Name: Adam Bernard Home: Fairfield, Connecticut, United States About Me: Entertainment journalist w/ over a decade of experience. Lover of good music, fringe movies, day baseball & chicken shawarma. Nerdy, but awesome. See my complete profile
In a bit of a break from previous Vid Picks, this week’s selection isn’t a music video, but the premier episode of the sneaker culture sketch comedy show Just Blame Chad. Just Blame Chad is a creation of the OSD (Obsessive Sneaker Disorder) crew. For those who might not be aware, the OSD crew was co-founded by longtime B-Lister Sean “Ope” Williams. This web show is their latest endeavor and the debut episode features three skits and a performance by musical guest Chip Fu. What's really fantastic about Just Blame Chad is that even though it revolves around sneaker culture you don’t have to be a sneaker head to enjoy it. Press play and check it out!
As most of you know I am both a columnist and a feature writer for 101Distribution.com. One of the really cool features we have over there is called Diamonds in the Rough. These are double features that give a quick overview of two up and coming artists/bands, including how they came together and what type of music they play, and relate a crazy story from their lives. Recently I kicked it with Typewriter Poet and Self Conclusion for their Diamonds in the Rough features and learned that a battle of the bands can be humbling and stalkers can come in all shapes, sizes, ages and footwear… or lack thereof.
Welcome to your weekly dose of pop world musings. Covering all things pop culture, this week Pop Shots is hitting you with thoughts on everything from the battle Rihanna’s new single sets up, to the battles with the law Lil’ Wayne and Kanye West recently lost, to the battle over tickets to Taylor Swift’s 2010 tour, and since it’s Pop Shots you know everything is seasoned with a little bit of attitude.
Do you know how many times I've referred to one of my podcasts as a classic? Zero, that's how many times. OK, so I didn't really count, but I'm assuming it's either zero, or a really really low number. It's not that I don't think each and every one of my podcasts are great, it's just that after five years of radio and now a year of doing podcasts I know the word classic should be reserved solely for the nights when absolutely every aspect of the show is "on." That being said, from the music to the mic breaks, this episode of The Adam B Experience is truly a classic. Enjoy!
Euphon - Industrial Revolution (OA) Tah Phrum Duh Bush - Semi-Reserved Closet Maniac Gr& Fee & Rhyson Hall - 2 4 The Show Substantial - The Memo (Move Me) Kalil Kash - Bang Vinnie Scullo - Digital Molly Top $ Raz - No Tears 3rd Party & Breez Evaflowin - Best Minds (rmx) Core Rhythm - Laws Creature - Reckless Eyeballin C.H.A.D The Change - I'ma Take it Chaz Kangas - My Pizza With God
YC The Cynic is an emcee I’ve been aware of for a number of years. I’d not only heard his name from some artists I trust and respect, but I’ve even had a handful of conversations with him. What I hadn’t seen until a few weeks ago, however, was YC The Cynic perform. Thankfully he was able to jump on the mic at the last Bondfire show and it didn’t take long for me to figure out what all the talk was about, YC The Cynic is seriously dope. He’s also young, which makes him part of the next generation of emcees in NYC. This week I caught up with him to find out more about what that next generation has to offer, if he’s really as cynical as his name might suggest, and why there are certain hip-hop shows were you definitely don’t want to just hit on anyone in a dress.
Adam Bernard: I’m going to start off this interview by paraphrasing The Joker; YC… why so cynical? YC The Cynic: I think after five minutes of speaking to me you'll notice my sarcasm is {in a Kanye voice} "on a hundred, thousand, trillion," but the most fitting meaning would be the value of self control and being independent that was associated with being a "cynic" in ancient Greece. You HAVE to have self control if you want to pursue a music career, and though it’s cool to have friends and associates, you have to be independent. I added that to YC mainly because it looked good on paper, but it’s taken a life of its own. It’s really become a different personality of sorts and its pretty entertaining, if I do say so myself.
Adam Bernard: What are some of the other sides to YC the Cynic? YC The Cynic: I try to be one of the coolest people ever {laughs}. I’m actively trying to be humble and supportive towards others. I’m also part of the Rebel Diaz Arts Collective, which is a performance and multimedia community space in the South Bronx. We haven't even been open for a year and we've organized tons of events for children and adults. We've had some of the best emcees in the world come by and perform. It’s really dope. We have to be the change we look for and hopefully we'll make a dent really soon.
Adam Bernard: Let’s dive into your history. Tell me a little bit about where you’re from and what some of the standout moments of your time in NYC’s hip-hop scene have been so far. YC The Cynic: I'm from the Bronx, homey! There’s like a huge battle of the boroughs at every show nowadays, but we need to stick together. Plus, the BX created it, so we win automatically {laughs}. I'd have to say one of my greatest personal moments has been hearing my verses on internet radio. That was a confidence boost. Another favorite moment was attending the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival. I fully intend on performing there, soon. It’s a goal of mine.
Adam Bernard: You are part of the next generation of emcees on the come up in the city. I see you, Top $ Raz, Kalil Kash and the OISD clique really making moves. That being said, how have the veterans of the scene been treating you? Has anyone sprung up as a mentor of sorts to take the next generation under their wing? YC The Cynic: Thanks, and shouts to the homies! I kid you not, it’s been 100% support with everyone I respect and admire. I've noticed the most talented people are also the most humble. They're not threatened by someone else's skill, so they show love. It’s amazing because I try to show mad love, too. As far as mentor-like emcees, I'd have to say Hipnotic, Rebel Diaz, Final Outlaw and Homeboy Sandman have been crazy helpful, far beyond anything they've had to do.
Adam Bernard: What do you feel you and the rest of this youth movement have to offer as artists that previous generations of emcees may have lacked? YC The Cynic: I don’t want to say the previous generations have lacked anything, but we're different. Since we know that labels are becoming more and more useless every day, we don’t have to come up with a horribly fake persona or gimmick. We can just let the talent speak for itself.
Adam Bernard: What projects are you currently working on? Do you have a solo album in the works? Any collabs people can look forward to hearing you featured on? YC The Cynic: I do have a solo album I'm working on. It’s coming along slowly, but amazingly. I’ve developed some sort of complex where I don’t want to do anything unless it’s what I'd call the best. It’s sad, but true. I'm definitely going to have some great collabs. For example, Homeboy Sandman and Niles are contributing to a song called “Suicide,” which samples Big Daddy Kane and Q-Tip. I really want to make a statement, or a bunch of statements. I want "paragraphs" with this album.
Adam Bernard: Sounds dope. Let’s talk influences. Who do you have in heavy rotation in your personal playlist and what attracts you to those artists? YC The Cynic: I really don’t listen to much, but what I do have in my laptop is a lot of Eminem, who is easily in my top five. His wordplay is like no other and his flows are still getting better. Gnarls Barkley, B.O.B. and Gorillaz serve as my muses for sonically pleasing, off kilter, stuff right now. There are some songs from every emcee previously mentioned in this interview, and a whole lot of Michael Jackson stuff. I wanted to learn as much about what made him so dope and successful as I could and I'm still working on that. Dude has a hell of a lot of songs, man!
