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| Old School Hip Hop comes back around from time to time. Just like the hands on the clock, they rotate and come back to their roots. This given night Shock G from the 90’s hip hop group Digital Underground was coming into full circle....Read more. |
| As I wake up early Saturday morning and take the eye boogers out my eyes I look into the mirror and think to myself, “Damn I need a haircut.” Every two weeks like a religion I find myself in a barber chair. Not just because my hair has grown out like a chea pet, but also to find what’s going on in the community....Read more. |
| As you may know by now, Club Envy has hit the Tucson Club scene with command. Over the last year Envy has created on of the hottest clubs in Tucson, Arizona. Club Envy also features 18 and up nights for the younger crowd. But don’t let them stop there...Read more. |
By Andrew Bess
The air is crisp and the skies are clear midday in Atlanta. Business is as usual as construction and traffic litter about the city. Tucked in a
quaint neighborhood lays a two-story house painted a dull metal grey with a large wooden fence. This particular house stands out from
the rest with its business-like steal framed doors. As the electronic wooden gate slowly opens, a 10-car parking lot in the back is revealed
and a bright candy-red Ferrari is parked close to the entrance. The front door has a small intercom box where a small button buzzes us
in. Welcome to Patchwerk Recording Studio in Atlanta.
The hardwood floors illuminate the brightness in the initial hallway and force your eye to the platinum plaques on the walls decorated with
artists like Outkast, Beyonce, Juvenile, Fabolous, and a plethora of others. The southern hospitality is visible by the potluck style food in
the center room, while Alize bottles are littered across three different tables. Upon entering the main hall two gorgeous women in
scandalously small red Alize dresses serve drinks under a banner that reads the same as their outfits. One of the men in the studio
quickly walks up to the table and asks for a drink. He nonchalantly flirts with the confident model while she quickly mixes a drink paying
no mind to his flirtatious attempts. After about 6 mixed drinks and the same number of failed efforts later, the obviously drunk cat gives up
on his pursuit of the beautiful bartender.
The air is crisp and the skies are clear midday in Atlanta. Business is as usual as construction and traffic litter about the city. Tucked in a
quaint neighborhood lays a two-story house painted a dull metal grey with a large wooden fence. This particular house stands out from
the rest with its business-like steal framed doors. As the electronic wooden gate slowly opens, a 10-car parking lot in the back is revealed
and a bright candy-red Ferrari is parked close to the entrance. The front door has a small intercom box where a small button buzzes us
in. Welcome to Patchwerk Recording Studio in Atlanta.
The hardwood floors illuminate the brightness in the initial hallway and force your eye to the platinum plaques on the walls decorated with
artists like Outkast, Beyonce, Juvenile, Fabolous, and a plethora of others. The southern hospitality is visible by the potluck style food in
the center room, while Alize bottles are littered across three different tables. Upon entering the main hall two gorgeous women in
scandalously small red Alize dresses serve drinks under a banner that reads the same as their outfits. One of the men in the studio
quickly walks up to the table and asks for a drink. He nonchalantly flirts with the confident model while she quickly mixes a drink paying
no mind to his flirtatious attempts. After about 6 mixed drinks and the same number of failed efforts later, the obviously drunk cat gives up
on his pursuit of the beautiful bartender.
| Lil Wayne |
| DJ Vlad, AKA the Butcher, is a well known DJ in the mixtape game. A resume doesn’t get much bigger than the one he totes around. DJ Vlad has worked with many well-known artists in the hip hop industry. His brag sheet features artists such as Alicia Keys, Wyclef, Xzibit, Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes, Bun B and even the NBA Star Shaquille O'Neal...Read more. |
Moments later, two large men – well over 6 foot tall – slowly mingle to the table seemingly competing on which can put the most food onto each of their own paper
plates. After piling their plates and grabbing two bottles of Alize each, the men disappear to a stairway that leads to the pool table above the studio. Then Lil Wayne
walks into the hallway passing the main room heading directly to the stairs to the top floor. The night before, Weezy, like always, was in the studio until 10 a.m. Now
with a few good hours of rest under his beltless Levi's, he's quick to start the same process over again. The larger of the two body guards perches on top of the
flight of stairs outside the second floor door while digging into his plate of chicken wings. Minutes later, the marijuana smell leaks down to the rest of the studio. As
the guarded door slowly cracks open, ESPN news silently plays on the flat screen TV in front of the pool table.
