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Movie Review: Mr. Untouchable

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: Uncategorized

 

 

Mr. Untouchable (Magnolia Pictures) is a film about Leroy “Nicky” Barnes, a former junkie at age fourteen, who in 1965 was sent to prison for low level drug dealing. He later overcame his addiction when released from prison and became one of the biggest heroin kingpins in Harlem during the 1970’s. Director Marc Levine uses black and white footage, personal photos, news clippings, interviews of Nicky’s associates (known as The Council) and federal officials to tell this urban legend’s story. Musical accompaniment from the likes of James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, War, and Barry White, just to name a few, set the vibe for the audience to indulge in a retro-perspective birds eye view of the dope game that infiltrated Harlem World.

 

Leroy “Nicky” Barnes  narrates the film; systematically sharing his philosophy of premises, rules, fallacies, and arguments  to engage the audience with the use of deductive and inductive reasoning to explain the empire he created.Levin unveils Barnes (who is now in the FBI witness protection program) identity with dark silhouette head shots, seated behind a boardroom desk, and exposing tight  camera shots of his hands (a gold Rolex watch on wrist, pinky ring on finger, fancy cuff links) caressing money stacks and a bullet while reciting his street philosophy and referencing from books by Niccolo Machiavilli and Herman Melville. Levin restrains from glorifying Barnes’ world, yet the film embodies the life of an American gangster. The crux of the story unfolds when Barnes decides to pose for a 1977 New York Times Magazine cover story that dubbed him as “Mr. Untouchable.” Barnes was eventually prosecuted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. After his conviction, Barnes questions the foundation of his empire, which consisted of a seven man crew known as “The Council.”  They lived by a code or rules, one being the oath of brotherhood. “Treat My Brother As I Treat Myself.” Marc Levin stylistically neutralizes himself and gives the audience an opportunity to judge Barnes actions to turn states evidence against 70 – 80 of his closest associates. Was it an act of revenge? As defined in the dictionary, Revenge is primarily of retaliation against a person or group in response to a perceived wrongdoing which is a concept of justice. Was it street justice carried out by Barnes? Justice can be divided into two broad fields. Distributive justice is concerned with the proper allocation of good things – wealth, power, reward, respect – between different people. Retributive justice is concerned with the proper response to wrongdoing.After carefully reviewing the film the audience may ask, why would Barnes posture himself with the likes of Machiavilli, or use examples from Moby Dick to justify his means of revenge? As a legal debate, Levin questions how justice was served. Greek philosophers, conceive justice as a virtue—a property of the people, and only derivatively of their actions and the institutions they create.No matter which side you stand on the overblown snitching debate, Mr. Untouchable is a must-see film.

Movie Review: American Gangster

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: Uncategorized

American Gangster (Universal Pictures) is one of the most eagerly anticipated films of the year. Even prior to its release the film has already created such a buzz that it’s hastily cemented its place alongside other iconic films which celebrate the life and times of the gangster such as Tony Montana in Scarface, Don Corleone in The Godfather and of course Al Capone from The Untouchables. Jay-Z, inspired by the film, has already written an album, which steals the film’s title. So why the fuss?

 

Well the ensemble cast, which comprises heavyweights from the world of film and music -including Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Idris Elba, T.I., Common and RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan- certainly helps. But most importantly, the story of Frank Lucas—the Harlem drug-dealer who imported pure cocaine at discount prices from Vietnam, smuggling it into the US via the coffins of dead soldiers, is most definitely a fascinating one.Roughly two and a half hours in length, British Director Ridley Scott earns major brownie points by not succumbing to the obvious shoot ’em up rollercoaster ride of say a Martin Scorsese type gangster thriller. Indeed there are a few gory moments, but Lucas’s menace is more psychological than anything. Needless to say, Denzel Washington puts in a mesmerizing performance as the complex, intelligent and psychopathic Frank Lucas, who like most gangsters baffled anyone who entered his lair.Much has been written about the true-life gangster who is still alive and initially sparked the interest of film bosses after an article appeared in New York Magazine (“Return of Superfly”, 2001) in which he boasts of blowing out the brains of a rival dealer to gain street credibility. Not surprisingly the film has already faced a spew of criticism from those who say that American Gangster is yet another film, which glorifies real life villains- think Billy The Kid and Bonnie, and surely the naysayers raise a valid point.

 

Gangster adulation is already so entrenched in American youth culture, particular Black culture, that you do struggle to justify its existence. Supporters of Lucas claim that the criticism is unjustified,because the drug kingpin is the embodiment of Black empowerment who stood for political autonomy through financial gain. But continually portraying a one-dimensional view of Black affluence (i.e. Black people can only gain access to wealth through crime and entertainment) surely sends out a damaging message to those who are impressionable.Despite this, American Gangster is extremely compelling. Shot beautifully, Ridley Scott conjures a realistic portrait of the spirited atmosphere of 1970’s Harlem interweaving the exuberance of the haves (entertainers, sport stars, drug dealers) with the dirty stairwells and rotting buildings of Lucas’ enslaved dope fiend followers. Russell Crowe puts in a very powerful performance as the troubled detective who fights to bring down Lucas’ empire. Stalwart actress Ruby Dee is also moving as Lucas’ feisty but dignified mother.Though on the negative side when the build up is this crazy for a movie, the chances are it’s not going to live up to your expectations. Although the story is interesting—the actors all do an amazing job and the movie is shot beautifully—you should be warned that the film does drag on and certain parts may seem boring due to the length and at times slow pace of the film.So for anyone expecting a similar cinematic experience as say Scarface, New Jack City or The Godfather,  you may be left feeling a little disappointed. Nevertheless, American Gangster is thought provoking cinema.

Kerry “Krucial” Brothers: A Successful Blend…From Alicia Keys to Nas

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: Features

What

happens when you have a producer with Hip-Hop origins and a young girl

with a phenomenal voice and piano skills? You have the music of Alicia Keys and her creative partner Kerry “Krucial”

Brothers. Together they are KrucialKeys, a music and media company as

well as the driving force behind the Keys’ success. 

Aside

from being an invaluable entity to the music of Alicia Keys, Krucial,

as he is often called, has also worked with a number of other artists such as Keyshia Cole, Shareefa and the newly-controversial Nas. Hearing Nas mentioned with Krucial, who is known mostly for his R&B

efforts may have some Hip-Hop heads a bit skeptical right now. 

However,

according to Brothers, he is 100 percent Hip-Hop. Born in Brooklyn and spending

a lot of years in Harlem and starting as an emcee, Brothers is trail-blazing in ways unheard

of.  He affirms that doing Hip-Hop got him everywhere he is today. 

That even includes his crossing paths with Alicia Keys and the production

of her timeless masterpieces.

 Krucial,

busy and on the cusp of Alicia Keys latest LP release As I Am

(November 13th) found the time to sit down with AllHipHop.com.

During our diatribe, he made it clear that Hip-Hip is the core in which

everything else just naturally followed. Not to mention how he feels

about those infamous rumors that himself and Alicia are an item. 

 

AllHipHop.com:  How did

you know that you were meant to produce and make music?

