Or, maybe not, if you're loyal to Blogger...
(weirdo.)
As many things have happened in my life - from new chapters beginning to old chapters ending - I have to adjust, and sadly that means something near and dear is left behind too. I put some serious thought into shutting down this blog and decided to not completely shut it down.
However, it has been paused - more like the initial stop of a DVD, where folks still have the option to resume or hit stop again to completely end the run. Bubble Gum Pop Rap may return on Blogger but it has moved to Tumblr for the purpose of the site's efficiency, and well - with a full-time, part-time and now back to freelancing - I'm a lazy SOB. Eff yall.
I will miss the pocket change from advertising though!
Signed,
Mgmt*
*that means management, not MGMT the band
A fresh spin on everything music... Ahhh, finally something refreshing!!!
Saul Williams Speaks to Soul Train
The first thing I wanted to talk about was Don Cornelius's sudden passing. I still tremble at how he did it, and Saul seemed to feel the same way. I also noticed in the VH1 special on Soul Train how he was frustrated with the change in the music scene that Cornelius was a guy who liked everything to be the way it always is and life is easiest when things are concrete. Saul touches on ageism when I ask him about Don Cornelius, and while he's right, I feel like Cornelius had much deeper problems than just his age. I hope more is reported on Cornelius and he's not just a historic man we now place RIP in front of. Here's where Saul and I discuss the man of Soul Train:
Soul Train: What was your initial reaction to hearing about Don Cornelius’s passing?
Saul Williams: It’s the way that he passed that was shocking. For one, it’s not something that is known to be prevalent in our community. And I can only imagine what it’s like to grow older and lose strength, and become frustrated with the times where things aren’t the way they were – that type of ageism that happens often in our country. I think it becomes really hard for old people who are frustrated with how things start to not work for them. It also brings you back to healthcare issues and how we need to get it straight to where everyone is treated fairly, and the people are taken care of, especially psychologically.
When I asked him about how he feels about the music biz now, he gave me quite an earful about how stuck we've become on the concept of celebrity. I always peeped that in how we direct one another's status to Twitter followers, Facebook friends, as well as our circle. Big city Atlanta is notorious for that! The socialite scene can be more about your following than what you actually do. Even beyond that scene - my niece said to me after I asked her what she wants to do when she grows up "I wanna be famous. I don't know what yet, but I'm gonna be famous." I gave the spiel on having and fulfilling a purpose but what 12-year-old wants to hear that? Anyway, off the soapbox I go. Here's an excerpt of what Saul had to say about that topic:
ST: So what about music now, especially in terms of urban alternative music?
SW: I think we’re at a time now where I look at anyone from Odd Future to Lil’ Wayne to Kanye and Jay-Z, and for the most part people have become more open to new music. But America at-large has established an idea of celebrity. We need to find a way to give the rightful attention to real talent, to people who are exploring. Right now we’re running the risk of having a very formulaic approach to music, to sound, to popularity...Check out the rest of the interview over on Soul Train's website!!!
Saidah Baba Talibah's Toronto Sound Off
When I turned this in to soultrain.com, I knew what I was getting myself into. Saidah Baba Talibah and I conversed as if kids are unable to use the Internets. From talking about blues singer Lucille Bogans to screaming and(/or) creaming, Soul Train's Sound Check was never the same. Here's an excerpt of what actually ran:
SBT: Expression is borderless – I express myself one way, and another artist could express themselves another way. At the same time, when it comes to being a woman expressing these types of feelings and being – not aggressive – assertive, knowing what you want, strong and unafraid of vulnerability is not really out there. So I guess that could be raunchy, like just in explaining how I want to please a man or how I want him to please me. We feel like we have to hide that idea behind what it means to be a lady. There are ways to do all of that and still be classy.
ST: I get it, and there’s even each one’s own interpretation of “classy” and what is a lady.
SBT: This is why I love old blues artists like Betty Davis. She was raunchy, but she was real in stating her facts of life. Also, there was Lucille Bogan, a blues singer from 1935. She was even raunchier than Betty Davis, raunchier than anyone I ever heard to this day and age!
ST: So let me ask: how important is it for you to implement sensuality into your music, and music in general?
SBT: I think sensuality – not necessarily sex – is very important in everything that I do. In the true form of sensuality – calling on touch, sight, sounds and all those things and bring all the senses together – that’s where I’m coming from.
ST: How did you develop your music within calling on those senses from The Phone Demos to (S)Cream and so on?
SBT: Continuing to remind myself to stay as free as possible and to be as real as possible. That’s always the emphasis of where I’m coming from. At least I try to because that can be a little scary. I’m still human. It’s not easy being an artist because everyone has their opinion and capability to judge.
ST:Toronto music –Canada in general – is nothing to sneeze at. How much of the T-Dot inspires your music?
SBT: There’s a lot of ridiculous talent, great musicians, great singers on the scene. There’s By Divine Right, Jully Black, Ayah, and a lot of them have branched out and moved but this city is a beast.Toronto can take over the world.Now that she mentioned it, all those T-Dot artists are dope (including her, I mean, have you heard her music?!). Off the top, By Divine Right is like Toronto's own Radiohead (if only the US had there's - sigh) with their indie kick and their music being vet-like boss status. Jully Black is sassy as shit. No seriously, she has a bold R&B sound that's different than what's typical among other R&B divas, like an over-the-top image isn't necessary to accompany her music. Naturally, fashion is her forte. Ayah, a DJ Jazzy Jeff protege, is Philly soul stuck in Toronto mixed with house, hiphop and whatever else her mind is truly capable of - in fact, a song just dropped she did in collaboration with Slakah The Beatchild called "Keep Up." More heat is sure to follow, I mean, the summer is near!
