YEAH, SO FIRST: PEACE TO STEVE GRABENHEIMER, AND SECOND: I HEARD 'SUCCESS' YESTERDAY.

go to www.hiphopdx.com and you'll find it, sorry my link isn't working...

HOOOO-LY SHIT, IT'S THE BEST JAM IN THE FUCKING WORLD AT THE MOMENT. JAY-Z AND NAS FUCKING MURRRRRDERRRRRING THE MICROPHONE ONCE AGAIN. AND I HESITATE TO SAY IT, BUT I THINK I PREFER SHAWN ON IT! I MEAN, NAS GETS DEEPER THAN JAY, ONCE AGAIN, BUT THIS TIME, THE GOLD MEDAL FOR FLOW GOES TO JIGGA!

THE 'AMERICAN GANGSTER' ALBUM IS GOING TO BE THE BEST SHIT TO DROP THIS FALL. THE BAR HAS BEEN RAISED, FAST AND FURIOUSLY.
WORD!

OH, AND I HEARD NO I.D.'S SOLO ALBUM. IT'S DOPE. PEEP THE J.D. STEEZ TOO

COURTESY OF WWW.XXLMAG.COM

This Is Me

First a coupla disclaimers:

This interview was done before No I.D. was fully aware that Nas was gonna be the feature on “Success.”

If you’ve never heard Accept Your Own and Be Yourself a.k.a. The Original Black Album—you are not hip-hop.

I like to pretend Vol. 1 never existed.

How’d you end up on American Gangster?

What happened was JD was like, “Let’s go work on Jay-Z.” So we went up to the studio and it was like Jay was so specific with what he wanted. It was a lot of people coming in playing joints and it just wasn’t what he wanted. It wasn’t even that it wasn’t good. It was a real tight environment and Jay was like, “Yo man, I’m a listen to you a couple, if you don’t catch me with the first few beats, that’s it.” I do my beats on a laptop, so I just kinda sat in a corner and just did what he was saying he needed right there. But when I did that beat, which is the second beat I did—I kinda wyled out. I stood up, took my headphones off and walked around the room. So anyway I played it, everybody loved it on the spot then he just shook my hand and was like, “Yo man, you need to tell Apple you need an endorsement, ‘cause you walked in with your laptop and did a crazy record for my album on the spot.”

JD was in there at the time too?

Yeah, the whole joke was like, JD had all his equipment set up and I looked like I was maybe on the Internet or something.

So JD is credited as co-producer on the song you did “Success” and you’re co-producer of the song he did “Fallin’.”

In all honesty, JD really did that beat [“Fallin’”]. I really just was, “Man I think you should do this.” He really did that. We surprised each other.

How did you develop a relationship with JD?

With us being from creatively opposite sides from the world so to speak… I used to be like, Yo this dude is stupid successful and makes stuff that I might not. I looked at how most of the producers from my era don’t exist anymore, so I was like, I’m a humble myself and tell ‘em, Let’s work together. I felt like there was things I could help him learn or bring him closer to my world and he could bring me closer to his world.

Have you developed even more respect for him from working with him?

It’s more than just respect, I actually learned from him. I understand totally now why he’s successful and I think we pick up things from each other. There was always respect there, but now it’s like, I understand why it’s a respect. Not I respect you ‘cause you sold some records, like I really respect your thinking process and why you make hits now.

So what’s Don Chi Chi’s secret?

Um, it’s the song writing element of producing and how to make a record really be effective for a person.

So it looks like your song is gonna feature the second collabo between Jay and Nas. How does that feel?

Well all we did when we first recorded the song was come up with the topic and then I left it so I don’t know if whether Nas did his verse or not. They told me Nas was going to be on it. I know certain lines but I ain’t really hear it yet, but I’ll know soon. I’m going to mix it tomorrow.

Seems like your contribution is filling the “PSA” street banger/stadium rocker spot.
That’s what he said he wanted. He said, “I need another ‘PSA’” and I wasn’t going to like bite “PSA” but I knew the elements.

That’s crazy. You know I got to ask you what’s your take on the “Big Brother” record?
Well it wasn’t like a shock to me ‘cause Kanye and I still talk. So, I mean, I love the song.

I guess it feels good to be acknowledged.