Krucial : I never really realized it

[early on] when I got into music. I was an aspiring MC as a kid and

I got into Hip-Hop when I heard it out in the streets. I used to work

with different producers and always give my input like “it should

sound like this or like that.” Eventually I couldn’t find any material

[to flow to] so I just started making my own [beats]. People would hear

my beats and want them. It kinda gradually happened. Working with Alicia

[Keys] and having her feeling it and making songs that are now history

let me know that, “Hey I really am a producer.” 

AllHipHop.com:  Throughout

your successes, how have you kept your feet to the pavement and continue

to make exceptionally good material?

Krucial :The love of it. The love of

creating songs and arranging them a certain way. I’m one of those

people who really love music. I try not to get caught up with what rewards

come with it. The music is a reward in itself. 

AllHipHop.com:  What are

some of your influences?

Krucial : Old Soul definitely. I grew 

up listening to a lot of Soul, R&B and Funk. My parents kept albums

in rows on the living room floor. As a kid I’m on the floor with my

chin in my elbows watching TV but seeing nothing but albums [around

me]. So I got curious started listening to them. But [growing up] I

listened to [Bob] Marley, Bomb Squad and Dr Dre. People that do something

different inspire me to do my thing. 

AllHipHop.com:  Since

you consider yourself to be Hip-Hop. Do you think that your R&B

work “waters down” and/or brings out the Hip-Hop side in you?

Krucial : Hip-Hop influences me so much.

If you think about where Hip-Hop started we sampled from Soul and R&B. 

We [sampled] the rawest and funkiest part of the track. [A lot of times

I am] creating something that could have been made in the 60s or 70s,

however Hip-Hop gives it that [modern day] big beat. It doesn’t water

it down, [Hip-Hop] lets me expand more.

AllHipHop.com:  In saying

all that, what type of producer do you consider yourself to be?

Krucial : Everyone looks at me as an

R&B producer.  I don’t see myself that way, it’s 

just music. I’m definitely Hip-Hop all the way. To me Hip-Hop is a

blend of all different music genres that  aren’t supposed

to be brought together and that’s the kind of music that I like to

create.  

AllHipHop.com:  Do you

ever incorporate the “flow” from your hip-hop side along with R&B?

Krucial : Its embedded. Some people get

on 50 or Ja Rule about singing on [Hip-Hop]. People have been singing

forever.  

AllHipHop.com:  What personal

characteristic of yourself do you feel has allowed you be so successful?

Krucial : I’m very humble, have God

in my life and feel blessed. I do have talent but God gave me this talent.

I think that consistency and mastering my craft has also made me. I

can do this [producing] thing but I can do more. I have so many other

things to accomplish. That came from something that my parents have

always instilled in me. [Which is] you can’t be the best at anything

unless you put time into it everyday.   

AllHipHop.com:  In what

stage of Alicia Keys’ career did you meet her?

Krucial : In the very beginning, way

before there was an “Alicia Keys.” I met her in the early 90s in

a cypher in the Downtown Village in Washington Square Park. Back then

you could find musicians in that area, there was always open mics and

cyphers going on. I kept in touch with people that I vibed with. I had

a little bit of equipment at my house so I would invite people over. 

I invited her and from there we just got it poppin’! I was on the

SP12 and MPC 300 she would be on the keyboard. [Alicia and I] would

just vibe and make music. Eventually people started hearing it and thinking

that it was pretty hot. We got to the point where she asked me to work

on her album. [At first] I was a little intimidated because my background

was Hip-Hop. [However] I was really feeling her and where she was going

[musically] so I gave it a chance.   

AllHipHop.com:  What star

qualities did you see in Alicia Keys in the very beginning?

Krucial : I knew she was going to be

a star. She is such a good and radiant person. Alicia, she was just

one of those people you wanted to be around. Then it was her voice,

she reminded me of Anita Baker. I loved her voice and the fact that 

I could  put [my] beats under it. I really wasn’t thinking about

where it could go, we were just making music.  

AllHipHop.com:  Her albums

are always seem to come from left-field, how do you attest to that?

Krucial : [Alicia Keys] is rebellious,

that’s the real essence of Hip-Hop. When I listen to her album I do

not hear R&B, I hear Hip-Hop. People want her to do this, so she

does something else. Conforming is boring, [you should] do what you

feel from the heart. When it’s real people will recognize it. 

AllHipHop.com:  Is that

why you think that Songs In A Minor

was so successful?

Krucial : We were just being real. [Songs

In A Minor] was a  good statement at where we both were at

the time. You’re listening to the production of me as a baby in R&B

and [Alicia Keys] learning that what she was doing was hot and that

she didn’t need “such and such” to make a song.  With the

next album (Diary of Alicia Keys) we learned more and mastered

more. This [new] album is even more bananas!  Nobody expected “No

One” to be something from her!

AllHipHop.com:  Exactly!

Her singles are known for being so different?  Is that always the

plan?

Krucial : No, its something we just do.

We don’t sit here and think about it, it just happens.That’s the thing

about me and the people around me, we do music from the heart. When

you try to plan it, [the music] sounds contrived. That is not realistic

and people can tell, they’ll be like “it sounds like he tried.”“No One” was almost written by itself. 

AllHipHop.com:  Can you

give an example of how one of our favorite Alicia Keys’ songs was created,

how about “You Don’t Know My Name.”

Oh never mind, Kanye West produced that track, correct?

Krucial : No, Alicia Keys produced the

track with Kanye West. People have to understand that she is a real

producer. He came by with the track and [they built on it]. John Legend

was also on the background vocals, a lot of people do not know that

either   

AllHipHop.com:  I will

give you another one,  how about  “Diary!”

Krucial : “Diary” was one of those joints

where Alicia just started with the piano cords. She just kept playing

the keys for a while and needed that last line. Then I was like, “just

think of me as the pages in your diary.” She liked it said how [Diary]

reminded her of a Tony! Toni! Tone! track so we reached out to them

to add their flavor. Dwayne Wiggins came through and the song was done

in two takes.   

AllHipHop.com:  Do you

need anything special when you’re in the studio to get you going?

Krucial : [Just] my MPC 4000. I have

every MPC there is. Some people get crazy about guitars I love MPC’s.

I just need that and my laptop. 

AllHipHop.com:  From an

outsider observing a writing session, what do you think they would take

from it?

Krucial : I’m an easily distracted

person. If you’re not relevant to what is going on I would ask you

to leave. I can’t do spectators. We like to zone out in the studio. 

AllHipHop.com:  Forget

about outsiders, how about a new songwriter?

Krucial : They would be apart of the

session not just observing. They would be like “damn they are so down

to earth.” Marsha (from Floetry) loved our vibe. Howard Lily [came

through] and said the same thing, we’re just really easy to work with. 

AllHipHop.com:  How was

it working with Marsha?

Krucial : It was wonderful. She actually

collaborated on a joint with Alicia and myself on the new album. 

I can’t wait ‘til she does her solo joint.   

AllHipHop.com:  Since

you work so closely with Alicia Keys, how do you prevent her material

from sounding like other artists you work with?

Krucial : My job as a producer is to

take [an artists’] energy and make the best [music]. When I’m with

Alicia her energy is her energy. When I’m working with another artist

I am basing my production [around] them.  I work [only] with who

I’m working with at the moment. 

