"Every moment is a gift from God, thats why it's called the present."

"We live in a push button future real life no undo, I live in the moment no undo..."


SideStreet KED Feat. Folami "No Undo"
Produced By: SideStreet KED for SideStreet MusicGroup LLC.
Written By: K. Jones & F. Thompson
Drums: Jo Walker
Bass: Michael "Mike P" Patterson
Mixed By: Jo Walker

Sitting in front of my computer scouring the Internet for information on new technology as I do for hours on any given day, those words just sort of "popped" in my head. Going off the vibe of the moment which is the modus operandi for any artist in my opinion I immediately, reached for my iPad (I write most of my songs on either my iPad or iPhone) and began to let the words flow. The concept behind the song is actually the driving theory behind "The Push Button Future" project.



As a kid, one of my favorite cartoons was the Jetsons. I was captivated by the technology of the Jetsons futuristic world. The flying cars, the robots, the video phones & being able to have a full course meal prepared at the push of a button gave me visions of what my future would be like one day.



Now, minus the flying cars that have yet to hit the market, we seem to have arrived in this futuristic world. Microwaves and camera phones are the norm. Nano technology is the new craze and robots handle most menial jobs around the planet. There was once a time when it took 7 days for a letter to reach California from New York but now information travels around the globe at the push of a button. This has truly become the push button future that I dreamed of.



Although all of these things are now possible, there is one thing that has remained since the dawn of time... Life. In the virtual world mistakes are easily corrected. The computers keyboard comes standard with not only a backspace button but also a delete button. Real life has neither. There is no undo. Time waits for no man.



The funny thing about time is that it's relative to the perspective at which it is viewed. See, we base time on the speed at which light travels from point A to point B which is approximately 300,000 kilometers a second in a vacuum such as space. That's about 186,000 miles every second but, light actually has the character of a particle and behaves as a wave which means that it travels at slightly slower speeds through denser material such as a planets atmosphere. So, being that we use light as our tool for time measurement and light is not traveling at a constant speed, it's safe to say that time is not absolute either. It changes according to the environment and the perspective at which it is viewed. It bends and warps. Stretches and slows, and can even be captured by gravity if the pull is strong enough. We can see this by studying a black hole.



Hense the chorus by Folami... "You see the lights, the glow and the glare"



There's a popular saying that most of us have heard at some point in our lives... "I'll believe it when I see it" well, that is a very naive statement if you take into account that you can only see things that reflect light. There's so much more to existence than things that reflect light. Does that mean that they don't exist? No. It just means that you can't see them. Open up your mind to the world around you and you can and will see more than you've ever dreamed. We spend our lives counting minutes and punching clocks when time isn't even real. Try living in the moment instead of holding on to the past and worrying about the future. If you are unhappy with your current life, try viewing it from a different perspective because in the wise words once spoke to me by Khujo Goodie... "every moment is a gift from God, thats why it's called the present."


SideStreet KED Feat. Folami "No Undo" Now Available on Itunes...
The Effn.

Things That Money Can Not Buy...

Releasing new music sort of feels like dropping your only child off at school for the 1st time and shooting new videos sort of feels like preparing for a new baby to be born. It's a lot of hard work but worth every bit of it in the end.



As if it's not hard enough just to be the artist and star in your own music video, for this particular music video "Gnarly" I've opted to be both in front of and behind the camera by taking the liberty of shooting it myself with the help of long time friend and videographer Digital PitBoss.



After a few weeks of planning, casting and scouting locations with my team (Folami, Terria "Jo" Grant, Brenton Tignor Jr., Mia & Digital Pittboss) it was time to put in the work of filming. Thankfully, we ended up with a great cast. Everyone enjoyed themselves and handled shooting outside in the blazing sun like troopers.



Jo had the double duties of casting director and stylist while Folami had the duties of co- casting director, wardrobe, hair & make-up. Mia was Folami's personal assistant & Digital Pittboss was Director along with myself, camera operator and editor, while Brenton Tignor Jr. was primary assistant and assistant camera operator.



One thing I've learned in my experience with shooting music videos is that they are only as good as the team behind them and although I've yet to have the luxury of shooting a big budget video I've been blessed to have genuine people around me that are truly talented at what they do and believe in me as an artist. That in itself is a luxury that money cannot buy.



Featured Models:


Noyek


Star


Vanessa


Chrissy


Ari


Pearl Black Twins



I would like to personally thank my official sponsors and everyone involved for helping me to bring my vision to life...



Yadiyda Clothing, Nobella Creations, IS Studios, Lucky Exchange, Costumes Etc, Subway, Michael "Mike P" Patterson, Eclectic Advantage PR, Organized Noize, M.A.C. Make Up, Junkmans Daughter, Urban Outfitters, Hobi, Brian Smith, The Hydrilla, The City of Atlanta



The Effn.

A Conversation with Andre 3000...

I remember having a conversation with Andre 3000 at the Dungeon about fashion and music. It was during the making of the OutKast album "Stankonia". There was a time when I spent a considerable amount of time with Dre discussing music, rhymes, theory & hip hop culture in general.



Being a free spirited kid from California I've always been into expressing myself through fashion and taking pride in being unique.



On this particular day, we were downstairs in the Dungeon shooting pool and watching a documentary on George Clinton and Funkadelic. Ofcourse being from L.A., the Parlaiment sound is pretty much embedded in my musical history but, I've always felt like I was short changed by never having the opportunity to see them perform live.



So, I (as was he) was fascinated by the live performance footage in the documentary. That's when he turned to me and said "Man, KED... I'm telling you, it's time to start dressing like the music sounds..." He was right. My music is just as unique as I am as a person. I've never tried to sound like anyone else including my Dungeon Family compadres, nor have I ever tried to dress like anyone else.



