There Is No Substitute

Okay, I was sitting by myself after rocking the stage & shaking hands with the fans when I was approached by a younger upcoming artist who at the time had no idea of my age- not that I'm old or anything! lol Anyway, as it happens so often, he kindly gave me my props & asked me for any words of wisdom that could help him become successful and I proceeded to say "it's all about your grind" when I was rudely interrupted by his own response- "All I do is grind!" Then he began to tell me about how he makes his own beats, has his own studio and promotes his own music so I was ready to really chop it up with him until the conversation turned into this- (Me)"So what kind of equipment you producing with & how proficient is your engineer with ProTools?" (Him)Well I make all my beats on Fruity Loops you feel me, & I got the mic set up in my closet. I don't need no engineer though, I record right on my computer with Reasons." All I could say was "Keep grinding homey, something will pop off if you just keep doing what you do. When in my head all I could think about is what happened to the love for the music & the passion for the art?
Maybe it's just me, but I remember when I started rapping you had to have a passion for it because everything was so inaccessible passion was the only thing that could drive you to jump through loops to pursue your dream. There was a time when all the artists were good because you had to go through sooooo much to do music people just wouldn't allow you to waste your time if you weren't any good. I laugh at these young cats now who think being able to sit in your room with no real knowledge for producing, engineering or even emceeing is grinding because they did a project. Man, I'm from the era when good producers were far & in between and studios (especially in-house) were so few they were like urban myths! Dudes were willing to spend money because they were serious about their craft & the cats they were paying were experts in their field. Hell, we were passionate because even after we finally found a producer, searched for the studio (that usually ended up being on the other side of town), recorded a song or two and had our cassettes pressed(yeah I said it, cassettes!!!!), we knew that was just the beginning! Artists- I take that back- rappers nowadays lack passion because they don't have to have respect for the game. The days of having to actually get off your ass and promote your music via talent shows, open mics and on the spot recitals to prove to the cat you're trying to sell your product to that you're nice are over.
Now don't get me wrong, I am by no means knocking the new kids hustle or feeling like they don't deserve to get any bread. I just think they're too disrespectful considering they act as if they really believe some of us great artists didn't make it because we weren't good enough. It's kind of like a black person who grew up during the segregation era feels after they've done sit-ins and lost family & friends to the ways of the times just to survive and see a young black person step on the bus & go straight to the back without even wanting to sit in the front. Things are so much easier now that hip hop is no longer an art, it's just a hustle. We looked up to artists back in the day because we knew how much work it would take to be where they were. Now, teenagers can become more famous overnight than a pioneer who put in 15 plus years of blood, sweat & tears.
I guess what I'm really trying to say is don't just reap your benefits without understanding what was sown. The least you can do if you're going to prosper from another man's work is pay homage or take some time to appreciate the hard work that has made your work easy. When you hear pioneers saying hip hop is dead, they don't necessarily mean music wise, they mean movement wise. There was a certain energy that hip hop had that can only come through interaction. Now because of the gift and the curse known as the internet people can collaborate with artists around the world and never leave home let alone meet face to face. Once you take the vibe out of the creative process you end up losing the positive energy and more importantly the comradery of being on the same level which shows in the music. It's no secret, there is a scientific mantra to the art that has been taken away by modern technology. The digital world is like Pillsbury crescent rolls but the old ways are like Big Mamma's homemade biscuits- although it's good, there just isn't any substitute. So before any of you young guys think about conversing with me about the game, be sure you can at least tell me what an ADAT is!!!.....(Old school cats, do you remember when you worked with them cheap studio cats who didn't wanna buy the dats & used to have you bring the Super VHS tapes instead!!! lol Man I quit!)

'Til Death Do Us Part

What do you do when everything around you becomes mundane & the air outside that used to be fresh is polluted with harmful toxins or putrid molecules? How do you break away from the continuous cycle of the present when the only escape you've ever known has become a product of the here and now that you just can't seem to flee? Better yet, how do you fight back when you are not in control of your own destiny?
As strange as this may sound, these are the questions that my love asks me every time I call myself spending moments with her. Often times I find myself just holding my pen, wishing I could script for her all the things that she has asked me & present them to the masses but……..she will not have that. Instead, she wants me to put on my cape and come to her rescue like a super hero without stopping to realize that I wasn't born on planet Krypton nor was I bitten by a biological super spider. When I try to tell her that I am only human, nothing more than an insignificant body of flesh & blood she tells me that this is only an excuse. Then she explains to me that my words are her voice and my actions are her life and I begin to grasp that I am much more than just a human being. I start to recognize that I too have the power to be immortal. My words are timeless and my impression can be everlasting if and only if I do something worthy of remembering. So I begin to scribble stories of triumph, inscribing truths on my paper as if I'm writing a new version of the Holy Bible. I speak of all the things that people need to hear so that someone will listen and my articulation won't be in vain. I write with a passion concealed until my wrist is numb and my eyes are too blurry to interpret my own words. When it is all said and done, the world nods to the rhythm of my words. The beat of my heart provides the necessary cadence needed every time I want to express my feelings after my love and I have conversed. What I call an art some label a hobby & what I call my love some dub as hip hop but whatever we choose to term it one thing will forever remain true- it is eternal.
Music is much more than just a collection of harmonious instrumentation united to make you dance. It is a breath of fresh air when everything around you becomes mundane and an escape when you need to break away from the here & now. Music is the super hero that saves us when life is on its villainous rampage and the only strength we can muster up is in the melody of our favorite song. Hip hop is my love & I refuse to let her lay dying by the wayside when I know I have the power to revitalize her existence. My words are her voice & my actions will be her life. Together we shall live forever because I am more than just a human being and she is more than just the combination of words and melodies set to a tempo. Contrary to popular belief she is not dead and she shall never die because collectively, we are immortal. All hail the queen and long live my love- hip hop!

