Message: Statik Selektah presents: State Property - All Together Now

*WARNING THIS MAY BE THE LONGEST, MOST INCENDIARY POST I HAVE EVER TYPED HERE. THE VIEWS AND OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE MY OWN. THAT SAID ENJOY.... OR MAYBE NOT*

after a few years of releasing albums and touring the country I have come to a conclusion: Tanya morgan isn't accessible. This is mostly by choice. We sorta look the part and at times sound the part but for the most part we are off in our own little world.

It feels like everybody is fighting for the post rave/dance scene. Artists are really pushing to be on their radar. I dunno if they spend a lot of money or if they are the ones who keep you on the road but apparently they are more important than any other consumer of music right now. Or maybe that's how it looks based on who I pay attention to.  Regardless tho I feel like we don't pander to them, we honestly dont make music for them at all. We kinda make music for ourselves. Our scene would be straight up hiphop. No real subgenre.. Just rap music. Even our dancey tunes are just plain rap. We make regular ass rap music and that's not a good or bad thing its just a thing.

The weird part is that as much as I hate to admit it I kinda identify w/ that crowd who I don't make music for at all. I don't listen to that much rap. I play more post dance scene shit. If someone was to judge me based on my musical tastes alone I guess they could say I am a hipster. They would be wholely as justified in that assessment as they would by labeling Von Pea a backpacker. Thing is Von cops to being a backpacker while i dont cop to anything. But ill admit it here, im very hipstery.

I also think its kinda interesting to see what the post dance scene is embracing, i dont really go to their parties but i do go to their myspace pages and blogs and it seems that they are all kinda done with regular ass rap. thats not sayin that they dislike it, just sayin that they are bored with it or something. hell even the hip hop kids are leaning away from regular ass rap. i find that very interesting.

lemme explain what i mean when i say 'post dance scene'...

the rave scene was HUGE for a long time. these rave kids were apart of the mtv generation. they were into a little bit of everything musically. well they have grown up and grown away from that experience as a whole but the sensibilities are still there. they still love hip hop and they still love dance music and listen to them both. they'd love to see the two married since well they are playin em side by side on their ipods anyway.

now apply that to the fact that alot artists and djs were born of that sphere of influence. of course the refining process takes a few years to happen but what we are seeing right now in music is the diamonds from the coal if you will. There is alot of discussion surrounding this new crop of artists. Acts that arent new at all to those of us who have been paying attention but definitely new to people who get their music knowledge from mass media as opposed to good old fashion looking for whats new. The main focus of the discussion is what to classify them as, hipster hop? meta rappers? the list of labels is growing day by day but it all boils down to who is going to create the label that sticks the hardest. alot of it mislabled to be honest.

we can all agree (well alot of us anyway) that the dj is the most important person in music hands down. they command large groups of listeners and are the record breakers/tastemakers who keep their hands on the pulse of whats hot. right? well its not them that is making the paradigm shift, they are just playin what the people want to hear in most cases. its mtv news and other media outlets informing its viewers of what rap is. how many awards shows have you seen where the nominees in the rap category arent rap at all? if they are so haphazard in awarding our music then imagine how careless they are in defining new branches of it. the music they are just discovering (on that christopher columbus shit) is dance music with a side of rap. it has just bled outside of the clubs its being played in. the same way snap music bled outside of the strip club this music has bled outside of the rave.

these artists have big followings on the dance scene, they can survive off of one song because dj's spin their stuff at dance parties and they get remixed a million times over by other djs lookin to get into the scene and then the kids at the parties eat that shit up until said artist is called upon to host and perform that one song maybe more. performing one song may sound wierd but its a dance party so the performance aspect isnt really the meat, the dj is. that would make this music more dance than hip hop right? the lines are so blurred at this point noone can really say, thats why the media is scrambling to think up a new classification for them in the first place. media attention means there is a market for it which means that companies of all sorts are banking off of it somehow.

