Tito Pornada

"As I grew more successful my writing grew weaker"

2012-02-21T18:08:00.000-08:00

You grew up in Houston you listened to SPM. The man now incarcerated but still making music. IF you want to educate yourself on the FACTS in his case I suggest checking out SPMAFTERMATH

Whats up Morton,

It was good to hear from you. You asked some questions. I'll answer them now.

Do you remember the moment you realized the full power and affect your music could have on others?

I wrote hundreds and hundreds of songs before I ever thought about recording. I was honest with myself and I knew I sucked. I listened to rap since its birth. My sister would rap to me, “A hip hop A hibby to the hibby to hip hip hop ya don’t stop-a-rockin to the bang bang boogy to jump up da boogy to the rhythm of the boogy to be” or something like that. The song was called “Rapper’s Delight.” I was around ten at the time and from that point on I was a rap fanatic.

I noticed the improvements in rap music as the years went on. I could see how rappers were telling better stories, making more sense, sticking to the subject and writing more complicated rhymes.

There was a time when nobody could fuck with Ice Cube. I noticed how he would make compound words rhyme and that blew my mind.

I started writing in 1993. I was not good but the important thing was that I knew that. I was a connoisseur of rap and I knew what was dope and knew what was wack.

I remember one of my first songs was about shitting in a can and feeding it to my girlfriends’s uncle. I hated that man and my song was a release. Writing, I learned, was great therapy. Just leaving that “shit can” song on my girlfriend’s message machine was good enough for me.

But, then I noticed that my writing improved almost daily. I wrote everyday, on junk mail, on grocery bags, even on pizza cartons. My mom worked at a grocery store called Safeway, and she always brought home company pens. I ran through pens like a crackhead runs through lighters.

After about six months I still sucked, but not as bad. A year passed and I was decent. Then I learned that craft of rewriting.I took decent verses and worked on the weaker lines. When you take a weak line and transform it into one of the more stronger lines, the verse goes from a 5 to a 9.

Sometime in that 2^nd year of writing I wrote a verse that just made me stand up and say, “No one can fuck with this. I’ve never heard a rapper write something this dope” It was the first verse of a song called “Revenge” which ended up on my first album. I recorded that song at a guy’s house who transformed his closet into a vocal booth. It was hot as fuck in their so I turned off the light and rapped in the dark. I went home listening to the rough edit and I remember rewinding the song over and over; not because it was mine, because it was addictive. After about five listens I began to cry. I knew I had it. That was in 1995.

Dope House Records, do you believe they have enough talent to succeed and operate at the same level in your absence?

We have never made any money on any talent except SPM. Many of the artist that were signed to Dope House went on to do very well, but we just never saw profit. When Baby Bash made the song “Sugar Sugar”, I thought we might finally make some money with someone else. But, Bash wanted off his contract with us because he felt that we wouldn’t take his song to its full potential. MY brother, Arthur, was upset but Bash was right. Nobody at Dope House knows a fucking thing about running a label. I let Bash off his contract because I would never stunt a man’s career just to make some money.

The decision proved to be one of the best moves I’ve made as a partner at Dope house Records. Bash went on to do bigger things than I ever did, and he is still a member of the Dope house Family.

So your question is about talent and the talent is already there. The magic that built Dope House can not be reversed. We are like the Beatles, or Led Zeppelin, or Marvin Gaye. Even if you killed everyone who had a part in creating Dope House, it wouldn’t take a drop of blood from the company. Our power comes from powerful music.

The best news of all is that five new SPM albums have dropped out of the Sky. When I tell you they are dope, I’m talking a dope fiend selling his mother’s microwave dope.

It’s a new era of Dope House music and it starts this year with “Son of Norma” Even if my drunk-ass Uncle Larry somehow inherited our label, we would continue to thrive. It doesn’t take a genius to sell something that sells itself. Sorry to sound cocky but it’s just the way it has always been and I thank God for that.

Do you still write? Has your art taken on another for while you have been incarcerated?

My heart tells my hand what to write, and my brain joins in to make it as skillfull as possible. As my life takes sharp turns, so does my writing. You are going to hear new songs about new things but the spirit of great music doesn’t change.

In the world, as I grew more successful, my writing grew weaker. I spent more and more time in my Benz, and less time with my pens. I think it was around 2000 when I heard Eminem and was like, “This guy is better than me” I hadn't felt that way about anyone since I began recording. The truth is Eminem is a lyrical genius, but at the same time my writing went from great to good.

When I came to prison the hunger returned and I went from good to great again. The shit I’ve written in the last few years, I feel is untouchable. I’m still as painfully honest as I’ve ever been.

What can we expect to see from you in the near future?

“The son of Norma” Should be out by mid-2012. If not by then, it will be released in the fourth quarter. I’m also finishing my first book, which has taken longer than expected. I apologize to everyone who has been waiting on it.

As long as God continues to give me tomorrows, you can always expect Carlos Coy to bring you the deepest projects on the planet. Thank you for your Questions.

Keepers of the Flame

2012-02-17T08:38:00.000-08:00

They call it conscious hip hop, as in socially conscious – sometimes it can be almost political. This emerging sound is at the forefront of the local music scene in Seattle, a place that has been known to spark a music revolution or two.
Proud practitioners of the art form are the members of My Brother’s Keeper, a hodgepodge of performers comprised of a military veteran , an artist with the stage name Diggles and a recent Russian reform school student. They are also the founding members of L.A.C.O.S.A. (www.lacosamusic.com) a platform for local solo artists in the Pacific Northwest that has become a large collective of up and coming artists.
My Brother’s Keeper has a sound and feel that prepares you for some intense rhyming about bling and cars, but when they start spitting it makes you rewind and listen again when you first hear lyrics that focus on helping a homeless man you walk past every day or how the troops are victims and not just heroes of the war. You stop and ask yourself - did they just make giving change to a homeless man sound hardcore?

The listener immediately recognizes in the lyrical content in their music there is something different about the message they convey. In a music industry flooded with
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Legend - Interview with Marie Lu

2012-02-16T06:08:00.000-08:00

Marie Lu wanted to try and write a modern retelling of Les Miserables . She wrote a young adult novel set in a dystopian society. The story is told from two points of view, Day and June.

I read this book in Two days, I actually had trouble putting it down. It is a good read and CBS has all ready bought the rights to turn this into a film and Penguin is putting a six figure marketing blitz behind this book. I recommend picking up a copy. CBS and Penguin are putting allot of money behind this book in hopes it will fill the void that will be left from the end of the Harry Potter books. Marie Lu wrote an amazing story that can be enjoyed by young adults and regular size adults.

Marie Lu took the time to answer a few questions for me

1. You said you wanted a modern story similar to Les Miserables. Why a Dystopian story?
I didn't realize when I was writing Legend that it was going to be a dystopian...I knew only that it was straight up sci-fi. It wasn't until I finished that I realized it fell under the dystopian category!

Day 7

2012-02-01T12:05:00.001-08:00

You have been diagnosed with ADD, how did that affect your ability to write these books? Did it present any challenges that other authors may not face? I’m not sure about other authors, but for me having ADD and dealing with its impact was one of the most challenging obstacles I faced while writing the books in this series. My attention span is probably a total of 30 minutes. Sitting in front of a computer for hours at a time required a lot of Vyvanse and a lot of prayers.

Does the My New Normal series end as a trilogy or are you planning to continue this story? There will be two more books released in this series. I just finished writing book four and book five is in the works. The last two books are set to be released later on this year.

Have your classmates read your books? What kind of feedback have they given you? I kind of keep this part of my life separate from school so really only my close friends know that I’ve written the books. They know some of the characters are loosely based on them so they were excited to read them and so far everyone has really liked what they have read.

What else can we expect to see from you in the near future? I honestly have no idea right now. I really hope to continue writing, but at this point in time I’m just trying to focus on finishing up high school and deciding what I am going to do for college. I hope to start a career in singing at some point but that’s a whole other story

The Author shared an excerpt from her first book...

I almost wish I hadn’t made it. At least then I’d be dead. I don’t really know what happens after we die. But I know it would sure beat this situation I’ve found myself in. Still, I don’t think I’ll ever fully grasp how lucky we are to be alive—if you can call it luck. I sometimes find myself thinking that it would’ve been so much easier to have passed away. I think being dead would be easier than this new life—my new normal.

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Casey 2.0

2011-11-02T07:10:00.001-07:00

1. Don't look for true love. Love truly.

2. Never shake a man's hand sitting down.

3. Don't worry about only having one phone call when arrested, call me. We will fix it.
4. Spend time choosing gifts, gift cards and money are lazy and don't mean much.

Aliens Invading Houston!!

2011-09-24T12:42:00.001-07:00

But, not really. . . .

The government would like ideas of aliens and strange creatures from another galaxy to flood our mind because it is actually less scary than the reality of what those lights were.

Essentially they are a mini nuclear power plant in mid air hovering over our cities. Still in the testing phases but will more than likely be declassified within the next two years, we are witnessing a a man made craft.

