Flyin high w/ Mr. Snapback Shawty himself....and goin deep in thought w/ Mr Ty Gudda

It just seems like in the indie music game, you conform or you’re not relevant to the movement these days. Within the past couple of years more artists have switched their whole persona up just to “fit” into the cookie-cutter mold that corporate music America made for them. But, of course, there are those few solid individuals who step forward with the “This is me” attitude all while giving the finger to the industry. Within the past two weeks two artists, which I put into my own category I’d like to call “Ready to Blow and Go” (no homo) , have released the second coming of a long awaited mixtape/album series to the public. Mr. Snapback Shawty himself….TMG’s own…Ambassador of Swagg…Starrz and the intellectual…anapestic (score 2pts for using an old SAT word)…tell it like it is Ty Gudda. The Skyy Jones series as well as the Complex Mind series after being released was definitely accepted by many on the scene. Problem was…both artists at the time were making hot singles and still trying to find their grove/swag/mojo/niche whatever you want to call it in my eyes. But I will be brutally honest, with both of these projects; you can see that the short break both artists took really knocked them back into THEIR OWN music reality and not the one that everyone else followed. Don’t get what I am trying to say? Cool, keep on reading and I promise you will get it by the end of this review.

Starrz….what else can I say lol The word in itself describes this young talented ball of chaotic humorous energy, that somehow makes it cool to be sought after by the women, respected highly by majority of his peers and yet still poke fun at himself, his crew and their antics. The second installment of the Skyy Jones series, Skyy Jones 2, Starrz takes you on the magical journey of …well…umm…the life of Starrz aka Skyy Jones. From beer pong, house parties and drunk girl on girl on guy bathroom action With his college-like party anthems like ‘ Fun’ and ‘D.B.I.M.B (Drunk Bitches In My Bathroom). To soul bearing confessional style ballads of fame versus sacrifice and the stress of not knowing what’s next in his life and career in ‘Red Cup Addiction’. This mixtape is the ish! Well at least I personally feel as though out of the 21 tracks (including bonus tack ‘Rich Nigga Diet’) 19 of them are worth pressing that Loop/Repeat button on my iTouch. Yea, this is where Baltimores Kimora gets kinda honest. Ok, the track ‘ UUghhh’=hate it. This is the type of single where there is no grey area, ya hate it or love it flat out. Personally, I feel as though there are enough “Maybach Music” massacres floating around the DMV scene, if not lame remixes of ‘Tupac’s Back’ (substitute Tupac with your average rinky-dink non-meaningful rapper name) being posted on everyone’s Facebook page daily. Now I won’t say that lyrically it sucks, but concept-wise and beat-wise…you can have that back sir. Next single on my “Skip” list, ‘Froze’. Ok ok ok, cute concept, but you ever hear a song where the person who was featured was either way off with the pitch or just threw the song completely off, yea well play this song and tell me what you think. And the sad part about it is that the singer on the track actually sounds like if he was to sing another song he would be great! I just think this was a bad case of wrong singer, wrong song. The mixtape in a total: I personally would give it 8 out of 10. I love to see personal and artistic growth in these indie artists. And I really don’t think anyone has more of a testimony of growth than Starrz. From being that cookie cutter artist that never stood out in a crowd, to making the crowd rock with him. Starrz is definitely on the road to stardom and the only reason he isn’t looking back.

Hot Tracks to definitely bump:
• ‘Be the 1’-beat switch club banga of love in the club, Starrz style :)
• ‘Blake Griffin’-swag on the hardwood! Hot single, basketball metaphors flipped round to describe how awesome it is to be Starrz
• ‘Snapback Shawty’- the first single off of the mixtape; was the teaser to the mixtape that had everyone anxious; Hot Line: “…Gone check my fit/Jordan’s black and white/yea they match my bitch”
• ‘All the way G’-straight shittin on ‘em in this one; Hottest Line: “..I’m a fame giant/I do it big bitch/Lane Bryant/It was all a dream/livin like its juicy/die behind these bars/living like I’m bootsie..”

