What you see above is a screen shot of my Facebook profile page, a couple of hours after my friend since the sandbox, Jordan Nichols, left this heartfelt post on my wall.

You ever seen anybody beg for mercy like that on Facebook before? Sorry, Jordan. You kinda just put yourself all the way out there with that one. I accept your apology, but don’t ever question me when I give you music again.

This post wasn’t much, guys. I’m just working and stuff. Tryna get things moving. Thanks to everybody for the resumes you sent in; looking for more Final Cut champs; there’s a lot out there, but I want people who can designate their time and energy to my projects. I guarantee when you see what we’re working with, you’ll wanna rock with it. We got more access than a skeleton key, man. And if you don’t know how much access that is, you better read up on the Wikipedia definition.

As usual, I’d just like to thank you guys for staying on the boat during its unusually lengthy docking period. In a few weeks, it should convert into a fully-functioning ship. A spaceship, that is. Kinda like the joint in Overdoz‘ “Crumbling Therapy” video. Shout out to Ezekiel Phillips for directing this joint. Definitely one of the trillest videos I’ve seen all year. Watch.

Yep. Admit that was a pretty damn good blog post that you didn’t even expect to read all the way through like that.

This is incredible.

So if you remember last year’s Single Awareness Day mix [S.A.D. 2] that I dropped, you’ll remember quite possibly your favorite track from the joint, Rob Roy’s “Carmencita”, and how hard it went.

Well, my girl Nicole from Dub Frequency informed me that they dropped a video today, and she hooked me up like the cable guy did my TV earlier today. Watch, enjoy, embrace, and spread the word.

Rob’s project is available on iTunes…I rarely buy music, but I bought this joint a while ago. His flow is outrageous, and he’s not your typical artist (at all). I hope this stamp will force you to do some Google research and find him. Or, you can just check out the last stuff I posted by him. Links below.

PREVIOUS: Dude Royal – Please Don’t Go [Remix] [feat. Rob Roy]

MORE PREVIOUS: Rob Roy – Fur In My Hat [Video]

Okay, that was a shock value title. Well, not really. Kevin Robinson, the man behind uNCovered 3rd Public Relations did indeed go a little HAM in this video blog. In his words:

“I have been dealing with some writers/bloggers whom think they are too “busy” to respond to my e-mails when they were begging to interview my artists when they first started writing and blogging for their sites/magazines.”

“haha.

i think this is pretty awesome. but you haven’t ever thought about things from the perspective of the smaller writer/blogger’s point of view. i’ll break it down really quickly:

1. for some people, it’s a hobby and not a job.
2. for those who take it as a hobby, their e-mail response game isn’t trained like a professional, which means they don’t have a strategic approoach to their e-mails and kind of read the ones they already know what to expect, or don’t understand that they should open everything.
3. maybe that artist that you’re pitching them doesn’t catch their interest! sure, a response would be awesome, but shit, everybody got stuff to do. when you’re not getting paid for things, the entire game is different.

i think the key would be to call these guys out, so that they can rebuttal and then conversation can start. regardless, i respect this lol. i like how you took it to the internet. i also wish that more people saw this. maybe this is worth a blog post in itself…”

So here we are, with the blog post. Hopefully this sheds more light on this conversation, because I always thought about how people looked at writers / bloggers, especially when they haven’t even met them. I think people may take a non-response as a snub when sometimes it actually has nothing to do with that. It could be a mistake or miscommunication; every website doesn’t operate the same way, either. Any thoughts on this? I’m all about opening conversation up to those involved. If not here, bring it to Twitter: @DCtoBC.

Johnny Cupcakes is the MAN.

wow. talk about incredible. snagged this vid from notes from a different kitchen, who got it from d-nice’s blog. a few words on it from the creator:

This is the story of a homeless rapper I met on the streets of Brooklyn. There’s a part of me that feels for him because it’s quite obvious he suffered a great deal as a child. But it’s hard to show sympathy for a man who has lived life the way he has. I guess everyone deserves to be forgiven.”

Chris Barz is among my top five artists out of DC, without a doubt. Witty wordplay, a mix of classic and new school flow, and hella bars, just like his name suggests.

