Real Rap : Lightnin' Rod - Hustler's Convention

Don't act like you know when you really don't!
Lottah kats these days claim to know the real but when it comes down to it, they damn sure couldn't prove it. I stumbled upon this priceless jewel at the second hand record store, as I like to describe it. It had been a minute since I found an audio crown that I could vibe with. See I don't deal credit, but luckily, I just so happened to have my debit, and I proceeded to buy it. I'm really a mellow dude, attitude smoooooooth, never weeded or violent. Damn kat I'm slippin, I forgot to mention, the disk I copped at the shop was Lightnin Rod; Hustler's Convention.

You probably heard Common Sense speak of a Hustler's Convention during that ho/pimp track on Like Water For Chocolate. But didn't know about why he said it. You wouldn't even know to give credit to Lightin Rod (backed by Kool & The Gang) for this classic album vivdly detailing what went down at the Hustler's Convention.

Lightin Rod, tosses brilliant stories in yah ear bout, dice games, pretty hoes & shoot outs. Rude dudes with even ruder attitudes and joes that got their sooooooooooooooooouls aired out.
Wouldn't be surprisin, if you end up memorizin these lines like bible verses for old school morning chapel services. Just don't ever be a poser, spit these lines likes use suppossed tah, cause it won't be nothing cool about the gang, comin to expose and fold'yah.

If you've never heard this album. Things ain't gonna be right till you do.

Kindergarten Dropout

This Kinder-kid probably dropped out because he was simply bored with the same ol routine. He wanted more then just orange juice that tastes like grapefruit. Perhaps there was something that suited him outside the lines he was suppossed to color in between. He decided that he'd pursue it. His pursuit came in the form of an album. An EP to be exact.

The Kindergarten Dropout speaks about the album, life without a highschool dilopma & BET Uncut...

Les-tor Manchestor: How'd you come up with the the title 'Kindergarten Dropout'? And who's the little fellah stealing the show ?

Abadawn: Haha! that's my little brother all over that thing...I've been blessed to have him in my life, and after being through what I have I hope that I can show him better. The title Kindergarten Dropout was just an idea kind of playing off of College Dropout as a joke. Then I noticed that the title really started to make sense. I was really against the school system since a very young age. I tried repeatedly anything in my power to drop out, to get kicked out, whatever I could to stay out of the classroom. Don't get me wrong, I love learning, knowledge and wisdom is essential in this life, but I ended up dropping out of high school/community college, so it was a bit later than Kindergarten, but I really might as well have. I guess the title is my way of saying, live life the way you need to.

Les-tor Manchestor: Hmmm... How old are you man ?

Abadawn: 17.

Les-tor Manchestor: 'Self Taught' is the opening track and I think one of my personal favorites. How long did it take you to put that together and was it the actual first track you recorded for the album?

Abadawn: Yeah, I actually wrote Self Taught the first day me and Ire Flux had decided to do the EP. It was only this year that I decided to drop out and a lot of people (friends, teachers, parents) were really freaking out on me, and that song was me expressing why I really had to leave the school system and pursue what I needed.

Les-tor Manchestor: So... You totally dropped out ? No going back for a GED or Anything. Consequently, getting a GED is actually harder, so I've been told.

Abadawn: My plans for my education are to go and get my GED. I plan on taking that test, and some people actually look at GED's as better than High School Diplomas...but no more classrooms, unfair teachers and rediculous social structures for me. I'm really doing way too many things musically to take 6-8 hours a day to listen to a rambling professor with no personal attachment towards you and your work. I work full time and that's hard enough to get by with. Plus, not bragging or anything, but I have more knowledge than most graduates on multiple subjects. It's sad but this school system let's some pitiful minds through to make good money. No offense to those dedicated learners out there with a premise for being there!!!

Les-tor Manchestor: Yeah well the system is the system. And it wouldn't continue to be the system if they taught us how to defeat the system. And that quite simply would start through education.

Abadawn: Ha ha very true.

Les-tor Manchestor: Alright back to the album. How did you go about choosing the tracks you ended up using. Were there a lot to choose from. Did some recordings no make the cut. What was the process?

Abadawn: Me and Ire Flux had discussed doing a project with eachother when he first started Violent Art. Me being on another label caused a little trouble but soon everyone worked everything out and it was possible. Flux sent me a good 12 beats or so for the EP, pretty much beats of his that he wanted to hear me on.

