Thursday, May 13, 2010
Then my homeboy Sir William the Thoughtful from The Music Stoop suggested i watch the video b4 i knock it
Sure enough he was right....
Judge for yourself
Drake - Find Your Love from October's Very Own on Vimeo.
http://vimeo.com/11642081
PEACE
Labels: drake, Find your love, kanye west, music stoop, sir william the thoughtful
Friday, January 15, 2010
So i'm still trying to avoid makin appearances in certain places if i can help it. I wouldnt even mind taking all online classes this semester just to cut out having to walk on Belmont's campus and sit in class with everyone else. Shoooot, I wouldnt even mind bein escorted to the studio and back in a limo or a really dark tinted vehicle. I dont wanna see nobody, and I sholl dont want nobody to see me. For example, its Friday, and instead of going out tonight to some highly promoted yet highly questionable party I have nothing to do with and nothing to benefit, Im stayin in and chillin with the people most important to me. Plus, if I really wanna go to a party, Ill just throw a better one with Sir Lazenby, perform at it, AND get paid for it. Ive been learning how to spread myself thin and lay low. That goes for everything from limiting the number of shows I play to even tweeting less.
WHY??
I really dont wanna be distracted. My new songs have only been shared with a very small group of close and trusted friends. And even that proves to be a little too much sometimes.
My work ethic is not quite in overdrive yet, but its quickly getting there. Ill give it another 2 weeks before I start spending nights in the studio.
Currently tho, I'm happier than Ive ever been. My focus is top notch right now and its allowed me to further perfect every aspect of my songwriting, flow, lyricism, and production. Im so excited about this project and its gonna blow alotta ppl away.
Oh and the LA trip? Ive gotten alotta questions about it. But really, theres nothing I have to say to yall about it. It was crazy, and Ive been on a high from it ever since. It was just a taste of the life I work for, and that was all I needed to successfully motivate me to finish this project by the deadline we have set.
As always I feel truly blessed and favored by God, and Im thankful for the growing talent and potential he's given me. With that being said, I'm bout to blow...
PEACE
Labels: kanye west, LA, Sir Lazenby
Friday, December 4, 2009
DOPE, RIGHT?! Good lookin on this one Mike. So i downloaded it like 5 am while I was typin this paper for my marketing class and started listenin to it. At 1st, I admit I was like... I dont know... Sumthi bout his voice threw me off. Lol its like a real chill flow with Kid Cudi and Kanye Influence. And when I let my boy Sir Lazenby hear one of the tracks he said it was a Devin The Dude feel to it as well. Nonetheless.... its sick. Another reason why Im ALWAYS steppin my game up.
The tape was released on the 1st, but theres a release party in Chicago tomorrow with Chuck Inglish and a few other ppl. Dang.... I wuld flew down for that. Real talk. I got a lil saved up lol. I can splurge a lil. But i got a full weekend. haha (im bein serious tho... it aint nuthin for a nigga to get a roundtrip to and from Midway, ya feeeel me!?)
Anyway, cop the mixtape NOW if u like great hip hop, relevant hip hop, fresh hip hop. I'm definitely a true fan of his now. Kudos my nigga. Concept, artwork, music and all. Features Curren$y, Big Sean, and more
Click Here to download Chip Tha Ripper's 'The Cleveland Show'
And enjoy my fav track from the tape, "Movie"
Movie - Chip Tha Ripper
PEACE
Labels: Chip Tha Ripper, Devin The Dude, dopeness, download, kanye west, Kid Cudi, openmic, Sir Lazenby, The Cleveland Show
Monday, September 14, 2009
YES! YES, KANYE! SAY WHAT EVERYONE FELT, BUT WOULD NEVER DARE TO SAY! Lol "You were thinking it!!! But YOU SAID IT!!!"
In other news, I am walkin thru life with a permanent high. I feel like a pot head, except I have a never ending supply of this... this life, my life, this inspiration, the emotion i feel. Everything is coming together, my dreams, some things unexpected, but most things are happening just like I prayed for and just like I envisioned. Sir Lazenby has done a great job at really helping me mentally PICTURE myself in the life I want, but the fact that stuff is happening like it is makes it so much easier. And the best part about all of this, is that its STILL the BEGINNING. I have so much to look forward to...
