Ch*z K*ng*s here! After the Yule Tidal Wave of interest from last night's premiere on the Adam B Experience, my new Christmas single "A CH*Z K*NG*S CHRISTMAS" is NOW available for DOWNLOAD off of the most important Holiday vendor: MySpace!
YES!
Instead of buying a pesky, impersonal Christmas Card or Gift this Holiday season (booooooooooooriiiiiiiiiing!) you can burn a loved or liked one this very personal Holiday ditty. Let's not forget that the song, while brand new, is timeless so this is the only option for a gift this year that will be just as relevant when revisited for all upcoming Christmases!
Did I mention, for all you producers, DJs, beatmakers and masher-uppers out there that there is an acapella version of the song available for download as well? You can be singing/rapping/playing/fighting/humming along side me on a track all through the Holiday season! How much would your cherished one like to hear that you've recruited me to join you in wishing them Holiday Tidings? (ANSWER: Quite alot.)
Just go to http://www.myspace.com/chazraps and download the Christmas miracle for all denominations that is "A Ch*z K*ng*s Christmas" and please share it with everyone you've ever encountered in your life ever.
"I don't understand why we keep expecting anything good from Nas. The same shit just keeps happening over and over again. Nas is like a high schoool girlfriend that you associate all these good times with:
Then you go off to college and shit is still ok, but kind of weird:
Then you run into her during the holidays and it's great to see her:
So you decide to hang out and you're like "i don't even know this person"...
It keeps happening. Every few years you run into each other and you think there could still be some sparks there:
Because there was that one time you ran into each other at that bar had pretty good sex - even though it didn't quite have the same magic it once did, it was still good:
So you hang out again,
but it will just never be the same. At some point you just have to move on, and i think this is that point for me and Nasir."
So I thought that was a pretty dope assessment. BUT, it is missing a few moments with that ex-girlfriend. Such as:
When you had to hang out with the revolving door of her lame ass friends:
When you had to sit through the REALLY pretentious play she was in, and didn't have the heart to tell her what you really thought of it:
The time she did a song with Ginuwine:
These moments aside, if enough people whose word I trust told me my ex-girlfriend finally got all of the bullshit out of her system, and I had nothing else taking my money at the time, I'd probably give her another chance. Until then, I look back fondly when the world was mine, and not return to that solar system's rotation.
The sacred land that has spawned so much history will have it's eternal flame finally extinguished on September 27th by yours truly and New York legends Creature, J-Zone, The Juggaknots and Louis Logic.
It's an odd feeling. I'm nothing short of honored to be a part of such a historic night. With over 30 years of history, some of the most important artists of all time have come up and been discovered there. And when I say discovered, I don't mean on some money for nothing and chicks for free steez. I mean seen by kids who were on some next shit, and thus everything spirals into some of the most influential, enjoyable, and essential sounds to ever be heard.
I'm not saying it's all been great. The very bands we're sharing the building with that night on the other stage are fucking terrible self-professed "southern goth rock," but the fact that CBGB's is a venue for such ventures, no matter how asinine, speaks volumes for what a one-of-a-kind place it is. Where else could Blondie, the Ramones, Talking Heads, Television, L7 and various other bands of dubious taste and talent but undeniable influence hone their craft?
On a personal level, I never expected this. First and foremost because I never expected a place like this to close. CBGB's is world famous landmark. I challenge you to find a more important venue still in operation today! Since I picked up my first Ramones live bootleg recorded shortly after "Leave Home" dropped, I read up on its history and had dreamed for years, be it with ELSM or solo, to play there. This continued through high school when, while starring in the state-winning One Act "Twilight, Los Angelus, 1992" and bring DeLaSalle it's first One Act trophy, I was rocking a CBGB's shirt. Even seeing the hometown homies The F-Ups rock there my first month into college, or rocking there myself in February of this past year, I never thought I would be such a footnote in the closing of its final chapter.
It's bittersweet. I ran into the headliner Louis Logic earlier this week at FatBeats and we talked about it. The excitement for any show is a great feelings, particularly on such a top-to-bottom great bill. But with each day that this, the biggest show of my life, looms closer, the heart that beats within the Grandfather of my passion continues to slow down.