I'm so glad Saidah hipped me to all these artists. My headphones been on repeat with these folks ever since!
After filling your ears with all that Van Glorious, check out the rest of the interview with Saidah here.
Point Out The Bounce!
When accentuating the positive equals accentuating some triflingness - that which really is what most folks like to call - there's a strong case in the Bounce culture.
I recently checked out Big Freedia's show at The EARL, and man, I had no clue what I decided to cover. Her joint "Ass Everywhere" is a proclamation, let her live performances tell it. Big booty broads on stage, in the audience (then on stage) - surprisingly without a machismo in sight.
While most stripper-ready music brings out as many guys as gals because of the gals, Big Freedia and the Bounce culture brought forth a type of subculture counter-intuitive to misogynous music. And doubting it has everything to do with its popularity in the LGBT community, it felt pretty darn good to see women flaunting what they have without feeling like they were being undressed by the eyes of patriarchy.
So there are more photos and a full recap of this crazy show on Frank151. Go there to see what I saw!
A Proper Doodle of The Late Etta James
In my current freelancing days, I cover just about everything that has to do with the arts - from dance to paintings to music to film to theatre - but I usually keep this blog exclusive to music. However, when I spot something that connects to great ear candy - like this great eye candy - I feel it's my duty to post.
I looked at this and saw far more than a neatly drawn picture of the late, great Etta James. I saw just about everything that embodied that singer, from her extremely youthful personality to her from-the-ground-up vocals.
While this could be an ode to "At Last" (or a rant on how every other blog or media outlet dedicates her dedication to other artists who have been inspired by Etta James), she was so much more than that, musically. In certain aspects, mainly speaking when I listen to "Something's Got A Hold On Me" or "Hoochie Coochie Gal" or "I Just Wanna Make Love to You" her classy voice would clash with her raw and youthful personality. Here it is this singer you know from something as dramatic as "At Last" getting down with the rebellious-to-gospel swing sound, or blues rock, or sensual satisfaction (respectively speaking). It was like she rebelled against conserving her swag to big band tunes and dramatic songwriting. She didn't need big red curtains to do her thing. Etta James was that vibrant and bold how she spoke to me loudly like she was that homegirl from around the way.
Not that this picture is "hood" in any sense, but in most artwork that included Ms. James there was a glossy, spotlight-ish, 50s glow surrounding her - even when any true follower of her knew that's not really her. The thing about this photo is it speaks to her vibrant nature, from her booming voice to her various outrage in her portrayal by current R&B artists. The colors used, the fill-in's patterns, the background, her hair, they're all telling a tale that features the entire spectrum of Etta James.
Everyone will miss that. Trust!
Rest in Power Etta James.
Discussing Frankly with Sean Falyon
This guy is great. Sean Falyon did a Frank Discussion session with me, and his scatterbrain had me in tears! Here's an excerpt:
To see the whole Frank Discussion on Frank151's Atlanta League website, and for the link to his latest Jackin 4 Beats mixtape, click here.The best thing about where I live is it has a roof on it.... and when you come here, you should check out my fridge I just bought.You haven't lived until you went on a recon mission with Sean Falyon's beard!
The Strike Against SOPA
"Maybe you'll love me when I fade to black"
- Jay-Z
As this site is dressed in all black and some of you might wonder "hey, where did those annoying bubbles go?!?!" the Internets is fighting to protect what is there's - freedom. Congress seems to be on a roll with their idiocy of ending online piracy by completely ignoring everything that made the Internet great in the first place.
How can something so generic be so tightening on the lungs of the Web?
We featured the Free Justin Bieber campaign recently, but Congress doesn't seem to get it. I understand, though, as I've been part of the movement to help bring together the colliding worlds of entertainment blogging and bloodthirsty lawmakers. Seeing the various interaction, runarounds, and other slippery slopes of being a watchdog makes me realize that the term evolution (at least when it comes to harmonizing and balancing the two aforementioned worlds) is an understatement.
That's why this site is in its all-black-everything phase.
Basically, the government is enforcing that every website polices third party links from everywhere that includes anything regarding all forms of copyright infringment. That was not a sarcastic statement. Due to generic terms used in the bill, S. 968, that is the way it must be examined. Well, at least to avoid catching a flippin' felony!
Here's the Skippy on why SOPA has a dangerous capability of screwing over everything the Internet stands for:
1. Like mentioned about S. 978 (the Commercial Felony Streaming Act) earlier, the incidentals and accidentals will be entirely too vulnerable. If So And So wants to post her favorite song on Facebook because it explains the complex status she posted earlier about being "the baddest btich" (or however the misspelling goes), then she is liable to shut all of Facebook down. Yes, because the site allowed her to post content that enables pirate sharing, all of Facebook is liable to be shut down. Under SOPA's blanket-covering/suffocating definition, sites like YouTube, Facebook, Gmail, Dropbox, Soundcloud, and a big ass etc are sites dedicated to "theft of U.S. property." The thing is that any site with a comment box or upload form of any sort - whether the site complies with the DCMA or not - has the potential to be punished for infringement.
2. Any countering on infringement becomes far more difficult than previous copyright laws. For example, if an artist sends me a direct song they want "leaked," and the attorney general finds out then my ass is grass. Alone. In the bill, there is no clear statement of how they go about notifying the artist or their label - let alone whether or not the government has to! The responsibility is placed in my hands to get in touch with an already nearly untouchable party to send a counter-notice stating that I am allowed to "leak" the track... or picture... or video (just to make sure you understand what all's at stake here). After five days of the site being shut down, if no counter-notice is issued, guess who's going to jail?!