Adam Bernard: Finally, what’s the strangest thing you’ve seen during a night out at a show? YC The Cynic: Strange? Well, there is a certain venue in the LES where drag queens run freely. They take no part in the actual show, but to get where they want to go they often go through the hip-hop section of the building. That, my friend, is as strange as it gets.
Infidelity is never cool. Stealing your man's girlfriend is never cool. The Revelations featuring Tre Williams' song about the subject, however, happens to be very cool and audible proof that soul music is alive and well. Check out the video for "How Do I Tell Him" and see for yourself. Enjoy!
The other day I was having a conversation with a buddy of mine about how most of the albums we love get little to no recognition. I wanted to fix that. You can find reviews of new albums pretty much anywhere on the net, but where, I thought to myself, can you find some good information about albums that have been circulating for years, in some cases over a decade, that are worth seeking out and picking up? I deemed these albums Lost Classics, as they would be considered classics if enough people owned them, but for now they’re “lost” in the sea of CDs at your local record store (OK, amazon.com). Today I’m starting a new monthly column here at Adam’s World to highlight some of these Lost Classics. Hopefully it will spread the word that there are a lot of fantastic albums out there worth picking up if people are willing to do a little digging. I’m kicking things off with Bluezeum’s Portrait of a Groove and The Cardigans’ Gran Turismo.
I became hooked on Bluezeum after seeing the video for their upbeat “Can I Get That Funk” on BET. I only saw the video once, but it stuck in my head. It was smooth and funky all at once and I was immediately drawn to it. I had never heard a mix rhyming, spoken word, and singing quite like it and I wanted to hear more. The only thing I could say it even vaguely reminded me of was Us3 (whom I also love). I never saw the video on TV again and it took me forever to find the CD. When I was finally able to hear the album in full it was a real wow moment. Everything from the music, to the lyrics, to the tone of Adwin Brown and Vann Johnson’s vocals, to the flow of it all - Portrait of a Groove amazed me.
It’s funny, because from the lead single I thought I was getting a big, funky, album, but it turned out to be a much smoother listening experience and I ended up digging it even more. I’d say this album could be used on a date, but don’t waste Portrait of a Groove on just anyone, because if you’re anything like me you’ll get mad if someone says “I don’t get this, put on some {insert current crappy R&B artist here}.” There’s a true sensuality to this album, so save it for an educated date. You’ll be glad you did.
Artist – The Cardigans Album – Gran Turismo Label – Stockholm Records Year – 1998
Vibe – Abba on depressants. A great anti-love album.
On the first track of Gran Turismo Nina Persson croons that love is “where your sanity ends,” adding that it’s “the sweetest way to die,” and those are some of the nicest things said about the emotion of love on the album. Most people know The Cardigans as the band that had the lovey-dovey 90’s hit “Lovefool,” but Gran Turismo, which seems to be a total anomaly in the group’s catalogue, is a complete 180 from that playful pop vibe. Hence lyrics like “do you really think / that love is gonna save the world? / well, I don’t think so” (from the song "Do You Believe"). Dark, foreboding, and with haunting vocals and lyrics, Gran Turismo is incredibly unique and, in my opinion, one of the best albums of the 90’s.
It didn’t take more than one listen to the lead single, “My Favourite Game,” to know this was going to be something different (many may remember the song being in the game Gran Turismo 2). The majority of the album features similar emotions, but a more slowed down vibe. Adding to the uniqueness of the album are Persson’s incredible vocals, which she uses to perfection. My only disappointment regarding Gran Turismo is that The Cardigans went back to doing lovey-dovey pop music right afterwards and have been continuing to do it ever since. It’s almost as though they made Gran Turismo as a one time thing for a select set of music lovers, which, in all actuality, kind of makes it even cooler. Consider it a great secret you’ve just been let in on.
Those are my two to check out for this month. I'll be back next month with two more "lost" albums that deserve to be found.
Welcome to your weekly dose of pop world musings. Covering all things pop culture, this week Pop Shots is hitting you with thoughts on everything from the physical assault on Leona Lewis, to Britney Spears’ assault on the Billboard singles chart, to Rammstein’s assault on decency, and since it’s Pop Shots you know everything is seasoned with a little bit of attitude.
Apathy may not be an old soul, but thanks to a rigorous travel schedule that has involved going back and forth to LA for the past three years, his latest album, Wanna Snuggle, is filled with a heaping dose of just that.
According to the Willimantic emcee his trips to LA had quite the impact on him musically. “LA has a huge oldies culture,” he explains, “the oldies they play out there aren’t like the oldies anywhere else. Everywhere else you hear the typical Motown stuff. In LA they have a lot of rare, obscure, stuff, so just being out there you hear stuff and you get inspired off it and I think that’s probably where I got a lot of ideas for the samples from.”
Those samples make for a slightly different sound for Apathy, and Wanna Snuggle is a slightly different album from his 2006 effort, Eastern Philosophy. “Pretty much everything (on Wanna Snuggle) is some type of a concept, or some type of a story. I think it’s a lot deeper and more honest, too. I have a lot of songs that reflect what’s going on in my real life.”
What goes on in Apathy’s life has been of keen interest to many in the state’s hip-hop scene as just a handful years ago Ap was Connecticut’s only rap artist that was signed to a major label. Although his time at Atlantic Records wasn’t great, and he eventually left because “they wanted to turn me into essentially what Asher Roth is now,” he still derives a sense of pride just from getting the opportunity to be there. “It’s amazing that I got signed to a major label at some point in my life,” he says, “that’s a cool thing.”
All throughout his time at Atlantic, and his entire career, Apathy has repped Connecticut, and not subtly. “I got Connecticut tattooed on my hand. I got 860 on my right wrist and 203 on my left wrist. I really don’t think there are too many other rappers who rep CT as hard as I do.” When he reps it, however, he oftentimes receives strange looks from the people who’ve never visited the state. “When I tell people I’m from Connecticut it’s just bugged out to them. They have no frame of reference really.”
Apathy has found the few folks that do have a frame of reference have a distorted one. “They always assume it’s a Podunk, backwoods, sticks, or a rich type area.” The latter seems to dominate people’s opinions, but as Ap notes, “they don’t understand it’s right in the middle of New York, Philly, Providence and Boston. It’s dead in the center, so it’s not gonna be this illustrious place in the middle of everything else.”
At one point in time Apathy had the title The King of Connecticut. It was one he gave to himself, but he says he never meant for people to take it seriously. “That was more of a joke,” he says, surprised at the number of people who felt he was being overly braggadocios, “a lot of people don’t understand I’m very tongue in cheek. I’m a sarcastic asshole and I joke around here and there. When I started saying King of Connecticut it wasn’t really serious.”
