The Source

http://www.hhnlive.com/journal/more/19

ThE mAdD wRiTeR

“Cuurrtiis”…that’s now one of the most famous calls in Hip-Hop history. It originated from Cam’Ron during a radio interview but 50 Cent took it and ran with it. So much so that he decided to name his new album “Curtis”. 5-0’s lil’ “Curtis” project was supposed to drop on June 26th. Unfortunately, all those 14 year old white girls that followed 50 to the “Candy Shop” decided they would rather hang out at the mall with Fall Out Boy than go to the “Amusement Park”. Interscope proceeded to push 50’s shit waaaaay back to September 4th. And while Styles P. smokes a blunt and laughs in his cardboard box, the Madd one has compiled the 10 reasons why 50’s album got pushed back.

TOP 10 REASONS 50′S NEW ALBUM “CURTIS” GOT PUSHED BACK

10. 50 needs to finish recording the bonus track “Ferris Wheel Gumdrops”
9. He’s waiting for The Game to hop on his remake of U2’s “Pride (In The Name of Love)” featuring Nas, Fat Joe, Jadakiss, Cam’Ron and Ja Rule
8. He’s desperately trying to record with American Idol alum Elliot Yamin so he can make it a white boy trifecta (Justin Timberlake, Elliot Yamin and Robin Thicke)
7. Tony Yayo got in trouble at the playground again
6. M.O.P. have been enlisted to play the “Snoop Dogg” role to 50 Cent’s “Dr. Dre”
5. 50 wants to hold a photo shoot at Cam’Ron’s wading pool
4. He’s changing the name of the album from “Curtis” to “Cuurrtiis”
3. He’s very concerned about the people in Zimbabwe getting the album the same day as people in Atlanta (hey, as stupid as it sounds, this was the real reason)
2. Due to staff cutbacks, 50 needs to put in one day a week at the Vitamin Water factory until September
1. Olivia is droppin’ a triple album the same day

 Derek Phifer

MC Shan’s been bangin’ out hits since 1983, the birth year of yours truly, and is still going strong 23 years later. In a time that’s plagued by increasing unoriginality and questionable lyrical content, one of hip-hop’s most respected veterans has reemerged to try and right the ship and repay his debt to the game. I recently caught up with MC Shan while he was rehearsing some music for an upcoming show. In part 1 of this 2-part feature, the Queens Bridge native sat down to talk about his new album, how he got discovered, what’s killing Hip-Hop right now and much, much more.

HHNLIVE: So what’s good man?

MC Shan: Nothing much, about to make my neighbors sick of me, because I’m practicing some show shit and doing some new songs. I got the screen door open and I’m blasting music.

HHNLIVE: So you live out in Georgia now?

MC Shan: Yea I’ve been living out in Georgia. I’m chasing the money.

HHNLIVE: Everybody tells me that they’re heading out to Georgia to do their thing. What’s going on out there?

MC Shan: Cheaper prices man. You can get 2 houses for what you pay up there (NY). I could have 2 houses down here, cars, and everything. They’re giving stuff away down here.

HHNLIVE: The last song I heard you on was Nas’ “Where are they now 80’s remix.” Did ya’ll ever make a video for that joint?

MC Shan: Nah how it had happened was Rip from Core DJ’s got in touch with me and said they were putting together an old school thing and could I do my verse and send it in. So I just sent in my vocals mixed down and they just put it in there. I’m happy with it. I have a problem with being on old school stuff. I got a bunch of new things. I’m getting ready to drop my new album in a few months you know what I’m saying.

HHNLIVE: What’s that joint going to be called?

MC Shan: You Love To Hear The Story…The Last Emcee Standing. It’s all new stuff. Even after Marley and KRS drop their album there’s probably going to be some people that think “what’s wrong with Marley doing an album with Shan, he did it with KRS?” Well I’m coming out with my own joint too.

HHNLIVE: Yea, I wanted to ask you about that joint they got coming out called “Hip Hop Is Alive.” What do you think about that? How do you think it’s going to be received by the public?

MC Shan: I don’t know. It’s probably going to be received like yo, what the hell is that about?

HHNLIVE: So what else are you up to right now?

MC Shan: Yea, I’m just practicing some of these tracks. I already know them, but I smoke madd cigarettes and madd blunts, so every now and then I got to clear out my lungs.

HHNLIVE: I read somewhere that you got discovered while trying to break into someone’s car. Is that true?

MC Shan: Fly Todd, but that’s some shit from back in the day. I used to rob cars and stuff before I got into hip hop. I used to be stealing and all kinds of crap, but Todd gave me a shot and that’s what that was. So now I owe somebody, so I’m trying to put on some new people you know what I’m saying, because I owe the debt. Pimp Chu, Jonelle from up in Albany, my man Pistol Pete from down here in Georgia, my Hillside click, because that’s who I’m rolling with down here in GA. Not that I gave up on NY, but I’m multi-state you know what I’m saying, as well as international.

