16.12.10

Mean it like you say it

I'm sittin thinkin on how to live life.
my family don't approve of what I'm doin with my mind...
doin with my time...
they don't see the vision I see written in the sky
think I should be resting when the sun sets, settlin for 9 to 5 grinds
I found wings hidden in my rhymes
so I put my back into learnin how to fly
instead of breakin it tryin to survive.
sellin your brains for short change an wonder why
them people don't respect you, the one's you're givin neck to
they know that you're a jewel represented by a fool
so they say they will connect you
to pipelines. sippin from they wealth like a life line draggin you to hell
so I write lines. wealth I'm investing in myself
I'll play stealth til I emerge from the shelf
puttin all my energy to cards that I'm dealt
sleepin on us might just be bad for your health


NDANGR



Now -N- Lata Vicstape coming January 2011
for your free copy join our mailing list HERE
www.reverbnation.com/ndangrspecies

5.12.10

reality...


This is something I found interesting...

*source: http://www.soul-evolution.com/UK/Deeper/Charts.htm

30.11.10

For the Artists

Do not base your success on how well you breach the ignorance of the masses.  That is not success and even if you accomplish this goal to satisfaction, it will not fill you. 

You will never find success unless you know what success is.

~hallah

23.11.10

Pridesgiving, Thankstaking

A few weeks ago I was just sitting around in the AM and a thought about Thanksgiving popped into my head. The "story of Thanksgiving" is the perfect example of the difference between the evils of the new world and the virtues of the old world, the social disease that infected the European colonizers and the naivety of the native peoples.

The story of Thanksgiving roughly breaks down like this: [The settlers came to the Americas but did not know how to subsist on the land. They began to starve and things got worse as fall deepened and winter approached. The natives, seeing this, had much compassion for the alien visitors and taught them how to plant and harvest on the land. A feast was had in celebration of human victory over hardship and the food was shared by all.]

So on this particular morning that idea crossed my mind in a different way that went like this: [The settlers had little and the natives had enough. The natives being thankful for this but lacking a prideful society shared because without pride being thankful for what you have prompts you to share because you would want everyone to have enough. The settlers were thankful for this but being from a prideful and greedy society took more than what was necessary until the natives no longer had. For their generosity, the natives were destroyed.]

I next thought to myself how this happened nearly everywhere in the world. Where the colonizers were welcomed and shown generosity they took and destroyed. But this translates into our society today, born out of this settlers disease. Every day we are all proud of what we have, especially when faced with those who do not have, and what do we do? We continue to take more, hoard more, "stack" more, focus more on ourselves and our own because we are all infected with this now ingrained ideology no matter what background we come from. 

What to do...? It is truly complex to do surgery on yourself and detach something that seems to be connected to every organ inside of you. However, that is what we must do first as individuals and then as a society.

~hallah

15.11.10

limited sight, extensive reality

You have 2 eyes and see 3 dimensions. If you had 3 eyes you might see a 4th dimension.

10.10.10

Until Your Dream Ends

Is today special?  Yesterday was a dream and tomorrow is a wish.  Your life exists as a point on the tip of a needle.  Today is forever until your dream ends.

7.10.10

Lights in the deep and the dark.

The sun shines
creating its own light.
The moon reflects
the light of the sun
in the darkest of times
so the sun may remember that he is bright.

But on the day
when the sun cannot shine
the light of the moon will lay claim to the source.
When the sun
believes in the light of the moon,
the days will grow darker
and the nights much colder.

~the greatest form of ignorance is ignorance of the self.~

13.7.10

:n

Till shade is gone,
till water is gone,
into the Shadow with teeth bared,
screaming defiance with the last breath,
to spit in Sightblinder's eye on the Last Day.
-Aiel saying

5.7.10

On the Threshold of Eternity


On the Threshold of Eternity


(final moments) "A dusty road dissects endless fields of wheat flanked by distant trees. A black bird, startled by the rattling sound of an old paint box, darts into the sky and disappears out of sight. Tall grass and wild flowers sway in the warm breeze that penetrates the bright sunlight of a summer day in the French countryside. The sky is punctuated with wispy clouds that resemble floating brush strokes on a pale blue canvas. At his favorite painting site, Vincent van Gogh quietly sits before a partially finished canvas, dipping and stirring his brush into a rich palette of oils. Today appears not unlike any other day; the morning walk to the fields, painting the landscape before lunch and later capturing the warm afternoon light. However, on this day, Vincent Van Gogh would paint for the last time.