3. Still this term "FELONY" puts an awful strain on an already economically struggling field(s). Here's an explanation from Mashable's Opinion page of how quickly casual whoopsies become three years in prison:
Section 201(b)(1) expands criminal copyright infringement to include:4. This isn't just happening to folks in the U.S., this is for EVERYONE. The power has been put in the attorney general's hands to fully censor - from shutting down the site to cutting the site off from AdSense to cutting the site off from Paypal - any site that isn't even in the jurisdiction of the U.S. Folks first think of WikiLeaks, but what about other sites? Let's not forget about entertainment sites like SoulCulture, Daily Mail, Every Day A Great Song, etc that could be shut down for good. Not only that it's just shut down in their country, but worldwide (they don't call it that for nothing)!
"At least 10 copies or phonorecords, or of at least 10 public performances by means of digital transmission, of 1 or more copyrighted works, during any 180-day period, which have a total retail value of more than $2,500."Now, the way that the value of a work can be computed in court is the very crude (value of the work times number of views).
"Total retail value may be shown by evidence of the total retail price that persons receiving the reproductions, distributions, or public performances constituting the offense would have paid to receive such reproductions, distributions, or public performances lawfully."This means, for example, if you upload a video to YouTube of you singing a popular song, and that song might sell for $1, and your video gets 2,500 views, you are guilty of felony copyright infringement. Furthermore, you can tack on “willful infringement for commercial gain or valued at more than $1,000.”
This would make you a felon, and if a copyright holder were to bring a suit against you, would give you a criminal record that would make it virtually impossible to fain future employment, and may subject you to up to three years in prison for singing a song. You don’t have to receive any money. You don’t have to gain anything from your video. Simply receiving 2,500 views on a song you sung, which happens to have copyright held by someone else, makes you a felon.
If SOPA passes, then we'll be out here looking like China. Flat out. Big Brother's monitoring will just grow more and more brolick, brolick to the point where any slight instance of opposition is silenced - whether it be opposition of government policy or opposition of society's choice of entertainment.
2011's Recap You Might Forget By Its End
The Year of The Indie Award: St. Vincent - This was tough. Plenty of indie artists came out with wonderful music this year, thanks to the GRAMMY's focus beyond album sales. The Weeknd, tUnE-yArDs, Washed Out, Toro Y Moi and The Roots (as usual, though) all had records that had everyone thinking outside the box, mainly to think they are indie music aficionados, but what really matters is how much the artist can shake these jokers up. St. Vincent has been doing that for years, and seems to only get better when looking at her album Strange Mercy. It was the best at showing what indie musicians are all about - being able to create some mainstream pop ish but excelling just as well in their own lane.
The Best 2011 Hiphop Beat: Lil' B "Motivation" (produced by Clams Casino) - This year had a colossal of dope beats, from 9th Wonder's entire Jamla crew to the Watch The Throne production. One producer that stuck out the most was Clams Casino, and it all started with this Lil' B jawn. The mixture of noise with the classic hiphop break and the extra tribal percussion snuffed a new punch to the hiphop scene, one that is highly untechnical and carefree, especially steering clear from in-your-face boom-bap rap.
Clams Casino - 01 Motivation [FLAC] by ClamsCasino
Nostalgia Done Right in 2011: Com Truise - Pick a record, any record, from this guy and you'll hear both originality and a Miami Vice soundtrack. Com Truise has the 80's new wave synthpop sound down to a nostalgic pat where the music sets people in a world stocked with postmodern industrial, futuristic-looking furniture and neon stop lights for the Jetsons flying saucer. Cyanide Sisters and Galactic Melt respectively embodied Com Truise's ability to own his own retro sound that matches what seemed to be dude's interpretation of what he grew up with.
Flightwave by JONEZ
The Sappiest Artist of 2011: Wiz Khalifa - Honestly, this award could've been given to him a long time ago. Don't let Kush and OJ and all his other slightly more machismo, smoker-crazed mixtapes fool you, Wiz is one sappy cat. Recalling "Say Yeah," let alone his extremely thin body, that dude is nowhere near capable of holding down a hardcore mantra. And that's ok - it's just when he wonders off into a "I Roll Up" stupor that pulls his chump card. Does Amber Rose really bring that out of guys?!
Best Flow of 2011: Dream Hampton "Denouement" - Although I speak a lot on music-type music, it doesn't hurt to highlight highlight-worthy spoken word. On one of the best albums of 2011, TiRon and Ayomari A Sucker For Pumps, journalist (and poet too, I guess) Dream drops the deepest piece any woman with a heart will understand. She opens up with:
Romantic love is always inconveniently self-announcing
Despite its unwilling participants. Wounded healers,
Unavailable men in need of constant companionship.
Women whose haunted havens are unsafe.
Love shit.
And throughout the poem, pieces of structured stream-of-consciousnesses that each illustrate a revelation of some love-and-relationship-sort, she places this toosie "though counter intuitive, when you hit a curve in love you should accelerate, not brake," reminding everyone that love is rough but fight through that shit.
The Best Tribute to an Icon in 2011: Bob Dylan at The GRAMMYs - Although all the award shows have become complete snoozefests, this performance/tribute set to "Maggie's Farm" was unforgettable. The two acts, Mumford & Sons and Avett Brothers, pave a folk-like river toward the sea that is Bob Dylan. They come together and perform in this magical fashion, especially hearing all those instruments (specifically Bob Dylan's raspy water-deprived vocals) play under the warm, intimate light - the way folk should always be enjoyed!
The Quickest and Tastiest Flavor of 2011: KING - How can you have the shortest EP that draws the biggest buzz only to never follow up? Though folks can stare at Jay Electronica for his once-a-year single releases, this L.A. trio falls guilty to that same strategy. KING released one of the best EPs this year titled The Story, and in three songs charmed their way into the R&B elite. Folks still talk about The Story, but shift the focus on what's next for KING. No one knows the answer though!
