WhoIsRockstar.com

PICS: Rockstar Jones - "Down In History" Video Shoot (Behind the Scenes)

2012-01-10T17:28:00.000-08:00

Got with the good folks at Tapebot Films again this past weekend to shoot the video for my 2nd Single off the #BetterThanGood Album "Down In History". The shoot turned out crazy as we shot mostly in Hollywood and West LA. If you spend time in LA you will probably recognize some of the locations we shot at.

Shoutout all the people that came through for the shoot!

Stay tuned...

LISTEN: Rockstar Jones "Down In History" (off debut album #BetterThanGood available now @ http://WhoisRockstar.Bandcamp.com) CLICK HERE

WATCH: Rockstar Jones - Keeping Up With the Jones Episode #4 "Down In History"

R.

NEW RELEASE: Rockstar Jones - After The Hangover (EP)

2011-12-27T18:06:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!!

Rockstar Jones
After The Hangover (EP)
Produced by M.E.S.

FREE DOWNLOAD HERE: http://hulkshare.com/tjth0uvbfu4l

LISTEN: #Soundcloud
Rockstar Jones - After the Hangover (EP) by Rockstar Jones

FOLLOW: Producer M.E.S. (@TalkinMES) on Twitter

R.

NEW RELEASE [MUSIC] Rockstar Jones - "I'm a Rockstar" (Prod. by Drums & Roses)

2011-12-06T07:15:00.000-08:00

I'm a Rockstar by Rockstar Jones

06 I'm a Rockstar MP3 by Rockstar Jones

"I'm a Rockstar"
Prod. by Drums & Roses
Written by Rockstar Jones
Dirty Drum Productions
Original Since 1979/ASCAP

One of the most personal records (and one of the first recorded) off the Better Than Good (Album). Produced by Drums & Roses and recorded in my hometown Little Rock, AR, I made this joint to give an idea of where I come from and why I approach my writing the way I do. Don't be confused by the 'Rockstar' theme and assume it's some BS...lol.

Get the full Better Than Good (Album) HERE - http://whoisrockstar.bandcamp.com/album/better-than-good-lp

[INTERVIEW] Rockstar Jones Guest on UK's "BIG BANG SHOW" w/ DJ J-Hart

2011-11-16T10:41:00.000-08:00

LISTEN HERE: http://hulkshare.com/7y0da28x77ih

Listen to "Big Bang Show" broadcasting LIVE from London @ http://www.IAMJHART.com

Follow: @IAMJHART

[MIXTAPE] DJ Discipline presents... LIVE LOVE A$AP (Screwed & Chopped)

2011-11-11T12:50:00.001-08:00

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Powered by DatPiff.com

BOMBS COver

2011-11-10T12:21:00.001-08:00

[READ] The Viral Marketing Cheat Sheet

2011-11-04T14:40:00.000-07:00

Enjoy!

via Hypebot.com

[MUSIC] DJ Discipline - Disciplinary Actions Vol. 13 feat. Rockstar Jones "Bombs"

2011-11-01T09:37:00.000-07:00

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Powered by DatPiff.com

Follow: @DJDiscipline

[MUSIC] Rockstar Jones - Better Than Good (LP)

2011-10-30T21:09:00.000-07:00

Better Than Good (LP) by Rockstar Jones

[PIC] Rockstar Jones "BOMBS" (Cover Art) 6 of 13

2011-10-28T18:43:00.000-07:00

feat. @EclipseClothing

#BetterThanGood drops @ Midnight in 2 days!!!

[PIC] Rockstar Jones - "Bombs" (Cover Art) 5 of 13

2011-10-28T10:40:00.000-07:00

feat. producer/artist @DAEONE

#BetterThanGood DEBUT ALBUM Monday 10.31.11 exclusively at http://WhoisRockstar.com & http://hu2group.com

[PIC] Rockstar Jones - "Bombs" (Cover Art) 4 of 13

2011-10-27T08:44:00.000-07:00

C'est moi...lol

DEBUT ALBUM #BetterThanGood dropping MON. 10.31.11 exclusively at http://WhoisRockstar.com & http://hu2group.com

[READ] A Culture, Not a Costume: Remember to Avoid Blackface This Halloween

2011-10-26T13:21:00.000-07:00

I blame the Wayan's Brothers for this bullsh*t...smdh. Don't be stupid this Halloween!

#BetterThanGood 10.31.11

[READ] A Culture, Not a Costume
via Good Culture

You may remember the above photo from the now infamous "gangsta" party held by students at Clemson University in 2007. Some of the party's female attendees stuffed their pants to give themselves exaggerated butts and, as you can see in this picture, at least one man in attendance went in blackface (though that's probably more accurately called "black body"). Inevitably, pictures went viral via Facebook, and civil rights groups quickly condemned the party, much to the surprise of the students who organized it—they claimed they had no idea it would be offensive.

Halloween is just around the corner, and next weekend is bound to be glutted with costume parties of all kinds, not to mention costume ideas of all kinds. Ryan Gosling's character from Drive might be a tempting getup. If you're a woman, maybe you'd like to go as Hillary Clinton. But whatever you do, do not go in blackface (or brownface, or yellowface, etc.).

Despite the fact that blackface has been offensive since it originated in minstrel shows in the 19th century, some misguided Americans continue covering their face with paint or shoe polish to mimic African-Americans, Latinos, and Asians every year, particularly at Halloween. It's been nearly a century since D.W. Griffith promoted white supremacy and blackface characters in his film The Birth of a Nation. Can we finally give up on blackface in 2011?

A new poster campaign from Ohio University student organization Students Teaching Against Racism (STARS) hopes to kill racial stereotype costumes this year. Centered around the slogan "We're a culture, not a costume," the group's message is simple: When it comes to depicting Latinos as donkey-riding drunks in sombreros, or blacks as thugs with mouths full of gold teeth, "This is not who I am, and this is not okay."

Only time will tell if STARS' awareness campaign has a major impact, but at the very least it should serve as an impetus to start your own personal awareness campaign: This Halloween, friends don't let friends leave the house in blackface.

[PIC] Rockstar Jones "BOMBS" (Cover Art) 3 of 13 feat. Kasi Jones

2011-10-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

3 of 13 feat. @KasiJones

[PIC]: Rockstar Jones - Better Than Good (LP) Cover Art

2011-10-25T11:54:00.000-07:00

Picture taken by my pops, Dr. Archie Hearne in Washington, D.C. (1988)

10.31.11

[PIC] Rockstar Jones "BOMBS" (Cover Art) 2 of 13

2011-10-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

Features still shot of Producer V(eye)bes who's also in the video.

Deux

R.

[VIDEO] Rockstar Jones - "Bombs" (Directed by TapeBot Films)

2011-10-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

Don't wan' see nobody calm...

Brought to you by: Dirty Drum Productions & HU2Group.com

BUY Rockstar Jones DEBUT SINGLE "BOMBS" FOR $.99

Bombs (Dirty) by Rockstar Jones

Shoutout: @TapeBotFilms x @hu2group x @DAEONE x @KasiJones x @veyebes x @EclipseClothing x @WhoisStitch x @HWoodandGrind x @DirtyDrum

DEBUT ALBUM #BetterThanGood 10.31.11

TONIGHT: DEBUT VIDEO Rockstar Jones "BOMBS" (Dir. by TapeBot Films)

2011-10-23T18:14:00.000-07:00

Droppin this TONIGHT @ MIDNIGHT (EST) / 9pm (PST) exclusively @ http://WhoisRockstar.com & the good folks over at http://HU2Group.com

R.

[VIDEO] Rockstar Jones "BOMBS" (Video) Trailer #2

2011-10-19T09:13:00.000-07:00

feat. the lovely Kasi Jones (@KasiJones)

"#BOMBS" Video drops MON. 11/24/11 exclusively on http://WhoisRockstar.com

#BetterThanGood Album 10/31/11

[VIDEO] KEEPING UP WITH THE JONES #4: "Down In History' (feat. Rockstar Jones)

2011-10-18T10:21:00.000-07:00

L'episode quatre

#BetterThanGood 10/31$t

[VIDEO] Rockstar Jones "BOMBS" (Video) Trailer 1

2011-10-17T12:07:00.000-07:00

Directed by Tape Bot Films (@TapeBotFilms
)feat. @DaeOne

"BOMBS" Video - 10/24/11

#BetterThanGood Album - 10/31/11

Mark your calendars...

R.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Rockstar Jones #BetterThanGood (Album) Tracklist

2011-10-14T11:54:00.000-07:00

I think we're gonna go with this...lol.

Rockstar Jones
Better Than Good (LP)
Hollywood & Grind
HU2 Group

1. Be Good
2. Down In History (Prod. by Drums & Roses)
3. Bombs (Prod. by V(eye)bes)
4. Hold Me Back (Intro)
5. Hold Me Back feat. Kasi Jones (Prod. by Drums & Roses)
6. I'm a Rockstar (Prod. by Drums & Roses)
7. Homecoming (Prod. by Drums & Roses)
8. She Want a Rockstar feat. Vic Luthor (Prod. by Drums & Roses)
9. Plug feat. T.Y. Carter (Prod. by Osurek Bertop)
10. I Can't Sing
11. Get Up (Prod. by Rockstar Jones & V(eye)bes)
12. I Want It All (Prod. by Drums & Roses)
13. Victory (Prod. by Drums & Roses)

Special shoutouts to: Willie Bigs, Stitch Jones, Archie, DJ Discipline, Sandra, Prynce, Tasia, DJ Longers, Epidemik, Vic Luthor, Kristyn, K.E.V., Johnny, V(eye)bes, Taylor Hawkins, Dae One, Sister Nancy, TapeBot Films, Eclipse Clothing, Amina, Rich Kids Club, Fresh Jive

#BetterThanGood (Album) Oct. 31$t exclusively at http://WhoisRockstar.com

NEW [MUSIC] Rockstar Jones - "Get Up" (Prod. by Rockstar Jones + V(eye)bes)

2011-10-12T08:59:00.000-07:00

Rockstar Jones - Get Up (Dirty) by Rockstar Jones

Me and the homie V(eye)bes (@Veyebes) on the track

#BetterThanGood Oct. 31$t

Rockstar Jones
"Get Up"
Prod. by Rockstar Jones + V(eye)bes
Additional vocals by Taylor Hawkins
Mixed & Mastered by V(eye)bes
Dirty Drum Productions
Hollywood & Grind
Off Debut Album Better Than Good (10/31/11)

[PIC] Tomorrow... #GetUp

2011-10-11T22:08:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow... #GetUp

#BetterThanGood Oct. 31$t

R.

[VIDEO] African Energy Drink Vigorade Taps Rockstar Jones for TV Commercial

2011-10-10T12:21:00.000-07:00

Vigorade Spec from ALEXANDER NIKISHIN on Vimeo.

Vigorade Spec Commercial

Shoutout to Vigorade for using my voice and music for their upcoming TV campaign. Vigorade is an African energy drink (a la Gatorade) that I heard is #BetterThanGood. I'm blessed...

R.

[PIC] Rockstar Jones - Better Than Good (Promo Artwork)

2011-10-06T17:05:00.000-07:00

#BetterThanGood Oct. 31st 2011

R.

[MUSIC] Rockstar Jones feat. Vic Luthor - "She Want a Rockstar" (Prod. by Drums & Roses)

2011-10-05T07:41:00.000-07:00

Rockstar Jones ft. Vic Luthor - She Want a Rockstar (Dirty) by Rockstar Jones

Rockstar Jones feat. Vic Luthor
"She Want a Rockstar"
Prod. by Drums & Roses
Hollywood & Grind

2nd leak off the #BetterThanGood Album. Don't sleep!

