visualizing the realism...

AZ has a new album coming out soon. click here to download the dj premier-produced single "the format." and click here to watch the video. aziatic...

suck the smoke out of your lungs...

so it's 4:49 and i'm sitting at the bar. after work. a beer (or two) and a smoke (or 8). helped samir set up his myspace page. showed up at the bar tonight and didn't remember there was a meet-n-greet event for the uwo conservatives. god damn, i hope they got a permit from the city for the cross burning on the patio. anyway, i thought it quite ironic that i showed up for my shift in an army shirt, fucked up jeans, and pink chuck taylors. oh yeah, i'm a gay grunge militant. deal with it. a bunch of old people gave speeches and didn't tip. yeah, i'm running for some position in your city, vote for me! hey asshole, your suit is probably worth more than a month's rent for me, and you can't tip on your wine? fuck you. way to get votes asshole. one thing in life i'll never understand is how rich people can be so cheap. it's been said before and i know it's no original thought, but fuck, i guess that's how they got to be so rich in the first place. that, or maybe that they were born into rich families and had their entire lives handed to them on a polished silver platter. assholes. a few times i wanted to walk up to the front of the room and say something... "i'd just like to thank you all for paying your taxes and helping somebody like me who grew up on welfare to actually (almost) get an education and (almost) eat, and (almost) stay warm in the winter, and (almost) buy clothes and shit..." it would have gone downhill from there. the thing that pissed me off was the fact that most of them were actually quite nice, which made it that much more difficult to despise their existence. how can you be like 22 years old and a fucking conservative? where have you been? i mean, fuck, i'm pretty conversative in a lot of my politics but this whole "let's get everyone off welfare and oh yeah, fuck gay people" shit has got to go. you know what happens when you kick people off welfare? they get desperate, and start robbing rich fuckers like you. so you should think of social services as a sort of "protection" type of thing... give the poor just enough to keep them from shanking you for your wallet, but not enough so you won't actually have to sit next to them at your favorite restaurant. assholes.

quote of the night:

me, outside, having a smoke with a couple dudes.
some conservative chick walks out...

conservative chick: whatever happens, don't let me smoke.
us: uh, ok.
cc: i'm trying to quit.
us: uh, whatever.
cc: just watching you take a drag makes me want to kiss you so hard i can suck the smoke out of your lungs...
us: uh...

holy shit, she was hot, i think it moved...

but whatever... these people piss me off. so fucking clueless. don't get me wrong, i'm no fucking hippie in my politics either, and i'm not claiming marxism or some bullshit, but seriously, can you even be a convervative and look at yourself in the mirror? i copped a "vote for harper" pin that somebody left on the bar and i'll be rocking that shit. i fucking hate stupid people. even if they are hot. and wearing low cut tops with perfect breasts and full lips and making me think about babies. jesus. it's just not right.

you know what's rad? when somebody tells you something about you that you wanted to say to them about them, but you didn't, and weren't going to, but since they did, now you can? yeah, that's fucking rad...

okay, fuck, a million things i wanted to say and now i can't remember any of 'em, so i'm out...

best,
ryan

ps. the quote of the night from a few nights ago that i forgot...

"spooning is never innocent ever."
-dj gaydar

i'm out...

777 and 777 is...

check out this link for the trailer to my man peter agoston's new dvd, culturama 777. yeah, the voice on the trailer is annoying as fuck (can we PLEASE stop with that quasimoto shit?), but it's a dope little series of video compilations he's been putting out. i've got a few of them, and they're tight. it's a cool way to see a bunch of underground videos that fuckmusic won't play. (speaking of which, they turned down our shit, so look for our video on culturama #8).

slow night at the bar. going home soon. i can not wait until i have my new place. i feel like i'm counting the minutes. oh yeah, and lastly, shout out to charlottetown, she's that type of girl...

ryan

am i black enough for you?

download schoolly d's "am i black enough for you?" and then go see the show.
seriously. that's an order. this dude is fucking legend.

whutcha want jeep?...

watch this jeep commercial...

then watch this rap video...

i hope dude got paid and will use the money to make a new album with smoothe da hustler.

we hate you ryan...

schoolly school...

i can not believe that schoolly d is coming to toronto. holy fuck. seriously. holy fuck...

vancouver 2...

chinese food and "cold tea" after the show.

la coka nostra...

la coka nostra.

legends of rap...

i wanted to go and see ice-t, ice cube, and too $hort in detroit today. sadly, my ride fell through.

it's grey and raining and i'm eating steak and watching ice-t and bodycount in amsterdamn.

black october...

