Breukelen HiFi

2011-11-12T20:23:00.005-05:00

NEW MOBB DEEP: CONQUER!

2011-11-12T20:08:00.003-05:00

Run For Your Life

2011-11-06T14:36:00.003-05:00

It's been a long time, I shouldn't have left you...without a strong beat to step to:

Now, onto it:

As most of us know, today marks the 31st anniversary of the NYC Marathon. Here are the results:

Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya and Firehiwot Dado of Ethiopia won the ING New York City Marathon 2011 titles today in perfect marathon weather. Amanda McGrory of the USA reprised her 2006 women's wheelchair win, and Masazumi Soejima became the first Japanese winner in any division of the marathon by winning the men's wheelchair race in 1:31:41. Mutai, also the reigning Boston Marathon champion, ran 2:05:06 to slice an incredible 2 minutes and 37 seconds off the old course record, set by Ethiopia's Tesfaye Jifar in 2001. McGrory's 1:50:24 also shattered the course record of 1:52:38, which Edith Wolf-Hunkeler set in 2007. Dado and New York-resident Ethiopian Buzunesh Deba passed Kenya's Mary Keitany at the 24-mile mark after Keitany had gone out in a brave but self-destructive 1:07:56 first half--pace for a sub-2:17 marathon. Dado won in 2:23:15; Deba finished second, only four seconds back, and Keitany hung on for third, the same place she took last year. The quality of the men's field was illustrated by the finish of 2009 champion Meb Keflezighi of the USA, who ran a personal-best 2:09:13--two seconds faster than his winning time two years ago--and finished sixth, more than four minutes behind Geoffrey Mutai. Emmanuel Mutai of Kenya (no relation) finished second and secured the 2010-2011 World Marathon Majors title (Russia's Liliya Shobukhova had already clinched the women's title), worth $500,000; Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia was third. Their times of 2:06:28 and 2:07:14 were also comfortably under the old course record.

Since there are many that were unable to participate in today's run, we have our very own Brooklyn Marathon series that takes place at Prospect Park:

This fall Brooklyn gets the race it's been waiting for on November 20th when the inaugural Brooklyn Marathon is held at Brooklyn's crown jewel, Prospect Park. Presented by NYCRUNS, this race will be electronically timed, USATF certified and a Boston Qualifier. Starting and ending on Center Drive, This race will be a double points race and the final race in the 2011 NYCRUNS InterClub Challenge. Start time is 8AM. This race is capped at 350 runners and expected to sell out by 11/7. Packet pickup will be on the Thursday and Saturday before the race. We're looking forward to seeing you at the 2011 Brooklyn Marathon and to taking the next steps in Brooklyn running together.

I'll be there with the rest of the BreukelenHiFi team, see you there fam!

Breukelen HiFi Tour December 2010.

2010-12-25T14:17:00.001-05:00

From Dec 7th, 2010 until Dec 17th 2010, Jungle Rock Jr. (formerly known as Chip Fu) and the Dub Rock All Stars (Light and Mr. Man formerly of the Bush Babees) did a mini tour in Europe to test out the new material from both upcoming albums! Here is some of the raw, everyday footage of life in the streets...of Europe. Show footage coming soon.

Old but still pretty scary

2010-07-03T20:07:00.002-04:00

Since I haven't posted in a while, Ifigured I'd leave you with this!!

Scary Maze Game

Play more games at Fugly.com

CUM GET YO' ROCKS OFF!!

2010-06-24T18:01:00.014-04:00

Ok, remember a few weeks ago I did a little piece on a band called The Telephones??? Right, you remember, well check THIS one out...I am DJ-ing their gig this coming Tuesday!! Yep...I will be spinning on a BOAT alongside The Telephones this coming Tuesday June 29th. Definitely find yourself there. I know some of you have work the next day but don't worry, that's what alarm clocks are for so come thru...ah peltin' BIG CHUNES!! (and anyway, it's seems like I'll be getting that live interview after all!)

The link to buy tickets and all of the other relevant info are below...that said, I BETTER see Breukelen on that BOAT!!

Tuesday June 29, 2010 at 7:00pm
Skyport Marina - City Lights Cruises
23rd Street and FDR Dr
New York, New York 10010
The Telephones
DJ Lord Khaliyl
Rocks Off Concert Cruise Aboard The Half Moon
Boards: 7:00pm / Departs: 8:00pm
$20 in advance and $20 at the plank

Buy tix here (if you can't click on it, copy and paste the url in your browser address box):

http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=2056105&pl=rocksoff

"Be With You" (It's more than time I did this)

2010-06-09T23:14:00.000-04:00

New Music Mondays!! PICK UP THE PHONES!!!

2010-06-05T14:38:00.008-04:00

This is a REALLY good band coming STRAIGHT out of Brooklyn called the TELEPHONES. Check them out, go catch them live, go download the songs or whatever it is you need to do to get a hold of a piece of this band. At some point soon, I should have their official video and hopefully even a live interview with these guys. In the meantime...make sure to pick up the TELEPHONES!

Jesse Adelman (guitar + vocals) and Bradley Albert (keyboards) of The Telephones met at Brown University, honing their musical chops in a shared basement before moving to Brooklyn, NY in 2001. Jesse worked to cultivate his natural ability for writing soulful, witty, southern-inflected indie rock, and the two have been consistently recording music ever since.

In 2002, the duo released their first EP, entitled "Music for Babies", following up in 2005 with the full-length "Fight Night at Rodeo Dodo". Bassist Anton Kreisl joined as a full-time member in 2007. The threesome took New York by storm, garnering critical acclaim ("Revved up new wave; poignant lyrics; oddball sense of humor" - Time Out New York) and rocking the city's best music venues.

Last year was a big year for The Telephones. Taking control of their own production for the first time, the band produced and recorded "Volume 1" (2009) - the first release in a planned series of self-produced and recorded EPs - in their own studio space. The Telephones are currently working on "Volume 2", slated for release in 2010. The band continues to grow a passionate East Coast following, having recently drawn over 200 fans to Mercury Lounge and over 400 at the Blender Theater. With the release of “Volume 1” and its lead track "Libertine", The Telephones have made it known that they are the best unsigned band in NYC, period.

Together, their influences range from Dylan to Pixies to Muddy Waters to Pavement to Canned Heat to T. Rex to Guns and Roses.

Instrumentation
Anton: bass
Bradley: keyboards
Jesse: guitars & vocals
Mystery: drums

Discography
Music for Babies (EP), 2001
Fight Night at Rodeo Dodo, 2005
Volume 1 (EP), 2009

Links

http://www.thetelephones.org/
http://www.sonicbids.com/epk/epk.aspx?epk_id=41734
http://www.myspace.com/telephoneland

Upcoming live dates
On Tuesday, June 29, your friendly neighborhood Telephones will be stone cold rocking the crap out of all the fishes in the East River, accompanied by SF DJ extraordinaire Vin Sol and a LITERAL BOATLOAD of drinkytime. Come on, sailors!

Tuesday, 29 June, 7pm
Rocks Off Concert Cruise!
Aboard the Half Moon
With DJ Vin Sol

Granny Wine!!

2010-06-03T18:53:00.002-04:00

Usually, I post material of this flagrant nature on Fridays but today, I must apologize. This couldn't not wait until tomorrow. WHOA GRANNY!!

DARK ARTS

2010-06-01T14:32:00.003-04:00

yep, so for the OFFICIAL Sunday vibes this summer, Breukelen Hifi presents DARK ARTS

We will be rocking at Cornerstone in BK 271 Adelphi Street @ the corner of Dekalb Avenue

oh yeah, and there will be LIVE painting by MartyMar54 to commemorate the launch!

Music by yours truly, Lord Khaliyl spinning BIG CHUNES...Vibes Meh up!! 9pm UNTIL!!

JUNKANOO & The Saxons vs The Valley Boys (A Cultural Tradition in and of The Bahamas)

2010-05-23T12:19:00.009-04:00

The word "Junkanoo" derived from an African slave master and trader named, "John Canoe" in the 17th century. These slaves were not allowed much freedom and would hide in the bushes when they had the chance. While in the bushes, they would dance and make music while covered in costumes that they made from various paints that they made and leaves that they found. This festival represented the slave's freedom from slavery.

Parades in Nassau are judged in various categories; A (or Major) Category, the B Category, Individual costume, and fun groups. The A category groups involved in the Nassau Junkanoo include The Shell Saxon Superstars (AKA The Saxons), The Valley Boys, The Music Makers, Roots, One Family and The Prodigal Sons (New). Groups of the past include, The Vikings and Chippie and the Boys. In the B category groups include One Love Soldiers, Clico Colours, Fancy Dancers, Fox Hill Congos, and Conquerors for Christ. Fun groups include The Pigs, Sting and Barabbas & The Tribe. The Tribe's debut was as an "A" category group, however, after years of bringing innovative techniques in music and costuming to Bay Street, they have returned to the spirit of Junkanoo, and are bringing the fun with a flair.