"What lives in art and is eternally living, is first of all the painter, and then the painting."- Van Gogh

It is apparently quite common for writers, musicians, artists, scientists, performers, poets, and other creative talents to suffer from some sort of bipolar disorder and it has even been attributed to their creativity. The natural desire for success and the accompanying plethora of ideas during the state of mania and hypomania have been linked directly to being creative. Some people who suffer from bipolar disorder have mixed states, where they feel depressed and 'blue' but unlike clinical depression one in a mixed state may still feel 'always high'. It is one of the signature characteristics of bipolar disorder. They may have creative energy, racing thoughts, but experience a constant negative feeling as well.

29.6.10

The Worker...

The things the worker buys with his wages are first of all consumer goods which enable him to survive, to reproduce his labor-power so as to be able to continue selling it; and they are spectacles, objects for passive admiration. He consumes and admires the products of human activity passively.

He does not exist in the world as an active agent who transforms it, but as a helpless, impotent spectator; he may call this state of powerless admiration "happiness," and since labor is painful, he may desire to be "happy," namely inactive, all his life (a condition similar to being born dead).

The commodities, the spectacles, consume him; he uses up living energy in passive admiration; he is consumed by things.

In this sense, the more he has, the less he is.

- Fredy Perlman, The Reproduction of Daily Life

21.6.10

sparked

Sometimes, some things spark thoughts in your mind. With this spark you may be inspired to think, write, speak, etc. However you express this spark it is not directly correlated to the catalyst that sparked it. Usually it becomes a more general expression of ideas. I pay close attention to my surroundings when I feel the resounding vibration of a spark in order to find something special that can relate. In many cases I hear the words of a song ring louder than other times I've listened. As artists are philosophers in a sense, the piece can some times parallel my thought in poetic ways. So read carefully and retrieve a message.

~Radiohead
::There There
~Hail To The Thief

in pitch dark i go walking in your landscape.
broken branches trip me as i speak.
just 'cause you feel it doesn't mean its there.
just 'cause you feel it doesn't mean its there.


There's always a siren
Singing you to shipwreck
(Don't reach out, don't reach out
Don't reach out, don't reach out)
Steer away from these rocks
(Don't reach out, don't reach out
Don't reach out, don't reach out)
just 'cause you feel it doesn't mean its there.
(there's someone on your shoulder)
(there's someone on your shoulder)
just 'cause you feel it doesn't mean its there.
(there's someone on your shoulder)
(there's someone on your shoulder)
There there!


why so green and lonely?
and lonely
and lonely
heaven sent you to me


to me
to me


we are accidents
waiting waiting to happen.


we are accidents
waiting waiting to happen

1.6.10

Updates

Most people probably come to this site to read the words from the mind of Maf Maddix and not because they are necessarily fans of my music.  In fact, if you do come to the site on the strength of my music you were probably disappointed or at least a bit surprised to find it not really about my music or hip hop period.   It's all good right?  Every so often I do come to yall with some music related Maf Maddix shit.  You can call it news or whatever...I just call it an update. 

In the new year I teamed up with my long time homie, Luse Kanz, and we have been doin shows heavily on the East Coast.  Mostly focused in our home state of NC but we also have been and will be hitting other areas like NYC and ATL.  We started like a fist hittin the streets hard and we are opening and expanding ourselves to grasp much more around us now.  It's been a long time coming.and I have met many "important" people along the way that will hopefully be able to play a role in the rise of N'DangR Species, Luse Kanz and Maf Maddix.

On the flipside, I have been working hard with my electronic music production and I am looking to expand and achieve certain goals with that as well.  I tend to play that closer to the chest so for now that is all I have to say. 

