The Last Jedi

F.EU too

2011-05-03T01:19:00.000-07:00

So this Thursday, an original Cape Town superclub, Galaxy, is host to the official album launch of Dj Fresh (SA) and Euphonik (SA) collaborating as F.EU. I plan to attend.

that was some Euphonik in the mix.

and some DJ Fresh.
I am excited for this new album and i plan to share as much as i can so keep your eyes peeled bros

MIA?

2011-05-03T01:00:00.000-07:00

Yes boys and, to a lesser extent, girls :) I have been missing for a while now but I am back with a vengence!
Today's topic: 21st birthdays.
So there is a 21st coming up and ideas need to be produced.
So far there are:

a case of bottles of Johnny for the close friends for the night.
a DJ spinning live for the entire night

As you can see, there are a few things missing :)
What we need to do is fill in the rest.
I appreciate your efforts in advance

HOROSCOPES & PERSONALITY PROFILES

2011-02-14T23:46:00.000-08:00

The other day I was going through this website looking for a horoscope personality profile to use while chatting to this magnificently beautiful girl at campus, you know... to demonstrate higher value and show this girl that I pay attention when she speaks and know the real her blah blah blah. Anyway I stumbled across my OWN personality profile and i read it and i was, to say the least, shocked out of my fucking mind. Like, WHAT THE FUCK?!

The more i read my own profile the more i flipped out because, well... it IS me. And lets keep it real guys, I am fully aware of how language can be manipulated to achieve almost any end, but there seemed to be no fault to this fucking thing.

Now, just to drive this point home, I shall tell you a little about me. Ahem. I was born on the 30th of May, making me a first decan gemini. I am of above average intelligence with my measured IQ at 16 years of age being 134. With my above average intelligence came a unique outlook on life. In my first year studying BA (PPE) at Stellenbosch University, i studied philosophy - which severely fucked my shit up - after which i dropped out to re-examine my life and its goals.
I find that i am exceptionally gifted in communicating ideas and feelings, and also find pleasure in teaching people new things. Many say i have a sharp wit and hidden intellect yet to be broken-in. I enjoy multitasking and having many plans running concurrently and smoothly. I take pride in the fact that I am a fast learner and can easily adapt to any emotional, intellectual or physical situation presented to me.

I love being happy but when not happy, i find myself in the deepest darkest of holes where i feel i am so deep in the shit that i have to reach up just to touch the bottom.

My intelligence has blessed me with the incanny ability to read people, honed to devastating precision by my love for continuous self-education. As such, i find it easy to manipulate people into doing what I want - especially in terms of girlfriends and or sexual partners.
I therefore struggle to choose between actions where the lines of good and evil are blurred, and tend to overthink things to point of intellectual distress, often concluding that "the end justifies the means"

I love to socialize and have been described as extroverted when I feel in the mood to be extroverted.

NOW, this is what my horoscope says about me, verbatim:

"Also known as the Sign of the Artist or Inventor, Gemini is Positive in polarity... extrovert personality and such individuals are naturally more impulsive, buoyant, communicative and sociable"

"Gemini is the natural ruler of the Third House of the Zodiac, commonly referred to as the 'House of Communication' ."

"This is the field which challenges an individual to organize personal experiences in order to form a unique picture of the world and then communicate those perceptions to others."

"Traditionally, this house is associated with siblings, basic education, hand-eye coordination, manual dexterity and communication style...in short, many of the automatic skills learned during childhood and taken for granted in adult life."

"Positive Traits: adaptable, versatile, intellectual, communicative, spontaneous, eloquent, youthful, lively, talkative, amusing, witty and logical."

"Negative Traits: changeable, restless, inquisitive, inconsistent, superficial, cunning, nervous, tense and something of a gossip."

More things that blew my mind:

"Those who are born under the jurisdiction of Gemini are usually slender in build and of average height (that's me), or slightly taller. The body shape will almost invariably be somewhat thin with a short trunk and long limbs (me). The stance is normally erect...straight and upright (spot on). Gemini subjects possess a certain litheness of limb and movement, with the arms often seeming to be slim and unusually lengthy, giving the appearance of being loosely connected at the shoulders. There is also a tendency for Gemini individuals to swing their arms in a long sweeping motion when they walk. Gemini features are finely-chiseled with soft and pleasing proportions (confirmed) . The eyes are normally light in color with extraordinarily dark and long lashes (long lashes: check). This will frequently give the Gemini woman a somewhat feline appearance and even the males of this sign often possess eyelashes that would be the envy of any female. The nose is usually straight and narrow (occassionaly displaying something of a hook), ranging from long to dainty, but never sharp in character. The chin will normally be well-proportioned and reserved, while the jaw-line itself is often pointed (indeed). The general countenance is one of alertness and intelligence...indeed, there is a high degree of sensibility in all Gemini features. There is also likely to be a fine bone structure associated with Gemini natives which, coupled with light movements, will often set these indiviudals apart from subjects of other Zodiac Signs. The facial expression of a Gemini individual is frequently charmingly childlike and he or she is quick to smile (how do you know this????). The ears tend to be somewhat larger that the accepted norm, but the physique of a Gemini will customarily remain slim even when the food intake begins to cross the limits (and again) . The overall look of Gemini individuals is quick-moving and sharp. In general, those governed by this Sign tend to appear years younger than they actually are, being able to wear youthful fashions almost indefinitely with a great deal of success (oh my god)."

So the question i ask is... WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?! Everything i learned about the world denies the existence of such ridiculous accuracies in this field. Is this Voodoo Magic? Should we kill it with fire? Decide for yourself guys, HERES THE LINK

CRAZY WHITE BOY

2011-02-07T12:12:00.000-08:00

Crazy White Boy is the brainchild of local house producers Ryan Murgatroyd and Kosta Karatamoglou. Both experienced and successful DJs and producers in their own right, the pair met and decided to collaborate. Labels include Kontor, Onelove, Ministry of Sound, Cr2, Toolroom and local power house Soul Candi to name a few.
Many years as head lecturer at the Soul Candi Institute of Music saw Ryan influenced by the deeper, more soulful style of house music—made popular in South Africa by Soul Candi Records.
Compelled to try and add a fresh twist to this style of music, Ryan set about writing the first hit ‘White Men Can’t Dance’ in early 2007. The track turned into a huge success being the draw card for the ground breaking Electro Candi album. It also earned its way onto many local compilations as well as being aired extensively on both local and international radio.
The momentum grew in 2008 when Ryan met fellow music enthusiast and producer Kosta Karatamoglou. A winning collaboration resulted in Crazy White Boy’s second single ‘Phati’. The track was immediately picked up by Soul Candi records and debuted on Soul Candi Sessions 4 which went on to sell over 42,000 units—hitting platinum status and cementing the duo’s status as hit-making producers.
Crazy White Boy have spent many hours in studio updating and developing their characteristic Crazy White Boy sound. The results: Are multiple Gold and Platinum selling albums featuring their tracks namely Electro Candi 2, F.eU (Fresh and Euphoniks Latest Album), Kent: I Cant Survive and the forthcoming Soul Candi Sessions 5.
To compliment the production Crazy White Boy have woven vocal magic of several key artists: multi SAMA-winner Tasha Baxter, Bang Bang’s front man, Rue-Groove and new-comers Thumi and Buhle.
There latest single Love you Better is the fastest growing record in 5fm TOP 40 history sitting at number 1. It has also been picked up by ONELOVE for Australia and KONTOR for the World.

South African Deep House - CRAIG DE SOUSA

2011-02-06T04:55:00.000-08:00

OK guys this is for the house lovers:) this week is south african deep house week, and to kick it off we have Cape Town legend and Resident DJ Craig De Sousa.

Craig De Sousa presently finds himself amongst Cape Town’s top 5 djs, nominee for dj of the year in SA City Life Magazine. His delectable mix of ‘percussive funk’ can be best described as organic sounds with interesting changes. He has been able to carve himself a niche within the ever-growing ‘deep house’ scene in Cape Town.

The Early Years

To answer the question of whom this Cape Town boy really is, one needs to examine his roots in Johannesburg. Craig’s first dj gigs were at venues ‘15th Precinct’ & ‘Insomnia’. From here he was able to take it a step further and join forces with Shayne Manne, Ryan Dent, Tim Smith and Gareth Wharton with a series of parties called ‘House Connection’. The first ‘Kinky Friday’, consisted of a 16k rig, intelligent lighting, an industrial warehouse and 150 friends, hey it was the beginning! The second and third parties grew by reputation and are recognised today as the springboard for their djs success. Everyone has to pay his or her dues in Cape Town and Craig was no different. The first venues where he played consisted of the ‘Piano Lounge’ (Castle St), ‘81 Deli’ and ‘The Gallery’. Then came the big break. Craig was able to show his ability at one of Cape Town’s foremost parties, ‘The Kimono Affair’. To quote a punter," Craig tore the arse out of the chicken that night." Then came his debut at the Function and the rest as they say is history.