i think i have made my point, no actually i dont think i had a point. i just know that tanya morgan has not really been the benefactor of alot of these things. i mean we got a few industry pals but who in the industry doesnt? on a pure surface level the uninitiated dont see our music as progressive or breaking the mold. our innovations lie in nuance, we dont beat you over the head with our change, its subtle. concepts and themes and references that dont ask to be gawked at and are barely noticeable to even those who get it. at the end of the day we make regular ass rap music. the dj's who were spinning hip hop are now spinning dance and/or dance influenced music or flat out top 40. which is why you will get parties where they play early hip hop, mash ups and then that dance shit that we refuse to do. or they just go straight for radio hits. thats what butters their bread, not our regular ass rap records. even when they are danceable.

meanwhile tanya morgan is on some me and my imaginary friends are having a great time living in our bubble. if we aint gettin word of mouth love we aint gettin no love because potential fans are being herded away en masse to the new flavor of the month and dj's more concerned with keeping the lights on than breaking records, while regular ass rap and its pundits are being further alienated from the only genre they are true to. which leaves us lookin like 3 niggas w/ a funny name dropping another album in a cluttered scene...

im gonna go ahead and say it now, this new album is our middle finger to everything going on. does it vocally address the trends and shifts at hand? nah, that automatically makes the album a period piece. on lyrics to go q tip advised mc's not to say the year in order to keep shit timeless and im a firm believer in that. all im sayin is taht at a certain point nonconformity becomes conforming and well frankly alot of the music that claims individuality is getting further and further away from showing people how to be themselves or more importanly how to be proud of being different.

the end.

**footnote: im not complaining at all, just analysing and commenting.

URBANA, Ohio — A defendant had a hard time facing the music.

Andrew Vactor was facing a $150 fine for playing rap music too loudly on his car stereo in July. But a judge offered to reduce that to $35 if Vactor spent 20 hours listening to classical music by the likes of Bach, Beethoven and Chopin.

Vactor, 24, lasted only about 15 minutes, a probation officer said.

It wasn't the music, Vactor said, he just needed to be at practice with the rest of the Urbana University basketball team.

"I didn't have the time to deal with that," he said. "I just decided to pay the fine."

Champaign County Municipal Court Judge Susan Fornof-Lippencott says the idea was to force Vactor to listen to something he might not prefer, just as other people had no choice but to listen to his loud rap music.

"I think a lot of people don't like to be forced to listen to music," she said.

She's also taped TV shows for defendants in other cases to watch on topics such as financial responsibility. As she sees it, they get the chance to have their fine reduced "and at the same time broaden their horizons."

ahahahahahha, sucks for that guy. sure he has his rights but he violated other peoples rights when he had his music too loud.

B-Gr@d3

"“It’s not Prince’s ‘Purple Rain,’ but it is inspired by the actual music. When movies portray certain lifestyles they don’t show cause and effect, but I showed characters under pressure in scenarios where they felt like there were no other options, even though there were,” said 50 in a recent interview on www.icelebz.com.

50 has managed to capitalize on everything he's done so far, so this should prove to be no exception. Expect this one to go straight to video.

Message: 50 Cent - Get Up(prod by Scott Storch)

"I've been busy in the studio," he wrote, "and right now I'm working on a mix tape, along with 'Tha Carter IV'. The mix tape you can expect real soon. It's called 'Dedication 3', and it's going to be 'Gangsta Grillz' by DJ Drama. And then right after that, I'm putting that same mix tape out with 20 extra songs for free on my website," said Lil'Wayne in a recent post on his ESPN blog.

Once again, I think this guy's timing is unbelievable, as he'll probably release it long after Kayne, 50, and Jay-Z will dropped their latest albums. As I said once before in another of my posts, Lil' Wayne is one smart rapper.

I like rap music BUT can we get some real lyrics, I mean seriously can we get past the grills and 24's and bust it babies

side note- what sane, GROWN woman is calling herself or allowing herself to be called a bust it baby?

I turn on the radio and I am going to either hear someone talking about how many hos they have or how far their car sits off the ground. That's all nice and good (well not the hos part) but shouldn't there be more to it than just beating some body's head in, having wild sex and buying pricey jewelry? Is that all there is to life for people?

