March 29, 2008 | Tags: e-thuggery

My last post contained a letter airing out my distaste with the bitchassedness of some of the employees of the public school system of America that I have encountered. I figured that if any one of the people it was directed to ever came across it (unlikely at best), their granny panties would probably get in a bit of a bunch, but little did I know that I would be bunching the panties of our resident e-thugs. Just when I think I’ve seen it all…the most seemingly illiterate and illogical people that roam this section of the internet are actually defending *gasp* the public education system of America!

*faints*

…I must be getting so little sleep that I’m hallucinating or something. Anyway, this blog is for you.

<333

Dear E-Thugging Comment Sluts of HipHopDX,

Thank you, from the depths of my heart, for taking the time out of your not-so-busy days to read my hormonally-fueled, womanly rants of apparent randomness. And even more importantly, I appreciate you taking the risk of flaring up your chronic case of carpal tunnel syndrome to throw your profanity-laced rants of idiocy and displeasure in my direction via the comments section as you bask in the glory which is your mother’s basement*.

I’m sure my blog section partners in politically-incorrect written crime, such as Mr. Soul or Brillyance, would also love to join me in thanking all of you Macbook-gangstas. It’s thanks to people like you that we get to experience the perks of a little thing called “job security”. Keep the “hits” coming. Pun intended. Your proverbial jabs are the oh-so-painful wakeup call that I need in order to inversely hone my writing skills back down to the second grade level so that you can comprehend what I’m trying to say.

I am left speechless on a regular basis at the energy that you exert in order to attempt to understand my subtle critiquing of the various aspects of the society that I inhabit. I applaud the fact that you don’t give up, but rather return and keep trying. Persistence will eventually pay off, I promise. And one day you’ll be able to see where I’m coming from. I understand your frustration with the fact that you can’t completely comprehend some of my points yet, but don’t fret. With patience, and perhaps the occasional glance away from the computer screen, your brain may develop the ability to think critically. And just as you exhibit that patience by returning repeatedly to this blog, I’ll show the same patience in return as you vent your frustrations via obscenities such as “bitch”, “slut”, “hoe”, and (my personal favorite) “lesbian”. Not that “lesbian” is offensive, it’s just hilarious. I’m sorry to break it to you, but I’m straight. Yeah, and you still can’t have me. But that’s another story for another day. My point was that I won’t hold these things against you. I understand that I can be confusing at times, but I am a forgiving soul. So if you need to take your obscene frustrations out on anybody, go ahead and take it out on me. I don’t mind. Better me than somebody else who wouldn’t handle it as well and who may stop speaking to you or something. Better me than your mothers, because God forbid they stop paying the internet bill for you and kick you out of their houses.

I would also like to thank you for hiding behind anonymous, unregistered names. By doing this and handling your business in the comments section, I avoid you caps locking on my bitch ass** in my inbox. That place is already hard enough to navigate. I appreciate you taking the time to categorize the communication from people that I have to read on a daily basis. Organization can make all the difference in productivity.

Without your e-thuggery, DX could be a very dull place. No easy targets, no laugh-inducing comments (R.I.P. blaq piss and cheezydodo, we miss you!), no pointless arguing in the comments section about how utterly amazing you feel Lil Wayne happens to be…things just wouldn’t be the same without you. Without all the incessant spamming, what would the moderators of the site do with all their newfound free time? No bullshit to clean up, no IP addresses to ban…I hope I never have to see the day.

I’m looking forward to another comment thread full of your feedback. If I awoke one day and found that my life was to be void of e-thuggery, I’m not sure what I would do. I have forgotten how to live without it.

I’ll probably be gone for the rest of the weekend, but I’ll miss you all dearly. So, my favorite e-thugs, keep those tech(nological) 9’s cocked and ready to fire. Until next time…

xoxo

--Amanda

*PS - Let’s ignore the fact that I wrote this blog from the glory which is my mother’s basement. Hey, at least I’m honest.

**THIS IS VALUABLE ADVICE, SO I’M GOING TO PULL A LUPE FIASCO AND DUMB IT DOWN VIA CAPITAL LETTERS FOR A SECOND SO I’M SURE YOU HEARD ME. DO YOUR BEST FRIEND THE CAPS LOCK KEY A FAVOR AND TRY OUT THE SHIFT KEY THAT LIVES NEXT DOOR SOMETIME. IT NEEDS FINGER LOVING EVERY NOW AND THEN TOO, YOU KNOW? AND ONCE YOU DO THAT, PERHAPS YOU’LL BE READY TO FIND SOME HUMAN COMPANIONSHIP AS WELL.