While he may not be concerned with any crown or throne, Apathy’s lifelong tenure in the state, and the fact that he is one of the only artists from Connecticut to make noise on a national level, does warrant him a certain status. It’s a status he wouldn’t mind seeing some of his fellow in-state emcees ascend to. “If some other kid from Connecticut comes along and is successful, good,” he states, “it’s about time.” Before that can happen, however, Apathy notes “a lot of people, for them to reach that level, business-wise, have to get their shit together.”
For Ap, “getting his shit together” meant coming to the realization that it made no sense to try to launch his career by attempting to be a star in his home state. “People have the wrong mentality when it comes to trying to establish themselves as a Connecticut artist,” he explains, “they all think they gotta conquer the state first. I didn’t do it that way. I went after the rest of the world first, then Connecticut started to take notice.” Dishing out a little more advice for the in-state artists, he continued, “don’t just be like I’m a Connecticut emcee and that’s all it is. Rep it as you go along, but don’t try to make it a handicap for yourself.”
Apathy has actually gone one step further when it comes to not handicapping himself, by taking record labels out of the equation altogether for his latest release. “Labels fuck you over,” he says acerbically, “labels actually fuck you up interacting and dealing with your fans. Labels take money out of your pocket.”
With Wanna Snuggle in stores, and none of the money from it going into a label owner’s pocket, up next for Ap are a number of group projects, including albums with his Demigodz crew, Army of the Pharaohs, and the Get Busy Committee, which features Ap, Ryu and Scoop Deville. He’s also hard at work on his next solo project, Honkey Kong, and is even putting something together with the legendary DJ Premier.
Apathy may have no interest in the title of king, but he’s sure earning the distinction of being the busiest man in the scene.
When Tanya Morgan burst onto the scene in 2003 they made an instant name for themselves. In 2009 they made a city. Brooklynati was their creation and they named their May release after it. This week I caught up with Ilyas, Donwill and Von Pea (pictured L to R) and after doing some of the usual (i.e. necessary) interview questions I decided to have a little fun, crack a few jokes about bad albums and nerdy pastimes, and ask them about what they think they’ll be doing in the year 2030. Here are some of the highlights from the interview:
Donwill on developing the Brooklynati concept: It was pretty organic. Just a lot of tossing ideas and concepts around and seeing what stuck. I don't think we were workin on any side projects or doing cameos either, just really focused on Bknati.
Von Pea on whether or not they’re underground: Underground is a weird thing because it’s not really a sound, it’s more of a status. I think we're still unpopular enough to be underground.
Ilyas on nerdy pastimes: I am a HARDCORE gamer. I've been playin games since Atari 2600 & ColecoVision.
Anti-machismo, lonely stoner, and a post-Tribe/Pharcyde type of vibe are just three of the ways Nyle feels his work can be described. Most people who hear him rhyme, however, have found a shorter, one word, description for his style – dope. Nyle’s fan base has been growing steadily since his arrival in NYC from Philly a handful of years ago and he points to his content as one of the reasons for this, saying “the stuff I write about is easy to relate to.” Nyle also has a great range when it comes to his music as he point out his body of work includes everything from “straight rap jawns like ‘Gangrel,’” to “a T-Pain parody song called ‘Fuck A Nice Guy.’” No matter what he may be spittin about, Nyle has developed a reputation for always gettin busy on the mic and this week I caught up with him to ask him about making it in NYC’s crowded hip-hop scene, which kind of naysayers he loves, and why so many people know him by so many different names.
Adam Bernard: Nyle, first of all, am I crazy, or when we originally met did you go by the name NyleLee? Nyle: {laughs} Yeah, and I'm so glad you spelled that out. When we originally met I went by the name NyelLee, pronounced Nyle-lee. This is because back when I was in Philly there was an older rapper named Nile Hardin, so I couldn't just go by Nyle. I went by Nyle E, but I didn't want to spell it that way because it reminded me of Sheila E., so I changed it to Nylee. People mispronounced it as ny-lee, though, so I spelled it out phonetically – NyelLee. Of course, no one ever spelled it right - case in point, you asking me this question – so after four years of misspelled show flyers and emails I changed it to my government.
Adam Bernard: You came to NYC for school and gave yourself a mission to record an album for every year you were in college. You recently completed that mission with the Capstone EP. Was there ever a time when you thought you weren’t going to be able to reach your goal? Nyle: Well it’s still actually not complete. I have to go back and record my junior year album, III. I wrote it during a trip to Ghana and still haven't recorded it yet. It’s coming together slowly, and I'm not sure when I'll release it. I went through a lot of stuff over there so it’s the most personal album.
Adam Bernard: As of now all your music is available for free. Has anyone told you about this amazing thing called commerce? Just kidding, but on the real, how has letting people download your work for free worked for you? Nyle: Right now we are in the age of free music. If it weren't for the invention of Napster I probably would have never pursued music as a career. I'm a believer that your music exists for people to enjoy and spread, which will lead them back to your live shows. When I finish my Capstone LP, I might actually sell it, but it always depends on the situation I'm in. For up and coming artists I believe its essential to make versions of your music free, because if you're new the only people that will buy it are your friends, fam, and avid supporters. While it’s good to reinforce that fan base your main goal is to attract new listeners.
Adam Bernard: Speaking of attracting new listeners, over the years you’ve ascended in NYC’s hip-hop scene at a very nice pace. I’m sure you’ve seen a lot of people fall by the wayside during that time. Why do you think this happens to so many artists? Nyle: I think people fall by the wayside because this takes an incredible amount of work. It’s pretty impossible to have a job, a life, and be an underground artist. If you're not promoting and updating your content online, then you’re practicing for your next show, featuring on someone's album, recording your own album, or at an event just to make your face seen. So that's one reason, people get lives. They want to date, go to the movies, not be broke all the time. The second reason is that the hip-hop scene in NY is filled with more talent than fans and it’s easy to reach a plateau. You have to be pulling in fans some other way, mine was through school. Others have a great online following. Others are signed. But you can't just stay in this circuit and expect to blow up, you'll fade out.
Adam Bernard: You had a video, “Let The Beat Build,” that gave you a heck of a buzz. Was the reaction it received expected, or did it totally shock you? Nyle: It was definitely a surprise. Which is funny because whenever you see someone on TV and the host is like "Did you imagine your {fill in the blank} would be this successful?" and they're all like "No, never in my wildest dreams!" you're just like “What a load of BS,” but that’s exactly how it was. I was really really hoping that it would get on Nahright, but I had no idea it would take off from there, to Kanye's blog and MTV.
