Who: Haziq Ali (pronunced Ha-zeek) is a motivational hip-hop artist from DC, now in Atlanta. Owner of Organized Rhyme, he’s out to set an example that rappers can make motivational music without sounding peachy (or in the worse case, cheesy). He’s also a motivational speaker who’s serious about helping others help themselves.

How Did I Discover Him: I didn’t really discover him, he discovered me. We met via Twitter and never mentioned anything about himself to me. I followed him back,  and after consulting with him about his Wordpress blog, he started talking about and mentioning me more. So, I decided to ask him for a mixtape. He told me that he’s actually got an album. Without even researching him (other than from his blog posts), I was in shocked when I heard the album.

First Impressions: It’s a rare feat for me to listen through an entire album without skipping a track, especially from someone who I have not heard about… at all. I actually like the album this way is in itself high praise. The sound is a mixture of southern hip-hop and positive vibes. His flow brought back memories of Lord Have Mercy, a former member of Flipmode Squad. (you know, back in the day when it’s was more than just a brand name Busta Rhymes says in every damn song… now, it’s just a brand name Busta Rhymes says in every damn song)

Hard Hitting Track: There’s a few gems in here that I think are worth mentioning. “Mash” comes to mind. I can’t pick just one track, so I’ll have to say three tracks in addition to “Mash” would be “There He Goes Again” (it got comical truths about the way the world works) and “Trap Musick” (he explains why they call it “Trap Musick”, along with a familiar hook right out of an 80s Coke commercial)

How To get The Music: Other than Lala (the previews here will allow you to play the whole song once. Afterwards, you can buy the MP3 or “rent it” for 10 cents and play it unlimited from Lala’s website.), you can also buy it from Amazon as an MP3 or CD. It’s a full album full of songs that is worth the purchase. On the CD, there’s a phone number to contact Haziq directly, which makes the motivational part of his game just as real as his music.

So, get “Business Is Good” and Prosper.

Haziq’s Twitter :: Haziq’s MySpace Page :: Haziq’s Wordpress Blog

#MusicMondays – Every Monday (when I get the free time), I will share music and showcasing artists who’s making it happen for themselves. Check out Thought Remixer on Mondays for new artists.

If you’re an artist and would like to be consider, simply contact me via the contact page or upload your music on the ride side of the blog. All music will be review to, chart on Last.FM and if I like it, I’ll write a post about it. Of course, if you paid attention to the last two artists in this series, they never really asked me to review their music, I asked them. So, you might want to be creative with your approach.

Related Thoughts

• #MusicMonday – Dezaray Dawn (0)
• Joell Ortiz ft. Dante Hawkins “A Message to Obama” [LinkUp] (0)
• XXL to Slim Shady: Find Your Slim [LinkUp] (3)
• What’s Wrong With American Idol? [LinkUp] (0)
• What to do if you’re laid off [LinkUp] (0)
• What Exactly Is A Delegate? [LinkUp] (0)
• What Does BET and Indiana Jones Have In Common? (4)
• Upgrading Your Skill Level in 24 Hours (0)

Yes, I know I’m setting myself up for a lot, but I do have reviews and some new music to showcase. So, just hold up until then.

As for other posts, I will try to get to them next month. I have written a post for Black Web 2.0, so keep on a look out for that one.

Related Thoughts

• There's No Related Thoughts.

Who: Dezaray Dawn. She’s an indie songwriter and singer. Neo-soul artist Anthony David is a cousin, as are Sean Stockman of Boys II Men fame, and Tiny from Xscape. (Read her bio here)

How Did I Discover Her: She followed me on Twitter, silently. During one of my cleanup rounds, I commented that I like her picture because she reminds me of an Egyptian Queen. A few days later, I went to her MySpace page, listened to her music snippets and fell in love with her ever since.

