New Blog Address

Yo,

This blog is now housed at http://www.straightgangsterism.com.

Summertime...

So I am spending another summer in Bloomington and I don't know how I feel about it. Last summer here was hell because of the personal shit [breakup] that the typical "person in their early twenties" deals with. I am now past all of that and am attempting to embrace this break that I had been asking for since last September. Its still early, but I need to find something to do with myself before summer ends and another wack-ass fall semester begins. I have yet to find something, but in the mean time I've been listening to a ton of GREAT music...

Atmosphere When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint that Shit Gold.

-So I am a fan of emo-hop and Atmosphere is the king of it. This album is especially dope when I'm walking around Bryan Park at night with nothing to do and no where to go. Slug is in his prime as he spits ish that we all often feel, but can rarely verbalize. Check the brilliant track "Yesterday."

Count Bass D Dwight Spitz and Act Your Waist Size

-Count Bass D is an extremely talented producer, a talented rapper, and he makes amazing music. Besides this, I don't know shit about him. I don't know how to describe his music so you should just listen to it. Check the song "Sanctuary" from Dwight Spitz. It samples The Doors "The Soft Parade," which makes me very happy.

Marvin Gaye Here, My Dear

-If you don't know the story, a broke Marvin Gaye recorded this album as part of his divorce settlement. His ex-wife, Anna Gordy, received all the profits from this, at the time, critically and commercially unsuccessful release. This is probably his most personal album as it basically chronicles the downfall of his marriage. It also offers insight into the troubles that plagued him throughout his life. The music is extremely somber, at times depressing, but super dope.

S.L.A.B. (Slow Loud and Bangin) Seven Years and Runnin'

-Can't forget about the gangsta ish I love! S.L.A.B. is the Southside/Southwest Houston collective featuring Trae, Z-Ro and a bunch of other dope artists. This is kind of their greatest hits as it compiles some of their best mixtape work. Check out "In the Hood." I'm impatiently waiting for Trae & Z-Ro (Assholes By Nature) It Is What It Is to drop sometime this summer.

Peace,

Langston

NEW K-RINO!!!

"Blast On Em"
"What You Gonna Do?"
"Wreck Time"

Cop the new K-Rino album, Triple Darkness Vol. 1. K-Rino has been holding Houston down for over 20 years. One of the best artists you probably never heard of. Get this album, his old albums, and anything else the South Park Coalition has touched.

Peace

Trae & Z-Ro

http://youtube.com/watch?v=IFCY1RIZ-WA (Trae "Swang")
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZhH5FL9ZrCI&feature=related (Z-Ro "Mo City Don" Live)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=jRQ3cE-pRwU (Z-Ro f/Trae "I Found Me")
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ye9JGy4JAZ8 (Trae f/Z-Ro "No Help")
http://youtube.com/watch?v=leEbL_kdZnM (Z-Ro & Trae "Who's the Man")

Cousins Z-Ro and Trae currently represent at least 65% of my music consumption. Representing Houston's Southwest side, Z-Ro and Trae have been dropping heaters for about a decade. While this may sound corny, Trae and Z-Ro's music can be labled as Gangsta-soul as they deliver gangsta raps in rugged, but smooth style. Z-Ro & Trae put out real music that can appeal to anyway dealing with the problems of young adulthood (especially if you are Black). I can't say enough about their contributions to hip hop. Peep the links. Peace.

P.S. "Swang" is one of the greatest songs to ever come out of Houston.

Geto Boys - Crooked Officer

One of the best hip hop responses to police brutality. It's defintely on par if not better than NWA's "Fuck the Police." Although lyrically sanitized for play on mainstream video stations, the splicing in of actual brutality adds solid visuals to the Geto Boys articulate charge against police brutality. Taken from their 1993 album, Til Death Do Us Part.

