CLOUDS

YO! Hannibal King and my homie Remy Banks from Children of the Night have been working on a little somethin somethin...this release called "Clouds" features cali emcee Marz Lovejoy, has quickly become one of my smoking songs. interesting fact, this video was shot in my old apartment! ahh the memories! This song might as well have been the anthem to that place cuz we smoked more blunts than a little bit...check it out...

Remy Banks and Hannibal King - Clouds feat. Marz Lovejoy from Visual High Life on Vimeo.

I LOVE U MJ

Ok, so i dont know how i feel about this. to be honest, i'm going to have to talk about it on a later date because i have way too much to say. But i did want to post this real quick because its epic. There will be an album released called "Michael" by Michael Jackson on December 14th. This is the picture of this album cover. and i think its absolutely amazing. Now, i know MJ was a fuckin PERFECTIONIST, so i dont know how he would feel about his unreleased/undone music being heard by the world. but i also know that he loved his fans, and if we asked for it, he'd give it to us. Love Live The King.

BREAST CANCER BENEFIT SHOWCASE!

Come thru to Fat Baby in NYC Monday 10/25 and show your support for Breast Cancer Awareness. the night will be filled with performances by many NYC artists and will be hosted by Charlie Blanco and ME! to be honest, it is my first hosting gig so i'm kind of nervous! i hope you can make it out, it's for a great cause and all proceeds go to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation....check out the flyer for more info!

BIRD GANG!

How dope is this picture??? Birds are taking flight from the incoming tide at the Snettisham Nature Reserve in Snettisham, U.K.

CMJ 2010

Here are just a few showcases you can checkout this week for CMJ 2010. Show love to my boys Children of the Night, Lloyal, Cody B. Ware, Prince Supreme, and Jeff Donna and come hang with me TONIGHT at Santos and Nuyorican Poets Cafe and Friday at Gallery Bar. These showcases surely wont disappoint! You can check out more line-ups at cmj2010.com

Fit for a Queen

while i'm not a girl that like to wear heels all the time, i think i'd sleep in these! peep toes are def one of my favorite styles and the gold wings are FIERCE! These shoes by Alexander McQueen run about $1285! if i had that kind of money, they would be SO worth the purchase! christmas is coming soon...who's buying?!

Damn they dont make em like this anymore!

i know ya'll probably watched the awards and concluded that this was one of the best cyphers of the show, but my question is, why are we only doing stuff like this for award shows? i'm sure all these "freestyles" are pre-written, which is cool because sometimes when i hear one of my favorite artists freestyle, i hate that i am sometimes disappointed at their skills. some people are just meant to write shit down vs. rhyming off the top of their head. we can't all be Jay. i just wish BET would have a show or SOMETHING dedicated to cyphers...i always loved Rap City: The Basement where the artists would come through and shut shit DOWN with the freestyles in the studio. i love to see the raw talent that gives reason why these artists are in the famous positions they are in now. for me, i think freestyling comes hand in hand with being an emcee, and i'll admit that i do judge those certain artists who dont have the ability to do so. so much of this culture has do to with showing off your skills at the drop of a dime, with nothing written, just a beat and the bob of your head. and dont try and fool us, most people can tell when you're spittin something you've written prior. Tashy aint no fool!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY URSHER!

just a little birthday shout-out to one of my fave R&B acts of all-time....USHER! i was gonna hit u guys with a throwback but i wanted to put u on to a song off of his latest album, Raymond vs. Raymond. Here's "Guilty" featuring T.I.

THROWBACK!

This might just be my most favorite indian song of all time. i remember watching this with my mom when i was young wishing i was the woman singing and dancing in all those amazing outfits. to translate loosely, she's saying "what am i hiding behind my blouse" which can be interpreted as she's telling dude to find her heart. i dont wanna butcher the song too much, but you dont need to know Hindi to feel this song, the beat is so tough and her singing compliment it so well. You may recognize the chorus, Jay-Z sampled it in "The Bounce" off of The Blueprint.

