DAY 119 GRAMMY CHASE: DOUG E. FRESH:HUMAN BEAT BOX

During this Chase, as I always say, I have to go back to my roots as a reminder as to why and who I’m doing this for. Hip Hop! Thanks Doug E.

Watch for the magic at the 1:10 mark.

DAY 118 GRAMMY CHASE: LUPE LASER$ & LOSER$

Man, it finally happened. Today…I’ve become a fan. This dude FINALLY hit me with something that I can no longer front on. Lupe caught EVERYONE’S attention on Kanye’s “Touch the Sky,” because I KNOW I was rapping his part, as he ripped and tore it down without a doubt. But his solo work just didn’t move me. But here we are about 3 years after winning his first Grammy for Best Urban/Alternative Performance [Daydreamin’ f/ Jill Scott] in 2007-08 and I’m JUST now feeling the dude. Lupe Fiasco’s debut album Food & Liquor was also nominated for Best Rap Album and “Kick Push” was nominated for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Solo Performance.

Not only is the song above a “HEATER” but the video should garner some awards as well, namely Mtv’s annual. I’m the Loser he’s talkin about, for not believing in him from the jump. Oh well!…the video is DEF!!!////..now i have to dig deeper and CHANGE MY ideas, as the video I was just working on had the same tone. So goes brilliance.

DAY 117 GRAMMY CHASE: ARTVOICE AWARD 2010

Best Hip Hop Act – Artvoice Best of Buffalo 2010.
I hustled over to the Town Ball Room after an evening of soccer practice with the boys, knowing that I would be late for the awards ceremony. I went solo as I normally do to most events, arriving at around 745, thinking surely that I missed all of the food and ceremonies, as it started at 6 pm.  As I walk in, one woman approached me after only being inside all of maybe 5 minutes, she says, “I really hope that you win tonight?” Hmmm…Not sure where she saw me or how she knew me, but I graciously accepted and thanked her for her kind wishes. Shortly after she walked away, I got a text from Selina Kaye from Skunkpost congratulating me on winning. Apparently I missed the announcement. I wasn’t sure if she knew for sure, as I didn’t know she was even present. But once it was confirmed by a friend of Clark Dever’s, Chris Smith, then it hit me. WOW!…I’m not sure that I’ve ever won anything 2 years straight.

Thank you to everyone, even Melody for her ATLien best wishes, in helping me be recognized by the hometown and Artvoice. I truly appreciate it. Still on with the Grammy Chase, the coveted Gramophone!!!

DAY 116 GRAMMY CHASE: CONGRATS TO SUMMERLAD

The Buffalo Niagara Film Fest announced its winners today, and for Best Music Video, The Summerlad, City of Noise video was the victor. I’m sure “Shut the Gate” was a close second, but there are no awards for the first loser as we all know, unless you’re talkin’ Olympics. Now on to bigger and better!! The CHASE is still on!!

DAY 115 GRAMMY CHASE: A LOT OF L’s

L.L. Cool J, called himself the G.O.A.T. and even dropped an album by the same name, and I’ve always had the opinion that in the rap game, as a solo artist, he is SURELY the Greatest Of All Time. Forget Hov, Nas, Biggie, Pun, Pac and any other rapper you desire to throw into the ring, but L.L. was on the Def Jam ship when it first left the docks and rode that joint longer than any other solo artist today, relevant or not. He’s destroyed crews and opposing rappers single handedly, from Ice-T, Hammer, Kool Moe D to Cannibus and so on and so on. Battling and dissing, holding the crown all while making love songs for the ladies who loved Cool James. Peep Cool J in an early interview:

L.L. holds Grammys for Best Rap Solo Performance in (1991 – Mama Said Knock You Out) and (1996 – Hey Lover).

