The Hue Dawn...

I don't review albums any longer.

Before Al Gore blessed us with the Internet, in-depth album reviews seemed necessary … because they were. You typically couldn't hear an album before it came out. Many moons ago, until mega-stores like HMV allowed you to preview CD purchases at their listening stations, you had to rely on the word of professional critics or family/friends who were privy to music before it was released. It was a time when having a great single and video was important. Nowadays, not so much. With digital vehicles such as Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Rhapsody, Tidal, Google Play, NPR, etc., you can stream and listen to entire albums days, and very often weeks, before their official release dates. Who needs reviewers any longer? You can make up your own damn mind.

THE HUE

Unfortunately what lies at the very foundation of the entertainment industry is still a need for solid, word-of-mouth type promotion and marketing. Potential listeners or consumers can't preview music if they don't know about said music. That's why I like to share music. Music is everything to me and nothing to others. But if I take my time to share something, it's for a reason ... or several. That being said, I long-winded that intro for one simple pitch: The Hue's Aurora.

My love for rap, downtempo, chillhop, electronica, nu-jazz and soul music based on familiar tempos knows no bounds. The Hue has dropped an album I have been waiting to hear for a long time. Not only have I been waiting for them to drop Aurora after hearing Slick (featuring Ladybug Mecca, formerly of Digable Planets), I've been waiting for this album. This is grown rap music. There are messages here. There is love here. There is solidarity here. The songs are full, musical and allowed to breathe. I appreciate songs from the 70's & 80's that were six minutes and longer. I blame disco, funk, Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind & Fire and a slew of other artists for that. The Hue have delivered an album that sits directly in that pocket. The shortest song clocks in at just under four minutes, the longest at almost ten. Aurora's songs aren't for the quit hit. They're for the long start-to-finish listen, for the intimate concert performance, for the serious chillout session. Aurora also hearkens back to a time when lyrics weren't unnecessarily hard or offensive and production was clean, sharp, tight and simple. Nothing here is rushed and you can hear it. I could type a lot more but I would rather you listen to the album and come to your own conclusion. The Hue have managed to balancing rapping, singing and instrumentation in a way that many groups haven't done recently. Their effort should not go ignored.

Listen to and/or purchase Aurora here.

Kandace Springs Eternal....

Kandace Springs @ Rockwood, NYC 8/19/2014

It is no secret that I love good music. It’s also no secret that I love good LIVE music. I also love meeting those artists who are responsible for making good live music possible. Last night, I met Kandace Springs after her performance at Rockwood Music Hall on the Lower East Side in Manhattan. I am rarely ever starstruck but to say I wasn't would only serve to do Ms. Springs a disservice. Her cover of Sam Smith’s "Stay With Me" is one of my favorites from the past year. It's wonderfully recorded and easily just as good or better than Sam's version.

As she stroked the ebony & ivory during her 30+ minute set, Kandace kept my complete attention as she performed "Stay" along with other covers and original material. Much to my surprise, she sounded exactly like her various recording. That is a beautiful thing to behold in music’s current state of refined digital production where even the most average of singers can be made to sound angelic. Her vocals are smooth, warm and soulfully unapologetic. Her stage presence is a mix of hip-hop, jazz, funk and soul but none of those styles overshadows the others. She blends all of those things together evenly to create a very solid live experience which I highly suggest you catch in an intimate setting. 

Prince once said in a Tavis Smiley interview, “I am music.” I disagree slightly with his opinion. I think music is an energy that some are able to channel easier than others; a language that some people are able to understand and translate better than most. Kandace seems to be one of those people. She gives music a reason to exist.

I must note that her version of Runnin' REALLY made my night. #JDILLA

Check out her latest single below and be on the hear-out for more. She's the truth. TRUST.

As always, thanks for reading...

~ Bigg Russ

November 9, 1993...

...and the world hasn't been the same since

Let the man finish...

