Is 2008 going to be your year?

In less than a month the New Year will begin. And at the stroke of midnight, between the Happy New Year shout-outs, the Champaign poppin, the Hi-Fives, and the Hugs and Kisses, there’ll be THAT PERSON thinking or shouting out loud, “THIS IS MY YEAR”. I’ll bet that was the same shit this clown said when ’07 and ‘06 began; and maybe the years before ‘06.

I don’t get it… What the hell did you do prior to January 1st to make it “YOUR YEAR”? Do you really think because the calendar changes, a miracle is going to happen and your life will automatically change for the better? If that’s so then it would happen every day. Its time to stop believing in the “miracle-myth” of New Year Celebrations because it's right up-there with Santa-Clause. If you’re not working on a plan right now, or worse, you don’t have a plan at all, ain’t shit going to change on January 1st or any OTHER day.

By the way, you don’t have to wait for January 1st to get going on your plan. Fuck a New Years resolution… Tell the truth; how many people really keep their New Years resolutions anyway?

Knock it off with the “New Year Miracle” nonsense and get to work on your plan to really make ’08 YOUR YEAR. Have fun at the celebrations (we all need to have fun every once in a while) but get serious about where you want to be in 2008. If you don’t have a plan then you really need to get going. Then maybe you can look back at the end of the year and say This WAS My Year!

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ARE YOU REALLY ON YOUR GRIND?

Here’s a loaded question… What does it really mean to be on your grind? I hear a lot of people saying that they’re on their GRIND. But what does that really mean?

That phrase is used so often I wonder if the people using it even stop to think what it really means. Is being on your grind a good thing or a bad thing? If you’re putting in time with no results are you on your grind? Or can someone say they’re on their grind if they don’t work hard but they get the job done? (Like, they work effectively)

It’s very easy to say you’re on your GRIND, but what does it really mean? We, in the Hip-Hop community have always created little catchy phrases that eventually become a part of our lives. But this one can be the RUNAWAY TRAIN. To say you’re on your GRIND without a clear understanding of what it means to “you”, can have you living a LIE.

So what does it really mean to be on your GRIND? It’s not a trick question DAMMIT!!! There’s no right or wrong answer either… It’s just a question you have to ask yourself. ARE YOU REALLY ON YOUR GRIND?

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Is Hip-Hop Dead?

The big question in the music game today is if Hip-Hop is dead. Before I answer that question I’m going say KNOCK IT OFF DAMMIT!!! Hip-Hop is a culture, so how can it die? Is there a change in Rap-music? HELL YEA!!!

Since it’s inception the Hip-Hop culture has evolved at least four times and it’s going to keep evolving. The real question is which rapper is going to evolve with it because the challenge is bigger now than ever before.

With a drastic decline in album sales in the last seven years, and rappers aren’t seeing their pockets grow, most of them are drowning in HATE saying s—t like “What’s played today ain’t real Hip-Hop”. The next-time you hear someone say some dumb s—t like that, Ask them if they saw any dinosaurs outside lately? And you know why they didn’t? BECAUSE DINOSAURS COULDN'T ADAPT TO CHANGE!!!

Let me give you one of my daily quotes. “I don’t know everything, but I know enough to get an A”. Which really means I’m always a student and I do my f**king homework. Did these HATERS stop to think that maybe one of the major reasons there is a decline of album sales is because more people are buying their music different from how they did 3 years, or 18 months, or even 1 year ago? Downloaded music sales are at an all time high and it’s going to grow. So Mr. & Mrs. Rapper, how are you going to get paid in the 21st century?

With all the promotional and distribution tools available even an Independent Recording Artist can make a very good living off their music alone. However, if you’re an artist that has full tracks on your MYSPACE page for free downloads, stop HATING because you can’t sell S**T. No matter how much they like your music, why would anyone buy it when they can get it for free. Why don’t you just post a sample for free? Oh let me guess, you’re giving away your music in hopes Record Label Executives hear your s**t and give you a record deal… Well, DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!! The music business doesn’t work like that any more. Of course you should give free-bees, but at a promotional level. This is a business and you have to know how much Free-Bees to give. Remember you’re trying to eat off your music. There are many places for your fans to hear your music free. Ever heard of http://www.uglyradio.net/?

If we look back in time we’ll see that great music in any genre that defines a culture don’t just die. It evolves. So I ask the question again… Is Hip-Hop dead? Maybe the Rap music that we got use to is dead. Or the way music was distributed 1 year ago is dead. But Hip-Hop is far from dead. Just ask 50, Jay-Z, or Diddy… They’re evolving all the time. Its more than the music, it’s a culture.

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