How to Diffuse Your Hair?
11 months ago
STEPHEN REDHEAD
ANTI-HERO
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Oldie from me, "Food For Thought" (Plus my thought process on it)
This was actually a song that I recorded way back in November of 2007 called "Food For Thought". The day after I released the record online, I wrote a blog explaining its origin and concept (way before there was a blogspot like this). This will be a re-introduction to that. Click Play and you'll catch it.
Basically, I was out in New York with a couple of friends one day. One of my friends was talking to somebody else and they were speaking in a lot of slang to each other. They were like "oh, you're getting some bread now? Word, you better be hungry for this opportunity because there's mad cake to get right now". Then I started laughing because it hit me that our generation uses food in slang A LOT. It was wild to me, so I asked myself why do we even use those terms anyway? So I gave dap to my friends, went back to my spot, and like the true dork that I am, I sat back and researched all of the kinds of terms that we use that reference food. Then I put them on index cards and lined them up on my table and just looked at them to find the connection of them all.
Then it hit me....about all of these terms were used as a way of achieving "success". Things that we WANT as opposed to what we NEED. Success is subjective, meaning it depends on how you look at what is success, but that's the meaning of these terms. Thats why these terms refer to things as money (dough, bread, cheese, lettuce, cream), sex (honey, beefcake, butter pecan chocolate deluxe...hahaha ghostface is great), and so forth. So I sat back and figured these things out more, I realized that all of these things are stuff that we want and can get, but too much of a good thing can lead to terrible consequences.
For instance, what happens when you get too much money? It gets stolen, you can get killed, you'll lose it, you'll fight for it, you'll lose respect for those who don't have it, etc. What happens when you rely on sex too much? Your girl/boy cheats on you, you can get killed from social diseases, you'll fight for it, you'll lose respect for those who ain't giving it up/get any, etc. Then what happens when you have so much pride in your country as an American...or "the land of milk & honey"? You'll fight with other countries about who's the best, you'll eventually get sick of your own government and their actions, and could later be involved in your own genocide. It's like junk food....it tastes GREAT when you want it (Burger King is my weakness), but too much junk food can be unhealthy for you, so you don't really need it. I can understand now why gluttony is considered a sin.
So in regards to this record, I documented 3 different scenarios for the verses. The first verse being about how people lust for money, until later it gets stolen and get killed for it. One line says "Introduced the 2 sets of sour grapes, both of which are poppin' when we celebrate, but groomed to have a different taste". What that means is that there are 2 types of sour grapes in the room...one is the wine that we drink when it's time to rejoice on a good job, and the other type is the jealous people that don't like you rejoicing in your own splendor. Thats how I followed with "And one set tried to marginalize the butter acting twisted, claimed we needed fiber so he grabbed the biscuit". You know how jealous people are: "Man ya'll ain't shit with your little money! Whatever son. That ain't even real butter, thats margarine." Haha!
The 2nd verse is about women and sex, so you see all kinds of slang terms for that much. It documents the kind of women that look good and are seemingly down for you, but are vindictive and have they're own agendas behind your back. They talk on their big "blackberries" conducting "half baked schemes" till eventually you find out that they're chilling with one of your best friends with both taking advantage of you. That's not cool at all.
The 3rd verse is about America. They say that America is considered a gumbo where all different kinds of people are in one pot together happily. I disagree. I believe that its a tossed salad. Yeah, we're all in that pot, but the lettuce stay on one side, the tomaotes are on another, and all the other things are with each other but the pot is their home. The people do not get together for much unless its for tragedy or when money (yet again) is involved. As this verse goes on, you'll see that I say "when the steaks is high, then you'll see who turns chicken, turns missin when shit is bananas, yeah that's some living". Are our people really together as Americans or is some just gonna leave you out to dry when we're under attack or the very epitome of "freedom & unity" is questioned?. Genocide comes along and I say with pride that if something goes down, I want to make sure that my future kids are alive to tell the tale and continue my legacy , and I will sacrifice myself for the sake of them. Hey, Jesus did the same thing, so it must not be so bad.