I have recently participated in a few mixtapes including a Japanese release that I will have more information about soon as well as Eddie Free's Mad City 2010 project that you can catch on Itunes.  I suggest you check for that not just because it is dope and I'm on it, but also because it is for www.KeepAChildAlive.org.  Alicia Keys is the official ambassador for this organization which provides medications for children in Africa and India living with HIV/AIDS.  check it out at www.madcity2010.com

I am working on a solo mixtape and shopping my current project for label/distribution so that will drop whenever everything is finalized.  Stay tuned. You can preview a couple tracks here.

-HALLAH

29.5.10

Incorruptible Synchronization

The deceit begins as most things do, with a thought. However it becomes more complicated from here. It begins with the rejection of a known truth or the acceptance of it and the subsequent urge to make that undying truth untrue. This cannot be done. The truth cannot be destroyed or unmade. This is where deceit is born. This denial is then projected into the outer world in hopes of creating an unalike facsimile to the fact known internally. At this juncture it becomes a group effort. People who come into contact with deceit are equally at fault for its perpetual growth and habitation. If you tell me something untrue...it IS evident that it is untrue. I must, however, agree to the deceit and to ignore the facts. This is how "you lie to me".  One merely presents another with an argument that "this thing" is more favorable to believe than "that thing (truth)".  Both agree and continue on unless the truth is presented in an undeniable way. If so, the 2nd party claims to have been "lied to". I am not saying that you cannot lie to a person or fool someone...I'm just breaking it down to the basics. It is an agreement in which an informed party convinces an uninformed party of an unwise action.
The mind releases information to the body at such a rapid rate that it is many times hard to catch all of it before you begin to react to it. This means that what is on a person's mind will show in their actions, demeanor, and all sorts of other countless and almost uncontrollable ways. If one were observant enough, one could read these unspoken and unnoticed tell tales like a journal, for they expose all thought and emotion. This brings me to the point...you can only deceive yourself. It is up to everyone else to play your game or not. If you are telling fanciful tales and people are reading something else...they won't believe you- Even If You Believe Yourself. *Remember the lie began with you so you are always the first to believe it.
So that is the problem...

What we seek to achieve is incorruptible synchronization with the mind and the flesh. When your body gives away nothing that your mouth has not spoken or was not intended you have mastered yourself. Until then, never forget that your physical self is your secrets first enemy. If you deny the truths that your face confesses, you are playing with attempts to deceive. It is better to save face and admit.
This came to me today and is very relevant to my life right now and to yours.  It is always relevant and it means something that YOU have read this TODAY.  

~Take it with you on your path to a better self~

26.5.10

Epopteia

This Vision, as we are told by many seers and prophets of the time, was incapable of being set forth by "tongue of flesh" in its own proper terms, since it transcended the consciousness of normal humanity. Being in itself a living potent, intelligible reality, apart from all forms either material or intellectual in any way known to man, it pervaded his very being and made his whole nature respond to a new key of truth, or rather, vibrate in a higher octave so to say, where all things while remaining the same, received a new interpretation and intensity. 

The interpretation of this Vision, however, was conditioned by the "matter" of each seer; he it: was who had to clothe the naked beauty of the Truth -- as the Gnostic Marcus would have phrased it -- with the fairest: garment he himself possessed: the highest thoughts, the best science, the fairest traditions, the most grandiose imagination known to him. Thus it is that we have so many modes of expression among the mystics, so many varieties of spiritual experience -- not because the experience itself was "other;" the experience was the "same" for all -- but the describing of it was conditioned by the religious, philosophical, and scientific background of the seer.
This element, then, is the basic fact in all such apocalyptic vision. 

 Commentary on The Divine Pymander by GRS Mead http://altreligion.about.com/library/texts/bl_meadpymander.htm

You who follow the path of another lay your fate in the interpretation of another.  Your personal journey is then mapped out by someone who never was and never will be YOU. What does this mean for these beliefs that you did not develop yourself?

23.5.10

On Rhythm

"Everything flows out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum-swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right, is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates" -- The Kybalion.