He had one of the most slept on mixtapes to drop last year around Christmas, Class[Sickz] Out The Dark; the only reason that I can think of for people not praising the tape heavily is simply because they didn’t get a chance to hear it. However, when you look at the ingredients included in the final product, namely Best Kept Secret producing the entire project, you’ll probably scratch your head wondering how it slipped past you. Well, today’s your lucky day. I’ll introduce (re-introduce for some of you early adapters) you to Mr. Barz with his new video, produced by the New York-based LightUp Film. Their handled Chris’ video for “Dreamers”, featuring crooner Jesse Boykins III, and the final product looks crispier than those fresh Krispy Kreme donuts that come out if you get there right when the store opens! Take a look.

And between me and you, this isn’t even close to the best song on the mixtape. My favorite joints are “Wherever We Go”, “Til Erybody Knows”, and “Fall (Keep Movin’)”. The production is wild on everything, even the sole track not by BKS; Rocky Radio KILLS one of my favorite Jackson 5 songs for the sample, and could quite possibly body every other song on the mixtape.

I’d rather not talk anymore. Here are the samples (my three favorites; I’d listen to them all!), and the link to his tape is below.

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DOWNLOAD: Chris Barz – Class[Sickz] Out The Dark [MIXTAPE]

INFLUENCERS is a short documentary that explores what it means to be an influencer and how trends & creativity become contagious today in music and fashion.

Directed by Paul Rojanathara and Davis Johnson, the film is a Polaroid snapshot of New York influential creatives (advertising, design, fashion and entertainment) who are shaping today’s pop culture.

Looks pretty cool, but I wish we could see influencers in other industries, like in agriculture, or in medicine. Or even if that concept of an influencer even exists in those spaces.

I think that if me and Shine traded places and I did this interview instead of him, we would have had the same exact answers. I can honestly say that this is something that everybody who works behind the scenes in this music industry strictly for the love of the the art needs to watch. This man is speaking what you’ve been trying to tell people for your entire life!

Interview conducted by TONE, who may or may not have my favorite site on the internet. Also, make sure you get familiar with Crack Distributors Radio (CDR), because they’re pretty much always on point as far as spotting the up and coming hip-hop talent. Their Youtube channel can be found here. Shout out to Holly, too.

Bobby Brown, Mike Tyson and Wayne Brady Goin’ HAM. It’s not a joke. Well actually, it is. Everybody’s washed up but Wayne Brady. He probably knew he was gonna come out of this a winner. Everybody else is losing. He’s the only comedian. He’s doing what he’s supposed to. These other guys got swindled into doing this somehow.

Duck Sauce, the eminent producer duo comprised of A-Trak and Armand Van Helden, are primed to drop their second official single, “Barbra Streisand” on October 12th. If 3 million YouTube views of last year’s debut “aNYway” are any indicator, the official release of “Barbra Streisand” will be met with rabid anticipation as fan-recorded bootlegs have fueled blog excitement all summer.

“Barbra Streisand” continues to perfect the Duck Sauce sound, which joyously mashes classic disco house with forward-thinking dancefloor energy and expert production. A-Trak and AVH are bona fide DJ heroes whose team-ups are fueled by anything-goes samples, an almost childlike sense of fun, and 100% NYC attitude. This approach has made Duck Sauce fans-for-life out of partygoers around the globe, and will continue to convert anyone within earshot of “Barbra”‘s instantly addictive, whistling hook.

For the video, director So Me (Justice, KiD CuDi, MGMT) uses the song to soundtrack a hyperactive, ecstatic New York City travelogue. Shot over a week of long nights out with A-Trak and Armand (including live footage from the Fool’s Gold “Day Off” labor day block party), the clip is a pop-art adventure starring commandeered taxis and hotdog stands, sexy strangers, and a who’s-who of famous friends: rappers, producers, indie rockers, graffiti writers and nightlife icons all take turns adding their own special sauce to the song, turning “Barbra Streisand” into one of this year’s must-rewind clips.

Watch the video and see just how many cameos you can catch, then pick up the “Barbra Streisand” single (featuring striking sleeve art from Fool’s Gold art director Dust La Rock) on October 12th.