I know im being really general, but it'll all make sense soon enough. But in the meantime, feel free to question the air of super stardom that follows me haha. More people are finally starting to take notice and catch wind of the vision... and while most would say BOUT TIME, i know its PERFECT TIME. Because its all MEANT to happen just like this. Dang, I can't wait til I write my autobiography...
This is the song I wake up to every morning... This is the life. This is my anthem
Click here to download
PEACE
Labels: kanye west, Sir Lazenby, Taylor swift, VMA's
Sunday, July 26, 2009
There are so many things going through my mind... so much to say...
First off, Im just getting back home from Club Limelight downtown Nashville at the Mashville show. Dope show, I killed my 2 songs haha. All the DJ's were ON POINT. And I am declaring for all to read.... DJ Wick-It is the sickest DJ of all time. Dude just has IT
ANYWAY....
I'm having a mid-year crisis... lol but seriously. Check out my situation
>Im between projects: already released the Sci Fly EP and am currently in the works of starting on the next project.
>Im working at a grocery store... not the ideal life for an aspiring superstar.
>Ive been living back at home with my parents... enuff said
With all that being said, life just doesnt feel at its best right now. And honestly I dont know why. Besides my crappy job, Ive been performing more than ever, have a fairly steady flow of income (to my surprise), traveled to Chicago and even visited New York for the first time, and I have FINALLY begun getting the recognition and respect I have been working for in the city, from local publications and well connected people to DJ's and fellow artists. Not too bad huh??
Its funny what an AMAZING EP can do for an artist...
The thing is tho, my inspiration is GONE. (Sorry Mr. West, its Gone!)
Ive always gone through periods of dry spells and writers block when it comes to music. But it has just never been this BAD. And i have desperately been trying to figure out WWWHHHHYYYY!!!!
I sit in front of my computer, bumping instrumentals, cant think of hooks. Stay up late nights tryna beat my most highly acclaimed song to date... "Product Of The Game". Heck I'm tryna beat out the whole entire EP. But I just cant right now. And i refuse to force songs. I have done a few new songs this summer that are decent, killed a few features for other peoples records... but none of my own that I would put on an album. Maybe a free song or a song I will later rewrite and release. But nothing that I am crazy over.
One thing I can say for sure that may be contributing to my lack of creative inspiration, is the fact that I feel so pressured. I hate to say it, but even though the response to my EP wasnt as GRANDIOSE and MAGNIFICENT as I had hoped, I still have made an incredible amount of buzz with it. Its lasted longer than I thought it would, people are still downloading it consistently, I have even begun to sell hard copies at shows, and the best thing about it is that I constantly meet ppl that I have absolutely no ties to that come across my music in places as far as San Diego, Oklahoma, Texas, the list goes on. So I am very pleased.
But I refuse to rush whats next.
I have concepts, tracks in the works, almost completed instrumentals, half hooks, unfinished rough mixes, etc etc. But nothing promising really. And why? I literally just feel empty.
Now dont get me wrong, I can make a MILLION tracks right now, that are good. I can make a million hot tracks right now with a catchy hook and dope verses with a SICK beat that I make myself. But it wont adequately express my growth as an artist. And if theres one thing i stress in my music, its growth. Im stuck somewhere in between The Sci Fly EP and nowhere. A black hole.
I dont think people really understand how much I put into that little 5 track CD (6 with the intro). It was the hardest Ive ever worked on ANYTHING in my life. Literally. No exaggeration. From the conceptual process, to the writing, production, and recording.... THAT WAS ALL ME---- except for the engineer. THEN you have to take into account the artwork i asked to get done, release party, listening party, promotion and fliers. ME ME ME. I will give credit to those few select people that busted their butt to really help out, but honestly all the people that I just KNEW would lend a helping hand, had nothing to do with the EP until I handed them or sent them a link of the finished copy.