CODY B. WARE - THE BLUE DEMON

This is the latest project from queens native Cody B. Ware! you can read about him in an extensive interview on http://www.21-7magazine.com/ and download his latest at http://www.codybware.com/

Also lookout for this crazy Queens collabo project called WORLDS FAIR that consists of Cody B. Ware, Children of the Night, Prince Supreme, Jeff Donna, Hannibal King and PDA....it it sure to be INSANE!

PROP 19! If this goes down, I'm moving to Cali!

November marks an EPIC month in our nation's history, as well as for stoners everywhere! California residents will be voting that month on whether to legalize marijuana for personal use ^_^. if the law is passed, it would allow residents over the age of 21 to grow and travel with as long as it is for personal use. and of course, all the dispenaries would be taxed by the state for their distribution. here are some clauses of the new law:

-a person may hold up to one ounce of marijuana at any given time

-you may not smoke in public, nor can you be in the presence of a minor while smoking

- police will still be able to arrest anyone who is driving under the influence of marijuana

-they are also estimating that the price of marijuana could fall my as much as 80%

-they are not sure yet whether the federal government will intervene because up until now, they have only left it up to each state to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes only.

if California was in debt now, i'm sure they may have an influx of people moving there once/if this this law is passed. i know i will definitely be making plans in the near future to spend sometime in the pot smoker's mother land.

RUNAWAY AS FAST AS YOU CAN

When it comes to anything Michael Jackson related, you know i'm all ears. so when i read about Kayne's film 'Runaway' had the inspirations of Michael's iconic place among music videos, i was ecstatic that someone is trying to emulate his accomplishments. I love that he is trying to bring back that era where music videos could almost make or break a song, as well as having them being featured as short films. Michael was once quoted in his book (Moonwalk, 1988) saying, "I was determined to make music as visually as possible...my goal is to do the best i can in every area, so why work hard on an album and then produce a horrible video?...i dont even like to call them videos. on the set i explained that we were doing a film, and that was how i approached it." this resonates so much with what Kanye says about his film, which is ultimately to "bring real culture to popular culture." remember always looking forward to MJ's latest video, for the latest dance moves, his newest fashion, as well as what kind of artistic interpretation he had for his songs. if Kanye is trying to bring any of this back, i'm WIT IT. i wont sit here and spoil the movie for you, as most blogs have spilled the beans on the content, but i do think it's going to be AMAZING.

MIAMI P.D. PINS JAY-Z AS A GANG MEMBER!

i HAD to post this because it absolutely hilarious....check out this anti-gang banner posted on the Miami P.D. website...dont 2 of the "gang bangers" look a little familiar? I'm pretty sure that Jay-Z front and center! as well as the dude standing to the left of him! If they wanted to non chalantly throw a rapper in the banner, they could have picked someone who really is more gang affiliated (like snoop or weezy). after EVERYONE noticed the resemblance, Miami P.D. removed it from their site. did they really think they were gonna get away with that? i wonder if Jay even caught wind of this and what he thinks about it...

True Stories Behind 25 Rap Classics

Shouts to Miss Info for the link, Complex Mag has a piece from Combat Jack, who speaks about his experiences as an entertainment lawyer working for Def Jam. although some of the stories you might have heard before, its interesting to hear what goes down behind the scenes as a single is being made. these are always the most interesting stories to me, i dont give a fuck about what you have to say while you're doing promo for the joint, because it all becomes repetitive. I wanna know the behind the scenes beef, who helped who finish a track, watching recording sessions, or hearing stories of what could have been if this or that happened. thats why i enjoyed these stories, and i hope you do as well!
here's the link: www.complex.com/blog_galleries/combat-jack-presents-true-stories-behind-25-rap-classics/

and here's just a sample of some of the stories he tells...

