Month: August 2005

Rating: four stars and a half
A few days ago, I had the chance to listen to a song entitled « High », a beautiful Mutha/ Phear/ DJ Clutch collaboration.
Who is Mutha? Mutha is the Detroit rapper with the red beard and who sips on his bottle…no, seriously, he is the CEO of Margate Records.
P.H.E.A.R is a Detroit group composed of Micah Richardson aka  Phenom and Kevin Adams aka Entense. Phenom and Entense are both writers and producers and both involved in the rap game.
DJ Clutch from the Netherlands also known by Detroit insiders under the nickname Dirty Tim. DJ Clutch ‘s amazing work can be found on his official website.
The beginning of the song might surprise you: written in a slow tempo, you can hear « that’s the way we get down » through a quite robotic sound…soon a rapid rhythm will relay the slow tempo from the beginning. Meet Runyon Ave people and listen their ghetto story.
DJ Clutch does a great mixing job and you will probably enjoy the song’s rich sounds and beats
Let Mutha and Phear take you into their pot-smoking, alcohol-drinking, pimping world. A colorful universe, a lyrical offensiveness that will knock their enemies out, incredibly rich sounds and beats will make you like this song.
Globally, this song is great work and really worth a look. It is pure fire. Check it out here.

Kuniva and Kon Artis’ website is up! Come check it out!

In 1992, I used to watch a musical channel called « Sky Channel ». This is how I first discovered « U Can’t Touch This ». I was amazed by the way Mc Hammer was dancing in his video and I immediately loved this track.
Early years: MC Hammer, former baseball player
Stanley Kirk Burrell aka MC Hammer aka Hammer was born on March the 30th, 1962 in Oakland, California.
As a teenager, Mc Hammer was noticed as the gifted baseball player he actually was.
Charlie O. Finley, the Oakland Athletics baseball team’s owner had seen young Stanley performing outside of the stadium and he was quite impressed with his performance. He integrated the team rapidly.
Since Mr Finley didn’t live in Oakland, little Stanley was supposed to tell him what was happening inside of the team. Stanley Burrell was nicknamed « Little Hammer » because of his resemblance with Hank Aaron.
Mc Hammer followed the goal of becoming a professional baseball player without succeeding in it.
After returning from the Navy, he started playing in music clubs.
The start of a musical career
MC Hammer founded his own label Bust It.
Mc Hammer’s first record, Feel My Power, produced by Felton Pilate was released in 1987. It sold over 60,000 copies.
MC Hammer wasn’t that enthusiastic to be signed at Capitol Records, but he eventually accepted the contract in exchange of a bonus.
Signed to Capitol Records, he then re- released his debut album under the title Let’s Get It Started. The album was a huge success and went triple platinum.
Mc Hammer’s second album, Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em came out in 1990. It included the well known hit « U Can’t Touch This ». Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em topped Mc Hammer’s first album and sold 10 million units.
Despite his overwhelming success, Stanley Burrell had to face some criticism from emcees like 3rd Bass and Ice Cube. Both humored him in their videos.
In 1991, MC Hammer released his third album ,Too Legit To Quit. He also dropped « MC » from his stage name.
From pop-rap, gangsta rap to gospel
After signing with Giant Records, Hammer changed his soft « gospel » style to a more aggressive gangsta style, which wasn’t accepted that easily by legitimate gangsta rappers and receive a lot of criticism from musical critics.
In 1994, Hammer released a gangsta rap album, The Funky Headhunter.
Hammer signed to Death Row Records and left the label after Tupac’s death.
Hammer was quite disappointed with the album and returned to pop-rap in 1995 with Inside Out that was a flop.
In 1996, Hammer released a compilation of his hits.
In 1997, Hammer took the decision to spread God’s word and to become a Christian artist. His next album, Family Affair, that came out in 1998 was Christian orientated.
Active Duty, a patriotic gospel album, came out in 2001.
Hammer time, Hammer style
Mc Hammer has influenced a whole generation. A lot of people (like me) have discovered rap music through his hits in the early 90’s. Mc Hammer impressed many people because of his dancing skills. His clothing style was characterized by large baggy pants and oversized sunglasses.
MC Hammer was so popular in the 90’s that he was also given his own cartoon on ABC channel on Sunday morning. Mc Hammer dolls were sold and a Hammer clothing was available too.
MC Hammer wrote “Addams Groove,” the hit to the theme the to the film version of The Addams Family in 1994.
Mocked in Eminem’s Just Lose It, Hammer fires back with Full Blast
Eminem’s Just Lose It video raised a lot of controversy. Despite the fact I am deeply convinced that it wasn’t bad intentioned from Eminem’s point of view ( the video is funny and should not be interpreted in a negative way), the artists targeted in the video like Michael Jackson, Mc Hammer, Madonna Pee Wee Hermann didn’t really appreciate the jokes about them.
Since 2003, Mc Hammer was working on his new record, Full Blast. It was set to release for 2004.
In his song « Full Blast », Hammer disses Eminem in response to the Just Lose It video.
Download Full Blast here.
Mc Hammer’s rapping style has inspired a whole generation. His dancing skills are undeniable. Mc Hammer popularized rap music at a time it was unknown by many people. Some might not like it, but his style is unique in the world of rap music.