Yeah, but I never felt like I wasn’t acknowledged. Like, Ye’s the type of dude, if we woulda been in the studio and Tom Cruise walked in he’d be like, “Man this the dude that taught me everything I know.” So I be like, “Come on man, enough at some point.” It was him acknowledging me at a point where he ain’t necessarily have to.

I’m guessing with the impact of the record, you got people constantly approaching you about it.

Ah man, forget about it. Everyday.

You’re gonna have to change your name to No I.D. The Mentor.

When I look at the press now, that’s who I am—No I.D. The Mentor. I go in the club, they be like, “Yo my mentor!” But all I’m a do now is focus on some music all the other stuff is just a bunch of propaganda.

What other projects you got coming out?

I really want to work on Nas’ album. I want to do some hip-hop. I want to work on Common’s next album, I want to work with Kanye on his next album, I want to do the projects that I want to do now. Working with JD gave me enough commercial stuff to keep that there, and now I’ma just go after the stuff that I really want to do. Like to me, “Success” was No I.D. elevated.

Yeah. Seems like “Success” is going to bring you more success.

Yeah. I told them when we was coming up with the concept, I feel like, when I did this beat, I had like a boastful proud moment in a room full of people. I took a chance. I coulda played that beat and everybody would’ve been like, “C’mon man. You’re wasting our time.” But that’s what the music said to me—that moment when you stand proud.

~

The dude Jermaine Dupri used to dance for Whodini, you pop tarts. Fix your face and show some respect.

Until now, you and Jay-Z hadn’t worked together since “Money Ain’t A Thang.” Why is that?

I know when two people get together and make a record and then they just leave it alone people think it wasn’t no magic there. I felt like “Money Aint A Thang” was like magic. I’ve been telling Jay like, “Let me do your album, you’ll sell way more records than you ever sold.” I kept pushing it. We’re going to the club and every time we in the club, they play that record and I remind him—10 years later and they still playing that song, so I guess it kinda got embedded in his mind. He called me to work on this record.

Think a lot of people are shocked about the type of records you contributed to the album. Especially “Fallin’”?

Yeah, I don’t know why. If you listened to Life in 1472, that’s what that album sounded like my records sounded like that type of music. But people pay more attention to the production on Usher and the more pop R&B records that I do than that type of stuff, so I guess that’s what it is. But what I did was, I went to the studio and he played me a lot of his records. I couldn’t really duplicate what he already had going on and I really wanted to be on the album so I had to figure out my role.

Did you know right away that you nailed it? Did you try different concepts first?

Nah, you never know as a producer whether you got it or not. But that [“Fallin’”] was the one I’d been working on the hardest. I was in the studio all night—and I just start coming up with the hook. Once I came up with the hook, I kinda felt like I was going to fight the issue if he didn’t really like it. But you got to understand, it wasn’t a fight with him. He knew the story—everybody know the story. You can’t be a gangster without the excitement of the fall. The rise is crazy, but it’s the fall that’s big. If you see the headlines it’s always the “Rise and Fall” so I felt like the “Fallin’” part—that’s it. Perfect. The hook and everything. It just let you know what the story was about and where he’s about to go.

How does the hook go again?

“I know, I shouldn’t have did that/I know it’s going to come right back/It’s probably going to destroy everything I made/It’s going to probably get your boy sent away/But this the game we play it ain’t no way to fix it/It’s inevitable, I’m ‘Fallin’.” The mindset of it was when you are a gangster, it’s one thing you always do—they make one bad move and your life is finished. And I don’t care what it is. Especially when I watched the movie, in the movie, Frank wore that fur and that was the beginning of the end and that’s where I wanted Jay to start his verse from. Once he saw where I was going with it, it was easy.

So it was like you was helping Jay tell the whole story. You helped the sequence of it—

Well, that’s pretty much how I work as a producer. I always tell people like I make suits for people as opposed to just making beats. I make custom made suits. What I made was the ending part of his story. I wouldn’t have made that if I didn’t listen to the records though. I don’t believe that.

What’d you think about the Puffy/Hitmen stuff?

I thought it was great and it definitely put me in a mind set of where I wanted to be. “Roc Boys”—that’s the song I left the studio singing. I left the studio with that song embedded in my head. Like, just all—every part of the song. When I left the studio the first night we got there, I pretty much had a clear vision of what I needed to make in order to make this album.

You’re used to controlling your sessions, but here you were going into a different environment.

Yeah it was a little weird ‘cause I work in my own studio all the time, so for me to go to New York and then to be in the studio where everything’s going on. There was like three people making beats in the studio at one time. That never happens around me. It was my crew, No I.D. is a So So Def producer and L-Rock so all three of us came to New York to work on one record. And then we just started separating. No I.D. got in a corner and start making a beat on his computer. I was in my headphones—and we all had to put our headphones on because we was in the same room where Jay was basically playing music for everybody that came by the studio. So it’s like Lebron and his crew was in there and they were getting a listening session at the same time we was making beats. Jay kept asking me if he was interrupting me or was he—or was I able to concentrate—of course I said no ‘cause I didn’t want to stop what he was doing, but it was awkward for me. Still it put the pressure on me to make the record I made.

How did the relationship develop between you and No I.D.?

He came to me as a person and was just like I wanna learn how to become more involved in projects. I think he felt that ‘cause he found like Kanye and Lupe—them people from Chicago all came from No I.D. basement. I think the one thing I talked to him about was just him learning how to take control of that. because you cant get nothing from telling people, “I found Kanye.” You can’t win by that. That’s cool you found him, but why you ain’t keep him? That’s the question I had and that’s the question everyone else had. So when he came around me, I just started showing him how to build his situation as well as getting him on projects and making sure people respect who he is ‘cause dude is definitely one of the realest producers out there and he got more knowledge in the game than damn near everybody. He taught a lot of producers how to make beats, but at the end of the day he didn’t get the credit for it and a lot of the artists didn’t even know. He’s a quiet dude, but I try to bring him out as much as I can. No I.D. be going on an island sometime hiding. But I try to keep him out and keep him in the mix as much as possible and keep him working ‘cause he got a lot of crazy beats.

The “Success” joint is going to shake a lot of people up.

I’m a give you the play by play of what happened when we was in the studio. That session came from when we was making “Fallin’.” I played that song for Jay and it was like a joke in the room, who else had something. So then No I.D. was like, “Yo I got something” and Jay was like, “You ain’t got nothing!” Then Guru listened to it through the headphones and listened to what No I.D. had and his face started to crinkle up. I was happy ‘cause that was a bright moment for No I.D. to really let these people know who he is ‘cause he does this all time. Like I’m not surprised you came up with a beat like this, you got a hundred beats like this. People don’t know him and I believe after this record people are going to be like, I need No I.D. on my album.

So that’s really your producing partner-in-crime?

What I do, I provide the vision for him. Like when we did the Bow Wow record, “Let Me Hold You,” I gave him the type of vision I wanted and we put that record together. That was the beginning of our relationship and from then on, we’ve been making records. So when me and him go in the studio, I provide what were looking for and the ear for it and he’ll definitely go find it and put it together and the whole movie comes together like that.

WOW.
~~~

for the sake of fairness, I'll let this guy's opinion breathe. but I DISAGREE with some major parts of this statement. he has a few good points, but mostly not.

NASTY NAS AND THE "NIGGER" LP:

The Mo'Kelly Report:
Nas is a Comedian Not an Intellectual

Nasir Jones is a funny, funny guy.

Nasir Jones, aka Nas, rapper extraordinaire is back in the news. In fact, he'll soon be back with a new CD. The often controversial rapper is again doing what he does best, causing controversy. To be truthful, there really isn't any controversy…just high comedy.

Nasir Jones is a funny, funny man; borderline hysterical.

Just in case you're not aware of the latest, Nas has announced his forthcoming CD will be named…

(drum roll please)

Nigger!

Yes, see how the mere utterance of the word in its full, gory splendor makes most "reasonable" individuals twitch in discomfort. Note; emphasis on the word "reasonable."

Nigger, coming soon on iTunes. Or, you can run out to your local music retailer and purchase Nigger as a gift for your loved ones this holiday season. In fact, call your favorite radio station and request Nigger right now.

Yes, doesn't that just "sound" like a good idea?

THAT, my people, is brilliance unparalleled. Such creative genius only comes around once in a generation. The juxtaposition of "nigger" and rap music is groundbreaking. Never before have the two come together in music.

Uh…yeah.

Evidently the NAACP and other civil rights ancillaries are none too pleased at the announcement and have voiced their displeasure. To which, Nas had this to say to MTV News:

"I'm a street disciple. I'm talking to the streets. Stay out of our business. You ain't got no business worrying about what the word 'nigger' is or acting like you know what my album is about without talking to me.

He goes on to say…

"If Cornel West was making an album called "Nigger," they would know he's got something intellectual to say. To think I'm gonna say something that's not intellectual is calling me a nigger, and to be called a nigger by Jesse Jackson and the NAACP is counterproductive, counter-revolutionary."

And so goes the continuous contradictory nature of hip-hop music today.

Quicker than a single rotation of a 12" LP, hip-hop will argue the merits of "free speech" and how hip-hop should not be "censored" or heaven forbid, criticized. Yet at the same time, hip-hop has been gleefully ignorant as to the implications and responsibility associated with anything "free."

"Freedom of speech" is an inalienable right to avoid prosecution for your views…not persecution because of them. There's a distinct difference.

Nas is "free" to title his CD Nigger or any other equally misguided nomenclature he sees fit; regardless of how ill-conceived, illogical and asinine it may happen to be.

But why in the hell WOULD anyone (Black) WANT to do so?

Be it the attempt to justify the BET TV show Hot Ghetto Mess, merchandise "Nigga" T-shirts (Damon Wayans) or naming your CD Nigger…the question is the same.

Why in the hell WOULD anyone (Black) WANT to do so?

Freedom of speech intimates a dialogue, not a monologue. The NAACP, Jesse Jackson and Mo'Kelly are also "free" to express our overwhelming disapproval at Nas' lack of foresight and class. Freedom of speech does not begin and end with the first voice in the discussion, it continues until all are heard.

This is Mo'Kelly's turn.

Disciple n.
A person who is a pupil or an adherent of the doctrines of another.

There is nothing inherently dishonorable in being "from" the streets. Our origination points in life are simply that…a starting locale prior to growth and progress. They should never be the goal or end destination.

The problem though is coveting the infantile mentality that eschews growth, education and progress for items of zero value…synonymous with "the streets."

In "the streets," men are not men.

Lil Flip
Young Jeezy
Young Joc
Young Buck
Hot Boyz
Lil Jon
Geto Boyz
Baby Boy (Movie)
Boyz in the Hood (Movie)
Etc.

And to think we as African-American men couldn't stand to be called "boy." That's clearly progress at its best.

In "the streets" women are not women.

Bitches
Hos
Tricks
Chickenheads
Skeezers
Etc.

The "mores" and "ethics" of the streets are contained in phrases such as "stop snitchin.' The debasement of women and disrespect of fellow African-Americans are acceptable and encouraged modes of behavior.

The "streets" are about "having more" not "being more." The "streets" idolize drug dealers, rappers who pattern themselves after Mafiosos and/or drug dealers (i.e. "Nas Escobar") and are largely indifferent to common sense and decency. Mo'Kelly's not deriding people "from" the streets, just those who embrace the tenets "of" the streets. It's about the mentality, not the zip code.

It wasn't the zip code that landed rapper T.I. in jail (again). It was the mentality that convinced him machine guns and silencers were more important than continuing to enjoy his music and movie stardom without them.

If Nasir Jones is a self-proclaimed "street disciple," then by definition he embraces and extols the "virtues" of the very least that African-Americans have to offer and the worst of human interaction. Mo'Kelly doesn't need to "wait" for the CD to KNOW that Nigger is an unacceptable way to represent African-American people.

Mo'Kelly's got common sense and decency.

"I'm a street disciple. I'm talking to the streets. Stay out of our business."

-Nas-

Like Mo'Kelly said…Nas is a funny, funny man. High comedy. And by the way, since 70% of all hip-hop is purchased by non-African-Americans, what "streets" is Nas REALLY talking to?

Nas should've said..."I'm talking to the suburbs, who keep me in business." THAT is more of an accurate statement.

The moment Nas stops appearing on MTV News, pre-promoting CDs, having his music spun at night clubs, accepting royalty checks from a conglomerate he neither influences nor owns et. al…then and ONLY then might he admonish anyone to stay out of his "business." In the meantime, he keeps bringing his "business" to us and is quite intent on making a profit in the process.

