My Interview With Warren G

Above is my interview with the legendary Warren G. His new CD, "The G Files," will be released on September 29th. In the interview we talk about "Regulate...G Funk Era," the highlight of Warren's career, what he feels he still has yet to accomplish, his feelings about letting his children hear his music. We also discuss a new artist he is excited about, the creative process in 213, and who he most admires. We also debut his new song, "Swagger Rich," which features Snoop Dogg and Cass. Enjoy!

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My Interview With Stat Quo

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Mr. Capone-E

  California-born rapper Mr. Capone-E is no newcomer to the rap scene, but his new single, “Don’t Get It Twisted,” featuring Twista, is showing a lot of promise.  Will it be enough to expose him, beyond the niche fan base of Chicano rap, to the larger audience of mainstream hip-hop fans though?  Well, that’s the idea.

  I caught up with Capone-E in a phone interview last week, and we talked at length about the struggle to get mainstream exposure.  “There’s two worlds out there,” says Capone-E.  “You’ve got the Chicano rap fans and then you’ve got the mainstream fans.  Now, mainstream fans, they’re programmed.  The see it on TV, they hear it on the radio all the time.  So, in their minds, that’s what’s the best thing.  Chicano rap hasn’t gotten to that stage yet.  It’s barely breaking into radio.  And now that it’s on the radio, people are going, ‘Oh, now it’s on the radio.  It must be hot.’ But it’s been selling on the streets, the real fans out there have been buying this music for years now.  [Being on the radio] is broadening the fan base.”

  But while many may be unaware of Mr. Capone-E and his struggle to expose the Chicano rap game, his huge core fan base remains loyal.  “I have a strong fan base that’s waiting for me, they’re sitting in the cut, just waiting for me.  [When a station says Mr. Capone-E will be playing a concert,] whether I get played at the station or not, gente from everywhere show up out of nowhere.  I have people that tell me when I do shows that they have come from hours away, states away, to come to the show because that’s the closest show they can find me at.”
  As an artist, Capone-E is beginning to find mainstream success.  As “Don’t Get It Twisted” continues to climb the charts, he still manages to find time to run his label, Hi-Power Entertainment, which has a large roster of up-and-coming Chicano rappers.  “With Hi-Power, basically, I’m the vision behind it.  There are other people who help push [resources] into it.  But with [the label], I’m just doing the street thing and catering to my gente, my fans out there.  [Before, we didn’t] have our own voice, and now we have our own voice.  And I know in Las Cruces, there are a lot of people out there who have been waiting for stuff like Hi-Power to come, and here it is.  It was my dream a kid for something like Hi-Power to come along, and it never happened.  So here I have the opportunity to make stuff happen, and that’s what I’m doing.”

  Through the course of my long conversation with Mr. Capone-E, we kept coming back to his recipe to success, time and again.  Start by building a loyal street fan base, then use the resources that you generate to through CD sales to expand that fan base to the mainstream.  “There are going to be even bigger things in the future,” he says with the confidence of a prizefighter.

  Mr. Capone-E will be taking the stage at the Hot 103 Fall Jam this Saturday at Club Beverly Hills, at 150 Hermosa.  Also on the bill are Lil’ Flip, Marcos Hernandez, and local rappers The Teem.

  To hear my full-length interview with Mr. Capone, point your browser to www.lcsun-news.com/pulse.  It’s worth checking out.

-From Pulse
   October 12, 2006

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Grill Season

  Summertime has unofficially arrived, and summertime is a time for showing off your grill.

  Over the last year or so, that trend is heating up.  Rappers, in particular, are going head over heels—over grills.  While a porterhouse prepared over hot coals is great, some may argue that it lacks the luster of the ornamental platinum and gold, diamond-studded dental caps that have taken the hip hop world by storm.

  If there is a single name synonymous with the dental accessory, it’s Paul Wall, the jeweler-turned-rapper who first made a name for himself with the popularity of his handcrafted grills.  Sure, there were a few rappers sporting grills before Paul Wall broke onto the scene—Lil’ Jon and Trick Daddy come to mind—but the enormous swell in popularity can be attributed to Paul Wall’s 2005 smash, “Grillz,” a collaboration with St. Louis rap legend Nelly.

  The idea of tricking out one’s teeth, forged and tempered in Houston, epitomizes the self-indulgent excesses of the bling-bling, hip hop lifestyle.  Grills denote class, cash and panache.  And that ideology has a new generation of rappers and fans alike literally putting their money where their mouth is.

  Oh, it costs money for a smile with that Paul Wall touch.  I recently poked around at grillsbypaulwall.com, where you can have Houston’s grillmaster pimp your smile.  First, you have to go to a local dentist and have him make a mold of your mouth.  Then you can mail the mold to Paul, and he’ll start working on that grill for you.  It’ll set you back a pretty penny, with per-tooth prices starting at $65 for the open-faced “Pop Trunk” model in 14k gold.  But that’s the low-end.  You could, conceivably, drop $20,000 for the top and bottom sets combined—and that’s before that precious platinum enters the picture.  To put that into perspective, I paid about the same price for four years of education at the University of New Mexico, including tuition, books, and housing.  The controversial pacifier donated to Brad and Angelina’s baby by itsmybinky.com, made of 14k white gold and encrusted in white diamonds, is valued at $17,000.

