BLACK INK FLOW

LOCKOUT IS OVER. 66 GAME SEASON TO BEGIN ON CHRISTMAS DAY

2011-11-26T10:11:00.001-05:00

LOCKOUT IS OVER. 66 GAME SEASON TO BEGIN ON CHRISTMAS DAY

According to Adrian Wojanrowski from Yahoo Sports, " The NBA and the Players Association have reached a tentative agreement to end the five-month old lockout and start the league's 2011-12 season on Dec. 25. The season will consist of 66 games.

Free agency and training camps will start on Dec. 9, Stern said. Under the current agreement, the regular season would have a 66-game schedule that begins on Christmas Day with three games: Boston Celtics at the New York Knicks; Miami Heat at the Dallas Mavericks; and Chicago Bulls at the Los Angeles Lakers.

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Occupy Movement Revitalizes Old Activist Sprits

2011-10-13T15:03:00.000-04:00

Just like the movie RED starring Bruce Willis, the old gang is back in action. Many Senior Citizens who have been written off by society, or just looked at as the target group for the next pharmaceutical wonder drug, have dusted off their walking shoes and joined the Occupy Wall Street Movement. A grassroots movement, that seems to be gaining more steam and organization by the day.

The Occupy Wall Street protesters have been call everything, from crybabies to a gang of thugs but all that can change with a merging of the generations. The younger more tech savvy protesters are gaining firsthand knowledge on how to turn a grassroots movement into a political powerhouse. Protesters like 62-year-old New York native William Johnsen, a disabled Vietnam combat veteran who suffered a heart attack in December and also has a genetic condition that has triggered emphysema and liver disease, isn’t about to sit on the sidelines. Johnsen who now needs has to receive intravenous drips at the veteran’s hospital to stay on top of his condition, headed straight to Zuccotti Park soon as the nurse applied the band aid to his arm. Although he can’t sleep outside overnight like the young protesters due to his health issues — he has not missed a day of protesting since the start of the Occupy Wall Street Movement on September 17, 2011. The disease has brought about new challenges for him but the animated Johnsen says the movement has given him a new sense of purpose.

“We are awakening, we’re waking up to the fact that it’s up to us,” Johnsen said Tuesday at the camp in Zuccotti Park, not long after finishing his treatment at the hospital. “Government and our other institutions of authority are so corrupt that we cannot trust them anymore. There is a rebirth of realization that it’s in our hands.”

“As somebody who has walked thousands of miles for jobs, democracy and justice, this is the type of spirit that was lacking in so many of my walks that I’ve done alone reaching out to people,” he added.

Older activist who have lived through the Civil Rights era, walked with Dr. Martin Luther King from Selma to Montgomery and spoke out against the Vietnam War, are now walking cane in hand to protest sites all across the country. This older generation has made it clear to the Occupy protesters that this is their fight. Behind every great boxer there was an older, more knowledgeable coach who saw a spark and took that spark and turned it into a flame. Then fed that flame until it became a fire and shortly after that fire became a roaring blaze. The younger generation may be tech savvy and have some great strategies of getting the word out to the masses (the human megaphone), but the older generation bring years of experience, organization and focus.

Johnsen has been involved with the Occupy Wall Street movement since its inception in July. Back then he was meeting with other protesters to focus on the movement’s structure and how they would bring about participatory democracy. Johnsen said he and other older activists bring “discipline, focus, and respect for what has gone in the past.”

A good example of how the older protesters are bridging the generational gaps is made clear as Johnsen said, they teach the younger demonstrators that they “can’t just doodle and Google on the computer,” they have to engage in interpersonal communication to “share that intimate meeting of the minds that the computer only gives you in words.” This emotional, heartfelt face-to-face interaction is what has made this movement so successful. As people tell their stories, you can feel the sense of loss, frustration, and anger in their voices. These feelings shared by thousands that have lost their jobs and thousands of recent college graduates who are entering a depleted workforce is the preverbal glue that is holding this movement together.

The once scatterbrain movement has finally started to narrow down to a few core issues, Jobs, Government spending, Tax breaks for corporations/ the most wealthy 1%, and the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (which are costing the tax payers millions). The younger generation may be in the driver’s seat but the older generation is like that back seat driving who knows all the shortcuts the GPS won’t give you. Let just hope the younger generation is AWAKE enough to listen.

Occupy Wall Street Week 3

2011-10-08T22:09:00.000-04:00

As I sit here at my computer sipping on a glass of Hennessy and smoking a Corona Cigar I find myself torn between the great debate of the haves and have nots. This is the core issue being raised by the individuals who decided to Occupy Wall Street and other prominent locations across the nation. I know, I know you may be thinking how does this apply to you right? Well if you pay taxes it applies to you directly.

Nationwide protesters are taking to the streets and criticizing the government propping up of major banks such as Citigroup Inc. and Bank of America Corp. with $700 billion in taxpayer-funded bailouts. The protesters are also calling out the government in a effort to get more aid to create jobs for unemployed Americans across the nation. This cry has gained support and strength over the past few weeks as more and more Americans who played by the rules have been handed severance packages instead of pay increases to offset the rising cost of living.

All of this comes at a time when politicians are playing my party over your party, politics. The Occupy Wall Street protesters came to Washington this week, where Vice President Biden compared them to favorably to the tea party. President Barack Obama also acknowledged the group and expressed his empathy with the demonstrators across the nation but falling short of a full-on endorsement of the Occupy Wall Street Movement. On the other hand House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) called the demonstrators "growing mobs" who are dividing the country. Correct me if I'm wrong but the country has been divided for some time now. We have "billionaires" "millionaires" "white collar" (individuals making over $200,000 a year), "blue collar" (which I refer to as the working poor) and the rest of the population. I think those are some clearly defined divided categories don't you think? Cantor went on to say "Believe it or not, some in this town (referring to Washington) have actually condoned the pitting of Americans against Americans." Whoa I thought that's what Special Interest groups and Lobbyist jobs are... to get the politicians to pass bills that favor the corporations so they can make millions and pay ridiculous bonuses to head executives because they get more tax breaks then the rest of us on Main Street.

Hey Mr. Cantor we all played by the rules and what has that gotten us? Nothing but a pink slip and a pat on the back with a almost inaudible "good luck finding another job in this market". So while your political party wants to deregulate Wall Street and recreate the conditions which got us here in the first place, we all say good luck trying to disrupt a movement that's sweeping the whole country. At some point the government has to acknowledge that the middle class is and has been screwed. Besides there are more of us middle class citizens then any other sub group and we will not go away. At some point you will have to listen to us because our spending power is enough to shut any industry down if we decide to stop spending. That's just food for thought!

In New York where the Occupy Wall Street protests began and continues to take place on a daily bases, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said "A lot of people are feeling the pain, and when people are feeling the pain they look for an outlet, and that's what I think you're hearing from the protesters." We are hurting out here while you men and women play politics. Cross the ales and get this country back in order because the unemployment rate continue to rise and the more jobs that are loss the less belief the American people will have in any government you put before them. We don't want to see high school clicks at war we want to see jobs and our tax dollars being spent on our children's future (education), sustainable energy, technology and the American infrastructure that make this country the greatest place on earth, or is the "American Dream" already dead?

Barbershop Buzz Vol. 2

2011-09-04T01:24:00.000-04:00

Today was a interesting day in the barbershop, not only because it was Labor Day Weekend and the shop was buzzing... (no pun intended) but the conversation was great also. For some reason today's topic was the African American "BLACK" Agenda in America. Many people think that Barack Obama being in the White House is a sign that we are in a post racial era in America however; that is far from the truth. The Black Agenda is more important now than ever before. People who are uninformed will ask the question, "what is the Black Agenda...that sounds like some form of reverse racism". People think the idea of African Americans having a Black Agenda is reductionist, exclusionary and racist. The truth is the Black Agenda is the American Agenda. As an African American male living in these United States of America, I know all to well that there is two different Americas when it come to race. We are the only group of people who did not volunteer to come to America, we were forced immigrents. We are also the only group of people in this country that the American Government made laws against to keep in bondage. We were forcefully brought to these shores in bondage, yet we are true Americans. Our patriotism is proven day in and day out, generation to generation as we continue to fight for equality in a country that is hell bent on keeping things lopsided. We have been systematically excluded from the American privilege based upon the democracy that was put in place which state "All Men Are Created Equal". We were not considered "Men" which means we were not entitled to the same benefits and privileges. Truth be told we were considered "Live Stock" thus we were bought, sold and owned as such.

The Black Agenda is the verbalization of the grievances of a population of people who were denied the basic freedoms afforded to the rest of the American population. An acknowledgment of the gains which need to be made in order to close the gap between the ideal and the reality. According to Dr. Eric Dyson The Black Agenda is "#1 Nothing more that the possibility of African American people being included in American Democratic experimentation without hindrance or limitation or incumbertis. #2 What's very important to say, we are not Un-American but we are ultimate Americans. We express our ultimate patriotism by being able to love the country. It was James Baldwin who said "I love this country more than any nation on the earth, which is why I reserve the right to criticise her perpetually." So my point is a Black Agenda is about making America live up to its best and nobel ideas and to express the ways in which African American people have been excluded and how we must now be included in that. Finally often we have been rejected into America, we have been seen as the litmus test for what is authentically American only after we have defined what is not American. A lot of people did not see Martin Luther King Jr. as a hero, a lot of people did not see W.E.B. Dubois as a hero, a lot of people didn't even see Natalie Helen Burrows as a hero, or Fanny Lu Hamer, or Ella Josephine Baker. These are people who had the temerity, the unabashed gull to stand up against American and say Nah you aint doing it right. What you call America is not America, what we think is America is what you said. Dr. King said the night before he died, "be true to what you said on paper." Black leadership expresses a Black Agenda that wants America to become better and more nobel in it's aspirations, but at the same time pay attention to those who have been excluded. So when i think Black Agenda I think of even in the age of Obama, Mr. Obama is an extraordinary human being, he's a great President potentially, we love him we think he's a marvelous human being, but at the same time a Black Agenda is not qualified or surrendered because Obama is in the White House. Mr. Obama is the chief executive of the United States of America. He has a right to exercise his vision of what should happen. We as Black Leaders, Black intellectuals, Black Critics, Black Public Servants are here to defend a Black Agenda that may ironically be even more viciously assaulted when we have a black face on an American empire that has been historically insensitive to the cause and claims of Black People. So when I say Black Agenda, I say lets articulate what we need at this particular point in this post racial era. Now I end by saying this, I don't believe in a post racial moment, I think we should have a post raciest moment. We should not look beyond the reality of race, we should look beyond the reality of racism. Black Agenda's are about America. When America is made best Black people stand up and articulate our visions, our dreams, our aspirations, or sentiments. We Love Mr. Obama, we recognise he is the President. We must have profits who tell the truth and that's what we are doing here today".

I know, I know that was a lot to read but the bottom line is we can not wait for someone to come along a give us a hand out. When A. Phillip Randolph went to the White House to visit President Franklin D. Roosevelt the cry was JOBS and JUSTICE, the march on Washington in 1963 the cry was JOBS and JUSTICE, in the 20 year anniversary of the march on Washington the cry was JOBS and JUSTICE, we are now in 2011 and the cry is still JOBS and JUSTICE. SO you tell me how long do we sit around asking people to do for us what we have the power to do for ourselves. My brothers and sisters we have a up hill battle and it starts with our youth. One of the clients that came into the House of Ashanti Barber Shop told us that he was with his nephew one day. On this particular day his nephew just so happen to be with a young lady (who he was seeing). The young lady asked the kids uncle why he wear his pants like that... meaning on his waist. Of course this question threw him for a loop when he thought about the meaning of the question. This young lady was under the impression that wearing you pants hanging off you butt was the correct way for men to wear their jeans. My question to you is when did wearing you jeans hanging off your butt become the standard way to wear jeans? This is just one glaring example of this miss-education which is running ramped throughout the inner city. I hope our generation don't drop the ball and keep pressing forward to ensure that the BLACK AGENDA is alive and well as well as come to fruition.

Check out We Count! round table discussion hosted by Tavis Smiley featuring a panel of Black Intellectuals:

Welcome Back

2011-08-25T11:37:00.001-04:00

So it's been a minute since I've written a blog post and I know y'all must have been wondering what I been up to huh? Well truth be told I've been busy in my personal life, professional life and also with this music thing. As my personal life continue to grow and I continue to work on myself, mentally, physically (P90X is serious but I'm staying committed), and spiritually everything is starting to fall into place. I'm back in writing mode and I already penned 3 songs for my next project which will be brought to you all sometime during the fall. This project is just me being me and showing my fans what I do. This time around I'm just going to have fun with the music and whatever happens on the track happens.

In addition to writing, i have been networking like crazy and let me tell you if your network game is lacking you're not going to get your music out to the people that you want to reach so talk and keep talking. Use these social networks to your advantage but be real because people can spot a fake or phony a mile away. With that said I recently had a twitter convo with RatheMC (http://www.rathemc.net/ follow her on twitter too @RAtheMC) and she said she down to collaborate on a track so I wrote a song titled "Here I Go" which I'm planing to send to her soon as li get the production together. This track should also be on the next project unless something happens and it doesn't come to life. Keep y'all fingers crossed people!!! I also been talking to a dope Emcee by the name of Jimmy Dyce follow him on twitter @jimmysodope . The kid is really talented check out his music at http://jimmydyce.bandcamp.com/ soon as I link up with him we going to collaborate on something FIRE for y'all.

Keep an ear out for this new music because it coming real soon!!!!

Mary J Blige ft Diddy & Lil Wayne "Someone To Love Me"

2011-04-15T08:00:00.002-04:00

The Lebrons : Episode 2 "Stay On The Court"

2011-04-14T08:00:00.006-04:00

The Lebrons : Episode 1 "Lion"

2011-04-13T08:00:00.003-04:00

Fabolous - S.O.U.L Tape

2011-04-12T08:00:00.001-04:00

New mixtape from Loso "In Case You Didn't Know So" is scheduled to drop April 21st. This will be the follow up to his There Is No Competition 2 mixtape which was fire.... I need some new music in my life right now this this mixtape is dropping at the right time.

Jean Grae featuring Talib Kweli & Styles P. – R.I.P.