The ‘deep house’ scene in Cape Town

" Craig has held residencies at most of Cape Town’s house clubs. Sutra (2002- Present) The all-new #1 nightspot in the city bowl has taken Cape Town nightlife to the next level. Craig project managed the development phase and presently is daytime general manager. This means, of course that he gets to play many sets there at night. MORE (2000- 2002) R.I.P. one of Cape Towns top Deep House clubs. Foo Funk resident for 2002. A regular at Cape Town’s Gurnie award winning house club, featuring at Jeff K Global Groove, Classic, funk Deluxe, Disco Babies, Rock in da House, Merge and the hugely successful, Spy vs. Spy. His style of music is well at home at MORE. Fez (1998 – Present) In the early days the Fez is where Craig was able to explore his love of French house where influences include the likes of Bob Sinclair, Daft Punk as well as Cassius. Craig was able to demonstrate his versatility by not being boxed in by the constraints of the scene at the time, so doing popularising the French House sound. He has represented the Fez best playing at their Famous Street Parties an honour bestowed upon very few. Beat Boutique (2001- 2002) Wednesday night resident carving up raw funk. Lets not forget the infamous Essential Mix sets tearing up the floor with tech funk. Club Soda (1999- 2000) Not content to play for other promoters and club owners, the next step was taken, along with partners Ryan Dent, Tim Smith & Nic Conradie. The creation was Club Soda. Craig’s involvement was diverse ranging from plastering skills to marketing and of course DJ-ing. The skills gained have enabled to Craig to see the scene from a broad perspective. Funktion (1998) The legendary house club, which still has many clubs trying to emulate its success. Craig started off playing on Saturday afternoons and progressed to playing with residents Gareth Wharton & Ryan Dent. Rhythm Divine (1998- 2001) Starting off with Kimono Affair, the crowd at Rhythm has always responded well to Craig’s energetic performances. A regular with Sleaze Syndicate’s Essential Mix and appearing regularly at Rocket & Paradise Garage parties. The loft (1997- 1998) Guest appearances with Ryan Dent & Ryan Eber on their Friday night slot. Baraza (2000- 2002) Sunday sunset Ibiza style with Camps bay as the setting. A weekly resident showing his versatility to play the deeper side to House. Jet Lounge/ Baseline (1999- present), Moomba (2000) Chilli ’n Lime (1999-present) Resident at the hugely popular Hip-Hop vs. House parties. The Lounge (2000- 2001) A stalwart in Cape Town’s nightlife Craig was a resident at “Monday Night Madness” in late 2000 & 2001. Onverklaar Bar Hermanus (1999- present)/ Aquafunk 5-hour epic sets where the underground is still alive. The Lab (2002- 2002) Thursday night resident back to back with Shayne Manne exploring the live sessions. " Cape Town parties are a critical part of the house scene and give rise to the underground." Foo Funk Resident 2001- present The most energetic parties in the scene to date, with quality production by Mo Funk Productions. Even the most reserved punter will be caught with hands in the air releasing cries of joy. Vinyl Frontiers Earth & Saturn 4 Deck Mixing. A true test of technical abilities on display with 4 turntables @ Club MORE. Believe Resident Craig plays at every one of these events held every month at the famous Bijou in Observatory. In true underground House style. Spy vs. Spy Resident True back to back style all night with only 2 djs. Tripsonic Resident 2001/ 2002 The famous Peter Stuyvesant house parties over the season in true style. Keep It Real & Double Happiness Voyage & Life @ Bardeli Synergy New Years 1999/2000 , 2000/2001 & 2001/2002 Future Sounds of Cape Town Essential Mix Gurnie award winning club night 2001

The future

Not just happy playing other people’s music, Craig has taken the next logical step. At present he is learning the “ins and outs” of producing. Craig hopes to do his first live performance this year as well as releasing a couple of tracks on Platform Recordings. His remix work is impeccable. Watch out for his remix of Reds Angle & “Steady On by Mood Phase 5.” His mix compilation release on U.S.M. “The Deeper Sound of Craig De Sousa” includes his own release “The One”. He has just returned from a short European tour including London and Paris and will return in June this year. The next year holds lots of promise for Craig; with the various contacts he’s made this will hopefully translate into more opportunities in this hard industry.

Discography Singles: The One Juice Grand South Point Your Finger To the Ceiling Compilations: The Deeper Sounds Of Craig De Sousa Remixes: Redds Angel- She’s The One- Cherry Dipped Moodphase5- Steady On- Dipped Chocolate Career highlights to date Awards: Nomination for best dj 2000 S.A. City Life Gurnie Nomination for best Deep House dj 2001 Support International djs:

Deep Dish
Jeff K
Cyril K
Tim Paris
Troublemen
Drop Music
Roberto Mello
Filippo ‘Naughty’ Moscatello (TBC)
Murray Richardson
Stuart Patterson
Carl Cox
Phat Phil Cooper
Judge Jules

International Tours: Paris: Silvernetwork and Troublemen 2002 London: Whitehouse 2002 National dates: Club Soda vs. 206 Johannesburg: Touring with Ryan Dent (6 appearances in 2000) Huge tour 1999 in P.E: along with compadres Ryan Dent, Peter Abrahams & Tony Montanna. Liquid Lounge Johannesburg 2001: back to back with his very own brother Grant De Sousa (5 appearances in 2001) Time Johannesburg 2001: Featured national dj of the year Automatic Pretoria 2001: The Essential Mix Sublime Johannesburg 2002: 4 deck mixing with his brother Skyy Bar and Monkey Bar: Durban tour 2003 of his new album. T.V.: Castle Loud Show: gig and interview 2001 Radio: Radio FG Paris: 1 hour set on The Trouble Men Show, the largest dance radio show in Paris (June 2002). 5FM: Live 60 min continuous mix on Rodger Goode show including a non stop play back of his compilation the Deeper Sounds of Craig De Sousa. Y-FM: 4 guest appearances on G-Forces show Y-Ask-Y Saturday night prime time. Good Hope FM: Half Hour sets on Az show ‘Groove Central’ with live interviews, Fridays, twice a month. The Dance Frequency with Nicky Louder. Half Hour sets on Sugas Show Thursdays & Fridays UCT Radio: With dj Slag & Odwa on many occasions.

Gigging experience

South African Residency’s Craig has had residency’s at most house clubs in and around South Africa. Giving him the opportunity to play his music to fans around SA. * Cape Town* • Deluxe, Opium, Ignite, Sutra, The Funktion and MORE Johannesburg • Liquid Lounge, Natural Groove, Groove Bar, Sutra, H2O, Carfax, Sudada, 115, Aruba and 206 Pretoria • Co Fi, Sweet Sessions and Automatic Durban • Tilt, Delasol, Pop Art, Skyy Bar, Raffles, Zeta Bar, Panama Room and Monkey Bar Port Elizabeth • 52 Parliament, Gondwana, After Party & Tarantino’s East London • Funkey Monkey, The Deck, Highlanders and Buccaneers Grahamstown • The Suite and Equilibrium Plettenburg Bay • V.I.P., Flashbacks and The Lounge Knysna • Stones, Zanzibar and Oyster Catcher St. Francis • The Cellar & The Workshop Pietermaritzburg • 9 Bar and Mur Mur * Supported International Acts:* Craig has supported international acts such as Deep Dish, Jeff K & Tim Paris from Silver Network, Cyril K from Dialect, Bruno Banner & Dj Fudge (Troublemen), Andy Riley & Laurence Ritchie from Drop Music, Roberto Mello from Classic, Ralph Lawson & Murray Richardson from 2020 Vision, DJ Yellow from Africanism, Darshan from Metro Area, Kaskade, Troydon, Inland Nights and many more. Iridium project Iridium Project was born in 2001 when Mario Parmeggiani and Nick Matthews met at a record shop in Bree Street, Cape Town. After a couple of meetings Mario decided that Nick and him should play a gig at one of Cape Town’s more up-market clubs, Rhodes House. On the night of the gig Mario introduced Nick to a very talented musician by the name of Riccardo Moretti and the three seamlessly worked together as a dance floor hit. When 2003 dawned Iridium had started producing their first tracks and laid down the initial concepts for their first album, Stroboscope. Lu Chase was invited to sing vocals and they produced their first single “Smoke & Fly”. Her strong performance both in the booth and on stage enveloped her into what was becoming a frequently requested act at club gigs around Cape Town. By summer the project had performed at numerous private functions between Clifton and Johannesburg In 2004 the project got its first taste of a big stage when they were chosen as the warm-up act at one of The Springbok Nude Girl’s live performances. Many hours of attention were focused in the studio and the second single “Smoke & Fly” was released to high acclaim on local radio stations. The single was included in compilations such as Platform and The Nightwatchmen. 2005 was a very constructive year with the addition of bass player ‘The Passion’. Together the act started playing regular shows at Opium nightclub and an alter ego midweek gig called the Magic Carpet Ride at venue by the name of Strega. The music grew its own shape diriving from elements of Funk, Soul and Blues. The result was a series of incredible live jam sessions that featured many excellent musicians. By 2006 the group recorded more new material and released a couple of singles and a compilation . "Sequenced Funk", the projects second single, charted on South Africa's 5FM reaching #6. Iridium also featured as a support act for Fat Boy Slim and The Stereo MC's and traveled frequently to Durban where their name spread.Near the end of that year the group asked their good friend and one of South Africa's top D.J.'s, Craig de Sousa, to join the project. 2007. The projects most successful year to date. A motivated crew planned rehearsals and recording sessions, Craig flexed his studio muscle and the first result proved to be the groups third hit single, "Lu's Control" which also charted on 5FM. They performed with new featured artists and new toys at many high profile events to packed dancefloors such as the Durban A1 GP and July. Iridium Project's debut album, Stroboscope hit the shelves just in time for christmas and saw the culmination of a 4 year journey with many friendships made along the way.

