Shantytown Remix

To be less long winded than last time, here is my contribution to the Marvin Gaye Remix world.

007 (Shanty Town) was a Foundation tune by Desmond Dekker. A few versions of this riddim have arose over the years, notably a couple of years ago with artists like Luciano, Sizzla, Jah Mason, and Turbulence. Just recently Shaggy has released a very weathered version of the riddim that evokes that old time sound, which gives this version it's charm. You can find two simultaneous releases by Shaggy, "Move Hype" and "Bonafide Girl" on this new riddim, as well as a new Collie Buddz version called "Searching" which features Roache Killa.

I've had a positive reaction from it so far. I hope it works for you.

Marvin Gaye-What's Going On (Shantytown Remix)

Riccashay, MC Flow, Kevin Hellman, CityBeat, and the San Diego Music Awards

I always check the Reader. Especially the Blurt section inside the music section. Only to kind of see what other people are keeping up on...

Thats when I saw a little Blurt featuring my boy Riccashay(Pictured above). Ken Leighton wrote this little blurt voicing Ric's opinion on the San Diego Music Awards, and the winner of the Best Rap/Hip-Hop Artist MC Flow.

Ric was miffed that MC Flow won the award, because he felt that she did not represent Hip-Hop. To his credit he said "MC Flow is good at what she does, but what she does is not Hip-Hop". He also mentions Hip-Hop is about paying dues, and he hadn't seen her pay any dues. While MC Flow is not what I would consider to be the best Hip-Hop group in Daygo, she is trying to do her thing as an artist. I can see that. Whether you like MC Flow or not is pure opinion. Yet I have to agree with him, in questioning how MC Flow is the best representation of Hip-Hop that San Diego has.

Lets look at the nominees:

Addiquit
Blame One
Celio Skilz
Deep Rooted
Lil Al
MC Flow
Miki Vale
Ricasshay


Addiquit is a newcomer to the game, and after seeing her live I couldn't say she is the best representation of San Diego Hip-Hop. While her style is different than any other MC I've heard, I couldn't have given her the award. A Master constantly fine tunes his/her craft before its Mastery.Addiquit's Myspace Page


Blame One. What can I say about Blame One. You really have to hear him do his thing to realize that he is one of the top contenders on the list. Blame's delivery is wicked, and definitely versatile. His content ranges from highly intelligent, to pure braggadocio. Blame has also been slaying folks lyrically for over a decade. When I first met him, he was beautifying a box car. He is deserving of an award. Blame's Myspace Page


Celio Skilz is another veteran out here with a dope style, and solid delivery. He has been in the game out here awhile. Celio is making waves outside of Daygo as well. If he had won, I would not have been mad. Celio's Myspace Page


Deep Rooted has already well proven themselves. Solid production, and alot of talent. Mr. Brady, Johaz, and DJ Artistic have both been putting in ALOT of work over the years. Very good candidate for Best in SD. Deep Rooted's Myspace Page


Lil Al. I have to admit, while I try to seem like an authority, I haven't seen Lil Al live. I do know that his music represents San Diego, with the definitive West Coast sound. He has a strong delivery, and street oriented content. Al also has strong support from the Latino community out here, which is big. If he would have won, I could have lived with that. Lil Al also hosts a radio show on Z90. Lil Al's Myspace Page


MC Flow. I just heard word of MC Flow this year. Her delivery is old school, very comparable to the new trend of JJ Fad-esque flowing. Her "Flow" is not phenom in the least, but more cute. I guess that's what I would call it. Cute. MC Flow's Myspace Page


Miki Vale has gone through a couple Hip-Hop incarnations over the years. While Miki has a soft side, her delivery can be more deadly than an envelope full of SARS. Alot of people are making a big deal about Female MCs, but Miki Vale transcends that label to just Dope MC. If she would have won, I would have been in agreement.Miki's Myspace Page


Riccashay. What can you say about Riccashay, that hasn't already been said about The Witch Creek Fire. (I hope he's reading this). Honestly, I've seen Ric tear rappers apart, rock a solid show, and make people react with his verses. Ric is a professional. He deserves an award. Riccashay's Myspace Page

The way the winner is chosen is by way of internet. And if you had enough people in your circle working at it, you could vote once a day. Once a day? WTF? If the winner is supposed to be people's choice, then why would they let you vote more than once?

The result is not who is the best artist, but which artist can gather the best team to beat the voting system? Sounds like bullshit to me.

Not really a big suprise to me. The Bullshit part. CityBeat is the quasi-authority on local music, and it's editor is Kevin Hellman, who is also the brains behind SDMA (San Diego Music Awards). Before CityBeat, it was called SLAMM. They would NEVER cover Hip-Hop. After people kept complaining, they slowly integrated some Hip-Hop into their mag. CityBeat now covers everything local that has to do with music.

