Commentary

After a long bout with lung cancer, emcee and producer Camu Tao passed away early Sunday afternoon. Of course, family and friends are the ones most capable to paint a picture of who that person was, so, rather than focusing solely on this tragedy by myself, I have chosen to include the words of one of Camu’s closest friends and musical collaborators, El-P, to properly portray the impact and importance the life of Camu Tao has had on those who surrounded him. In El-P’s Myspace blog, he writes:

[Read the full story]

Just when you think free newspapers have already seen their worst days, journalist Chris Faraone of the Boston Phoenix drops the gem “In with the In Crowd: LA’s Time Machine Lose the Zeros.” Never before have I read a piece of work like this. Honestly, if I ever submitted anything that remotely resembled the ridiculousness of “In with the In Crowd,” I would expect to get reprimanded or at least ridiculed for producing such a poorly executed article with a Masters Degree in Journalism. Initially, the objective of Faraone’s article may have been to congratulate hip-hop group Time Machine for the attention and anticipation received from their sophomore LP, Life Is Expensive. However, Faraone appears to get a little sidetracked, revolving the majority of the article around his contradictory opinions of Time Machine’s music and his judgmental assumptions on their increasing fan base.

[Read the full story]

Wayne Frost AKA Frosty Freeze 12/08/63~04/03/08

My head is hung deepened with sadness as we say goodbye to a pioneer in this hip hop culture. Wayne Frost aka Frosty Freeze passed away April 3, and days later the thoughts of him not being on the scene still resonate with me.

[Read the full story]

During the winter-months, it’s hard to stay focused on that one-thing you love. The plights of real-life come into boss-mode. Those gray-days are more frequent than any other time throughout the year and have an almost depressive effect on ones persona. I am a victim of the force that emits during the cold – but what can be done about it?

Thank the cosmos for the advent of the internet. For those shrouded days of depression can be thwarted with what the world-wide-web has to offer – in a positive-role. If you know how to grab the “Super Highway” by its reins, you have an endless amount of stops during your virtual-trip – especially while you wait for your rut to be un-stuck. [Read the full story]

KOCH EXPANDS URBAN ROSTER WITH FAT BEATS

(Port Washington, New York) October 30, 2007 – KOCH Entertainment Distribution today announced that is has signed an exclusive physical and digital distribution deal with Brooklyn-based hip-hop label Fat Beats Records. Under this new agreement, KOCH is the exclusive physical and digital distributor of the label’s catalog and forthcoming releases in North America.

[Read the full story]

I had my man Mortal and his daughter over for some morning convo. In the midst of our usual complaints and witty banter, his daughter asked “…what is that machine, over there?” I responded - with a sparkling-eye of pride, “well, that is the cherished MPC 2000 – a beat-machine, if you will.” Thinking that would be the end of it - seeing that the child is only 7, Mortal inserted with a “…maybe William will give you an example of what he does on it.” Naturally, I could not let an opportunity to educate pass. I interrupted whatever we were disgusted with and commenced the lesson. [Read the full story]

… as it falls apart

I stumbled across a very interesting blog by marketing guru, Seth Godin. It speaks upon the slow death of the current music industry and the rise of the new music industry. It is a list of over thirteen lessons that, in my opinion, every music artist should know and follow. After reading it, I thought of several emcees I know personally that could benefit a great deal from reading Seth’s Blog.

I picked out a few of the most poignant lessons to share and hopefully get some feedback on.

[Read the full story]

It’s been a while since we last talked. I used to talk to you often. I think I asked for your help before every show. But since we have last talked a lot has happened. I got married. I became a full time father and I have changed careers a few times. I’m sure you also know that over the last few years, I have put one of my passions on the back burner: music. Being an adult is not easy and being a man means that you have to sacrifice for those you love. [Read the full story]