Dub is Dead and Out For Blood!!!

Zeds Dead & Omar LinX - Out For Blood by zedsdead

Honestly, this is an all-impulsive post, but I guarantee you'll thank me later (no Drake).

I caught wind of this track on Hype Machine on a bored, depressing Sunday, and suddenly was placed in a zone, just as most dubstep records do but in a motivational, get-off-your-butt-and-do-something kind of zone unlike dubstep's chill tone.

Zeds Dead is a baaaad duo out of Ontario that puts together the sickest dubstep remixes. From what I hear they also have the most scary yet intriguing shows in Canada. It's safe to call them the Canada-takeover-cats (dub edition)!

Getting to the point, "Out for Blood" is a pure adrenaline rush, vastly due to Zeds Dead's production repertoire. Dubstep will always have an adventorous and monstrous climatic sound, but Zeds Dead takes it to a whole new level with this record. Known for remixing songs like Rolling Stones "Gimme Shelter" off their timeless album Let It Bleed, taking a hiphop record and adding dub elements enhance the hell out of a rapper's ammunition, especially a rapper like Omar LinX.

Omar LinX does frequent collabs with Zeds Dead, but has his own aim at the rap game. Hailing from Toronto, this MC is looking to put the T-Dot on the map in a way different than Drake. Not to doubt dude's lyrical abilities, but on this record Omar LinX is lucky he had the powerful Zeds Dead behind him. The writing was subpar and typical at-best, but he provides a basic amount of substance to the song - the art of overcoming obstacles and hatred. Spitting with bars like "Ain't never gonna change my course / Full speed and tunnel vision, I'm a racing horse... nobody's gonna hold your hand / I did it, I stole my chance / I took it and ran." Sounding similar to a mixture of Eminem (which he addresses in the first verse) and Slug from Atmosphere, Omar LinX sounds pretty good, just not great.

The best thing about this cat is his delivery, which doesn't really say much when it's backed behind a dubstep record. His raspy voice and slurred flow gives him a complimentary advantage of any booming stereo system over Zeds Dead's beat making. Anyone hearing this song could tell that it's not Omar LinX that makes the record, but it's Zeds Dead. All the way, for the win, and any other saying that has to do with success!

Star's Grade: B+

A Based Blog Post: A Rant on Lil' B

It's no denying that if you are intune with the hiphop scene on the Web (i.e. Twitter, blogs, YouTube, etc), that you've run into a guy by the name of Lil' B. If not, relive my first experience with this guy through this video right here:



Now, initially this didn't last past a minute on my laptop as, one I thought Lil' B was a terrible rapper, and my hiphop tendencies will quickly dismiss a dude that'll call himself a bitch, but these thought marinated in my head for the rest of the day:

What's wrong with a guy calling himself a bitch? Is that his real opinion about himself? Where are all the guys at that can sit their and call themselves something that is degradable to women and still rap about getting girls? And, ultimately, IS THIS GUY SERIOUS????

As time went on hundreds of responses from my colleagues, friends and internet buddies were following this unusual trend created by Lil' B - being Based. I noticed it in this above video that it was a "Based freestyle," so I had to find out what Based meant. According to his interview in Complex, Lil' B considers Based as a positive and highly confident mindset. And of course, when you put two and two together, it's the kind of confidence where a person like Lil' B, who also calls himself "the Based god," is ok with getting called or call himself a bitch, a fag and a lesbian, or even say he looks like Jesus (click the links if you think I'm joking). I understand and can agree with a movement like that because it definitely beats lyrics like "Kill that faggot," etc, etc. Additionally, for anyone to attempt to redefine the word bitch, fag, or whatever stays on my good side.

However, this is not the sole reason I am writing this piece!

Although most will say Lil' B lacks lyrical skills, continuing to read the same Complex interview, he explains that his raps are inspired by drugs. Listening to his lyrical abilities now, anybody - even a four year old - would say he's wack. I feel the same way, if you do not account for his high self-confidence.