We human beings don't live in a completely humane world and that is unfortunate. We have been, are, and will continue to be our own worst enemy. We kill each other. We lie to each other. We step on each other. We cheat each other. We steal from each other. We do all types of terrible things to each other - without remorse - and consistently without fail. A quote I read recently which really opened my eyes to something I knew but never noticed stated, "The evening news usually opens with 'Good evening...' and then proceeds to show you why it is not."

Mr. Cee is caught in a whirlpool of shit. He's a Black male DJ with island roots who spins music with historically misogynistic and homo-sexually-feared based lyrics for an industry all but distributed by white hetero- AND homosexual men who apparently aren't afraid to make shit-loads of money from said music so long as everyone is happy. That's not a knock on them (for now) but that's pretty much how the world works. So long as the end justifies the mean, people will be comfortable on some level. In my humble opinion, the recording industry has LONG known who Cee was, inside and out. But hat is not his issue.

His issue is that he doesn't live with THOSE people. He only gets paid by them. Cee lives and most likely regularly interacts with people from HIS culture. The West Indian culture is NOTORIOUS for anti-homosexual rhetoric and feelings which has lead to public humiliation, shame and very often violence. This is not Cee's first time getting caught and the back-and-forth of his situation is frustrating to a fan of the music he plays because it removes the focus from the music. I've read many opinions being thrown around that he should just come clean and do what's 'right'. Well .... it's way to fucking easy to sit on the outside looking in and tell him - the man that's going through the problem - to just 'quit denying who you truly are' and 'free yourself'. As far as I can tell, he *IS* being free with himself. A little TOO free, if you ask me. (You shouldn't be getting arrested THIS many times in such a SHORT period of space.) We, the listeners from afar, are not 'his people' though. We're his fans and appreciators of what he does FOR AN INCOME. Whether we enjoy his talents or not SHOULD be the only thing that matters to Cee ... because that affects his INCOME.

We live in a very real world where Cee understands that stories as distracting as this tend to work on the side of the Universe which controls the negative forces. It's not like coming out as gay/bi is going to get him MORE spins on the radio. All it's going to get is people looking at him differently. And being looked at differently USUALLY affects your income NEGATIVELY. Rap music has inundated our ears for decades about keeping it real and there is nothing realer than making sure you keep making money to feed yourself and your family. He was keeping it real to himself and that's fine by me. He was shutting up to keep his belly full. Whom am I to judge?

Outside of whatever law or personal moral code he's broken with his wife, family and CLOSE friends, Mr. Cee did nothing wrong to ME ... except threatening to stop playing the music. His nickname is The Finisher and that's what I suggest we allow him to do ... finish his time on this Earth tackling his personal issues with whatever energy he's got left after blowing out the speakers.

Bigg Russ

Returning To Form...

When I started this blog, it was to rant/rave/share my views regarding rap music and any and all thinks pertaining to the culture of hip hop as I saw fit to discuss. Somewhere, along the way, I misplaced (not lost) my motivation to write. I say misplaced because I knew it wasn't gone entirely. I just knew I had to refocus. Eventually. Someday.

I haven't stopped loving hip hop, not in the slightest. My enjoyment simply became a lot more internal as the days passed after my last entry.  I found new music and did not care to share how I felt about it. I read stories, both funny and not, and did not care to discuss them. I simply couldn't find the strength to kill that end boss that kept me from saving my desire.

Thanks to some very special friends and occurrences over the past year, my desire to share is back. And that makes me happy. It should make you happy too because I've decided to expand my focus a bit from just hip hop. I'm going to start writing about other genres of music and art which I feel interacts or cross-breeds with hip hop on some level and shouldn't be missed. I look forward to sharing again. Thanks for being here.

Bigg Russ

R.I.P., Chris Lighty

Untitled (...for Trayvon Martin)

So, a young adult - an openly gay, 21 year old Black man - admitted to me that he didn't know who Trayvon Martin was. He said, for lack of a better term, that he simply doesn't listen to or read the news because it's "all depressing" and "...why would I want to see that everyday?" After explaining to him what happened to Trayvon he did say that he heard of a kid getting killed in Florida but that was it. I explained to him that the news you RECEIVE must be filtered by YOU. I told him that it is simply unwise - in today's crazy world - to cut yourself from ALL news because you perceive it to be unattractive. I think he understood what I meant but at 21 years of age I don't expect him to get it well into his 30's.

