Ghettosocks with DJ Jon Deck - We're Gonna Drink A Lot Of Wine This Year, Boys. (Mixtape)

That dude Ghettosocks recently released another project with DJ Jon Deck. Dope beats. Dope lyrics. Boom bap shit. Word. Features include, Swamp Thing, Muneshine, Torae, Ambition, Chokeules, Timbuktu, Wordburglar and Jesse Dangerously. The highlights for me are, I'm Loaded, Keep it G, Zanzibar and dude is absolutely snappin on Grapez. Cop or stream We're Gonna Drink A Lot of Wine This Year, Boys. 

Lion Hunter X Verena Rizg

Lion Hunter is the new home for Mo of Curvy Geekery. She's one of my favorite local creatives and bloggers so I expect greatness from whatever she touches. The Lion Hunter recently took sat down with local Renaissance woman Verena Rizg for a brief interview and performance. Visit Lion Hunter for more on Verena and browse around for more dopeness.

Duane “Dewey” Jones Sr. – Past Glitterati

I recently returned from an unplanned trip to Bermuda. My Dad was diagnosed with lung cancer last year but after radiation treatments was on his way to a speedy recovery. This wouldn’t last long, as his cancer re-emerged and struck other parts of his body. This prompted me to get my recently expired passport up to date and make arrangements for my kids and I to visit him. My passport arrived much earlier than expected and we were able to fly out but shortly after we arrived my father passed away. If my passport came when I initially expected, we would have missed him. I’m thankful to God that I was given that time. Some people, including him, say that he was waiting for us before he would let go of this world. The last words he said to me were, "Are you happy?" and "I love you son". To which I replied, "Yes, and I love you too".

My father was loved by many people as my siblings and I have come to find out. We were approached by streams of people who expressed their appreciation for him and his funeral filled the church and spilled onto Court Street (His old stomping grounds). Unlike my Dad, I was a bit of a nerd growing up. He was always, the coolest guy in the room from my perspective and I sometimes wondered what went wrong with me. He played the keyboard in a band, was really smooth with the ladies and nothing seemed to phase him.

Mom with Pops rockin' the Rick Ross and holding a baby Glitterati Duane

 To my surprise, I learned that he wasn’t just a "jobber" moonlighting as a musician, but was somewhat of a local jazz and rock legend. As a teenager he went to school by day and played music at night to help pay bills at home. This continued until his high school principal forced him to decide between music and school. He chose music. As a mostly self-taught pianist he had started to build a reputation for himself in Bermuda and was making connections with some of the island's best emerging rock talents of the time including Michael Curtis Clarke, Dennis Joell, Charles Taylor, Tony Cox, Big Daddy Yates, Artie Simmons, Tiny Ray and Keith Casey. He was also able to play with international artists including but not limited to Diana Ross and the Supremes, Jimi Hendrix, Marvin Gaye, Johnny Nash, Martha and the Vandellas, Wilson Pickett. The guys that my Dad played with in the early days went through a number of band names to reflect changes in times and music and came close to signing a record deal after recording in New York in the 60’s. After their deal fell through due to a bidding war that ended in a stale mate, he and his band mates took their talents to Canada, America and later to Britain where they would go on to tour Europe, the Middle East and Africa playing music. They got kicked out of countries, went through bouts of starvation, groupies, band break ups and lived the rock-n-roll life.

Left to right: Dewey Jones, Michael Curtis Clarke, Charles Taylor Dennis "Humphrey" Joell

My Dad was an anomaly because he seemed to have boundless confidence but he was a humble dude. I never knew that he had accomplished so much because when he returned to Bermuda, long before I was born, he took the responsible route and worked as a taxi driver. He was proud to own two taxis; One that he and my mother had purchased and one that was willed to him by his father. Working as a taxi driver gave him the flexibility to set his own hours so he could continue to play music professionally up until his sickness took that away from him. He often bragged to me about not having to kiss anyone’s ass and work when he felt like it. I used think to myself, “Whatever Daddy”. I reflect on the memories of him telling me that now and I realize that he influenced my interest in entrepreneurship without me even knowing it. I’m even following his example by working a day job and pursuing my passion projects at night.

As an adult, I had a complicated relationship with my father though. My dad was stubborn and I am my father’s son and can be just as stubborn. My dad and I never really had serious issues with each other but there was a distance between us. We were a lot alike and I really enjoyed my talks with him but sometimes I felt like I was talking to an old friend more than a “Dad”. When he got sick; in conversations, he played his typical cool guy role and played down his illness. I assumed that I would have lots of time to talk to him about his early years as a musician, his European tour and share with him why I empathize with him as a father now that I’ve been doing it for a few years. I’m an Artist and I wanted to tell him that I share his love for music and how his love for music is like my love for art. I wanted him to know that I admired him for being able to earn money doing what he loved for so long. I am grateful that I WAS able to have some of those conversations and show him a video of his oldest granddaughter playing the piano before he passed. I hope that those experiences helped him to find peace in the end. I hope that he realized that my siblings and I never stopped loving him and that even though he struggled to verbalize his feelings we knew how proud he was of us and how much he loved us.