I personally would believe dude would be a lyrical force if he was 100% sober. But, I feel that 100% sobriety will lead to a loss in his edgy stream of consciousness. One thing that no one should disregard is a person's stream of consciousness. Without getting too deep, a stream of consciousness is the quickest way into one's psychological ocean we call the mind. Even if this dude has moments where he sounds like an idiot hollering he's Paris Hilton, knowing he don't look like a lily white cokehead, he still has moments where his creativity to express himself is phenomenal.

Take this video where he freestyles to How to Dress Well's "Ready For The World":



Now can you disregard his stream of consciousness? He's probably the first that I have heard in these times to relay a message that isn't coded, raw, uncut, unstructured, and has the ability to speak positivity to the streets, and NO I'm not only talking about the hood. Let's break that down:

1) A non-coded message - instead of sticking with the usual word cues that most rappers use, Lil' B's only code is Based, which isn't really that coded in the first place, plus he takes uncommon or looked-down-upon words and spin them into his own codes which are taken from his untapped, Based mind.

2) Raw, uncut, and unstructured - here's where a lot of people misunderstand Lil' B. Whereas rappers play it safe and conform to the ways of hiphop (although hiphop is the rebel society), Lil' B breaks all the rules in order to be straightforward with his thoughts. There's little to no rhyme structure, not to say if it's intentional on his part or not, there's no regard for other people's comfort, and it's quite clear that his only focus is relaying his thoughts to the world, as is.

3) Has the ability to speak positivity to the streets, and not just the hood dudes on the corners - given his background and upbringing, Lil' B isn't much of a street dude. However, from rappers who have spoke prophetically about a rough life (i.e. Tupac, Common, etc), their upbringing doesn't necessarily shout "I used to be a drug dealer." Same goes for Lil' B, although he claims running with the wrong crowd, committing crimes and a big drug problem in Berkeley (which I have seen myself). Although cats like Tupac tell the best thug life tales, Lil' B (though he's by far no 'Pac) manages to speak to those kind of people, as well as the folks who may not sell drugs but abuse them, or may not commit crimes but have been victims, or may not have been involved in any of that mess but are still in that environment. Take the above video, or this one:



Overall, I would say Lil' B is hiphop's hippie. You know how in the era of "Flower Power", though popular amongst the minority in the 60s, your people in charge and running the world never heard them out? Or, taking it to this day and age, the "crazies" that live in the old house that sits on the corner that every kid (and some adults) constantly speculates over? That's Lil' B, in a nutshell. Beyond pushing the boundaries of the hiphop community, his creative process (if one would say he has one) makes hiphop highly uncomfortable - to the point where no one's even listening to him.

Personally, Lil' B has won me over as a fan because of his ability to step outside of the box hiphop has been put in, while still managing to keep things real... or should I say "Based." And I would most certainly call his music hiphop! Actually, it's beyond hiphop, Lil' B is in his own lane.

Album Review: The Foreign Exchange - Authenticity

Most people, including me, are growing tired of singer/rapper-producer combo groups. It's like either have a band or don't. Expanding the idea of calling duos like Atmosphere, J*Davey, and even this group The Foreign Exchange a band is highly hesitant for me to do because there's no one playing an instrument (except for a keyboard or a beat machine). Plus, being that most of these duos lack the use of actual instruments make me even more reluctant to read any articles that call these groups a band. However, one thing that is undeniable about the aforementioned groups, especially The Foreign Exchange, is that their chemistry and the development of crafting their own art is phenomenal.


This group, consisting of rapper/singer Phonte (who some know from the awesome hiphop group Little Brother) and the Dutch producer Nicolay, are an unstoppable force in the R&B and hiphop community. Without even being signed, The Foreign Exchange has made greater accomplishments than folks with multi-million dollar deals, including a Grammy nomination. Their two previous albums, Connected and Leave It All Behind, have made the most noise out of the soul realm than the usual big-name musicians. Honestly, they're incomparable, and anyone with ears could hear the longevity in their musical talents.


