Month: June 2006

Dear readers and artists,
Dont get mad at me if I am telling you that I dont have time right now: it is a matter of fact I am mad busy right now. It is Summer time and it should take time to relax, but, actually, I can’t.
At the beginning of the New Year, I made several wishes for 2006.
The good news is that one of those wishes is about to come true. I will be leaving my hometown for an English speaking country. I am moving to London in early August.
The reasons why I am doing it are numerous, but they are mainly motivated by my personal ambitions.
People who know me -in real life or on the net- know how much passionate I am about hip hop and writing. Hopefully, London City will give me the opportunity to catch a real deal (a financial deal) with a hip hop magazine.
If some British hip hop magazine owners are currently reading this article, you have a person in front of you who has a REAL passion about the music and an experience of several years as a music journalist who would be willing to work with people sharing the same passion and with good working ethics. Leave me a comment and a contact address if youre interested, Id be more than happy to work with you.
I am closing a chapter of my life. London will be a brand new start for me and I am happy to discover a city that is rich of a multi-cultural environment.
In August, I might not be able to write on the media I own immediately. At least, not with the same frequency I used to write my articles during all those years. I might not have an internet connexion straight away, so I am asking you for a little bit patience.
However, I want you readers to know that I wont give up my passion for writing IN ANY CASE.
I will keep writing for the Eminem blog, blogit, my space and Detroit rap and will keep you updated with life in the British Capital.
Before I leave, Id like to thank all the people who always believed in me- Gavin Sheridan, in particular, for being the first to give me my chance as a writer, and Detroit’s ILL mag for allowing me to get published into a real hip hop magazine. I am grateful to you all.
No obligation, but some of you who would like to make a little donation in order to help me out with my projects, can do it at my space: on my personal space account, there is a paypal button. Thank you so much:)
Anyway, thanks to all of you who support me. Your nice words, comments and encouragements are balsam to my heart.
To the haters, the bitches, the jealous pricks, the backstabbers and all of my enemies: keep talking, keep bitching, keep backstabbing. I dont give a fuck, I AM gonna make it in the end, because I am determined to succeed. Those who have done wrong to me will get their “reward” sooner or later without me retaliating in return.
Ok, dear readers, those few words were to let you know about my projects. I am doing this for you, me and for the love of hip hop.
Feel free to post your comments and advices. Thanks for reading me, always.

Proof wouldn’t want us to stop. All the artists he influenced, in his honor we are going to keep the ball rolling. We going to keep smashing. Keep coming out with the illest lyrics, the dopest beats. ‘Till the world reconnects itself with Detroit and what we doing.

(Supa Emcee, XXL mag interview, July 2006 issue.)
Rating: 4.5 stars
You can kill as many emcees as you want: you can’t kill talent. Despite Big Proof’s murder last April, his music and spirit will live on. Deshaun Holton was Iron Fist’s CEO. The remaining IF members are determined to keep Proof’s vision and dream alive. Open your ears and be ready for a hot, lyrical mixtape. Detroit is in the house and only incredible talents are featured on the mixtape. Not only will you hear the IF crew, but also great local Detroit talents such as, Obie Trice, Swifty, Hash and Reag of I-Mac and D12’s DJ, Salam Wreck. The artists featured on that mixtape don’t need to claim the ‘Detroit king’ title, they already own the crown.
Enough said! Be ready for some explosive lyrics mixed up with some hot sounds and beats.
Introduced by Chino XL, Obie, Hex Murder and Chief, the mixtape is a moving tribute to Big Proof. Moment of silence.
It is followed by track Nr 2, So Good, a Proof freestyle that is built on nice vocals, violins and drum sounds. Everybody knows the great emcee’s name. Proof will be remembered for ever.
Shoot First, a beautiful Supa Emcee/ Hash collaboration introduces you into a dark atmosphere. Numerous violins combined with rhythmic drums will make you enjoy both emcees’ lyrical bullets to the fullest. Feel the heartbeat alike drums that will draw you a realistic picture of life in the Detroit hood. Stress, drugs, anger, killings are part of the Murda Mitten’s scary landscape.
Hostyle’s nice flow delivery is totally enlightened by track Nr 4, Cheap Shots.
Back Up will allow you to enjoy the Woof Pac crew’s skills. Keyboards, piano and electronic sounds, drums and dope ass beats make this track highly enjoyable. Nice gangsta track. Get crunk with Woof Pac in no time and enjoy the rhythmic melody.
Salam Wreck introduces you into well known Proof themes on track 6.
Ill drum beats, bass sounds will alllow you to step into an lyrical overheated Purple Gang track entitled I.F.P.G.
Purple Gang are taking over with their immense talent.
Proof’s track, Respect, featuring K.B and Hash, is a very rhythmic track where the three emcee will show some incredible lyrical skills. Keyboards, drums, guitar sounds intensify the offensive atmosphere of the track. Matter of fact: you can’t fuck with them.
The Keeping The Dream Alive mixtape is rich of many beautiful and unique tracks. Among the 30 songs featured on it, I particularly recommend you Big Proof’s Ride Out, (a wonderful track I discovered around 2003 and that I never stopped playing since then), Supa Emcee’s Don’t Get Me Mad, Hash’s Suicide song.
To tell you the truth, I enjoyed each song on the IF mixtape. This mixtape is perfect for authentic hip hop lovers.
Download it from the Iron Fist Fans website.
Copyright © 2006 by Isabelle Esling
All Rights Reserved

