Let's Do Lunch

CROSBY

Crosby aka Crosmopolitan aka Bling Cosby aka Composition Cros aka Clock Work Cros aka Young City the Kid (Don't know where that came from) aka Clutch, has a lot of aka's. But that may be because of his diverse personality and flow. I met this kid when I first came to Purchase College from a fellow teammate and friend of mine Miz Metro. I didn't know he did what he did until we became further acquainted.


When I first heard Crosby flow, I couldn't believe my ears. It all started when I was just browsing some of his creative videos on facebook. The way he pieced ideas and metaphors together, was genius. I'd say his rhymes are a little less chaotic then Eminem's and a little more deep than Asher Roth. I don't mean to be stereotypical because he is a white emcee but he always gets compared to other white emcees. I don't put Cros in a white or black category, I put Cros in a Crosegory.





Crosby first started by doing benefit shows supporting arts in public schools, then he ventured on to bigger and better things with a break away performance at the DKNY Flagship stort on Madison Ave. From that, he was introduced to one of the most influential leaders in Hip-Hop, Russell Simmons. Along with his musical talents, Crosby has a natural niche for the camera. He was given the privilege to work with Charlie Ahearn, director of the hip-hop movie "Wild Style". To develop his craftmanship he has worked with his manager Steve Paul, manager of Buster Poindexter, Johnny Winters, and Muddy Waters.



On Stage: Crosby has peformed with The Cool Kids, Drake, Emily King, Moby, Yarah Bravo, Tone Def, Homeboy Sandman, Louis Logic, Maya Azucena and the love of his life, Miz Metro.
Venues: He has performed SOB's, The Knitting Factory, Don Hill's, Joe's Pub, R Bar, Europa, The Bitter End, Bowery Poetry Club, Public Assembly, The HOWL!, Festival in Tompkins Square Park and the Hyeres Music Festival in the south of France.


Not only does Cros make music, he helps others in the same game. As co-producer/director of HIP HOP HOWL, he successfully organized and performed at the 2009 SXSW HIP HOP HOWL showcase in Texas. It ran like a live mixtape featuring over 28 artists from around the world and helped establish the presence of urban music at SXSW. The mixtape received over 600,000 plays as the featured playlist on IMEEM.



Crosby does not need to shout to be heard, he commands audiences with his charismatic stage presence and tight flow. He's experienced in performing to crowds ranging from 1500 to 15, engaging people with his high energy interactive crowd participation. Crosby is a great addition to any bill.

Where's Crosby?

CROSMOPOLITAN

EPK

YouTube

Myspace

TWITTER

HipHopHowl

21

Sooo, the day finally came. I TURNED 21. It has been a blessing for me, a lot of kids don't get the chance to become an adult. I must admit though, with all its priviledges it is still very intimidating. Being 21 entails major responsibilites and as independent as I may seem, inside I never want to grow up..


Let's Move on..






My birthday was very personal. A little friends, a little fam, it was all love in Bubba Gumps. I would've gone somewhere more intimate but I wanted everyone to enjoy themselves and I didn't know what could've gone down, so Bubba Gumps it was..



I thought this day would never come. I've always chilled with the older crowd so everyone was getting into clubs and shows before me. They always had to find ways to sneak me in, I'd have to use an ex's I.D, or I would have to tell the security guard that the person performing was my cousin and that I drove all the way down from Toronto. But I had to do what I had to do. Getting put on the guestlist at 21+ clubs when I was 18! And now, it all ends.. I don't have to come up with schemes, plots, and plans anymore and I wonder if it will be any fun now that I'm 21..



I'll let you know next blog post..




Special thanks to my Stink for making my 21 the best birthday yet..Nuv You.

JASMiNE SOLANO

Jasmine Solano, a Philly Motown girl turned "HIP HOPSTER SOUL GAL." Representing on the airwaves and turntables since she was 17, nowadays you’ll find Jasmine Solano DJing in NYC, Brooklyn, Miami, DC and LA. Winner of "Best Female Radio Personality" at the New England Urban Music Awards in 2006 and the annual EVVY Awards for "Best Radio On-Air Personality." She owes it all to the Boston community where it began on WERS 88.9FM. Jasmine put a ‘face to the name’ as a VJ for MTV2 and has been the host and MC for concerts featuring Grandmaster Flash, Akfrika Bambaataa, Questlove, Q.tip, De La Soul, GZA, The Platinum Pied Pipers, Dilated Peoples, M1 of Dead Prez, Jaguar Wright and Goapele.--side note: Goapele is a secret crush of mine.