Sadat X - Black October.

Few artists in hip-hop have afforded the longevity that Sadat X has. Unmoved by an inevitable changing of the guard in Rap, the X-Man remains a beacon of true, un-facsimiled artistry. In so many words, he sits atop the lists of your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper. It’s like his time as a child confined to the other side of the street or his uncle’s car, watching Cold Crush or Kool Herc park jams molded Sadat into the respected person & and wholly unique emcee he is today. Where so many of his peers have faded into obscurity, Sadat somehow continues to write innovative songs, deliver relevant contemporary commentary, and effortlessly staying tuned to trends of the day.

Having enjoyed an outstanding career in hip-hop, spanning nearly 3 decades as one of the genre’s most distinctive voices, his undeniable twang has commanded songs not just as 1/3rd of the fabled Brand Nubian (5 group albums), but alongside our genre’s greatest from Jay Z, Notorious B.I.G., Nas, & Common (to name a few). He’s even been tapped by the likes of popular singer/songwriter Jack Johnson, legendary House-producer Miguel Migs and old-schooler MC Lyte all in recent months for collaborations on their respected albums. And not just vocalists fiend for a good X verse; extraordinary producers from The Neptunes to Primo to Madlib to Prince Paul have all called in lyrics from the self-proclaimed Dot Father to accentuate their sound scapes.

With accolades for days, you’d assume Sadat would be living the life of luxury by now. Quite the contrary, he’s remained loyal to urban New York City life, residing in the Bronx and Harlem much of the last 2 decades. Working as an elementary school teacher for disadvantaged youth to coaching successful teen basketball programs in Harlem (Sadat himself was a scholarship ball player in the late 80’s, before the early success of Brand Nubian’s debut). Covered throughout last year’s critically acclaimed Experience & Education (Female Fun Records), fans new and old were introduced to a more introspective Sadat. Yet, celebrations for the album’s brief successes were cut short with the passing of Sadat’s father days after the album dropped, and then the closing of Female Fun’s distribution house Studio only two months after its release.

To add insult to injury, this past Winter found Sadat in a highly unfortunate run-in with law enforcement on Broadway and 157th street in Harlem. Picked up with a handgun, Sadat spent the holidays behind bars and now 9 months later faces a year in prison for the charges. It’s the marriage of the streets and realities of day-to-day living that create the platform for Black October (his 4th solo effort, and 2nd through Peter Agoston’s Female Fun network, here as the debut of their subsidiary Riverside Drive Records). A grown man, he is taking his sentence to heart and talks about it at length throughout the album’s most introspective, contemplative moments.

The opening and title track “Black October” (produced by longtime collaborator, DJ Spinna) finds Sadat over a raucous guitar stab-track running down the swirl of emotions he’s battled over the course of this past year. Far from glamorizing this, Sadat takes a contemplative, regretful tone. One more, to hopefully teach the young people of today lead astray, that crime is really real and jail is nothing to glamorize. While he touches on the topic throughout, Sadat breaks free of his frustrations to ruminate on the positive on tracks like “Throw Tha Ball”, “Who”, “My Mind” (featuring Greg Nice) and the Brand Nubian group effort “Chosen Few”.

Black October features production from Da Beatminerz (Black Moon/Boot Camp Clik), Diamond D (DITC), DJ Spinna, Ayatollah, J-Zone, DJ Pawl (Hangar 18/Def Jux), Greg Nice (Nice & Smooth) and up and coming producers: Marco Polo, Spencer Doran (Female Fun), Scotty Blanco, The Asmatik & Gensu Dean. With vocal collaborations from, Lord Jamar (Brand Nubian/Babygrande), Greg Nice (Nice & Smooth), & longtime Sadat-Harlem/affiliates Money Boss Players (who’ve appeared on all of Sadat’s solo full-length releases).