Jay-Z "In My Lifetime" Produced by: Ski
"Clark might have convinced Dame that Jay-Z was the best rapper alive, but no labels were signing dude. Along with Dame and Clark, we must have shopped Jay to every label under the sun. I remember specifically sitting in Def Jam begging Lyor Cohen for a shot. He passed. I also remember how some exec at Polygram asked us why they should sign a Jay-Z when they had the platinum-selling group Black Sheep on their roster. Eventually, the only label that showed interest was this small indie called Payday Records which was run by record exec Patrick Moxey (who later managed Gangstarr). Moxey signed Jay for like 25-30K, had Jay locked in for a couple of singles and several albums. Jay dropped the single 'In My Lifetime' with minimal marketing support. You already know, the one with the yacht that Jay, Dame, and Biggs chartered with their own money. For the record, 'In My Lifetime' was Jay's second official solo single. His first was 'I Can't Go For That,' which Dame and 'em dropped from out the back of their trunks a year prior. 'In My Lifetime' was dope, but because Jay was totally unknown, the record flopped. Shortly after the single dropped, Moxey and Payday dropped Jay-Z. Yes, dropped Jay-Z. Two years later, Jay dropped Reasonable Doubt. To this day, whenever I run into Moxey, I get the feeling he can't look me in the eye because of how I know how he dropped Hov. Not a good look to say the least. No shots, though."

Got Me Workin Day and Night

With another case of the Mondays, i thought i'd shed a little light and post this Michael Jackson "Workin' Day and Night" to put a little pep in your step for this week! I cant get enough of this man, if i wasn't such a wimp when it comes to pain, i would have already had a tattoo that has SOMETHING to do with MJ somewhere on my body. Enjoy this classic, there's plenty more where that came from! It's crazy to know that the album "Off The Wall" was released in '79! i wasn't even a thought in anyone's mind yet! Shouts to my mom for always letting me chose the music i wanted to listen to, and buying this album for me about 15 years after its release! Long Live the King! (this also marks the day that concert tickets went on sale for his "THIS IS IT" tour.)

No One Man Should Have All That Power

Through all this new music that Kanye has been blessing us with, i still cant seem to get over Jay's verse on the "Power" remix. not that it has crazy metaphors or wild comparisons, nor does it persuade you to listen to it over and over to get hidden meanings, it clearly and concisely gives encouragment to those who may have lost their determination. i have recently detached myself from a lot of things that i love to find myself again, and this verse could not have come at a more perfect time. you guys have probably memorized it already, i just wanted to post the lyrics as an anthem to my years to come.

Jay-Z's verse on "Power (remix)"

Rumble, young man, rumble

Life is a trip, so sometimes we gon' stumble

You gotta go through pain in order to become you

But once the world numbs you, you'll feel like its only one you

Now you got the power to do anything you want to

Until you ask yourself, "is this what it's all come to?"

Lookin at life through sunglasses and a sunroof

But do you have the power to get out from up under you

Fuck all these labels, fuck what everybody wants from you

They tryna Axel Rose you, welcome to the jungle

To be continued, we on that Norman Mailer shit

In search of the truth, even if it goes through Taylor Swift

Tell her this

XXL Interview with Q-Tip!

Q-Tip is interviewed in the latest edition on xxlmag.com and speaks about his upcoming fourth solo project as well as working with Kanye West to his follow-up album to 808s and Heartbreak. He goes on to let us know that he's also working with Mary J. Blige as well as Beyonce on their upcoming projects and gives a little teaser that he's also working with Jay-Z for a project slated to release in the spring! you would think that keeps him busy but he also dishes on the upcoming plays and movies he's been working on...check out the link to read the full interview! www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=92041

Children Of The Night opening for Joell Ortiz!

My boys Children of the Night are back at it again! if you guys love hip-hop and are looking for a mix between the underground and mainstream, this is the show for you! Children of the Night will be opening for Joell Ortiz and Diggy Simmons this friday September 24, 2010 at Public Assembly in Brooklyn. Check out the flyer for more details!

Why You Wanna Trip On Me?

