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Legalize Stimuli

"Distraction" and "Deal" Music

The last time I spoke to the world I mentioned my Say Something mixtape series that I'm working on. I got quite a few submissions already to sowhatchusaying@gmail.com and I must say I heard some hot shit. I was amazed to hear how many artists out there have music that is not preachy but meaningful. It motivated me to know that I'm not alone when I'm listening to the songs in rotation on the radio and I feel like something's missing. I felt compelled to use this entry to talk about what I'm trying to do and why. I had a conversation with my boy (future music exec) Zack Einhorn and he mentioned something I thought was very interesting. When people are vibing to music a lot of times they want it to distract them from their issues and their lives. Other times they throw on music that helps them deal with what's in front of them. The reason I'm bringing this up is because it made me think about how much of my music is "distraction" and how much is "deal" music. Sometimes I do joints that are more like I’m just venting on a beat and I feel like there are folks out there that can relate to some of the things I’m speaking on. When I do music that serves as a distraction to the real life surrounding me, people identify with that as well because they don’t want to confine themselves to what’s in front of them. I thought about how much of the hit records we listen to fall into these categories.

I know when we're in the club singing "Party Like a Rock Star" or "Ballin" we're seeing ourselves living those words in that moment. When you're singing "let me buy you a drank/I got money in the bank" you're not really absorbing yourself with the thought that you may not have too much money in the bank. It’s distraction music and it serves its purpose, it has done that for years. It’s supposed to be entertainment. Then why is it we long for social commentary at times and complain that hip-hop is dying and music is watered down? Maybe it’s because some of our favorite songs have elements of both distraction and deal.

Maybe the balance we once knew on radio between region and content is gone. If you have no clue what I'm talking about think Biggie's "Mo' Money, Mo' Problems" a song where the hook talked about having doe and seeing more woes while we all sang it playfully in the clubs not even concerning ourselves with the underlying tone and what Big was really saying. From Chamillionaire's "Ridin' Dirty" speaking on his experience with the police to Kanye's "Gold Diggers" touching on his dealings with money-hungry women, hit records don't always have to be fluff. It seems like the best ones walk the line of having a little something to say with a simple chorus and powerful instrumentation. I watched Three Six Mafia's show the other day "Adventures in Hollyhood" and observed how important their choruses are in song creation. I start my construction in a similar way but it seemed like the focus stopped after that hook was nailed. We northern rap guys tend to take a tad bit more time trying to put something profound in the verses. The magical part is making it easy on the listener’s ears and still giving them something worth listening to. It would seem all hope is lost on radio today but that's not true at all. At first listen "Make Me Better" by Fabolous just sounds like a crazy joint. But if you had to dissect it or pitch it to Oprah or something you'd find a man expressing an ode to his better half that goes overlooked when we're rocking to it in parties. That's true entertainment right there. It reminds me of when I heard Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" or "Slap" by Ludacris. Songs about frustration broke into rotation and radio let it go down. I was almost convinced that the powers that be don't want us as artists whether we are black or white to say something to this generation that's positive. Maybe the same people that are bootlegging Trojan magnums in the hood in New York are trying to destroy hip-hop. So with that said I'm going to continue to provide an outlet and bring some type of balance to this music I love. Shout to the Hip-Hop Project, I like what you guys are doing.

My new CD with my crew the Hometown Heroes is in stores and somewhere in your hood right now featuring Flash Da Biskit and Suny Redd, lookout for that. DJ Rhude's Block Music vol. 4 hosted by me is getting love in the streets. June 23rd I'm doing a video for my alcoholic hit record "Leanin.'" I got some shows and interviews that I can't remember right now but my publicist will send out a blast soon, catch me on myspace.com/shastimuli. Cinderella Man coming soon!

-The Present

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