This one features the homie Vic Luthor (@VicLuthor) on the guitar. Inspired by alot of women I've met in the past...some good, some bad. One things for sure...I love you all!

#BetterThanGood Oct. 31st, 2011

R.

[PIC] Tomorrow... "She Want a Rockstar" feat. Vic Luthor

2011-10-04T23:54:00.000-07:00

#BetterThanGood Oct. 31st, 2011

R.

[VIDEO] 40oz. Gold Project Live Producer Showcase Recap

2011-10-02T11:31:00.000-07:00

Shoutout to Dae One x THX for including me in this years event

#BetterThanGood Oct. 31$t

[VIDEO] Project Live Producer Showcase feat. Rockstar Jones

2011-10-02T11:24:00.000-07:00

I make an appearance at the :35 mark

#BetterThanGood 10/31

[ARTICLE] A Visual History of Twitter

2011-09-30T10:39:00.000-07:00

I've been on Twitter since 2009...I've laugherd, ranted, shared and celebrated my life since then. Twitter is like my best friend at times. I know that sounded lame as sh*t but hey...Twitter is the girlfriend that only says what you want her to say! Lol...

swag

R.

LIVE SHOW: Sun. 9/25 - Project Live Producer Showcase Honoring DJ Khalil feat. Rockstar Jones

2011-09-20T19:19:00.000-07:00

My 1st appearance on the West Coast...swag

Sunday 9/25 Sajavascript:void(0)nta Monica #BetterThanGood

R.

[PIC] Rockstar Jones - PROMO PICS (2011)

2011-09-20T17:51:00.000-07:00

Rockstar Jones - Downtown Los Angeles (9/2011)
Pic by Amina Touray

Rockstar Jones - West Los Angeles (5/2011)
Pic by Michael Santana

#BetterThanGood

R.

[READ] Odd Future + Adult Swim Network = "Loiter Squad"

2011-09-12T18:19:00.000-07:00

[READ] Odd Future's Adult Swim Show, Loiter Squad, Continues the Process of Mainstreaming Chaos
by Clyde Smith
(via Mashable.com)

The announcement that Odd Future's show, "Loiter Squad", will appear in 2012 on the Cartoon Network confirmed last week that however difficult Odd Future seems, even they can be packaged for mainstream consumption. And given that Adult Swim has a lot of indie hip hop cred and Odd Future's industry supporters like Johnny Knoxville have much jd cred, such a move seems capable of happening without the extensive cries of "sellout" one might have expected.

At least as far back as April, speculation began about an Adult Swim show featuring Odd Future due to a brief spot that said the show would be a "mixture of Jackass and Chappelle's Show." Supposedly called "Blackass", the explosion of news on the web caused Tyler, the Creator to tweet an angry rebuttal. Apprently he wasn't in the loop on that marketing maneuver!

In late May, speculation began again as a pilot for Adult Swim, an "Untitled project with Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All", was mentioned in passing for an Adult Swim Upfront that featured Jay-Z. However, that confirmation was overshadowed by Jay-Z's involvement.

Late last week a press release circulated widely, quickly appearing on many sites as original reportage, that finally revealed some official details of Loiter Squad, which will debut in 2012:

"Adult Swim announced today it has picked up the live-action series Loiter Squad, a 15 minute live-action show that features sketches, man on the street segments, pranks and music from Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All. The cast, featuring the Los Angeles collective of rappers, artists, and skateboarders, channel their multi-faceted creative talents in this off-the-wall showcase."

The "Blackass" title suddenly made sense given that "Loiter Squad is being produced by Dickhouse Entertainment — the Hollywood production partnership of Johnny Knoxville, Jeff Tremaine and Spike Jonze who have been the creative power behind hits including Jackass...and Wildboyz."

Since Jackass is the kind of media on which Odd Future was raised and since a variety of Odd Future-produced videos feature a related sensibility, it sounds like a great fit. And who better to support Odd Future in molding and monetizing their jd antics into an acceptable product than Johnny Knoxville and associates?

We already seem ages away from early speculation as to how Odd Future could make it into the major leagues given their supposed subversiveness. Yet, as I noted when discussing interviews with their manager, Christian Clancy, they had already shown a willingness to adjust to the demands of mainstream media in their appearance on Jimmy Fallon. And as one must also recognize, given the history of rappers, graffiti artists, skateboarders and pranksters cashing in, the infrastructure now exists for mainstreaming artists that may once have been considered unacceptable.

[MUSIC] Rockstar Jones - I Want It All (Prod. by Drums & Roses)

2011-09-06T07:35:00.000-07:00

Rockstar Jones - I Want It All (Dirty) by Rockstar Jones

Rockstar Jones
"I Want It All"
Prod. by Drums & Roses
Dirty Drum Records
Copyright 2011

Share this with your people!

DEBUT ALBUM #BetterThanGood Oct. 31st!

R.

[PIC] Tomorrow... "I Want It All"

2011-09-05T12:58:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow...

#BetterThanGood 10.31.11

R.

[MUSIC] Rockstar Jones - "The Payback" (Off the JONES LP) Prod. by V(eye)bes

2011-08-01T10:45:00.000-07:00

Don't know why my graphics folks are on this naked chicks theme with the artwork...I'm not complaining though...lol. Joooooooooooooooooooooooooones!

#shoutout to @Veyebes on the production. follow him on Twitter.

Rockstar Jones
"The Payback"
Prod. by V(eye)bes
Written by Rockstar Jones
Dirty Drum Productions
Off the JONES (LP) available now at http://WhoisRockstar.Bandcamp.com

The Payback by Rockstar Jones

Enjoy!

[PIC] #KeepingUpWiththeJones: Photo Album 3

2011-08-01T10:44:00.001-07:00

Spent this past week working on projects in West Hollywood, stumbled onto a movie shoot, booked a role in my own movie (#shoutout @TapeBotFilms), started planning for Better Than Good release, saw how deep Laker pride is in LA, realized people are really sheep and more...walk with me.

#JONES

[PIC] Rockstar Jones Promo Pic (2011)

2011-07-30T11:41:00.000-07:00

They got my good side...lol

Pic taken by @V(eye)bes in Hollywood, CA (2011)

[MUSIC] NEW: Rockstar Jones feat. Michael Washington - "Make You Feel Good" (#JONES LP)

2011-07-25T12:51:00.000-07:00

Make You Feel Good feat. Michael Washington by Rockstar Jones

Rockstar Jones feat. Michael Washington
"Make You Feel Good"
Prod. by V(eye)bes
Dirty Drum Productions
(off #JONES LP released 7/19/11)

[WATCH] Paypa feat. Rick Ross & DJ Khaled - Paypa Cuts (In-Studio Video)

2011-07-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

PAYPA CUTS In Studio Performance (Feat. RICK ROSS) from Embryo on Vimeo.

Dope video cuts...

NEW RELEASE [ALBUM] Rockstar Jones - JONES (LP)

2011-07-19T12:24:00.000-07:00

A Dirty Drum x TheSermonsDomain.com Presentation...

[ALBUM] JONES (LP) by Rockstar Jones

[PIC] #KeepingUpWiththeJones: Photo Album 2

2011-07-19T11:36:00.000-07:00

Spent most of the week preparing for this #JONES release. All in all I was all over LA though. Checkout pics from Sunset Strip, random magazine sh*t I came across, homecooked meal, etc

#RIP Gil Scott-Heron

Enjoy!

[PIC] FINAL ARTWORK/TRACKLIST: Rockstar Jones - JONES (LP)

2011-07-19T10:57:00.000-07:00

Here is the final artwork/tracklist for the #JONES (LP)...probably should have uploaded this awhile ago considering but you know.

10 new tracks to bang out, all original music, prequel to my OFFICIAL DEBUT ALBUM, production from some folks you need to know.... basically #BetterThanGood (Oct. 2011). Lookout for my DEBUT VIDEO "#Bombs" dropping real soon from TapeBot Films (What up Raul & Steve!).

Took off a Drums & Roses-produced cut at the last minute that I'm going to save for a future project but nevertheless... #BetterThanGood

#shoutout all my site partners on this project!

Peace,

[WATCH] This...Is... #Carmageddon LA

2011-07-15T14:50:00.000-07:00

Running on Empty (Revisited) from Ross Ching on Vimeo.

[MUSIC] Rockstar Jones feat. King Akeem - "Run the Streets" Artwork

2011-07-11T08:56:00.001-07:00

[SINGLE] Run the Streets feat. King Akeem by Rockstar Jones

Rockstar Jones feat. King Akeem - Run the Streets by Rockstar Jones

"Run the Streets"
feat. King Akeem
Prod. by Nocturnal
Mixed and Mastered by V(eye)bes
Dirty Drum Productions
(Off the forthcoming JONES LP)

1st track off a special upcoming release TBA!

ADD: @KingAkeem on Twitter

#JONES

Peace,

[PIC] #KeepingUpWiththeJones: Photo Album 1

2011-07-11T08:05:00.000-07:00

This past week was wild...spent alot of time in studio preparing for this upcoming project, chilled on Fairfax a little, ate Pho for the first time, enjoyed the Do Over Party, swagged to the maximum...... #JOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONES

Enjoy!

[VIDEO] EarFear - "New Niggaz"

2011-07-02T15:49:00.000-07:00

Hit up EarFear and BUY their new album "Art Class" - http://earfear.bandcamp.com

Support my hometown homies. #ArkansasMusic

Enjoy!

[VIDEO] Footage from Private Screening of Rockstar Jones "#BOMBS" Video

2011-06-24T16:02:00.000-07:00

#shoutout to good folks at @hu2group for this footage. Check them out at http://hu2group.com

[VIDEO] EPISODE #3: Keeping Up With the Jones (Starring Rockstar Jones) - "Take My Soul"

2011-06-23T13:34:00.000-07:00

Trois...

DOWNLOAD: "Take My Soul" feat. Crystal Fighters (@CrystalFighters) HERE - http://tinyurl.com/BLOG-TakeMySoul

Enjoy,

[PIC] America According To Twitter

2011-06-17T16:41:00.000-07:00

#shoutout to my hometown, The Rock (Little Rock, AR) #ArkansasMusic

[ARTICLE] Jay-Z On What Makes a Classic Song

2011-06-14T11:18:00.000-07:00

Great commentary from an even greater artist. I share some of the same feelings in writing songs I feel will be tomorrow's hits. They come from passion, experience and struggle...(and like Jay says below)...the best ones usually come fast!

"Jay-Z On What Makes a Classic Track"
(via RollingStone.com)

A great song doesn't attempt to be anything — it just is.

When you hear a great song, you can think of where you were when you first heard it, the sounds, the smells. It takes the emotions of a moment and holds it for years to come. It transcends time. A great song has all the key elements — melody; emotion; a strong statement that becomes part of the lexicon; and great production. Think of "Bohemian Rhapsody," by Queen. That song had everything — different melodies, opera, R&B, rock — and it explored all of those different genres in an authentic way, where it felt natural.

When I'm writing a song that I know is going to work, it's a feeling of euphoria. It's how a basketball player must feel when he starts hitting every shot, when you're in that zone. As soon as you start, you get that magic feeling, an extra feeling. Songs like that come out in five minutes; if I work on them more than, say, 20 minutes, they're probably not going to work.

When I was starting out, I was just trying to tell stories. I wasn't thinking about melodies. Then I started to marry storytelling with everything I was learning from all these other great records: the great writers like Babyface and Lionel Richie; Rakim's technique and syncopation; Dre's whole package on the Chronic albums; Quincy Jones, the greatest producer of all time; Rick Rubin, who's not too far behind because of all his genre-jumping.

