bigted

Donell Jones "Cry"

Yeah really imagination carries me far in writing songs, a lot of times i write from personal experience but really i let my mind wonder, that's a passion of mine, it gets my mind away from all the drama of life, god willing i'm gonna have a career as an mc or a songwriter but really when it comes to other careers like julie said it seems like they require more knowledge, i'm pretty smart though too, i had a B+ grade point average graduating high school in 2003 and in 2005 i graduated an online college majoring in C++ computer programming with a B average but with the way the economy is right now where i live there's no opening for me, i ain't sweating it though 'cause the knowledge is there for me, i've been putting more time into my passion of music lately, i really feel that's what i'm meant to do at this point, when i was in the hospital feelin' sick i ran into somebody i knew from school who remembered me rapping in the hallway and he asked me if i still rapped and i told him yeah and i freestyled a couple lines for him and he smiled, it calmed me down too, that made me happy too music is something that makes people happy and i feel that i do it well, i believe it's a message that god told me that day, now that i'm back to full strength i've been talkin' around to see if i could perform at any spots around my way

Oh definately I agree with that point, amen brotha, like Big Will said in 'Mr. Nice Guy': "Don't mistake nice for being soft", I don't let anyone walk over me, now really if girls don't appreciate a mature brotha with an edge then they truely are immature, now it works the other way too if brothas are just looking for a girl with a nice ass that shows that they're immature 'cause there's more to a real woman than just a nice ass, immature brothers appreciate a woman with a head on her shoulders, and of course if she got a nice ass that wouldn't hurt either, lol

Beastie Boys Eyeing Summer For New Album Beastie Boys March 05, 2007, 10:20 AM ET Jeff Vrabel, Bluffton, S.C. An uncharacteristically short three years after their last disc, 2004's "To the 5 Boroughs," the Beastie Boys are putting the finishing touches on a new record. "Hopefully that'll be out this summer, too," group member Adam Yauch tells Billboard. Though he remained characteristically tight-lipped about details, Yauch says the Beasties plan to air out some of the new material in a series of dates this summer, including a headlining slot at the Sasquatch Festival, to be held May 26-27 at the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Wash. From there, the Beastie Boys head to Europe for a series of festival dates. The band also plays a headlining set in Paris on June 26. As first reported here Friday, Yauch has also produced a new record by the original lineup of Bad Brains, "Build a Nation," due in late May or early June via Megaforce. Here are the Beastie Boys' tour dates: May 27: George, Washington (Sasquatch Festival) June 10: Lisbon (Alive! Festival) June 17: Istanbul (Efes Pilsen One Love Festival) June 22: Scheessel, Germany (Hurricane Festival) June 24: Neuhasen, Germany (Southside Festival) June 26: Paris (Le Zenith) June 28: Werchter, Belgium (Rock Werchter Festival) June 30: Gdynia, Poland (Heineken Festival)

Yeah it's time for these suckas to step their game up or look for a new career

I'm surprised that DMX sold more in his career than LL Cool J has, never would've expected that