Sous Man - Craig De Sousa

THE REAL SLIM SHADY

2011-02-06T03:17:00.000-08:00

Eminem's Biography

Eminem (born Marshall Bruce Mathers III on October 17, 1972) is an American rapper, and both a Grammy and Oscar-winner. He is of mostly Scottish-American descent, and currently lives in suburban Detroit. Discovered by rapper/producer Dr. Dre, Eminem is known as one of the most skillful and controversial rappers in the industry, becoming a crossover sensation with his debut single "My Name Is" while simultaneously earning respect from the hip-hop community for his lyrical talent. He is noted for his ability to change his own verbal pace (flow) and style multiple times within one song without losing the beat, and has been praised for his skill in alliteration and assonance.

He is infamous for the controversy surrounding many of his lyrics. With the enormous success of his sophomore album The Marshall Mathers LP following its release in May 2000, and its subsequent nomination for four Grammy awards including Album of the Year, critics such as GLAAD denounced his lyrics as homophobic, while others complained that it was also extremely misogynistic and violent. However, he has received a great deal of praise within the hip-hop community for his lyrical ability. He is the second-highest selling rapper of all time, behind Tupac Shakur, though the latter has had several posthumous albums released.
While generally avoiding overtly political tones previously (or if they were mentioned it was in passing), in late 2004 before the presidential election, Eminem released the song "Mosh," which harshly criticizes President George W. Bush. Encore, Mathers' fourth major-label album, was released later that year, but was considered by many to be a disappointment in comparison to his previous three albums and sold half of what The Eminem Show had. Though Eminem considers himself neither a militant nor a political artist, he did have his own Hip Hop Political Convention as a parody of the national political conventions held in 2004. His latest release is Curtain Call: The Hits, a compilation which covers many of his past hit songs, and includes three new tracks.

Eminem's Personal life

Marshall Mather's Early childhood

Marshall was born in St. Joseph, Missouri (near Kansas City) to parents Deborah "Debbie" Mathers-Briggs and Marshall Bruce Mathers II, and spent most of his childhood moving back and forth between Kansas City, and suburban Detroit, including Warren. His father had abandoned the family before Marshall turned two years old, and the two have not had contact since, save some rejected attempts by Marshall's father to contact Marshall after his rise to fame. Constantly moving from home to home, he frequently changed schools, often finding himself to be an outcast in the new communities, and frequently fell victim to bullying. An assault by schoolmate DeAngelo Bailey that left Marshall hospitalized was the most notable such incident, which Marshall would later recount in greatly exaggerated form on the track "Brain Damage" (The Slim Shady LP, 1999). The song prompted legal action by the assailant, with accusations of libel and privacy infringement, which were eventually dismissed in court.
His childhood was further marred by his family's meager financial status, which was the primary reason for the continuous moving, during which Marshall and his mother Debbie would often find themselves living in public housing, mobile homes, and under the care of relatives, such as Marshall's great-aunt Edna, whom he mentions in "Evil Deeds" (''Encore''). During this time, Debbie was legally taking the prescription drugs Vicodin and Valium, though Marshall later claimed in numerous interviews and songs that she was abusing the drugs, to which Debbie retaliated with a lawsuit pressing defamation charges (see below). In the song "Cleaning Out My Closet" (The Eminem Show, 2002), Mathers also accuses his mother of having Munchausen syndrome, adding that "my whole life I was made to believe I was sick when I wasn't... it makes you sick to your stomach, doesn't it?". This was not the first time someone had suggested Debbie had the disorder; a social worker had made similar comments following a 1996 investigation of her mistreatment of Nathan Samra-Mathers, her second child.

Eminem's life before fame

Before dropping out of Lincoln High School Warren as a 9th grader at the age of 17 (after failing ninth grade three times), Marshall made a number of significant acquaintances at the school. This included fellow rapper Proof, who was to become one of his closest friends, the Runyon Avenue Soldiers, and future wife Kimberly Ann "Kim" Scott, with whom he soon developed a long-term relationship. When Kim became pregnant, this further increased Marshall's drive to succeed through concern over the welfare of his new family. He discusses this in "Never Far" (Infinite, 1996), saying "I got a baby on the way, I don't even got a car...I still stay with my moms...we gotta make some hit records or something because I'm tired of being broke..." When the Infinite album failed to generate the revenue and acclaim he had hoped for, and Kim ended their relationship, preventing him from seeing his newborn child, Marshall decided to take his own life. However, his suicide attempt using an overdose of Tylenol analgesics failed, and Marshall resumed his efforts to succeed in the music industry and reconcile with Kim. He ultimately succeeded in doing both, marrying Kim on June 14, 1999 in St. Joseph, Missouri.
The couple's daughter, Hailie Jade Scott, born December 25, 1995 would grow to become an important part of Marshall's life, as he became dedicated to giving her everything he himself was deprived of in his childhood, including a father figure and financial security. He would go on to mention her extensively in some of his songs, including "'97 Bonnie & Clyde" (The Slim Shady LP, 1999), which takes the form of a one-sided dialogue with Hailie, as well as "Hailie's Song" (The Eminem Show, 2002), "Mockingbird" (''Encore'', 2004), and "When I'm Gone" (Curtain Call: The Hits, 2005), all of which are proclamations of his love and dedication to her. In addition, he samples her voice in the less serious upbeat track "My Dad's Gone Crazy" (The Eminem Show, 2002).

Eminem's legal troubles

The year 1999 was marked by a rise to celebrity status for Marshall, but it also ushered the beginning of his numerous legal troubles. The first of these was his mother Debbie's lawsuit against him in September of that year. The lawsuit was motivated by comments on Debbie's drug use made by Marshall on the song "My Name Is" (The Slim Shady LP, 1999), specifically the lyric "Ninety-nine percent of my life I was lied to/I just found out my mom does more dope than I do", and similar accusations in numerous interviews. Debbie refuted the statements and demanded more than $10 million in damages for defamation in two lawsuits. After rumors of Debbie dropping the suit, she and Marshall reached a settlement in 2001 for $25,000, with over $23,000 of it going to Debbie's former attorney Fred Gibson by a court order. A request for reconsideration of the settlement by Debbie was denied by a judge. Marshall's resentful reflections on the case can be heard on the songs "Marshall Mathers" (The Marshall Mathers LP, 2000) in the lyrics "My f*ckin' b*tch mom is suing for 10 million/She must want a dollar for every pill I've been stealin'" and the self-censored line "Your attorney Fred Gibson's a faggot" and Without Me ("The Eminem Show, 2002) in the lyrics, "I just settled all my lawsuits/F*ck you, Debbie!"
With Marshall's rise to stardom, new disputes arose between him and his wife, centered around Kim's dissatisfaction over the graphic fictional account of Marshall murdering her and dumping her body in a lake in the songs "'97 Bonnie & Clyde" (The Slim Shady LP, 1999) and "Kim" (The Marshall Mathers LP, 2000). The tension between the couple came to a climax when Marshall witnessed Kim kissing another man, one John Guerrera, outside the Hot Rocks Café in Warren on June 4, 2000. Highly disgruntled, Marshall threatened John with an unloaded 9 mm semi-automatic gun and allegedly proceeded to pistol-whip him. Guerrera is mentioned in "Sing For The Moment" on The Eminem Show, with the exact lyric being "you're full of shit too, Guerrera, that was a fist that hit you!" On the previous day, Marshall was allegedly involved in a heated dispute in Red Oak, Michigan with Douglas Dail, an associate of the rap group Insane Clown Posse, with whom Marshall had an ongoing rivalry. On The Marshall Mathers LP, on the track "Marshall Mathers," Eminem calls ICP's Shaggy 2 Dope and Violent Jay "Faggot 2 Dope," and "Silent Gay." Furthermore, the Ken Kaniff skit on this album features the character (played by Eminem) being fellated by the ICP pair. During the confrontation, Marshall was observed to be holding a gun, which he kept pointed at the ground. Being taken into police custody during the Hot Rocks Café incident, Marshall was charged with misdemeanor charges of brandishing a firearm in public, assault with a dangerous weapon, and two counts of concealed weapon possession, in two separate trials for the two incidents. After a plea bargain in the John Guerrera case, which concluded on April 10, 2001, Marshall pleaded guilty to weapon possession in exchange for the assault charges being dropped, receiving two years of probation, and was ordered to pay $100,000 in damages at the conclusion of the case evaluation in 2002. In the Dail case, he pleaded nolo contendere to the charges of firearm possession and brandishing, receiving one year of probation, enforced concurrently with the sentence from the first case. He would later recount the former incident in the song "Soldier" (The Eminem Show, 2002) and the preceding interlude "The Kiss".
While the trials were in the beginning stages, things were only getting worse for Marshall, when on July 7, 2000, Kim attempted suicide in the couple's Sterling Heights, Michigan home by cutting her wrists. Marshall talks about this incident from Hailie's point of view in the song "When I'm Gone" from the CD Curtain Call: The Hits. This prompted Marshall to file for divorce a few months later, which was promptly countered by Kim with a lawsuit that sought to deny Marshall custody of their daughter and $10 million in defamation damages. Within weeks, however, they settled the lawsuit, and agreed to joint custody of their daughter, with Kim gaining physical custody of Hailie, granting Marshall "liberal visitation rights". By the end of the year, the couple reconciled, agreeing to dismiss divorce claims and live together. Marshall mentions Kim's suicide attempt and the Hot Rocks Café incident on the Xzibit song "Don't Approach Me" (Restless, 2000), expressing anger and frustration with the media's constant prying into his life, and with public attention towards him in general.
The reconciliation, however, would not last, as Kim filed for divorce in 2001, which was finalized in October of that year, granting joint physical and legal custody of Hailie to both parties, as well as requiring Marshall to make child support payments. There was further turbulence in their relationship when Kim was sentenced to 2 years of probation for felony cocaine possession in 2003. This was not her first such incident, as she had previously faced similar charges in 2001, although they were eventually dropped. The incident was not to be her last, however, as she was sentenced to 30 days in jail in 2004, after failing a drug test for cocaine while still on probation. Marshall makes numerous references to Kim's cocaine use on the Encore album, including the quotes "you're a f*cking cokehead slut" and "mama developed a habit" in the songs "Puke" and "Mockingbird" respectively. Their relationship since their divorce was subject to many contradictive rumors and statements in Marshall's music and remained in an indecisive "on-again, off-again" state for a long time.