I say all of this to say; I agree when it is said that rap music has a very strong NEGATIVE impact on young people. From their physical appearances to the way they view life, rap music is playing a huge role in what young people feel is reality. It is screwing with their perception of real life. You can see it in the way they talk and the way they walk. They have began to believe that the rapper's lifestyle or persona is a way of life, not just for the rapper, but for them also. So they take these persona's into the schools, into their homes and into their everyday lives and they become their own Lil Wayne or Jeezy. They forget that they are Andre or Michael, they become Lil Mike or Dre and suddenly school is nowhere near as important as having enough money to buy you a Cutlass and fill it up with bust it babies. They no longer see the need for education and morals, because now they have a Cutlass sitting on 24's, their grill is shining and all the hos love them. (hos meaning those young ladies attending school with them)  Why go to school and strive to  make straight A's when 24's on your car will get you hos and straight A's just get you a ribbon at the school award ceremony?

side note- I have seen so many young men ages 14-25 that look like Lil Wayne that it is ridiculous. Dreads here, dreads there, dreads, dreads everywhere.

So now we have a generation of young people who either want to have a bust it baby in their bed or be someone's bust it baby. We have teenage girls who think they aren't pretty unless they have on a face full of Mac makeup and a Dolce & Gabbana bag, all paid for by their drug dealing boyfriend who drives a Cutlass on 24's and has too many other bust it babies to count.

These young ladies believe that what they see on television and hear on the radio is reality and that it is most definitely the reality that they want for themselves. For them being a bust it baby is a good thing, being his main bitch is a great accomplishment and showing ALL of your body is what gets you the most material things and material things make you who you are.

Mix the unrealistic perception both the young men and women have and you get destruction. You get young men selling drugs and robbing in order to have the Cutlass on 24's, the platinum grills and the J's on their feet. You get young women being promiscuous because sex sells and when you give up the sex he gives up the dough, so you both shine.

Like I said, I like Rap Music but...it really needs to be under construction, not all, but the majority of it does more harm than good.

Now even with the harm that rap music is doing, parents are still held accountable because many of them just don't give a damn. They too are living the lifestyles that the music speaks of, so they in no way can tell the children differently. Some of these same young ladies who are out having sex and drinking are seeing their mothers aka Mz Bust it Baby doing the exact same thing. A lot of these children are seeing their fathers out hustling and selling dope so hey if its good for dad, then it is A-OK for me. Parents need to be the first people in the "Getting My Shit Together" line. Yes we can say that rap music is destructive, but so is bad behavior from parents, so is parents living violent, illegal lifestyles.

..and we wonder why our children are violent, disobedient and outright acting foolish. With a mixture of rap music and parents who are slacking, these children are becoming exactly what they see, hear and have grown to know.

Just got my review copy of the new album "Rebel" by Christian rapper LeCrae yesterday and I have to say that it is nothing short of great.  I thoroughly enjoyed this album.

I'm not going to give a comprehensive review of every song on the album but I will say that I have always been impressed with LeCrae's albums.  He is definitely not in it for money or fame (as he would say) but he is in it to glorify Christ and to make his glory known.  This is one of the reasons I love his music so much.

He touches on issues that we as believers face everyday such as temptation and the recognition that we are nothing apart from Christ.

One of my favorite tracks on the album is "Desperate" featuring Cam.  I love this song because it talks about how we are wicked to the core and are in desperate need of Jesus daily.  Without this knowledge of who we are truly, we will never understand our need for Christ and His righteousness.

If you are a fan of hip hop/rap music, I would highly recommend this album to you.  Even if you're not particularly a fan, you might be after listening to this album.  It is deep, rich theologically, and the beats are pretty awesome too!  All around a great album.  5 Stars!

Click on the ad above to purchase or just go to iTunes.

Grace & Peace,

R.A. Servin

Should the decision come back in favor of the National Music Publisher's Association, which is asking for an increase in the digital royalties for music artists, Itunes has stated it would shut down because it would no longer be able to make money. 

This may not be a bad thing as it would open the marketplace for new companies and it would stop Itunes' stranglehold on the industry. Then again, it might make things a lot worse as Apple pretty-much had the download concept down pat and they have done a good job making it user-friendly.

Stay tuned for more information on this story as it develops.

Now, I don't pump this album cuz I wanna promote tha skillz of a rapper.  I wantcha to know about it cuz this album promotes Christ and tha Gospel.  15 Tracks full of skillfull rhymes that point people straight to Christ.  Go check tha song clips at iTunes and then Download it if ya like it. 