Coming soon… IF’s Keeping The Dream Alive mixtape review…stay tuned:)

Iron Fist is Big Proof’s label, as most of you would probably know. Iron Fist is composed of RIP Big Proof, Purple Gang, Woof Pac and Supa Emcee.
Check the detailed website here. I’ll add it to the hip hop links too:)

Frazer is a hip hop artist from London who comes up with a genuine style of his. His assets, An original style, good instrumentals, a nice flow delivery, good lyrics and an undeniable sense of humor.
Frazer’s music resembles to nothing else I have heard in hip hop yet.
Sixteen talks about a misunderstood teenager’s broken dreams. Built on keyboard and rhythmic drum sounds, the song introduces you into a teenager’s mind. When you’re sixteen, you have your whole life ahead you, but many teenagers don’t feel well into body and mind, because they experience lots of problems. Facing that you’re not a child any more and haven’t stepped into an adult’s world can make one feel uncomfortable.
Many teenagers have some ideals, but they don’t know how to reach them. Their head is full of (often inaccessible) dreams and beers and weed seem to be an easy consolation.
The track will allows you to visit a pissed teenager’s mind thanks to Frazer’s talent.
Double Standards has a little jazz/ blues flavor and intelligently points out politicians’ hypocrisy. Frazer’s sense of humor is highly enjoyable.
Do human rights depend on our financial condition? It looks like it is often the case.
Don’t sleep on the well written song!
Eat Your Own Words: I particularly enjoyed that track, because I can relate to it. I carry this dream of being a writer since I was 6 and music (of any kind) has always been part of my life. My family never believed in me. I guess nobody is prophet in his/ her own country.
People who are blood or often very close to you don’t share nor understand your passion. Worst, some of them even try to discourage you from reaching your goals. Oh yea, people, you can eat your own words, because determined people always manage to be where they wanna be- with or without your support.
More about Frazer can be found here.
Copyright © 2006 by Isabelle Esling
All Rights Reserved

Another taste of British hiphop, Frazer, from London…the UK seems to have a quite diverse and active hip hop scene, so stay tuned for some brand new sounds:)

(published in DetNews)

MOUNT CLEMENS — The first hearing in the divorce proceedings between rapper Eminem and his wife, Kimberley Mathers, was held behind closed doors Thursday in Macomb Circuit Court.
Eminem, whose legal name is Marshall Mathers, entered court through underground tunnels and secure elevators early Thursday to second-floor courtroom of Court Referee David Elias, who was sitting in for Circuit Court Judge Antonio Viviano.
Kimberley Mathers entered through the court’s main entrance with her lawyer, Michael Smith. Following the status conference, she was escorted out of the building by a Macomb sheriff’s deputy to her Lincoln Navigator. They declined to comment after the nearly hour-long hearing.
A settlement conference is scheduled for Sept. 19.
This is the second divorce proceedings for the couple. Eminem filed for divorce on April 5, just 82 days after walking down the aisle at Rochester’s Meadow Brook Hall.
In May, Kimberley Mathers filed a counter-complaint in Macomb Circuit Court in response to Eminem’s divorce petition. She is asking that she and Eminem share joint legal custody and that she be awarded physical custody of their daughter, Hailie, 10. Additionally, she is asking for financial support.
The original divorce papers filed by Eminem cited the reason for divorce as “a breakdown in the marriage relationship.” Eminem and Kimberley Mathers were first married in June 1999 in St. Joseph, Mo. He filed for divorce in August 2000. The divorce was finalized in October 2001.
You can reach Edward L. Cardenas at (586) 468-0529 or ecardenas@detnews.com.

Rating: 4 stars
Street Child is back with a brand new diss aimed at Gucci Mane.
In his song, Street Child addresses to Gucci Mane who first dissed Young Jeezy and Jay Z first.
Offensive keyboard sounds are combined with some gunshots and Street Child operates with knifelike words. Gucci Mane gets stomped lyrically, words run from Street Child’s mouth like rapid bullets from a gun.
It is sometimes funny to see how much weak emcees like Gucci Mane talking about big emcees like Jay Z who already made it in the game- mostly out of jealousy.
Some underground emcees have the talent and keep grinding until they reach success. Some others- the bitter ones, the untalented ones are often big attention freaks. Most of them are conscious that their whack songs won’t make them famous, so their non hidden strategy is to target a famous player in the game and to talk shit about him. Nobodies like Benzino did that with Eminem, some other untalented guy from Detroit I won’t name would use the same kind of rotten strategies in order to peddle his worthless Cds.
Street Child totally exposed fakes like Gucci Mane and managed to make him look ridiculous. The rapper from Virginia has some good skills and will make you, listener, enjoy the lyrical murder of Gucci Mane.
Enjoy the well written song here.
Copyright © 2006 by Isabelle Esling
All Rights Reserved