WISDOM BODY-Nas Quotes to Live By, Pt. One

As one of our generation’s most thought-provoking poets, Nas’ talents as a writer and a lyricist cannot be questioned. The wisdom that this MC has imparted through his music has touched many individuals, whether intentionally or by accident. While Nas is one of the greatest lyrically, his intelligence and imagination make him one of the most profound writers of the Hip-Hop generation.

I chose to pay tribute to Nas by highlighting some of his most insightful quotes; words that he’s said that have influenced or even become personal mantras for many. While I feel that Hip-Hop culture possesses some of the greatest contemporary thinkers and orators to speak on the plight of urban America, Nas’ quotes deserve special homage because much of what he has written can be applied to everyday life. Like many great thinkers before him, Nas’ words deserve credit and recognition for the lives that they continue to touch.

#1 “Those who know don’t talk and those who talk don’t know a thing…”

From “Some of Us Have Angels”, NAStradamus (2000).

One of my personal mantras and a favorite Nas quote. Simple and honest words to live by.

#2 “Never sleep/Cuz sleep is the cousin of death…”

From “NY State of Mind”, Illmatic (1994).

Here Nasty Nas warns about procrastination becoming one’s deterrent. Wake up and pay attention, class is in session!

#3-”Love changes/A thug changes and best friends become strangers…”

“The Message”, It Was Written (1997).

I never met a Hip-Hop listener (Nas fan or not) who couldn’t relate to this gem of wisdom. No stranger to “frenemies” (see Nas’ history of strained relationships, past and present, professional and personal, i.e: Jay-Z, Cormega, Prodigy, even his baby’s mama Carmen)-Nas speaks the undeniable truth about inevitable changes that can affect a relationship of any kind. Word life….

Want more jewels? Stay tuned for Pt. Two….

New Ghostface “Baby” Video

Ghostface Killah’s upcoming Hip-Hop R&B hybrid album, The Wizard of Poetry promises to be a classic. While I plan on copping both Wizard of Poetry and the long-awaited OB4CL2, I can’t believe how long overdue an album like this is, especially from Ghost-Deini himself!

A long-time trendsetter of combining soul (samples and vocals) and  musings about love with his colorful raps, Pretty Tony’s had the “rap love song” pretty much down to a science since Ironman.

Never one to mince his words, Ghost always keeps it raw, is unafraid to show his male vulnerability and still shows respect for love, whether good, bad or ugly.

 My Top Ten Ghostface “Love” Songs include:

1. “Back Like That”, Fishscale-Ghost catches his main girl cheating to even the playing field due to his past indiscretions but Toney ain’t havin’ it. Ne-Yo assists on the hook.
2. “Never Be the Same Again” (feat. Carl Thomas and Raekwon), Bulletproof Wallets-Sexy actress LisaRaye plays Ghost’s cheating ex in the video, which features cameos by crooner Carl Thomas and Ghost’s infamous gold eagle cuff bracelet.
3. “Camay” (feat. Cappdonna and Raekwon),Ironman-The grown and sexy sequel to Raekwon’s “Ice Cream.”
4. “Wildflower”, Ironman- A bass-thumping, scathing ode to a cheating ex (see a pattern here, lol) produced by RZA.
5. “Tooken Back” (feat. Jackie O), Pretty Toney-Miami rapper Jackie O and Ghost make an unlikely pairing on paper but this battle of the sexes shows Jacki is a decent rhymer and features Ghost telling it like it is.
6. “Save Me Dear”, Pretty Toney-A shout-out to all the ’round-the-way girls who hold their men down, particularly a light-skinned girl named Kim from Shaolin.
7. “Love” (feat. Musiq), Pretty Toney-Over Musiq’s gospel-tinged vocals Ghosts gets introspective on using love to uplift man, woman and child.
8. “Jellyfish”(feat. Trife and Cappadonna), Fishscale-An overlooked gem produced by MF Doom, Ghost muses about fly girl named Dawn who has an affinity for Versace robes, cinnamon candles and ratchets.
9. “Momma”, Fishscale-A cautionary yet loving tale, where Ghost soothes struggling women that love still exists among heartache. Over moody strings and dark piano keys he assures, “I’m not ashamed to sport you, floss you or gloss you out/Fat,skinny,outta shape, I’ll Dior you out.”
10. “Last Night (skit)”, Pretty Toney-Over Esther Williams  “Last Night Changed It All”, Tone rants about a chick who can’t keep her legs closed but whom he can’t stop calling.