I have a line in the opening song from a song I wrote in 2002 that finally surfaced on my 2004 return-to-rap record 'The Brown Bunny' called "Jihad." There's a line in there that begins "Half my time at CBGB's..." When I've performed it live as my set opener over the past four years, I've always substituted "CBGB's" with the name of wherever it was I was rocking. When I wrote it that Friday night in September, over a loop from Pachelbel's Cannon*, I sat wondering what it would be like to scream those words in those hallowed halls.
"Now the evening has come to a close And I've had my last dance with you On to the empty streets we go And it might be my last chance with you So I might as well get it over The things I have to say won't wait until another day" - Tony Orlando
September 27th - CBGB's Final HipHop Show Ever.
Louis Logic
The Juggaknots
J-Zone
Creature
...and me.
$12.00 and the Most Historic Night of your Life.
*NOT Vitamin C, as some pickleheads in my high school mistook it for.
The end of all things summer... I didn't do a "summer begins" entry to start this past chapter in the book of my favorite season, so perhaps one marking the end of it is some sort of post-modern anticlimacticism where there is no developing action to begin with to blow off. Nevertheless, with me being the kind to win a free game after my third ball has fallen, today I enjoyed my second bonus summer day.
Yes, while my NYUnicorn counterparts each had their first day, I got to sip from Summer's sweet teat one more day. And how did I spend such a day?
Waking up at 3:00 PM, only to have a fire alarm pulled halfway through a shower, and being yelled at by firemen as I'm exiting the building that I didn't evacuate fast enough. Between this and the uncalled for fire drill last week, if they keep this up I know two certain ladders that won't be receiving 9/11 presents this year!
So yeah, this summer saw me developing a taste for the public access marvel that is Columbia Heights City Council meetings, the marvel that is SpitCam and my new favorite webcam-based rap outfits such as C.A.Z., The 5th, and Vinnie Botz, a rediscovery of my love for UGK, the creation of a guide to No Limit Records' Cover Arts on Facebook, the completion of "X-Men Legends" for PS2, achieving the childhood goals of beating Super Street Fighter II Turbo and the first three Street Fighter Alpha games, spending a lot of time each week with my Grandfather, watching classic movies and "The Ringer" with Pa Dukes, my mother's cooking better than ever, the completion, release, and subsequent selling out of the first printing of my new album "Lapland," my most successful tour ever that I walked away from with more money and hair than when I left for it (most indie rappers today are lucky if they break even, so I guess I'm doing something right), fufilling a high school journal margin's dream by performing at Boston's famed club The Middle East, completing the script to the pilot episode of my sitcom "Honestly, Abe!!," seeing MC Lyte live, going to the State Fair with the homie Craig Witte and once again beating the X-Men arcade game, and moving back to NY where last night was one of the greatest battle performances of my life.
Life is a carnival.
Goodbye to summer 2006, yet since coming to college I feel almost like I'm still on some endless summer. With no uniforms, 7:00 AM wakeup, or pointless projects due, as well as that I've (particularly with this coming semester) made it a point to choose classes that are things that interest me and would be what I would be doing had I not been in school, college is fun. I've made the system work. I'm enjoying what I do. Be'lee dat.
Top 46 songs from Chaz's iPod All around the world, here's what's been in my ear the most from the end of high school through my becoming a mighty centaur. I don't know what type of information you can get from this, but I suggest you use it wisely.