2011-04-02T09:00:00.061-04:00

Yes people here is some real Hip Hop just in case you forgot what real Hip Hop is... Since my goal is to bring you nothing but the best Hip Hop (by Black Ink Flow or other signed and unsigned artist I like) I decided to highlight a female emcee who I cosign as one of the illest females to grab the mic. One of NYC’s hottest female emcees is back with a new song and a new mixtape. Jean Grae is one of our favorite femcees – not because she is on the front pages of magazines or top featured on ya favorite Hip Hop sites. It’s because she can rhyme, so if ya iPod is full of Nicki Minaj it's time to do some SPRING CLEANING. For all yall who think Nicki Minaj is the best female rapper out right now, let me be the first to tell you... DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE!!! (in my best Flava Flav voice lol). My girl Jean Grae spit bars and will run circles around Nicki. Yeah I said it... Real Hip Hop heads really "SEE RIGHT THROUGH YOU" Nicki... just because you are heavely promoted doesn't mean you are the best. This New York female rapper isn’t just one of the best female mc’s from NY – she is one of the best mc’s period that we believe should be getting more love.

ROCK ROCK drop it IN the POCKET other wise know as R.I.P. is a hot track off of Jean Grae's forth coming mixtape Cookies and Comas. The song is featuring Talib Kewli and Styles P. you would think Jean Grae's voice would get lost with these two heavy weight rappers on the track but she does more lthan hold her own. As for Talib and S.P. The Ghost ya'll already know what they bring to the table. Hard hitting, witty punch lines couppled with a little bit of "I'll slap ya whole team" of course provided by none other than Styles P. R.I.P. is a HARD song and the production by Ski Beatz makes it that much better. Well enough of me talk listen for yourself.... oh yeah the performance video (Directed by The ICU) really adds to the song. Look at the facial expressions of Styles P. and Jean Grae as Talib Kweli ripps the mic... Okay now you can watch and listen lol.

Before she dropped R.I.P. she dropped “You Don’t Like It (So What)” the title of the song “you don’t like it so what …. I don’t care” is taken thematically from Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock “It Takes Two” The song was done with DJ Boogie Blind and it mixes in classic rappers like a Slick Rick as she plays on his line "this ain’t funny so don’t you dare laugh".

DOWNLOAD:

Jean Grae “You Don’t Like It (So What)”

DOWNLOAD:

Lil B The Based God "Base For Ya Face" featuring Jean Grae & Phonte

Produced by 9th Wonder

Camp Lo & Pete Rock – 80 Blocks From Tiffany’s

2011-04-01T09:00:00.007-04:00

Download Here: Camp Lo & Pete Rock - 80 Blocks From Tiffany's

From The Mind of Meri Vol. 3

2011-03-31T08:00:00.001-04:00

Hey people, I'm back and now I'm a Mommy! My husband and I had our first daughter, Adriana Vincenza (middle name proudly in honor of her great-grandmother) on January 2, 2011. She was a tiny little thing weighing in at 5 lbs 14 oz and 19 inches long. Now she is 3 months old weighing a very healthy 11 lbs and 21 1/2 inches long. I can honestly say that I have never known happiness such as this. Every time I look at her adorable face I am amazed. It's is truly a miracle. There is no feeling in the world like the one you get when your baby smiles at you every morning when she first sees you. Melts my heart every single day!

Don't get me wrong, this is truly the most amazing gift but also certainly the very hardest job in the world. Maybe I was naive, but I just never knew how all-consuming an infant was. It's crazy! The feeding alone seems non-stop in the beginning. It's also scary because it seems there is so much to worry about when you have this little girl who depends on you solely for everything. Oh my goodness, thank God for my husband or she would not have been bathed initially because I was so nervous since she seemed to fragile and slippery..lol...luckily I was able to get over that pretty quickly!!

Each day in addition to my Mommy duties I plan to get other things accomplished around the house but each day it never fails, I can never seem to accomplish much more than taking care of Adriana. Oh well, as everyone tells me, I must stop worrying about things that are unimportant and enjoy this precious time when I'm actually able to be home with her since I'll be back to work very shortly.

I've been on leave from my job since January and I have to go back in May and I am truly dreading it. Now I really know why stay-at-home Moms say they work full-time as well. Being at home with our daughter these months has been so rewarding and I wish I could stay home and raise her but unfortunately these days most families need the double income as we do. Don't get me wrong here either, I enjoy the career I've made for myself and am quite proud of it but having my baby has made me believe I could be a stay-at-home Mom if we were in that position. Ahhh...maybe one day!!

Anyway, just wanted to write about my experience into motherhood so far. I'll be back with more upcoming posts with some more controversial topics....

but for now I have just been loving being Mommy!!

It’s Party Time – The Resurgence of Tracey Lee

2011-03-21T09:23:00.000-04:00

I feel like all things good in Hip Hop is coming back and one of those good feelings I remember having in the 90”s was listening to Tracey Lee’s song “The Theme (It’s Party Time)”. That song showed the fun up beat side of Hip Hop. The creative side of Hip Hop is on the rise again and I can’t wait until some of this garbage music is done away with.

As the unwritten Hip Hop rules goes, if an artist has not been heard from in a while then the artist has either been shelved by the label, has fell off or is in jail for trying to live the life they portray in their music. Truth be told rappers aren’t smart criminals! They all get caught in the end. When I hear these stories all I say to myself is he/she should have kept rapping. While all of these negative things are associated with a Hip Hop hiatus, these negative things did not apply to Tracey Lee. Tracey Lee is still recording and has been involved with Hip Hop, behind the scenes. Now stepping back in to the forefront Tracey Lee will be releasing his new mixtape titled “Free Consultation” with production from 9TH Wonder, Deric “D.DOT” Angelettie & Young Guru to name a few. So what was Tracey Lee up to all this time? Doing what anyone who’s serious about the entertainment business would do... put themselves in position to control everything from their image to the type of music they will be releasing and most important, when the music gets released to the public. So how did Tracey Lee do this, by becoming a Board Certified Lawyer with a DEGREE in Entertainment Law.

Tracey first became known while signed to Universal Records when his single "The Theme (It's Party Time)" became a commercial success in 1997. He's also one of the few fortunate artist to ever record with Brooklyn's Finest Notorious BIG (Biggie Smalls) on his single "Keep Your Hands High". Taking time off from a busy music career to pursue a Law Degree is unheard of in the Hip hop circles. Just being able to accomplish this is very impressive to me, as I am a rapper who also happens to have a college degree in Health Studies from Syracuse University at Utica College. Lets not get it twisted there are other rappers with college degrees it’s just an afterthought because God forbid if people find out that some of these rappers are educated and were never street thugs. That would just destroy their street cred....lol. Well I’m here to tell you different and just in case you don’t know here’s a list of Rappers with College Degrees:

Ludacris – Attended Georgia State University and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Degree in Music Management.

Sean Combs (Diddy) – Attended Howard University and graduated with a Degree in Business.

David Banner – Attended Southern University where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business. He went on to attend the University of Maryland where he graduated with a Master’s Degree in Education.

Common – Attended Florida A&M University where he graduated with a Degree in business.

J. Cole () – Attended St. Johns University where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Degree in Communications and a minor in Business

Below is an interview with Tracey Lee courtesy of IAMCOCOA

You are one of the few fortunate artists who had a chance to collaborate with Biggie... What was that experience like?

UNBELIEVABLE!!! During our session, BIG taught me more about the game then I had known, at that particular time. He was the first artist that I witnessed write without a pen and paper, which inspired me to eventually write lyrics in my head (without pen, paper, Blackberry, Android, iPad, etc…lol). He was just a cool dude. His skill set on the mic is unmatched to this day. He forced me to step my game up on that record. To watch his whole process of creating the verses for Keep Ya Hands High was crazy! I am truly blessed to have had an opportunity to work with one of the greatest in the history of music! Not many can say, nor will they even have the opportunity to say that. Again I am blessed.

What made you want to get into entertainment law?

Long story (laughs). The short version is my career in the music business made me want to study entertainment law. I want to be the eyes and ears for artists that are coming into the game and don’t have a clue about the music business and recording contracts, deal points, 360 deals, publishing, etc.. This is something that I didn’t have when I signed my deal, so who better to guide someone on these aspects of the business than me – someone who not only has experience as an entertainment lawyer, but who also is an established recording artist, as well.

How long have you been practicing law?

Almost 5 years.

Before you studied law and became a lawyer, did you ever sign a contract or anything that you wish you hadn't?

(laughs) of course! In hindsight, I would have never signed the contract with Universal under the terms and conditions presented to me. However, at that time, my main objective was to have my music heard worldwide, so I don’t blame anyone for the decisions that I made for myself. Besides, I probably would not have gone to law school if I had not signed my deal with Bystorm/Universal.

How do you balance having a music career and being a lawyer?

I am very selective about the clients I take on, and I am very selective about the music I create and put out into the market. When I take on a client, 100% of my effort goes toward that client, because ethically I must serve and perform in the client’s best interest. Therefore, everything for Tracey Lee, musically, gets pushed to the side for that period of time. As an independent artist (signed under Tray Lee, Inc) I’m not under any time constraints to put out a record. This takes away the urgency factor, which helps me to keep that balance.

Nowadays, new artists are being pressured to sign 360 deals that give the record company a percentage of their income outside of just record sales. Is that a good move for the artist?

HELL NO! Realistically, it’s really up to the individual and their particular goals and aspirations. If an artist’s goal is to get the music heard, be seen by a multitude of people on a national and international level, and to receive greater financial backing, then they may have to give a little to get a little. So, if that means giving up show money, publishing rights and merchandising, then that’s what they’ll have to sacrifice. However, they should understand that there is no guarantee that they will become a national and international success by signing this kind of agreement. Also, to keep it all the way 100, the internet has evened the playing field, where you don’t need the “major label” budget to effectively market, promote and distribute the material – it’s a gamble. As an attorney, I would definitely give the pros and cons to signing a 360 deal to my client, so that they can make the best decision for themselves. Personally, I’m at a stage in my career... in my life where I will not consider such deals. I’m not against negotiating, however, but the deal has to be something that is fair for both parties.

There are a lot of entertainment lawyers in the music business. What qualities should a artist look for when choosing a lawyer?

When choosing a lawyer, firstly, I would make sure that he/she is, in fact, an entertainment lawyer – that was one of my first mistakes. I would also encourage artists to look for someone with knowledge, experience, and most importantly ETHICS. You need a lawyer that has your best interest at heart – not the record labels, and not their own. Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions – and if you don’t understand it the first time, ask again. Remember, they work for YOU.

For artists thinking about signing a contact, but they can't afford a lawyer, what advice would you give them?

Educate yourself! Like it or not, business is a major part of entertainment. There are plenty of references on the internet, in bookstores, etc. dealing with every kind of contract in the music business. So, if that means you won’t be able to sign a particular agreement because the other party has placed some sort of deadline for you to execute the agreement, then so be it. Trust me another deal, (maybe even a better deal), will come along if you have the talent and passion for what you do.

In my opinion (and experience), it’s better to educate yourself now and protect your music and your rights, than to sign an agreement out of anxiety and ignorance and live to regret that decision later down the line. Hindsight is crazy… 15 years ago I was in this exact position and my answer was obviously totally different (laughs).

Hip Hop has changed a lot over the years... What's your opinion on the current state of Hip Hop?

I honestly don’t know. There are some aspects I like, and some aspects I despise. I think my distaste is more so for the business of music, which creates the characteristics and image of hip-hop that I don’t like.

Art and business naturally do not mix; there’s no time limit on art, art isn’t judged by CD sales, or by who produced the CD and what features you have on the CD. You can’t rush art for the sake of putting out a project before the 4th quarter of the fiscal year. As a result, a lot of projects sound rushed and incomplete, lyrics are half-ass, and most songs sound redundant and lack creativity…all in the name of making a profit or establishing a write-off (the business of music).

On the other hand, what I love about hip-hop today is the grind… the hustle… the urgency shown by today’s hip-hop artists to not become a write-off. Again, the internet has truly evened the playing field, where an artist doesn’t have to wait on a label to get their music heard. When I see artists putting out new material damn near every day, they inspire me to go hard. But one thing I won’t do is sacrifice QUALITY for quantity…

What can people expect from your mixtape?

My mixtape, Free Consultation Mixtape Series Vol. 1 is a recap of sorts, mixed with a peek into the future – it’s a Tray Lee journey taking you from the beginning, right up to today. Did I mention that my mixtape is free?! This is the first in a series of mixtapes scheduled for release this year; leading up to the CD entitled, Esquire. Free Consultation Mixtape Series Vol. 1 has cuts from my first CD, Many Facez, along with other songs and freestyles to remind the fans of who Tracey Lee is. I also added some new music to give the fans a taste of what they can expect to hear on Esquire, as well as future Tracey Lee projects.

This project was put together with the help of DJ Conscience, who picked the songs, co-hosted and sequenced the material. I have appearances from the late great Notorious B.I.G., Pirate aka PIE (from RNF and The Reepz) Jim Jones, Diddy/Dirty Money, One-Step Beyond (from RNF), Kenya Flow (From One Step Beyond) and Priest Da Nomad. I have production by 9TH Wonder, Deric “D.DOT” Angelettie, Young Guru (Engineer and DJ for JAY-Z) DJ Blinks, Unknown, DJ Parlay, and the late great Scotty Beats.

The idea moving forward is to introduce content every 1st and 15th of the month, like pay day. Currently, I have 2 videos from the Free Consultation Mixtape Series Vol. 1 entitled, The Saga Part 1, and The Saga (remix) circulating the internet, including Youtube and my website WWW.TRACEYLEEINC.COM. On the March 15th, I plan to drop a new video entitled, New Jack City, which is the first release from the forthcoming untitled project featuring Tracey Lee and The Reepz that will drop on the April 1st…get the picture..