If you love hip hop, then sit back and enjoy the start of it all, when EVERY aspiring rapper like myself WISHED we were L.L.:

DAY 114 GRAMMY CHASE: BUFFALO’S OWN MR. MAGIC

WOW!…Being I’m a proud Buffalo Native, well, not always proud to be IN Buffalo, but always proud to represent it, today’s Grammy Chase is dedicated to one of Buffalo’s Own, who has a large portrait painting hanging in the Shea’s Performing Arts Center….MR.MAGIC, the late Grover Washington, Jr.
Proud to say he was born in Buffalo, my hometown and he is also a Grammy Winner. NICE!!! 1981 Best Rhythm and Blues Song, for Just the Two of Us, with Bill Withers.

Numerous Hip Hop and R&B artists have sampled Grover’s work, and it truly means a lot to me to know that he had a presence in my city. God bless Grover!!

DAY 113 GRAMMY CHASE: REAL LIFE HEROS & LOVE

I’m feeling like dedicating today’s Grammy Chase to LOVE. My entire quest has always been driven by discovering what it is that I TRULY LOVE to do. Among many things, like drawing, making music and writing, inspiring others has always been something that I was most passionate about and in love with. But one thing that has seemed to elude many people, no matter how wealthy or successful, is ‘LOVE’, whether love for self or more particularly the ‘Love of a Lifetime.’ I fortunately have found the Love of a Lifetime, and the couple who inspired me most was Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis. Before Ossie’s passing in 2005, they were married for more than 50 years as lovers, business partners, activists, oscar nominated actors and most currently, GRAMMY WINNERS!…Isn’t that something? My favorite couple nominated for the coveted Grammy I’m chasing. At the 49th Grammy Awards, they were awarded Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Story Telling). This particular year, 2007, they were tied in sharing the award with Pres. Jimmy Carter.

I define success as making a lucrative career in doing something that you love and being able to share with someone that you love. May you find what you love to do and someone you love do it with.

DAY 112 GRAMMY CHASE: SEEKING INSPIRATION

In all of my digging and Grammy Chasing, I always have to keep a grip on my roots as a reminder of what once made me so passionate about my craft. After a pretty interesting and uninspiring week, I had to dig up some of my old tapes. Erick Sermon had a single called “Hostile” which was the first time I learned of the phenomenal rap style of Keith Murray. Keith Murray to me is one of those guys who just had it all right from the jump. His name was dope, #1, KEITH MURRAY!!…Wow, no mistaking a dope government name like that. Not many rappers can pull that off. Just think, Rakim’s name is William Michael Griffin. Or how about Big Daddy Kane’s (Antonio Hardy). It’s just not the move for everyone.

#2, his voice was very unique, raspy, yet nasal, grimy with bit of a high pitch. #3, his unorthodox rhyme patterns with elaborate and sometimes made up vocab.
After “Hostile” he went on to give us the classic, “The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World,” inspired by a line from the previous record Hostile. Beyond the fact that dude was DOPE, what solidified his status in my book for being a Fly rapper, was this cat was STANDING on TOP of a Lexus. This was when Lexus was the top of the line for rappers to floss in. So, that move alone put Keith in the “Illest” category. Thanks Keith.

DAY 111 GRAMMY CHASE: MANIFEST

In Memory of Yo! MTV Raps and of course the Legacy of the one and only.  May you find inspiration and manifest all things positive.
Thanks You!

DAY 110 GRAMMY CHASE: RANKIN’

Best Reggae Album – As Raw as Ever – Shabba Ranks (1991-34th Grammy Awards)

The year was 1991 and from my recollection, Shabba was the main guy to really set it off on the “dancehall tip.” This video takes me back to when we used to go to house parties and “GET DOWN” on the reggae dance moves with the ladies. WOW! If only our parents knew how we were dancing with each other. But I’m sure that they way the kids dance today would make our dancing look like the “Waltz.” Big up to Shabba Ranks!

Lastly, it’s funny what stardom can do for a brother. I remember when girls went from saying, “Dang, ewwww…Shabba? Unh  Unh!”….to saying…”Ooooooo Shabba, he can get it!”