  But, should you decide to forgo that BA for a shiny grill, where are you going to show off your most valuable possession?  Clubs are too dark, and your character and common sense may be called into question if you were to rock it at the family reunion.  May I recommend seemygrill.com?  At seemygrill.com, you can create a profile, post a picture, and invite site-goers to judge your grill on a scale of 1 to 10.  Sure, it’s not gonna put any of that money back into the bank, but the compliments you’ll receive will make you feel all warm and giddy.  And isn’t that what you’re really looking for?

  If you’re not into the long-term commitment of actually owning a grill, check out www.decodent.us, where you can find out about temporary grills.  They’re more like having your teeth Bedazzled by one of those late-night infomercial machines. A dentist attaches the bling to your teeth, where it stays for up to two years, or until you have it removed.  It’s a lot cheaper, and is better than gluing costume jewelry to your teeth with Bondo.

  There’s no denying it: Grills Are Ghetto-lustrious!

-From Pulse
   June 8, 2006

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Hyphy

  There is a new movement that is taking the hip-hop community by storm.  Originating from the San Francisco Bay area, the Hyphy movement is the latest incarnation of hip-hop.  Like crunk, snap, gangsta, backpack and reggaeton, Hyphy (pronounced HIGH-fee) began as an underground phenomenon with only a few practitioners and a few followers.  But, like a brushfire, it has grown, and now all eyes are on the Bay.

  Like crunk, Hyphy is hard to explain.  Words are inadequate.  The music is almost a by-product of a larger movement.  Hyphy is a behavior, a lifestyle, a performance.  Describing the music to someone trying to understand Hyphy would be like describing rocket fuel to someone trying to understand aerospace dynamics.  It would be like describing a movie by telling them about the soundtrack.  To understand Hyphy, you have to witness it in action.

  Keak Da Sneak, the Bay-area rapper who coined the term Hyphy in 1998, has recently garnered nationwide attention for his efforts to put Hyphy on the map.  According to Keak, “Getting Hyphy is about letting go of all of your inhibitions and being who you really are—no matter what anybody thinks.”  And therein lies its appeal among the nation’s youth.

  You can’t talk about the Hyphy movement without explaining what it means to “go dumb.”  “Going dumb” is about abandoning inhibitions, letting the music take control, and is generally characterized by a lot of shaking and twitching and jumping around.  Sometimes called “getting stupid” or “getting retarded,” it is its own brand of hyperactive dancing.  Still having a hard time conjuring a mental image?  Imagine all of the world’s Ritalin being replaced by NoDoz and Red Bull.  There—you’ve got it.

  Then there’s “gas-break dippin’.”  In the Bay area, the latest popular pastime of Hyphy fans involves piling into cars and—instead of driving normally—they hit the gas, then quickly slam on the brake.  Gas, brake.  Gas, break.  Gas, break.  It’s like cruising, but jerkier.  If they’re really feeling the music, they open all of the doors, turn the music up as loud as it’ll go, and then go back to the gas-brake routine.  Yeah, it’s little crazy—a little dangerous—but it’s Hyphy.

  E-40, a rapper from Vallejo who has been in the game for years, is also one of the artists helping to generate a national buzz about Hyphy, and introducing it to the mainstream.  His latest single, “Tell Me When To Go” featuring Keak Da Sneak, has become the anthem of the Hyphy movement.  About gas-break dippin’, E-40 recently told the San Francisco Chronicle, “I’m just talking about the culture.  I’m a street narrator.  I’m not saying, ‘Do this.’  I’m just telling you what we do.  If it ain’t fit for certain people, don’t try it…It’s not nothing negative.  It’s really controlled chaos.  It’s a stress reliever.”

  I’ve suspected for about a year that The Bay would be the next Atlanta or Houston.  I’ve been publicly saying that The Bay will be the next hotbed of hip-hop for the last few months.  But I’ve gotta be honest:  I never saw Hyphy coming.

  If you’d like to find out more about the Hyphy movement, start by catching an airing of MTV’s “My Block: The Bay.”  Then look into the music of E-40, Keak Da Sneak, The Federation, The Team, and San Quinn. 

-From Pulse
   March 23, 2006

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Hasidic Hip-Hop

  How does a Hasidic “rapper” break out of the niche-novelty genre and into the Billboard charts?  If you have a finger on the pulse of what’s shakin’, you have, no doubt, heard of Matisyahu—the Hasidic Jew whose picture and praises are finding their way into just about every American music magazine.

  Always donning a black suit, white shirt, Hasidic prayer shawl and a black, brimmed fedora, Matisyahu is quite a spectacle, to be sure.  But after hearing his music, it seems to me that labeling his unique brand of music as hip-hop is a misnomer. 

  Matisyahu makes mutt-music.  It is a complex hybrid of several genres.  Listening with a passive ear, it sounds at first like reggae or dancehall.  But listen more closely and you begin to hear undercurrents of hip-hop lyricism, punk/ska guitar riffs, and elements of Linkin Park-esque synth-metal.  Someone struggling to describe the music of Matisyahu may draw comparisons to Sublime or System of a Down, but the bottom line is this: it sounds exactly like nothing you’ve ever heard before.

  It’s not hip-hop, but the temptation to draw the correlation is irresistible.  Hip-hop and Hasidic Judaism seem so strikingly antithetical—so ideologically at odds with one another—and the music Matisyahu makes so defies classification, many critics and journalists have chosen the good story over the good description.

  It’s easier to understand Matisyahu’s music after you have learned a little about the man.  He was born Matthew Miller in West Chester, PA, and raised in Berkeley, CA and White Plains, NY.  As a Reconstructionist Jew, he attended Hebrew school as a child, but constant disciplinary problems garnered him frequent threats of expulsion.  In his teenage years, he fell in with the “Deadhead” crowd, grew dreadlocks and wore Birkenstocks.  He learned to beat-box and play the bongos, but was constantly searching for a greater purpose.  When he was a junior in high school, he left White Plains for a vacation in Colorado.  It was on this trip that he had an eye-opening, life-altering epiphany.  There, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, Matthew Miller found God.

  Making a long story short, he visited Israel and rediscovered his Jewish identity, returned to White Plains, and dropped out of high school.  He began following the jam-band Phish on their tour, traveling the United States in search of himself and his life’s purpose.  After a few months, he returned home to his frustrated parents who then sent him to a wilderness school in Bend, OR, to “straighten his life out.”

  In Oregon, he began studying reggae and hip-hop.  He would attend weekly open-mic nights and rap, sing and beat-box.  It was in Oregon that he truly delved into his music.  As it has for many teenagers, music served as a means to discover himself, and as an outlet for his teen angst.  He returned to New York when he was 19, and soon became a member of the Lubavitch Hasidic Community. 

  Today, Matisyahu is making spiritual music that transcends religion, defies classification, and accentuates our similarities while encouraging individuality.  And that is how a Hasidic “rapper” amasses an enormous following.  That is why a spectacle like Matisyahu is taken seriously. 

 -From Pulse
   March 16, 2006

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Geeksta Rap

   This week I stumbled upon an obscure genre of hip-hop, thanks to an e-mail tip from a reader of this column and self-proclaimed fan of “Geeksta Rap.”

  Geeksta Rap, sometimes called Nerdcore Rap, is made by geeks, for geeks.  It is enjoyed—almost exclusively—by like-minded geeks, of which there are many.  Try to remember the lines circling the local cinemaplex the last time a Star Wars episode opened.  The same saber-wielding, basement-dwelling nerds can often be found downloading the latest podcasts of Nerdcore Rap.

  And I write this with no ill will toward our nerdy brethren.  The niche—its very existence—is amusing.  Nerdcore abandons the commonplace bling, Benzes and Benjamins of traditional hip-hop for those topics near and dear to its nerdy constituency: Star Wars, Star Trek, video cards, Java-script, computer networking and encryption algorithms.  The songs, firmly grounded in parody, are slowly gaining nationwide appeal.  Some have even found their way into college radio playlists.

  The art form’s premier harbinger is Chris Ward, who performs under the name mc chris.  Ward is a graduate of the NYU screenwriting program who has studied improvisational comedy with the Upright Citizens Brigade.  Until recently, he was a creator, animator and voice talent for the Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim lineup.  He has currently abandoned his work with shows like Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Sealab 2021 for a life on the road, touring in support of his current CD, “Eating’s Not Cheating.”  On a recent tour, mc chris performed 68 shows in 70 days.  This is no fluke.  Nerdcore is catching on.

  While mc chris may be the leading purveyor of Nerdcore, he is not alone in the game.  The term “Nerdcore” was coined by MC Frontalot in 2000.  Little is known about Frontalot, and his online bio changes every time the page is refreshed.  Several songs from his latest CD, “Nerdcore Rising,” are available for download at www.frontalot.com.

  But is Nerdcore any good?  Well, as with all art, that’s subjective.  But some of it is good enough to get people talking.  mc chris, for example, has more than 13,000 MySpace friends, and was nominated  for Spin Magazine’s “Band of the Year” contest in January.  The production is of major-label quality, and his delivery is high-pitched, reminiscent of Eminem’s altar-ego, Slim Shady.  

  There are some, in fact, who believe that nerds hold the advantage over traditional, street-bred rappers when it comes to rhyme. In an interview with Wired.com, the industry’s top destination for computer geeks, MC Frontalot said, “I think [Computer Science] graduates have a better chance than most rappers at calculating and devising hitherto unheard rhyme pairings.”  One has to think he may be onto something, as CS students may be more apt to understand the mathematics of rhyme. 