Bullied Kid Fights Back

2011-03-17T14:39:00.000-04:00

SYDNEY, Australia Casey Heynes is quickly becoming a internet sensation and a HERO after thousands of viewers saw him successfully defend himself against a bully. After being punched a few times Casey grabbed the bully, picked him up and slammed him to the ground. The messed up part is... he got suspended for defending himself. Really... in the words of Ed Lover “C’mon Son”. This kid took a few punches before deciding to defend himself. You can see it on the video that this kid did not want to fight. I think the school had to suspend him because of their no fighting policy, however they should have acknowledged Casey’s feelings and modified the suspension. According to reports, Casey had been bullied by a group of boys at Chifley College High School in St. Mary's, Australia for a while. This is and example of a kid that has been pushed too far and just snapped. The video was posted by the father of his friend on Facebook. Meanwhile, his friend opened a support group, so if you feel like posting a message to Casey… Casey’s Facebook Fan Page

First let me say... "round of APPLAUSE for Casey for standing up to not only 1 but 2 bullies”. Secondly I give him a standing ovation for doing quick damage and walking away. Don’t get me wrong I am not condoning violence, however when you are being bullied or attacked the only way to stop the assailant in their tracks is to become just as aggressive and violent as they are. I’m all for going to the authorities and reporting what happened but as these situations often play out the authorities are often times never around. So what do you do keep telling the authorities and keep getting beat up or decide to fight back. I vote for fight back...but only after you have given the authorities the proper time to resolve the issue. This is why it is called self defense. Thirdly schools need to take a hard stand on their Anti-Bullying policies. If a child is found out to be a bully that child should be expelled from school pending the results of an investigation. Based on the findings of said investigation, the child would be expelled indefinitely (if the allegations of bullying are founded) of allowed to come back to school (if the allegations are unfounded).

Bullying is on the rise and many children are going to school in fear because the school system isn't doing enough to protect them, let alone educate them. I think it is unfair to Casey and his family that he was suspended but the rules are the rules and they apply to everyone. This situation could have another ending for Casey if the parents of the bully decided to pursue legal action against Casey. Reason being is that Casey slammed the bully really hard on the ground. The bully’s leg smashed down against a large piece of wood outlining a tree. When the bully stood up he was visibly shaken and limping. The thing that will save Casey in court is that visual evidence. You can clearly see in the video that he did not want to fight and even after he slammed the bully he just walked away.

By watching the video you would think the smaller kid would be the one being bullied but this is not always the case. Little dudes get a sense of courage when they are in a group. A kid that wouldn’t normally attack another child may do so if spurred on by his friends. This is what seemed to have happen here. The smaller boy even did a Muhammad Ali shuffle before landing a few more blows. This action also caused me to believe that he was putting on a show for his friends and he was clearly no stranger to fighting.

The question I ask is how many times would you let somebody punch you in the face while others stood by and laughed before you snap and defend yourself like Casey did?

I hope the little boy in the video learned his lesson, albeit a harsh one but what would you expect from a cornered kid being bullied. This is basic fight or flight response, we all have it and we all use it to stay alive and safe. I hope some other bullies were watching this video because you can be next if you continue to pick on people. The worst part of it all is you will have no one to blame but yourself.

Dwayne Wade Thunderous Dunk On Kendrick Perkins

2011-03-17T13:28:00.000-04:00

D-Wade took flight last night as he finished a MONSTER dunk over Kendrick Perkins....Looks like the technology in his Jump-Man sneakers really makes him explosive.....or did he just levitate??? where is Kevin Heart when you need him...lol either way the dunk was sick check it out....

D-Wade Dunking over Kendrick Perkins close up

D-Wade Dunking over Kendrick Perkins

Lupe Fiasco Contemplated Committing Suicide

2011-03-17T08:30:00.002-04:00

Lupe Fiasco

On Wednesday, March 9, 2011, I was driving down to Brooklyn and I heard Lupe Fiasco on the radio talking about how he wanted to commit suicide. That statement took me by surprise, here I am a guy aspiring to become a major hip hop artist and I’m listening to a major hip hop artist talking about suicide. That just put a lot into perspective for me. Life is not about what you have and the money that you managed to accumulate. It’s about the love that you show others and the love you get back. Lupe went on to say he had been dealing with some bouts of depression and was really at a low point in life when he thought about ending it all. He said his successful hip hop career and all that came with it wasn’t a deterrent. He said none of that mattered in that moment. This left me thinking “what if”. There is no doubt about it, Lupe is beyond talented and has so much to offer to his fans and the world, for that matter, with his music. He often spits about the social/ political ills of the world and brings light to some under-discussed topics in a clever artistic way. What if this beacon of hope was taken away from us, right at the height of this war. What war you may ask….the one that has been going on for our children’s minds. What if there was no more conscious hip hop? No more hip hop artists other than NAS

& K’Naan

to walk away from the money and use their God given talents to make the world a better place.

While on a promo tour for LASERS, Lupe revealed to The Guardian that he had some suicidal ideations while recording LASERS. He went on to say that the thoughts of suicide became more prevelant after recording the song “Nothing On You” featuring Bruno Mars. Lupe was depressed during this time and it showed in his work. The chairman of Atlantic Records eventually told Lupe his verses and performance on the song were “Wack” . Lupe Fiasco would eventually give the song to his labelmate B.O.B., with the same beat and same Bruno Mars hook, B.O.B rewrote the verses and the song went on to become a worldwide hit.

Mean while Lupe had this to say about the experience of being told his intelectual property was “Wack:”

“That was the tipping point. It was less about the bruised ego but more the audacity of it. It was mentally destructive. I say it with a certain laissez-faire now because I’m past it, but back then, hearin’ that s**t, it f**ked me up. I was super-depressed, lightly suicidal, at moments medium suicidal – and if not suicidal, willing to just walk away from it all completely.”

2010 was a struggle for Lupe. This was just the tipping point, the downward spiral started when the powers that be at Atlantic Records decided to shelve the project. Thank God for this information age we live in now and real rabid fans. This is a lesson to anyone who wants to become a recording artist…your FANBASE is everything. They will make or break your career and in this case Lupe fans contributed to saving his life. After the fans learned that their favorite hip-hop recording artist had been shelved they started a grassroots movement to get LASERS out to the public. After securing over 30,000 signatures petitioning for the release of the album, Lupe and his management team were finally given a release date. This struggle to bring his music to his fans left a sour taste in Lupe’s mouth. Although we are benefiting from another amazing album, Lupe feels different:

“I hate this album. I don’t hate the music, but I hate the process. When I look at it, I don’t see song titles and artwork, I see the fight – I see the emotions, the blood, sweat and tears. There are a couple of songs on there that I love; but Lasers is a little bit of what you love, a little bit of what you like, and a lot of what you had to do”.

B.O.B. should be wishing on “Airplanes” right about now that Lupe didn’t just rewrite and re-record “Nothing On You” which was the 2^nd single on B.O.B.’s album. I guess he needed it more than Lupe did as I have yet to hear another single released. This is a prime example of why artists decide to go independent. Real hip-hop is not a gimmick, we make the music we feel in our heart and in our mind. So who are you to say it’s not good enough? And if it isn’t up to par you may never hear it, unless it on some sort of “Loss Tapes” type of album.

Take a listen to Lupe’s version of “Nothing on You” below

Barbershop Buzz Vol. 1

2011-03-14T17:43:00.002-04:00

Haircut by Black Ink Flow
Design by Red
House of Ashanti Barbershop
901 Myrtle Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11206

Salutations and blessings from the most high… as I stated in my New Year New Me post, I will be adding some new topics to the Black Ink Flow Blog so with that said, I would like to introduce you all to Barbershop Buzz. All of the Barbershop Buzz topics are actual topics of conversation that occurred at The House of Ashanti Barbershop located at 901 Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn NY 11206. Today’s topic is the New York Knicks.

Just to give you guys the back story, last weekend I wore my New York Knicks warm up jacket and my limited edition Knicks Shell Toe Adidas (yes I donned this outfit directly after loosing for the third time this season to the lowly Cleveland Cavaliers) to the barbershop. The House of Ashanti is patroned by some of the most die-hard Knick fans and as a barber working there, as well as a Knick fan myself, it is a welcoming environment. My attire sparked a debate in the shop about how far the Knicks would get in the playoffs. I happen to think that the Knicks have a good shot of reaching the second round of the playoffs this year. By playoff time Amare, Melo and Billips will have more chemistry on the court and the role players will feel more comfortable playing alongside the new superstar/ all-star additions to the team. Other fans tend to agree with my thoughts and are all excited about the direction the Knicks are going in.

So that leads us to today… My main man Dee Fletcher walked into the shop today and my fellow barber “Red” (who hates the Knicks and has been talking about the Brooklyn Nets for a few months now) told Dee Fletcher “I’ve come home Fletch, I am a New York Knicks fan”. This statement sent Fletch in a frenzy as he jumped out of Red’s barber chair screaming “LISTEN!!!! LISTEN!!!! PAY ATTENTION!!!!”. Gut-busting laughter ensued from this point on as Fletch realized that the one guy who would never co-sign the Knicks did just that. Red went on to state “John Starks did dunk on Grant and Jordan”. Fletch jumped up out of Red’s barber chair, barber cape flapping behind him as he ran into the front of the shop screaming “LISTEN!!!! LISTEN!!!! PAY ATTENTION!!!! My dude Red has finally come to the light”. When Fletch walked back to Red’s chair, Red stated “Patrick Ewing is one of the greatest Centers to ever play in the NBA and Michael Jordan is a sell out”. Everyone in the shop burst into laughter as Fletch said, “LISTEN!!!!! Red you can have my car for that statement. I just got a brand new car and I’m giving you the keys”. As he fished around in his coat pocket to find his keys everyone was trying to catch their breath. Fletch tossed Red his keys and then proceeded to give him his wallet and told him “You can have everything I have take my wife, my kids and all. You might as well go to my house and eat my macaroni and cheese and chicken and tell my wife to make you some sweet tea”. While all of this was going on Razz (the owner of The House of Ashanti) and I were laughing our heads off. This moment was funny for two reasons, 1 reason was because of the antics of Dee Fletcher and the second was the fact that Red was totally bluffing about becoming a Knick fan.

During this time the shop was buzzing and everyone had a smile on his or her face. Mothers were sitting waiting as their sons were getting haircuts, and a few older guys were in the shop waiting for a cut. This great part of this story is that all of this happened and not one “N-Word” or expletive was dropped. The House of Ashanti is a kid friendly, family oriented barbershop and the only rule is speak your mind but don’t curse. Many rappers come to the shop and one of our favorite lines is “DROP A VERSE BUT DON’T CURSE” At the end of the day, a good time is a good time. So if we can leave you with a smile on your face or the regular customers can brighten your day with their animated agreement of a topic of discussion, we have done our job. Barbers are more than the people who make you look good on the outside; we oftentimes make you feel good on the inside as well.

LUPE FIASCO - LASERS

2011-03-08T15:16:00.001-05:00

Okay People so the day has finally come.... Lupe Fiasco new Album LASERS is finally in stores and now people can finally hear some real hip hop. After being bombarded with Drake, Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne real hip hop heads finally have something to listen to. After Lupe's 2007 release of "The Cool" hip hop heads have been waiting for this album to drop. A long wait usually means great music is on the way or the artist fell off. Well in Lupe's case it's nothing but great music. The first single "The Show Goes On" is just a testament to the greatness to follow. With every line Lupe carves out a new lane in the Hip Hop Game. Where hip hop artist are looked upon as musicians instead of glorified ex drug dealers, pimps and gangsters.

There is hope for hip hop and that hope coming from Wasalu Muhammad Jaco which is Lupe Fiasco's real name. With every breath Lupe paints a new picture of what hip hop is and what being an emcee is all about. If an artist words don’t tell the story of the people who don't have voices or give the hopeless hope then they are wasting the talent that they were given. There is a positive side of hip hop and it needs to become more mainstream. With radio spins being dominated by artist who want to sale you a dream that they don't believe in themselves. Lupe is bringing his fans the truth about the social ills we face. In a line from "The Show Must Go On" Lupe raps "They say Hip Hop only destroy/ tell em look at me boy/ I hope ya son don't have a gun/ or never be a dee boy" how true is that statement.

On another track Lupe teams up with John Legend to spice up the somber "Never Forget You". This album Lupe shows off his ability to spit his rhythmic lyrics over a verity of beats and rhythms. "All Black Everything" shows off Lupe's creativity as he takes the listener on a journey to a world where Martin Luther King Jr. is still alive, Bill O'Reilly reads passages from the Holy Koran, Somalia is a tourist destination and the Rat Pack is made up of a group of black guys.... What else would you expect from Lupe this song is just the natural progression of his earlier song "Day Dreaming featuring Jill Scott.
If you don't do anything today go out a pick up a copy of this album.... the said the revolution will not be televised but no one said it wouldn't be played on the radio... Just food for thought!

JAY-Z THE EVOLUTION OF MY STYLE

2011-03-02T08:00:00.010-05:00

I came across this video clip and though I should share it with all of you. This is a good way to look at Hip Hop Artists and how they should grow as artist. People may start off talking about guns and drugs but it comes a time where you have to look at the big picture and say to yourself what can I do to give back to the people who buy my records? How can I tell their story? What impact am I making on the next generation? As a Hip Hop artist myself I often times ask myself these same questions and subsequently think about the lyrical content of my songs more so than the technical ability to make words rhyme. I set out to tell a story about the people who are often times forgotten. Listen to my song "Where Are We Going?" and you will understand what I mean about telling a story.

Listen to what Jay-Z has to say about his growth process....

New Year New Dad

2011-03-01T11:51:00.000-05:00

Adriana

Okay people so I know it's been a while since I posted a blog post and I haven't been actively blogging for a good reason. On January 2, 2011 Adriana Vincenza White was born and I have been in full Daddy/ grind mode since. I know a lot of things happened in Hip Hop but I'm back to bring you a new look at the artist I like and the good music they make. I will also be posting a "BLACK INK FLOW FREESTYLES" section of the blog soon. So if you know anyone who spit hot 16's then tell them to send me a video/ YouTube link of their best bars at Blackinkflow@gmail.com (No Spam please). I will review them and if they are hot enough the make the cut I will post it on my blog. There will be a new "BLACK INK FLOW FREESTYLES" post every Friday. Oh yeah I will be posting some of my 16's too.