Technology has caused the songwriting process to lose some of the magic. A lot of times now, people working on a song aren't in the same room. Imagine if Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones hadn't been in the same room! Those records would have been totally different. I've had times when I changed one word because of something that somebody said in the studio, and it changed the whole song. It's so important to have other people in the room, vibing, saying, "No, this part is good, put that there."

I spend a lot of time fighting myself to stay out of the way of a great song. It's hard for me to leave a song alone, in its natural state. I want it to have that mass appeal, but once I start trying to push it too far, you can feel that something isn't right. When you can hear what a writer is trying to do, it's like watching a dancer and seeing him counting his steps. Music is emotional — if you're singing that you're in love with somebody but it doesn't really feel like you are, people can tell.

Some of my best songs aren't the biggest ones. A song like "Can I Live" is so full of emotion to me — it was better than "Hard Knock Life" or "Empire State of Mind," but it lacked that accessibility. Michael Jackson's Off the Wall album may not have been bigger than Thriller, but the songs had better melodies.

But when a phrase gets stuck in your head like a great melody and becomes part of everyday culture, that's when it can become something great. When your music signifies a time in the culture or continues on in everyday life, like "Say It Loud — I'm Black and I'm Proud" or "A Change Is Gonna Come." Or when something like "Bling Bling" even makes it into the dictionary. Then you know you've done your job.

Peace,

[VIDEO] BIG K.R.I.T. feat. Ludacris, Bun B - "Country Sh*t" (Remix)

2011-06-09T16:32:00.000-07:00

Big K.R.I.T. Country Shit Remix OFFICIAL VIDEO from iamuhlir on Vimeo.

Hardest sh*t from my region I've heard in a minute...

Enjoy!

NEW RELEASE [MUSIC] Rockstar Jones feat. Crystal Fighters - "Take My Soul"

2011-06-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

Rockstar Jones feat. Crystal Fighters
"Take My Soul"
Additional production by Rockstar Jones
Mixed & Mastered by V(eye)bes
Dirty Drum Productions

Rockstar Jones feat. Crystal Fighters - Take My Soul by Rockstar Jones

FOLLOW: @CrystalFighters & @Veyebes

Enjoy!

[ARTICLE] An Oral History of the Graphic Tee (via Complex Magazine)

2011-06-01T15:22:00.000-07:00

In 2007, Complex published a story in its August issue titled, "An Oral History of the Graphic T-Shirt". We did a series of interviews with streetwear's elite, and the story provided a look into how things got from surf tees to all-over prints. We wanted to archive this story online, but we thought it was important to bring the history up to date as well. So we did a few more interviews, finished out the piece, and here it is. Click on to read Complex's History of the Graphic T-Shirt, as told to you buy the game's greats including Eric Brunetti of FUCT, Rick Klotz of Freshjive, Bobby Hundreds of The Hundreds, Paul Mittleman and Adam Weissman of Stussy, Jeff Staple of Stapledesign, and more.

CONTINUE ARTICLE HERE - http://www.complex.com/style/2011/05/an-oral-history-of-the-graphic-t-shirt?page=2

FOLLOW: @ComplexMag

Enjoy!

[PIC] Rockstar Jones feat. Crystal Fighters - "Take My Soul" (Artwork) Drops Thurs. 6/2/11

2011-05-30T12:09:00.000-07:00

Drops THURSDAY 6/2/11!

People will be hurt...

[PIC] Behind the Scenes: Rockstar Jones "Bombs" Video Shoot Day #1

2011-05-24T10:48:00.000-07:00

Too much goin on on Day #1 of the "Bombs" Video Shoot to worry about pics. This video (filmed by Tape Bot Films) is gonna be something special.

Here are 2 Behind-the-Scenes shots to give you an idea.

Without giving too much of the video away, the 1st pic is of one of my performance scenes...we'll call it the "hideout"...lol. The 2nd pic is of my lovely co-star, Kasi Jones. She not only plays my assistant in the video, she sang that Sister Nancy-inspired hook on the actual record.

#shoutout: Kasi Jones (@kasijones), Tape Bot Films (@tapebotfilms) for their work, V(eye)bes (@veyebes), Rafael (Eclipse Clothing) and all the cast/crew that made this day a success.

Download: "Bombs" HERE - http://tinyurl.com/BLOG-BombsLeak

Enjoy!

[VIDEO] Rockstar Games "L.A. Noire" Video Game Trailer feat. Rockstar Jones

2011-05-24T10:20:00.000-07:00

New trailer just created for the critically acclaimed "L.A. Noire" Video Game. This one features my song inspired by the game...

Download: "L.A. Noire" HERE - http://tinyurl.com/BLOG-LANoire

Created by: The HU2 Group (@hu2group). Check them out at http://hu2group.com

Enjoy!

[MUSIC] Rockstar Jones - "L.A. Noire" (Prod. by Lion's Share Music Group)

2011-05-20T00:55:00.000-07:00

Inspired real life events...

Rockstar Jones
"L.A. Noire"
Prod. by Lion's Share Music Group
Recorded by Zodiac Killah
Mixed and Mastered by V(eye)bes
Dirty Drum Productions

Rockstar Jones - L.A. Noire by Rockstar Jones

#shoutout: Andy Davoli (@AndyDavoli) and the good folks at Rockstar Games

[VIDEO] Keeping Up With the Jones (Starring Rockstar Jones) - EPISODE #2: "My Rap Game"

2011-05-16T12:28:00.000-07:00

This time we took it to a place you would recognize if you kick it in Hollywood. Follow me as I breakdown the lyrics from new joint "My Rap Game". This track is a metaphor to describe my hustle.

#DOWNLOAD: Rockstar Jones "My Rap Game" - http://www.hulkshare.com/jppsfc5is8aw

#shoutout: Matt & Veyebes (@Veyebes) for helping me put this together.

Enjoy!

[VIDEO] BEST ALBUM REVIEW EVER: The Needle Drop Reviews "Goblin"

2011-05-11T20:13:00.000-07:00

BEST ALBUM REVIEW OF AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL TIME!!!

#Checkout: http://www.theneedledrop.com and follow @theneedledrop on Twitter

Other writers/blogs/bloggers/VJs/people in general who call themselves journalists should take notes.

Enjoy!

[VIDEO] Gilbere Forte - "Die For You" (Prod. by Lex Luger)

2011-05-11T19:18:00.000-07:00

This video is ill.

Not only is Gilbere Forte a rapper but he made a movie to go with his his new Lex Luger-produced single. No need for words, just check it. Some of the most innovative video-making I've seen in awhile.

Also gotta give it up to Lex for switching up his style. Glad to see him get out the trap for a a minute and show some diversity. Turn this up and zone out.

#Checkout: @GilbereForte & @SmokedOutLuger on Twitter & www.GilbereForte.com

Enjoy!

[INTERVIEW] Hoodcast Exclusive Interview With Rockstar Jones Discussing "Bombs" Single

2011-05-08T14:19:00.000-07:00

Had to upload this interview I just did with the good folks over at The Hoodcast. Think they're currently the #1 rated hip hop radio show on Podomatic.com. They asked me some questions about my new single "Bombs," the upcoming album, grinding on the westcoast, working with other producers, etc.

#shoutout: the HU2 Group (@hu2group) for hooking up the interview.

Checkout their site at www.HU2Group.com

Enjoy!

NEW: [MUSIC] Rockstar Jones "My Rap Game" (Prod. by Rockstar Jones)

2011-05-05T11:07:00.000-07:00

Rockstar Jones
"My Rap Game"
Produced by Rockstar Jones
Dirty Drum Productions
(Off the forthcoming Better Than Good LP)

[VIDEO] Keeping Up With the Jones (Starring Rockstar Jones) - EPISODE 1 "Bombs"

2011-04-26T19:33:00.000-07:00

Shot in a random apartment in Hollywood.

#BetterThanGood
#KUWTJ

Enjoy,

[ARTICLE] Internet Journalists Stalk Odd Future's Earl Sweatshirt

2011-04-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

Joke or not, the thirst in this article is insane... (lol)

Can he live?

[ARTICLE]
"Leave Earl Sweatshirt Alone! How Creepy Internet "Journalists" Stalked a Troubled Little Kid Over the Internet"
(via @LaWeeklyMusic Blog)

As you know by now, the search is off.

Last Thursday, the investigative reporting branch of Complex published a post that left most music journalists' mouths gaping: They found Odd Future's missing member, Earl Sweatshirt, in a Samoan academy that aims to rehabilitate at-risk boys from the U.S.

The writers' hunt starts off innocently enough. In either a mastermind or impetuous move, Odd Future members Domo Genesis and Hodgy Beats' recent song "Tang Golf" threw a big chunk of bread at all the bloggers and journalists sniffing out the collective's best rapper's whereabouts: "Ask Syd where we at. She'll tell you where we going. To free Earl from the fucking Samoans."

But then, things take a turn for the "To Catch a Predator" creepy.

Trolling around on the Facebook page of some other kid (whose photo they originally hadn't scrambled) who was in the program with Earl, the writers piece together a timeline for Earl's disappearance:

After crawling through the Internet, trying to find a connection between Earl Sweatshirt and Samoa, we came across this Facebook post that appeared to be the answer to our inquiries.
They then tracked this guy's Facebook updates and comments over the past year, decided he's not back yet, and ultimately find a U.S. ambassador's photo from the academy that includes someone who looks an awfully lot like Earl Sweatshirt. Tyler denies on Twitter; music blogs throw up posts as quickly as possible.

Which is all fine and good, except these are just KIDS. That level of digging, while impressing us with its tenacity, also freaked us out a little bit. Yeah, we were as curious as everybody else, but this isn't uncovering some scandal at city hall. It's an underage kid's personal life, and one mystery we think was better unsolved.

Peace,

NEW RELEASE [MUSIC] Rockstar Jones - "Bombs"

2011-04-19T16:17:00.000-07:00

Here it is...

My long awaited DEBUT SINGLE "Bombs" has arrived. Load it up, roll up some good and BANG IT LOUD!!!!!!!!!!!

Debut Album Better Than Good is right around the corner. Take cover...

Rockstar Jones - Bombs by Rockstar Jones

For the iPad & non-flash player folks...
Rockstar Jones "BOMBS" - http://www.usershare.net/gesgxf2g9c3a

Rockstar Jones
"Bombs"
Produced by V(eye)bes
Written by Rockstar Jones
Additional production by Rockstar Jones
Additional vocals by Kasi Jones
Mixed by Dae One
Dirty Drum Productions

#shoutout the homie Veyebes ( @Veyebes) on the production, Dae One (@DaeOne) on the engineering, Kasi Jones (@KasiJones) for the ill vocals and the legend Sister Nancy (See Video) for the inspiration.

Enjoy!

Enjoy,

[VIDEO] Dom Kennedy feat. Casey Veggies, cARTer - "CDC

2011-04-17T00:09:00.000-07:00

Crazy beat, crazy verses, #BetterThanGood song

Enjoy,

[PIC] Rockstar Jones - "Bombs" (Artwork)

2011-04-10T20:37:00.000-07:00

Drops MIDNIGHT, April 14, 2011 exclusively HERE at http://www.WhoisRockstar.com

[MUSIC] T-Jay feat. Rockstar Jones - "5 AM" (MASTERED)

2011-04-09T13:56:00.000-07:00

Posted the leaked version of this record from Arkansas spitta T-Jay featuring yours truly. Here is the final MASTERED version. Dedicated to all the late night folks in the studio making them future hits!