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

An Apple a Day

March 27, 2008 | Tags: none

I must say, this blog has been on my brain for a while. But for some reason I never got around to writing it. Now thanks to a kick in the ass from Rey that he doesn’t even entirely know that he gave me, I’m going to get this one off my brain. Teaching has been something that has been heavy on my mind as of late, so follow me as I share with you a letter that I would like to address to a select group of my teachers from my public school career. Maybe you can relate.

Dear Extremely Sucky, Racist, Underestimating Teachers of my past,

Fuck you. To this day I harbor a lot of hate for you because of the way you treated me during my career as a K-12 student. The dirty looks you gave me, the assumptions you made about my character without taking the time to get to know me or ask my former teachers about me, the attempts you made to hold me down from progressing academically…the list goes on.

You came from many different subject backgrounds – English, Science…I guess I was an equal opportunity target. I’m sure that you all got very many laughs at my expense back in the day, but times have changed. I’m the one laughing now. And it feels glorious.

I always caught it the worst from the English teachers. There is one particularly evil woman that I think about from time to time now. I’m sure she knows who she is, too, because there was no way in hell that somebody so rotten could have no idea what kind of bullshit they were putting people through. Evil woman, this paragraph is for you. See, you once hinted that a paper that I had actually worked fairly hard on was plagiarized. Why? Because far be it from the girl who you assumed was a dumbass to actually produce a well-written piece of intellectual ramblings. Sure, I slept through your class. Partly because I didn’t want to see your scary face first thing in the morning, perhaps because my rigorous cheerleading schedule (which caused some of you shitty teachers to assume that I was being abused since none of you wanted to accept that cheerleading was a physical sport) kept me from sleeping a lot, but mostly I slept because I knew that I wasn’t going to learn anything from you anyway. Aside from how not to act, that is. Hell, I learned more in two class periods of college English than I did in a whole year with you, Mrs. Witch.

So now I present you with a rare instance of braggadocio. I’m normally quite humble, but I have to let you know this. Look at me now, suckas! I didn’t end up knocked up and a high school dropout, struggling to attain a GED. I graduated two years early despite your efforts to stop it. I’m not worshipping Satan, waiting for my ticket to the fiery depths of hell. I’m not some psychotic militant terrorist. On top of all of that, I’m doing what a good 50% of you swore that I couldn’t – write. And I ain’t plagiarizing a damn thing, either! Feel free to contact me if you’d like an autographed copy of my first print piece. I’ll frame it for you. It’d be my pleasure. And the gorgeous irony of this all is that the thing that made you assume my stance as a fuckup, hip hop, was what provoked me to begin writing in the first place.

In addition to this, I’m only two courses away from completing a major in a science-related field, and I’ll be leaving with honor society membership in that subject intact. Take that, awful science teacher!

But despite my utter loathing for all of you, I’d like to thank you. If it wasn’t for all the hell you gave me, coming out on top wouldn’t feel so damn amazing. And don’t think that I’m stopping here. Nope. I’m not done yet. And I’ll be laughing all the way to the top. In addition, since I have seen firsthand what must be the worst possible example of teaching methods while sitting in your classrooms, you have given me hope for the future of the youth. I mean shit, there’s no other way to go from the bottom than up, right?

With zero love, my middle finger in the air, and the utmost sincerity, I appreciate the absolute nothingness that you did for me throughout my life.

--Amanda

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

Free Music!

March 22, 2008 | Tags: NandoMcFlyy

Just a brief update for the, what, six of you that check this joint on the weekends? Anyway, as I was brushing up on my history of Latin America for my last midterm that happens to be this week, I was going through all the albums and mixtapes that I have cluttering up my hard drive that have been waiting for me to listen to them for…way too long. So much music, so little time.

So I get to a mixtape by a DC/Maryland artist that I’ve had my eye on for a little while but never got around to really giving his stuff a serious listen. Readers of DX – meet NandoMcFlyy, an artist affiliated with Studio 43 (which used to be Wale’s home, in case you didn’t know). I decided that the time was perfect for finally getting around to listening to Nando’s mixtape entitled “The Carry Out”. Or perhaps the fact that I was craving some wings and mumbo sauce attracted me to the title. Anyway, what I found was definitely a shock. A mixtape full of conscious raps, skateboarding references, life lessons, quips about love and commentary about the socio-politics of the DC area. And yeah, I said skateboarding and DC in the same sentence. I’m as shocked as you are.

Although the tape has its definite high and low points, it’s worth a listen. It’s unique, refreshing, and at times rather thought provoking. Granted I’m listening to it at about four in the morning, so perhaps anything is thought provoking at this time of the night, but seriously – it was a lot deeper than I expected. No offense to Nando, of course.

I suppose it’s time that I give you the free shit I promised. So here’s the link…

http://www.zshare.net/download/55479139cb94d5/

There you have it. NandoMcFlyy’s “The Carry Out” mixtape. And apologies for being rather late on this (it was out in 2007). Such is life when an album starts to wait its turn in my hard drive. I need a new system, huh?

If you ask me though, this guy has some potential. And it’s really comforting (in the most discomforting way possible) to hear somebody speak about serious issues plaguing the area such as the insanely high rate of HIV/AIDS amongst the population.

Let me stop rambling now. Peep out the tape, and for more info about Mr. McFlyy, check out his myspace, or his blog.

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

Hassles of the Moment

March 20, 2008 | Tags: college

Before anyone says shit…I know. I said I was back in full force and obviously I haven’t been. In a questionably unfortunate turn of events, my life has gotten busier than ever. Normally I wouldn’t gripe about this on the blog (…or would I?) but somewhat surprisingly, there have been people out there in the world that seem to find my college rants to be interesting. So for the benefit of those readers, I’ll discuss a bit of my college life at the moment. Anyone who hasn’t made it to college yet but sees themselves doing so in the near future – take notes.

The first and most important thing to remember about college is that the institution that you attend is, for all intents and purposes, a business. They’ll never admit it out loud, but the university cares more about making money and staying afloat than it does about educating your young, pliable minds. It is that reasoning that leads me to believe that I have been bamboozled into having to pay those educational TI’s a full year extra of tuition. That’s right folks, your girl just got confirmation that I am stuck on the five year plan. Sure, I slacked one semester and only took six credits. But I could be out by next fall (as opposed to next Spring) if the university would just offer the last two required classes that I need. But no, I’m stuck taking fluff until they do. And thus, I’m stuck there an extra semester. *Sigh*

On the other hand though, college has treated me well in another regard. You know that .edu e-mail address they hook you up with? It may be in your best interest to check it every now and then. I get a lot of job or internship offers sent to me, and for years I ignored them, but I recently changed my mind and pursued a few for the hell of it. And they’re actually legitimate! Whodathunkit? Needless to say, my little bamcy may be sitting pretty this summer.

Which brings me to my next point. How busy can a person be before they lose their mind? I feel like I’m coming close these days. And then to think about not having much of a vacation this summer…not very comforting. By the last weekend of March I’ll have started a part time gig in addition to this writing thing and a full time schedule of upper level courses at school. Sometimes I wonder what I’ve gotten myself into. But that’s just the way it is when you’re in that resume-building stage of your existence on this planet.

Another thing some of you wanted an update on was the hip hop class I'm taking. The class is pretty chill actually, but the midterm for that joint was one of the hardest exams I’ve taken in my four years at college. Seriously. I know, “what the fuck son, if you can’t breeze through a midterm for hip hop class why the hell did they give you this blog?”. Well, first of all at least I passed it, and passed it fairly decently (B+), but I’d like to see you do that shit! Sample question:

Which group(s) of terms is(are)most internally consistent (i.e., go together)?

a) cocaine | Reagan | starwars

b) Nixon | Vietnam | resignation

c) Iran hostages | Carter | disco

d) all of the above

e) none of the above

Exactly. They should cross-list that course as a History class. That "d" or "e" option though, that's always a killer. And it was an exam full of that shit.

And last but not least, I'm writing this blog as I watch the GMU vs. Notre Dame game in the NCAA tournament...shit is rough, fam. Rough. Painful to watch. Anyone debating on what schools they want to attend though - going to a school that does well in the NCAA tournament can be fun as hell. It's definitely one of the cooler aspects of the "college experience". Winning the NCAA tournament and having your school gain notoriety and in effect a nice amount of loot > catching the dorm room itch.

