Month: March 2006

Rating: 4,5 stars
Most of you probably think that money is the root of all evil? You might be wrong about it. Jealousy is worst. It eats you up alive and deprives you of your own means. Jealousy and envy only prove us wrong and point out our own weaknesses. Sometimes it even becomes ridiculous when people who lack talent envy a skilled artist.
Martin Solveig’s Jealousy song is one of the most entertaining and rhythmic track I came across recently. The song is introduced by some powerful guitar chords, noisy drums.
It is followed by trumpets and loud keyboard sounds.
The person whose vocal talent needs to be enlightened is the black man on the mic, American blues musician Elmer Fields. Elmer Fields has a warm and sensual voice and his great performance will remind many of you of soul legend James Brown. Elmer Fields leads you into an overheated atmosphere, describing the harm and drama jealousy can create in people’s lives while Martin Solveig will play the character of the jealous guy trying to steal from other people’s talent.
Martin Solveig’s instrumentals are very well handled and are also an obvious invitation to dance. Usually I am unable to sit on my chair while listening to the track. French DJ Martin Solveig has a quite impressing discography at his active and no contest this white artist is a black music lover.
Jealousy is rhythmic, instrumentally rich, funny. It is also the perfect track for parties and other joyful events.
This song is definitely worth your attention. Some classify it as a combination of funk and house music. I’d rather describe it as an astute mixture of disco, funk and soul. Mr Solveig handles his instrumentals very well, but I think that Elmer Fields’ incredible vocal performance needs to be underlined.
Check out the video to Jealousy here.

Global rating of his songs: 3.75 stars
Some of your might ask yourselves about who Papa Graz actually is. Papa Graz is an artist from the Detroit underground scene. My former article about him might give you some more insight about him.
Papa Graz is one of those Detroit emcees who value good lyrics. He enjoys rapping very much and takes his role as an emcee very seriously.
Like the hip hop soldier he actually is, Papa Graz introduces you into his Step With Respect song. New to the game? Yes, maybe:
“
I’m new to the game but don’t make the mistake/
Of thinkin’ that I’m lame or that I can’t hang/
Underestimate and I will disgrace your name/
But Step With Respect and get treated with the same//”
But Papa Graz is ready to take over with some tight lyrics. Drums, violins and keyboards point out Papa Graz’ fight for victory.
Open your ears and eyes and let the lyrics take over like a powerful weapon:
“I pop this Vicodin/ So I got help when I/ Write some rhymes that’ll reach your soul/ I’m not a hypocrite/ So I gotta tell ya that/ Swallowin’ will help your flow/ I’m not sayin’ ya can’t flow when you’re sober and not stoned/ But better vocal control will surely smooth your roll/ Moreover son, I’m not saying everyone should blaze up some blunts/ Fuck, do what you want/ But do it cuz ya wanna/ Not because I said I love ’em/ Think about your friends, do you think you trust ’em?/ Would they feed you something that wasn’t up to stuff?/ When your defenses are down, are you gonna act tough?/ To make up for the lack of muscle in your front/ Just relax son and don’t be a fuckin’ punk//”
Some commercial rappers might slowly have forgotten about it, but the beauty of the rap game lies in the lyrical ability of an emcee. Of course, a good flow, good instrumentals and beats are necessary too. However, a rapper with no skills will hardly impress true hip hop lovers. Papa Graz will remind you of the importance of quality lyrics, that’s what his struggle is also about.
So What fights typical misconceptions about who Papa Graz actually is. He’s white and he grew up in the suburbs, so what? Not really a thug, no addicted to hard drugs, so what?
Numerous violins in the background make Papa Graz’ gig’s enjoyable.
Globally, Papa Graz worked hard on both songs he exposed on his my space account. His lyrical skills are undeniable. Papa Graz has nice instrumentals too. The only thing that might bother the listener a little bit is the acoustic quality of his tracks that should be improved a little bit.
Check out Papa Graz here.