6/26/2004 - 8/21/2006
Song title - Artist Name - Times Played
Rock Stars - Non Phixion 59 Walkin' On Nails - Mac Lethal 50 Even Dwarfs Started Small - R.A. the Rugged Man 50 Dance Monkey - Sage Francis 50 Smart Went Crazy - Atmosphere 49 Ex Girl to Next Girl - Gang Starr 41* 14 Years Of Rap - Non Phixion 40 Lessons... - R.A. the Rugged Man 40 Save Me Dear - Ghostface Killah 38 Get Involved - Raphael Saadiq and Q-Tip 37 Edie Brikell f/DJ Vadim - Slug 37 Ride The Fence - The Coup 35 Starfish and Coffee - Prince 35 99 Rappers - Sage Francis 35 Step To My Girl - Souls Of Mischief 35 Self Taught - Brother Ali 34 Keepin' The Faith - De La Soul 34 Be Easy - Ghostface Killah 34 Idiot Gear - Louis Logic 34 Fulcrum [Insight Mix] ft. Opio - Mr. Lif 34 Caught Between Worlds - Non Phixion 34 Purple Stuff - Big Moe 33 Lost Verse Of The Mainstream - Sage Francis 33 Anti-American Graffiti - J Dilla 32 Chains - R.A. the Rugged Man 32 Jah Didn't Kill Johnny - Sage Francis 32 I Declare War - Pacewon 31 4 Days In Cali - R.A. the Rugged Man 31 Agent Orange - Cage 30 Rhymes Like Dimes - MF Doom 30 Dumb - R.A. the Rugged Man 30 Love, Love, Love - Sage Francis 30 Whatever - Brother Ali 29 Hot Guacamole - MF Doom 29 Lie Detector Test - Sage Francis 29 7XL - Sir Menelik 29 Morris Day - Felt 28 Selfish - Slum Village 28 Ch-Check It Out (Just Blaze Remix) - The Beastie Boys 27 The Death Of Chris Palko - Cage 27 Mic Check - Juelz Santana Hoe Cakes - MF Doom 27 Float On - Modest Mouse 27 The Ugly Place - Q-Unique 27 Brawl - R.A. the Rugged Man 27 All Word No PLay - Sage Francis 27
*I should note that I've probably listened to it a lot more, but I also have the DJ Abilities mix of it which counts (rightfully so) as a seperate file. After two Valentine's Days and three summers, I doubt there's a song I played more.
The Forecast... Happy Birthday! The months ahead are likely to start honing in on family or home life. You’ll be more inclined to enjoy relaxed evenings in as the fall approaches! However, this will enable you to recharge your batteries in anticipation of a very busy winter and spring. Romance might need a little more thought and consideration, especially while Neptune is moving backwards, although from October things will get much sweeter again. Just remember to be that extra bit more tactful and thoughtful and be prepared to make the occasional romantic gesture until then. The run up to Christmas will be more fraught than usual as the planets gather in Sagittarius, applying pressure at work or school, but you’ll also be more innovative than usual too. Afterwards there will still be some changes and improvements to look forward to: new friendships, new beginnings and a boost at work or school too!
Today's Motivational Quote: Without courage, wisdom bears no fruit. -- Baltasar Gracian
Wow, this sure was a great college party until that douchebag picked up a guitar... I made a discovery this evening. I was taking a break from my mountain of math (and drinking my Mountain Dew) when I decided to take in a bit of the modern classics. While I find usually the works of Proust, Joyce and Mann to be entertaining, eye-opening, intellectual, educational, and fun to tell people I'm reading, tonight called for something with more pictures of my friends I'm secretly attracted to dressed in progressivly sluttier and sluttier clothing. Of course, I'm talking about Facebook and Myspace. (If you guessed Nathaneal West, you were close.)
It was inbetween that voluptious vixen in my Perceptions of Law class last semester and my high school chum's sultry older sister that I stumbled upon what may be the most truth-ringing Facebook group ever established:
"Wow, this sure was a great party until that douchebag picked up a guitar."
There I sat, awe-stricken in utter disbelief that so much truth could come out of the internet! Call me crazy (or Ray Jay Johnson) but while at collegent parties (with the exception of ones where the primary focus was to "Search") there's always been the moment of dread when someone hears that someone has at least a passing interest in whatever hipster band Pitchforkmedia.com readers find worthy a 5.8 or higher this week and something triggers the "hey, they *kinda* sound like Dave Matthews! You should get your guitar out" mechanism. The result is two-to-five minutes of passive enjoyment (oddly simultaneous with ever plummeting sobriety) followed by anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour and 15 minutes of awkward contentment while someone who can quote every second of "Harold and Kumar" verbatim plays everything from that late 90's alt-rock staple everyone only knows the first verse and chorus of - to - select horribly mangled ironically unironic selections from Bob Marley's "Legend," which the culprit will boast is his "best album. Sooooooo good!"
For those not at college and/or friendless commuter students, you may not understand the serious circumstances of such a situation. At a party, there's just about nothing worse than when I'm mackin' on a cutie and I turn around to see some Bay Area pothead asshole playing the opening notes to "What I Got." "OH MY GOD! I KNOW THAT SONG" some fan of "Me and You and Everyone We Know" with some ridiculoid notion that every boy is in love with her and has convinced herself she is better looking than she by all means under any standard is will say. This obnoxious uproar will suddenly strike up a drum circle, compensation for the drumming with extra irritating inactivity, of friends intently listening in and wandering in and out of singing the lyrics, carrying aimless conversations, or taking pictures of themselves to convince their friends back home (via Facebook) that they've been replaced.*
Come come now guiratist assholes, notice that no-one is "digging" your "tasty grooves." The five stoner kids at every college party dating the mid-30s tatooed guy at their internship will listen to anything, so if you feel the need to play and form a circle of either uninterested or uninteresting people, do not use them as a guide of when to start/stop/complain about how single you are while you drink and try to hook up with your friend's ex you sumuvabitch!
Now, I'm not knocking playing music at parties. Sometimes, when everyone has an instrument and is just jamming, it can be great. Or some light music of a select few can be the perfect end/beginning of a perfect night when things are slowing down/picking up. Heck, I've been one to spit some bars when two friends with instruments and one who can beatbox say "Hey Chaz, you should rap for us!" and some anonymous girl** will say "You can rap?!" and some girl who knows me but for some reason didn't know what is sustaining my existance on this Urth says "Chaz, I didn't know you can rap" and then I freestyle for five straight minutes or so and make everyone happy, shortly followed by/enabling me to be in the dorm's bathroom wrist-deep in a Sufjan Stevens fan whose only previous exposure to hiphop had been her older brother's Talib Kweli CD he used to play back before the events inspiring this week's number two film ("United 93") and number one film ("RV," inexplicably) at the box office had taken place...
BUT
...if you've been to a party where such a guitar driven funicide has taken place, you know exactly what I'm talking about. I was thinking the other day about one or two circles of friends I used to chill with just about every weekend last year, and how this year they've slowly phased me out of *our* group all-encompassingly. The motivation for such actions (my rising to rap superstardom, the choosing-sides following certain incidents that divide friends, the fight I got into with a drunk belligerent guest at one of such parties yet the bitch provoked me and secretly no-one likes her yet they think everyone else likes her and there must be some decency in her but she's truthfully a decrepit piece of human waste with nothing of fucking value to add to the world, my ceaseless quoting of "Mortal Kombat") is unknown, but the other day when I was searching for someone and, due to Facebook's new search feature, saw a list of all their parties and subsequent guest lists I wasn't informed about, I*** was a little hurt. I was chalking up all the unreturned phone calls, Facebook messages and eProps to them just being busy and giving them the benefit of the doubt. Now, unlike my contemporaries Dem Franchise Boyz, Oooooooh, I don't think they like me.
This had me feeling down until I found the titular Facebook group of this very entry. Once I read it (And its corresponding Group Description) a wonderful revelation dawned on me. When comparing the hypothetical great times I would have had with said friends to the infinetly better times I've had not listening in a circle to some unwashed struggling business major pointlessly playing an Oasis song that suffers significantly from not being "Wonderwall," I realized I have walked away with far more than what I would have had had they not Peter Gabriel'ed me from their Genesis. In retrospect, this is probably for the best, as even though I'mour in the "Red Rain," "In Your Eyes" I might have had to "Shock the Monkey" and hit one of their guitars with a "Sledgehammer," "BIG TIME!"
Solsbury Hill, Chaz
*C'mon! Why can't you be a man like me and tell those obsolete country bumpkins that they're of no more interest (Except for my birthday when I want them to write on my wall, K?)
**As all girls truly are.
***Yes me, the War Machine to Ghostface's Iron Man.
Walk Like a Man... 2:20 AM, here in Beth's room. Homegirl's doing some work that needs to get done for about a HALF HOUR. Not to emphasize it, my finger just by chance hit the caps lock and it's too funny (lAUGHING oUT lOUD lOUDLY - LOLL)
bETH HAS A MOTORIZED TOOTHBRUSH. wE JUST SAW mURS LIVE. iT WAS A VERY GOOD SHOW. nOW, gOODBUE! TiMe FoR fUn!
