WarPigs

So i noticed this picture in the new york times while waiting in line at the grocery store. Poppy plants in bloom in the foreground and our soldiers marching in from the background. i noticed the image before reading the paragraph below describing how the military has decided to patrol and destroy the poppy fields in an attempt to nullify the opium trade. i continue to read on and as it turns out these soldiers were ambushed a short time later by Taliban troops who have a stronghold on the cultivation of the poppy plant and the opium trade. and as it is now estimated the afghan opium production accounts for 90 percent of the worlds total. the news goes on to justify the doubling of troops in Afghanistan with the destruction of opium production as a primary objective for the upcoming summer. 20,000 additional troops set to parade thru the poppy fields this summer already expecting a fierce fight with Taliban forces hellbent on protecting a crop that has been accounting for the great majority of its funding. 

I would like to know why with all our intelligence and technology have we yet to spray these crops via airplane or helicopter? how is it that our gunships can move into position and spray bullets with extreme accuracy yet we are unable to fly over poppy fields and spray the crops. Why send ground troops.. why risk any life at all??? 20,000 more soldiers in harms way to destroy fields of dope.. see im no General but i know our military is advanced enough to kill some plants without 20,000 of the finest trained soldiers walking into harms way. see why risk lives when we have a greater capability to destroy these crops?? send in the drones, pinpoint the targets and spray to kill.. ambush avoided.. ground troops relieved and the opium is eliminated and we hit the taliban where it matters most.. The Pockets.

Generals gathered in their masses - Just like witches at black masses
Evil minds that plot destruction - Sorcerers of death’s construction
In the fields the bodies burning - As the war machine keeps turning
Death and hatred to mankind - Poisoning their brainwashed minds, oh lord yeah!
 
Politicians hide themselves away - They only started the war 
Why should they go out to fight? - They leave that role to the poor
Time will tell on their power minds - Making war just for fun
Treating people just like pawns in chess - Wait ’till their judgement day comes, yeah
 
Now in darkness, world stops turning - As the war machine keeps burning 
No more war pigs have the power - Hand of God has struck the hour
Day of judgement, God is calling - On their knees, the war pigs crawling
Begging mercy for their sins - Satan, laughing, spreads his wings

Black Sabbath - War Pigs

Keeping it moving....

Been a busy week.. the warm weather moved into NYC early and everyone is catching the music bug. Seems like this past week everyone is calling to book studio time in the CuckoosNest. I never set out to own a studio. but the past 6 years seem to have flown by and ultimately here i am. Started out as small analog set-up pieced together with random equipment i had accumulated over the years. I just wanted a place where i could chill and develop the ILLSEED product. At one point i was recording in the office of a Barber Shop i had owned for a few years, and after liquidating that business i layed down vocals in my brothers kitchen. i figured i would find a local spot and just build on that. i put up a few thousand dollars to get in the door and took on a partner, an old school rock and roll head that owned a bunch of of gear. My brother and a good friend of mine were running a construction company at the time and they blessed me with the building of the place.. nothing crazy but we worked nights and weekends for a month and constructed a small vocal booth an office and entryway, and basically just started recording. My partnership lasted a little over a year at which time i was forced to end the relationship because my partner was not holding up his financial responsibilities, and he had practically began living in the space. He was an old hippie and didn't have much of a business sense but that's cool, we parted ways as friends. i took some time to get my finances in order and cleaned the place up a bit, i fielded a great  many phone calls from his previous clients who were looking for time owed or money owed and resolution for all sorts of broken promises, i found this all to be quite humorous.. the old hippie had managed to get advances from a handful of artists, and while he failed to deliver they were more concerned with his overall well being than the outstanding debt. after closing that chapter i was able to restructure my overall business. a young producer "Fuzz" who i had known for several years, actually from the time he was about 16 years old, was also developing his career and had ventured into opening a studio not to far from where i was. after meeting with him he had brought to my attention his own hardship and that after 1 year in business he was unfortunately closing down. he had invested a substantial amount of money into his place and i understood his position from the point of view of an artist. my goal was not to own a recording studio, but to have a place to make my own music outside of the kitchen. a place where i could entertain collaborating with other artists and producers, a place to serve as a headquarters for my label. the timing could not of been any better, i had parted with my previous partner and Fuzz was faced with liquidating his equipment, and as we all know after market value is about 30% of the original purchase, so he stood to lose a hell of allot had he thrown in the towel. A partnership was a no brainer. i had the location he had the equipment, and with a little remodeling the place would be perfect. The Cuckoos Nest was born. Once again my brother and Sal provided an entire reconstruction and this time we went all out. i cannot express enough the amount of money i saved because of this contribution. Grateful is an understatement. on top of that my new partner was producing the kind of music that we were making. Hiphop, so above and beyond being partners we were now collaborating musically Fuzz was now a part of ILLSEED. and i valued this more than any partnership. So we got it in for a few years just covering the bases paying the bills to keep the business floating while we made our music. Fuzz was still growing up, and unfortunately he got caught up in circumstance. without diving into details he was forced to make a plea bargain for gun possession, and was headed upstate. it was tough because i was losing a producer and part of the team, ya see even through all the bullshit Fuzz was consistent and dedicated to the music. When he left for his trip he left behind what amounted to a catalog close to 200 original beats, no samples, all Fuzz. He had also contributed a few tracks for the FirstCousins project, and i knew it was my responsibility that we ultimately used some of his music on our album regardless of his whereabouts. i put the ILLSEED interests before anything else and i want to provide for all the family. Me and Fuzz reached an agreement and before he departed i bought out his end and forgave some outstanding debt, also made it known that the doors would always be open and i had intended to keep the Nest going no matter what and regardless of our business partnership he would always be part of the ILLSEED family. So, here i am 2009, over 6 years since i opened the studio,  4  years since i partnered with Fuzz and branded The CuckoosNest, and a year and a half that ive been running it on my own. Like i said i never set out to own a recording studio but sometimes circumstances just lead you down a path you may not of intended on. we need to recognize those that have helped us along the way, even those that only walked a few steps in that direction, no matter what happens along the way. im just enjoying the journey not exactly sure where the road is going but im rolling down the line, just enjoying the ride.