Bang this loud...

5AM ft RockStar Jones by T.Jay

T-Jay feat. Rockstar Jones
"5 AM"
Produced by T-Jay
Additional production by Rockstar Jones
On the Map Entertainment
Dirty Drum Productions
Original Since 1979/ASCAP

[VIDEO] John Michael "Ready" Video Teaser

2011-04-07T20:57:00.000-07:00

Just got my hands on this Exclusive John Michael "Ready" Teaser Video from the good folks at HU2 Group. They're about to launch this talented artist/producer into orbit with new music, videos over the next few months.

Look out for this New Orleans native...

ADD: John Michael (@JoHnMiChEaL504)& @HU2Group on Twitter

Also Checkout: http://www.HU2Group.com

Enjoy!

[VIDEO] George Mason Marching Band Plays Rage Against the Machine

2011-03-30T16:44:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to anyone who ever played in a high school or college band. This is for you...

For the people who slaved in that summer sun with those heavy instruments, learned complicated formations, chord changes and hand signals. This post is dedicated to the guys who knew all the cool records who probably were dating your chicks on the side while you were at those away games.

I salute you!

[ARTICLE] A Psychological Analysis of Record Industry Decline

2011-03-29T08:59:00.000-07:00

I'm all for anything that brings back widespread creativity and originality in this music industry. Guess all I can do is handle my part. This was an interesting read nonetheless that brought up alot interesting (and over-discussed) viewpoints on the decline of the music game as we know it.

[ARTICLE]
A Psychological Analysis of Record Industry Decline
by Kyle Bylin

Everyone has their own theory on why the record industry is in decline. In part, they all hold a grain of truth. Hundreds of things helped exacerbate the process – some obvious, others not. The diagnosis will always remain open to speculation. After ten years (or more) of the smartest minds in various fields prognosticating and predicting the death and subsequent rebirth of the record industry, it's quite difficult to offer an original take on what happened.

It's all been said, at least once, and the Internet is a living record of that. In the last few years, many interesting studies have emerged that – when taken as a whole – offer a somewhat novel insight into what could've possibly caused the plight of the record industry in the digital age. The bigger picture takes a bit of imagination to render, but when looked at, it raises thought-provoking questions.

Let us review:

1) Traditional Leaders. It's well documented that the record industry found itself run by traditional, MBA wielding executives around by the time it became a nearly $15-billion-a-year juggernaut in 1999. After a decade of position swopping and promotions, the record industry still consists of traditional leaders, i.e. the Doug Morris characters of the world. It doesn't take much speculation to argue that there simply aren't many creative leaders in the major ranks, perhaps, due to the fact that there's a psychological bias against choosing them. Recently, a new study concluded that "organizations may face a bias against selecting the most creative individuals as leaders in favor of selecting leaders who would preserve the status quo by sticking with feasible but relatively unoriginal solutions." The next question to ask, what happens when traditional leaders are put under pressure?

2) Opt For The Familiar. Now, pick your poison. At the peak of the record industry, executives were under pressure to sell millions of albums to please shareholders and keep the billions of dollars rolling in. Once the industry started a decade long nosedive, executives were under pressure to sell anything and keep the bottom from falling out of their business. High stakes, high pressure, either way you look at it. These traditional executives found themselves under serious pressure. According to a new study, when people are under pressure, they often try to surround themselves with things that are familiar. Due to this bias, many carbon copy artists may have gotten record deals, because they sounded like, looked like and played like someone already highly successful.

Paradoxically, researchers found that people still opt for the familiar choice (read: familar artist) when it's the worst choice and amplifies the pressure. It's not that outlandish to think traditional leaders – under immense pressure – signed familar artists, and even though such artists failed to produce the desired results, said executives still found comfort in signing more "sure things" looked like the old thing. This is, despite the fact that those pop artists also underperformed and only served to increase the pressure on them. What do traditional leaders, put under immense pressure, do when they must sell familiar artists to the masses?

Apply marketing. Use radio, MTV, and Wal-Mart to increase the popularity of the artists, and fast! So what are the negative effects of artists spiking in popularity?

3) Spike in Popularity. According to new research, trends that quickly increase in popularity die faster. Researchers Jonah Berger and Gaël Le Mens analyzed over 100 years of data on first name adoption trends in France and the US. In both countries, they found that the more gradually that a name became popular among parents, the slower that faded out of popularity. Thus, as a whole, more children received names that weren't blockbusters. On the contrary, the names that did spike in popularity, and seemed like they more prevalent, actually rose and fell at the same high velocity. This meant that despite rising interest, fewer children inherited the seemingly more popular names. Why? Parents said that they viewed names that experienced more rapid rises in usage as fads. For that reason, they avoided names that seemed to have less staying power. The authors noted that similar scenarios have been observed in the music industry.

Artists that rocketed up the charts in an instant often fell away just as quickly, realizing overall lower sales than those that experienced more organic growth.

Now, in the past, if fans perceived an artist to be a fad, they may not have bought their music. But today, they end up file-sharing or streaming it for free instead.

If you believe some fans are respectfully using file-sharing and streaming to try the fad artist before they decide to buy it, then it's worth considering if using YouTube and BitTorrent to preview music may also have negative implications.

Is it bad when music-purchasing decisions are no longer "irreversible" in nature?

4) Adaptation Is Hindered. As it turns out – yes. In studies conducted at Harvard, researchers gave some students a choice that was reversible and others a choice that was nonreversible. From a set of art prints, students were allowed to choose one. Students valued their ability to reverse their decisions, but had no idea that, by leaving the option open; they would diminish their satisfaction with the art they chose. When people make decisions, viewing them as nonreversible, they do a bit of psychological work that helps justify their decision. If we're able to change our minds at any time, thinking that there's a better choice to be made, we'll stress over the alternatives, rather than making do with what we have. On contrary, if we're stuck with something, we're more likely to search for and find a positive view of the decision we made. So when a fan buys an album from a store and the decision is irreversible, it forces them to like it – even if they really don't.

Prior to the digital age, the pressure exerted on the fan was much greater. They had to make their $15 count; therefore, they – like the executives – may have opted to buy familiar albums as a way to mitigate risk. This is, perhaps, why instead of avoiding extremely popular artists like the research above suggests, fans too may have decided to buy music that felt familiar even if it disappointed more often than it delighted. Today though, when fans file-share and preview music through YouTube, they do so, because they desire the ability to reverse the decision, to delete the album if they don't like it. As it turns out, the act of downloading the music (or streaming it) may be the very reason that they don't like it as much, because they aren't stuck with it. Thus, the synthetic happiness, i.e. adaptation, that prior generations experienced when they bought a familiar, yet mediocre album, is never produced. Thus, since they aren't committed to their music decisions, there's less pressure and synthetic happiness to be had.

As a result, less purchases are made. The more fans fail to buy the familiar music, the more pressure is placed on the next executive to find the next big star, who is just like the old star that failed. Thus, major labels are forced to create more music that has "the potential" to go viral and become and instant blockbuster, which feeds into a vicious cycle that kills what it creates. Once this happens, everyone in the chain from the executives to the fans grow very upset.

What happens when a traditional executive opts for a familiar artist, tries to spike them in popularity, and finds that fans previewed the music and never bought it?

5) Not My Fault. In the book Mistakes Were Made (but not by me), two social psychologists reveal how psychological biases help perpetrators of hurtful acts justify and rationalize their behavior. Put simply, the positive feedback loop of action and self-deception leads executives to accuse fans of being greedy for not buying their "great" music, and fans call the executives greedy for trying to sell them yet another "not so great" Nickelback clone. Each side believes that the other side is morally corrupt and refuses to give way. Thus, the decade long sales decline, is – according to fans and executives – "not my fault, it's theirs."

The industry abandoned fans. Fans abandoned the industry. No one wins. This process simply repeats over and over. Meanwhile, the industry kills itself to live.

Final Thoughts

Now, admittedly, this collage of academic research is a stretch. But like any theory about the fall of the record industry, there's a grain of truth. Through the lens of psychology though, there's a number of things to be learned about why things are the way they are. This is just one, and I'm sure there are others. File-sharing has obviously evolved into a social norm; therefore, the period that this theory seeks to add insight into has (perhaps) since passed. Text on the page is always misleading because it seeks to add linearity to a real-life narrative that isn't. Regardless, I hope this short thought experiment has been fun and did in fact make you think differently about the plight of the record industry in the digital age. All fields can reveal novel insights into ours. Stay curious. Create the chaos.

Thoughts?

[VIDEO] 1 Song, Many Youtube Videos

2011-03-29T08:50:00.000-07:00

Cool sh*t... somebody put together a composition by looping different people's Youtube videos from different songs/recordings and meshing them together. Awesome example of different genres merged together for one 'song'.

Enjoy,

[VIDEO] Tribute to Facebook Celebrities

2011-03-29T08:32:00.000-07:00

We all know people like this on Facebook....sh*t I've been guilty of a couple of these bad deeds myself. All in all FB has overtaken alot of people's personal lives. Anybody could have added their own list of people like the facebook thug who always has to tell you he's smoking something illegal or about to go kick it. Then there's also the miscellaneous artist who's always int he studio but you never hear any of his music. Lastly, everybody hates the party promoter who sends you 1,040,4534,5566 flyers for parties you will never go to.

In honor of this phenomenon, Altoids (yes, the mint company) created a web video to spoof these facebook 'celebrities' calling it "The Altoids Curiously Strong Awards". Funny sh*t

Hate it or love it, Facebook has its weirdness.

I've been more of a Twitter person recently... ADD ME AT @WhoisRockstar *hint hint*

If you have to (lol)... ADD ME ON FACEBOOK HERE - http://www.Facebook.com/WhoisRockstar

Enjoy,

[VIDEO] Where to Gig When There Are No Venues

2011-03-26T16:07:00.000-07:00

Where there's a will...there's a way

[VIDEO] Trailer: Captain America 'The First Avenger'

2011-03-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

[ARTICLE] Baby from B.I.G.'s "Ready To Die" Album Cover ...18 Years Later

2011-03-23T13:12:00.000-07:00

Besides perhaps the Nevermind baby, the child sporting a giant Afro pictured on Notorious B.I.G.'s classic debut Ready to Die is the most iconic infant in album-cover history. As the music world commemorated the 14th anniversary of Biggie's death on March 9th, many fans began inquiring about the Ready to Die kid. Diddy simply told Rap Radar, "That was a baby we just found... We did a little casting for somebody that looked like Big," and the Bad Boy offices had long lost any concrete form of documentation.

But now, the New York Daily News has uncovered the 18-year-old who claims to be the mini-B.I.G.: Bronx native Keithroy Yearwood.

"I just want people to know that's me. The truth is finally coming out," Yearwood told the Daily News, who corroborated his claim with Yearwood's baby photos. The story of how the teen landed on the cover also seems to match Bad Boy's assertion that the baby came from a modeling agency: Yearwood's mother Delcenia Burns says her son was recruited by the now-defunct modeling agency Chicky's Kids, and that she has the paperwork to prove it.

That Yearwood was a paid model would come as a surprise to two people involved in the shoot: Designer Cey Adams and the cover's photographer Butch Belair, both thought that the Ready to Die baby was the child of someone who worked at Bad Boy.

"When I first found out about it, it wasn't a big deal to me. Now, of course, it's a big deal to me," Yearwood, who plans to study sports management in college, said of his claim to fame. "It's an honor to be on this album."

Yearwood says he only received $150 for being on the cover of Ready to Die, but his place in music history is priceless.