KING-The Story EP by weareKINGworldwide
Study Shows Music Makes Wine Tastes Better
This used to be a theory in my head, but I would think that just to curve my tolerance, but there was never proof for it... until now.
Reports have been showing that a new study shows that wine makes music taste better, like it does with pasta and seafood. According to the British Journal of Psychology, the characteristics of the wine's taste can match the style of music or even a certain artist.
So, Marvin Gaye DOES go with Chardonnay?!
The study showed connections between the pace of the beat and the zing in the wine. It also had a connection with the power of the music and the texture of the wine. The taste of the wine was directly affected by the stimulation of the music. There were 250 subjects used for this study, enough for a party, right?
It seems like since it's a study from the British Journal of Psychology, not from a chemistry entity, one could only think of this proving the point that music plays the biggest role in human interaction - and that includes drinking. Like Chuck Klosterman said in his book Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs, "without a soundtrack, human interaction is meaningless." Just to add to it, as Jamie Foxx said "blame it on the Goose, got you feeling loose," think of how loose inhibition becomes when alcohol is in the equation. Folks can get an idea of how Becky Sue will get fired up for Gaga as she sips her glass of Pinto Grigio.
While the study was unable to say the cultural connotations of the music used were a factor in the perceived taste, the taste does indeed encourage more drinking. Not to say that we're over here encouraging drinking, but to not encourage the right tunes to get rid of that wine no one drinks in the first place? Come on! Now, you can pair your alcohol - well, wine for now - with the kind of music you want to play for your next party.
Reports have been showing that a new study shows that wine makes music taste better, like it does with pasta and seafood. According to the British Journal of Psychology, the characteristics of the wine's taste can match the style of music or even a certain artist.
So, Marvin Gaye DOES go with Chardonnay?!
The study showed connections between the pace of the beat and the zing in the wine. It also had a connection with the power of the music and the texture of the wine. The taste of the wine was directly affected by the stimulation of the music. There were 250 subjects used for this study, enough for a party, right?
It seems like since it's a study from the British Journal of Psychology, not from a chemistry entity, one could only think of this proving the point that music plays the biggest role in human interaction - and that includes drinking. Like Chuck Klosterman said in his book Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs, "without a soundtrack, human interaction is meaningless." Just to add to it, as Jamie Foxx said "blame it on the Goose, got you feeling loose," think of how loose inhibition becomes when alcohol is in the equation. Folks can get an idea of how Becky Sue will get fired up for Gaga as she sips her glass of Pinto Grigio.
While the study was unable to say the cultural connotations of the music used were a factor in the perceived taste, the taste does indeed encourage more drinking. Not to say that we're over here encouraging drinking, but to not encourage the right tunes to get rid of that wine no one drinks in the first place? Come on! Now, you can pair your alcohol - well, wine for now - with the kind of music you want to play for your next party.
Rooting for the Home Team/2011 Springfield Cypher
These guys have came a long way!
Usually, I don't post just YouTube videos trying to bulk up my blog with short posts, but what on Earth do I look like not putting my hometown on blast?!?!
The best hiphop artists from Springfield (Ohio, yall. No Simpsons slant around here) get together and kicks it heavy. The spectrum of emceeing is in full force in this video - from poetic flows to the drug rap to straight punchlines - and the cypher has old heads from around the way to the new cats that's on the rise in the scene.
RANDOM: I love how Young D (the last one) throws in that Camron reference, who shouts out Springfield every time he speaks on Ohio. (Does it in "Down and Out" too)
I remember going to high school with half those guys in the cypher, who rapped back then - and honestly, it was close to trash - but they've completely stepped their game up!
Here's the list of the cypher and where to find them:
Shawn Diggy (of the group A-9)
Sauce The Great (of the group A-9)
A Johns The Poet
Sneak Pree (of the group A-9)
Smiddy (of the group A-9)
D Walt (of the group A-9)
Young D (of the group A-9)
Props.
A Guinea Pig + Rhode Island + A Guitar = Ellis Ashbrook
Ellis Ashbrook has that kind of sound. This New York band of four is coming to Smith's Olde Bar in Atlanta on the 7th bringing their prog-rock, jazz and funk with them. Come to the Midtown bar to unwind because we all know how the case of the Monday's can be!
Until then, check out this interview they did for the blog. They talk about their name - which could easily confuse folks who are equally confused with the GROUP Travis Porter - and their latest project Meridia.
How did you guys get together and form Ellis Ashbrook?
The guitarist John and drummer Alex started playing together as kids. Bassist Jonathan joined up around the beginning of college and Natalie, keys and vocalist, at the end of college. Several other members have come and gone over the years, but the 4 of us have been living and playing together in NYC the last 4 years.
Where did that name come from?
Ellis was a Guinea Pig, Ashbrook is a street in Rhode Island. Can you dig it?
I sense a maturity with this group, when it comes to your sound. Like, chill or folk rock of some sort. Am I at least on the right track? How would you describe your music?
We wear many hats. For instance, on our latest album Meridia you will hear down tempo jazz, progressive organ-driven funk, Tool-esque riff rock, saxophone, strings, 20 guitars at once and a lizard tongue bass.
Where do your musical influences come from? Do you guys all come from the same background musically?
Yes and no. Natalie grew up on classical music and basically sans contemporary pop-culture save Elton John, Xanadu, Sheena Easton and Whitney Houston. We also have a strong 60’s and 70’s classic rock, prog-rock, and funk foundation mixed with the rock music of the early 90’s. Lately, there’s been more of a jazz and electronic influence, but we are constantly exposing our ears to new sounds and vibrations so our musical palate can grow and expand in unforeseen directions.