Hey - you know some young buck who jus got hype cuz he was waitin' for that new Paper Trails CD from TI?  Then give him somethin' that promotes God's kingdom instead of lust and money.  Go head - check it out:

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=289497974&s=143441

If you ain't with all tha downloads n stuff then you should be able to get it at Wal-Mart or Family Christian (I think they have it for $8.99 at Family). 

May God alone get the glory from this album!

Messageries Benjamin achète Diffusions Raffin et mettent à la rue les Éditions TNT: impact sur les auteurs Québécois

Changements drastiques dans le monde de l'édition, Diffusions Raffin, un distributeur de livres au Québec vient d'être acheté par Messageries Benjamin. Quel est l'impact d'une telle transaction sur les auteurs québécois?

Notre organisme communautaire, le Journal de la Rue, a réussi depuis les 16 dernières années à publier ses livres de cheminement personnel, ses guides d'intervention, des livres de poésie urbaine de jeunes auteurs par  l'intermédiaire de son projet les Éditions TNT.

Pour rendre les livres disponibles aux libraires du Québec, Les Éditions TNT avaient une entente de distribution avec Diffusions Raffin, un distributeur indépendant, spécialisé dans le genre de livres que les Éditions TNT publient. Changement majeur, Messageries Benjamin, spécialisé dans la distribution de magazine, achètent Raffin. Sans parler aux éditeurs, Messageries Benjamin, intéressés que par les chiffres de vente, décident de faire du ménage et ne conserver que les éditeurs qui peuvent produire des chiffres. Les petits éditeurs communautaires comme les Éditions TNT se retrouvent donc à la rue,  sans distributeur pour offrir le  service aux libraires.

Au Québec, il n'est pas facile d'éditer des livres. La  concentration de plus en plus grandes des différents intermédiaires ne facilitent pas le travail d'édition et sa diversité. Parce que les grands intermédiaires veulent des chiffres. Des résultats de vente rapide. Des livres qui se vendent. Et quand les chiffres n'y sont pas, on met le tout à la poubelle. Le mot d'ordre est simple et se limite à la rentabilité court terme.

Après avoir été représenté par Diffusions Raffin pendant 16 ans, Messageries Benjamin n'a pas été très cavalière dans sa façon de mettre à la rue un éditeur  communautaire. Un libraire qui veut commander un des livres des Éditions TNT et qui appelle Diffusions Raffin se fait transférer chez Messageries Benjamin pour se faire répondre qu'ils ne représentent pas les Éditions TNT. Ils  auraient au moins pu laisser nos coordonnés pour que les libraires nous contactent.

Nous avons fait plusieurs publicités et représentations dans notre magazine Reflet de Société, sur l'Internet et même lors de l'émission Vie de couple à TQS pour annoncer fièrement que nos livres étaient disponibles dans toutes bonnes librairies. En espérant que celles-ci pourront nous retracer dans le méandre de la concentration des intermédiaires.

En perdant un distributeur indépendant comme Diffusions Raffin, quel en sera l'impact sur les petites maisons d'édition au Québec et sur les auteurs qu'elles  représentent? Nous verrons dans les prochaines années. Une chose est certaine, ce n'est pas un événement qui va faciliter notre travail.

Les Éditions TNT vont s'auto-diffuser pour rendre disponible ses livres aux libraires. Je laisse les coordonnés aux libraires qui nous cherchent. Ces coordonnés sont les même que celles que le public avaient qui veut commander nos livres:

Éditions TNT

4233 Ste-Catherine Est, Montréal, Qc. H1V 1X4

Tél. (514) 256-6900 Fax: (514) 256-9444 courriel: journal@journaldelarue.ca

Merci à nos lecteurs qui nous soutiennent depuis maintenant 16 ans. Merci aux libraires qui vont continuer de nous représenter.

POUR VOS COMMENTAIRES SUR DIFFUSIONS RAFFIN ET MESSAGERIE DE PRESSE BENJAMIN.

We Also Will be providing Links to information regarding how to make beats, if your interested.

Duration: 6 months, which puts my return at the end of March

Location: Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This is right next to the Pao de Azucar (Sugar Loaf Mountain) on this nice little harbor/beach thing. I am 1 mile from Copacabana (which is to the south) and about 3 miles from the Center (to the north), which has all the administrative buildings and turns into a giant black market after 6, apparently.

