Putting The Mic Down: The Maturation Theory (Part 1)

*thats a vury long title, hahaha*

It happens to us all, or at least it should, i think. Eventually, you out-grow things. Or do we? Of course, we do. Maybe we dont. hmmmmm, lets investigate. God inspired these words from some guy in the Bible whose name I should know, but I dont:"When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as child, I thought as a child: But when I became man, I put away childish things" -1 Corinthians 13:11
And I agree with this. When I was kid, I wanted nothing more than to play with Ninja Turtles and Leggos, but now that Im grown, I wouldnt dare be caught with Leonardo in my hand!





So yes, as we mature, we shouldnt be stimulated by the same things that brought us joy when we were youths, but check this. The great Kanye West said:




"I still wont grow up, Im a grown @$$ kid" -K. West "Through The Wire"





And I also agree with this. Cause while I may not pit the Heroes in a half shell versus The maniacal (sp?) Foot Clan anymore, I still play videogames religiously, still watch cartoons (Phineas and Ferb are BEASTS!!!!), and I have a burgeoning comic book collection as we speak....



So the question of the day issssssss, how exactly does this maturity thing work? Does growing up mean that you cast all things that you once enjoyed to the side? Do you continue to do things that you used to enjoy even if society scoffs? And most importantly, WHAT-DOES-THIS-HAVE-TO-DO-WITH-RAP?!!?!?




Well, I tell you, Loudy McAllCaps!

Well, its like this. I can still remember watching my older cousin (who put me on to rap) slowly moving away from listening to it. He went from listening to everything to only listening to old school to only listening to underground to only listening to R&B. Now, imagine me watching the person who put me in the game disown the very thing that he made me love! Crazy...

now, flash forward a few years and i find myself not listening to much of what the new emcees are putting out. My ipod is full of the stuff I grew up listening to, and now I find myself only listening to underground cats (Skyzoo's nice, btw).....



Skyzoo "Speakers On Blast" (Produced by Illmind)
http://www.mediafire.com/?h0764e3jjm17z6g

Aight, this is getting long, part deux tommorow. In honor of the blog title, check out the song that inspired it.

Jay Electronica featuring Jay-Z and The Dream "Shiny Suite Theory"
http://www.mediafire.com/?j9byr1dn58y24t4


*There's a store completely dedicated to Leggo blocks out here, amazing

Re-launched?!?!

Re-launch?! Nigga, I aint never do the launch-launch, haha! This blog has been more of a diary than anything, which is cool, I like having a history of my growth as an artist and a man....

Annnnnnyway, random rant aside, whats good, folks? Shaz inthebuilding, taking the time to reconnect after what I can only guess has been, what, 10 months?

Alot has transpired in the past year and a half, and the long-and-short of it is this: I'm not chasing hip-hop like I used to *sad violin music*.

I know, I know, "Shazyouthebestrappereverpleasedontleaveusrapisdeadwithoutyou!". And really, I appreciate ya'll saying that, but I think Wale mighta been right when he said.....

"Bamas rap, but, they lack the passion for it" -Wale "Nike Boots (remix)"

By passion, I'm assuming he means whining like a pre-teen female whenever someone criticizes his music and also aligning himself with a group of artists who are the absolute antithesis of what he and his core audience stand for, cause yeah, I "lack" the hell outta that.......*

Nah, lol, Wales great, i love him. All jabs aside, there are basically two schools of thought when it comes to my outlook on hip-hop right now. I've either matured past it or i'm too lazy to finish what I started. Both are viable theories, but I think I'm leaning towards the former......

I aint into long bootied blogs anymore, so we'll explore that "lazy theory" in my next entry. Until then, enjoy this joint that I did with some of the best emcees in America "On The Asphalt" (I go 3rd, i think)

"On The Asphalt" featuring Rasheed Chappel, C-Logic, Shaz, and Savant

http://www.zshare.net/audio/905077678cc8f79a/

*yes, I realize that "Bama" in DMV colloquial slang for an uncouth individual, but f that, use somebody else state.....

SINCE YOUR BRACKETS HAVE BEEN OBLITERATED ANYWAY.........

You might as well mess wit the kid for a while, eh?


http://www.zshare.net/audio/738916735668019b/


http://www.zshare.net/audio/738916735668019b/

*Explodes like The Sentry versus Morgana Lefay*

*re-appears in front of the booth like The Void*

Too much goin on in my brain right now. Lemme tell ya'll right now that I stopped blogging cause I lost my long expletive password and couldnt log in. Needless to say Im back............


................and I got work to do...........


*transforms back into Robert Reynolds*


CHYEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!

*A MILLI, A MILLIE, A MILLY, A MILLI, AMILLI*

You ever seen that movie "Amelie"? Me neither, but i used to work at blockbuster video and the box art was always intriguing.........