A warrior of hip-hop and the street life, Sadat X is an exceptional example of survival in 2006. He’s remained relevant, intelligent and in the face of adversity, challenge and personal crisis he’s stood strong and played through the hand’s he’s been dealt.

hip hop died...

click here to download the new (mad) skillz single "hip hop died."

he posted some shit about the song too....

Do you feel like that sometimes? Well I heard someone say that like two
years ago. I dont know how I feel about the music right now. I know that I
love hip hop though. I hear niggas saying bring NY back and the South is
killing it right now. And I'm a firm believer that everyone gets thier time
to shine. I also believe that alotta these dudes arent really who they say
they are they just change to make a buck. If thats the kind of dude you are
then thats cool too. But thats the name of my new song " HIP HOP DIED". The
concept came two me like two years ago when someone else was saying it and
then never brought it up again. So when we came back in contact I inquired
about it. Nas's album is called HIP HOP IS DEAD. I know peeps are gonna
question the fact that we so close to the same title but hey ...it is what
it is. I believe in this song so much its unreal. This song says so much
that I actually cant believe I wrote it. I know that it doesnt fit the
format of whats poppin right now. You wont hear this record right behind TI
or right before Rick Ross. I already know that. You wont hear it on the
morning show in the city you live in. You wont see it on 106 and Park. I
already know that. It's not what people are used to hearing from me. I
already know that. But still I belive in it. Some people will like it and
some people wont and I'm cool with that. I performed it last night for the
second time ever and a girl came up to me after the show and hugged me hard
as hell and said " That last freestyle was so beautiful...it made me think
about myself and the kinda music I really like and the shit that Ive
supported that I really shouldnt have". That made me smile. Someone got it.
Someone understood me. I know Flex aint droppin no bombs on this song. I
know you wont hear it in the 5oclock traffic mix..but still I believe in it.
I fell in love with HIP HOP all over again when I heard this beat. So maybe
some of you will understand why Im campaining so hard for this one and then
again some of you wont. Ive never tried to be something that I wasnt on wax.
I just know how to rhyme pretty good...nothing more nothing less. So the
question that I ask you(fans, friends, DJ's, promoter's, producers anyone
else who listens to this music called hip hop) WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU
WERE REMINDED OF WHY YOU LOVE HIP HOP MUSIC?

(thanks to my man tim the turk for the link.)

interhiphop...

click here to check out an interview i did for the italian website interhiphop.

scheme team...

war made me...

mudscout.

lo & behold...

they finally finished the trailer for the movie i shot last fall/winter. peep it...



i'll let you know when and where you can see the whole thing. for more info, photos, etc., go on over to their site at rakehellrow.com.

katrina clap...

my man davey d posted this on myspace. i thought you might want to check it out...

(September 1, 2006) *Even though it was a fairly tame (MTV) Video Music Awards by its own standards inside Radio City Music Hall Thursday night, outside it was on and poppin'. Rapper and actor Mos Def was arrested for disorderly conduct after an unauthorized performance in front of the venerable venue.

Mos Def, according to authorities, stopped off at RCMH in a flatbed truck around 10 p.m. for an impromptu show for the audience gathered there. An NYPD spokesperson said officers asked him and members of his entourage to shut it down.

But before police took action, Mos Def performed "Katrina Clap," described as a freestyle indictment of the Bush administration's slow response to last year's hurricane victims in New Orleans.

A source told MTV that officers then approached the rapper demanding the operation be stopped immediately (on the grounds that a permit had not been issued). The order wasn't communicated to Mos Def immediately, so the rapper didn't end his performance right away, the source said. Police then began making arrests, including the rapper, his entourage and his brother. It was unclear whether or not a permit was granted. Meantime, Mos Def was released early this morning, Friday, September 1.

In a statement, Carleen Donovan, Mos Def's publicist, called the NYPD's treatment of the rapper excessive.

"Mos Def was unjustly arrested tonight while performing on a flatbed track in New York City outside the Video Music Awards," said Donovan. "Mos Def was not out to break any laws. His only goal was to heighten the awareness of a serious situation that still exists in our country. He does not want people to forget that although it's one year later, the people and cities hit by the hurricane still need the help of the American people."

Here's where you can here: Katrina Clap:

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