So I ask you guys....the food may be desirable....but watch what's good for you.
Wow, this is long. And the song is only 4 minutes. I guess I gotta go easy on people next time.
Basically, I was out in New York with a couple of friends one day. One of my friends was talking to somebody else and they were speaking in a lot of slang to each other. They were like "oh, you're getting some bread now? Word, you better be hungry for this opportunity because there's mad cake to get right now". Then I started laughing because it hit me that our generation uses food in slang A LOT. It was wild to me, so I asked myself why do we even use those terms anyway? So I gave dap to my friends, went back to my spot, and like the true dork that I am, I sat back and researched all of the kinds of terms that we use that reference food. Then I put them on index cards and lined them up on my table and just looked at them to find the connection of them all.
Then it hit me....about all of these terms were used as a way of achieving "success". Things that we WANT as opposed to what we NEED. Success is subjective, meaning it depends on how you look at what is success, but that's the meaning of these terms. Thats why these terms refer to things as money (dough, bread, cheese, lettuce, cream), sex (honey, beefcake, butter pecan chocolate deluxe...hahaha ghostface is great), and so forth. So I sat back and figured these things out more, I realized that all of these things are stuff that we want and can get, but too much of a good thing can lead to terrible consequences.
For instance, what happens when you get too much money? It gets stolen, you can get killed, you'll lose it, you'll fight for it, you'll lose respect for those who don't have it, etc. What happens when you rely on sex too much? Your girl/boy cheats on you, you can get killed from social diseases, you'll fight for it, you'll lose respect for those who ain't giving it up/get any, etc. Then what happens when you have so much pride in your country as an American...or "the land of milk & honey"? You'll fight with other countries about who's the best, you'll eventually get sick of your own government and their actions, and could later be involved in your own genocide. It's like junk food....it tastes GREAT when you want it (Burger King is my weakness), but too much junk food can be unhealthy for you, so you don't really need it. I can understand now why gluttony is considered a sin.
So in regards to this record, I documented 3 different scenarios for the verses. The first verse being about how people lust for money, until later it gets stolen and get killed for it. One line says "Introduced the 2 sets of sour grapes, both of which are poppin' when we celebrate, but groomed to have a different taste". What that means is that there are 2 types of sour grapes in the room...one is the wine that we drink when it's time to rejoice on a good job, and the other type is the jealous people that don't like you rejoicing in your own splendor. Thats how I followed with "And one set tried to marginalize the butter acting twisted, claimed we needed fiber so he grabbed the biscuit". You know how jealous people are: "Man ya'll ain't shit with your little money! Whatever son. That ain't even real butter, thats margarine." Haha!
The 2nd verse is about women and sex, so you see all kinds of slang terms for that much. It documents the kind of women that look good and are seemingly down for you, but are vindictive and have they're own agendas behind your back. They talk on their big "blackberries" conducting "half baked schemes" till eventually you find out that they're chilling with one of your best friends with both taking advantage of you. That's not cool at all.
The 3rd verse is about America. They say that America is considered a gumbo where all different kinds of people are in one pot together happily. I disagree. I believe that its a tossed salad. Yeah, we're all in that pot, but the lettuce stay on one side, the tomaotes are on another, and all the other things are with each other but the pot is their home. The people do not get together for much unless its for tragedy or when money (yet again) is involved. As this verse goes on, you'll see that I say "when the steaks is high, then you'll see who turns chicken, turns missin when shit is bananas, yeah that's some living". Are our people really together as Americans or is some just gonna leave you out to dry when we're under attack or the very epitome of "freedom & unity" is questioned?. Genocide comes along and I say with pride that if something goes down, I want to make sure that my future kids are alive to tell the tale and continue my legacy , and I will sacrifice myself for the sake of them. Hey, Jesus did the same thing, so it must not be so bad.
So I ask you guys....the food may be desirable....but watch what's good for you.