A man in an all white Ralph Lauren Tee Shirt, Levi Jeans, and Adidas shoes all accented with a Louis Vutton Handkerchief stands near the pool table. Lil Wayne
quickly flashes his blinding grin. Armed with his usual tripled-stacked Styrofoam cups and a Sidekick, he multitasks while sipping his Fruit Punch concoction and
texting on his handheld. Lil Wayne places his phone and cups on the pool table and picks up his wrapping papers and quickly lights up his next smoke. He inhales
his first puff as if it would be his last and pauses as he looks out the second floor window toward the recording booth. "I love the studio," Wayne says after a deep
exhale. "I record every single chance that I get." If Lil Wayne isn't on the stage performing to sold-out crowds or traveling to the next show he most likely is residing
in a studio somewhere.
plates. After piling their plates and grabbing two bottles of Alize each, the men disappear to a stairway that leads to the pool table above the studio. Then Lil Wayne
walks into the hallway passing the main room heading directly to the stairs to the top floor. The night before, Weezy, like always, was in the studio until 10 a.m. Now
with a few good hours of rest under his beltless Levi's, he's quick to start the same process over again. The larger of the two body guards perches on top of the
flight of stairs outside the second floor door while digging into his plate of chicken wings. Minutes later, the marijuana smell leaks down to the rest of the studio. As
the guarded door slowly cracks open, ESPN news silently plays on the flat screen TV in front of the pool table.
A man in an all white Ralph Lauren Tee Shirt, Levi Jeans, and Adidas shoes all accented with a Louis Vutton Handkerchief stands near the pool table. Lil Wayne
quickly flashes his blinding grin. Armed with his usual tripled-stacked Styrofoam cups and a Sidekick, he multitasks while sipping his Fruit Punch concoction and
texting on his handheld. Lil Wayne places his phone and cups on the pool table and picks up his wrapping papers and quickly lights up his next smoke. He inhales
his first puff as if it would be his last and pauses as he looks out the second floor window toward the recording booth. "I love the studio," Wayne says after a deep
exhale. "I record every single chance that I get." If Lil Wayne isn't on the stage performing to sold-out crowds or traveling to the next show he most likely is residing
in a studio somewhere.
Interview by Andrew Bess as cited from Myspace Blogs
| With the success of Chamillionaire's last album, 'The Sound of Revenge,' with total digital sales over 5.5 million worldwide it seems impossible to duplicate. But Chamillionaire hopes to accomplish that with his sophomore release "Ultimate Victory," which is in stores September 18th....Read More |
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"I record every single chance that I get," he honestly
admits. "Where we go after this?" he sarcastically asks.
A voice in the background quickly replies, "We are
going to the studio." Lil Wayne smirks as he knew what
the response would be.
Born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. in New Orleans'
infamous Hollygrove neighborhood, Lil Wayne has
definitely risen to be a rap phenom. Starting off at such
a young age, Wayne wrote his first raps at 8 and signed
to Cash Money Records shortly after at age 11. By the
tender age of 17 he earned his first platinum plaque on
his freshman release, Tha Block is Hot (Cash
Money/Universal, 1999). With seven solo albums behind
him he can still recall hitting the music scene at such an
early age. "When I was younger it was nothing to do with
a dollar. Just some fans – that's all I was in it for then. It
was all about what should I say, what should I wear and
who am I gonna fuck," Lil Wayne admits as he laughs
about his adolescence.
admits. "Where we go after this?" he sarcastically asks.
A voice in the background quickly replies, "We are
going to the studio." Lil Wayne smirks as he knew what
the response would be.
