Month: May 2006

I am very much conscious that this article might raise a lot of controversy among my readership. However, like I stated it before, I never write to please anybody. If you don’t like what I have to say, you’d better skip this article straight away. The truth has to be told anyway.
Marshall Mathers is full part of Black America in my opinion. He is the white rapper who deserves the utmost respect for what he achieved in a mainly black musical world.
How many of you readers, have taken time to have a look at the White America lyrics?
I’m not talking about a superficial reading. I’m talking about an attentive examination of the lyrics mentioned above.
The chorus of White America teaches us something. At the beginning of it, Marshall Mathers states:
« White America, I could be one of your kids… »
Yes, you heard it well. Eminem didn’t say « White America, I am one of your kids… », he said « I could be one of your kids » which means that he is not a kid of white America. Marshall Mathers is a part of the (so much hated by the government) black America from the ghettos. His skin is white, but he is very close to black folks.
No, he is not « from Warren », like many persons like to state it, even if he also spent some time in Detroit’s white ghetto.
When Marshall Mathers moved to Detroit, he lived across 8 Mile with his mom- on the black side- because Debbie Mathers couldn’t afford the white side anyway.
Young Marshall lived among black people. Some of them beat him up at school and outside. It nearly cost him his life twice.
But the most important is that this white kid grew up in black culture, made true friendships with black people. Moreover, he had a passion for rap music and the dream to make it as a rapper. A dream he never gave up.
Marshall Mathers has earned my respect, unlike other white rappers trying to fit into a culture that isn’t theirs and trying to play it cool.
Unfortunately, Eminem’s success created a generation of white rapping wannabes. It is quite sad, but Eminem’s overwhelming success has made some white guys think that they could make it in the rap game- with no talent and no real roots in hip hop culture.
Don’t misinterpret my words. I have reviewed some good white aspiring emcees. Today, I am ranting against the wannabes in the game.
Eminem deserves your respect, folks. He never pretented to be anything else than the person he actually is: a white man who grew up in black culture. He never denied his skin color, nor did he « act black » or talk « ebonics » just to be regarded as cool. Eminem’s accent from the Detroit hood is natural. He grew up there.
Marshall Mathers is an exceptionally gifted person in the game who has always been true to himself and to the rap game.
That’s why anybody calling him a « wigga » is totally wrong, and even ridiculous.
I could give you many examples of wiggas in the rap game, but I won’t name names out of discretion.
You can find white dudes from the suburbs who want to play it « black » and who act like the true wankstas they are. I deeply despise those guys who have a fake attitude and who are totally deprived of any musical talent.
Possessing a gun doesn’t make a gangsta of you, nor does it give you any ghetto credibility. Showing guns in public only makes some guys look like the ass clowns they actually are.
Leave ghetto behaviors to ghetto people. No matter if you’re black or white, don’t fake your attitudes.
An emcee doesn’t have to write gangsta lyrics to write good lyrics. Be true to yourself. Moreover, if you write poor quality lyrics and make some average music, leave the rap game to somebody else and do what you are gifted for.
Yes, I am angry. Angry against all those hypocrites trying to be the next Marshall Mathers when they are totally deprived of talent and definitely come from a different background than his. Emcees, don’t try to fool your listeners, because your fakeness will shine on sooner or later if you don’t speak from your heart.
Yes, Marshall Mathers addresses to White America. He bridges both: black and white ghetto culture.
He is also an eye opener to you comfortable white kids from the suburbs. You suburban kids who like his music should definitely try to understand the context where he comes from before trying to imitate and try to fit into a game that ain’t yours.