Love you Pops

Michael and Dewey picture taken from the book, Curtis, A Tribute to Michael Clarke

Assorted band shots taken from the book, Curtis, A Tribute to Michael Clarke

Lupe Fiasco - B*tch Bad Commentary

When Lupe Fiasco released Food and Liqour a few years back I was really into his work. He was a dope rapper with great production and his music provided poignent commentary on the issues that inner city youth face. He's since expanded his portfolio and become somewhat of a social activist and at times has taken positions that have sparked controversy. He also became really successful and his music took a decidedly more commercial turn and I eventually lost interest in him. I'm not mad at his venture into "pop rap", because I realize that he is in the music BUSINESS and it's his job to sell records and reach the biggest audience possible but it wasn't my thing.

My personal taste in hip hop runs the gamut from socially concious rap to gangsta. I can't event put my finger on what makes a song good to me. I just know it when I hear it. Bitch Bad is one of those songs that effects me on a number of levels. First; I think it's a great song. Second; It's a song with a positive message that hits home with a lot of people without sounding like a church sermon (Not that there's anything wrong with church sermons :)). Third; With a title like "Bitch Bad" your typical gangsta rap fan might give it a listen and hopefully learn something in the process. As a father I feel conflicted daily as I listen to music that often portrays women in a negative light and worry about the day my daughters are old enough to stumble across my play list. Bitch Bad is all about kids being exposed to these messages and how they don't have the life experience to separate fact from fiction in entertainment. In defense of hip hop I think this applies to everything, including other genres of music, television and literature. Context is king and without it we are all capable of being influenced by shiny things that look cool. In the video below Lupe breaks down his thinking behind the song.

Future Glitterati - Jaro

Photo courtesy of Katherine Kerr Photography

This interview was originally intended to be part of a project that I started late last year but got too busy to complete. Doing a Masters, working full time and taking on client work has taken over my life and is kicking my independent projects in the nuts right now. The project isn’t dead but I’ve finally accepted that I’m only human and can only do so much. That being said, I feel obligated to share this dope interview I did with my man Jaro. He released a crazy mixtape called Cherubim around the time the interview took place that you need to check out. The man has a bright future ahead of him.

How would you describe your music?
A combination of Jesus turning water into wine with H.I.M Haile Selassie I handing out free blunts while Buddah DJ’s at a million angel march in the lower Eastside of heaven, that has a strip club where the 70 virgins that radical muslims get after they kill themselves work. Only at this strip club they take of their clothes in a comfortable mind expanding environment… All that, for your ears. Ha ha jokes. On the real, as far as the type of instrumentations and genres I draw from, I would say at its core is hip hop and reggae, but I draw inspiration from anywhere for production and voicing. I love electronic, rock, dub, dancehall, dubstep, folk and music native to old countries such as China, Australia and India to name a few. I love having a world sound. Lyrical content is just a reflection of life and all aspects of it. I’m a very spiritual person with a real love for mystery so that’s reflected as well. Hope I didn’t offend anybody.

You got your start in music as a rapper/vocalist for a band called The Chronicles. Were you always into genre blending?
Man, I miss The Chronicles. We had some REALLY good times. *sidebar* I won’t say that The Chronicles are done. Our core members are still together for the most part. We have just evolved our whole scope of who we are, so look out for an evolution of ‘The Chronicles’ in the future! As far as the question, that’s hard to say one way or the other. I grew up in Bermuda listening to old school reggae, old school gospel, soul and African songs such as the South African National Anthem. So I have always had an appreciation for different types of music. But I first fell in love with blending music when Busta dropped ‘When Disaster Strikes’. The song ‘Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See’ was huge in Bermy. That instrumental was so deadly. Every major dancehall and reggae artist jumped on it and tore it up. That’s what exposed me to blending music and it being hotter than if each artist stayed on their respective genre’s beats and riddims. When I moved to Canada back in the day, I was exposed to so many other types of music in large part thanks to my band members and close friends. When we came together we just said lets just all play what we bring to the table and don’t call it anything. As long as it grooves together we were happy. So rock, reggae, hip hop, jazz all made into our sound. Good times… That’s where I realized music is music. And I should embrace all types of music for my own sound.

Future Glitterati - AbCents Interview

AbCents is a Bermuda born hip hop producer based in New York. We touch on his musical background, his influences and some of his future projects. The music comes from his Cents 1983 LP. Photo in the background provided by King Texas.

Check below for AbCents's latest project with Postell Pringle titled, The Mess You Made

AbCents + Postell – The Mess You Made