The aftermath

Marshall was no stranger to drugs and alcohol, as suggested by a large number of his songs, including "Drug Ballad" (The Marshall Mathers LP, 2000) and "These Drugs" (Devil's Night Bonus Disc, 2001), which are dedicated to his drug use in their entirety. The song "I'm Shady" (The Slim Shady LP, 1999) even includes the explanatory line "well, I do take pills (ecstasy or prescription drugs), don't do speed / don't do crack, don't do coke / I do smoke weed / don't do smack / I do do shrooms, do drink beer / I just wanna make a few things clear". Later tracks, including the aforementioned "These Drugs" and "Kill You" (The Marshall Mathers LP, 2000) additionally suggest cocaine use, although he has never been in a law enforcement incident involving drugs. However, with the sentence of two years of probation taking effect in 2001, during which he was subject to mandatory regular drug testing, his recreational drug use was put to an end. This fact is supported with references to his drug use in his music, which all but disappeared after 2001, and comments by band mate Proof, who states that Marshall "sobered up". However, with rising pressures and workload in his professional career, Marshall found it difficult to get the rest he wanted, and turned to Ambien sleeping pills for relief. His use of the drug eventually became so severe, that in August 2005, he cancelled the European leg of his ongoing tour, and checked into a drug rehabilitation clinic for treatment.
The decline of Marshall's drug use during his probation was in line with the growing demands for responsibility in his role as a parent to Hailie. In addition, he is also known to take care of the daughter of Kim's twin sister Dawn, Alaina "Laney", whom he mentions in the song "Mockingbird" (Encore, 2004), referring to himself as her "daddy" and stating "it's almost like Laney and Hailie are sisters now". He also cares for his younger half-brother Nathan, who makes appearances in the music videos for "The Way I Am" (The Marshall Mathers LP, 2000) and "Without Me" (The Eminem Show, 2002). Marshall currently resides with the aforementioned members of his extended family in Clinton Charter Township, Michigan in the outskirts of Detroit.

Eminem's Remarriage

Eminem remarried Kim on January 14, 2006 in Michigan. Eminem's best man was long time friend and D12 member Proof, while Kim's maid of honor was their daughter Hailie. They walked down the aisle to Eminem's song "Mockingbird" which was a tribute to Hailie and his niece Alaina. Guests at the wedding were 50 Cent and his G-Unit crew, as well as D12. Kim's mother attended the wedding while Eminem's mother did not.

Eminem's Early career

Interested in rap from a young age, Mathers began performing as early as thirteen, later gaining some popularity with a group, Soul Intent. In 1996, he released his first independent album, named Infinite (of which he sold about 500 copies out of the back of his car.) The album received no airplay and a mixed critical response, with people claiming Eminem's rapping style sounded too similar to Nas and AZ. Drawing on the negative experiences of his life, in 1997 Eminem followed Infinite up with The Slim Shady EP demo, which saw his lyrics take a decidedly darker turn, in songs like "No One's Iller" and "Murder Murder," the latter in which he talks about having to commit crimes to feed his daughter. He became famous in the hip-hop underground because of his distinctive, cartoonish style and the fact that he was white in a predominantly black genre. Fellow rapper Snoop Dogg referred to him as rap's "great white American hope" in the song "B*tch Please II".
It is said that rap artist and producer Dr. Dre found Eminem's demo on the garage floor of Jimmy Iovine, the Interscope label chief. Though this did not directly lead to a recording contract, Dr. Dre agreed to sign him when Eminem won second place versus Otherwize at the 1997 Rap Olympics freestyle battle. Other sources state that an executive at the offices of Interscope handed the demo to Iovine who passed it to Dre, which resulted in a contract.

Eminem entering the mainstream

Album cover of The Marshall Mathers LP (2000).Once he joined Interscope, Eminem released The Slim Shady LP, which went on to be one of the most popular records of 1999, going triple platinum by the end of the year. With the album's enormous popularity came controversy surrounding many of the album's lyrics. In "'97 Bonnie and Clyde", Eminem describes a trip with his infant daughter, disposing of the body of his wife. Another song, "Guilty Conscience," ends with Eminem encouraging a man to murder his wife and her lover.
The Marshall Mathers LP was released in May 2000, quickly selling 2 million copies. The first single released from the album, The Real Slim Shady, was a huge hit- thanks in part to the catchy rhythm and chorus line, "So won't the real Slim Shady please stand up, please stand up, please stand up?" (adapted from the catch phrase of the TV quiz show To Tell the Truth). It also created some buzz by trash-talking celebrities and making dubious claims about them. In the song, Eminem implies, among other things, that Christina Aguilera gave "head" (oral sex) to Fred Durst (of Limp Bizkit) and Carson Daly (of MTV's Total Request Live). In his second single, "The Way I Am," he reveals to his fans the pressures from his record company to top "My Name Is" and sell more records, and dismisses the alleged controversial link between music such as that of Marilyn Manson and shootings such as at Columbine High School as absurd, instead blaming the parents. In the third single, "Stan" (which samples Dido's "Thank You"), Eminem attempts to deal with his new-found fame, telling the story of a fan so obsessed with Eminem that the fan winds up killing himself and his pregnant girlfriend, mirroring one of the songs on The Slim Shady LP. It is now considered to be one of the classics of the genre.

Themes and topics of Eminem's songs

A large part of Eminem's popularity is his separation from the over-abundance of "pop-rap", in which rhymes rarely stray from bragging about money and jewelery, fast cars with large rims, huge parties, and constant casual sex. Instead, Eminem's songs typically explore deeper anger, thoughts, questions, and statements about his life and how he is treated. Common topics are:

Drugs and self-abuse (mostly in his early Slim Shady-era album and freestyles)
His mother and childhood
Being white in a black business/culture and growing up in a black neighborhood
His wife (Kim Mathers, whom he remarried in 2006)
Disgust with groupies/dating
Growing up in poverty-ridden Detroit
Raising his daughter and niece
America and the government
Poking fun at celebrities and American pop culture
Annoyance and/or amusement with people's literal interpretation of lyrics in songs like "Criminal" and "Stan".