Kevin Hellman made a comment in the Reader that there is no Hip-Hop scene in San Diego, save for 4-5 groups who rarely play. This comment is from the guy who is the head of San Diego's Music Authority? He obviously knows very little about whats going on. I saw 5 groups last week alone. There is also a Hip-Hop TV show, The Grimmie Wreck Show that features numerous Local Hip-Hop groups every episode. Earthboundradio.com is a local internet radio station that features local Hip-Hop DJs, and features artists weekly. There is a couple of pure Hip-Hop shops that cater solely to the Hip-Hop scene that doesn't exist out, and they are both thriving. One being The Armory which has a store located in Downtown, and one in Pacific Beach. and Access Hip-Hop Shop is another Hip-Hop shop in Pacific Beach. Both of these stores specialize in Hip-Hop culture and feature numnerous local artists' product. House Of Rep is party that features live Hip-Hop acts, both Local and National, very frequently. You can find more events here.

Kevin Hellman not only showed he is not afraid to speak something he doesn't know shit about, but his obvious distaste for local Hip-Hop Artists, and the community in general.

I am not going to list the numerous groups in San Diego frequently performing out here. I shouldn't need to for CityBeat's sake. They should already know all of this already.

I noticed one of CityBeat's contributors, Troy Johnson, must have taken a fancy to both MC Flow, and Addiquit. I do not think either of them deserve the nomination over other very active local groups, who have a quality product and an entertaining stage show. They both have a certain appeal to them that I can respect. That same appeal beckons 91X to play Hip-Hop by groups they deem palatable to their market. Whether or not their act will hold up to the critical ears of Hip-Hop purists is still yet to be seen. As Riccashay noted, their presence at Local Hip-Hop shows is rare, if at all.

Riccashay. I had a chance to briefly discuss the Reader write up with him. The author asked Ric if his opinion on MC Flow's Hip-Hop status was based on the fact that she was White, Jewish, and Female. Talk about trying to build a story. Riccashay stood strongly by his comment, which I admittedlyhold the same opinion as well.

To MC Flow and Addiquit: One thing I've learned about expressing yourself on a Hip-Hop platform, is you are asking to be ridiculed in some of the most vicious, and absurd manners you can think of. If you are true to your art, you will keep doing what you love and take critics with stride. If you are indeed truly Hip-Hop MCs, you already know how to handle this situation, and if you have yet to battle anyone, then good luck.

To the other artists in the competition, I award you all Hugh Knight's Music Award for Best Local Hip-Hop/Rap artist/group. We are all paying attention, and we know whats wrong with this picture.

To Riccashay: Thanks for keeping it real. You and I both know that SDMA is a sham anyways.

Hugh Knight
Former San Diego Music Award Winner

San Diego Burning!

As the sun went down last night, the sunlight was a crazy amber glow. Today the city smells of smoke, and light ashes are beginning to rain.

This don't look good at all!

I already got friends and family that have been evacuated from their homes. As it stands, there are very little resources out here left for anything but the fire, so they've told folks to stay off the roads. If you get in an accident, you are fucked.

1000 fire trucks from outside the county are on their way out here right now, and people are all stuck to the television trying to figure out which area is next...

Currently they are evacuating the area between the I-15 and the I-5 from the 56 to del dios highway. Thats hella west!

Escondido is evacuating, Ramona has been burnt to the ground. Rancho Bernardo is burning and outer parts of Poway. Pomerado hospital has been evacuated as well. To those who are not familiar, thats the northeastern most part of the county.

But thats just one fire.

Far east county is also blazing, and a fire from Mexico has started to ravage southern parts of the county.

Interstate 15 is completely shut down, Qualcomm Stadium is open for those seeking refuge from the fire, and I feel damn lucky to live a block from the water!

Any of my people in the city, if you know me and need shelter, get at me. Even though the conditions are ripe all over for fire, we will be letting the chalice blaze over here as long as the trees are available.

My prayers go out to all the victims of this tragedy!

Push The Tempo

Not a huge fan of Fatboy Slim. I mean, they aight.

But this video has eluded me till now. What the hell?



Kinda brilliant

Feel The Excitement: JAH CURE LIVE

Jah Cure LIVE at Reggae Sundance 2007

I won't usually put whole albums up, but this is something ALL Jah Cure fans should check for. It's bootleg of course, but pretty damn clean. You can feel the excitement as Jah Cure finally blesses the stage after 8 years of incarceration. If anything this is a good little piece of history...
Give thanks to DJ Zachariah for this one

JAH CURE LIVE AT REGGAE SUNDANCE 2007---Click Here To Download!!!

Hey, Heyyyy, Goodbye: LANDLORD JIM'S

The Pioneers-NA NA HEY HEY GOODBYE


Some people would wince at the thought of a bar being the place that you had the most fun. A bar is a place where it can be said that people waste their time and money. A place that breeds alcoholism and sometimes violence. Walking into a bar may be the last thing you remember when you wake up in jail with a black eye and a busted lip. This is a place you might not go back to for months because you jumped up on the bar dropped your drawls when you favorite song came on. Some would say bars are dispicable places.