And since then, I HAVE BEEN DRAINED.
I PUT MY HEART AND SOUL INTO EVERY ONE OF THOSE BEATS, LYRICS, TITLES, ETC ETC ETC. THE SCI FLY EP IS THE MOST ADEQUATE REPRESENTATION TO DATE OF FUTURE AS AN ARTIST, MAN, AND CREATIVE GENIUS.
Now its just time to give the world more. This next project is gonna be sooooo Crazy. I just dont know where to start. I feel like Kanye after he released 'College Dropout' when he said he wasnt gonna come out with another album if he couldnt beat his last. I am currently trying to figure out what I need to do to get back to that place of ULTIMATE INSPIRATION AND CREATIVITY like I had this time last year. Like I had last semester. What do I need to do? Take another trip outta town? Pray more? Get back in the gym? Smoke weed? Snort cocaine? WHAATTT!!??!?!?
All I know is, I feel like I am slowly dying inside. I have lost the ability to produce my emotions in a song with ease like I used to. I need my inspiration filled to the brim once again. I am not worried that it will not come. I am just impatient. I need it by yesterday lol. Its affecting my mood constantly.
Anyway, I am half asleep, and I dont know what Im talking about anymore. And the last thing Im about to do is proof read this blog, so if it doesnt make sense get over it.
PEACE
Labels: dj wick-it, inspiration, kanye west, mashville, the sci fly ep
Saturday, June 27, 2009
PEACE
Labels: kanye west
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Lemme address this while its hot.
Its been buzzin all over blogs, hip hop sites, everywhere u look on the internet from Twitter to your local gossip site...
Jay-Z's latest track from The Blueprint 3, "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)"
I log on Twitter from a late afternoon nap to see whats new, and I see all these posts about Jay-Z. So instantly, I'm like "Oh snap! Its gotta be something huge about my part-time favorite rapper!" Anybody that knows me, knows I'm a HUGE Jay fan, from Reasonable Doubt to American Gangster.
I research a lil more on the Twitter and soon find out Jay just leaked a new song...
I quickly find it on zshare, (cuz yall know its gon be deleted pretty soon), and listen to its about 4 times back to back.
I expected Jay to be using auto tune, or something crazy, with some really different sounding beat, and him really commenting on how certain artists KILL auto tune
But NOPE
NOT IMPRESSED
Honestly, to me (lemme remind u this is MY opinion), its the same ole Jay. Crazy soul sample, him snappin about somethin, doin his Hov thing. Dont get me wrong tho...
Lyrics: DOPE
Beat: CRAZY! (what u expect from NO-ID and Ye??!)
Topic: errrr... uhhh... i disagree
Jay went EXTRA hard on niggaz using Auto Tune, as if Jay-Hova, the God MC, can just suddenly record and leak a track and KILL the use of auto tune... this God stuff really been gettin to his head even more the older he get
After this, I went and listened to Jay's interview w/ Hot 97.
PLEASE listen to it. This is what pissed me off even more. Cuz it sounds like some OLD HEAD rap niggaz SNAPPIN on these young kats tryna follow the NEXT hottest trend in not only Hip Hop, but MUSIC. What some people fail to realize, is that the key in music's progression is evolution. People feed off each other in music, and as a result new sub genres are created, characteristics from older periods of music re-emerge with new characteristics, etc etc. Its has never progressed by people tryna to REMAIN stuck and set in their ways. Cuz what happens then?? That artist than becomes irrelevant.
>Think about College Dropout compared to Graduation.
>>Same thing goes for Block Is Hot and Carter III.
>>>OR! How about Drake's FIRST TAPE compared to So Far Gone
>>Same thing goes for Block Is Hot and Carter III.
>>>OR! How about Drake's FIRST TAPE compared to So Far Gone
EVOLUTION + PROGRESSION =
RELEVANCE
RELEVANCE
The whole time in the interview Jay talkin bout leavin the auto-tune trend and pretty much how its waaaay overused. I get that what he is trying to is encourage the CONTINUING GROWTH of Hip Hop. Yet he tries to accomplish that by rappin with the same style he been doin FOREVER! Soul sample, and a sub-par hook. Just bein real. A lil contradictory my nigga.