If "sometimes it's unassuming, unalarming" then why not watch? I guess I'm asking what's really going on in "No Please Don't Watch."
“No Please, Don’t Watch” is about the beautiful, confident dualities that make people tick.
Does Meridia sound like this, lyrically? What else does this album's lyrical content contain?
The lyrical content of all our songs is based in sensation, observation, meditation and consecration. We encourage positivity, yet we embrace the dark depths of everyone’s life experience.
How long did it take to create this album? What was making this project like?
Jerry Garcia said recording an album is like building a ship in a glass bottle, playing live is like sailing the ocean. Long before we were anywhere near a microphone we perfected song structures, lyrics, melodies and grooves so we could layer parts freely for days. Our motto became lay it all down then start building it up piece by piece.
What has touring been like so far? What do you guys look forward to the most (other than performing) when you come to Atlanta?
Haha off the previous question, touring is like building the proverbial ark. You can’t be prepared, you create a flow and you go. We love local record stores and I am hoping Criminal Records is still around when we get there. Great food and vintage clothing are always a must too. Seeing the different worlds growing in each city is the best really, Brooklyn has its own flavor and we love it but there are so many wonderful meccas we have stumbled upon on tour. It’s refreshing.
PlanetRAWK, The One with The Sure Shot
Trying to find a median between genres such as hiphop and rock, soul and pop, electronic and jazz can be difficult - oh, don't be fooled by those rappers who throw in a guitar here and there just to call themselves genre-blending. You can't just be a great vocalist and merge yourself into pop culture either.
While there are a growing number of musicians attempting to truly melt the musical pot, PlanetRAWK is an example of those who get it right, at least as far as hiphop and rock is concerned. You check him out live with Tragedy Called Truth, another rock band, at Atlanta's Drunken Unicorn November 9th!
How and why did you come up with the name PlanetRAWK? Was it influenced by Afrika Bambaataa?
Yes, it was influenced by the song Planet Rock, I thought their songwriting was very interesting and became a fan very quickly.
Who are your musical influences, aside from Bam of course?
In junior high I was a fan of Jay Z, Playa Fly, UGK, Master P and 3-6 Mafia. Currently, I am really into Dance Gavin Dance, Emarosa, Johnny Craig, 30 Seconds To Mars, Panic at The Disco.
So, do you listen to mainstream hiphop artists now?
Not really. Lupe Fiasco is a good one, I think he is amazing. But this so-called trap music played on radio and TV sounds like garbage and gives a negative site on black people. I mean, kids listen to this and grow up thinking this is cool or this is the way to make it, it's nonsense and has no creativity or originality whatsoever.
What got you into doing rock although you have strong hiphop influences, artistically?
I woke up and came downstairs, made a beat and wrote the lyrics to it, and said to myself "this is way too easy." Decided from then on to challenge myself musically, got a band and went on from there learning musical theory.
How would you describe your sound?
Well we involve different genres, but to keep it simple I say alternative hiphop with rock and electronic fusion.
On "Hush," your new single, you have some elements of scream rock in there. How much of that element will be on your projects to come?
A lot. I am a big fan of post hardcore music. Beautiful melodies with screams I think are awesome.
I see you have heavy rock influences, and I agree about the beauty behind hardcore melodies, but how did you get into rock music and ultimately do rock music?
I promise you at the age of 7 or 8 I was getting dress in the morning to Nirvana and Pearl Jam going to school. Rock has always been my first love, when I first saw Kurt Cobain on MTV Music Awards, I knew I wanted to be a rock star but as a black kid in an all-Black school I didn't want to get picked on or those weird stares because I was different, so I hid my passion. But now I embrace it.
How'd you hook up with Tragedy Called Truth? The energy they have is crazy!
I met them through my bass player JT Thomas and we have been friends ever since. We tour together, they are my studio and live band, couldn't ask for better friends.
What has the Atlanta indie scene been like for you?
I love it, there are some amazing bands in Atlanta, some dicky venues but we will keep our mouths shut about them haha!
What's been the biggest obstacle as an indie artist? I ask because I spoke with quite a few other Atlanta musicians and they tend to lean towards generating a fanbase outside of other musicians. Is that a problem for you, or are there other things you have to focus on?
When I look at my fanbase on facebook, I have fans in Austria, Zambia and United Kingdom, so if your music reaches then people all over will love it. My biggest issue is funding because we want to tour, but that costs money. We want to be in a nice studio, but that costs money. We want to be packaged nice and pretty, but it costs money. Everything costs money and we don't have a label, so we fund everything ourselves - so we are taking applications for investors haha!
Complete this sentence: when you come to a PlanetRAWK show, look out for flying monkeys because they always happens to find themselves on stage.
How can people keep up with you, social media-wise?
Download a copy of my new single at http://planetrock.bandcamp.com/ and donate what you can to help us fund touring cost. Also, www.facebook.com/planetrockband, www.planetrawkmusic.com and Twitter at @planetrawk
While there are a growing number of musicians attempting to truly melt the musical pot, PlanetRAWK is an example of those who get it right, at least as far as hiphop and rock is concerned. You check him out live with Tragedy Called Truth, another rock band, at Atlanta's Drunken Unicorn November 9th!
Yes, it was influenced by the song Planet Rock, I thought their songwriting was very interesting and became a fan very quickly.
Who are your musical influences, aside from Bam of course?
In junior high I was a fan of Jay Z, Playa Fly, UGK, Master P and 3-6 Mafia. Currently, I am really into Dance Gavin Dance, Emarosa, Johnny Craig, 30 Seconds To Mars, Panic at The Disco.