I'll check for it but I doubt it could compete with here

http://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=sho...21277&page= OkayWriter CANDACE L. sat down with K-OS last week and exchanged words. Here's the OKP exclusive. Somewhere off the southern coast of Spain lies a land of milk and honey, an oasis of endless greenery, an abundance of precious metals, rolling mountaintops, hyper-intelligent superbeings - a veritable Paradise regained. Or is it somewhere south of Cyprus? Or still ebbing in the middle of the Atlantic? Wherever it is, was or could’ve been, the lost city of Atlantis still captures the imagination of scholars and armchair philosophers alike. The possibility that a wealthy, technologically advanced society could veer so deeply into the dark recesses of excess to warrant destruction by God is a solemn reminder for many living under certain modern world powers. But morals/schmorals - that’s depressing and really hard to dance to. It is this storied world Toronto rapper K-OS ventures to on his latest album, Atlantis (Hymns for Disco), not to play the role of lyrical archaeologist, but hip-hop explorer, uncovering gems in a variety of genres and musical styles. “Sunday Morning,” the first single off the album, embodies a hand-clapping, party-starting mixture as every Toni Basil wannabe is compelled to grab her pom-poms and join the fray. The pep rally quality is definitely one missing from hip-hop, but k-os isn’t on a crusade to please any particular crowd. On “Born To Run,” he says, “If you can’t dance to this, it doesn’t matter,” yet he effectively creates the most danceable tune on the album. Perhaps it was a challenge to find something wrong with this song, too. Often accused of being too preachy (read: says ‘God’ too much) on his previous albums, Exit and Joyful Rebellion, Atlantis finds K-OS reaching out to all the world of music has to offer and digging out MTV-friendly hits, obscure bangers and yes, still saying ‘God’ whenever he feels like it. Balanced between metaphysical metaphors and the sincere demands of a rap fan in turmoil, K-OS walks the fine line between artist and preacher without making any compromises. A strong sense of identity is clear on Atlantis, as K-OS continues to forge a singular style that captures the eclectic experimentation of Electric Circus, the pop accessibility of The Love Below and the electronic space rock of George Clinton. “I’m like a voyeur that watches MTV and then watch what’s going on in London, then I see what’s going on in Spain, then I take all that and put it into my music. So my image is really in art, postmodernism, which is the idea that you take from a whole bunch of things to create something new.” Back in 2003 when K-OS declared an end of ‘The Jiggy Era,’ on “Superstarr Pt. Zero,” one might assume he was picking sides, proclaiming himself the ambassador to all things new and officially hip-hop ordained. “I think up to that point I had accepted a lot of the music that was out because I could relate to it; I could relate to the struggle within it, but I kind of got tired of the struggle. People talk about struggling all the time instead of coming up with ideas of how to face that struggle. So the end of the jiggy era wasn’t necessarily the end of that type of music. It was an end, for me, in sympathizing with it and trying to create something new that was like an alternative to that.” Mission accomplished. No one hearing the playful storytelling of “CatDiesel” or the forceful melancholic singing of “The Rain” could mistake it for anything remotely jiggy or readily familiar. K-OS has incorporated more of his singing on this album, making him possibly one of the best singer/rappers doing it right now, mainly because his vocals actually sound good, but also because the blend between the two is seamless. His lyrical prowess is never sacrificed for a pretentious ditty nor does he cheapen a sincere vocal demonstration with a token verse, just to make sure he doesn’t lose the rap purists. As if his unique style doesn’t set him apart enough, how many OkayArtists readily admit getting pummeled by Al White himself, Justin Timberlake? “Music’s very competitive, so a song will come out like a Justin Timberlake song…and I’m not feeling that. It’s not necessarily that you don’t feel it, it’s just so good, it’s kicking you’re a-s so much that you’re like, ‘I’m not feeling that.’ So I usually end up liking songs six months after they’re popular because I’m like, ‘Yo, this is kind of brilliant, actually’ after the people have liked it.” Maybe we all can’t relate to the delayed appreciation of “Senorita,” but it’s that kind of open-mindedness that keeps K-OS so fresh. “Born To Run,” for example, utilizes so many energizing elements, not just K-OS’ vocal gymnastics (one minute singing, the next talking or rhyming), but also his musical ADHD as he switches from fast-paced disco dance tune to whipping out ye olde acoustic guitar to remix his opening verse. The schizophrenia works well for him. He attributes this to having no strict image to which he must adhere. “The image of L.L. Cool J was a very honest image for him, but it was also very powerful and influenced other people to sort of become his image. The image of Big Daddy Kane was a very powerful image for him, but it doesn’t mean that everybody can be that…You can take from other people. You can amalgamate other people’s styles, but it’s important to know who you are.” Though he’s not averse to playing a part, K-OS is more interested in honest, self-exploration through his music. “There’s a lot of acting going on in music…It’s good to play roles, but it’s also good to speak what’s from your heart, too.” After seeing the floodwaters rise in New Orleans almost two years ago, K-OS followed his heart and called his mother in hurricane-prone Fort Lauderdale. After a discussion of Noah’s flood, the seeds were planted for the theme of his next project. “My whole thing came from understanding how important that element is…how important water is, but at the same time how we kind of abuse it in a way. Human beings are not really environmentalists by nature; we take a lot of things for granted.” Taking a cue from fellow OkayArtist Mos Def, K-OS found inspiration in “New World Water” when setting on his own high seas journey for Atlantis. “I think my water theme was more just respecting that element…In Canada, we happen to have the most pure water source on the planet in Montreal, they still buy water from outside Canada when in fact we have the largest water source. So even the fact that people buying water becomes a trendy thing, too, it’s hard for people to respect it and not just glamorize it.” Water isn’t the only thing commanding respect on Atlantis. Already a chart-topping, record-breaking, platinum-plus star in his homeland, no one could mistake this album as too spiritual, too thinky, too this or not enough of that. What we hear is the impressive evolution of a contemporary artist, the prototype of today’s postmodern rapper, influenced by a rich palette of sounds and ideas and meshing them into something revolutionary. With each album, the proof of K-OS’ depth of talent only grows. This lyricist/producer is well on his way to being more than ‘that Canadian rapper.’ If we’re lucky, he’ll be hip-hop’s Atlantis, no mere enduring myth, but a living, breathing escape from the darkness. Candace L.