Mr. Gudda on the other hand is a completely different story. A different breed of rapper, Ty Gudda’s style isn’t the flamboyant, flashy, style-setting, money, cash and hoes music the average listener is use too. With every new Ty Gudda single or mixtape that is put out, its him exposing and bearing his soul even more. Whether it be a rags to riches story, true love where ya at? Song, missing a love one or just a letter of influence to his son, Gudda brings reality to the game like no other. His poetic styling’s is more of a refreshing then what you hear on the radio, its real life. Complex Mind Theory came at a great time in the indie music circle in Baltimore due to the fact that a lot of music right now is commercialized and ‘dumbed down’ for those summer time parties and club nights. You know what I mean. If it isn’t a ‘touch ya toes and gyrate’ or ‘bang bang shoot em up’ or ‘check shoe game nigga’ type song you do not get played on the airways or at any parties. But anyway, Complex Mind Therory 2 to me is just a smaller peak into the life and mind of Tyran Hill. The first installation of Complex Mind Theory (just like I said about Starrz) was only a mere skim across his thoughts, hopes and dreams…but it also showed that there was room for growth. Even though Ty wasn’t putting himself out there as the pimp daddy or tend setter, about a year or so ago his expression of his deep rooted thoughts were heard in certain songs as well as his published book of poems, but he wasn’t going in like he is now in Complex Mind Theory 2. Kind of like the quiet before the storm. I was on the fence of his last mixtape, Cupids Revenge, but I felt as though it lacked one thing…Tyran. The first track on Complex Mind Theory 2, Can I live, gives listeners that ole school feel not just with the oldies but goodies beat and production but his way of flowing. His way of putting everything on the forefront so there aren’t any surprises or so that listeners know of gp “this mixtape is all me, no filler music”. The next track that really stood out to me is LMAO. Now I heard this track way before the mixtape came out, but now ai get the really dissect it. The ultimate pimp slap to the cyber thug. Granted there are a lot of point that Gudda makes in the song…..addressing the cyber beefing and the ‘gangsta by association’ punks….female groupies on his jock…and trashing talking about his team. I honestly like the song, this is almost like the FB anthem. Lol (opps I mean LMAO ) The other song that I personally took to is Addict. Jesus, we have all had that first love that you just could not get enough of even after the break-up. SMDH takes me back. But just the honesty about his heartache and recovery from this “addictive” female is a relatable track amongst all ages and genders. There isn’t any way you cannot relate to this song. All in all, Complex Mid Theory 2 gets a 9 out of 10. I love the fact that Gudda is starting to put his true thoughts and experiences out there through his music. All while giving listeners a more than just a catch phrase, bangin 808 sounds or new off the chain dance.

Hottest Tracks to Bump:
Jus Landed
4 by 4
Personality
She Keeps passing me Bye

Royce da 5’9 comes to Bmore Review/ Sink or Swim…the telltale story of the Baltimore Music scene

September 6, 2011- Baltimore, Maryland Straight off of a month break from the music scene…WHAT IT IZ HIP HOP WORLD! Yea, the queen is back..and I got a lot on my chest to basically get off to all of my indie hip hop family, friends, associates and business partners. Well like I said before, I did take a good month or two off from the music world to better my business and expand (oh yea, to those of yall that don’t know what EXPAND means outside of the music world, I suggest getting a Webster’s dictionary and looking it up) the PUR ENT name. Not to mention take care of family. But upon my return, I took some time out and went to my first show in months this past Friday night at Sonar. I will be quite honest with you all, I mean yall like it when I keep it 100…Royce da 5’9..didn’t know him or his music that well, but after this show…I am definitely a fan. So I headed down to the show with my usual music fam, pumped that firstly that some of my favorite people were performing (Lenwood, Savage da Beast, Skarr Akbarr and Grad Dai) and that I got to see people I haven’t SEEN in a minute, but have been hearing a lot about via social networks and out of state contacts. Now I will be blunt, honest and up front about a lot that went on Friday and my personal gripes about what the future may hold.