Adam Bernard: A lot of people hate having naysayers, but I hear you work a group of them. Tell me about your NaySayers. Nyle: My band! When I perform with my backing band we are called N Y L E x NaySayers - Nyle versus the Naysayers. It’s D. Sig on the keys, Funknasty on the skins, and Mitch Friedman on bass. We've been together almost a year now and the sound is finally locking itself in. D. Sig uses Ableton to trigger different samples and crazy synths while he simultaneously holds it down on the keys. Mitch is obsessed with the HUGE bass sound that makes every venue vibrate, and Funknasty is the illest drummer I know. They’re also my production team.
Adam Bernard: I know your life is not limited to rapping. Hit me with a rundown of some of the other work you do. Nyle: I live breath and snort music, but that all ties in with my passion of social justice and entrepreneurship. Right now I'm working with Urban Art Beat, which is a hip-hop songwriting program in the Bronx, and I teach a music production class at Validus High School. I've also been working for a couple of years on 3 Feet High and Rising, a not for profit whose main goal is to create a network that helps hip-hop programs that work with youth pool resources. Adam Bernard: Finally, I’ve been to your website. What’s up with clicking on your tongue! I can’t get mono by doing that, right? Nyle: Ha, probably. Isn't mono a virus? Get it? Computer virus? I'm a rapper I can just come up with witty things like that.
I'm always hesitant to post live footage of rap shows, because most of it usually comes out as an inaudible mess, but The Bronx Über Villain's performance of Conscious' "Space Age" is a rare exception to this rule - it's fantastic. The fact that it's in black and white, which I love, gives it a nice added touch of class. Watching it will take up less two minutes of your day, and there are even a few B-Lister cameos, so check it out!
Blaxploitation films have given us some of our most outrageous heroes. From Shaft, to Super Fly, to The Mack, the 70’s film genre was loaded with badasses we could all root for. Black Dynamite is set to lead the next generation of those badasses. The film hits theaters today and I caught up with Michael Jai White, who is both the writer and the star of the film, and Scott Sanders, who is the film’s director, to find out what inspired them to create Black Dynamite, how they gauged what the right level of over the top was, and how their recent travels showed them badass is a universal concept. Also, because I’m me, I asked White about some of his original gigs, which included two Toxic Avenger films and arresting AC Slater on Saved By The Bell.
Adam Bernard: Why don’t you start off by telling everyone what inspired you to create Black Dynamite. Michael Jai White: I had been having these little blaxploitation parties at my house, and I have teenagers who are 14 and 18, they love these movies, and usually they don’t want to admit to liking anything. Scott Sanders: Mike actually edited together a little tape and there were some very funny moments, like the pimp council in Willie Dynamite, or the scene in a movie with Fred Williamson where his mother dies and they’re at the funeral and all of a sudden this song called “Mama’s Dead” is blaring in the background and you can see this cord coming from his pants leg. Michael Jai White: They were far from anything that was formula and they reflected a time where it was like the first time black folks could see themselves in heroic roles, even though sometimes they created a hero out of a pimp, very much like they did with Butch Cassidy and Jesse James, these characters were outlandish and they had a certain swagger, so even people who didn’t grow up in that era found it very entertaining. The approach was so non-politically correct. I think now we’re in a time of formula and I felt like wow, it would be interesting to serve up some breast milk.
Adam Bernard: Yeah, and something that doesn’t have a number two or three at the end of its title. Michael Jai White: Absolutely. I think people want to go on a ride. When you look at some of the ethos of the blaxploitation movies, a lot of them had this thing where the white man is this omnipresent, moustache twisting, villain that was trying to destroy the black man. It was this hyper violent overcompensation of being oppressed that created its own camp. To look at it at this distance it’s quite funny to take it seriously, so we decided to really do it like they did it back then and treat the material seriously.
Adam Bernard: In terms of the material and the character, what do you think makes Black Dynamite who he is? Michael Jai White: He’s Shaft, Superfly and The Mack put together. He’s like the oppressed man’s wet dream to live vicariously through. Scott Sanders: It’s like “what’s the most badass thing you can do?” He doesn’t even have a real job. He’s sort of in the CIA and he’s sort of a pimp and he’s sort of fighting drugs in the community. Whatever badass thing you need necessary for the character, he’s it.
Adam Bernard: He sounds pretty tough. Michael, who do you think would win in a fight between Black Dynamite and one of your previous roles, Spawn? Michael Jai White: Oh boy. {laughs} I’m sorry, Spawn has a little bit of an edge with these chains and he’s got this magical cape, he’s coming from a different world. Scott Sanders: Spawn’s dead, so isn’t he kind of hard to kill? But I still think the way we crafted Black Dynamite, he doesn’t die. When they shoot his parachute he just lands on his feet without even bending his legs.
Adam Bernard: That’s pretty crazy, and that being said, when making a film of this nature how do you know when you have the right level of “over the top?” Scott Sanders: It was sorta like the whole Spinal Tap thing, just turn the knob to eleven. Nothing is really that far off from various scenes in blaxploitation movies. Like how the militants are always plotting to overthrow the government from the smallest living room, or dining room, and it’s only three or four guys. In Willie Dynamite there was an actual pimp council. That idea to me is funny, that pimps have to have meetings to discuss the state of pimpdom in their town. Michael Jai White: It’s like the real leads in the movie are the fictitious writer and director that are from the 70’s, that’s the perspective the movie is from and if something ridiculous happens it has to be something that would make the final cut in one of those movies and it has to be so subtle that it could possibly slip by. For example, there’s a line of dialogue in the movie that happens where this militant is speaking the direction in his dialogue. He turns around startled when Black Dynamite comes in the room and he says “the militant turns, startled. Where did you come from?” Black Dynamite is looking at him like “you just read the screen direction.”
Adam Bernard: That’s very intellectual humor. Michael Jai White: That’s what our intentions are. I grew up on Monty Python, Steve Martin, and probably my favorite of all time is Peter Sellers. I love their humor, I love their commitment in their humor, and things are always on so many levels. There’s the visceral, there’s the silly, and then there’s a completely intellectual silly, as well. There are layers.
Adam Bernard: That was the greatness of Rocky and Bullwinkle, the kids were watching it for one thing and the parents were watching it for something completely different. Michael Jai White: That’s exactly what we’re going for here. You don’t have to know anything about blaxploitation movies. Our responses overseas have been crazy. Our first standing ovation was in the Czech Republic. Germany keeps wanting us to come back. We just came back from France. You would think they wouldn’t get it, but what they’re seeing and what they’re responding to is basically the badassetry from this character who just doesn’t give a damn. Scott Sanders: I think there’s something about the badass nature of Black Dynamite that really attracted them. I guess that’s the thing that’s kind of missing from movies. I don’t think there are very many manly men in America in the movies.
Adam Bernard: I think the closest we have is Jason Bourne. Scott Sanders: Maybe Matt Damon is pretty much it. He’s strong and smart, but he’s got a boyish quality to him.