People are always forgetting that Michael Jackson has an arsenal of music that never made it to the mainstream. if you didnt know, i'm a HUGE MJ fan and i will probably reminded you guys of this in every post i've written so far. this is just for your enjoyment, perhaps you've never heard this song before, i just want to share my love for this man and his music. Here's "Why You Wanna Trip On Me" by the late, great Michael Jackson.

NEW NO DOUBT MUSIC!

i was surfing the net and i came across Gwen talking about her upcoming new album with No Doubt and how excited they are to get back on tour! I've been a No Doubt fan since they were unmistakenly a Ska group but was always too young to attend one of their concerts :( i will definitely not be missing out on this opportunity, i cant wait to see them live! here's some info from nodoubt.com/blog about their upcoming projects:

"No Doubt are in the studio working on a new album, their seventh studio release. If you;ve seen the studio photos and updates the band have been sending via Twitter, you know they have written nice songs so far and are thrilled with the process they are making. No Doubt cant wait to share the new records with everyone in 2011. No Doubt will have a catalog release in 2010 for fans that are looking for a lower priced greatest hits collection...The No Doubt Icon release will feature the same track listing as the Singles Collection but with new artwork and a lower price."

i am SO excited for their new project, but in the meantime, you can get their No Doubt Icon album online and in stores November 2, 2010.

Jay-Z and Eminem Home and Home Concert

Can i just tell you now that i can die peacefully now that i have seen Eminem in concert. i honestly am such a die hard fan, this man can do no wrong. i got the opportunity via Twitter to pick up 2 tickets to the first day of the concert, and i could no turn the offer down. i'm sure you have all read in every blog about all the cameos that were made that night from G-Unit and Dr. Dre to Kanye West and Chris Martin. i just wanted to share with you some of my favorite moments of the show. i had recently said before the concert that i was praying Em would do the song "Kill You" off of The Marshall Mathers LP. and what do ya know? its the 3rd song he performed! i swear i could have left the concert RIGHT THEN and been satisfied with the experience. he went on to bring out G-Unit and D12, but i think the highlight for me was when Dre came and and they did "Still D.R.E" and Eminem rapped Snoop's verse. i was surprised that towards the end of his set he did "Toy Soldier" because to be honest, i never saw that as one of his most popular songs. Moving along, Jay-Z NEVER dissapoints as this was the 2nd time ive seen him in concert. i was mostly looking forward to hearing him perform songs off Blueprint 3 just because i've recently fallen in love with that album (it took me some getting used to, but its a fuckin masterpiece). he performed "Already Home" which is probably one of my fave songs off the album, and he of course brought Swizz out for "On To The Next One." 'Ye came out and did monster with an appearance from Nicki Minaj. To be honest, i thought her VMA performance was TRASH, but she fuckin murdered her verse on Monster, i aint even gon lie. one of my highlights of Jay's performance was when he brought out Chris Martin and when he dropped "Viva la Vida" i fuckin lost it. Jay-Z always gives the people what they want, even if it does come out of left field (no pun intended considering it was at Yankee Stadium). He always closes his shows with his most popular songs like "Big Pimpin" and "Jigga What, Jigga Who" but i think my favorite closer is the fact that he did "Encore" to the Linkin Park "Numb" beat. That Jay and Linkin Park album is probably one of my fave mash-ups to date. All in all i would say that it was one of the best concerts i've EVER been to, and now i'm just afraid that any concert i go to after this, wont live up to this one.

JAY-Z SAYS HE GAVE BEYONCE MOVES!

i came across this interview, Jay-Z is on 'Friday Nights with Jonathan Ross' as he claims that he was the inspiration behind some of Beyonce's best known dance moves! the two most prominent was the hand movement for "Single Ladies" as well as the 'uh oh' dance from "Crazy in Love." Check this interview...

NEW CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT EP

This is the latest EP from the underground group CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT titled "YES/NO"...here's the download link....get that now!

http://usershare.net/4ayr55iouoq7

It Takes Two

21 years ago TODAY Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock's famous hit "It Takes Two" went gold. its amzing that even 21 years later, this is still a steady club banger. all i know is when this song comes on in the club, there is no stopping my old school moves (yes, i have plenty come see me if u want to battle) haha but na, enjoy this shit, hopefully its gonna be a banger for another 20 years. i wonder what my future kids would think about this jam. its gonna be a throwback by that time fo sho.