 Visit hiphopblips.dailyradar.com for new Ghostface video “Baby“

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the meanwhile, check out the video for his first single, “Baby”, off Wizard of Poetry.

Brooklyn Dessert Alert: Red velvet!

Instead of having to trek to Fort Greene’s Cake Man Raven or any of Magnolia Bakery’s locations to satisfy my craving for red velvet cake, I enjoyed the tastiest red velvet cupcake without leaving my BK ’hood at  Desserts by Michael Allen in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.

The quaint shop sits between Putnam and Classon avenues on Fulton Street across from popular neighborhood brunch spot Outpost. Reminiscent of an old-school confectionary with its assortment of homemade cookies, macaroons , tarts and cakes on display as well as its airy white decor, I felt compelled to enter and satisfy my sweet tooth.

As soon I entered, I was greeted warmly from the owner who didn’t mind making small talk. Tempted by my top three choices ( homemade ice cream cone, a lemon tart or a red velvet cupcake), I settled on the cupcake. From the creamy buttercream frosting topped artfully with red velvet cake crumbs to the cute, graphic cupcake wrapper, the sweet was too cute to eat! But eat that cupcake is exactly what I did and all that was missing was a glass of milk.

Light, fluffy batter and not-too-thick yet creamy frosting made for a tasty treat on my daily walk. Desserts by Michael Allen might be the reason I have to hit the treadmill a little longer but for that cupcake and the friendly customer service, I shall return!

 

http://michaelallendesserts.com/

http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/desserts-michael-allen/

http://www.yelp.com/biz/desserts-by-michael-allen-brooklyn-2

Facebook or Fakebook? Hiding Behind Status Updates and other stuff

By now you’ve read tons of articles on how Myspace, Facebook and Twitter have replaced human social interaction as we once knew it. Rules of social engagement, whether we like it or not, have changed. But what I’m trying to understand is why we as Facebook/Myspace/Twitters users feel the need to ”hide” behind our web personas, using social networking as a tool to mask who we really are and what we really feel. As human beings, we’ve all been guilty of being dishonest to some extent in our physical interactions with others, way before social networking began.  Many times we say or do unfair/unethical things in social situations to save face or be polite. For example, accepting  someone’s  number that you’re not interested in calling to prevent from hurting his or her feelings is now the equivalent to “friending” someone online that you don’t want to get to know just so you won’t hurt his or her feelings.  This keeps the peace, but for how long? And just because it keeps the peace with the other person, are we really at peace with ourselves?

More than ever, social networkers, bloggers and ‘Net users tend to say and do things further outside of our normal personas (ie: overly outrageous status updates, subliminal online disses aimed at others, salacious photos). Nobody’s perfect and it’s all in good fun, but is there really a need for all of this attention? In the real world, much of what some people say and do could be perceived by others as foul and have the potential to erupt into an argument or “beef.”  Is safety from behind our computer screen the reason why some of us act out of character online?  We all know an online tongue-lashing is about the harshest punishment you can offer on the web; you can’t give or catch a beatdown from a PC (at least virtual beat-downs haven’t been invented yet, LOL). Maybe getting our frustrations out online is best to prevent a potential situation from festering. But is this passive-aggressive online behavior healthy? And at what point does it become dangerous to ourselves or others?

Is it always necessary to comment or respond to every single thing we are exposed to online?

Is having an “air of mystery” corny nowadays or just lost with onslaught of new technology? 

Have you ever had a fall-out/beef/misunderstanding (personal or professional) that stemmed from something online?

Did you regret the outcome?

Has the ‘Net definitely stopped people from telling the truth about who they really are? Have social networking sites made us more interested in impressing others rather than being ourselves? Or were we never really keeping it real in the first place?

What do you think?

