It's on. Welcome to 03.

I've been on a whirlwind since JMJ and my resolution is to treat the year like it's only got 100 days in it. This means be 3 people at the same time or do 3 times as much. I'm wit it.

At the start of the year I was invited by the SOURCE to take part on a panel addressing a ‘state of emergency in hip hop’ . Held in a soho hotel in NYC, the panel consisted of BEN MUHAMMAD, DAMON DASH, TALIB KWELI, BABY BIRDMAN, CRAZY LEGS, basketball legend PEE WEE KIRKLAND, GRANDMIXER DXT, FABOLOUS, EVE and lawyer LONDELL McMILLAN. Later on BENZINO and various other heads in the audience joined in. Moderated by HARRY ALLEN it started as a ball of confusion, with DASH telling the crowd of 100 peeps that there wasn't enough money for him in the rap game and that he was using rap to position the fact that it only serves as a launch board for him and his connected artists. Sitting next to CRAZY LEGS he also alluded that he didn’t want to go out broke like the ‘old school’ where Legs responded that he has never had to beg for a job and that he’s made a living at this since the 1980s.

We butted heads a few times on opinions, but it all came together by the end. Fabolous admitted that he didn’t know a thing about anything. He wanted clear help. He stated the fact that back in the day rap artists were ‘touchable’ and it was a thing of pride to see a rapper in the hood. Now he said that once a cat made a record he had to best hide from the same environment that spawned him in the first place. EVE said she was overwhelmed by it all, and everything was moving sooooo fast. Benzino came late and spewed his EMINEM rant, which most felt was beside the point. Still there was a reason that the SOURCE gathered the peeps for this besides the fact that it was a future article itself.

A state of emergency, well yeah. But heads neglected that some folks considered an artistic state of emergency as far as 10 years back when the majors swooped into the game and financially endorsed and favored the lowest common denominator. Five years ago when TUPAC and BIGGIE were killed it was black society calling out a social immorality state of emergency, which again fell upon def, I mean deaf ears. Now that the endz are not justifying the means the SOURCE cries out in what is perhaps a ‘business state of emergency’. And this is what is troubling. Who is hit by the rock now in the land of diminishing return? The cultural eco-system has been gutted out by the greed factor of cats having the mentality of making a ‘killing’ in their business quest. In any industry the regulations make it possible for its contributors to make a living while servicing each others needs. These service areas provide a consistency while being stable themselves.

If you look around at the biz carcasses you find promoters, venues, booking agents, management companies, studios, video companies and retail outlets that have all gone belly up from the fact that in each of those catagories big money, and the quest for big money for the sake of the short run, has wiped them out. When any so called industry adopts the short term “make a killing” philosophy, what happens is 2 to 4 situations might make a killing but all others find it difficult to maintain a ‘living’. Eventually the ‘killing’ businesses eradicate their service areas and have to feed themselves with their own resources and either jump higher in already raised stakes, sell off or die themselves. This is what’s happening to the rapgame. It’s like if the raplabels where fishing boats, just because they had the ability to catch all the fish in the same day, they probably would. Thus wiping out the system of replenishment which could have them and competing companies eating for a lifetime. It’s the slave mentality that everything will disappear which is like having a table full of food and before you wash your hands, and say grace and sit at the table... cats rush it, grabbing the turkey trying to race out the door with it amongst tacklers, beside others smashing potato salad in their faces. After a while you don’t even wanna sit at the table because it’s so uncivilized.

This is the current business state of the rap game. Those who have read the book ‘THE ART OF WAR’ have only practiced the methods on themselves instead of using them outwards, as an industry. Thus it’s within the swirl of ‘THE WAR OF ART’. Art is short for the term ‘artificial’, meaning it’s a facsimile of life, not life itself. As long as life exists art will reflect it. The commercialization of corralling art where it dictates has rode the skateboard of technology inside the head of hedz, where it’s placed beyond life and the entire culture itself. The game of money has peeps like DAME DASH looking at the rapgame, and the culture of hip hop, like it’s a burning plane. Whereas he can really take hold and anchor his corner of what made him in the first place instead of heading to other industries who govern themselves wisely and would never have niggativity take over. Hollywood ain’t havin it, the fashion game ain’t havin it and tv ain’t havin it. So it’s best to take care of what we’ve got and stop thinking we must move outta the hood to aspire,…. yeah it’s the same attitude. Art is the blood of our culture and it feeds the souls of people no matter who they be. This is why the war of art is so strategic to win back the minds of peeps who want to think for themselves.

Again, at the same time, I would be very upset if this forum was used as a platform for BENZINO to take jabs at EMINEM, which he rolled into a rant or two. Also the current issue shows BENZINO as a cartoon character holding a cut off head of EMINEM. Using the magazine is one-sided indeed, and crosses the line of professionalism, as if it matters. It’s like you can’t get props for getting in a hummer and driving it into the end zone. Also the latest SOURCE cover with JARULE has an essay by HARRY ALLEN over a caption saying ‘ DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE’ . This is wack. It’s a cheap way of making us look like we’re endorsing it, which we’re not. When I talk about the elvisification factor regarding EMINEM , I scientifically talk about the amerikkkan processing of him rather than personal evaluation. I know that deep down his commitment to rap is genuine, thus never easy and requires crazy work to even exist. If the institution of rap music and hip hop was organized instead of running at a hustlers convention mode, then we wouldn’t be so paranoid as a total work together hip hop community.

