Otherside of the Game - Erykah Badu

The DJ is probably one of the most fascinating individuals in the hip-hop world to me. The DJ controls your mood; think about it, how many times have you been to an event and the DJ can't blend well or plays the wrong kind of song and you're on the dancefloor or by the bar looking extra salty? I respect the DJ and I for certain respect the female DJ. It has kind of turned into an impromptu celebration of Women's History Month on Tha 'A' Side; meet Midori a.k.a. DJ Dooski. A  Detroit-bred DJ and hip-hop lover currently attending Northwestern University. If you remember, a while back I posted her documentary on gender and racial politics of hip-hop that featured The Cool Kids, Ro Spit and Big Sean. In an interview with Tha 'A' Side, Dooski speaks on the difference between Chicago and Detroit's hip-hop scene as well as being a female in the industry. Introducing: Midori a.k.a Dooski.

Alex Washington: What is your favorite hip-hop memory?

Dooski: I have a few. One would be going to Rock the Bells for the first time. I've never experienced anything like that day and it was amazing. Minus the fact that I (and my beau at the time) got embarrassed in front of the whole amphitheater due to Method Man's silly antics (trying to holla at me from the stage), I could never imagine a concert more perfect than that one. Secondly, I met Pharaoh Monch at his in-store at Burn Rubber a while ago. I was pretty shy to go up to him and ask for his autograph on his CD in my hand, so he actually came up to me and asked if he could sign my CD for me. When I told him my name, he realized I was part Japanese and told me about how he came up with the name 'Pharaoh Monch.' The Monch came from his friends calling him Monchichi (a Japanese character) because of his hair. Ironically, my mom called me Monchichi when I was little too! Such a sentimental moment with a legendary artist. And third, while taping for the documentary I did, I went to interview my good friend Big Sean at his video shoot for "Getcha Some." Hype Williams was shooting this video. It was an amazing experience to see one of the most legendary video directors at work with one of my friends! All very special moments.

Alex Washington: When did you get into hip-hop? What got you interested?

Dooski: I didn't get into hip hop (that way I am now) until I was in high school, really. I have an older sister who, surprisingly, had good taste in music in the '90s and she would have some cassettes laying around that I would listen to. At night, we would record some hip-hop records from the radio onto cassettes and listen to them on the way to school in the morning. Moms hated it. When CDs were popular, I remember a shift towards Pop and R & B for girls our age. So Backstreet Boys, Nsync, Brandy, Monica, and SWV were popular in our household. Then I remember it shifted back during the Bad Boy era and remixes were really popular. Then in the millennium, hip-hop became more than just music for me. I really began to see it as a all-encompassing way of life. I saw it in fashion, language, mannerisms, style, and art. There is nothing like that connection between you and the culture of hip-hop. There is definitely a feeling of ownership and membership within the culture that is undeniable. That's why I am into hip-hop.

Alex Washington: How did you get into DJ-ing?

Dooski: DJing has always been so interesting to me. Watching music videos on TV, or sneaking in clubs I wasn't supposed to be in, was the only time I was able to see the DJ. The DJ has always been an omniscient, regal, and powerful figure in hip-hop. The DJ controls the show and controls what everyone, in listening distance, is listening to. This, to me, was amazing. I just never saw anyone that looked like me in that position. Specifically, a female—and a female in hip-hop. When I saw a woman DJing for Dead Prez at Rock the Bells, that's when I knew that this could become reality for me. That DJ was Beverly Bond. I hope I meet her one day so I can tell her this story. But from there, I told my friend and owner of Burn Rubber, Roland Coit, who has been a DJ for years, that this is something I wanted to learn how to do. He was amazing and taught me a lot of the basics I needed to learn. Then from there, a lot of it is jumping in and learning on your own. I saved my money, bought all the equipment I needed to begin and got comfortable and practiced. There is a lot I still need to learn, but playing good music and mixing is my specialty. And I can baby scratch here and there.

Alex Washington: Nearly three years ago you did a documentary on the racial and gender politics of hip-hop, what did you learn from it?

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Detroit Rock City - Kiss

Today is March 13, on a calendar it reads 3.13.

3 ... 1 ... 3.

No matter where you are from you, you know 313, you know Detroit. So I decided to put together a lil' diddy of some Detroit themed songs, well music videos, in honor of the day. I have a lot of faith in Detroit and it will revamp and revise itself to dominate the music scene in everyway. Get your Faygo or Vernors POP, Better Made chips, and whatever delicacy from Coney Island and enjoy my picks for  #DetroitDay.

