Love Supreme: A Universe Made In Heaven on Earth, manifested by Mindbender Futurama

Milton Berle - "If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door."

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Fat Joe is talking truth:

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Remy Ma in the booth... word up! Don't get her mad though... she'll (allegedly) pop you:

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NEW HANGAR 18 VIDEO!

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Cloverfield, motherfuckers!

THE MOVIE TO BEAT IN 2008. I'M SO HYPED!

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MY HEART GENTLY WEEPS:

Drama continues to plague Hip-Hop collective Wu-Tang Clan, as group member U-God is suing Wu Music Group, claiming the label owes him over $170,000 in back royalties.

The rapper filed a lawsuit on Tuesday (January 8) in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, claiming that he has not been paid advances due for the latest Wu-Tang album 8 Diagrams since signing a deal in May of 2007.

U-God, born Lamont Hawkins, is also suing Wu Music for income earned from the group’s Rock The Bells tour, a publishing deal with BMG and proceeds from the sales of Wu-Tang merchandise.

"Defendant has failed and/or refused to pay certain monies currently due and owing to plaintiff, despite plaintiff’s repeated demands that it do so," the lawsuit reads.

U-God claims that he is owed at least $50,000 dollars for his involvement in the Rock The Bells tour, $60,000 dollars for the BMG publishing advance and approximately $40,000 dollars for the Wu-Tang Clan album advance.

The lawsuit also accuses Wu Music of intentionally breached the contract with U-God willfully and intentionally, "without justification."

In addition to the $170,000 dollars, U-God is seeking 9% interest to be calculated by the filing date of the lawsuit (January 8), as well as attorney fees.

Other members of the Wu-Tang Clan including Ghostface and Raekwon have made allegations that they have not been properly compensated for their work within the group.

"I feel like I am being taken advantage of. Sometimes we didn’t even get a chance to see no paperwork, so we like hold up hold up, deliver that paperwork, and we agree to agree, or we agree to disagree," Raekwon told Miss Info in November of 2007. "It be seeming like motherf**kers be like ‘you don’t need to see no paperwork.’ I be like ‘What? You talkin‘ reckless to me B and that’s when the bulls**t starts.

"A motherf**ker may know you love them because you love them like that, and then the next thing you know, he use that as a weakness in your mind. It’s to the point where it’s like yo, you getting beat like a ho now, you might as well be pimpin’ me or something n***a. You aint paying me right and you aint keeping me fresh."

RZA replied to the comments during an interview with BBC Radio 1’s Tim Westwood. "It’s really all good, different directions. It was a disagreement. Everything is back all peace already. I aint never ever take no money from nobody and I don‘t owe nobody no money. Don‘t ever say that. I work hard and I pay all my bills."

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HANGAR 18: HIGHLY ANTICIPATED, OFF "SWEEP THE LEG"!

THESE ARE THE HOMIES! KNOW THIS DOPENESS!!

Hangar 18 "Highly Anticipated"

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I was almost mad that something took the name "Low End Theory"... then I heard the beat:

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IN DIVINE STYLE HISTORY LESSON:

Conversation: Alexis and Mindbender

For years, In Divine Style has been Toronto's biggest hip hop open mic night. By encouraging independent talent and providing hip hop artists and audiences with a space to come together each week, the IDS crew has been an indispensable part of Toronto's hip hop community. This Thursday night, after a long and successful tenure, IDS will host its final show.

Matt Blair spoke to In Divine Style crew members Alexis and Addi "Mindbender" Stewart by email, on two separate occasions, about the history of IDS, its role within the community, and the future of hip hop in Toronto and around the world.

Tell us a little bit about the history of In Divine Style. How did it get started, and how has it grown over the course of the past few years?

A: In Divine Style was founded in 1999 or 2000 - not sure of exact dates - by Fritz tha Cat, aka Ryan Somers, in honour of the rapper Divine Styler and as kind of an extension of the magazine he published/movement he started called "In Search of Divine Styler..."

Fritz had to move on so the night ended after a year or so and Addi and I picked it back up in January of 2002, since we wanted to keep the momentum going and felt it was a positive and much needed forum for artists who may not otherwise have had the chance to showcase their talent and express themselves.

I'm not really sure how to answer the last part of the question other than to say that all involved have grown over the past five or six years as individuals, which has in turn shaped In Divine Style. As promoters, this has influenced the way we organize the night, the kind of talent we choose to showcase, what we're willing to tolerate from people, how we deal with equipment and venue mishaps, etc. We have also had the very interesting priviledge of witnessing much of our clientele go through similar changes that are reflected in the way they express themselves as artists and the way they demonstrate respect for others.

M: Honestly, it kinda feels like the game never changed - only the players, in a good way. We had the same mic, same stage and same quality of music to give to every one of the hundreds of MCs who came through the Hooch. Not too much changed over the years, just little additions and subtractions, actually. It has grown and shrunk, brought underground heads, skaters, punks, thugs, hustlers, b-boys, b-girls, poets, Rastas, anarchists, rockers, DJs, and even senior citizens together to all listen to the music we shared in there. We spoke about going to another venue, but we wanted to keep the magic intimacy of that spot. I think we have.

Why have you decided to call it quits after such a long run?

M: We are growing and changing. Time to do different things. I want to focus one hundred percent on spreading the Mindbender name and make a lot more music in 2006 than I did in 2005 or 2004. And Alexis has her own family situation to get started. It's hard as hell to keep anything alive in Toronto, and I am going to leave IDS thankful that we were able to keep it alive for the years we did. I've seen other open mics die in a matter of months, and it's sad.

But we're happy. It's time to evolve. And it's a retirement of IDS, not the death of it. Who knows, maybe we'll pull a Michael Jordan in a year. Nobody says we can't. That is not a promise, though. Maybe we'll make something bigger and better next time.

A: It was a very tough decision. The core members of In Divine Style are finding that we have less time and energy to devote to planning, promoting, etc. We are six years older now and have different family and career priorities that prevent us from giving it our all. We operated as a weekly event each Thursday for four years and over the last year have gone down to monthly, which has proven to be just as much work! We're not necessarily calling it quits for good. We hope to have a comeback show once a year!

What made you choose to do an open mic night, as opposed to booking shows with DJs and MCs that had already proven themselves?

M: It's easier to keep it moving and be more spontaneous with this format. It's also a continuation of the Planet Mars/Project Blowed/Lyricist Lounge tradition.

A: Each night we actually do have two or three scheduled performers as well as an open mic. The concept behind the open mic was to give unknown MCs some exposure, practice, the chance to learn from others, network and build relationships with others. Over the years, IDS has become a great networking ground for MCs, producers, DJs, managers, etc. Many lasting friendships and business associations were established at IDS.

What kind of crowds have been showing up at In Divine Style over the years?

M: Who hasn't been through IDS would be easier to answer. We play mostly hip hop music, old to the new, mainstream and underground, but we have attracted every type of person I think I have ever encountered in life. The venue had a reputation of being a very welcoming atmosphere, and every race, color, creed, religion, gender, subculture, age, location, and mentality came to the Hooch - and they all had a good time.

A: In general though, the style of each performer can differ greatly - from socially conscious MCs like Dope Poet Society and Theology 3 to more hardcore rappers like Empire Crew and Chuggo. The level of experience of the MCs greatly ranges from established artists like Tara Chase, Eternia, Brassmunk and Graph Nobel to people who are just starting out like Anubis, Eddie Brock, Sum01 and Sedition.

The best part is that such a diverse group of spectators and artists always has such a great time together at IDS. In six years, we've only had one fist fight in our first year of operation and no one was really hurt. I think the boys involved were more afraid of me in the end and have since come back to apologize! I grounded them from the night for a year or so but they have apparently learned their lesson, taken the time to think before they act and have been allowed back for the past couple of years with no further incidents.

Where can someone who's looking for a great open mic night in Toronto go once In Divine Style has closed its doors?

M: I don't know of any other open mics off the top of my head. I think I have a flyer for a new one coming, or I've heard someone is trying to do one. Nothing is consistently carrying the torch out of hands, but I hope something starts up.

A: It's sad, but I'm really not sure.

How has hip hop changed in the past five years? How do you hope it will continue to change in the next five?

M: I've been in hip hop long enough to know it's futile and foolish to try and predict its future. The past five years have changed from people placing value on diamonds and higher levels of materialism, to taking the value out of the lyricism. The South has risen again, and the East has become relatively weak. American hip hop is a marketed commodity, but in Canada, nobody is a millionaire from hip hop, so it's mostly done for the love still. Not that people don't love it in America, but the potential to go MTV and multi-platinum has those artists thinking and creating their music differently.

Also the world is going to be more respected and explored by North Americans - probably for any element besides rap. Better believe a great Filipino b-boy or DJ will blow up in America before a great Filipino MC would!

A: As far as the Toronto community goes, the most major change is that hip hop is just that much more popular in the mainstream, and that has afforded us more opportunities as promoters. Canada Arts Council and other government funds seem to be providing more grants to people doing hip hop-related stuff. Major corporations are looking for graff writers and MCs to promote their product or whatever, and that has provided some opportunities for people to live off their art. That just wouldn't have happened before.

But IDS is still an underground night with live music. The majority of people in Toronto would rather go out and dance to a DJ than support live music and that is a major problem.

What is it you love about Toronto's hip hop community in particular? How would you like to see it develop?

M: We gotta love each other and our music like New Orleans does, like Atlanta does, like Brooklyn does. Toronto will never get anywhere, not now or in ten years, if they don't learn to listen to Mindbender music on the radio, in the whip, on MuchMusic, and in your iPod! Not only me, but all the other great and original artists around the city.

Canadians have been world class musicians for so long and other types of music have gotten super stardom, from Avril Lavigne to Sum 41 to Nickelback. Why haven't any MCs besides K-Os gone international or gone platinum like that? I'm looking at the Canadian music industry and asking some serious questions these days.

What advice do you have for independent hip hop artists trying to break into the community and develop themselves?

M: In harsh terms: get popular anywhere else first. Then come back to Toronto. Swollen Members did it best. If you can build a foundation in Toronto first, then do that. But hundreds of great artists I know and love have committed career suicide by putting all their eggs in the Toronto basket, and it breaks my heart. I know from personal experience, and from watching things since I started paying attention, that many of our MCs are as good as anybody in the world, but our environment doesn't promote or support this reality.

Go to Europe and become a legend, like Buck 65 or Abs and Fase. Then come here and laugh in anybody's face who is still a hater, 'cause some people here really don't understand what's going on here, or anywhere else. The bigger picture should be part of your blueprint. I love this place, but people gotta pay their dues, then they should reap the rewards of putting in their work. But if you're dope enough and you're from Toronto, do the rounds on the radio, Videofact, TV, magazines and what not. But plant some seeds in America, Asia, Africa, and keep it moving.

A: Never give up and always try your best. Even if you don't like the initial outcome or response, people will always respect your persistence.

How do you feel about people linking gun crime in Toronto to the culture of hip hop? Do you think that any blame should be placed on rappers who build careers on gangsta images?

M: If you blame gangsta rappers, then blame everyone in society that has a gun. Blame the soldiers at war in Iraq, blame the cops, blame Kate Beckinsale on the poster of Underworld: Evolution holding two guns, blame 50 Cent, and blame Viggo Mortensen for the History of Violence movie poster. People don't see how it all connects. Hip hop promoting guns doesn't affect the brain any differently than any Hollywood movie with these new school crazy graphics and angles of gunplay and bigger artillery and bigger explosions. They all affect negatively. It all desensitizes people to guns and death until it happens to someone, and then the media starts pointing fingers, when they live off advertising anything that makes money, plus having headlines of death every day. It's chaos.

Blaming gun crime on hip hop culture is too basic to make me respect anybody who has this opinion. Do they also factor in the widespread poverty, the low economics, the lower education options, the almost pathologically broken families often with only a single mother, the lack of positive or balanced role models, the lack of options after school, the lack of encouragement in school, the unjust and high priced legal system that exists to exploit these ignorant criminals, and the allure of a hip hop culture to provide money, power, and respect to rappers who also often come from the exact same horrible circumstances that any young, ghetto kid is living in? I still think hip hop has saved a lot more people than it has killed.

A: In a nutshell, I believe that there are a variety of social factors that have lead to an increase in gun violence in Toronto. I think as people go to the polls today, they need to think about which programs and organizations need their support, and that will actually help disenfranchised youth form positive relationships and patterns in their lives, gain meaningful employment and access to information, so they can have a chance to establish futures without violence - and stop hanging on to concepts about music that were dismantled in the movie Footloose.

M: Gangsta rappers should only be directly responsible for their own artwork, like anything else in this world. Violence sells - well, people sell violence, anyways. And they should own up to it if it inspires more violence.

What can we expect from the last In Divine Style show?

A: Twenty-four of Toronto's finest MCs, four DJs, breakdance crew Drunken Monkz featuring Lady Noyze, live graffiti art by EGR and Horus and an absolutely unforgettable grand finale to the best Hip Hop spot Toronto has known!

M: Love, fun, magic, happiness, hip hop, and all that good stuff. I don't want to make too big of a deal about it, 'cause it's not the end of the relationships with the people, and it's not the end of our hip hop careers. It's the birth of In Divine Style's next level of history. Peace from Mindbender and Alexis - practice love and truth!

The final edition of In Divine Style will be hosted at the Gypsy Co-Op and the Hooch (817 Queen Street West) on Thursday, 26 January 2006. There will be a $5.00 cover charge for both floors, and admission will be limited to those who are of legal drinking age.

http://www.indiepolitik.org/words/conv-008.php

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DMX FUCKS UP:

By Mooris Moore

A Baltimore woman won a $1.5 million dollar default judgment against rap star DMX, who failed to show up in court and defend himself against a defamation of character lawsuit yesterday (January 11).

Monique Wayne sued DMX, born Earl Simmons, who told Sister2Sister magazine that he was raped by Wayne as he slept during a 2003 stay in a hotel room in Baltimore.

"She raped me," DMX claimed. "DNA says it is (my child). I don’t know. If I did (have sex with her) I would remember. It ain’t like she’s a pretty girl."

In October of 2006, Wayne, 28, defended herself from the allegations by filing a lawsuit in Prince George’s County Circuit Court in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, seeking $6 million in damages.

Wayne’s mother, sister and a psychologist testified on her behalf yesterday, claiming that DMX’s allegations were false and slanderous.

DMX must pay $ 1 million dollars in punitive damages and $518,000 in compensatory damages.

Representatives for DMX were not available as of press time.

http://allhiphop.com/stories/news/archive/2008/01/12/19125837.aspx

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This is it, what?!

Adventures in the Land of Music... OG!!!

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I gotta get high off hip hop reality... NOT MARIJUANA!
Tomorrow, I will wake up and not be a smoker.

Lessons:

Choosing to quit: It's about knowing who you really are and deciding what you want.
Taking action.

This guide will help you to prepare and take action to successfully stop smoking. Take the time to think about the issues and follow the steps. Move at your own pace. If you do, you'll be able to set and reach your goal.
Something to think about...

* almost four in five Canadians over the age of 15 are non-smokers
* smoking is no longer socially acceptable for the majority of Canadians
* most ex-smokers wish they had quit much earlier — or never started at all — and some say that quitting wasn't as hard as they had thought it would be.

Quitting will improve your life in ways you'll see and feel
You smoke for many reasons.

It may be a habit or an addiction, or both. You may like how it makes you look or feel. It may help you relax, give you energy, give you time to yourself, or distract you from stress. It may be something you share with others. You may even think it helps to control your weight.
But you have better reasons to quit.

Whatever it may give you, smoking takes away much more. It seriously harms your health, each time you light up. It can lead to deadly cancers, chronic lung and heart disease, and an early and painful death. These are proven facts.
It's not just about your health.

Quitting will give you a real and powerful sense of self-control...right now! You will feel, perform and look better. You won't have to leave your house or workplace just to smoke. Your relationships with non-smokers will improve. Your sense of taste and smell will improve. You'll be a better role model for children. You won't have to worry about other people being exposed to second-hand smoke from your cigarettes.

It's the single best thing you can do to improve your life and health.
Quitters immediately begin to reduce the risks of developing heart disease, cancer and breathing problems.

Former smokers live longer than those who continue to smoke. For example, those who quit before age 50 have only half the chance of dying from a smoking-related disease in the next 15 years compared with those who continue to smoke.
The health benefits of quitting occur for all types of smokers, men and women, young and old.

In fact, your body will start to heal within 24 hours of quitting:

* Within 8 hours, the carbon monoxide level drops in your body and the oxygen level in your blood increases to normal
* Within 48 hours, your chances of having a heart attack start to go down and your sense of smell and taste begin to improve
* Within 72 hours, your lung capacity increases and breathing becomes easier
* Within 2 weeks to 3 months, blood circulation improves and your lung functioning increases up to 30 percent
* Within 6 months, coughing, sinus congestion, tiredness and shortness of breath improve
* Within 1 year, your risk of suffering a smoking-related heart attack is cut in half
* Within 10 years, the risk of dying from lung cancer is cut in half
* Within 15 years, the risk of dying from a heart attack is equal to a person who never smoked.

You can change your smoking behaviours.
Smoking is probably something you do without thinking.

If you're like most smokers, you probably reach for a cigarette automatically when you do or feel certain things, when you're with other smokers, or as part of your daily routines.
Learn your smoking "triggers."

When do you routinely smoke? Drinking coffee or alcohol, relaxing after work or a meal, talking on the phone, driving, or feeling stressed or angry are common smoking "triggers" — things that may make you want to smoke. Try using the Tracking Card inserted into this guide to note what you're doing and feeling each time you reach for a cigarette.
Break the connection between smoking and your routines.

Anticipate your triggers. Try to delay lighting up by keeping your hands and mouth busy with other things. Drink a glass of cold water, brush your teeth, or enjoy a low-calorie snack. Stretch, take a walk, or talk with a non-smoking friend.

Did you know?

* Nicotine is highly addictive but not all smokers experience prolonged cravings or other withdrawal symptoms.

* Cravings and urges rarely last longer than a few minutes. You can see past them and work through them.

* Three or four days after quitting, withdrawal symptoms diminish and almost always disappear within ten days.

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TRUE:

Ditch these five bad health habits to live longer - and better.

by Jennifer Gruden, 50Plus.com
Five bad health habits to break

Aging well is not just about length of life, it's also about quality of life. Many of us plan carefully for retirement finances – working for promotions to increase earnings, managing our retirement savings. But we can also plan for a healthier, more active retirement. Here are five bad habits to ditch on your road to "freedom 55," and some sites to help you do it.

Smoking
More than 45,000 people will die this year in Canada due to smoking. But it's not only death that smokers should fear: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and other breathing problems can seriously cramp your lifestyle.

Health Canada provides free help for smokers wanting to quit at their website. One of the programmes they offer includes the E-Quit programme. Free daily e-mail messages support individuals through their quitting process, one day at a time.

According to the website, since E-Quit's launch in 2002, hundreds of people have written Health Canada to praise the program. People like the non-judgmental and supportive tone of the messages. They enjoy the program's pace and the sense of accomplishment they achieve by reaching each goal. For some, it was like having a personal coach to help them through the day.

Lack of exercise
In the rush of other commitments, and the siren call of the television and the Internet, exercise can be something we all just put off. But a sedentary lifestyle is a factor in many health problems, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and arthritis. Moving now will help keep you moving in the future. 20 minutes of brisk walking a day can be all it takes to start.

Canada's 90-second inspirational team, the Body Break duo, has a great website at www.bodybreak.com. Lighthearted and quick tips can help inspire you to get up off the couch (or office chair).

Canada's Physical Activity Guide also includes suggestions for adding fitness into your daily routine. Their section for older adults is helpful without being condescending.

Junk food
We've all heard the news reports about trans-fats, super-sizes, and other pitfalls of consuming junk food. An aging body needs high-quality, low-fat foods. And being overweight or consuming foods high in fat and sugar contributes to heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. But for many, the drive-through is just too convenient or it's what is available at lunchtime at work.

The Canadian Health Network offers a site full of tips, a virtual grocery store, a quiz, and a tour of the healthy lunchbox. The Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation also offers a wealth of information about healthy eating as well as recipes.

Too much stress
It may sound a little new age, but it's true that reducing stress in your life can impact your health dramatically – not only for the big diseases like heart disease and stroke, but also to keep things like insomnia and eczema at bay.

The Canadian Mental Health Association offers a very thorough look at stress and stress reduction. And if it's your workplace that's stressing you out, the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety has a collection of questions and answers about workplace stress.

Not flossing
Trouble biting or chewing, or trouble speaking can seriously impact on quality of life – definitely beyond just the annoyance of having to turn down the nut brittle or toffee during the holidays. Not only that, but studies have shown that gum disease can impact on heart health. So taking care of your teeth should be high on your daily agenda – and that includes flossing.

If you need to refresh your technique, the Canadian Dental Association provides flossing tips and diagrams.

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peace to Ed the Sock and Brockway Biggs... and boobies!!!