Being a DJ, I can tell you some of the best memories of my life were inside bars and clubs.

Yeah, I know, Big DJs stick to clubs instead of a bar with a soundsystem, yada yada. When a DJ is tired of having to play what the club wants, there comes a hunt for a place a DJ can just get his/her thing on. A magical place where a DJ can play what they want, when they want, and how they want. A place where the owners aren't being shitheads about printing flyers, dress code, bar tab, guest list, and volume. Instead, the owners want good music, good vibes, and no bullshit. A place where, for a time, there was a trampoline in the back room!?!?!?

It would seem I would have to die first, in order to go to this heavenly place where DJs go to live in eternal bliss.



Instead of an early exit, I found this heavenly place right here on Earth. In fact, right here in my own city: Landlord Jim's Cocktail Machine. LLJ's has the best thing going out here if you ask me. A small dive bar that now sits in a vacant apartment building in the East Village section of downtown. Away from the boojie, touristy, House music infested Gaslamp District that San Diego is (for some reason) well known for. There are three big ingredients in this cocktail machine that make it the best bar in the city:

1. STIFFEST DRINKS IN THE CITY fo' cheap.
2. Some of the finest DJs in the city have blessed the decks there, and still do.
3. "NO COVER, NO DRESS CODE"

I used to go to LLJ's when it first made it's transformation from local scallywag daytime drunkard hangout, to scallywag nightime dancing drunkard hangout. Being right around the corner from SD City College, I used to dip down there after class for a little drizzle before I trekked back to my crib. Sara and Virgina, along with my man DJ JUNIOR THE DISCO PUNK are actually the people who seemed to turn the place around. Originally there was no DJ booth, so DJ's had to set up on the pool table. Of course, there is also everyone's favorite:

TALL CANS IN PAPER BAGS!

One for the G'z, and One for the Hustlaz!

LLJ's has had a problem before with having no Cabaret license. No cabaret means no dancing, and no DJs allowed. For a minute they had DJs doing their thing remotely live from Junior's kitchen upstairs in front a video camera that was being fed through the bar TVs. Eventually the booth went in, and they just decided to do it as rebel as possible.

Notable Memories:

The original Landlord Jim's T-Shirt with the motto "Where The Women Drink Like Sailors." Priceless!

One of the funnest nights was a couple years ago at Landlord Jim's one year anniversary. All the OGs were there, including Brisk One who was out back painting trucker caps with a stencil. I copped a Jungle Green version, and then did a rap show inside with Mike Czech.

Another time there was a crew art show, where Disko Rick and I DJed. In fact that was the last time I ever saw Disko Rick DJ at a spot. R.I.Power!

My favorite memories, one word: Cumbias!

Off the head, here are the DJs I can remember rocking the spot. If anyone is reading and I left them out, my bust.
Junior The Disco Punk, Mike Czech, Disko Rick, Jay Dread, JBlow, Drez, Ratty, @ Large, Buddah, Steven Flex, Phil, Still Life, D-Styles, NuMark, LRS, Sonny Phono, Melo-D, Rhettmatic, Atari, Hippoh, Mark E. Quark, Flo, Mateo, Charle Rock, Mario, Cros One, Ali-Asha, Iron Mike, Profile, Hektik...The list goes on...

While it was cool to be right around the corner from my school, that fact is eventually bringing Lanlord Jim's demise. The people voted to give City College more money, and they are taking over the property between City College, and Broadway. They made everyone that lived upstairs move out, and Landlord Jim's is left squeezed between a closed down Taco Shop, and an Art Gallery/Spoken Word/ live performance venue known as Voz Alta.

When JBlow and I took over the Saturday Night slots, we had no idea when LLJ's would be getting their notice to leave. The general consensus was that it would be sometime in 2007. We knew that we would have at least 90 days from whenever the notice was served, so we might as well mash it up while we can. Thus "Till The Wheels Fall Off" was born, and we haven't faltered since.

Alas the notice was served, and our very last night, including the bar's last night, is January 5th. We are putting togther something real nice for the last night, so stay tuned. If you are from out of town, and will be here before that final date you have to make it through to get a little taste of San Diego History. Mapquest that bitch, and bring yo ass on!

LANDLORD JIM'S HOMEPAGE
TILL THE WHEELS FALL OFF HOMEPAGE
What past customers have said at YELP.COM

Landlord Jim's=Jumper Palace!!!

Libra Time

First off, since I'm a Libra, I'm posting this tune as a gift to myself.

Link Deleted

Second of all, If you are in San Diego this weekend, shoot through!


This is my Saturday Night Jumpoff and you can see whats its about RIGHT HERE

Third off, if anybody ever asks you "Ain't I'm clean?" You better be ready for the Breakdown!
Mr. Rufus Thomas:


I been pretty busy as of late, so have patience wit me. It's been one Jumper after another, and it doesn't look like it will be slowin down anytime soon!

Truth is, I been in a slump until this Sunday:


SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 41------DENVER BRONCOS 3

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASY!