Nucleus Metropolis novel review

A few words about the author
Jason Crane is a Canadian writer. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario. He then moved to Vancouver, BC six years ago. Jason Crane does some editing work for Chris Walter of GFY Press in Vancouver. One of his poems will be published in the December issue of Forever Underground Magazine.
Jason is no stranger to the world of the music industry. He played in punk bands in Ontario, Life Like Jesus, Loser, Liquid Butterfly, Cheese Grater, just to name a few.
What the reader should know about Jason Crane is that this author has all qualities needed that make a good writer: an original and descriptive style combined with great suspense. Jason makes you feel and sent the atmosphere of the places he invites you in.
Ready for a further exploration of Jason Crane’s story? Ok, let’s go.
Nucleus Metropolis
Rock Bottom
While introducing you into Michael’s dirty apartment that is located in one of the worst Canadian neighborhoods, Jason Crane offers his readers some insight about the human condition.
Michael belongs to the poor working classes. He lives in one of the dirtiest, unfurnished apartments you could imagine. Dust, cockroaches, mildew, cobwebs, insects belong to the dirty and bad smelling landscape. Besides his sleeping bag and his eating utensils, Michael is totally deprived of material possessions.
Michael works overtime hours for a minimum wage job as a dishwasher. He fully hates his harsh and monotonous job, as well as his boss.
When you’re a poor blue collar worker, it is difficult to leave a world of poverty and misery. People who have already been through harsh situation might feel some sympathy for Jason’s hero. Overcrowded and bad smelling trains are part of the daily stressful situations. Disgusted by the combination of dirty sweat, piss and shit smells, Michael observes people and thinks about the human condition, over and over again.
Meeting Debbie at the club
When you belong to the poorest working classes and you really hate your job, when you feel there is no kind of escape from your misery, you try to find a way to get rid of your spleen. Michael wants to have a good time at a club called the Circus. Not necessarily sexual pleasure, but sipping on several beers and forgetting about his condition for a couple of hours.
Unfortunately, some encounters with people can be fatal to us. While he is about to leave the club, Michael suddenly notices a beautiful girl on the dance floor.
Debbie is a prostitute and a heroin addict. After spending a good time at the club, Debbie asks Michael to be her escort for the rest of the night. She asks him to come with her to a friends’ place. Michael accepts, because he is afraid never to see her again. Such beautiful girls don’t cross his road on a daily basis.
As they approach Debbie’s friend’s desolate and smelly place.
Drugs
« Drugs…Let them drugs control your body…let pills take control of your soul… let’s get high… » Bizarre, Drugs/ DJ PDog The First Metacarpal
The prostitute is looking for some pedophile guy called Slim…she keeps knocking at the door in an enraged effort to get this damn door opened. Since the beginning, Michael has a strange feeling about this disgusting environment. After multiple efforts from Debbie’s side, the door gets unlocked slowly…Slim, some strange muscled, reptile alike man appears at the door, takes the prostitute by the hair, pulls her into the apartment and leaves a speechless Michael at the door. Michael feels insecure in a stinky and unknown neighborhood…
The Slim reopens the door and lets Michael in. As he walks in, Michaels sees Debbie taking an heroine trip, the needle lying on the floor. The apartment could be described as the « addict’s paradise »: pills and white powder are everywhere. Dildos and group sex seem to be part of the game too.
Michael starts negotiating the price of a sexual act with his favorite prostitute.
After enjoying intercourse and slowly realizing the consequences of unprotected sex in this particular unsafe environment, Michael freaks out.
After introducing Michael to several of his fellow addicts, Slim reaches out a bag of cocaine and invites his new « friend » to take some of the powdery white substance. As the needle reaches his vein, Michael is far away, ready for a colorful and intense trip.
The author describes several of Michael’s trips with an amazing descriptive ability. He manages to bring you into an unfamiliar and strange atmosphere. The change of perception and feelings is progressive and Jason Crane transports you from one level to another, traveling through Michael’s brain. While the first trip is quite reassuring, the following trips turn into nightmares and reality is mixed up with a colorful fantasy world.
The drama starts when Michael discovers through his very confused mind that Debbie seems to be lifeless. While trying to share his concern with Slim, the evil pedophile puts him deeper into the world of drugs and Michael goes on tripping…again…
Slim having intercourse with Debbie’s cold dead body is a quite scary scene.
When he eventually emerges from his nightmare trip, Michael realizes that a Debbie’s dead body lies next to him…he is looking for an escape from this situation, but Slim catches him and there we go again: he stick another needle into Michael’s arm who sadly surrenders…
It is up to the reader to guess the end of the story.
A satire of the Canadian society
Not only does Jason Crane describe the world of Canadian neighborhoods and blue collar classes with an amazing precision, he also appeals to his readers’ intelligence and raises some philosophical questions like the meaning of life, God’s existence, human nature and points out the evil and vicious sides of a society of consumption
Jason Crane uses words like a painter draws colorful pictures. Each sentence describes places with an amazing sense of realness and adds some olfactive sensations to the dirty environment he invites his readers in.
If you are familiar with ghetto tales, I highly recommend you Jason Crane’s Nucleus Metropolis. It is the work of a talented writer who manages to captivate his reader from the beginning to the end.
You will be able to order Nucleus Metropolis here.