I began writing and recording immediately. We had a deadline of before he moved so I pretty much HAD to get it done as quickly as possible. all together with writing/recording and mixing...it took me about a month and a half to complete. There were a few tracks that just didn't make the cut, a few I wrote and just personally didn't feel, a few I recorded, shared with some people and it just wasn't working. The basic process was trying to create an eclectic of styles that I could share with the public. I wanted this album to have at least one track that everyone from all sides of hip hop could enjoy. And hopefully something people could enjoy as a whole.

Les-tor Manchestor: Cool. It's funny because I just recently heard another emcee make a statement concerning the fact that it seems that emcees these days spend so much more time focused on wanting the masses to feel them and hear them, that they basically have forgotten one the main things about being an emcee and that's reaching the audience to make them feel good. Seems that a lottah guys rhyming these days crave attention. Like they didn't get it coming up so now using emceeing as their place to vent we must suffer the ultimate consequence. Something sorta like an emcee AA meeting.

Abadawn: HAHA! oh wow I feel you man...it's very true, very true...It's really not that I'm craving attention from the masses, I listen to so much different music, and I know people that have such different tastes with what they like and don't, I kind of wanted to show that there is so much that i can touch on and do. It's impossible to please everyone, so I'm not trippin on that, but I did wanna do to my best ability, to show what different kinds of music and rhymes I could come up with than what the public masses are used to. I feel rhyming and hip hop can be therapuetic as well as pure fun. So many people either take the side of "rhyming is my therapy" I do it to get shit off of my chest, or people say they rhyme just to spread knowledge to those that listen, or some just rhyme because they like it and it's fun. The only problem is, people only take one side or approach

Les-tor Manchestor: Yeah.

Abadawn: Think the Kindergarten Dropout EP really shows that rhyming can be all of the above. Therapuetic, fun and creative, and just pure knowledge dropping.

Les-tor Manchestor: Yep. It defintely should be if possible.
Les-tor Manchestor: What's good with that Walkmen track. It's serious. Real tough man. But man you're 17, what do you really know about a walkmen?

Abadawn: Ha ha! first of all, I love that track...second of all, I couldn't afford a discman until just recently. I was rocking the walkman with big ass headphones since about 2 years ago when I finally got a discman as a gift, I'll still record a tape and rock that shit though...

Les-tor Manchestor: I knew the world had gone to hell when I walked into the Wiz a few years back asking for singles on casette and the dude at the store looked at me like I was an idiot.

Abadawn: Ha...shits sad man, technology and everything is moving so fast these days, I mean it is good because we can make so many advances as a society to progress, but I think we all need to remember where we came from and what made us what we are today.

Les-tor Manchestor: Listening to Razor Wings right now... You really walk with a razor under your tongue man ?

Abadawn: Ha ha, that Sarx, he's one crazy fella!

Les-tor Manchestor: Don't incriminate yahself...

Abadawn: Sometimes I feel like I am man, when it's one of those nights when you really could just spit through an emcee.

Les-tor Manchestor: There's medicine for that ...
Les-tor Manchestor: So does your lil brother rap ? HE's looking serious in that picture.

Abadawn: Actually, I got him into it. If he's home when I'm recording he'll always come and spit on some shit.

Les-tor Manchestor: Ha ha.

Abadawn: It's usually just mumbling, but I taught him the basic "yo" and what not. He just recently started saying "fo sheezy" tho so I had to take the mic away. Man, the look in his eyes when I freestyle stuff to him is amazing, I really want him to get the good side of hip hop while he's young, so when he's older he can decipher through the bullshit that'll be around him.

Les-tor Manchestor: You're tellin on yahself... I know you accidently left BET Uncut on and he was watching.

Les-tor Manchestor: Bad brother. Bad.

Abadawn: hahah! oh god!
Abadawn: No wonder he's always lookin for some booty.
Abadawn: Nah, dudes really into Star Wars and Ninja's right now...that shit makes me proud.

Les-tor Manchestor: So... When's the touring start ?

Abadawn: well, after the release i'm going to start doing local shows, around Washington and Oregon, but I REALLY wanna branch out into other states and cities so if ANY show promoter or venue owner is reading this EMAIL ME!!! (abadawn@yahoo.com) this year is going to be full of recording multiple projects for other people, but hopefully by next summer (or even earlier) we can get enough cities and dates lined up to get on the road...i'd like to go on a small tour to promote this record in a couple months, but that takes some planning and like i said, i need some help from venue owners and what not, but definitely next summer, it's From Vancouver BC down the Westcoast, and then all the way over to NY.

By that time my Solo LP may be done! !!! it all really depends on how people recieve this EP...too early to mention that stuff tho so I'll be quiet.

Les-tor Manchestor: So when you get on stage you gonna be rocking some ol shiny suit or what ?

Abadawn: Hahaha! man...when I first started performing I always wanted to dress up and wear shit that I would NEVER really wear...but nowadays, when u see me on stage, it'll be beanie, jeans and t-shirt. I used to try to have some image of someone that's different, but really i'm just another head daydreaming on the bus ride, and when people see me I want them to realize that...it's when you listen tho, that's where you hear my "difference"

Les-tor Manchestor: You're Jewish ?

Abadawn: HaHa! No? Where'd u get that from? I mean...it's really strange because I've been asked that a few times this past week.

Les-tor Manchestor: You said beanie...

Abadawn: Oh! Haha...yeah...that beanie that my brothers sporting in the cover. Ihat's my magic beanie...it's glued to my head.

Les-tor Manchestor: Oh. A knit hat.

Abadawn: yep, good ol' skull cap.

Les-tor Manchestor: Okay. No Shalom then.
Les-tor Manchestor: Well still peace but you know what I'm saying.

Abadawn: Haha word, got you.

Les-tor Manchestor: So what's your take on religion since we stepped over there.?

Abadawn: UH OH! haha...this subject. Well I grew up in a STRANGE situation. My father wasn't really too religious but his family consisted of very strict Baptists...my mother on the other hand, she was a Jehovah's Witness. So that meant, no birthdays, no christmas, no nothing....until just recently really. So it was a really weird situation for me, and once I got older I really delved deep into religion, questioning existance and just wanted to see what else was really out there. Everything tho, in my opinion...was relevently the same beliefs, just a bit more twisted...or this instead of that and it really just all seemed the same, so lately, I soak in everything, from Taoism and Buddhism back to Jehovah's Witnesses and Christianity, I just take it in and apply what makes sense to me.

Les-tor Manchestor: Sounds like a plan... So what are you playing in you disk rotator other then you?

Abadawn: Haha...let's see... Sleep - Christopher (really amazing album by a local cat from Oldominion)
Slug & Murs - Felt 2 A Tribute to Lisa Bonet
Heretic Skeptic - A Pop Tosis
Gorillaz - Demon Dayz
the Rza - as Bobby Digital

All make for some wonderful listens recently. Scratch that, make for wonderful listens. PERIOD.

Les-tor Manchestor: No doubt.
Les-tor Manchestor: You do any producing ?

Abadawn:I have in the past, right now I'm really focusing on mixing and mastering, that alone is a time consuming art. I'll be moving in with a friend that does production (Dj Eon Two) with alot of other things, and I'll probably get into some serious production then. but for now...I let the producers do their thing. So many nice beats out there that just need to be complimented correctly. so if any producers are reading EMAIL ME!!! haha.

Les-tor Manchestor: So Abadawn. You got a woman, or are you looking to just handle the influx of groupies headed your way when the album gets noticed?

Abadawn: hah, well actually I am involved with somebody right now (that poor, poor girl)...I really love women though, not in a player type of way. but just women in general kinda make me feel good and are fun to talk to, I've always had close female friends. If there are too many groupies to handle, I have plently of decent and lonely friends that can intercept for me..(ladies, just pretend like they rap like me).

Les-tor Manchestor: Are you going to teach your children at home. And will they be getting vacinated ?

Abadawn: Haven't really decided...When I do have children, I will decide. The human micro-chipping they're doing nowadays in the UK really freaks me out though, and hopefully I can find a doctor that I really trust for that kind of stuff. As for teaching, I would like to homeschool them, I was homeschooled for two years of my life and learned more then, than I have in all my other school years put together. People say that by homeschooling you lose the social aspect of education, not true...that's what public library children book readings and carnivals and going to the park and just meeting people in real situations are for. School just locks up way TOO many personalities together to clash.

Les-tor Manchestor: Amber alert is the validation that america needs to put chips in kids.
Les-tor Manchestor: Inmates, animals and old folks already have them.

Abadawn: See that man, messed up...
Abadawn: I just don't trust it, don't trust it at all.

Les-tor Manchestor: Yeah you definitely shouldn't...
Les-tor Manchestor: So tell me who's your favorite comic hero ?

Abadawn: Spider Man then the Hulk
Abadawn: Not the movie versions though, the actual comic books from back in the day
Abadawn: Stan Lee is pure genius.

Les-tor Manchestor: Hmmm. Archangel... Silver Surfer for me. Some of the best heros didn't get the light. Stan Lee. Ha ha Stan Lee was a master/pimp.