Adam Bernard: Very true. Finally, I have one last question for Michael. Very early in your career you had bit parts in a handful of project I think a lot of people remember fondly – The Toxic Avenger II and III, TMNT II and Saved By The Bell. Would you mind talking about that time in your career? Michael Jai White: I’m proud of all of those. People think I might shy away from Toxic Avenger, but I am so proud of Toxic Avenger and whenever I’m in town I always try to find out where Lloyd Kaufman is. I had a wonderful time doing that and I even respect that kind of genre, that style. He kind of created his own style, one where you can’t be too far over the top. I thought that was wildly entertaining and I’m very proud of that. Saved By The Bell was, I think, the first TV show I ever worked on. I’m the one that picks up Mario Lopez and arrests him. I talk to him about that every now and then.
If anyone had told me ten years ago this is where I’d be right now I probably wouldn't have believed them. Working four amazing gigs doing what I love and going to grad school? It's pretty mind blowing to me and I just want to say it continues to be a helluva ride and I’m enjoying almost every minute of it.
Oh, and for those who think with age comes maturity, it does... but I've found some loopholes. I am happy to report I still kick piles of leaves, I still watch Pauly Shore movies, and I still use the phrase “that’s what she said” at the most opportune of times. So take THAT maturity (says the guy who pays all his bills on time)! BLADOW!
PS – Wondering about the picture? 1) I’m a Mets fan. 2) I’m now the age on Piazza’s jersey. (Hey Mets management, retire that number!)
Welcome to your weekly dose of pop world musings. Covering all things pop culture, this week Pop Shots is hitting you with thoughts on everything from Miley’s reasons for abandoning Twitter, to Kanye’s abandoning of an awards show, to Canada’s indie scene’s abandoning of insignificance in the US, and since it’s Pop Shots you know everything is seasoned with a little bit of attitude.
Sure, he can give ya all the swag you can you handle, but 2 Deep would much rather serve you up something a little more lyrical. The 24-year-old Memphis, TN, native knows what everybody has come to expect from southern emcees, but the 50,000 units he's moved of his mix-CDs, For Everybody But You and Take It Or Leave It, tell him people are ready for a change. They're ready for the south to show the world there's a lot more to them than just dances and catch phrases. To put it simply, people are ready for a new south and 2 Deep, aka The Southern President, is looking to be the man to lead the way. This week I caught up with 2 Deep to find out more about his story.
French hip-hop/trip-hop/downtempo producer Wax Tailor has been on a steady ascent since his days releasing work as a part of the group La Formule. He started using the Wax Tailor moniker in 2001 and last month he released his third full length album, In The Mood For Life. This week I caught up with Wax Tailor to find out more about the project, how his everyday life at the time of its writing and recording played a major role in it, why he uses guest appearances sparingly, and what excites him musically in 2009. Here are some of the highlights from the interview:
On listening to In The Mood For Life: When I listen to this album I think, maybe because I know it from behind, about the energy I had and the feeling I had, because the cycle of In The Mood For Life is not a very happy thing, it’s more being able to struggle every morning about life.
On how he works with other artists: I try to work with people with a specific idea. I never send five or six tracks to an artist saying just choose one track, I just send a track saying I got a specific idea that fits this song and I want you to sing, here’s the mood, etc., and in the end it’s just a yes or no, that’s all.
On what excites him about music today: I like the idea of past and future at the same time. In ‘94 I bought some equipment, like an Ensoniq Sampler. Fifteen years after I’m still using this stuff, but I definitely don’t work the way I was doing it fifteen years ago because I also have some tools from 2009 and I like the idea of mixing those elements.
Hip-hop and R&B fans may be familiar with the name Tre Williams as he was the first artist Nas signed to Ill Will Records. Those same fans may also be familiar with Rell from his time with Rocafella Records. Neither artist’s major label deal panned out, but they managed to come together with keyboard player Borahm Lee, bassist Josh Werner, drummer Gintas Janusonis and guitarist Wes Mingus (pictured L to R followed by Rell and Tre), to form the soul super-group The Revelations. The sextet just released their debut LP, The Bleeding Edge, and it's so good that it easily warranted the dynamic soul group an Artist Of The Week feature. This week I caught up with Williams for that feature and found out more about The Revelations, the sneaky way he made sure Rell would be a part of the group, and how his time with the majors prepared him for his current journey as an independent artist.
Adam Bernard: Since the name of the group is The Revelations ft. Tre Williams, I have to ask, are you not a Revelation? Tre Williams: The way it started out, I was working on my own solo project and I called in the guys to do some tracks for me. The first track we did, which was called “I Don’t Want To Know,” was so strong that I thought we ought to just be one band, so we decided let’s do The Revelations featuring Tre Williams. The group got so big so fast that the solo project just went to the wayside for a little while and we just stayed with The Revelations featuring Tre Williams, but I am a Revelation.
Adam Bernard: That could sound a little egotistical – “I am a revelation.” Tre Williams: Yeah {laughs}, I am one of The Revelations.
Adam Bernard: The Revelations is a very old school sounding name. I’m guessing that was intentional, right? Tre Williams: Yeah, what we wanted to do is basically show that we can be today’s artists and have yesterday’s feel mixed with our feel. Back when Otis Redding and those guys did this sound it wasn’t called soul music, it was just good music, and it was the popular music. As the years moved on it began to be labeled and slowly pushed to the background to the point now where this type of music is somewhat a novelty because not a lot of people are doing it.
Adam Bernard: How do you think audiences that have become so accustomed to Auto-Tune and vocorder affected R&B will react when they hear The Bleeding Edge for the first time? Tre Williams: When we released the EP, Deep Soul, the reception was great. People really embraced it a lot. A guy came to me at a show and said “for the first time me and my mother listen to the same music. This is the first time I’ve put on a CD and she said ‘I like that.’ We both sit down and listen to you. She just doesn’t believe that you’re from the hip-hop generation.”
Adam Bernard: You definitely are, though, because both you and Rell had huge hip-hop associations early in your careers, you with Nas and Rell with Rocafella Records. Neither of your solo debuts, however, ever made it to stores. Do you now consider those times almost a false start to your career? How hard was it to deal with? Tre Williams: Sometimes I look at it as a blessing in disguise because I look at what I’m doing now and think this is where I should be, this is the type of music that actually fits me, but anybody that’s an artist… when you’re with Nas you look at him and say “instant success.” You don’t look at him and say your album is never coming out. But to be with a legend and learning the things that I was able to learn and being exposed to the things that I was exposed to, and I’m quite sure Rell would feel the same way about being with Jay-Z, was priceless.
Adam Bernard: How crazy is it that you and Rell are working together now and the artists you were previously associated with had one of the most high profile battles of the decade? Tre Williams: The whole schematics of me and Rell being together is crazy.
