• » Name: Shake
• » Age: 24
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• » N.E.R.D. Nose Everyone
• » Lil Wayne = Swagger Jacker?
• » The Music Manifesto
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The DEFinition of Design

N.E.R.D. Nose Everyone

Damn you know something is up, when Shake can drop two blog posts before anyone else (aside the DX blog). What up ya'll? I know Meka had some net issues but he'll be back. He just dropped a rare gem from Fermented Spirits featuring the homies Donwill and Von Pea (of Tanya Morgan) over at the side-gig.

Now I'm sure you've all heard the first joint to leak off the upcoming N.E.R.D. album right? Everyone Nose. What are ya'll thoughts? I personally dig the fuck out of it. It's a smart and fun record imo. I'm anticipating the new album but I just hope they don't ruin the run they've had with their previous releases. "In Search Of..." is my shit, that's right!

So onto the "news". The new album now has a June release date (thanks for the info Tunji!) and will no longer have the title "N.3.R.D" which was cool, it worked .. whatever. The new title is the bizness though ... "Seeing Sounds". That my friends is a pretty fresh title. I can dig it.

And if you haven't heard the N.E.R.D. joint I was talking about, DL it below.

N.E.R.D. - Everyone Nose

See ya'll next post...

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Lil Wayne = Swagger Jacker?

It’s been a long time right? Regardless, Shake is back with a quick blog that is sure to do insane numbers and get the Lil Wayne stans/haters all riled up. Perfect. Let’s start.

So I’m combing through the internets on this lazy Sunday Monday and I come across this video that showcases the lines that Lil Weasel has borrowed/stole/pay homage/swagger jack/etc (whatever you wanna use there, go for it).

 

 

Interesting right? Some might remember the audio clip that hit the net a good two years ago that featured the same type of thing, but with Jay-Z instead. Everyone wants to call Jay-Z a biter because of it. I also remember those same people got served through an editorial by J-23 on this same site [The Vindication of Jay-Z].

Not much else to say, rather leave it up to the comment heads to discuss, rant, figure ways to make me out to be a racist, etc…

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The Music Manifesto

So after finishing a few projects, my dude sends me this video [via RTNC]. It features a masked character reading Jack Davey's (1/2 of the incredible J*Davey) Manifesto to the Music industry (typed version after the jump). An open letter to the head honchos and little lemmings (and all between) for supporting the shitty artists that are standing over the true talent. Calling out the "big wigs" and saying their creative minds are as empty as the music that they are shoving down our throats. Stating their opinions on the internet and how it's killing the industry, when it is IN FACT giving us a chance to hear something artistic and different...

"lights out !" : an open letter to the record industry & the idiots who work for the fascist regime .
read this out loud !

this is intended for all of you lowly puppets who sit in your big offices in big buildings that will soon be out of business & thus, forced to hold vacant memories of an industry that once was . this is for all of the big wigs in suits & ties who sit at the head of the conference room table with creative opinions as empty as the "music" they force down the throats of the now bored & uninspired creative consumers . this is for all the idle assistants who only work hard enough to get their names on the grammy party lists, or whose only existence remains obsolete if he/she can't get into the hot new band's hollywood show debut . this is for the borderline retarded a&r guy who should in fact abandon his dreams of changing the failing record industry to become a highly paid talent scout at a modeling agency . this is definitely for all the marketing low lives who fail to avidly push great talent because the world's fave reality slut randomly decided one day while botoxing her armpits that she wants to be a rockstar .

yes .
this open letter is for all of you .
come feast your eyes upon the truth behind your insolence for 5 minutes , if you even have your job for that much longer.

your blatant lack of respect & worship for the oldest & dearest artform has brought a once thriving & artistic industry to a grinding halt . your willingness to believe that the world wide web has killed the consumers' thirst for new & exciting talent is wildly ignorant & safe . you would like to feed into this stupidity because you are too lazy to stand behind substance ; you'd rather take the low & easy road than take the time to nurture true talent . you'd rather tirelessly feed us the same carbon copied , lip synching , sex dripping , faux punk "i got my entire outfit from hot topic" rocker , buffoonishly ghetto "are they even speaking english?" hip hop , "same old same" sound from song to song type image & force us to believe that this is all the world's artists have to offer . you'd rather watch your company stocks & yearly record sales severely plummet than take strong initiative to fix the current problem . you'd rather see hundreds of employees laid off & out of work during the holidays because you're too afraid to stand up for something new & different . you're content with creating a 1-hit wonder society , where any idiot with anything shockingly catchy can enjoy a sorry 15 minutes of fame & a future segment on vh1's "biggest 1-hit wonders of 08" extravaganza .