So, do you listen to mainstream hiphop artists now?
Not really. Lupe Fiasco is a good one, I think he is amazing. But this so-called trap music played on radio and TV sounds like garbage and gives a negative site on black people. I mean, kids listen to this and grow up thinking this is cool or this is the way to make it, it's nonsense and has no creativity or originality whatsoever.
What got you into doing rock although you have strong hiphop influences, artistically?
I woke up and came downstairs, made a beat and wrote the lyrics to it, and said to myself "this is way too easy." Decided from then on to challenge myself musically, got a band and went on from there learning musical theory.
How would you describe your sound?
Well we involve different genres, but to keep it simple I say alternative hiphop with rock and electronic fusion.
On "Hush," your new single, you have some elements of scream rock in there. How much of that element will be on your projects to come?
A lot. I am a big fan of post hardcore music. Beautiful melodies with screams I think are awesome.
I see you have heavy rock influences, and I agree about the beauty behind hardcore melodies, but how did you get into rock music and ultimately do rock music?
I promise you at the age of 7 or 8 I was getting dress in the morning to Nirvana and Pearl Jam going to school. Rock has always been my first love, when I first saw Kurt Cobain on MTV Music Awards, I knew I wanted to be a rock star but as a black kid in an all-Black school I didn't want to get picked on or those weird stares because I was different, so I hid my passion. But now I embrace it.
I met them through my bass player JT Thomas and we have been friends ever since. We tour together, they are my studio and live band, couldn't ask for better friends.
What has the Atlanta indie scene been like for you?
I love it, there are some amazing bands in Atlanta, some dicky venues but we will keep our mouths shut about them haha!
What's been the biggest obstacle as an indie artist? I ask because I spoke with quite a few other Atlanta musicians and they tend to lean towards generating a fanbase outside of other musicians. Is that a problem for you, or are there other things you have to focus on?
When I look at my fanbase on facebook, I have fans in Austria, Zambia and United Kingdom, so if your music reaches then people all over will love it. My biggest issue is funding because we want to tour, but that costs money. We want to be in a nice studio, but that costs money. We want to be packaged nice and pretty, but it costs money. Everything costs money and we don't have a label, so we fund everything ourselves - so we are taking applications for investors haha!
Complete this sentence: when you come to a PlanetRAWK show, look out for flying monkeys because they always happens to find themselves on stage.
How can people keep up with you, social media-wise?
Download a copy of my new single at http://planetrock.bandcamp.com/ and donate what you can to help us fund touring cost. Also, www.facebook.com/planetrockband, www.planetrawkmusic.com and Twitter at @planetrawk
A Justin Bieber Movement We All Can Agree On!
It's S. 978, the bill that can lock up folks for up to five years for using copyrighted material on the Web. OpenCongress summarizes it like this:
The Commercial Felony Streaming Act (S. 978) makes unauthorized web streaming of copyrighted content a felony with a possible penalty of up to 5 years in prison. Illegal streaming of copyrighted content is defined in the bill as an offense that "consists of 10 or more public performances by electronic means, during any 180-day period, of 1 or more copyrighted works" and has a total economic value, either to the copyright holder or the infringer, of at least $2,500.While I feel like Justin Bieber should not be as popular as he actually is - in fact I would give him Jeff Cohen's fame over Sean Astin's fame (or as much as I could relate his musical content to Sloth from The Goonies as possible) - he should not be locked up for covering his favorite songs. Neither should Karmin, Greyson Chance or Melanie Fiona.
Thanks to the open-ended language of this bill, three hots and a cot for five years can go to not only YouTubers but to Tweeters, Facebook(ers), MySpace(rs), Google+ers, Pandora(ers), AmazonCloud(ers), GrooveShark(ers), SoundCloud(ers), folks who own iPhones, Androids and email accounts because it's the sharing of streaming media that could be illegal.
Thinking about it, and maybe stretching it a little, bumping the stream of the Danny Brown and Black Milk album on speaker phones and then someone joins in on the tunes could come with a five-year sentence. How awesome is that?!
Here's another slightly-stretched scenario: those who want to make their own variation of The Wobble, The Wu-Tang, The Artichoke, or whatever the hot new dance craze can get the silver bracelets too. Oh, and that cute video of the eight-year-old singing Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass?" Illegal.
While the pressure to protect artists from other people making money off of streaming music without the artist's permission is understandable, the impulsive extremity of this act is foolish. If someone were to steal anything I've written off this blog and post it on their sites as their words, I would be pissed. However, to do it with an adoration for my voice (and attribution), or to do it on the grounds of some editing of some sort, I would understand.
Here's what's being done. Fight for the Future has launched a Free Bieber campaign and a petition people can sign to stop the bill from going forth. Once you visit FreeBieber.org, the petition will pop up asking for your email address. The petition is spread throughout the website as well.
The idea of penalizing folks like Karmin, Beiber, etc for the same reasons (and then some) is radical. Given most musicians feel like they are as good as - if not better - than the next man, most folks who cover other artists do not look to profit off of their adoration. More than likely, they want to place themselves in their favorite artist's shoes in their covers. Show me a band that wants to purely profit off of covering another artist, and I'll show you the Wiz Khalifa costume Billy Gardell (Mike from Mike & Molly) plans on wearing this Halloween weekend.
Balkans Set to Bomb Awesomeness at CMJ 2011
Atlanta is running things at CMJ this year!
From hiphop like Senor Kaos to the rock n' roll ATL has grown to love, like the Balkans, this city is heading to NY with a strong Southern force.
Yesterday, much buzz surrounded Balkans with their set last night at the Lefse showcase. Folks can check out their next set Friday at the Kanine Records showcase. From what I hear, this could get as wild as some Ohio exotic farm owners (ok, maybe the Zanesville sheriffs?) as these guys are as much sensibly punk as they are charmingly pop as they are amusingly fun.