Now let’s start off with Grad Dai, granted I was definitely a lil late to the event (dammit it takes a min to holster and perfect all this beauty for an outing lol), but I did catch the end of their set. I will say this…for a live band these dudes, definitely KICK MAJOR ASS! Live instruments, off the chain song themes, and the stage presence is crazy! I mean I remember seeing these guys perform at a Baltimore Scene event down at the 5 seasons about a year ago and I was blown away. I have seen many a live band try to cover rap songs or put their own little spin to catchy tunes that come out like trash, but I must give Grad Dai their props. The only thing I hope and pray is that they don’t get caught into the “same ole, same ole” like a lot of the hip hop and r&b artists of the DMV tend to fall into. Same ole venue, same ole shows, same ole stage routine (back and forth with no energy) and same ole songs. Luckily, these dudes are fairly new and have great management that have already put them out there so that being trapped inside “the circle of music career death” isn’t even feasible. But hey, who knows….but I do wish them the best.

Next, the incomparable, unstoppable, pop-up everywhere, #TruthMovement pushin Lenwood and the lyrical beast himself Savage. First off, let me start from the beginning….Imma take it back….waaaayyyy back…til about 2007/2008 when I first came back onto the scene solo-dolo with Pur Entertainment. Now for those of you that know me, Steel Bars Entertainment was my first business adventure…unfortunately not everyone is made to be a business partner…so after a little restructuring and brainstorming Pur Entertainment came out. Now the Heavy Hitters tour started with Steel Bars, but damn sure didn’t end with Steel Bars. And one of our first music prodigies were Mr.20’s of that Huh himself and Mr. All Black Tints (which both have to be 2 of my favorite songs and have been ringtones on about 8 phones since I first heard em #TrueFan). Twelve shows and 5 years later…these two are part of the Heavy Hitters retired Veterans community with Pur Entertainment and still continuously support Pur Entertainment. For that, there is no words that can describe how thankful I am. But back to the point, the performance. SMDH. I tell ya, I have seen Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Nicki Minij, even Nsync (ssshhhhh that was back in my Mercy High school days lol)..and I have seen people go nuts and get over the top excited for a performance. But not in an indie show setting. Every show these two do, either separate or together, it’s a freakin adrenaline rush…and IM NOT EVEN ON THE STAGE PERFORMING! So at this show Savage was holding down Lenwood on the hype man tip, but between the free giveaways (#TruthMovement bracelets, t-shirts etc.) it felt like I was down at the arena. I just think that the energy that both artist give off during their performances is magical, and something that you don’t see too often in the DMV scene. All in all superb performance boys!

On to the next one…Mr. Akbar….smdh..hmm what can I say about this dude right here. Don’t get me wrong…Pursuit of Happiness was my ish….’Ventilation’ was one of my favorite singles…and hell dude can definitely do his thing on the graphics tip. His performance Friday, I was into it. I just wish that the energy I see on his theatrical videos was the same way on stage. I remember the iVote concert earlier this year down at Bourbon street, JESUS! That whole 20 minute or so set was bumpin. I mean literally…there were chics willing to throw their panties at him. Not to mention I seen multiple “mopies” (male groupies) boopin their heads, singing along and going off. Now that was the last time I actually seen Mr. Akbarr perform, but in comparison to that performance and Friday’s….I don’t know if he was preoccupied or not…but out of 10 dude gets a good 71/2 . Still good, just not all the way there. But hell, there is always room for improvement, still a fan, still good music.