From the opening chime I felt bad that I had to finally let go of Leave It All Behind, their sophomore effort that got them a Grammy nomination. It was so magical! There were so many emotions driven by that record that it became necessary to play in moments of downtime. Songs about abuse, suicide, neglect, all in the name of love, The Foreign Exchange knows a little something about love.


Flows much better than the last one, and that's not a shot at the last album, but it's like Authenticity is one giant, hour-long song. However, the line-up of these songs give the listener no time to really breathe or recuperate from the previous song before diving right into the next, making any emotion drawn out of the listener hard to sift through.


Phonte is finally given a vocal challenge on this album. The changes in the tempo, the various styles of singing, and the length of some of the records forced Phonte to step outside of being the type of singer that makes great hooks. The sound of this album is well beyond R&B and other Black music genres, and for a hiphop artist (rapper and singer) to mold his sound into that, while still having a standout reputation as an emcee, gives the guy an upstanding ranking in the music world. Phonte is no longer the guy from Little Brother that can sing. He's no longer a soul singer that can write good hooks to experimental records. Phonte's now a full-fledge musician.


The lyrical content on Authenticity mimics much of the last album, Phonte's aim at diving deep into relationship psyche continues to be on-point. The only difference between then and now is his explicit cynicism. In the best record on this album "Fight for Love" he says "I don't wanna be a soldier anymore / because the war never ends and no one ever wins / I don't understand why we should fight for love / either it ain't or it is..." And as opposed to being totally dark like before, he has flashes of positivity on a couple tracks, including "Maybe She'll Dream of Me" and "Don't Wait." Overall, this album tells feelings of neglecting it all in order to be loved.


The other half of The Foreign Exchange, Nicolay, carries on the distinct sound from Leave It All Behind into Authenticity. In fact, he brings in the little light of electrosoul from his City Lights set into this album, although Nicolay's solo records are arguably far from The Foreign Exchange's soul mantra. In this album is a more acoustic sound, which works well with the always-improving frontman Phonte. This album may not sound much different than the last, but the wish to have more hiphop like Connected is still just a wish.


Overall, to not buy this album is doing a disservice to the entire R&B community and industry. Groups and musicians like The Foreign Exchange need the support of true music lovers so that the R&B industry can shape up, because right now that industry is slowly becoming irrelevant to music in general. When Drake, who is a rapper, has better R&B songs on the radio than Dwele, the soul music genre is taking major steps back. Usually the blame is pointed at radio, but in reality the listeners and the artists need to put forth a greater effort.


Either that or get ready to hear melodies from every rapper n the music business.


I hope that The Foreign Exchange gets the recognition they deserve, from the eclectic soul groups to the mainstream audience, as this album (as well as their last works) has something that everyone, absolutely EVERYONE, could enjoy and learn from. In short, it's edutainment at its finest!


Star's Grade: A

Performance Footage from A3C

Well, after spending all night editing these videos (and these aren't even all of them), not to mention all day looking for my cord, here are all of the performances I caught on my camera from A3C. I made it a playlist on my YouTube channel so I can save some space on this page.

Featured on this playlist include Jean Grae, Camp Lo, Thee Tom Hardy, and many more!

One Last A3C Post - An Interview with Brittany Bosco

Brittany Bosco on top of the speakers!

Brittany Bosco Interview at A3C by star-watson

Hidden gems, aren't they something? I totally edited this, and forget(ted) it - sorry, I wanted it to rhyme.

Anyway, after the insanity of a set, I spoke with one of the few total singers to perform at A3C, Brittany Bosco. We talk about distinguishing singers from singy-singers, her dream collaborations, and becoming friends with people she used to listen to in high school.

A3C Festival - A Recap with Some Photos

Woke up today and looked at my booklet like "what's going on at A3C today?" Nothing, because it's over!!!