SISTERS WITH VOICES!

yo, these girls are always forgotten about when people talk about pioneering R&B. SWV has always been one of my all-time fave girl groups, and while they are most famously known for their single "Weak", i picked this more up-tempo throwback to share with you guys. Here's SWV with "You're The One"

I LOVE MICHAEL

if you guys don't know me, i'm a huge fan of Michael Jackson. so i think i'ma make this a weekly thing where i take you back to a time where music MOVED us. i dont care what anyone says, MJ's music stands the test of time. how many times have i listened to something like "Rock With You" and its like the first time every time. The Man, The Myth, The Legend. here is one of my favorites, "Who Is It."

LOVE LETTER 1.4!

Check out my boy Yung M.I. (who is also my co-host on dtfradio.com) this his newest mixtape entitled LOVE LETTER 1.4 hosted by Lumidee. he is doing big things people look out for him! hit him up on twitter or facebook "futurevoiceofny" with your comments and feedback! THIS IS THE FUTURE!

http://soundcloud.com/futurevoiceofny/lov3-letter-one-4-3

WE ARE THE WORLD 2010

i guess from an outsider's perspective, you could say that we are doing a whole lot for Haiti. I just got the chance to watch this video and had to post it. all i know is Wyclef didnt have to bug out, we all know your from Haiti, WE GET IT! anyway, let me not be a hater, this was a beautiful project just like the one from 1985 and this is all for a better cause...

WE ARE THE WORLD 1985

i had to post the 1985 version of course before i posted the recent one made for Haiti. This is straight HISTORY right here people. 

and of course N-A-S are the letters that spell....

i honestly can't get enough of this guy, Nas. and when i heard this track with John Legend, i didnt even have to listen and i knew i would fall in love with this track. check it, Nas sounds just as great as he always has. This is "Victory" off that new DJ Khaled project

mr.cheeks/craig g collabo

i've gotten the honor of meeting mr. cheeks twice so far, and he's a funny dude. everything you would expect from the lost boyz member, he was joined by Craig G in the GOOM studios for the morning show. They spoke about their new collaboration album titled "Hip-Hop Honors." what i had also learned that day was the Craig G had wrote all of Eminem's opponents' rhymes in 8-mile. now who knows if this was common knowledge and i may just be late, but that blew my mind a little bit...craig g also KILLED a freestyle...i'ma have that mp3 up for u guys soon...

MUSIQSOULCHILD

i remember when i met Musiq, i was playing with my phone as we waiting for the elevator to bring him up for an interview at BET Radio. this was when the verizon blackberry storm had just come out, and he looked at me and said "can i see that?" hah, i was kinda dumb-founded as i handed him my phone, and there he went playing music and checking out the new features. he told me he was jealous that i had this phone, and now that he has seen it, he's GOT to cop it. i'll never forget that was the day my phone played MUSIQ.

oh, MOS DEF!

throughout my internships, i've learned priceless info and met priceless people, and the pinnacle of them would have to be MOS DEF! this dude is the definition of humble. i met him at a press junket for the movie "Cadillac Records" in which he played Chuck Berry. i remember asking him about his next project in which he replied, "i'm trying to think outside the box, and i'm hoping that my interpretation of that will be well-received." He was talking about his grammy-nominated "The Ecstatic."