My generation is in a very weird place because the struggle we just missed by a couple of years doesn't seem as real now. It was taught to us as history, something that happened 'back then' without fully grasping that some of us were actually products of that struggle. Many of us have nestled into a safe zone where our bank accounts have eased our fears, publicly, and our sense of accomplishment has outweighed our need to strengthen our self-worth. This truth has disabled our children. Some of us are doing so well or struggling against so many invisible adversaries that our children take it for granted. In this age of instant gratification, over-political correctness, and Matrix-like social interaction I feel we have collectively missed the point of being where we are in our lives. There are many exceptions to my feelings, of course. I know some children who are so in tune with their souls that they often reinforce my belief in reincarnation. On the back end, some of our children - and us - are so far off our center that we might as well be space debris floating randomly among the stars.

How can we solve this issue as well as our others? I don't know. There is so much one individual can do for so many. Although, I will always believe the best way we can handle a collective issue is by everyone doing the best they can - individually. We don't always need 'leaders' to help us find our way. Most of us know what's going on around us. Most of us have the wherewithal and power necessary to fight ... but we find that we don't want to be on the front line. We're consistently hoping that someone else will step up in our place to represent our problem. What we, as parents, fail to realize is that WE are supposed to represent our problems. We're not superheros but we have a responsibility to our children to feed them with as much knowledge as possible about who they are and what they can become.

The young man I mentioned earlier is my step-son. He knows who he is but I will not allow him to be uninformed and unprepared. At times, he can be naive about life, as most of us were at 21, but he's got a solid and at least open to hearing me when I rave and rant. Trayvon Martin's death was unfortunate and, by taking a look at George Zimmerman's profile, most likely unavoidable. The key to stopping this from happening again is knowledge. And I plan on sharing as much as I can...

Thanks for reading...

Bigg Russ

Wearing names that MATTER...

Buy it because you want to...not because you have to.

http://biggruss.spreadshirt.com/men-D1

The Color Purple: HD Edition 2012

I have a problem. It goes a little something like this: George Lucas shows up on The Daily Show with John Stewart to promote his new film, Red Tails. A film, George proclaims, has been a 23-year labor of love.  Okay, great. No problem. But then George does something that raised my eyebrow. Take a listen for yourself here.

Okay, so let me get this straight. George "Money Bags" Lucas personally finances a film that took 23 years to make, figuratively speaking.  Yet the film almost doesn't get released because 'Hollywood' wouldn't fund its distribution.

I call bull.

If George REALLY wanted to see this film get released, he wouldn't have had to go through normal distribution channels to get it done. He's GEORGE %#&#^% LUCAS. Translation: He *IS* Hollywood!!! George can get virtually anything he wants out of Hollywood. He would've phone half of Hollywood, "Hey, yeah...it's me. Your father. Yeah, the one who runs Industrial, Light & Magic. Yeah, you know...98.9% of all films in Hollywood get done with my company's resources whether you like it or not? Yeah, now you remember. Well, I need something done."With one simple interview, here is what the Lucasarts emperor accomplished and some random facts to consider:

1. If Red Tails fails, it's because it wasn't DISTRIBUTED or MARKETED correctly. Because, somehow Hollywood just has NO IDEA of how to market a 'Black' film. (Again, I call bull. If Meteor Man or B.A.P.S. can secure distribution...)

2. Black Americans are now -seemingly out of the blue - EMOTIONALLY interested in supporting something that 'Hollywood' wouldn't (or didn't know 'how' to) support. The Red Tails marketing onslaught began in the middle of 2011. TWENTY ELEVEN.  I heard about it. I saw the trailer. I was unmoved. Apparently so was everyone else.  I barely heard a peep from anyone of any race, color or creed about the film.

3. George made six movies about the future. A cast full of color. But only two Black people. Three if you count Jango Fett (Aborigine actor). And you already know the deal regarding Jar Jar Binks. Don't mistake George's interests as totally sincere. This is all about entertainment.

4. Red Tails is getting released on MLK weekend....a few weeks before Black History Month. Look at my face. Now look at what I typed. Now look at my face. Now look at what I typed. If you haven't gotten the message by now, just close your browser window and go back to sleep.

5. In a recent public message, Jon Bon Jovi said, "Last night I went to see a movie, it was explained not as Black History Film nor was it a Military History film, it was an American History Film. It is called RED TAILS and was made by the great George Lucas." Okay, everybody just calm down. Especially you, Jon. Hollywood wouldn't fund the film's distribution because of its 'all Black cast' but upon viewing the film one is to think that it's NOT a film about Black people?

"Ya know, Tyrone, I don't see you as Black. You're like... cool!" This madness must stop. Jon has basically given the 'go ahead' to anyone who thought this might be a 'Black' movie. "Oh, don't worry! You'll enjoy it! Yeah, they're Black...but it's not about *that*!" New Jersian, please.

I could go on but I think my point is clear. I am in no way, shape or form anti-Red Tails. Do I want to see the movie? No, not really. Will I see the movie? Eventually. It'll probably be a fun ride with those same four actors we see in every period piece about Blacks in the 40's-60's.

(That one guy with the square head, from The Great Debaters, just has an old classic look. It's like he was born for these rolls. It's simply amazing and not fair to people like Wesley Snipes!).

In the end, I just don't need George Lucas and the little marketing stormtroopers in his head trying to convince me that I should see it with subliminal messaging. And anyone getting caught up now waving a Red Tails flag after hearing George spit that nonsense should be ashamed of themselves for allowing themselves to be hoodwinked, bamboozled, and led astray...

Go see the film because YOU want to see it.

As usual, thanks for reading...

Bigg Russ

A Heavy Contribution...

I have a lot to say about Heavy D...

...but literally can’t get it all to flow properly. I've started, stopped, edited, deleted, etc… I'm so frustrated at myself right now because I usually can't shut up about things that mean something to me. Yet now... I feel mentally scrambled.

All I can say at this point is that I’m extremely sad over his passing because I love hip hop. I love it so much because while I was living with an abusive step-father, rap music was one of my escapes. It was my favorite escape because it helped me realize who I was.

I was paid in full.

I was tougher than leather.

I was bigger and deffer.

I was straight out the jungle.

I was a smooth operator.

I was a rebel without a pause.

I was a 100 miles and runnin’.

I was a brand new funk.

I was three feet high and rising.

I was one for all.

I was all souled out.

I was still number one.

I was strictly business.

But above all else… I was from money earnin’ Mount Vernon. I had more bounce. I had my own thang. I let it flow. I was in the mood for love. I was flexin’. I was dedicated. I was mr. big stuff.

I was big tyme and living large.

And the dude living right across town made sure I knew it.

In ten days, I expect to complete my 40^th year in this form. Had it not been for Heavy’s contribution to my mental and emotional peace 20 years ago, I have no idea where I would be right now.

Thank you very much, Dwight.

~ Russell Merritt

Bring That Beat B@ck!!

320: Bring That Beat Back

It's P.E. What more do you need to know?

Bigg Russ

The Next 24 Volume IV...Mix CD Presented by Twix and New Era

320: The Next 24

Don't judge me. I haven't heard it but it's literally been shrinkwrapped since 2002...until now. Someone DL it and let me know how it sounds. LOL!

Bigg Russ

The Highest Form of Insult Is...

Kool Herc is sick and in need of surgery. The problem is, he doesn't have health insurance.

