almost famous

____Chamillionaire and I spoke at the Universal/Motown offices on Broadway. He's a really cool kid and a friend of Lil'Flip, so we got along well. He's the type of young rapper who is really informed about the industry as far as the nuts and bolts of album production, promotion and distribution go. Rap-Up magazine named Chamillionaire as one of their top "6 of 06" rappers on the come-up and who better to interview him than me.

____His new album,"The Sound of Revenge," is due out next week and a lot of people in hip-hop, from the Bayou up to Brooklyn I'm hearing, are talking about the young rapper from Houston. Dubbed, at least by himself, as "The Truth from Texas" and rightfully dubbed "The Mixtape Massiah" for his tireless work on the underground, Cham was really open about discussing the situation between childhood friend turned foe Paul Wall, his succesful run as an independent, family struggles and future. He gave me a real sense that he'd been preparing for this moment (his Nov.22 major-release date) his entire life. Had he not given me a copy of his album, I'm pretty sure I would have bought it just out of curiosity. After taking a listen, I'm pretty impressed with his ability, style and delivery. I hope the album and my interview, set to appear in the next issue of Rap-Up, re-enforce that.



TrackCheck
3_"Turn it Up" Featuring Lil'Flip *Ill Video
4_"Ridin" Featuring Krayzie Bone *Certified Dope!
13_"Fly as the Sky" Featuring Lil'Wayne and Rasaq(Chamillionaire's little brother)

Remember These Albums?

Das EFX
"Dead Serious"
East West

Das EFX "DEAD SERIOUS" was the first album I ever owned. I was roughly 10-years-old and my brother, who is four-years my senior, suggested it. From the day I bought it I was fascinated by their alternative rap-licks and energetic delivery. Das EFX, founded by EPMD, never made another album like this, but joints like "Mic Checka," "Dum Dums," and "They Want EFX" will echo in the halls of hip-hop for generations to come.


Young MC
"Stone Cold Rhymin'"
Island/Delicious Records

The intelligent and middle-class, rapper Marvin Young earned a degree in economics from USC, where he met Michael Ross and Matt Dike, co-founders of the Delicious Vinyl rap label. Marvin Young, AKA Young MC, dropped "Stone Cold Rhymin'" and practically invented every other cool phrase from the hip-hop era. With joints like "Bust A Move" and "Principal's Office," "I Come Off" and "I Let 'Em Know" Young M.C. failed to miss a chance to leave a hit behind. After dropping this album in 1989; Marvin Young would never enjoy the commerical succes that "S.C.R" had brought him. Also in 1989, Young collaborated with Tone-Loc on "Wild Thing," the original hip-hop top ten classic, and the follow-up smash "Funky Cold Medina. While Marvin never made it back on the charts, there is a famous episode of the Howard Stern radio show on KROCK where Young Marvin kicked hard game to Jamie Lee Curtis on the air.


Vanille Ice
"To The Extreme"
SBK Records

Love it, hate it, burn it, and the pictures you took with that haircut. No matter what, V-Ice is a permanent part of hip-hop culture for better or for worse. As the record companies first caucasion puppet in the commodification of hip-hop, Vanila Ice brought rap music into the house holds of 12-year-old suburbanites everywhere, but just 21-days after an apperance on the America Music Awards Ice would be exposed as a fraud in the Dallas Morning News as not being the street kid he was marketed as. In the aftermath of his multi-platinum album, a false 8-mile-like bio-pic, handful of homes, shit load of cars and wild nights with Madonna, Ice surfaces now to trash MTV sets, drop uninspired rap-metal albums and act like a junior high school star on reality television.

Fear and Loathing on 42nd Street

This post will be unlike any other post that will appear here. Typically, I have the time to let you know what I've been up to, though upcoming posts will be more like the hip-hop cheap highs as advertized, this story is an interesting tale for the coverage of my first event on this page.



