rtc

I got a pocket full of money…looking all bummy…That’s pretty much my mood right now, and yes that is both my Grover hand puppet and turntable setup.  It’s been raining the past couple of days, and I’ve been rocking rip jeans, a tee shirt, and my Hyde Park hoodie.  That’s also the first time I’ve written about what I’ve been wearing, and, sadly, it will most likely be the last one as well.  I am also listening to Shootenanny!, the 2003 LP by The Eels.  If you’re unfamiliar, it’s a smooth LP full of the right mix of optimism, heartbreak, and sadness. My favorite song on the album is “Lone Wolf”…

 

The Eels: “Lone Wolf”

[audio: http://rubyhornet.com/media/rh/music/09 Lone Wolf.mp3|width=180]

I’ve been going through a lot of old music lately, really hitting the stuff I was listening to in high school and earlier.  I’ve also been doing a lot of driving, which is a good combination.  I’ve definitely fallen back in love with Black On Both Sides, an LP that truly inspired me as a teenager, and has done so again over the last week and a half.  I find it kind of interesting that even though I haven’t really heard some of those songs in quite sometime, I can easily sink (“I start to think and then I sink…”) back into them and hear myself rapping along as if I’d been bumping the album non-stop since it’s release approximately ten years ago.  There’s something about the album, the beats, the lyrics, and Mos Def’s sensibility that always reminds me of home.  It takes me back to my parent’s apartment on cold winter days looking onto Hyde Park Blvd. Even back then, the music, the way he described BK, always made me think of Hyde Park Chicago…And it still does.  

I watched “Burn After Reading” this week.  I don’t get much time to just chill and watch a movie, and I’d heard good things about this one…Man, what a waste of two hours.  Maybe I would have enjoyed this movie if I had something to “burn before viewing”, but I’m not even sure the best herbs God has to offer could have made the tepid acting, and slow moving plot line come to life…I’ll just stick to Flight of The Conchords and Eastbound and Down episodes for the time being…

Other than that, things are going really well for me and RH.  I had a chill set on Thursday at Empire Liquors, and was joined by Million $ Mano and Willy Joy.  We’ll be at Empire again this week Thursday to welcome home Skyler and Hollywood Holt from their tour.  If you’re reading this right now (of course you are), I mean on Sunday, I am DJing at The COOLer tonight, which is setup by Shala. of The Movement.  It’s a very chill lounge act type of thing with live art by Hebru, and rotating DJs.  I am actually billed as the “Special Guest”, so I’m assuming I’ll be greeted with some sort of coat check, the finest meats and cheeses, and free drinks.  I’m looking forward to DJing outside of a club and ‘party setting’ actually and just having some fun and playing a wide range of music.  The Chicago Picasso took a lot out of me, and I’m very happy to put that project to bed.  I’ll let Naledge spill more details as he’s ready, but it’s a very extensive project, and really showcases his talent and passion for Hip Hop music.  I’m very proud of my former Hyde Park Kenwood Baseball teammate, and even prouder to be a part of it.  Kidz In The Hall will be playing a few shows in Austin, so if you’re going to SXSW be sure to drop us a line and maybe we can connect.  RH will be setting up shop at The Rumbler, as we’ve partnered with the top websites to put on four days of great RSVP only parties.  Check that out here.

We’ve been having a heated debate over the last couple days in our offices…Me and Benny Rocs have been going back and forth about the crop of upcoming Hip Hop artists, and giving our two cents about who’s going to have a long-term career, who’s going to be a one hitter etc…At the base of our argument is really our perceptions of what makes an artist successful.  And I want to pose that question to you, what is a successful artist?  Is it one who captures a high amount of fame and a billboard hit?  Is it one that may not get the fame, but has a solid legion of fans and can tour for a decade?  For real, hit us with your thoughts as we’re putting together a bigger piece on this issue with commentary by industry insiders, fans, and fellow artists.  We’d love to hear your opinions on that question, as well as which new artists you feel have the best chance to be succesful, Asher Roth?  Kid Cudi?  Izza Kizza?…

This week you can also look for new features on Hey Champ!, Jadakiss,  Exile and DJ Day, Mishka and more…Thank you to everyone reading this and supporting RubyHornet.  Please don’t hestitate to hit me up on Facebook, Twitter, etc…Until then…

Stay Up,

DJ RTC