After a star-studded three-day hiphop festival, I'm slapping anybody that says hiphop is dead. This event was almost like a family reunion for some, and a jaw-dropping experience for all. It's the only place where there are several generations of one community under one roof (sort-of, if we omit the fact that two of the five stages were outdoors).

So I should back up first.

This weekend long festival had five stages - two outside, three inside - with over 70 artists putting on a small yet powerful 15 minutes show a piece. From 6 pm Thursday to 3 am Sunday, people from all over the country, well at least people from "All 3 Coasts (A3C)," came together and made friends, future collaborations and even family.

I know of at least one artist that reunited with someone that raised her as a hiphop artist, Lyric Jones. After speaking with her, she said her brother DJ Raydar Ellis taught her just about everything she knew about hiphop - from what's real to what's fake, how the music is made to how the culture has evolved - and he has credentials to back him up, as he is a professor at Berklee School of Music in Boston.

At least every journalist, blogger, vendor, DJ, breaker, emcee, event volunteer, and patron found at least one new favorite artist out of A3C. Amidst the minor technical difficulties from the venue, like microphones cutting out, loud vents, and unlevel floors, each and every artist that I saw perform was near FLAWLESS. The only thing, which I think was weird, was that many of the performers forgot their lyrics at one point through their set. But I heard a lot of backstage action was going on, so there may have been some pre-performing distractions. Some of the artists that stood out for me, and I did not really know much of them, are:

Torae

Skip Coon

Lyric Jones
Sha Stimuli

RA the MC

El Prez (I'm still singing "gone, beating my chest like King Kong!")

Curse

Laws

Adrift Da Belle 

Jabee

Coolroy, aka Lite

Fly Union

The Grand Prize Winners From Last Year

The Jacka

Ayomari & TiRon (the two were inseparable, and it was quite adorable)

STS

Lyrical Preacher

Aside from the emcee aspect of this hiphop event, the only other element that was tended to very well was DJing. Every night, there was some sort of showcase or cnotest dedicated to DJs and producers. Nwo, there is a distinct difference between a DJ and a producer, and although I feel like the two shouldn't be merged together, A3C did a nice job of making producing a part of the hiphop culture. I won't go there and say it was wonderful or it was any good, if anything else having the DJ and production events almost back-to-back like they're the same is rather demoralizing the hiphop culture. I will say the events that unfolded - having the guy from Kane Beatz speak with other up-and-coming producers about the industry, and DJ Shiftee putting on a "DJ" workshop - were very entertaining and informative for people to know how to conform to the way of current society. If that felt like a shot, it was.

The only good news about the other elements was seeing the legendary DJ Rob Swift of the X-Ecutioners put on a show wherever he was, whether he was the DJ or the judge of other DJs. He put on a funky-fabulous set at the Red Bull Music Academy 45s Show, as well as a guest DJ set at the Unique Squared DJ contest he judged. The main reason why he was so amazing was that he only used TWO TURNTABLES!!!! DJ Shiftee had all of his little hook-ups and his laptop with the DJing software, but DJ Rob Swift had a near-identical sounding set with just two turntables and a stack of records.

The breaking tournament was late yet rushed, making the breakers not really flow like they wanted. The result was a blahzay tournament, so no need to go any further.

Overall, the event was like Jasmine Solano said "a hiphop super mall." There were some things that fit very well, some things I wish I could fit into, and some things that just weren't my taste. Fortunately, there was something for everyone! All of the interviews I did with my favorite artists were amazing because of the chill environment. There probably isn't a more welcoming place in Atlanta but A3C, too bad it's just three days.

Below are photos from my phone, because I seem to have lost my USB cord to my camera/camcorder, plus a video I caught of a dope remake to "Thriller":

Rhymefest

Jean Grae

Joe Scudda and DJ Exile

Mistah Fab

Grand Prize Winners From Last Year

If you want a full-fledge recap of what went down at the A3C festival, check out my archives and these sites for more!

