IT'S TEAM PKT, NOW WATCH US WORK!!!!

Okay people, 2011 is here so everybody was talking' bout resolutions and what not. Me myself, I'm not really into resolutions- I'm more about reconciliations. I think true resolve comes at its own pace, not because the calender is rolling over. With that said, I ain't really gotta tell y'all about all these crazy new ideas and plans because we're already halfway through January and my movement is speaking for itself. This isn't my first post of the new year because I've been slacking, it's my first post because I've been hella busy!

Let's start with what Team PKT is calling the 1st major step of our careers for the new year- the My Adidas 2K11 venture. If you haven't heard yet, I teamed up with rap icon Devin The Dude & Go DJ Mankind to contribute something back to hip hop that's about both growth & homage. With all respects due to Run DMC and the late great Jam Master Jay, we decided to return to the true roots of hip hop by revamping what we all know gave rappers the "original swag". The My Adidas 2K11 project is the southern version of the original Run DMC classic paying tribute to both the brand and the icons themselves. Produced by none other than Mike B. & backed by both Go DJ Mankind and Teresa at SF2 fashions, Migration Music is now in cahoots with the Adidas shoe company........had to pause to let that sink in! lol We are fortunate to be a part of the legendary Sneaker Summit on the 23rd where the song will be debuted and a pair of Adidas autographed by Devin & myself will be given away. This whole venture and opportunity is still surreal to me so I don't really know what all I'm supposed to tell you!
Secondly, I'm excited about my 1st Executive Producer project entitled "TEXANS & TITANS" by Lion From The Lake out of Nashville, TN. He and his label entrusted my musical knowledge enough to allow me & Team PKT to handle this project in its entirety and the end result is nothing short of phenomenal! Besides myself, the project has guest appearances from Young Buck, Papa Reu, Lil Keke and more! I'm very excited about my future career as a result of this opportunity and I know that Migration Music & Team PKT will be a force to reckon with for quite some time.
And last but definitely not least, I've completed the Cab Coolerway Project mixtape and THE TEXAS RENAISSANCE is locked and loaded! This is going to be a great year for my entire conglomerate & I promise respect will be given because we've worked hard to earn it! So shout out to T. Flowers, Cool Rob, Mike B & the Houston Track Bangers, Nikki the "Promo Princess", Go DJ Mankind, Teresa & SF2, Sama'an & Alice Ashrawi, my wife Lakeisha Green aka Mrs. PKT, all 5 of my beautiful children (Jalen, Aniyah, Londen, Kyndall & Brayden) and any and everyone who supports, believes in or is affiliated with Team PKT!!!

CAB COOLERWAY???

1st and foremost, let me start by saying I apologize for my absence. 2010 has been one hell of a roller coaster ride full of both highs & lows and a whole lot of speed! lol Anywho, let me get back to our regular scheduled programming and do what it is I came to do- update you......
Since the last time I blogged God has continued to find favor with me and my direction. My team has gotten stronger with the addition of a couple of new people who I'll introduce a little later for shock value & some crazy new opportunities! The album THE TEXAS RENAISSANCE has been wrapped up for a couple of weeks now & I'm going into promo mode at the 1st of the year with the album before the album mixtape also being fully produced by Mike B. Since everyone was asking me what happened to the Swagger Bird movement I decided to give it new life & allow my brain child to see the light through this mixtape. As I'm sure you remember, the Swagger Birds underwent a drastic reinvention & is now the Fly Flock. I am still the general & the crew consists of KING, Big Lunny, Nature Boy Rowe, Pyro Stakkz & a handful of affiliates from Team Blue to New Houston. The name of the mixtape is "The Cab Coolerway Project" and it's being mixed by none other than Go DJ Mankind. It's mostly an inhouse thing with features from The Fly Flock crew & a few affiliates, no one major (not yet anyway). It's a complete 180 from the direction of THE TEXAS RENAISSANCE being that it's just fun music with no definitive barriers- we're just showing off & having a good time in celebration of our recent success.
Oh wait, let me slow down, I forgot I haven't been blogging so you have no idea what "success" I'm speaking of! Well, let me just say that I found exactly what I had been searching for & now all of my com-padres are good. Speaking of good, shoutout to the homey Bernard "Jay" James for the visuals he provided for THE CAB COOLERWAY PROJECT. All b.s. to the side, my dude is a beast on those graphics! Matter fact, while I'm in a shoutout mood I have to send some words towards the homey Statton Gray for the engineering & energy he provided in the studio, he had a lot to do with the direction the sound of the mixtape went in. I will say this, for new PKT fans THE CAB COOLERWAY PROJECT is lyrically nothing like what you've been hearing from me. For old PKT fans, it's like it used to be with stuff like The Freestyle Junkie & The Beastmaster projects. All I can honestly tell you is you are definitely in for a treat! In fact, real soon you'll get to see just how much fun we're having with a youtube posting of the first single entitled the "Calloway Shuffle" where my wife & a few of her friends teach the world the new line dance- BANANAS!! LOL
So, with all that said, I hope I have updated you enough with my vagueness! I really don't want to spoil any surprises so I can't go into too much detail. Just know that at the beginning of the year you will definitely know all that has been going on with Migration Music & Team PKT. Much love to the people who jumped ship too early, I hope the waters lead you to a safe dock & a land as beautiful as the one this ship has arrived at. To T. Flowers, Cool Rob, Nikki the Promo Princess, Todd Moscowitz, X Allah & all of my GO DJs ESPECIALLY Go DJ Mankind I salute & appreciate you! I know I aint the easiest dude to work with because my vision can sometimes seem a little far fetched but at the end of the day I'm glad y'all stayed to realize there will be a tomorrow. To all my fans, I appreciate the continued love & support and I promise that I will not let you down! Music is life & life is a song, I'm gonna dance all the way to the grave! Love & respect from me, PKT aka Cab Coolerway aka Mr. Hi-De-Hide-Ya-Hoe!