House of Ashanti Barbershop - cut done by Black Ink Flow

I will also post a new segment called "BARBERSHOP BUZZ" over the past few months I've been cutting heads at The House of Ashanti Barbershop located at 910 Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn NY 11206. While in the barbershop we often have some really good conversations and I will be posting these topics of discussion so you guys can chime in with your input. Also if you are in the area or just need a good barber to give you a cut pay us a visit...Razz, Red and Black Ink got you covered.

Call The House of Ashanti and reserve a spot 718-963-4005

Fairwell To A Friend

2010-12-08T18:07:00.000-05:00

It is with a heavy heart that I write this blog post today. I was recently told that an amazing young lady who I’ve had the pleasure of meeting is no longer with us. My condolences go out to the Rivera Family as we all mourn the loss of 29 year old Nina Rivera.

I am saddened by this news because anyone who has had the pleasure of meeting Nina would instantly acknowledge how full of life she truly was. Nina was a fighter in every sense of the word. When I met Nina, she had already gone through a series of debilitating strokes, one of which left her partially paralyzed on her left side. I said Nina was a fighter because she did not let her condition define her. She pushed on and lived life to the fullest. While staring in the face of adversity, Nina remained composed and optimistic about her future. She fought through her strokes and became a loving mother of a little boy who she often spoke fondly of. She was full of hope and wanted to obtain her own apartment with her son and a part time job. Nina was serious about gaining her independence. During a conversation (I believe in July 2010) she asked me how she should go about obtaining assistance to accomplish her goals. Nina chose to speak to me because she knew I would take her serious. I also think she grew to trust me as I often saw her when I came to Harlem to visit my mother. Nina recalled a conversation I was having with my mother in regards to my career. She remembered I work for FEGS Health and Human Services Systems as a Medicaid Service Coordination Supervisor. Although Nina was not a client of FEGS she knew I possessed the tools necessary to give her advice on how to go about making her future goals a reality.

You would think that Nina finally succumbed to the strokes she had a history of having but that would not be the case. NO, Nina was forcefully taken off this earth and left in Mt. Morris (Marcus Garvey) Park (located on 120^th Street between 5^th and Madison Avenue) in the nude under a pile of leaves.

The location Nina was found in also hit home with me as I have fond memories of growing up in Harlem on 118th Street in 5th Avenue. I've spent many of summer days playing basketball, Manhunt (hide and go seek), baseball, football, swimming in the public pool and having family picnics in Mt. Morris park. this will definitely be one of my darker memories. This was no way for any person to be taken from this life but when it comes to Nina finding out this news is more disheartening. Nina was not only partially paralyzed but she weighed about 85 pounds and stood about 5 feet tall. As a father of a little girl and a child on the way, as well as a professional who works with individuals with developmental disabilities, I am dismayed. All I can wish for now is that Nina’s assailant(s) is brought to justice and given the maximum legal punishment. I don’t wish this because I believe in the death penalty or anything like that. I just think anyone who would attack a defenseless individual is the epitome of a coward. I know one thing is for sure, the world just lost a beautiful young lady that endured a tough life but kept on smiling. Nina Rivera you will be missed…….

Read the Daily News Article on this story here: Strangled woman had overcame series of strokes to become a loving mother

Video on this story here: Woman's Body Found In Harlem Park; Cause Of Death Unknown

R. Kelly Album Preview

2010-12-04T12:17:00.001-05:00

R. Kelly is finally back with his new album titled Love Letter. The album is scheduled to be released on December 14, 2010 in stores but the album is already available at R. Kelly Official Store and on iTunes if you want to pre-order the album.

R. Kelly has made the whole album available for preview on his Facebook page. I checked out the album and it's classic R. Kelly. This album is a break from the songs we've been bombarded with on the radio.

The album is worth checking out.... I hope yall listen to it prior to buying it because the music sales it self.

For yall who don't have a Facebook page check out the single right here on Black Ink Flow Blog.....

R. Kelly - Love Letter

The Nu New York Knicks

2010-12-03T19:13:00.003-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

With the Knicks finally over .500 for the first time in 6 years.... Knicks fans have been waiting for this day to come like Christians waiting for the 2nd coming of Jesus. The Mecca of Basketball hasn't seen this type of start to the season since Sprewell was slashing through the lane. The holy land (Madison Square Garden) has finally been blessed with its own 2nd coming in the tri-um form of Amare Stoudemire, Raymond Felton and Wilson Chandler. By the numbers Raymond Felton is playing his best basketball to date. He is adveraging career highs in scoring and assists. Amare Stoudemire finally starting looking like the Phoenix Suns version of himself and Wilson Chandler continues to improve by keeps and bounds. While the Knicks are making headlines in New York for all the right reasons this season there is still a lot to prove. Tonight will be the true test for the Knicks and more importantly for Raymond Felton. Felton will be playing head to head against his potential replacement and everyone will be watching to see how he stack up against arguably the best pointguard in the league. If Chris Paul is able to get past the Knicks back-court defense let's hope that the Knicks block shots keep them in the game. Let's see what happens at 8PM tonight......

Kanye West Performance at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

2010-11-26T14:31:00.000-05:00

Okay so we all know by now that Kanye West album dropped if not check out My earlier post about his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Since the album dropped Kanye has been all over the place promoting the album. Which brings us to yesterdays Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade performance. The fact that the controversial Kanye West was invited to perform at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was a shock in and of itself. I guess the general public is starting to forgive or if not forgive, a least forget. This is a good thing for an artist who has always been known to speak his mind and risk multi-million dollar endorsement deals in doing so. Which brings me to my next point. Is it me or was this performance just weird? and on top it off, what the hell was he wearing? Watching this performance made me have a flashback to the crazy outfits Afrika Bambaataa used to wear. I'm not a fashion guy but this outfit was Afrika Ba,baataa meets Mr. T. Well I'll let y'all see for yourself.

Clevelanders Fire Back at Lebron James' Nike Commercial

2010-11-17T11:56:00.000-05:00

We all saw the new Lebron James commercial and thought "huh that's a good idea... be who you want to be, not who the people want you to be." but after seeing the reply that Clevelanders posted in response to King James commercial I have to look at this commercial in a different light. Superstar players make promises and the fans hang on every word...what did Lebron think that people would forget that he said he wouldn't leave Cleveland until he brings them a championship? Truth be told he's no Patrick Ewing who fought every night in Madison Square Garden trying to bring a championship to New York. No, he's not the guy that gave his all... Blood, Sweat and Tears only to loose at the hands of the greatest player to touch a round ball and step on a hardwood floor. Nope he's not the guy that damaged his knees and broke his wrist trying to fulfill his promise. He's not the guy that made his team part of an epic rivalry i.e. Bulls vs Knicks in the 90's. He didn't give Cleveland his all so why would Miami fans think he would give them 100%. Patrick Ewing stayed the course and tried to live up to his promise only to be traded to Seattle. I guess Lebron will have his Jersey hanging in the rafters of some stadium but Ewing's is hanging in the city where it means the most, New York.

You can make up your own mind. Check out the commercial after the jump...

Jay-Z - The Hits Collection Vol. 1

2010-11-15T08:00:00.009-05:00

The two-disk album features five never released tracks and 14 of Hova's biggest hits, including "Big Pimpin'," "Hard Knock Life," "Izzo," "Run This Town." Fans can also order one of only 99 collector's edition box sets, which include an autographed 100-page photo book. In Stores on November 22.

Also word on the street is that Kanye West and Jay-Z are working on a full length album titled "Watch The Throne" More info on the link below....

Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday

2010-11-12T08:00:00.003-05:00

Nicki Minaj's Debut got help from hip hop's most sought-after producers - think the Neptunes, Swizz Beats, Kanye West, Will.i.am and Lil Wayne. To solidfy her in music royalty, Minaj is predicted to be the highest-selling female emcee since Missy Elliott.

As Minaj often states "it's Barbie B&%ch! and she's dolled up on the album cover. With a stark stare at the camera, elongated legs, a pink wig, silver corset and pink stilettos Minaj brings this Harajuku Barbie to life. The only thing that's missing in this Barbie depiction is arms. What do you think of the artwork? Let us know below!

The album was originally scheduled to drop on Tuesday November 23, however it was pushed up a day to November 22, putting the album in direct competition with the Monster (no pun intended) releases of Kanye West (My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy), Jay-Z (The Hits Collection Vol.1) and Ne-Yo (Libra Scale).

The Album has already made waves in the hip hop community as well as the billboard charts with the single releases "Your Love," "Right Thru Me," "Check It Out," produced by will.i.am and "Massive Attack," featuring Sean Garret.  Although all of the songs received a warm welcome from the fans, Romans Revenge featuring Eminem may be the song that sets Nicki Minaj apart and serve as a "changing of the guards" song as she handedly takes on Lil Kim (rumors are they have beef...which may be a ploy for Lil Kim to rope Minaj into a battle to get back in the spot light.  If so well played Lil Kim!!) and the rest of her critics.  Minaj throws down the gantlet!!! Lets see what Lil Kim's response will be.... If you haven't hear Romans Revenge check it out below.

Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

2010-11-10T08:00:00.073-05:00

Kanye West has already made headlines by feuding with Walmart for censoring his breast-baring album cover, dissing a journalist for misspelling his album title, and got heads turning after he released an epic 34-minute movie for his single "Runaway" on MTV. The hype may be real: "My Beauthful Dark Twisted Fantasy" is set to become 2010's No. 1-selling hip-hop album.

Word on the street is that Kanye West and Jay-Z are working on a full length album titled "Watch The Throne" More info on the link below....

As always keep a look out for that Black Ink Flow Remix of Kanye West "Runaway" song. Black Ink Flow is currently in the studio wrapping up the recording sessions for his Album "Songs ABout Her - Chronicles of The Love Thief" but when he heard the beat for Kanye's Runaway he had to take some time off from putting the finishing touches on Songs About Her to put his stamp on the Runaway beat and let the fans know that he is just as good... if not better than the mainstream artist playing on the radio today. Also keep a look out for Black Ink Flow's 2011 Release titled "Wack World".

Check out Kanye West Live from Def Jam Ustream phone conference where he talks about the album and presents some special guest on the phone conference.

Chandler's Monster Reverse Dunk

2010-11-07T12:32:00.000-05:00

Okay, okay I know it's a little early in the season to be blowing my horn about how good the Knicks look but C'MON SON!!!!!! After sitting through season after season of loosing basketball I will take any sign of victory as an improvement. It just so happens, that Wilson Chandler is one of the shining stars on the Knicks. Not only is Chandler a shining star but Tony Douglas is playing great as well. The Knicks front office has to really look at the talent that are willing to let go to get Carmelo Anthony... I'm just saying, THINK BEFORE YOU ACT!

With that said check out Chandler's Monster Dunk over Mcgee of the Washington Wizards...I literally jumped out my seat on this play....True story.. LOL.

TOP WISE - THE WEAPONS LOCKER

2010-11-06T11:59:00.001-04:00

As we told you in the past we would be bringing you new original music from unsigned recording artist. Today Black Ink Flow brings you TOPWISE and their debut album titled THE WEAPONS LOCKER.

TOPWISE is a group made up of 5 rappers (Titan, Tommy Hampton, S. Best, Greg O. and Olu) and a producer by the name of Andrew Koschinsky (commonly know as AK). Top Wise has been creating and recording music since 2002. The group hail from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. The bulk of the album was recorded during the summer of 2010 with the exception of F$%k You, The Nowness, and The Pines which were recorded between 2004 - 2006. The entire album is produced by AK and Phenom and recorded at AK's studio.

Making an album with a group of this size has it's challenges AK explained, "It was definately a long time coming puting this album out and it is really hard when we have so many artists involved to get together to record but it was mostly my production and my studio, which we also call The Weapons Locker) is what brought us all back together to focus on putting out a project. I got into this production game to make music with my friends and these guys are my best friends so it feels really good to put out an album showcasing all of them."

We give the album 3 thumbs up. There are some high points on the album but there are also some critical errors on the album as well. The hard part of managing an album with this many artist is the editing down process. We here at Black Ink Flow Blogspot think some songs could have been edited down better. For example on the lead single How We Get Down, the song is hot and we would knock it in our iPods and whips on a road trip but when it comes to Titan's verse the song looses the steam that was perfectly established by S. Best. Not only does the song looses steam but Titan comes across as an angry rapper on a party song. His lyrical content does not fit the theme of the song and in our opinion his verse should have been rewritten or edited out.

This same error is apparent on the song Passing Me By, once again S. Best set the track off perfectly with a mellow vibe (which matches AK's production) and calm rhyme cadence. Once Titan starts his verse the tone changes to angry; although this time his lyrics are on topic. Now we know you may think we're picking on Titan but we've listened to this album through and through and we know he can rap in a mellow tone as he showed on the song Walk With Me. And last but not lease AK showed his production abilities on the song The Ultimate and Merky Waters showed excellent DJ cutting and scratching on the hook however; S. Best did not raise his lyrics to the level of the production. This is the only song in which the production outshine the rapper.

It's not all bad news... there are some good songs on this album. The Pines is a song which has a great positive message and falls in the conscious hip hop catagory. Phredom Rings is the best song on the album and to us the most complete song on the album. S. Best stays on the topic and the rhyme cadence works perfectly with AK's production. The addition of Phredom Best (the little kid voice on the song) brings the song full circle. The song Freedom is also a good song from composition to the spit fire flow of Tommy Hampton, S. Best and Greg O. The 2nd single off the album is Get Loud by Tommy Hampton. This song provides the perfect production to highlight Tommy Hampton's lyrical abilities. Tommy Hampton also shows off he lyrical abilities on the song Do It Again and Bullets Breeze although I don't like Cassidy Ann's voice on the hook of Bullets Breeze. Typical Behavior is a song that will take you back to early 90's hip hop with gritty basement production and lyrical performances to match the beat. Once again Tommy Hampton shines on this track.

Overall the album is hot for a Rookie effort and we will be looking for the second coming from Top Wise as well as solo projects from Tommy Hampton and S. Best. If they don't put out solo projects Tommy Hampton and S. Best should seriously consider putting out an album together. We hope you guys enjoy this album because we're still listening to it.