"There is always an action and reaction; an advance and a retreat; a rising and sinking; manifested in all of the airs and phenomena of the Universe. Suns, worlds, men, animals, plants, minerals, forces, energy, mind and matter, yes, even Spirit, manifests this Principle. The Principle manifests in the creation and destruction of worlds; in the rise and fall of nations in the life history of all things; and finally in the mental states of Man."

20.5.10

Speak softly...


When the shadows show and the cold wind blows...

14.5.10

Whatever...

WHATEVER:  In its slang form, it can be defined as an expression of tacit agreement, indifference, begrudging compliance or even a dismissal.
Isn't that what's wrong with society as a whole?  Tacit(implied) agreement?  Indifference?  Begrudging compliance?  Even hasty dismissal?

How often do you hear people say that to you?  If you hear it  as often as I do then you feel what I feel.  Maybe you don't though.  90% of the time someone says that to me its after I say something to them that is important enough for them to listen.  I detect a wall of pride go up and then I hear this worn out word spoken.  Usually afterward there is a change in the utterers demeanor and language.  So the signs are there.  We can establish that this is the usual case, in my experience.  What about yours?  I am sure that many people see what I see, as it isn't too difficult to deduce.

I see this phrase as being a reflection of the ills in our society at present.  I am sure that people from past generations would have said that it was a problem during their time as well.    I find it disturbing that so many carry that trait from childhood far into adulthood.  The man who can not listen cannot learn from hearing.  The man who can't read will not learn from written words.  The man who can not open himself to learning, can't learn at all.

At this point you will probably think of the most annoying group of people that you don't belong to and agree with me.  Look no further than yourself.  You have been raised in this same society and you, as well as I, suffer from the same ailment in some capacity.

~Hallah

11.5.10

Time + Information + Experience

It feels like everything...
but it is nothing.

The intrusion of illusions overpowering realization to the point that what we assume reality is often the fabricated fantasy of hopes for safety.

Pain is ever present and waiting, always conjoined with pleasure

6.5.10

Sum Shit of Life

There are points in it.
These that apply pressure
to numb the heart and stimulate the mind
constantly redefining your freedom
but there are never answers here
no answers...
no solutions on this soluble surface
of solitude and floating minds
tethered down together where emotions combine.
Would it be cowardice or courage to want out?
I find myself looking for an escape from my mindstate, my physical
then awake to a situation that seems much more critical.

-HallaH

4.5.10

3 things.

~Footprints in sand leave more impression than wise words in a fools ear.

~Nature makes room for change, destruction and birth while keeping the same essence. It would be wise of us to do the same...to seek the essence of things rather than the surface similarities.

~Things that were will not always be and things that are have already begun. Look to the horizon and meet the new sun.

30.4.10

Look around you

"When you control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his actions.  You do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder.  He will find his 'proper place' and will stay in it.  You do not need to send him to the back door.  He will go without being told.  In fact, if there is no back door, he will cut one for his special benefit.  His education makes it necessary." -Carter R. Woodson

What does this mean for the freedom of choice you think you have? Look around... If everyone is supposedly different but most are doing the same things, doesn't that tend to suggest some sort of standardization of action and thought?

Find You and then Be You.  Do something different. Do You.

...with all of the wealth our society has attained we will be undone by our ignorances. trading in the pain for the mundane is a shame- the war is coming...the war is here

23.4.10

Heron marked jewels.

At the end of 360 degrees, Winter is a metaphor:  a term not only used to describe the season of ice, but the period of our lives through which we are travelling.  In our hearts we feel that spring is just around the corner:  a spring of brotherhood and united spirits among people of color.  Everyone is moving, searching.  There is a restlessness within our souls that keeps us questioning, discovering and struggling against a system that will not allow us time and space for fresh expression.  Western iceman have attempted to distort time.  Extra months on the calendar and daylight saved what was eastern standard.  We approach winter the most depressing period in the history of this industrial empire, with threats of oil shortages and energy crises.  But we, as Black People, have been a source of endless energy, endless beauty and endless determination.  I have many things to tell you about tommorrow's love and light.  We will see you in the spring. In the interest of national security, please help us carry out our constitutional duty to overthrow the king.