Remember The Million Dollar Man? Ted Dibiase? Hey was the man, he made a very plain wrestling move (the sleeper) into his finishing move, "The Million Dollar Dream", sooooooo coool!




Remember Amerie? She so fine, OH GOD!






Whats the point, you ask? Well, all of the aforementioned people have names that remind me of what I can only call the best beat EVER MADE, "A Milli"

Best track ever? Yeah, I said It! Not a DJ Premiere track, not a Dr. Dre or Timbaland, but A TRACK FROM A CAT NAMED "BANGLADESH" IS THE BEST SINGULAR TRACK EVER PRODUCED!!! I've been bumpin this track for a least two months now and it hasnt gotten old yet, a short story/synopsis, if you'll allow:


I rapped on it (of course I rapped on it, you have to so you can keep your rap credentials) not knowing how HUGE it would be. This is around the time I was recording disc 1 of THE REALER TEN: BLACK SOLIDUS, which in when I had no cable or innanet, so i had no idea that EVERYBODY AND LIL MAMA *rimshot* was jumpin on this beat. This was kinda unfair to me because had i known it was a competition, i would REALLY went in on the track (not saying I didnt kill it, but I was really nerding it up, hence the title "A Milli Exercise") and represented myself better.


which brings me to my point. Im about to jump on this beat again as soon as I finish this blog, this time with top-shelf lyrics that can be digested by nerds and laymen alike. Now my question to you, my fellow hip-hop lover, is this: AM I WRONG?

Am I dirty for pullin a golf move (MULLIGAN!) on this beat? Ya'll let me know, I'll post the track up sometimes this or next week or month, lol (Its gonna be on The Realer Ten 2: Dead Cell, anyways)........



so yeah, CHYEAH!

"Your a blood bank, I withdraw with my shank"

Ya'll remember that song? "Break your achy like Billy Ray"? "Super Soul Sis" was the song, I dont even know her name, lemme check youtube.........nope, they dont know either.


Aight, that has NOTHING to do with anything, but its 7:50 in the morning and I spent the night recording, so you get what you get, lol......


More randomness: Do ya'll remember Chris Jackson, the ball player from LSU who went on a RIDICULOUS tear in the NCAA tournament so many years ago? Lemme see if I can find a picture..http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y78/ChadFinn/Jackson.jpg



That guy, remember him? "Shaz, this has nothing to do with..", WAIT, LEMME FINISH!!!!



Now, do yall remember him after he converted to Islam and changed his name to Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf? Another picturehttp://temple3.files.wordpress.com/2007/03/g_abdul_rauf_195.jpg


Remember him? "Shaz, whats this got t do with.....".


Aight, here goes. I remember reading an article and this man where he said that his talent troubled him, that he couldnt understand why he was so good (he wasnt being conceited, either. son average 30 his freshman year at LSU) and that he was very unhappy because of this, weird, huh. He said the unhappiness over said talent in one of the reasons he searched for his faith, whiched he found in Islam.....


So is Shaz turning Muslim? No, though I do love how respectful their women are, but I digress. The point of this thing is this: dude was smart enough to know that God (Allah) was in the mix of what was going on in his life and so do I. Ya'll prolly dont realize it, but i am having an INCREDIBLE mixtape run over here. Im on pace to have 4 (count em) 4 mixtapes done by the start of the new school year, CRAZY!


And not only that, but the ALBUM (THE REAL ALBUM) is coming together, too, but I aint gone even get into it. This things getting hecka long, I know Im breaking all kinds of blogging rules, ahaha. I didnt get a chance to tell yall how I had to chop up the "Hello Brooklyn" sample myself, ah well, heres the joint, as promised.

http://www.zshare.net/audio/15175302205418ea/ <----"Hello Bham" featuring Nicole

Chyeah!

SOME THINGS YA MONEY CANT BUY.............

"Like Heaven in the sky" -Rick "The Bauuuussse" Ross


Can you believe Ross said something so profound?! Crazy, right?! Hello pimps and pimpettes, Shaz back in the building for a short (but positive) rant session.

Well, its 3:46 in the A.M. and ya boy's recording songs, I LOVE IT! I swear that if there is one message that I want to get through to my listeners, it is this one profound thing; I-AM-THE-BEST-RAPPER-ALIVE!


lol..........



OKAY, if there's two messages that i want to get across to my listeners, its that i am the best rapper alive and we all should enjoy our lives while we have it. Life is so short, its ridiculous, so i just really hope and pray that all my people are enjoying this time God has given them on the earth. Right now Im having the time of my life recording songs and sending them to collaborators and dj's and all that other hip-hop stuff, ITS GREAT!


sorry I wasnt emo tonight, maybe when im making a love song, lol.

hollerrrrrrrrrrrrrr..............

did I mention Im thinking about puttin out a mixtape a month until my album drops? eh........


PEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCEEEEEEEEEEEEE!