mighty hungry.

there's one for ya.

i love quincy jones, i love jimmy jam & terry lewis, i love teddy riley and so on and so forth, but yo.

arif mardin is the shit. ptblnk.

from aretha franklin to sonny stitt to norah jones to culture club?

all those grammies? all those records sold? all that good music?

and yo, reading him talk about his craft has truly been enriching. although he was from a time when analog was the only way, and had every right to be a dinosaur about the progression of technology, he embraced change. protools til the day he died.

the man knew how to make good records in EVERY TIME PERIOD; he understood music.

rip (albeit very late) to one of the greatest music men of our time.

http://www.rappersiknow.com/

free download niggas. support my mans.

in order from top to bottom:

-macbook black (gotta have the black one)
-focusrite saffire le (getting great reviews and is dumb portable)
-protools digi002 rack

imperative.

i did my research today and the saffire pushed the m-audio 410 right off the cliff.


making beats on the fly where ever i go? please.

it's gon' be a wrap, niggas.

but, since this weekend's fund reservoir is kinda dictating that i stay inside, i've got time and energy to burn, and i don't feel like sleeping.

so, it looks like my first real, legitimate payday is on it's way later on this month. that's great news cause niggas was SCRAPING PENNIES.

i'm putting some of that money on my macbook. yep. if i don't have a macbook by the first of may, something awful has taken place.

then, i think i've decided to go all in and get a real protools LE rack setup. the 003s just hit the retail market, so we should see a substantial drop in price on the 002s, which are still more than capable. i mean people are still making classic stuff on the 001s. so yeah. strip the desk top down and rebuild as strictly a DAW, 2 500 gb internals in raid, firewire that to the 002. it'd be even better if i could afford the 002 with control surface, but that adds almost a G to the price. so barring any more windfalls, the rack will do.

that's exciting though. coupled with the macbook and a good portable soundcard like possibly the 410, i'ma be GOOD.

so yeah. i'm going in. hard.

_____


music is really getting exciting these days. life is, but particularly music. i feel like i'm getting way better at creating what i hear in my head.. my limitations feel like they're mostly technological. like i don't own some of the pieces (yet) needed to really dig my fingers in and sculpt the stuff that's in my head. i feel like my talent level has, to some extent, exceeded my equipment. and that's bad- but it's good too. equipment is only dollars man. you can't buy skills.

plus, projects that i've tried to have a hand in for months now are finally preparing to see the day of light. somebody across the world can now know who i am.

i mean, that's fantastic. and again, i feel like the noise we've made (myself and the mgr) has been the result of minimal effort. we still spend more time at our jobs than with this. we haven't quit our jobs and took our lifesavings and thrown it to the wind to see where it lands-- yet. i feel like i'm kinda ready to go all in, though. it's like, what else is there? this is what i believe in. i don't want to do anything else. and guess what, i'm broke as it is. why not be broke and do what i love doing, and take a risk at possibly gettin' some dough in the process?

slopfunkdust said it best. i can be broke and do music and be happy. who cares.

(best part is: i have this nagging feeling that i will not be broke.)

so what's to lose? i'm quitting this job reeeeal soon. trust.

track # 7.

i'm trying, yo. really i am.

cop these when they are available.

part of me feels like things are going to pick up very soon.

part of me feels like every bit of energy i have in me has to be used to get through this current financial droughtspot i find myself in currently. i have no idea how long it's gonna last.
anyway.

no sob stories.

peep!


new mixtape for amanda diva's fine self that my man DJ Jamad put out. check the tracklisting:

1.	DJ Jamad - Intro
2.	Amanda Diva - Style
3.	Amanda Diva & Q-Tip - 40 Emcees
4.	Primeridian - Hold On (Nicolay Remix)
5.	Mobb Deep - Survival of the Fittest (Damaj)
6.	Dwele - Wanna be Starting Something
7.	Amanda Diva - Styl-Ish Freestyle
8.	Whodini - Big Mouth Edit
9.	J Dilla - F**k the Police 2007
10.	Notorious BIG - Juicy (De La Beats Remix)
11.	Gangstarr - I Manifest (Primo Remix)
12.	DJ Jazzy Jeff & Rhymefest - Jeff N Fest
13.	JB - Bring it Up
14.	Lupe Fiasco - I Gotcha Blendo
15.	Gangstarr - Blowin Up the Spot
16.	DJ Mitsu & Count Bass D - Untitled
17.	Mystidious Mysfits - Upside Down (Flashback)
18.	Amanda Diva - Hip Hop Chick Freestyle
19.	MF DOOM - Money Folder
20.	Rich Boy - Throw Some D's (CookinSoul.com with Locsmif Remix)
21.	El Micheal's Affair & Unk - Walkin' Sh*t
22.	Young Jeezy & Hassanah - What You Talkin' Bout
23.	Luda & Pharrell - Shake (VMXD - Vast Mixed Remix)
24.	Little Brother & Carlitta Durrant - Life of the Party (Damaj / Waajeed Mix)
25.	Waajeed Exclusive - Act Like You Know Remix
26.	Termanology - 50 (Marley Marl)
27.	Nas with Kanye, Rakim, & KRS-One - Classic
28.	Lil Scrappy - Money on the Mandrills (Damaj Work'd)
29.	Amanda Diva - For The Money
30.	Shouts - Steve Spacek Beat

see #23?!

that's me!

how exciting.
and recently i've been stepping my remix game up. once i find the bpm for an acapella, the rest comes fairly easily. in fact, it's something i really enjoy doing, for some reason the beats come way faster with lyrics than if i'm creating something completely from scratch. SO. i have a new project idea (as if i needed anymore)-

i'm gonna start a regular mixtape series. i won't put any names out yet, cause i don't wanna get shanghai'd, but it's gonna be dope. and worth checking out.

___

blu & exile's "Below The Heavens" is the best rap album i have heard in 6 years.

period.