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

Good riddance!

I'll keep this one short and sweet. For 2010, I'm saying good riddance to:

1, The Aughties in general. I've been looking back over the last ten years. They sucked. Outside of the birth of my daughter, I don't really have a personal moment that felt anywhere near as good. I really, really, REEEEALLY miss the 90's.

2. "I know that's right!!" Please?! I'm begging ALL the women of the world to STOP saying that when you agree with something. What's wrong with saying, "You know what? I strongly agree with what your saying! You couldn't be more on point!" See how simple that is?

3. Swag (and every reference or form of the word). Too many people claim to have it when only about 5% of the world's population possesses it. I know. I've done a study. We had this same problem with "player hater" too.

4. Blindly supporting Barack Obama because he's 'Black'. Seriously speaking, he could've been purple or burnt sienna and we would've voted for him at that point in American history. Yes, his being a non-traditional looking President is a welcome thing...but it doesn't make him a super man by any means.

5. Rap music. AKA hip pop. Yeah, I said it. I'm done. I'll continue to support HIP HOP to the fullest. But not hip pop. It's not fly. It's not fresh. I'm not with it, yo.

6. Reality TV. We need to ban together and stop it all. Jon, Kate, those damn White House party crashers, the balloon parents, Charlie Sheen... ALL of it!! As a matter of fact, I think I'm going to record my crusade and sell it to a network!

7. Laziness, poor planning and unpreparedness. This could be three but they all go hand-in-hand, in my opinion.

8. Bad spades partners. Sorry, Firan. Stick to sound engineering, brother! I mean that from the heart! One love!

9. Doing for others who don't appreciate it.

10. .....................

I'm leaving the 10th open for the Knicks. Their season isn't over yet.

Happy New Year, everyone!

One love...

Bigg Russ

God, please send these people back to us!!

People die. Every last one of 'em. There are some, however, that I feel that God needs to send back. God needs to send these people back for a purpose. No, I'm not talking reincarnation. I'm talking send these people back to their SAME lives, not a new one some time in the future. They need to return to their old bodies with their old ways! They need to come and save their family, their friends and their colleagues from self-implosion!

Allow me to go deeper...

Donda West:

Kanye. 'Nuff said.

Earl Woods:

Let's face it. Tiger's human. He's not Black, he's not White, he's not Thai... Hell...he's a whole 'nother race altogether! That doesn't mean he's got it all together though! When Mr. Earl Woods, Tiger's daddy, was alive, Tiger would never have messed up his ... ESCALADE like that!! Shame on you, Tiger! At least your keeping some people at Cadillac employed.

Christopher "The Notorious B.I.G. aka Biggie Smalls aka Frank White aka Big Poppa" Wallace:

Please. Sean Combs is so messed up over Biggie's demise that he renames himself every 8 months and 21 days. Biggie's untimely death not only caused Diddy grief, it messed up the careers of (*ahem*) artists that he's never even met! How many bands is Puffy gonna make? How many more (*ahem*) singers and rappers will have to deal with a man more intent on making HIMSELF more famous than he already is and the artists he signs?! Anyone seen Red Cafe lately? Yeah ... didn't think so. Biggie needs to return from the dead to make Puff Daddy whole again.

Kurt Cobain:

Dude, your widow is effin' nuts. We need you here to rein in her crazy ass. Ask the Man above for at least a 10-day pass.

Michael "The World's Greatest Entertainer" Jackson:

Honestly, God needs to send Michael back for all of us. At least we had someone to talk about. But specifically, Michael needs to come back and explain to us how Jermaine gets his hair like that! What exactly IS that style and where does he buy his products?!

Again, God, we need answers and solutions down here. Please send these good people back so that the planets will align properly once again.

Next up: People who should've stayed married. :)

As usual, thanks for reading!

Bigg Russ