AllHipHop.com:  Do you

ever write for rappers?

Krucial : I definitely do beats [for

rappers] and would do a hook. To me [writing for rappers] is what’s

wrong now. Cats don’t be in the studio together, people are just like

“send me the tracks son.”  Working with Nas [help me realize

that], he’s a true poet.  

AllHipHop.com:  How was

it working with such a legend like Nas?

Krucial : He was great, he comes through

[the studio], feels the track and writes right there on the spot. Nas

is a true artist in the real form. Forget the fact that he is a rapper.

You can compare his [lyrics] to the best. You have to understand where

he is coming from as far as the talent. You have to respect people who

have the true talent. 

AllHipHop.com:  When you’re

creating a song, do you write the lyrics or make the beat first?

Krucial : All of the above. Sometimes

it’s just a melody in my head. Sometimes a beat will inspire me. I’m

more like a melody and free styling [type of producer] from flows because

of my Hip-Hop roots. 

AllHipHop.com:  What is

more important, the beat, the melody or the lyrics?

Krucial : Lyrics and melodies. Production

changes, sounds change, each decade [music] changes. There are songs

from the 50’s that still relate today because of the great song with

great lyrics and melody. 

AllHipHop.com:  How do

you feel about the New Jack Swing era?

Krucial : I liked New Jack Swing and

Guy. I respect Teddy Riley as a producer for bringing in a new style

of R&B and getting a name for it. I need to start my own genre.

AllHipHop.com:  How about

calling it “Krucial Times?”

Krucial : (Laughs) We will see 

AllHipHop.com:  You know

I have to ask, how do you and Alicia balance your business with your

romantic relationship?

Krucial : (Laughs) We just peoples. We

both have a love for music.   

AllHipHop.com:  So you’re

saying that the rumors aren’t true?

Krucial : I am saying that the rumors

are the rumors. Its all good, I take it as a grain a salt. I look at

this a job and I love it. All the extra stuff is irrelevant. The only

difference between myself and a person that works an ‘8 to 5′ is that

you see my work. Then there are all these shows that are focused on

celebrities’ lives. I  want to use the media to promote what I’m

trying to promote and that’s it. If I am going to put myself out there

it will be in a book so that myself and my children can benefit from

it, not the media.  

AllHipHop.com:  Sounds

fair enough. To wrap this thing up, what’s up with the new Alicia

Keys album? Any special appearances we should look forward to?

Krucial : The album drops November 13th

it’s called As I Am. Her albums have always been about her

pretty much. She doesn’t make that industry album with every producer

artist that’s hot at the time. What she does is modern day singer/songwriter

stuff.

Britney Spears: Blackout

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: Uncategorized

The moment that blog readers around the world have waited for has arrived: Britney Spears’s new album, Blackout [Jive/Zomba]. Since much of the marketing for the album relied heavily on news coverage of Britney’s personal troubles, many are curious as to what resulted. Watching Spears is like watching an aircraft go down – you know the inevitable, but still hope for the best. Blackout is a million mattresses breaking this plane’s fall. But, who cares about that? Curiosity goes to whomever put the mattresses there.Blackout’s majority of writing and production credit is an urban affair that boasts the likes of Danja, Keri Hilson, The Neptunes, T-Pain, and Sean Garrett. Holding the top spot with five out of the twelve album tracks is Danja. During the time when Brit’s music to be released was anyone’s guess, Danja worked a magic unthought-of by giving Britney a No. 1 single, “Gimme More.” Other tracks like “Break The Ice,” “Get Naked (I Got A Plan),” and “Hot As Ice” are covered in Danja’s signature sound similar to Nelly Furtado’s Loose, but with a much darker and edgier delivery. Timbo’s own artist Keri Hilson – whose background vocals are splashed all over the tracks (including the hit single) – is another glimpse into how Spears might have simply gone through the motions. Blackout is at best a mixture of Cassie, Nicole Scherzinger and even Madonna in its effort to recruit urban heavyhitters to manufacture a hit pop record. If they can do it, then why can’t Britney?The paparazzi princess also linked with Bloodshy & Avant, who previously penned and produced her signature hit “Toxic.” This time the production team cooks up a straight-up ‘80s inspired pop track, which teeters on techno music. The production team further demonstrates their knack for working with someone so inconsistent by penning (probably to inspire Spears) “Piece Of Me.” The track gives Spears the chance to express her frustrations with her public ordeals, “…with the paparazzi who’s flipping me off hoping I’ll resort to some havoc.” Blackout stands as a good dance Hip-Pop album, as disconnected as Britney may sound. A dance record is still a dance record – so it works. When Britney does decide to come through and connect with something besides paparazzi, she’s got a unique sound to come back to – a gift this spectacular production team has given to a still fallen star, who became their showcase artist.

50 Cent Teams With Pontiac For Custom Car

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: News

Rapper 50 Cent has teamed with Pontiac to produce his own customized G8 sedan it was revealed last night (October 30) at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas.The rapper unveiled a prototype of the customized Pontiac G8, which was designed with Will Castro from Unique Autosports.The sedan features custom paint, 22 inch rims, a customized exhaust system, leather interior, an 800 watt system, low-profile Pirelli  Scorpion Zero tires and other features.According to a press release, over 30,000 G8 sedans will be shipped to the United States the first year.”Partnering with Pontiac has given me the opportunity to create something truly unique, a customized performance vehicle I am really proud of,” 50 Cent said. “The G8 is like none other and it pushes the boundaries of what people think a car has to be.”The G8 is being manufactured by Holden in Australia and will go on sale in the United States in 2008.

HALLOWEEN’S HIP-HOP VIDEO RUNDOWN!

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: Rumors

HALLOWEEN’S HIP-HOP

Man, I work so hard at the rumors, I forgot that it was Halloween! Well, at the last minute (right now), I realized that Hip-Hop loves Halloween. Well that notion is up for grabs considering the real roots of the pagan celebration.

I for one have no qualms with the holiday. Its sort of how people feel about the N-Word. It has changed over the decades into a thing of love and affection, even amid a marred history. Lets no turn this into a political debate.

Below, you will see some of the most beloved and hated videos of the rite of passage called Halloween!

THE GETO BOYS – “MY MIND’S PLAYING TRICKS ON ME”

Halloween definitely didn’t fall on the weekend this year. But this video is classic. We get to see a skinny Scarface, Bushwick leap five feet in the air for a beatdown and Willie Dee p-noid at three blind crippled and crazy senior citizens!

JUDGMENT NIGHT!

This was proof that Sticky Fingaz was one of the scariest rappers on the mic!

RUN DMC AIN’T AFRAID OF NO GHOST!

I would say that I am the biggest Run DMC fan and I NEVER heard this joint until TODAY, this morning of Halloween 2007. Enjoy the video with extra cheese! (RIP JMJ!)

GHOSTBUSTERS!

Shout out to Ray Parker, Jr. Its not Hip-Hop, but its classic.

FREAKS COME OUT AT NIGHT!