[ARTICLE] Is Russell Simmons' RushCard a Good Thing?

2011-03-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

I guess B.I.G. said it best...

Mo money, mo problems

[ARTICLE]
"Russell Simmons' RushCard: Not the Best Deal for Consumers"
by Farnoosh Torabi

My philosophy on banking is very simple: You shouldn't have to pay money to access your money.

That's why I get a bit annoyed (OK, a lot) when I see aggressive marketing campaigns for celebrity-endorsed prepaid cards -- these loadable pieces of plastic targeting consumers who may not have access to a traditional bank account. Yes, they offer some convenience for the 25% of Americans who are unbanked or underbanked. But in exchange, prepaid cards charge exorbitant fees. Why not just educate people on how to bank smart and avoid fees through the use of fee-free FDIC-insured banks and credit unions? They do exist.

Lately these cards have been all abuzz. Earlier this year the teen-marketed Kardashian Kard came under criticism (including mine) for its "predatory" fees; shortly after the famous sisters -- whom the card was branded after -- abandoned the deal.

Now another celebrity's fee-laden prepaid card is making headlines: Russell Simmons' RushCard, a prepaid Visa debit card, which he launched in 2003. (To be fair, Simmons is not just slapping his name on the card like the Kardashians; he's an investor who says he pioneered the prepaid card space.)

The RushCard monthly plan costs $9.95 per month, has a one-time activation fee of $3.95 to $14.95 (depending on which type of card you choose), and a $2.50 ATM withdrawal fee (after using up your two free withdrawals per month). It's pretty much in line with the norm for these types of cards; a recent Consumers Union survey found that one-time activation fees ran about $10 for prepaid cards, and monthly fees also cost about $10.

The RushCard's not new, but the media mogul and entrepreneur -- whom I actually admire -- just appeared in a Forbes.com video defending the card against critics, saying it creates financial freedom for the underbanked. Simmons also pointed out that he wants to broaden the card's reach to go beyond the underbanked and target the "middle class" consumer that, he says, "banks don't want."

Really? Banks don't want us?

I hit the replay button on the interview more than once and found that a few of Simmons' remarks were questionable. I understand that the card offers some immediate convenience and is a lower cost solution to check-cashing, but is the best place to store your money? Is it really a long-term solution to establishing financial freedom, as Simmons insists? At the time this article first went to press I was unable to reach Simmons for comment, though shortly after, he and I spoke for nearly an hour. It's clear Simmons is passionate about his business, but I'm not convinced the RushCard is the end all for underbanked Americans.

'The RushCard builds credit.'

In the Forbes interview Simmons says the RushCard helps consumers build credit. It's true that the company reports your payment history for things like rent, utilities and other bills to LexisNexis and PRBC, a national credit reporting agency. But that doesn't necessarily mean your credit score will improve. Your traditional FICO credit score -- the score that most banks and lenders use to evaluate borrowers and decide loan terms -- is only based on your credit activity as tracked by Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.

The Web site for RushCard states, "the credit reporting agencies we report to use your transaction history to create a positive credit file for you. When you apply for credit, lenders may use your positive credit file to qualify you and offer you lower interest rates." That "may" indeed be true, but most lenders will just look at your FICO score, which neither of these reporting agencies influence. Simmons defended the credit building aspect of the RushCard by telling me his average customer wouldn't be able to build credit otherwise. They're going from no credit to some credit, which is an improvement, he says. His hope is that eventually consumers will be able to qualify for a credit card and build a proper credit history and score that way.

I should say that PRBC does work with FICO to crunch the FICO Expansion Score, an alternative score for borrowers -- mainly subprime borrowers -- with little to no credit history. But, again, most lenders want to work with credit-worthy borrowers with a history of timely payments using a variety of different credit. If you're underbanked and you want to establish and build credit, I would argue you're much better off doing so with a secured card. Your payment activity with a legitimate secured card gets reported to the major credit reporting bureaus and that in turn impacts your FICO score.

'The RushCard is a cheaper alternative to a bank account.'

In the video Simmons says his RushCard is actually "half the price of a Bank of America Free Checking Account." When we spoke, he supported that argument by citing a J.P. Morgan survey showing that a BofA checking account costs customers an average $551 per year in fees, while the RushCard would cost $259 a year. I saw the survey. He has a point. But I have a traditional Bank of America checking account and I can't remember ever paying a fee just to have access to my money. Yes, the bank has plenty of fees for out-of-network ATM withdrawals, transferring money outside the bank and overdraft protection -- and the J.P. Morgan survey assumes you're incurring one overdraft fee a month, plus one out-of-network ATM fee. (It assumes RushCard users make eight purchases a month, and have 1.5 ATM withdrawals.) But if you're a conscious and educated banker, you won't fall into those traps. I can find my bank's closest ATMs using its free mobile application, which helps me avoid fees, and I've opted out of overdraft protection, which normally runs about $35 each time you bounce a check or overdraft your account.

It's also true that some BofA accounts require a minimum monthly balance to avoid a fee. But that's easily avoidable, too, as long as you keep tabs on spending. And, hey, if you can't maintain a minimum balance shop around for a bank that's more flexible. They're out there.

'Those who criticize the card for its fees are uneducated.'

"It's very inexpensive," says Simmons in the video. Well, maybe if you're comparing it to the old Kardashian Kard or check-cashing services. You can view the card's schedule of fees here. I only have a masters degree myself, but I think paying $9.95 a month just to store my money on a card is not necessarily the best option.

[Where Baby on Notorious B.I.G. Cover Is Now]

'Banks won't let in 60 million consumers.'

Simmons is referring to the 60 million unbanked or underbanked Americans, as polled by the FDIC in 2009. But to interpret this as "banks don't want you" seems like a gross overstatement. Simmons later tells me his customers -- many who live paycheck to paycheck -- simply can't get conventional bank accounts. "Banks either refuse them any access or drop them because they're too small, perceived as too risky or both. It's not like they're not trying," he says. But -- again -- what about credit unions and local banks? Since the 1980s these community-oriented institutions have been offering matched savings programs to low-income families. Few charge minimum balance fees and many reimburse your for ATM withdrawals. Check out Bankrate.com and FindaCreditUnion.com to find a bank or credit union near you.

Bottom line: Simmons and I both agree that consumers deserve more choice -- and that when compared to check-cashing services, the RushCard is a far more affordable alternative. We're both big on financial literacy. But I just don't agree that consumers -- namely the paycheck-to-paycheck consumers using the RushCard -- ought to go cold turkey on traditional banking solutions, especially when there are still so many options.

[RIP] Nate Dogg (1969-2011)

2011-03-21T09:56:00.000-07:00

R.I.P. Nate Dogg
(1969-2011)

You will NEVER be forgotten!

[ARTICLE] The Death of the Album

2011-03-21T09:33:00.000-07:00

[ARTICLE]
"The Death of the Album and Birth of Release"
by Ethan Kaplan of BlackRimGlasses and Murmurs

Last week marked the release of an album I have been associated with in some form for two years now. That doesn’t mean that I had anything to do with its creation, just that I was associated with it. To that regard, I was there for mixing, marketing and release. The record is from a group of people collectively known as R.E.M.

I predict it is the last “Album” they will release.

In fact, I predict that 2011 is the last year of the Album (capital A).

In the press right now, Michael Stipe is talking about the 12 videos (or films) he is having made for the record, one per song. In his press quotes he describes the videos as representing to him the concept of what an album is and could be in the 21st century. During recording, he and I spoke somewhat about the nature of what it means to make a “record” and what that entails. As part of this discussion, and thinking about ideas for what we could do to break the mold (the video project, an app, something on the web), I started outlining the evolution of what I considered an album since I started buying them.

Chronologically:

R.E.M. – Green: the first CD that I ever purchased. It was mystery, and it represented things I hadn’t heard mixed with things I had (Stand, Pop Song ’89). My exposure to the band was through MTV and this record, and various articles. The visual identity of the band was defined by the art which carried over to the videos (black and white) and stage performance (yellow, orange, Michael’s awful hair cut).

R.E.M. – Out of Time / Automatic for the People: The first time the introduction to the record was visual. In the case of Out of Time, the “Losing My Religion” video, which I think got as much airplay for the WTF factor as it did because it was awesome. Automatic for the People: introduced through a teaser on MTV before the video music awards in 1992. 15 seconds of “Drive,” with the video of Michael crowd surfing.

R.E.M. Monster – A piece in 1993 that was about what R.E.M. was up to (in LA, recording). Then Michael popped into AOL to chat with fans. The first video/audio was again an MTV teaser, this time of “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” This record was as much about the “package” of the band, the message, the identity as it was the music. Somehow the record came to be defined as about sex, sexuality, gender bending and such rather than what it really was about, revealed in the alternate title “Yes, I am Fucking With You”

And so on.

As each Album progressed, the things that defined it started becoming external to the music. This was driven in part by MTV and the press, but also in part by the band and their willingness to treat the concept of an Album as also a chance for rebranding. The hint of what was to come was in Michael’s visit to AOL. The real thing started bleeding through.

Every record since has gone on this trajectory: the music sitting along side, and sometimes behind the concept. Always informing, but less as the center.

This leads me to the now. I worked on five albums for R.E.M. at Warner Bros Records. In the course of this here is how I now define an Album (capital A):

Branding: an album serves as a tent pole around which to rebrand a band. Logos, type faces, color, visual identites. This also applies to non-visual things such as: message, statement, platform, etc.

Visuals: both with and without music, related closely to branding
The Hook: something that serves as the tweet worthy summation of what this Album is aiming at
The Angle: a unique method or action which serves as an easy method for someone to write about the record
The Timeline: the sequence of events and windowing of releases culminating to…
The Release: Not the end game, but rather a stop along the way
The Music: Can’t forget about this? Or can you?

The last part, “The Music” is broken down into:

Mainline Release: the 12 or so songs that make up the bundle known as The Record
The Primary Record: the default release of those 12 or so songs
The Auxiliary Music: everything outside of those 12 songs: b-sides, demos, live tracks, etc.

They contribute to…

The Premium Record: bundling of other content to justify higher price points

Along side this are other types of auxiliary content:

The Videos: music videos and lyric videos
Auxiliary Visuals: Interviews, EPK, Live in Studio footage.
Photos: Photos held as exclusives and non-exclusives. Dolled out like Pokemon cards
Art: The high res complete album art, as well as the visual “stems” to make other art pieces (banners, IAD ad units, etc)
Style Guide: colors, type faces and approved look/feels

And then the releases:

Standard Physical – the main release, eco-pack, jewel case or digipack
Premium Package (Physical) – what TopSpin specializes in marketing
Standard Digital – The 9.99 on iTunes release
Premium Digital – The 14.99 on iTunes, uses elements of auxiliary content
Retail Partner Release – Starbucks, Best Buy, Target?
Direct to Consumer Release – optional, and getting more rare. Usually a step up from the Premium Package (Physical)
Singles – mostly for international markets
App – sometimes, album-as-app hasn’t caught on too well yet

OK then. That is a lot that constitutes an “Album.”

In fact, try to find the typical definition of an album in that mix? Is it the 12 song release? Or the 16? Physical or digital? Stream or paid download?

Was it released when all tracks were to market (one week prior to release), when the album was off security (and therefore leaked) or when it was on store shelves?

What do you review as the album? What figure attached to these do you use to judge success? Soundscan? Streams? Twitter mentions?

I posit that we are in a post album universe. The Album itself is anachronistic and has evolved into a place where it is a tent pole for cyclic branding rather than an encapsulated piece of art. Some bands might choose to keep the album as an atomic entity (ie, Radiohead), but to me it almost seems anachronistic. Ultimately, my view is that bands need to take the concept of an album and move toward the concept of a Release, in the software sense.

