GERMANY:
We left Switzerland and landed in Berlin with an hour to be on stage (in Leipzig).
The driver took a wrong turn, and had to make up for time.
Made it to the Splash Festival with three minutes to spare, had to jump directly on. No time for camera setup, and I had to change backstage. Still managed to get shoutouts from one of my favorite acts, Toddla T and Serocee after the set.
You might know Toddla T and Serocee from this absolute JAM… If not get acquaintedd.d!
Serocee has also done work with Bassment Jaxx, and routinely tours with South Rakkas Crew. As they would say… “Big In The Game”.
This is not one of those celebrity worship blogs, before we get started…
I also reserve the “life story retrospectives” for those who have profoundly affected me on a professional level.
I missed writing about George Carlin, but people who know me can draw those obvious conclusions….
Anyway Michael Jackson gave us everything. Every hour, every minute, of every day of his life from the time he reached the age of 5, belonged to the PUBLIC.. As the worlds most famous megastar, it seems he was always ill prepared for the ravenous appetite of the intrusive public. Considering todays world of full-access reality television, such intrusion is now the norm, but back then who could know?
It is obvious Michael Jackson never had a real childhood, so he spent his entire life chasing it. He reacted to the intense media scrutiny by withdrawing. The media responded by filling in the blanks on their own. Every move he made was scrutinized down to the minute detail, and further, open to interpretation by anyone. This means not only did the public experience information overload regarding Michael Jackson; he was such a massive cult figure that even the MIS-information was headline worthy in the eyes of the press.
Even before the child molestation charges, his life had become a full fledged media circus. According to the press, Michael Jackson had married aliens, fathered illegitimate children (Billie Jean), and left everything to his pet monkey in his will. Yes Michael Jackson was wierd. Yes the situation with the boys makes me extremely uncomfortable, but this is how I will always remember him.
STILL HERE?
OK… Another Big Issue At Hand:
If you ever get FAMOUS don’t allow yourself to be separated from the people who keep you grounded.
Joe Jackson made stars of his children,… Then Hollywood stepped in. Hollywood already decided who the real STAR would be. They needed to separate the STAR from his family tree, and cast the rest aside. The only thing standing in the way was JOE JACKSON…. Nothing a negative PR campaign can’t handle.
A strict disciplinarian by all accounts, and likely a stage parent in every extreme sense, Joe was portrayed as a monster.. first to the children (“you’re a star, you don’t have to listen to him”).., then to the public (“he’s not letting Michael shine, and he brutalized the kids).
The BLAME for the resulting WIERDNESS, which arose from Michael being delivered from the evil of Joe Jackson, (into the hands of people such as Clifton Davis (industry talk) and Diana Ross) was placed back squarely on the shoulders of…. Joe Jackson.
Who knows for real? The above is nothing but a 2 dimensional THEORY.. but if Joe was so bad why wasn’t he hauled into court for abuse of the children? What explains his presence at all the press conferences with Michael and his other children?
Michael only went solo after he grew up, not before.. which indicates again, the hand of a a strict stage father insisting his kids stay together and make music… but not a Monster.
No doubt Michael Jackson was every bit the star he was cut out to be, from day one. His mega-star turn with Thriller changed my life forever (neighbors laughing at the idiot in the window practicing Michael Jackson moves) but I got pretty good at them.lol
Looking back now on his life, it seems like a case of “too much of a good thing”.. unchecked.. He stopped being a child at 5 and instead became a commodity. His adult life was filled with YES MEN, who would never dare question his decisions, for fear of loss of a job. More surgery? YES, Pet llama? YES, Pajama parties with children? YES, Renewed prescriptions? YES.
Michael Jackson lived until the age of 50, and died amidst rumors of hoaxes, substance abuse, and foul play among other things. His passing has left a void in the entertainment universe that can never be filled. His brilliance made me, and countless others so happy… but the QUESTION is: Was HE ever truly happy?
If you have it all, with nobody there to tell you NO.. what do you have left to work for?
Keeping things in perspective, the day Michael Jackson died it was reported that a 9 year old girl (Chastity Turner) was shot down on her grandmother’s porch in Chicago. It is an equally great tragedy, and it goes back to what I see as a casual disregard for the sanctity of childhood.
As much as possible…
I will be posting photos from the various parties and shows I do.
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To tell the truth, I should have had a web gallery up a while ago… whatever.
Also considering uploading all the pix I have taken over the years. Not the Jheri curl pix tho.