THE MAKINGS OF A CLASSIC

Everyone knows how extensive my history is within my city & everyone is learning how much I have sacrificed to get to the point where I am. What people don't know is exactly how classic the album is actually becoming. When I started the recording process I admit that I had a vision but I never in my wildest dreams envisioned it would be like this! With everything that I have accomplished thus far in my career I have never stopped being a fan of music so to be able to say as an artist I am collaborating with my icons on MY personal project is sort of surreal. The most amazing part isn't the fact that we're getting songs done, its that they are doing it out of respect for me as an artist & that is something I'm still trying to learn how to swallow. This picture you see of 8Ball & MJG is a scan of the original picture I have in possession that was actually taken in Houston & used to create the photo-shopped album cover to "COMING OUT HARD," thats how much of a fan I am! (And this little piece of history is also what solidified this feature & a real relationship) I know plenty of stars so I have never been "starstruck," but I have become struck by the fact that stars are starting to know me! Having personal numbers in your phone to your own idols is something I think you can never get used to.
Enough with my mentals, let's get to this music! The big homies 8Ball & MJG have blessed THE TEXAS RENAISSANCE on the heartfelt joint "What Goes Up" which is a remake of the classic done by Frankie Beverly & Maze. We were accompanied by the vocal stylings of my good friend Adrian B. (formerly known as Gemini) who is actually featured on the album twice. Personally, "What Goes Up" is my favorite song on the project because it is definitely the most honest. The song & the concept sheds light on the truth behind the fame associated with the entertainment industry from the relationship side of things. Most times people forget that stars are people & often times we aren't allowed to have emotions- this song speaks for that. My career has definitely been a roller-coaster ride to success and this song allowed me to address the many feelings I've had over the years & direct certain emotions towards certain people & situations personally.
Features aside, THE TEXAS RENAISSANCE is said to have all the makings of a classic- good concepts, great production & honest words. I don't know if there are high expectations for the project or not but I can say without hesitation that I did my thing. For the first time in my career I entered the booth without feeling like I had anything to prove & I think the end result shows the fun I had creating freely again. With that said, for all the people who have been keeping up with my career I can tell you it's not going to be the verbal onslaught you've come to know me for for. Lyrically bar for bar this is probably the weakest performance of my life but song for song it's the best. I think the best way I can explain it is to say on my older stuff it was artist friendly- I was a rapper's rapper. THE TEXAS RENAISSANCE is more people friendly, straight forward & direct with nothing wittingly going over the average person's head. I guess the funny part is by not trying to prove that I am one of the best I have successfully shown that I am one of the best s far as Texas is concerned. I am proud of this project & I am grateful to my team. When it's all said & done, I give the glory to God & present the music to you without a worry. There is no critic or skeptic that can belittle this masterful piece of work because this work is me & I'm more comfortable with me than ever before. So does THE TEXAS RENAISSANCE really have the makings of classic....you'll just have to wait & be the judge of that yourself.

My Resolve for 2010

The one question everyone has been asking me lately is how I have been able to be in the industry and not of the industry. Honestly it is quite simple, I have learned how to truly gauge what the meaning of success is. In the same token, I have also come to grasp with being able to differentiate my talent from my gift.
Although I am a rising hip hop entertainer, I consider myself to be an artist and not a rapper. People ask me all the time what the difference is and if it has anything to do with one’s level of talent. Personally, I believe the difference between an artist and a rapper is nothing more than mentality. An artist has the ability to recognize that the whole world is their oyster while rappers more often allow their talent to define who they are. I never say I’m a rapper because before I ever pick up my pen and begin to compose a song I am already so many other things first- a husband, a father, a son as well as a friend that many depend on. The problem that the hip hop community is facing in my opinion stems from the fact that too many rappers don’t see themselves as anything more. Whenever we allow one thing that we do to dictate who we are to the world, regardless of what it is, we are definitely in big trouble. The failure in falling victim to this type of mindset limits our potential as well as our creative ability. I know that rapping for me is nothing more than a talent because if God chose to take away this ability my life would still hold a great value, hence the difference between talents and gifts.
We all have to realize that we have greatness beyond measure that God has placed within. Your talents will bring you fame but your gift will bring you fortune. Nine times out of ten, if there is something you can do exceptionally well that can make you money and bring you recognition, you have discovered your talent. The tricky thing about talent is some people are born with one while others have to work hard to develop one. Either way it goes, at the end of the day any talent that you possess will fade away or can be taken away all together unexpectedly. Once you recognize this fact you must never let your talent define you because you should value your life enough to know that you have more to offer the world than just a hot rhyme, a nice jumpshot or an astonishing left hook. But once you have found that thing that makes you conscious of how you are perceived when you’re using it, you have probably found your gift. The thing about a gift is because it can very rarely be taken away, it comes with grave responsibility. Gifts are what encourage change in ourselves as well as others. When my life ends my words will live on, that’s why my music is nothing more than a tool for me to spread the messages that weigh heavy on my heart. I know that making music is one of my talents so I try to incorporate my gift with the use of my ability to produce the kind of songs that invoke change and promote consciousness. I know that I am successful in life because of my wife, my children, my family and friends and most of all because of my personal Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Regardless of the current fads or popular music trends, I will always make it a point to convey through my songs the things that I find important in my life and relevant to the world.
I am just one man, no different from any other person walking the Earth. The only difference between me and most people is I don’t fear anything in this life so I don’t have to compromise any of my personal beliefs or visions. Once we all come to grips with our talents and our gifts and learn how to gauge success on a personal level, the whole world will be a better place.