Controversy of Eminem

With the enormous popularity of Eminem's second album, the controversy surrounding Eminem grew even larger, especially when The Marshall Mathers LP was nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Though Mathers had always claimed that his lyrics were not meant to be taken seriously, and that he had nothing against homosexuals or women, the gay rights group GLAAD organized a boycott of the Grammys. Mathers responded to this by singing "Stan" on-stage with openly gay singer Elton John, ending the performance by hugging John to show that he didn't have anything against homosexuals. Though it shocked a lot of people, this gesture failed to appease many of his critics. In later interviews, he said he did not know Elton John was gay, but that he respected him: "Of course I'd heard of Elton John," Eminem said, "but I didn't know he was gay. I didn't know anything about his personal life. I didn't really care, but being that he was gay and he had my back, I think it made a statement in itself saying that he understood where I was coming from."
The two songs most often cited as examples in The Marshall Mathers LP of Eminem's misogyny were "Kill You" and "Kim." Critics claimed the former portrayed extremely violent abuse against women in general and contained a line about Eminem raping his own mother. The latter is not so much a song as it is a reenactment of a fictional fight between Eminem and his wife, although he does rhyme his shouted, hoarse lines. Despite his conflicting expressions of love and hate throughout the track, Eminem ends up slitting Kim's throat at the end (accompanied by cries of "Bleed, b*tch, bleed!"); several people objected to the graphic description of spousal abuse. On the clean version of the CD, the track was removed and replaced with a song almost entirely devoid of profanity called "The Kids."
Since Eminem's rapid ascent to fame, tell-all biographies of varying quality have been published, including Shady Bizzness by his former bodyguard Byron Williams. Eminem himself has written a book called Angry Blonde, released in 2000, where he reveals the emotions and intent behind the lyrics in the Marshall Mathers LP, and describes his passion for and approach to rapping.
As one of six members of the rap group D12, Eminem appeared on the album Devil's Night, released in 2001. The album was certified multi-platinum. The album contained the single "Purple Pills", renamed "Purple Hills" for radio play. Another song, "Blow My Buzz", was on the soundtrack for the film The Wash (2001), in which Eminem had a cameo appearance.
Album cover of The Eminem Show (2002).Eminem's third major album, The Eminem Show was released in summer 2002. It featured the single "Without Me," an apparent sequel to "The Real Slim Shady," in which he makes derogatory comments about boy bands, *NSYNC's Chris Kirkpatrick, Limp Bizkit, Moby, and Lynne Cheney, among others. The album reflected on the impact of his rise to fame, his relationship with his wife Kim and his daughter Hailie, and his status in the hip-hop community. He also addresses the charges he faced over assaulting a bouncer he saw kissing his wife in 2000. While there is clear anger present on several tracks, this album was considerably less inflammatory than the previous, and as such did not face any protests of misogyny and homophobia that had plagued The Marshall Mathers LP.
On November 19, 2003, new controversy surrounded Eminem when a cassette tape was played during a press conference held by The Source magazine. The cassette featured Mathers performing a freestyle rap in which he made disparaging remarks about black women, calling them "dumb chicks" in comparison to white women and claimed they are only after money. Other racial slurs and remarks were on the tape, including the use of the word "nigger". Mathers claimed he made the recording after breaking up with his black girlfriend in 1988; however The Source claimed the tapes were recorded in 1994, and old friends of Eminem's claimed he never had a black girlfriend. Eminem later filed a lawsuit against The Source for alleged copyright infringement.
On December 8, 2003, the United States Secret Service admitted it was "looking into" allegations that Mathers had threatened the President of the United States after the unreleased song "We As Americans" leaked onto the internet. The lyrics in question: "F*ck money / I don't rap for dead presidents / I'd rather see the president dead / It's never been said, but I set precedents...". The song was being recorded to possibly be on Encore, but wound up on a bonus CD accompanying the album Encore. The second use of the word "dead" was edited out of that version.
Then, in 2004, Eminem made the music video "My Band" with D12. The song was the band's sarcastic response to the media's frequent portrayal of D12 as Eminem's band, giving little or no credit to its other members. The video contained various parodies, including that of the Janet Jackson "incident", and of 50 Cent's "In Da Club" video.
On October 12, 2004, a week after the release of "Just Lose It", Eminem's first video and single off Encore, Michael Jackson called into the Los Angeles-based Steve Harvey radio show to report his displeasure with the video, which parodies Jackson's child-molestation accusations, plastic surgeries, and an incident in which Jackson's hair caught on fire while filming a Pepsi commercial in 1984. The lyrics to "Just Lose It" also refer to Jackson's legal troubles. Many of Jackson's supporters and friends spoke out about the video, including Stevie Wonder who called the video "kicking a man while he's down" and "bullshit", and Steve Harvey who declared, "Eminem has lost his ghetto pass. We want the pass back". In the video, Eminem also parodied Pee Wee Herman, MC Hammer, and a Blonde-Ambition-touring Madonna.
Album cover of Encore (2004).BET was the first channel to stop airing the video. MTV, however, announced it would continue airing the video, and "Just Lose It" became the #1 requested video on TRL for the week ending October 22. The Source magazine, through its CEO Raymond "Benzino" Scott, wanted not only the video to be pulled, but the song off the album, and a public apology to Jackson from Eminem, though this was likely due to his personal hatred of Eminem rather than any genuine concern for Michael.
Others dismissed "Just Lose It" as a tame "Weird Al" Yankovic-style knockoff. Regarding Jackson's protest, Yankovic, who parodied the Eminem song "Lose Yourself" on a track titled "Couch Potato" on his 2003 album Poodle Hat, himself told the Chicago Sun-Times, "Last year, Eminem forced me to halt production on the video for my "Lose Yourself" parody because he somehow thought that it would be harmful to his image or career. So the irony of this situation with Michael is not lost on me."
On October 26, 2004, a week before the U.S. presidential election, 2004, Eminem released the video for his song titled "Mosh" on the Internet. The song features a very strong anti-Bush message, with lyrics such as "f*ck Bush" and "this weapon of mass destruction that we call our president". The video features Eminem gathering up an army of people presented as victims of the Bush administration and leading them to the White House. However, once the army breaks in, it is revealed that they are there to simply register to vote, and the video ends with the words "VOTE Tuesday November 2" on the screen. After Bush won the election, the video's ending was changed to Eminem and the protesters invading while Bush was giving a speech. On October 31, Eminem performed the song on Saturday Night Live, but some thought that he appeared to be lip-syncing the chorus, only a week after Ashlee Simpson was caught lip-syncing her performance on the program. His management observed that he was merely rapping over a backing track so as not to lose the beat, and in any case, since the Simpson incident had occurred only the week previously, Eminem made a point of lowering the microphone whenever the backing vocals were heard while he wasn't rapping. None of the publicity helped the album however, which saw its sales stall at 4.7 million copies, a number dramatically lower than his past two albums.
In summer 2005, Mathers embarked on his first US concert run in three years, the Anger Management 3 Tour, featuring Lil' Jon, 50 Cent and G-Unit, D12, Obie Trice, The Alchemist, and others. In August 2005, Eminem canceled the European leg of the tour and subsequently announced that he had entered drug rehabilitation for treatment for a "dependency on sleep medication". At the same time as he was entering rehab, his aunt and uncle, Jack and Betty Schmitt, sued Mathers, charging that he had reneged on a promise to build a $350,000 house for them and supply them with money for the house's upkeep. The couple claimed that Mathers had kept the house in his name, and then issued them eviction orders.
Eminem has made many enemies in the music industry, including Ja Rule, Benzino, Everlast, the Insane Clown Posse (although recently, at an ICP concert, they sat down with Proof of D12 and talked out their differences, officially "squashing the beef with D12"), Canibus, Vanilla Ice, Fred Durst and others.

Eminem's other works and ventures

Eminem made his Hollywood acting debut with the semi-autobiographical 8 Mile, released in November 2002. He recorded several new songs for the soundtrack, including "Lose Yourself," which won Eminem an Academy Award for Best Song; it was not performed at the ceremony, reportedly because ABC wanted him to perform an edited version.

Eminem has done some voice acting, both on Crank Yankers and a web cartoon called The Slim Shady Show, which has since been pulled offline and is instead sold on DVD.

Eminem has also been linked to "Songs of Hope" by U2 and supported the Boys and Girls Club of America and the Leary Fire Fighters Foundation with various proceeds donated to these causes. In 2004, he held a political convention of his own in New York City, in response to the National Republican Convention. In the song "Mosh", Eminem expresses his support for American troops, but speaks against the Iraq war and the Bush administration. The Raelians Religious Movement, a religious group whose beliefs are centered around communication with extraterrestrial life tried to appoint Eminem as an honorary priest . In addition, he has raised AIDS and other STD awareness in a number of songs portraying infected people having promiscuous sex with numerous partners.

Aftermath Entertainment

Although Eminem owns his own label, he is strictly signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment as a solo artist. The Aftermath roster includes 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes, Stat Quo, Eve, The Game and newcomer Bishop Lamont.

Shady Records

Dr. Dre's leading protégé succeeded in multi-platinum record sales. Eminem was granted his own record label, a sublabel of Aftermath Entertainment. He and his manager Paul Rosenberg created Shady Records in late 2000. Eminem and Dr. Dre had signed 50 Cent on a joint venture between Aftermath & Shady Records. His own Detroit collective D12 and rapper Obie Trice were signed to the Shady Records label. In 2003, Eminem and Dr. Dre signed on Atlanta rapper Stat Quo to the roster. DJ Green Lantern, the former deejay for Eminem, was signed to Shady Records until a dispute with 50 Cent forced him to depart from the label, and he is no longer associated with Eminem. The Alchemist is now officially Eminem's tour deejay. In 2005, Eminem officially signed another Atlanta rapper known as Bobby Creekwater to his label. There are also plans to sign a rapper by the name of Fizzy B to Shady Records. Many other rappers have been speculated as possible additions to Shady Records, including West rappers Ras Kass, Ice Cube, Xzibit, and Detroit rappers Trick Trick, King Gordy, Marv One, and J Hill. There have also been rumors that Eminem was interested in signing Young Zee, a friend of his from the group Outsidaz.