Here's a list of solutions:

• Jay-Z
• 50 Cent
• LL Cool J
• Def Jam
• Eminem
• Interscope
• Live Nation
• Jive Records
• Lil Wayne
• Baby
• Master P.
• Dr. Dre
• Will Smith
• Ludacris
• Puff Daddy/P. Diddy/Diddy/Sean Combs/Jack of all Trades, Master of None
• Russell Simmons
• Lyor Cohen
• Dame Dash
• Ice Cube
• EMI
• Sony
• Universal
• Warner Music Group
• E-40
• Salt-N-Pepa
• Snoop Dogg
• Guerilla Union
• Outkast
• Those mofos' who shot Biggie, Tupac, Freaky Tah and Jam Master Jay (If there was EVER a time to repent, it's now.)
• Jimmy Iovine
• Bert Padell
• Hot 97
• Funkmaster Flex
• DJ Khaled
• Ed Lover
• Viacom
• Sirius/XM
• Nas
• Kelis (C'mon. She's made more money off Nas' money than she did with R&B.)
• Violator Management
• Geffen Records
• Sylvia Robinson
• Queen Latifah
• The RZA
• The GZA
• Inspectah Deck
• Raekwon The Chef
• GhostFace Killer
• Method Man
• (U-God not listed on purpose)
• Rev. Run
• Cablevision
• The National Basketball Association
• Shaquille O'Neal (He still owes us for making OTHER athletes rap.)
• The Source
• Will.I.Am
• Wyclef Jean
• Dizzee Rascal
• MC Solaar
• Redman
• EPMD
• Vanilla Ice
• Ice-T
• Kid Frost
• Cypress Hill
• Gucci Mane (I'd only look at you 1/2 slanted after this.)
• Emmis Communications
• Clear Channel Communications, Inc.
• The Roots
• Fat Joe
• Cam'Ron
• Rick Ross
• An umpteen number of talentless, video 'women' (I kept that clean. Here's a hint: 'We don't love 'em though!')
• Soulja Boy
• KRS-One
• Nelly
• Teddy Riley
• Jermaine Dupri
• De La Soul
• John Singleton
• F. Gary Gray
• Bishop Don Magic Juan
• The Christopher Wallace Foundation
• Ciroc
• Patron
• Grey Goose
• Hennessy (Hell, they should donate a wing of their corporate offices to Kool Herc.)
• Remy Martin
• St. Ides
• Phat Farm
• Cross Colours (In spirit...)
• Lee
• Girbaud
• Nike
• Addidas
• Fila
• Dr. Jay's
• VIM
• 125th Street (From Broadway to Park Avenue.)

If I haven't made my point perfectly clear, PLEASE let me know and I'll do my best to provide more solutions.

Consider me a hypocrite but I find it EXTREMELY offensive to ask the FANS of hip hop to donate to Kool Herc's bills when we haven't been made privy to what ails him. And since the REAL fans have been 'donating' to hip hop for years via mis-managed contracts (Hey, it ain't MY fault if you were so hard up on 'getting a deal' that YOU didn't read your contract.), bad music, unsolved murders, contradictory messages, false feuds and other such nonsense I don't feel we should ante up ONE MORE RED CENT until those who've eaten for YEARS off US put their bling where their mouths are.

Kool Herc, get well soon. You're in my prayers.

Thanks for reading...

Bigg Russ

It's been a long time...

I should'na left you. I'll be back soon...

Bigg Russ

News. (Not) News.

I've been thinking.

This is what I've been thinking:

• Am I the only one not surprised to hear about a male flight attendant exiting his job... sliding down some rubber... through the back door?

• And Montana Fishburne's daughter... Please. So NOW it's news that a Hollywood famous so-and-so's daughter decides to screw on camera? Sure, I get the fact that it's Morpheus' offspring and all (I was gonna type Furious Styles' offspring ... but didn't want to lose half of you) but it's not really news. The real news here is that she wants to pattern herself after Kim Kardasian. I hate to break it to Female Fishburne but K.K. (the sexy one) isn't really a porn star per se. She's an opportunist. (Albeit, not as opportunistic as Ray J ... but hey, when you're that untalented you gotta make up for it somehow.) F.F. (the one who's not keeping it on the downlow) should do her homework. Can she at least show love for a REAL porn star like Vanessa Del Rio, Angel Kelly or Tera Patrick? Where's the respect?!