In addition, as long as Nas is intent on "representing" African-Americans in a public sense with such stupidity, it will always be Mo'Kelly's "business" to check him accordingly.

"You ain't got no business worrying about what the word 'nigger' is or acting like you know what my album is about without talking to me."

Great. Nas is also the self-proclaimed "authority" on the word "nigger" with all rights, entitlements and privileges accorded thereto. That is "goal setting" at its highest.

Mo'Kelly wouldn't dare try to take that "honor" away from him. Mo'Kelly will let Nas hang that award proudly on his bathroom wall…right next to his 8th grade diploma.

The simple point Nas misses (one of many) is that "just because you 'can'…doesn't mean you should." And if you still do, don't expect the rest of us to support you either.

Enough is enough.

If Nas can't understand the inherent stupidity in naming his CD Nigger, then it's a fair assumption the subsequent content is equally lacking in common sense. Remember, he's a "street disciple" with all the baggage it entails.

Heaven forbid if we as a people strove to "be more" instead of just "having more."

"If Cornel West was making an album called "Nigger," they would know he's got something intellectual to say."

Let's stay within the realm of common sense here. Nas is not on any intellectual par with Dr. West and neither are Nas' "teachings." And if Nas is only talking to "the streets," any and all references to Dr. West are silly. Is Nas trying to be silly or serious? Right now, the humor is winning out.

Nas IS a funny, funny man invoking comparisons to Dr. West. Appropriating the intellectuality of Dr. West to argue the merits of stupidity is high, high comedy. Dr. West hasn't written any songs talking about You Owe Me or engaged in publicized beefs/pissing matches, dissing his peers such as Tavis Smiley, Leonard Pitts or Earl Ofari Hutchinson over perceived disrespect.

Nas on the other hand...

But to Nas' point, Dr. West has released multiple CDs which included the topic of The N-Word (as the songs were specifically titled). Meaning, Dr. West is clearly sensitive to the controversial nature of the word in ways that Nas is not. The fact is; Dr. West likely wouldn't ever name his CD Nigger. The hypothetical is erroneous and ridiculous.

" To think I'm gonna say something that's not intellectual is calling me a nigger, and to be called a nigger by Jesse Jackson and the NAACP is counterproductive, counter-revolutionary."

Nas would like us to disregard the greater portion of his career filled with non-intellectual beefs with Jay-Z, 50 Cent and others. He would like us to forget all of his foolishness, but Mo'Kelly won't. Nas is occasionally intellectual…in the way that it occasionally rains. In other words, he changes like the weather.

But therein lies the rub. Although Nas is fine with using "Nigger" for his own ill-gotten gain, irrespective of how destructive, offensive and inflammatory it might be; he's "offended" at the prospect of the insult being thrown back at him.

Which is it Nas…is the word offensive and inflammatory or not? Nas can't seem to make up his mind.

Nas' own contradictions are the perfect illustrations as to why this word has no place in our mouths, our hearts…or as titles of our CDs. The word and its hateful history are neither redemptive nor salvific. Nothing good has EVER come out of "nigger." Being that Nas is the "authority" on "nigger" he should already know this to be true.

"We're taking power from the word," Nas also added.

No you're not. The word itself doesn't have power, it's the history and racism it embodies which have power...neither of which are you addressing or mitigating by "selling Nigger" for 18.95.

Nas can't numb African-Americans into submission by the overuse of the word in the hopes of it becoming passe' and he knows it. He just wants your 18.95 for you to figure it out.

No matter how many times Richard Pryor said it under the guise of humor, no matter how many times NWA used it under the guise of empowerment; the FIRST time Michael Richards mentioned it...we were back to square one. The FIRST time it was used against Mychal Bell, the wheels of history began turning in his mind and the Jena 6 were born.

Usurping the "power" of the word Nigger is a farce. Selling it for 18.95 is a modern-day minstrel show/slave auction...take your pick.

The association of "nigger/nigga" and rap music is not "revolutionary." Ever since the debut of NWA in the early 90s…rap and "nigger" in all of its permutations have been inextricably linked. Nas is not breaking new ground here, only digging up more of hip-hop's old skeletons. In fact, the use of "nigger" on an album/CD isn't even new. Richard Pryor has Nas beat by some 30 years and we should all remember where intellectually and emotionally Pryor ended up on the use of the word "nigger" when all was said and done.

To be "revolutionary" implies cutting against the grain in the hopes of uplifting the least of all of us. It's a key differentiation between relevant social revolutions and garden variety prison breaks.

Nas titling a hip-hop CD in 2007 Nigger after a career of its incessant use in his music is indicative only of unimaginative profiteering, masquerading as intellectuality. His inability to see past the error of his ways is just more of the infantile faux-masculinity that is common and pervasive amongst "street disciples."

Nas, you are a funny, funny man…even when you're not trying.


The Mo'Kelly Report is an entertainment journal with a political slant. It is meant to inform, infuse and incite meaningful discourse...as well as entertain. The Mo'Kelly Report is syndicated by Newstex. For more Mo'Kelly, http://www.mokellyreport.blogspot.com.


Morris W. O'Kelly can be reached at mokellyreport@sbcglobal.net and he welcomes all commentary.

YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR WHAT I HAVE TO SAY, SIR. ONE LOVE.