Speaking of wild times, I remember covering the Balkans when they released one of my favorite ATL-made songs this year "Edita V." We talked about how they got together (*slash* the high school story) and where did their name come from (which means "absolutely nothing whatsoever"), though this band means everything to ATL!
Click the link below to read on!
Balkans celebrate long-awaited 7" single release at Star Bar - Atlanta Local Music | Examiner.com
Going Mobile...
Well this isn't weird at all, is it?
The internet has went out (bad router), so the blog is now in the hands of an Android-powered device and Blogger app. This is a test to see how the posts are laid out via mobile blogging.
By the way, that's a picture of my scooter. Ain't he purrty?!
The show has to go on, ya know?
2011 A3C Festival Photos and Recap
I had the pleasure of doing double duty for A3C this year - holding it down for A3C (of course) and Frank151 Atlanta Backwoods. From many trips to Subway for an Anytober footlong to wacky odes to Trail Mix, I was pretty exhausted by the 3rd day of A3C-ing. Maybe I should save these anecdotes for the actual recap...
From meeting the female emcee of 9th Wonder's Jamla crew to witnessing Big Daddy Kane and Skoob Lover do their trademark dance, the twinkles in my eye never really left throughout all of A3C. Just about every performance I saw at A3C reminded me to never sleep on a hiphop festival merely because it is indeed a hiphop festival.
Not everyone (at least in Atlanta) got that memo. Although the headlining acts get bigger and bigger (mind you, this year's included Freeway, Random Axe, Big KRIT, Dead Prez, Big Daddy Kane), the city's consumption of A3C seems to stay the same, if not grow weaker. It felt like there was less enthusiasm and appreciation of the hiphop fuel A3C had, not to mention the other events tending to the needs of Atlanta's socialites conflicting with A3C's impact. Yeah, the Atlanta City Council awarded A3C with a proclamation for their hard work and diverse cultural programming, but the city itself seemed to yawn it off. 7 years later, and a proclamation by the Atlanta City Council, and they still have to compete with other people in bringing the biggest hiphop names to Atlanta on the first weekend of October? Come on, son!
Aside from all that, A3C continued to accomplished what most big events in Atlanta don't do - break wall(s). Usually people go to an event indirectly masked as certain people: press/media, up-and-coming artist, complete and total fan, socialite (can be V.I.P or groupie, but that's another blog post) and the performing act. Whereas most events, especially "Black Hollywood" events, keep things neatly organized to the point where everything seems fenced to machine-like actions and interactions, A3C doesn't do that at all. Instead, A3C will have you forget that you, the performing act, shouldn't act hysterical over another performing act. Or you, the press guy, shouldn't be so star-struck when a headliner is ready for pictures and questions in the media room. However, when hiphop is being hiphop - familial in all its cultural ways - wear as many masks as you can without being the festival creep.
The biggest highlights of A3C this year came from the most respected names in the entire hiphop community, as many of those cats were there. From Jarobi making a surprise appearance for Eternia's tribute to ATCQ's "Excursions" to a massive amount of white people obligingly yell "I'm down for running up on them crackers in they city hall" to MURS finally unleashing emotionally-deep material unto his fans to 9th Wonder and Dee-1 sit outside of downtown Atlanta's New Era store trade knowledge back and forth like the teachers they are, I don't know what else to actually say about A3C except the twinkle in my eye - you know, that twinkle that's similar to a life-opening experience, that twinkle - never left.
The twinkle didn't even leave when I did this ridiculous interview with the Ying Yang Twins!!! Check out Where My 40 Acres while you're at it too because those cats stayed on it.
I cannot escape without proper props to these blogs too! You must check out:
BombOnEm
Write and Groove
Miss L's
Rhythmic Images
Natasha Williams Photography
Trill Talk Radio
iAm Classic Hip Hop
Artists you must check out because they killed it at A3C:
Jon Connor
Marz Lovejoy
Nikki Lynette (crazy how underrated she really is)
Boog Brown (read Nikki Lynette)
Skewby
Phil Ade
Nikkiya
The 5IVE
XV (again, read Nikki Lynette)
Gods'Illa
Reks
Skyzoo
and really, go to A3C's website and look up all the other artist profiles because there're too many to name!
Check out my Frank151/A3C blog team coverage of A3C, including interviews with MURS, tabi Bonney, The ReMINDers, Eternia, Nikki Lynette, Ultrabeast, The 5IVE, Boog Brown, and more!
Also, my YouTube page has some great concert footage, including MURS' new joint "Remember to Forget" and Freeway's classic "What We Do"
And since you made it this far down the blog, and hopefully read all these words I've typed, check out this video I got of Ski Beatz with his band The Sensei's and Phil Ade getting it on the spot!
SIDEBAR!!!
After A3C, not even through the exploration of technological advances in the culture's preservation, I've found out that age is nothing but a number - as long as the community elders (the old heads) continue to build with the youngsters, and vice-versa. Face it, while vinyl will never die in hiphop, the younger generation will forever need to teach veteran DJs how to work the vinyl-to-USB transformation to the max. An old head will always have to teach young breakers proper and well-respected freezes.
A3C was a perfect example of all of that! From seeing breakers of all ages battle to hearing 9th Wonder and Dee-1 give advice to aspiring artists to watching a group like Dead Prez shout out a group like The ReMINDers as "family," the opportunity to dead my on-the-fence grappling of the Hiphop/Post-Hiphop generation(s) was there and ended it.