A Junkanoo parade is featured in sequences of the James Bond film Thunderball that occur in Nassau. The celebration was staged specifically for the movie since it was filmed at the wrong time of year, but local residents were enthusiastic, creating elaborate floats and costumes and involving hundreds of people. The parade was also featured in After the Sunset and Jaws The Revenge.

Junkanoo is also a fruit-flavoured soda produced by Pepsi-Co and is only available in The Bahamas, and also a modernized style of music produced by the Bahamian band Baha Men. This style can be found in their songs "Back To The Island" and "Mama Lay Lay Lay", among others.

Valley Boys at Practice:

Saxons at Practice:

Although much of this is unknown in many parts of the world, there has been an intense rivalry between these two bands for more than half of a century. Sometimes even pitting family members against one another, The Saxons and the Valley Boys have always been passionate in their respective pursuit of musical excellence. This has carried over into many aspects of life in the Bahamas. Almost in the same way that fraternity and sorority relations have in some cases affected employment at certain establishments, being either a Saxon or a Valley has been known to have a similar influence in The Bahamas. There is so much more I'd like to get into here but you will all just have to wait for the documentary.

In the meantime though, here is a little history on the two:

SHELL SAXONS SUPERSTARS (a Bahamian Tradition)

A group of young men are working furiously in the hot shed. Hanging in the air like a blanket is the almost unbearable heat and the smell of contact cement.

Despite the heat and closeness, the mood is light. There are jokes and loud laughter as nimble fingers manipulate shears, cardboard, glue, wire and styrofoam spread all around them. Everywhere cardboard and styrofoam are taking on lifelike shapes, then covered with multicolored paper and sparkle. Who are these people? What are they doing? They are, if you please, the brains behind the costumes of the Shell Saxon Superstars Junkanoo group.

Most of them have never had any formal art training, but are still considered among the best artists in the country. They are working on a six-month project that takes them away from their families, jobs and most social activities. They are preparing for Junkanoo.

Junkanoo is a Bahamian festival of dancing, costumes and the music of goat skin drums, cowbells, and horns. It is but a fragment of an almost forgotten African ancestry. Junkanoo is the closet most Bahamian will get to the culture of their African heritage.

The men and women of the Saxons are keeping this Junkanoo culture alive with the same unbending determination as many other Junkanoo groups in the country. But the Saxons, with membership numbering in the tens of thousands, are special for some very special reasons.

For thousands of Bahamians, the Saxons represent a culture unto themselves. Recruiting many of their numbers from Mason’s Addition and the surrounding grass root areas, the group exemplifies an identity of pride and belonging.

A typical example is veteran drummer Anthony Green Senior. Green is a long-time resident of Mason’s Addition. For him there is no social activity more important than his involvement with the Saxons. For as long as he can remember, he has been a part of the group, traveling with them living among them.

Over the years, Green has impressed upon his family the pride of belonging to the Saxons. Today at 40 something and a grandfather, Green still retains the Saxons fire; only now the fire has spread over his entire household.

For Green his wife and four children, they are a part of the Saxons and the Saxons are a part of them. Simply put, said Green “I’ve always been a Saxon and I will die a Saxon.”

This is what being a Saxon is all about, achieving great prestige as a member of a team which would likely be out of reach for the individual. Being a Saxon is as real as any other “over-the-hill” experience can get.

Over-the-hill or not the leadership and ranks of the Saxons are bulging with professionals and intellectuals. There is Dr. Philip Thompson, Chief Surgeon at the Princess Margaret Hospital. There is Jackson Burnside a gifted American trained architect, and there is Dr. Emmanuel Francis a dentist, who makes a smooth transition from the dentist office to Junkanoo dancer, and there are numerous other examples: Teachers engineers, bankers and brokers.

Professional or not, educated or not each member of the Saxons has a specific role to fill. Working side by side, the same loyalty is expected of everyone and each person is expected to carry his load.

Although the group origin is grass root, hopefuls come from all social, economic and racial backgrounds vying for a chance to “rush” with the mighty Saxons. What they discover, if they are accepted is a highly-disciplined, tightly-knit and structured organization. If a member cannot submit to the group’s codes of conduct, he is asked to leave.

Administration of the Saxons is controlled by an executive council. Council members include Jackson Burnside, Dr. Emmanuel “Manny” Francis, Dr. Philip Thompson, Arthur Gibson, Silbert Ferguson, Hubert Chipman, Trevor “Bubbles” Decosta, Willis “Koolaid” Bain and Bernard Davis.

Unchallenged as head of the Council and leader of the Saxons is Percy “Vola” Francis. Often called the King of the Saxons, Vola is a gifted artist, entrepreneur, charismatic showman and giant personality. He has lead the Saxons for almost three decades and is widely regarded as a Bahamian folk hero.
top

THE VALLEY BOYS (a Historical Perspective)

There is no doubt about it. Junkanoo has evolved into our “Super Bowl” of the Bahamas. Due to the participation of all the current groups, there is no local event that matches it in terms of intense preparation, spirited competition, media hype and spectacular color and performances.

That was not always the case, for at one time Junkanoo was not widely accepted. Participation and attendance was sparse and while the costumes of long fringes and tossil hats exhibited color, there was no true artistic content.

In 1958, a visionary in the form of Winston “Gus” Cooper formed a Junkanoo group along with friends from the Centreville area of New Providence, all mere teenagers at the time. Ms. Gwen Fountain, mother of one of the members was employed with Malcolm’s Garage and obtained sponsorship for the small group in the amount of fifteen pounds for the Boxing Day parade. The group received a consolation prize.

In 1959, Gus’s recruitment efforts continued and he attracted Doyle Burrows and Edward Fritzgerald two personalities who contributed significantly to the group’s initial stability and growth. In fact Doyle’s brother Deyanza, gave the group its name The Valley Boys, as the area from which the group originated was “a valley” between three hills, Centreville, Hawkins and Sears Addition hills.

The late Mr. Lenny Bartlett was an invaluable source of ideas and design concepts for Gus. He encouraged the use of crepe rather than tissue paper cut into three strips, for costumes and also advised on construction techniques.

The structure was established for The Valley Boys and at the Boxing Day 1960 parade, the group got its first taste of many victories with its theme Scottish Highlanders. With this victory, the group had changed the face of Junkanoo forever by cementing in the minds of competitors and judges alike the theme concept in Junkanoo, the artistic nature of crepe paper, and dance and performance movements, never before witnessed on the parade route.

The Valley Boys 1960 victory attracted the attention of others. Fr. Michael Eldon of St. George’s Church in the “heart of the Valley” (now retired Bishop) took a keen interest in the group. Gus’s attendance at St. John’s College resulted in the recruitment of other young men like Brian Gibson and Winston Sherman who eventually left to form The Vikings, which was a Junkanoo power in the 1960’s. This period however marked the growing broad acceptance of Junkanoo to the general populace as the Valley Boys was a group dominated by young men, all in high school.

In the early years as the Valley Boys were developing, another powerful organization, the Pioneers Sporting Club grew out of the bowels of the Valley and St. George’s Church. This track and field club was integrally linked to The Valley Boys, in that it had some of the very same members. Gus Cooper (Pioneers captain), Doyle Burrows, Perry Christie, Tommy Robinson, Ed Mcphee, Kenneth and Garth Darrel (deceased) and the late Fr. Dunstan Burrows, to name a few. All of these young men were prominent athletes in the 1960’s and there is no question that their discipline to train, spirit to compete and will to win automatically and positively influenced their approach to Junkanoo. The motto of the Pioneers was Venimus, Vidimus, Vicimus (We came, We Saw, We Conquered). This grouping of Pioneers/Valley Boys took that same passion to Junkanoo competition, fueling a participatory and winning record for the Valley Boys that is unrivaled.

If one were to track the personal development of so much of the young men who have been “touched” by the Valley Boys, particularly in the early years, one would find that they are well adjusted responsible individuals who have attained a reasonable level of personal achievement on our society. This kind of bonding is not easy for today’s youth. The thrust of our Cultural Centre will therefore be to inject that guidance, camaraderie and discipline that once existed between young people growing up in our country’s neighborhoods.

The Valley Boy’s consistent winning performance is unmatched over the last forty years. It has either lead, influenced or enhanced all of the major artistic developments in Junkanoo, as the group reacts very quickly to the competition. In 1965 The Vikings theme, Hibiscus, introduced a design concept to Junkanoo of built-on additions to the pants and shirt. They won.

Gus Cooper was in University during those years and was unable to react to the competition with his own built-on design until 1967 with Birds and Bees. The Valley Boys won that parade and regained its prominence and the pants and shirt era had ended in Junkanoo. In 1969, with the costume Sun Gods, three members of the group, Paul “Dougie” Major, Peter “Gold” Turnquest and Montgomery “Gummy” Mackey decided to enlarge their costumes significantly over the basic design and they were put in front of the group. This was the advent of lead costume pieces. In 1978 the Valley Boys introduced a major brass section to the group, following the lead of the Music Makers Group who were so successful with it in changing the face of Junkanoo music. In the 1980’s, under the direction and creativity of Paul Knowles, the group introduced the “Showtime” concept to Bay Street, with choreographed female dancers, thus expanding the participation of women in Junkanoo. All of these innovations have made Junkanoo the colorful spectacle it is today.