My Top Ten Hip Hop Groups Ever (A response to Mtv's List)

Mtv's hip hop braintrust recently developed a list of the top 10 hip hop groups of all time. According to Mtv, a group consists of two or more mc's. The list goes as follows:

10. UGK

9. Fugees

8. Salt 'N Pepa

7. EPMD

6. A Tribe Called Quest

5. Wu-Tang Clan

4. Outkast

3. Public Enemy

2. N.W.A

1. Run-DMC

• There was some debate over whether the Beastie Boys are a hip hop group or not. The naysayers won, and they were replaced by UGK. I totally disagree with this as i feel that the Beastie Boys are definitely a hip hop group and one of the greatest hip hop groups of all time.
• The Fugees should not be on this list. Their first release was only ok. The Score was a classic most definitely. After that, Lauryn Hill dropped a masterpiece, but I never will consider it a hip hop album. She later dropped a double Mtv unplugged album which help bring on one of the best naps I have ever had in my life. Wyclef's first solo was hot. I never peeped anything from him after that though. Collaborations with wrestlers didnt spark my interests too much. Pras is wack. So, 1 hot group album, 1 great solo, and 1 masterpiece non-rap album does not make top 10 material.
• Salt & Peppa are important, but should not be a top 10 rap group of all time. They were a creation of producer Herbie Azor who wrote and produced their first 3 albums. He was Salt & Pepa and the women simply looked moderately good, could dance a little, and recite rhymes. They were wack on the mike. Their music was cornball for the most part. They just don't deserve to be mentioned with the greats.
• MTV, as they have aknowledged, has left some important groups off the list. The Geto Boys are so so so important to southern hip hop, and hip hop in general. Their first three albums (Geto Boys, We Can't Be Stopped, and Til Death) are classics regardless of how slept on they are. They made to excellent combacks with Resurrection in 1996 and The Foundation in 2005. Scarface has released a significant amount of timeless music. Bushwick Bill has trancended hip hop and his size to carve out a spot for himself in pop culture. Willie D has become a cult hero. One time member Big Mike is one of the most underrated artist in hip hop history. The Geto Boys are one of the greatest hip hop groups of all time.
• De la Soul and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were also left off. I have nothing to say about this because its just bullcorn as my grandpa would say.

With all that being said, I have reformulated the list.

1. Public Enemy
2. RUN-DMC
3. NWA
4. Wu-Tang Clan
5. Grandmaster Flash & the Furious 5
6. Geto Boys
7. A Tribe Called Quest
8. Outkast
9. De La Soul
10. Beastie Boys

• I changed the top 3. Public Enemy is the greatest hip hop group of all time. Four classic albums filled with brilliant lyricism and equally brilliant production. Chuck D is one of the voices for our generation. The Bomb Squad laced Public Enemy with ill beats, but also laced Ice Cube's Amerikkkas Most Wanted as well as other stuff. Flavor Flav is Flavor Flav. Not to mention the S1Ws, their soundtrack work, quality rap/rock collabos and countless other things. This isn't to take away from RUN-DMC or NWA, but Public Enemy was too much of a force.
• Outkast slipped because either the groups ahead of them made better music and were stylistic innovators (Wu-Tang Clan, A Tribe Called Quest) or they were mort influential/important (Geto Boys, Furious 5).
• EPMD, Salt & Pepa, Fugees, and (begrudgingly) UGK were removed because there were groups more deserving of the position.

So, thats my list of the 10 Greatest Hip Hop Groups of all time.

Since I'm bored, I also created a list of the 10 Greatest Southern Hip Hop Groups of all time:

1. Geto Boys (Houston)
2. Outkast (Atlanta)
3. UGK (P.A./Houston)
4. Eightball & MJG (Memphis)
5. TRU (New Orleans)
6. Hot Boys (New Orleans)
7. Three 6 Mafia (Memphis)
8. 2 Live Crew (Florida)
9. Goodie Mob (Atlanta)
10. UNLV (New Orleans)

I also did West Coast Groups:

1. NWA
2. Digital Underground
3. Cypress Hill
4. Hieroglyphics
5. Dogg Pound
6. Pharcyde
7. Freestyle Fellowship
8. Above the Law
9. Alkaholiks
10. WC & the MAAD Circle


PEACE

30 Strong And A Gun To His Head�Pay Attention?

30 Strong And A Gun To His Head�Pay Attention?
By Aishah Shahidah Simmons


http://www.allhiphop.com/editorial/?ID=337

There have been and probably will be numerous articles on the January 16, 2007 RIAA raid of the Aphilliates Music Group studio and arrest of my brother Tyree "DJ Drama" Simmons and DJ Don Cannon. There have been and will be numerous articles on what the implications of this raid will not only have on the Aphilliates Music Group but on the entire mixtape business/game.