Well really like Chuck D says I don't "believe the hype", record labels and radio/TV companies need to be more selective with the type of programming out there for the commercial side of hip-hop to improve, there's a lot of unique individuals out there that should be heard, hip-hop might have to go back to being more of an underground artform, it has to be more of a love of the game like kids playing in the park, the commercialism aspect was something that watered it down and took the love out of it and filled it with greed, I believe that hip-hop still has a lot of life in it but the commercialism is like a virus at this point, personally listening to the radio makes me heartbroken so I just listen to CDs I like and personalised comp playlists

They got a lotta cool stuff on NBA.com from the all star weekend, definately one of the more exciting ones in a while: http://www.nba.com/allstar2007/index.html

My thoughts exactly

Well I was feeling sick and was in the hospital this Valentine's day with an infection in my back but really a lot of my peeps called me up and cheered up my spirits while I was there, really love just doesn't have to with just boyfriend-girlfriend relationships, I find love in family and friends right now too

Hey I just wanted to let my JJFP.com fam know that I've been away for a lil' while 'cause I was in the hospital for the last week with an infection in my back, I'm basically back to full strength again, I'd say the experience I had there has made more humble and patient with the way I approach things in life, I'm very thankful for the lil' things in life that I sometimes I take for granted that I'm able to do at home everyday that I couldn't do, it's like that JJFP song "There Ain't No Place Like Home" my peeps kept me strong though, love really is powerful, hope everything's going well with y'all, I always got the JJFP.com fam in thoughts, one love

Thanks for that post AJ, definately something to touch the soul

Hell yeah baby, Bow Wow is a crumb compared to FP, it's about quality over quanity

This is the year that Peyton gets over the hump and finally wins it all, Colts 27 Bears 24

This is awesome stuff here, Nas should do a music video for this

I don't think you're wrong AJ, that was my first thought in my head when I heard about this on the news, if Brandy wasn't a celebrity there wouldn't be no 50 million dollar lawsuit here

Outkast "Wanna Get Into You"

I started a thread over on Jeff's site: http://www.djjazzyjeff.com/messageboard/De...=1&tid=2227

Congrats, hope things work out well for y'all chasin' forever

Ludacris "Freedom Of Preach"

Well really like I've been saying really people are hungry for more quality music, this is the main reason why record sales been down, I look at this as a good thing, this is a wakeup call to the industry and the artists to step up, it's more of an even playing field now since independent artists are getting more focus too, really I believe if artists put more effort in making better albums then I believe the sales will increase, now record labels have to do better job in promoting quality music if they want to stay in buisiness 'cause the public's not settling for anything anymore, they don't want to spend $15 for 2 good songs out of 15, so they'll just download the 2 songs on Itunes instead and put their money on albums that're worth buying

Congrats to Will, it's gonna be a longshot for him to win though like many have stated, really this category is a tossup, basically everyone nominated was deserving

Anyway regardless of where you place KRS and Nas, they're both legendary mcs, this is like Bill Russell giving props to Shaq