~Gil Scott-Heron

18.4.10

Innertainment

"To the untrained ear,some music may sound like the babble of noise.To an uneducated eye,a masterpiece of art may look like whimsical strokes of the painter's brush." -Paramahansa Yogananda

 Only a complex mind can enjoy, understand and appreciate ideas in whatever form they manifest. The simpleton is impressed with the simple things because they are simple. The higher level thinker may expose the complexities of something that others see as simple. Do not be fooled into thinking that anything means nothing. In reality everything has meaning, everything has both cause and effect. We must take responsibility and acknowledge this "simple" truth. At the same time, the complex thinker may feel bombarded with simple minds and their thinking. You must not let this disrupt your harmony. Even a complex mind may lack wisdom. The wise can appreciate what they see while understanding that others may not see the same. "The lips of wisdom are open only to the ears of understanding." Therefore, you can not force wisdom on another. Wisdom is every beings personal journey.

-The things that you enjoy reflect who you are in every way but maybe not in the way you think they do.-

15.4.10

Designated Hitters

If you are in the area you best be in the building.

-Hallah

14.4.10

Ichi to Ni

Seek to mine the potential and find it kinetic.

-I'm off to NYC to shoot this video. You can catch me performing live at Public Assembly in Brooklyn on Sat. April 17th.   Email me with any questions or comments. maf.maddix@gmail.com  (no spam or bullshit)

11.4.10

They come as they have gone before

Sometimes things seem not meant for birth but through determination we push them out only to discover that they were meant to come through pain of perseverance.
Then there are times when something just cannot be.  When even through the best effort and most profound inspiration it is halted by an unseen hand.  It simply does not fit the weave of the pattern that is existence.

-just some thoughts as I reflect over things that are and things that are not. 

-Hallah

6.4.10

Things as they are

~Some thoughts going into another year...

Time is an identifier for the measurement between events.  It does not exist as we believe it to exist.                   
                  
I don't have much else of a point...other than this

We(all inclusive) fool ourselves into using time as a scapegoat for achievement.  As if we are dependant on it to achieve anything.  This is not the right step to take.  It must be understood that time as a measurement will exist.  This means that there will be a measurement of how long it took from beginning to finish.  However, that is determined by you. 

"Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional."  this rings true when people of various ages express various levels of maturity.  Maturity is something that can come with age but they are not the same. 

You will not find it until you truly seek it.  Time will measure how long it takes you to recognize this and how long to implement it.  No more, no less.


*another day marking another year between my first year and my last year.*

2.4.10

More is less.

"The things the worker buys with his wages are first of all consumer goods which enable him to survive, to reproduce his labor-power so as to be able to continue selling it; & they are spectacles, objects for passive admiration. He consumes & admires the products of human activity passively.


He does not exist in the world as an active agent who transforms it, but as a helpless, impotent spectator; he may call this state of powerless admiration "happiness," & since labor is painful, he may desire to be "happy," namely inactive, all his life (a condition similar to being born dead).


The commodities, the spectacles, consume him; he uses up living energy in passive admiration; he is consumed by things.


In this sense, the more he has, the less he is."


- Fredy Perlman, The Reproduction of Daily Life

28.3.10

Tektite

"I knowledged you.
     
There's no love there, it's all fake.
           
Attached to something you can't take so you hate.
                 Eyes saw the signs as the time passed by like fate.
                       The dreams expired  
                  now I'm awake."

25.3.10

Consequence of the casual

If you are to fail...let it be because what you did didn't work and never because you didn't work hard enough. Let it be from things outside of your control so that you may live with a clean conscience. In short, always try your hardest in what you do.  Life is a short joke with a long punchline, so tell it well.
~ "Either write something worth reading about or do something worth writing about."~

With that being said...here is a small Maf Maddix news update:

- New album "Black Nationalist Porn" co-released with Dread Mighty Sine is in post production.  We are working on marketing and finishing up a few loose ends.  It should be available sooner than later and it should be a banger. 