GET YOUR COPY TODAY:

TOPWISE - THE WEAPONS LOCKER

Learn more about TOPWISE & join their Fan Club/ Mailing List at:

REVERB NATION

MYSPACE

Coming Soon:

Merky Waters & Topwise Ent. Presents

"Living On The Plains"

Introducing the Knicks Marvel Comics Style

2010-10-26T12:34:00.001-04:00

So I came across this blog post and thought it would be a cool post to share with you all. This was written by LivesInNewJeresy for the Knicks blog. Enjoy!!!!

Without considering the monopolisitic implications of Disney owning ESPN (hence the image of my sports heroes) and now Marvel Comics (my childhood super heroes), the fact that ESPN.com decided to collaborate on this "NBA Teams As Super Heroes Preview" is really cool. The artists at Marvel created graphics for each team. Although, I love this pic featuring Amar'e with some of Marvels more famous New York super legends like The Thing (who resides in the Baxter Building), Spiderman (who writes for the Bugle which covers the Knicks better than the Daily News), Ironman, Cyclops and Wolverine (both of X-Men Fame), I can empathize with those who claim ESPN hates the Knicks.

It must be true, because why use the welcome banner in the background to bring up the fact that Amar'e was not our first choice. That can make a Knicks fan wanna go Bruce Banner multiplied on somebody and turn real green with anger. LOL. ESPN's obviously got a love-hate thing going on with the Knicks and now they commissioned Marvel to artistically immortalize it. Still for a boy who got his vocabularly from Batman episodes and Marvel comics, not just his English teacher, this is fantastic.

I wonder which Marvel character would Amar'e be anyway? Hulk? Daredevil? Silver Surfer? Dr. Doom?

Check out the entire Eastern Conference andWestern Conference at ESPN.

Excelsior!!!

B'Kuz - Long Way (Prod by N-DRIN / Directed by Formel)

2010-10-21T13:07:00.000-04:00

Mayweather Spaz on Pacquiao In Video Rant

2010-09-13T08:03:00.005-04:00

Mayweather Vs. Pacquiao

Floyd Mayweather Jr. unleashed a profanity-filled racist and homophobic Internet rant against Manny Pacquiao. For a guy that seems to not want to fight the pound for pound best boxer in the business other than himself, Mayweather sure has a lot to say. I miss the good old days of two dudes that don't like on another taking it in the ring and settling the score. Remember Ali's famous "What's my name?" beat down... Lets get back to that type of boxing. All of these fighters seem to want to be a prima donna and it's hurting the sport. If more fighters was like Pacquiao then there would be a lot more great fights going on instead of being talked about.... Here the video, you tell me what you think....

Nike SB Dunk "Street Fighter Pack"

2010-09-12T08:00:00.001-04:00

SB Dunk meets Street Fighter II in Nike’s new shoe collection. Ryu’s red, white and black model matches his ki and tattered headband; Chun Li’s version has a blue upper with gold stitching. In the past few years there has been an influx of video game inspired sneakers on the racks at your local sneaker store. Nike SB Dunks are seen by most sneaker heads as collectables and many wait on lives outside the sneaker store to get a pair like people wait in front of the Apple Store for the latest gadget that Apple has released. If you know anything about Nike SB Dunks then you know that this year some pretty cool Dunks hit the store shelves like the

“Tecate” Nike SB Dunk Hi,

and the Nike SB Dunk Hi “Born in the U.S.A”

Although these SB DUnks are "Hot" Many sneaker heads consider the Nike SB Dunk "Street Fighter" Pack to be one of the best SB Dunk releases. While I was on my way to The Plantation Recording Studio the other day, I passed the Fordham Road area of the Bronx NYC and saw the "Street Fighter" Dunks on display in a sneaker store.

Both pairs borrow the color scheme seen on Chun Li and Ryu’s attire in the video game. The Chun Li-themed Dunk Low contains a mainly Argon Blue base constructed of suede and nylon.

Nike Chun Li SB Dunk

The Ryu-themed Dunk Mid, it owns a Buff-colored base with Sport Red and Black accents throughout.

Nike Ryu SB Dunk

The hot part of this "Street Fighter" Pack is the discrete reference to the Street Fighter characters. I give Nike an "A+" on this Pack because the sneakers are not screaming out "Look AT ME I"M A STREET FIGHTER SNEAKER." Rumors are out there that the other characters will be getting their own custom SB Dunk. Lets keep an eye out on these limited edition Kicks...No Pun Intended!

From The Mind of Meri Vol. 2

2010-09-10T19:46:00.000-04:00

Meri

Hello people! I know it's been awhile but I've been really busy these days. There is a new development in our household. My husband and I are so happy to announce that we are having a baby!! I'm due on January 7th and we could not be more excited. So anyway...I'm back now and hopefully you will be hearing from me more often.....

Ok so I was watching the news yesterday morning and I was kind of confused by a story I heard. So there was this man, George Grier, a 31 year old Black home owner in Uniondale, NY, which is in Nassau County in Long Island, and he was at his own home with his wife and his two young children when he noticed a group of Hispanic man from the street gang, MS-13 arguing on his front lawn. It's unclear how he knew they were in the gang but that is what they said on the news. Now I don't know if you know anything at all about this gang but they are notoriously one of the most violent, international gangs in the world (number 1 on the FBI's list of most dangerous gangs). Anyway, after trying to get them off his lawn for fear of what might occur, Grier went out to his front lawn with a hunting rifle trying to scare the man off of his property. This resulted in an argument between Grier and the group of men and Grier fired shots into the sky trying to scare them off. He did not shoot or injure anyone as this was not his intent. He was simply trying to protect his family.

Grier, who has been described by friends and neighbors as "mild-mannered," was then arrested and charged with felony assault charges. There were no other arrests in this incident. Grier was arraigned yesterday in Nassau County District Court on charges of first-degree reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon. Grier faces up to seven years in prison and was being held on $10,000 bail.

Now after hearing this story I felt kind of angry. I also thought to myself that anyone may have done the same thing while trying to protect their family in their own home. Now I'm not saying that it was necessarily the best idea to bring out a hunting rifle but I'm sure Grier was reacting on instinct at that very moment. I was also wondering to myself what would have happened if Grier was a white man, would the outcome have been the same? I'm not so sure. But anyway, either way I feel that felony charges that could result in prison time is absolutely ridiculous in this scenario. I think that each type of situation should be handled on a case by case basis taking in all the various details to the situation. And how come the group of men did not get in trouble for being on Grier's property? And if they were gang members did they have any weapons on them? Were they searched to assess the potential danger that Grier and his family were in? I will probably never get the answers to these questions but these were the things I was thinking about upon hearing this story. It really made me react and feel a certain kind of way. Aren't we allowed to protect our families from danger?

A Day In The Life of Black Ink Flow Vol. 2

2010-09-01T21:10:00.000-04:00

So as ya'll already know I've been talking about Cuts For Kids for some time. As the school year is drawing near (like next week) holla at us if you know any school age children that need a hair cut before school starts.

On another note, I have been working with my brothers RAZZ, RED & DAVE on another community service project titled "The Hall of Game", I know, I know were playing off the highest honor an athlete can earn and that's being inducted into the Hall of Fame for their sport. Now if you've been in the inner city everyone you come across will tell you they "Got Game". So many inner city kids think they "Got Game" that about 70% of the children aspire to become an NBA player. The reality is less than 20% make it to the NBA and less than 10% make it to college. So the looming question your asking yourself and me at this point is what is the Hall of Game?

The Hall of Game is a Basketball & Chess Tournament which will be held in Brooklyn, NY. The purpose of the Hall of Game is to facilitate physical and mental exercise in the youth through the game of basketball and the game of chess. Our Mission is to be proactive in Kings County by providing meaningful activities for the youth. We will employ residents of the community in an effort to thwart criminal activity and push against some of the negative aspects of gang culture.

Over the past 10 years there has been a severe drop in participation of basketball by the youth and even less participation in the game of chess. This tournament addresses two of the main causes.

The first reason is that there has been a drastic increase in “ Gang Activity.” This activity has targeted many of the teenagers and preteens in the metropolis. Without positive activities to look forward to or be involved in they will continue to view gang activity as a viable outlet.

The second reason is that the older generation of ball players that have had success at the collegiate and professional levels have not come back to the community to explain the benefits of playing team sports. They have not talked about the potential avenues that it can open up for whether it be scholarships or
networking opportunities. Some of the coaches of the teams will be persons who have experienced success from playing basketball.

This is a youth tournament with two age divisions: 14 & under and 12 & under. There is a sharp focus on this age group because the cut backs on summer programs and regular school year activities has made them vulnerable to gang influence, criminal activity and early experimentation with using drugs.

Charity Fundraiser for the HALL OF GAME

September 15, 2010

Sara James Restaurant & Bar

217 Pulaski Street Bklyn NY 11206

(On the corner of Pulaski & Throop)

From: 6 - 10PM

Music by DJ Rick Roc

Also: Live performances/ Spoken Word

$5 Cover

For Info: Contact the House of Ashanti

Phone: 718 963-4005

Ask for John Rasberry

All proceeds will go towards the expenses of putting together the HALL OF GAME

IF YOU CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE FUNDRAISER BUT WANT TO MAKE A DONATION

The check should be made out to:

Antioch Baptist Church

103-02 Northern Blvd

Corona, N.Y. 11368

*on the bottom left side of check write “Hall of Game”

The Benefit of Making A Donation: Your donation is a tax deductible portion that can be used as a write off towards your year end write off expenses.

This tournament is part of a movement that will have a long term effect on the safety of the community. Therefore you are making an investment in the safety of your neighbors as well as the community in which you reside.

For Business donations: The name of your business will be on the back of each uniform. This means that up to 240 kids will be walking throughout intricate parts of the city advertising your business. Of equal importance is the message that you are investing in the youth of the community, and ultimately our country.

For further information please contact the House of Ashanti

Phone: 718 963-4005

Fax: 718 963-2155

Ask for John Rasberry

New Music: Nas - "Last Real N!gg@ Part 2"

2010-08-31T15:23:00.003-04:00

Nas

Hey what’s going on people… I came across this new Nas track and thought it was a hot. Funkmaster Flex released the CDQ version of the track which debuted on Sunday for DJ Green Lantern’s Invasion Radio mixtape which dropped yesterday. Nas is back on his take no prisoners, everybody can get it hip hop. The sharp tongued lyrical assassin throws a few jabs at public opinion by saying “Obama if the kids mirrored you/ we’ll all push Maserati /with the silver hue.” The witty emcee goes on to throw a few darts at these so-called thugs by saying “Gotti was a raciest but he still get praises/ we don’t give a f*ck/ N!gg@ gansta is gansta.” And just when you think that these reality TV stars and celebrities that have fallen from grace are safe Nas throws a Knockout blow by saying “Bricks cut with Bill Clinton’s name on it taped up/ Hollywood Lohan Parties/ people there face numb/ Kim Kardashian body with the waist slim/ know some hood girls/ that did time that could take them/ Rappers changing families/ f@gs are all lost/ I’m at the Waldorf/ Van Cleve under the sleeve/ save the small talk.” We all have witness Nas’ growth as a recording artist as well as watched him balance that fine line between dropping jewels and telling street tales. I’m just waiting to see what he do on his next album after hearing what he and Damien Marley did on Distant Relatives and now this track, it seem like nothing but good music will be coming from Nas in the near future.

After the jump download links for NAS’s “Last Real N!gg@ Part.2”…..

New Music: Nas – “Last Real N!gg@ Part.2” (Produced By Nas & Salaam Remi) [Clean]

New Music: Nas – “Last Real N!gg@ Part.2” (Produced By Nas & Salaam Remi) [Dirty]

A Day in the Life of Black Ink Flow

2010-08-27T16:30:00.001-04:00

Black Ink Flow

As you all may or may not know I have been working on a special album for my wife titled “Songs About Her Chronicles of The Love Thief”. Ironically the title of the album reads as if it’s an adventurous tale of stolen love. Embarking on the journey to complete this album has been somewhat of an adventure. With 85% of the album written and 45% of it recorded the recording process just came to a stand still. Since this album was constructed with a Hip Hop and R&B theme, I went out of my way to recruit R&B singers to bring this album to life. Needless to say the R&B part of this album was falling short. I don’t know why R&B artist boast about their abilities but when it come time to get in the studio and lay a track down, they have a thousand excuses.

So now I’m stuck with tracks that have been recorded and all they need is the R&B portion to be done. I linked up with an unsigned R&B artist name Deshaun who told me he would be down to record the songs with me. This was good news until I called him and left a message about going to the studio to record. After multiple phone calls and messages, I just gave up on Deshaun and his credibility as an artist. After some time had passed I ran into Deshaun and told him exactly how I felt about him not returning my phone calls. Come to find out Deshaun changed his phone and lost all the phone numbers he had saved in his phone. In addition to losing the phone numbers his phone number changed. So here I am bad mouthing the dude and it was something that was out of both of our hands until we ran into each other. So long story short I got his new number and “Songs About Her Chronicles of The Love Thief” is back in production mode. I will start recording again in a week or so. Just to show ya’ll what type of artist Deshaun is check out his video:
"I'm Feeling U" - Deshaun Wilson from Mamas Boy Films on Vimeo.

Feel free to post comments and follow the blog as more good music will be posted and made soon.

Peace
Black Ink Flow

Denver Nuggets Prepear To Trade Carmelo Anthony

2010-08-27T16:21:00.000-04:00

Carmelo Anthony has made
it clear to the Nuggets he wants
a change of scenery.
(NBAE/ Getty Images)

According to Yahoo! Sports, the Nuggets look ready to part ways with Carmelo Anthony who has made it clear he wants out of Denver.
Anthony's camp has advised the Nuggets to deal the superstar forward since he plans to leave as a free agent next summer.

Carmelo Anthony (Stats) wants out of Denver, and Worldwide Wes delivered that message to the Nuggets with all the delicacy of a jackhammer at Sunday morning meeting. "Do yourself a favor and trade him", the agent told the organization weeks ago.

LaLa Vazquez's

Denver was furnished with a short list of teams and told to get to work. Among those teams are the New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets and Los Angeles Clippers. All 3 teams are probable destinations for Anthony because they have assets that appeal to Denver. The geography works for Anthony because of his wife LaLa Vazquez’s entertainment career.