Melancholy Outcast is a group that is composed of Mefetikid, Kendrick Notsa, Opti-Mystik, Vincent Drallab, MR. KRAZE. The group’s originality is to combine hip hop and rock.
Mental Thoughts will make you enter into a rough world that is underlined by some harsh instrumentals. Have you ever been invaded by suicidal thoughts when most of your problems seemed to be unsolvable? Most of us have experience overwhelming anguish in front of problems that seemed difficult or quite impossible to solve. Mental Thoughts allows you to penetrate into desperate heads and makes you feel anxiety and helplessness.
Dark, rhythmic and full of the flavor of helplessness and desperation, Mental Thoughts introduce you into the inside world of a desperate person.
Mosee Music is rhythmic and loaded with rage. Gritty voices and astute lyrics will make you like the entertaining track. Drums combined with electric guitars and a homicidal spirit draw a dark atmosphere. The track is well handled lyrically and instrumentally.
I liked The Music less than the two other tracks exposed on Melancholy Outcast’s my space account. The Music is mixed up with different instrumentals and sounds a little bit monotonous, most of the time.
However Melancholy Outcast are definitely worth your attention. The artists come up with a style that you will hear nowhere else. Check them out here.

Melancoly Outcast…stay tuned, folks:)

I’m not the kind of person who is focused very much drawings and paintings, with a little exception for graffiti, though.
I recently came across a BBC report talking about painter Edward Munch’s biography and paintings. I was amazed at what I learnt from that report. Munch seems to have been the first painted to manage to express the sounds he heard in Christinia, Norway through different colors. Which is really extraordinary.
One of his paintings, The Scream, is charged with a very oppressive atmosphere.
It was quite impressing to discover how the artist managed to transform his emotions and his auditive perceptions, registering all the sounds perceived by his ears and getting them transformed into different colors. The atmosphere of « The Scream » is charged with intense emotions and with huge internal pressures. The main character holds his hands on his ears and keeps his mouth wide open. The tension of this picture seems unbearable. Edward Munch’s talent is undeniable.
Some of you might ask why I wanted to talk about this incredible picture.
The reason is simple: there is an obvious correlation between such kind of painter and a music journalist. When I listen to music (and I am talking about any musical genre from classical music to hip hop and other modern genres), I perceive different sounds and emotions. I also try to understand the artists’ intentions and that’s the reason why I often play the track I am supposed to review over and over again. When I am full of those intense perceptions and sounds, they create an image into my mind. My final review will be the sum of perceptions, sounds and internal emotions put on paper. With my words, I will try to recreate into my readers’ minds what I have lived through the music. Of course my readers might agree or not with what I said, but it will give them a precise picture of my own perception of the musical word I stepped into.
I think that arts should be seen as a whole. Edward Munch is a pretty good illustration of the correlation between music and painting as well as my writings might be a precise description of a musician’s world viewed through my eyes.

Whatever…let’s talk dirty!

Meet Isaiah Perkins aka P-Live. Coming to you live, P-Live’s music is spiced up with some good, rhythmic instrumentals. Get Low will remind you of 50 Cent’s instrumentals. Be ready for a crazy ride in the pimping game and follow P-Live’s rapid flow. Let drums and keyboards invade you ears, picture yourself in the streets of the City of Boom. Big cars, big jewels, big money and hoes are part of the landscape. Meet a dirty pimp who is very clever at his game. The track is instrumentally well handled and enhanced by dope ass beats. P Live shows some good lyrical skills and has a good flow delivery. Welcome to the streets of Detroit where pimping is the rule.
New Shit is introduced by drums, keyboards and trumpets in the background that is underlined by P Live’s vocal performance. Faster than the wind, P-Live flows with confidence and is ready to take over.
Crazy Freestyle starts in a jazzy style. P Live proudly represents real Detroit from each side, reuniting East and West. Enjoy P-Live’s particular way of illuminating his lyrical world like a astute word magician. Enjoy Detroit emcee P- Live spontaneous way of addressing people and his skills. Combined with good instrumentals, the track fully enlightens P- Live’s talent.
New Renegade freestyle describes the harshness of the hood. Enter into the rough atmosphere of a city of cement, the dark city of the Murda Mitten known as Detroit City.
Enjoy the thuggish track that is well handled from the beginning from the end.
Check out Detroit talent P-Live here.