HHNLIVE: A lot of people agree that there’s a problem with hip-hop right now. What do you think is killing it in particular?

MC Shan: It’s not killing it. It’s the one’s that have the power to put out whatever, they’re putting out certain things, but then again you got to look at a lot of this stuff is coming from the underground. Underground cats are putting out their mixtapes and their blowing up. It’s like the industry isn’t in control of what’s happening anymore. It’s not even about that. People are selling madd CDs and songs on the internet and all that. So it’s just like that the powers that be aren’t putting on any of these other cats, so the underground scene it’s like people don’t even care anymore. Fuck making a record for the radio station. Back in the day they used to pay your ass when you did shows for them. Now you’re doing shows because they’re spinning your record.

HHNLIVE: Do you agree that New York rap lost its swagger?

MC Shan: Well it hasn’t lost its swagger. It’s just like everything has a rotation and a turn. People shouldn’t be mad because the south wants to dance and New York music makes you want to be killing and selling drugs. People want to party again. If you asked me a track that’s going on in New York right now, I wouldn’t know because they don’t play any of that down here. They’re too busy partying. The funny thing about it is that down here you can see two thug ass motherfuckas; they’ll walk by and say what’s up. Up in New York niggas grill you. Everywhere rolls different, but in New York we’re all aggressive.

HHNLIVE: That’s one thing that I definitely noticed when I was in school down south. It’s definitely a better environment than it is up here in New York. In New York when you go to the club everyone wants to stand around looking good and nobody wants to dance. Down south, the girls show up looking fine as hell, but leave the club looking a like a hot mess because they were doing they’re thing all night.

MC Shan: All night long. It’s just a difference. It’s like I said, everything’s changing. There’s nothing wrong with it. Either you get on with it and if you’ve got a complaint about niggas doing all that gun shooting shit, then do some different shit and put it out. There’s nothing to complain about. Don’t knock a niggas hustle. That’s for those who want to knock a nigga hustle. You can’t get mad at them cats yo. They’re getting their bread. That’s called hating. That word hate was only made so that niggas wouldn’t talk about them, but I don’t study men, so I couldn’t give a fuck about them. I say fuck ya’ll and up my game. QB is where I’m from, nigga what’s my name?

HHNLIVE: I noticed that the generation of rappers that came up in the 90’s, after you guys, did a great job of taking it from the rappers in the 80’s and advancing it a little bit. Who do you think is going to be able to carry that for New York?

MC Shan: I don’t know, because right now what I see is that everybody follows a trend. If you got somebody trying to come out being original, it’s like nah fuck that. Everybody wants to follow. So I have people telling me that niggas in New York are riding around in Caprices with 20’s. We would never ride around in no fucking cop cars, fuck out of here. I be looking around down here like damn, you motherfuckas like looking like police and shit. In New York niggas is getting up on that. So it’s like somebody got to step up and lead or everybody’s just going to be Indians.

HHNLIVE: Do you think that guy that can take the lead for NY, after artists like Jay-Z and Nas put the mic down, is out right now?

MC Shan: Man there’s always going to be somebody to step in line. I don’t know who it is, I couldn’t predict it, I couldn’t talk about it, but it’s like asking me a trick question. The cops ask you when you’re drunk to say the alphabet backwards. I can’t say the alphabet backwards when I’m sober. Only a drunk motherfucker would try and answer that, so I ain’t even going to answer that one. That one ain’t come yet. I can’t predict it, you can’t predict it. Who it is and who it might be we can’t even talk about. Shit it might be me, you never know.

HHNLIVE: A lot of people are talking about Cam’s interview on 60 Minutes. He said that if he lived next door to a serial killer that he wouldn’t call the police, he’d just move. That was in regards to the whole snitching thing. What do you think about that and do you think that he was the right person to represent hip hop on that stage?

MC Shan: I heard things about that, where he’s not a good representative. Shit if he said what he wanted to say they’d probably arrest him. He probably wanted to say that he’d tie that motherfucker up in the basement and whoop him wit rubber hoses and bury him and shit. But you know that you can’t say shit like that, so he said the next best thing. I wouldn’t want to snitch, but sometimes you got to just say fuck it. I probably wouldn’t snitch; I’d do just what I said. Bury that motherfucker. You look at one of my kids funny and I’m going to fuck you up. And if he’s a serial killer, how the fuck is he supposed to know him anyway? If he knew that the fucking Feds should know that. They should leave him alone about that. If Cam knows him you might as well give that nigga the C.I.A. director’s job then. Just looking at it like the devil’s advocate it just starts coming to me. If he knows then everybody else should know. What are you worried about asking him for?

