New Muzik

In between travel and work I've been slowly putting together a new album. At first It was going to be a EP featuring all the extra songs that didn't make it on "Tha Audio Bully" album. After listening to the extra tracks and the new one's I scrapped the plan for an EP and decided to put out another LP album. The new album is titled "Underground Artist, Major Threat" and it should be done next year.

When working on a new album I listen to a lot of New Muzik... for a variety of reasons. I listen to hear what style of music is popular (the south is still dominating). Which artists can really spit and which are only popular cuz of money and exposure. I listen for who has a message and who is perpetuating negative stereotypes. Out of all the reasons I listen the main reason is... to find artists I want to work with. If they're old school artists I listen to hear if they still got flow. If they're new artists I listen for originality and if they have their own sound. 

Below are videos from a mix of young new artists with a message and one Bay Area legend. The song "Heemin" from Mac Duna featuring Mac Dre, Tech N9ne and Fa$e resurrects Mac Dre (R.I.P.). Mac Dre was an MC from Vallejo, California whose unique flow was influential in the Bay Area Hip-Hop scene. Mac Dre was killed in 2004 but his charisma can still be felt in this 2015 video. 

The rest of the artists in the list are all new MC's. Some mainstream others underground but all of them have flow and a positive message. There's, Cashflow Harlem - Ladies Vs. Thots, Kwame Katana - Life Without Water, Big Sean Feat. Kanye West and John Legend - One Man Can Change The World. 

Last is the new mixtape "From Da Old 2 Tha New" from DJ and producer DJ Modesty hosted by Shabaam Shadeeq. DJ Modesty has been making beats, producing and hosting radio show "The Real Hip-Hop Show" for over a decade. Shabaam Sadeeq is a raw, lyricist with a catalog that spans back to the 90's. He drops jewels with some of the best in the game on this classic mixtape of old and new. Check it out!

Viva Italia

I recently returned from a trip to Toscana, Italy and if you haven't been there add it to your bucket list. 

The Toscana region of Italy is right on the Tyrrhenian sea. I stayed in the village of Vada at a place on the coastline. Most of the coast was rocky with small pockets of beaches with food pavilions in between.  The majority of the trip was spent traveling and exploring so I didn't get to enjoy the beach to much. The few times I did have a chance to lay on the beach and bask in the sun...it was marvelous. 

I few days into the trip I took a day tour to Florence a few hours away. Florence is a beautiful city. It has broad streets, filled with markets and shops of every type. The buildings are a blend of old and new architecture. A huge surprise for me was seeing buildings Michelangelo designed before he moved to Rome at age 35. There are to many amazing pieces of architecture to list in one post but the most common theme of Florence was churches. There are so many churches of different design it would baffle the imagination. It's no surprise that the center of Florence is a world heritage site.

The tour was led by a small middle aged Italian woman who really loved Florance. She could answer any question about the multitude of monuments and sculptures around the city. Our tour group was composed of five couples and three individuals with age ranges from mid-twenties to late sixties. The guide educated us on everything from art and literature to the different colors of marble, which was once known as "white gold." That was interesting information to me because I thought marble only came in white. The Toscana region is famous for producing red, yellow, green, blue and other veins of the expensive rock. Each color has it's own meaning: red - honor, white - faith, green - love...etcetera. That information gave more depth to her historical tales of old Renaissance architects.  

After walking around the city for hours with our over enthusiastic tour guide we were given time to explore for ourselves.The shopping was almost as good as the visuals. I found great deals on leather goods that would cost three times as much in Amsterdam. Jackets, belts, bags, boots, and other goods were for sale at thrift shop prices. I brought a few belts and a jacket for my upcoming video shoot for "Love Hip-Hop." Although I enjoyed the tour I wish that I had a few more days to explore Florence. There are so many museums of fine arts, and monuments around the city that one day isn't enough time to see everything.

If you like seafood the city of Cecina (pronounced chi-chi-na) is the place for you. All the seafood is fresh off the boat and still alive before it's cooked and served. I had some of the best fish I've ever tasted. Served in a light crispy breading that melts in your mouth. All over the city of Cecina, are beaches, ice cream shops and seafood restaurants. Most of the restaurants have delicious affordable foods and advertise biological vegetables, which is attractive to health conscious tourists. All over Toscana are olives and various flavors of local wines which range from sweet to spicy. After riding around different cities on the bike I rented. Having some seafood and wine really helped me relax. I learned a lot in a week of travel and below are a few pics from the trip. Hopefully it will give you the motivation to go see Italy for yourself.