Live it, See it, and Write it because I know it

Woke up this morning with my inbox full... One in particular was time stamped at 4:47am, it was from my partner, T.  As I read it, I knew he was pissed. His tone came through loud and clear. It's my duty to share his experience with you all. Mind you, I knew he went to screening of 'Straight Outta Compton' last night. I could hear T reciting the bars from Easy-E as I read... "I live it, I see it, and I write it because I know it."

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I'll say it once and for all! Some of the sources of Hip Hop are not worth your time. It's not a black or white thing, hell I work alongside Leslie Mac who is arguably one source who is ahead of the curve and most definitely in tune with hip hop. But some of these messengers claim to be connected to the culture actually have no valid point nor do they need to add the words "Hip Hop" to their social media bios or screen names. Check your sources, check their playlist, quiz them when you see hip hop improprieties. Followers can be bought or just numbers on a profile. It's how they engage with the like minds. The culture is now being painted by someone who does a lil research on the web and has no idea of what the music feels like. Not the sound, but what it feels like. You can't download Hip Hop, you can't find it in an app on the App Store. IJS! I've read all these reviews and  feedback about Straight Outta Compton and they take the wind outta the sails. True hip hop heads can fill in the blanks of the moments that made NWA who they are. Magazines and shows such as Word Up Fresh, Right On, Yo, and The Basement were the pioneering sources of the Hip Hop culture. If you never read, touched or at the least heard of any of those contributing factors to the expansion of the culture...you should take your fingers away from the keyboard. They dove into the artist. 

Written by Terrence Dawson

Dr. Dre Plugs Into Dallas' Sounds

Dallas, Texas hails as one of the top five markets in radio, but all to often I hear, “Can’t NOBODY break into the (music) industry outta Dallas!” Sounds cliché right?!?!  Well,

contrary to popular belief, Dallas has had some notable acts make quite an impact in music history.  Not to long ago, Garland native, Justin Mohrle, PKA Justus made the headlines as Dr. Dre’s newest protege. Now, we can add Dallas native and producer, Da Dreak to that list.

  

I came across an article that I just have to share with my audience.  There are times where accolades are given, however, they are not directed to the mass hip-hop audience.  This is where I excel…I have the ability to reach the masses: black, white, brown, or yellow….urban, hip-hop, music industry, males or females.  Being able to cross promote the “race” barriers, is an art.  One I am most proud of!  

Dallas Observer’s (D.O.) own Jeremy Hallock “snuck” this great news in, which I think should have been front page news on all media outlets including TMZ, The Breakfast Club, and Entertainment Tonight! Especially when “Straight Outta Compton” officially opens tomorrow!

@DaDreak (Twitter & IG) story begins A few months ago, when Da Dreak found himself in Dre’s studio, during a visit to California for his birthday. During this trip he found himself face to face with Dr. Dre inside Aftermath Studios. 

Born and raised in Dallas, Dreak, started rapping in high school. The beat making didn’t start until the late 1990s. Last March, Dreak met Denaun Porter at South by Southwest. Porter is well known for his work with D12. Porter’s no stranger to working with Dr. Dre and has produced songs for 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg. He also produced songs for Eminem and tours with the Shady/Aftermath artist as his hype man. 

According to the D.O., Dreak and Porter quickly started working together, meeting up in different cities to work on a beat kit and Royce Da 5’9’s next album, among other projects. In May, Dreak went to Los Angeles to celebrate his birthday and work with Porter. Porter took Dreak to Aftermath Studios, where he works as a producer for Aftermath Entertainment, Dre’s label.

When asked about his production style, Da Dreak says, “Either you were the hip-hop purist backpacker or you were the street.” From what I’ve heard of his tracks on Soundcloud, Da Dreak can touch all styles. Porter was immediately struck with Dreak’s production sound. “He has a little swing to his music,” Porter says. “He uses different chord progressions. With most people, you can tell what the next step is going to be. With him...I couldn’t tell what his next step was going to be. It’s not a traditional way of thinking.” Porter immediately wanted Dre to hear Dreak. He liked Dreak’s sound and noticed an attention to precision and detail that he thought Dre might appreciate. Porter isn’t in the habit of bringing people over to Aftermath. “But Dre’s like a brother to me and Dreak seemed really cool,” Porter says. Looking back, he was simply happy to bring new talent to Dre.

“I wasn’t expecting Dre to be there,” says Dreak. But Porter led him into the first control room and Dre was standing at the board. Da Dreak goes on to say of working with Dre, “You don’t want to say too much.” Even tho he doesn’t make it to the ‘Compton ‘ album, Dreak thinks of the possibilities, that the beats he worked on at Aftermath may be used on another project in the next couple years.” 

Read The Complete article on Dallasobserver.com

#LeslieMac