where is the new generation of legends ?

beyonce & alicia keys are old shoe ins . r kelly , sure , but his personal dramas easily overshadow his genius . radiohead & outkast comes to mind , & then i draw a big blank .

the latest thrill in music has been an over abundance of great dancers with mediocre voices , albums , singles , concert ticket sales , etc . thank god the internet allows every joe blow in the universe a free forum to overexpose every little thing , especially mediocre celebrities . thank god for online music forums , such as myspace . artists are able to directly connect with the people & expose themselves & their art to everyone everywhere at the click of a button . myspace proves that music can no longer fit into a box . long gone are the days of urban vs pop vs alternative radio . gwen stefani had hit songs for years on the pop & alt charts , but she records a song written by pharrell & she's instantly on top of the urban charts as well . this new r&b dance pop music crosses over to white kids & that kelly clarkson "since you've been gone" song was smeared across the lips of many a young black girl last year . m i a is all over the indie alternative stations , & lets not even get started on gnarls barkeley .

all signs point to the obvious : true music consumers right now are a ) young , & b) smart . young kids are able to point & click their way to every new trend . they arguably have short attention spans & they want to be in on what's cool & personable to them . when madonna emerged in the '80s you had tons of girls around the world imitating her every move & style down to the mole . kurt cobain turned grunge commercial when he was exposed to millions of kids who felt like society's outsiders looking in . hip-hop has been a huge influence on mainstream culture since the early '80s because of it's relativity . kids have not changed . young people are not mindless robots who like what you tell them to like with no opinions . the youth are always looking to be enthralled .

they want to be entertained . they want to feel as though they are a part of something that will be written about , studied , & revered 20 years later . they , like all of us old & young alike , want to be inspired . when i was a kid i saw prince prance around on stage & dazzle people with his art & i felt inspired to do the same thing . why are you music industry idiots attempting to tell us that we don't want to be touched ? why are you trying to rob us of new musical experiences ? will there ever be another motown 25 / michael jackson moonwalk experience ? will we never again hear a single like queen's "bohemian rhapsody" on the radio because the hook isn't catchy enough ? will we never see another band like the talking heads & joy division or parliament ? will there never be another artist to rival frank zappa ? will we be forced to hear different versions of the same dumb song on every single radio station every 5 minutes simply because the record label had enough money to pay off the station manager ? are we still supposed to care about mtv when there are hardly any videos in rotation ? do i even need to mention b e t or v h 1 ? are any of the classic record industry outlets working these days ? as of late it seems that artists are independently breaking ground with their own efforts . songs are being licensed for national commercials from artists' myspace pages & personal websites . ellen degeneres has been known to book musical guests from videos seen on youtube , & as i aforementioned , gnarls barkeley not only created a new genre , but they also won grammy awards for an album that was recorded in home studios & released through an indie label .

why should artists even seek major label deals ? they are completely outdated & obsolete . artists are sold the dream that talent can secure superstardom , but it becomes evident that labels only sign bands nowdays because of the band's existing fanbase & record sales , or because they dig the artist's look & want to cash in . they don't want to develop the art . they don't want the artist to express his/herself entirely . they just want the artist to comply with what will get the company a big monetary return . they sign you for millions , pimp you for pennies , then drop you a year later when the music they made you record & release is no longer relevant . you're left on the streets unsigned & irrelevant & ready to infect the world with the music you've always wanted to make , but no one will take a chance on you due to your previous material . meanwhile , the label has already put white out over your signature on the slave deal & replaced it with a younger version of you . cold game , ain't it ?