My people from Queens and Yonkers group, First Cousins, performed on the undercard of the Royal Flush/ Smif'N Wessun show at B.B. King's on 42nd street across from the Port Authority. After what was one of the better, most chill, rap shows I've been to in a while. Royal Flush did a great set with help from John Doe, Mic Geronimo and a couple of others. People came out of the wood-work in support of the new street album. With the booze flowing and the weed burning, a good time was being had by all.



My cousin Belly, his friend from work Dom and I were standing on the corner of 42nd eating some post-show Sish Kababs. Drunk, buzzed and ready for bed, I directed the group towards the parking lot a block away just about 3:15am.

The guard in the nearly totoally empty parking lot told us we could have my car back. The cost for the storage? $39. Unfortunatly, we were only working with a grand sum of $17 between the three of us at that hour, without any ATM card for quick assistance we were fuck-outta-luck. Until he came over to us.



He told us his name was Dr.Birdman and he wondered "How much you need?" His hands and mouth appeared to be bleeding and his eyes off to the right sometimes, other times off to the left. He wore a short jean jackett with a greenish tint. His hands bled worse than his lips and he appeared to be wandering aimlessly. He put the money in my hands, but before the key could hit the egnition the bacon arrived.

By the worst odds in hell, a partol car carrying Officers Dickinson, a female, and Hanson, a silent male cop type, wandered into the parking lot themselves. I gave the money back to the apparently homeless physician who told me he had no phone number, but he had a family. After a little shouting from the good Docter, and even a little rumbling in our own camp, Birdman disappered into the deli around the corner and the police left us be.

I found the tired, cold Dr.Birdman taking shelter at a table in the back of a deli. I approached him with a humble, respectful tone. I understood he was our only chance of me getting out of there at the time. There was no one to come save us.

"Dr.Birdman?" I asked.

"How you know my name?" he shouted


I reminded him of his previous attempt at charity and he remembered. He took me outside into the cold, loud night and asked me to tell him the situation one more time for clarity.



I told him that we needed the money to get our car out and he told me if I wanted to step into his office he'd give it to me. In the back of the same deli from which we just came; Dr.Birdman slapped his money down on the table, sat Belly and I down and gave us the remainder of the money we'd need to get our car out.

So I interviewed Lil'Flip

On a cloudy day in Manhattan, Lil'Flip and I puffed on a small spliff and talked about his new album. Besides being really friendly and well spoken, Flip is a real cat and wasn't shy about speaking his mind. His teeth were iced down and his fitted was custom made. Ghetto fabulous. This will be out in an upcoming issue of Rap-UP. For those who never burnted or downloaded any Flip, his last album "U Gotta Feel Me" is a double-platinum classic and hopefully his upcoming album "I Need Mine" will follow suite.

"I want to give a shout out to you for coming through with the xxxxx because, you the first person to interview me to be like, sup man, you wanna xxxx something?" .....FLIP

Who Shot Ya?

C-Rayz Walz @ SUNY Purchase Culture Shock
Omnipotent Allah. Corona, Queens.

Rap Show 3.4.5 (co-promoted by Me and Brad Christi)
Gustapo 3.4.05 SUNY PURCHASE
Photographer Ryan Reich at the Mr.Hyde photo shoot in Queens The first rappper I ever interviewed
Mike Reka, QUEENS, NY

David "The Renegade Jew" Lawrence
I wrote about him for BlackTable.com.
Boxer/Rapper Rohnique Posey aka Pioneer
< Genovese and Gustapo >

New Interview with (Bang'em Smurf and) Domination on ALLHIPHOP.COM

___Although sitting in Sing Sing on gun charges; Bang'em Smurf had to drop the "Smurf" from his name to officially release Bang'em (Smurf) and Domination's debut album "God Givith, God Takith Away." Driven out of G-Unit due to beef with the boss; Bang'em Smurf and Domination, the sole rapper in the duo, have been putting down quality hard rap for the past three years. Check out their joint "He Ain't A Thug" from the Yukmouth and C-BO release "In Thugz We Trust" album from their Thug Lordz collaboration.