The growth of Junkanoo has overtaken the infrastructure to accommodate it. There is a constant debate on whether the venue should be changed from Bay Street to another site due to the size of costumes and groups. This growth has also affected the nature of the type of costume design and construction areas (Junkanoo shacks) required by groups. The valley Boys have moved from a Junkanoo shack of a garage in 1958 to ad hoc warehouse styled locations throughout New Providence over the years. Our history now determines that we have our own “home”, to continue to enrich our Junkanoo heritage as we approach the new millennium and our fifth decade of active participation.

FLAGRANT FRIDAY!!

2010-05-21T09:15:00.012-04:00

Main Entry: fla·grant
Pronunciation: \ˈflā-grənt also ˈfla-\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin flagrant-, flagrans, present participle of flagrare to burn — more at black
Date: 1513
: conspicuously offensive ; especially : so obviously inconsistent with what is right or proper as to appear to be a flouting of law or morality

— fla·grant·ly adverb
synonyms flagrant, glaring, gross, rank mean conspicuously bad or objectionable. flagrant applies usually to offenses or errors so bad that they can neither escape notice nor be condoned . glaring implies painful or damaging obtrusiveness of something that is conspicuously wrong, faulty, or improper . gross implies the exceeding of reasonable or excusable limits . rank applies to what is openly and extremely objectionable and utterly condemned .

...and here is an oldie but goodie! (one of my all time old time favorites)

THROWBACK THURSDAY!! ROLL IT GYAL!!

2010-05-20T17:07:00.004-04:00

Ah yes, let me go book my ticket right quick. Enjoy this until I return!

(Reissue for Flagrant Friday) What so EVER you do, do NOT click on THIS sentence!!

2010-05-14T15:26:00.000-04:00

YOU WERE WARNED!!! (we had to reissue this for Flagrant Friday)

Palance!!

2010-05-10T20:41:00.012-04:00

Palance, a song produced in Trinidad and Tobago by popular radio/TV personalities JW (Jason Williams) and Blaze, is a big hit for Trinidad and Tobago's 2010 Carnival. If you plan to be on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn this year for Labor Day, make sure you tote yuh palancin' shoes!!

Palance: A term used by Trinidadians which originated from three words which are PArty, Lime ANd danCE and hence the term palance.

"We had a big palance last night."

Port-Of-Spain, Trinidad (Sonique Solutions) –The celebrated morning show hosts and advocates of telecommunications powerhouse Bmobile have transitioned into the new stars of the Soca music arena.

Jason "JW” Williams and Ancil "Blaze” Isaac Jr. have been a part of Trinidad and Tobago’s pop culture landscape for the last few years in many regards with Jason being a former host of the popular "Party Time” television series and Blaze being a member of famed music sound system Sel Construction. However, in recent years the duo has become a household name through their on air comedy and antics on the "Red Hot Morning Show” on Red 96.7FM.

For 2010 Carnival, JW and Blaze have been gaining much more attention for their mega Soca hit "Palance” penned by master songwriter Kernal Roberts. The success of this tune has propelled them into the stratosphere of T&T’s entertainment elite, as they have been fan favourites in every major fete for the season leaving audiences ecstatic everywhere they go.

In the opinion of many Soca fans, Palance is poised to not only capture the Road March Championship for Carnival 2K10 but also to take the young, energetic performers to the top of the Bmobile Blackberry International Soca Monarch competition, a position regularly held by other more established Soca acts.

This year will not be JW and Blaze’s first year in such a contest forum, as they had previously made it to the Soca Monarch finals in 2007. The twosome are no musical novices either as they have released several tracks such as "Eat Ah Food”, "Bamceeology”, "Work” and "Ah Wah Go Home”.

Now touted as the new faces of Soca, both Jason and Blaze have been long time supporters of Bmobile and all of their efforts towards the upliftment of T&T’s culture. One such endeavour is Bmobile’s sponsorship of Synergy’s Soca Star competition season 5. The show and its sponsor play their part in consistently ensuring that the genre thrives through the fostering of a new generation of performers.

The excitement of Soca Star season 5 and the success of JW and Blaze have collectively given hope to many Soca aspirants and cultural enthusiasts.

"These Streets" by Tanya Stephens

2010-05-01T21:03:00.002-04:00

Tanya Stephens
Vivienne Stephenson, better known by her stage name Tanya Stephens (born 2 July 1973, Kingston, Jamaica) is one of the most influential reggae artists that emerged in the late 1990s. Stephens is most known for her hits "Yuh Nuh Ready Fi Dis Yet" — the single was later featured on the Reggae Gold 1997 compilation album — and "It's a Pity", which achieved Tanya international recognition as a one of a kind artist. Her album ‘Rebelution’ was released in August 2006 and the first single "These Streets" was a number one hit in the Caribbean staying on Tempo's Chart at number 1 for more than 4 weeks. The album was totally sold out in Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean. Tanya is ready again in 2010 to set a new precedence with her long awaited album Infallible.

Back In Times!!

2010-05-01T12:43:00.010-04:00

I know I know, being that I am 'you know who' from 'you know where' and I was in that group called 'you know what', I should've made this post a long time ago. That's all water under the bridge now though because I decided to go through the archives, blow the dust off the VHS tapes, pull the old cassettes out of storage, put on my t-shirt with the logo with the baby swinging that Captain Caveman club and really try to go back to the headspace of that time. It's been so long though, we're all grown, some of have kids, some of us are married, the music we listen to is different, the politics of the government is somewhat different, the fashion, the culture and pretty much ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that I can think of is different from back then. In the space of time between 1993 until 1997 and with only two albums on Warner Brothers (and as a group) we (alongside our peers) had a MAJOR impact on not only the music but the train of thought of the era in general. From Bootcamp Clik/Duckdown family, to Snoop Dogg, to Da Brat and all of the other music that released during that time period, you could just FEEL the difference in the way things felt. Even the air felt thicker, the tap water was tastier, just EVERYTHING was so much more colorful and full of life. Here is a list of about 25 of the other artist albums that were released in 1994 and in 1996. I also included a few music videos from that era (ours of course) so sit back, turn your headphones up and zone out. Enjoy this little piece of history.

Ambushed 1994

Other 1994 releases:

Nas: Illmatic (1994)

Gang Starr: Hard to Earn (1994)

Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth: The Main Ingredient (1994)

The Notorious B.I.G.: Ready to Die (1994)

MC Eiht: We Come Strapped (1994)

The Roots: Do You Want More?!!!??! (1995)

Jeru the Damaja: The Sun Rises in the East (1994)

The Beatnuts: The Beatnuts (1994)

House of Pain: Same as It Ever Was (1994)

Scarface: The Diary (1994)

Organized Konfusion: Stress: The Extinction Agenda (1994)

Common: Resurrection (1994)

OutKast: Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (1994)

Spice 1: AmeriKKKa's Nightmare (1994)

Gravediggaz: 6 Feet Deep (1994)

Redman: Dare Iz a Darkside (1994)

Keith Murray: The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World (1994)

O.C.: Word...Life (1994)

Brand Nubian: Everything Is Everything (1994)

Method Man: Tical (1994)

Warren G: Regulate... G Funk Era (1994)

Nice & Smooth: Jewel of the Nile (1994)

Casual: Fear Itself (1994)

Kurious: A Constipated Monkey (1994)

Public Enemy: Muse Sick-N-Hour Mess Age (1994)

GRAVITY 1996

Other 1996 releases:

Crucial Conflict: The Final Tic (1996)

Master P: Ice Cream Man (1996)

Xzibit: At the Speed of Life (1996)

Geto Boys: The Resurrection (1996)

UGK: Ridin' Dirty (1996)

Heltah Skeltah: Nocturnal (1996)

E-40: Tha Hall of Game (1996)

Jeru the Damaja: Wrath of the Math (1996)

The Roots: Illadelph Halflife (1996)

Lil' Kim: Hard Core (1996)

Westside Connection: Bow Down (1996)

2Pac: All Eyez on Me (1996)

Busta Rhymes: The Coming (1996)

Dr. Octagon: Dr. Octagonecologyst (1996)

Keith Murray: Enigma (1996)

Makaveli: The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (1996)

Prince Paul: Psychoanalysis: What Is It? (1996)

De La Soul: Stakes Is High (1996)

M.O.P.: Firing Squad (1996)

Redman: Muddy Waters (1996)

Fugees: The Score (1996)

OutKast: ATLiens (1996)

Mobb Deep: Hell on Earth (1996)

Ghostface Killah: Ironman (1996)

Jay-Z: Reasonable Doubt (1996)

..and now, back to our regularly scheduled videos

FLAGRANT FRIDAY....smell that FLAGRANCE!!! PT 2 (OLDIE BUT GOODIE)

2010-04-30T22:13:00.001-04:00

FLAGRANT FRIDAY....smell that FLAGRANCE!!! PT 1

2010-04-30T22:02:00.003-04:00

Thanks to my brother Nile for this one!! I know it's late but Friday is NOT over!!