And lemme say that I do agree auto-tune is overused, but everyone knows the newest, hottest sh** is always overused. Remember crunk music and snap music, whatever....?? GAWWD I THOUGHT IT WOULD NEVER END! But rest assured, the people doing it right WILL survive and will be the ones remembered for it. Cmon Jay, Kanye T-Pain and Lil Wayne aint gon be the only ones who go down in history as the Hip Hop artists that perfected auto tune.
I was just tweetin with Tatiana from CultureShockMag.Com and told her people are finally learning how to use auto-tune right. Instead of niggaz tryna copy Wayne's style of rappin (wailing with it) or instead of copying T-Pain's use of it (singing it on hooks) people are making it more relevant and using it effectively now. (That Drake sh** was ARTISTIC, MAN! The new Black Eyed Peas joints are CRAZY!) Lemme stress, MOST PEOPLE. Not all. But music has been headed in the techno/electronic/Euro-pop direction for a while. We hear its influence on all the singles and everything nowadays. And this is just the beginning.
ANYWAY, Thats my 95 cents on this issue, forget all that 2 cents nonsense. Sometimes an nigga gotta speak his WHOLE mind!
Click here to download "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)" - Mediafire Link
Lemme know what YOOOUUU think
PEACE
Labels: auto tune, culture shock magazine, cultureshockmag.com, d.o.a., drake, hot 97, jay-z, kanye west, no-id, so far gone, the blueprint 3, twitter
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Alot of ppl been askin questions bout my band The Legendary Biscuits and Gravy. For those that arent familiar with them, they are the reason I've have a name for myself in Nashville period and have the opportunities forwarded to me that I do now.
Seems like for a while now we have been on hiatus. There is no other way to look at it. Our buzz has sorta died down, we dont even have a CD, EP or anything to show for, and even our local popularity is beginning to fade.
Why??? Well its a long story. But despite everything that has happend, i still remain so optimistic in my bands future. My solo stuff is always something I can go as far as I choose and venture and do whatever, but BAG is my heart
Just a quick history of my band>>>
Back in high school, beginning late Sophomore year, i started takin my music more serious and started recording and doin small shows like churches or school events. Then I started interning at Rocketown my senior year, but my solo stuff never did quite take off like I wanted to. I started my first band "Improv, Lyrics, and Life" with some friends at my high school. After a few talent shows wins and church performances tho, the group broke up. My second band tho, started with just me and some friends on keys messing around at my internship at Rocketown after school. And what started out as just something to kill time, became The Legendary Biscuits and Gravy.
We went from Rocketown open mic nights for metro students, quickly to Cafe Coco monthly open mic events makin $200+ a night off tips. It was crazy. Even though this may seem like nothing, it was alot for me to take in. Cuz as a teen i used to think the hardest thing was gettin a show at a local venue for a semi-packed crowed just to hear my songs. And all of a sudden, me and my friends were the new buzz and talk of the town. Young kids from ages 12-17 playin everything from jazz and old school r&b to hip hop and funk. And people were eatin it up.
In the few months since we started we went from playin lil old Kijiji's (remember that place on Jefferson St lol) to Cafe Coco, then to Gibson Showcase for a local television taping. Everybody locally was showing us love. The Tennesean, all the local music papers. It was crazy. People were blowin our myspace up, tryna book us for weddings, banquets, everything u could think of. I swear we were freakin local celebrities! "Arent u in that band Biscuits and Gravy?? Yea I saw yall in the paper!" It was crazy!!
As great as it was tho, it was happening way too fast for us to comprehend. Our buzz was growing faster than we were maturing mentally and even musically. In all honesty we were a glorified Jam band. And we could play the hell out of covers. But besides that, our overall musicality and my lyricism werent advancing enough to meet the demands of the bigger audiences we were being exposed to. A year after BAG started, we had already played every major local venue twice over, but maybe only had 3 or 4 new songs to add to our catalog.