Two things: First of all: Fuck NYU Housing. That's it. No More. Just, Fuck NYU Housing.
Second: (now read this one real carefully kids)
READING AYN RAND'S "THE FOUNDTAINHEAD," VISITING ANOTHER COUNTRY, HAVING A SHAVED HEAD, AND/OR BEING AN UGLY SPOKEN WORD ARTIST DOES NOT INSTANTLY QUALIFY YOU AS BEING INTELLIGENT OR HAVING SOMETHING WORTHWHILE TO SAY!
Finally: There's no excuse to not own the new Ghostface record. It is very good and only $6.99.
-Eating that first meal at the NYU Kimmel Dining Hall after my last Thursday class, signaling the weekend.
-When you start really digging someone of the opposite sex, and they seem to be digging you as well, but it's still really early on and that inadvertant elbow-rub happens.
-A good chocolate-covered custard Donut.
-Steve Carell
-One-of-a-kind concerts where both the artists and the audience is full of energy (and not that frat boy/stuck up groupie energy)
-Getting really obscure pop-culture references in rap records
-Velvet Underground
-Mortal Kombat
-the six-person X-Men Arcade game
-Morningstar Farm Corn Dogs with Spicy Deli Mustard
-Girls interacting with their/others' breasts
-Just talkin' HipHop with others for hours on end
-Pace Won's "I Declare War"
-"Krush Groove"
-Kickin' it with celebrities, particularly C-listers
-Bulk and Skull from "Power Rangers"
-The 2-Mile walk to and from my classes on the NYU campus on beautiful days when it's just me and my iPod.
Snow, snow, snow, snow, snow. With the Heavenly sounds of Miles Davis swaggering out of my speakers, and all the lights in my suite off, the room is illuminated by the glowing snowfall outside. It's a (DQ) blizzard in the middle of my far-east concrete jungle. It's the type of snowfall where if this were December, would be all exciting because "ALL RIGHT! THE WORLD IS A SNOWGLOBE AND CHRISTMAS IS ON ITS WAY! THIS WORLD IS A WINTER WONDERLAND!" But alas, it is February, so this snow is a tremendous inconvience. It was quite the suprise to wake up this morning and see the pile of snow on the ledge. The one interesting (perhaps still magical?) element of this blizzard is talking to people from the sunnier west coast who have this as their first exposure to snow.
February 12th. This day holds a special place in my heart, as it marks the anniversary of my first legitimatly hit record. My punk group, the Electric Speckled Love Machine," had self-released our EP "Baltimore Romance and Robots with Mullets" and shit just blew the fuck up. I remember being 15 and making $90.00 a day for a good couple months. Funny how one huge profile gig and one radio gem can make you blow up locally. I think I have a MP3 of said single "Love (Nouns and Verbs)" somewhere on this computer, and if I find it I will edit this post and put it up later.
It's also that Valentine season with that Valentine feeling. I don't find it *that* suprising that the Livejournal/Xanga/MySpace community bemoans such an occation, but my approach is significantly different. I usually view the 14th when I don't have a special someone (oddly enough, the even numbered years) as a time to reflect on how fortunate I've been with past relationships, how lucky I am to have certain people still in my life, as well as to hook up with intoxicated "clock is ticking" moderatly attractive 30-something Protestant women in acconts recievable who have been ditched by their coworkers after drinking too much and causing a "scene."
And by that I mean I play "Ex Girl to Next Girl" by Gang Starr. A lot.
Tomorrow though, the homie (and best handshake in hiphop) Mac Lethal is in town and performing at the Knitting Factory with my hometown hero P.O.S. and it should be a dynamite show, as well as a bonding expierence with Jed who I haven't really kicked it with in a long while. As for tonight, it's time to murder homework for the week, rent "Triumph of the Will" (which I have to watch for Mass Media and Government class) and watch Pam Grier in "Foxy Brown." (big-ups to NetFlix for all my blaxploitation needs)
For the right (right) now (now), time to shower. I also want to say Rest In Peace to, one of my favorite producers, JayDee (Pharcyde - "Runnin," "Drop" DeLaSoul - "Stakes is High," Busta Rhymes - "Woo-Hah! Remix") who died at the age of 32 due to kidney failure and complications with Lupus last Friday. He had just release his new album last Tuesday, which was his 32nd birthday. It's called "Donuts." It's dope. I reccommend checking it out.