  Geeksta Rap isn’t for everyone, but it’s worth looking into.  To learn more, check out the Wikipedia entry for Nerdcore Rap, or Google it.  Much of the genre is readily available for download, often for free.

  Oh, and thanks to Rico for the e-mail.  And for turning me on to the Nerdcore movement.

 -From Pulse
   March 9, 2006

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Hip-Hop & Homophobia

  With the Oscars coming up on Sunday, and all of the buzz whirling about “Brokeback Mountain,” the nationwide discourse on homosexuality has been heating up.  The film received eight nominations from the Academy, re-igniting the age-old debate on the morality of homosexuality and its acceptance in modern society.

  But there is one arena that has not yet opened its doors or minds to homosexuality: the world of hip-hop.  In the April 2004 issue of Playboy, 50 Cent told the magazine, “I ain’t into faggots.  I don't like gay people around me, because I'm not comfortable with what their thoughts are. I'm not prejudiced. I just don't go with gay people and kick it — we don't have that much in common. I'd rather hang out with a straight dude.”

  But Last August, Kanye West sat down with MTV host Sway for the filming of “All Eyes On Kanye West,” and put it out there.  In that candid, one-on-one conversation, Kanye called the hip-hop community on its discrimination against gay people.

  “Everybody in hip-hop discriminates against gay people,” Kanye told MTV.  “Matter of fact, the exact opposite word of ‘hip-hop,’ I think, is ‘gay.’  Like yo, you play a record and if it’s wack, ‘That’s gay, dog!’  I wanna just come on TV and just tell my rappers, just tell my friends, ‘Yo, stop it fam.”

  He explained that growing up without a father, without a male role model in his life, he became a “mama’s boy.”  That led to speculation among his friends that he was gay.  “If you see something and you don't want to be that because there's such a negative connotation toward it, you try to separate yourself from it so much that it made me homophobic by the time I was through high school…I would use the word ‘fag’ and look down upon gay people.”  Then West found out that one of his favorite cousins was homosexual.  “And at that point it was kind of like a turning point when I was like, ‘Yo, this my cousin, I love him and I been discriminating against gays.’"

  Since that interview, Kanye West has gone on record saying that he has received more criticism from his fellow rappers over those comments than he did by saying on national television that “George Bush doesn’t care about Black people.”  Since he made those remarks, the hip-hop community has been mum on the issue of homosexuality, at least publicly.

  But in an interview with Krayzie Bone a couple of weeks ago, I asked him about Kanye’s comments about the homophobia in hip-hop.  “To me, if you’re a man—if you’re a real man—you’re supposed to be homophobic, bottom line.  I mean, a real man doesn’t want any gay men around him, bottom line.  That’s just the bottom line.  Like protecting gay people, it’s wrong, for one.  Bottom line, it’s wrong.  The bottom line is that it’s wrong and it’s not supposed to be done.  You know what I’m saying?  It’s wrong, and it’s not natural.  That’s how I feel about it.”

  It seems ironic that, as the rest of the world grows more accepting, more understanding, more tolerant of homosexuality, the rap game continues to discriminate.

-From Pulse
   March 2, 2006

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Latin Rap?

  You know, I’ve never thought of Paul Harvey as much of a hype-man.  Sure he talks up the almighty Bose Acoustic Wave Radio, and Tempur-pedic mattresses, and Wal-Mart.  But last week, when I heard him talking about a German hip-hop group that raps in Latin, my interest was piqued.  In two or three sentences about this new German rage, old Paul had captured my attention.  He never mentioned the name of the group, but I was hooked.  I had to find out more.

  I knew that Paul, being a commentary guy, rarely mentions something until it’s been covered somewhere else first.  A simple Internet search turned up the London Telegraph article by Hannah Cleaver from whence Mr. Harvey presumably got his information about the group Ista.

  Now, to hear Paul tell it, one would think that Ista was really making waves.  One would think that they would be the next international singing sensation.  One would think that Ista would soon be a household name, bigger than The Beatles.

  “A couple of years ago, the debate in Germany was whether Latin should continue to be included in the country’s public school curriculum…Now, students are rushing to learn Latin because of a rap group.  A rap group from Germany…that raps…in LATIN.”  Okay, I’m paraphrasing Paul, but you get the gist.

  There are three main points that you need to know about Ista.  First of all, the group formed a little more than ten years ago while attending school in the German town of Wilhemshaven.  Secondly, as a group, they were defunct until they started receiving all of this new attention.  They had gone on to become teachers, architects, nurses and parents, but with the recent rise in attention to their now-moldy music, they have decided to dust off the synthesizers and start rapping again.  And the third thing you should know before you investigate further is that, well, that’s a shame.

  I don’t want to mince words and I don’t want to lead you astray (like Paul Harvey led me astray).  Their music is atrocious.  It sounds like Kraftwerk’s impersonation of Weird Al Yankovic’s parody of Gerardo’s “Rico Suave.”  It could be the soundtrack for the elevator ride to hell; it’s the fodder for many recurring nightmares that I am sure to have, starting tonight. 

  Lars Janssen, the group’s de-facto leader told the Telegraph, “Over the years, we have sold around 2,500 CDs.  Between 10 and 20 are bought per month, from our Internet site.”  Sounds like the makings of a class-action suit.  “But recently,” Lars continues, “that has doubled and the media interest has been enormous.  People have found us over the Internet and we have sold CDs to people in the US and all across Europe.”  Ah, an international class-action suit. 

  I honestly feel like the newfound interest in Ista is driven, not by teens or music-lovers, but by Latin teachers trying to appeal to their students.  And I genuinely suspect that it can’t be working.

  Please don’t take my word for it.  Like your buddy who orders an awful drink and then passes it your way, I really want to share this with you.  Log on to www.ista-latina.de and let me know what you think.  Good day!

-From Pulse
  February 16, 2006

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Old Beef, New Beef

Big news this week in the hip-hop world put an end to months of speculation. On Monday, it became official: Nas has been signed to once-rival Jay-Z’s record label, Def Jam.

It has been common knowledge for months that the long-running feud was dead in the water, bus Nas’ move to Def Jam takes the truce to an almost inconceivable new height. Last October, Nas joined Jay-Z on stage at the now-legendary “I Declare War” concert at New Jersey’s Continental Airlines Arena, hosted by Jay and New York City’s Power 105. The message was clear: the five-year beef between the two New York rappers was dead.

The deal is a little complicated. It includes several concessions to Nas’ current label, Sony Records, suggesting that Jay was awfully eager to get Nas signed. Under the terms of the acquisition, Def Jam will get four albums from Nas. The first two, however, will be produced and marketed by Def Jam, but the profits (after costs are recovered) will be split with Sony. Sony will also have the right to market the albums, and will retain the right to release a greatest hits CD from Nas.

The beef between Nas and Jay-Z was unique—almost classy—and was not marred by violence. Unlike the war between Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G., the two MC’s kept it on vinyl, and almost seemed to hold one another in high esteem. In the battle to determine who was best, there was an inherent acknowledgement of each other’s talent. It was more than just the battle for New York; it was a battle to be the king of rap.

But as the final nail is being hammered into the coffin of the Jay-Z/Nas beef, Jay has another burner on his heels. While the “I Declare War” concert officially squashed the beef with Nas, it acted as an accelerant to the blaze between Jay and Diplomat rapper Cam’Ron. Cam’Ron has set his sights on Jay, and last week released a dis track called “Gotta Love It.” On the track, which is as personal as it gets, Cam insinuates that he slept with Jay-Z’s fiancé, singer Beyonce Knowles. Cam’Ron was shot last October while attending Howard University’s homecoming ceremonies, and on the track alleges that the shooters were supporters of Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella Records.

While many are waiting for Jay’s response to the Cam’Ron track, I wouldn’t hold my breath. Since taking control of Def Jam from Russell Simmons as CEO last year, Jay has morphed into the consummate record chief. Some were skeptical as to whether the once-small-time-hustler could head hip-hop’s legendary label, but their cynicism has been met with some disappointment. Shawn Carter (real name) the record mogul and entrepreneur carries himself with more class and style than Jay-Z, the hustler-turned-rapper. So if you are among those waiting for the Jay/Cam’Ron clash to become more than a one-sided tomato-toss from the bottom of the mountain, get comfortable because it could be a long wait.

Tom Breihan, writing for New York’s “Village Voice,” summed it up best. “Even though Cam is probably Jay's equal as an artist/craftsman/wordsmith, his sneering fight-dirty bluster feels crass next to Jay's aristocratic grace.”

-From Pulse
January 26, 2006

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Who? Mike Jones

Mike Jones has exactly two people to thank for his success: himself and his grandmother. Sure, there were peripheral players along the way, but the things that shape our image of the Houston rapper—the marketing gimmicks—can be traced back to Jones’s late grandmother, Elsia Mae Jones. The cell phone number? Her idea. The “Who? Mike Jones,” her idea.

The 24-year-old self-proclaimed “king of the south” broke onto the mainstream scene in April of this year with his major-label debut “Who Is Mike Jones,” but his name has been whispered in underground circles for about three years.

Jones didn’t grow up with his eye on platinum records, though. His dream was to make a career in professional basketball. In fact, he didn’t even pick up a microphone until four years ago. Houston has grown famous for producing a lot of “accidental rappers.” Paul Wall, for example, claims he found rap only as a means to further is jewelry business.

But when Mike Jones set his sights on hip-hop, he jumped in with both feet—against the advice of those closest to him. “Out of ten people,” Jones said in an online interview, “my grandmother was the only one who said I could do [this rap thing.] I went against all nine and went with her. And I’m glad I did.”

His legions of fans are also glad. Before he got his major deal, Jones formed his own label, Ice Age Entertainment. Through Ice Age he released several mixtapes, and with no promotion or distribution, managed to move more than a quarter-million CDs. To call this a major achievement for an independent label would be a severe understatement.

