Evacuation Blues

Ethan Brown forwarded me this account of the recent New Orleans evacuation last night. Written by George “Loki” Williams, it is a must read.

Here is a snippet of George's story:

"Keep in mind that at all times throughout this we were each haunted by the familiarity of it all. The mental association with the last times our friends and family were scattered to the four winds and our lives were turned inside out. Like the meteor that killed the dinosaurs, it loomed overhead filling everyone’s thoughts whether they wanted it or not."

To read the rest, click here.

Humid City

Today I received a phone call from my good friend and mentor Ethan Brown. Apparently the news media is presenting a fairly misleading picture of what happened with the recent evacuation of New Orleans. He recommended that I check out the sight Humid City for an alternative view of what's going on in NO.

Please take a moment to check them out by clicking here.

I was particularly interested in a Q & A with Dana Kaplan, Exectuive Director of the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana that Humid City linked to. Check it out by clicking here.

New Interview: TSS Presents Smoking Sessions With Ethan Brown

My big writing project recently was conducting an interview with Ethan Brown, author of the book Queens Reigns Supreme: Fat Cat, 50 Cent, and the Rise of the Hip Hop Hustler for The Smoking Section. It is one of the most in depth interviews I've ever been a part of, and I'm very happy with how it came out. Please take a minute to read it by clicking here.

Prince Paul Changed My Life

I’ve been noticing something lately that is beginning to bother me. Whenever a bunch of know-it-all rap fans get together and come to blows over who the Greatest Producer of All Time is, you get the same key names.

Primo.

Ok, no doubt.

Pete Rock.

Fair enough.

Dilla. (R.I.P.)

True.

Dr. Dre.

Well, personally I’m not as big a fan of his most recent stuff, but his Death Row production is unreal.

Some dudes drop Large Professor and Marley Marl, other cats talk about The Neptunes and Timberland, and so on and so forth. Obviously I am not naming all of the greats here, and cases can be made for lots of other producers, but how many people throw out the name Prince Paul?

The answer is not very many. To me, Prince Paul is one of the greatest of all time, and without being overly dramatic, his music changed my life. I wanted to pay tribute to the man whose sound helped me get through my awkward adolescent years and was a constant source of inspiration. So I dug deep into the dark corners of my magazine collection to unearth a classic Prince Paul interview from the April 1999 issue of The Source. This is one of the best interviews I’ve ever read. It features a wide spectrum of artists Paul worked with over the years, and the photos that accompany it are perfect. It is so good it needs to be posted for the people who missed it the first time around. Click on the images to enlarge and read the article.

Shout outs to Ethan Brown for penning it, and Jill Greenberg for handling photography. If you are not familiar with Mr. Brown's work, you are not very heavy in the streets. Please support him by checking out his website. To stop by and read some great writing, click here. Also make sure to check out Jill Greenberg’s amazing photography by clicking here.

Long live the Dew Doo Man!