Omen Feat. Elite: "Holy Omen"

Omen "Holy Omen" Feat. Elite Music Video Directed by Impakt Studio's Chris & Blaq from IMPAKT STUDIO/Chris & Blaq on Vimeo.

I meant to put this up yesterday but time wouldn't permit it. Better late than never though right?

Omen's videos just keep getting better. This is video for "Holy Omen" which is off "Delayed". Check out Elite stepping away from the computer to get on the mic. Here's what he had to say about working with Omen:

I started out as an artist before I was producing. Once I got into making beats I would only write rhymes once in a while. After recording a warm up freestyle, I hit up Omen asking if he wanted to do a song. He was on a roll at the time, sending me tons of music and I wanted to latch onto his energy, he was being real productive. He sent me the sample and I did the beat pretty quickly – sent it as a “rough draft” but he really loved it. He was in Chicago and I was in New York, so we both wrote our verses without knowing what the other was writing about. Somehow it came together though. I knew Omen was gonna bring it so I couldn’t slack. The reactions I got were great so it ended up being the first step to my rededication to rapping. I’m currently working on a mixtape as an Artist and I definitely have Omen to thank for giving me the shot to kind of rediscover myself as an MC.
The most rewarding part about working with Omen was that he put confidence in me. As someone who is known primarily as a producer, it’s hard to break that stigma and gain respect as an artist. He is very picky with who he works with, so him allowing me the opportunity to not just produce a track for him but appear as a featured artist as well meant a lot. -Elite

Props to Let's Just Eat Cheese and Shauna Barbosa for the original story.

PSA of the Day

PSA of the Day: To prevent history from repeating itself you have to continuously make a conscious effort to remember it. Sometimes we get amnesia though.

PSA of the Day

PSA of the Day: Wasted time is wasted opportunity

XXL Freshman 2010 Freestyles: J. Cole

"They say anything's possible/You gotta dream like you've never seen obstacles/Chasing obscene profits so we ain't stopping for the red lights/Look in my rear view all I see is niggas head lights" 

In this video, J. Cole does a freestyle for XXL's Freshman class of 2010. A snippet of this was released a little while back but this is the complete freestyle. It's typical Cole: down right impressive. Enjoy

Jay Electronica: "My Dreams Are Coming True"

In this short interview with MTV's Mixtape Daily, Jay talks about "Exhibit C", how it got leaked, his up coming project titled "Act II", the actual album that will follow titled "Act III", being homeless in several cities, the confidence he held on to despite all of the difficulties he's faced in life, and how great things are going now for him.

Jay's a great guy. He's from New Orleans and he does a great job of representing the city. I've met him a few times and he's very approachable. He's a sincerely, humble and genuine person that appreciates everything he gets and I couldn't be happier for him. He's the epitome of perseverance. Can't wait for the new material to be released.    

Props to MTV and Nah Right where I initially saw the video.

The view the article and original link, click here.

How to Become Great: Staying Hungry

"There's no limitation to it...still!...still!"


During All-Star weekend in Dallas, Jay-Z took time on the red carpet to talk with MTV about a song he's recently made, what inspires him, and Hip-Hop's positioning/emergence into today's global setting. 

I've never met him but it's obvious Jay-Z loves what he's doing. He hasn't even finished the Blueprint 3 tour yet and he already has, what he believes to be, a "crazy record" in the vault for his next album. That's the type of work ethic every young artist should aspire to attain; never settling or growing comfortable in the success they have reached.

The moral of the story: if you truly want to be great, stay on your toes and remain hungry. Don't let other people minimize your potential by limiting your possibilities. When they tell you you've reached the top of the mountain, get a ladder and start climbing that. You have to constantly strive for improvement. If you don't, I think you have nowhere to go but down from there.

So what will you do, climb or fall behind? The choice is yours to make. Just know for me and mines, good ain't good enough; I wanna be legendary and I only wanna associate with people who feel the same way. So if you think that's crazy fine, so be it; this is where you exit the plane. But if you can feel what I'm saying buckle up and get ready because it's time to take flight. See you in the sky.  

-K

 "Can't tell you where I'm going, just know I won't stop/Goodbye to the bottom, hello to the--top"-J.Cole

Props to MTV for the original link.

