Inglorious BETA! #notypo

PEACE

July 1st, 2009 I revealed K-Beta to you. His mixtape 89 to 09 had me rockin for months. Well, my DMV MC is back with “Inglorious Beta”. I’ve only been listening to it for 2 hours straight but I’m impressed (as usual).

DOWNLOAD IT!

D. Schwartz – Angels Freestyle

PEACE.

Y’all know I love me some D. Schwartz. He freestyled over the Angels beat….YESSSSS.

Download it!

When you’re done,grab that mixtape.

For those that aren’t up on Beewirks,he’s produced for Jeezy and Joe Budden.

My favorite track: Lucid Dreamer.

Just Listen.

Yankee Fitted…FTW

PEACE.

YES!!! I’m ecstatic right now. My boy “The Bad Seed” teamed up with Talib Kweli and Mims to talk about something SO classic that EVERYONE has one…even me.

It’s been a while since I’ve heard anything from Seed…I’m OD happy as hell right now.

Download it here.

Just Listen.

Gerald Walker

PEACE.

So…there’s this dude with whom I have a few degrees of separation with. Gerald Walker. I thought he was a comic initially because he’s funny as fuck [follow him on Twitter]. However, I finally heard something from  him. It’s really difficult to possess an infectious hook,a nod-worthy beat with a flow that can stand up to both that’s “different”. He wins.And y’all know I RARELY say anything nice.

Download ‘Shhh. It’s OK! You Have The Right To Hate’ and while you’re waiting, read his blog.

Just Listen.

Go with the Flo?

As much as I love Flo. #icant

Swag ft Somaya Reece – One Of a Kind

I love how my girl Somaya’s fusing her electro-pop sound with hip hop. however…this “swag” character just does not do it for me. He should take a seat.

Nicki Minaj Gets Dissed? Say word!

This bitch,Keys, oughta quit. One she looks ridiculous. Two coats on that don’t match? Where dey do dat at? I know they don’t do that in Bmore. Secondly, she’s outta breath in less than a minute. You can barely understand her at times.

NEXTTTT!!!

For the record: I am not a member of Nicki’s #BarbieArmy.

Cleaning out the Q&A box…

Peace.

I encourage people to leave me comments, ask questions,etc. However,I suck at getting back to them. Sooo I’ve gone through every single email I’ve gotten to answer them. Note: If you asked me a question or left a comment and you don’t see it here it was either inappropriate or I overlooked it. If it was the latter,just let me know and I’ll double check. Thanks

You’re a female and I’m not sexist or anything but what makes you think you know anything about music? You don’t even do music.

Ha. Honestly, my opinion doesn’t mean a damn thing. I listen to music more then I watch television. I’ve been a fan of music for over 25 years. I don’t just hear the music,I listen to it. I REALLY listen to it. I listen to every instrument, every melody, every beat, every lyric. I listen to almost every genre, even opera. Everyone has an opinion on something, I have one on music. Don’t like it? Don’t read my blog. Easy solution homeskillet. And wtf is “doing music”?

Can you address the rumors about you and Joe Budden please?

There’s nothing to address.

What’s your Twitter? Do you talk about music there too?

http://www.twitter.com/_ARROGANT I talk about everything. Music, movies, sex, relationships, random ramblings….

Top five rappers?

Ghostface,Joe Budden,Notorious B.I.G,Raekwon,Nas

Are you a lesbian or a dream come true?

I’ve no idea wtf that means lol but I’m not a lesbian.

Can you tell us a little bit about you as a person? Likes/dislikes…favs,etc?

This is not Myspace lol but uh…I love movies and cheesy reality tv shows,I love to cook,I hate salt,Cheerios are the best thing since sliced bread,I treat my younger siblings like their my children.

What’s your favorite non hip-hop song?

I have quite a few. I think Top 3 would be Prince – Adore,Nina Simone – Summertime,Eric Clapton – Layla.

If you could chose one rapper to stop rapping immediately who would it be?

Gucci Mane

Worst rapper in Milwaukee?

I think he moved but…Jaye Cane.

How do you feel about the Chris and Rhianna thing?

There’s three sides to every story. his, hers and the truth. They’re both leaving shit out.

If you had anything to say to aspiring rappers,what would you say?

If you want to be a rapper you have to accept criticism. People are cruel and they’re going to say whatever is on their mind. With everyone blogging and downloading shit as soon as it comes out the backlash will be much more harsh. Don’t assume that everyone REALLY likes your music just because they support you. If they’re someone you know, please believe they’re gonna support you STRICTLY off the strength of that. If you think your shit is the hottest out there, then heighten your standards. When someone tells you that you need work,they’re being honest. Respect that because for every 1 person that says you suck 2 people will lie and say you’re hot. It’s hard for me to tell someone they’re not that good so value that I’m even telling you.Lying is easy.

What’s most important in a song to you?

I’m assuming you mean in terms of lyrics,beat,etc….I think each element of a song is important,like the foundation of a bridge.But if each element isn’t used correctly it’ll ruin the song for me.Content is most important to me.I don’t wanna listen to someone blah blah blahing about rims and hos.

And that’s it. If you have a question or comment feel free to send it to thedarlingniki@gmail.com

Just Listen.

Monsoon Season

Peace.

YOOOOOO!!! I’ve been away for awhile workin on myself. I apologize but TRUST I’m back with good news.Milwaukee,WI is experiencing a monsoon by the name of Umbrella Music Group. These young men are taking the local hip-hop scene by storm.