A3C Festival

Where's My 4o Acres

I Am Classic Hiphop

LP33 TV

Although Erick Sermon wasn't there, Camp Lo and Rhymefest still ended the night with a bang! Heard all the classics from Camp Lo, and finally saw Rhymefest's political side (though he had a bottle of Henny in his hand the whole time)!

Just left ANOTHER dope set by Rob Swift. It felt like Roc Raida overtook his hands in the midst of his straight, 5-minute scratch song

The Purgatory is rocking tonight! Every artist that has hit that stage was near perfect.

I was surprised by Fly Union's performance tonight! Ohio love, I guess

Just as I did with Donwill and Emilio Rojas, I did with Sha Stimuli, J.Live and Arigato!

After Sha wrecked the Jagermeister stage with his "Unsung" and "The Smelly Cat" records, although the crowd was vibing to "Unsung" like it was a Rick Ross concert, I pull him aside for an interview, but J.Live came up and brought Arigato with him. So we all sat down and talked about being an artist at a big hiphop festival, the history of their sounds and talents, and making sure I don't stink so Sha doesn't write a song about me.


Sha Stimuli J Live Arigato Interview at A3C by star-watson

Next to Brittany Bosco's insane performance, Sha Stimuli spitting his simple rhymes (on purpose) has been the most entertainment at A3C.

After the Okayplayer showcase, and seeing J-Live DJ and rap simultaneously, I'm slapping anybody that says hiphop is dead! I could go home now.

I wish that a) the breaking tournament started on time and b) the breakers danced like it's a tournament! No hunger in Heaven, huh?

Dres, yes the dude from Beatnik, is the best hiphop shiw host I have EVER seen! No dead space, bustin freestyles, and even beatboxing

"Have soundbytes. Invest in media training, and be prepared to answer controversial questions" - Gotty! Healthy advice from journalists and bloggers to artists

"Publicity is not free. If it is then why hire a publicist?" - Andreas Hale at the Hiphop in Journalism Panel. O-k.

After seeing this group go postal on stage, I got a chance to chat with the Grand Prize Winners From Last Year. In this audio, we talk about their sound (and Astro Pop), why they dismantle stages, hair pieces, tours and their plan to be Winners - again.

A3C Grand Prize Winners From Last Year Impromptu Interview

Now I'm off to enjoy this hiphop and journalism panel, watch some performances, and hope the breaking tournament will start soon (because it was supposed to start 3 hours ago!)

BAD NEWS!!! Erick Sermon will NOT be performing tonight. My heart is BROKEN!!!!!!

Getting it in EARLY was the Grand Prize Winners From Last Year, tearing the stage apart and hitting old ladies with residue from trophies they threw

Live Blogging from A3C Hiphop Festival - Day 3

When I heard Jasmine Solano say "this year's A3C Fest is dope because it's under one roof... It's like a hiphop super mall," she was so right!

Last night, A3C was packed full of leaders of the new school, along with some legendary DJs and underground kings and queens. Today isn't much different, just add Rhymefest, Nappy Roots, Killer Mike, Erick Sermon and Camp Lo! There's also so so much more, but you'll see as the day unfolds.

Below is a video clip of STS's performance when he did his version of Gucci Mane's "Lemonade," which is to me the dopest remake of a track.




More to come today, tonight, and in my wrap-up tomorrow!

Mistah Fab and Lyrics Born is shutting the Masquerade down! Like, literally. Day 2 has been great! Can't wait for 3 w/ E. Sermon and Camp Lo!

The Jacka on stage just chillin, like sit-back-and-smoke-one-with-me kind of chillin on stage

I have NEVER seen live beatmaking in my life until DJ Exile's set now!!! Tanya Morgan and Sa-Roc came out to freestyle to his live set! Only in Heaven I guess

Ha, just like I called it, Technology won the beat showcase contest for the weekend!

And then encapsulating the entire hiphop music culture is the 45s show going on in Heaven. Funky as sin!

The most passionate artist just laid down the meanest and most insightful set at A3C, Skip Coon!