Just To Get a Rep (Hip Hop DX interview with Tasha Denham, the ass't)

2010-04-28T12:34:00.003-04:00

Thanks to my man OJ for getting this to me, I hope this sheds a little more light on the matter.

The article is long, but worth the read. Thanks to my homie for getting me this.

http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/interviews/id.1535/title.tasha-denham-just-to-get-a-rep

Tasha Denham: "Just To Get A Rep?"

Tasha Denham:

The last week has stung the eyes and hearts of Hip Hop fans. Since the late 1980s, Keith "Guru" Elam gave us street scripture in poetical parables, weathered wisdom and a signature voice of reason. As if the announcement of Guru's death to cancer has not hurt enough, controversies have swept the media trying to understand Guru's last days, his bizarre relationship with musical partner John "Solar" Mosher and a suspicious and damaging last letter.

As the truths come to the light, one courageous woman has come forward. Tasha Denham considers herself a friend to Guru. On two different occasions, they temporarily lived under the same roof between 2006 and 2008. She was also an employee of Guru and Solar's 7 Grand Records, having served a tenure as Executive Assistant within the four-person operation. Lastly, Denham has a young daughter, that she says was fathered by Solar. Having witnessed those two-plus years on a personal, private and professional level, Tasha Denham's accounts come from one of the few people who was privy to the tight circle Solar and Guru kept.

This jaw-dropping and quite-lengthy interview was conducted just minutes after midnight this morning (April 27). As the contents below suggest, it is one first-hand account on the last chapter in the life of one of the most respected emcees in Hip Hop. Merely one person's testimony, but suspicions of foul-play are confirmed in vivid detail, and some background information is provided at a time when all of us who knew Guru, loved him, or lived by his verses are looking for answers.

HipHopDX: Thank you for speaking to us. To start, could you describe your relationship and the context of your relationship to the man the Hip Hop community knows as Solar, as well as Guru?
Tasha Denham: I met Guru and Solar in 2006. I actually met them out in Denver, [Colorado]. I was moving back to New York. I started a personal relationship with Solar and subsequently became pregnant by him, and had a child by him.

In the middle of 2006, a situation happened on tour. They needed some help with some business things - they were in Europe, and needed some things done in the States, and I happened to be able to help them out at that time.

By the end of 2006, I decided that I was going to leave and come back to Denver, due to issues that I was having with Solar in our personal relationship. At that time, because we weren't going to have a personal relationship, I wasn't able to help [7 Grand Records] anymore. After our daughter was born, I started talking to them again, and had just a personal relationship at that time with both Solar and Guru. I considered Guru a close friend of mine. Solar is obviously the father of my child.

In 2007, once again, they were over in Europe, and had some complications on tour. Their tour manager had to quit in the middle of the tour. So they had me do some stuff for them. It ended up working out well, and at that point in time, they decided to bring me on as an assistant for [7 Grand Records] and I was both of their personal-slash executive assistants, at the same time, it was a small record label, so I did whatever needed to be done to try and make the record label run smoothly. So I worked on a day-to-day basis with both Guru and Solar till about July, 2008.

DX: In regards to 7 Grand, I know you probably wore many hats in the day-to-day, but what was your specific title?
Tasha Denham: My specific title was executive assistant. That was the general title I was given.

DX: The Hip Hop perspective is, somewhere in 2004, Guru and Solar began working together musically. Do you know the context in how they came to know each other?
Tasha Denham: Everything I've been told, I've been told by them. I was not around at the time that they met. But my understanding is that in 2003 I believe, they became friends. They would hang out and party together. Guru, at the time, was still with [DJ] Premier [in Gang Starr]. They had the album, The Ownerz at that time. They were just friends. Solar ended up going on one of the Gang Starr tours with Guru in 2003, I believe. They were talking one night, and Solar [was listening] to Guru. [Guru] was expressing his displeasure with [Virgin/EMI Records] at that time. Solar said, "Well, if you're so unhappy with your label, why don't you start your own?" Guru thought about it a little, I guess, thought about it overnight, and then came back to Solar the next day and said, "I want to do this, man. Let's start the label." Solar was like, "I didn't mean us, I meant for you to start it." [Guru reportedly responded], "No. No, man. I want to do it together." At that point in time, Solar told him that if [Guru] wanted to do this, then he had to stop drinking. From that point on, that's when they decided to build 7 Grand Records.

DX: It's a weird question to ask, but I know that what you're telling me a lot on pre-2006 is based entirely on what you've heard, but it's an important question to the Hip Hop community, in the wake of last Tuesday's letter - do you know the context from that Ownerz Tour of the relationship that Solar and DJ Premier may have had with each other? A lot of people believe that Premo has been [attacked by these words Solar may have written in the letter]. A lot of people are curious to know if Solar would have any motive.
Tasha Denham: Um...I do know that there were at least some tensions. I wasn't there, obviously, so I can't say to what extent. But I do know that there was some tensions. I can't say that anything Solar had against Premier had to be one specific incident. Just watching, over the time that I spent with them, Solar had such a twisted sense of how important [his own role] was to the music game. I think there was an extensive amount of jealousy towards what Premier had already created in the music industry. I can't speak that there was one specific incident that created that animosity between them.

DX: As a member of the press, often times, prior to an interview, Premier's name and Gang Starr were often not allowed to be mentioned at all. Did you know anything, as far as behind-closed-doors for the motives in that?
Tasha Denham: I definitely know that press was told, numerous times, not to speak on Gang Starr, not to ask questions on Gang Starr or Premier. And [press was told], that if they were to speak on it, the interview would pretty much be over. I know this because I was the one who told the press this a lot of times. I was required to prep people ahead of time, basically, on what questions were going to be acceptable, and that they wanted to focus on 7 Grand at the time, and whatever album at the time was coming out, and not on the past - it didn't matter. Again, I believe it all stemmed from...I think when Solar got into [the music industry], I feel that he thought it was just gonna take off like that. They were gonna have instant love around the world, instant fame, instant fortune from this label. I don't think he got the realities of quite how hard it was gonna be to overcome the legacy that [Gang Starr] had together. I think that his jealousy of both Premier and Guru's fame around the world - yeah, there's a lot of people who don't know who they are, but anybody who really knows Hip Hop, and especially in Europe and such, it's insane amounts of love and fame out there. Solar would go places and people would want Premier, they wouldn't want Solar. Not because they hated Solar, but because they didn't know Solar. They wanted the legendary Gang Starr, with its producer.

You know, I understand Guru wanting to move on and create things on his own. He did, withJazzmatazz, way before Solar even came around. But before, I think he didn't understand that maybe it could be both. I think what's distanced Solar so much from so many of the Gang Starr fans is he always acted like he was in competition with Premier instead of taking the natural route that he was Guru's partner now, after Premier. [Instead, Solar] came across with so much anger about it. He truly believes that Premier was financing a campaign agaist him on the Internet - a hate campaign.

DX: Wow. Like a website or just through message board and comment section posts?
Tasha Denham: Message boards as a whole. Whether it be your MySpace or through an article on HipHopDX or another one of the Hip Hop sites. Anything that was put on there that was negative, Solar felt like Premier was fueling that - not that there was fans out there that didn't appreciate Solar's music, that didn't appreciate what Solar called his "genius," that they didn't appreciate the fact that Solar was saying, "I remixed all of Gang Starr's tracks and they sound so much better now." One thing after another.

I have had a lot of people reach out to me since Guru's passing - and before, when he was in the hospital that knew I worked for them and knew I was close, at one point in time, to them. [They said], "I always thought it was strange, 'cause I'd come up to them at a concert and I'd want to take a picture with just Guru. But if I wanted a picture, I had to take one with both Guruand Solar." If he was gonna do an interview, it had to be both Guru and Solar. Guru was not allowed to do interviews by himself.

DX: I interviewed Premier in December 2005 in New York shortly after the break-up was implied. Premier expressed that the group was simply on glorified hiatus. I interviewed Guru and Solar in spring of 2006, and Guru was very resistant to even my question to whether Big Shug's "Counterpunch," which featured Guru, would be the last time fans would hear his voice on a DJ Premier beat. In interviews to come, for various outlets, Guru said some harsh things. You're one of the few people he seemed to speak a lot to in recent years. In your private conversations with Guru, was that [sentiment] really there?
Tasha Denham: There was definitely some distaste. I don't want to go as far as "bitterness." I think of it had been put into his head. I don't know if he truly felt some of the things he said in his heart. He was convinced, by Solar, that back in maybe 2003, 2004, Guru was held up and mugged in Queens, [New York]. Solar convinced Guru, at that point in time, that Premier had put the hit out on him, and Premier wanted him dead.