Before any Hip-Hop Honors, the wop was a regular. It’s not scary, but its Halloween on this day. Shout out to Run, D, Jay, Malcolm Jamal Warner, Jermaine Dupri and UTFO! They all make appearances in this 20-plus year old video. Whodini Rocks.

NIGHTMARE ON MY STREET!

There was no formal video for this Fresh Prince & Jazzy Jeff song, but people loved the corny lil’ diddy so much, they did their own. Check it out.

THE FLATLINERZ!

I was never big on these guys, but in Halloween 2007, they sound DOPE! Rapping from the GRAVE? No rapper is messing with that nowadays!

RIVAS OF RED!

This might be a bit too much Flatlinerz, but…Rivas of Red, it is. Check it out!

SPECIAL DEDICATION TO THE GRAVEDIGGAZ (R.I.P. to Poetic!)

Do you remember The Gravediggaz? This group included RZA aka The Rzarector, Frukwan aka Gatekeeper, Poetic aka Grym Reaper, and the incomparable Prince Paul! They were the unofficial founders of the Horrorcore style of Hip-Hop. I loved them, because their morbid cover was just a disguise for consciousness! Wake up the dead all over again!

THE GRAVEDIGGAZ – “DIARY OF A MAD MAN!” (This set it all off!)

THE GRAVEDIGGAZ -“NO WHERE TO RUN, NOWHERE TO HIDE!”

THE GRAVEDIGGAZ – “1-800-SUICIDE”

THRILLER

You didn’t think you were going to leave this or any other Halloween without looking at Michael Jackson’s “Thriller, did yo?” No way, ghosty. I used to love this chick in this vid! Anyway, check it out – the greatest video of all time!

HAVE FUN AND DON’T EAT THE APPLES!

BONUS VIDEO – ROCKWELL! “SOMEBODY’S WATCHING ME”

rockwell – somebody’s watching meUploaded by chilavert

TOMORROW, WE LOVE YOU!

They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry!

-illseed

WHO: illseed

WHAT: Rumors

WHERE: AllHipHop.com, MySpace.com/TheIllseed

HOW: Send your rumors and ill pics to illseed at [email protected].

– allhiphop rumors

Tony Yayo Assault Trial Slated For January

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: News

A federal judge set a trial date for rapper Tony Yayo who is accused of assaulting the 14-year-old son of music executive Jimmy “Henchmen” Rosemond.Yayo, born Marvin Bernard, was in court yesterday (October 30), where a judge set a trial date of January 10.The rapper is charged with endangering the welfare of a child, assault in the 3rd Degree, and harassment in the 2nd Degree.”I am looking forward to a trial and it is important that justice be done,” said Cynthia Reed, the boy’s mother.”Tony Yayo is accused of assaulting the 14-year-old as he walked to his internship at Czar Entertainment, the company headed by his father, Jimmy Henchmen.Henchmen manages a number of rappers including The Game, a bitter rival to 50 Cent’s G-Unit collective, which features Yayo.Police accuse Yayo and several associates of surrounding the boy, flashing guns at him and assault him, after Yayo allegedly backhanded the child for wearing a Czar Entertainment T-shirt.Yayo appeared in court in September and produced a witness who knows both Yayo and Rosemond’s son and refuted the claims that he assaulted the boy.

Pac’s Life, Part 2: Reggie Wright

By: AllHipHop StaffCategory: Features

The Tupac Assassination film tries to solve one of Hip-Hop’s biggest whodunits, naming Suge Knight and Reginald Wright Jr. as the prime suspects behind Tupac’s murder.

In recent shocking developments Makaveli’s former bodyguard and Compton police officer Kevin Hackie claims he was working alongside the FBI during his tenure of watching over ‘Pac.

According to Hackie, the Feds suspected Suge Knight and company of carrying out criminal activities through his then dominant Death Row Records empire.  Hackie funneled information to the FBI as he was already positioned inside of Death Row through his security services.

The presence of off-duty Los Angeles police officers working hand in hand with known gang members would lead many to believe that law enforcement corruption was a major hurdle in closing the case.

With all this heat on Death Row, former general manager and head of security Reginald Wright steps up to address all the accusations stemming from the new documentary.

In a candid interview Wright goes over the videotape and gives his side of the story on Pac’s rumored monetary gripes with the label, the lack of security in Vegas and the motives behind the shooting.

AllHipHop.com: Can you give the AllHipHop.com community a run through of your background?

Reginald Wright: First off, my name is Reginald Wright.  I was a police officer for the city of Compton up until January of ‘96 when I retired.  I had a traffic accident that messed up my ankle and I got a medical retirement.  However, prior to that I opened up a security company in May of ‘95 where I started providing services for Death Row Records and different movie production studios.  I was the head of security for Death Row and a vendor of Death Row where I supplied a company which is called Wright Way Protective Services.   When Suge was incarcerated for the probation violation in ‘97 I started operating and doing the day to day business for the record company for Mr. Knight up until his return.  I then stopped working for Death Row in January 2002 and started working as a consultant for two to three years.

AllHipHop.com: I know your main reason in getting in touch with us was to respond to the recent statements from your former employee Kevin Hackie.  At a recent screening of Tupac Assassination Kevin admitted he was working with the FBI during his time at Death Row.  The movie is headed by another one of your former employees “Big” Frank Alexander.

Reginald Wright: That’s true.  Suge and I have taken a lot of criticism over the years.  Out of respect for Pac, we didn’t really care what people think, just as long as Afeni Shakur, members of the Outlawz, and people that were close to him at the time knew our relationship with him.  I’ve worked hand in hand with Miss Shakur and her staff on putting out the Tupac items while they were in custody and everything like that.  I was instrumental in putting out the greatest hits album of course with Suge’s blessings.  As long as I knew they didn’t believe any of these theories and all the false stuff out there in the media, we didn’t care.  But now when I see guys keep popping up, keeping their fame, going on and making money and exploiting him for their own personal gain and believing their own lies you get tired of seeing that.

Once I saw the tape and read the things online, I said, Hey these guys can’t get away with this because some people really believe this stuff.  Over sixty to seventy percent of the accusations in the film are outright lies.  Kevin Hackie was not an FBI implant he was a school district police officer that I knew from being a Compton police officer.  He’s an FBI informant, not an FBI implant.  He was a snitch who had some jail time that [he] wanted to try to work off and I’m sure the FBI wanted an implant in there.  Either he was a bad informant or we didn’t do anything wrong.  We have never been indicted.  So if he was an informant or this and that, either we weren’t [doing] anything wrong or he was a bad informant.

We didn’t care about informants; that’s why Suge hired police officers.  We knew these guys were police officers. I didn’t do a good enough background check as I should have on guys like Frank Alexander who represented himself as a retired Orange County sheriff and had a badge and ID that I can supply you copies of and stuff like that.  Then I find out later he was nothing but a marine on steroids.  Kevin Hackie was a cop but I didn’t know he was being investigated where he ended up doing federal penitentiary time and is still on probation.  He’s a convicted felon who is trying to portray himself as a security officer or a FBI [agent].  Those are all the bad guys.  Suge Knight did jail time for an alleged kick.  I’ve never been to jail but everyone wants to make us the bad guys.

AllHipHop.com: So you have viewed the Tupac Assassination film?Reginald Wright: I did see it.  AllHipHop.com: When I spoke to Kevin Hackie he basically explained to me that he was a cop but was moonlighting as security for Death Row.  FBI agents approached him about working with the FBI because he was already working within Death Row.  Kevin Hackie stated that they were keeping an eye on you and believed you were carrying out criminal activities for Suge Knight.

Reginald Wright: I don’t know that to be true or not.  I know that by an article in the LA Times he backtracked on saying all of that stuff with [LA Times writer] Chuck Phillips.  He can tell you that right before the trial he backtracked from all of that.  That it was all lies and said it was [Former LAPD] Russell Poole said all of that.  Trust me, this is a guy who ended up doing jail time during the period we talking about.

AllHipHop.com:  Let’s get into Tupac Assassination.  Why was there only one bodyguard—Frank Alexander—assigned to Tupac and the entire Death Row entourage that night of the boxing match in Vegas?

Reginald Wright: To be honest there was only one bodyguard assigned to him and that was because Kevin Hackie was supposedly on his way to the event.  Kevin Hackie was the second bodyguard that was assigned to him.  He informed me that he was on the highway and he was on his way, but what happened was, Tupac that particular day said he was tired of coming to the fights late and he and Frank left before the entourage got ready and caught a cab over to the fight.  That’s how upset Tupac was about always showing up to the fights late.

This guy Michael Moore [Former Death Row security] who said he was assigned; he was originally assigned to Tupac only when they went out of town to Paris because he is a fireman.  He didn’t have a gun permit.  He wasn’t supposed be carrying a gun.  He was only allowed to carry a gun exposed.  That’s why he only worked at the studio and stuff like that where we wore the guns exposed.  But he wasn’t allowed to have a gun concealed at any time.  The two people that were supposed to be assigned to Tupac that night were Frank and Kevin Hackie.

Kevin Hackie didn’t show up until later that night because he had learned I was upset because I had caught him stealing.  What I mean by that is I was paying him and he was billing the production company for Gang Related because Tupac was working on that movie.  He was getting paid by them directly and I’m supposed to be billing them directly then I pay the guards but he was double dipping.  He had found out about that and he was basically hiding and not showing up until it happened.  So that’s why it was only one guy assigned to Pac that night.

Frank didn’t call me and tell me Kevin Hackie didn’t show up yet or that they had left.  They went to the fight in a cab; we didn’t even know that until later on until Suge got to the fight.  That’s when we learned he only had one bodyguard but by that time, the incident had happened.  But at no point when they were at Suge’s house, they were there and other people had walkie talkies and everything, Frank had never called and informed us that they had the incident at the hotel nor did he ever inform me that he was the only bodyguard with Tupac.

Our main focus that night was to get Club 662 together because we were trying to have our liquor license and our business license.  That’s why I didn’t even go to the fight with Suge because getting everything together for the club was my concern.  Not saying we didn’t have the concern of Pac on mind, but that’s where I was at.

AllHipHop.com: One thing that Frank Alexander stated was that you held a security meeting earlier that day and told everyone that no one on the security team was to have any protection on them.

Reginald Wright: And that’s a true statement for the people working inside the club because we didn’t want any problems. But never would I tell a bodyguard not to do that.  In Frank’s book I Got Your Back he refers to not having his gun because at the last minute Tupac told him to drive the Outlawz because none of them had their driver’s license.  Suge told Pac to ride with him and Pac told Frank to drive the Outlawz.  Frank said that his gun was in his car and he left it in the car because he had ,right quick, jump into Pac’s car and drive the Outlawz.  That statement is in his book, now he changes his story because it’s convenient to what he is saying this time.  You can find [it] in the book.  But never was any personal bodyguards ever told that.

AllHipHop.com: Another thing that was presented in the movie was that the use of the walkie talkies which was pretty much standard for your staff at the time were not available for Alexander.

Reginald Wright: Frank had been on vacation the week prior.  The thing is ‘Pac hated Frank, that’s why he shook Frank at the casino.  ‘Pac called and said “Reggie, why the f***, I told you I don’t want this dude with me no more, I told you the one I want is Hackie.”  I told him all the other guys are at the club.  He didn’t care, he really liked Kevin.  I can’t say he didn’t like Kevin.  He liked dealing with Kevin and all of that.

AllHipHop.com: One thing that has been stated in other documentaries and in the media was that former LAPD officer David Mack performed security for Death Row as well.

Reginald Wright: I didn’t know David Mack.  I didn’t know a Rafael Perez or any of them.  I’ve done had FBI, LAPD, and Internal Affairs investigate me and go through my books, my records, my payroll records and all of that.  Even David Mack and all of them have told them that they don’t even know who the hell I am or even worked for me.  These guys were allegedly friends of the guy (LAPD Officer Kevin Gaines) [who] was killed who knew Suge’s ex wife; you think he’s going to have somebody working for him that knows his ex wife?  That’s crazy.  Those are Hackie lies, thinking he saw them around.  Again when he is getting questioned about it in a grand jury or when he about to go before court it’s “I didn’t say none of that.”

AllHipHop.com: When I spoke to Kevin Hackie he stated that there is no doubt that Orlando Anderson pulled the trigger on Tupac.  He also mentioned that there is a paper trail, as there was an arrest warrant that was filed then coincidently, twenty four hours later he was shot dead.  The fact that your father Reginald Wright Sr. was still working for the Compton police unit at the time adds some more suspicion to that aspect of the case.

Reginald Wright: He got shot in a drug buy where the guy that was in the car with him is in jail for murder.  It was a big shoot out in front of Compton High School two to three years later.

AllHipHop.com: Doesn’t that seem too coincidental though?

Reginald Wright: I just know he was shot at a carwash by Compton High School and his co-conspirator is now in jail for murder and none of our names came up in the trial for that.

AllHipHop.com: The most shocking moment in the film is when one of your former security officers Michael Moore said that he was taken off to guard Tupac and to work security at Club 662 where the after party was being held.  He said he heard someone on the Death Row walkie talkies say “got him” that night of the shooting.  Minutes later he says he heard someone on the Death Row walkie talkies say “don’t talk about business over the walkie talkies.” The producers of the film even get a statement from an employee at Sprint saying during that time those phones didn’t have the capability of talking in group; implying “got him” came from your phone.

Reginald Wright: That’s a lie but I don’t even know why the guy from Sprint would say that.  Of course Sprint didn’t own Nextel at the time so I guess a guy from Sprint wouldn’t know that back in ‘96.  We used to talk on group all the time, direct and you could also hit the private button and talk privately.  But that’s not true, that’s ludicrous.  Then we going to say we got him but we going to graze Suge in the head; what type of sense that make?  We could have had Tupac meet us in the middle of the Mojave Desert if we wanted to but we going to conspire to have him shot on a Las Vegas strip right after he gets into a fight?  That’s crazy.

Michael Moore is lying.  He’s another convicted felon, he’s trying to represent himself like he is still a fireman but he got fired.  He got fired for failing a steroid drug test from the fire department.  He’s been arrested two or three times for beating up his wife!  These guys want to come out and get their fifteen minutes of fame, so let them have it.  But that’s an outright lie.