HHNLIVE: I was listening to some old school music a little earlier today and noticed that back then the rhymes focused on proving you were the best lyricist, but now everybody’s trying to prove how gangster they are.

MC Shan: Here we go back to the other thing. Do you have fucking sense? Not saying you, but people in general. If he was doing all this stuff that he was talking about and selling all of these drugs and being on records, don’t you think that he’s telling on himself and he’s going to get caught up eventually? I call it dry snitching. All the shit that niggas hear, you got to look at this. This is an entertainment business alright. A lot of things I say are partial truths, partial fiction that I made up in my mind. Motherfuckas realize that it’s a song. Take it for what it is and that’s it. It’s entertainment. If you want to hear something different, change the radio station, don’t read that interview, and don’t buy that book.

Hip Hop May Not Be Dead, But Internet Radio May Soon Be

by Davey D

A few years a ago I ran into former FCC Chairman Michael Powell as he was leaving Jesse Jackson’s Wall Street Project conference in New York. He was the man of the hour due to the fact that over 3 million people had hit up the FCC demanding that he abandon his plans to allow big media conglomerates like Clear Channel to further consolidate.

I confronted Powell about many of the complaints I was hearing from media reform activists around the country including the Bay Area’s People Station Campaign, Detroit’s Black Out Friday campaign and the ‘Turn off the Radio Campaign‘ which drew 1500 people including Chuck D, Afrika Bambattaa, Doug E Fresh and numerous other rap stars and launched in a Harlem church the night before.

It was there that members of NY’s City Council held a tribunal and listened to over six hours of testimony where person after person complained about lack of musical diversity resulting in listeners having to endure the same ten songs in row, the lack of local airplay for independent local artists and an abundance of harmful stereotypes being broadcasted everyday resulting in Black and Brown communities being marginalized. The most troubling was the management of NY’s then number one station Hot 97 allowing their on disc jockeys to constantly use the N and B words on the air.

Powell listened and then dismissively told me the solution was not to regulate radio and prevent further consolidation but for concerned listeners to turn to the Internet radio. It was there he stated that people could find all the diversity and niche programming their heart desired. I tried to explain that a lot of people especially in poor communities where broadband was scarce, couldn’t listen to Internet radio. Sadly Powell wasn’t trying to hear it and he bounced.

Fast forward 4 years later and people faced with little changes in radio found their way onto the Internet and an industry that once boasted a scant few million listeners a month now has mushroomed to a medium that attracts over 70 million people. Apparently people got Powell’s memo.

In a cruel sense of irony, what has become a viable alternative and a place of solace for many is threatened. In recent weeks while the country was focused on Don Imus, the major record labels along with their organization Sound Exchange successfully petitioned the US Copyright Board and convinced them to increase royalty fees a whooping 300-1200% to be applied retroactively. The rates which were supposed to kick in May 15th threatened to bankrupt the Internet Radio industry.

Just to give you an idea of how that looks, locally based Soma FM in a recent Eastbay Express article explained that they had an annual webcasting bill for 10 thousand dollars. Under the new rates they would immediately owe 600 thousand dollars. I spoke with owner Rusty Hodge who noted that the high rates are the result of him having lots of people who listen for long periods of time. He also noted that if he manages to stay afloat in 2007 he will owe the labels over one million dollars.

The largest Internet Radio company Live 365-also locally based explained to the Washington Post that their annual 1.5 million dollar bill would increase to 6 or 7 million and bankrupt the company.

What makes this new ruling even more insidious is that all webcasters no matter how big or small would be required to pay 500 bucks annually on top of the increased rates, meanwhile commercial broadcasters who have in recent months been aggressively pushing their own online stations and HD broadcasts along with satellite radio would NOT be paying these increased rates.

If you listen to commercial stations all around the country you will hear many of them pushing for listeners to check out their new on line spin off stations. The ultimate plan of action for many stations is to launch specialty stations that focus on a specific genre. For example in New York City, Hot 97 now has a online station called the ‘Original Hot 97′ where listeners can hear the station in its original dance music oriented format. Here in the Bay Area Kiss FM which plays classic R&B and soul has launched an online station where they play classic commercial Hip Hop.

Now this in itself is not a bad thing except the playing field is not even. For starters the commercial outlets at the very least will be able to barter with major labels to overlook online fees in exchange for terrestrial airplay. What also is not being stated is that for the commercial giants this will be the place where they can legally exercise pay for play (payola) especially if they wind up being the only game in town.

A likely scenario that will soon emerge if it hasn’t already is that labels seeking airplay will hit off these commercial giants with a set amount of money and then after the stations ‘determine’ that the songs are doing well online will then bounce them up to regular rotation on the terrestrial stations. The pay for play scheme online will be a welcome cash cow for commercial stations while labels will be able to exercise control over projects that they are promoting.