Born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. in New Orleans'
infamous Hollygrove neighborhood, Lil Wayne has
definitely risen to be a rap phenom. Starting off at such
a young age, Wayne wrote his first raps at 8 and signed
to Cash Money Records shortly after at age 11. By the
tender age of 17 he earned his first platinum plaque on
his freshman release, Tha Block is Hot (Cash
Money/Universal, 1999). With seven solo albums behind
him he can still recall hitting the music scene at such an
early age. "When I was younger it was nothing to do with
a dollar. Just some fans – that's all I was in it for then. It
was all about what should I say, what should I wear and
who am I gonna fuck," Lil Wayne admits as he laughs
about his adolescence.
But Lil Wayne's competitive drive forced him to master his craft and not settle for just having a few fans –
he wanted the throne. Tha Carter (Cash Money/Universal, 2004) marked a change in Dwayne Carter.
He finally broke out of the Hot Boys super group shell and into a new breed of emcee. The album
marked a significant development in Wayne's career as he used his raspy voice to his advantage
creating what we all know as his coined syntax and southern diction. The album quickly gained the
notice of the industry with his single, "Go DJ" climbing to a top 5 hit. In December of 2005 came Tha
Carter II (Cash Money/Universal, 2005) the follow-up to Tha Carter. Since the release of the first two
Carter installments Wayne has been featured on various remixes and singles for other Billboard hits.
With solid albums and mixtapes under his belt, Wayne has yet to have that "crossover" mainstream hit –
until now. The first single for Tha Carter III, "Lollipop" reached the 1 spot on the Hot 100 and become a
crossover hit on mainstream radio as it reached the top 10 on the pop charts. "But I aint trying to put no
pressure on me," Wayne says modestly. "I'm not going to sit here and say this album or this song will do
that. Because then mothafucka's can say, 'I thought you said it would?' I don't want to be that
motherfucka."
Over the last nine years people have gotten to see Mr. Carter the artist more and more. But who is Lil
Wayne the man, the father? According to him, there is no variance. "It's no different, it's just my
daughter's father is Lil Wayne. And Lil Wayne doesn't change at all. If you are able to view something in
the right way and see that I am passionate and motivated about things than you should see how that
would relate to my outside life," Wayne explains. "How I go hard about music is how I go hard about
anything else."
Lil Wayne has been going hard since day one. Last year he recorded a record amount of songs and
was featured on every artist's singles and remixes galore. Various magazines even rated his mixtapes in
the top albums of the year. Wayne appeared in numerous singles such as the remix of Chris Brown's
"Gimme That", which rose to 5 on the R&B charts. Weezy also helped the single "Make It Rain" with Fat
Joe, which was 2 on the U.S. Rap Charts. From records with Lloyd, DJ Khaled, Birdman, Playaz Circle,
Wyclef Jean and even Jay-Z, Lil Wayne continued to produce hit after hit.
With so much dedication and drive the thought of retiring or slowing down isn't even in the equation. "I'm
quite sure I won't step back away from music. If I was to say how much longer I will be making music I
would be a psychic - and that I am not."
Although Wayne claims no psychic ability, his swag and confidence won't allow him to second guess his
career. He maintains relevance in today's ever-moving hip hop cycle – and is considered by him and
many others "The Best Rapper Alive."
There is a knock at the pool table room the door. The door opens and in walks the same confident
cocktail waitress. She walks to the table and places three Alize bottles on the pool table. She looks up
and catches a glimpse of Mr. Carter and naturally he quickly smiles at her. The beautiful bartenders'
confidence quickly floats away like the smoke in the room. As she stumbles out Wayne watches her
pass by. He takes another long hit as he glances at the flat screen TV and watches the recap of the
days games on ESPN. "ESPN all day and night," he says as if he was talking to himself. "It keeps me
current."
Mixtapes have been a growing outlet for any artist to stay current in today's industry, but Lil Wayne took
that to a whole other level. And most of the time, he had nothing to do with it. According to Wayne nine
times out of ten, the series of mixtapes that come out that feature him, he has no involvement."I haven't
dropped a mixtape in three or four years so if you've bought one in three or four years that means you
have been bamboozled," he proclaim
So who gets the credit for the last four years of mixtape success? The DJs? "I don't owe nobody a damn
thing. I've been talking that since they pulled me out the pussy. Not even the doctors that brought me
here."