Rating: 4 stars/ hip hop classic
Release Date is introduced by soft instrumentals and human voices in the background. The atmosphere is loaded with intense emotions. Balalaika sounds and keyboards will intensify the fire Xzibit puts into his songs. With his dark voice, Xzibit points out how long he’s been patiently waiting for this day and how much hypocrisy he had to face from people. Xzibit has paid his debts and is ready to punch you right in the face with some offensive lyrics.
Symphony In X Major is a beautiful piece of work. Enjoy the contrast between the classical music background mixed up with a good hip hop style. Enter Xzibit’s universe; watch him taking over against his enemies. The video that goes with this song is really worth a look. It transports you into an interesting gangsta thriller. No contest hip hop lovers will probably enjoy it very much.
Break Yourself is based on harsh instrumentals. Xzibit conquers his audience in no time with his incredible flow and his incisive lyrics. The gifted artist strangles you lyrically and leaves you no chance of survival.
Heart Of A Man drives you into the heart of Xzibit’s struggle. Again, the song leads you in a lyrical world that Xzibit masters with an incredible verbal dexterity. Enjoy his self confidence and the energy that the West Coast artist puts into his song.
Harder featuring The Golden State P is built on a very rhythmic background. Good instrumentals and the spirit of a conquistador determined to take over make this track very much enjoyable.
Choke Spank Me Pull My Hair is a track aimed at groupies who are keen on getting tortured. A little pinch of humor, irony and some good instrumentals will make the listener enjoy this “ménage à trois” atmosphere.
Lose Your Mind featuring Snoop Dogg is written in the same offensive style. Like a true soldier Xzibit shows his arsenal. Be ready to get (lyrically) gunned down. Face it: you can’t fuck with Xzibit.
Violins and scary vocals introduce BK To LA featuring MOP. Let the lyrical master guide you into his world. Combined with Mop’s talent, the track is beautifully handled by both OG. If you like raw lyrics, raw instrumentals and an offensive spirit, you will probably like this track.
The song on Xzibit’s album you should definitely not miss is track Nr 11 My Name featuring Eminem.
Organs and keyboards introduce the entertaining and rhythmic melody. Eminem and Xzibit are determined to punch their hip hop rivals right in the face. Better not fuck with both emcees unless you wanna get ripped off.
The Gambler featuring Anthony Hamil has a beautiful blues background. Enjoy the way Xzibit and Anthony Hamil combine blues and hip hop. Trumpets intensify the struggle of both men. I recommend this beautiful track to black music lovers. It is lyrically and instrumentally rich.
Missing U is an emotional track aimed at the mom Xzibit lost very early.
Don’t miss Right On and Enemies. Both tracks are instrumental jewels.
Globally Xzibit’s album is a beautiful piece of work that I’d qualify as a hip hop classic. The album will draw the fight of an artist against the machine (the music industry). Xzibit is amazing hip hop artist who keeps it real. I recommend this album to anybody who loves good hip hop lyrics and sounds.

This article is dedicated to all of you who might feel confused about the new steps they’d have to take in their future.
As a little kid I have been taught to be patient and to wait until I was older. My parents used to tell me “Not yet. Later on…we will see when you’ll be older.” It went on like this until I was a grown woman. They keep telling me the same things till now.
Waiting and being patient is not a bad thing in itself. It can save you from many bad judgments and decisions. However, if you wait for too long you might miss the right moment for the right actions. If you keep waiting until you become very old, you might not be able to do what you wanted to do. This way of thinking might lead you to the grave and when you’ll be dead, it is quite obvious that it will be too late.
It is good to plan your projects and to work on them. Also, it is very useful and clever to save up some money for your goals. But you ought to remember there is a time where you gotta take some concrete actions. If you miss the right point to take action, you might regret it during your whole life.
I have missed some good occasions in my life, like many other people. My greatest regrets were never to have failed in doing something, but I have been real unhappy about circumstances where I didn’t act when I should have done it. Like any of us, I have known failures in my life, but the most important is that I have learnt from those mistakes.
My life experiences and mistakes have made me stronger and have helped me to progress in ANY case. Don’t be afraid to make some mistakes. This is part of life experiences.
If there is one valuable advice I could give to my readers, it would certainly be to act when you feel it is time. Usually, our instinct doesn’t really fail in showing us that it is the right moment. Sometimes you have to be like Jimmy Smith aka B Rabbit, jump on stage , take the mic and be ready to rip your enemies off.
Of course, you have no guarantee of success when you take some risks. Some of you might be afraid of taking some risks. I’m telling you: “don’t be afraid, people”. Those who are not willing to take any risks won’t go anywhere.
Always bear in mind that you have nothing to lose, but everything to win.
When your clock ticks and tells you it is high time to act, listen to your inner voice and do what you have to do.
Don’t build your life on fear. Be courageous. Yes, life is a crazy ride, but it is also worth living. Nothing’s guaranteed, but isn’t that particular detail that makes life so much interesting?
Consider your life as an interesting journey where you have your own mission to accomplish. Do the right thing, regardless of what the jealous and the bitter might tell you, and try to be happy. If you can’t be happy, then follow German poet Goethe’s advice: “be delighted, then”.

P-Live will bring you some good gangsta flavor…I’ll keep you updated:)