Jay-Z Feat. Rihanna & U2: "Stranded"

Donate Now: 1-877-99-HAITI in US/Canada, or go to www.hopeforhaitinow.org

"We learned from the past, New Orleans was flooded/So we know we just can't rely on the government"

I know this is kinda old but I still think it's dope. In case you missed it, Jay-Z, Rihanna, and U2 teamed up on a Swizz Beatz produced track titled "Stranded" to help Haiti.

People in Haiti are still suffering and need help. Please do whatever you can to assist them in their time of need. After dealing with Hurricane Katrina and it's aftermath I know it really means a lot when you know someone else cares and is willing to help. Anyways do what you can and continue to keep them in your prayers.

Props to MTV for the original link.

Steve Smith Interviews KG

KG's still the man after all these years.

During the NBA's All-Star weekend, NBA TV's Steve Smith sat down for a brief chat with the Big Ticket to discuss the weekend in Dallas, the status of Garnett's knee, how he prepares for the game, and what the C's need to do to improve the second half of the season.

After living in a boarding school about two hours away from Boston (Phillips Exeter Academy) I don't remember seeing all the "faithful" Celtics fans in the stands when Rondo (who's a great player and a pretty good guy I might add) was coming off the bench. Boy what a difference a few years makes.

Props to NBA.com. Here's the original link. Check out the video and article there; for some strange reason, the video won't play on the blog.

All-Access With Ahmad: Carmelo Anthony

In this interview, NBA TV's Ahmad Rashad sits down for an in depth interview with Denver Nuggets small forward Carmelo Anthony. The two talk about winning an NBA championship, Melo's chances of doing so with the Nuggets' current roster, off-season workouts, his coach George Karl (Who's currently in a battle with cancer. Keep him in your prayers), Syracuse basketball, Michael Jordan, and his film/entertainment company Crossover Entertainment.

Peep the Jay-Z reference at the 3:35 mark.

Props to NBA.com, here's the original link

PSA of the Day

PSA of the Day: Love is like learning: It's never really over unless you want it to be. The day you discontinue either is the day you begin to decline in all facets of life.

Had My Cake and Ate it Too: Birthday Recap

Once again, thanks for all the birthday wishes yesterday (and today). After work, I went out to eat with some family and had a ice cream cake after that. Didn't really have anything to drink but I'm sure there will be time for a little sip of something here or there.

Anyways, after I get my work done I'll try throw up some old PSA's later on. We'll see.

Hello 21, Nice to Meet You

"Thank you thank you thank you, you're far too kind" 

So today's my 21st birthday. Thanking God I've made it this far. I still have a ways to go though. These first 21 years have been great. Shout out to everyone who called, left text/messages on my phone, and/or hit me on Twitter/Facebook; I'm truly thankful and grateful. Can't wait to make the next 21 even better. I'm excited to see what the future holds. You're welcome to come along for the ride; if you choose to do so I promise you won't be disappointed. Once again, thanks everyone. All aboard.

-K

P.S. No celebrating tonight. (Birthdays is work days in the worse ways) I've got a ton of work to catch up on but if the weekend permits you all could be in for a rare K. Wright sighting other than at work or school. We'll see. Peace and love, keep winning, and stay tuned. Until next time, enjoy this:



And I know this video was for NM but this was my favorite video of the song. Besides Mandela's my homie; we go wayyy back. Aight, Imma stop now. There, all done.

PSA of the Day

As an artist, I'm constantly hit with inspiration/ideas and sometimes I convert them into little helpful PSA's (Public Service Announcements in case you were lost). So from now on, I'll be sharing my PSA's with you as they come to me; my hope is they'll be able to make a positive contribution to your life. If they do great. If not, hopefully they will one day. So without further adieu, here's the first PSA of the Day posted on the site.

PSA of the Day: You can wait on things to change you or you can become great and change things.