- April 6th is my born day.  Wish Maf Maddix Happy birthday and show your love by copping the album if you don't already have a copy from www.mafmaddix.com 

- April 16th - 18th I will be in NYC shooting the video for my upcoming single off of the BNP album.

-April 17th Maf Maddix + Luse Kanz = N'dangR Species will be performing at Public Assembly in Brooklyn, NYC  (more details on this show to come)

-April 22nd Maf Maddix + Luse Kanz will be performing at The Milestone in Charlotte, NC with Quantum Foundry and Mr. Invisible. (link to download a free preview sampler)

The flow feels nostalgic but the lyrics are futuristic...I like the way you movin...let's rise.  

~HallaH~

22.3.10

The Grocery Store

It's like going to the grocery store on an empty stomach. Suddenly you want things that under normal circumstances you wouldn't want. You find things appetizing that you normally would not. Your are pushed to this point where animalistic survival seems to overwhelm your higher thoughts of selectiveness and judgement.


This is life and all things in it.  We all have our list of things that make us happy. It starts from basic needs that all humans share and then grows when you factor in the needs of a particular personality. When you lack something in any certain aspect of your life you have a hole. You begin to try and fill it. Because most people do not analyze their own thoughts feelings and actions thoroughly, we end up trying to fill this hole of dissatisfaction with the wrong things. (ex. trying to fill the "security" or "love" space with sex). We have to try and remember what it is we are here for even though we are hungry and just want something to eat.

So...


before you go to the "store"...make sure you have a list of what you need and make sure you eat something first.

13.3.10

Words not to live by


Main Entry: driven

(People are sheep...cattle...etc.)



Function: adjective



Date: 1925


1 : having a compulsive or urgent quality driven sense of obligation
2 : propelled or motivated by something —used in combination;driven by the group decision;
Synonyms:  motivated, impelled, compulsive, obsessed, compelled, consumed, galvanized, possesed, monomaniacal, herded, pushed, guided, steered, directed, induced, urged on, forced, ambitious.

-I think many of us can agree that society praises some characteristics that are not necessarily positive. "Driven" is one of those characteristics. It is often praised in popular culture as something that YOU need. I am not convinced that this is so good. I mean, when you are dealing with only personal goal accomplishment, no question. But, even steroids has its uses...the side effects are the problem. I'm not all the way against it. Some might even describe me as "driven"...others, maybe not.  I just wanted to call your attention to how things we take for granted can be slipped by the gates of thought.

*In case you did not figure it out, the 1st definition of "driven" is the one you want to be...not the 2nd.
Keep those eyes and ears wide open.  True control is shrouded



9.3.10

Non Jive Progression

When surrounded by distress, take steps an look around 'til you're surrounded by success.
Stay on the move but don't expect to move mountains, it's more possible for you to move around them.

~Maddix

9.2.10

Become a Linguist.

Music is like language.  Related genre are like dialects.  If you only listen to 1 type of music...that's like speaking 1 language. If you only kinda listen to a genre it's like knowing a few phrases.

Step your language game up people.

2.2.10

This is how it's goin down

Not only can you catch a dope show with several eclectic bands, DJs and ME an EMCEE holding it down for Hip Hop but you can also help out our Haitian neighbors.  Get At Us an Get Yo Ol' Ass out the house on a weak night.

~Makin it stronger.

27.1.10

"X" Marks the spot.

Some people in my life including old friends and family may wonder what I am thinking or why I choose to live my life in the way that I do...making the decisions I do and valuing the things that I do.

There is a clear and concise reason for me.

I am a very conscious observer of my own life and the way the universe affects it.  Over the years I have seen proof that the Universe wants me to stand on a perverbial "X" on the ground.  I do not know what I am waiting for or why I must stand here.  What I do know is that throughout my life both certain achievements and certain misfortunes have been blocked from reaching me by powers beyond my control.  In my life I have felt guided as if by some unseen hand to do certain things and to walk in a certain direction.  I recognize, and have so for many years, that this place I find myself in has been a constant since childhood.  I am here and I wait confidently for whatever is meant to come.  I will not move from this place I am in and I will not allow social, religious, political, cultural, or any other form of pressure move me from where I am.  I will continue to work hard on the tasks the universe sets before me as well as ignoring the ones that are not placed before me.  I feel very confident in this...even if it is delusion, I have chosen mine.

