Month: February 2007

Tony Blair s recent statements about gang crimes made me think a lot. All politicians prompt to make a lot of empty statements regarding society s failures like crime, violence, drugs, poverty, pointing their finger at the symptoms of our society s current illness rather than finding out the right cure.
Tony Blair, for instance, wants to empower the police without offering any viable solution for England s poorest places. Why complain about thugs and arm traffics in the hood without cutting the head of the main monster: I think that arm smugglers should face harder sentences than any gun user.
French Minister Sarkozy complains about little pieces of scum in our French ghettos. He wants to clean them up with a karcher, to quote him in his own shameful words.
Mr Sarkozy, you created those pieces of scum. The young human beings from our ghettos act the way the y act, because they feel rejected. Give them decent job and treat them equally you won t hear about them burning cars and vandalizing the hood again.
Does Mr Sarkozy know ghettos? Has he ever lived in such a place? The answer is no, you guessed it. Mr Sarkozy plays the victimized immigrant who had to face rejection when his father emigrated to France. Did he face any financial difficulties like ghetto people do? I doubt it: he is the son of a Hungarian aristocrat!
If you ever get elected in May 2007, Mr Dictator aka Nicolas Sarkozy, France will have lost his privileges of liberty, equality and fraternity for a good while.
Bush, one of the world s scariest dictator (yes, you heard it well) describes Al Quaida as our contemporary Christian s world s enemies. He tries to brainwash American citizens with his foolish discourses. When Jadakiss stated Bush knocked down the towers in brilliant Immortal Technique s song, he perfectly knew what he was talking about. Bush accepted to commerce with Ben Laden first. He should take responsibilities for his foolish actions, for the world s sake.
In England and in America, an anti-Islamic trend is highly encouraged. Many Muslim believers are viewed as potential terrorists. Some of them have even been brutalized by the police in London for no reason. Not Islam is our enemy, but a total ignorance of Muslim beliefs and a lack of respect towards a community of believers.
Ice Cube intelligently pointed out in Why We Thugs that governments created the ghetto and drug traffic. I do think that poverty, arm and drug traffics do benefit most governments as well as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict benefits many parties in this world. I will never forget how much flabbergasted I was when I learnt that Izhaak Rabin (who is unjustifiedly hailed as a hero) was having dinners with Yassir Arafat!
The great of this world often want to get the biggest parts of the cake. They are trying to brainwash and blind average citizens in order to induce poverty, encourage drug traffics on a large scale and make their dirty hidden businesses.
Why punish drug users severely when you should attack big dealers? Why point an angry finger at the unemployed when you could give them decent jobs? Why make empty speeches about tackling gang crime when you could arrest gun smugglers first?
Why complain about rap music when you are the main responsible of what some emcees are talking about?
Have you ever considered that if the world is not turning right, the most powerful countries governments might have a huge part of responsibilities for it?
Copyright 2007 by Isabelle Esling
All Rights Reserved

Paris viewed through the eyes of French singer Marc Lavoine
Rating of the product: 4.5 stars
Although Marc Lavoine s Paris song goes back to 1992, the singer s former hit is at the French Capital s image: everlasting, beautiful, emotional, eternal.
Disacccorded piano and violin notes mix up with very poetic words that express a very emotional state of mind. During a never ending ballad, the French singer pours out his heart. Realism and poetry are sewed together, in an eternal embrace that reflects the many faces of Paris.
No matter if you re feeling up or down while being there, Paris has a genuine charm that will make it resemble to no other town in the world. While many Capitals are beautiful in their diversity and particularities, Paris has that little something which makes it unforgettable. Whether you walk down on its numerous boulevards or stop by one of its cafes, Paris will conquer your heart with its unique character.
Let Marc Lavoine guide you through the streets of the eternal Capital, walk by its momuments, enter its train stations, recall its writers and cultural heritage with nostalgy.
Rich of that specific French touch, full of poetry, instrumentally well worked on, Marc Lavoine s song is definitely a classic to enjoy.
If you haven t heard about him yet, discover Marc Lavoine s my space account here.
Copyright 2007 by Isabelle Esling
All Rights Reserved

