11.18.2002
it's finally time y'all
"PARANOIA" -the new album from POEM-CEES
special advance cd release show 12/7/02 @The Black Cat 1811 14th St. NW
soon we shall:
-revise the website (ya hear that leslye/rhome?)
-tighten up the marketing/promo/retail plan
-start crawling out of our respective caves
-hand you a flyer
-wonder why we didn't invite quartermayne to rock on the album (sup D)
-be glad we ran into Theory (of Infinite Loop fame) the other day
-hand you another flyer
-make your skin crawl with track #[?]
-make you smile with track #[?]
-have to go back in the studio to finish deep-frying the other project
i anticipate being asked questions like:
-how come [fill in the blank] isn't on this record?
-are you ok?
-i know you don't expect ME to pay for this?
-are you open to a SPIN magazine interview?
-are you guys gonna be serious, asshole "artist" types now?
-are you sure you're ok?
and of course, the grandaddy question of 'em all...
-were you talking about me?
"PARANOIA" y'all- it's exactly what you think it is...except for the parts that aren't
easy,
dp
ps. 'sup, dottie lee- talk to ya soon...
naturalaw-dp - 4:45 AM
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11.13.2002
just caught hold of this review of miscellaneous flux's "dead in dreams" lp
please read it. comment in the guestbook if you want
naturalaw-dp - 6:05 PM
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11.11.2002
the latest news on the wack lloyd williams article:
Thank you for your recent letter to Metro about Lloyd Williams' Nov. 5
column, "Rappers often killed by their own lifestyle." We appreciate that
you took the time to send this e-mail. You soon may receive a request to
print your letter, but if you don't, please accept our thanks for your
response.
Best,
Wayne Lockwood
Letters editor
Metro
naturalaw-dp - 4:18 PM
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11.6.2002
dammit- do not these bamas know i gots no time for this?
THE ARTICLE:
Rappers often killed by their own lifestyle
Lloyd Williams
FREELANCE WRITER
E-MAIL: COMMENTS@METRO-PHILLY.COM
"Another MC lose his life tonight, Lord I beg that you pray to
Jesus Christ, why O Lord, father don't let him bury me, whoa."
- Sample from Zealots by The Fugees
According to the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, the essence of the Tao is that "The violent man shall die a violent death." So I wasn't exactly surprised when I heard that yet another rapper had gone out in a blaze of glory. For the "essence " of that brash brand of music has always been to boast about being a gangsta and to holler about how tough you are and how high a body count you've compiled. And apparently it is particularly important to "keep it real " by maintaining a street credibility, which ostensibly means acting out whatever you do in your videos. Hence, all the rappers with the long rap sheets, inking so much space on crime blotters across the country. The tragedy is that a lot of kids actually look up to these rebels without a clue as role models. The truth be told, any of this lost generation of boys caught up in the cultural vacuum of emulating outlaw antics aren't going to get very far in life.
I can 't honestly say that I was a fan of Jam Master Jay (aka Jason Mizell),or of his group, Run-DMC, so I will leave it to others to eulogize the dearly departed brother. Yet I wonder who would even want to wax romantic about the hard knock life of a guy who half expected to go out in a blaze of glory anyway. Yes, I know that he was a pioneer who helped create that cacaphonic genre. And that he was a good rapper, whatever that means. To most law-abiding citizens, talking about a good or bad rapper is like talking about good and bad rapists. The rep on rap is so bad that people are afraid to let their children go to concerts or movies featuring hip-hoppers for fear of murder and mayhem.
Why just last month, a hard-core rap film called "Gang Wars " bypassed a theatrical release and went straight to video out of concern for the violence that would break out if it were shown in theaters. Ain't that something to be proud of? Already, there is serious speculation as to whether Master Jay 's gangland-style execution was retribution for unpaid debts having to do with the much ballyhooed East Coast-West Coast rivalry which blew out Biggie 's and Tupac 's brains. Some say that it couldn't be, because Run DMC had renounced illegal activity. Do you know that the Mafia never admits to any illegal activity either. Whatever necessitated his early demise, I know that Jam was from Queens and died there, too, not far from the neighborhood where I was raised, and where my parents, married over 50 years, still live.
So, I know that he's not from any 'hood in the MTV fabricated, ghetto fabulous sense. Unfortunately, I 'm sure most of his fans will be led to think otherwise, even in death.
Why not fashion a less glamorous obituary which focuses on the fact that he was also a married man who now leaves behind a widow and three hopelessly scarred orphans? Why not ask how a man who must have made millions in the business didn't retire or move on to a less risky line of work after starting a family?
THE RESPONSE:
to metro, philadelphia,
i recently read an article in your publication that prompted me to send this message to your editorial staff. the lloyd williams column entitled "Rappers often killed by their own lifestyle" is a poorly researched, poorly written, inaccurate and disrespectful piece of work. lloyd williams wrongly portrays the whole of hip hop as deserving of death, being no better than rapists and as likely to have engaged in illegal activities as mobsters. i take great offense to this sham of an article. i am a product of hip hop, and will not stand by idle while such false generalizations are endorsed by your newspaper. i understand that columns are the province of the columnist and as such are often not held to the same editorial standard as your news journalists, but this article should not have gone to print with anymore than a cursory reference to the death of jason mizell aka jam master jay:
-the focus is on mocking "gangster rappers" for creating a self-fulfilling prophecy by glorifying and needlessly clinging to "gangster lifestyles" that lead to an early, violent (yet not unforseeable) death. this has NOTHING to do with the death of jason mizell, nor (more importantly) the life of jason mizell
-obviously lloyd william's attempt to incorporate the death of jason mizell in his article did not include a shred of research- NOT ONE. basic facts such as
-jason mizell was not a rapper
-RUN-DMC was not a "gangster rap" group
-jason mizell was never even remotely associated with a nihilistic
lifestyle, in his public or private life.
i find it hard to believe that metro, philadelphia would allow lloyd williams to write a column on the death of the great actor richard harris where he stated:
-richard harris was a vile and filthy smoker who deserved to die of
cancer
-he was most likely a terrorist (after all, ireland does have the IRA)
-how can we celebrate a drunken actor who brought his death upon
himself?
i am an attorney and a musician who makes hip hop music. i realize there is a current media obsession with the negative aspects of the genre. the same could be said about violence and debuachery in movies and television. this does not mean that lloyd williams should be allowed to write such a poor article without repercussions. nothing less than a published acknowledgement of his poor attempt at journalism and an apology to the family of jason mizell and the many fans of RUN-DMC and hip hop culture will be deemed acceptable.
i am based in washington, dc and can be reached at poemcees@hotmail.com. i look forward to hearing from a member of the editorial staff as soon as possible. please do not overlook this abominable piece of 'journalism' and it's impact on many of your readers and subscribers.
awaiting your response,
darrell steven perry, esq.
http://www.poemcees.com
POEM-CEES/Soul Controllers/blacklustre E!
"i'm feelin' that brand of hip hop..."
YOUR TASK:
do the same; call this lloyd williams idiot out on a really piss-poor piece of column writing
comments@metro-philly.com
comments@metro-philly.com
comments@metro-philly.com
naturalaw-dp - 6:41 PM
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