OB4CL2 Sampler Online Now

OB4CL2 Sampler Online for Wu-Tang Fans as Anticipation Builds

 With only two weeks left before Raekwon’s long-awaited Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2 drops, the sampler of the sought-after album has hit websites.

 The sampler, which includes the entire 21 songs, was first posted www.Defsounds.com and then on www.planetill.com.  Guest appearances include Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, Method Man, Jadakiss and Beanie Siegel. Producers are not listed but many Hip-Hop heads will be able to discern who made each song, especially if you’re already familiar with Raekwon’s previous work and musical affiliations. RZA, Pete Rock and Dr. Dre have all been mentioned as producers who contributed to OB4CL2.

 In a live interview for Noisemakers Session hosted by Pete Rosenberg (Hot 97) last month, Raekwon treated fans to a sneak preview of his “House of Flying Daggers” track, produced by the late J Dilla. Today Raekwon debuts the official video for “House of Flying Daggers” on AllHipHop.com.

 Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2 has been in the making for over a decade. Since its buzz, fans of Raekwon have been treated to a series of mix-tapes, including his acclaimed, “Blood on the Chef’s Apron”, hosted by Queens’ DJ Absolut (WQHT-FM/Hot 97, Addicted for Life). The mix-tape featured appearances by AZ, The Game, Twista, and B-Real of Cypress Hill.

“NOTORIOUS” Movie Must-Haves

Here’s a list of not-so-obvious people, places and things that the “NOTORIOUS” movie wouldn’t be complete without. Read and let me know your thoughts.

(In no order of importance)

Lance “UN” Rivera (friend/business partner, Untertainment)

Bad Boy Labelmates/collaborators 112, The LOX, Mase, Total, Carl Thomas and Black Rob

The Commission (short-lived rap group comprised of Jay-Z, Charli Baltimore and BIG)

Charli Baltimore (lover, female rap artist)

Cam’ron (Untertainment artist, acquaintance)

Misa Hylton-Brim (Bad Boy stylist, friend, Puff’s ex-girl)

Mary J. Blige (collaborator, friend)

Craig Mack and DJ 4-5

The “BIG/MACK” marketing campaign

Cheek Del Vec, Trife, Klepto, Larceny and Bugsy (Junior Mafia members)

Bonz Malone (wrote first Biggie cover story for The Source and almost signed BIG to Island Records)

Matty C (ran The Source’s “Unsigned Hype” column that featured BIG; passed BIG’s tape to Puff)

Dream Hampton (veteran journalist/friend of BIG)

5001 Flavors leather jerseys

Walker Wear denim suits

Did we leave out anything? If so, leave a comment.

6 Reasons Why NOTORIOUS is a B.I.G. Deal

6. The film might provide an interesting glimpse into the mystique of the Bad Boy empire during its heyday (Bad Boy went from making history with B.I.G. to ’making the mess band’ with Danity Kane…WTF?)

5. There hasn’t been this much buzz in the Hip-Hop community about a film since Hype Williams’ BELLY. (No sequel please.)

4. Today’s Hip-Hop generation will finally have a film to call their own, adding to past classic flicks about/influenced by Hip-Hop music and culture (Breakin’ I and II, Wild Style, Krush Groove, Beat Street, etc.)

3. It’s authentic. Starring Brooklyn’s own Gravy plus having cats like DJ Enuff, D-Dot, Lil’ Cease and Money L appear in the film lends much credibility to “NOTORIOUS”.

2. Lil’ Kim’s discontent with the film could possibly be the motivation for her to write her own book or movie. Don’t front, Kim would cake off at the box office.

1.   And finally, a Biggie Smalls biopic could possibly greenlight a Tupac Shakur biopic. Now what true Hip-Hop fan wouldn’t want to see that?

Rest In Peace to both the Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur. One Love.

* (Reasons were not listed in order of importance)

“NOTORIOUS” hits theatres nationwide on January 16, 2009.

BOOK REVIEW:”Midnight: A Gangster Love Story” by Sister Souljah

Although Sister Souljah’s newest book, “Midnight”  was touted as the long-awaited sequel to her lauded street-lit classic, “The Coldest Winter Ever”, the good news is that it is not.   Instead the book is a fascinating prequel that explains one young man’s journey from birth to mid-teens as a Sudanese immigrant  to a graduate (with honors) of the school of hard knocks.

