Whose Poem Is It? - The Re-Birth of Spoken Word

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We all know that spoken word is the root of hip-hop music. I think a lot of that aspect has been lost in hip-hop music nowadays. The literary aspect needs to be revisited and the art of spoken word, free-verse and freestyle given the shine it deserves. The of first of many "Whose Poem Is It?" Freestyle Spoken Word events is on deck for Friday November 5th from 6-7:30 P.M. The New York Public Library is the place to be to help launch this free event which will help re-position spoken word into our culture.

There will be 3 poet participants who will be required to deliver free-style poems on the spot, all delivered in poetic verse. This first event will host Jonathan "The Baptizer" Harris, Jamal "Skillz" Hinnant, and Taheem "Great Grand Daddy" Ransom. Topics will be chosen either from audience participation or panel selection. Now this is true Freestyle. We need to get some of our rappers up there to demonstrate their "skill". A winner will be chosen and afterwards, an Open-Mic segment for others to showcase their talents.

The producer is none other than Max Rodriguez, founder of the Harlem Book Fair and Publisher of QBR Publishing. Mr. Rodriguez is a published author, QBR Editor, an Inductee of the Writer’s Hall of Fame at Chicago State University and he has also served on the Board of Directors of Poets & Writers magazine. The Host, Bob McNeil, has served as poetry editor of BLACFAX, authored two publications, Secular Sacraments, The Nubian Gallery: A Poetry Anthology, and a spoken word CD, Rapping You with the Facts.

These gentlemen know their stuff!!

Aside from the above, Spoken Word performer J.Sharelle will be performing and yours truly, tha Lady Blogga will be on hand alongside host Bob McNeil.

Now you know where tha Lady will be. Hope to see you there!

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Eric Sosa ... Get Familiar

Summer is surely gone but Eric Sosa gives us something to remember it by. The video, "Summer of Love", a track off of his "Rhyme & Noodles": No Artificial Flavoring Vol. 1, was screened at the 310 Lounge in New York City and released earlier this month.

Summer of Love - Eric Sosa (video) from Eric Sosa on Vimeo.

Eric Sosa is a rapper from Queens who has been making waves all over the place. Knowing he wanted to rap from the age of 11, he is on the path to success. From MTV2 to EssenceOnline.com to Urban Latino Magazine, his presence is huge and he's all over the place. Boasting cool and clever lyrics, Sosa manages to capture his audience every time. He has worked with a lot of artists and has future projects coming as well. From the grapevine, I hear that he will be working with other artists featured on this site including FCE artist G-Swagg, another Queens underground artist moving into the spotlight quick.

Aside from a cool lyrical style, Sosa's fashion sense is on point. Always neat and clean cut, Sosa has a style all his own. Speaking of style, Eric Sosa has teamed up with David Joseph, Owner of L'Creme Clothing to create a signature T-Shirt. Music and fashion go hand in hand so to have these two come together and create a product should prove to be nothing but successful.



The launch happens Tuesday, September 28th in NYC at the Vault. Nude Vodka, Flud Watches and DJ Ernie B on the 1 & 2's are all set to bring the product to light. The L'Creme Wildcat Tee (Eric Sosa Colorway) will be available on L'Creme Clothing's Official Website. They are exclusive issue and will only be available while supplies last. The launch event is exclusive to invite only but you can still RSVP to kvenna@theimgway.com for entrance confirmation, if there is still space available. In the meantime, log on to www.ericsosa.com for Eric Sosa updates and keep up! See you tomorrow at the Vault!

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Where tha Lady Was: Rock The Bells Wrap-Up

On Saturday, Hip-Hop invaded Governor's Island in a major way. Rock the Bells 2010 was on deck and it was the best Saturday I had spent in awhile. Great music, great company and best of all, I witnessed the return of Lauryn Hill. Yes, Lauryn Hill, whom we have been summoning back to existence since I started Tweeting last year, finally blessed us with her presence. Since this is the biggest RTB news, I will start with her. I have been hearing people's opinions about her performance. Now I am going to give you mine. Granted, she is not the Lauryn we knew from '95 but, she can still do the damn thing. No, her voice is not the same but she can still flow. She took us through her hits with re-vamped beats and melodies. I caught up with Ms. Hill backstage where we had a brief chat. The area backstage was hectic so we had to do things quick and when we could get it in. She basically expressed to me that she had been to "hell and back" but that she "remains positive". I made sure to tell her that she is almost a daily conversation topic when discussing the best female rapper. The smile on her face made me wanna cry. She shook my hand and said. "Thank you sis. I appreciate the love folks are sharing with me here today. I really am." And then she went about her way. The look in her eyes still seemed distant. I can't imagine what she went through but it definitely took it's toll.