Adam Bernard: Really? How did you two, and the band, come together? Is there some sort of “I got screwed by the industry” support group that had a meeting, or something? Tre Williams: {laughs} That would be a great story to write. I was actually working on my solo project and Bob Perry, who put it all together, saw Rell, who had just written a song for Usher at the time (“Here I Stand”), and asked him if he would mind coming to help write a few songs for the album. Basically, I didn’t feel like I wanted to write it all. Sometimes when you try to write it all, no matter how much in your mind you think you’re doing something different, sometimes it just falls back into that comfort zone. I walked in the studio one day and Rell was there and before I had even gotten there he had written an incredible song. When he did it he actually laid a reference (track) and I decided I wanted to keep his background (vocals). We gelled so well on tape, I asked him what he was doing and he said he was just writing, he had moved out of the artist realm. I said, let’s do a few shows together and see how it works out. Rell’s a very talented dude with a good heart and I want to see him accomplish what he set out to do. We kept writing the album and I had gotten him on so many songs on background that I was like, “who’s gonna do these parts? You gotta do em.”
Adam Bernard: Very sneaky! I like it. Now, you have a lot of experience in the industry. What kind of influence do you think your time with the majors has had on you? Do you feel extra prepared for this indie journey? Tre Williams: You know what, I feel a lot calmer. I don’t feel stressed about anything. I feel like I can handle whatever’s coming because I’ve been through a lot. It really made me a better student of the game, especially going into these studios and recording these songs. I’ve learned not to waste time. A lot of guys don’t take the business aspect of this seriously and when they look at their checkbook they realize they just put out a whole album and it did decently and they didn’t make any money. It’s because they jerked it. Not even when it hit their hands, before it even touched their hands they had already spent forty thousand dollars just on being in the studio alone, and when they didn’t have to.
Adam Bernard: Finally, complete this sentence – The Revelations will be a success when… Tre Williams: …people really get to hear the music. When people get to grasp the concept and understand where it’s going and see the consistency in the music and start feeling almost a kinship to it, that’s when The Revelations featuring Tre Williams will be a success.
Sometimes a song and a video are so well done that they affect everyone who who experiences them. This is the case with Kidd Russell's "Dear Shooter," which is a three verse masterpiece where each verse comes from a totally different vantage point. It's extremely powerful and thought provoking. Give it a couple minutes of your time, you won't regret it.
Diminutive, tattooed, and with a smile that’s as infectious as it is effusive, Lights has quickly become one of my favorite new artists. The Canadian keytar shredder (that will be explained in a bit) and singer/songwriter released her debut LP, The Listening, this Tuesday and her tour in support of it hit NYC’s Mercury Lounge that same night. Being that I have been a huge fan of Lights ever since I first became aware of her while covering Warped Tour earlier this year, you know I wasn’t about to miss this show.
Musically, you can’t go wrong with Lights. She has a really beautiful synth pop sound that matches her personality perfectly. Her band consists of herself, a drummer and one other keyboard player. That’s right, no guitars. Not surprisingly, the set up for her live show is extremely synth heavy with five keyboards and Lights’ keytar. During the show she pointed out that her favorite piece of equipment had lost a key and that she “didn’t know you could shred on a keytar.”
Throughout Lights’ entire 45+ minute set she exemplified exactly how an artist should be on stage – she was herself. Fun, happy and talking with the crowd about everything from her music to her hobbies, Lights came across as a truly genuine soul and the vibe she gave off quickly spread throughout the crowd, creating an atmosphere of instant friendship. Thanks to that feeling she so effortlessly creates, and vocals that oftentimes have an innocent sound to them, Lights is arguably one of the most likeable artists around. When she performs a song like her current single, “Savior,” you just want to run up to her and give her a hug.
In addition to the music, which was fantastic, there were also quite a few enjoyable non-musical moments from the show, most notably when Lights chatted with the crowd in-between songs. It was never more than a sentence or two, but it was the way in which she spoke to the audience, as if everyone in the room were her best friends, that was both really endearing and connecting. Whether she was telling us about how big a fan she is of Phil Collins, explaining how she wrote one of her songs about her favorite video game, or using one of her keyboards to play the music from multiple worlds of the original Super Mario Brothers, everything she did, and the way in which she did it, whether she realized it or not, bonded her with the crowd. Personally, it really brought me back to when life was simpler and we made friends far more easily, by just having a common interest and running with it. Lights’ music also helps give me that vibe since she performs 80’s inspired synth pop, the original version of which happened to be on the radio a lot when I was growing up. When she performed a cover of Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight” as her encore it worked to further that feeling for me.
Lights knows how to create both a sound and an atmosphere that’s enjoyable and friendly. You can’t say that about very many artists, which is why I hope to see Lights’ name in lights for years to come.
Side Notes – This was a night where timing was everything. My press tickets arrived a little over an hour before I had to leave the house. On my train ride in I saw a friend from grade school who currently lives on the west coast and was only in town for a wedding. My taxi got me to Mercury Lounge ten minutes before Lights hit the stage. After the show I checked my phone for the score of the Twins – Tigers game, saw it was 5-5 heading into the 11th and walked across the street to Nice Guy Eddie’s to watch the end of the game and grab a bite to eat. After the game was over the subway failed me by not showing up when I needed it, so I bolted from there and caught a cab that got me to Grand Central Station one minute before the 10:22pm train was scheduled to leave. I ran like a track star and made the train. In other words, not only did I see a fantastic show, I had a fantastic night.
Welcome to a special edition of Pop Shots, the one column you can always count on to give you your weekly dose of pop world musings. This week the entire focus of Pop Shots is going to be on tour combinations that failed. Sure, plenty of superstars have successfully teamed for tours, but it’s the train wrecks, some of which never even got off the ground, that are really fun to talk about. Some of the following combinations seemed like good ideas at the time, while others were obviously doomed to fail from the get go. Let’s start with the most recent tour fail, that of Lady Gaga and Kanye West.
Freestyles. They’re an integral part of hip-hop, but how many of the freestyles that we hear are truly “off the dome,” i.e. completely made up on the spot? Many people were disillusioned earlier this year when they saw the now infamous video of Drake “freestyling” at Hot97 in New York because they found out what they had heard on the radio was actually the young superstar reading lyrics off of his Blackberry. According to Bridgeport emcee Chase Davis, people really shouldn’t be all that surprised when things like that happen. “A lot of the stuff on radio, and Smack DVDs,” he explains, “are mostly (pre) written.”
Othello, of the group d_Cyphernauts, laments this fact, saying “freestyle is becoming a lost art. As fewer artists that have the ear of the young people freestyle, the more foreign the concept of freestyling becomes to younger audiences, so the art gets lost because it is undervalued and misunderstood.” Othello’s fellow AFA emcee The Rising Sun Quest agrees with this sentiment and adds that although when emceeing was still in its infancy stages it was commonplace for freestyles to be pre-written for radio, “it has evolved to be an extemporaneous skill now. I think most people would say freestyle is off the dome only.” This is what makes true freestyling one of the most respected aspects of the art of emceeing. Chase Davis goes as far as saying he feels “only a few people can truly go in off the top.”