Rest In Peace: Irene Kangas At about 2:41 PM CT today my Grandma, Irene Kangas looked into the sky, examined something closley for about fifteen seconds, and then didn't take another breath. Her last moments were surrounded by her husband, her children, and her grandchildren, and very happy. According to my Dad, she was completly at peace.
I just got off of the phone with him a hour ago. His call was kind of expected, but for different reasons. My grandma's cousin (who was somewhat distant from the family and been stricken with horrible, horrible dementia for the past eight years to the point where she wouldn't allow the majority of us to see her, affectionatly referred to by the family as Auntie Lo) died Friday at the age of 98, so I was expecting my Dad's somber tone to be in regard to that.
But shortly after picking up he told me "Granny's in Heaven."
The arrangements are being made right now. Don't know yet if the wake/funeral is going to fall on Tuesday/Wednesday or Wednesday/Thursday. This might really fuck up my week of finals, being that these NYU profesors have a strict "no exceptions" late policy, but at this point I don't care.
Since the scare of her death last Thanksgiving, I've realized (although deep down I think i've always known) that I was closer to my Grandma than anyone else in my family. She's always seemed to listen the most, be the happiest to hear from me, and just be the person in the family who was there for me the most. Likewise, I was always there to really listen when she had her troubles and had to deal with so many deaths in the past 15 years of all of her friends, her neighborhood, and her preceding family.
I've read the "How Doodle You Do?" card she sent me just about daily since the scare last Thanksgiving. Reading her handwritten words from it now I can still feel the love radiate from it.
I'm just glad that for a great woman whose life was often filled with moments of being so worried, so scared, and so troubled that her last moments were peaceful and happy. I feel so fortunate that I was able to have such a close relationship with her. I am so thankful I was able to fly out and see her one last time.
"When other friendships are soon forgot, ours will still be hot."
To brighten your day... This is something to think about when negative people are doing their best to rain on your parade. Remember this story the next time someone who knows nothing and cares less tries to make your life miserable.
A woman was at her hairdresser's getting her hair styled for a trip to Rome with her husband. She mentioned the trip to the hairdresser, who responded: "Rome? Why would anyone want to go there? It's crowded and dirty. You're crazy to go to Rome. So, how are you getting there?"
"We're taking Continental," was the reply. "We got a great rate!" "Continental?" exclaimed the hairdresser. "That's a terrible airline. Their planes are old, their flight attendants are ugly, and they're always late. So, where are you staying in Rome?" "We'll be at this exclusive little place over on Rome's Tiber River called Teste"
"Don't go any further. I know that place. Everybody thinks it's gonna be something special and exclusive, but it's really a dump, the worst hotel in the city! The rooms are small, the service is surly, and they're overpriced. So, whatcha' doing when you get there?" "We're going to go to see the Vatican and we hope to see the Pope."
"That's rich," laughed the hairdresser. "You and a million other people are trying to see him. He'll look the size of an ant. Boy, good luck on this lousy trip of yours. You're going to need it."
A month later, the woman again came in for a hairdo. The hairdresser asked her about her trip to Rome. "It was wonderful," explained the woman, "not only were we on time in one of Continental's brand new planes, but it was overbooked and they bumped us up to first class. The food and wine were wonderful, and I had a handsome 28-year-old steward who waited on me hand and foot. And the hotel was great! They'd just finished a $5 million remodeling job and now it's a jewel, the finest hotel in the city. They, too, were overbooked, so they apologized and gave us their owner's suite at no extra charge!"
"Well," muttered the hairdresser, "that's all well and good, but I know you didn't get to see the Pope." "Actually, we were quite lucky, because as we toured the Vatican, a Swiss Guard tapped me on the shoulder, and explained that the Pope likes to meet some of the visitors, and if I'd be so kind as to step into his private room and wait, the Pope would personally greet me. Sure enough, five minutes later, the Pope walked through the door and shook my hand, I knelt down, and he spoke a few words to me."
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clugatlas's journal
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