AllHipHop.com: Some of Suge’s associates were in a car that was ahead of Suge and Tupac actually followed the killer’s car after the shooting but no information came back from that chase.  Frank Alexander says he saw the car that was used to follow the assailant a couple of weeks later and said there were bullet holes in the car?  Care to comment on that?

Reginald Wright: Whoever was in that car followed the car and they shot up that Cadillac.  Later on Compton police find the shop where that car was repaired at and everything.  The white Cadillac was shot up, but not by Frank who was supposed to be security.  I’m not saying anything new, all of that was in the affidavit.  They didn’t want to solve that case, they try to make it seem like Suge wasn’t cooperating.  I took Suge to the Las Vegas police department the next day.  He gave an interview of what happened.

AllHipHop.com: The question really is did you ever get the story from the people that chased the assailants after the shooting?

Reginald Wright: All I know is that it was reported that shots were fired and this is what I’m reading from reading affidavits later; that the white Cadillac was found.  An informant told the police that that was the car they used to shoot Tupac and that they repaired the holes and they took it back to the car rental.  That’s something that was in the LA Times and that’s something that is in the affidavit.

AllHipHop.com: Where do you think all these theories implicating you and Suge as the culprits behind Tupac’s death stem from?Reginald Wright: I think the only people that believe that is people trying to profit from it by telling a story.  I know his mom doesn’t, I know the Outlawz don’t.  They wouldn’t deal with me if they really felt that way.  His mom’s attorney, I speak to him daily.

AllHipHop.com: The main theory is that Tupac was owed over ten million dollars in royalties by Death Row and he was about to leave the record company.  Can you comment on that?

Reginald Wright: Suge at that time wanted to be more of a distributor like an Interscope [Records].  He got with his three or four main players at the time.  MC Hammer was going to have his own label distributed on Death Row.  Snoop was going to have Dogg House Records distributed by Death Row and Pac was going to have Makaveli Records.  Suge was paying for all this stuff.  He brought Eric B. in and they were going to do the Death Row East.  When they were talking about the masters, Pac wasn’t trying to leave.  Masters back then were big old reels.  Pac wasn’t trying to leave with those!  You would have to have a two wheeler!  Pac was trying to leave with DAT’s and cassettes.  Suge’s whole thing was that we had to get permission from Suge for anyone to leave with any music.  The engineers couldn’t even make a copy in the studios.  My security would pat down anyone coming in and out.

AllHipHop.com: Back to the question though, was Tupac owed that money?Reginald Wright: I didn’t know what the financial business was.  I know they were all happy.  I know the only person he was mad at was Snoop.  Snoop went on the radio and said that he didn’t have a problem with Biggie and he would do a song with Biggie

AllHipHop.com: Has Suge Knight viewed the film as well?

Reginald Wright: No he has not.

AllHipHop.com.com: A new theory in the case is that the fight involving Death Row and Orlando Anderson at the MGM casino was staged.  Orlando Anderson didn’t even have tickets to the fight that night.

Reginald Wright: You ever been to a fight?  A Mike Tyson fight back in the day was like going to All-Star Weekend!  I mean Bad Boy [Records] was giving parties then, everyone was having parties!  It was parties all over, it was like All-Star Weekend!  So everyone hung out just to watch but the fight being staged?  Tupac was the one who initiated that!  Suge was really trying to break that fight up because he knew about cameras and stuff like that.

AllHipHop.com: What do you think really went down in regards to Tupac’s death?

Reginald Wright: Puffy had a reward for anybody who would bring him a Death Row chain.  He was going to give them five thousand dollars.

AllHipHop.com: Do you actually believe that?

Reginald Wright: Back then there were some things going back and forth.  Tupac was going hard on them and they had the Southside Crips with them.  That’s how the incident happened at the Lakewood Mall at the Foot Locker.  There was a fight at the MGM the night of the shooting.  What happened was you had some LA nia’s used to doing what LA nia’s do.  They got beat up and they retaliated for one of their boys being beat up.  That’s all it was; retaliation for the beating of Orlando Anderson.

AllHipHop.com: Do you have any closing statements?

Reginald Wright: I hope people don’t support this documentary because there’s a bunch of lies in there and you have people out there for greedy and make a little buck as easiest as they can.  If it’s about truth let’s see Frank Alexander donate some of his portion of the money to any of Pac’s foundations or anything like that.  I bet you he won’t do anything like that.

Martin Luther: Rock On

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: Alternatives

Playing a Jimi Hendrix-type in a ‘60s-era movie (that may be a 2007 critical darling) is a big surprise for singer Martin Luther. Known around the underground for his 2004 release, Rebel Soul Music, musician Martin Luther was known for being a Black rocker, who has toured with The Roots and worked diligently to carve his name into the rock/soul scene.So how did a guitar-slanging, rebel soul singer get cast in a musical featuring music by The Beatles? Across the Universe (in limited release until October 12, 2007), is a trippy film featuring stunning special effects that chronicles a group of friends through the turbulence of war and the ‘60s. The movie, directed by Julie Taymor, features U2 front man Bono and actress Salma Hayek in cameos. Martin Luther is cast as JoJo, a role that allows him to flex his singing and acting chops as a primary cast member. In spite of the media whirlwind surrounding the film, including appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show and Good Morning America, Martin Luther is still working on new music for his loyal fan base. Martin Luther describes to us how a spur of the moment email response lea him to acting, and how fans of his singing haven’t seen the end of him yet.AllHipHop.com Alternatives: I didn’t know you were an actor. How did you get involved in the role of JoJo for Across the Universe? Martin Luther: You know, I just spoke with Black Thought the other day. Used to ride with them boys worldwide. We conquered audiences, not just winning them over. We wrecked a few spots…code red! Blood on the floor and all that! Anyway, I hadn’t seen or worked with the Legendary Roots Crew in a minute nor had I been around New York or in Philly. I was leaving New York back in mid-2005 after having just completed a UK tour and money wasn’t lovely. Right before I bounced to Cali, an email came to the label’s inbox [Rebel Soul Records] requesting me to audition for a role in a musical/movie. I said, f**k it! Why not?I was game and the people caught a vibe from me. They requested a few callbacks and shortly thereafter, life started to change. I got the part of JoJo in a projected headed by Julie Taymor, based on Beatles’ music. I have to mention her name for her fantastic contributions to the arts.AHHA: As a performer, of course you have to act a little on stage and in concerts. But how was it preparing for a movie role?Martin Luther: I had quiet desires about acting. Not really wanting it to happen until the music was much more affirmed. That was me thinking like an artist and not a businessman with regards to the new millennium media savvy. I say that because possessing talent or not does not determine the probability of a product generating profit. And profit is revenue minus expenses. The business doesn’t really differentiate discerningly. Either you are making it happen or trying to weather it in boxing, singing, modeling, rapping or telling the news. My previous pursuits were nationwide commercials and some indie projects. Then Dave Chapelle and Michel Gondry’s Block Party movie happened and just reminded me of the power of the medium of film, which I studied in college – at Morehouse in Atlanta. So I quickly resolved my issues about being in front of the camera and ended up shooting a major motion picture within a year’s time. AHHA: Tell me about the process of making films.Martin Luther: It was a fantastic trip because of Julie’s fearless style. She’s bugged out so her works are very rich with expressiveness and meaning. It was like disappearing from my music life for six months. Eventually, I knew I would have to return but not before doing an episode for a TV show called Love Monkey and then being asked to audition for some major network TV shows as well. AHHA: It sounds like the roles keep coming in! How much more acting are you looking to do?Martin Luther: Well, if the acting keeps knocking, I’ll keep answering the best I can. I am going to work on the skill and craft and not just rely on instinct as I’m learning about the true gift of channeling and performing for camera. I have much to learn but I’m a great student.AHHA: What can the fans of your music expect from you in the near future?Martin Luther: I’m back in the laboratory now. [Composer and producer] Kev Choice just sent over some of the latest tracks from his lab and some mixes of our collaborations. He’s a movement by his self! He is a wickedly fluid music and beats producer/emcee and has been dueling with crowds from Oakland to Toronto and is now working up some monster songs with me for my new album, Serial Thriller. AHHA: When is Serial Thriller coming out?Martin Luther: When? As soon as it’s right and ripe with that raw s###. I’m a lil’ bit Hip-Hop. I’m a lil’ bit rock n’roll!