Since the free agency of 2010 which ended with LeBron James joining forces with Dewayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami and the Cleveland Cavs getting nothing in return, GMs now know the tides have turned and the owners don't have the power they once possessed in the past. Carmelo Anthony is capitalizing on just what we all saw Lebron James do this summer. He is now in the position of power and can force Denver into a sign (yes I'm talking about the extension that's currently on the table for 65 Million) and trade scenario.

This generation of professional athletes are just as into the business of the NBA (contracts, trades, who they play with/ for, endorsement deals) as they are into the business of winning NBA Championships. Backed by William "World Wide Wes" Wesley and Leon Rose of CAA Superstar players are taking control of their careers. If controlling who and how you will be used for your athletic talents is the new trend, keep a look out for more Superstar players to join the CAA roster of clients. This is a very viable option as players are seeing firsthand that signing with CAA means the business of playing pro ball comes with complementary threats and ultimatums, all done with a swagger suggesting that the sport belongs to them.

After Anthony told owner-in-waiting Josh Kroenke that he still wanted out of Denver during a Sunday meeting, the Nuggets appear done trying to sell their All-Star forward on a contract extension. Denver is also looking to move Martin and JR Smith for young players and draft picks. Here is where Walsh must not strike out! The Carmelo Anthony trade scenario is no longer a rumor IT'S GOING DOWN!!!. The bidding war had begun and the Knicks are already behind the eight ball. Other teams (Houston , Clippers, and Bobcat) have more assets to offer Denver but the Knicks can still pull this one off even if that means letting ole lizard tongue Isaiah Thomas jump into the thick of negotiations.

Who are you kidding Walsh? Not the most informed fans in Basketball Nation. We Knicks fans know we don't have a real shot at making the playoffs above the 8th seed this season with teams like Boston, Chicago, Miami, Orlando, Atlanta, Charlotte and Milwaukee in the same conference. Now is time for a drastic move we need to part ways with Chandler, Gallo, Tony Douglas, Eddie Curry, and anyone else to get this deal done. The crazy part of it all is we could take J.R. Smith off of Denver's hands. Adding J. R. Smith to the D'Antoni system will be the best thing that happened since Nate Robinson scored 41 points versus the Atlanta Hawks when he was released from D'Antoni's dog house last season.

J.R. Smith is a more atheletic version of John Starks and adding Carmelo Anthony will give the Knicks the most dangerous Small Forward in the NBA (Seriously LeBron lovers...LeBron is more of a Point/Forward in a Power Forward body). The Knicks has not had a Small Forward that was as dangerous as Melo since Bernard King. It was worth watching every game Bernard played in because he always gave the Knicks a chance to win as a "Go to Guy." Walsh and D'Antoni it's time to earn your salary!!!

Malik 16 Freestyle Challenge

2010-08-06T21:29:00.004-04:00

Malik 16

About two weeks ago I was working at my 2nd job and it just so happens that my dude Komp'L works a few blocks away and we linked up after I got off work. As we begin walking uptown to get my car out of the parking garage on 51st Street and Lexington Avenue we started talking about studio time and finishing one of my projects. He then asked me if I heard about Malik 16's Freestyle Challenge. I was like "nah, what's that about?" So he told me some dude from a blog challenged 16 to spit over wack 80 pop beats after having a discussion about Eminem's song "No Love". Because I know what type of artist Malik 16 is, I laughed and said "he's going to kill those tracks." Of course my 2nd thought was "I gotta holla at him so I can jump on one of those joints." LOL

If you don't know about Malik 16 or never heard of him... IT'S TIME TO GET FAMILIAR! Malik 16 isn't just a rapper nor is he just a hip hop artist. Truth be told Malik 16 is a lyricist and that's a word you don't see me tossing around especially now-a-days. As fate would have it Malik 16 is shaking up the rap game from the 6th Borough. For those who don't know I'm talking about HARLEM, NYC. Malik 16 has also been know to keep the blogosphere buzzing with his daily post on 16's Candles.

After doing some research I found out that Nathan S. of Refined Hype thought that the Eminen song "No Love" was wack and Malik 16 though that it was hot and defended the track. Those opposing points of view lead Nathan S. to throw down the gauntlet and Malik 16 being true to himself and Hip Hop didn't think twice as he picked up the gauntlet. My personal opinion is if anyone is going to make these beats sound dope it would be Malik 16. He was featured on this blog before when he dropped his Mixtapes "The Zoloft Files Vol. 1" & "The Zoloft Files Vol. 2." as well as the video he shot with Brandon Carter for a song they did titled "Subway, Bus or Walking". Needless to say my dude Malik 16 is the real deal and ya'll will be hearing about him sooner than later. The compilation in it's entirety I believe will be called "Sh*t You Didn't Think Was Dope". Hope you enjoy!

Malik 16

Check out Malik 16 Freestyles in response to the Freestyle Challenge and Read the original articles by Nathan S. at Redefined Hype

New York Rappers Talk Their Worst Summer Jobs

2010-08-04T15:39:00.002-04:00

I came across this article written by Phillip Mlynar of The Village Voice and thought this would be a great article to share with my readers. I often talk about hip hop artist doing other things prior to becoming well known. It is no secret that most hip hop artist had regular mundane jobs just like other people would have prior to taking that leap of faith into their career choice. If it is left up to mainstream media people will think that all hip hop artists are criminals and got lucky to meet someone who helped them get out of the “ghetto” and pursue a career in music. This by chance exit of the “ghetto” usually is accompanied by some type of incarceration or an attempt on the life of the “saved” hip hop artist. This lost of freedom or near death experience is now the Catullus which takes the hip hop artist talents to “another lever”. The truth is far from the tall tales you hear from some of these hip hop artist. If the artists don’t tell their true stories about their road to success then they are doing a disservice to their loyal listeners. If these stories don’t come to the forefront of the culture, the youth and even older hip hop heads will continue to believe the only road to success is to become a street thug/ hustler then apply those lawless teachings to negotiating contracts and interacting with executives in a boardroom setting where the jargon can be as confusing as that of which is used in courtrooms across the country. I hope you enjoy the article as I did.

Peace
Black Ink Flow

Biggie Image Via Darrell Bell

Hip-hop is the world's most brazenly capitalist genre of music. If Jay-Z's not talking about playing Monopoly with real cash, then Kanye West's tweeting about the cherub-motifed Persian rugs and golden goblets he's just scored at Fishs Eddy. But while certain rotund rap types would have you believe they were running extensive criminal enterprises before they decided to pursue a career in rhymed verse, the truth is more mundane. Most rappers suffer the rite of working demoralizing dead-end jobs while attempting to jump-start their careers and clock up music industry cash, whether it's the Wu-Tang Clan's Method Man greeting tourists at the Statue of Liberty, Biggie bagging groceries at a Met Foods supermarket, or Kanye's mush-mouthed rapping friend Consequence ringing up monochromatic sweater vests at GAP. So when Fat Joe--who just so happens to have released a new album last week--opened his heart to us about sweating it out as a security guard one summer at a sneaker store, we decided to round up a whole batch of New York City's hardest-working rappers--including Prince Paul, El-P, Joell Ortiz, and Tanya Morgan's Von Pea and Donwill--and ask them to talk about their old temp-job blues. Their wretched stories are below.
Fat Joe

"I worked at Flavor Shoes, on Fordham Road in the Bronx. It was the worst job I had. I wasn't dealing with peoples' smelly feet--I was more or less security. I was a big guy, so they made me a little security guard. I always caught kids, cause I used to boost myself so I already knew how to catch 'em. I'd look for certain moves, like this guy's really not gonna buy this $100 pair of sneakers. We also used to play spades and whoever lost used to have to go and walk to get the food.

The worst thing about working there was I realized that with bosses, there's a way to work with employees where you don't have to do it in a nasty way and enslave your workers and be mean to them, like we're all a team and do it together. I hate when I walk in a grocery store and the guy screams at his employee. You don't have to do it like that. There's a right way, we can all get it done. My boss at Flavor was like that, yelling all the time.

I only worked there for two days. I told my moms I was going to change my life and be a good guy, but then I was watching the videos they was playing in the store and the Big Daddy Kane video where he's shooting the pool, "Smooth Operator," came on. I saw that, quit my job, and went to hustle, took it to the streets."
Joell Ortiz

"My worst job--and I've had a few of them--was loading trucks for UPS. My back was destroyed! I did all the lifting properly, but it still doesn't help. They have the nerve to say you have to load the boxes into the truck a certain way because of the route, and then you gotta scan them all and make sure that it's for your truck. If it's not, you have to walk them to another truck.

I worked there for a week then I quit. What happened was, this guy goes, 'This right here is your trailer.' I'm looking at it, it's empty, and I see the conveyor belt. He goes, 'I want at least 800 scans a night.' So that's a scan and a load per box, and there's 800 boxes. I was working the graveyard shift, from like 11 p.m. at night until 7 a.m. in the morning. So he goes, 'That's all I need, those 800 scans.' It's 11 p.m., so I get to it, and the first two days there I finish at 4 a.m.. I call him over, I'm hype, I'm proud, I'm showing him my work ethic. He goes, 'That looks nice. How many did you do?' I looked at my scanner and go, '1,012.' He goes, 'That's perfect, come with me.' I walk over with him and he points to another empty trailer and says, 'Do the same thing.' I walked out of there! You do your work and you only get more work? Come on!"

Prince Paul

"Everyone knows about Pos and Dave [from De La Soul] working in Burger King as they made a song about it ["Bitties In The BK Lounge"], but I worked at McDonalds at one point. And a lipstick packing factory. I've had about 15 different part-time jobs. The worst was at a nuts and bolts factory. I had to sort out the shavings from the bolts. It was always all greasy and there were flies about everywhere. I also worked at Nationwide Construction, who also made nuts and bolts. You could say I was pretty savvy about them at one point. I could have probably started my own nuts and bolts business..."

El-P

"Construction--that was shit! I worked that when I was 17-years-old, just hauling rubble out of a ten-story building with no elevator. That was a real shitty one. But the last real job I worked was in '96 right before Funcrusher, the [Company Flow] E.P., came out. It was at Tower Records, in the mail-order department, which was on Lafayette Street, right above Tower Books when that used to be there. There was two sections: [Fellow Company Flow member] Bigg Jus was in the ordering section, which was an 800 number--it wasn't even online then. Then in the back were the ex-cons and the work release program dudes boxing up Bone Thugs-N-Harmony CDs and smoking weed.
That job wasn't the best in the world, but I got the five-finger discount every day. I don't think they knew about it. I also learned how to scam Fed-Ex. Between Jus on the computers and me in the shipping department, we were running things. We sent out every single Company Flow vinyl promo to any D.J. that wanted it, and sent it overnight delivery via Fed-Ex. That shit got there immediately! They never knew about it. So I learned how to be a scam artist out of that. I can talk about it now--I'm pretty sure the statute of limitations is up on that one."

Tanya Morgan's Von Pea and Donwill Image by Richard Louissaint

Von Pea: "I was doing promotional work where I had to hand out flyers for the Tribeca Film Festival. I had a supervisor who was a real close talker. He was literally on my neck all the time. I was supposed to hand out these papers to people going to see different films. He'd be across the street telling me, 'You can't stand against this wall, you have to smile a certain way.' And this went on from like 6 p.m. until midnight that day, and by that point there was no way I could smile and greet anybody cause the dude was driving me crazy.

Then I worked at Radio Shack in East New York. People would come in the store and basically turn out the store almost every day. It was on Pitkin Avenue, a really bad part of Brooklyn, an area known for being a place where you don't want to shop cause people will steal your stuff. There was a girl who worked in the front of the store who would always come in the back saying, 'These guys have come in, they're gonna rob the store, don't say anything!' I worked there for three weeks--I realized that one day they were going to come in and really do something serious to the store and I didn't want to be around that. But I'm one of those dudes that's had a million part-time jobs; I'll take a job for the discount. I've had a billion jobs in retail--I worked at Footlocker once for two days just to get the discount!"

Donwill: "I've had a lot of jobs in my life, but my worst summer job was working at the Cincinnati Zoo. I was a parking lot attendant. Pretty much all I did was stand in the middle of an asphalt parking lot, which was blacktop so it's hotter than usual in the sun, and do a four-to-five hour shift where all you do is stand and point. You can't move from your post either--you had to get people to bring you water.
I also worked at UPS but I didn't last long there. I'm a little dude but they have you load these trucks, just load and unload boxes. It was torture. You couldn't do it at your own pace. Your work was based on how fast you could load and unload your truck. If you could do one truck an hour, you were the man. That was the only job I've ever had where I made a big scene and walked out. You know that phrase Biggie said: 'Don't be mad, UPS is hiring'? Rappers, do not go to UPS!"

Click here for original article : New York Rappers Talk Their Worst Summer Jobs

A Day in the Life of Black Ink Flow

2010-08-03T15:51:00.000-04:00

As you all may or may not know I have been working on a special album for my wife titled “Songs About Her Chronicles of The Love Thief”. Ironically the title of the album reads as if it’s an adventurous tale of stolen love. Embarking on the journey to complete this album has been somewhat of an adventure. With 85% of the album written and 45% of it recorded the recording process just came to a stand still. Since this album was constructed with a Hip Hop and R&B theme, I went out of my way to recruit R&B singers to bring this album to life. Needless to say the R&B part of this album was falling short. I don’t know why R&B artist boast about their abilities but when it come time to get in the studio and lay a track down, they have a thousand excuses.

So now I’m stuck with tracks that have been recorded and all they need is the R&B portion to be done. I linked up with an unsigned R&B artist name Deshaun who told me he would be down to record the songs with me. This was good news until I called him and left a message about going to the studio to record. After multiple phone calls and messages, I just gave up on Deshaun and his credibility as an artist. After some time had passed I ran into Deshaun and told him exactly how I felt about him not returning my phone calls. Come to find out Deshaun changed his phone and lost all the phone numbers he had saved in his phone. In addition to losing the phone numbers his phone number changed. So here I am bad mouthing the dude and it was something that was out of both of our hands until we ran into each other. So long story short I got his new number and “Songs About Her Chronicles of The Love Thief” is back in production mode. I will start recording again in a week or so. Just to show ya’ll what type of artist Deshaun is check out his video:

"I'm Feeling U" - Deshaun Wilson from Mamas Boy Films on Vimeo.

Feel free to post comments and follow the blog as more good music will be posted and made soon.