In that case, here are my rules for a Release:

1. Announce the release when it is ready to ship. Lead times should be at most 4 weeks from announcement to “in hands”
2. Self-direct all publicity and promotion. Own the visual language/identity, own the messaging.
Fans matter more than radio stations, website exclusives, etc. Giving a video to the NY Times ahead of your own YouTube won’t get you a good review: don’t do it.
3. Hear it and buy it: don’t put anything up to hear, watch or experience if it can’t be purchased. Reward loyalty for your fans through exclusives.
4. Make your fans product evangelists. Everyone wants an iPad because everyone they know wants one or has one. Make your release so amazing that you want to tell the world about it.
5. Own your press: disintermediate, be selective with interviews and use the channels at your disposal (video, twitter, etc)
6. Make it an event. Time it properly, make all messaging unified and coordinated.
7. Let the Release define itself: if you can’t summarize it in one sentence, keep winnowing it down until you can. It might be an app, a collection of songs, a video album, etc. Study this page.
8. And of course, make something of quality. Strive for perfection down to the pixel level for visuals, and timbre level for audio. Don’t let “well enough” suffice.

Every release might be your last, and in the best case scenario could define the rest of your career and be seen as a high watermark for everything you do. Treat it as such.

[ARTICLE] Only 10% of Your Friends See Your Facebook Posts, And Only 1% Like It

2011-03-19T20:52:00.000-07:00

Interesting article that is fitting for my movement right now. As an indie artist, its always a struggle to divide time between actually making music and promoting the music. I consider myself a great multi-tasker, but it's never an easy thing to do. Alot of times the best movements have the best teams.

#shoutout to the people behind the scenes working to take this Rockstar Jones movement to the next level in 2011.

Check this article out though...

[ARTICLE]
"Only 10% of Your Friends See Your Facebook Posts, And Only 1% Like It"
by: Robin Davey, Head of Music and Film Development at GROWVision
(via http://www.hypebot.com)

How do I know this? Well I conducted a simple experiment that you are all welcome to replicate.

I simply posted on my wall asking anyone who saw the post to like it. Of my 913 friends, 93 responded by clicking the like button. If you do try, I would be very interested to see your results, but my thinking is that around 10% is an accurate assessment. I have written before about the importance of being in control of your fan base and a strike rate of 10% could be considered pretty good for Facebook. However, that is the amount of people that potentially see the post. It does not represent the people that are going to click through a link or watch a video.

This number is probably significantly less than the 10%. In fact, based on the reaction I have had to things I have posted, I would say that it is more like 1%, and that's if the post is particularly popular.

OTHER ARTISTS

So I decided to randomly look at popular bands on Facebook - I am rounding off these numbers to make them easier to understand.

The Black Keys have 800,000 fans and they get around 800 likes per post, although they did reach 7,000 when they said 'Lotsa Grammys".

Justin Bieber has 22,000,000 fans and gets between 25,000 and 50,000 likes per post.

Mumford and Sons have 1,300,000 fans and have recently pulled an impressive 17,000 likes on one post that simply said, "TOUR!!!"

But how impressive exactly is that?

Well the Black Keys, at 800 for the less popular posts, works out significantly below 1% of their fans choosing to like it, and just under 1% for their most popular post. Bieber's rampant fans achieve similar numbers. Mumford's impressive number is actually only just above 1%. So my personal findings seem pretty accurate when compared to band profiles.

What's more, the most popular posts seem to be a pub like cheer from fans, a proverbial GOAL for their team. This appears to be quite telling of what peoples mind set is when they are browsing their Facebook page.

IS IT WORTH IT

Is putting time and effort and even money into you Facebook page really worth it?

Well, with those figures, it is up for you to decide. Of course, there is no harm in having a page and updating it, but if you are questioning if Facebook popularity will make or break your band, it's pretty clear that the answer is a resounding no. To me it further indicates the frailty of relying on social networks as a means to achieving success.

Since my band The Bastard Fairies announced that we were no longer updating our Facebook page, we have had a further 1000 fans like the page. It seems simply having it there as a placeholder, is actually not much different from working the page and posting regularly. I am not saying these numbers are conclusive, and I am all ears to hear if you have managed to achieve different results getting people to interact.

From a personal point of view, it further drills home the fact to me, that direct contact with fans via email, is the most effective and essential tool to successfully keep them updated.

[PIC] Odd Future Covers Billboard Magazine

2011-03-11T12:59:00.000-08:00

SWAG

[ARTICLE] How to Survive a Pirate Attack

2011-03-11T12:29:00.000-08:00

Imagine getting jacked while your traveling at sea...

I couldn't even imagining worrying about guarding my belongings while out on a boat in the middle of nowhere. If you haven't read the news in the last few years though, there's been alot of people losing their lunch so to speak while they travel these days. From Somali pirates with machetes and machine guns to arabs, it's open season of shipping boats and tourists alike.

Strap up mayne

[ARTICLE]
How to Survive a Pirate Attack

Pirates hijacked 53 ships and held a total of 1,181 hostages for ransom last year, according to the International Maritime Bureau. Forty nine of those ships and 1,016 of those hostages – from commercial and private vessels -- were seized by pirates off the coast of Somalia, a statistic that was brought into sharp relief last month when Somali pirates hijacked a yacht and on Feb. 22 murdered the four Americans aboard. Two days later, a Danish family, including three children, was taken from their yacht by Somali pirates and as of this writing had been moved to a larger pirate vessel off the Somali Coast.

These very unfortunate events and statistics are renewing and raising awareness about Somali piracy, and many piracy experts echo the advice of Amb. David H. Shinn, former U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia and Burkina Faso, who notes that “leisure travelers have no business going into the Western Indian Ocean until the crisis caused by Somali pirates has ended.”

The International Maritime Bureau also reports that there were 445 pirate attacks worldwide last year, underscoring that piracy is not just a Somali problem. “Hostile boardings happen all over the world,” especially in South Asia, the Caribbean, and even off the coast of Florida,” says Charles Clifton, founder and director of non-profit security company Humanitarian Defense. “If you are not prepared to fight, or have people with you that are, risky voyages should not be attempted.”

However, “some pirates come on board just to steal things,” says Capt. James K. Staples, a Master Mariner and U.S. Merchant Marine. “They’re basically thieves, not holding people for ransom, but if you a catch a thief in the act, don’t resist him. Given the fact that he is a desperate person to begin with, if he wants something that’s replaceable, let him take it. Everything on that boat is replaceable, including the boat.” Here now, more advice from maritime and survival experts about surviving a pirate attack.

Be a harder target.

Prior to sailing anywhere you must “understand the situation you are facing,” says Clifton. “Research trends and hotspots where piracy and other criminal activity may be occurring. Then avoid them. The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) piracy map is a good resource for this.” Adds safety expert Randy Spivey, who ran hostage survival training programs for the Department of Defense, “the best way to survive a hostage situation or act of piracy is never to get into it. People need to understand the risk factors of the locations that they’re going to travel to,” noting that the Overseas Security Advisory Counsel (OSAC) can yield “real-time information on risk factors.”

When you’re in port, it pays to “get all local knowledge you can from local captains, the port captains office, [and] from marina staff” about potential piracy problems along your route and the port itself, says former Navy SEAL Team officer Matt Bracken, noting that protecting yourself “starts with local awareness, talking to other skippers, and always listening for reports of things being stolen or pilfered.”

While many travelers associate piracy with being boarded on the open sea, Bracken says the “biggest danger is being attacked at anchor,” noting that since marinas may cost upwards of $50 a night for docking, many seafarers will “anchor out” up to a half mile from shore. And even if you don’t consider yourself wealthy, Bracken says, the very fact that you have a boat may make you come across that way to a pirate. “When people anchor out they think, ‘I’m not rich,’ [but to] people watching me from shore, I’m Bill Gates.” Make your boat a harder target, he says. Secure your boat’s dinghy with a steel cable as “someone coming from shore won’t necessarily bring a bolt cutter.” Also, he suggests, cruise in groups or with at least one other boat so you can take turns having a person on watch at all times.
If pirates approach you

While piloting his 48-foot steel sailing cutter between Panama and Hawaii, Bracken had a 150-foot steel ship fall in behind him, which he knew felt all wrong. While he had real weapons on board, he broke out a black spray-painted plywood M-16, which he constructed at 1.2 times scale so that “it looks bigger and more threatening than a real one.” He adds that at 400 to 500 yards if pirates are “binocularing you and they see someone producing a weapon at that range, they know there is a risk of getting shot.” The vessel trailing Bracken “finally turned away and went somewhere else.”

Naval officer turned professor Harold J. Kearsley had a similar experience in the mid-80s while sailing from the UK on a route that among other locales took him to the Canary Islands, Antigua, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, where the coast guard warned him that it was not prudent to stop at various islands within the Bahamas. Kearsley complied, but while off one of the central islands he was “approached by a speed boat. It looked pretty aggressive. I can’t tell you categorically they were pirates” but he soon broke out a Mini-14 semi automatic assault rifle and a muzzle-loading powder rifle, making sure they "were prominently displayed on deck.” There was no confrontation.

If you’re not trained or inclined to use guns, you should still be armed with situational awareness, says Air Force veteran and SERE (Search, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) school instructor Cameron Gamble.”If you see a small white boat coming toward [your boat] with three skinny objects in it, “whether it’s a threat or not I have to treat it as such. I’m putting out a radio call,” adding that “before these guys actually reach me, the most lifesaving thing that’s going to take place is not necessarily a radio call or securing [valuables] on board, but being mentally prepared for what’s about to happen.”

If you’re boarded by pirates part of your mental preparation upon first contact with pirates is avoiding “capture shock,” Gamble says, taking yourself through three steps: “who has me, what do they want, and how far are they willing to go to get it? If my assessment is that these guys are coming on board and killing every single person they’re coming in contact with, I need to flee,” but “if all these guys want is to take the ship and need a mode of transportation, I’m just going to ride it out.”

Spivey likewise has a three-step strategy: the three C’s -- calm, connect, and capitalize. “You want to be a calming influence, maintain your composure, and don’t do anything to escalate the tension. If they say don’t look at them, don’t look at them,” which may stop you from getting to the next two steps at first, though Spivey suggests that even if the first hours of captivity are hostile, your captors may become bored and thus receptive enough for you to try the next two steps. By connecting, “you want to make yourself appear as a person, not an object. Find a common interest. A lot of times people will talk about family. What you’re trying to do is reverse the Stockholm Syndrome – it is easier to kill an object than a person.” During the capitalization stage, Spivey says, encourage your captors “to seek and find a peaceful resolution. Even if things look like they are not going well, make statements like ‘I’m sure it’s going to work out’ or ‘I’m sure it’s going to be okay.” And unless you’re certain you can discuss politics, religion, and economics to useful conversational ends, most sources say, pick other topics.

If you’re on a cruise Staples says that many cruise ships nowadays “have good security aboard -- there is armed security aboard most cruise ships that’s not advertised.” However, cruise ship passengers are still susceptible to risk and “it’s a whole different scenario if the pirates physically have control of you versus their being on board and you being [locked] in your stateroom,” says board-certified travel security expert Philip Farina, CPP, as your chances of being harmed diminish, particularly if there is crossfire during a rescue.

