Now that my creative process is winding down (not to say that it ever leaves) I’m able to get back to my normal self of hanging out and joking with friends. I was out in Fairfax, Virginia for a few hours on Saturday and sheer madness took place. From playing baseball and football in the street to me winning a teddy bear hippo (pictured above) in one of those machines that people swear you can’t win from. Thanks to modern technology, some of those moments were captured for your viewing pleasure.
I love being in studios. Especially ones with creative and energetic people. There’s a certain vibe people give off when they believe in what you’re doing and even if they don’t see the entire vision, they see enough that they want to help you get it out. It’s a great feeling for someone like me who comes from being the only one in the room who sees something and having to generate my own energy from within because everyone else is staring at me like I’m wasting time. It’s easy to believe in yourself AFTER everyone else believes in you, but believing yourself BEFORE everyone else does is the true test. I don’t think that’s grammatically correct — it’s 6AM so pardon me.
I’ve spent less time in actual recording settings than probably any other serious artist on the face of this earth. Just never had the resources or time to be in a studio for hours upon hours. So I will admit that I’m behind the curb as far as familiarity with recording, breath control (as you see in the video above), and things of that nature. If you know anything about me though, I pretty much get a late start on everything in life…..and then I pretty much always catch up…..then I pretty much always keep going.
We’re all learning, growing, and changing. While we do this, people doubt us, laugh at us, and some of even try to stop us. Don’t fight them. Don’t argue with them. Don’t even try to prove your point. Just keep doing what you’re doing and tell them to give you a second, soon they shall see.
Disclaimer: Just saying “Gimme A Second I Swear” alone won’t work. You actually have to go out there and use that metaphoric second to become the best you can be.
If you’ve been rocking with me since day 1 you will see the growth on this project. We’ve come such a long way from 2 Sides To A Story, which ironically was released on July 14, 2007. What a difference two years makes. Still a far cry from where I want to be musically but the way is being paved gradually and the journey is quite fun.
If you’re new to Phella music then I hope you listen. If you listen I hope you feel it. If you feel it I hope you share with others so they can feel it as well. I don’t get on the microphone to hear my voice. I have things to say and I try to say them in the most interesting of ways. Some lines and verses will take weeks or months to fully understand while others simply will never be understood. That’s the fun part. That’s how the rap music I grew up on was crafted.
Thanks to J.Rob for tolerating my insanity and lending me his production to put my words to.
Thanks to DJ Laser for his assistance with this project as well overall just being a good dude that breathes this hip-hop culture.
And anyone else who supports my art in any form or fashion, thank you.
We’re only scratching the surface with this project. I can say “we” because for the first time I truly feel like I have a good group of people all striving towards similar goals as I. Give Us A Second, We Swear!
Was chillin in VA for most of today. This is some of what transpired. Not pictured is a basketball game that went down. My victim was a LeBron James fan so naturally the footage dissapeared. Just know that I won and it wasn’t pretty. I’m taking on all challengers in any city in any of the following: Basketball, Skateboarding, Pool, NBA 2K9, and Taboo.
The EP ‘Gimme A Second I Swear’ produced by J.Rob will be out whenever the mixing and mastering gets done. Left to me I would have put out weeks ago unmixed and unmastered but J.Rob would probably shoot me.
Sidebar: I hate lifting weights. No offense to any excessive weightlifters out there, but most dudes that lift excessively tend to be dumb. It’s a simple concept. You’re so overly conscious about how you look in the mirror that you never pay attention to the real things that matter in life. Same applies to chicks who wear excessive make-up. I’m yet to meet one smart one.
I started a new circuit workout last night that doesn’t involve any weights. Just 20 mins and I’m done and I can move on to cardio (running, jump rope, bicycle etc…). That’s where the ouch part comes in. My ankles, knees and just about every other body part are out of commission this morning. Feels good though.
Always wanted to hear DJ Clue say “New Phella” with the echo at least once in my lifetime. Unfortunately he doesn’t do tapes anymore. It’s cool, I’ll get over it.
Even though my favorite genre of music is RnB, one thing I like about hip-hop is that you get to watch the progression of artists. With singers the public has no patience to watch them develop. If they don’t come out sounding like Whitney or Luther, people immediately write them off. With rappers like Fabolous, Joe Budden, Lil Wayne, and Lupe Fiasco, I can listen to their mixtape stuff from 6 years ago and compare it to what they release today.
So with that said I’m gonna be doing a lot more freestyles and stuff so I can have an extensive then and now catalog to compare when I get old.
“They say Phell don’t rap,even heard the word “quitter”/I said I went corporate first,it’s called a reverse Jigga” “When it comes to ladies I like writers in goggles, not aspiring models/the latter only like those who be buying her bottles”
Haven’t really had a cause to blog as of recent. My last 1 to 2 weeks have been centered around things that wouldn’t benefit me to talk about them on here, at least not yet. Probably going to be like that for a while but it’s not a sign of depression, distress, or any other kind of problem. A good percentage of it is actually positive. Just some precautionary measures to make sure my year life and multiple careers are headed in the right direction and all potential obstacles are out of the way.
Like whenever things are about to move real fast, I like to slow down and envision how I want stuff to go and what I will do if when they don’t go quite as planned. Some call it intuition, Jay-Z calls it “sort of a premonition”, Magic Johnson described it as “seeing the game in slow motion”, while Michael Jordan concluded that “I saw what would happen before my opponents”. Whether it’s sports, music, business, or what have you;the ability to think ahead but still live in the moment is what makes the greats GREAT.
Sidebar:Took down the top pic because I realized that it was outdated. I don’t really do fitted caps too much anymore, my hair is grown out, my skin isn’t even the same (Winter paleness victim).
Sidebar 2:Might find myself in NY, Philly and Atlanta over the next two to three weeks. I didn’t mention that for any particular reason. Just felt it was noteworthy.
Anyway the real purpose of this entry is to post a few blogs and websites that I frequent and benefit from in one way or another. All these people offer their own unique contributions to society through pictures, music, and written words. There’s a bunch more that I check but these in particular have content that resonates well with me. Might do the same for you too.
Other than that enjoy the “Current Mood Music” off to the right which is now called “Music Of The Moment”. When you call it Current Mood Music and the artist says “I’m about to go do a drive by”, people start thinking every single word represents your thoughts. A lot of times I pick the music based on the emotion of the track, not so much the lyrics. If I want to get lyrics across I’ll post some of my stuff.