The funny thing about BAG is that we go thru phases. All of that was phase 1. From 2006 to the end of 2007. We went on a Lovenoise tour in a couple of surrounding states in the summer of 2007. It seemed like things were really taking off, but they werent. I dont think thats anyones fault, but I can speak for the whole band and say we started takin opportunities like tours and being so well known locally for granted after a while. We expected a certain level of recognition but yet didnt put in work to keep it or advance that recognition. So what happened was, we got stuck. Stuck in Nashville. Stuck in out mindsets of us EXPECTING to get signed or something, but not really working towards it like we should have.
So it depressed us.
It slowed down our progress even more. Practices were canceled more often. I started focusin on my solo stuff more than the band cuz it was just at a weird stage. I needed to be on stage more and we werent performing as much as we used to. More priorities were taking place of the band, which is necessary, but there should have been a better balance. I was in my freshman yr of college by then and I started flunking. A few other members did too. So our buzz sort of staled off
2008 began phase 2 for BAG. This was the transitional phase. We were all a lil older and could really look at things in perspective and see mistakes we made and what we could have done better to get the band where we all wanted to be, which was to a label or some opportunity to launch us regionally, nationally, internationally, etc etc. The shows kept coming, we stayed meeting key people, execs, producers, we always do big name shows, or open up for big artist. But the difference this time around, is that we realize those shows really dont amount to as much as we used to think. Who cares we opened up at a Kanye West after party, who cares we did the Nappy Roots show, Jazzy Jeff, met this person, that person, etc. What my band members and I have learned from the past 3 yrs in the band is the way the industry works, and its more complicated than we thought. I remember when we met Kanye we were just so positive that if he heard a SECOND of us playing he would sign us immediately. LOL well he was there when we played, but he didnt pay any attention hahaha.
In the same vein, an industry person can tell us a million things and get all our hopes up about what he or she will do for us and how big we'll be, but in the end dont follow thru with any of it. So it has taught us to not be satisfied for doin a big show or meeting a industry exec or somebody famous. Its just another notch on our belts. But we have learned to have tough skin. Thats the main thing. No matter what, keep improving, keep practicing, keep writing, keep perfecting our craft. Cuz even when we do get signed, its just another chapter in our careers. There is never a reason to be content and settle with our current skill level or popularity.
So this begins phase 3, which I believe begins this week. The band is on the verge of a HUGE comeback. New songs, new image, new level of hype, overall new mindset. And Im soooo excited to see where this phase leads us, because Im confident we are headed in the right direction. So look out for us yall, we are bout to hit yall SOOOOO FREAKIN HAARRRRDDD!!!!!
For real... the world is not ready!!!
My Band - D12
PEACE
Labels: biscuits and gravy, kanye west, nappy roots, rocketown
Monday, April 27, 2009
This week begins the final stretch of classes, assignments, and the ever so dreaded FINAL EXAMS before the 3 month summer break
I am sooooooooooooooooo not looking forward to the summer. Im not even looking forward to tomorrow. I have so many assignments i need to catch up on, I have so many unread chapters in my still virtually untouched text books that require studying and review before exams begin. I pretty much have to get A's or B's on all my exams...
Except for my vocal lessons, i think im doing pretty good in that... lol
I wish there was a grade for determination and drive. I wish GPA reflected how effectively someone was working towards their career and goals. Id have a 3.4 easily lol. (You like how i graded myself, huh).
Some people spend all semester nose-deep in their textbooks and dont get a chance to use college for what it is, a maturing process. Now im not knockin anybody on their grade point hustle or academic goals. I just think its important to make a balance. Because when I graduate, I would personally hate to look back and say "OMG i wish i had've enjoyed those years more or utilized the college experience for what it was."
With that being said, I know I have NOOO balance. Im the total opposite of the book worm, teachers pet. Im a professors worse nightmare lol. But at the same time, Im gaining so much just about life in general from taking advantage of college. Im forever thankful for my full scholarship to Belmont because its allowed me to really branch out and discover things about myself and life.