Welcome 2 Detroit - Trick Trick feat. Eminem:



Boy Would U - Blade Icewood



Whaddup Doe - Tone Tone



Take Money to Make Money - Stretch Money



Disco - Slum Village



ALSO if you're in town for the night, go down to Oslo, to celebrate #DetroitDay AND help support the J. Dilla Foundation

The Breakfast Song

You've seen the "Milk and Cereal" guys who became an instant hit after they went viral. Well my friend Arielle and two of her friends made their own spin to the most important meal of the day that's a little more...fulfilling. It was posted nearly one year ago, sure, but it's dope nonetheless. Peep: The Breakfast Song.



I think what makes this beyond dope, is the fact that they can actually sing.

Yay or Nay: Satellite - Rio

One of those joints someone @ replied me on Twitter and I decided to post it. So the artists' name is Rio and he hails from Detroit. Couldn't find much besides that about him, but what do you think? Yay or Nay: Satellite - Rio

So Far to Go - Young Scolla

Young Scolla went on a final Twitter rant for 2009 and it was addressed to independent artists. Throughout the years, and definitely in 2009, we have seen many artists that have great potential with a bad business sense, stay shelved while others who are more gimmicky with a better team conquer the charts and collect awards. It may seem like a rant, but I think it reads more like a plea from one artist to another.

"Artists need to learn to change the dynamics. These guys forget that the power is in their hands and the ball in their court.

There is no label without the artists and there is no industry without artists, which means you have what the label heads want and need to keep a lucrative business. If you're really a dope artist and you take the time to determine that you have that power, then your success is as far as you would like to take it.

...

People admire what they or others can't do, if you're a simple muhf*cker and you put little effort into your craft then anyone can do what you do.

I'm sorry but a lot of you "musicians" put little effort into your craft...and yes that means more than just songs.

Your image has to be right, stage presence & performance has to be on point and your media etiquette has to be polished (that regards interviews, being in the public eye).

A lot of the up and coming don't realize that they can end up getting signed and sit on a label shelf.

Finding themselves in the position where they're doing the same things they could've done as an indie, except now you're contractually obligated so the label gets a cut of the money you're already "not really making" lol.

Your Brand = your image. It's your way of doing things, your style, your "swagger (lol), your message, your notoriety.

Simple and Plain, when someone sees a certain style of dress, do they associate it to you? or when you have a conversation with your friends about whether Jay-Z would do a song with Soulja Boy or not and someone says "no", that's because Jay has built a brand of excellence (not to knock Soulja Boy). You understand that Jay only presents himself as being someone of high-quality in all aspects of his life.

All of that attributes to your brand. How do you want people (the consumer) to perceive you?As an indie artist, impression is everything...you have to pay attention to detail and you have to realize that you can't cut corners on everything. You have to be willing to invest in yourself or at the very least link up with someone who can do so. Quality attributes to your brand....What are u going think of an artist who hands you a CD with their info written in permanent marker as opposed to an artist who hands you a packaged CD or at the very least one with a printed label?

You're going to take the presentable package more seriously or even more so think that they have money behind them or are important and you pay more attention.

Ya'll gotta realize that as indies, we're not competing against people in our neighborhoods or our cities or even states. EVERYBODY IS A MUSICIAN NOW A DAYS and to make it, you have to consider yourself to be up against the top in your field.

If the person at the #1 spot is doing it, you have to be doing it better.. (I mean business wise not necessarily their style/genre of music)

#1 Rule of advice...STUDY YOUR CRAFT! That's what's gonna separate real artists from the muhf*ckers who just "do" music just to do so. Your awareness of your craft is a big part of what determines whether or not u get into the game and how long your career lasts as well as how well of a position you're in when you enter the game (contractually).

If you don't do your research then you better make sure you have a GREAT team around you and that you trust the hell outta them otherwise you will get pimped..."

Let Me Twitter Dat - Andy Milanokis: Addiction

So me and Gena (aka @Gigi_Kiara) were talking about today's "tweet-out" and we realized we may possibly be addicted to Twitter. 140 characters to say what you need, can cause so much heartache when it's out for two hours and you are incredibly bored. Thing is, we're not alone; CNN posted a story about the Twitter situation and even admitted that people felt like their lives were missing a chunk:

Some Twitter and Facebook users expressed near-panic that the sites were not working properly. Others reacted with ambivalence.

