#MusicMonday – HaZiq aLi: Business Is Good

Haziq Ali - Business is Good

Who: Haziq Ali (pronunced Ha-zeek) is a motivational hip-hop artist from DC, now in Atlanta. Owner of Organized Rhyme, he’s out to set an example that rappers can make motivational music without sounding peachy (or in the worse case, cheesy). He’s also a motivational speaker who’s serious about helping others help themselves.

How Did I Discover Him: I didn’t really discover him, he discovered me. We met via Twitter and never mentioned anything about himself to me. I followed him back,  and after consulting with him about his Wordpress blog, he started talking about and mentioning me more. So, I decided to ask him for a mixtape. He told me that he’s actually got an album. Without even researching him (other than from his blog posts), I was in shocked when I heard the album.

First Impressions: It’s a rare feat for me to listen through an entire album without skipping a track, especially from someone who I have not heard about… at all. I actually like the album this way is in itself high praise. The sound is a mixture of southern hip-hop and positive vibes. His flow brought back memories of Lord Have Mercy, a former member of Flipmode Squad. (you know, back in the day when it’s was more than just a brand name Busta Rhymes says in every damn song… now, it’s just a brand name Busta Rhymes says in every damn song)

Hard Hitting Track: There’s a few gems in here that I think are worth mentioning. “Mash” comes to mind. I can’t pick just one track, so I’ll have to say three tracks in addition to “Mash” would be “There He Goes Again” (it got comical truths about the way the world works) and “Trap Musick” (he explains why they call it “Trap Musick”, along with a familiar hook right out of an 80s Coke commercial)

How To get The Music: Other than Lala (the previews here will allow you to play the whole song once. Afterwards, you can buy the MP3 or “rent it” for 10 cents and play it unlimited from Lala’s website.), you can also buy it from Amazon as an MP3 or CD. It’s a full album full of songs that is worth the purchase. On the CD, there’s a phone number to contact Haziq directly, which makes the motivational part of his game just as real as his music.

So, get “Business Is Good” and Prosper.

Haziq’s Twitter :: Haziq’s MySpace Page :: Haziq’s Wordpress Blog

#MusicMondays – Every Monday (when I get the free time), I will share music and showcasing artists who’s making it happen for themselves. Check out Thought Remixer on Mondays for new artists.

If you’re an artist and would like to be consider, simply contact me via the contact page or upload your music on the ride side of the blog. All music will be review to, chart on Last.FM and if I like it, I’ll write a post about it. Of course, if you paid attention to the last two artists in this series, they never really asked me to review their music, I asked them. So, you might want to be creative with your approach.

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So… Where’s #MusicMondays… & Other Posts Man???

So… I guess some people (like 10 of you) maybe wondering what’s up with the promise of Music Monday posts, especially since I promised to do one every single Monday. Seems like every time I post up something after a hiatus about a hiatus, I feel bad. However, I decided that next Monday, I will post up 4 Music Monday posts to make up for the lack of all the ones I want to post up in October.

Yes, I know I’m setting myself up for a lot, but I do have reviews and some new music to showcase. So, just hold up until then.

As for other posts, I will try to get to them next month. I have written a post for Black Web 2.0, so keep on a look out for that one.

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#MusicMonday – Dezaray Dawn

Dezaray Dawm - Chameleon EP

Who: Dezaray Dawn. She’s an indie songwriter and singer. Neo-soul artist Anthony David is a cousin, as are Sean Stockman of Boys II Men fame, and Tiny from Xscape. (Read her bio here)

How Did I Discover Her: She followed me on Twitter, silently. During one of my cleanup rounds, I commented that I like her picture because she reminds me of an Egyptian Queen. A few days later, I went to her MySpace page, listened to her music snippets and fell in love with her ever since.

First Impression: True to the “Neo-Soul Sound”, the back drop of the title single of the EP (Chameleon) took me back to the days of Janet Jackson’s dance tracks. The rest of this EP makes me feel like I’m listen to a futuristic soul singer. My only regret is that it’s only an EP with 5 songs (or 4 songs and 1 Remix). However, for 30 minutes of soulful honest music, it’s worth supporting the artist. You can mix her songs along with your other soulful tracks and it won’t skip a beat.

Hard Hitting Track: Chameleon. (Check it out below) I like all of them, but this is by far my favorite.

How To Get The Music: Chameleon EP is a free download for a limited time. Afterwards it’s $5. However, do donate if you like the EP. I know that the full album release will be something to look forward to.

Dezary Dawn’s Twitter :: Dezary Dawn’s MySpace :: Dezary Dawn’s Official Website/Blog

#MusicMondays – Every Monday (starting with this Monday), I will share music and showcasing artists who’s making it happen for themselves. Check out Thought Remixer on Mondays for new artists. To be consider, simply contact me via the contact page or upload your music on the ride side of the blog. All music will be review to, chart on Last.FM and if I like it, I’ll write a post about it.

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Aaron McGruder On Twitter? Could Be…

Aaron's Twitter account, talking about a possible episode of the Boondocks called "The Fundraiser"

Is Aaron McGruder on Twitter? This unusually quiet commentator on Black Culture and American Politics (oh and creator of the Boondocks, if you didn’t know) seems to have signed up for a Twitter account. He’s not much of a Twitter user (when compare to Questlove and Skillz), and his account is not verified, but his talks about Boondocks Season 3 and seems to keep it official.

Season 3 is coming out soon!

Because anyone can fake their Identity on Twitter, I can’t really say if this is news or not. But if it’s really is him, sounds like Boondocks Season 3 may come out sooner than later.

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How Mixman Failed to become a DJ Hero

DJ Hero, a game modeled after Guitar Hero, is making tracks as one of the first video games where the DJ is the central character. And while there were other hip-hop themed games, this one focuses on scoring points. However, I can’t help but think that I saw this turntable concept before. So, let me thell you about a game that was actually an earlier and stylish form of a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) software that came out way before DJ Hero, Guitar Hero… even the music producer games such as MTV Music Generator for the game systems. Allow me to (re)introduce you to: the Mixman.

Feel Free to Zoom in

Back in college (1997/98) when the Internet was literally for the bleeding edge geeks, I was rapping and performing shows in the Virgin Islands. After performing songs over other artists beats for a while, naturally, I wanted to remix and create my own beats. So, I studied music production by getting any information from the Internet and music equipment store back on St. Thomas. While I managed to collect a keyboard, I was never able to get two turntables and a mic that isn’t a computer knockoff. The next best thing was to get a DAW and while Acid existed back then, it was expensive. So, this is where the Mixman came in.
Continue reading ‘How Mixman Failed to become a DJ Hero’

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