Lauryn Hill performing "Ready or Not"

*wipes tears* Okay enough of that...

Old school represented as usual. Eric B and Rakim, KRS-One, Slick Rick (and his entourage of chains) all represented their respective albums, performing the classics. It is a shame that albums are not created like those any more. People are focused on the single, not the album.

The show was on point from beginning to end. Aside from seeing Miss Hill, I was excited to see A Tribe Called Quest. Their set was amazing. Their energy was through the roof. I dug deep into the "lyrics learned" section of my brain and went in as if I was a member of the group. They went through all the classics, "Bonita Applebaum", "Scenario", "Electric Relaxation". They did a J. Dilla tribute and out of the mouth of Q-Tip, "J.Dilla The best producer ever..." while Swizz Beats stood on the stage... LMAO

Tribe performing "Scenario, Check tha Rhyme"...

Backstage View of A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes and Spliff Star

Consequence and Phife Dawg

The Wu shut it down as usual. If you have ever been to a Wu show, you know what it is. With the entire Clan in tow, including Old Dirty Bastard's son who performed his father's parts from the songs on the 36 Chambers album. He looks and sounds just like his father. It is a little freaky.

Wu performing "Da Mystery of Chessboxing" with an appearance by lil ODB

A Wu performance is definitely something you have to see. Outside of the Dogg Pound, they are the only other Rap "Group" that can deliver a hardcore performance. The Snoop moved through Doggystyle and enlisted the help of the Dogg Pound usual suspects. Warren G, Lady of Rage and RBX were also on hand to perform. It was amazing to see this crew, created so many years ago, still come together and deliver a Class "A" performance. Snoop did the damn thing, long blue bandana suit and all.

Snoop on his way to the stage, focused on tearin' it down

Snoop doin' the damn thing... "It Ain't no Fun"

Ladies Rage and Blogga playing with the Blackberry taking self pics before she hits the stage.

Jay and Bey...

RZA choppin' it up with my camera ace @IRunsNY

I did a few interviews and have a few cameos on film. Footage coming soon!!! There were a lot of people on deck to see the show as well. Jay and Bey, Swizz and Alicia, Chris Rock, John Legend, Mary J. Blige were all backstage enjoying the show. Rock the Bells is a show that I make it my business to attend. If you have never been, you need to re-evaluate your love for music and get to one.

Jasmine Solano: Take Two

As promised, here is part deux to the interview that was posted earlier this week. In this part, Miss Solano talks to me about what success means to her, her DJ skills, mp3's versus vinyl and what her grind is like. Aside from doing big things for our listening pleasure, her blog is up and running. After the interview, check her at www.JasmineSolano.com Here she is, part deux...

Check her out:
www.twitter.com/JasmineSolano
www.myspace.com/JasmineSolano
www.JasmineSolano.com
www.Frank151.com

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Tha Lady Converses With A Legend: An Interview With DMC

Legends are important to Hip Hop. Being able to share thoughts and ideas with a Hip Hop legend was almost surreal. I was given the opportunity to have a chat with the King of Rock himself, DMC from the timeless trio, Run DMC. He is buzzing with projects and videos in the works. More importantly, he is running a contest called DMC Wants To Know (click for details). He is asking the public to submit sample playlists for iPod categories. As I am posting this, the theme for this week is Hip Hop. The winner of the contest gets a free iPod, autographed and engraved by the Legend himself.

The interview below can be downloaded and actually placed in your iPods so you can listen to it on the go. We talked about music now, music then and where music is going. It was an very interesting chat and I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed interviewing him. Take a few and listen to “A Chat with a Legend...”