So Gena and I came up with the 10 ways you KNOW you're addicted to Twitter

You're addicted to Twitter if:

10) You actually felt that your world was crumbling when Twitter was out today. If you checked EVERY Twitter app that you have (UberTwitter, Twitterific, Social Scope, TwitterFon, Tweetdeck, Tweetie, Seesmic, etc. ) on your phone AND computer every five minutes to "see if it was back." you have a problem.

9) The first thing you do in the morning, even before washing your butt or at least getting the crust out of your eyes is grab your phone or computer and check your @mentions...you may be addicted.

8) Twitter is your homepage/most visited site AND bookmarked on your desktop.

7) Do you consider Twitter a 'movement'? You are addicted.

6) You start one trending topic a week; either you have just that many followers or you tweet that much to the point it IS a trending topic.

5) You have just been pulled over by the police, held up at the bank/ATM, or just been robbed (or in the instance of @PerezHilton you get punched by pop star's bodyguard) and you tweet it before calling 911...you're dumb AND are addicted.

4) You Tweet someone (via your phone) instead of texting/calling/BBMing them as the main source of communication with them.

3) Talk to your Tweeps and Twiggas more than you talk to your real friends. (kind of lame actually....)

2) You keep tally of how many followers you have on Twitter and if you lose even one it results in a tweet such as.

Oh well, I just lost a follower must be too real for these Twitches.

1) You refer to people by their Twitter names and use the '@' symbol before names/places that DO NOT even have Twitter pages. You are REALLY addicted if you use that symbol in your blog, Facebook status, text messages, reference letters or actually say : atMom, do you need help with anything?

*EDIT (8:12 p.m.) - You are also addicted if you are offended by any of this, do any of this, and actually took the time to evaluate what is being said here.

Let Me Twitter Dat - Andy Milanokis: Whatever Happened To...

I haven't done one of these in a while and today's trending topic amongst the community I follow is "Whatever happened to" here are ten of my faves.

MOSologist: #Whateverhappenedto Charles Hamilton?

Cliff Skighwalker: #Whateverhappenedto Steve from Blue's Clues?

ChelceaDelesa: #Whateverhappenedto Faygo Artic Sun?

Lanice: #Whateverhappenedto 2 Way Pagers?

Blue Skye: #Whateverhappenedto The Box? <-- Who know about The Box? lol

Gumbo: #Whateverhappenedto Waldo? Did anybody find him?

Pat Piff: #Whateverhappenedto The Taco Bell Dog?

Marv Won: #whateverhappenedto Bedazzlers?

John Conyers (III): #whateverhappenedto Rap City: The Bassment?

Steve : #whateverhappenedto Real Hip-Hop?

Boom Boom POW - Black Eyed Peas

Guess there's another meaning behind Boom Boom POW! Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas approached Perez Hilton several times throughout the night because she was upset with Perez Hilton not liking their new single. Will.I.Am took offense to what Perez told Fergie and allegedly his security guards/entourage jumped Perez in the parking lot outside of Universal Music's party for the awards show that took place last night in Toronto. Well, again Twitter is the root of this as Perez Tweeted what happened to him last night.

I'm in shock. I need the police ASAP. Please come to the SoHo Metropolitan Hotel now. Please.

I was assaulted by Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas and his security guards. I am bleeding. Please, I need to file a police report. No joke.

Still waiting for the police. The bleeding has stopped. I need to document this. Please, can the police come to the SoHo Met Hotel.

I spoke to my lawyer. I really need to talk to the authorities. Please come to the SoHo Met Hotel. Have called the police. Need them here.

The Toronto police are here now. Thank you. Please stop calling them.

Will.I.Am made a video blog about the incident and HE claims that another passerby was the one to hit Perez Hilton.


Now after something like that Perez gets heated and makes his own video response and posts it on his site. Perez says Will.I.Am. is lying and that Perez is doing this all for publicity. {not sure how I feel about that because Perez's site gets hits like crazy and the Black Eyed Peas aren't THAT famous, lo siento pero es verdad} Notice the cut under his right (well it's our left) eye. The video does seemed over-dramatized a tad bit, but still...what do you all think?

{{This video was just posted on Perez Hilton's site and no computer geniuses in cyber world have downloaded it to YouTube/Vimeo/Daily Motion so as much as I dislike to do this, you will have to go HERE to view the video on Perez's site. Once it is up on another site I will in embed it.}}

Let Me Twitter Dat - Andy Milanokis: 3 Words...