Wow, this is long. And the song is only 4 minutes. I guess I gotta go easy on people next time.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Dev - "Booty Bounce"
Caught this video on TV earlier today, and I dig the colors and concept of this. I think my folks would love this joint. What you think?
Dev "Booty Bounce" Dir: Ethan Lader from ethandirector on Vimeo.
Dev "Booty Bounce" Dir: Ethan Lader from ethandirector on Vimeo.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
BJ Everett, Jared Evan, etc. @ Break'n Through showcase
My fellow artist BJ Everett had a showcase a couple weeks ago at Red Bull Space. I wasn't able to make it but I caught the footage and she did her thing. This is a video of someone who took photos of the entire showcase and placed them in a stop-motion montage film. Pretty fly!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Arsenio Hall Goes Off!
Spotted over at Aziz Ansari's blog.
Back in the 1990s, Arsenio Hall was the shit! This was recorded around 1994 when Arsenio had some protesters from a gay rights organization. They were disrupting the show because they felt that Arsenio Hall refused to have guests on his show because of their sexual preference. This was at the height of his popularity when there were rumors of his relationship with his best friend Eddie Murphy.
Back in the 1990s, Arsenio Hall was the shit! This was recorded around 1994 when Arsenio had some protesters from a gay rights organization. They were disrupting the show because they felt that Arsenio Hall refused to have guests on his show because of their sexual preference. This was at the height of his popularity when there were rumors of his relationship with his best friend Eddie Murphy.
I'm Not a Bad Person
Basically, the last few months have been quite an interesting turn in my life. Because of these situations, I've looked at life slightly different and my attitude has been affected in my interactions with friends, family, and business partners. I would like to take the time to apologize as I get myself together and iron everything out. Let me explain what's going on briefly...
I have (or what I used to have) what I would like to call a "Kinda-Sorta". She's a woman who's not your girlfriend, but damn sure acts and very well could be, but we have not figured out if we would pursue being friends or otherwise. This is a woman that I've known for years since my time in college. She's shy, enthusiastic, pretty, and interesting. Everytime I come into the city, I'm greeted with open arms by her. I take her out to dinner, she feeds me my own food in her mouth, she sits on my lap at times, we play around, etc. I show a lot of interest, but we're just Kinda-Sortas. There is no definite title. So, about a week or so ago, I leave out to go to the bar with a few of my friends to get twisted and do ridiculously hilarious things (as always the plan on a weekend). I reach there and I see my Kinda-Sorta, drunk and giggly at the bar. I find this strange, simply because she's a homebody that never goes out to do something like get drunk....not to mention, she was with another dude. I chose to talk with her the next day about it, and she basically said that she didn't even know that we were "talking" to begin with. This is where the Kinda-Sorta title turns into bullshit. I feel that once you put food in my mouth on a one-on-one dinner date, it pretty much says everything. But then again, how can I be mad? There's no title!! She's still a good friend, but it made me learn something:
I have to be more direct with people, or I will get played.
Pretty simple to remember, right? So I thought...
Earlier this week, I had to travel over to New York to pick up my bags of clothes from my aunt's house while riding with my dad. Through a LONG story, I had to pick up the clothes because I was being "subliminally" kicked out of the apartment due to a situation where I brought a friend over to the place for a business meeting while she was out of town. She subliminally and constantly told her sister that there's "so many bags in the room" and the idea that her granddaughter was going to move into the room for her next semester at college. Turns out, the granddaughter's not even GOING to move in to the room! Surprise, surprise. Picking up the clothes from her apartment is not the thing that got me upset; I mean c'mon, it's not MY apartment. But I thought it was funny that she had not once told me to pack up my shit out of the apartment at all, or even told me about the bags being a hazard. Due to the situation from beforehand, I'm looked at by the majority of my aunts and uncles as the irresponsible nephew who betrays trust and hangs with potential drug dealers and criminals (where did that come from??).