Feel free to comment on that article, but please don t bring drama to this website. You are entitled to your opinion, but i won t tolerate any kind of insults because you disagree with me. Thank You.
When Kim Mathers recently appeared on ABC Channel, I found it very much understandable from her point of view to try to clear her bad image in the public s eye. Like I said it in my last article, Kim Mathers made some valid points regarding her past and what she actually went through. Married life with a public perfomer cannot be viewed through pink glasses. I do believe that it has its many negative sides.
However, I find it despicable that Kim Mathers comes on Mojo to talk about her sex life with Eminem.
I do consider that what happens behind closed doors in a bedroom should be kept in the bedroom. No matter if your boyfriend/husband is a famous man or not, I find it unfair to display your sex life on a public media.
What happened between Em and Kim is really none of our business, period.
Don t prompt to misquote me: I am not taking sides in this story. When a couple argues, the truth often lies in the middle of both parties. I don t care to know about who-whether Em or Kim- is wrong or right in this story.
But I do think that Kim is very wrong to insist about her ex husband s weak sexual performances and to state publicly that he is an horrible person.
I keep asking myself if Kim is trying to cover herself against a possible diss on an upcoming record, because she bashes Eminem in a very merciless manner.
Come on, Kim…if Eminem was that much of an horrible person, you probably wouldn t have a kid in common.
If Marshall was that much of a monster, he probably wouldn t have raised your twin sister s kid and your second daughter with you either. And I think you would never have married him twice if it was really the case.
For her daughters sake, I think that Kim should have kept her mouth shut in public. No matter if they are listening to Mojo or not, sooner or later, she takes the risks for her words to come to her kids ears.
Marshall has been wiser in that way, because he didn t want to wash his dirty laundry in public. I respect that.
Knocking out an ex in a bitter wish for revenge can look sweet, but it might leave a sour aftertaste in your mouth. When kids are involved in a divorce, parents should avoid using their personal arguments as deadly weapons, because kids are the most likely to carry the scars of a bloody couple revenge.
Kim Mathers should definitely think about it as far as I am concerned.
Copyright © 2007 by Isabelle Esling
All Rights Reserved

Watch it here.

After the depressing experience of jail, Royce is bouncing back. The talented artist exposed some of his recent collaborations with Statik and DJ Premiere.
The Return is constructed on symphonic violin sounds and some catchy drum beats. The song is based on astute wordplays describing the hell of prison and will allow the listener to visit Royce s mind. Despite the negative experience of prison, the song has some beautiful, hopeful accents. Let the rhyming master transport you into his universe.
Repeat has some more hardcore and repetitive sounds that will introduce you into a scary, unsafe and obsessive atmosphere made of verbal variations on the word murder. The song is very rhythmic and you better run if you wanna be able to catch Royce s flow.
Royce s Street Hop is a swinging track that features underground artist Statik who will make you enjoy his lyrical qualities. The amazing lyricist Royce actually is will combine his skills with Statik and create a hip hop overheated and highly enjoyable atmosphere. Don t sleep on the dynamic duo!
The Movement starts with some hammering electric guitar sounds combined with some light flute notes and bell sounds. Hardcore as hell, the song will lead you into a wicked pimping ambiance.
Check Royce s Nickelnine my space here.
Copyright 2007 by Isabelle Esling
All Rights Reserved

Strike is also known as the rapper who played Lickety Split in 8 Mile.
Check his music out here.