~~~

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT -

THIS SONG IS MY LIFE MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. LITERALLY EVERY WORD IS EXTRACTED FROM MY EXISTENCE:



And you can tell that maybe time is out of joy my love
So this is maybe just a SOS shrapnel, an echo of dead sentiment
Measurement across the nothing for no one, a wasted effort, a shrug
Or maybe resident incurable romantic defunct in the face of fact
Blackboard formula waits by the next class
with the outlines still intact, and I see it
And I'm still not sure of the meaning
But I'll say it, write it down, and read it for you
No protective leathery flesh of emotional chain-mail
(No running shoes) no running, no locking doors, no anger
(No e-mail) no voicemail communicational strangulation
Or distortion of purity sentiment
No fantasy of reconciliation or delusion or no revenge
(No bullsh*t) no culture hidden agendas, no preaching
(No pedestal) no standing on the pulpit, no ego, no new speaker freakish lingo
(Here I go...)
I haven't loved many people
I grew up afraid that I was crazy
And one time when I was deep inside your body you purred
And I was sure that you were gonna have my baby
And you can tell that maybe time is out of joy my love
So this is maybe just a SOS shrapnel, an echo of dead sentiment
Measurement across the nothing for no one awaits that effort to shrug
And you can tell that maybe time is out of joy my love
So this is maybe just a SOS, shrapnel, an echo of dead sentiment
Measurement across the nothing for no one awaits that effort to shrug
I used to be in love...

Everything you said I took it all to heart
And you spurred a change in me
Before I could become a new sun I had to fall apart
And I can see that now
And I wish you well
Cause you saw what was good in me
And I'll be god damned if I didn't see that myself
And everything you are
I looked at and cried
Before I could become a man I had to lose my mind had to lose my mind
And I see that now
And I wish you well
Cause I see what's good in you
And I'll be god damned if you can't see that yourself

~~~

Peace to the Geto Boyz, but this year, Halloween didn't fall on a weekend. I went out to State Theater with Gracie and saw some people there that I love: Taurean, Benzo, MarveL, Andrew, Catwoman, Helene, Sophia, Misty, etc.

also I went to see Simon Mah at Hooters and had a GREAT time with Yoda Chris, Dave DM Mills ("look in the mirror and ask yourself..."), Joyce the dreamer, and a nice young lady named Heather, from Jamaica. Talking to them was one of the best things I have done in a long time. Their perspectives were new, undiluted and genuine. I mean, the fear still doesn't go away, but the lessons are underneath the dread. I don't want to spill all the beans, but I gotta get my life right. I'm fuckin up still even though I got my eyes on the prize...

I recorded 2 songs last night, and for the first time (EVER?) I did a song by freestyling emotions. It was amazing. I got a lot out. Now it's time to take the best parts of it and edit them up... and the other one I did was FUN... a 'Book of Rhymes' type jam where I just spit random verses over a hot ass beat. I know you'll dig it. Anyhoo, off to creativity!

"receiving's great, but I LUST GIVING" - Nas on Success.

HOLY FUCKING SHIT, DID HE JUST SAY THAT?! LEVEL UP!
Love, Adhimusic