Follow DMC www.Twitter.com/TheKingDMC

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Where The @LadyBlogga Will Be ... "Brey King Presents SoundCheck Live Concert Series"

The one year anniversary of the best Underground Music show in NYC is going down this week. If you are not in the building to witness this epic celebration, then you are going to miss out. July 1st and 2nd are going to be a great way to start off the best month of the summer. The Soundcheck Anniversary shows boasts a dope line-up of Underground artists on heavy rotation. From hip-hop to spoken word, music and its various genres will be well represented. This is basically a re-cap of all the talent that has blessed the Santos Party House stage. Aside from being a producer, the SoundCheck King BreyKing has his hands in selecting these artists, so no wack acts allowed. A lot of these artists have evolved over the year since they first appeared on the Soundcheck stage. A few of these artists have been featured here on the site. Some of them went on to appear on BET, MTV2, “Best of the Best” in Miami, McDonald’s Dollar Van Demo commercials, and more. On deck to perform are RSNY, Push Montana, Dai Burger, ESSO, WordSpit, Eric Sosa, Cocoa Sarai, J. Sharelle, Lydia Caesar, Von Sway and many more. Please check the flyer for show times and dates. This Thursday and Friday, Soundcheck at Santos PartyHouse is where you need to be.

Admission is $12 at the door but if you RSVP to Soundcheck@SantosPartyHouse.com , you can get a reduced admission price of $5. You already know I’ll be in the building. See you there!!

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@LadyBlogga x Happy Father's Day x "Quesfire"

Today is Father’s Day and on behalf of my team, I would like to wish all the Fathers a Happy Father’s Day!!! There is nothing like seeing a man with his child/children but there is something about seeing a man with his daughter that makes my heart melt. I am a Daddy’s girl myself. And even though he is hundreds of miles away, he still makes me feel like a princess.

In the music industry, family and children are considered “taboo”. For some reason or another, a lot of men in the industry hide the fact that they are family men to protect their “image”. (That is a blog for another day). Anyway, @Quesfire has shown me 2 sides to his talent. I’ve seen him rip the stage at shows and then there’s this.

He took the time with his daughter Lil T to collaborate on her first track “Lil Momma” which talks about the relationship between a father and a daughter. There’s no cursing and sex. No guns and violence. Just a father’s love and the admiration of his daughter. If this video is not Father’s Day appropriate, then I don’t know what is. Please take a moment and see @Quesfire and his daughter Lil T doing their thing on “Lil Momma”.



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When She Speaks, You Listen: @LadyBlogga - "Utah Execution"

I rarely watch the news because I am afraid I might see something crazy. Well sure enough, I sat up after the game as the late edition rolled. A story came on about Ronnie Lee Gardner. Mr. Gardner is a man who has been on death row for YEARS for the heinous crimes he’s committed. First and foremost, I am annoyed at how long this man stayed alive on death row. If he is sentenced to die then he needs to do so immediately. Appeal after appeal after appeal. The people of Utah have been paying for this man to stay in jail for 25+ years. Finally, his reasons for an appeal have exhausted all possibilities for release and he was executed this morning, June 18th. Now early on, he selected to be executed by anonymous firing squad. I don’t think he thought it was really going to happen. Perhaps he selected this way to die as a joke?? I couldn’t imagine what it feels like. What do you do during the final minutes leading up to your death by being shot multiple times? Close your eyes? Hold your breath? Anyway.

I had NO IDEA that this method of execution still existed. How barbaric and inhumane? I thought it was all about lethal injection and electrocution. I mean I know he killed other people but personally, I feel that we, as a people, are not in any position to decide if someone lives or dies because of the crimes they committed. But the law is the law. So the firing squad is made up of members of the Department of Corrections and they are offered counseling and a commemorative coin upon completion…. Wait. Yes. Commemorative coin. As we speak, Ronnie Lee Gardner Execution Commemorative coins are getting ready to be distributed to anyone who played a part in his execution. This is the most bizarre and disturbing thing to me. Utah is having issues with funding their education system but they have time and money to have special “Ronnie Lee Gardner Commemorative Coins” made. What exactly do people do with said coin? Display it on their mantel at home? I want to see what it looks like. Is his face on it? A pin used to be given to people who participated but they didn’t wear them. Gee, I wonder why? If it is an anonymous firing squad, who would wear the pin or flash the coin afterward?

Whenever I hear about an execution, I feel uneasy. This particular one bothered me especially. I understand that he has to be executed but do we really have to commemorate it with a coin??

C’mon, UTAH…I need you to do better.