• A-Rod hit his 600th homerun. So what? And I'm a Yankee fan. Yeah, I shouted it out on my Facebook status and all that... but let's be honest. Baseball is tainted. Kinda like F.F. There's no going back. Mind you, that's not to say that A-Rod's accomoplishments aren't grand in scale. I'm just sayin'... shoot me up witht the same enhancement drugs he used and I probably couldn't hit the ball to center field (LOL @ probably). 'Roids don't make you the Hulk, they enhance your natural ability. Still... sucks to know it'll forever be seen as 600*. The ONLY homerun dude we should pay attention to from this point on isn't in the MLB yet. Believe that.

• Guiliani's daughter getting arrested for shoplifting. Nothing newsworthy here either. A Guiliani committing a crime?! Fruit. Tree. Something like that. Sephora gets no props for not teaching her spoiled ass a lesson either.

• Isiah Thomas gets re-hired by the Knicks ... then turns the job down. That's not news. The news is that something actually GOOD happened for the Knicks. It won't help them get wins but at least they're just that much less a group of laughing stocks.

• On a more personal note, someone just told me they didn't know Tyler Perry was gay. NOT knowing Tyler Perry is gay IS news. I should've called Fox.

• 700 people are dead and 1000 missing in China. That's not news. Whenever anything happens in China, a massive amount of people die. No disrespect meant to those dead or missing and the families and friends of them all ... but real news would've been had they said, "This just in... 5 people have died from [INSERT RANDOM EARTH-BORN UPHEAVAL HERE]! This ISN'T the worst disaster to hit this country in decades..."

• Google offices raided by Korean police. KOREA. I'm shocked they let Google in there to begin with.

I think I might need to start thinking less.

Thanks for reading.

Bigg Russ

An Open Letter To All Rhyme Sayers...

1. Create an ALBUM for a change. I dare you. Your continued use of 'mixtapes' are killing hip hop (again). Challenge yourself and try to put together a collection of related material. Try telling a damn story. There are more to tell. Trust me.

2. Try to make songs YOU can carry - by yourself. Must EVERY track be "Your Song" ft. [insert hot rapper/MC of the moment]"?

3. Polish your stage show. I don't know about you but what I see is what I get. If I don't 'get' you, that means I don't 'see' you. In case you haven't heard, music doesn't sell as much as it used to. Understand that CD's are no more than promotional items now. If your show sucks, you won't last.

4. Stop believing your own hype. Most fans don't really care about how hot YOU think you are. ALWAYS assume you can get better. Every rapper has fallen off at one point or another. EVERY rapper. Humble pie. Eat some.

5. Take a gamble. Find that diamond-in-the-rough producer. Most of you are SO anxious to 'get on' that you hire the same damn producers all the time. You know what happens when you do that? You all sound exactly alike ... despite whatever 'difference' you think you're bringing to the game.

6. Study the ART. There is a very real, very DEEP foundation in hip hop and it would seem only a handful of you seem to 'understand' it. Take a hint from some poets as well. They can teach you to say a lot in a much smaller space & time.

Yeah, that's all I got right now. Most of you need a lot more help though. I'll be back. Trust.

As usually, thanks for reading.

~ Bigg Russ

Killa Sha ft. Biggie Smalls *UNRELEASED*

Step It Up (Produced by J.Force) featuring a virtual newcomer by the name of Biggie Smalls.

You heard it hear first! Shouts to my boy, DaSaga for the love!

R.I.P., Killa.