For marketing advice, Jones repeatedly turned to his supportive grandmother. “I used to go to clubs and give deejays my CD. They’d be like ‘who are you?’ And I’d be like ‘Mike Jones.’ And they’d be like ‘Who?’ ‘Mike Jones.’ ‘Who?’ ‘Mike Jones.’ Then I’d go home and tell my grandmomma I gave a couple of deejays my CD, and they didn’t know who I was. She said ‘just start saying who? Mike Jones. Who? Mike Jones.’” And so the greatest hip-hop marketing tool of the last several years was born.

Elsia Mae also advised Mike to give out his cell phone number to fans. After an imposter claiming to be Mike Jones was booed off the stage at a New Orleans concert, the real Mike Jones began incorporating his cell phone number into his flows so that fans could reach him. “I had to give out my number so people could call me [about shows] so I can tell them if I’ma be there or not,” he recently said in an interview with the Associated Press. At the time his number was 281-455-1858, but Cingular was charging him for all of those incoming calls. He was racking up charges in excess of $1,000 a month. Jones switched to another provider (with a more rhyme-friendly number), lowering his bills to a flat $150 a month. Now the Mike Jones fanline is the famous 281-330-8004.

Sadly, Elsia Mae passed away in 2002, before she could see her grandson make it big.

Mike Jones will be performing live at Cohen Stadium in El Paso this Friday night at nine. Tickets are $10 in advance through Ticketmaster.

-From Pulse
October 20, 2005

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McMarketing 101

Seagram’s Gin. Verizon. HBO. Pepsi. Crown Royal. Budweiser. McDonald’s.

How many commercials do you hear on the radio for these companies? How many do you hear without realizing it?

There is a new trend, particularly in hip-hop, that is beginning to change the way companies market themselves. In March, McDonalds announced that, as part of a new marketing campaign, it was offering money to rappers who mentioned their Big Mac sandwich in their song lyrics. The amount the artist would be paid would be contingent on the amount of radio play it received; in essence, the bigger the hit, the bigger the check. One report puts the price tag at $1-$5 per play.

To accomplish this, McDonald’s turned to Maven Strategies, a marketing firm in Maryland that specializes in teaming up the rappers and the companies they represent. Their emphasis is non-traditional market placement; it was Maven Strategies that was responsible for Seagram’s hooking up with rapper Petey Pablo for the mention in “Freak-A-Leek.” In the song, Pablo says “Now I’ve gotta give a shout out to Seagram’s Gin, ‘cause I drink it and they payin’ me for it.” “Freak-A-Leek” was the number two hip-hop song of 2004, according to Billboard, racking up more than 350,000 radio spins. And “Freak-A-Leek was only one of five songs in which Maven got Seagram’s mentions.

The Maven philosophy is a simple one: rappers have been mentioning products in their lyrics for years. “Lookin’ at my Gucci it’s about that time.” In 1986, Run-DMC had a chart-topping hit with “My Adidas.” But historically, rappers have not been compensated for the advertising they have been doing for the companies. In the top 20 songs last year, brand names appeared almost 1,000 times. Cadillac, for example, garnered 70 mentions. Hennessy picked up 69. In ninety percent of these, the artists were paid nothing. Most of the remaining ten percent involved clients of Maven Strategies.

Tony Rome, Maven’s founder and president, recently told the Washington Post, “Hip-hop is the only music genre that embraces brands in their songs and because they are doing it, I think the hip-hop artists should be paid for it.” He says that if the remaining 90 percent were paid mentions, the cost to the mentioned businesses could have been upward of $1 billion.

Among watchdog groups, though, word apparently travels slowly. On Monday, Advertising Age magazine reported that a watchdog group, the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC), has spoken out against McDonald’s and the fast food chain’s efforts to use hip-hop to target preteens. The organization, as the name suggests, is a “national coalition of health care professionals, educators, advocacy groups and concerned parents who counter the harmful effects of marketing to children,” according to the group’s website. The CCFC argues that the campaign only counters the struggle to reduce childhood obesity rates. They call the plan a “new and deceitful way of targeting children,” saying that “these ‘adversongs’ are inherently deceptive.”

Soon, we may be seeing stickers on CDs reading, “Parental Advisory: Fast Food Lyrics.”

-From Pulse
September 29, 2005

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Hate It or Love It

  West Coast hip-hop is beginning to bloom again, thanks in part to two key players.

  On September 7, 1996, the West Coast hip-hop scene was murdered on the streets of Las Vegas, when four bullets were fired into the chest of Tupac Shakur.  Six days later, Shakur died in a Vegas hospital, taking with him the spirit of West Coast rap, and leaving only memories of hip-hop’s heyday.

  Almost nine years later, key Left Coast rappers have come together in an effort to unify The West, squashing all beefs, and once again making the West Coast a major factor in the rap game.   Those in attendance at the landmark meeting included Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, Nate Dogg, Daz Dillinger, The Game, Young MC and Warren G, to name only a few.

  “I felt we should come together as one, organize, unify and start making records with each other and be about a cause.  It’s time for us to start standing up for something.  It’s called ‘Protect the West.’ We’re all moving together, we ended all our beefs.”  So says Snoop Dogg of the summit that brought together more than 80 West Coast rap artists on April 13. 