Donwill + Emilios Rojas = Mega Interview

The Jagermeister Stage at A3C Festival during the DJ Booth showcase is crazy!!! 9th Wonder DJed with his boy Tom Hardy, and STS brought out Donwill and Tanya Morgan to perform "Sole Music."

So being the person I am, of course I approach Donwill in the back stage for an interview. Little did I know, Emilio Rojas appears out of nowhere (and I say that because it was dark, and we never saw him in the distance).

The original interview between Donwill and I turned into a double interview between both Donwill and Emilio Rojas. Below is the entire audio for the interview - no cuts, no edits, just pure hiphop right now! We start off talking about his performance with STS.

A3C Donwill Emilio Rojas Impromptu Interview by watsonstarletta

Yeah, so more to come from A3C soon!

Got into the VIP lounge and heard the craziest set by Tom Hardy! Dude is totally underrated

How A3C got Christian hiphop into the Purgatory, I will never know. I guess that's how powerful the culture is (duh!) Seriously, Lyrical Preacher killed it!

The Midwest has taken over Hell, and you know I'm loving it! Mac Miller not performing hurts!!! Like, my neck just cramped.

Video: Ok, A Taste of The Talent at A3C

Ok, I'll be nice and post a video of some of the happenings I caught at this insane get together of a music festival.

This is a video clip of some of the talent at the iStandard Beat Showcase brought to you by Unique Squared. This beat got no negative or constructive feedback, it was THAT dope!

Alright, enough of that niceness. Time to roll out of the media room and check out the KN stage and the DJ Booth stage!

While the two showcases (Kevin Nottingham and DJ Booth) are setting up, I'm gonna share some of the videos that were passed from me to the good folks at A3C.

First up is MURS! Dude spoke with LP33 TV to speak about working with 9th Wonder and controversy behind an Asian girl... http://www.a3cfestival.com/murs-interview-a3c-2010/

Secondly, speaking of 9th Wonder, while he took a brake during his Red Bull tribute show DJ Evil D stepped up to the DJ booth and lit that bad boy on FIRE!!! Here's the video below, all credit to DJ Chevy and A3C for the footage:



That's all I'm giving you. There are way more videos coming soon from me, but in the meantime check out the goodies A3C has on their site right here: http://www.a3cfestival.com.

According to the panel, aside from bandcamp, soundcloud is the best way to share music. Streaming, 1-click downloading, and no penis ads!!!

DJ Z and TC from The Smoking Section both feel that being more direct w/ fans (collecting emails) are better than FB "likes." Hooray for being more personable!

At the social networking and media panel. Vandalyzm feels that bandcamp picked up where myspace left off b/c it's more social

Live Blogging from A3C Hiphop Festival - Day 2

I still can't get over Day 1, but I'm back at the Masquerade for Day 2 of the A3C "All 3 Coasts" Hiphop festival. Right now it's pretty empty except for the flock of inspiring producers listening to the words and "advice" from Kane Beatz (dude who made the beat "Bedrock," "Steady Mobbin'" and other catchy Lil Wayne beats), aka "Kane is in the building," and his advice is kind of... eh. When you say "the catchy beats are what will make it," I don't really bop with you, but there is a truth to that.

But he did just drop a new Lupe Fiasco single called "All Right," and it sounds pretty good! Without giving it away, he took a sample from a well-known tune off a soundtrack that is deeply embraced by pop culture... Yeah, I said I wasn't giving much away (for now).... I will say Kane Beatz is finally on to something with this joint, but don't expect to hear it for a while because it still needs to be mixed.

Anywho, back to wondering around the Masquerade aimlessly in search of random hiphop artists who don't mind chopping it up!

Mr. "Kane is in the building!" is being interviewed with Unique Squared for his accomplishments, the producing game, and of course, "Bedrock"

MURS is in Heaven, Aleon Craft is in Hell, everyone is in pure bliss. And how on earth I been here since 6 and let the bar close... !!!