Ready for some bloody massacre? Click on Steve’s pic then!

It is so easy to be a comedian on the net and to show up with multiple personalities, to invent yourself a new life and to pose as a totally different individual.
You think that you can hide everything on the net, your lies, your manipulative words and actions? Don’t be so sure of it! I have retired the mask of many posers and I am pretty sure I am not the only one to have succeeded in doing it!
Many people who came to my personal Eminem website were convinced of my sincerity and of my enthusiasm. How come? Simply because I am no different person on the net from the person I am in real life. When I give my opinion on something, I actually mean it.
Of course, I think that I don’t have to reveal each detail of my life on the net. However I think that I owe my readers some honesty about how I feel and about who I am.
I put sincerity and honesty at a high level. When say that a song moved me and made me cry, be sure that I really felt like this at the very moment I put my feelings on paper. When I express about Bush and I say that I dislike him, be sure this is actually true.
My God, it is so easy to be true to ourselves, so why do some people feel the need to be such fakes on the net? Hopefully, dear reader, you are not one of them…

August 13, 2005
BY BRIAN McCOLLUM
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
In Detroit, it’s never just an Eminem concert.
RELATED CONTENT
Seen and heard at the concert
Interscope Records declined to let the Free Press photograph Friday night’s Eminem concert. At recent concerts, numerous news organizations have refused to agree to Interscope’s photography restrictions and its requirements for prior review of photographs to be published.
For more than 42,200 fans at Comerica Park, Friday night’s visit with rap’s reigning figure was more like a giant hip-hop tent revival, minus the tent and with a lot bigger beat. It was the most anticipated concert of the summer season, a homecoming spectacle for one of the globe’s biggest stars — and one of those nights where you didn’t need the fireworks finale to prove that you were part of something mammoth and noteworthy.
Kicking off his set 50 minutes after the scheduled 9:10 p.m. start, Eminem took the stage in a crisp dark suit as he rolled into the tongue-tripping rap of “Evil Deeds,” one of a host of tunes drawn from last year’s “Encore” album.
If there were nerves, they weren’t obvious. Reemerging in a white and red tracksuit before his second song, the politically charged “Mosh,” Eminem seemed to quickly lock into the momentum of his crowd, appearing coolly upbeat as he and fellow rapper Proof roamed the mammoth stage spanning the baseball stadium’s outfield.
Since he crashed into the public consciousness six years ago, Eminem has risen to popular music’s top echelon — both creatively and commercially — thanks to a smartly conceived mix of cutting lyrics and edgy imagery. At Comerica Park, he displayed much of what he’s learned during his tenure on top, commanding the sold-out stadium with a poised presence.
While it’s probably impossible to recapture the kinetic energy of his 2003 shows across the street at Ford Field — a touchstone in Detroit music lore — Eminem’s performance Friday night certainly carried the air of a massive event.
Hordes of concertgoers — including more than a fair share of families — began streaming into the downtown entertainment district hours earlier. After making it through opening sets from rappers 50 Cent and Lil Jon, they were clearly primed for the main attraction, letting loose with supersized roars at every “Whaddup, Detroit!”
Comerica Park did sport one advantage over its domed football neighbor: a sound more clear and potent than that of the 2003 shows. Muscular songs such as “Cleaning Out My Closet” and “The Way I Am” kept their robustness, while slinkier material (“Business,” “My Name Is”) maintained a funky dexterity.
Early on, Eminem addressed talk of his rumored retirement, buzz spawned by a Free Press report last month examining a potential career transformation for the rapper. Launching a skit he’s been performing since the tour started five weeks ago, he asked fans about their taste for tabloid media — a question met by a sea of boos — before whipping through a series of entertainment magazines and turning to moon the crowd.
While the two-hour concert delivered ample shots of intensity — most notably the pulsing, show-closing “Lose Yourself” — the night was dominated by a sort of easygoing, loose spirit. But for Eminem, it seemed to be a night of big emotions. Toward the show’s end, he paused briefly to absorb a crowd chant of “Shady! Shady!” After managing to quiet the audience, he hollered out what might have been the night’s most earnest declaration: “It’s good to be home!”
Contact BRIAN McCOLLUM at 313-223-4450 or mccollum@freepress.com.