Tektite Illah

20.1.10

What You Know aka have been told.

Amazing video that sparked thought.  Watch.




~Hallah

18.1.10

Just a thought...

I was sitting here laughing my ass off to this Aziz Ansari comedy special and a thought came into my consciousness.  It deals with God or whatever you call it.  I wouldn't mind hearing your thoughts on this as well. 

There is a widely accepted idea that one should/does/can love God.  But it just occurred to me that one can never understand the nature of God.  How then would it be possible to love God?  I mean in my thought process, if you do not have a thorough understanding of something wouldn't you just love a figment of your imagination?  Not saying that God is not real...but the "God" that exists in your mind is a figment.  I mean nobody is walking around talking about how much they love Dark Matter. 

It would seem that the greatest thing a person can know in life is themself and the greatest thing you can love is yourself.  That is something I don't think most of us truly achieve.

-Hallah

check out www.mafmaddix.com

16.1.10

Unconscous Conspiracy

I used to believe in one conspiracy or another.  Illuminati, Government, "The Man", Religion, etc.  Now I believe in something I call the "Unconscious Conspiracy".  This is something that I think is far greater and much more realistic than any one conspiracy. I think that everyone is involved in the destruction of humanity.  I believe that humans are inevitably destructive because destruction is an intregal part of life, without which there is no creation. I now think that everyone either thinks they know the answer and is somehow wrong, they don't know and don't care, or they seek destruction.  I think that that pretty much covers everyone who has ever existed.  I think some of us form secret societies and some of us rally in public for causes we deem worthy.  Some of us eat meat and some veggies but we are all engrossed in destructive acts that also breed a certain progressiveness. Maybe what we are progressing towards is something that we would wish we were not but progress takes no sides.

-HallaH

11.1.10

Some things to look at in the mirror.

Think back on the true friends you have.  How many of them "offered" friendship and how many just evolved into it?  I find that people generally do not expect their own future.  By this I mean that those who offer friendship are usually seeking something else while the people who simply evolve into your friend did not see it coming.


I am very mindful when I meet a new person but even I do not often expect the buds that will one day become a great friendship.  Some of the best friends I have began in an unlikely place.  These friendships usually began with people who cared as little about making a new friend as I did.  When I look back on the birth with a now old friend, we often remark on how random our friendship is...or the odd circumstances that initiated it.


The dirty dirty...


I believe that relationships are reactive...COMPLETELY REACTIVE.
-This means that a relationship whether friendship or otherwise is not something that can elude you.  People are in no short supply...and being that we live in a world of general free will (when it comes to relationships) if you find it hard to make friends or find it hard to meet a good man/woman, that is mostly your own fault.  People are as varied as the stars in the sky and just as similar.  They are there and, like everything in the universe, they are attracted to what compels them.  "Water seeks it's own level"

In short:
-don't trust people who try to sell you friendship.
-your friends are and will remain a reflection of you.

9.1.10

DJ Premier- one of the best to ever do it.

This is the second time I have told yall about this Blogsite. True thoroughbred shit. I had to repost this because it is such an amazing collection of jewels from the legendary DJ Premier and the jewels that helped him build his amazing catalog. I highly suggest all readers check out SOMETHING so you can either re-experience or learn about this Hip Hop ICON.

Click the picture to travel to this blog.
Shout to Etalon for the hard historical work. 

~Hallah @ Etalon,  He has everything but my album.