Prison Inmate Lied in Recanted Testimony, According to B.I.G. Estate Motion

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: News

The recanted testimony of a man involved in the still-unsolved murder of rap icon Notorious B.I.G. is the focus of a newly filed federal court motion by the rapper’s estate.The motion, which was filed Monday (Oct. 29), claims that Waymond Anderson was lying when he recanted his testimony in the case that implicated former Los Angeles Police Department officer Rafael Perez in the March 9, 1997 killing of B.I.G. (born Christopher Wallace). According to the Associated Press, the motion asked for Anderson’s phone and prison visitation records.Anderson, a former R&B artist currently serving a life sentence for murder in a separate case, said in an Aug. 20 deposition that he lied as part of a scam involving Wallace’s family members and attorneys to win a monetary settlement from the city of Los Angeles.The phone and visitation records, the Wallace estate argued, will reveal holes in Anderson’s latest story and show who was behind Anderson’s “wholesale assault on the truth.”In his deposition, Anderson accused the Wallace family and their lawyer of offering to cut him in for a portion of any award for falsely testifying that Perez told him that another ex-police officer, David Mack, was involved in the Wallace’s killing.The motion is the latest in a series of twists and turns in the case. In a new interview with AllHipHop.com, Kevin Hackie, a former bodyguard for the late Tupac Shakur, revealed that an arrest for the murder will soon be made.”LAPD detective Greg Kading concurred with me that there will be an arrest in the Wallace case shortly,” he said. “Greg Kading who’s status with the LAPD and you can quote this is confidential, said there will be an arrest made shortly.”

Project Pat: Money Matters

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: Features

Mista Don’t Play a.k.a. Project Pat has been enjoying the good hood life since his 2005 release from prison. The Memphis-native recently spoke with AllHipHop about his “Adventures in Hollyhood” with DJ Paul and Juicy J of Three 6 Mafia, how he feels about the direction of music from the Dirty South to where the East Coast went wrong to T.I.’s recent federal case. With Walkin’ Bank Roll due to drop October 30th with guest appearances from the Hypnotize Minds camp and Pimp C, Mista Don’t Play really don’t play at all, as he dropped his jewels as well as gave his opinion on the difference between the street life and the slow grind. AllHipHop.com: What’s been going on since Crook by the Book?Project Pat: Oh well, you know, we’ve been working on “Adventures in Hollyhood,” working on my new album and Three 6 Mafia’s new album.AllHipHop.com: Describe what it was like filming “Adventures In Hollyhood” for MTV.Project Pat: I got involved in it because I’m Hypnotize Minds affiliated and we just trying to get more exposure and get our faces on them TVs. A lot of stuff behind the scenes they didn’t show. A whole lot of stuff. Stuff like Treice Ray… just a whole lot of stuff.AllHipHop.com: Was it renewed for a second season?Project Pat: We got put in for a movie for it. Yeah, we’re going to make a movie out of it. God keeps blessing us down here.AllHipHop.com: You’ve been a known dirty south rapper for a while now, how do you feel about it being in the mainstream and where do you think the sound is going?Project Pat: Well, I’m gonna put it to you like this right here, one thing about the dirty south is that we real stubborn in our ways. You know how they say “South people are set in they ways,” so the thing is as far as the music and the rap… the South gon’ keep it forever. See, where New York messed up is they gave it to us and they ran the game all day but they didn’t let them other little towns, little cities get on like Connecticut, Boston, and all those little surrounding cities. If it wasn’t New York, then nobody from New York was trying to hear it. See in the South we don’t roll like that. We let everybody get on. We want everybody to get a piece. We don’t care. We not trippin’ baby, you know that there. Arkansas ain’t came out yet, Oklahoma City ain’t came out yet. You got plenty of people that ain’t came out of Memphis yet. Nobody came out of Knoxville or Chattanooga yet. I know some dudes in Johnson City, Tennessee, up that way; them boys are off the chain. They gon’ come out and when they come out, we gon’ buy it. We ain’t gon’ boo ‘em. We gon’ put ‘em on down here, we ain’t trippin’. As long as they talking about this money, this shine and looking good and hustlin’ and gettin’ it, that’s all we want to hear. And also, I want to say this, I don’t know who in the clown was but it was some guy up on the East coast talking about down south rappers is like bubble gum rappers. Well, I think he needs to start chewing a whole pack of Hubba Bubba because that’s what’s selling out here. All this ol’ Hip-Hop has no meaning, man, kill yo’self. It’s lots of money out here; we ain’t trying to think about that. Quit playing games, n***as got kids out here and the kids gotta eat. It’s got plenty of meaning. I’m feeding other folk and people around me are getting jobs and money for they kids. Now one thing about down South like I said earlier, people got they own styles in the things they do. We got a lot of styles in the South and we don’t trip. People support each other and it’s all good. As far as the sound, it’s getting more on dances now and hustlin’ in streets. And you always gotta be talking something about that money. See down South, we ain’t complicated. You ain’t got to be dotting your I’s and crossing your T’s in the dirty. We ain’t gon’ trip on that. We don’t say girl, we say guhl. Man, quit trippin’! We bringing our styles to the game and guess what, they diggin’ it.AllHipHop.com: Talk to me about your upcoming album Walkin’ Bank Roll. Any special guests or favorite tracks?Project Pat: Man, I got my boy Pimp C on there and Three 6 Mafia is on there. Me and my boy Pimp got a song on there called “Talkin’ Smart to the Pimpin’.” And it’s some flames on here, you know. It come out October 30th with the number one hit single in the United States called “Don’t Call Me No Mo’.”AllHipHop.com: How do you feel about T.I. and his possible federal charges? Aren’t they similar to what you went through in 2001?Project Pat: They exactly what I went through and it’s a shame. It’s a godforsaken shame. You know, that’s a hardcore blow to the South and I hate it from the bottom of my heart. I pray for the man and I truly believe that God is going to bring him out of this situation. But man, I’m gonna tell you something. You just got to be watchful out here, you know. I ask everybody that gets in the car with me “You got a gun on you? You got a gun on you? You got a gun on you?” I gotta know man because you can’t be riding with me because I don’t know man; I’m not having it. See dealing with rappers down South we got a lot of street poets. And for a street guy to have a gun is like waking up in the morning, that’s nothing. Now if the police pull me over for that, he’s arresting me. I got caught with two, a .44 and a .22 revolver and I said to myself, Memphis got a lot of crime. Memphis is guttah, it’s going down. It’s been bad; you know what I’m saying? We got plenty of gangs. Memphis is not a white-collar city; it’s a gangsta town. And this real talk, the drug dealers and killers could be riding down the street and they could be signing autographs. They got the fan-base in my city. To a dude that’s coming from that, old habits are hard to break. You just gotta be smart, man. The robber got the gun to your back and the police got they gun to your face. It’s like being between a rock and a hard place. It’s real out here but I mean in his situation, it could have easily happened to me. And a lot of people don’t understand, they say, “He could’ve did this and did that,” but believe you and me; I was in the same situation. I had bodyguards and all that but at the same time, my mind was “Can’t nobody protect me like me.” So I feel the brother, you know what I’m saying. I hate that it happened like it did. AllHipHop.com: What do you want to let him or people in the same situation as him know about what they’re about to go through?Project Pat: If there’s anything I’d just tell the brother man because he seems like a real spiritual man, just turn it over to God. God gon’ work it out and however way it’s lookin’ don’t go by looks, just go by what you’ve prayed for. And stand your grounds on what you’ve prayed for because God gon’ give it to you. Real talk. AllHipHop.com: Is there any advice you’d like to give these young boys out here that look to the streets as their only way of life?Project Pat: Well, you know, I’m gonna tell you this right here; the streets are not the only way of life. It’s a proprietor of the devil. And I tell my people that the key to my success is that I pay my tithes and offerings. The real dudes in the street, these real guys, we respect God. We real, we know the business. So I tell these guys to put it down and give God a try. Turn your life over to Christ man, that’s real talk. That’s [the] only way you gon’ make it out here. That’s the only way I’ve seen. That’s what got me out the hood. That right there and taking initiative, slow grind. And when I say slow grind, just go on ‘head and get you a job and just slow grind it, man. Because that slow money is fa’ sho’ money. AllHipHop.com: Anything else you’d like to share to the public?Project Pat: I want to say let’s send some prayers up for T.I. and hold your guns and expect to come good because a lot of people be talking negative and it hurts. A lot of people are like “ah, he shouldn’t have done this and he did this…” but hey, it’s done now so quit talking like that. Send something to his lawyer. Real talk, quit talking about the man so much and speak something good. Pray for the man or something; don’t be sitting around here just talking. And I want to also say that you need go pick up this album Walkin’ Bank Roll coming out October 30th. Trick or treat man! Go cop that, real talk! Now while you copping Walkin’ Bank Roll go on head and cop the entire Hypnotize Minds catalog!