____I was driving around with Domination in Jamacia, Queens, not the island, he bought me a Dr.Pepper and a candy bar in CVS and burned me some official bootlegs right on the corner with his laptop on the hood of his car. It's pretty weird to walk in the hood with someone who openly (and most potentially explosivly) has beef with 50 Cent. My interview with Domination, who is a really cool cat with a good sense of humor, is posted now on AllHipHop.com.

Interview with Domination on AllHipHop.com

Hip-Hop Spoken Here

___I've written for BallerStatus before, Jayo Casteel, the Founding-Editor-In-Chief, is doing his damm thing right now on the west coast. He's sick with the design stuff and his pen game is poppin' off in THE SOURCE right now. They've got good some interviews from Bang'em Smurf and Domination, as well as Sheek Louch on the site at the moment. I've interviewed both of those cats recently and Jayo has posted some really good work.


___Also, look for my roomate; Richard Brantley, a junior at Purchase and member of the Association of Hispanic Journalists, in the review section of BallerStatus. Direct from the Bushwich Observer to the pages of the Purchase Dispatch, Rich Branltey is the future!

BallerStatuS.NET

The Past Couple of Days...

Lil'Wayne, Universal Records, Broadway, 4pm. Oct.12,'05







___Between Friday's interview with Sheek Louch, where my roomate Rich Brantley and I met the entire D-Block/LOX crew including Jada, Styles, Super Mario and J-Hood, and trying to do some work to finish my degree in school, the last few days have been terribly hectic. Yesterday, I marched up to Universal Records to squeeze in an interview with your boy "weezy-baby," Lil'Wayne; who was very chill and pleasently blunted. He told me he went through five-boxes of sweet Phillies every day. He answered all my questions and he really seemed to enjoy being interviewed. At only 23-years-old, already a post-platinum artist, D'Wayne Carter seems to be a good cat. That interview is the first of two stories I have coming out in new publications. Rap-Up Magazine was founded by communications wiz-kid Devin Lazerine; an 18-year-old from Califonia that wanted to start a hip-hop magazine and did. The magazine is pretty cool and is readily available as far as I can see here on the east coast. Even my local magazine stand, good'ole MASPETH NEWS, keeps copies stocked. Rap-Up.com


Last Thursday, D-Block Studios, Yonkers, NY, 3pm,Oct. 7, '05.


___My interview with Sheek was also a success. The highlight of the afternoon was when Jada was screaming "You know your my little baby Styles" in a bust of energy while attempting to complete a "Hail Mary" in Madden for PS2. That article is slated to appear in an upcoming issue of Platinum Plus magazine, a small urban-lifestyle mag based in Brooklyn which runs some really quality articles. Jake Paine, the editor of the AllHipHop features section, hooked me up here and I credit him with a hand in most all of my recent success. Jake, who is in his last semester at Drexel University in Philadelphia, has written for Elemental, XXL and Mass Appeal to boot, he's really accomplished and wrote the most recent cover story* for Platinum Plus. He's proven to me that I shouldn't be suprised to see him score big in anything.. (I've posted that cover here) WwW.PlatinumPlusmag.com

Go Ask Somebody - Nas, THE LOST TAPES

___Across the street from Cooper Union, Norman's Sound and Vision has been selling classic material in the way of compact discs and DVDs for as long as I can remember. Today, for a really reasonable $9.99, I grabbed the official package of Nas collection of never officially released material called The Lost Tapes.

___Besides the fact that I listed the song "Purple" from The Lost Tapes release in my last post and the fact that Royal Flush's man Hill produced that joint as well as the "Black Zombie" track; this is really a great disc. Like Hershey's 5th Avenue candy bar, it isn't found often, and definately one of the best non-LP releases of the past 10 years avaialble from commercial/corporate-retailers.