TO READ MORE BE SURE TO GET YOUR COPY OF THE MAGAZINE!!
he wanted the throne. Tha Carter (Cash Money/Universal, 2004) marked a change in Dwayne Carter.
He finally broke out of the Hot Boys super group shell and into a new breed of emcee. The album
marked a significant development in Wayne's career as he used his raspy voice to his advantage
creating what we all know as his coined syntax and southern diction. The album quickly gained the
notice of the industry with his single, "Go DJ" climbing to a top 5 hit. In December of 2005 came Tha
Carter II (Cash Money/Universal, 2005) the follow-up to Tha Carter. Since the release of the first two
Carter installments Wayne has been featured on various remixes and singles for other Billboard hits.
With solid albums and mixtapes under his belt, Wayne has yet to have that "crossover" mainstream hit –
until now. The first single for Tha Carter III, "Lollipop" reached the 1 spot on the Hot 100 and become a
crossover hit on mainstream radio as it reached the top 10 on the pop charts. "But I aint trying to put no
pressure on me," Wayne says modestly. "I'm not going to sit here and say this album or this song will do
that. Because then mothafucka's can say, 'I thought you said it would?' I don't want to be that
motherfucka."
Over the last nine years people have gotten to see Mr. Carter the artist more and more. But who is Lil
Wayne the man, the father? According to him, there is no variance. "It's no different, it's just my
daughter's father is Lil Wayne. And Lil Wayne doesn't change at all. If you are able to view something in
the right way and see that I am passionate and motivated about things than you should see how that
would relate to my outside life," Wayne explains. "How I go hard about music is how I go hard about
anything else."
Lil Wayne has been going hard since day one. Last year he recorded a record amount of songs and
was featured on every artist's singles and remixes galore. Various magazines even rated his mixtapes in
the top albums of the year. Wayne appeared in numerous singles such as the remix of Chris Brown's
"Gimme That", which rose to 5 on the R&B charts. Weezy also helped the single "Make It Rain" with Fat
Joe, which was 2 on the U.S. Rap Charts. From records with Lloyd, DJ Khaled, Birdman, Playaz Circle,
Wyclef Jean and even Jay-Z, Lil Wayne continued to produce hit after hit.
With so much dedication and drive the thought of retiring or slowing down isn't even in the equation. "I'm
quite sure I won't step back away from music. If I was to say how much longer I will be making music I
would be a psychic - and that I am not."
Although Wayne claims no psychic ability, his swag and confidence won't allow him to second guess his
career. He maintains relevance in today's ever-moving hip hop cycle – and is considered by him and
many others "The Best Rapper Alive."
There is a knock at the pool table room the door. The door opens and in walks the same confident
cocktail waitress. She walks to the table and places three Alize bottles on the pool table. She looks up
and catches a glimpse of Mr. Carter and naturally he quickly smiles at her. The beautiful bartenders'
confidence quickly floats away like the smoke in the room. As she stumbles out Wayne watches her
pass by. He takes another long hit as he glances at the flat screen TV and watches the recap of the
days games on ESPN. "ESPN all day and night," he says as if he was talking to himself. "It keeps me
current."
Mixtapes have been a growing outlet for any artist to stay current in today's industry, but Lil Wayne took
that to a whole other level. And most of the time, he had nothing to do with it. According to Wayne nine
times out of ten, the series of mixtapes that come out that feature him, he has no involvement."I haven't
dropped a mixtape in three or four years so if you've bought one in three or four years that means you
have been bamboozled," he proclaim
So who gets the credit for the last four years of mixtape success? The DJs? "I don't owe nobody a damn
thing. I've been talking that since they pulled me out the pussy. Not even the doctors that brought me
here."
TO READ MORE BE SURE TO GET YOUR COPY OF THE MAGAZINE!!