Jean Grae most certainly did great! I'm shocked as ever she did "Love Thirst", considering it was her biggest regret.

Sooo, I cried when Buckshot's little self performed "Who Got The Props"... Classic hiphop right there. Not to mention his freestyles between songs were OMG!

After Pac Div got on stage, all 3 levels of the Masq went nuts!!! Everybody went Hell to kick it w/ Pac Div. If only the mics stopped going in and out

Ayomari and TiRon on stage in Hell, and I'm not hearing Ms. Right. Boooooo! Haha, but seriously, they aiiight.

When El Prez got everybody, including Aleon Craft, hopping on stage just to give him dap like they some groupies, Hell has risen at A3C.

9th Wonder's set is beginning, but the Perfect Attendance set is so killer right now!!!

To leave 9th in Heaven for the West in Hell (and sidenote: I find it odd that the West Coast is in Hell while 9th Wonder is in Heaven, and the women were put outside... interesting indeed...)

Don't know what to do!!!

I'm now in Heaven, with 9th Wonder! Dude has hundreds of people just listening to his on-stage interview.. Craziness, hiphop @ its best.

And to top it all off, MURS and Buckshot is on stage with him chatting together trading stories and jokes and whatnot.

BY THE WAY (NO VAN GLORIOUS), PICTURES WILL BE POSTED OF WHAT IS GOING DOWN THIS WEEKEND!!!

So I don't be on this blog sounding crazy.

Meanwhile, outside where Women in Hiphop took place is now the throne of Detroit! One Be Lo is tearing the stage up!

Cool Roy just made Hell cool. He was that nice! Perfect Attendance is finally coming together, bringing out hella West Coast artists.

All the good stuff is going on in Purgatory! Beat showcase is taking place, but Technology (sp?) shut it DOWN! All good reviews

Ha, my dude Jabee just flipped and killed Wu-Tang classic "C.R.E.A.M" in the Perfect Attendance Stage in Hell!

However, his sagging could get him arrested in some parts of Georgia, so he better watch his step... and his shirt (so it stays over his butt).

Meanwhile in Hell, my boy Supernatural just chose three women off the stage in his wheelchair! Lyrically though, lyrically.... Plus, this group from Georgia Tech is trying to keep the crowd interested, but it's not doing much... They just have hiphop shop kind of stage presence, not really performing at a mega venue presence... Oh well, I still got to meet Jean Grae!!!

In other news, there's an ample amount of sweet sponsors at A3C. Jakprints got a graffiti wall for everyone to tag, New Era is here, who made special edition hats for this festival, Unique Square is here to give away tons of music and sound equipment, among many more. If you plan on sliding through A3C, there will be raffles throughout the weekend for free hats from New Era, free screen print tees from Jakprints, and probably a boatload of CDs and merch from the artists.

Now excuse me while I enjoy more of this Hell...

This chick Adrift Da Belle is meleeing the stage right now!

Watching Lyric Jones kick off the Women in Hiphop set tonight

Live Blogging from A3C Hiphop Festival - Day 1

The last blog post came from my phone, just a test, but totally true! Jean Grae and I just talked in-depth about how important blogs are, so now the pressure is all on me!!!

Plus, I just heard that there will be MAAAAAAD special appearances during 9th Wonder's set.... I don't know if I should who*cough, cough* a dude from Public Enemy, but I have never been this excited for ANY festivals in my life!

Just walked in the Masq, sat down right next to Jean Grae and trying uber hard to play it cool

Check Out My Examiner Page!!!

Let's see....

I am an intern with EURweb, writing for AOL City's Best (among other AOL sites), and the new editor of SlapStik Magazine (wooo!!!).

Now I add yet another writing job on my plate: Little Five Points Music Examiner.

After some complications with my site, it is up and running so you must check it out!!!

Just to be upfront with you, the more views I get, the more cash I get, so when all you who enjoy my blog should take your happy selfs over to my examiner page.

My writing skills + ATL's best neighborhood + you lovely viewers = a win for everyone!