One More Round

2011-09-20T15:53:00.001-07:00

When you are laying on your belly in an atmosphere that's smelly
From a blow that quickly fell you to the ground
Find the strength to fight one more round

When your pockets fail to shake for the price of a steak
Your clothes are full of holes your shoes have no soles
And your so called friends are nowhere to be found
Find the strength to fight one more round

When the doc says you're dead and the under taker is measuring your death bed
Then you awake to find the doc was a fake
The crowd starts to yell, tell them all "GO TO HELL!"
Pull your belt a little tighter and show the world you're a fighter
Drop upon one knee and make a final plee
Ask the lord to help you fight just one more round

2011-09-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

Value life to honor the victims

2011-09-10T15:01:00.000-07:00

Understanding the value of all life is the exact opposite of dishonoring the memory of the victims of 9/11 and the war. Regardless if those victims were in the towers, in the battle fields, or have families waiting on base for them to come home still, people who lose their lives in wars still going on around the world. Pay respect to the lives lost by trying to prevent any more lives being lost.

Video Games, Crane Machines, and other fun stuff

2011-09-10T10:51:00.001-07:00

The art of the crane machine is in our DNA, it is just something that is naturally passed from father to son. The need to spend $20 to get a stuffed animal from the crane machine is unfortunately something that was also passed along.

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Killing Clover proves punk is alive and kickin’

2011-08-22T12:02:00.000-07:00

Formed in 2009 in Houston, Killing Clover gives us a sound reminiscent of Bad Religion, The Misfits and a little of The Ramones. Forming in 2009 in Houston, the band is set to play their next gig at Warehouse Live on Sept. 4 and will soon be competing in the Battle of the Bands at Fitzgerald’s.
Primarily seen in the Houston area, Killing Clover is ready to take their show on the road. The band consists of Felix Savala (vocals), Mitch Shaw (guitar), David Haynes (bass) and Jason Cluthe (Drums).
Felix and Mitch spoke briefly with me.
Who do you consider your biggest influences?
Felix: My biggest influences would have to be Face to Face, No Use For A Name and basically all of the old 90's So-Cal bands. We all have different influences. I think one thing that makes us who we are is that we all come from different interests in music. I listen to everything but mainly punk-rock. Mitch is into a lot of blues, country, and rock-n-roll. David is our indie kid and Jason is a punk rocker.
Can you describe the band for those who have never heard of Killing Clover?
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Back to The Basics: One Man’s Journey

2011-08-12T07:22:00.000-07:00

Joseph Henry is an Army veteran who has worked with troubled youth through the church for the last thirteen years. He can tell you firsthand about many of the social issues that affect families and create a need for the type of outreach he does. Henry thinks the issues can be corrected a little closer to home.

Back to The Basics is his view of the core reasons why many people feel hurt or abandoned by organized religion. Henry’s emphasis is on the Bible, and his book serves as a road map through the Good Book itself. From beginning to end it takes a no-holds-barred view of where religion is today and how it can return to what he feels it should be.

“We have to get back to a moral, family-oriented church,” he writes.

The book covers 34 key issues that Henry feels cover the foundation of how to work towards that goal.

“I’m not saying this is the answer but, it is a start,“ he concludes.

Back to The Basics is a book that takes you through one man’s journey deeper into his faith. Page by page it covers key issues and with Bible verses cited to back up his beliefs.

This book can be purchased from the publishers website www.iuniverse.com.

Joseph Henry will have a book-signing August 16 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Readers Choice, 2407 MLK Drive in Orange.

2011-07-13T20:14:00.000-07:00

Göbekli Tepe
Imagine everything we were taught in school about human civilization was wrong. All the events we were told that led to our civilization and society as we know it were so far off base that it is almost laughable. Now stop imagining, we figured out over a decade ago that we know nothing about the formation of our civilization or its true history, we simply have yet to discover our true history and have been unable to rewrite the history books.

First it is important to remove the myth from the fact of what is probably the greatest archaeological discovery of our lifetime. The complex that was discovered does contain sculptures of many species of animals, many of them not indigenous to that area. The area is relatively close to Mount Ararat, which many biblical scholars believe to be the resting place of Noah's Ark. But, the similarities between the Ark and Göbekli Tepe end there. Many "Ancient Astronaut" theorists would like to link this to an ancient alien race or the fabled Atlantis, again, it's fun to think about, but no evidence that those theories are even remotely correct on their own, Read more »

Brother Ali

2009-10-14T14:07:00.000-07:00

Brother Ali and I