Eminem signed a deal with Sirius Satellite Radio to program a rap-oriented station called Shade 45, which debuted on October 28, 2004. He also owns a clothing line called "Shady Ltd."

Eminem as a producer

Eminem is also active as a producer of rap records. Besides being the executive producer of D12's two albums, Devil's Night and D12 World, he has also produced numerous tracks on Obie Trice's Cheers as well as 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin' and The Massacre. In addition, Eminem has produced and appeared on several songs by other famous rappers such as The Game's "We Ain't," Jadakiss' "Welcome To D-Block," Jay-Z's "Renegade," Lloyd Banks' "Warrior Part 2," Tony Yayo's "Drama Setter," Trick Trick's "Welcome 2 Detroit", and Xzibit's "Say My Name" and "Don't Approach Me." Most of The Eminem Show was produced by Eminem himself, with co-production from longtime collaborator Jeff Bass. He split the production with Dr. Dre on Encore. He also executive-produced 2Pac's posthumous album Loyal to the Game with 2Pac's mother Afeni Shakur. On certain tracks, 2Pac's voice was slowed down or sped up, and digitally altered to say things like "2005" and "G-Unit," angering devoted 2Pac fans.

Retiring Slim Shady

In 2005, some industry insiders speculated that Eminem is considering concluding his rapping career after six years and numerous multi-platinum albums. Speculation began in early 2005 about a double-disc album to be released late that year, rumored to be titled The Funeral. The album manifested itself under the name Curtain Call, and was released on December 6, 2005.
In July 2005, the Detroit Free Press broke news of a potential final bow for Eminem as a solo performer, quoting members of his inside circle who said that he will begin to fully embrace the role of producer and label executive. The Free Press, Eminem's hometown paper, wrote that the aptly titled Encore album would now stand as his final solo album.
Deep within Eminem's inner circle there is talk that the rapper is planning on retiring after he concludes his Anger Management Tour in Detroit. The reason for his retirement is to focus on acting, spending time with his daughter and niece, and more on his increasing popularity in production. Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenburg as well as their representatives will not comment on the situation. This may not mean his retirement from rapping completely, as he may well still contribute to many of his Shady Records and Aftermath artists projects as well as Dr. Dre's planned Detox album.

Album cover of Curtain Call: The Hits (2005).Eminem recently announced via MTV News that he does not plan on retiring soon, though he is planning on taking a break to produce music. He is still uncertain whether another album will be released, but his career has not come to a full stop. However, as he entered rehab in 2005 for dependency on sleep medication, many are speculating that he will use this event to lay down his microphone. The star is continuing to work out of the spotlight, including producing the Redman album Red Gone Wild. One track to be released on that album which has a gained attention is "I C Dead People", which will feature raps from three deceased artists: Big Pun, Big L and the Notorious B.I.G.
At "Anger Management" in Madison Square Garden and Atlanta's HiFi Buys Amphitheater he openly announced that he is not retiring and indicates this is all just gossip by saying the moon exploding is a more credible rumor. However, many still speculate that he will be retiring and the announcement at Madison Square Garden was only a ploy to distract the fans.
Adding to the already feverish rumors from fans, Eminem released a track to be on Curtain Call entitled "When I'm Gone." The lyrics feature the topic of Slim Shady's destructive power over Marshall Mathers' life, and talks of laying Slim Shady to rest, one line featuring the lyrics "Find a gun on the ground / cock it, put it to my brain / scream 'Die Shady!' and pop it." Whether or not this is an unsubtle hint at retirement is currently up for speculation. The lyrics also show feelings of guilt, Eminem feeling he should've spent more time with his daughter Hailie; "'Daddy, where's Mommy? I can't find Mommy, where is she?' 'I don't know, go play, Hailie, baby, your daddy's busy.'"
On December 6, 2005, the day of Curtain Call's release, Eminem told suburban Detroit radio station WKQI-FM's "Mojo in the Morning" show that he and Kim had reconciled and were probably going to remarry. He denied that he was retiring, but implied that he would at least be taking a break as an artist, saying, "I'm at a point in my life right now where I feel like I don't know where my career is going ... This is the reason that we called it 'Curtain Call,' because this could be the final thing. We don't know."

Eminem in D12

In 2001, Eminem brought the rap group he was a member of, D12, to the popular music scene. In 2001, D12 released their hit debut album titled Devil's Night. The first single released off of the album was "Purple Pills," an ode to recreational drug use (although this was preceded in the UK by a song called "Shit On You", which was included on the Special Edition version of the album released in that country). The version of the song released on the radio and music television was heavily rewritten to remove much of the song's offensive nature, and retitled "Purple Hills." While the first single was a massive hit, the album's second single, "Fight Music," was not as successful. Some have attributed this to the emotional change caused in American society due to the September 11, 2001 attacks. After their debut, D12 took 3 years in hiatus from the studio, later regrouping to releasing their sophomore album, D12 World, in 2004, which featured the popular hit single release "My Band." The other members of D12 have also appeared as guests on all of Eminem's albums since The Marshall Mathers LP. D12's third album is tentatively scheduled for a 2006 release.

THE MIGHTY MOS DEF

2011-02-04T07:14:00.000-08:00

Regarded as one of hip-hop's most introspective and insightful artists, Mos Def has shaped a career that transcends music genres and artistic medium. A child of hip-hop's Golden Era, the native Brooklynite spent his childhood imbedded in the culture surrounding him as well as absorbing knowledge from across the artistic spectrum.

With the release of "Universal Magnetic" (1996) Mos became an underground favorite in the hip hop world, leading to his legendary collaboration with Talib Kweli. The two formed Black Star whose debut album, Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star, would become one of the most critically acclaimed hip-hop albums. Mos followed that release with his 1999 solo debut, Black On Both Sides, which was certified gold and credited by critics as bringing hip-hop back to its soapbox roots.

As with his music, Mos has demonstrated insight and passion with his acting career, appearing in Spike Lee's Bamboozled, MTV's Carmen: A Hip Hopera, 2002's critically acclaimed Monster's Ball, Showtime, and the 2002 romantic comedy Brown Sugar, for which he received an NAACP Image Award nomination. In addition Mos has served as the host, music supervisor and co-executive producer for the HBO series Def Poetry and served as a writer, producer and actor on the MTV sketch comedy series Lyricist Lounge. Mos completed his Broadway debut in 2002 in the Tony nominated, Pulitzer Prize winning, Topdog/Underdog. Mos re-teamed with Topdog playwright, Suzan Lori Parks and director George Wolfe for the off-Broadway play, Fucking A, for which he was awarded an Obie Award.

In 2003, Mos Def starred in Paramount Pictures' The Italian Job, alongside Ed Norton, Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron. Last year Mos Def starred opposite Alan Rickman in the critically acclaimed HBO movie Something the Lord Made, for which he has received a 2004 Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie. Def was also nominated for both a Golden Globe Award (Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture) and Golden Satellite Award (Best Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television) for the same role He can currently be been seen on the big screen in the feature film The Woodsman, with Kevin Bacon, Benjamin Bratt, Eve and Kyra Sedgwick. The New York Times said of his performance, "I hope we don't have to wait too much longer to see him in a big-screen leading role," and USA Today heralded him as "the movie's best performance." In addition, he recently completed work on Spyglass Entertainment's The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, set for release in May 2005. In the film, an adaptation of the classic Douglas Adams Science Fiction novel, Def will star as hero "Ford Prefect."

Mos Def released his highly-anticipated and critically acclaimed sophomore solo release, The New Danger (Geffen Records), on October 12th. The album was met with praise from both critics and fans alike, with Rolling Stone giving it 4 Stars and hailing the album as "Ghetto rock and righteous hip-hop from dazzingly talented Def" and the New York Daily News proclaimed "No one is doing more to change our notion of how hip hop can sound." The first single, "Sex, Love and Money' earned Def a 2005 Grammy nomination for Best Alternative/Urban Performance and the album has been certified gold by the RIAA.

Mos def - Mathematics

Mos Def freestyle 99

Lupe Fiasco

2011-02-03T04:15:00.000-08:00

Hip-hop music, once a platform for creative expression and friendly competition, has, sadly, become a popularity contest. With record sales down and ringtone dollars up, rookies searching for that "one big hit" seem solely concerned with being deemed "cool." Lyrics have side-stepped, giving way to dance-instructing "rappers" more concerned with sparking the new "Macarena" than being hailed as an MC.

On the outside looking in at such followers is Lupe Fiasco. Rather than conform to music industry standards, Fiasco (born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco) has trail-blazed his own path to critical acclaim. Possessing head-spinning wordplay and a topical range more akin to the underground than the mainstream, the 25-year-old lyricist has proven that talent can still make waves in the rap game.