All in A Days Work

So I'm flying in the smallest jet I've ever been in. Courtesy American Eagle. 1 hour flight to Cleveland. 3 seats wide and normal carryon bags must be checked in. The over head storage is about as big as a glove compartment in an SUV. I understand not many people travel to Cleveland Ohio but this is like traveling in a Pontiac fiero. 1 flight attendant who I am sure was appointed because of his height or lack there of.. I'm 5.11 and I can almost feel the top of my head brush the ceiling when I move down the aisle that is only wide enough for a slight side stepping motion. What the hell am I doing?? Escorting my girl to another gig. She is a DJ. And I'm always down to travel, Miami, Vegas, Europe, Hawaii, coast of Africa.. Morocco, even Texas.. But Cleveland? In a tin can with wings is not on my list of things to do.. I'm not knocking the city.. I'm looking forward to seeing what its like.. Me and my cuzz had a joint spinning out there on the radio so they showing love I'm gonna give some back.. I figured I'd throw this post up as soon as I land.. Need something to ease the nerves and right now writing is all I can do.. Nice. Going in for landing will let you know how it goes when I'm back in NYC less than 24 hours from now. Its all in a days work.

Life is now

no better time than the present. hesitation is your enemy, procrastination is poison. we carry our experience of yesterday and create our vision for tomorrow, yet the only thing that matters is where we are, here and now. what are you doing? are you where you want to be? or is where you want to be always a destination in the distance? personally i have set goals, some of which i have achieved and others i am still developing. i am understanding my own being right now. taking the time to live in the moment and absorb what i have already created. good or bad. being present and accountable, and moving  in confidence has enabled me to enjoy every step forward, and i have learned a great deal while standing still. without fret. excuses are destructive. solutions are salutary. time is infinite life is not. life is now. what are you doing?

Politics as usual

Ive been watching a few different blogs over the past months.. and without pointing out various sites, i am beginning to see repetition in the posts and content. these sites once heralded for individuality and creative concepts are slowly digressing from what started out as independent provoking portals. maybe its the advertising money that I'm seeing some of these blogs tap into, or maybe its just the conformity virus that creeps up on many of us.. antibiotics are available, just go back to basics and shake off the Internets influenza.. start fresh 

When opportunity knocks

What i have come to learn is that windows of opportunity open randomly and action needs to be taken immediately because those windows close quickly. hesitation is not an option. you can plan for your entire life for just one moment to arrive, but failure to act when the opportunity presents itself may render a life's work meaningless. Why wait? 

Get.Up.Stop.Think.Aim.Pop.Off (a new beginning)

Ok. so i have decided to take this blog bit seriously. i mean i have fooled around with the notion of blogging on myspace and a few other social networks but i never really considered the potential of what this medium offered. Some have told me the blog would be the death of print. some of the same people have also told me the digital download and streaming media would be the death of the compact disc and the radio as we know it. I dont debate. I observe and consider the facts. Being an artist means something more to me than following in any trend yet trends sometimes dictate how an artist communicates with the audience. myspace was cool for 30 seconds and i put my page up in 2004 just about 5 years ago.. at the end of the day that whole craze distracted me from developing my own domain  and continuing to develop my brand. as i should. so now rupert murdoch basically owns 262 million profiles and the last i heard about 70 million of those are rappers, hiphop artists, holy shit.. incredible. so how is that cutting edge? how could a social network thrive without exclusivity? well ive had enough so im back to basics. i am however planning to embrace this blog as an outlet for my overall frustration, and not only pertaining to the music industry, business, hustle, game whatever you wanna call it but in regard to just about everything that crosses my mind.