Despite the fact blogging is often considered as amateur journalism, I am deeply convinced that you can find some high quality blogs on the net and that some of their writers are able to produce some good pieces of writing that are as good as the articles that you might read in some newspapers.
Of course, you have to consider that there are several categories of bloggers:
-the « less creative » bloggers who only copy and paste articles they have found on the net
-the bloggers who work like tabloids: big headlines, big photos and poor content.
– the bloggers who write articles on a subject matter (politics, religion, music, arts, literature etc…) that passionates them. Those bloggers usually spend hours doing their research and putting their words and ideas together.
You guessed it: the third category of bloggers is my favorite. I like it when people put some real efforts in expressing their ideas.
I don’t claim that each of their articles is a masterpiece, but not all of the articles from so called professional journalists are masterpieces.
I do think that a blogger who really invests himself in his writings has the same genuine qualities as a person who has spent several years in journalism classes. A writer who writes every day to perfect his skills can reach a professional level.
That’s why bloggers shouldn’t be despised and viewed as second class journalists. Unfortunately too many talented writers keep hidden and undiscovered in the blogging jungle like diamonds in the dirt.

…but he is the man who made me discover rap music. Expect him to be featured here soon…

If you have never heard about him, Vishiss is another incredibly talented Detroit white rapper besides Eminem. He’s real and talented. One of his songs, Conquer The World, really moved me. Although this song is not totally representative of Vishiss’ rapping style, I would like to share my feelings and impressions about this song with you.
Vishiss’ song is track Nr 13 of his upcoming album Subliminal Criminal Hyminal.
If you live in the ghetto and struggle to make it, you will be able to relate to this song. Music notes introduce you into the song like little drops of rain, violins and drums will make you feel the intensity of the song.
A song that is dedicated to anybody who feels like they’ve been stepped on and taken advantage of or taken for granted.
It will also make you feel the importance of a rap deal for an aspiring rapper.
This is the story of a young man who skips classes and who is so much focused on his dreams that he won’t let anybody stand between him and his dreams. He just follows his heart. He knows that he has put his mom through pain through some of his actions. He’s no saint.
This young man knows that he can conquer the world with his flow. He wants to rap, not for the girls nor for the fame and the money. He wants to live up his dream and conquer the world.
The song is very melodic. A touching ode to all the hard working people who struggle and who are determined to follow their dreams. Check this song out: I am pretty sure that it won’t leave you indifferent.