Peace
Black Ink Flow

TURN OFF YOUR RADIO AND STEP OUT OF "WACK WORLD”

2010-07-29T18:55:00.005-04:00

With the face of hip hop changing seemingly on a daily bases, there is one thing that holds true, the underground hip hop movement. With well known hip hop artist making a mass exodus from the mainstream hip hop scene which Mos Def and Curren$y have coined “Wack World” the tables have been flipped. With the internet buzzing about the BlakRoc, a collaboration with rock group the Black Keys and an onslaught of hip-hop heavyweights, including Mos Def, Jim Jones, Raekwon, Q-Tip, Pharoah Monch, and the RZA these artist are proving that musicians don’t need backing by a Major Record Label nor do they need to do the Wack World Shuffle to be heard. So while major radio stations are on a seemingly never ending HEAVY rotation of Drake, Trey Songz, Usher, Nicki Manji, Rick Ross and sprinkle in some Eminem and Jay-Z for added flavor real hip hop heads are listening to artist from what I like to call “The Backpack Nation”. The ironic part of this all is people who have been brainwashed and are now trapped in “Wack World” will tell you that The Backpack Nation artist are wack. I'll let you judge the music for yourself.

BlakRoc: Ain't Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo) Ft. Mos Def and Jim Jones

Outside of “Wack World” is where real creativity happens. Where a recording studio with a producer and microphone and all the things that makes the artist comfortable equals QUALITY music. This is by no means the high priced Top 10 heavy rotation spots on mainstream radio kind of music (by the way, record labels pay big bucks for those spots to ensure the artist they are backing sale records….). This is HIP HOP. This is where the art form is alive and well. Only until you step outside of “Wack World will you find out that every hip hop artist wasn’t a drug dealer, that hip hop artist actually read books, have intellectual conversations, collect art and take pride in the ability to SPIT! This is where universal music is made, not those rap songs for the teenyboppers or the street thugs. This is where the lyrics are written and if one takes the time to print them out they will learn something from reading them because THEY ACTUALLY MAKE SENSE.

So I say, YES turn off your radios and step out of “Wack World” because you have been hood winked, bamboozled, lead astray into thinking that hip hop was dying and Lil Wayne and his cast of clowns would really be the saviors. If you don’t do nothing today look at the interview below Dame Dash did in regards to BlakRoc and tell me if you don’t look at hip hop in a different light.

I didn’t just write this to write it I am a hip hop artist that operates outside of the confines of “Wack World”. Get familiar people and listen to my song “Where Are We Going”. All comments are welcome.

Where Are We Going by Black Ink Flow

Peace

Black Ink Flow

CP3 WANTS OUT!

2010-07-22T15:25:00.001-04:00

With the NBA landscape seemingly changing on a daily bases since “The Decision”, young marquee players are putting plans in motion to band together for a shot at dethroning Kobe Bryant and the zin-tastic Los Angeles Lakers. With the 2010 – 2011 NBS season already shrouded in DRAMA, allegiances have been made and lines in the preverbal sand have been drawn. NBA fans are choosing sides as if LeBron’s decision to “take his talents to South Beach” is this decade’s version of the Tupac and Biggie East Cost, West Cost Hip Hop beef or Twlight’s Team Edward vs. Team Jacob marketing plan. In no other city is this division more visible than in Cleveland where Cavaliers fans have been unloading their unwanted No. 23 jerseys, T-shirts and other clothing items bearing James' name at locations around the city. Organizers are shipping the discarded James gear to homeless shelters in South Florida according to FOX Sports.

The teaming of Wade, Bosh and James has left other NBA Players (mainly Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony) planning their own “Big Three”. Reportedly Chris Paul let the cat out the bag at Carmelo’s wedding with a toast (which he has neither denied or confirmed) stating that he and Anthony should join forces with Amar'e Stoudemire in an attempt to bring the New York Knicks back to a championship contender. Now it seems as though Chris Paul is standing by those words. With a confidential member of Paul’s inner circle reporting that Paul, in fact, has put into motion an aggressive exit strategy that will accelerate in the coming weeks, and his clear intention is to be traded before the start of the 2010-11 season according to CBSSports.com.

We all know the Knicks planed on signing LeBron James this summer and aggressively positioned itself well under the salary cap to pursue another big name free agent to share the blinding Broadway lime light and renewed excitement of Knicks fans. This was not to be, with James deciding to join the Miami Heat. Albeit, Knicks fans were disappointed by the James decision and the organization scrambling to put together a playoff contending team didn’t help. With all the doom and gloom talk looming over New York few realize that two of the Knicks best moves this summer was signing Amar’e Stoudemire and the sign-and-trade deal which landed David Lee in Golden State. According to the confidential source in Paul's inner circle, his list of preferred destinations consists of the Knicks, Magic, Portland and Dallas. The Hornets have already received word of his desire to be traded to one of those teams. So while the Knicks struck out in their pursuit of this summer's Big Three they perhaps didn't fall short permanently.

Out of the teams listed the Knicks have the most money and expiring contracts to make this trade a reality. Amar'e Stoudemire represents the first piece of a strategy designed to land Paul in New York. The second piece of the strategy was the sign-and-trade of David Lee with Golden State which landed young talented offensive as well as defensive minded players Anthony Randolph and Kelenna Azubuike in New York. The third part of the strategy was signing Raymond Felton to a short (trade-able) deal. Although Felton cannot be traded until December the Knicks still have enough pieces to lore the Hornets into a deal for Paul. The Forth piece of the strategy was to draft skilled rookies with built in trade value which the Knicks did by drafting 6’7” SF Landry Fields, and 6’6” SG Andy Rautins as well as picking up 7’0” Centers Jerome Jordan and Timofey Mozgov to stock the roster with attractive assets that could be used to acquire such marquee players if the opportunities presented themselves.

If Paul insist on being traded prior to the start of the 2010-2011 season the Knicks could still pull off this deal by trading any combination of the following players: Tony Douglas, Bill Walker, Carl Landry, Eddie Curry (whose contract expires at the end of the season), Timofey Mozgov, Jerome Jordan, Andy Rautins, Landry Fields, Kelenna Azubuike or Wilson Chandler. In addition to trading these players the Knicks can sweeten the deal by taking Paja Stoyanovich’s contract off the hands of the Hornets.

Stoudemire has stated that Tony Parker, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony have expressed interest in teaming up with him in New York. Parker already has publicly stated his intention to pass on an extension and become a free agent next summer, while Anthony thus far has not signed the Nuggets' three-year, $65 million extension which is currently on the table. If the Knicks are able to pull off a trade for Chris Paul, that alone may be the deciding factor in Anthony’s decision to move back to the State where he has already experienced winning a championship, even if it was an NCAA title and not an NBA title.

New Yorker’s truly believe, “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere”. New York is a State built on hard work, confidence and fierce competition which are the key ingredients to a wining culture. Amar’e Stoudemire has taken the challenge and it’s looks like Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony are willing to take on the overly demanding fans, media and pressure to pursue an NBA title in New York where the lights are brighter, the stage is bigger, the stakes are higher, and the Canyon of Heroes awaits those brave enough to step in the Mecca, rise to the occasion and Bring Home A Title all in the name of the NEW YORK KNICKS.

In a city where the pressure to win can make Super Man look like Lois Lane, where super star athletes resumes don’t mean anything unless they leave it all on the field of play (Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley and John Starks) or prove their worth the moniker super star by winning a championship (Derek Jeter, A. Rod, Eli Manning and Walt Frazier), I find it hard to see how the Knicks could drop the ball on players willing to take on 9 straight losing seasons plus all the comes with playing for a New York team. Do you really think the Knicks can pull this trade off?

Amare Stoudemire Signs 5 Yr Deal with NY Knicks

2010-07-06T13:35:00.001-04:00

While every Knicks fan from New York to Tim Buck Tu have been glued to Sports Center and any other sports media outlet for that matter. The deafening silence was finally broken yesterday with the news of the New York Knicks and Amare Stoudemire agreeing on a 5 year $100 Million dollar contract. This deal is just the Risotto on the Knicks empty plate of dreams. While every fan including myself are salivating at the chance of having USDA Prime Choice in the form of 6’8” 240lb King James added to the plate, LeBron and his team have been quiet as a church mouse while deciding the next big move.

The Amare deal may be the best move the Knicks have made in years if Stoudemire can persuade James or Wade to join him, he will represent the smartest signing the Knicks have ever made. Since this deal has hit the airwaves there have been reports of Tony Parker and Carmelo Anthony stating out in public they would love to play alongside Amare in New York. So while everyone was talking about the possible big three of James, Bosh and Wade, another roundtable of sorts was taking place between Stoudemire, Parker and Anthony. The crazy part is the Knicks could actually pull this off and the idea of having Amare Stoudemire, LeBron James, Danilo Gallinari, Carmelo Anthony and Tony Parker as your starting lineup maybe enough to sway LeBron towards signing with the Knicks.

Although Amare Stoudemire is a great low post player the New York Knicks still need a playmaker. Chris Duhon has worn out his welcome in New York by failing to produce last season while the Knicks struggled to win 29 games. So to all of my Knicks fans, we are not out of the weeds yet. If the Knicks fail to secure a point guard with more experience then Tony Douglas and has the ability to create plays as well as score the ball in pressure situations. Just playing in the Garden in front of win starved Knick fans is enough pressure to cause a seasoned veteran to CHOKE! Imagine what would happen to a second year player being asked to be Amare’s Steve Nash. If the Knicks drop the ball on this vital part of the plan Stoudemire will end up being another big-name, bigger-money ballplayer jeered out of New York.

So while the Risotto was a nice starter, everyone including Amare Stoudemire is waiting on that USDA Prime Choice to balance out the Knicks' plate of dreams. The 09-10 season “Dream Week” was a Nightmare for Knicks fans, hopefully this “Free Agency Dream Week” will end differently with the Knicks being winners of something, even if it’s just public opinion.

Happy Earth Day!

2010-04-22T12:19:00.002-04:00

Mother Nature's gifts

The gift of trees given to us by mother nature.

Has been responsible in many ways for the survival of our species.

This earth day as we remember our purpose as caretakers of our planet.

When you see the trees remember the gifts they have given to us.

Here is just a few and how we have used them in the past and the present.

WESTERN RED CEDAR

Western Red Ceder

is used in the building of our homes.

Its has a beautiful finish and color.

Used in decking, siding and furniture.

This wood has great

waterproofing characteristics.

Traditional uses are

shelter construction, tools, and matting.

Also used for clothing, nets and medicines

BLACK COTTONWOOD

The Black Cottonwood gives us many different products we use everyday. Today's uses include paper products and many homeopathic products. Traditional uses were much more diverse. The Cottonwood being used for the building of canoes and cradles. The ash was used as soap and a cleaner for hides. The resin could be used as a adhesive or a type of waterproof glue.

PONDEROSA PINE

The Ponderosa Pine is one of the most well known tress and the most useful. Much of our modern furniture and home construction comes from the wood. Easy to work with and beautiful when finished. Traditional uses were seeds for food. The inner bark was used on canoes and the resin was great for waterproofing.

DOUGLAS FIR

The Douglas Fir
has a very dense and strong wood.
Used today in modern construction
in the building of bridges,
wharves and large building projects.
Traditional uses were many
including the making of snowshoes, shelters,
and was a good source for fuel.
The resin is sweet and was eaten.

BIG LEAF MAPLE

The Big Leaf Maple
is used today for the construction
of beautiful furniture.
It has a warm finish and is very durable.
The traditional uses were
for pipes, baskets, and rope.
The flowers can be eaten
and the sap can be made into
maple syrup.

What a wonderful renewible resorce.

These are just a few of the trees that give us a better world everyday.

Trees give us the air we breath.

Everyday we cut and burn thousands of trees.

Imagine a world without them and there is no tomorrow.

This earth day take a look around and see how trees have enriched your life.

Then go and plant one.

It will help our world and you will feel great.

Happy Earth Day!

Who Fills The Void Lauryn Hill Left Us?

2010-04-20T17:57:00.001-04:00

Yesterday Lauryn Hill hit up the red carpet for the Tanzania Trust Gala in NYC and I must say she looked beautiful. This is the best Lauryn has looked in years. She usually doesn't make appearances like this but L Boogie was spotted out on the town last night at the Tanzania Education Trust New York Gala hosted by President Jakaya Kikwete of the United Republic of Tanzania. I'm wondering if this public appearance means anything. Either way she's looking good and healthy so hopefully we will hear some new material from her someday. With her absence many other woman have been trying to fill the void she left, here are a few I think just may be able to do it.

Brandy recently let the world in on her rapping abilities during an episode of Brandy & Ray J. Family Business. Brandy adding rapping to her triple threat status of actor, singer and mother had me thinking about where Hip Hop would be if the singing and rapping dynamo: Lauryn Hill was still in the “Game”. Check out Brandy Spitting Bars on a song titled "It’s My Party"

Though I am like everyone else who naively believed that The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was the prelude to a long career onstage and making album after quality album, I also look at the positive impact her career has had on influencing those who entered the entertainment arena after her. Lauryn Hill is a remarkable producer and musician, inspiring many women to take more ownership behind the scenes. I put together this list of rapping, in most cases singing and sometimes producing divas who remind me a bit of the cutting-edge sense of empowerment Lauryn conveyed during her heyday. I ask you to share your feedback on who you think can compare to the genius we know and love called Lauryn Hill as you check out the ladies below--some you may have heard, some who may be new to you.

Danielle Scott

I first heard of Danielle Scott in 2007 off of a mixtape she posted on MySpace. Her lyrical ability is a given, and she comes equally hard as a vocalist. When she put out a search in 2008 for a new backing band--The Family--I was sure she would be the next Lauryn Hill, easily merging song and rapping into a conscious flow. I'm still awaiting some new music from her, but word is that it's supposed to hit this year.