Motive: Remember how much fun I had with my thesis?!?! That question is sarcastic because I drove myself crazy on it, but I was very excited by studying "marginal" urban populations through rap music. I did not get to look in to Rio as much as I wanted because of subject and time constraints, but I was noticing some really interesting things about the different understandings of the "city" between the formal (asfalto) and informal (favela) populations. This is not particularly unique, but the diverse and interesting (albeit sometimes traumatic) history of the city and the aggressive, numerous, and internationally funded urban program solutions that are getting attention worldwide make Rio a very interesting city to study for me: someone who loves (global) cities and "justice" policies.

Stay tuned...

Messageries Benjamin achète Diffusions Raffin et mettent à la rue les Éditions TNT: impact sur les auteurs Québécois

Changements drastiques dans le monde de l'édition, Diffusions Raffin, un distributeur de livres au Québec vient d'être acheté par Messageries Benjamin. Quel est l'impact d'une telle transaction sur les auteurs québécois?

Notre organisme communautaire, le Journal de la Rue, a réussi depuis les 16 dernières années à publier ses livres de cheminement personnel, ses guides d'intervention, des livres de poésie urbaine de jeunes auteurs par  l'intermédiaire de son projet les Éditions TNT.

Pour rendre les livres disponibles aux libraires du Québec, Les Éditions TNT avaient une entente de distribution avec Diffusions Raffin, un distributeur indépendant, spécialisé dans le genre de livres que les Éditions TNT publient. Changement majeur, Messageries Benjamin, spécialisé dans la distribution de magazine, achètent Raffin. Sans parler aux éditeurs, Messageries Benjamin, intéressés que par les chiffres de vente, décident de faire du ménage et ne conserver que les éditeurs qui peuvent produire des chiffres. Les petits éditeurs communautaires comme les Éditions TNT se retrouvent donc à la rue,  sans distributeur pour offrir le  service aux libraires.

Au Québec, il n'est pas facile d'éditer des livres. La  concentration de plus en plus grandes des différents intermédiaires ne facilitent pas le travail d'édition et sa diversité. Parce que les grands intermédiaires veulent des chiffres. Des résultats de vente rapide. Des livres qui se vendent. Et quand les chiffres n'y sont pas, on met le tout à la poubelle. Le mot d'ordre est simple et se limite à la rentabilité court terme.

Après avoir été représenté par Diffusions Raffin pendant 16 ans, Messageries Benjamin n'a pas été très cavalière dans sa façon de mettre à la rue un éditeur  communautaire. Un libraire qui veut commander un des livres des Éditions TNT et qui appelle Diffusions Raffin se fait transférer chez Messageries Benjamin pour se faire répondre qu'ils ne représentent pas les Éditions TNT. Ils  auraient au moins pu laisser nos coordonnés pour que les libraires nous contactent.

Nous avons fait plusieurs publicités et représentations dans notre magazine Reflet de Société, sur l'Internet et même lors de l'émission Vie de couple à TQS pour annoncer fièrement que nos livres étaient disponibles dans toutes bonnes librairies. En espérant que celles-ci pourront nous retracer dans le méandre de la concentration des intermédiaires.

En perdant un distributeur indépendant comme Diffusions Raffin, quel en sera l'impact sur les petites maisons d'édition au Québec et sur les auteurs qu'elles  représentent? Nous verrons dans les prochaines années. Une chose est certaine, ce n'est pas un événement qui va faciliter notre travail.

Les Éditions TNT vont s'auto-diffuser pour rendre disponible ses livres aux libraires. Je laisse les coordonnés aux libraires qui nous cherchent. Ces coordonnés sont les même que celles que le public avaient qui veut commander nos livres:

Éditions TNT

4233 Ste-Catherine Est, Montréal, Qc. H1V 1X4

Tél. (514) 256-6900 Fax: (514) 256-9444 courriel: journal@journaldelarue.ca

Merci à nos lecteurs qui nous soutiennent depuis maintenant 16 ans. Merci aux libraires qui vont continuer de nous représenter.

POUR VOS COMMENTAIRES SUR DIFFUSIONS RAFFIN ET MESSAGERIE DE PRESSE BENJAMIN.