  And squash beef he has.  Snoop has personally set aside his differences with Suge Knight, Jayo Felony, and Kurupt.  In fact, Kurupt recently re-joined Snoop’s hip-hop entourage, Tha Dogg Pound. 

  Notably absent from the event, which was moderated by comedian Steve Harvey, were Dr. Dre and Suge Knight.  “They were both busy in their respective rights,” says The Game.  “I spoke on behalf of Dre and Aftermath [Records], and Steve Harvey spoke on Suge’s behalf.”  Representatives from both of the long-warring camps confirmed that each was behind the unification.

  Snoop is currently on his U.S. tour with The Game—another West Coast artist often given the credit for revitalizing the West.  The “How the West Was One” tour has tested the solidity of this coastal truce.  Snoop and The Game are setting aside one of the streets’ biggest obstacles.

  “I hate to bring the whole gang thing into play, but him being from Long Beach and being a Crip and me being from Compton and being a Blood just sets a whole new future,” says The Game.  “This is so much bigger than a poster with our faces on it.  This provides for a new unified and diverse West Coast community as a whole.”

  In spite of their opposing gang-affiliations, Snoop and The Game have a lot in common.  Both are protégés of Dr. Dre, both are credited with putting the West Coast back on the hip-hop map, and both know the feeling to be at the top of the charts.

  Snoop is touring in support of his recent platinum-selling CD “R&G: (Rhythm & Gangsta) The Masterpiece.  “How the West Was One” is The Game’s first-ever American tour, coming on the heels of his record-breaking CD “The Documentary.”  Snoop and Game have also enlisted the help of a couple of fellow Westsiders.  Joining them on tour are Daz Dillinger and Kurupt.

  The “How the West Was One” tour hits Albuquerque’s Journal Pavilion on May 18.  Tickets are available through Ticketmaster, and Hot 103 will have tickets to give away. 

-From Pulse
   May 12, 2005

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Cops vs. Robbers

  Crime is America’s new favorite pastime.  We are constantly bombarded by CrimeTV.  From 24-hour news channels to A&E and CourtTV, we are provided with a steady stream of crime coverage, and it has become a billion-dollar industry.  It has become what sports was in the Eighties, and CourtTV is the new ESPN.

  As a generation, we have grown up in this If-It-Bleeds-It-Leads society our whole lives.  School shootings and high-speed chases are covered as news, but are thinly-veiled entertainment in a ratings-driven news market.  And let’s not hasten to blame the media for this.  After all, we’re the ones with the remote.

  It’s not just news.  Network and cable television stations have caught on, too.   The networks have “CSI”, the “Law & Orders,” “24,” “America’s Most Wanted,” and “Cops.”  USA and TNT are all over “Law & Order” in syndication.  Then there’s “The Investigators,” “Forensic Files,” “The First 48,” “American Justice,” “American Confidential,” “Cold Case Files.” The list goes on and on.

  I want to make it clear that I’m not casting stones.  That would be foolish.  I’m as guilty as the next guy.  I am a certified “Law & Order” junky.  If it’s on, I’m watching.  It is, in my opinion, the most compelling show on television.  And if it’s not on, I’m watching A&E, CourtTV, or MSNBC for the real thing. 

  I used to enjoy sports the same way.  But over the last few years, I—like many sports fans—have become disenchanted.  Sports have lost their luster.  And this crime coverage fills that void beautifully.

  You’ve got good guys and bad guys.  You’ve got the thrill of the chase.  You’ve got upsets, when the bad guys beat the cops.  And you’ve got come-from-behind victories, when the cops solve cold cases.  And when you get bored with the good guys always winning, you can switch teams and root for the bad guys.  Now, if you’re like me, you’re going to miss the cheerleaders.  Crime doesn’t usually have cheerleaders, but that’s why you have ESPN2.

  Occasionally the worlds of sports and crime even collide.  To wit: O.J. Simpson, Jayson Williams, Ron Artest and Mike Tyson.  So you don’t have to give up sports completely.

  Actually, you might see a lot of your favorite celebrities working the crime circuit.  People like Michael Jackson, Lil’ Kim, and that guy from Baretta.  If you’re a hip-hop fan, all of your favorite rappers make cameos from time to time.  You can always find the G-Unit guys, Irv Gotti, Suge Knight, C-Murder, Shyne, Ja Rule, Benzino and Eminem. 

  Give it a shot, but take it slow.  Crime-for-entertainment has come a long way since “Matlock” and “Judge Judy.”  Start out with a little “Law & Order,” then start filling in the rest of your day.  And get yourself a TiVo.  You’re probably gonna need it.

-From Pulse
  March 24, 2005

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Beef, Part II

  “I would be willing to bet money that we are headed toward another hip-hop assassination.  If this beef continues, one of its key figures will be killed.  And that, I suppose, will sell CDs too.”  Those were the last words I typed on this contraption.  That was last Sunday evening.

