April 28, 2008 | Tags: none

I wrote this whole entry a few days ago before the verdict came in on the NYPD officers that murdered Sean Bell. For those of you that don’t know, three of the detectives involved in the 50 shot slaying of the groom to be on November 25th, 2006 were acquitted on all charges. This kind of messed up my mood this morning and has me feeling like we need another “March on…” something CD or some riot music maybe. I’m still going to send what I wrote but keep in mind I feel like ranting about police brutality and the fact that we can lock people up for abusing dogs and evading taxes but you can kill an unarmed man and walk away with being demoted to a desk job. At least I touched on that on my last disc, check out “Murder Me” featuring A-Alikes, Immortal Technique and Steele if you haven’t already or if you’re in a “f--k the police” mood. Oh well, I guess I still owe y'all some explanation to some of the March songs anyway.

Here’s a bright side though, if you pick up the latest issue of Essence magazine with Laila Ali on the cover you may see one of your favorite rappers in there talking about relationships and crap like that. I guess when you drop a CD entitled Love Jones folks think you're an expert. Let's move on...with April almost done I decided to ride out this March on Washington CD until the wheels fell off. I think I pushed myself to a place I didn't know I could go. I listened to “Back of the Bus” the other day and I remembered I really wrote that song on the bus. I wasn't in the back but I was in the middle and I don't remember what sparked it but I wrote it without a beat and I just started thinking about being on the bus during the civil rights movement in the 60s. I was wondering if I would’ve had enough heart to get arrested for breaking an unjust law. We'll never know but I did end up being enlightened in that song and acknowledging my growth by the time I got off the bus. I went from not giving a damn about Rosa Parks on the song to watching the movie "Boycott" and seeing how foolish I sounded. I still don't know if I'm voting but I got a lot of folks talking since hearing "My Life" and "Say Something".

“My Life” touches on the North American Union and Obama's chances of winning and surviving. People ask me for more info about some of things I spoke on and I tell them to research it. I just throw the words out there and let others take their stance on it. I owe some of my supporters of the Say Something project that I started last year. I will still put that CD out but first before I put others on I had to establish myself as an artist who says something. On that record, which has about 60 more bars that didn't make it; I talk about radio not allowing a balance with messages we hear, the unfair judicial system, the fact that rap artists are afraid to be themselves and most importantly the school system.

I went to Mahalia Jackson junior high school in Brooklyn a few weeks ago to speak to kids for career day and it was a surreal experience. I went from class to class giving them my story, telling them I went to college, trying to get them to figure out percentages of recording budgets and giving them insight on being an artist on and off of a major label. Mostly they wanted to know if I knew Chris Brown, if I would rap for them and if you had to be hard to be a rapper. With all that said I enjoyed being able to speak to the 7th and 8th graders but I just wish I was more popular so that my words might’ve stuck. I foreshadowed this whole trip on "To Whom It May Concern" from the March on Washington CD. In my 1st verse I read a letter from a kid at a school I visited that was affected by my words. I actually got one of those messages on myspace and it let me know I'm moving in the right direction. I tried to cover so much on this CD that I had to do a verse about what I couldn't cover. I assumed the role of a critic and confronted myself on the 3rd verse of that same record "You got these online bloggers/hit me wit a message that my music was nonsense/He said Sha u pretend that u conscious/then you make songs about killing’ and being heartless/Then you try to spit for the chicks/now you wanna drop every month like a bitch/how about talking bout real life shit? /March on Washington? You better touch topics nigga talk about the unfair healthcare that we get/speak about the poor getting poorer to help the rich/police brutality, the foster care system/the civil rights movement, the overcrowded prisons"

So what I quoted myself, you get the idea. I know it’s hard to please all listeners and that gave me the idea to explore the politics of rap when I made "Oh Yeah" produced by Astronote from France. I sit around and listen to people telling me what I need to do all the time. Its kind of funny to hear folks say I need to get into beef or I need one hot single or one crazy beat or to slow my flow down but still spit crazy then make something for the clubs but don't make it sound like its for the clubs....I would go crazy if I really tried to please the world. I know there's plenty of artists that go through the issue of trying to breakthrough to radio or mainstream and are misguided. I however am done trying to do anything so all I do is make music about what I see and hear. I keep thinking about those kids and wishing I could’ve made a better impression than just rapping and promoting myself or sounding like some old head rap has been that's trying to deter them from chasing their dream. Luckily MTV2's sucka freestyle gave me some validity. The reality is that a bunch of them wanted to become artists or producers but had no clue about what it takes or what they need to know.

I honestly feel like stopping this CD run after this month. Maybe because I have so many ideas, I don't know what's next or probably because business wise I have to make some major decisions real soon about a label to call home or whether I'm just gonna ride these CD releases into retirement. All of the mixed emotions keep me writing so I will continue. For hard copies, my supporters can go to myspace.com/shastimuli. Check out my new page, leave a comment, buy some music, download some music, bootleg it, whatever. April 29th The Secret is supposed to drop hopefully. Stay tuned for The Séance, The Present, something dedicated to Stevie; an EP and maybe a 21 Questions joint oh I think imma do part 2 to the Love Jones called The Breakup. I'm just having fun with this shit. Sue me

-The Present
WWW.MYSPACE.COM/SHASTIMULI

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

The Clipse, The Wire, Black Presidents and ... Sha Stimuli!

April 04, 2008 | Tags: Hip Hop, rap, sha stimuli, the clipse, the juice crew, wrap up

So this monthly CD thing I'm doing is getting more and more interesting. I was out in Atlanta for the A3C festival, well I was really just in ATL and happened to have a VIP pass so I went to the festival. The correlation between those 2 sentences is I was out there and my artwork wasn't finished yet so I was kind of worried I wouldn't have the “March on Washington" out before March ended. But it all worked out, thanks Precise and Victorious, wait let me rewind a little bit.