For those who don’t know, the way things work now, is that a major label comes up with a marketing campaign for a particular artist. They set up a marketing campaign with the album’s first single followed by a video. They depend upon broadcasters to go along with their game plan. They expect stations and video outlets to play the second and third singles at the prescribed time and will actually discourage programmers from playing album cuts or upcoming planned singles ‘too soon’. In some instances labels will use their muscle and threaten to stop servicing stations with music or will prohibit their artists from doing interviews or summer jam concerts if the broadcasters don’t cooperate with the marketing plan. This focused marketing is what many of these label executives feel will lead to increased album sales and hence that’s the main reason you hear the same ten songs being played on air from coast to coast.

Internet Radio helped break that strangle-hold. With the average webcaster it’s usually been people first not labels first. The industry seems bent on changing this dynamic The first step is to eliminate all these independent Internet Radio stations by making it too costly.

For those who think what I’m saying is far fetched, talk to any online broadcaster and ask him/her about the 1998 DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) which governs Internet Radio and was pushed through Congress by the RIAA and the major labels, it is technically against the law for Internet radio to play songs from the same artist 2 or 3 times in a 3 hour period. Hence unlike commercial giants who can break format and do a Prince special or have a Jay-Z or Public Enemy hour, webcasters are forbidden to this by law.

When James Brown passed late last year and Rick James passed the year before, radio stations all over the country broke format and played hours of music from these legends. Thanks to the DMCA, Internet radio was forbidden to do this unless they got special permission from the labels which was damn near impossible for most people who actually go out and purchase their own music as opposed to commercial stations which get it sent to them for free and have relationships with record label promoters.

The Sound Exchange people said they need to raise rates and make all these rules for the benefit of the artist. They said that because album sales are down and that the industry needs another income source. Webcasting fees will help offset the economic downturn. They also stated that they were doing this for the artists who they feel need to be paid.

Well according to Wendy Day of the well respected artist advocacy group Rapcoalition that’s not exactly true. Day who is responsible for brokering deals for artists like Master P and Cash Money stated;

“From the negotiation standpoint in the music industry, the major labels are fighting hard to retain as large a percentage as possible for digital rights. Much like record deals of the past (old formats such as records, cassettes, and CDs), the labels retain the lion’s share of the profits giving the average artist a lowly 12% of the selling price AFTER they’ve paid back every recoupable expense from their share of the royalties. That business model still stands in digital formats. The labels still keep the lion’s share of the money, using the artists measly percentage to pay down the debt. I have, personally, seen labels budge on allowing artists to be non-exclusive to their label, but not give an inch in negotiating digital rights. Artists still get pennies in comparison to the labels’ dollars”.

The Sound Exchange people have also stated that webcasters can easily pay the increased fees by selling advertising. That’s a huge fallacy. To start, what wasn’t stated by SE was the fact that these small webcasters are now in direct competition with traditional broadcast giants who are going after those same ad dollars for their own online webcasts.

In short the chips are stacked against the average online broadcaster who was chased on line by Powell and the lack of response by broadcast mediums to their initial concerns. The little guy who does this as a passionate hobby where he was willing to pay reasonable rates is suddenly up against a huge company with a sales staff that at the end of the day can barter for ad dollars with a variety of on and offline platforms. As I said before Internet and digital broadcasting is new terrain that the industry wants cleared out with them being the only game in town. If that happens all the same complaints consumers had and continue to have with traditional radio will resurface with these commercial online outlets.

So disconcerting is this latest assault that there has been a groundswell of support and broad coalition of groups opposing the rate hikes ranging from Christen broadcasters to Yahoo radio. The end result are two bi-partisan bills being pushed through Congress and the Senate. In the House its HR 2060 and in the senate S1353 the Internet Radio Equality Act. Which would repeal the rates. People are asked to call their representative and get behind the bills or risk seeing the Internet radio landscape permanently change and be a thing that only the rich and powerful can afford to do. You can go to SaveNetRadio for more info on this..SaveNetRadio.com

Politrix: My Thoughts on the Crusade against Indecency in Hip Hop
By Tony Muhammad

Politrix2012@yahoo.com
www.uannetwork.com
www.myspace.com/tonymuhammad
www.myspace.com/uannetwork.com

For over a month now I’ve been patiently sitting back, observing the formation of this new moral crusade to sanitize Hip Hop music. These efforts have been largely concentrated on having artists stop using the notorious “N, B and H words” in their lyrics as well as put an end to violence and misogyny in the overall content of Hip Hop music. While it is expected that someone such as myself would automatically come out and express support for this movement, I have found it more beneficial to back up away from it and continue my work independently within Hip Hop as a teacher, journalist and community organizer just as I have been for the past 6 years. Here are my reasons for NOT supporting this movement:

1 – The Main Organizers – On one end you have Russell Simmons, the main proponent in the cause. According to sources, Simmons first came up with the concept of launching this movement during a closed door meeting at the Manhattan home of music executive Lyor Cohen on April 17th. The problem with this right off the bat is that Simmons and Cohen themselves have historically profited immensely from Hip Hop’s commercialization and are responsible for its moral deterioration; if not directly, more so while looking the other away and making excuses for it. Simmons continues his profiteering ventures from the more negative aspects of Hip Hop culture by forming a jewelry company, thereby encouraging materialism. Until recently, it has been reported that Simmons’ second favorite word in private circles is “nigga.” But, don’t take my word for it. Ask Founder and Co-Director of Project Islamic H.O.P.E, Najee Ali. Several years ago Ali called for a boycott against Simmons’ companies (namely, Phat Farm, Baby Phat clothing, Def Jam, Def Poetry Jam and ONEWORLD magazine) after Lil’ Kim appeared half nude on the cover of an issue of ONEWORLD wearing what was obviously female Islamic garb. In response to Ali’s actions, Simmons reportedly said to the press, “What wrong with that nigga?” With this being said, is Simmons truly in a position to call for the banning of the word in the music. Regardless, there are already too many within the Hip Hop community that feel that Simmons has ulterior motives in this cause; that is, to appeal more strongly to the Black bourgeois class so that he could become a stronger power broker between Hip Hop and mainstream politics. Case and point, it was rumored when Kweisi Mfume stepped down as president of the NAACP, that Simmons was being highly considered to fill the vacancy. Are these Simmons’ motives, especially with Bruce Gordon recently steeping down as NAACP president? Is it of any coincidence that the NAACP just happened to be one of the first organizations to publicly express support for Simmons’ crusade?

On the other end, you have the Rev. Al Sharpton leading demonstrations in New York in front of the offices of major record labels demanding that they clean up their act. While I believe Sharpton’s approach to all of this is authentic, the main problem in this situation is that Sharpton has not historically been paid much attention to within the Hip Hop community. This is shown fully with the reported lack of attendance on the part of Hip Hoppers themselves at Sharpton’s demonstrations (read the open letter NY Oil made about Sharpton’s demonstrations). A stronger candidate in this cause would have been someone such as Min. Louis Farrakhan, who has historically received much more attention and respect from Hip Hoppers. Yet and still, in the end, I do not believe demonstrating in front of the offices of major record labels will cause much change. These corporations have demonstrated a countless amount of times that they are NOT interested in our well being. They are interested in making a profit, even if it is at the expense of hurting or even killing the consumer … little by little.

2 – Don Imus: The Roots of the Problem? – This crusade began in mid-April shortly after controversial radio personality Don Imus was put on the “hot seat” (and consequently lost his job) for making an on-air reference to the Rutgers women’s basketball team as being a group of “nappy headed ho’s.” He blamed Hip Hop for his commentary, citing that Black women are referred to as ho’s in Hip Hop music. To even pay this excuse any mind is in itself reactionary. To create a protest movement against indecency in response is worse. A racist such as Don Imus, who knows at best next to nothing about Hip Hop culture and probably does not care in the least bit about what Black people think (so long as his job is not threatened) should not be the catalyst to any movement surrounding Hip Hop. Change in the Hip Hop community must come from within through self-motivation and sincerity. There have been soldiers nationwide (and worldwide) that have already been working diligently in this cause for years. The best solution is that we continue to network with each other ( i.e. through the internet, national conferences, etc.) and continue to provide alternative role modeling, events and outlets for the youth on the local level.

3 – Missing the Real Issues – Having major record labels censor artists’ lyrics will probably do nothing but encourage already loyal fans who have acquired the thirst for violence and misogyny to look elsewhere for their brand of music. The violent and pervasively sexist messages and images in commercial Hip Hop have reinforced an addiction in the minds of many young people that has existed since this nation’s birth. Yet, with the popularization of ignorance and irresponsibility in Hip Hop music, young people now believe more than ever before that it is normal to have several baby mammas and baby daddies out of wedlock, it’s cool to be a “snow man” and sell drugs even if you don’t have a real need to do so and you’re considered “The Man” when you’re living the lifestyle of a “pimp” with several non-committed relationships on the side.

On a cross-generational level, now more than ever before it is acceptable for grown adults to entice those that are significantly younger than they are to have sex with them in exchange for something “cool” like an ipod or jewelry. On a guidance (or misguidance) level, too many parents nowadays re trying too hard to relive their youth and “look good” rather than planting little seeds of wisdom on their children’s minds. Consequently, too many parents nowadays are going to the same clubs, trying to fit into the same clothes, listening to the same music, drinking from the same liquor bottle and in some cases smoking from the same blunt as their children. In truth, just simply changing the lyrics to the music alone will not be enough to shift our culture in a more positive direction. Direct community intervention needs to be an integral part of any reform movement.