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What The @LadyBlogga Is Listening To ... Chaundon - "Y’all Don’t Want It featuring Carlitta Durand"

M-Phazes is hard at work producing good stuff. Chaundon dropped a new single on Bandcamp and it is definitely a banger. Growing up in the South Bronx and writing rhymes since the age of 13, Chaundon comes equipped with tough lyrics. Working on his highly anticipated album “No Excuses” due out soon, his first single “Y’all Don’t Want It featuring Carlitta Durand” is moving around the internet like a cool summer breeze. His first album “Carnage” was released 2 years ago. Aside from his own lyrical mastery, he came through with collabo’s with Little Brother, 9th Wonder, Jean Grae, and Sean Price. He has a host of mixtapes under his belt as well. Check out the single and get to know Chaundon.

http://chaundon.bandcamp.com/

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Where @LadyBlogga Was Last Night ... "The Haute for Haiti Charity Soiree"

Saturday was a big night at the Radisson Martinique Hotel. The Haute for Haiti Charity Soiree went down in efforts to continue to raise money for the re-building of Haiti after the Earthquake in January. The Billionaire Girls Club, along side Steve Madden, NUVO, BCBG MaxAzria and the American Red Cross in Greater New York put on a charming event in the name of Haiti. The event was a celebration of all forms of entertainment. Music, fashion and print media were well represented. The cocktail hour hosted an Open Bar sponsored by NUVO which set the tone. Andrea Pitter for Pantora, Renee Frederique, Crying Tears, Dominique Auxily and Einent Factor were the designers on deck. They gave a preview of their Fall fashions with “Couture” as the theme. Models strutted their stuff as 3 live DJs, The Morning After band and Quesfire provided the tunes.




Quesfire came to represent all the way. This Bronx born Haitian rapper is another mover in the infamous NYC Underground artist circuit. Not only does he spit fire in English be he can do it in Creole too...and it is on point. His 15 minute set brought nothing but pure energy and turned the show up a notch. Not only was he rockin’ the stage but he brought the show into the audience. He table-hopped and pulled people out of the audience so they could enjoy his performance 100%. Quesfire also has an iPhone app. Hey, there’s an app for everything. Check out and download the App here to keep up with his music, show dates and anything Quesfire related. It is currently the #1 most downloaded Music App http://bit.ly/9yrpHX. I am #TeamBlackberry so he’s going to have to do something special for me.

Here is some footage from the “Haute for Haiti” Charity function. Check him out...



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When She Speaks, You Listen: @LadyBlogga - "Music Breakers Nowadays: Is it still the DJ or has it become the Blogger?"

Music Breakers Nowadays: Is it still the DJ or has it become the Blogger?

The music that we get on mainstream radio was handpicked by some suits that run a record company. Who told them that’s what the people want to hear?? For years they’ve been giving us crap. Don’t get me wrong, they have let some gems out but for the most part, it’s garbage. These past few years especially, mainstream music for me, is on a rapid decline. This is why the underground/independent movement is detrimental to this here Hip-Hop game. It is music that gets created for the people and gets supported by the people. Yes, mainstream music gets supported by the people but only after continuous brainwash play on the radio. Sometimes, it feels as if you have no choice but to like it.

There used to be a time where the DJ at a club had the new tune in his crate. He would play a song, watch the crowd’s reaction and report back to the artist. Or, the artist would walk in and see how the crowd reacted to the tune. You knew if it was a banger based on that. DJs and artists still do that but now there are other influences. DJs are not true to the game and accept money and other bribes to break certain songs. Songs they know suck. I think that is a disservice to the people and they should have their turntables, I mean iPods revoked.

We don’t have to depend on those types of sellout mainstream DJs anymore. Underground DJs are still true to the game and there is a new force on the horizon...The Blogger. Blog sites and Internet radio are making and breaking underground artists. Bloggers and Internet radio shed light on artists who might not otherwise be heard. This is a big deal because blog sites and internet radio are read and heard WORLDWIDE!!! There are artists who look for certain bloggers to post their music because they have a huge following and their sense of music is keen. They will get a raw, honest opinion from blog readers as well as a real people perspective from the blogger.