If you read my blog on a regular basis, you probably heard of Ohio group , Hydro& Diabolic from Homicidal Records.
Diabolic, the member with the gritty voice, decided to associate his talent with another underground emcee, Demonic. Full of this devilish composition and enraged as well, the two Ohio emcees spit their verbal venom.
It Won’t Die is built on strong keyboard sounds and catchy beats. Diabolic, who is known for his angry voice has a nice flow delivery too.
True hip hop soldier, Diabolic puts a lot of energy into his offensive track. Ready to conquer his world, Diabolic’s lyrics are built in an astute way.
Don’t Get Caught Up is a beautiful hood anthem. The song describes life in the streets with an amazing sense of realness. Follow the life of two OG’s on the run, trying to hide from the dirty cops.
Welcome To Tha G City starts with hammering piano, harpsichord and keyboard sounds. Feel the atmosphere of the G city where drama is present on a daily basis: murder, sluts, drugs, thugs and guns. Listen to the story of a Northsider and realize that life in the ghetto is no fun. Danger and darkness are present. Nobody care and you can’t trust anyone. The track is rhythmic, both rappers have a good flow delivery and the lyrics make the track highly enjoyable.
Ride On Whoever is an offensive track built on the hustling theme. Feel the routine of two soldiers who are determined never to fall and to make money with their passion for the music. Meet two focused emcees on their crazy ride.
Discover more about both emcees from Ohio on their website and their my space account.

Global rating of the songs: 4 stars
Mr Miggs is that hot emcee from California who will make you feel enthusiastic about his skills.
Mr Miggs released two brand new songs entitled Southside and NY to Cali.
South Side is introduced by some rapid piano and keyboard sounds. You feel the tension and the struggle of the man who is always on the run. Listen to Mr Miggs’ story and enjoy his unstoppable flow. Gunshots are part of the landscape too.
Picture ghetto life in its scary dimension. Picture a place where each move is a harsh fight to survive. It has been a long way for Mr Miggs before he started rapping. Southside is a rhythmic track where each hammering piano sounds symbolizes a knife stab.
Follow Mr Miggs in his crazy ride.
NY To Cali is another beautiful track you will probably like too.
Rhythmic and various instrumentals enlighten Mr Miggs’ incredible skills. NY To Cali is a heated track with the full gangsta flavor. Don’t mess with Mr Miggs, he has connections from NY to Cali. Feel the overheated atmosphere and the gun talks.
Mr Miggs has an incredible artistic potential. His creativity, his good skills, his rapid flow and the choice of powerful instrumentals make his tracks very much enjoyable.
Check the new Mr Miggs songs here.

Rappers including Ice T, Melle Mel and Afrika Bambaataa will head to London this July for the city’s first ever Hip-Hop Summit.
The UK Hip-Hop Summit is modeled – and endorsed – by Russell Simmons’ hugely-popular touring event in the US, the Hip-Hop Summit Network, and will bring together some of the biggest names from the US and UK industry to educate children on the business of music, as well as promoting various forms of the genre.
Ice-T will host the main panel at the Forum in Kentish Town to discuss a variety of topics including “Reality vs. MTV, “What is UK Hip-Hop and Grime” and “Integrity vs Business.”
Other events that have been announced include a night dedicated to women in Hip-Hop and a London Community Summit, which will be a day devoted to young people and how to establish careers in the music industry.
Ten percent of all ticket sales will go towards the African Caribbean Leukemia Trust.

