This years concerts

I know this is a post a little bit out of the ordinary but as the year is coming to an end it is time to sum up what happened this year - that is of course: what happened with concerts and live performances.
Well, I'd say it was a great year. Especially this summer as I toured Europe and made a stop in Denmark as the Festival of Skanderborg went on. Great place and as the festival tickets were at a fair price I can't complain. And then there was the Danish women and the Danish beer. As to music I especially enjoyed Beth Hart. Now that is a woman that knows her hard rock and has an oppinion about everything.
This coming year my account will be drained by a long list of concert tickets I just need to buy. First of all I just have to go to the UK and see ACDC in concert. So ACDC tickets will be up first. Actually that will be one of the biggest musical experiences of 2010 as I have never seen ACDC live. It will be a blast and I can't wait.

Rappity rap!

How to write about Hip Hop part 8

There’s a lot of young talent coming out of the Thizz Camp. Another new artist to the Thizz Roster is, Rockola A.K.A. Nat Kin Cola. Rock as they call him on the streets, does graphic art, & hip/hop. He’s originally from San Francisco CA, and started selling painted T-shirts out of backyards in Richmond, CA. More and more people started to recognize his talent locally, until he got a buzz. Now Rock works with fellow Thizz graphic artists Cosmo & Stretch. He also hooked up with producer Gennessee at Noble House to record his Solo album, which has yet to be released. On top of that M.I.S.T.A.H. F.A.B. had a role in bringing them all together. It’s like a family affair over there at Thizz. Rockola wants to start working on a line of T-shirts sporting a lot of different images of Mac Dre. He’s currently working with a graphics company out of Oakland, CA, called Legends. He dropped a single a while back called “It’s my Life”, he’s got a new one coming out called “Back & Forth” featuring M.I.S.T.A.H. F.A.B., he’s got another one called “Showin Out” both produced by Gennessee. He’s wrapping up his first Solo album coming out pretty soon.
He say’s he’s been rapping and doing graffiti art for over 10 years now. So he’s a seasoned vet at a young age. He hooked up with the right cats and got his foot in the door. It’s good for Hip/Hop because some people think that hip/hop is just rapping over a beat. They don’t think about the graphic artist that makes the album cover, or wraps the team van, or designs the clothing line. So thank god for our graphic artist, if they weren’t here, where would hip/hop be?

How to write about Hip Hop part 7

Thizz is making big moves, signing hot new artists and producers. Taz is a first round draft pick. He basically produces and engineers everything that comes out of the Thizz Camp. He owns and runs his own studio, “Savage Dragon.” He produces, records and mixes down tracks for cats like J. Diggs, Crest Keepers, Rydah J. Klyde, M.I.S.T.A.H. F.A.B., Dubee, The Fendi Boyz, Star Studded, P.I.D., almost everybody off the Thizz Roster. Even cats that aren’t signed to Thizz, like Keak Da Sneak, and Yukmouth. Taz was introduced to Mac Dre and Thizz through J. Diggs after a show that Dre did, and every since then he has been working for Thizz. I’ve been in Taz’s studio; it’s pretty nice.
Taz was an Arabic drummer for his family in the Mid East, he came to America at the age of 12. Taz’s father told him one day “ no matter how far away we get from each other, music will bring us back together, because it’s a world wide language.” But when he started buying expensive studio equipment, they said he was doing too much. Taz’s philosophy was it will pay of one day. Well I think that day is coming sooner than he thinks.
When asked how he felt about dealing with the Thizz Camp, he said, “it’s one of the biggest lessons anyone could have in life, because you have to learn to deal with bigger people than yourself. When you are dealing with bigger people with bigger power, it’s hard to tell them there wrong, even if you know they are wrong. You have to explain everything when your working for a big company, miscommunication is the number one thing that will break up a company, but Thizz is doing well today.