“If you come face to face with a pirate, don’t resist,” Farina says, though he adds that that might not be your first instinct. “It’s tough to tell someone that they need to make a life-threatening or life-changing action at that moment because it’s different for each person. One person may decide to put their hands up, some people might freeze, or they may not be cognizant or able to respond. And on the other side are the people who want to fight – and as humans we have all three pieces within us --fight, flight, or freeze.”

Farina posits more scenarios. “If I’m walking down a gangplank and a pirate comes around the corner, what am I going to do? If a pirate doesn’t have a firearm and is just speaking to me loudly, what do I do? If they have a firearm and are walking in the opposite direction from where I came, and I look and see they are distracted, do I retreat to the stairwell or try to take the gun?

There is no right answer, particularly for that last one. “If you have the opportunity to be proactive, meaning taking a moment to think and the situation is bad, you will make whatever decision is the best for you at that moment. Your best choice might be to turn around and wrestle with that pirate and be injured, but the fact that you’ve done that may permit other passengers to escape. So that’s a tough call. So much of that comes down to the individual and who they are personally and depends on the situations.”

[MUSIC] DJ Discipline - Disciplinary Actions 11 (Mixtape)

2011-03-09T14:35:00.000-08:00

My DJ and homie DJ Discipline (Corner Kingz) just dropped the Disciplinary Actions 11 (Mixtape) just in time for his Cali tour. Look for him to pop up in some spots over the next couple of weeks on the West Coast. True to form, Discipline brings real turntable skills to the mixtape...giving u the best in new Southern heat.

Alert the Media!

DJ Discipline
Disciplinary Actions 11 (Mixtape)
DL: http://hulkshare.com/ev4f3yvyy14z

ADD: @DJDiscipline on Twitter and Facebook HERE - http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_128401227232479

[VIDEO] Welcome Home, Prodigy!

2011-03-08T18:02:00.000-08:00

Welcome Home, Prodigy! MOBB is my favorite hip hop favorite group of all-time by the way...

[PIC] Introducing the Official WhoisRockstar.com QR Code

2011-03-08T14:51:00.000-08:00

After reading and learning about the QR Code revolution that is taking over corporate America (and hopefully soon the music industry), I'm pleased to bring you the 1st Official WhoisRockstar.com QR Code. Try it out with your mobile device, share it with your friends, make stickers, get a tattoo, etc...

It's real simple to use...scan the pic with your cell phone and use it to Visit the WhoisRockstar website, get access to new content, free giveaways or whenever you choose.

*NOTE: MUST HAVE PROPER APP TO VIEW THIS CONTENT!!!

Get your app HERE - http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/qr-code-reader-and-scanner/id388175979?mt=8

We are always trying to stay 1 step ahead of the game...As u were!

[VIDEO] Music Needs QR Codes

2011-03-08T14:13:00.000-08:00

[ARTICLE]
Codes Anywhere: Music Needs QR Codes
by Nick Ford
(via http://qranywhere.blogspot.com)

Music is ripe for an advertising renaissance. QR codes and mobile tagging are poised to take this industry by storm introducing a plethora of new ways to promote music to smartphone mobile devices. Mobile digital downloads, sharing, and music samples can incentivize and augment advertising in newspapers, magazines, fliers, cards and posters like NEVER before. The opportunities to incorporate music downloads and artist info into traditional "brand advertising" are endless in this new mobile universe of "anywhere" web content. QR codes are the PERFECT vehicle because they "prompt" people with their engaging appearance and perceived value. The invention of the internet devastated the music industry over a decade ago, NOW the emergence of the MOBILE internet might be the BEST thing that ever happened to music culture.

We are starting to see some mainstream music artists use QR codes in advertising and packaging but this is only the beginning. The future will involve much more "collaboration" between music and traditional adverting and a model will emerge that brings value to everyone (music artists, brands AND mobile consumers). QR codes will be a fundamental new catalyst transmitting music from the physical world to a mobile digital one.

Here is an example of Soulja Boy using QR codes and an awesome VIDEO example below from Japan.

This QR code marketing campaign from Leo Burnett Hong Kong was designed to promote alternative music label Zoo Records in Hong Kong. By carefully placing visuals of an array of animals, comprised of download codes, people could take cell phone pictures of the animals and stream new music to their mobile devices instantly. This campaign resulted in sold out records, immeasurable street cred for Zoo Records, and the widespread dispersal of an underground sound.

How can you not be excited about the future of music distribution and marketing. If this doesn't get your mind turning with possibilities, get out the game...

Think about it.

[PIC] Pac Div - Anti Freeze (In-Studio Performance)

2011-03-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

This concept alone is #BetterThanGood . Good to see Pac Div keep making dopeness.

#shoutout LA Leakers

Enjoy!

[VIDEO] Kidz In the Hall feat. Smoke Dza "Dream On" Teaser Video

2011-03-02T14:43:00.001-08:00

This is hilarious and shows a cool way to promote a new record. Not a video but a comedic teaser that speaks to the personalities of the artists, Kids in the Hall & Smoke Dza.

Dope sh*t

[PIC] Wiz Khalifa Covers Rolling Stone

2011-03-02T14:21:00.000-08:00

What a difference a year and a hit song makes...

I'll be seeing you all soon.

Until then,

[VIDEO] The Making of the Connected Car

2011-03-02T10:00:00.002-08:00

Interesting...

[PIC] Is Your Child a Tagger? Chart

2011-03-02T10:00:00.001-08:00

This was an official guide for parents published by the Graffiti Task Force of the Santa Anna, CA Police Department back in 2008. Twenty five years ago, Orange County had Skateboarding Task Forces; now they have giant skateparks at the mall. Guess that means tagging galleries are about 20 years off. Some things never change...

SMDH

[ARTICLE] Striking the Chord: Why Lyricists Matter

2011-03-02T09:30:00.000-08:00

Very interesting take on the importance of lyricists in today's world. As an artist dealing with the moderate pressure to create commercially viable material while maintaining a true sense of self, I enjoyed this read.

Here's to wishing some of these misguided 'artists' out here could take heed and realize the importance of their verbal abilities to themselves and others.

Thoughts?

[ARTICLE]

Striking the Chord: Why Lyricists Matter
by Kyle Bylin
(via http://www.Hypebot.com)

Lyricists possess the ability to distill complex situations and emotions into sixteen syllable couplets. Most importantly, they possess the capacity to strike a chord in us, the listener.

Why is that?

Lyricists cut themselves deep down, often just for the sake of seeing themselves bleed.

For some, writing is medication. Releasing that inner tension gives them room to breathe.

For others, their writing is infliction. They feel their words – every single one.
The knife in their side is twisted out of sheer necessity. Killing themselves inside helps remind them that they are alive. That this is real. A lifetime spent reflecting on personal tragedies does not seem like a way that anyone would want to live, but for lyricists, this is living. There is a thrill in revealing yourself to yourself, to gutting out your emotions, and putting them on display for the world – whomever that may be – to see. For some, the world is a stage. For others, it is a page.

Few people know what it is actually like to say something that they mean, to express an emotion with everything that they are. They have said “I love you” or “Please, don’t go.” But this is the closest they have ever been to brutal honesty.

In contrast, lyricists spend their lives crafting phrases that say exactly what they mean. That sinking feeling in our chest that we feel when we tell someone that we love them is the perpetual state that lyricists find themselves in. In time, it gets easier. But when a lyricist crafts a simple truth – something that they mean with everything that they are – it does not hurt in the sense that it is painful.

A cut elicits pain; bleeding is the process through which it heals itself.

For lyricists, things work in a similar fashion. The main difference is that wounds on the outside only bleed a few moments before they heal, whereas wounds on the inside fester for years. Due to how quickly outside wounds heal, the process of bleeding is not one that is often felt. But on the inside, that feeling can be felt.

Deep down.

Rather than a process of healing, bleeding is the state of feeling. It is when an emotion is embraced for everything that it is, distilled it down to its center, and expressed in its most concentrated, raw form. And this is why it hurts, because brutal honesty always hurts. It is one thing to be brutally honest to others about how you feel. It is quite another to be brutally honest to yourself. To know that once the pen hits the paper, you have the power to reveal yourself to yourself.

To unearth things that you never knew you felt.

And this is why lyricists matter, because in experiencing their brutal honestly it helps us reveal ourselves to ourselves too. Their words strike a chord. But it is only through the process of bleeding that they found that chord to begin with.

And once found, they can strike it within us too.

[ARTICLE] Duke Alum, Anthem Turns From Banking to Rapping

2011-03-01T12:40:00.000-08:00

Checkout my East Coast homie, Anthem featured in this article from the Duke university newspaper. I met him through Elmo (http://ElmoSince87.com) and we collaborated on the "No Rookies Allowed" project. We share something in common..Forgoing another job situation (mine was law school) to follow your passion.

[ARTICLE]

Duke Alum Anthem Turns From Banking to Rapping
by Ross Green
(via http://DukeChronicle.com)

The beginning of Trinity ’07 alumnus Anteneh “Anthem” Addisu’s narrative sounds familiar: Duke graduate leaves behind the Gothic wonderland for a lucrative position on the sales and trading floor of one of America’s biggest banks. But Addisu soon flipped the script, taking a sharp left turn off Wall Street to pursue his longtime ambition of working as a recording rap artist.

It was, in the parlance of his former profession, an extremely high-risk investment.

Addisu’s burgeoning career in hip-hop, however, stands as evidence that his gamble is paying off. After shopping his demos around the New York area, Addisu found a willing collaborator in longtime 50 Cent associate DJ Whoo Kid, who will host Addisu’s upcoming Manhattan Music mixtape. Of course, to hear Addisu tell it, there was never any real alternative.

“I actually tried to renege on my job offer after senior year, because I wanted to go straight into rapping,” he said.

In a twist as fortuitous as the rest of Addisu’s story, he had initially planned to live with former Duke basketball player Shavlik Randolph, at the time a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, and begin recording and performing full time.

“I ended up taking the [sales and trading] job to help out at home,” Addisu said. “I moved to New York and got caught up in that lifestyle—I wasn’t making any music at first.”

Gradually, though, the itch to record returned, and in the summer of 2008, Addisu approached his professional mentor, who he refers to as D.G., about leaving banking to start a rap career.

“D.G. told me I was an idiot, trying to be a recording artist without actually having any recordings,” Addisu said. “But we made a deal—he agreed to finance my demo, and if it sucked, I would keep the job.”

Addisu, who records and performs as Anthem, was predictably raw, but showed enough talent to keep D.G. on board with his new venture. Stylistically, Anthem specializes in highly referential, whip-smart lyricism delivered via an enunciative, rapid-fire flow.

For the next nine months, Addisu essentially held two jobs: selling financial instruments by day, writing and recording on nights and weekends. By the summer of 2009, Anthem was ready to leave Wall Street and begin a full-time rap career.

Mere months earlier, Lydia Simmons, Trinity ’09, had started her own music blog, Sunset in the Rearview, almost on a whim.

“When I started, I didn’t really have any goals for the blog,” Simmons said. “It was really just a method of procrastination during finals.”

A mutual friend of Addisu’s approached Simmons with one of Anthem’s new tracks, entitled “Dear Duke.” The six-minute, soul-sampling jam packs in a multitude of references to the University, from campus life (boozing on East Campus) to successful alumni (he shouts out, among others, Board of Trustee members John Mack, Trinity ’68, and David Rubenstein, Trinity ’70). Simmons posted it exclusively on Sunset soon thereafter. And though both Addisu and Simmons consider “Dear Duke” to be a relative oddity in Anthem’s repertoire, the track had a considerable impact on both.

“That day [when I posted “Dear Duke”] I got a big spike in traffic,” Simmons said. “That was when I thought, ‘Maybe I should think of this as a business, rather than a hobby.’”