the age old model is failing . as an industry based on faithful consumers you have lost your connection with the people who matter most : the PEOPLE . you have yet to show them that you are with the changing times & able to adapt to something new . you are proving that you are too afraid to promote good music . you would rather let the monotonous drone of what is today's music remain unbalanced by substance . you would rather watch more legendary artists abandon you for direct deals with itunes & touring companies . you would rather allow the internet to defeat what should be your life's work . maybe you should excuse yourself from the next a&r meeting to go take a look in the bathroom mirror . stand there & ask yourself why you took this job , & when you realize it's simply because you wanted to be cool & "in the mix" then return to the conference room , take that gun out of your pocket , & shoot yourself in the head in front of your coworkers so that you are made an example of . if you can in fact leave that conference room & look in the bathroom mirror with pride & hunger to break the monotony then head back into that conference room , jump on top of the table & read this manifesto .

this is a challenge .
we're calling your bluff .
record labels are nothing but banks that give artists hi price loans in exchange for artistic control . put your money where your cocks are . go out on a limb & support real music for a change . find the line where the internet & the real world meet & infect more people with something magical . start building more legends . it's almost too late . interscope is dead . def jam is next . motown who ? mca what ? warner , you're not too far behind . the war sirens are ringing & you're content with playing deaf & dumb .
we're calling your bluff !
we're here to reprogram how you & the rest of the world listen to music .
we can do this together , or you can stick to your own devices & peril in the process .
we are the people . we are the future . we are the present .
who are you ?

*******************************************************************

copy this , paste this , & repost it wherever you see fit . email it to those who you believe can benefit from somethin like this . this is from the heart in jerry maguire "who's comin with me?" fashion . lets open our eyes , our ears , & our hearts . lets stop standin for the bullshit & start demandin these idiots to take charge & make change . substance has the right to be heard . support real shit & start takin it to the streets !

c'mon people .
it's 2008 . diddy killed music in 94 . it's time for some better shit .

pass it on . . .

Jack posted this open letter awhile back (via her blog) and it seems the video is someone (possibly her, who knows) reading it. As I know some people aren't obliged to READ that much, the video version is a perfect way to get the message out and continue to the spreading of true words. Let's stop standing for the bullshit and start demanding these labels to support REAL music. I'm not going to say Hip Hop is dead, or any of that bullshit. But the music industry is hurt. Take heed to what is said let's do something about it...

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Meka, Shake & Lexx Do QN5 Megashow

A little name dropping never hurt anyone haha … and I wasn’t lying … Meka/Shake/Lexx really did hang out … I must admit it was a while ago, but since I’m either lazy or too busy the blog post didn’t make it until now.

The night before the San Bernardino (see: Devore) Rock the Bells we ventured to The Roxy in LA for the QN5 Megashow. If you have no idea who QN5 is … get familiar © Clinton Sparks. The entire roster was at the event … Session, Substantial, Mr. SOS, PackFM, Domingo (host), DJ JS-1, Tonedeff … yea! So let’s get into this … a little picture fun for the masses.
Why not start it off with a shot of Shake and Meka (face hidden upon request hahaha)



And moving on to myself and my lovely lady (some might know her as “Lexx” here)


(looks like she REALLY wants my glow stick .. am I right?)

Now after those shots … we must of forgot we had a camera as I’m looking through the camera I don’t see any pics of the first few sets haha … DJ Drama … err … Session rocked his set … followed by a Mr. SOS solo … Substantial got on and did his thang … new album dropping soon, single is dope …

Now PackFM gets on stage and the hypeness (hype + ness) instantly grew. The man jumped off the stage and just rocked in the middle of the crowd …




Poison Pen (the Bedstuy Best Buy) brought his hippo-sized self in the mix as well and almost started a riot … this is hip hop … ROCKIN a crowd for the love of music, not just standing in one spot reciting your shit … fuck that!



iCon the Mic King couldn’t make the trip to LA so for his collab with PackFM they performed it via webcam …



Not familiar with PackFM check out Click Clack Spray … a must have for any graf artist.

The man of the night (atleast for me) … pause, tonedeff (no spaces) was up next … Meka hadn’t heard much (if any) of this man’s music and judging by his response he was blown away (I’m still sending those albums man!) And anyone that is in the same boat as him ... take a listen to this Champion Freestyle and try and say the man can’t flow … dude is a monster.




Pulling some random chick on stage to perform Pervert was just great stuff. Rapping directly to the va-jay-jay >>> ______



I had never seen tonedeff live and I was blown away by how much energy and charisma the dude has on stage. The fact that he can rhyme the same way he does on albums is ridiculous. Going through some fan favorites he had the crowd by the throat for sure. Extended F@mm joined him on stage … instead of me explaining who is in the group … I’ll allow the big homie Squiggy to tell you. Get em Squiggy!