In late 2008, she decided to pursue her passion full time: making music. Christmas day of that year DJ Wonder and Solano released her first single, “That’s Not It” and by the end of January, the buzz was undeniable. Performing for 700 people at the famed Hiro Ballroom wasn’t far behind. Stints at Miami’s Winter Music Conference, an international tour with Ninjasonik, gigs DJing for J*Davey, performing at Lyricist Lounge and opening up for fellow Philadelphian ?uestlove and Nina Sky all followed.



You can catch her rapping to a mosh-pitting crowd in Bushwick with Ninjasonik, performing for Roxy Cottontail’s birthday party in Midtown, or DJing a deep reggae bashment party in Brooklyn or at one of her long standing parties: Jasmine's infamous Reggae/Dance NYC party, ELECTRIC PUNANNY that she runs with Melo-X and Roxy Cottontail has become a downtown staple as well as “Sticky Mikes” the weekly reggae bash at Leopard Lounge with DJ Gringo & Bintou. Known for her contagious hip hopster spirit and unwavering allegiance to old soul, Jasmine effortlessly combines the cutting edge with the timeless in a mix of R&B, Soul, Reggae, Electronica, House and Hip Hop.

Thats Not It (Produced by DJ Wonder).wav - Jasmine Solano

Verve Christmas Remix Cd Shoot from Jasmine Solano on Vimeo.

Michael Jackson

Yesterday, Thursday June 25th, 2009 the King himself Michael Jackson was pronounced dead at 2:26pm. Apparently he went into a cardiac arrest from being "addicted" so prescription drugs. Other sources say that he was also fighting anorexia and had just overcome a staph infection..but who knows, someone is always saying some shit about Mike.


What's crazy is yesterday was also my moms birthday, so I was in a good mood knowing my mother was blessed with another year of life, then this shit happens. First Ed McMahon, then Farrah Fawcett (FAUCET), now Mike? The shit is CRAZY! Well atleast it was still my moms birthday..[trying to look on the bright side]



So while I was doing my research I found out from a blog on Myspace that Lisa Marie Presley wrote, that Mike had a pre-concieved notion about his death. He discussed with her that he was frightened that he would end up dying just like her father Elvis "The King" Presley did. As much as she tried to convince him to get that thought out of his head, it was no use..she already knew that his mind was made..
[research how Elvis died because I'm not going to tell you, this post is about Michael Jackson.]





I'm not going much further into this post though, everyone knows what happened, you just can't have a blog and not blog about the death of a King. Below are some facts about his record sale history and such. Also there's some of my favorite videos posted below. Live In Peace, Michael Jackson. [1958-2009].

Five of Jackson's solo albums – "Off the Wall," "Thriller," "Bad," "Dangerous" and "HIStory," all with Epic Records, a Sony Music label – are among the top-sellers of all time. During his extraordinary career, he sold an estimated 750 million records worldwide, released 13 No.1 singles and became one of a handful of artists to be inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized Jackson as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time and "Thriller" as the Biggest Selling Album of All Time. Jackson won 13 Grammy Awards and received the American Music Award's Artist of the Century Award.


Michael Jackson, one of the most widely beloved entertainers and profoundly influential artists of all-time, leaves an indelible imprint on popular music and culture..

Blue Screen of Death!

I know, I know, I've been missing in action for a while now. I was supposed to blog about Summer Jam 2009 but I figured it's too late. You just had to be there...

The reason I've have been off the face of the earth is because of "The Blue Screen of Death!" You only see this screen when your computer crashes. In the past couple weeks technology has not been my friend. My ipod got fucked up somehow, so now that's dead. Then my computer crashed because of an update gone wrong..I'm like that's computer maintainence and it fucked my shit up?? Yeah I was tight. So I couldn't write blogs for a while and I don't like to write on anyone else's computer. But trust, I was going through withdrawl.

Also, when I took my computer to Computer Technical Services, they said they would be able to restore my computer and save all my docs, pictures, and music. So I thought I was good....no, I was wrong. I got my computer fully restored, basically brand new..BUT! THEY DELETED ALL MY MUSIC. I damn near almost cried..[deadass]. Like I was in total shock. My girl kept saying I could get it all back, which is true but if you're a go-hard music feind like myself, then I'm sure you can understand. I mean why the hell else would I do this blog?? Nonetheless, I am officially back on track, so expect a new blog post fairly shortly..