Eminem’s Ring Thing

by Julie Keller
Oct 5, 2005, 10:25 AM PT
Hello, Moto. Goodbye, Eminem.
Via his publishing companies, Eight Mile Style and Martin Affiliated, the rapper has filed suit in U.S. District Court in Detroit to stop five companies from making his tunes available online for cell-phone ringtones.
“This is a big business. We’re talking hundreds of thousands of dollars a year,” the rapper’s lawyer, Howard Hertz, told the Detroit News.
Hertz says the lawsuit would block the sale of any rings offered by Cellus, USA; FanMobile; Nextones.com; MyPhoneFiles and MatrixM LLC.
The companies were not available for comment Wednesday.
Ringtone sales are becoming an increasingly bigger slice of the music business. A recent study from Jupiter Research claims that ringtone sales pulled in $217 million in 2004 and will reach $724 million by 2009.
The lawsuits won’t stop at cell phones, however. Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, is also taking on karaoke companies spinning ill-gotten songs.
“We’re going to be going after any ringtones or karaoke companies who use his songs without getting the proper licenses,” Hertz said to the News.
The latest legal salvos aren’t exactly surprising, considering Eminem is downright vigilant when it comes to protecting his music.
He sued (and later settled with) Apple for using a song in an iTunes commercial sans permission. He sued to block The Source magazine from publishing the lyrics from unauthorized, racially charged tracks from his early years as a rapper. He also moved up the release of his last two albums to thwart Internet piracy.
As if music thieves weren’t enough, Eminem is also battling some personal demons. He recently announced he was “taking a break” from music and then did a stint in rehab to battle drug addiction.

Eminem has reportedly called a truce with Mariah Carey

Should I give a fuck? Should we all give a fuck about this tabloid’s report? Frankly, I don’t. Maybe it is rather cool for Eminem to make peace with Mariah after two years of beefing, since he knows her personally.
However, I still despise Mariah Carey like I always did. To me, she is a fake and an unintelligent Barbie puppet.

Eminem has reportedly called a truce with Mariah Carey.
The two stars have had a long-running feud since they were romantically linked several years ago.
But now sources claim Eminem, who recently checked into a rehab clinic, has written a letter of apology to Mariah, asking her to put their differences aside and be friends.
An insider is quoted by Britain’s Daily Star newspaper as saying: “Em wrote to Mariah saying he wanted to call a truce. And she has always believed in peace and love so was really happy about it.
“Facing up to the past and writing to people who have been closest to you is one of the steps people take in rehab.”
Mariah recently branded Eminem a liar after he claimed to have had an affair with her.
Just days after the troubled rapper checked into a rehab clinic for a sleeping pill addiction in August, the pop diva has vehemently denied he bedded her.
She said: “I knew him, I hung out with him a few times, but nothing sexual occurred. Maybe he thought he’d look bad or something.”
Mariah’s angry comments come after she slammed Eminem for playing her personal answer-phone messages during his concerts.
The sexy singer was left furious when she discovered the star has been playing a recording of her phone messages during his ‘Anger Management’ concerts.

Let’s get political…

Ok, this is one of my rants against Mr Bush…if you like him, you better stop reading this article immediately.. you can also continue…at your own risk!
It is no secret to people who know me that I don’t like Bush. No, I really don’t like the President of the United States of America…
However, my Bush bashing attitude has nothing to do with the global anti-American French attitude. I despise French politicians as well.
I happen to like America and many of its citizens. I like Americans’ creative and innovative way of thinking and I have learnt a lot from my American buddies. So please don’t misinterpret me and misquote me as an anti-American person. I am not and will never be such kind of hater.
Having grown up in a bilingual German/ French environment, I don’t really feel like a French citizen. My granny used to teach me German history and I used to speak German at home. My use of the French language was limited to school and the outside world, most of the time.
Today, I define myself as a citizen of the world and as such I do think that I am entitled to raise my voice against a man like George W Bush who leads not only his country, but the whole world to an immense disaster.
I have been objected many times that I should not care and not feel concerned about who leads America, simply because I am foreigner. Yes, I am European, but I have studied geopolitics at University and I do believe that the world we live in is like a big cobweb. We-citizens of the world- are interdependent, much more than many people think. Not only should we feel concerned about what happens in America, but about the whole world. In the all about money and selfish world we live in, human solidarity is merely an emergency case. You don’t feel concerned by the Tsunami disaster? Then you ought to know that any country (including yours, buddy!) might face some serious difficulties someday and need international help sooner or later.
Back to Mr Bush. Many people complain about the consequences of the terrorism, but they are not ready to attack the cause. The direct cause to terrorism is Mr Bush.
Many of you people hate the terrorists and their methods. I don’t like their methods either, because many innocent people get killed when bombs explode all around the world. Have you ever thought about what motivates terrorists to act that way? Do you realize what has been done to their people?
Do you find normal that George Bush encourages his soldiers to torture innocent people in Iraq and to put their Holy Quran in the toilets, which is a huge sign of disrespect, as far as I am concerned.
Why does Bush send 18 year old boys to death?
Let me tell you what: Bush’s greatest motivation is called: oil, domination and money!
Bush’s intention is not to install a democracy, but rather to control Iraqi people’s freedom. Bush is a dictator who is ready to do anything possible to satisfy his big hegemony will.
Some American people think that it is ok for Bush’s troops to torture people and to humiliate them, « because the terrorists have killed people too ».
I don’t agree with those kind of statements. The population in Iraq and in Afghanistan is not responsible for Ben Laden and Saddam Hussein’s behaviors. Many people live in poverty in those countries and they don’t deserve such demeaning treatment.
Maybe the terrorists should target the White House, kill Laura and her husband- instead of killing innocent people.
Then justice would be done.

Asylum7: a Detroit politically engaged emcee who produces some dope ass beats

Asylum 7 aka A7 is a Detroit solo artist who was born and raised in the D town. A7 started freestyling and writing rhymes since he was 16. Constantly developing his talent, he eventually released his album, Brown Study EP.
How does A7 define his music?
« Something honest and natural………authentic. »
Moreover, A7 has some consistent to say and I respect that.
In Politicks, Asylum 7 expresses his concern about the political situation in America. The definitely bush bashing track offers the listener an act of resistance against the Bush administration .While half of the comfortable population in America supports the dictatorship, ghetto people keep struggling in their misery, experiencing discrimination. The jazzy and very rhythmic track appeals to people’s consciousness against the Bush government’s whereabouts.
The courageous emcee battles against many forms of discrimination: inequality of education means, color discrimination, inequality of treatment whether you are rich or poor…the underprivileged classes lead a constant fight against an hypocritical government.
Asylum 7 brings a true meaning to his lyrics and produces some dope beats that are worth listening to. I hope I increased your appetite for more. Check out A7’s my space account.

Welcome To Detroit City video review (Trick Trick feat.Eminem)

Rating: 5 stars
Welcome to Detroit City!
Meet Eminem at a Detroit club. The atmosphere is hot and heavy in the Detroit club where people get crunk in no time. Detroit is a dangerous city where eye contact can get you killed in no time. It looks like some drunk bad ass gangsta doesn’t really like Eminem, he keeps staring at him in a very strange way.
In a thug’s world connections matter as much as they do in the music industry. Real thugs often belong to a gang. A gang gives him the feeling to belong to a family and also protects him from other street gangs.
Eminem is lucky to be befriended with one of the best known « big bosses » from Detroit: Trick Trick.
Everybody respects and fears Trick Trick in Detroit City, as Eminem points it out:
« Ask around and they all know Tricky
That’s whats good man they all say Tricky… »