Born and raised in the seedy, confrontational West side of Chicago, Illinois, Fiasco grew up like the regular urban survivor. What wasn't common, however, was the means by which he carried himself. Comic books and literature of all genres cluttered his bedroom floor, and a skateboard replaced your typical drop-top Cadillac. Influenced by the Californian gangsta rap of artists such as Spice 1 and Ice Cube, Fiasco gradually grew leery of such negative messages, gravitating toward the dazzling lyricism of the likes of Nas and Jay-Z.

In 2004, Fiasco signed with Atlantic Records - even launching his own company, 1st & 15th Entertainment - and began recording his debut, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor. Fiasco's first major look came on fellow Chi-town native Kanye West's hit single, "Touch The Sky," where Fiasco delivered a show-stopping verse. The buzz gained from that song transitioned the gumshoe rapper into his first official solo single, the skateboard-meets-rap gem "Kick Push." Inspired by his own quirky hobby, Fiasco delivered a metaphorical tale of uplift through the eyes of a thrashing, four-small-wheel riding skater boy.

Released to extensive critical lauding and media embrace in September of 2006, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor (executive produced by good friend, and one-time mentor, Jay-Z) set the stage for a career that promises longevity. As a result, Lupe landed a remarkable three Grammy nominations - including Best Rap Album, and Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Song for "Kick Push."

Now, ready to capitalize on such promise, Fiasco has returned with his second offering, Lupe Fiasco's The Cool. A largely conceptual tour-de-force, the album's title is inspired by a standout track from Fiasco's debut, a hustler-turned-zombie epic also called "The Cool." This time around, Fiasco introduces three new characters - Michael Young History (The Cool before his death), The Game (a male personification of a hustler's damaging influences), and The Streets (a female embodiment of an urban area's corrupt allure).

The potent sense of thematic execution comes across perfectly on "The Coolest," a highlight of Lupe Fiasco's The Cool that serves as a prelude to the earlier track, "The Cool." Detailing Michael Young History's fall from glory to tragedy at the hands of his lover, The Streets, Fiasco employs his unique brand of imagery: "If the rain stops and everything's dry / She would cry so I could drink the tears from her eye."

Elsewhere, Fiasco strays away from his characters to comment on his own rise to fame, an issue that clearly causes discomfort. Look no further than the first single, "Superstar," produced by Fiasco's closest collaborator, Soundtrakk, and beaming with poignant unease: "A fresh, cool young Lu / Trying to cash his microphone check, 2, 1, 2 / Wanna believe my own hype, but it's too untrue / The world brought me to my knees, what have you brung you?"

Primarily produced by Soundtrakk, and also featuring contributions from a diverse array of atypical instrumentalists (including Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump), Lupe Fiasco's The Cool is evidence that Fiasco is anything but average. Rather than follow up a monumental '06 year - capped by his three Grammy nods, four BET Hip Hop Award nominations, and recognition as GQ's "Breakout Man of the Year," amongst other accolades - with an obvious attempt to further crossover, the young wordsmith has crafted a dense, dark, and atmospheric examination of life's pleasures. Whether negative or positive, what people consider to be "cool" ultimately dominates their every move, and Fiasco is completely aware of this.

In hip-hop's popularity contest, Lupe Fiasco is the observer, a thinking man brave enough to dictate the acute thoughts that his peers ignore. Now, that is cool.

fl studio 9 tips please

2011-02-02T10:27:00.000-08:00

OK, so i got that. now i neeeeeeed pro-tips and basically a dummies guide.
Help a brother out:)

WU TANG CLAN ENCORE

2011-02-01T13:20:00.000-08:00

Since their debut album, 1993's Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), Wu-Tang has become synonymous with gritty, direct lyrics and beats that draw from classic soul, horn-blasted funk, cinematic curios, and dirty guitar licks (among many others.) With each successive album, the group solidifies their hold on hip-hop, watching over the years as rappers, trends and ephemeral styles come and go and become musical footnotes in the game.

As devoted fans clamor and salivate for anything Wu-related, Gold Dust & Nature Sounds are proud to announce the release of Return of the Wu & Friends, produced and compiled by Wu-Tang Clan producer/DJ Mathematics and including some exclusive tracks, lost gems and old time favorites featuring all nine emcees.

The 16 tracks featured on Return of the Wu & Friends were compiled from songs recorded during the group's critically acclaimed 2000 album The W through 2008, including exclusive tracks like "Steppin 2 Me" featuring GZA, Inspectah Deck and Masta Killa. The producer also offers a slew of new remixes, including "Respect Mine" and "Clap". On the former, featuring Raekwon, Method Man and Cappadonna, the sprightly piano loop found on the original (from Mathematics' 2003 solo album Love, Hell or Right) gets flipped into a slower, more ominous track anchored by a funky slap bass line.

On Return of the Wu & Friends, every member gets their chance to shine, backed by Mathematics' acute ability to perfectly match each member's cadence and tone to the respective beat. Slower, more soulful tracks like "Da Way We Were" and "Strawberries & Cream" are balanced with classic Wu funk like "Iron God Chamber" and "It's What It Is" (the latter the new superhero anthem for the 21st century.) For anyone fiending for more Wu classics, Return of the Wu & Friends offers up an album's worth of tracks sure to fill the need for Wu bangers.

Having known the Clan since the mid-80s and produced for them since 1996, Mathematics is no stranger to the group. Starting off as GZA's DJ during the emcee's Cold Chillin' days, the producer has since gone on to create a diverse and memorable production catalog with the group, contributing tracks to The W and 8 Diagrams, as well as Ghostface Killah's Supreme Clientele, GZA's Beneath The Surface, Method Man's Tical 2000: Judgement Day and Method Man & Redman's Blackout!.

Wu-Tang- The Return of The Wu-Friends will be released on 2-16-10 on Gold Dust Records

ATCQ

2011-02-01T13:17:00.000-08:00

A Tribe Called Quest Doc Premieres At Sundance

After a few months of controversy, the Tribe Called Quest documentary, Beats, Rhymes & Life, directed by Michael Rapaport, premiered at Sundance this weekend, drawing rave reviews. More than one critic called it the hip-hop Some Kind of Monster, and it reportedly hasn’t been softened to make Tribe seem perfect : It posits, rightly, that Tribe’s recent reunion tours are solely for the money they missed out on the first go-round. It also gets to the tumultuous relationship between Phife Dawg and Q-Tip, which has been sometimes loving, and sometimes heartless.

The premiere wasn’t without controversy, though : Phife was the only member of the group that showed up, doing a Q&A afterwards. The L.A. Times has details of that : "I wish the rest of them were here,"Phife said, after resting his head on the lectern. "They don’t understand. I’ve been listening to you guys’ responses throughout the movie. Q-Tip has no idea how many people love him. When he was up there cracking jokes, yo, I almost pissed my pants !"

He continued : “You guys were dying of laughter. He don’t see that.... He’s like, ’Yo, man, I don’t know, man. I don’t know.’ I just wish they were all here to witness how much love you showed this movie.”

[Update : Q-Tip, Jarobi and Ali Shaheed Muhammad issued a statement about the film on Saturday evening : "We hope that the film’s perspective conveys our love for hip-hop culture. We could not attend Sundance, but we want to express our love and appreciation for the support that we have received in advance of the film’s premiere tonight. We hope that it is well received."]

Phife –- who is shown battling a debilitating case of diabetes in the film, undergoing a kidney transplant with his wife as a donor — grew philosophical about his group’s lasting cultural influence and then turned somewhat hopeful for more Tribal unity in the event "Beats, Rhymes & Life"screens at the Tribecca Film Festival later this year.

"We’re 40 years of age. Well, I don’t look 40. But this is the time to reap the benefits and really enjoy,"said Phife. "I wish they were here," he added : "Maybe they’ll make Tribeca." The audience rose to their feet with thunderous applause.

2PAC

2011-02-01T06:56:00.000-08:00

Ok guys, it's time for 2pac. The man we all know. So lets go:)

Tupac Shakur grew up around nothing but self-delusion. His mother, Alice Faye Williams, thought she was a "revolutionary." She called herself "Afeni Shakur" and associated with members of the ill-fated Black Panther Party, a movement that wanted to feed school kids breakfast and earn civil rights for African Americans.
During her youth she dropped out of high school, partied with North Carolina gang members, then moved to Brooklyn: After an affair with one of Malcolm X's bodyguards, she became political. When the mostly white United Federation of Teachers went on strike in 1968, she crossed the picket line and taught the children herself. After this she joined a New York chapter of the Black Panther Party and fell in with an organizer named Lumumba. She took to ranting about killing "the pigs" and overthrowing the government, which eventually led to her arrest and that of twenty comrades for conspiring to set off a race war. Pregnant, she made bail and told her husband, Lummuba, it wasn't his child. Behind his back she had been carrying on with Legs (a small-time associate of Harlem drug baron Nicky Barnes) and Billy Garland (a member of the Party). Lumumba immediately divorced fer.