Everyone has their opinions regarding what makes for a great freestyle, but a few things are universally agreed upon as necessities. Nemesis Alpha of d_Cyphernuats says the first golden rule is that “everything being said should connect and make sense.” Plus, formerly of the group Nervous System, seconds this, saying “a lot of people say that punch lines make you dope, and I agree, but let’s try making sense first.”
After making sense, Quest says it’s important to “involve the current scenery and the audience. Pull them in and make them a part of the freestyle experience.” Eclipse, who was known as one of the best freestyle emcees in the state before moving across the country earlier this year, agrees, saying “if an emcee can grab the audience’s attention just using their freestyle ability then I’m impressed.”
Of course, all of this is very difficult to do, which is why so many artists choose to perform pre-written verses, or “writtens” as they’re referred to. Eclipse, and the myriad of other emcees who kick true freestyles, has no respect for artists who try to pass off writtens as freestyles. “Those type of rappers are looking for the acceptance of being an emcee,” he explains, “so the hip-hop culture will appreciate them more, but, in fact, if they were honest and claimed they could only perform the music they have, or wrote, then they would be labeled as an artist and not a fraud.”
There are some tell-tale signs that indicate whether or not a freestyle is truly a freestyle. According to Nemesis Alpha, “you can tell by fluidity. When things get choppy and uncomfortable for the MC, then it is a free for most people.” Chase Davis adds that topic matter is usually fairly limited in a true freestyle, saying “hardly anybody has that much detail in their freestyles.” Othello notes that “usually when someone is freestyling you can hear them working out their thoughts while they’re spitting, or they’re speaking about something that’s going on right then and there. If I’m rapping about the neon yellow kicks I got on, or rapping about the homerun that David Wright hit five minutes ago, that’s freestyle. If someone is spitting with real intricate wordplay and not fumbling at all, and if the breath control seems too good to be true for a freestyle, then it probably isn’t one.” Jokingly, he adds, “if I’m really rapping about the homerun that David Wright hit that might be a written cuz I probably wrote that last year.”
According to Eclipse something as simple as body language can also be an indicator of whether or not you’re witnessing a true freestyle. “If they’re able to act out what they’re saying then seven times out of ten it’s a written.”
In the end, the biggest question regarding freestyling is - does someone have to be able to do it to be considered an emcee? The people involved in this story were split as down the middle as seven people can possibly be with three saying yes, three saying no, and DJ EZ Mike, who could have broken the tie, saying “it’s not necessary to be able to freestyle, but it helps.” Even tightly knit crews are split on this with the AFA’s Nemesis Alpha saying being able to freestyle is a necessity in order to be considered an emcee and shouting out Quest one of the best freestylers around, while Quest himself says he feels freestyling is “not an accurate representation of talent.” Former Nervous System members Plus and Eclipse are split down the middle on the subject, as well.
Whether or not the ability to freestyle is a requirement to be considered an emcee, respecting the art of freestyling is. This is why as a fan, when an emcee grabs a mic and claims to be kicking a freestyle, it’s important to be able to recognize whether or not he, or she, is actually doing so, and only accept what is truly authentic.
“Regulators! Mount up!” It’s a phrase that people go just as wild for in 2009 as when it was first uttered in 1994. “Regulators” was the beginning of the G-Funk era and Warren G has no plans on letting that sun set on that era anytime soon. In fact, he just dropped his latest addition to his G-Funk legacy, The G-Files, the other week and today he took a few minutes out of his busy schedule to sit down with me to discuss the album, as well as which current rising star reminds him of himself, why if you ever hear him say “I’m on a boat” it’s probably a fishing boat, and how Nate Dogg is doing health-wise. Here are some of the highlights from the interview:
On Nate Dogg’s health: He’s got good doctors working with him just trying to help him recover and get himself back to normal. We’re praying for a fast recovery.
On attaining and maintaining longevity: I try to make every song I do a single and I think that’s what got me here. Also, I don’t burn bridges, I keep good relationships. I’m a cool person, period.
On his fishing skills: I ain’t good, but I like to do it. I try. I catch em every now and then, but it ain’t like I’m out there catchin them big muthfuckas that’s like yaaah.
C.H.A.D. The Change had a lot to live up to when I first popped in his Courage Heart And Dedication mix-CD. Namely, he had to live up to his name. I’ve always felt that intricate monikers should be reserved for intricate artists. Thankfully, it only took a few songs to find out that C.H.A.D. The Change’s name and music fit together perfectly. Originally from Detroit, but now residing in Atlanta, C.H.A.D. The Change manages to be interesting both lyrically and musically, not allowing either side of his work to fall off. Radio stations in the south east are starting to notice his work, and so have I, which is why I caught up with C.H.A.D. The Change this week to find out more about his music, what kind of changes he’d like to see happen in the world, and why he feels Canada has always been quite the inviting option for residency.
Adam Bernard: I’m going to start you off with what will either be the easiest, or the hardest, question of the entire interview; why are in the game? C.H.A.D. The Change: I rap for three reasons. 1) I do not like what I’m hearing on a consistent basis. 2) It is an effective method to get my message of change across this society, as well as the world, in a relatively short period of time. 3) To help my entire family reach goals and financial stability. Adam Bernard: Were those the reasons that originally inspired you to pick up the mic, or was there something else that made you want to pursue emceeing back in the day? C.H.A.D. The Change: My story is different from a lot of artists that I know, or know of. Most of the time when you hear an artist speak on why they got started they will quickly tell you their musical idols. Me, on the other hand, I’m the exact opposite. I thought the rap game was fine when I was growing up. It was a little too violent, but from a music standpoint I didn’t want to compete with the people that were making music because they were great. Then the music started to transition into something I didn’t like. That’s when I felt inspired to make music. I felt like people shouldn’t be forced to suffer by hearing this shit they put out today.
Adam Bernard: There’s certainly a lot of garbage out there to combat. Now, from what I understand, your name, C.H.A.D., is an acronym for Courage Heart And Dedication. What do you feel is most important about those qualities and how do you feel you embody them? C.H.A.D. The Change: These qualities are essential to a person of success and dependability. Courage shows that you will try hard at all times. Heart shows that in the face of adversity you pay it no mind and push on. Dedication shows that one has the understanding that persistency eventually wins in most cases. I embody these qualities not only through the art of music but as a person throughout life’s ups and downs in general. The full acronym for my name is a saying I came up with, “It takes Courage Heart And Dedication to get through the Chaos Havoc And Destruction.”