Check it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Yji-Vi1JQY

Bigg Russ

HANDS-ON AID IN HAITI - VITAL INFO! DONATIONS CENTERS INFO

FOR THOSE IN THE TRI-STATE/BROOKLYN AREA:

I heard on the news earlier tonight that if you want to do hands-on aid in Haiti contact the Bedford-Stuyvesant Volunteer Ambulance Corps for more information ASAP.
CONTACT THEM TO CONFIRM/GET MORE DETAILS.
727 Greene Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11221
(718) 453-4617
http://www.bsvac.org/contact.html

This is a list of Donation centers from state-to-state. Use this to find the nearest location to you: http://www.rockmasters.com/haiti-relief/relief-location.htm

Other donation centers in Brooklyn/Queens/Manhattan:
QUEENS RESIDENTS: Relief Location Dutch Travel Agency 221-09 Linden Blvd Cambria Heights, NY 11411 718-527-8594

Don't Forget Tomorrow Help support The cause for #HAITI. @ Redlight 163 08 HILLSIDE AVE TAKING DONATIONS OF ANY KIND.
Contact Delson Postman Laurent for more info.

BROOKLYN RESIDENTS:
Food/Clothes drop off point in Bedstuy
73 Lewis Avenue corner of Macon & Lewis Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11233

Church and Block association in Brooklyn N.Y
We are going to help, to send clothes and food. To donate clothes please
bring clothes to 817 Livonia ave New Hope Church. Contact Patrick Grant at 347-840-2410

MICHELE HELPING HANDS ALONG WITH THE HAITIAN STUDENT ASSOCIATION OFLONG ISLANDUNIVERSITY IS COLLECTING CLOTHES (FOR KIDS, MEN AND WOMEN)HYGENIC ANDMEDICAL PRODUCTS.... you can call DJ Ricky @ 347-542-2849please call please CLOTHES (FOR KIDS, MEN AND WOMEN)

St. Pauls Community Baptist Church (OPEN until 9pm tonight) 859 Hendrix St.(between Linden and Stanley Avenue) Has allowed Yele Foundation tocollect blankets, solar flash lights, power/proteinbars, clothes, andmedical supplies at this location.

Epiphany 34 Productions & The Problem Boyz Ent will be having a Haiti Relief drive. TOMORROW JANUARY 14, 2010 ALL DAY from 10am until @ 1790 Utica ave between ave I & J. Canned foods, clothes, medical supplies We are all affected by this Tragedy. For more information please contact productionsbyepiphany@gmail.com Thank you
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=296063631112&ref=mf

Donations of canned food or clothes to Savoir Faire 1175 Nostrand av(corner of Fenimore st.) Thier doors are open now...if you are makinga cash donation they ask that you make it out in the form of a check... There will be a live visual there this eveni...ng as well starting at7:30Pm...News 1 , Channel 11 news along with other Media Sources will be there ...
P.S. Anyone with relevant Informaton.. please feel free to forward it to me so i can forward it to those who want to know and are willing help

Manhattan:
BMCC is also collecting food and clothing.

MULTIPLE COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES and CHURCHES are collecting donations - so please feel free to contact them as well.

This is a list of Donation centers from state-to-state. Use this to find the nearest location to you: http://www.rockmasters.com/haiti-relief/relief-location.htm

Hey this is a PHONE NUMBER FOR PEOPLE SEEKING INFO ON FAMILY IN HAITI 1-888-407-4747. This may be useful info for some people.

Overstanding...

"So, me and my dudes is standing in the trap, 'naw mean? And 5-0 roll up like, "What's the deal, dunnie?" We started gettin' heated cause these pigs always wanna shake a brother down for something and $hit. We got mad like, "What y'all trippin', Columbo?! Shit is real all up on in these streets here! We just tryin' ta maintain, 'naw mean?!" Then all of a sudden, the big homie from up the block pulls out the jammie and starts buck off at them niggas! I'm like, "Say word?!" So, I pull out the ooh-wop like bam!! I'm like, fu*k it! I might as well start gettin' it in to, for real! I ain't no punk! If I'mma go out, I'mma go out like Corleone and dem niggas!!