4 – What are the Limits to Censorship? – After the censoring of “indecent words” in the music, what is to follow? Indecent content? And if so, what content would be deemed as such? Would a content ban just be limited to violence and misogyny? In these undemocratic post-9-11 times these ideas are not just problematic, they are dangerous. This is especially considering that censorship is already taking place both on terrestrial radio and television. Just note that one of the last videos to be banned on MTV (in 2002) was Public Enemy’s Gotta Give The Peeps What They Need, which called for the freeing of political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal. Truly, how far will this crusade against indecency go when corporations and major media outlets already treat music with strong social content as an indecent thing? Let us continue to expose the youth to the music we feel they need a fair balance of by introducing them to internet sites, underground (and college) radio stations, events and other outlets that support such music.

As this issue grows, I’m sure I’ll have more to say …

Peace and One Love for now

Aaron Frank

When Atlanta rapper Young Jeezy first came on the scene around 2004, he was nearly impossible to avoid. With guest appearances on numerous albums and a mixtape catalog larger than most rappers’ discography, Jeezy finally managed to cultivate his street buzz in to a deal with Def Jam records. However, some fans might not even know he’s signed to Def Jam, as a result of the constant promotion of his own label CTE through his songs and music videos. The hardcore Jeezy fans also became familiar with his capo, Slick Pulla, through his mixtapes with DJ Drama and his countless appearances alongside the boss on different songs.

The seeds of a group project were planted early on, however it wasn’t until Bloodraw came along that USDA became official and work on the album would begin. Bloodraw, a Florida native, was the final piece to the puzzle and after he and Slick Pulla generously decided to put their solo careers on hold, USDA became a “family,” as he describes it. The album, Cold Summer, only took a few weeks to make and after the first two singles, “Check” and “White Girl” hit the streets, the buzz started to build immediately. I had a chance to speak with USDA members, Bloodraw and Slick Pulla, to get their take on the controversy surrounding their second single “White Girl”, as well as what sets them apart from other southern groups, and what it takes to record a solid group effort.

AF: How was it being on the Street Dreams Tour? Was that your first time doing the arenas and stuff like that?

Bloodraw: Actually, not really because I’ve been here for a minute. We did the Georgia Power tour before that and that was a big thing. A lot of artists that were on that tour ended up being on the Street Dreams tour. We switched it up a little bit. We had new people like Jim Jones and Rich Boy, but that wasn’t my first time around. The tour was crazy though man. It ended up being very successful. Everything was good.

Slick Pulla: I couldn’t make the Georgia Power Tour, because I was on some intense probation at the time. Let me tell you something though. It feels good to walk out there and get that same love like you’re in your hood. Everywhere we’ve been, they’ve accepted us and it’s been a hell of an experience. It’s definitely one of the highlights of my whole life. We’re on a tight schedule so we don’t have much time to reflect on it until we get off stage. They tried to shut down some shows, because of that gang shit, but we also had people from all sets and all hoods at the show. The media don’t talk about that. I can’t wait to go back out again though man.

AF: “White Girl” and “Check” started blowing up for you towards the end of the tour.

BR: “White Girl” is still buzzin, you know. That song is real controversial and right now it’s the Jam of the Week on MTV. And what cats do you know that drop two hot videos before the album even come out? So, the label is really excited about the project and everything is a go. It’s a big team.

AF: I know you’re from Florida, but Slick and Jeezy are from Atlanta. How did you all originally get together and start working?

BR: Well I was on the road doing my thing, doing shows, and I had a tremendous buzz in the state of Florida. Everybody knows how big Florida is, so it’s tough to get that buzz, but I was doing shows in some parts of Georgia and Alabama. Jeezy had heard about me in the streets and on the music. Me and him were on the ticket at a show in Alabama and I opened the show and he couldn’t believe the performance. Him and Kinky B came on stage and the crowd went wild. They were telling me how they heard that I was getting calls from all different people, but they wanted me over there. You know, at the same time, I was getting calls from a lot of different people like Asylum, Warner, people like Trick Daddy and T.I. So, we exchanged numbers and everything and Kink called me the next morning asking me to fly out to Atlanta and kick it with them. Three days after I got there, there was nothing else to talk about. The deal was done in about a week.

AF: So, having that buzz and all those labels trying to get a hold of you as a solo artist, what made you want to get involved with USDA and the whole group situation?

BR: Well, the thing about it is that me and Slick already have solo deals. People don’t know that we got a solo deal and a group deal, so that’s just more money man.

