Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
PORT CITY QUOTABLE
“Hop out chain swangin I can hypnotize the world…betta watch ya dame I can hypnotize ya girl…Shorty bad look like Whittley long hair lil curls, got Dwayne shades on…car from a Different World…” Quote-“Money Walk”....
“Did you hear that son?” You gotta rewind that…old boy is really killin it!” Those are the responses that you usually get especially the rewind part when listening to young Mario Watson better known in the Port City as Quote. In just a small amount of time…three years to be exact, Quote has gone from being a part of a talented teenage group YBG (Young But Grindin) to the head of his own entertainment company called A.T.M. (Addicted To Money) and being nominated for the North Carolina Underground Music Awards New Artist of the Year. “Mr. Rewind” has become a household name in the Port City hip hop scene.
“I always had an interest in music…I used to bang on tables and pots in my grandmother’s backyard,” said a laughing Quote. Quote grew up in the “B.O.”, the Bottom Community on the south side of Wilmington. Quote’s love for music makes him a candidate for making good music. He knows what to listen for and that skill combined with his distinctive baritone voice makes him not just an up and coming rapper but a musician. “My motivation for making music is hearing “whack” music…(chuckles)…plus my friends, family and my crew A.T.M. “
I met Quote three years ago as he was one of the front men for YBG. His creative lingo has people in Wilmington using the same jargon he does in his songs. For example, he had a song called “So Brittany (Spears)” which meant “so crazy,” and his all time favorite saying fersure…”for sure.” On a daily basis I hear youngsters using just those two trendsetting words in everyday conversation.
Besides pursuing his dream, Quote gives back while on the road to stardom. His crew A.T.M. have thrown the A.T.M. Scholarship Basketball Tournament. This is not typical of an artist just starting…they usually make it big then give back, but Quote finds it important to give back all the time. “People have to see us grinding and that we care about where we come from,” said a serious Quote. Quote also added, “The hardest thing is getting your music heard beyond Wilmington, which takes a lot of road work and connecting with people in and across the state.”
Quote’s hard work and confident team makes him a “beast in the streets.” You can hear Quote’s music on www.myspace.com..thatdudequote, www.coredjradio.com , and his new Igrindtv.com in the works for his own channel for independent artists. People ask me all the time who is the next artist that will probably make it out the port…I say Quote…real talk…you can quote me on that!
RAY NITTI hits the Carolias!
This First Friday Oct. 2nd to kick off Riverfest Weekend...Ray "Bow" Nitti will be performing his hit smash "BOW" at Club Rox downtown Wilmington, NC Get there early! Shout out to Ear Candy Entertainment, I40 Ent. for making it happen.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Everyone Can Be Apart of Hip Hop…But Everyone Can't Be A Rapper
TIME OUT!! Everyone in the world is trying to be the next big rapper. STOP! Everyone can't be a rapper, but we all can be a part of hip hop. So often I see mediocre rappers thinking that they may be the next big thing to blow and it's not the case. Cats don't realize that all of us can be apart of hip hop. Just find your niche and you're in.
There should be no reason that because you have a Cool Edit program on your computer and a computer mic, that you now have your in house studio (stop that you sound like you are rappin in a cup). Let people (other than your friends and momma) listen to your demos before you shop them around and even turn them into radio stations. Get honest critiques and be able to take the honesty. If your song sounds like it needs to be thrown away then accept that from good critics and start over. You probably thinking rap may not be for you after that, but you can still be apart of hip hop.
Being apart of hip hop doesn't mean that you have to be an MC. You can work in other areas such as graphics, makeup, sound engineer, producer, etc. There is a lot of room for everyone in hip hop. Most folks fail to realize that rappers hardly make a lot of money unless they hit mega star status. It's the songwriters, road managers, promoters, and executives that earn the big bucks. The peeps behind the scenes are making the money…not the guy on stage.
Hip hop needs so many other things like activists that will defend the culture, promoters to bring the artists to your city, and entertainment lawyers to make sure that the MCs don't wind up like Kwame (do your research). If you got a crew…pick the best MC out of everybody and focus on them. Give everyone jobs like promotions/street team coordinator, business manager, dj, hype man, etc. People who are involved in hip hop like me, Louis T, DJ Battle, and others in the area get a hundred CDs a week and 96 of them are horrible and you could have spent your time trying to find your niche in the hip hop game. Mine is radio and breaking new artists-not rappin. I know my place. Real Talk!