Anyways, I break out like a porcupine with a poison ivy! I ain't wanna catch a charge neeva so I drop the rock candy down the sewer as I make my get away. I feel the wasps zinging by my ear as I run away, layin' low the entire time. I get about a block away and my dude is still firing the jammie! Then, all of a sudden, I hear one final shot from po-po's glock .... BLOW!! I turn to see my nigga just lyin' on the pavement, 'bout to take a dirt nap.

That's when I awoke from my mental slumber. After seeing my good friend get shot by the police, I realized that I did not want to die a senseless death as well. I stopped wasting my time doing things that I felt wouldn't contribute to a positive future for me or anyone in my circle. I had to. I was soon arrested. I've since come to terms with my mistakes and am peacefully repaying my debt to society. Alive. Not totally well ... but alive. Although I have done some horrible things in my youth, they have shown me the differences between right and wrong. And for that, I am grateful."

Don't ask why. My fingers just started moving and I couldn't stop 'em... 'Naw mean?!

Bigg Russ

The Crashing Sound of Tiger's Vanity

Okay, so if you haven't seen it, here it is:

Now that we got that out of the way, allow me to share my take on all of this. Tiger is not 'us'. And by us, I'm referring to the stereotypical, media-saturated, hip-hop loving African-American male that many of 'see' on a daily basis. He's not even your typical 'Black' guy. I will not use this particular space to discuss typical. You're an adult. You know what I mean. Let's continue.

I've read a lot of people discussing who's wrong here: Is it Tiger? Is it VF? Honestly, they're both to blame. But I have to lean on VF much more. Plain and simple: Vanity Fair fu*ked up. Period. But not because they did this to Tiger. Tiger did this to himself. I'm pointing my finger at VF because it was purely tasteless. Their decision to run this photo as its cover lends itself to an ugly undercurrent of (what I like to call) anti-socio-celebrityism. Simply put, it's part of the mob-like, 'cash in now' syndrome that permeates most mass media when it's time to break down and continually stomp on a celebrity who's too perfect. This article in the San Francisco Chronicle says it best: A bad idea at the worst possible time.

Again, VF is a mass-market magazine. And a mass-market magazine's main goal is to sell itself. And nothing - NOTHING - sells like controversy. Personally, I would've thought VF missed the Tiger Boat. People weren't really talking about Tiger anymore ... until this photo hit the web, that is. It's a shame but VF is guilty of perpetuating the same shameful tabloid journalism that it most likely claims it's not. Not only that ... but the cover is so unlike ANY of their covers over the past year. Google their covers. Go ahead. I'll wait.

See? All the other covers are 'pretty' and 'artsy fartsy' and 'jovial' and 'inspiring' and whatever other pleasant feeling you can muster. Why this cover, now? Why did Tiger even bother to take the photos in the first place? What was he trying to prove? It surely wasn't to achieve some type of street cred ... I hope. But unlike Wayne Brady's turn at being evil on Chappelle's Show (see video below if you've been living under a rock), this photo doesn't scream, "Look at my other side! Ain't it funny?!" It screams, "Help! I'm stuck in this facade and I can't get out!!"

Tiger, if you're reading this, the photo is stupid. Not because you were trying to look different for the sake of art or ignorance but because you didn't need to do it. We, and by we I mean everyone, didn't care if your clean image was real or not. That's how we got you and that's how we knew you and that's how we accepted you. If you wanted to cameo on Prison Break, you should've just had your people call Fox's people. And yes, the photo would've been stupid even if 2009 hadn't happened for you.

Vanity Fair Editor, if you're reading this, yeah ... ya fu*ked up. And now your magazine has gained a borderline racist hue around is page edges. For all intents and purposes, I know you view Tiger as 'Black'. Most people did, do and will continue to do so. Your calculation for releasing this cover is commercial genius. Judgmentally speaking, your timing straight sucks ass. You can make up for your mistake by putting the first Black-looking canoeing champion on your cover.

As usual, thanks for reading...

Bigg Russ