Miz Metro

Laura O'Reilly aka Miz Metro, is a creative, laidback, quirky musician from New York City. (She's also my homegirl). In H.S she received the award for musical theatre/spoken word from the Presidential Scholar National Foundation of the Arts. They ranked her in the top 5% of teenage singers and actors in the USA. [[THAT'S CRAZY!]] With such a natural gift for song writing, at 16 she began to write songs that later went on to be licensed to MTV's MADE!I wish I could be MADE to do that..Yeah so, in June 2008 she performed one of her hit songs "T.V Land" on Fox 5's "Fearless Music" tv show. The show aired internationally and she won the viewers pole for best performance.


Miz Metro is a New Media/Studio Composition dean's list student at SUNY Purchase. I recently saw her at a charity event at Marcy Playground and I remember her telling me that she couldn't believe she had achieved a 4.0 gpa for the last two semesters. I couldn't believe that shit either! I only recieved a 3.5 and she is way more busy than I am...anyway, with all that going on, she still made time to perform as an official showcasing artist at the 2008 SXSW first ever SOUL showcase. She has also performed along side Ladybug Mecca, of the Grammy winning group Digable Planets. In response to her performance at Mixtape Riot, URB magazine said that "Miz Metro's rare voice and style were something never heard before in NYC." Personally, I believe that Miz Metro's sound resembles Gwen Stefani's but I will agree with the quote since Gwen Stefani is not from New York.


Miz Metro has graced over 60 stages from California to London, engaging audiences with her quirky stage presence and well crafted songs. It is her "fresh dynamic", as Chuck Taylor from Billboard Magazine puts it, that is making Miz Metro a creative force in the music industry. "But it isn't her sense of style that pulls in the audience. Her powerful, controlled voice blends with and rises above the music to bring her message of social change," explains ClubPlanet.com.


The name "Miz Metro" came from Lady Sovereign at the 2006 WMC. Laura was interviewing Lady Sov and she happened to be wearing her favorite metro card doorknockers. Lady Sov called her "Miss Metrocard", the card got dropped, the Z got added and the rest is history. The name fit like a puzzle piece, at the time Miz Metro was also the ringleader of her "Urban Gypsy Circus." They were a series of loft parties at a 5,000 square ft. loft space in SoHo, New York.







She has done VJ work conducting exclusive interviews with Fab 5 Freddy, GZA and Spankrock working along side Santi White for Panjea.com. Miz Metro has also been featured as a solo artist on "Breaking For the Holidays" along side the likes of Chaka Khan, Ben Jelen and Sandra Bernhard. As co-presenter of the "Hip Hop Howl Mixtape" for the Lower East Side's HOWL! Festival, she's been featured next to Grammy nominated singer Emily King, Mickey Facts, Louis Logic among many other fierce talents coming out of NYC.



Miz Metro's debut album "UNLIMITED" is a mix of studio tracks and songs recorded with her 7 piece band "The Makebelieves." It will be released in early July 2009. From her experience with editing her own music videos, she designs all the fliers for her shows and promotions. Miz Metro is a bold communicator and a leader in building community within the New York's hip hop thrift shop scene. Poised to be a future media music mogul, she's the next Madonna, but the first Miz Metro.


Check out Miz Metro at:
Twitter
Myspace

Lost. In. Eternity

Lost In Eternity aka "L.I.E" is a R&B/HipHop group coming out of Long Island. (Go figure). The trio consists of three male artists, Justin Leakey, Dennis Kellum, and Deshaun Sutton. Each member bring a different aspect of musical genius to the group. With Leak's explosive vocal range, Deshaun's ability to harmonize, and Dennis K's freestyle dance techniques, I'd say L.I.E is a force to be reckoned with..



Justin Leakey bka "Leaks" is the head hancho in charge. He has put everything on the line to take L.I.E to the next level. Eventhough Leaks has such a commanding spirit, his voice and rhymes are able to vocally harmonize with Dennis's ostinati and Deshaun's octave range.


Dennis Kellum bka Dennis K aka "Roc4ya" has been with L.I.E from jump. Dennis and Leaks were apart of former group "Yungfellaz" which disbanded a few years back. They have been working together for about 5 years now. Dennis brings diversity to the group, his stage performance combined with his dance techniques equal fans in the stands. With his ability to sing, rap, and dance Mr. Kellum is a triple threat that may be hard to beat.