I’ve heard rumblings on the board about how the services for certain artist services might render them inferior to the world of music. I’ll explain it this way, I think online delivery will be the main place of exposure for many artists that consider SLAMjamz and vice versa. This will encourage the artist base to develop their own artist-sites for distribution of music if need be. The SLAM midline area will consist of albums to order and will be solicited across the growing web. Out of this scenario offline is a careful selection of artist development, meaning that bringing something different to the table will command the financial backing of the offline distributor. And that’s not looking like much, whereas companies now want to see activity then backend the residual. We are into the re-emergence of artist development as opposed to art development. I always ask people what do they think they’re delivering the music when they wanna get put on? MTVBETRADIOMAGAZINES are not the real world in music.

I’ve spent the last 40-50 days directing systems so that this particular online community is synergized. I’m still not done, but by mid-February everything should be automated and functional. Expect rapstation to be an on point weekly deliverer of most content, where in the past it has been monthly. Bringthenoise radio remerging with a daily dose, slamjamz delivering more info on releases and perhaps not as many cuts as in the past as SLAM midline and offline take on bigger roles. And publicenemy.com flipping some areas that will be done by March 1, 2003. Thanks to many of your responses to participating in the workings of these areas , thus the expansion and upkeep is possible by the interactivity of this community, again thanks.

Well, since I don’t do work for the NFL any longer there goes my priority at the super bowl. I went to 3 in a row ending at the RAMS vs TITANS last century, and there ain’t nothing like it. Caught ELWAY’s last game in SAN DIEGO 5 years ago and SD is a tight city for bowl or convention ..it’s one of this counties under-rated jewel cities. Watched the game on TV, no super bowl party, nothing. Doing my best to avoid NBA All Star Weekend whereas I have to speak in OHIO that Saturday as well as performing with FINE ARTS MILITIA @ RADIO CITY the previous night for a special blues tribute. To tell the truth, I really long to get the ball rolling in this hip hop game on the same par as everything else. Organized and tight are the main goals and it starts with the virtual web world of connects.

Speaking of the game, I was feeling for JON GRUDEN getting back at the RAIDERS, AL DAVIS getting back at the NFL, JERRY RICE getting back at the 49ers and age, KEYSHAWN getting back at the JETS , WARREN SAPP getting back at critics, ROMANOWSKI getting back at the BRONCOS, etc ..well you get the picture. The RAIDERS played the whole game as if in a swamp.

FINE ARTS MILITIA performances will have me reading rhymes and poetry from a stool and book. Now I can write something the night before and kick it like GINSBERG, spit like NAS.

Spoke at the Equal Opportunity Commission for youth of LONG ISLAND. What I’m tired of is people who have no connection with or insight into youth passing judgement on whether or not images and media create a reality with them. These young peeps co-signed the fact that radio and BET, along with video games dictated the mental action of their weaker minded peers. One girl laughed when I told her I drove my 1994 Montero to the lecture. But the audience later understood the importance of love of self, whereas I told them that anything they buy should be considered a step down from themselves. That sunk in….

A line from BRYANT GUMBEL’s REAL SPORTS show stays with me. One time when he was describing DENNIS RODMAN. He said you can be a character with the end result of enhancing yourself, or have character with the possibility of enhancing those around you…

Speaking of NAS …CRAIG G told me that he’s killing all competition with the ‘apache loop sample’ making all comp look silly with expensive recording and video. Throwback by the GODSUN….

Received a request to do interviews for VHI about various things, and I would think that BET could follow with some smarter prgramming, shows depicting the roots of black music, etc. The segments were on the 50 GREATEST RAP ARTISTS of all time, as well as car culture in music. They made comparisons to PUBLIC ENEMY’s “YOUR GONNA GET YOURS,” my ode to the 98 OLDSMOBILE, to what’s reputed to be the first rock and roll record, IKE TURNER’S ROCKET 88 sang under the name and lead vocal of JACKIE BRENSTON. When I made the record there was little knowledge of the comparison, all I was trying to explain was that car culture was just as important as dance culture in making a rap record relative to the public’s interest, especially hip hop life on LONG ISLAND where it resembled 95% of America at the time.

Segue into another documentary...the STAX museum asked me to speak on its musical legacy ..whereas I was very honored as I listen to STAX everyday. A big fan of OTIS REDDING, ISSAC HAYES, SAM & DAVE, BOOKER T AND THE MGS, ALBERT KING, CARLA, RUFUS, MARVELL THOMAS, WILLIAM BELL, etc… I jumped at this chance and on their www.soulsvilleusa.com site they’ve practically rebuilt the museum from scratch replicating the former building brick by brick, theatre awning and all. I was amazed when I clicked on. In fact I’ve been invited May 1st in Memphis at the opening. The FINE ARTS MILITIA might play there as well.

Lastly BOB LAW assembled a mass grouping of peeps, as we met in HARLEM and launched an offense against one sided images in the media. DADDY O , DXT, SHAWN BOLDEN, GOODMAN from RAY, GOODMAN AND BROWN, VAUGHN HARPER, DAVEY D, AFRIKA BAMBAATAA, THE ZULU NATION, CRAZY LEGS, and yours truly set off a meaningful panel that will specifically address these situations. To organize and seize control is the paramount issue…it’s a must. The next gatherings and attacks will rally behind DEAD PREZs ‘Turn off the radio’ …so here we go..

Question….. does the term ‘urban’ x black people out of executive positions regarding the music? I was peeping these positions heading up both black music departments in record companies and radio stations, and slowly black faces are being phased out as the term urban is more universal….no pun intended. I still say that as long as the faces are 95% black faces on these videos , then it should be called ‘black music’…no doubt. I also think that the black people in these companies should understand and make their employers realize that there is a responsibility to the black community in this process regardless of how much it sells to other demographics. To work at it twice as hard and don’t settle for the oke-doke...past the salary we must affect the reality…

Stop the war…and son of a bush trying to avenge for his daddy getting dissed…

Out

Mistachuck@rapstation.com