As the situation is becoming tricky, Eminem calls his friend Trick Trick who is ready to jump in with his crew, Goon Sqwad.
Goon Squad is composed of Trick Trick, Diezell, Thrilla, Bosalino, Proof, Good Money, 4DFUNK, Big Tone, Big Boy and many other guys from the Detroit ghetto who gather to make some quality music.
Whoever deals with Trick Trick aka Christian Mathis deals with the real. Not only is Trick Trick real in his music he is also a certified gangsta. Let him introduce himself and you will understand very fast why people better not fuck with him:
« My bad almost forgot to introduce myself
My name is Trick Trick, head of the Goon Sqwad
And gangsta, been bangin’ the underground since 95 we’re bangin
Elected to be the villain, and certified a menace
Holdin’ it down since I paroled, up outta prison
You heard about me, you just didn’t know it was me
All the treacherous, evil deeds of the D you ever see
Pickin’ that kid up in the game, I just wasn’t chasin’ the fame
I been chasin’ the paper product and givin’ lames the pain
Accusations of violence you know you done heard of that
A quarter of a million dollars for beatin’ a murder rap
And my boy holdin’ me up, Shady done put it out
Trick Trick and Eminem, Detroit back in the house… »
Trick Trick runs the streets of the D and his apparition in the club stops the conflict in no time. Runyon Ave Soldiers are also ready to join in. Picture Proof and his fellows in the club. Everybody sticks up for Eminem who shows true love to Detroit and its rapping scene. Detroit emcees and local labels like Trick Trick’s label, Wonderboy Entertainment and the Rock Bottom label are represented in the song. The crowd raises its hands and acclaims its heroes, Trick Trick and Eminem.
Globally, the video is very well done. It enlightens the realness of the Detroit ghetto and its players. The video doesn’t resemble the many commercial videos on the market. It shows the streets the way they are and introduces you in the pleasant world of gangsta rap.
Trick Trick is a raising Detroit star who inked a deal with Universal Records two weeks ago. Christian Mathis has a huge potential as an artist, an original and raw voice and he fully masters his role with some undeniable street credibility.
Combined with Eminem’s incredible talent, Trick Trick’s performances are high quality work. Don’t miss Welcome To Detroit City. The video is fully worth it!

Metromix Part1 /DJ Cutt-Nice review

Rating : four stars
In Lansing, Michigan, lives a talented DJ that I had never heard of a few days ago. DJ Cutt-Nice is no beginner in the game.
His Metromix Part 1 mixtape is a pretty good example of a man’s work who fully masters his art.
The introduction introduces you into DJ Cutt’s subtle art. Open your ears and let the notes of the underground mix rock your world.
The second track, Make It Last, will make you enjoy Kye’s talent. Kye will introduce you into a party atmosphere. Dirty details will make you feel the hot atmosphere. Nice instrumentals and good beats and lyrics will constantly please your ears. Drums, violin, keyboards combined with astute lyrics and dope beats give this track a very enjoyable dimension
The most amazing part is certainly DJ Cutt-Nice’s scratching technique while mixing up tracks from talented artists like Rass Kass.
Don’t miss track Nr 3 and 4, because they fully reveal Rass Kass and DJ Cutt-Nice’s talent. Be ready for some raw and pure hip hop. Let DJ Cutt-Nice show you what he can do with his vinyl, because he is a turntable king. Entertaining beats a nice flow delivery from Rass Kass introduce you into a nice ghetto/ gangsta track. Very confident about himself, Rass Kass spits in a very offensive way. High and drunk, he won’t allow you to beat his level of skills. This track is the kind of rap music that I really like because it stays true to roots of real hip hop.
Nas goes on, killing 50 Cent and Mobb Depp lyrically. Nasir Jones is a terrific adversary in a rap battle, because he is a very talented lyricist who knows who to bury his enemies with this words that cut like a scalpel. Very well mixed with some cool scratching sounds, MC Burial fully enlightens Nas and DJ Cutt-Nice’s talent.
Among the tracks I highly recommend to the listeners, you can count Method Man’s Mathmathics, Rass Kass (who is an incredible lyricist), Ludacris’ Georgia and Nas’ Mc Burial.
Foxy Brown’s Come Fly With Me add a reggae note to the record.
Globally, the CD is a combination of amazing emcees and of DJ Cutt-Nice’s great talent. Good instrumentals and beats, high quality lyrics, a gifted DJ fully illuminate this raw rap CD. Any true hip hop lover should definitely add this amazing Cd to his library. I have been a little bit disappointed by the Boom Boom Clap chorus, though.
With Metromix Part 1, DJ Cutt-Nice marries raw Detroit sounds with top emcees’ songs. You will also find Mobb Depp, Snoop, Notorious Big on DJ Cutt-Nice’s remixes.
No hesitation, please! Download Metromix Part 1 here and let DJ Cutt-Nice introduce you into his world.