Hip Hop Raised My Kids

I was watching my youngest child yesterday as he did his toddler dance to the music in a television commercial and I realized at that very moment that hip hop had raised all my kids. I began reminiscing and that’s when it all suddenly made sense. My kids were conceived to the drum patterns of R&B tunes, beatboxed and rapped to while in the womb, then sang to sleep after they completed their great journey to this thing we call life. I shook my head in disbelief because now I had to figure out exactly where I went wrong and lost control of personally molding their ever so impressionable minds. How did hip hop replace me in the upbringing of my children?
It’s really quite simple when you think about it. Most people would probably say it’s because I let them watch television and all the programming is over saturated with hip hop imaging and cultural marketing. Others might say it’s because the books I read to them were all rhymes so the patterns just took on that “rap” feel. Then again, some people might simply believe it’s all because I didn’t want to shoulder the responsibility of fatherhood so I let the music and the artists be their role models and instill all the values of the industry into their heads. Whatever you think the case may be, I came to the conclusion that hip hop raised my kids because hip hop raised me.
I can remember growing up as a young boy walking down the sidewalk with my cardboard in one hand and my boombox on my shoulder. I remember watching movies like Breakin’ and Crush Groove then emulating every move I saw in the mirror until I had perfected it. I can even recall writing raps in my elementary school folder with the wide lines and the dashes through the middle that was supposed to be used for practicing writing my A-B-Cs and 1-2-3s. Even to this day, 20 something years later, I find myself quoting some of the songs that I listened to as a child. But the greatest part of all those memories is this- when I picture doing that backspin or practicing that human beatbox, my father was right there. When my favorite song was blasting on the radio as I practiced doing my basketball drills, my father was passing me the ball. In all my memories the one thing that remains constant is I was never alone.
What the children of today are missing is balance. I was able to appreciate music and artistry because my father was always right there to tell me what was and wasn’t acceptable in what I was listening to. He used the passion that I had for hip hop to help teach me what respect for self and others was all about while at the same time giving me that quality time I needed without me even knowing it. So as I watch my children do their dance and recite lyrics to their favorite songs, I become very proud of the fact that I am right there too. To hear them say “Daddy look” or tell other kids “My Daddy said,” reassures me that I am on the right path and giving them the guidance they need. My sons know what not to call women and my daughters know how not carry themselves. My children are comfortable with being who they are because I have been right there to answer every question and explain where true value and worth is hidden. My kids know that all the jewelry, cars and money isn’t hip hop, it’s just the individual. I love the fact that even as a rap artist on the rise in the industry, my children only see me as one thing, there “Daddy.”
Because of my family I now realize that hip hop cannot be defined by some general explanation because it is more than just a song or a video, it is a way of life. Hip hop is so many different things to so many different people that it doesn’t define a person, each person defines it. From the way we walk to the way we talk, everything we do is a living example of who we are or who we’re trying to be. Everything in life is worthless until we give it worth so it is important that we be careful in what we choose to empower. I know now that I haven’t gone wrong or lost control in rearing my children because yes, hip hop has raised my kids- but I am hip hop.

PimpKillaThug:The Man Behind The Music

As the spotlight began to shine over his city, Pimp Killa Thug found himself in the darkest corner that Houston could offer. After being amongst the who’s who list of underground artists within his city during the late ‘90s, his self imposed hiatus taken at the turn of the century had placed him in the unfamiliar position of obscurity. Seemingly shunned by the same artists that he had once upon a time lent a helping hand to and even been looked up to by, PKT was left all alone with the job of making a name for himself, by himself. After releasing 3 highly acclaimed mixtapes and landing cameos for everybody from The SwishaHouse to Kiotti and the Bebe Kids, it was evident that Houston had a new problem to deal with by the name of Pimp Killa Thug.