1.) Tell me a bit about yourself and your background?
I don’t remember when i first started writing but the first time i first recorded something a wrote to music was 15 years old. As far back as i could remember i’ve loved all forms of entertainment whether it be music or anything outside of it. I was born in 1986 and lived in New Jersey all of my life.
2.) What or who motivated you to become a rapper?
My early influences were Rappin 4′ Tay and Coolio. A lot of early Coolio stuff and Rappin 4′ Tay’s song “Message for your mind” really got me into hip hop. Listening to rap made me realize how much more content can be filled in a song than any other genre of music…pop songs and rock music etc. all stretch out lyrics and often repeat more lyrics than just the chorus throughout a song than rap songs do. This means less “new” words are being used throughout a song and then the aspect of singing it drags it out longer resulting in less content. Basically i liked how much more to the point and deep you can go with creating a rap song over other types of music.
That aspect basically fascinated me over anything else, not to say i don’t like or think other genre’s suck. I listen to everything.
3.) Making it in the music business is a lot of hard work. What’s the
biggest challenge you had to face?
Basically just getting any majors to stick to taking a risk with signing something different rather than sticking with quick cash and commercial music, so basically i set up shop myself in the meantime.
4.) Which artist, were you most pleased to work with and why?
Collaborating with The Mister who produces and also raps. We always create good chemistry.
5.) What motivated you to collaborate?
We work well together as evident from our first project on a remix of “You Oughta Know”
6.) Which accomplishment are you the most proud of?
Probably just the simple aspect of creating and recording my own music, there was a time where i didn’t think i’d be able to even do that. Now not only do I have original producers and my own music but i have at least a humble fan base to start, building my way up.
7.) Which artist haven’t you collaborated with yet, that you envision to work with in a close future and why?
It would be cool to work with Fort Minor. Their latest album excited me and they definitely created a new level of hype in hip hop music with “Remember the Name”. They are the epitome of true hip hop and Mike Shinoda is a genius in his own right.
8.) As a rapper, is there one rapper you pattern yourself after or do you have your own style?
To patterning wouldn’t make sense…now you have to worry about 2 styles instead of just yourself which equals double work. The way i approach each song is different each time, i don’t have any real set way.
If i have some idea that i really want to put in a song..i’ll have a producer help me make a beat that matches what i 100% want to do, if a beat i love is already made..i basically try to bring out what i think the mood of the beat is saying that can co-exist with my life and way of seeing things, and then write from there.
9.) Where do you see yourself in five years?
Still recording my own music, that’s a definite.
10.) What are your thoughts on the underground Hip Hop scene and where do you see it going in the near future?
I’m not really sure where the underground rap scene will go in the future because any signs of what is to come isn’t really apparent. It seems like it’s the era of “anything goes” You’ll see some true hip hop artists amongst the crap we see in mainstream make it big and stay there and it doesn’t make sense how or why, yet at the same time true music is still highly supressed simultaneously and crap overcomes and the few underground artists stay well known but it’s rare and there is no real pattern to it. People who i’m surprised about surfacing to mainstream recognition who are actually good are K-os, The Gym Class Heroes, just to name a few and the fact that Common is even famous is also amazing to me, which is a compliment.
Basically i’m saying those artists listed and artists with the same mentality as them are actually talented, so how did they get on tv?
Trash should be underground and artists like that should be all over television. All over tb without their creativity being compremised
by major labels of course which is also another aspect that thins the herd of true artists willing to stay signed to who gave them fame.
The sellouts change themselves and stay with making money with the same label that is the enemy.
11.) What are your thoughts on today’s mainstream Hip Hop artists and where do you see them taking Hip Hop, in the near future?
Similar to what i said above, i’m not sure where mainstream hip hop will go but as far as my opinions, mainstream hip hop sucks and underground to me pretty much equals true hip hop. That’s not to say as soon as you go mainstream you suck but it just seems like the styles and subject matter in underground hip hop always makes sense and mainstream is always nonsense.
It’s not about selling out to me or how much fame or money you get that defines a mainstream style, to me mainstream just means
you are on tv a lot or are known even to a casual listener of any particular genre. Selling out is when you lie in your music to make
money quickly.
12.) If you could thank one person, for helping get you where you are today…Who would it be and why?
Pretty much myself, i don’t mean to sound arrogant but i saw something i liked..slowly built my way up to constructing an acceptable sounding recording set-up and took everything i’ve ever wanted to do with creating my own music into my own hands. The only other people i can really thank are producers
who helped me make music in the process, The Mister and DJ Houst Dark just to name a few, they were the first from the beginning.