Track 1: Prophetic

Proph’s been gettin it IN! In 2008,this quiet riot rocked the city with his album Mo Profit Mo Progress (available on iTunes). I’ll admit it’s STILL in heavy rotation over here. Then he dropped the Mo Progress Mo Problems webtape. His tales of working his ass of to get what he wants is inspiring as hell to say the least. After local rave reviews, quite a few radio plays,countless shows and features and a co-sign from none other then Pharell Williams, I’d say Proph (1/3 of Royal Fam) is doing “Aye Ok”.

Track 2: Ka$h

Flying under the radar for way too long, Ka$h emerges from the shadows to give us Black Bauer – Season: 1 (click to download). Opening his verbal diary for his listeners, Ka$h shows young fathers that being a ‘hands-on” dad doesn’t make you less of a man…but MORE of one. The self-proclaimed “selfish dad” makes it clear that it’s okay to neglect music in order to take care of more important things..like his family. Sure he’s dedicated to his craft and apologetic for keeping us waiting for so long,but most rappers tend to ignore their financial situations, children, significant others, parents, etc just to “live the dream”. Kudos Ka$h.

Track 3: Yo-Dot

After several appearances on WSHH.com for battling Yo-Dot has FINALLY graced my iPod with his solo presence!”Dot Balistrerri” was released today (for FREE) and I’m hooked already. Yo-Dot is the grittier artist under the Umbrella. He gives us his ghetto fairytale in the form of RIDICULOUS beats and a dirty flow. I don’t know who did most of his production but got damn if they didn’t do a good job. Bar for bar, Yo-Dot goes so hard and if you didn’t know where he was from..then you’d guess wrong. Quotable: “I started small time/a lil broke nigga/but now the tables turned/and now I’m mo richer”. That proves he’s not afraid to work for what he’s got.

Track 4: Misen Lync

Misen Lync, one of UMG’s groups, is comprised of Toine Jay, Maal Himself and TKS. I like to think of them as the loverboys of UMG. But don’t get it twisted. They all have very distinctive flows that are pleasing to the ear. TKS’ obvious accent draws you into the beat so smoothly,Maal brings the straight foward imagery to the listener with his Elzhi-like flow…then strolls in Toine who reminds me of LL Cool J in a sense that his flow (to the ladies) is sexy as hell but you know better then to test him. Their new mixtape, Both Sides of The Mirror, dropped last week and I’m seeing a lot of progression compared to their last webtape, Bars-n-Beatz. There’s NOTHING wrong with improving…and most artists don’t think they need to. Both Sides gets very personal, it’s a must hear!

My Testimony: Sometimes y’all ain’t tryna hear me when I talk about UMG because I never have anything negative to say about them. I’m sorry but I give credit ONLY where it’s due. Every UMG project that comes out is put together so well. The beats are superb, the flow is always tight and consistent,the album art is always the shit (shout out to Whaz). Shit, most local artists don’t even HAVE album art. As I’ve gotten to know each member of UMG individually I’ve had nothing but positive things to say for several reason. First,they’ve gained a little notoriety but haven’t changed as people. They’re the same “cool ass niggas”. None of this has gone to their heads. They still go to work everyday (yes! they have JOBS!), they still fraternize with the extra regular ass niggas and they don’t act like people owe them (unless they actually do…Axtra I STILL owe you dinner lmao). They work EXTREMELY hard to get where they are and where they’ll be. They spend a lot of their free time in the studio, they’re well-read young men, they’re not JUST street smart but they’re book smart as well, they’re respectful and they don’t take what they’ve got for granted.  And most importantly (from my female standpoint) they’re EXCELLENT fathers (for the ones that have kids). Ka$h is a self-proclaimed “selfish dad”, Tay Butler’s entire tone changes when he mentions his children (I wonder if he’s ever noticed it), Maal Himself gets the proudest look on his face when he talks about his son,Adlib spends more time with his daughters then with anyone else,etc. I might sound like a STAN right now..but fuck it, I’ll be that. These niggas got what it takes to make it anywhere: Loyalty,respect,integrity,and resourcefulness (not to mention that their generally DECENT people – kudos to whoever raised them). I don’t know where UMG gets their work ethic but ALL of them work really hard to get where they are.

Umbrella Music Group is: Axtra,Royal Fam (Ka$h,Prophetic,Yo-Dot), Misen Lync (Toine Jay, Maal Himself,TKS),Adlib,D. Ellzey,Meccah Malloh and Tay Butler http://www.umbrellasup.com

Note: I apologize for the length…but I couldn’t contain myself.

Just listen.

#tilasbox

Peace.

I just need to get a few things off my chest. First of all…everyone’s seen the BET Cipher video featuring Joe Budden and other unmentionables. He basically punches Tila Tequila in the face by saying “Leave you wit deep regrets like Tila Tequilas neck”…the Joe/Tila “beef” was born. Joe created an interesting trending topic on Twitter….#tilasbox. You’ve gotta admit the shit is funny. Then Joe’s “friend” Somaya Reece chimed in. She even wrote a song about her called “Tramp”.

Ever since then Tila’s been on a rampage. She’s taken to her website and Twitter to try and embarrass herself as much as humanly possible. She got drunk, high and naked on ustream and acted a complete ass. (At one moment she bent over and made her tampon string FULLY visible. Yuck.) And just the other day she wrote the longest blog ever about Rihanna and how she supposedly has herpes and gave it to Chris Brown. And that this was the reason for the famous beat-down.

Well here’s my take. Tila is the type of person that is SO insecure and emotionally unstable that she does outlandish shit just to get “positive” attention. But what she fails to understand is that the people cheering her on are just looking for entertainment. She’s doing JUST that. So it’s not really positive attention. She’s making a mockery of herself. And she purposely releases racy photos and videos of herself so that no one else can do it before she does. That way..when there’s negative feedback she can say “Well I release it myself so…there!”

WOMP. Bitch try again.

The things people do for a little attention.

Just Listen.