First Impression: True to the “Neo-Soul Sound”, the back drop of the title single of the EP (Chameleon) took me back to the days of Janet Jackson’s dance tracks. The rest of this EP makes me feel like I’m listen to a futuristic soul singer. My only regret is that it’s only an EP with 5 songs (or 4 songs and 1 Remix). However, for 30 minutes of soulful honest music, it’s worth supporting the artist. You can mix her songs along with your other soulful tracks and it won’t skip a beat.

Hard Hitting Track: Chameleon. (Check it out below) I like all of them, but this is by far my favorite.

How To Get The Music: Chameleon EP is a free download for a limited time. Afterwards it’s $5. However, do donate if you like the EP. I know that the full album release will be something to look forward to.

Dezary Dawn’s Twitter :: Dezary Dawn’s MySpace :: Dezary Dawn’s Official Website/Blog

#MusicMondays – Every Monday (starting with this Monday), I will share music and showcasing artists who’s making it happen for themselves. Check out Thought Remixer on Mondays for new artists. To be consider, simply contact me via the contact page or upload your music on the ride side of the blog. All music will be review to, chart on Last.FM and if I like it, I’ll write a post about it.

Love My Thoughts? Please Share It With Your Friends:

Tags: #musicmonday, download, LinkUp, music

Related Thoughts

• #MusicMonday – HaZiq aLi: Business Is Good (0)
• Ryan Leslie – How to download a FREE* Copy! (Updated) (0)
• Joell Ortiz ft. Dante Hawkins “A Message to Obama” [LinkUp] (0)
• Jay-Z – Death of Autotune (Leak Version) (0)
• XXL to Slim Shady: Find Your Slim [LinkUp] (3)
• What’s Wrong With American Idol? [LinkUp] (0)
• What to do if you’re laid off [LinkUp] (0)
• What Exactly Is A Delegate? [LinkUp] (0)

Is Aaron McGruder on Twitter? This unusually quiet commentator on Black Culture and American Politics (oh and creator of the Boondocks, if you didn’t know) seems to have signed up for a Twitter account. He’s not much of a Twitter user (when compare to Questlove and Skillz), and his account is not verified, but his talks about Boondocks Season 3 and seems to keep it official.

Because anyone can fake their Identity on Twitter, I can’t really say if this is news or not. But if it’s really is him, sounds like Boondocks Season 3 may come out sooner than later.

Related Thoughts

• Making the Most (or a better Alternative to) #FollowFriday on Twitter (1)
• Hip-Hop Tech: Twitter 201 – Intermediate (Part 2.0/3) (1)
• Hip-Hop Tech: Twitter 101 – The Basics (Part 1 of 3) (7)
• Diddy is Now P.Twitty (0)
• Celebrity Who’s Who on Twitter [LinkUp] (2)
• Aaron McGruder: I Never Said Barack Obama Was Not Black (2)
• What the #blck? – Explaining Hashtags (12)
• The Hunger Strike – The Boondocks Preview (0)

Back in college (1997/98) when the Internet was literally for the bleeding edge geeks, I was rapping and performing shows in the Virgin Islands. After performing songs over other artists beats for a while, naturally, I wanted to remix and create my own beats. So, I studied music production by getting any information from the Internet and music equipment store back on St. Thomas. While I managed to collect a keyboard, I was never able to get two turntables and a mic that isn’t a computer knockoff. The next best thing was to get a DAW and while Acid existed back then, it was expensive. So, this is where the Mixman came in.

Using my computer keyboard (and an earlier version of this software), I was able to learn a few things about song creation. It auto-matches BPM (beats per Minute) for me, so it was not possible to mess up… well, other than novice’s first musical mistakes such as too many drum tracks, scratches and not enough lessons in Music Theory 101.

Making patterns is one thing, but I never really have beat control over my own samples. So, I frequent the Mixman’s website, hoping for an update with better control. From 1999 – 2003, their flagship product gotten much needed tweaks, which you can find in their current (and last) version of Mixman StudioXPro. It included a full remixing studio with recording and editing capabilities. The biggest release from Mixman, however, was not the software, but the next evolution of their product: the DM2 Controller.

The Controller works like a huge joystick controller, with scratching rings. It helped the Mixman operates like a true DJ set with the buttons acting like a sampler. With this controller, and different versions of the software, Mixman Technologies signed a distribution deal with Digital Blue and Mattel in early 2000. They had major backings by Missy Elliott, Om Records, Tommy Boy and even George Clinton, the father of P-Funk along with artists from other genres.

The concept was a hit… so, what happened? Well, it’s a mystery to anyone outside of Mixman Technologies. Granted, the software isn’t perfect and does have its limitations. However, there is one thing Mixman made sure you fully understand:

You can create remixes, but you just can’t share it!

Unless you just want to share it with your just friends and people inside the Mixman community, you will not get too far in your quest of becoming the next hot remixer. Along with the usual proprietary things (can’t change the software, can’t reverse engineer it), you cannot use the Trk files (their proprietary format) or the WAV files in a commercial mix or use it for live performance. You’ll have to buy and chop up your own samples. How about hooking up others with your Trk files? Sorry, you cannot sell nor give away your own Trk Files. So, you have a fully powered DAW that can stand toe-to-toe with Acid and Magix Music Maker and yet, you’re limited with how you can express yourself. While it’s the main reason Mixman didn’t get much acceptance, it was far from the only reason.

Poor customer service, lack of product updates, as well a buggy radio station (the only place where you can share your creations) and the track limitations drove away their fanbase. Other DAW software companies, such as…

• Sonic Forgery (now Sony Creative), – creator of Acid
• Magix, (creator of Magix Music Studio/Maker series)
• Cakewalk (creator of Pro-DAW software that released home versions of their music creation tools)
• Imagine-Line, (creator of FL Studio formerly Fruity Loops)

… managed to capture the audience that were looking for a better product.

So, what is going on with Mixman Technologies these days? Well, that is also a mystery. Their website remains frozen in time, with the last update in late 2005/early 2006 with expired links and no way to download or purchase their software. Mixman now plays the role of cheap and outdated vaporware at garage sales & thrift shops. The DM2 Controller nowadays is known as cheap toy. However, not all is lost.

People are getting creative with the DM2 controller. How? By using it to control other software:

This is a demo of a person using the DM2 as a controller for Trakor, a DJ software that allows you to mix MP3 files like vinyl. This is all possible thanks to a project called DM2 to Midi, it’s possible to salvage a DM2 controller and use it as an affordable Midi Controller, allowing you to use it for DeeJaying, or music production:

For those who think this is cool, I must give you a “buyer beware”. While the DM2 Controller may sound like a possible investment, I wouldn’t really call it a wise one. First off, the software to get the DM2 to work with other software is not supported by Mixman Technologies. The hardware itself is not “open source” (a license granted to be used anyway you want), nor will it will ever be because the patents are still owned by Mixman Technologies. So, if you want to do what these guys are doing, then you’ll have to do it at your own risk.

While I did test out a full version of StudioXPro recently on Windows Vista & Windows 7, it’s not without its visual bugs and outdated annoyances. Plus, with almost no support from Mixman, it’s better to just skip the software and take a gamble on the controller.

Will Mixman Technologies ever bounce back and reintroduce the controller and software as well as give us more support and less restrictions on it in this day and age? While it is possible, chances are it’s not likely. The latest word is that Josh Gabriel, one of the founders of Mixman, is looking to develop a similar software for the iPhone.

But if there’s a lesson to be learn is that no matter how good your creation software is, if you put limitations on the user, you will most likely not last long.

Related Thoughts

• There's No Related Thoughts.

However, the other problem is the quality of my blog posts have not been up to par as of late. Along with the Twitter updates, it seems that I was making myself more random than I really want to broadcast. So, taking a break was pretty much needed.

However, now I’m working up for “Season 2” of Thought Remixer. Here are some thoughts you can look forward to:

• Did you know that before DJ Hero, there was a Digital Audio Workstation that acts like a game, but you can create your own music with it? Is that company still around?
• After what seems to be forever, Striply Drama will be returning! Kirk Roland will be back in the mix, taking stabs at his ongoing quest to get back to the top!
• A woman is attacked by her mate on the streets, in board day light? What would you do? If the answer that comes to your mind is a blank, you’re not the only one thinking this. You might want to read why sticking your neck out might be useless.
• It’s a list of places Black people are to protest that gets forward every single year. Why it’s not worth the trouble even paying this list any mind? You’ll see.
• Also, a conversation about “The Obama Deception” and a general overview of the market for conspiracy.

All that and more will be coming in this month. Plus, the usual dramatics, music videos, and breaking in new music from both mainstream &new artists. Plus, as you probably notice, there will be a new design up and running. (The old one is broken due to WordPress upgrades. I shouldn’t have upgraded without checking…)

So, stay tuned! Thought Remixer returns next week!

Related Thoughts

• There's No Related Thoughts.

Related Thoughts

• Rewind/Live Performace: Jungle Love – Morris Day and The Time (0)
• One of My Favorite Michael Jackson Moments: Ghost (0)
• MIMS – He’ll Make A Believer Out Of You (Interview + Music) (6)
• Kanye West – Flashing Lights… all 3 of them (0)
• Eartha Kitt (1927-2008) – I Want to Be Evil (1)
• [Rewind] Truth Hurts: Addictive Feat. Rakim (0)
• Who is Chedda? Chedda’s Blog Exposed! (With Video) (35)
• What Change Looks Like To Certain Republicans (0)

I was going to sample “Ghost” as part of my first mixtape because it’s one of my favorite songs. With Michael Jackson recently, died, I might reconsider.

Related Thoughts

• Rewind: Cover of Thriller By Michael Jackson (0)
• [Rewind] Truth Hurts: Addictive Feat. Rakim (0)
• She Got Her Own – Ne-Yo Featuring Jamie Foxx & Fabolous (0)
• Shanice Vs. Beyoncé – If I Were A Boy (2)
• Rewind: Total – No One Else (Original & Remix) (0)
• Rewind/Live Performace: Jungle Love – Morris Day and The Time (0)
• One of My Favorite Michael Jackson Moments: His First Moonwalk (0)
• Joy Denalane feat. Lupe Fiasco – Change (Obama Mashup) (0)

Related Thoughts

• Soulja Boy – Go Hard… I guess… [Video] (6)
• Skillz – Rap Up 2008 (Audio) (0)
• Ryan Leslie – How to download a FREE* Copy! (Updated) (0)
• Rhymefest’s Latest and Most Daring Freestyle… A Conversation With His Son (2)
• Papoose’s New Song – Love [Music] (0)
• Papoose – 50 Shots (Sean Bell Tribute) (0)
• MIMS – He’ll Make A Believer Out Of You (Interview + Music) (6)
• Lauryn Hill’s Leaked Track: World Is A Hustle (0)

Looks like he’s got some explaining to do…

But, this goes to show you once again: Just because you deleted it, doesn’t means it’s gone! So, if it’s legal dealings or something that isn’t shareable with the public, it’s best you don’t tweet it. After all, you are REALLY doing this…

Sorry Uncle Rush…

Related Thoughts

• Diddy is Now P.Twitty (0)
• Tupac (?) Spotted At Lil’ Wayne Concert (0)
• Celebrity Who’s Who on Twitter [LinkUp] (2)
• Who is Chedda? Chedda’s Blog Exposed! (With Video) (35)
• T-Pain Vs. Vocoder?? (1)
• Soula Boy (Shouldn’t) Tell’em: Freestyle (1)
• Pharrell May Not Be An MC, But He Did Move The Crowd; Just Not THAT Way (0)
• My Personal Policy: The N-Word (0)