Ricardo Baca
The Denver Post
May. 19, 2006 12:00 AM
Exactly 20 years ago, something special was brewing in South Central Los Angeles.
It was visceral and violent, lyrically maniacal and severe enough to draw the attention of the FBI.
It was N.W.A., the unrepentant gangsta-rap trio that still is among hip-hop’s most influential acts. It lasted a potent five years and three albums, but it eventually fizzled. Of the characters involved, Eazy-E died of AIDS in 1995, and Dr. Dre has gone on to be the most musically successful of the three, producing hit records and discovering star-quality talent, including Eminem and 50 Cent. advertisement
And then there’s Ice Cube, the first to leave N.W.A., who since 1989 has gone on to a completely different career centering around family- friendly films starring the once-thuggish Cube as the cuddly comic foil.
What a difference 20 years has made for Cube, who will bring his hip-hop to Denver on Thursday night before moving on to Phoenix, San Diego and Los Angeles.
“We never knew we were gonna get (N.W.A.) records on the radio, even, when we first got started,” Cube said earlier this week from Atlanta. “We thought we were just gonna be an underground group like Blowfly or somebody – somebody who did these records that were for adult ears only. We thought our records would be put in the same category as those Richard Pryor or Eddie Murphy records.”
And they were at first, but as the rap trio developed, eventually releasing its breakthrough sophomore record “Straight Outta Compton” in 1989, so was the American consciousness. Sure, those parental-advisory stickers were everywhere, but kids were stepping out in support of N.W.A., Too Short and their foul-mouthed brethren – and some parents did, too.
The groups sold records. And N.W.A. acted as a springboard for everybody involved – especially Cube, who quickly moved into the realm of film through prominent roles in “Boyz N the Hood,” “Higher Learning” and “Friday,” the latter of which he also wrote and produced.
“Movies and music work hand in hand,” Cube said. “Without movies, I don’t know exactly where my career would be, so I’ve definitely been able to sustain longer than the average rapper who just does records.”
Lately, though, Cube has been the opposite – a rapper who just does movies. His last record, “War & Peace, Vol. 2,” was released in 2000, while he’s seen multiple films through the pipeline in that time. But the hiatus changed nothing in Cube’s mind. He’s still a rapper who acts as opposed to the other way around.
“In my life, music is the most important thing to me right now,” Cube said. “Careerwise, movies, you know, are more visible and make a lot more money. But as far as my love and what I enjoy doing the most, music is No. 1.”
A manifestation of this love will come to fans June 6 when Cube’s “Laugh Now, Cry Later” hits stores on his Lench Mob label.
“I’ve been recording for about a year, so I had to push movies aside just to do it,” Cube said. “It’s my best record in years, because I was able to put all my concentration into the record and not worry about being pulled away from it. I was able to focus totally on it, so I really, really think that this record is exactly what my fans want from me.
“It’s a totally different record than ‘War & Peace,’ which was what it was. This record is contemporary, but a lot of the people who hear it say that it sounds like the old Ice Cube, because I am the old Ice Cube. But people who have been my fans for years, the hip-hop community, are responding to the record really good.”

Rating of the product:3.75 stars
For those who don’t know: Margate Records CEO has been working on a new mixtape, entitled Mixtape Crap. I already reviewed one of his songs, Mixtape Crap recently. Mutha’s Mixtape Crap mixtape is due to release in June 2006. I will try to give the listener a little foretaste for Mutha’s upcoming mixtape.
Mutha has developed a style of his own through the years. Trashy in his raps, the original emcee fully exposes the 313 in its nudity, its ugliness and its every day reality.
Better Get Down will surprise you: the song starts like an explosion of harsh instrumentals, but the global music background is made of soft flute and piano sounds. Representing Motown in each of his words, Mutha nicely flows with a lot of offensiveness in his words. Don’t mess with him. When you see him coming, you better get down. The track is rhythmic and entertaining. Mutha has nice vocals. Globally, the song is an interesting piece of work that will probably please the listeners’ ears.
Crunk Every Day. Enter into Mutha’s universe made of musical madness. Picture the mind of a person who is totally drunk and high on weed…enter into this crazy universe where everything is spinning around you. Feel the vertigo that is intelligently expressed through the music.
Keyboard sounds mixed up with vocals will increase the sensation of spinning. The dizziness of the situation is underlined through hammering sounds and the perpetuation of Mutha’s « Uh Uh Uh » sounds at the end of the track. Lyrically the song is also very interesting. Mutha makes you enter into another universe and feel the realness of the situation.
Don’t sleep on that song in particular. I recommend it to all of you.

I will review them for you…stay tuned, folks:)

This album has been made by a fellow German fan…Enjoy:)