I'm thinking about doing this every now and again, but today one of the Trending Topics was "3 words after sex," and everyone on my Twitter feed had something to say. So I went through and picked my 10 faves, enjoy!
*disclaimer: Before anyone takes anything seriously, remember it is ONLY the internet and it's all in fun*

WEKetchum-"shit, it broke"

Itzleebishes-"wait you're done"

LadyLTattoos-"that was weak"

MOSologist- "I'm out, peace!"

Jimmy_Mikey- "now serving #32"

RonDance- "ur sister's better"

AdubbFFamous-"you're famous now"

ShAnimaniac-"u on twitter?"

Paradime-"how's High School?"

djbeaz-"ur married....what?!!!!"

Let Me Twitter Dat - Andy Milanokis: Lee's Rules

One of the realest people you can ever encounter, Lee (only other person I know, besides myself, whom people call that!) posts "rules" at random moments throughout the day on Twitter. I picked my ten faves from this week and I'm considering making this a regular weekly thing on Tha 'A' Side. Ok, enough stalling, the rules you should live by: "Lee's Twitter Rules"

Lee's Tweet Rules - Opinionated but common twist to many general rules pertaining to our generation delivered to you via twitter.

Rule #10: There are certain things you should NEVER get for cheap i.e.: heels, tattoos (their permanent), weave, sex etc,etc...

Rule #32: If you don't know what "O.P.P." stands for but still says "yeah you know me!" on cue... Slap yourself three times.

Rule #33: Don't claim you're a graduate if you only got a certificate or license from Everest Institute. Brag when they ask you to be in the ads

Rule #44: No male should EVER wear rain boots or thong sandals (regardless of the brand).

Rule#77: It's hard not to judge a book by it's cover when you won't stop flashin’ yo’ recently cashed check or wearin’ a shirt as a freakum dress

Rule #90: When life gives you lemons, throw them ‘em back & say: "Bitch I asked for strawberries! Make it happen!"

Rule #199: We all know loving yourself is important, but halter tops and mini skirts aren't for everyone!

Rule #233: you're not considered a "sneakerhead" if your "collection" only contains Jordans and Air Force Ones.

Rule #234: Don’t feel great sorrow for the able body man in the motorized scooter with a "homeless" sign. Just ask: Where do you charge at night?

Rule #487: Any man who purposely still sags his pants is to suffer 10 spontaneous lashings with the belt he should have invested in a day ago.

Bad Day - Asher Roth: UPDATE!!!

Last week I posted the Tweet that Asher Roth said - and is now regretting- about his trip to Rutgers University. Well, he deleted the Tweet- pologies and released an official statement today. Unsurprisingly he says that his team deleted the apologetic tweets in an effort to control the situation - he should hire a new team.

“The twitter situation was an immature attempt to poke fun at an infamously moronic joke. In doing so, I unconsciously stooped to the level of its originator, making it just as bad, if not worse. Pathetic. Lesson learned - nothing good can come from repeating hateful words, regardless of your intentions. Leaving no context in what was being said and being presented through text (no facial or vocal inflection) the sarcasm of the joke (or lack there of) was not properly perceived and left it purely in bad taste. I immediately apologized for my immaturity but the apologies and original post were deleted by my team in an effort to prevent more people from being offended. Unfortunately, the deletion of these statements led several people to believe that my apology was insincere, which is why I have made the decision to release this statement.”

-Asher Roth
via XXL

Rockin' Robin - Bobby Day

One of my fave bloggers, Cliff Skighwalker, posted this video on his blog and I couldn't help but copy it. Andy Milonakis pretty much hits the nail on the head with this video about Twittering...actually making it look as ridiculous as it might be to a non-tweeter.

I Love College - Asher Roth

Conveniently my buddy Alex just posted about Twitter and he said it needed no introduction but I'm going to give you the rundown for three seconds.
You have 140 characters (equivalent to 1 text message) to say what you need to say.
But wannabe rapper Asher Roth says too much. The rapper who falls asleep in the bread aisle tends is currently at Rutgers Univ. and in tacky behavior made a tweet (that's what it's called when you publish on Twitter) about the girls at Rutgers.

Initial Twit:Been a day of rest and relaxation, sorry twitter - hanging out with nappy headed hoes.
First apology: Totally just making fun of Don Imus - sorry scoot, not tryna be offensive
Final apology: I'm extremely apologetic to any who took offense to my immature, bad joke.

*This pic is via Hustle Girl a 16 yr. old blogger*