  Fortunately, this week’s column isn’t about 50 Cent or The Game being shot and killed by the other.  No, I don’t see that happening any time soon.  That’s because last Wednesday (before my column came out last Thursday), the two called a truce—making me look absolutely foolish.  Sure, it was a pretty press conference.  Lots of hugging and hand-shaking.  Both of the key players opened their checkbooks and handed a fat check over to the Harlem Boys’ Choir.  Between them, they donated more than a quarter of a million dollars.  It was just peachy.  And now the beef between 50 and The Game seems like nothing more than a distant nightmare.  The details are becoming hazy with time, a phantom memory.  Did it ever even happen?  And if so, did we really get caught up in it?

  Of course the truce wasn’t called until 50 had sold 1.4 million copies of his new CD, “The Massacre.”  (The Game’s latest CD, “The Documentary,” sold about 800,000 more copies that week, coming in fourth on the bestseller charts.)  And the beef was dropped so suddenly and amicably—50 Cent with his brotherly arm around The Game—could it have been a publicity stunt?  Did their record label, Interscope Records, put them up to it?  Or, conversely, did it pressure them into this truce?  And if it was all hype, what about the poor guy from The Game’s camp that got shot outside the Hot 97 studios as a result? 

  There are so many questions that remain unanswered.  But I suppose that is to be expected from this volcanic, three-week ordeal that flared like a brushfire then skidded to a halt as quickly as it had begun.  We don’t yet know if The Game is back in G-Unit.  There’s a lot we don’t yet know.  And there’s a lot we probably never will.

  But my wager still stands.  Both 50 and The Game still have their own beefs.  50 Cent is out to get Jadakiss, Ja Rule, Fat Joe, and Nas.  The Game has ongoing beef with Yukmouth from The Luniz.  And if these beefs aren’t called off in similar fashion, there will be blood shed. 

  50 Cent recently released a track called “Piggy Bank” in which he attacks the four rappers named above.  Just last week, Jadakiss responded with a song called “Checkmate,” and it was brutal.  It was reminiscent of 2Pac’s “Hit ‘Em Up,” a vicious attack on The Notorious B.I.G.  Luckily, these attacks have only been lyrical.  So Far.

  But I guess the way I ended last week’s column is still fitting, whether the beef between Fiddy and The Game is alive or dead.  “I would be willing to bet money that we are headed toward another hip-hop assassination.  If this beef continues, one of its key figures will be killed.  And that, I suppose, will sell CDs too.”  

-From Pulse
  March 17, 2005

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Beef

  We’re headed down a familiar road.

  Hip-hop and beef seem to go hand in hand.  And for the last couple of weeks, Hip-Hop fans have been caught up in the ongoing feud between The Game and 50 Cent.  Once friends and labelmates, their falling out has been in the works for several weeks.  According to the most reliable sources, their beef stems from disagreements over 50’s problems with other rappers, and The Game’s refusal to participate in it.

  And 50’s got beef with everyone.  Most recently, he has set his sights on Ja Rule, Fat Joe, Nas and Jadakiss.  In the last two months, he has taken shots at nearly all of hip-hop’s heavies, and his G-Unit crew—including The Game, Lloyd Banks and Young Buck—have been dragged along for the ride.  When The Game decided he wanted no part of it, he was deemed disloyal and was “excommunicated.”  

  All of it culminated a couple of weekends ago when 50 Cent was doing a radio interview at New York City’s Hot 97.  50 told the interviewer that The Game was out of G-Unit, and that he was on his own.  He continued lambasting The Game on the air, and moments later The Game showed up at the Hot 97 studios.  As he was being refused entrance to the studios, a dark-colored sedan pulled up and began shooting.  One member of The Game’s entourage was wounded, though not fatally.  Later that evening, shots were fired at the offices of Violator Management, the high-profile management firm that represents 50 Cent.

  Is this a dangerous trip down memory lane, to the highly publicized beefs that resulted in the deaths of Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G.?  Or is it nothing more than hype, manufactured in an effort to sell more copies of 50 Cent’s latest CD, “The Massacre,” which hit stores last Thursday?  Skeptics believe that the latter is more likely.

  After all, G-Unit is no stranger to such hype.  The crew’s success relies on its “hard” image.  It is cloaked in legend.  50 Cent was shot nine times and lived to rap about it.  The Game was a drug-dealer who was shot.  While hospitalized he had an epiphany, decided to clean up his life and learn to rap.  Months later he was signed by Dr. Dre, hip-hop’s legendary uberproducer.  At the Vibe Awards, Young Buck stabbed the man who punched Dr. Dre in the face.  Weeks after The Game’s first solo CD hit stores, and as it was the bestselling CD in the country, the Compton headquarters of his label was shot up.

  There is no question that this image, this lifestyle, and this hype sells CDs.  But at what cost?  I would be willing to bet money that we are headed toward another hip-hop assassination.  If this beef continues, one of its key figures will be killed.  And that, I suppose, will sell CDs too.

 -From Pulse
  March 10, 2005

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