RAtheMC

This Washington, DC-based rapper is one of the few women in the DMV rap game who is consistently booked as a headliner on shows that are male-dominated. RAtheMC's flow is sick, and she is unabashedly strong with lyrical content that does not come packaged with an over-sexualized image. Here she is in this vid putting a spin on Lauryn Hill's "Lost Ones" with a guest appearance by the rapper Pro'Verb. For more info about RAtheMC click here: RAtheMC

Nneka

I first discovered Nneka while looking for new music to rock to on Okayplayer.com Nneka's new CD Concrete Jungle dropped earlier this year, I had not heard her music before scrolling through the Okayplayer blog. I was totally ignorant of this woman who was using her music as a powerful tool to bridge cultures while entertaining. Upon learning more about her, I easily see the comparisons that can be made between her and Hill, for they both have very visible allegiance to the idea of musical integrity and cultural pride through music. Nneka raps and sings like Lauryn does and is also a musician, often seen, like in this video for "Heartbeat," with her guitar. She is currently on tour and will be touring in the US in May with Nas and Damien Marley.

No Matter who fills the void these ladies deserve your undivided attention... Get familiar People!

Straight From The Plantation Vol. 1

2010-04-17T22:06:00.002-04:00

What's good people... Well I have been thinking about doing to for a while now and I think the time has finally come for me to start releasing music on a regular bases. I have been working on projects but a lot of time has passed between release dates and I want to keep the fan happy and the only way to do that is to keep putting out good music FREE of charge.

I hope this turns into a weekly thing and I can hit you all with a new song every week. This weekly release of music will be called "Straight From The Plantation" and will be music by yours truly Black Ink Flow, Mental-Vision, Komp'L, Bobby and others. Each volume will contain 10 to 15 tracks and if you down load the new track each week you will have a full Mixtape at the end of the 10 to 15 week period. Not bad huh? I hope this catch on and people enjoy the fruits of our labor....So to kick off Straight From The Plantation Vol. 1 is Black Ink Flow - Over (GemStars Remix). Hope You Enjoy and stay tuned!

Feel free to post comments and feedback we can take it and it will only make us better...

<a href="http://blackinkflow.bandcamp.com/track/over-gemstars-remix">Over (GemStars Remix) by Black Ink Flow</a>

Introducing From The Mind of Meri... #1

2010-04-14T09:41:00.003-04:00

What's going on people? Well it's been some time now that I have been trying to get my wife involved with my blog. While at home we have some very interesting and thought provoking conversations, some of which I have asked her to blog about. It took her some time to warm up to the wonderful world of blogging but she finally decided to share her thoughts. Below is the first installment of From The Mind of Meri…, I hope you guys enjoy her point of view.

Miley Cyrus's nine-year-old sister launches risqué clothing line
So recently while watching the Wendy Williams show I learned that there is a lingerie line coming out geared towards girls in their early teens. What is going on? I was so very disturbed by this as I think we all should be. So apparently Miley Cyrus' little ten-year-old sister and her friend have created it and is actual lingerie for little girls. The advertisement (which they showed on Wendy Williams Show) shows young girls who look to be between the ages of 9-12 all holding onto a stripper pole. I find this whole concept to be repulsive (as did the Wendy Williams show). This is such an indicator of the problems we face today. There should be no reason for a young girl to own, wear, or even want to have lingerie. Any adult involved in the production of these products should be greatly ashamed as should any parents purchasing these products. It reminded me also when I was shopping for an outfit for my step-daughter (she was 7 at the time) I saw they sold thong underwear for girls of that age which I also found to be quite disturbing. These are small symptoms of a greater problem. Everyone is trying to grow up too fast and there is too much of an emphasis on sex geared towards the youth. These types of things should be for adults not young teens and adolescents. There is much too much of a glorification of sex, pornography, strippers, and violence in our pop culture today. From people getting famous off of sex tapes to music lyrics, and music videos to all the ridiculous "reality" shows that should not be viewed by young people. Where will it stop? The answer is that it won't stop...it is only going to get worse and worse so it must be up to responsible parents, guardians, siblings and teachers to do their jobs. And keep in mind...this problem spans across all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic lines as it affects ALL of us. No one is exempt. Just something to be aware of and to think about.

GemStars Presents Bobby & Komp’L CHANNEL SURFING MIXTAPE Hosted by DJ Furious Stylez

2010-04-08T16:40:00.002-04:00

As mentioned a few weeks ago Komp’L “Ransom” freestyle video was debuted in anticipation of CHANNEL SURFING dropping. Well the wait is over…

GemStars Presents

Bobby & Komp’L CHANNEL SURFING MIXTAPE

Hosted by DJ Furious Stylez

(CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD)

Independent record label GemStars LLC started their 2010 viral campaign with the release of CHANNEL SURFING. GemStars is gearing up to flood the internet, airways and blogosphere with new music from all of their artist and other artist who have developed a creative bond with GemStars. CHANNEL SURFING is just the right mixtape to set the stage for what’s to come. Bobby and Komp’L team up on this joint venture going track for track, bar for bar and punch line for punch line over an array of instrumentals. In my opinion the hottest tracks on CHANNEL SURFING are “Hear Me Feel Me”, “Help Is Coming“, “Get Silly“, “I Talk To The City”, “Ransom”, “Serious”, “Speak French” and “We Beaming Feat. Cesar Luciano”.

This is just the first Volume in a series primed to have fans salivating for the next Mixtape and tweeting, blogging, texting, and plan old word of mouth shameless promotion for the solo projects from Komp'L and Bobby respectively, Titled Mr. Brooks, and Komp’L has the Sneakers & Cardigans Project coming this summer. All this sets the stage for GemStars to have a big year in Hip Hop with the premiere of The Have-Knotz (Komp'L, Bobby & Malik 16) Project and Black Ink Flow's new Project Titled Songs About Her - Chronicles of The Love Thief.

To keep up with the music GemStars LLC will be releasing follow my blog BLACK INK FLOW or GemStars blog

Stay tuned!

WRITING SONGS WITH INTENTION

2010-04-02T12:11:00.001-04:00

This article was written by Wayne Cohen, veteran multi-platinum selling ASCAP hit songwriter, producer and educator, owner of publishing/production company Stand Up Songs.
Wayne teaches individual and group songwriting tutoring sessions at his NYC Stand Up Studio and via Skype.

One of my song tutoring students recently sang me a song she was working on called ‘Listen You’, which I thought was a cool idea about missing that special someone. She had strong lyrics for her chorus, but the chorus chords she had were in a minor key just like the verse had been. The minor chords worked great in the verse, but the melody fell flat at the chorus. I call this kind of chorus melody problem flat lining, as in, the melody didn’t lift enough for a chorus. I suggested that she go to the relative major key for the chorus, and that the melody needed to be ‘happier’ to pay off the manic lyric idea she had set up. This eventually made for a killer chorus for that song.
This started me thinking, if the question is, ‘how do you write a breakthrough song?’
This experience with my student reinforced my conviction that having an intention when writing is the answer. In other words, if you can imagine the result you want before you get there, you have a much better chance of achieving that result.
I think lack of intention is one of the things that is crippling the music industry. I see creators in many fields (not just songwriters) influenced by the culture of immediacy that we are living in. I believe some songwriters are influenced away from writing a breakthrough song, expressing a riveting clear universal emotion with catchy melodies, and instead are focused on making trendy tracks that sell immediately. I think the craft of songwriting is suffering as a result, and this shortsightedness is contributing to a lack of certain songs’ longevity on the charts.
But keeping this idea of intention can be a tricky business when writing a song, because sometimes you don’t want to question that magical part of writing from pure inspiration. Great songs can seem to fall out of the sky and flow through the writer.
However there are so many facets of songwriting that can be improved by conscious thought. There are many examples of this, not the least of which is McCartney’s now clichéd story about ‘Yesterday’ starting out as a song he dreamed called ‘Scrambled Eggs’. After further consideration, the title and subsequent lyric story of ‘Yesterday’ had just the right feeling for the melody he dreamed. The title and lyric fit like hand in glove. But he worked at it ‘til he had something great. And that was all because of his intention to write a great song. Luckily he didn’t settle for ‘Scrambled Eggs’.
So, you ask, how can we take an OK song and make it better, with the right intention?
As a starting point, here is a quick intention checklist to run your songs by.
Intention Check List:
How do you want the song to feel?
Does every aspect of the song feel the way you want it to feel?
Does the lyric develop within a section, and from section to section, to express an urgent coherent story, the way you want it to?
Does the melody have the right flow, i.e., does it climax and subside where it needs to? (from the verse into the chorus, etc..)
Is there rhyme scheme consistency and development in the right places?
Have you mapped your melodic rhythm by using slash marks to count the number of syllables (for ex., map the V1 melody so that V2 will have the same melodic rhythm)?
Feel free to drop me a line and let me know how you did with the checklist…I’m curious!

Malik- 16 & Brandon Carter - "Subway Bus or Walking"

2010-03-24T12:38:00.000-04:00

In the world of Hip Hop the Remix is KING!!! It just so happens that Malik 16 & Brandon Carter are making waves with their "Subway Bus or Walking" remix of Llyod Banks' “Beamer, Benz or Bentley”. Malik 16 has been no stranger to the mic since his High School days of banging on the lunchroom table and spitting ya best 16 (no pun intended). Now this well rounded Hip Hop artist out of Harlem, NY is poised to take over the game with his yet to be titled album scheduled to drop this Spring!!! Also keep your eyes out for the Have-Knotz mixtape by Malik 16, Komp'L and Bobby scheduled to drop this Summer.

Go vote for it on XXLmag.com

New Komp’L “Ransom” Freestyle Video

2010-03-24T10:59:00.001-04:00

Komp’L President of Gemstars LLC as well as one of the recording artists out of the Gemstars camp just dropped his first video in preparation for the Channel Surfing mixtape by him and Bobby another recording artist/ producer & Co-Founder of Gemstars LLC. The combination of Komp'L and Bobby is sure to give hip hop heads what they have been looking for. Komp'L is a Witty Punch Line Assassin with a swag that can only be found in Harlem NY while Bobby is a Conscious Hit Man spitting brain numbing truths coupled with intellectually stimulating metaphors. Channel Surfing is a best of both worlds for fans that love spitfire punch lines and conscious masterpieces.

Check out the video Below:

CHARTER SCHOOL IN TOUGH NEIGHBORHOOD GETS ALL ITS SENIORS INTO COLLEGE

2010-03-16T12:43:00.000-04:00

In Picture to the left, Urban Prep Academy senior Keith Greer, along with his classmates, celebrates the news they will receive a free prom in Chicago because 100 percent of the graduating class was accepted into 4-year colleges or universities. (Tribune photo by Heather Charles / March 5, 2010)

The entire senior class at Chicago's only public all-male, all-African-American high school has been accepted to four-year colleges. At last count, the 107 seniors had earned spots at 72 schools across the nation.
Mayor Richard Daley and Chicago Public Schools chief Ron Huberman surprised students at an all-school assembly at Urban Prep Academy for Young Men in Englewood this morning to congratulate them. It's the first graduating class at Urban Prep since it opened its doors in 2006. Huberman applauded the seniors for making CPS shine.

"All of you in the senior class have shown that what matters is perseverance, what matters is focus, what matters is having a dream and following that dream," Huberman said.
The school enforces a strict uniform of black blazers, khaki pants and red ties -- with one exception. After a student receives the news he was accepted into college, he swaps his red tie for a red and gold one at an assembly.

The last 13 students received their college ties today, to thunderous applause.

Ask Rayvaughn Hines what college he was accepted to and he'll answer with a question.

"Do you want me to name them all?"

For the 18-year-old from Back of the Yards, college was merely a concept--never a goal--growing up. Even within the last three years, he questioned if school, let alone college, was for him. Now, the senior is headed to the prestigious Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga. next fall.

Hines remembers the moment he put on his red and gold tie.

"I wanted to take my time because I was just so proud of myself," he said. "I wanted everyone to see me put it on."

The achievement might not merit a mayoral visit at one of the city's elite, selective enrollment high schools. But Urban Prep, a charter school that enrolls using a lottery in one of the city's more troubled neighborhoods, faced difficult odds. Only 4 percent of this year's senior class read at grade level as freshmen, according to Tim King, the school's CEO.

"I never had a doubt that we would achieve this goal," King said. "Every single person we hired knew from the day one that this is what we do: We get our kids into college."

College is omnipresent at the school. Before the students begin their freshman year, they take a field trip to Northwestern University. Every student is assigned a college counselor the day he steps foot in the school.

The school offers an extended day--170,000 more minutes over four years compared to its counterparts across the city--and more than double the number of English credits usually needed to graduate.

Even the school's voicemail has a student declaring "I am college bound" before it asks callers to dial an extension.

Normally, it takes senior Jerry Hinds two buses and 45 minutes to get home from school. On Dec. 11, the day University of Illinois at Champaign- Urbana was to post his admission decisions online at 5 p.m., he asked a friend to drive him home.

He went into his bedroom, told his well-wishing mother this was something he had to do alone, closed the door and logged in.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" he remembers screaming. His mother, who didn't dare stray far, burst in and began crying.

That night he made more than 30 phone calls, at times shouting "I got in" on his cell phone and home phone at the same time.

"We're breaking barriers," he said. "And that feels great."

deldeib@tribune.com
Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune

Epitome of Catchin' Wreck

2010-03-11T19:49:00.000-05:00

Internal Gaze is Dropping on 3/30/10. By following this blog you will be sent a FREE DOWNLOAD CODE to download the entire album. Here is the first single off Internal Gaze titled Epitome of Catchin' Wreck. Hope you enjoy!!!!

<a href="http://blackinkflow.bandcamp.com/album/internal-gaze">Epitomy of Catchin' Wreck by Black Ink Flow</a>

CUTS FOR KIDS VIDEO

2010-02-27T20:29:00.003-05:00

Please watch this Video about Cuts for Kids and get involved in the Cuts for Kids movement. Our Goal is to give 1,000 kids school supplies and complete a week of FREE hair cuts all starting on September 4, 2010.

To make a DONATION please send school supplies to:

Cuts for Kids

c/o House of Ashanti

901 Myrtle Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11206

For more info on Cuts for Kids please click the links below:

CUTS FOR KIDS
CUTS FOR KIDS AND PEPSI REFRESH PROJECT

BLACK INK FLOW

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CHARTER SCHOOL IN TOUGH NEIGHBORHOOD GETS ALL ITS SENIORS INTO COLLEGE

Epitome of Catchin' Wreck

CUTS FOR KIDS VIDEO