Adam Bernard: That’s like C.H.A.D. squared! Since Change is also a big part of your name, and the reason you decided to hop on the mic, tell me about some of the changes you’d like to see made both in music and the world overall. C.H.A.D. The Change: I’d like to see the return of the regular person in general, specifically males, especially in rap. I’d like to see the death of the love for materials and the end of bandwagon music. I’d like to see blacks regain their identity and culture, and more humanitarians. I’d like to see the return of listening, people including humble pie in their diets, the halt of oppression and exploitation, and people taking care of the Earth, for without Earth there is no us. That’s just to name a few. {laughs}
Adam Bernard: Speaking of music, tell everyone a little bit about yours. Why should people want to pick up a C.H.A.D. The Change album and when they do what should they expect? C.H.A.D. The Change: One thing I can tell you is that I have my own brand of music and that it is rhythmically addictive and emotionally moving. Within a couple tracks you can go from being extremely happy to extremely sad. Since I’m not a fan of bragging or boasting I can tell you what most people tell me, which is that my music is “a breath of fresh air,” and that I have “the ability to change the trend of hip-hop music.”
Adam Bernard: You have clips from two famous Shakur’s on your Courage Heart And Dedication mix-CD. Why did you feel it was important to include both 2Pac and Assata Shakur on the album and what connections do you feel with each of them? C.H.A.D. The Change: Really it’s just the message that they carried. They both just happened to have the same last name. I wouldn’t care if the message came from a Martian, but the message that came through them was one worthy of sharing so I had no choice but to throw those clips on the CD, especially being that I am a very message oriented artist. Both of them were great people, from what I know of them, which is what I inspire to be, a great human being.
Adam Bernard: Of the emcees who are nationally known, who do you feel really represents everything an artist should be? C.H.A.D. The Change: Nobody has it all to me. Some are closer than others, but nobody has it all. People such as Lil’ Wayne, Soulja Boy, Drake, etc. are great entertainers but the content in there music doesn’t move me one bit. “It’ll move my toes, but it won’t move my soul!”
Adam Bernard: Finally, being from Detroit, how many times did you cross the Canadian border when you were 18 to party in Canada? Be honest, dude! C.H.A.D. The Change: {laughs} Oh yeah, they got a lot of PYT’s (R.I.P. M.J.) up that way! Plus they let you get in the clubs and casinos underage, from what I’ve experienced. Canada’s pretty laid back. I wouldn’t mind having a home out there.
"Walk With The Beat" is the latest single off of The Rising Sun Quest's fantastic Journey Towards The Sun album. The video features cameos from numerous members of his AFA crew, but what I dig most about the clip is the way the onus is put on the emcee and the music. Check it out!
Have you ever become addicted to a new show only to have it taken off the air as soon as it really gets going? It happens every year. The fall season brings about a bevy of new television shows and a large chunk of them don’t make it past their infancy. This year The Beautiful Life was canceled after only two episodes (which is just about the television equivalency of SIDS), and although that program may have deserved its early hook, plenty of others that end up sharing the same fate don’t. Today I’m taking a look at four such television shows that lasted one season or less that I felt were brilliant and deserved much longer runs.
Matthew Fox seems to have landed on his feet since the early canceling of Haunted (I think that Lost show may make it), but that doesn’t negate the fact that it was an amazing program. The premise of a cop who, thanks to a near death experience, has found that the dead can communicate with him, and that while many attempt to help him solve his crimes (and their crimes), a handful actually attempt to lead him in the wrong direction and hurt him. The main evil spirit is that of Simon, a child abductor that Fox’s character killed while looking for the man who abducted his own son. Haunted was dark, it was intelligent, and it was on right after Buffy. I still have no idea why it was axed so quickly.
Brimstone Oct. ’98 – Feb. ‘99 13 Episodes - Fox
Sticking with the whole “evil spirits” theme, Brimstone was a show that revolved around a dead police detective, Ezekiel Stone, who has been sent on a mission by the devil to return 113 spirits that have escaped from hell back to the firey depths. Each time he manages to get one back, one of his 113 tattoos disappears. Stone is in hell for murdering the man who raped his wife, but was somehow cleared of all charges. The devil drops clues for Stone regarding the spirits he has to find, but they aren’t always altogether helpful as he relishes his role as a demonic puppet master. Like Haunted, Brimstone was a dark show, although not without it’s moments of humor. It deserved a far better fate than to be just a plot idea for another quickly cancelled show, Reaper.
Vengeance Unlimited starred Michael Madsen as Mr. Chapel, a man who made it his mission to serve justice for those the law had ignored. Well, at least that was his mission until his first real payday, which he never saw. This is because Chapel told people they could pay him in one of two ways, they could either give him a million dollars, or do a favor for him - whenever, whatever, wherever - sometime down the road. No one ever paid him the million, but as he pointed out, it would only take one to do so to let him retire. His “favors” were always pretty big, which is why nobody liked seeing him come back and ask for them. Once the favor was completed, though, he’d let them know he’s out of their life forever. Vengeance Unlimited was a really fun show, as the people he received favors from had all different skills for him to utilize. It should have been a hit.
This will be the most debated of all the shows on my list. You either loved Shasta McNasty, or you hated it. I never understood the people who felt the latter as the writing in Shasta McNasty was brilliant, at times pretty brutal, but always brilliant. The humor of the show that focused on the lives of three slackers in a rap-rock group wasn’t politically correct in the least, and if you didn’t have both a good sense of humor, and some thick skin, it probably wasn’t going to be your cup of tea, or Squidmato, which was the fictional half squid, half tomato, drink that was on the show. I remember one plotline where Jake Busey’s character was down on his luck and felt only a girl with low self-esteem would want to date him, so on the advice of his friend he started dating a fat girl and attempted to keep her fat so she wouldn’t stray from him. This sounds horrible and mean written out like that, but it was actually hilarious. I still (roughly) remember the line of advice, which made me laugh so hard I nearly fell off my sofa:
“Who has lower self-esteem than a fat girl?” “Michael Bolton.” “Yes, but will Michael Bolton love you unconditionally?”
OK, so maybe some sensitive big girls might have been offended, but it’s comedy, it’s not meant to be taken personally.
Shasta McNasty, Haunted, Brimstone and Vengeance Unlimited are just four examples of some of the really great shows that didn’t make it past season one, or in some cases didn’t even make it through season one. If you have a personal fave that got axed after just one, or less than one, season, feel free to add on to this list by leaving some love for your favorite fallen program in the comments section.
B-Listers are a select group of artists that were featured in my Artist Of The Week series that ran every Monday from April of '06 to April of '11. All of these artists have two things in common; extreme talent, and a flight path far too under the radar for my liking. They took on the title of B-Listers as they embraced being featured by me, Adam B. Check out the AOTW Archives for all the interviews.
Artist - Bluezeum
Artist – The Cardigans
Haunted
Brimstone
Vengeance Unlimited
Shasta McNasty