Omen: "Terminal O"

 "That'll never be me, never been sleepy/Pass on your wild coyote plans like beep beep/Saying that I'm cynical, I say I'm real while they pose like Centerfolds"

So Omen has once again teamed up with Impakt Studios to shoot a video for the intro off his sampler mixtape "Delayed" that dropped a few months back. The actual mixtape, titled "Afraid of Heights", will be dropping sometime soon (hopefully). At least it better be or Elite, Ron, and I will have to stop murking Omen in tetris so he can focus. Great video by the way; in fact, I think it's his best overall work yet. He's always on point but he's really stepped it up since "Do The Right Thing". I'll let you guys be the judge of that though. As always, enjoy.

P.S. If you want more Omen in your life check out his self-run, newly renovated blog Dopart Academy. (It's already in the blog roll call but if you're too lazy to scroll over I've hyper linked the name for you. Slacker.)

Try Try Again

"If at first you don't succeed, try try again."

Love looking at this video and hearing J.Cole talk about the first time he actually "met" Jay-Z. I can't imagine how that felt but it just speaks to Jermaine's perseverance and refusal to give up or quit on himself; after all we know how things ultimately turned out. (Shout out to my man Chris "Knotti" Green behind the camera.)

And for the record, he's my favorite of the "New School" rappers hands down (Besides myself of course). Been a big fan of Cole since a little before the deal and happy to see him get everything he deserves. He even gave me some advice via twitter before my first live performance. I got nothing but love and respect for him, his boys Omen, Elite, and the rest of the Dreamville crew.

Anyways, his untitled debut album is scheduled to drop early this summer and will feature production from himself as well as No I.D. and Pharell; I wouldn't be surprised if Elite is on there (producing/rapping) as well as a verse from the boss man and Omen.

So when things don't go the way you want (which happens more than we would like them to) keep looking ahead and moving forward; complaining won't get you where you want to go. It only affirms you don't believe in yourself and/or you aren't willing to put in the work it requires to achieve your dreams. It's really a weak minded trait if you think about it. Example: Babies cry when they're hungry, tired, need their diapers changed, etc. They cry so they can have their needs met or "have their way", primarily because they can't do the previously listed tasks for themselves. But you're not a baby, you're (hopefully) a mature enough individual that you should be able to handle the rough spots that life dishes out. So don't take the failures along the route to success personally. Just keep moving forward, stay away from detours, and don't take your eyes off the road. Happy driving folks.

New Axe Commercial

"Clean your balls with Axe"

Where have I been? I haven't seen this commercial once on T.V. Thank God for the internet; this is absolutely hilarious. And to think, I was just about to stop using Axe. This commercial just saved them a customer. I wish it would have aired during the Superbowl (the commercials were kinda lacking this year in my opinion). Enjoy and remember to wash you balls. Enjoy

Props to the Hayward Music Blog

New Orleans Stand Up! The Saints' Superbowl Victory and its Significance

I actually covered the Saints a bit this year for NewOrleans.com and I have to admit I didn't see this coming at the start of the season. Due to journalistic integrity, it would have been highly unethical for me to cheer for the Saints but I can't be happier for the organization and more importantly the city. In recent year's past, New Orleans has become synonymous with Hurricane Katrina (as it should be); and although people know about the catastrophic storm only a minute group of individuals can fully comprehend the damaging affects it has caused physically and mentally not only to the citizens of New Orleans but the Gulf Coast as a whole. Some people believe that sports are by nature intrinsically unimportant and have no true meaning. "It's just a game," they might add and it always ends when the clock runs out but I beg to differ. Sometimes, sports transcends its existence as insignificant entertainment and aspires to represent something more meaningful and note-worthy; this is exactly what the Saints have been able to do since returning to New Orleans post Katrina. In a city that is experiencing an agonizingly slow recovery period and has spent less than half the money its received from the federal government, the Saints as well as the Hornets have done their best to represent the city with class, dignity, and courage; and although the Hornets have done a great job since coming to the city the Saints have been here for 43 long, hard years. At times, their fans had to endure people referring to their team as "The Aints" and masked their loyalty to the team by wearing brown paper bags over their heads at games to conceal their identity, all in hopes that one day, their team would hoist the Lombardi trophy in the air as Superbowl champions; that day is here. So today, as the first ever Saints parade is making its way through downtown New Orleans, know that it screams and exemplifies this to the world: the people of New Orleans still do exist; We're still here. We matter and we're still fighting to rebuild our city. And last but certainly not least, the WhoDat Nation loves its Saints.