Deshaun Sutton aka "Slink"--(ha didn't think I remembered that!) is the newest member of L.I.E and as a new recruit he is well above-par. He adds that "umph" that every group desires. His musical genius has added the fulfillment of sound and rhyme of choice. Since I know him personally, I know how hard he has worked for an opportunity like this and how hard he will work to make it last.



First of all, I forgot to mention that yes, ladies they are all single, sad but true. So if you want to get your L.I.E on, you may have to wait in traffic. Lost. In. Eternity currently has two singles out "Greatest Show" and "American Girl." (Personally, I'm fucking with Greatest Show). The trio is managed by Theo Brown of Interscope Records and is under Third Lane Ent. They have opened up for various artists such as Fabolous, Tank, Bobby Valentino, Brian Mcknight, and Lee Carr one of their fellow lable mates. They are currently working on a new up and coming single, make sure you look out for that one.

For more info: Look up L.I.E on FACEBOOK or MYSPACE

Nicki Minaj a Trois

Nicki Minaj, Nicki Lewinski, hiphop's newest female femcee. I know everyone has heard about this chick by now and if you haven't..well it's about time you have. She is Lil' Wayne's female protege of Young Money Ent. This is the same entertainment group that Drake is apart of. I see Wayne is creating artists to pass on his legacy into the future. The artists that he seems to find, end up being the new best thing. First Drake, now Nicki? No one expected or even expects the shit that comes out of her mouth. I mean she looks like eyecandy from XXL, but then again no one expected Lil' Kim to step out the way she did either...



Nicki Minaj hails from Jamaica, New York (Southside Jamaica Queens). I'm pretty sure everyone around the block knew her, just like they did 50 cent. I heard she still makes a few cameos on the block every now and then. You can even find her in Brooklyn chilling with Maino, Red Cafe or the A-Team bike club. She chills with a lot of dudes, so I'm guessing that's part of the reason why she rhymes so good, just from being around that type of environment. When you hear her, she's like a bunch of different artists combined. She has a flow like Wayne, delivery like Fox, the persona of Kim, and the rawness of Eve.



She has been on many mixtapes: "The Come Up" DVD, "Play Time is Over" and "Sucka-Free" of course. Tracks on those mixtapes have giving her street credibility in the sense that she is able to hold it down, keep her femininity, and handle business. Plus, the fact that she is under Lil' Wayne's wing, says a lot as well. She has collaborated with Gucci Mane, Jadakiss, Bobby Valentino, and Eric Benet, to mention a few. She has her own mixtape out called "Beam Me Up Scotty." Personally, I think she is definitely up to par..granted her voice is kind of annoying..DIFFERENT! But nonetheless, still annoying at times and the auto-tune doesn't help.


There have been rumors about Nicki Ninaj and Reece Steele from VH1's Miss Rap Supreme have got into some altercations, misunderstandings, or what ever but they have beef. Nicki Minaj won female artist of the year at the Underground Music Awards. Maybe some of the beef could've started from hateration from Steele but you know I had to find out and let ya'll see it for yourself..Enjoy.




PS.- In this industry, image is everything. Note to Reece Steele: Please watch the company you keep..smh

Triple L Society

Ok, as promised here's the post on Triple L Society bka TLS. You've probably seen me sporting TLS around campus. I must admit, it's definitely my style of choice. I've been a fan of underground street wear for years now and I found out about TLS through facebook. I mean when you hear of someone making their own clothing, you kind've don't take them seriously. But when I heard about TLS, I decided to give this kid a chance. He has his own website, blog, and has appeared in many fashion shows. With that kind of weight under his belt, it gave Triple L Society a lot of credibility.



Triple L Society is more than just a clothing brand, it is a lifestyle. That's what the 3 L's stand for: "Live, Life, Lavish." TLS was founded in 2003 by entrepreneur, Lawrence Nurse. At the age of 20 Lawrence has already accomplished what some fashion designers wish to accomplish in a lifetime. TLS clothing brand can be found at Stack House Brooklyn on Lafayette and Fulton St, online on the Triple L Society website and have been featured in various magazines.


This May, Lawrence has launched the Spring 2009 Line, which I feel is more or less high end, street wear. I like the "swag" of this line so to speak. It's very casual and boardwalk material. You can also look out for TLS Summer 2009 line, from BBQ's to the beach, best believe I will have my TLS living lavish in my life.

Triple L Society Spring 09 from Triple L Society on Vimeo.