Extended F@mm as a whole all did their thing … do yourself and take listen to Velocity… the title says it all … Jeeeebus.

Now before E F@mm left the stage tone felt the need to attempt a crowd surf. It failed miserably (both times) as the weak fans couldn’t hold him up.



Tone then went on to go through some deeper songs, Porcelain being another of my favorites.

Now as a segue for the headlining Cunninlynguists … the lights dimmed and tone performed The Gates … a song about a racist firefighter that dies in a fire … then proceeds to speak with God trying to speak his case and how he saved EVERY one only to be questioned about his motives.



tone is rejected into heaven and is cursed to hell … which leads to the following song off Cunninlynguists album A Piece of Strage. The same song they start their set with … Hellfire!


(KNO … this man is a fuckin GENIUS on the boards … hear the Jay-Z - White Albulum? This is him)

Deacon the Villain ...



Trick Daddy ... err ... Natti



Again .. another rapper in the crowd (it HAS to be some sort of inner circle rule with them)



Mr. SOS comes out to join his old group to perform some joints off Southernunderground. Namely the heart wrenching Rain. Tonedeff joined them again on stage for another track called Love Ain't



Now for the highlight of the night … Pack had told me there was a special guest but wouldn’t reveal it … so as the night was almost over I was getting antsy … the beat for Seasons came on and damn … me and Meka lost it … a legend came out on stage. Who? Mr. Sittin on Chrome himself, Masta Ace!



He performed Born to Roll and it was something else.



Ok … so this is a LOOONG blog post and hopefully some enjoyed it. And I also hope the people who aren’t familiar with QN5 atleast have a good idea of who they are and want to continue their learning. I only uploaded 64k bitrate versions of the songs out of respect for PackFM and the rest … if you want the full quality joints … buy em! Support REAL hip hop!

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For the HIP HOP Heads pt.2

Hey ladies and gents, the racist wigger is back! ... or something? What’s he gonna talk about? Is it gonna be some bullshit on white bitches that go to jail while hilarious ones make fun of them? Nope. It’s time for the second installment of “For the HIP HOP Heads”.

I know I promised I’d try and keep this going weekly (shout out to BRILL holding down the west!) but HipHopDX is growing people! And when DX grows, Shake gets more work. I’m trying my best to keep my sides of the ship running strong. And honestly I think I am, yep … I’m feeling myself right now.

Part one brought the likes of Royce, Joell Ortiz and Crooked I to light. Before getting into more artists I want to add more shit about Crooked I.

Since the first installment Crook has STILL been killin freestyles EVERY single Wednesday for this Hip Hop Weekly series. Today marks week 12. Three months without a single drop in quality. He’s ran through beats from some of the best: Timbaland (Fab’s Make Me Better), Just Blaze (Juelz’ 2nd Coming), Premier (Gangstarr’s You Know My Steez) and so forth. The man has showed enough versatility to prove he deserves shine. And while I’m typing this I’m reminded that Just Blaze himself just admitted he’d been sleepin on Crook, until now … he heard a joint and really enjoyed it!

Oh yes, and for the people who check the blogs on a regular basis would have noticed Crook has his own running as well. So far the two he has done have caused crazy amounts of shit (word to Meka). Part 2 of his top 10 is coming soon, be on the look out!

Up next is a B-More born and raised emcee, Salim. Opening up for the likes of Slick Rick, Method Man and Black Sheep (all within this year), Salim and his live band (The Music Lovers) have stunned crowds who were expecting below average opening acts. I have yet to see them live, but youtube is a lovely tool. Being the HUGE fan of The Roots that I am, it’s nice to see (and hear) more groups doing the live instrumentation (and doing it right).

I came across Salim’s album, Hip Hop Revisited ONLY because I liked the cover. I’m a sucker for artwork. Makes sense, as I design myself…go figure. But I’m glad I did, music like this takes me to a different level that’s nice to visit from time to time.

Moving across the country we end up in Seattle. With a group (again, I came across based off artwork) called Dyme Def. Think classic Hip Hop with a mixture of new school swagger. And swagger is EXACTLY what these dudes spew in the booth [pause]. Their album, Space Music is entirely produced by Bean One, allowing the trio of emcees to blend the best of the old and new.