The book re-introduces Midnight, (prior to him working  for drug lord Ricky Santiaga),who readers will remember as the mysterious, handsome drug dealer that Winter, Santiaga’s daughter, lusted after in “Coldest”.   Surviving is no easy feat for Midnight as he endures the perils of growing up young, Black and poor in Brooklyn, an extreme departure from the comforts he enjoyed as the son of an elite Sudanese political advisor, who has since disappeared from Midnight’s life.  Falling in love with Japanese beauty Akemi only complicates things for Midnight as he tries to hold steadfast to his Muslim faith and manhood in a land far from his native Sudan.

What makes ”Midnight” so compelling is Souljah’s ability to describe Midnight’s experiences so vividly and authentically.  Her writing captures the innocence in his fears, mistakes and even his prejudices all while entertaining you with rich characters and compelling storylines. While some may not agree that “Midnight” is urban fiction (especially since there is no mention of the Santiaga family), the novel exhibits Souljah’s growth as a writer while delivering  a powerful, modern love story.

Highly recommended, ”Midnight” showcases Souljah’s strength at creating realistic, creative stories that give a voice to the complexities of urban people, written in that authentic way that only she can.

Wisdom Body-Nas Quotes Pt. II

“People fear what they don’t understand/Hate what they can’t conquer/Guess that’s just the fury of man…”

From “Hate Me Now”, I AM (1999)

Although the ostentatious, salacious video was anti-Nasir to many Hip-Hop purists, (who could forget the strippers covered in metallic body paint, a supercilious Nas outfitted in a snow white mink sitting next to a Cristal-spitting Diddy flanked by hotties in the club?) , the single’s underlying message was one of upliftment and entitlement to those who had ever felt unfairly criticized for simply “doing them”. The God MC is no stranger to this (Nas is one of the most harshly-judged rappers to date) , so who better than him to make a song entitled ‘”Hate Me Now”?  This quote embodies Nas’ defensive side, urging listeners to remember to stay true to themselves whether other people ”get it” or not. In other words, “opinions are like assholes….” you know the rest. Do you.

 

“Props is a true thug’s wife”

From “Verbal Intercourse”, Only Built for Cuban Linx (1995)

A verse chock full of mystery, wit and wisdom, these prolific bars earned Nas a 1995 “Hip-Hop Quotable” from The Source Magazine. But it’s this line that thugs and squares can relate to just the same. Respect that is earned and maintained as well as your integrity are all one has in this world. Keep both close and well-guarded, just like you would the one you love.

Want more jewels?!? Be patient for Part III!

One Love

The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash by Grandmaster Flash and David Ritz

Despite the tremendous respect he has garnered as a technological genius and Hip-Hop pioneer/icon, not much is known about the legendary Grandmaster Flash’s rise as a turntable instrumentalist turned Rock’n’ Roll Hall of Fame inductee (the first Hip-Hop artist to do so). In his recent memoir, My Life, My Beats: The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash, the man born Joseph Saddler sets the record straight on his childhood, meteoric rise to fame and his personal struggles with drug addiction and music industry politics.

Flash’s story is poignant as he recounts memories that range from the innocent (“My favorite thing to do as a young boy was to play the Ronettes’ “Be My Baby” and outrun my sisters as they chased me all over the house”) to gruesome accounts of the shame and deplorable conditions he lived in while battling drug addiction. Flash also gives an in-depth account of the lesser-known details regarding the Furious Five’s internal and creative issues as a group and their love-hate relationship with the legendary Sugar Hill Records.

A tale dripping with inspiration and wisdom, readers can’t deny being inspired by the man who rose above a bittersweet childhood and his adult demons, only to triumph as a strong father to his biological children and a forefather to all aspiring DJs. Flash’s memoir is more than just a history lesson; it’s a testament that Hip-Hop culture can never die, as long as it continues to inspire others.  Respect the architect!

For Grandmaster Flash tour dates and info, check out: http://www.grandmasterflash.com/

Pics of Flash rocking at NYC’s Webster Hall, courtesy of www.Brooklynvegan.com

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2008/05/grandmaster_fla.html