Out of everything that went on that night, all the performances and all…I would say it was a pretty good night. But the next day, I honestly had a good couple of hours to myself where I thought about my years in this industry, music I’ve heard, and people I’ve met. I had a long conversation with the boyfriend while listening to an oldie but goodie “Real Rap” (s/o to Starrz and Only) and he asked me “If you made it big in the music industry, and you could take certain artists who would you take and why? Who would have the longevity?” SMDH Now, contrary to what a lot of people think, I don’t play favorites. I go off of original god given talent, history and consistency. There are multiple artists that have had their 15mins of fame that they fucked up but should be given that extra minute to show and prove. There are artists that haven’t been given the chance ever. There are new artists that are so lost that they would even know if it’s their time or not. And there are artists that have their heads so far up their ass that they wouldn’t know up from down. I will be the first one to say it and mean it….THERE ARE NO ABSOLUTLY NO COMPLETE PACKAGE ARTISTS IN THE BALTIMORE AREA AS OF YET! Yea, I said it. Either you’re a hot artist who makes great music, looks good, has a following, has support…but can’t perform for your life. You put on a great show with your 5 hit singles and your mixtape or album is garbage. You don’t know how to market yourself right. Your management is just as lost as you. Or you think you’re the next Biggie, 2pac, Jay-z or Nas…and your more on the Lil B/Short Bus Shawty/Chocolate Drop/50 tyson side of rapping skills. Something that everyone has to learn is that no matter how “talented” or “experienced” you are…there is always room for improvement. No matter if its personal life or business. It took me a complete fail with one business to find my niche and ride it out and get where I am today. I literally call the scene the “circle of death” because that is what it has become due to a lot of different factors. Yes men/women, lying, stealing, lack of business skills, not asking for help, shady business deals, no correct promoting or marketing , egos and no self confidence is killing each and every one of the participating artists careers. Let me pose this question…out of everyone that has made it out of Baltimore (just Baltimore)..who has really “made it” out of the circle? You can’t include Mario because he was never at a Hip Hop 101 or Sonar event. Can’t include Dru Hill, they never killed a Heavy Hitters show. Out of the little circle of artists performing for artists and selling to artists who represent other artists who make beats for their artists but sell their merchandise to other artists….who has really made it…AND STAYED ON? Don’t worry I’ll wait. How many artists have toured outside of the DMV? On the west coast? Outside of the country? I’m not talking the Carolinas or Florida either. I’m talking you performed in Cali, Washington State, Texas at a show as big as Sonar or Rams Head? Hell who has performed at Rams head? And if you have please send me proof to purentertainment1@gmail.com . Not a lot of hands are raised I see. The point I am trying to make is this, until a lot of good artists that may be the shit to everyone…may not be the shit to someone from out of town, a AR from a record label, MTV, BET or even VH1.Alot of these new artists need to ditch the egos and learn from the artists that have been through some stuff. A lot of vets need to step back up to the plate and show ‘em how it’s done. Not to mention, some of the vets I’m personally waitin to show and prove again…push for that 2nd chance and kill it this time. It may be hard to get a record deal or distribution deal…yes…but think about the worse situation that you were ever in…and how you made it through it. If you can do that, I personally know you can become a superstar.

But I replied to him…I need to see some comebacks of some vets and I need these rookies to step up and get the foot in the door. I mean lets be real…lets look at Starrz…granted it just came out over the weekend (download the new mixtape Skyy Jones 2 at http://iamstarrz.com) , but I am still waiting to see him kill another stage again! Last heavy hitters he murdered I lost my damn voice screaming “Nasty Sick Disgusting ILL!”. I’m still looking for Mr. Michael Wayne to finally make a huge comeback! Where is B.O.M.B.? Backland? Hunnit Proof? Kanye Mayfield? Where is that punk that I love to beat up on called Only? I’ll even take it back to my first show….where is MLC? T-fitted? Miss Cream? Miss Stress? Where is the mighty and all powerful Rockwell? To be honest I would like to see some of these CEO’s make some comeback too? How bout it Ogun? Me and my daughter ran around all last year singing “All I see everybody wanna be a star….” What’s the follow-up because we are all waiting. Sonny Brown? Doc Dollaz? I mean what’s really good, the game needed all of you all back then…why not give ‘em what they want? Yea, you might have put out a lil single here and there…but what happened to the mega release parties, flooding fb and twitter, posters everywhere around town, the random texts at 3am from promoters blasting your next show? I look at artists that have only been out for a year at best killing it on the promotions and pushing projects. I get the whole “work in progress” spiel…that’s fine. But if it’s been almost a year or two since your last hit…unless you plan on making a comeback like Nelly, Busta Rymes , Mase or Lil Kim where this shit is about to be over the top and the most talked about single or album….your fans need a teaser or need to know yall still love them!

In conclusion, I support a lot of artists (even ones that I did not mention) so don’t take offense if your name didn’t pop up. But in the end, there are a lot of people that are making moves for you all that you don’t even know about. But it is up to you all to make the right moves to get noticed by people other than your peers and other artists. Don’t you want Baltimore to get on the talent map? Get it together first Get your business, team and supporters in order first..give your hometown a reason to WANT TO SUPPORT YOU.. then look outward for support.. It’s like my grandfather use to say before he passed, ‘…get your home in order before you ever venture out into this world. Because when the world turns its back on you, you will always have the security of your home to rebuild in. Because without support from your foundation, you’re sure to fall apart.’