RRG #15-It's A Celebration!

The holiday season is here party people! This week turkey sandwiches, football blowouts and pissed off Natives. Next month, maxed out credit cards and after holiday sales at Macy's (holla). Even if your enlightened and hate what the days REALLY stand for, make sure you take time out and be thankful for the good things you have in your life. Pause for a minute this week and thank God for waking you up today at least and giving us all a few days off! If you have to work this weekend, thank God for overtime, Xmas is around the corner.

I know I have tons to be thankful for this year. My regular readers out there know how much drama I've been through. As the new year approaches, I'm ready to set it off in a major way and show the West Coast how The Tennessee Hustler, NY Transplant does it!


Can you believe that my Canhead Records blog turned one year old yesterday!?! My site that started out as a way to kill time and post my rants, reviews, flashbacks of my previous musical life, experimental music tracks and New York notes, has evolved into...well, it kind of stayed the same. Just like it's owner, Canhead didn't change a cottdamn thing! If anything, the blog improved and refined some old habits. I was surprised by the results and reactions, and continued posting on my new journal/web magazine/favorites bookmark folder/mp3 dump. Soon the numbers started showing a increase in visitors. I re-discovered my love of writing and the old high school newspaper editor in me was awakened.

I found several blogs that I looked to for writing inspiration such as hiphopmusic.com(now playing Amadou & Mariam) , Hiphopblogs.com, Pro Hip-hop.com, Pyramids to the Projects, TofuHut.com, and a little site called Blogcritics.org. I began submitting some of my articles to them, trying to sharpen my sword and build my confidence in writing. Blogcritics.org was extremely helpful and I found myself reviewing artists releases. Celebrity interviews were soon included, favorites list were noted down, blog writers were emailed introduction letters and some remain in touch, premier and concert tickets were mailed cross country and I found myself back in the mix....almost.

Then the real world came crashing in as my personal life turned ugly for a minute. After I re-adjusted and re-located, the site continued to be anchor in a very turbulent period for me. Slowly, things began to stabilize in my personal world, and the blog continued to grow. Now in Los Angeles, I began to take Canhead very seriously and reached out to others who had a similar vision. Now, as the blog hits it's first year, it's faced with it's next growth spurt....the relocation, renaming and re-launching of a bigger, better and deffer Canhead.

That's right folk, if everything goes according to plan, Canhead will cease to exist in this present form. I plan on writing more for Live Streams LA.com and focusing on the big streaming picture, as well as stepping up the freelance journalism game. Plus, I am dying to set this site off the way it should be. I mean, Blogger.com is ok, but it's far from the real deal. You all have been here for a full year reading my bs(blog story), you deserve the best site you can get.

You will still find all kinds of funky fresh, liberal, intelligent and stupid dope manuvas here! I'll keep hitting youz up with the usual mp3 or two, weblinks, event announcements, nekid girlie pictures and political conspiracy theory propaganda that you can handle....if your still feeling me. Basically, change is coming. Stay tuned!!

So yeah, that's it. Happy Thanksgiving...Happy Birthday to the Canhead Records blog....and a Happy Festivus for the rest of us. Have some cake, be careful with the punch, it's spiked and not with the weak stuff either! It's a celebration bitches, enjoy yourself!

Here are a few of the pages that seem to get the most repeat hits at the site and some others that I thought were really, really good. I have some real posts that I'm working on for you so stay tuned.

I'll holla!

"You Really Got A Hold Of Me" right dad?

CD Review: Kotton Mouth Kings

Shock Jocks...They All Sound The Same To Me

Still tippin on four fours

Stereo Synthesis Selections

Sway & King Tech presents Back 2 Basics CD\DVD Review


Frank Costanza: Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son. I reached for the last one they had, but so did another man. As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way.
Cosmo Kramer: What happened to the doll?
Frank Costanza: It was destroyed. But out of that a new holiday was born . . . a Festivus for the rest of us!
Cosmo Kramer: That must've been some kind of doll.
Frank Costanza: She was.

GZA, DJ Muggs,Swollen Members & Self Scientific Live On Stage

The line stretched clear down the block Sunday night, as some of Los Angeles’ hip-hop faithful and top notch emcees waited for the show to begin. Deep downtown, the jump-off was about to jump off at The Grand. DJ Muggs vs. GZA “Grandmasters” album release party was underway, and hundreds of hip-hop heads were on line early, ready to hear the Wu Gambino and the Soul Assassin do their thing. Also scheduled to rock the house that night were Swollen Members, I Self Devine, and a handful of emcees and surprise guest. As the security barked at the line and cleared the sidewalk, I walked up to the door, greeted by the low rumble of the Swollen Members tour bus that was parked next to the club. After meeting with the Live Streams LA.com crew, I stepped into the arena, ready for a night of hip-hop heavyweights.

DJ Muggs and GZA have been on the grind promoting this new CD. The two have been on the road, hitting Washington, Colorado and ripping shows from San Fran to San Diego. This was my third time seeing the show, but it was clearly the hottest performance of the tour. The shows at The Knitting Factory’s were tight, but the size of crowd at The Grand was one of the most impressive turn outs that I’ve seen. The place was packed, and all the emcees that took the stage that night had one of the best crowds they could ask for. The Chinky Eyed event was about to jump off!

Between running back and forth with the LSLA crew, trying to catch interviews, I managed to catch most of the show. Dumbfounded, The Crux (with the ill mariachi band intro killing it!!) , L.O.R.D., and various members of Project Blowed hit the stage and ripped shit, getting everyone ready for the main act. No doubt about it, this was a hip-hop crowd! Looking down from the balcony, I saw a few cats break into windmills and backspins and thought LSLA mastermind Steve M was about to get busy with the pop locks!

When Swollen Members was about to hit the stage, they went nuts, screaming “Swollen…swollen….swollen” until the Canadian mic barbarians stepped up. SM blessed the crowd with their hits and brought the movement to Los Angeles. Phil Da Agony and Planet Asia took the stage with them as well and the set was a good look for the Battle Axe representatives.

The headliners shook the building, as the “Grandmasters” song intro welcomed DJ Muggs and GZA to the Grand stage. Dreddy Kruger and Just Allah worked their magic and ran through several of GZA’s hits and cuts off the new album. Wu fans were in the spot as usual, throwing up their W’s and reciting lyrics from some of GZA’s classic darts. GZA finally closed the show and hung around onstage, showing love to the crowd, shaking hands, and reaching out to the people for a minute before hit bounced.

All in all, it was a great night for hip-hop in Los Angeles. The spirit of the “Unity” parties was definitely in the house, as everyone was showing love and paying respect to Bigga B and entire Unity crew. Is it possible that we may see Unity parties in LA again in 2006? You’ll have to stay tuned for that, to see catch some highlights from the night, make sure you check out the videos!

Peace to everyone who came out and made it one hell of a night. Shouts to Swezz for another top notch event, and Fatty for the Subway Scooby Snacks!

Links:

http://www.myspace.com/chinkyeyedfridays