DIPSET BITCH!

as i was going through my old pictures, i came across some of my first encounters with celebrities. here's me and Cam'ron at the Funk Flex car show, i was 16 in this pic! i cant believe it was that long ago. oh and dont mind the face i'm making, i cant even tell you what i was thinking haha but all i know is the only reason why i went to that car show was FOR CAM'RON...i love that dude 

HOROSCOPE: AQUARIUS

i'm a sucka for horoscopes, here's the monthly overview for an aquarius: Business is your business -- at least it is on the 1st. Yup, as much as you'd rather frolic in the waves or dance the afternoon away at the tea house that just opened up down the street, you're going to need to buckle down and add those figures up. Check your facts and make sure you've got it all down pat. You'll thrive! On the 5th, you have just got to feel useful. So put up a picket fence for the little old lady next door whose begonias keep getting watered by the neighborhood poodle. Keep your head down if there is office drama and trauma on the 9th and 10th. Get ready for plenty of great things to happen on the stupendous 11th, 12th and 13th. Something strange catches your eye on the 19th. Explore! On the 23rd, your emotionality can get in the way if you don't acknowledge it. Ground yourself on the 27th.

SHAOLIN MONKS!!!

ITS WU MUTHA FUCKA!!! WU-TANG MUTHA FUCKA!!!! well just a few of them, who know if this was leaked of this is the first single off of this new Meth/Rae/Ghost project, but you know i'm in LOVE with is because they got Michael Jackson on the hook. and a young michael at that! check this out...there's good shit going on here...this one's called "our dreams" of the album titled "Three, The Hard Way"

MOOD MUSIC

i've decided i'm going to bless you guys with all different kinds of music that i'm in the mood for. whether its some new shit, or something old that i completely forgot about, i'm just throw the shit up here, and hopefully you can feel me on this...one of the first songs of this year that has really tickled my fancy is this "Unthinkable (i'm ready)" track by alicia keys. now, i know this didnt come out this year, but i've taken a liking to it and i wanted to share it with you. alicia is in a class all her own, and i feel she can only compete with herself. she really out-did it this time..

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TASHY'S THROWBACK OF THE WEEK

you cannot forget about good music, no matter how old it gets, and i've decided i'm going to throw it back for you guys once a week. i'll start this week with a Big Pun track, marking not only his death this month, but acknowledging his contribution to the world of hip-hop. i'd also like to make mention to Big L and J.Dilla from Slum Village who both also past away in this month. May their music stay alive through its listeners.

Anticipation in 2010

SOOOOOO MANY NEW PROJECTS going on this year, with so many artists slated for comebacks and re-appearances, 2010 will hopefully mark a great year in music. Some things that i am looking forward to include the 2nd album that Eminem has promised to us following the first "Relapse" album from 2009. i cannot WAIT for this new Method Man, Ghostface and Raewkon project, in which the group has been appropriately been named Shaolin Monks (haha, fuckin classic). This will also be Sade's return the the album making business in about 10 years! Young Jeezy's "Thug Motivation 103" is among the most-anticipated. i know i am DYING for Usher's Raymond vs. Raymond. i've always said he's done his best work with a heartbreak, and this time should be no different. these are just a few that should be popping up in the first quarter (cross your fingers). i'll be back soon and let you know what else will be coming up!

BEST of '09

its been a while, almost 3 damn months since i've written anything. i've been busy preparing some content and more of a vision for this blog. i hope to update it at least every other day, i have too much to say to not be on here every day! i want to reflect a little bit on 2009 in terms of music. on my radio show on DTFradio.com, i have a "Tashy Takeover Topic of the Week" and i was anticipating the day that i could ask "what were YOUR top 5 favorite album of the year?" while i had to think about this question for a bit before answering, by listeners had no problem answering without thinking twice about it. mind you, at this point there were a couple of album that had just dropped, including the Snoop Dogg "Malice in Wonderland" as well as the Alicia Keys "The Element of Freedom" which were probably left out just because we didnt get enough time to listen before making our decisions. i'm going to just run down the list of albums, in no particular order....

Eminem- Relapse

Drake-So Far Gone

Mos Def- The Ecstatic

Beyonce-I am...Sasha Fierce

Rihanna- Rated R

Rick Ross-Deeper Than Rap

Jay-z-Blueprint 3

Ghostface Killah-Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry

Fabolous- Loso's Way

Asher Roth- Asleep in the Bread Isle

Maxwell-BLACKsummer's Night