There are some signed artists who don’t want their posts on blogs. That could be for various reasons. Either you don’t care what the public have to say because they know mainstream clown radio will play it anyway, or maybe you know the public will rip your wack shit to shreds or you know that the public will see right through your shenanigans and you will lose supporters rather than gain. *Take that. Take that.* #ShotsFIRED

At the end of the day artists, you should know that the public should be your top critic. DJs used to be a reliable source but some of them have become tainted and cater to the industry bullshit. Music companies will tell you whatever and turn an artist into anything they think will sell. Blog sites and internet radio is run by the people, for the people. I trust the word of the sites that I read and follow. We do it because we have a genuine love for it, definitely NOT because we get paid, which in my opinion, makes it a very credible opinion source.

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When She Speaks, You Listen: @LadyBlogga "Got Ink?"

Last week I decided to grab some of my homies and head into Brooklyn to meet a man by the name of @Tat2Slim (Slim) at Jaz Tattoo. I am not a person for pain but I will sit still for some ink. Tattoos are addicting and once you start, you don’t stop. I have to tell you that he is working on a piece for my thigh as we speak and I can’t wait to get it in. I don’t know how many of my followers are ink fanatics but Slim can definitely bring your ideas to light. Whether it’s an ass or finger, I am sure Slim can bring it to life and ink you right. While he was inking a client, I had a brief conversation with him. Brief because the master was hard at work and dammit a tattoo leaves no room for mistakes. When he was finished with that customer, it was my turn. He blessed my finger with “Sui Generis” (see pic below). Let me just say, I will be seeing him again soon. He does tat parties and house calls. If you are interested in seeing him for ink, hit him up @Tat2Slim on Twitter or stop in the shop. Jaz Tattoo is located at 212 Greene Street in Brooklyn.



Check the interview...


LB: So.. How long have you been tattooing?

Slim: I’d say 2 years officially. Four years all together. A lil' bullshit in between because I had part time jobs here and there.

LB: What got you interested in becoming a tattoo artist?

Slim: Ahhh. Well I got a tattoo that I was drawing myself and everybody kept on complimenting me on it so I said 'Let me try it'. See what happens.

LB: Were you an art student?

Slim: I was always an art student but I never took it seriously. My mom was into art and shit but I was everywhere else besides art. So I did a little bit of everything and then I found this and was like “Oh Shit!” I like it. The rest is history after that.

LB: What does your family think about your choice of profession?

Slim: Well it was either between this or being a cop.

LB: Ohhhhhhhh (O_o) (LOL)

Slim: So... I decided to do this. They were with me. I never got any complaints about it. It was one of those things where you jump into it and you’re like “I don’t know if this is gonna be good because it takes a certain kind of person to deal with it.” But they never held me back from trying it so.

LB: What’s your favorite part of the job?

Slim: When a person is happy with their tattoo. There’s nothing better than that. They get what they want. They come to me trying to find an idea. Or they come to me with an idea, nothing on paper and I come up with an idea that matches what they’re thinking. And if they’re happy with it, that’s my favorite part.

LB: Are there any artists that influenced your career choice?

Slim: No. I don’t really know anything about the tattoo industry besides getting tattoos. I can’t really say anybody from the industry influenced me. Na'mean?

LB: At one time it was a stereotype that bikers, biker chicks, punks, freaks were the people to get tattooed. Is that true now? If it isn’t, how has that changed?

Slim: The stereotype is still there. But now everybody is getting 'em. It’s become so main stream. Little kids are coming to get tattoos. Fourteen year olds are getting their boyfriend's names tattooed on 'em so I mean it's not necessarily for everybody but it’s turning into that point where everybody is walking around with them. I figure in the next couple of years everybody is going to be tattooed so nobody can really hate on the fact that you have tattoos.

LB: So with that being said, do you thing tattooing is a fad, a trend? Considering it’s been around for so many years and people are still doing it. Do you think it’s going to fade?

Slim: Nah, I don’t think it’s going to fade. People are going to have children and they are going to want tattoos and so on and so forth. No, it’s not going to fade but the kinds of tattoos that people are going to get are going to change. There is always a point where a type of tattoo is popular.

LB: Where’s the weirdest place you’ve had to put a tat?

Slim: There isn’t one. I do tats in all kinds of places. I’ve done all kinds of places. Ass tats are my favorite though.

LB: So if and when you have children, are you going to allow them to get inked?

Slim: Absolutely!! And I wanna be the one to do it. And if I’m not, they are going to be in trouble! LOL!

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