Addisu, meanwhile, received a message the day after the song was posted from a new fan: President Richard Brodhead.

“I shout out President Brodhead in the song,” Addisu said. “I got an e-mail from him asking me, ‘Are you Anthem?’”

Simmons and Addisu’s relationship, which began with “Dear Duke,” (the two had not met as undergraduates) comes full circle Thursday night at Durham’s Motorco Music Hall, where Simmons is sponsoring a concert where Anthem will perform, along with hip-hop up-and-comer Hoody Allen.

Simmons is quick to note Anthem’s development since “Dear Duke” dropped almost two years ago.

“I really feel like [Anthem] is a huge, growing talent,” she said. “He comes up with punch lines that… you just can’t believe.”

Nothing more true than that sh*t!

#BetterThanGood

[MUSIC] NEW: "Bombs" - 1st Single off Upcoming "Better Than Good" Project

2011-03-01T10:53:00.000-08:00

Just added a rough version of my next single Bombs". Don't tell the label...

FREE MUSIC from RockstarJones

Enjoy,

[VIDEO] Acrylicize Presents: The Light Wall Project

2011-03-01T10:50:00.000-08:00

Stoplights, flash lights, strobe lights, street lights...

Light Installation built by the good folks at Acrylicize x Jump Studios.

I like cool sh*t. Turning nothing into something...having a vision and making art where there was a blank space. This is a perfect example of that.

In making my music, I approach things the same way. I often ask myself, "How can I make something that doesn't already exist?" It's because of these thoughts than I'm fascinated by cool artwork, clothes and the girls that do these things...lol.

#follow @Acrylicize - http://twitter.com/acrylicize

Enjoy!

[ARTICLE] Rolls-Royce Unveils Phantom 102EX, World's Most Luxurious Electric Car

2011-03-01T10:46:00.000-08:00

Soon...

[ARTICLE]

Rolls-Royce Unveils Phantom 102EX, World's Most Luxurious Electric Car

Looking for a luxury electric car, with utter disregard for the price? Rolls-Royce has got something for you: the Phantom 102EX, an electric version of the company’s top-of-the-line model.

The car is powered by the world’s largest electric car battery, weighing 640 kg (1,400 lbs) and has a range of 125 miles, which is not bad for a large limousine such as the Phantom. The batteries can be charged quickly — in about eight hours — but if you want to conserve battery life, you’ll need to take the slower route and leave the car charging for more than 20 hours.

That shouldn’t be too much trouble with the Phantom 102EX’s unique charging system: The car’s battery is charged simply by parking the car over special pads buried in the ground. The technology, called induction charging, uses magnetic coupling instead of a regular cable, and has 90% efficiency.

As far as performance goes, the Phantom 102EX will reach 60 mph in less than eight seconds with a maximum speed of 100 mph — not bad, but slower than the regular Phantom, whose V12 engine brings the car to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds.

Unfortunately, the Phantom 102EX, which was unearthed today at the Geneva auto show, is only an experimental model. If there is enough interest, Rolls-Royce might bring it into production. Better start saving now, as the projected price for the vehicle is around $1.6 million.

Furthermore, the final version of the car is not set in stone just yet as the BMW, Rolls-Royce’s parent company, is exploring several hybrid and electric solutions, the BBC reports.

SWAG!

[VIDEO] Funny Or Die.com: Odd Future Get Signed

2011-03-01T09:53:00.001-08:00

Odd Future Gets Signed from Odd Future

Funniest sh*t I've seen in a looooooooooooooooong time. Making fun of the industry which is putting them on a pedestal.

#BetterThanGood

[PIC] Behind the Scenes: Travis Porter feat. Big Sean "Dem Girls" Video Shoot (Manhattan Beach, CA)

2011-02-28T13:35:00.000-08:00

Got invited to the Travis Porter feat. Big Sean "Dem Girls" video shoot last week in Manhattan Beach. Got a chance to link with the homie DJ Ill Will, Travis Porter, FKI (Producer of "Make It Rain" & "Bring It Back"), Charlie Jabley, Big Sean, Kid Ink, Jeremiah ("Birthday Sex") and more. The video was directed by Black Diamonds (What up Alex!)

Here are some pics I took at the event.

#shoutout to the chicks for making the day most enjoyable...haaaaaaa lol

WhoIsRockstar.com

PICS: Rockstar Jones - "Down In History" Video Shoot (Behind the Scenes)

NEW RELEASE: Rockstar Jones - After The Hangover (EP)

*NEW RELEASE* [MUSIC] Rockstar Jones - "I'm a Rockstar" (Prod. by Drums & Roses)

[INTERVIEW] Rockstar Jones Guest on UK's "BIG BANG SHOW" w/ DJ J-Hart

[MIXTAPE] DJ Discipline presents... LIVE LOVE A$AP (Screwed & Chopped)

BOMBS COver

[READ] The Viral Marketing Cheat Sheet

[MUSIC] DJ Discipline - Disciplinary Actions Vol. 13 feat. Rockstar Jones "Bombs"

[MUSIC] Rockstar Jones - Better Than Good (LP)

[PIC] Rockstar Jones "BOMBS" (Cover Art) 6 of 13

[PIC] Rockstar Jones - "Bombs" (Cover Art) 5 of 13

[PIC] Rockstar Jones - "Bombs" (Cover Art) 4 of 13

[READ] A Culture, Not a Costume: Remember to Avoid Blackface This Halloween

[PIC] Rockstar Jones "BOMBS" (Cover Art) 3 of 13 feat. Kasi Jones

[PIC]: Rockstar Jones - Better Than Good (LP) Cover Art

[PIC] Rockstar Jones "BOMBS" (Cover Art) 2 of 13

[VIDEO] Rockstar Jones - "Bombs" (Directed by TapeBot Films)

TONIGHT: DEBUT VIDEO Rockstar Jones "BOMBS" (Dir. by TapeBot Films)

[VIDEO] Rockstar Jones "BOMBS" (Video) Trailer #2

[VIDEO] KEEPING UP WITH THE JONES #4: "Down In History' (feat. Rockstar Jones)

[VIDEO] Rockstar Jones "BOMBS" (Video) Trailer 1

ANNOUNCEMENT: Rockstar Jones #BetterThanGood (Album) Tracklist

*NEW* [MUSIC] Rockstar Jones - "Get Up" (Prod. by Rockstar Jones + V(eye)bes)

[PIC] Tomorrow... #GetUp

[VIDEO] African Energy Drink Vigorade Taps Rockstar Jones for TV Commercial

[PIC] Rockstar Jones - Better Than Good (Promo Artwork)

[MUSIC] Rockstar Jones feat. Vic Luthor - "She Want a Rockstar" (Prod. by Drums & Roses)

[PIC] Tomorrow... "She Want a Rockstar" feat. Vic Luthor

[VIDEO] 40oz. Gold Project Live Producer Showcase Recap

[VIDEO] Project Live Producer Showcase feat. Rockstar Jones

[ARTICLE] A Visual History of Twitter

LIVE SHOW: Sun. 9/25 - Project Live Producer Showcase Honoring DJ Khalil feat. Rockstar Jones

[PIC] Rockstar Jones - PROMO PICS (2011)

[READ] Odd Future + Adult Swim Network = "Loiter Squad"

[MUSIC] Rockstar Jones - I Want It All (Prod. by Drums & Roses)

[PIC] Tomorrow... "I Want It All"

[MUSIC] Rockstar Jones - "The Payback" (Off the JONES LP) Prod. by V(eye)bes

[PIC] #KeepingUpWiththeJones: Photo Album 3

[PIC] Rockstar Jones Promo Pic (2011)

[MUSIC] NEW: Rockstar Jones feat. Michael Washington - "Make You Feel Good" (#JONES LP)

[WATCH] Paypa feat. Rick Ross & DJ Khaled - Paypa Cuts (In-Studio Video)

*NEW RELEASE* [ALBUM] Rockstar Jones - JONES (LP)

[PIC] #KeepingUpWiththeJones: Photo Album 2

[PIC] FINAL ARTWORK/TRACKLIST: Rockstar Jones - JONES (LP)

[WATCH] This...Is... #Carmageddon LA

[MUSIC] Rockstar Jones feat. King Akeem - "Run the Streets" Artwork

[PIC] #KeepingUpWiththeJones: Photo Album 1

[VIDEO] EarFear - "New Niggaz"

[VIDEO] Footage from Private Screening of Rockstar Jones "#BOMBS" Video

[VIDEO] EPISODE #3: Keeping Up With the Jones (Starring Rockstar Jones) - "Take My Soul"

[PIC] America According To Twitter

[ARTICLE] Jay-Z On What Makes a Classic Song

[VIDEO] BIG K.R.I.T. feat. Ludacris, Bun B - "Country Sh*t" (Remix)

*NEW RELEASE* [MUSIC] Rockstar Jones feat. Crystal Fighters - "Take My Soul"

[ARTICLE] An Oral History of the Graphic Tee (via Complex Magazine)

[PIC] Rockstar Jones feat. Crystal Fighters - "Take My Soul" (Artwork) Drops Thurs. 6/2/11

[PIC] Behind the Scenes: Rockstar Jones "Bombs" Video Shoot Day #1

[VIDEO] Rockstar Games "L.A. Noire" Video Game Trailer feat. Rockstar Jones

[MUSIC] Rockstar Jones - "L.A. Noire" (Prod. by Lion's Share Music Group)

[VIDEO] Keeping Up With the Jones (Starring Rockstar Jones) - EPISODE #2: "My Rap Game"

[VIDEO] BEST ALBUM REVIEW EVER: The Needle Drop Reviews "Goblin"

[VIDEO] Gilbere Forte - "Die For You" (Prod. by Lex Luger)

[INTERVIEW] Hoodcast Exclusive Interview With Rockstar Jones Discussing "Bombs" Single

NEW: [MUSIC] Rockstar Jones "My Rap Game" (Prod. by Rockstar Jones)

[VIDEO] Keeping Up With the Jones (Starring Rockstar Jones) - EPISODE 1 "Bombs"

[ARTICLE] Internet Journalists Stalk Odd Future's Earl Sweatshirt

*NEW RELEASE* [MUSIC] Rockstar Jones - "Bombs"

[VIDEO] Dom Kennedy feat. Casey Veggies, cARTer - "CDC

[PIC] Rockstar Jones - "Bombs" (Artwork)

[MUSIC] T-Jay feat. Rockstar Jones - "5 AM" (MASTERED)

[VIDEO] John Michael "Ready" Video Teaser

[VIDEO] George Mason Marching Band Plays Rage Against the Machine

[ARTICLE] A Psychological Analysis of Record Industry Decline

[VIDEO] 1 Song, Many Youtube Videos

[VIDEO] Tribute to Facebook Celebrities

[VIDEO] Where to Gig When There Are No Venues

[VIDEO] Trailer: Captain America 'The First Avenger'

[ARTICLE] Baby from B.I.G.'s "Ready To Die" Album Cover ...18 Years Later

[ARTICLE] Is Russell Simmons' RushCard a Good Thing?

NEW RELEASE [MUSIC] Rockstar Jones - "I'm a Rockstar" (Prod. by Drums & Roses)

NEW [MUSIC] Rockstar Jones - "Get Up" (Prod. by Rockstar Jones + V(eye)bes)

NEW RELEASE [ALBUM] Rockstar Jones - JONES (LP)

NEW RELEASE [MUSIC] Rockstar Jones feat. Crystal Fighters - "Take My Soul"

NEW RELEASE [MUSIC] Rockstar Jones - "Bombs"