Thoughts on My Beloved: Big Proof (R.I.P)
Biba Adams
His eyes turned a pretty shade of brown when light hit them. Especially the light of the sun or of a camera’s flash. On his high cheeks, like his father’s, were dozens of freckles, like his mother’s. Between the freckles, were two barely noticeable places where his deep honey brown complexion lightened. I loved those patches.
DeShaun Holton was handsome. He was cute with big crooked teeth that even he made fun of. He was thin and wiry. He was smart. He could engage you in fascinating conversation, if he felt like talking. He almost always did. He was funny. Ridiculously funny. It was said that he would step on a sandwich and then eat it. On the DVD that accompanies his only solo album, Searching for Jerry Garcia, he drinks beer out of an ashtray. Cigarette butts and all, he spits one out of his mouth, as European fans laugh. I saw him put his whole face in his 28th birthday cake. He would do almost anything to make someone laugh.
He was charming. He was interested in the lives of people. Not just people he knew and loved, but everyday people. He was well-read. He had a deep spirituality, he was not religious, but had converted to Islam in his youth. He was a father, and a husband. He loved his children, and the children of his friends. He was a godfather, and had given several children their names. He was filled with deep ideas about life and death. He was a devoted community activist, and even named his company after Joe Louis’ “Iron Fist”. His passion for Detroit is unsurpassed. He has been called “Detroit’s Best Friend,” it is an accurate description.
He was an incredible freestyle rapper. I was at a club where he walked from tabletop to tabletop and freestyled for over 45 minutes straight. Rhyming and Transitioning. As the DJ switched the beat, he switched his flow. He found a way to rhyme the word “orange” he would use “aren’t” stretched out in its pronunciation. He thought about things like that. Where there was a will, there was a way for Proof.
He has been called “The Mayor of Detroit Hip-Hop,” that is also accurate. He was the law-giver, the peace maker, he was an employer, a provider, he inspired people to success, and cared about the well-being of his constituency. By his own hands he cultivated a community of artists, writers, clothing designers, graphic artists, business owners, and more. He was the single most important figure of Detroit’s Hip-Hop movement and the development of a Hip-Hop music and culture scene. That action provided jobs, and sold millions of records and has had an economic impact in the hundreds of millions of dollars. He was a Master Teacher, he was a Sefu, he was a wise sage, who with his clever words could say just one line to comfort, and educate.
He was not a perfect man. He made mistakes, as we all do. However, a glimpse at his rap sheet, does not give one an idea of who he was as a person. He was a fighter at times, however he preferred peace. If there was a problem, he was called in to solve it, and his word was law. When he said a disagreement was over, it was done. He was not a gun-slinging thug. However, he lived by the credo “It’s better to have one and not need it, than need one and not have it.” It’s an oldie but goodie.
The tattoos on his body each symbolized something precious and significant to his life. Like the FC he got for the group, Funky Cowboy that he was in with J. Dilla. He liked the smell of incense, and he liked women. He cut his long dreads and opted for a baldhead. He didn’t smoke marijuana, but clove cigarettes favored by clever celebrities and people from India. He did corny ‘80s dances, and had his own two-step. He was kind and very affectionate. He liked to kiss. He always greeted women with a kiss on their cheek, and very often the men in his life as well. He always kissed my daughter on her forehead with her face in his hands. He very often said, “I love you,” to everyone. He wanted you to know that he loved you, and he meant it. He showed it. And on April 19th, we lay him down for eternity. We kissed his cold cheek and later, kissed his cold casket. At his internment, Reverend Wendell Anthony, who officiated the service and is the head of the Detroit Branch of the NAACP, told us that this was as far as we could travel with our brother. Thirty-two white doves were released amid flashes from camera phones and slight sobs. We looked at each other, dazed and confused. This was it? We had walked with him so long, sometimes in front, sometimes behind and sometimes side by side, and now we had to leave him here alone?
It is still hard to believe, daily. Detroit lost J. Dilla on February 10 th, and we were heartbroken. The next day, Proof was on the radio talking about his friend who he was once in a duo group with. And just two months later, Funky Cowboy were reunited in death. They are missed. Every day. Every show. Every event. Every gathering of two or more, and in every heart of their friends.
As I prepared to finish this essay, I passed the cemetery where Proof lies entombed. I made a U-Turn, and decided to go see him for the first time. There was another funeral ending. Another family walking away from someone that they loved. I watched them leave with reverence. I approached the Rosa Parks Freedom Chapel, and a woman stopped me. “Excuse me? Are you here to see Mrs. Parks?” I told her who I was there to see. She nods gravely, “Yes. He gets a lot of visitors. You know, I don’t believe everything I hear on the news.” I smile weakly. She unlocks the door. “He must have been a good man, because he was well loved.” I step inside, the chapel is small. His name is the first one I encounter. Other than Mother Parks and her family, there are only five other people resting here, he is the fifth. Seeing his name for the first time shocks me. Tears erupt. I put my hand to my mouth. I touch his name, and the marble block behind which he lies cold in a golden coffin. The marble and the gold lettering are cold too.
There are teddy bears, and flowers. Her words echo in my head, “He gets a lot of visitors… he was well loved.” Yes. That’s true. She has stepped away to give my privacy. I talk to him, and kiss his name. I sit in front of him. I pray. I tell him I love him and miss him, and can almost hear him telling me he loves me too. I hug the marble and let memories flash in my mind. Momentarily, my head is on his shoulder and his arms are around me. I smell Issey cologne, and a Djarum. I open my eyes. He is not there. I kiss the marble again. I ask the lady, Sharon, where Mrs. Parks is. “Right here,” she says. The Mother of the Modern Civil Rights Movement, her tomb says. Her proximity to my beloved is astounding. I am struck with gratitude. The sight of her name prompts tears as well. I get close enough and say “Thank You. Thank you for everything.” I kiss my hand and lay it on her name.
Walking out, I again bid my brother Goodbye. I promise I will visit again. I tell him I love him. Sharon touches my hand and assures me that he was in a better place. “He must have been a good man, because he was well-loved.” I agree, thank her, and walk away in the rain.
Biba Adams, a Detroit writer and activist. A long standing and high-ranking member of the Detroit Hip-Hop community, Ms. Adams is chairperson of the newly founded, Detroit Urban Entertainment Trust ( D.U.E.T), a non-profit organization. Ms. Adams also serves on the board of Band Camp Entertainment, and various other business and service organizations. Ms. Adams is a public speaker, student and mother. She is currently completing a Bachelor’s Degree in History with a minor in Sociology, as well as a certificate in Detroit Studies. Big Proof Forever: A Photo Journal. A book about his professional and personal life, is currently in development.