SP: From day one we had planned on doing USDA, because that’s just going to rock the whole label. My solo coming ASAP, but I figured this would be a better way to get ready for everything. I’m trying to get exposed to those people that didn’t know about 4th Ward Day. They also got the mixtape, Slick 4 Prez at [url]Datpiff.com[/url] . Somebody got a hold of it and put it on the internet, but I felt like this was the best move. Once people hear this, even the ones that was already fuckin with me and Bloodraw, everybody’s gonna want to fuck with us.

AF: When can we expect to hear those solo projects?

BR: Well, we’re already working on ‘em right now but hopefully somewhere around the fourth quarter.

SP: The Trapublican, man. Hopefully that’s coming around late summer. When we’re wrapping up the USDA stuff, we’re going to be hittin’ you with the first single.

AF: Did you ever have any doubts about trying to stand out from the pack when you all were recording?

BR: Nah, I wouldn’t say it was difficult, because at the end of the day we’re like three brothers. You know, we’ve been together everyday all day on the road and lived together and everything, so when you’re used to being around people then you know how to react to what they do. So, it’s almost like having a biological brother.

AF: On the promo for the album, there were a couple tracks with just you or just Slick Pulla. Is the album going to have more tracks like that or are all of you going to be on most of the songs?

BR: Man, all three of us are on every track except for like two tracks that me and Slick did together. Other than that though, all of us are on every song.

SP: We did the shit in three weeks. After we heard the beats, we would go and lay the hook. The shit was fate. I can’t explain how it went down. Once we got in the studio, we just knocked it out and it was history. Now it’s going crazy. It’s Chewbacca. This is some new slang for you, but you gotta say Slick said it. Chewbacca. That means you have gone fuckin crazy. Like whatever you do, you can say you went Chewbacca with this interview. That means you went in for real. That’s how it was. There was no point when we were stuck or felt like something wasn’t possible. Every song we did is on the album. I’ll put it to you like that. That’s how focused we were.

AF: What do you think sets you apart from some of these other groups we’ve been seeing in the south lately like Boss Hogg Outlawz and the Chopper City Boyz?

BR: You know, no disrespect, but we’re out to just make good music and good songs, and we’re us. We don’t change for nothing. We’re trendsetters. We don’t follow no fads or none of that. Our music is something that you’ll still be able to listen to 10 years from now. One thing about all three of us, is that me, slick, and Jeezy, we always tell the truth. Whatever we bring to the table, it’s going to be the truth and I think everybody’s gonna find that out by the end of the day.

SP: Chopper City been doin it for a minute, but we’re a group that’s almost like family. It took us 3 weeks to record this album. We all had our own situations going on at the time and right before it, we weren’t even sure it was about to happen. So, once we got the green light we went ahead and knocked that shit out. They’re my big brothers and them niggas keep me calm. I’ll be on some other shit sometimes and they tell me “Man, you can’t be like that. It’s different.” So, I listen to them and once we got our minds together collectively and everything, we cooked up a classic. We’re all on the same page, like even when we apart from each other. The big homey kind of told me to loosen up, because I’m used to not fucking with people I don’t know. It’s different now. Those moves are still in me, but at the end of the day, I’m going to walk away from this as a better general and just more of a man.

AF: With the whole “White Girl” thing, did you expect all of this controversy over it in the media?

BR: Well, the one thing about it is that whatever you do as a hip-hop artist, people are going to look back and try find out if it’s the truth. When they find out you’re the truth, then they respect it. So that’s why I say that everything adds up. The streets already know, so once people find out what it is with us, they’ll accept it because it’s real.

SP: The media is always going to do what they do. We just gotta make sure we’re in the kitchen making that music for the streets. We let the media do what they do. We in the hood every day, so the people there know what we’re about regardless of what the media’s saying. It’s different from when the media says some crazy shit about you, and people don’t know you and don’t know about you. They ain’t gonna know how to react. It’s like if you and your boy fall out and you ain’t in the hood no more and he is. If he’s in the hood talking about you and you ain’t there, then they’re gonna believe him. The media can’t tell the hood that I’m an evil person or nothing like that, because they know Slick ain’t like that. I have no control over what people take out of context. That’s USDA having a good time. We’re just trying to show the world that we know how to hit the club and kick it like anybody else.

AF: Do you ever feel like you have to tone it down at all because people are saying the lyrics are too raunchy or violent?

BR: If you don’t know what certain slang means, then you’re automatically going to take it our context and you’re not going to understand what it mean. Once you find out what it means, it’s different. That’s the whole thing about “White Girl” is that we just like to go the club and have a good time. They’re really isn’t too much negative about it. It’s like “My jewelry too loud, I can’t hear ya.” That basically just mean I don’t want to talk to you right now, because I’m shining. The whole thing about Christina Aguilera is that she’s just a bad chick. She’s beautiful. That’s what it is.

AF: I heard you all were trying to get some up-and-coming producers on this album as well. Can you talk a little bit about that?