Rapper Coolio Set To Star In Own Reality Show

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: News

Rapper/actor Coolio will star in a new reality television series titled Coolio & The Gang, which will debut next year on the Oxygen Network.According to The Hollywood Reporter, the reality series features the rapper raising six teenagers while juggling a rap career and clothing line.Coolio, 44, hit big in 1994 with the single “Fantastic Voyage” from the album It Takes A Thief and the Grammy Award winning “Gangsta’s Paradise” from the quadruple platinum album of the same name the following year.”Coolio is a single dad raising kids, and it’s got a lot of unconventional parenting aspects to it. He wants his kids to do as he says, not as he does,” said Debby Beece, president of programming and marketing at Oxygen.

Wynter’s Tale: Random Thoughts

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: Alternatives

Generally when an artist or writer gets hot, a lot of people jump on the bandwagon and then the cool thing to do is to be the person that finds something wrong with what’s popular. Blogging has made it increasingly popular and easy to hate on artists, because bloggers have the option to remain anonymous. Cyberspace is an environment where generally uncool people can appear cool by saying almost anything that they wouldn’t say in a confrontational environment. I say all that to say that The-Dream is the current hot artist/writer of today and I’ve recently seen a few blog sites that had negative things to say about him.

Now I’m not jumping to his defense, I just want to give my objective opinion about him. He’s dope. I had the opportunity to work with him earlier this year (before “Umbrella”) and witnessed his genius first hand. He would listen to a track, step out the room, come back in five minutes with a melody and a hook….and it sounded dope. Once the hook was put down, he would almost freestyle the verse and the song was done. The-Dream is a hit record maker and its no coincidence or mistake that he’s been responsible for some of the biggest records of 2007. I’m not saying these things because I’m down with him (aside from our few studio sessions I don’t know him), I’m not signed to Def Jam (shout to Atlantic Records!), and I don’t need any records from him (I love my writing more than

anyone else’s). This is just one artist appreciating another artist. My song writing process is a lot slower and sometimes a bit more collaborative…..check the video below:

Speaking of one artist appreciating other artists, I want to briefly list a few of the up and coming artists that need to be acknowledged. If you want to get a headstart on who are some of the hottest new artists then be on the look out for: Boxie, Kevin Michael, Jaiden, Lydia Caesar, Jayms Madison, Robbie Nova, Duo Live, and the incredibly talented Karina Pasian. These are artists whose music or talent I’ve been exposed to and who I think will do well.

In my own development as an artist, probably one of the most difficult things that I’ve had to endure was the criticism that comes with being different. This summer I toured with Keyshia Cole who is a dope R&B artist. The challenge for me was that I’m a bit different in that my vocal tone is somewhat crossover/rhythmic. In my attempts to adapt to her audience, I would tailor my show a little bit different and in the end it didn’t really work out. One of my biggest lessons coming off of that tour was to be me, commit to me, and never compromise for anyone. This rings true because I’d rather people hate me for being me than love me for being someone else. Check me out being interviewed by my sponsor Drjays.com after the tour ended.

After the Keyshia Cole Tour ended, Craig Kallman (Chairman and CEO Atlantic Records) started calling me very often and becoming more hands on with the

development of my sound. This type of attention was much needed because I certainly needed the confidence boost after the rough summer. So since the summer, I have been working feverishly to finish this album. One of my techniques for always being ready in the studio has been my morning vocal warm-ups/devotionals. Check me out singing gospel/Disney tunes first thing in the morning….yes, it really was 6:45 in the morning!

Silly right? Lol.

Well in addition to songwriting, singing, and being an all around silly person, I am an internet addict. I spend most of my downtime watching random stupidity on

youtube, laughing at the hilarity of crunktastical.blogspot.com, or relishing in the guilty pleasures of concreteloop.com, theybf.com, nahright.com and bossip.com. And while I love these sites because they make me laugh, they deserve special attention because they helped spark the Jena 6 debate before it became cool. If you pay any reasonable amount of attention to my music then you’ll notice that I do take my social responsibility serious.

In a world plagued by global warming, violence, racism, and classism, its my goal to be an artist of substance.

Well for more random thoughts or silliness, you can check me out at http://www.myspace.com/wynter85 or http://www.youtube.com/wyntergordontv