Given that, I still do have obligations to make grades, like I mentioned in my last blog post. And thats where I fall short. So thats why these last couple of weeks are gonna be hell (and Im not just talkin about the weather... cuz it is hell outside).
So these last few weeks will make or break me. Actually why lie. I dont even think its that crucial. Even if i did flunk a class or didnt get the grades I desire, life goes on. Im not gonna get kicked out of school, its not the end of the world. Im not worried. I just need some of that good ole academic discipline to kick in like NOW... especially if i plan on not getting any messages, letters, or restrictions from the admissions and financial aid office AGAIN. They really are my college parole officers. They step in to make sure im not f****n up pretty much. Annoying? YES. But also understandable. They just care about a nigga succeedin and stuuuuuf.
ANYWAY, in other news, The Belmont Best of The Best showcase was AMAZING on saturday. Ok, im lying, I was amazing lol I didnt see any of the other acts, so thats not me being cocky, just me being honest. I cant comment on the other acts but Im sure they were good as well because after all we all do represent the best that Belmont University has to offer.
My band did a great job of pulling our show together literally in the week of the show, with 3 rehearsals last week. So Kudos to the Freshness League. Everybody loved it. I just wish people could have come up to the stage to get hype with me like at the Urban/Pop showcase last fall. But oh well, it was still a great show. Overall I was quite pleased. Just kinda wish my shirt fit better hahaha. IM BOUT TO BE ON THAT WORKOUT, NIGGAZ! Footage from the show coming soon.
In conclusion, just pray for me yall. I really need to dig deep for this discipline to so well academically. Cuz if you have been following my blog then u really know I dont care the slightest bit. I talked with my cousin on facebook last week. He is graduating and said he has senioritis. Thats understandable. But me?? I have kanye-itis. Thats the college dropout syndrome... But then again I refuse to drop out of college, especially with no back up plan. But it seems like a more attractive option everyday
PEACE
Labels: belmont university, kanye west, summer
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Maaaan... Real talk. Kanye West is my favorite rapper.
He is definitely in the top 10 of my favorite artists period. No debate about it. You all remember the movie Brown Sugar when Sanaa Lathan's main question was "When did you fall in love with Hip Hop?" Well, personally I've enjoyed Hip Hop music since middle school when I began to write verses and dream about being an artist. But there has been no other single defining moment for Hip Hop and I comparable to the first time I heard Kanye's debut album College Dropout. That was when I fell in love with the artform, personality, swag, cockiness, and overall state of mind with Hip Hop. Until Kanye, all the artists I listened to, enjoyed, and emulated, I could never truthfully relate and identify with them or their lyrics.
For me, Kanye represented my assurance that there was a place in rap for someone like me. I never sold drugs, never could front as a thug, never disrespected women. I was raised in the church, my parents always made sure I was at the best educational institutions even at a young age. And back then I didnt even understand all the drug and crime references anyway lol. So as much as I tried to "lose myself in the music" according to Eminem, there was always a barrier between Hip Hop and I that kept me from fully feeling like I belonged.
But I'll never forget the effect that the Kan-man had on me. Sophomore year of high school in '04, I saw the "Through the Wire" music video on BET and I had no idea who Kanye West was. But I was so intruiged because I had never heard someone be so passionate, convincing, and emotional about every single word in their music. Sitting on the couch in my parents' living room with the television volume completely up, I could connect with everything he said, even with his "mouth wired shut" as he proclaimed in the middle of the video hahaha
The song stuck with me. I went to school humming the sped up Chaka Khan sample in my head. Everyday after class I'd rush home to catch the video on Rap City and again on 106 & Park.
It was rough, unrefined, and low budget... but it was real. For the first time Hip Hop was real to me.
I went to Tower Records (R.I.P.) the week College Dropout came out, and bought it with no hesitation. I never anticipated hearing an album so much. I waited til I got home, locked myself in my room to avoid distractions, popped the disc in my CD player, turned the volume completely up, and pressed play. I then opened the first page of the liner notes, just as the CD began
"Kanye, can I talk to you for a minute? Me and the other faculty members was wonderin could you do a lil somethin...a lil sumthin beautiful... somethin that the kids are doin... love when the hear it, thats gon start make em jumpin up and down and sharin candy and stuff. You think you could prollly do somethin for the kids for graduation to siiiing?"