DX: Wow.
Tasha Denham: He got that into Guru's head, and he got that drilled into Guru's head that that's what happened. I have to believe that that's where some of his distaste came from. He did say things that he was unhappy with, from his past. A lot of it had to do with contractual things. There were situations that he got into contractually that he felt like he had kind of gotten the short-end of the stick, if you want. Not from Premier, but [from Virgin Records and management]. Any of his anger that he had or any of his ill words that he had, I think a lot of them were not really heartfelt. I may be wrong, but I can only take my own judgement. I think that a lot of it was that Solar had him so convinced that all these people were against him: [Gang Starr/Empire manager] Phat Gary, Premier, all the people from the Gang StarrFoundation - Big Shug. I actually just spoke to Lil Dap from Group Home. I've never spoken to him before. I didn't know him, but I knew of him, of course. I knew of him through Guru. He called to express his condolences [and say] "We're all in this together. We all want to see Guru's legacy move on in the best way possible." I think that's what Guru missed out on so much [in] his last few years, because I think he was so distanced from these people because of Solar that he started to forget how much people really did care about him. They didn't just care about him as an artist. I think if Guru never did another Gang Starr record, I truly believe that all of them would've still cared about Guru. For me, anybody's really been touched by Guru and been around Guru knows Guru as a man, they know what a kind person he is. Anybody who's really met him and knows him as a person, they loved him no matter what. I don't think it was always about the music. Lil Dap expressed that to me, that Guru was like a brother to him. They started out at the same time. Guru had to be one of the kindest people I knew. He would give you even when he did not have.

It hurts me to read this [last] letter. If he did write this letter - which I truly have my doubts on, I can't say that some of it was not things that they had spoken on before, and stuff that Solar put it into words himself. I'm not gonna say that, I wasn't there. Do I believe Guru wrote the letter word-for-word or even sentence-by-sentence? I don't believe that. I really hope that Guru didn't spend his last moments of consciousness with hate like that. I didn't know Guru to be like that. I didn't know Guru to be a hateful person. There were other people in Guru's life that Solar had spoken ill of to Guru and had convinced Guru [were] against him. In speaking to Guru in private, Guru himself wasn't always convinced of that. Guru didn't always believe, but at the same time, he didn't always want to speak that back to Solar because it would've not been a good situation either.

DX: New York is a big place, but it's a small place, especially in the Hip Hop industry. A few artists worked with Guru and Solar on early 7 Grand releases - Talib Kweli, Jean Grae, Damian Marley...
Tasha Denham: Common.

DX: Right. These guys weren't just studio rats, so to speak. How close did it get, not in terms of it being a feud or anything, but you think there would have been contact with people that could get Guru's mind right, old peers...
Tasha Denham: Honestly, pretty much, they kept themselves secluded from the Hip Hop world. They did not go out in New York City very often at all. It was a very rare occurrence, after Guru stopped drinking, that they would go out in New York. It wasn't because of Guru's drinking that they stopped going either.

When Guru stopped drinking, when he decided to stop drinking, he stopped drinking. Solar drinks Corona [beers] every single day. Solar would send Guru to the store to buy his Coronas for him. When Guru stopped drinking, he stopped drinking. Guru could have a bottle in his house, he wasn't gonna drink it. He made that decision. When they toured, he was in nightclubs every night. He stopped drinking.

I truly believe that...Solar made it that "there's so much hate out there for us. Being New York, Premier and them are out there, blah, blah, blah." So they didn't go. They didn't even take shows in New York most of the time. There was always an excuse. Shows in Boston, there was always an excuse as to why they weren't gonna do that show. All the tracks that had [featuring artists], they were all sent [to Guru and Solar]. They didn't do those in the studio, personally, with any of those artists. I cannot speak of one single artist that was actually in the studio with them. Most of the time, it was all through management, so on and so forth. So there weren't any opportunities for other artists to help bridge that gap because first of all, if Guru ever had the opportunity, Solar was standing right there.

Guru was never around anyone in the industry without Solar standing right next to him. He never did an interview unless Solar was right there. If somebody was to say, "Yo Guru, when's there gonna be another Gang Starr album?" Guru would just knock it down right away, because if that got brought up and that became an issue, it would be become a [problematic issue] between him and Solar.

Guru and I spoke privately about who was that one person who could help give us that one hit for 7 Grand. He and Fat Joe were always really close, back in the day, and that was one of the people I know he thought about reaching out to. I can't say that he ever did, out of fear that Solar wouldn't agree with it, and Solar would find a reason not to, and it would become a problem again.

DX: For the record, you and I spoke privately before this interview. There's a reason why it's not the first question, and that largely comes from respect for Guru and his legacy and distaste for some of the unfounded rumors running right now. However, I have to ask, as MTV's Sway Calloway so effectively worded last week to Solar, from your perspective, were Guru and Solar engaged in a relationship of "a romantic nature?"
Tasha Denham: I spent extreme amounts of time with both Guru and Solar, both individually and altogether. I traveled with them. At one point in time, I stayed in Guru's house for several weeks. I, myself, never saw any indication of it being a romantic or sexual relationship. I do have a child with [Solar]. I know that there's many men out there that are homosexuals that have children, so that does not say that he's not. I, however, do not believe he is. I never saw any indication of that. I never saw any type of affection in that way, if you want. I saw Guru interested in women. Obviously when I was around, Solar was with me at that point in time, but at the same time, I have my feelings that there were probably other women as well. I never got the feeling that it was homosexual. It angers me, the rumors that I hear out there - not from people like Sway. The way he asked, it was absolutely appropriate. He asked as a journalist. But I have read things, on the Internet of course, that have really disgusted me, because they're being spoken by people that don't have facts. They're just giving an opinion that they're stating as a fact, and I think they're forgetting that both of these men have children. Both of these men have families. Both of these men, especially Guru, has a legacy to be upheld. To sit and put something as trivial as that into the mix [with such little care], is foul. I don't think it's appropriate. If somebody has something that's concrete, then by all means. But if you're only speculating, and because they had a very close relationship, and bizarre relationship to most, that you can't believe that they could have the kind of relationship without it being sexual, I disagree.

I think the way Solar is, he needed it to be that way, because that's the way of control. You get somebody, and you distance them from everyone else. They see you on a daily basis. You're their man day in and day out, the first person you talk to in the morning, the last person you talk to before you go to bed, that's gonna be the person you're gonna turn to for everything. That's the way to best control someone. I don't ever believe it was sexual.

DX: As the details play out, a few people have commented that this is reminiscent of Selena Gomez' story. Did you sense a kind of [platonic] worship, on Guru, from Solar?
Tasha Denham: Absolutely not. It was actually the opposite. It was almost like because he had that legacy and all those years in music, it was like he had a distaste for [Guru] because of that.

DX: As a close associate, an employee, all these things. When was the first time you started to notice that things were not normal or healthy?
Tasha Denham: [Pauses] I think it came pretty early on, really. One of the defining moments to me when I knew something was...it was the way Solar spoke to Guru. It was always down to him. He really belittled him, and would do it in front of other people. This wasn't something he just did in private. He is a member of The [Five Percent] Nation of Gods and Earths, as is Guru. He would use that against him, to bring him down. It was important to both of them, very important. I believe Guru's a pleaser; he liked to make people happy. [Solar] would tell him that the Nation of Gods and Earths are ashamed of him, they're disappointed in him. That he doesn't live up to their teachings. I can't think of the word that they used. There was a lot of times they'd get into arguments over it. He'd sit, and Guru would try to defend himself, and Solar would just get more and more irate over it.

There was one night we were at Guru's house. I was about three months pregnant at the time. Guru kept defending himself. Guru actually stood up and kind of got in Solar's face about it. Next thing I know, Solar punched him in the face. From that point in time, he just started kicking him and hitting him. Guru was fighting back, he wasn't just sitting there being a punk, but at the same time, Guru had severe asthma. He didn't have his inhaler. He started really hyper-ventalating and really having a hard time, and Solar kept beating him. It wasn't a fight anymore, it was beating him. I felt that it was so bad that I got in between the two of them and broke it up, because I knew he wouldn't hit me of course. At that point in time, I was pregnant with his child.

Instead of stopping and making sure his partner, friend, "brother" - as he calls him was okay, Guru was sitting there saying, "I'm having an asthma attack. I need to go to the hospital. I think I'm gonna have a heart attack." He's bleeding, really shaking. Instead of stopping and calming himself down, [Solar] told me, "We're leaving," and goes and gets in the car and drives me back to the city. [He] didn't call and check on Guru, didn't make sure he was alright. That's probably one of the first times I was like, "Wow, this relationship is really unhealthy. It's a really sick relationship." After that, if I didn't physically see it myself...I saw [Guru] punched in the face numerous times with no provocation. It [would just be] that he'd get upset with something Guru would say and punch him in the face. I know he knocked a tooth out of Guru's. I know he gave him a black eye [so Guru would] have to wear glasses for photo-shoots and concerts. To listen to [Solar] talk to [Guru], you'd think he was talking to a child sometimes. Guru would tell me how bad that hurt him. He'd say, "Back when we were just friends, he never would have spoken to me this way. He always treated me with respect. Now that we're doing this record label, he has no respect. He treats me this way." There was a fear in him. Solar had distanced him from everything in his life: his family, his ex-partner, the whole Gang Starr Foundation and the music industry, really, as a whole. Guru spent a lot of time alone. A lot of time, if he wasn't with Solar, he was by himself. It was his son or Solar.