Rating: 3.75 stars
Papa Graz’ song, featuring Katy is an hymn to all the bleeding hearts. Sometimes we fall in love with a person who plays with our soul, our feelings and eventually destroys us.
Love stories don’t always have a happy ending. How many of us have had our feelings hurt and felt like trampled on when somebody tried to abuse us emotionally and totally ruined our life?
Papa Graz introduces you into a young girl’s story:
« She was sweet and gentle with the brain and the heart of a soldier/ he was needy and mental with the make of a snake but colder/ told her all of his lies/ the fuckin’ devil in disguise/ got in her soul and planted the seeds of her demise/ wise, she usually is/ lost in his eyes, let the games commence/ it took me by surprise, didn’t make no sense/ but I knew down the line that she’d come to resent/ all the time heart and soul that he would invest/ I could but she couldn’t see why she’d regret it/ she let him devour her soul/ now it’s a little tainted and cold/ behold the power of a snake’s venemous hold/ now she cries her eyes out at night over what you stole// »
The chorus is beautifully handled. It introduces the listener into a sad and realistic dimension. It raises a question: why do we have to be broken to learn a lesson?
The friend watches the young girl’s pain and will be her shoulder to lean on:
« It was so hard for me to watch him decieve/ knowin’ damn well that he would eventually leave/ then who would be there to pick up the pieces?/ when I call him a punk bitch, best believe I’m not teasing/ don’t even need a reason to wanna make him be bleedin’/ I feel her pain like we’re joined at the nerves/ cuz I’ve been cheated too and I know how it hurts/ what he did to you you know you did not deserve/ so if you wanna see him in pain, just sit back and observe/ cuz he went back to her and she’s just him in a skirt/ no matter what happens you know one thing’s for sure/ when you need me, I’ll be there with my shoulder// »
Nostalgic piano sounds and keyboards introduce Papa Graz’ song.
Violins in the background will intensify the emotional dimension of the song.
The subject is very emotional and people who have experienced heart pains will be able to relate to the song. Papa Graz’ song is an interesting piece of work. However, little technical weaknesses spoil the quality of the song. Papa Graz will have to work on the acoustic quality of his tracks, for the listeners’ comfort.
Besides the defaults mentioned above, Papa Graz’ song is worth your listen. Check it out here.