Les-tor Manchestor: You remember the Image coup.

Abadawn: Haha yeah...
Abadawn: Man, I loved Silver Surfer, but wasn't quite a real favorite...Galactus is one crazy mutha fucka tho.

Les-tor Manchestor: That would be the movie to do.

Abadawn: Hollywood couldn't pull it off right now.
Abadawn: They'd ruin it.
Abadawn: But I would LOVE to see a Silver Surfer movie in the near future.

Les-tor Manchestor: Well... we can only dream...

Abadawn: Haha...sooo many dreams...

Les-tor Manchestor: Because they have single handedly destroyed enough of my child hood favorites.

Abadawn: Did you see Fantastic Four?

Les-tor Manchestor: Not yet .

Abadawn: Wait till it's on video, thank god Jessica Alba is good looking tho.
Abadawn: It was entertaining, but not what it could have been.

Les-tor Manchestor: That my friend can not save the movie.

Abadawn: Hollywood thinks it can, and sadly enough, it works for most of America

Les-tor Manchestor: Oh well... Not gonna even go there.

Abadawn: Haha word, I actually do need to be heading out for work soon.

Les-tor Manchestor: Anyway anything we haven't discussed concerning the album or anything else you wanna say?

abadawn1: only thing I can really say is that I hope people give Kindergarten Dropout a chance and a good listen. I know 5 dollars is a lot to pay when you can download endless amounts of music for free...just keep in mind that this 5 dollars goes to alot more than some A&R in a big office getting paid thousands for nothing. All money goes towards the furthering of our journey in hip hop. Kindergarten Dropout has something for you all, and I really am satisfied with it. Props to the Violent Art Records fam, Guttersnipe Records fam, my man Conscious and www.freehiphopnow.com That is the EXACT mission. To free hip hop NOW, and every last one of you can help. PEACE.

Les-tor Manchestor: No doubt man it was good to catch up with you. Have fun at work.

Abadawn: Haha will do, thanks and ill get at you later man
Abadawn: Peace

Apoptosis - Artist: Heretic Skeptic

‘You've got the right to be disgusted’, the vocal sample croons on Fade to Black ft. Grizz, accompanying Heretic Skeptic as this dynamic duo collides to merge with ear friendly strings, and neither one of these beings is Burt Ward. On freshmen approach, to an album independently floating in the midst of a stagnant mainstream record pool that’s funky in a bad way, Skeptic escapes freshmen day unscaved, posing as one of Hiphop’s many unearthed super-seniors.

It won’t be long before the burgeoning emcee parts from the west coast to invade the other 3 corners of the US, droppin priceless jewelz from city to city, leaving a gleaming trail of enlightening and uncontrived scripts of insight and genuine emotion. On a couple of tracks Skep sounds slightly shaky in a sorta subtle Ghostface way, but it only serves to add more character to the LP. Skep epitomizes ‘no punch in’s or cut and paste edits. Besides, he’s more then likely playing games with your mind because he rips through the majority of ‘Apoptosis’ with undoubtable confidence.

I promise you, that you will not stumble across any frivolous speak or corny filler lines during your auditory experience. You will be satisfied with your investment in this rap IPO gone public. One Shall Stand’s production is enough to make any child of the eighties shed tears on first listen to the beautifully arranged Transformers samples and the bouncy chorus sung by a mystery female vocalist (Tracey).

It is obvious that Heretic can hold down an album by his lonesome, but having guest on record that can rip it as well is an added bonus. Where some artist’s albums fail because of awful cameos by equally awful emcees, (likened to the bosses incompetent nephew he’s somehow obligated to employ) the recruits assembled to complete this mission Apoptosis, leave Hiphop’s battlefield highly decorated and unharmed with spotless fatigues. The end all be all is, hopefully through the distribution of Heretic Skeptic’s Apoptosis, he along with that crew of Violent Art artist and extended family will do what the album defines; shed unwanted rapper cell’s and form a more potent and physically, equipped rap body.

Purchase Apoptosis online now at www.consciousbootleggers.com

The Genesis : Enter Les-tor Manchestor...

Greetings, reader...

Let me first start by saying, I dearly appreciate your present company. You are welcome to stay as long as you'd like in the confides of my digital lounge and browse upon the text. You may stay as long as you wish. There is only one condition. You must invite at least one guest upon returning.
I am quite the lonely fellow. That possibly explains why I spend so much time listening to music alone, and writing album reviews. With that said, enjoy your stay. Get comfortable.