BR: Yeah, the whole thing is that CTE is a label that is gonna be here for years to come. We’re building a dynasty like the Chicago Bulls with Michael Jordan. What other way to open that door than with your own producers? Everybody wants a new sound or a new producer. When everybody heard Cash Money, they knew that Mannie Fresh kind of created that sound. So, that’s what we’re trying to do with our up-and-coming producers. It’s a CTE sound that you’re going to be able to identify later on. Arnaz “the Nasty One” got about 4 or 5 beats on there. He’s probably got the most out of anyone on there.

AF: All of you worked with Drama in the past. Was it weird at all not doing a mixtape before the album dropped this time?

BR: To be real, Indictment Papers was pretty much an album for me. I was ready for this. I had been waiting years to do this, so this was my first break and being able to share that with one of the biggest artists in the game is cool, and I know Slick feel the same way. You can’t even really express it.

SP: Nah, it wasn’t weird, because we were still getting freestyles out on the internet and we were still serving the DJs. But shouts out to Drama, we’re about to be on his Gangsta Grillz album. I love mixtapes. They’re essential, because I think that’s what got me where I am now. If it weren’t for mixtapes, everyone would just be finding out about me now. I know the whole world don’t know me, but the streets and the trenches already know me. That’s a good look.

AF: Did you all ever figure out where the rumors of the White Girl street team originated from?

BR: Nah, I don’t know nothing about that, but it’s a good idea though.

by Gail Mitchell

http://www.blackelectorate.com/articles.asp?ID=1914

Gail Mitchell

powered by BREAK DOWN FM & ODEO

By Tachelle “Shamash” Wilkes of femmixx.com

Ok the whole Immus thing is said, but not done. Yes the man is an asshole and shouldn’t said what he said, but let’s turn back the hands of time and take it back in day when rappers used to be emcees and wouldn’t shout “bitch” into a crowd of women, no we were “ladies.” Remember that?

Remember when emcees would talk to women and not about women like LL Cool J in “I Need Love,” and “Around The Way Girl,” or brothers actually had real things to say like KRS-One and flexed real skills on the mic like Rakim. Remember that?

Remember when sistas could hang like the guys whether they wore baggies or a skirt like MC Lyte in “Paper Thin,” “Get Up,” like the strong and sultry Salt n Pepa and Yo Yo was talking about being an independent black woman in “Don’t Play With My Yo Yo.“

Or remember when brothers didn’t have to ring out “bitch,” and “ho,” in every line because they couldn’t come up with another word or thought that by degrading women by using these words could make a weak rhyme strong.

Ladies remember when the “B word” was blasphemy? It would come out of somebody’s mouth and a half second later that was the precursor for World War III? It didn’t matter if the perpetrator was a girl or guy, they got their ass whipped. Remember that?

Remember when hip hop was fun – we had jams in
New York City school yards & parks with djs spinning for hundreds of people or when hip hop was relevant with Public Enemy spitting “Fight The Power,” and Queen Latifah singing “Unity.” We were a united front.

Or what about when there was more balance in hip hop? Yeah you had your thugs, but you also had your intellectual cats. Now a days these major labels are looking for cookie cutter rappers who got a short shelf life or whose spitting venom in the form of ignorance. Question – do some of these cats even know what they are talking about on their songs? They probably rewind that ish three times back and still ain’t got a clue.

Remember when radio would play the spectrum of hip hop music from Biggie to CL Smooth to Grand Puba to the Fugees? Now on the radio it’s the same stuff just another day. Lord help us.

Back to the present, its 2007 many young girls have lost respect for themselves and each other and in turn brothers have lost respect for their sistas. Young girls see these video vixens on the TV screen, where many aren’t making money, will do whatever to be seen hoping to catch the eye of some rapper or video director. It’s time for hip hop to grow up and be responsible for it’s children. This includes, not just the rappers, but the label heads, producers, journalists, directors of TV programming, educators and definitely the parents.

Moving forward, much kudos and respect for brothers like Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, and the notables, and yes it is time for us to get sistas like Bahamadia, Jean Grae and Medusa out of hiding. They need to get the support of the masses, so that young women as well as men can see that there is another side to hip hop when it comes to women.

Women are mothers, wives, educators, healers, providers and so much more. I challenge sisters to get back to the source and understand the power we hold and I challenge brothers to know that there are many different types of women, and for those rappers who synonymously use words like “bitch” and “ho,” whether they male or female, rethink the use because your daughter, niece or neighbor could be listening to your next record. If you have any comments e-mail Tachelle at Tachelle@femmixx.com. 

View The Article At;

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=15116190&blogID=256752027&MyToken=fdc9bc3c-3b88-4947-9653-d2ee0e9dcac0

Blessings,

Tachelle

Femmixx.com