How to write about Hip Hop part 6

Shemp has been working with Thizz for over 4 years. Lately everything that Thizz has put out, Shemp has put the artwork together for. He has his own office complete with a secretary and, art designers, and Evan, his business partner. Shemp is a businessman in every since of the word, he try’s to keep his clients and his self-happy by giving them exactly what they want. He knows the finished product that finally goes on the shelf in the record stores, reflects on the recording artist as well as the graphic artist.
Shemp is a San Francisco, CA native. He works with a lot of Bay Area artists and he says the bay sound is what’s hot right now, and Thizz is on the cutting edge. Shemp likes the Thizz movement because of the positive things they do in the streets. Despite the unfortunate circumstances that have happened to Thizz in the past.
Ever since he was a kid, visual effects & photography have inspired Shemp, he even gets ideas from his dreams. He admits he’s not very much of a drawer though. He has done artwork for artists such as Baby Bash, Yukmouth, C-Bo and the West Coast Mafia Gang, Turf Talk, Mr. Cheeks, Guce, Messy Marv, and many more. Shemp’s company is called Photo Doctor Graphics, they design, Posters, Stickers, Postcards, Album Flats, Billboards, & Print Advertising. His website is www.photodoctorgraphics.com you can reach him at (415) 424-3424. If asked if he would ever retire he said, “ Yeah maybe in thirty or forty years.” We hope to see Shemp & Photo Doctor Graphics in the near and distant future.

How to write about Hip Hop part 5

Straight up out of Richmond, CA the city where the murder rate is so high city officials met to declare a state of emergency. Representing Parchester Village is the Kuzzo’s. They’re labels, Kuzzo Entertainment/Thizz. They have one album in the stores “Looks can be deceiving” which is doing real well down south, and they have a DVD called the “Smoklamentry.” You might see these cats riden around in the Kuzzo Mobile, wrapped with purple buds.
I asked them how they hooked up with Mac Dre and Thizz. Fly one half of the Kuzzo’s said, “my brother went to school with Kilo the C.E.O. of Thizz way back, so we’ve been knowing each other for years. When we were working on our first album up in Seattle, that’s when Mac Dre first got out. He hooked up with Mac Mall to do a show in Tacoma. We were with Mac Mall at the time, and ever since then Kuzzo’s and Mac Dre have been working together. When we started filming the Smoklamentry we filmed Mac Dre’s whole birthday weekend, going from club to club, from Oakland’s “On Broadway” to San Francisco to past Sacramento.”
Kuzzo’s entertainment is much more than just a record company, it’s a filming/security/promotion/production (Moss did all the production on “Looks can be deceiving”) etc… company. In conjunction with Jacob’s ladder productions, (who helped do the filming and editing of the Smoklamentry), and Jazz Entertainment, (which is they’re uncles company), they’re cousin L.J. (who did production on the Kuzzo’s next album), did production on 50 Cent’s & Games albums. They are a really family orientated company.
In the works they got Smoke 1 & 2 Soundtrack about to come out, a Kuzzo’s album and a Heat Mob album about to come out. A Smoklamentry soundtrack, which is in the stores right now. They have songs featured on “17 Wit a Thizz” album, they are featured on a fellow artist from Thizz called “Miami’s” album. They collaborated with M.O.P. from New York in “Pitch Black” and P.I.D.
The Kuzzo’s would like to thank God, Miami & Kilo, Jazz Entertainment, Thizz Entertainment, all the folks from New York, Texas, Seattle, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Kentucky & Virginia. They would also like to send their love to all the people who lost love one to Hurricane’s Katrina & Rita. Look for a lot of good things from the Kuzzo’s in the future.

How to write about Hip Hop part 4

Equipto has been foolin with the Thizz Camp for some years now, with owners Kilo, Miami & Mac Dre. He is affiliated with “Wash House records,” & Andre Nicatina. He met up with Mac Dre on tour and in the studio. It was always a cool vibe when they were doing a show or in Wash House studios. He thinks of Miami as an uncle, and Kilo is always there to have his back.
Equipto got his notoriety from going on tour opening up for big name cats in, Seattle, Portland, Santa Cruz and spots like that. Being in the studio, meeting and greeting, & running in to the right people. Equipto is and artist that has been around the world. He can tell the next artist how their album is doing in, let’s say Japan or what not, and they can appreciate the input.
Equipto use to work with Solidarity Record, and now he works with Million Dollar Dream Records. He basically does his own thing independently & he owns his own publishing. He wants to know his career is under his control, as well as his product. He recently did two songs for Thizz’s next compilation, and he was on a couple of their albums in the past, but he is not officially signed to the Thizz label, like F.A.B., or Bavgate. He has been approached by Kilo, but everybody gets so busy that he hasn’t had a chance to sign a contract.
Equipto has an album currently in the stores with Andre Nicatina, called “Horns & Halo’s” and coming Thanksgiving their coming out with another one called “Gun Mouth for Hire Pt. 2.” He has a solo project coming out early February complete with a DVD. His main concern though is making good music and promoting it around the world in places untouched. Equipto has his work cut out for him.