In the midst of those ongoing discussions, let's not forget the reality that racism and sexism are alive and well in Ameri-KKK-a.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007 marked the first day of my supporting a three day fast that Black Women in Durham, North Carolina organized to expel and heal from the ongoing collective trauma that many of us who are victim/survivors of rape and other forms of sexual assault have been experiencing ever since members of the predominantly White Duke LaCrosse team were publicly accused of raping a Black woman in Spring of 2006. Little did I know, that while I supported my Spirit Sister-Survivors in Durham, North Carolina, that another assault against a member of my Blood family was about to happen.

No one will ever be able to explain to me why the hell a SWAT Team of at least 30 strong went charging into the Aphilliates Music Group studio as if they were doing a major drug or an illegal arms bust? Why did they need to put my brother Tyree (DJ Drama) and his cohorts face down on the ground with guns to their heads? Did the agents need to ransack the studio, confiscate cd's featuring artist sanctioned original music not bootlegs, disc drives, computers, cars, ultimately stripping the studio of everything with the exception of furniture

Based on the January 16, 2007 Fox Atlanta News edition, when one of the agents said "Usually, we find other crimes during these types of busts." Clearly the agents expected ( possibly wanted) to find drugs and/or illegal arms. K-9 dogs whose noses are trained to sniff and find drugs, were ultimately board with nothing to do.

So the question for me and the rest of the Portnoy-Simmons-Thwaites family is was a SWAT team needed? Was this solely about mixtapes? Would this have happened if this wasn't a Black run company? One of the claims is that Tyree (DJ Drama) was racketeering. Well, this alleged racketeer is a legitimate businessman who played and continues to play a pivotal role in the careers of numerous known and unknown hiphop artists, which by direct extension helps the recording industry immensely. Tyree ( DJ Drama) is also a partner, a father, a brother, and a son.

When I think about all of the scandals in corporate Ameri-KKK-a (Enron and WorldCom to name a minute few)…I don't ever recall hearing about any SWAT enforced raids. I don't recall any images of Ken Lay or other top executives of corporations being forced to lay face down on the ground surrounded by SWAT agents with guns to their heads and K-9 dogs sniffing them. For a detailed expose on the evils that corporations all around the world do and get away with legally and illegally, check out the powerfully gripping documentaries "Enron: The Smartest Guys In the Room," and "The Corporation."

As Tyree's (DJ Drama's) sister and as a radical Black feminist lesbian social activist, I am beyond outraged at how the RIAA handled/orchestrated the raid. If he or anyone in the Aphilliates camp didn't follow the directions of the agents, asked the 'wrong' questions,'or made the 'wrong' move during the raid, he and/or his cohorts could've been murdered in a twinkling of an eye. And for what? Selling mixtapes, which feature artist sanctioned original music?

The RIAA should be held accountable for their actions. They need to know that their violent response to addressing their accusations of racketeering was unacceptable.

There was (and is) no covert operation going on with the business of the Aphilliates; and yet the Aphilliates were treated as if they were public enemy number one.

I am explicitly clear that the music entertainment power structure has a very serious problem with people of Color making profits, on their terms, off a multi-billon dollar international industry that they created. Hip-Hop.

I am also clear that since the founding of Ameri-KKK-a, this type of state sanctioned racist and sexist treatment towards men and women of Color happens every single minute of every single day. Unfounded police raids are nothing new to countless communities of Color across this country.

So while we debate and discuss the legalities of mixtapes and the long term impact of what the January 16, 2007 raid of the Aphiliates studio will mean, we must not ever forget that innocent people were terrorized and incarcerated in the name of protecting the Recording Industry Association of America.

Aishah Shahidah Simmons is a Black feminist lesbian documentary filmmaker and social activist who recently completed the award-winning documentary NO!, which unveils the reality of rape, other forms of sexual violence, and healing in African-American communities.

www.NOtheRapeDocumentary.org
www.myspace.com/afrolez

The Myna Byrds

Rick James and Neil Young were once in the same group. What the hell?? While reading Rick James bios, I stumbled across this piece of information. Aparently, while on the run in Canada, Rick James formed the Myna Byrds with a number of other Candadian musicians who would later become members of groups such as Buffalo Springfield and Steppenwolf. The group went through a number of incarnations, including lineups featuring a young Neil Young. The group actually signed to Motown, becoming the first predominately white group to sign to the label. Songs were recorded, but an album was never released. Read more about the Myna Byrds here http://www.canadianbands.com/Mynah%20Byrds.html

King Holiday - The King Dream Chorus and Holiday Crew(1986)

Dr. King Tribute. Thank me later.

Do Da Heizman on dat ho (www.myspace.com/demheizmanboyz)

Thanks to my buddy Nichi for turning me on to this. I'm speachless. I think I can actually do this dance!! Check out their myspace too.

THE TRUE KING OF R & B...

TEDDY RILEY!!!!!!!!!

Guy, Wrecks n Effect, Bobby Brown, Keith Sweat, Black Street and the list goes on. Teddy Riley has produced and sang on numerous R & B hits over the last twenty years. I may be biased because I think the New Jack Swing era was the last great era in R & B and the genre has been mediocre since. Riley shaped and molded the sounds of numerous R & B heavyweights, but he never ever gets the respect he deserves. Although he lacked the writing capabilities of Babyface and the crossover appeal of Dallas Austin, Riley's music extremely more cutting edge and dynamic. Riley's sound was both gritty and smooth and appealed to both R & B and hip hop junkies. One could even say that his sound influenced Babyface's and Dallas Austin's early 90s sound as exibited in their work with Toni Braxton and TLC respectively. He was even the mentor for current superproducers Timbaland and Pharell Williams. I think he's produced the majority of my favorite R & B songs and albums. Don't Sleep! Check his bio at one of my favorite sites, New Jack Swing Forever http://www.njs4ever.com/riley.html

Peace

Grafh - Myspace Jumpoff

Graph's Myspace Jumpoff

NEW NIGNORANCE!!!

Graph's "Myspace Jumpoff" is pure nignorance at its best Pure comedy. Please listen. I'm sure many can relate to this unfortunately. "you can logon to my balls/like my draws got a dot com".

Graph's been on the mixtape seen for years. He is currently signed to and president of Black Hand Entertainment, which is owned by the notorious Chaz Williams. Williams, was immortalized in Ethan Brown's Queens Reigns Surpreme, which details the criminal underworld of Queens New York and its influence on the rap industry. He has very interesting and credible opinions on some of the hottest rappers today. Check his bio http://www.blackhandent.com/pages/history.html. Check Graph's myspace page http://www.myspace.com/GrafhBlackHand.

Peace

Neo Ned

http://www.neoned.com/

Neo Ned is a new independent film starring some dude named Jeremy Renner and Gabrielle Union (who I can't stand). Aparently, Renner plays a n-word spewing, neo-nazi, racist white due and Union plays the Black girl who falls in love with him. All of this takes place in a mental institution.

I'm going to reserve judgement because I have not seen the movie. I am anxious to see it because I want to find out how Renner can call Union nigger and still end up sleeping with her. Sounds like an amazing feat. Maybe I'll watch this and Monsters Ball back to back because Bill Bob Thorton and Jeremy Renner perform magic. I may also throw in Something New.

I have nothing against interracial relationships. People that know me can certainly attest to this. I am more concerned about how these relationships are portrayed in the media. I cannot think of a movie besides Guess Who's Coming to dinner where a relationship between a Black man and a white woman was explored with great detail. Save the Last Dance and "O" were teen movies. The "Othello" remake starring Larry Fishburne is a centuries old story and ended very negatively. I don't think this is a relationship that the media wants to explore.

Furthermore, there is a continuous rhetoric about the lack of available Blackmen, sisters turning to white men, Black men on the down low, so on and so forth. Media images have a large effect on people of all races and I am worried that images like this could possibly expand the apparent disconnection between Black men and Black women.

But maybe I'm funkin' over nuthin'.

Langston Collin Wilkins

T.O.

Rumor has it that Terrell Owens committed suicide. Unfortunately, this does not surprise me at all. T.O. has been asking for help for many years, but people did not recognize it. Many Black men are taught not to express themselves emotionally and are not comfortable asking for help. Therefore, when we do have mental issues, we committ acts that are indirect pleas for help. Because of most people's characterization of us, are pleas are never answered, not even recognized. The reasons behind our high crime and incarceration rates are not simply economical, social, and political; they are also mental. Hopefully T.O.'s situation will bring this issue some attention. I doubt it, though.

Peace,

Langston Collin Wilkins

10 Years Later...

When I realized that the 10th anniversary of Tupac’s death was approaching, the first thought I had was “Man I’m getting old.” I was twelve years old when then Mad Hatta came over the 97.9 the Box airwaves and said that Tupac had passed away. Although I was in the car with my mother at time, I immediately cried like I never cried before.

Those that know me know that I am a huge hip hop head. Tupac’s death wasn’t simply a hip hop matter however. It was bigger than that. Up until his death, I read as much as I could about Tupac and I felt a real connection with him. He expressed all of the pain that I kept hidden as a child. The inability to trust, the desire to fit in, and the mental loneliness were all emotions that I shared with ‘Pac. He was my voice. When he died, I felt like he was defeated and I wondered if I could actually overcome my own issues.

Tupac spoke for many young Black males. I focus on young black males because, in his own words, they were the group he wanted to help the most. The young Black male of the inner city is one of the most forgotten groups in America. Tupac took it upon himself to be their voice. Through his music, he articulated the ills of inner city life unlike any artist or leader before. Tupac was the young Black males’ representative in a world where their existence was only marginally acknowledged.

Unfortunately, Tupac felt victim to the same problems that he tried to help alleviate. His need for a father figure, his desire to fit in, and his untrusting nature brought about his downfall. He went from being a hero to a statistic.

This is a memorial piece, but more so a call to action. Tupac’s death should not be in vain. His life represents what could be beautiful and ugly about the young black male’s experience in America. Tupac’s words so eloquently exposed the mental and social illness of the young black male and his death showed the world what the result of this illness can be. We know that these issues still exist very prevalently in our community. Instead of mourning Tupac’s death, honor his life by taking up the cause he cared so much about. Reach out to those who need it the most. As college students and professionals, I know we have little free time, but I ask that you volunteer some of it to our children. Donate more than your money, donate yourself. These kids are asking for our help not vocally, but through their actions. If you sincerely reach out your hand, you will truly make a difference. Don’t let Tupac’s death be meaningless, further his legacy by taking an ACTIVE role in your community.

R.I.P. Tupac

Star Jones

Now, I seriously do not like this woman. Most people that know me know that my shit list goes like this: 1. Oprah 2. Star Jones 3. Tyler Perry and then a few honorable mentions like Dr. Cos.

A couple of days ago, Star announced that she was leaving the View effective immediately. Read about it here: http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/06/27/tv.theview.reynolds.ap/index.html

It would seem as though something like this would make me happy, but I feel she got a raw deal. I also commend her for calling ABC out on national television. FU to Barbara Walters saying that Star "betrayed" her? How? She knew that Star was not coming back and basically lied to the viewing audience for a number of months. I think Star took the high road by keep that secret all that time.

Rosie O'Donnell sucks and she is gonna suck on the View. They already have Joy Behar, why hire an uglier version.

Anyways, as soon as Star gets back on her feet, I'll start hating her again. Peace.