6.1.10

Sideline Mentality

Some women out there find themselves in a reoccuring predicament...They wonder to themselves and others why they meet so many guys that are "taken"  or why the only guys that hit on them are guys who are already involved.  Well, I was thinking about it and I wanted to spit my opinion about it. 
 *Disclaimer: I may offend someone and you may disagree but that's life.*

I honestly think that some women out there have a sideline mentality.  Maybe it comes from a skewed sense of self in which they feel validated by something that actually only diminishes their sense of self.  Kind of like a person who mistakes sex for love.  They mistake the subtle lust of a taken man for the true want.  They usually discover that 1 of 2 things happens: either they get ran through and that's the end of story or they somehow overthrow his primary interest and carry on an unfulfilled and, most of the time, short lived love affair.  I am not suggesting that there are not exceptions to this...but yea, you know the deal.  I am aware that many young women may disagree on my point that the love affair is unfulfillable but I would ask what the opinions are like when these women are 40 and on CBS complaining b/c they still aren't married and have no prospects.  Well maybe, like many young men, the time and energy was spent in the wrong places...
I say this because I've recognized that there are 2 types of women and they conduct themselves in 2 entirely different manners and get 2 different results from guys.  I wonder why that is? (sarcasm)

Oh well, carry on.  Continue doing you...continue sabotaging good relationships because your idea of love and desire is somewhat faulty and/or immature. 

-Hallah

1.1.10

Why Hip Hop is Losing

As a Hip Hop artist I feel that I am entrenched within the culture and movement of the musical genre called Hip Hop.  There are many reasons noted that our music is dying.  Many blame the trash commercial artists who are doing what they do to make hip pop albums and get paid but I would like to turn the blame elsewhere.  

The artist is never responsible for creating a movement just like the prophet is not responsible for the religion.  In both cases both prophet and artist simply reveal something to the world.  It is the followers...those that love what has been brought who stand behind this and mount a flag and say "THIS IS OURS".  


With this being truth, how can you blame an artist or blame people who are NOT a part of the culture for destroying it?  No, you can't.  You must blame those who subscribe to it...they are the ones who falter in hard times or change belief or tastes after a while.


So what is going on in Hip Hop?  Hip Hop bred a generation and what has happened to it?  There are several types of Hip hop listeners: 


-The late 30's early 40's Nostalgia listener: These listeners talk about how dope things were "back in the day"  but what they are really lamenting is their childhood.  These people do not live a similar lifestyle and in fact most often, outside of old school hip hop they listen to little or no new Hip Hop.  These people dismiss it without even listening or supporting.


-The "In style" listener:  These people tend to be anywhere from 26 on up.  They used to listen to hip hop but their style and taste has simply changed.  Hip Hop is not cool to listen to anymore so they listen to other genre's of music.  They like to self identify with hip hop and claim a love however, upon closer inspection, they too keep it restricted to the nostalgic music of their younger years.


-New listeners:  26 and younger who are growing up with the current artists but have much love and respect for the old as well.  These people are in the minority of their age groups and so while they fully support Hip Hop, they are not enough to keep it afloat.


-Fan listeners:  This is an interesting group of people.  In my experience, this group is made up of mostly suburban white kids who are not hip hop lovers.  They are lovers of some other style of music, however they have 2 or 3 current artists that they are into.  They, like everyone else, have respect for the old stuff they grew up on or were told was "classic material". This group is important to cash in on if you are an artist because they support whomever they like to the fullest.  

-Creator/Listeners:  This crowd is self explanatory.  This group consists of people who love the music so much they cannot resist but participate, even if only a temporary hobby.  With the advent of technology and the ease of sharing music, they come off as actual lifestyle artists but they are more so "weekend warriors".  Their love for the culture is deep however their role also serves to dilute the game and confuse the general listener.  The general listener is bombarded with this type via myspace etc and makes the determination that Hip Hop artists are all wak now.  This is not the case...serious artists are on a different echelon and should be understood as such.  There was a time when I was just toying around with the notion of writing and rapping.  I had enough respect to keep it at hobby level.  I did not do shows nor produce public material until I had made the conscious decision that this was to be my life.  Given that piece of history I feel very justified (even if mistakingly) to say to these types "fall back with that hobby rap."


With a crowd like this it is not a wonder to me that the artform I love so much is diminishing and struggling to breath.  I, like my peers in this game refuse to die...because we love it.  For many of us it is how we communicate and express ourselves so, like speech, we cannot leave it alone.


Available at mafmaddix.com