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

Bet You Can't Hit Me With a Hot Track

March 14, 2008 | Tags: Myspace

Sidenote: The title of this post was inspired by a guy I passed on the streets of downtown San Francisco who was holding a sign that said “I bet you can’t hit me with a quarter”. Genius.

I’m a fairly humble person, so it’s about that time that I share one of my personal flaws with the general public. I’m not sure if you’ve ever heard any of my thoughts about myspace, but uh, they’re not so nice. In short, I basically think it’s wack. There you have it.

However, for a girl that is currently aspiring to be the next big thing in the world of freelance hip hop writing (is there such a thing as a “big thing” in that field? Um…moving on…), my distaste towards myspace causes a few problems. See, I’d love to discover the next big artist or open my ears to some new sounds, just in the same way that I’m sure my other partners in blogging crime do as well. And I appreciate every single one of you that takes the time out to shoot me an e-mail to promote your music or suggest somebody that I should listen to. I can’t always reply to all of you, but I guarantee that I read every single e-mail*. I think I need to put my ambitious project of really sitting down and sifting through everything on hold until summertime though, as much as it pains me. So apologies to everybody that’s waiting on a word from me. It’ll happen. Even if it’s me just e-mailing you that you suck and that you should probably find a backup career. Sorry, but my credibility is on the line here, so I’m not going to be cosigning everybody. Just a warning.

Back to the point though, there’s two kinds of e-mails that people promoting music tend to send out. One kind is of the download link/file variety, and the other is of the myspace link variety. I dare you to guess which one I take more seriously.

Yeah…myspace loses.

Perhaps I shouldn’t be this way, but for some reason I can’t help it. I can’t be the only one. It’s a fucking headache going through myspace pages, did you know that? All those bright ass colors you guys love to use and all the utter bullshit you love to fill your page up with so that it takes forever to find what I need on the joint? Very annoying. Not to mention that if I hit up your page and your profile only has like 1,500 views or something, I’m going to have a hard time believing that you’re “about to blow” or whatever it is that you swear is going to happen. Plus there is just so much wack shit flooding the myspace server that nine times out of ten these days, whatever link you were referred to is statistically proven to suck. Well, maybe nobody did a study on it, but I bet if they did that’d be the consensus. And in that sense, it’s like you have to work even harder to impress me if you’re referring me to your myspace, because I’m already going into it with a not-so-decent mindstate.

In no way am I trying to detract from using whatever means necessary that you can to promote yourself, what you do, and what you love. And I’m not trying to knock anybody who has already sent me their shit via myspace. It’s not like I’m sitting around giving you the thizz face before I listen to your tracks, but that myspace link is an instant interest deterrent to me.

This is my flaw, and I’m working on it. Seriously. But at the end of the day, we all have to admit one thing: this whole myspace music movement is getting just a teeny bit overcrowded. You know, just a little. And that’s making it harder for the true talent out there to get the shine that they deserve. It could be a potentially wonderful tool for promotion but if it falls victim to oversaturation, then everybody loses. Just something to keep in mind. By all means don’t stop sending me your music though, but note that I do prefer a zshare link or something. Thanks.

*Unless you’re spamming my shit with like three e-mails a day for a week promoting the same damn person. Then you get ignored. Just so you know.

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

California Love

March 13, 2008 | Tags: none

Well, it looks as if I’m back from my hiatus that I took there for a minute. And damn, look what can happen in such a short time! First of all though, the most important matter of business: um, why did none of you ever tell me how chill the West Coast is? Or better yet, I’m sure some of you did, I just wonder why I didn’t believe you.

Well, now I do.

Aside from that odd hyphy type stuff that really does take a while to grow on you (if it ever does at all), the Bay Area is pretty damn dope. I’m not about to front like the West doesn’t have just as many idiots and annoying people and issues as the East does, but the atmosphere is relaxing as hell despite all of that. And that’s the difference. Good weather in March, In N Out, palm trees, a city that’s fairly easy to navigate, and generous people that seem hungry for change…does it really get much better than that?

So now that I’ve OD’d on burgers and animal fries, I find myself in the cold confines of the DMV feeling kind of bleak and empty. I mean I love it here, but it’s really hard to go from somewhere as colorful and entertaining as San Francisco where you got family running around everywhere back to this kinda dark, more serious atmosphere. Well, that, and I’m sick (great timing, huh?) so I’m being even more miserable than usual. Funny though, even being really sick and on the verge of puking over there didn’t even bother me as much. And it should have, because it completely got in the way of me being able to fully enjoy the things I was out there to do. But maybe it’s just something in that California air that keeps me from getting too uptight over there.

I must return.

But anyway, to keep this hip hop relevant (aside from kind of dissing that hyphy shit), I must say that the Immortal Technique show at the Fillmore (aka the hotbox) was damn good. C-Rayz Walz, Poison Pen…they all did their thing. But Immortal Technique and DJ GI Joe? Now that’s a team that works. Not to mention the energy the crowd brought with them was nothing to laugh at. There’s some serious revolutionary spirit in the Bay, and it’s pretty damn nice to see. A big thank you goes out to whoever the girl was who was standing next to me, and to the guys in the crowd that had the balls to regulate the overly-drunk bitches that were causing a ruckus. Oh, I’m sorry, was that mean? That’s the East Coast in me coming out to play again. Should I be nice and drop a picture or two? Fine. Let’s let the generosity of the area be contagious, right?

C Rayz Walz rippin the mic.

I had a pretty decent view for being a fairly short girl in an “every (wo)man for themselves general admission open dance floor standing area”, huh?

DJ GI Joe doing his thing. Gotta love it.

I hope you all knew that Immortal Technique has a new mixtape dropping with DJ Green Lantern called "The 3rd World". From the way the show went, I bet it's going to be fire. Keep an eye out. This spring certainly seems like a good season for mixtapes.

But anyway, don’t get too happy that I’m giving you credit, all you West Coast dwelling people. It’s not like things were dormant back East while I was gone. For those that didn’t hear, the wonderful men’s basketball team of GMU won the CAA Tournament and have found themselves ready to dance this March. Will it be a replay of the Cinderella situation of the infamous Final Four? Will they flop in their first game? I can’t call it, and I couldn’t call it the first time, either. So let’s just say that I’m anxious to see how this plays out. I can’t be the only one anticipating this year’s March Madness.

Local emcee Wale also got some good news while I was gone – he signed to Interscope. He’s making big moves. I wish him the best, and I just hope he keeps reppin the area as well as he knows how.

So I guess I’m back for now, DX, until my next random trip to the left side of the country. And as bad as it sounds, it sucks to be back!

yeah…I miss it.

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

FREE Download!

March 01, 2008 | Tags: none

I found out a little while ago that a nice gem of an EP of some DMV music was about to drop. I instantly hit up one of the two forces behind the project to see what was good. Needless to say, what I heard got my hopes up. Judah, a local producer who has worked with such notable names as Cormega, Wale, Pastor Troy, and C-Rayz Walz, teamed up with local lyricist X.O. to create The Timeless EP. I was told that the sound would be reminiscent of the 90’s, but that the music on the EP would be timeless – hence the name of the project. Just straight up good ass music – a couple upbeat tracks, a couple street joints, but at the end of the day? Just that good ol’ hip hop.

And unlike many projects these days, this one held true to its March 1st release date. And leave it to my man Modi to make sure I got the joint on time. Now I’m giving it to you. Enjoy a project that features 100% DMV area talent behind it.

http://www.zshare.net/download/830026749e776c/

For more on Judah and X.O., check out judahbeats.com and X.O.’s myspace.

Also be aware that Ernie Paniccioli is still at it publishing those books. His latest efforts include a book showcasing photography of graffiti, and one featuring the punk rock movement. He definitely makes sure to have a little something for everybody, doesn’t he? So return the love and show him some support over at lulu.com. Also peep out this great piece that NPR did about him here. Be sure to click the link to see some of his pictures - there's some hip hop legends in there.

Oh, and this week begins my midterms hell. So forgive the absence in advance. Plus, I’m heading out to the Bay Area at the end of the week so I’ll really be gone. I’m curious if any of you have any suggestions of things I should make sure to see or do while I’m out there though, so feel free to share your ideas.

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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Blogs

The Undisputed Truth

When the C-Boys Come Out to Play

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An Apple a Day

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Free Music!

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Hassles of the Moment

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Bet You Can't Hit Me With a Hot Track

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California Love

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FREE Download!

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