I had a show in New York on March 18th at SOBs for the Hot 97FM who's next showcase hosted by Peter Rosenberg with Masta Ace, Wordsworth, Consequence and Teyana Taylor too. For those that don't know I got in this game thru Masta Ace waaaaay back in the days on his Slaughtahouse album with my brother Lord Digga. I was the little kid voice on “Ain't U da Masta” and “Crazy Drunken Style” and so what you don't care but it meant something to me. So yea I rapped at SOBs and stuff and people kinda dug it. Some songs went over gooder than others…yea gooder. Block McCloud joined me for the “My Life” song and we killed that one. A bunch of folks came up to me and said I was hot and they enjoyed the show and they could’ve been lying but that's a good lie. Like if someone plays u a song and asks u if it’s hot and u say "yea" but in a high pitched voice that's a good lie. And it might even be true 'cause some songs are hot, just not to anyone that knows music. Where was I again? Oh yea Hot 97 showcase, good turnout, program director liked me, radio rotation on the way, or another good lie maybe.

So yea fast forward to ATL and I'm at the Loft watching the Juice Crew. Shout to Don DiNapoli for getting me in and I finally got to meet Shake aka Joel Zela from this little website hiphopdx.com. They're pretty cool, they play my stuff and let me blab on my blog and what's even bigger than that, they gave me a free t-shirt. HipHopDXx rules. So I got to see the Juice Crew, Craig G, another dude I used to be around when I was a kid, Roxanne Shanté, who apparently still has battle rhymes dissing Queen Latifah (I think we know who won that war), MC Shan who still looks like 1987 (that's neither good nor bad) and Biz Markie who taught me the most valuable stage show lesson: if u forget your words just say blah blah blah, ask the crowd to help and say "I wrote this 15 years ago". So next time I have a show and I forget a word I'm gonna try that. And if someone hates on me or says I'm unprofessional I'll say "I wrote that 15 years ago man."

The next night The Clipse performed and I'm a fan so I went to check em out. Before they got on I went to J Hatch's beat battle in the other room and my dude called me to the stage to do my joint "Look at U" acapella. I was surprised and excited that people knew me and felt me enough to let me get away with that. Thanks Hatch! Then I asked my dude Torae for his backstage pass to holla at The Clipse because he was one of the performers out there(Torae's hollywood now), he said “naaah man I don't want u to bug the artists that are here to get on. Do you know The Clipse?” I said "Well I heard Pusha likes my music." Torae said "word?" but like a sarcastic “word?” Then a few minutes later The Clipse are on stage and Pusha T sees me in the front and sorta like pauses the show to shout me out and give me a pound. He said something like "Stimuli in the building, u be spittin' that shit my nigga" or something like that. It wasn't as big as when Janet Jackson said "excuse me" to me in a crowded room at a club when I stepped on her foot but it was close. I'm going backwards.

Did I ever mention The Wire finale show? Damn I miss that show, best show ever. I could write a whole thesis paper on that shit but yea I'm drifting.

So umm “March on Washington” is available on the net [click to listen...], hopefully some of y’all downloaded it and checked it out. If you're wondering why I did it I'm not sure if it was when I did “The N Word song” that sparked it or all this talk about thee election this year. It may have been the fact I feel like I have a responsibility to talk about what's going on in the world. No I remember now, this started way back when I had an argument about voting and I was adamant about saying I didn't know if my vote counted, how it factored in what goes on in the world and if one elected official makes a difference in this nation or my life. At that time I couldn't conceive a Black president in my lifetime and I have to say it has switched my position slightly. I still believe my vote has little to do with what happens with our government because I don't know much about popular votes in relation to the Electoral College. And our government doesn't have much to do with how I govern my life. Maybe because I don't pay taxes and crap, but that's neither here nor there. I have taken somewhat of an interest in the policies of the candidates and what relates to me and those around me.

The idea of a Black president represents a lot of change and shit too. I thought seeing one on the show “24” was the closest we would get. Anyway what kind of emcee would I be if I didn't touch on some things going on in our country? Long story short, I did this "March on Washington" CD not as some preachy, militant, beat you in the head music. But for those of you that don't know me I love provoking thought, and that’s what this disc is all about. It’s a little late since we’re already in April but I got another one coming. I may sound contradictory on a record because I'm representing my own ignorance and enlightenment within 3 verses. If you can't follow that listen to “The N Word song” and you can hear me dis Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement in one verse. I criticize White Americans for using the word and defend them at the same time and in the 3rd verse I actually stickup for the word myself and ask Jay-Z to help us all get rid of it. So yea I'm all over the place but like I said before I feel like I represent those folks out there that know what's going on in terms of social issues and thee election and the war but if you place a microphone in front of them they're going to tell you what affects them personally and they may really have no in depth knowledge of the truth unless they are avid CNN watchers.

I think I'm gonna save the rhyme and reason for next time and give a more in-depth breakdown ‘cause I'm starting to bore myself. I got some shows coming up at the Bowery Poetry club on Sunday April 13th, I think I'm gonna open up for KRS at Vassar college on the 19th but don't quote me on that. I also did a video for “The N Word song” in ATL with director Liquid Sunshine and I saw someone did one on youtube using The Boondocks with my song. Stuff like that is always hot to me. Download "March on Washington" and if u want hard copies go to myspace.com/shastimuli. Beats and features, flatbushbk@gmail.com. The Secret is next I believe…Maybe…I told u this stuff is interesting.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

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