___Shifting through the 11 tracks, plus one bonus "Fetus," Nas pumps perfection into some of his most prolific poetry ever. The Lost Tapes is a collection of rareties that were never mastered until the package was put together. The Lost Tapes, however random, may be a little underestimated when it comes to it's place in Nas' overall collection. Coming out in the victory-lap of Stillmatic; this disc is everything his fans could ask from him lyrically. Though all of these songs were recorded at different times it would seem as is Nas succeeds in carving out a "lost tapes" concept album. His Dutch-scratched voice comes out authentically-concious, raw and true. His poet/warrior style is on display in full force. Peep "Poppa Was A Playa" and "Drunk By Myself."

Burn That .....

Nas - "Purple"
Shyne - "Diamonds and Mac-10s"
Tru Life feat. Prodigy of Mobb Deep and Kool G Rap - "When your a Thug"
Nas and Pitbull -"Imagine"
KRS ONE and Jay-Z - "Everyone Rise"
Bang'em Smurf and Domination - "Ghetto"

Hood Water

Arizona Iced-T _ .99cents.

Wax Poetics is the Future

"PEEP IT"

___I copped the new issue of Wax Poetics recently down at Tower on Broadway; where outside my boys from www.NoGamesInvolved.com; Logan P. McCoy, Sdeard, Junior Wonder and Nis are still posted up pushing their music free from corporate confusion. The magazine is a real intellectual look at hip-hop, soul, funk and jazz music on wax. In this issue, Oliver Wang (o-dub.com,) a writer/DJ/Cultural critic who I hold in highest esteem, does a dope interview with Wu-Tang 's legendary DJ/Producer; Mathematics. Also, there is a dope excerpt from a really informative book about Rakim Allah. The random photos are really fresh and the one's of Mathematics are pretty tight as well.

Royal Flush Interview on AllHipHop.com

__For this interview with Royal Flush; I rolled in with a photographer, Austin Moore, and our Boy M.O. We kicked it with Flush and his boy, Hill, who produced two joints on Nas' "The Lost Tapes" release. "Sweet J" came in a tiny, square, plastic box and smoked out the entire apartment a few times over, much to Flush's delight. I took the photos as well, nothing major, but they were used for the story. The one above is mine too. If you haven't heard Flush's original album "Ghetto Millionaire" than your missing out on classic material.

peep my pen game - www.AllHipHop.com/features/?ID=1193
ALSO check out www.ThoroTracks.com

The Legend of Genovese

Original Gangsta

_Before Eminem was beefing with Mom dukes on a global scale, before Bubba Sparks was barking about the south, Joe Genovese, or just Genovese, was already a legend in the rap game. Yonkers, NY native Genovese began rapping in Junor High School with future LOX member David Styles, AKA Styles P.
_Grandson of the founder of Genovese Pharmacys (bought out by Eckerd or Duane Reade today) and Great-Newphew to American La Cosa Nostra icon Vito Genovese; Genovese earned his name rapping starting back in 1993. Legend has it that he battled Johnny Blanco, a white-mc from Queens, in competition for a recording contract with Universal. His name popped off in the street by way of DJ Clue and Kay Slay mixtapes and his story was covered in The Source and XXL, he even shot a video for his single. However, industry politics being how they are, Genovese's "My America" debut would never make stores.
_Over the span of his career Genovese did joints with Lox, Outlaws, Lord Tyrek, Half-A-Mil, ONYX, Nature and a number of others. As of late, 'Vese remains unreleased, but working on a group project with his family from Queens, Gustapo, in the group First Cousins.

www.GenoveseMusic.com
www.ILLSEED.net

Nickel Bag Intro.

___This is my first official blog, The Nickel Bag, Hopefully this will serve as a fast fact service for usless information in hip-hop and other parts of culture. Check it out weekly for crumbs of hip-hop history, news and whatever the fuck I feel like talking about at that time. Peep this page at your own risk, go ask somebody!

use the email matthewcaputo@email.com

QUEENS,what?