So, on top of my uncle being seriously diagnosed with cancer and my home studio equipment being reduced to a piece of shit on tinfoil, my attitude had drastically changed to being a more assertive person. I've sat down at this very laptop every day writing new music, emailing songs to officials, doing any & every show that I can get a slot in, texting & emailing my constituents in regards to getting my music into lucrative deals, and also trying to use the stupid equipment to send rough drafts of new ideas I've developed that makes me sound like I lived in Osama Bin Ladin's cave for 6 years.
However, I do understand that all of these unfortunate things happen for a reason, and it's all just a phase as a part of life that I have to continue to make myself a better person, and even better "hustler". I don't like to use the term "hustle" because what I do is perfectly legal and my product is not given away aimlessly. I take pride in my work and I owe it to everyone who reads this blog to be entertained with quality. In this current industry, I feel that you deserve that much. Please bare with me to everyone that I may have made upset, annoyed, or frustrated due to my behavior.
I'm not a bad person.
I have (or what I used to have) what I would like to call a "Kinda-Sorta". She's a woman who's not your girlfriend, but damn sure acts and very well could be, but we have not figured out if we would pursue being friends or otherwise. This is a woman that I've known for years since my time in college. She's shy, enthusiastic, pretty, and interesting. Everytime I come into the city, I'm greeted with open arms by her. I take her out to dinner, she feeds me my own food in her mouth, she sits on my lap at times, we play around, etc. I show a lot of interest, but we're just Kinda-Sortas. There is no definite title. So, about a week or so ago, I leave out to go to the bar with a few of my friends to get twisted and do ridiculously hilarious things (as always the plan on a weekend). I reach there and I see my Kinda-Sorta, drunk and giggly at the bar. I find this strange, simply because she's a homebody that never goes out to do something like get drunk....not to mention, she was with another dude. I chose to talk with her the next day about it, and she basically said that she didn't even know that we were "talking" to begin with. This is where the Kinda-Sorta title turns into bullshit. I feel that once you put food in my mouth on a one-on-one dinner date, it pretty much says everything. But then again, how can I be mad? There's no title!! She's still a good friend, but it made me learn something:
I have to be more direct with people, or I will get played.
Pretty simple to remember, right? So I thought...
Earlier this week, I had to travel over to New York to pick up my bags of clothes from my aunt's house while riding with my dad. Through a LONG story, I had to pick up the clothes because I was being "subliminally" kicked out of the apartment due to a situation where I brought a friend over to the place for a business meeting while she was out of town. She subliminally and constantly told her sister that there's "so many bags in the room" and the idea that her granddaughter was going to move into the room for her next semester at college. Turns out, the granddaughter's not even GOING to move in to the room! Surprise, surprise. Picking up the clothes from her apartment is not the thing that got me upset; I mean c'mon, it's not MY apartment. But I thought it was funny that she had not once told me to pack up my shit out of the apartment at all, or even told me about the bags being a hazard. Due to the situation from beforehand, I'm looked at by the majority of my aunts and uncles as the irresponsible nephew who betrays trust and hangs with potential drug dealers and criminals (where did that come from??).
So, on top of my uncle being seriously diagnosed with cancer and my home studio equipment being reduced to a piece of shit on tinfoil, my attitude had drastically changed to being a more assertive person. I've sat down at this very laptop every day writing new music, emailing songs to officials, doing any & every show that I can get a slot in, texting & emailing my constituents in regards to getting my music into lucrative deals, and also trying to use the stupid equipment to send rough drafts of new ideas I've developed that makes me sound like I lived in Osama Bin Ladin's cave for 6 years.
However, I do understand that all of these unfortunate things happen for a reason, and it's all just a phase as a part of life that I have to continue to make myself a better person, and even better "hustler". I don't like to use the term "hustle" because what I do is perfectly legal and my product is not given away aimlessly. I take pride in my work and I owe it to everyone who reads this blog to be entertained with quality. In this current industry, I feel that you deserve that much. Please bare with me to everyone that I may have made upset, annoyed, or frustrated due to my behavior.
I'm not a bad person.
Monday, August 2, 2010
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