The sound is reminiscent of Outkast and The Clipse as much as The Treacherous Three. I can keep going on about how dope this music is, but check out the MySpace and make a decision based off your own thoughts. I do however suggest you check out Fresh2Def (whether through their MySpace or this little download link.)

The last installment didn’t garnish a huge audience as the blog section was just starting to pop off on DX. Hopefully the new found group it’s pulled will lead to more people checking out these artists. Stay tuned.

7 Comments             

For the HIP HOP Heads pt.1

Introduction:
Hi, my name is Joel Zela and I listen to REAL hip hop.

*readers - Hi Joel.

Yes. Let’s jump right into this. Hip Hop is NOT dead. Sorry Nas (and all you bangwagon fucktards who think Nas is the only person to ever say this. And sorry for all those same fucktards who actually BELIEVE that it is. When did it die? Does it have a time of death? Yes? No? Who killed it? Was it a secret service agent on the inside that did the dirt (The Sentinal anyone)? Ha … sorry, went off in a rant. Let’s REALLY jump right into this.

Body:
First and foremost I’d like to offer my respect to those that lost a loved one during the Virginia Tech tragedy. And I’m not alone when I say that I’m truly sorry and I hope things pull through for each and every one of you. Shout out to Jin and Lil Flip (yes, the lucky charmed clover gang representative, Lil Flip) for paying homage to those that passed.

“If hip-hop is dead, I want to come across as the Spanish nigga, who shows that hip hop is nice.” – Joell Ortiz.
And believe me (while some don’t, blah blah) that this dude show that hip hop is indeed … nice. If you haven’t already I suggest you get your ears on The Brick: The Bodega Chronicles. Joell has talent and is definitely someone to take notice of. For more about the album check the review [/selfless plug].

Oh yeah, and the video for Hip Hop is sweet too.

Who else is droppin heat? Oh yeah . Royce Da fuckin 5’9! The Bar Exam (latest mixtape with Statik Selektah and DJ Premier) is just bonkaaairs (what up Serch!) Dude rhymes his ASS OFF. People need to respect the D.  Royce gets on the mic and just tears these tracks to pieces. From classics like Nas ‘Nas is Like’ and Jay-Z’s ‘A Million’ and ‘Feelin It’. He even shows these newcomers how to actually RAP over a beat; MIMS ‘This is Why I’m Hot’ (yea you didn’t “sell a mil, sayin nothing on the track.” Sorry MIMS. Well … not really.)

Royce Da 5’9 – Boom (prod. by DJ Premier) 
Now onto the cliché ending (the last, but not least). The BOSS himself, Crooked I. If you haven’t kept yourself glued to the DX Audio Section (aka the dummies out there), then you might have missed the first four weeks of Crooked I’s Hip Hop Weekly (every week Crook puts out a new blazing freestyle). Luckily the good people over at the WestcoastDynasty.com messageboard are keeping people in the loop.
Don’t worry though, you’re good ol’ buddy Shake will provide the DL links for each.

Week 1 - Straight to the Bank – April 4, 2007
Week 2 - I’m Throwed (DMX – April 11, 2007
Week3 – Vibe Wit a Boss / Take You There – April 18, 2007
Week4 – 2nd Coming / Tuck Ya Ice (Double Up) – April 25, 2007

And we might as well end this with a video of a live freestyle from the westcoast emcee. Shout out to Sway and the Wake Up Show.

Conclusion: So, ladies and gentlemen I hope you enjoyed the first installment of “For the HIP HOP Heads.” Stay tuned bitches!

4 Comments             

Common and Russell Simmons Defend Hip Hop

I promise this will be my LAST blog post on Don Imus (maybe).

So it looks like the hip hop community had its chance to speak out about the situation and in a sense defend hip hop as we all KNEW it would be blamed for such ignorant comments.

The other day on Oprah (yea I watched Oprah, fuck off haha) Russell Simmons, Kevin Liles and Common were guests. As much as I enjoyed their views, I would’ve liked Oprah to grow some balls and ask some rappers who are actually speaking about degrading woman and such. Can I get a Luda? Or a Snoop?

But … the guests we’re chosen and the hip hop community had its chance to speak….


For a written “transcript” of some sorts of the show, check out the news piece.
Don Imus: The Hip Hop Community Responds

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