He would tell me that since the label wasn't as successful as they originally thought, he just wanted to go away. He just wanted to disappear. He wanted to go to Europe, or go to L.A. and do voice-over work and quit the whole music industry as a whole. He wanted to go back to being a regular guy, like a mailman. It got worse and worse.

Unfortunately, in about July of 2008 is when I was banished from the circle because I wouldn't follow orders that were given to me. At that time, Guru was instructed that he was to have no more contact with me. Without Solar's knowledge, we stayed in contact throughout 2008, till the end of 2008. I had a lot of business information that they didn't have access to, and Guru would need it for different things. He couldn't ask Solar to ask me, 'cause we didn't speak. He couldn't ask Solar [for permission] to speak to me, 'cause Solar would be angry that Guru didn't have [the information]. So he'd contact me. I knew that things weren't getting any better. He'd tell me that Solar was checking his emails. I was also informed that, the longer and longer it went, that Solar even took Guru's phone away for days at a time. Guru wasn't allowed to have a personal life at all. Even when they were on tour, he took Guru's inhaler from him and told him that he wasn't allowed to use it, because it was a crutch, and that he didn't really need it...It just breaks my heart that [Guru] was suffering that way.

DX: Premier said it prior to last week on his radio show, Guru was a tough dude. I knew that about him when I first crossed paths with him when Gang Starr was still in tact. You're guessing like I could guess, but what do you think it was that prevented him from really fighting back and/or walking away?
Tasha Denham: His own fear. His insecurities. His twisted sense of loyalty to Solar. He credited Solar with helping him stop drinking. Guru's town-home, several years ago, burned down. At that point in time, Solar let him come live at his house with his family. So Guru looked at things like that. Guru never took credit himself for quitting drinking. When he decided to stop smoking weed, he just did it. He did it. But yet, when he was still smoking weed, Solar controlled that. Solar kept the weed and would only give Guru what he wanted him to smoke.

[Guru] was dedicated to changing and making his life better. He was a vegetarian, he was working out daily. He was dedicated to his son, and he loved that kid like no other. He wanted to make sure he was healthy, to be around for his son.

I think that he was so scared that if he broke away from Solar that he just didn't know what was next. He didn't always have the support around him on a daily basis. He knew there were people out there that would help him. But when you're not hearing it daily, and you're not around people daily that are telling you these things, it's hard to prevent to break away from the person who is there on a daily basis. They're bringing out your insecurities. Instead of talking about your positives, they're bringing out your faults. He was just scared. I told him before I left, "Guru, you've got to get away. If you don't get away, he's gonna kill you." He was being so abusive to him, physically. Guru was not a punk. Guru would not have taken that from anyone else. No one else. No one. I can't even imagine.

Solar's a bully. He's all talk. He preys on people [that] he can bully. If you won't go along with Solar and you won't let him control you, he will have nothing to do with you. He couldn't control me, and that's why he got rid of me. As soon as [DJ] Doo Wop quit working for them, Guru wasn't allowed to speak to Doo Wop anymore. A man that had been in his life, on a daily basis for almost five years, and he'd known for almost 15, he wasn't allowed to speak to him anymore. Guru was so sick [from the cancer] by that point in time too.

DX: In the later years of their life, what would Guru and Solar do with their free time, especially since they were removed from the Hip Hop industry?
Tasha Denham: Guru's day-to-day basis was basically business all day and studio in night. He had to fit in time to see his son. There were times when he'd want to go to Boston to see his family - his mother was ailing as well, as his father's getting up there in age, and Solar would tell him he couldn't go because he needed to be in the studio. Yet, Solar, during the day, I'd talk to him on the phone, and he'd be laying out in the sun, tanning. Or he'd be working out in the gym. He'd work out like two hours a day. Or he'd be out to dinner with his family. He'd call and give us orders on what to do, work-wise, but who really ran 7 Grand Records? Guru put his heart and soul in that.

DX: Did the label have other employees, besides the three of you and the band?
Tasha Denham: Guru did a lot of the stuff. I filled in whatever role. There was times where Guru would refer to me as their "head of video promotions" or this or that, because there wasn't people there to take those roles on. I helped them with tour booking, routing tours, whatever needed to be done. Guru taught me so much, because I'd never done this. I kind of fell into this. I happened to have a knack for it, as far as their label was concerned. Guru was learning himself too. Because any other tour he'd ever done had always been through a major record label. He'd always had the support of a major. They also had Solar's now-come-to-find-out-wife [Denise Sandoval], who knows about me obviously, working as, I'm gonna say, their accountant. She'd fill in different places as well. Solar has an older daughter that would help out with some Internet stuff. A lot of the other stuff, we'd outsource. We worked with [4Sight Media] for a while, and [Public Wizard]. So there were people involved, but none more than the four of us - Solar, myself, Denise and Guru were.

DX: I find this all to be pretty interesting. Not for nothing, one of my interviews with Guru and Solar, whether it was 2006 for AllHipHop, 2007 for Skope magazine or one of them in 2008 for DX, Solar told me that he had an extensive record collection of his own. Obviously, I know that the Hip Hop community was hard on him initially, being that he did not have production credits prior to Guru and called himself "Super Producer Solar." However, to be fair, did you find him to be a very musical person in your time together?
Tasha Denham: By the time that I came into it, he was already working extensively and exclusively with Guru. Everything that I've been told was told to me from Solar or from Guru, from before [2006]. So I've come to find a lot of the things that Solar told me over the years were absolutely false. How much of what he told me, I'm not sure how much to believe. He did tell me he had a studio before he ever met Guru. He told me that he used to do beats just on his spare time, and this is something he used to just do for fun; he never thought of it as a career. He used to tell me he wishes he just kept it as fun and not as fame. I almost say that with a laugh, 'cause it was all about fame for him. I believe, in hindsight - and everything is hindsight, because obviously, when I met him, I didn't see these things, I believe that he saw a meal-ticket in Guru. Instant fame, instant fortune.

DX: Not to interrupt you. But you spoke about their context of meeting each other. Both were always elusive about that, though they had once told me in an interview about Solar helping Guru stop drinking. We aren't here to throw anybody under the bus, but for the interest of facts, do you know what it was that Solar did for a living? Did that ever come up? He had told press that he worked with at-risk youth, as did Guru.
Tasha Denham: I've been told numerous things, again. Everything I've been told, [I have] not seen first-hand. I've been told at one point in time, [Solar] worked for the MTA [New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority]. I had been told that he was in the military. I have been told in one point in time that he worked on Wall Street. I had been told at one point in time that he dealt drugs. We're talking numerous things across the board.

I've been told that he and - who I'm now finding out is his legal wife, which I was not aware was his legal wife -- Denise Sandoval. I know her another by another name ("Asia"). Just like Solar doesn't go by John, she doesn't go by Denise Sandoval. I was not aware until Birthplacemagazine came out with it, that she was his legal wife. Guru was never aware that she was his legal wife. Guru told me things that he wasn't always supposed to tell me. If he had honestly known, I truly believe he would've told me the truth on that one. I don't think he ever knew. That's supposed to be his best friend. Solar didn't even want to admit the truth about that in his life.

I do believe that he probably did work for MTA. That's one of the ones I believe, I think. Everything else, I'm really not sure myself. If anybody can shed light on that, it'd be interesting to me as well. [Laughs] I do know that they had foster kids, supposedly at one time. Because he has used that against me at times, and told me that he's much more capable of raising children than I'd ever be 'cause he has had foster kids. I never saw that though, so I can't say that he ever did have foster kids, or if he was registered to have foster kids.

Guru had numerous jobs. He was a regular guy. He was a teacher at one point in time. He [attended] the Fashion Institute [of Technology] at one point in time. He did numerous regular jobs, I can't even think of them off the top of my head.

DX: In "The P.L.A.N.E.T." he rapped about working in a mail-room when he first arrived to New York.
Tasha Denham: Yep! [Laughs] He did so many regular jobs. Guru, as everybody knows, came from a prestigious family. He had every thing offered to him growing up. His brothers and his sisters, they're writers and they're lawyers, and they're successful professors, so on and so forth. For Guru to go off and do this was breaking the mold; his dad was a judge in Boston. It's what [Guru] really believed in. It's part of him. It wasn't just music to him, it was a part of who he was. It was something he felt like he had to do.

DX: You mentioned Europe. I reviewed and listened to a lot of Guru's later solo work and his albums with Solar. Although they never captured the sonic success of his Gang Starr or first two volumes of Jazzmatazz, they were solid albums that a lot of fans and press domestically ignored. With so much touring, from your 7 Grand experience, can you tell us about their reception abroad?
Tasha Denham: Overseas, I think is much more open and flexible with things than Americans are. From everything to what their tours paid overseas to the turn-outs, they'd do concerts in [unique] places like South Africa and they did one in Spain, with tens of thousands of people there. A lot of them were festivals, yes, but Guru would be one of the headliners. They definitely received more love overseas, more money overseas. These people, they were fans. At the same time, a lot of them were Gang Starr fans. There was still controversy overseas, just like in the U.S., about the Gang Starr situation versus 7 Grand Records. They were bringing in what I would say is triple [the amount of money] overseas for shows to what they were getting here, at least.

They were floating. The label definitely wasn't as successful as anybody would have liked it to have been, but in one respect, it was a new label, an independent label. It was not a major label. They were in a really tough economic time, and a tough time for the music industry. With everything now going digital, it's hard for labels now to make the same kind of money they used to be able to make. Guru was funding a lot of it himself, and there was the money coming in, but a lot of it was being funded from stuff Guru had [additionally]. They were floating. It wasn't successful in the way that they had hoped, but they stayed around. They were still booking shows up until January when Guru was so sick that he shouldn't have even be doing shows, they were still booking them.

DX: So, based on your experience. What happens to Solar now?
Tasha Denham: I'm not sure what his motivation is. Everything he puts out there, he [uses to discredit other people]. [His] going to speak to Sway on MTV, I don't understand the motivation. He's just giving himself more rope to hang himself. He's just looking more and more guilty in everything he speaks, because he's so blatantly...it's so blatantly not true, the things he's saying. He embellishes things so much. But I truly believe he believe the things he says.

DX: -- Not to interrupt you. But it's worth noting, there is a "#FuckSolar" campaign on Twitter and in message boards. Several extremely respected rappers and actors have joined in on that. Is Solar the type of guy that is watching all of these comments and tweets? You say this somebody who really wants fame...
Tasha Denham: He reads everything he can find on the Internet. He'll see this article tomorrow as soon as its posted. Between [HipHopDX], AllHipHop.com, he's obviously on his Twitter, I think it's probably just gnawing at the very core of his being. Peoples' perception is so important to him, even if it's a false perception. When I was [at 7 Grand], he'd be the one to tell me not to tell him if I saw negative things written about them. Yet he'd seek them out. He went looking for them. He would read so much and tell me not to tell Guru if I saw it. You know, the funny thing is, Guru could handle it. He'd been doing it for so long, he knew everything wasn't gonna be positive. I know [Solar] is looking at all these things, all these other artists that are just disgusted by his behaviors, and disgusted with the way this has all come out, and made subliminal comments on Twitter as to situation, and it's gotta be killing him. These are respected artists in the music industry. He has to know, now, with the feelings that people have towards him in the music industry, there is no music career left for him. Who's gonna work with him?

DX: It's a gritty conversation we've just had. Not for nothing, you lost a dear friend. Let's end on a positive note. What's your favorite memory with Guru?
Tasha Denham: I have so many things, so many memories of us, as friends. Just the regular, everyday kind of memories are the things that stick out to me the most. Of course he was an artist. But I look at Guru as my friend. He was there for my daughter's first birthday. I got kicked out of my apartment in New York because Solar had a problem with my landlord and Guru's the one who drove to New York City [from 45 miles away] and helped me carry all my stuff down three flights of stairs, load it in his truck and bring it to his house, and let me stay at his house for several weeks. He was the person, that if I needed someone to talk to, I could pick up the phone and call. Those are the things. He was just a regular guy, but he was such a kind person. We all went to the zoo one day, with the kids. Guru's son was there. He was just a dad that day. He wasn't Guru. Even after 21 years of living with fame, and yet we'd go to a place and hear, "Yo, that's Guru," and it almost always seemed to kind of take him by surprise, 20 years later.

This legacy deserves to be cherished. His son deserves to grow up loving and respecting his father for the person and artist that he was, instead of rumors and speculation.

DX: Lastly, and one question a colleague expressed his curiousity with. You mentioned earlier that Guru comes from a prestigious family. Do you think action will be taken?
Tasha Denham: No. I really hope so. I've spoken to a member of his family before his passing. I got the opportunity to speak ti him before his passing, and after his passing, we've exchanged words. I right now they're dealing with the loss so much. They're dealing with legal issues right now. As everybody's aware, [the Elam Family] was able to retrieve the body. Not having contact with him for so many years, there's a lot of things left up in the air that they're still trying to deal with, as well as the emotions. I think that his family absolutely has his son's best interest in heart. I think that his family has the knowledge, the power and the support behind him [including mine]. His son deserves to know his father, and his son deserves to be the one that benefits from his father's success over the years, not someone else.

It's funny, because I was looking through emails the other day. Just random emails from back when I was working for them, and still in contact from that. I found one from a point in time when Solar and I were no longer speaking anymore, yet he wrote me an...email. His last words in that email were to me, "Fortunes are made, not extorted." I wish at this point in time, Solar could look back at that and take his own advice.

Rita comes to Breukelen!

2010-04-27T21:03:00.007-04:00

"Love Songs For Low Lives"

It's not everyday that you get to here the truth. You don't always get the honesty that most artists claim to embody. It's rare that you can actually see the colors in the music anymore. This is really for those times and about those people and from those places...a Saturday night, bottle of wine, candles alight, playin' it kinda loud but not being obnoxious with it. Reminds me of something. Just letting your spirit guide it all and just going with it. Funny thing is, I'm listening to the lp while typing this and it's taking me about 4 hours to 'knock it out' because I keep zoning off with every song that comes on. Be right back, gotta go pour some more wine...........I LOVE THIS RECORD!! The snaps, crackles, pops and all. This is the realest body of work I've heard in decades...and I'm only 30-something. It's like the realness in my dad's music (Exuma the Obeah Man...a piece on him soon). Anyway, back to Rita. I'm pretty much stuck on San Andreas Falls. It's like Portishead met Fiona Apple while on the way to go hanging out with Res. All in all, make sure you have this record in your collection. I got MINEZ!! Dangit, gotta go get another bottle of wine!!

The OFFICIAL 1987 Flatbush getaway vehicle!!

2010-04-25T18:32:00.003-04:00

So here I am thinking about ALL of the wild stuff we used to do back in the days when Flatbush was known as "The Bush". When the only time we really saw red and blue was when "the beast" was coming sirens blaring!! You could actually walk down the street with a blunt AND a Heineken, the most they would do is make you put the L out and pour the beer in the gutter....the Biltmore Era (I'll save that story for another post), man those were the days. Everyone was in a posse, I remember because I was down with a few. There was Mean Guy Posse, Bedrock Posse, Izod Posse, Vanderveer International Posse, Brooklyn's Most Wanted, Flatbush Pulley Kids, Lost Boys, Young Guns, 21st Posse, Avenue H Boys, etc. Anyway, before I go off on a tangent, I wanted to talk about the getaway vehicle of choice in those days, The Honda Elite!! This was fast enough to escape foot and bike patrol, small enough to dip into small spaces, alleys and in and out of traffic, fly enough to have your shorty ride on the back while you show up to Biltmore Ballroom or the Ark or whichever dancehall you were going to at the time and light enough to carry upstairs if you didn't live on the first floor. Supercat, Shabba Ranks, Frankie Paul, Special Ed, Chubb Rock, Stone Love, Addies, Sting International and anything coming out of Don One studios were all screaming through the little factory speakers but we didn't care that they strained, we just knew that we was GEEZIN!! In the great words of Special Ed, "I'm kinda fond o' Honda scooters got 74". Long live the 80's (in Flatbush, Breukelen)!!

GOLIMAR!! (Flagrant FRIDAYS addendum!!)

2010-04-23T20:01:00.010-04:00

Sorry, almost waited until next week with this one. Obviously I couldn't. EVERYBODY wants to be like Mike!!

Gyptian: Song and Dance

2010-04-23T14:11:00.004-04:00

Hands down the hottest ting pon the deck right now there is NO escaping this chune!! It also seems that there is no escaping the countless home made youtube dance videos inspired by this song!! I know EVERYONE thinks they cyan MADD DEM but right now, I want you to find somebody to "Hold Yuh" and if you're unsure how...I will let Gyptian et al tell it:

FLAGRANT FRIDAYS IS BACK...but WTH?!?

2010-04-23T11:07:00.004-04:00

oh and ummmm:

Shafiq Husayn featuring Bilal "Cheeba"

2010-04-23T09:34:00.001-04:00

Need I say more??

Hard To Earn: Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal

2010-04-23T08:39:00.006-04:00

A very sad moment earlier this week when I got the news that Keith Elam passed form. After waging a year long battle with cancer Keith (also known as Guru of the influential and legendary hip hop group Gangstarr), did not leave this battlefield and his mic has been retired. Along with his partner DJ Premier/Primo, Guru painted a gritty landscape and helped to define that "NY hip hop sound". After branching out a bit, Guru also developed a hip hop/jazz series called Jazzmatazz which solidified Guru's position as a viable producer as well. In the span of over twenty years, Guru's efforts have helped to launch as well as revive the careers of many artists that we still love and appreciate to this day. I am taking this moment to show some appreciation for a true hip hop hero. Not gone, Not forgotten....your name and legacy will live on. Thank you for everything that you've blessed us with.