How to write about Hip Hop part 3

There are a lot of hot new producers coming out of the Thizz Camp. Let me introduce you to Gennessee. Gennessee was born in Berkeley, CA & grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He came back to the Bay when he was 19 years old and started focusing on the music industry real tough. When he first started everybody use to say he had an East Coast flavor. He hooked up with his boy Cosmo, who plays all kinds of instruments. They both collaberate together to make the sound they have now. Gennessee has his own label called “Noble House” and he has done a lot of production for the Thizz Camp. He has an album he rapped and produced on with M.I.S.T.A.H. F.A.B. He say’s he’s been rapping and producing for over 10 years and has over 7 albums done with over 400 songs. His attention recently has been on producing, engineering, and being a mentor to artists & feeding his family. We all know them kids got to eat. He’s been with the Thizz Camp since Mac Dre came out with the album “Ronald Regan” in 2003. He produced half of the tracks on that. He produced a song for Cuban Linx called “Let it Go” which is on DJ Crooks album. He produced a song called “Do or Die” for the group Do or Die, and Twista and the Speed Knot Mobstas both from Chicago. He’s done production for local artists like Turf Talk, The Team, Too Short, Yukmouth, and San Quin. Watch out for Gennessee, Noble House, and Thizz going hard in 2005.

How to write about Hip Hop part 2

& CDs and what not. He started taking the hands on approach when it came to music. Dibbin and Dabblin here and there trying to make a couple dollars, he got more serious about the rap game but really didn’t make a profit until 1995 when he dropped the now classic song “Managetoi” on the first “Rompilation” album. That was my favorite track on that album, I played the hell out of it.
We asked what PSD thought about all these new cats that have been signing on with the Thizz Camp right now. He say’s he supports everything that comes out of Thizz making sure everybody in the Camp is eating.” He say’s “Kilo is holding the steering wheel right now driving, and he has no problem following the chain of command.
PSD is definitely staying busy, When we was talking to him he was up in Sacramento with Keak Da Sneak working on a surprise as he say’s. There might be another Cutthoat Committe album in the making, who knows. He has some solo joints he’s been working on, and he now has a couple artists of his own under his wing. As for the future only time will tell.

How to write about Hip Hop part 1

A couple of years ago I was writing for a Hip-Hop magazine called "Showcase." I interviewed a couple of up and coming artists from the "Thizz Camp." It was a challenging and a memorable experience. I have a few articles I want to share with you, maybe I can give you some pointers.
If you’re from the Yay Area you’ve heard of Vallejo, CA, and even if you’re not, no doubt you’ve heard of Somebody reppin a small town in California called Vallejo. Well one of the hard hitters straight up out the Crest in Vallejo was Mac Dre (R.I.P.). One of the things he was working on before he passed was a record company called the Thizz Camp, an Indie label full of up and coming artists. One of the artists that was there from day one was none other than PSD tha Drivah. PSD grew up in the Crest with Mac Dre, although he was a little older than PSD, Dre and his partner Kilo took him under there wing and helped him put out his first Underground Album.
One third of the Cutthoat Committe along with Mac Dre (R.I.P.) & Dubee A.K.A. Sugawolf, PSD has been putting it down for a long time. As he would say “ I ain’t no new turd in the toilet.” I myself tend to agree with him, seeing as how he has his own label called “Gateway Records” up under his parent label “Thizz.” PSD has dropped 2 Cutthoat Committe albums, his newest one which came out August 23rd 2005 called “Guru” doing it’s thang, the one before that was “You Ain’t Heard of Me”, “All I Want”, “What it is” & “Game Cost.” He say’s “it’s Thizz for life until the lights go out on this small planet.” PSD say’s his position now with Thizz is to make sure everything sounds good before it’s released, but he’s still in it hustlin like everybody else trying to get it like crabs in a bucket, or more like Cutthoat Stew. He supports everything that comes out of Thizz making sure everybody in the Camp is eating.
PSD say’s, “I’m originally from Picayune, Mississippi. I came out hear in 1988, real green to what was going on, went to private schools and lived a real sheltered life. Vallejo, CA turned me out, the crack game wore my ass out, and I wasn’t ready for it. It was always in me, the game was too much for me I had to be a part of it. Eventually I shaped myself up to who I am today, now I’m a bad mother ****er, but don’t tell nobody.” We asked why does he call his self PSD Tha Drivah, he responds “in Swahili driver means control, you no you can’t touch want you can’t catch.”
PSD say’s “he’s been rapping ever since he thought he could.” One of the artists he looked up to coming up was Young MC, but since he never could meet him in person, he started looking up to the cats around the Crest Side, Vallejo. Real Life stars he could see and look up to in person putting out tapes