Things went downhill for Afeni: Bail revoked, she was imprisoned in the Women's House of Detention in Greenwich Village. In her cell she patted her belly and said, "This is my prince. He is going to save the black nation."
By the time Tupac was born on June 16, 1971, Afeni had already defended herself in court and been acquitted on 156 counts. Living in the Bronx, she found steady work as a paralegal and tried to raise her son to respect the value of an education.

From childhood, everyone called him the "Black Prince." For misbehaving, he had to read an entire edition of The New York Times. But she had no answer when he asked about his daddy. "She just told me, 'I don't know who your daddy is.' It wasn't like she was a slut or nothin'. It was just some rough times."When he was two, his sister, Sekyiwa, was born. This child's father, Mutulu, was a Black Panther who, a few months before her birth, had been sentenced to sixty years for a fatal armored car robbery.

With Mutulu away, the family experienced hard times. No matter where they moved-the Bronx, Harlem, homeless shelters-Tupac was distressed. "I remember crying all the time. My major thing growing up was I couldn't fit in. Because I was from everywhere. I didn't have no buddies that I grew up with."
As time passed, the issue of his father tormented him. He felt "unmanly," he said. Then his cousins started saying he had an effeminate face. "I don't know. I just didn't feel hard. I could do all the things my mother could give me, but she couldn't give me nothing else."

The loneliness began to wear on him. He retreated into writing love songs and poetry. "I remember I had a book like a diary. And in that book I said I was going to be famous." He wanted to be an actor. Acting was an escape from his dismal life. He was good at it, eager to leave his crummy family behind. "The reason why I could get into acting was because it takes nothin' to get out of who I am and go into somebody else."
His mother enrolled him in the 127th Street Ensemble, a theater group in the impoverished Harlem section of Manhattan, where he landed his first role at age twelve, that of Travis in A Raisin in the Sun. "I lay on a couch and played sleep for the first scene. Then I woke up and I was the only person onstage. I can remeber thinking, "This is the best shit in the world!" That got me real high. I was gettin' a secret: This is what my cousins can't do."

In Baltimore, at age fifteen, he fell into rap; he started writing lyrics, walking with a swagger, and milking his background in New York for all it was worth. People in small towns feared the Big Apple's reputation; he called himself MC New York and made people think he was a tough guy.
He enrolled in the illustrious Balitomore School for the Arts, where he studied acting and ballet with white kids and finally felt "in touch" with himself. "Them white kids had things we never seen," he said. "That was the first time I saw there was white people who you could get along with. Before that, I just believed what everyone else said: They was devils. But I loved it. I loved going to school. It taught me a lot. I was starting to feel like I really wanted to be an artist.

By the time he was twenty, Shakur had been arrested eight times, even serving eight months in prison after being convicted of sexual abuse. In addition, he was the subject of two wrongful-death lawsuits, one involving a six-year-old boy who was killed after getting caught in gang-war crossfire between Shakur's gang and a rival group.
In the late eighties, Shakur teamed up with Humpty-Hump (a.k.a. Eddie Humphrey, a.k.a. Gregory "Shock-G" Jacobs) and other Oakland-based rappers to create Digital Underground, a band intent on massive bass beats and frenetic, Parliament-Funkadelic-style rhythms. In 1990, the group released its debut and best album, Sex Packets, a pulsating testament to the boogie power of hip-hop, featuring two classic tracks, "Humpty Dance" and "Doowutchyalike." After an EP of re-mixes in 1991, D.U. released Sons of the P and, the following year, The Body-Hat Syndrome, all on Tommy Boy Records.

In 1992, Shakur entered a most fruitful five-year period. He broke free of D.U. and made his solo debut, 2Pacalypse Now, a gangsta rap document that put him in the notorious, high-speed lane to stardom. That same year he starred in Juice, an acclaimed low-budget film about gangs which saw some Hollywood success. In 1993, he recorded and released Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z., an album that found Shakur crossing over to the pop charts. Unfortunately, he also found himself on police blotters, when allegations of a violent attack on an off-duty police officer and sexual misconduct arose. The same year, Shakur played a single father and Janet Jackson's love interest in the John Singleton film Poetic Justice.
In November of 1994, he was shot five times during a robbery in which thieves made off with $40,000 worth of his jewelry. Shakur miraculously recovered from his injuries to produce his most impressive artistic accomplishments, including 1995's Me Against the World, which sold two million copies, and the double-CD All Eyez on Me, which sold nearly three million. As his career arc began a steep rise toward fame and fortune, Shakur was shot (most say suspiciously) and killed after watching a Mike Tyson fight with Death Row Records president Marion "Suge" Knight. Though his death was a jolt to his fans and the music community, Shakur himself often said that he expected he'd die by the sword before he reached thirty.
Following his passing, Shakur's label released an album, The Don Killuminati, under the pseudonym "Makaveli." The cover depicted Shakur nailed to a cross under a crown of thorns, with a map of the country's major gang areas superimposed on it. In January of 1997, Gramercy pictures released Gridlock'd, a film in which Shakur played the role of a drug addict to mostly good reviews. His final film, Gang Related, was released in 1997, and Death Row is said to have several unreleased recordings in the vaults for potential future release.

Now guys... to many, 2pac is seen as a kind of Black Jesus. A Prophet. 2pac admitted to harbouring a deep sense of duty and responsibility to the future of the black community and especially the future of its young generations. He states in various songs that he wished he could go to college, but instead realised that he was gifted beyond measure and it was his duty to drop out and help his Brothers and Sisters through the medium of rap. Ultimately, his outspokenness and his refusal to comply with 'pop' rap and its themes at the time resulted in his fatal shooting.

I leave you with one of 2pac's more thought provoking songs entitled "Still I Rise"

Still I Rise

2011-01-31T10:36:00.000-08:00

OK so this week is officially hip hop and rap appreciation week.
This week I will be saluting legends and current stars as well as new talent.
I will start with the South African Hip Hop group called Cashless Society.

Music Video: Cashless Society - Bantu 1,2

BIOGRAPHY

It all began in 1999 when fate brought together two like-minded lyricists ? Kwezi Ngcakani (X Amount) and Julian Du Plessis (Snazz D) ? whose mutual relationships with Salim Mosidinyane (Fat free), Dave Balsher (Draztik), Jerry Kai Lewis (Black Intellect) and other MC?s Alfred Chirwa (Criminal) and Thabiso Mofokeng (Gemini, a most recent addition who is also affiliated with the Groundworks crew), amalgamated into the group the streets know well as Cashless Society.

The name, derived from "the hard cashless society", aptly captures the group's vision via a pungent double meaning: cashless, as in the plastic economic future of the modern world and cashless, as in Africa, presently the poorest of the poor being at the bottom of the pyramid. But rather than focus on the gloom of that reality, cashless chooses to perpetuate hope and progressiveness.

Explains Draztik, one of the crew's main producers, (With our new album) we are taking advantage of our surroundings. We are gonna export what we have? we are not just money makers, we are wealth creators.?

With such high-concept maxims, Cashless asserts their social responsibility of educating the public on how knowledge acquisition is spiritually empowering and absolutely vital in creating consciousness of the world we live in.

With such inherently diverse backgrounds commonly rooted in Johannesburg but stemming from South Africa, Malawi, Sierra Leon and Botswana, their intent to promote ?street-hop rather than regular rap music,? as X Amount insists, is hardly a long shot. In fact, in 2000 the inner-city outfit added New York to their urban repertoire. Bobbito of the legendary Stretch and Armstrong radio show picked up on their single Blaze Tha Breaks, which he then released a s 12? inch under his Fondle Em record label, making it their first official release, and then the first African Hip-hop act to be licensed and distributed overseas on vinyl. It sold over 3000 units worldwide. Since then Cashless Society has collected major tour kudos, billing on monumental shows such as Dead Prez and Blak Twang?s tour of Southern Africa, Black August and Blackalicious? tour of South Africa, Blackalicious.

Achievements:

2000 - "Blaze tha Breaks" was the first South African hiphop record to be licenced and sold commercially around the world.
2001 - Performed alongside Dead Prez and Blackalious
2003 - Released "African Raw Material Vol 1" to critical acclaim
2004 - Hottentot Hop and Word 4 Real Singles Reached 1 spots on Radio Metro's Local TOP 20
2004 - African Raw Material Vol 1 comes 2nd on "Album of The Year" award on the "Hiphop Indaba awards"
2004 - Hottentot hop Video comes 1st place for Hiphop Video of the Year on the Hiphop Indaba awards"
2004 Cashless Society is featured on the BET website under African Hiphop
2005 Cashless Society wins 3 awards for Best Album of the Year and Music video of the Year and Producer of the Year "Draztik" at the Botswana Hiphop Music Awards.

The cherry

2011-01-31T09:16:00.000-08:00

Welcome, people, to the very first post of this blog.
This blog is basically a window into my mind and it's thoughts.
Personal Bio on request:)

enjoi