Big K.R.I.T is Performing at A3C 2011 (Retro Interview)
In light of this year's coverage, here's an interview with Big K.R.I.T for AOL back in the "sometimes free doesn't mean you won't get paid" freelance days with their City's Best site. We went on and on about what he does when he's in town, but in this excerpt we talk about the day he got signed to Def Jam:
Check out the rest of the interview on AOL City's Best.In such a short amount of time, we've heard your music go across the board. What's your ultimate goal as a musician?
Make music that people can relate to, something for all walks of life. I feel like as an artist, I'm supposed to paint all these pictures. So, I stay true to myself and do the right music and be original.
What was it like meeting Sha Money XL and the day you signed to Def Jam?
It was dope! Sha Money is a down-to-earth person. He has a respect for where I come from -- from nothing to a million-dollar signing -- it's like a homie kind of aspect. I ended up calling my father in the elevator like, "Pops, this is real!" It's Def Jam, the mecca of Hip-Hop, and to be from the Dirty South it was like we did it!
Speaking of "best," best of luck to Big K.R.I.T on winning his first BET Hip Hop Award this year. Although not many people credit BET for serious award ceremonies, there's nothing like having a physical symbol of appreciation (because YouTube and Bandcamp hits can only mean so much). In other words, you can't really place Internet buzz on your mantle or trophy case. Good luck Big K.R.I.T!
This Examiner Interview with Lucy Dreams: Life for Young Musicians!
Music is indeed getting younger and younger, in age, not necessarily in style and technique. Communication between older and younger generations - and older and younger techniques - generally goes from old to young and hardly ever vice-versa. The cycle will continue for pop culture, and generally the same for hiphop and punk within mainstream realms.
Interviewing Lucy Dreams for Examiner reminds me that not all fresh meat musicians have complete sponges for minds because of how eloquently they speak and how hard they work on their music. Not that they don't need to listen to their elders - I'm sure they do - but they seem like they haven't arrived to the sea of music as dry sponges ready to soak up whatever they can. In this excerpt I talk to Lucy Dreams, who came together while they were still in high school, about their textured sound and how they form their music:
Continue reading on Examiner.com Get to know: Lucy Dreams - Atlanta Local Music | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/local-music-in-atlanta/get-to-know-lucy-dreamsDoes your sound come about organically? Do you try to form the right music and notes?
When we’re practicing we do play around until something comes out right, we rarely ever bring something prepared to practice. The songwriting process is very organic compared to our sound because of how we jam. What isn’t really organic is the actual sonic sound of our music. That’s a little more conscious on our part. We have this idea, not really exact, but a vague idea of what we want our sound to be. Being a band that’s so focused on the textures and wash of everything, it can be kind of tough for our shows too. Getting something like that to sound just right, especially with all the pedals, that’s a lot of work.
I noticed that throughout your performance you guys were going back and forth with the pedals and the knobs. You guys worked the hell out of tweaking your sound onstage!
Yeah, we kinda were. Whenever there’s nothing to do though, I’m like “eh, I bet this will sound better,” and start messing with the sound.
It was really interesting watching that, and watching your sound unfold. Can you guys describe what your sound or where it’s going?
It’s textured. It’s atmospheric. I think the idea of it is to not be simply chords and notes, but invoke something more than that. The noises that you’re hearing set different kinds of moods. It’s more than just the backing of our vocals. In fact, it’s the other way around – the vocals are the backing of our noises.
You speak so well about music. Are you guys still in school? You look so young!
No, well, we’re in Georgia State. Except Dani’s still in high school, she’s a junior.
Photos: 2011 Little Five Fest (taken by Dave Batterman)
I covered Little Five Fest for Examiner this year, despite some camera issues, but was taken care of by the Little Five Fest crew. The photos you'll see below are taken by Dave Batterman, a well-known concert photographer, a man who knows his stuff.
WTF? Funk Has Slyly Slipped Away
By now, everyone has heard one of Sly& The Family Stone's uplifting records on a cheesy commercial or a self-help flick. From "Thank You (For Letting Me Be Myself)" to "I Want to Take You Higher," people have not only felt Sly & The Family Stone created quality music but transgenerational messages of empowerment. The fact that the group's ring leader is broke - which some credit is due to his abusive drug habits - due to a bad case of mishandling his finances is ridiculous.
Aside from the management in the money and the messages in the music, the art of funk only remains a conversation piece among a small few - let alone expressing it within the music. After hearing "Don't You Know (This Funk Is Real)" by Dam-Funk, it's become apparent that the use of the bass slap is rarely heard in today's music, despite the oodles of enjoyment from listening to similar sounding records from the 60's and 70's. While we try to keep our music, fashion and pop culture vintage and original - even to the extent of overly sampling funk records - we've left some of the most innovative pieces of the genre behind. Same could be said for the use of hi-hat and synthesized snare - no one uses it anymore yet everyone loves to hear it. It's crazy how Dam is the only one that is out right now carrying on the tradition of funk music properly.
Scion A/V Presents: Dam Funk - InnaFocusedDaze by ScionAV
As innovative as funk was when it first came on the scene and as influential as it has become for genres like house, hiphop, jazz, pop, rock, R&B and reggae, why is it that the funk musicians - especially the greatest funk musicians like George Clinton and Sly Stone - currently sit in the worst financial situations as multiplatinum-selling artists? Why is it the hardest for them to fight back for their royalties and properly manage their funds? Why has it seemed like the following generations have raped these cats for all they're worth?!
This rant has come after tiring stories of Sly Stone: living out of his van while fighting in court for millions in royalties, George Clinton: check-to-check from retrospective tours and TV appearances, not to mention Zapp's family, the Sylver's family, and countless others in the mentally-straining struggle to get what they so rightfully earned. I'm just as tired of watching it as they are fighting it.
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