buy) (side note: 4 out of 5 hip hop record buyers are white). on top of that he raises an interesting view that street credibility means nothing. what are the streets? questlove (i don't got no quote just okayplayer.com back in the day) said that the streets are this manufactured marketed concept that doesn't really exist because if the streets got your back, how come the streets don't translate into platinum. 90% of albums and products go quadruple pleather. so you gotta freak that market and shamelessly self promoted the shit out yourself. something can be learned from that.

who am i gonna ride for? who ever doesn't get hurt. some stupid n*ggas take this shit too seriously. really at the end of the day, every one of these dudes is kicking they feet up, blazing els and laughing at how much "the streets" care about this sh*t. n*ggas is beefing over here, when they need to be organizing around all the bullshit that is happening. pop in some dead prez organize and build.

the massacre got some heat. don't sleep. but i can't wait to hear the jada response. even though i know wrestling is fake, i'm still a fan.

stay up peoples

1 comment:

Form said...

This breaks it down well and good: http://slate.msn.com/id/2115216/