Bullshit Article I Wrote Just to Post Something

I often here people complain about the current state of hip hop. People say it’s too violent, too misogynistic, and too negative. I do not disagree that hip hop is negative. Much of hip hop’s subject matter is negative. I disagree, however, with the contention that the subject matter is getting worse. In my opinion, I think hip hop music has cleaned up its act drastically over that last ten years.
I recently heard someone mention, when discuss the “sad” state of the music, that hip hop should return to the days of Slick Rick, Public Enemy, and Boogie Down Productions, the days that the overwhelming amount of today’s hip hop listeners feel were void of violence and misogyny. If people really paid attention the music of that era, they would here large amounts of violence, sexism, and misogyny. Slick Rick’s 1988 album “The Great Adventures Of…” opens with a song entitled “Treat Her Like a Prostitute” in which MC Ricky D advises men to treat their significant others like hookers until they were secure in the woman’s fidelity. Public Enemy’s “She Watch Channel Zero” characterizes women as mindless animals who do nothing but sit around and watch soap operas all day. Boogie Down Production’s first album “Criminal Minded” was littered with black on black angst and violence in songs such as “The P(ussy) is Free”, “Super Hoe”, and “9MM Goes Bang”

The early 90s was both the highest and the lowest point in terms of subject matter for hip hop. While the music addressed issues such as police brutality, racism, and AIDS, it also was the dominated by misogyny and violence. N.W.A was the poster child of this era. While their first album, “Straight Outta Compton” put a melody to the turmoil in the inner city, Niggaz4Life (their second album) was one of the most sinful recordings every created on a mainstream label. It included songs such as “To Kill A Hooker”, “Find’em F*ck’em & Flee”, “One Less B*tch”, and “I’d Rather F*ck You”. NWA not only features gang culture violence and misogyny, but they venture into the world of sexual violence. Along with N.W.A., other artists such as Too $hort, 2 Live Crew, Geto Boys, Spice 1, and Kool G. Rap help make the era in rap, the most “negative” in my opinion. Even a quote on quote “positive” rapper of this era such as Q-Tip of one of my favorite groups, A Tribe Called Quest, makes a contribution to misogyny in “Electric Relaxation”.

The late 1990s began the boom in exposure for hip hop and with it came a calculated move by labels and artists to clean up their music in order to make in accessible to wider audiences. The violence lessened, the misogyny lessened, and the music was sanitized. Pop rappers such as Ma$e, P. Diddy, and Jay-Z began dominating their charts as they mixed the lifestyles of the poor and the wealthy into a brand of music that was well received in both the hoods and the suburbs. This era continues to thrive.

If one compares the hip hop of today with that of yesterday, they would see how much cleaner the music has gotten. While I contend that the music itself is less negative, I do admit the visuals are drastically more negative. They are more negative and have more widespread. Fifteen years ago, there were very few hip hop videos being made and broadcast. Today, hip hop is in regular rotations on channels such as B.E.T. Hip hop videos are primarily used to promote a record. Sex sells and music videos are the tool in which to sell the sex. Artists such as Nelly, 50 Cent, and Ying Yang Twins are businessmen who employ sexual images to raise their profit margin. Today’s problem is not the music itself, but the images that accompany the music.

Whenever someone requests the return of “old school” rap, I hope they check out the artists I have mentioned and really listen to what is being said. If they do so, I guarantee their feelings about today’s hip hop will become more positive.

Zack De La Rocha

Man, what the hell happened to Zack De La Rocha. I was listening to some old Rage Against the Machine the other day and man, dude had lyrics. The man never held his tongue. I always respected his skills on the mic. I know he was supposed to drop a solo produced by El-p and DJ Shadow a while back, but that never occurred. Go to http://www.zdlr.net/ and check out his fansite. Payce

OMG

snippet coming soon

itunes premiere: 9/20

from the upcoming cd:Additional information just posted on the front page of CHAMBERMUSIK.COM:Dreddy Kruger Presents... Think Differently Music: Wu-Tang Meets The Indie CultureFeaturing guest appearances by Wu-Tang members and the underground elite, including: GZA, RZA, U-God, MF Doom, Aesop Rock, Ras Kass, Tragedy Khadafi, Littles, Cannibal Ox, Del the Funky Homosapien, Jim Jarsmusch, C. Rayz Walz, J-Live, R.A. the Rugged Man, Casual, Prodigal Sunn, Sean Price, Byata, Khalid, Planet Asia, Solomon Childs, CCF Division, La the Darkman, Timbo King, Rock Marciano, Scaramanga Shallah and many more. Producers: RZA, Bronze Nazareth, Allah Mathematics, Preservation, DJ Noize. In stores October 18th!

OMG, DAMN!