Refusing to follow the path his predecessors had laid, PKT vowed not to become swallowed up by the local underground market that was already over saturated with sub par artists. In an effort to stake his claim in the industry, Pimp Killa turned to good friends Kenneth “Breallant” Williams, Anthony “Alejon” Johnson and T. Piper to form the record label Southern Majesty Entertainment. After numerous round table meetings and business plan conferences, the group decided to launch PKT’s first and much deserved solo project entitled “Retribution.” The project, slated for release in early 2008, is a soulful opus that reflects the artist’s life with no disguises or sugar coated situations. After a strong media push and an intense myspace response, it was made obvious that PKT was still a fan favorite.
“I think that people were just ready for a change and burnt out on all the fads that hip-hop was giving them.” Everybody can relate to being broke, overlooked and even ridiculed, so it’s no wonder that Pimp Killa Thug captured the people rather swiftly. “I don't consider myself to be anything more or less than a man, so everybody finds it easy to connect with my music because it’s like having a genuine conversation with me in person. I only rap about about things that I experience or believe in which makes me just one of the guys, not a rapper so to speak.” It has been a breath of fresh air for the hip-hop public to be blessed with an entertainer who not only speaks with substance, but isn’t draped in overpriced accessories and hard to pronounce garments that cost more than some people’s car notes. It’s obvious by the response of the fans that Paul Wall may be their “Champ,” but PKT is their “Choice.”
After being the number one Texas artist by rank for 2 months on the myspace top artists list and being nominated for the Best Underground Hip-Hop Artist award by the Houston Press, it is fair to say that the fruits of his labor are definitely paying dividends. Recently being spotlighted in All Hip-Hop.Com’s Breeding Ground section, Pimp Killa Thug has landed himself new found momentum as well as the pressure of living up to all the hype. “Ever since my interview on All Hip-Hop.Com, people want to know if I was really in a group with Paul Wall and Chamillionaire. Every publicist and marketing manager wants to use the story as a building block for my career since both Cham and Paul are Texas icons and at the height of their careers. But I wont do it. If my music alone isn’t good enough to get me into the industry then I’ll just have to find something else that I’m good at.” But we all know that wont be necessary, especially since all of the buzz surrounding Pimp Killa Thug was prior to the story ever getting out. “I love Paul and Cham as people, not just successful artists. I have a lot of respect for them and vice versa. They will be the first to tell you that I was present for their album releases and the autograph signings. I stood in line just like every other person that was there, even though I could’ve just called them on their phones and been let in through the back. I want to be known as PKT, not the dude who made it because he used to be in a group with Paul Wall and Chamillionaire.”
Solidifying himself as a legit Houston artist hasn’t been easy, but it has been done. Pimp Killa Thug can be found on DVD’s doing interviews or heard being talked about in household conversations when hip-hop fans are discussing who will be the next to blow. You can ask the Houston hard hitters from Mike Jones to Slim Thug about PKT or simply google his name. Either way, it will be clearly evident that this Houstonian is destined for great things in the industry. After hearing him speak and listening to his many compositions, it is no wonder why his album “Retribution” is so highly anticipated by the masses of web surfing genre heads. Somehow allowing his artistry and his life to remain one in the same, TeRay Green, better known now as PKT, has made it apparent that the man, the music and the mission are all the same- real.

Tell The DJ Bring It Back!!

In this ever changing world we know as hip hop, fads come and go and come again. With all the uncertainties the industry provides, we would have loved to think that the one thing that would have remained constant would have been the level of skill needed to be a valid entity in the music community. Unfortunately for consumers and artists who take their craft serious, this is no longer the case. The music we have grown to love has become an abundant grab bag full of carbon copied one hit wonder fads and the substance we once turned to for direction is so watered down that if we performed a rain dance during a drought the skies would open up and drop CDs. The real question now isn’t what happened, but where do we go from here?
Although I hate to sound cliche, we can’t go anywhere until we know where we’ve been. Despite hip hop becoming a big business and artists becoming hustlers in the game instead of students of the game, one truth still remains and that is music lives and dies in the streets. Until we the consumers change our buying habits, the machine won’t change it’s approach. What we really need to realize is that the richness of a culture cannot be overcome by the outside unless it has already been destroyed from the inside. Hip hop is dying and it’s not from homicide, but it’s from genocide. We are killing our own culture and smothering the one universal voice that we have. With all that said, you still ask me “So what do we do now?”
To put it simply, support the artists who make the music you like and only buy the music that you love. Every time you purchase one of these fads as a ring tone or request that new single at the radio station so your friend who hasn’t heard it yet can see how stupid it sounds, you are contributing to the downfall of a great culture. You know that CD you listen to from that hometown artist that no one has heard of yet, request his music at the station nonstop. Take a little time in your musical conversations to mention how nice this new emcee is that gave you a CD and then pass the music on. Artists, stop focusing on the money and get back to the grindstone that made hip hop what it is. Bypass the radio and quit focusing on the cars, the women and the bling. Spend that paper on some studio time and a quality sounding project that the streets wouldn’t mine standing behind. As a matter of fact, don’t even start rapping until you find out who your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper was and you have listened to atleast three of their songs. Although I hate to admit it, I feel like our artists don’t know their beginnings because it’s black history- and we all know black history isn’t important.
Anywho, I said all that to say this- hip hop is not dead but it is wounded and slowly bleeding to death. It’s time to give the game a blood transfusion and a new lease on life. Support your local artist and stand up for what you know is real music. Like it or not, the future of our culture can only go wherever we take it.