13.) How much time daily, do you spend in the studio and what does an average day consist of?
It varies, i’m my own boss so since I am not signed majorly, I slate my own projects. I’m currently majoring in music recording so i’m a bit busy.
14.) Being so busy in the studio, you rarely get free time. Tell me what you did the last time, you had free time to just hang out?
I went to Las Vegas recently for four days during early February on vacation.
15.) Do you ever struggle creating new idea’s?
Creating new ideas is easier for me but sometimes bringing yourself to write can be dampered.What kills it is people paying too much attention to terrible music and in the process you realize even if you make it to your personal best in a song, the zombie music fans of the world will never even give it attention. That kind of dampers the spirit because you don’t even feel like the community you are in is exciting, like it’s a ghost town. The only other way i struggle is just your regular problem every human goes through during writer’s block which is the fact that you are simply not in the mood to create. So my ability to create idea’s in a song concept actually comes very easy to me, but you need to build on the concept of course.
16.) When I first heard your sound, your style reminded me of a young
Eminem.Would you agree or disagree with that statement and why?
I would have to disagree, now maybe my voice to some people sounds similar when i speak certain words kind of like what Guerilla Black is to Biggie but no person in the world can help that. I think no matter what my style is those who think that i sound like him are simply misled. The reason i disagree is because if you lock Eminem in a room alone and lock me in a room alone, give us both the same beat and tell us to make a song out of it, they will be drastically different.
Eminem’s concept of the what to write to a beat will be completely different from what i lived, what i write, the way i think and even the way rapping styles sound and flow over the beat. I guarantee that people would see just how different we are.
Now some may suggest i take a beat he already has a song to and just do a remix but for this to make sense, it would have to be a completely new song of course.
People don’t have many mainstream rap artists to look at so the lack of creativity makes their brain automatically click to Eminem simply because of the white
way of rapping and a different white person rapping and the concept as a whole.
If you gave a black person or any other race oustide of a caucasian person to rap my lyrics they would easily sound completely different from Eminem. So what is similar? Is it my style or simply my race and maybe my voice that makes people compare?
Because of the fact that there are obviously way more blacks in hip hop than white people…people never have trouble thinking of them as just individual people because there are tons of rappers of the same race to back up hip hop’s integrity hence you would never say Ludacris sounds like Kanye West, that just doesn’t make any sense.
So the only time you see someone black be compared to another black rap artist is when in a rare case…their voice and voice alone sounds similar. Therefore referring to my Guerilla
Black v.s. Biggie arguement even though they both have their own style.
People still aren’t used to it yet so basically being a white rapper in this day is still more accepted than before but still very hard to understand certain concepts.
If you are an honest rapper and just happen to be white, I consider you a pioneer.
17.) Do you currently have any projects in the works, for 2007?
As I said earlier, being a little busy with my Major i’m just starting to begin a project.
I post-poned in 2006 and should be done sometime this year. It may hold a few older but more recent songs on it as bonus tracks that may have been heard. I’m also on my second Homegrown Productions Mixtape circulating around MI, who’s creators consist of The Mister and DJ Crafty.
18.) In the beginning as a journalist, it is hard to have your talents recognized. Have you ever experienced that and how?
Yes, I’ve had many incidents with major labels and talent scouts working for them liking my stuff as well as their staff. Somehow i am still not signed majorly with all of this support, it just shows how many times you have to interest a person higher up just to make sure that the one time out of the million is finally struck in the way that you want it to go. I interest plenty of people in a positive way but never get signed from it. This shows how hard it is to take a risk with the “non-ghetto” or just rapping based on truthful skill and not image. The only rappers i can think of who really aren’t the kind of rappers that people usually think of when they hear “rapper” is Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, Fort Minor and especially Fort Minor. The Gym Class Heroes are amongst that kind of style to..people in my area or genre of rap music are finally starting to get fame but it’s not exactly in yet.
19.) If I had to describe myself, I would say…I’m a leader not a follower.
How would you best describe yourself?
Well something that definitely describes be is that i’m very obsessive compulsive with my work.
20.) If you could invite anyone to dinner tonight–dead or alive–who would it be and why?
Opie and Anthony along with comedian Jim Norton, they are comedic radio and entertainment
geniuses!
Related Eastwiq links:
www.myspace.com/EastWiq
www.HoustDark.com
www.myspace.com/2gciz
www.myspace.com/m1ster
www.myspace.com/homegrownproductions517 wiq.dmusic.com (yes the link is that short, no www)
Copyright 2007 by Donna Kshir and Isabelle Esling
All Rights Reserved

Download it from here.

Ex-wife Kim Mathers attacks Eminem in explosive radio interview
Adam Graham / The Detroit News
To hear Kim Mathers’ interview with “Mojo in the Morning,” go to http://www.channel955.com/cc-common/podcast.html
In an explosive interview with WKQI-FM’s (95.5) “Mojo in the Morning” show today, Eminem’s ex-wife Kim Mathers flipped the tables on Em and cleaned out her closet live on the air for all to hear.
“I can’t stand him. He’s an absolutely horrible person, and he gets worse every day,” Mathers said. “I vomit in my mouth whenever I’m around him or I hear his name. There’s nothing left in me for him. Nothing at all.”
She categorized sex with her twice ex-husband as “bad,” and said “he’s not very well endowed.” She added, “If you’re going to have sex with Marshall, make sure you have a little blue pill, because otherwise it does not work.”
Mathers said Em text-messaged her on Thursday when he heard she was going to appear on the “Mojo in the Morning” show, and blasted her for going on the air.
“It’s a shame that I’ve moved on and Kim hasn’t,” Eminem said in a statement released Friday afternoon via his Interscope Records publicist, Dennis Dennehy. “Her ongoing press campaign is doing nothing but harm to the children, and for that I feel truly sorry. For their sake I wish she would stop.”
The two were first married in 1999 and divorced several years later. They remarried in January 2006 at Rochester’s Meadow Brook Hall, and Em filed for divorce in April of last year.
Mathers, who has long been the subject of the vitriolic ire in Eminem’s songs, said she viewed the interview as her chance to speak up in defense of herself.
Although Eminem entered rehab in summer 2005 for his addiction to sleeping medication, Mathers said he “never stopped his old lifestyle.” With regards to the music video for Em’s 2005 hit “When I’m Gone,” on which she said she and Hailie, her daughter with Eminem, were supposed to appear, she said, she “found some things on the video set that probably shouldn’t have been there, and that’s why we weren’t in the actual video.”
In continuing to put to rest the rumors of Mathers and Em’s reunion, she said she is “100 percent” sure she will never get back together with the rapper, and she would never date anybody famous again.
In addition to sexual and drug-related issues, Mathers said, “His relationship with the kids has (gone) downhill.” Besides Hailie, the couple also cares for Hailie’s cousin, Alaina.
“Since he left the house in February (2006), I don’t know what he’s doing. His visits are few and far between, and when he does come around, it’s nothing positive.” When he’s around the children, Mathers said, Em is “always yelling and complaining about something.” She said Hailie consistently asks, ” ‘Why’s dad acting so weird?’ That’s what they say every day.”
There are also issues with compassion. Mathers said after she attempted suicide after one of Em’s concerts in 2000, Eminem reacted by saying he hoped she didn’t expect him to miss any concerts because of the incident.
Mathers, who said she has thought about authoring a book about her time with Eminem, appears at 1 p.m. today on “The Dr. Keith Ablow Show” on WJBK-TV (Channel 2). However, she said the appearance — taped locally in December — was only a pre-interview, and she never knew it was going to air. “I never even met Dr. Keith Ablow,” she said.
You can reach Adam Graham (313) 222-2284 or agraham@detnews.com.

February 15, 2007
Kim Mathers, her second 15 minutes of fame quickly expiring, turns up on Friday’s “The Dr. Keith Ablow Show” (1 p.m., WJBK-TV, Channel 2) to talk about –what else?– her two marriages to Detroit rap king Eminem (Marshall Mathers). The pre-show publicity said she viewed her first marriage as a way to keep him “faithful and grounded” when he went on tour, but “When Marshall’s first tour started is when his ego just went ‘poof.’ You know he was untouchable. Like he was God, that’s what he thought.”
Then when they re-wed in January 2006, she said: ” ‘Let’s just go through the ceremony but not sign the marriage license.’ Because I was just afraid of what would happen if we had to go through a divorce, our kids. And then 41 days later, Feb. 25, Marshall left.”
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One other utterance: “I believe that Marshall has issues on how to express his love and I don’t think he knows how to treat women because he wasn’t treated well by his mother. He still had a lot of anger towards her.”