And then it happened....
For the entire 71 minutes and 8 seconds of the album, I entered a state of complete bliss and altered consciousness. Song after song, my ears studied every single aspect of the tracks, from the way he flipped each soul sample, to his flow and how he didnt stack his vocals like most rappers. One track for each verse. It made his lyrics more meaningful and concise... more conversation... more personal. He was speaking directly to the listener. My eyes followed every word closely in the liner notes. I wanted to know everything he had to say. I studied the production credits, background vocalists, featured artists, and origin of the samples
Each song produced a new emotion that I didn't know existed with rap. Kanye was speaking to me. He was telling my story. This was my life. Each track was a chapter in a novel. The result was perfection.
His lyrics were more than than punch lines and slick metaphors.... they were witty and skillfully stated, ingenious and often comical, interpretations of all the thoughts and experiences I've had but never known how to express.
Just when I thought the album was nearing its end and there were no more surprises, "Last Call" played, which was the perfect conclusion to the greatest story ever told. His lyrics were as strong as ever on this song, and after his two verses stating why he didn't deserve to be overlooked, his thoughts extended beyond rhymes. For the first time while listening to the album, I set the liner notes down and listened to Kanye's 12 minute narrative of his road to Rocafella. I closed my eyes and imagined his words
Soon after, the CD stopped. The journey was over. But I was still on an all time high. I took a notebook out my backpack and wrote everything I felt. I wrote down my goals; I wrote lyrics; I wrote about how I felt. I didnt care what it was, I just wrote it. Kanye brought new meaning to the statement "Be yourself." I was no longer afraid to be me. I was finally proud to be the non-sagging MC. The educated rapper. The lower middle class, private school enrolled, hip hop artist. Haha it all made sense. Hip Hop is what you make it, and Kanye was the first artist to open my eyes to that.
My friends and I often debate about which Kanye album is the best (excluding 808's and Heartbreak because I don't believe it falls in the same category as his previous 3).
Here's my breakdown:
>Graduation solidified him as a global rap superstar ("Stadium Status" as he calls it)
>Late Registration was the album that expanded his fan base beyond Hip Hop.
>But College Dropout is what he used to prove himself and show everyone why he belonged in the music industry as an artist. It was his formal introduction to the world. It shows his journey from "tragedy to triumph" inspite all of his setbacks, haters, letdowns, obstacles, etc. You can hear his pain, struggles, determination, struggles, fantasies, flaws, dreams, love.... everything.
And the result is a classic album, and the most relevant album of my life.
Being an artist and songwriter, there are things that inspire me almost daily, from hearing an amazing song that a friend of mine records, or facing a difficult situation in my life that spawns the necessary emotions to compel me to write, or even discovering a truly talented artist that I was formerly unfamiliar with. But College Dropout was so much more than just inspiration. It was a defining moment in my growth as an artist. 5 years later, the feeling remains. I STILL get chills everytime I hear "Through The Wire". It brings back the state of mind I was at during that time. College Dropout represents my maturity and the phase in which I began on the path to discover my place musically. And for that, I'm forever grateful to Mr. West
I didnt write this to show that Im on Kanyes nuts or anything like that. I just wanted to share the most impactful and significant moment in Hip Hop for me. After hearing that album, I became determined that music was gonna be my main focus in life no matter what. There are no barriers. My dreams are limitless, my goals are infinite. Kanye dared to be different in music's most stereotyped genre, and for me, that was the influence I needed to begin my road "from tragedy to triumph"
The world aint ready for me, my music, what I represent, etc... But just wait lol. I'm comin anyway
dang this post is loooong....
PEACE
Labels: hip hop, kanye west
Monday, February 9, 2009
PEACE
Labels: grammys, jay-z, kanye west, lil wayne, mia, t.i.
