JULY 2008

Four dozen deep am I.Agewise. Thank the god. I been paving out a path and not writing my thought down as I would like. I wanna tighten up on some things that I am doing and consolidate areas that were pioneering to many 10 years ago , and now quite regular to the scene now. While not trying to re-invent any wheel , I am just passing thoughts through on this terrordome summer.

JAY Z -GLASTONBURY

I give JAY Z big credit for shutting Gallagher from Oasis down. Again it covers his ability to win a crowd and the press with his wit, skill,fame, fortune, and humor in the matter. I understand why JAY Z is the default rapper for those that don't even know hip hop. Somebody gotta be. But isn't NAS out right now. I can't understand how he isn't right up there with JAY. Maybe NAS makes society feel uncomfortable. Well that sht is all right by me. I just don't figure the vast difference in peoples heads, like I mean Barack Obama favorite tracks and rapper is who and are what? .........Exactly.

Anyway the only thing I don't agree with the hype is that JAY was calling himself the Rolling Stones Of Rap. One man can't be a group. Maybe he's the DAVID BOWIE, ROD STEWART or I'd give him Jon Bon Jovi......maybe. Just like KANYE WEST is ELTON JOHN, KOOL KEITH is FRANK ZAPPA, you get my drift. JAY has the skill, wit, fame and fortune, but when PE played the READING FESTIVAL in the UK in 1992 it ripped with POWER and SPEED. NIRVANA was there, and I was inspired that same day by a riveting HENRY ROLLINS set. I give JAY the skill, wit, fame and fortune, but truly BIG DADDY KANE tops em all , and with 99% of the rap game out of the fortune department we don't even know if we can count it.But PE will snatch that Rolling Stones tag , earned last year at ROCK THE BELLS Festival

This past JULY we played the PITCHFORK FESTIVAL in CHICAGO and opened with the BOMB SQUAD who we'd done the shows in the UK successfully. About 25,000 deep in a park near the edges of the south side, we enjoyed putting the songs down for the audience with intensity. You mash a concert with power and speed. That album simply has 'it'. Power and Speed is what you need....

50 CENT These journalists get it wrong when they accuse me of not digging 50 CENT. I have long said , dude has the best interviews, is clear etc. They keep bringing up a lyric I did on New WHIRL ODOR about 'these Get Rich and Die Trying Times'. It wasn't a dis. 50 Cent didn't create these times, he just named it, and thus I co-signed it. I wish these cats would read the lyrics right.....

COLLAB YEAR Still in massive collab year, some peeps heard me on NELLYs latest songs off his latest album. Dude has a lot to say, I hope people listen to him. I think COUNTRY GRAMMAR is a great segue way into country and western. On my radio show in fact I interviewed COWBOY TROY and talked about his 'hick -hop approach I'm down for challenges and down to collab with him soon.

LECTURES I better get my thoughts together , we are within 100 days of the presidency election. Theres gonna be a lot of BS being hurled in politic. Whippings of Mass Distraction. As a black man I must be prepared if he gets in, even more than if he does'nt. I know as black folk this election ain't about 'us'. And somewhat it ain't about 'him'. About time we prepare for some change as they say. As I said Im voting for him for all the wright and the wrong reasons. Take it as that.

ON THE REAL OFF THE RECORD Taking my radio show even more seriously. Blast-casting from NYC, ATL and the left coast , across 25 radio stations, XM Satellite 167, and very web efficient on www.airamerica.com/onthereal. The past 3 months Ive had Grandmaster Flash, Kurtis Blow, De La Soul, Brother Ali, Cowboy Troy, DJ Spooky amongst many iportant cats. I call it the socio, cultural , often political talk thang. The show runs 11-1 am Sunday nights, next week I have ICE CUBE on Aug 10th.

LARRY SMITH BENEFIT, STOP THE VIOLENCE NY CANCELLED We were slated to head to NY to do the APPOLLO THEATER in late August to raise money for LARRY SMITH, the producer who put much of RUSH PRODUCTIONS on its feet. RUSSELL SIMMONS production partner in name. RUN DMC, WHODINI, megablasted into stardom off his music. May god bless him, I would think they called off the concert because a certain somebody paid for the operation. I'll leave it at that. Also KRS ONEs STOP THE VIOLENCE show has been pushed back , cool we'll get it right.....

THE NEW SOURCE Had a great meeting with the NEW SOURCE magazine editor RYAN FORD. This brother has great plans to get it together to reclaim its table as the official hip hop guide. I was asked to sort of moderate a discussion with Dr CORNEL WEST, and DR MICHAEL ERIC DYSON to jump start and diagnose the hip hop community problems and move it forward...It was a great spark to a new future of honest and thorough coverage for the magazine. ..

gone mistachuck@rapstation.com