Altho I was pretty cool with Chamillionaire back in the day…
I should not presume to think that The Great Mike Jones even knows who a NOBODY like myself is…
But his STYLIST… is taking a bit of a risk, dressing him up like me.
Mike Jones – The Voice Of The Streets (Released April 2009)
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MC ZULU – Parrish Lewis Photography – XLR8R Magazine Shoot (Published June 2008)
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Stylists commonly comb thru magazines and blogs to see what low level (influential but insignificant) artists they can swagger-jack. Then they work with established artists and use whatever mechanisms, styles, gimmicks they think are hot… Actually It’s quite a compliment )
But DAMMIT, I won’t be playing the chitlin’ circuit forever.lol
Anyway, big ups to Mike Jones, I copped the album and it has some straight cuts on it. Mr Jones has also grown considerably as an artist. His subject matter and delivery are vastly improved. I am sure it will do well, and I wish him the best…
ALSO…Let me add… I’m not the only one to grab a megaphone (Shouts to Jimmy Hart).. and hell, maybe I’m just seeing things. BUT… everyone PLEASE do me the favor of NOT calling me a copy-cat, when I start to move my millions of units out of Best Buy )
In other words: Spare me the “aww you got that from mike jones” B.S….
Following hot on the heels of his NinjaTune Debut, and the Go Ballistic E.P., Ghislain Poirier’s Soca Sound System is quietly taking the world by storm. I have seen the songs in rotation across many formats, including (most importantly to me) Caribbean Soca outlets.
These are the vibes that have absolutely leveled European dancefloors for the last two years.
Now taking full aim at the Western Hemisphere, with his patented “Poirier Sound”, Ghislain will switch focus; from the live band setup to a modern take on the Sound System tradition.
The following mixes are ZShare Downloads, therefore available only for a limited time.
The time has come again… Warrior Queen, MC ZULU, Juakali, Bongo Chilli,N4SA, and Wiseproof all come together for the new Kush Arora full length album out April 21st on iTunes (electronic page feature and Japan store feature) and retailers everywhere.
From one of the most well-traveled and prolific artists in the game comes yet another banging release. Most important to me is the fact that I landed a track on the album. The Natya Riddim worked up by BIONIK and myself makes an appearance as one of the “Come From Yard” remixes. $10.70 | Click Here For Purchase
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* Mixtape Downloads *
The Abominable Twitch - User Friendly
I met Twitch on the PTS weekly radio show. He is part of the dynamic duo Twitch & Dojo. On the User Friendly mixtape is a wicked, glitched out remix of the MC ZULU track “Spanish Fly”. It is also filled with several stellar examples of how Twitch gets the dance floor moving. FREE Mp3 DOWNLOAD
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Douster – ZZK Mixtape Vol. 6
Douster is part of the Zizek Records act known as Fauna. During the Chicago leg of their US tour they also paid a visit to the PTS Radio show. Featured here is a badazz “BodyWork” remix.. “Body Rock” . The rest of the mixtape is equally as groundbreaking. Fans of Electro Cumbia will love this one. FREE Mp3 DOWNLOAD
Maga Bo always seems to get next to some of the more interesting people in music. This time he sits down with Ghislain Poirier to discuss music philosophy. Pay attention to the part where he says he [has no interest in being 'REAL'... REAL does not exist].
… To me that is the TAO of DJ / Producing. You can still serve a purpose (regardless what it is) without being singleminded in your pursuits.
……….hey,
If that’s how you like to party, do your thing.
In all fairness, I WILL say.. There’s a time and place for everything.
But these people are not at Disney Land.. They are not at the White House, and this is not a black tie event.
They are on the BEACH in JAMAICA…! so why not?
Now I hear the government down there is doing its best to come up with a revised list of “acceptable” activities.
I just played a CULTURALLY DIVERSE party, that had NAKED people swinging hula hoops, and dancing thru fire.. IN CHICAGO.
Still, I hear you wannabe Ann Coulter types.. talking down the parties…, then booking the next flight, STRAIGHT to Jamaica….for.. .. ‘reasearch’
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People from the Caribbean talking about how “THEY” make “US” look bad.. G*T*F*Outta Here…! YOUR COUSIN was the one holding the damn camera.lol
Why the DVD got your last name on it, dawg?
Seriously, the only thing I wonder…, considering the tendency of human beings to push the limits of ANY given trend… What’s NEXT?
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