Free Guru Mix by Lord Sear:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/utlh06

How the HECK did they DO that???

2010-04-20T23:41:00.006-04:00

The Thrill of It!

2010-04-10T23:39:00.008-04:00

This is the future of music. I am extremely inspired by these guys. I could go on and on about my personal thoughts on the state of music and what a breath of fresh air this is and all of that but the reality is...I would be distracting you from enjoying and appreciating the moment. Without any further delay, I present to you.....RR!

Frontman Robert Randolph was trained as a pedal steel guitarist in the House of God Church and makes prominent use of the instrument in the band's music. Randolph, a native of Irvington, New Jersey,[1] began playing the steel guitar in the House of God Church. The instrument is referred to in many African American Pentecostal churches as Sacred Steel. Randolph was discovered while playing at a sacred steel convention in Florida.
Randolph cites Stevie Ray Vaughan as a primary influence in his own technique and style. The group's sound is inspired by successful 1970s funk bands such as Earth, Wind & Fire and Sly & the Family Stone, another multicultural band composed of former members of the Church of God in Christ. Randolph himself has explained that in his adolescent years before his discovery by the secular community, he was almost completely unaware of non-religious music, saying "I never heard of the Allman Brothers, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, none of them. I wasn’t into that music, only the church thing."
The first Robert Randolph & the Family Band album, Live at the Wetlands, was released in 2002, recorded live just prior to the club's closing. The band released their studio debut, Unclassified on August 5, 2003. They attracted the attention of Eric Clapton, and have subsequently toured as a supporting act with the English blues guitarist. Clapton also guested on their new album Colorblind on the track "Jesus Is Just Alright".
Before releasing albums with The Family Band, Randolph was selected by avant-jazz organist John Medeski to join him and the North Mississippi Allstars on their 2001 jam project, The Word. Just prior to the release of this album, Randolph was brought to the attention of some music fans through an enthusiastic review[1] by Neil Strauss in the New York Times in April 2001. On that first non-church tour of the East Coast, the new band opened for the North Mississippi Allstars and then rejoined the musicians after their set, with Medeski, as The Word.
In September 2003 Randolph was listed as #97 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time list. [2]
In 2002, they were hired by ABC to make the network's new NBA theme song. The song, "We Got Hoops", was only used for three telecasts, though it was used throughout both the NBA and WNBA seasons during promotions for both leagues.
In February 2004 Robert Randolph & the Family Band along with the band O.A.R. released a cover version of Led Zeppelin's "Fool in the Rain", which was subsequently placed for purchase online in the iTunes Music Store. This version was played live with O.A.R. at their August 15, 2009 show at Madison Square Garden.
The third album, Colorblind, was released October 10, 2006. The song "Ain't Nothing Wrong With That" was used in several commercials for NBC. In June 2008 the Discovery Channel used this same song in a popular promo entitled "It's All Good" for their summer lineup. The song "Thrill of It" was used throughout the 2007 college football season by ABC during their College Primetime games.
They are currently working on their fourth album with producer T-Bone Burnett. They released the first single from that album entitled Get There, which is the current Friday Night Knicks Theme Song.

LIL GIRL by Shafiq Husayn from the LP En' A-Free-KA

2009-12-01T14:40:00.004-05:00

This is my brother Shafiq Husayn of the group Sa Ra Creative Partners. Go support this ASAP!! I have been rocking this lp for a few months already!! We are giving you MOOR of what you have been asking for!

TGIFF!!

2009-07-24T10:56:00.003-04:00

Welcome to FLAGRANT FRIDAYS!!! I have made it my mission to find the most outlandish, ridiculous, crazy photos and post them EVERY Friday! Please comment, create your own captions, and DEFINITELY feel free to post your own Flagrant Friday photos. WIth all the flagrancy going on these days, I KNOW y'all are going to come with some madness!!

The Showdown!!

2009-07-22T20:43:00.003-04:00

In ALL aspects of existence, there is evidence of a struggle for power. The struggle to overcome and in some cases completely obliterate the opposition. All through history, we've witnessed these battles on some level or another. In the beginning, there was the battle between God and the Devil, later on some folks were around to see the cowboys and the indians, nowadays we even have crips and bloods. When I went to Brooklyn Tech back in the days (before they removed me from the student body), the Decepticons were against EVERYBODY!! We had ANOTHER great battle during that era in hip hop, BDP against the Juice Crew for the battle of the BRIDGE!! Which bridge? I'm not sure exactly but my bridge is the one in BREUKELEN!!

Stay tuned...gotta repost these videos when I find them...Bluddy YOUTUBE!!

Ring the Alarm!! (ps: I produced this Sensi vid!!) Click on this: STOP PLAYIN MIXTAPE for the FREE dowload

2009-07-20T21:26:00.012-04:00

OK, let's be clear ladies and gentleman. Here is ANOTHER Flatbush legend that I have the honor of calling a friend. Also a major influence in the beginnings of my career and to this day, he is still an inspiration. I produced a few things for him, we've done a few songs together and I've even been his DJ on a few occassions. I can honestly say that this dude will keep you competitive!! He has ME focused on being the best producer, artist, MC that I can be. THis guy is the TRUTH!! In the immortal words of Chip Fu aka Jungle Rock Jr. aka Chippa the Skippa as I call him, STOP PLAYIN!!!!

Click on this: STOP PLAYIN MIXTAPE for the FREE dowload!!

I'm Your Idol!!

2009-07-20T16:05:00.005-04:00

OK, so a LOT of people KNOW that before I became an artist, producer, MC (emcee), and legendary hip hop icon, if you would've asked me or my brother Nile who our FAVORITE rapper was back in them days, we would've said Special Ed. To this very day, find me at a bar with a drink in my hand talking to a lady, I guarantee I'm not asking for her number...I'm slurring the words to I Got It Made!! That is STILL one of my favorite records ESPECIALLY the 'business version'. I know that some schools have courses on the writings of Tupac Shakur and even Lil Kim BUT if you REALLY want to have an impact, I think a curiculum could be built around the four verses for that one song ALONE!! I know, I'm a little biased because I'm Caribbean and I grew up in Flatbush but hey, I have the support of my peers. All the original Flatbush and Crown Heights heads know what I'm talking about. At the drop of a hat, I could recite all FOUR of the verses and ACTUALLY, I think I remember those verses better than I remember my own at times. Anyway, I was going through my archives and I found a few things that I decided to share with you all. SELECTAH!! FORWARD IT BACK!!

In order to get this and other actual records by your favorite artists, please follow this link to Rapsta's Blog.

http://rapstablog.blogspot.com/2009/01/special-ed.html

Thanks Rapsta!! I saw my stuff in there TOO!!

DJ MIXX presents 'The Sequels' featuring Mr. Man and Light...REMEMBER THIS!??!

2009-06-13T20:16:00.000-04:00

DJ MIXX PRESENTS..THE SEQUELS
Episode 1: Dj Mixx & Da Bush Babees- Remember We Part II

Watch The Video:

Get The Mp3:

http://www.zshare.net/audio/59841714b2f70429/

Email Djmixxmusic@gmail.com for Alternative Download Links.

Dj Mixx Presents... The Sequels-

An interactive mixtape in which Golden-Age Hip Hop icons revisit their classic material in order to create second installments to unforgettable moments in Hip Hop History.

The series will provide foundation Hip Hop listeners what they've been waiting for- new material from their favorite MC's. It will also provide the younger listener with reference points to re-understand Hip Hop today.

Serving cultural enrichment on the house. Speak our names. Spread this music & enjoy.
- Mix

Bush Babees...ummm I mean Dub Rock Allstars LIVE in Europe!! (back in the day...ok, not so way back)

2009-05-12T22:13:00.000-04:00

Dub Rock Allstars!! Live in Europe!! from Monster Truck Audio on Vimeo.

Monster Truck Audio/BreukelenHiFi presents Mind Control (repost)

2009-05-11T13:15:00.008-04:00

So here it is BAM and you say COT D@M this is a DOPE JAM!! Before I begin this tirade of wizadry with words, I just want to say that it's GREAT to be here and that I'm GLAD to be back. I want to thank Monie Love for blazin' the FIYAH on this big chune of ours called "MC: Mind Control" and making this an unforgettable experience worthy of being a D-Nice true hip hop story!! We have SO much history together and it's virtually impossible to get to it all but I'll definitely try. First off during our stint at Warner Brothers records as the Bush Babees, Monie was one of our labelmates along with the Jungle Brothers and Michelle N'Degeocello. Naturally, we learned a LOT from them all and from the experience of working for THE MAN. The funny thing is, she still remembers ALL of the stories. All I'm going to say is, what happened at Warner is going to have to STAY at Warner!! I also want to thank my partner in rhyme Light who I'm sure most of you remember from the Bush Babees and yes, he's still killin it!! Some things just never change. Also, big up Taranchyla, thanks fi di mix!! I also want to thank all you folks for showing up today, you could've gone anywhere else in the world but instead, you're here with us. All that said, let's get to the music!!

....and awaaaaay we go!!