Although at the time I hadnt advanced to the point of performing live or even actually recording music yet, I was a writer still dreaming of my future as a recording artist and living in an environment such as the Dungeon on and off for over 10 years helped to cultivate how I would present my craft to the world. Now, my music and style of dress go hand in hand. I rarely try to be different. I have confidence in my personal taste and that just happens to be different.



Because of this, I get a lot of comments, questions and jokes on my clothes and style which neither of them bother me at all but, seeing other artist pick up on certain aspects of my style has bothered me in the past. Recently I've matured to the point of realizing that my style no longer belongs to me. Once I step outside my door, it is now shared with the world and there is nothing wrong with influencing the lives of others in a positive way.



So, where as before I dreaded the often asked question of admirers wanting to know where I got "this and that" from, I now welcome them and will actually be sharing this info on my blog from now on. I tend to shop in some really cool places as well as more common places where I find the often overlooked items and incorporate them all into my wardrobe.


Spinns - (Harajuku Japan) - One of my Favorite Clothing Stores in the world. Make sure you holler at God Harajuku... Dudes Style is CRAZY!!!


Costumes ETC. - (Atlanta, GA) - This place is great for accessories. Especially if you like to walk on the wild side. Make sure you ask for Jimmy. Dude is really cool and into classic rock and old school reggae movies lol


Lucky Exchange - (Atlanta, GA) - This is a great vintage clothing store with lots of cool hats and sunglasses for a good price. If you decide to stop in look for Damon. He's the one that plays the 60's soul music during his shifts.

Hopefully you too will check out these places and support these businesses as I do. Make sure you tell them you found out about them from SideStreet KED because some of these places will give you a discount. Enjoy!



The Effn.

Hey! Broke Nigga... Pay Attention!!!

I grew up in Los Angeles, California during the 80s & 90s when Southern California's Gang Violence was at an all time high.



Most people that know anything about hip hop or rap music know of the notorious Compton, Ca popularized in the 80s by N.W.A. The godfathers of west coast gangster rap & Long Beach, Ca that was later made famous by Dr. Dre's protegé Snoop Dogg but, few have heard of the city that lies between the two called Carson, Ca.



It doesn't matter that Carson has produced more Professional Athletes, Actors & Entertainers than both Compton or Long Beach it also doesn't matter that Carson has produced more business professionals, educators, innovators and community leaders than Compton or Long Beach as well. The only thing that seems to matter when it comes to the popularity of the 3 cities in comparison is which one has produced the most popular rapper.



Carson has one of the richest industrial histories in Southern California as well producing most everything from refined oil to skin and hair care products. It is also the home of the Good Year Blimp and host of the 1st airshow ever. With such a rich history and culture to its credit, it would seem that the city would be more known across the country but, thanks to the media's negative depiction of hip hop, rap and west coast gang violence this once affluent city is relatively unknown outside of Los Angeles county and virtually non existent to people across the country.



It seems to me that there are two worlds that co exist in Los Angeles. There's the popular idea of Los Angeles being a place where the beautiful people of the world enjoy fun and sun, Beverly Hills, the beach and Hollywood. Then there's also the fame of the L.A. Underworld known for drugs, gang violence and the massive homeless population.



Carson is no exception to this dichotomy. On the surface It is known as being one of the cleaner cities in Los Angelean sub urbia but also suffers the same downfall as its neighboring cities. In the early 60's, the more well to do members of the black community migrated to cities like Carson in search of a clean and wholesome environment to settle down and raise children but as the effects of Regonomics took hold of the nations economy in the early 80s we began to see a drastic change in lower and middle class communities across the nation and with the black panther party being destroyed by political persecution and the flood of heroin on the streets, there was no longer a buffer to protect the black community from the spread of crack cocaine, aids, gang violence and it's ultimate demise.



Soon the cities that make up Los Angeles County took a turn for the worse. Once taking pride in the advancements that were made during the 60s & 70s with more and more black people being home owners and business professionals, these communities soon started to pride themselves on who had the most street credit and which gang "put in the most work".



Now, the reputation of being "Real" seems to be all that matters and without a publicly known figure with a vocal role in commercial media to popularize the city once considered to be a beacon of African American achievement... We are left with only the stereotypical images Los Angeles County being full of Khaki Sagging Gangsters getting drunk In front of liquor stores, Esés & Low Riders "bending corners" & "hittin' switches", Baby Mommas, Bitches and Hood Rats. Although, California is diverse enough to house all of these stereotypes and more. I am here to represent the "more".



I am a product of my environment. I am a product of Carson, Ca. Support my movement and help shake the mental slavery placed on our brains by the Media and Corporate America that continuously bombard our minds with the negative imagery used to promote poisonous products to our youth, our families and our communities. Stand & fight for the betterment of our future!!!



The Effn.

Ex Ámenté:

Ex Ámenté:

An urbanized guerilla warfare tactic known for using any and or all forms of art, music and poetry to change the social and or economic conditions of oppressed peoples by introducing new thoughts and concepts into society.



This word and concept came to me in a dream last night.

I dreamed that I was riding in a car with a friend of mines late at night and was stopped by law enforcement at what appeared to be a checkpoint.



We were detained and interrogated and at 1st it seemed that the friend was the one they were harassing. The officers were searching through the contents of the car and asking all types of questions from where we were going to where we were coming from. Then to my surprise, while they were searching the car they started pulling out my promo material. It was SideStreet KED flyers and Stickers, Posters and T Shirts. After the officers conferenced about the promo items they began to direct their questions to me... "are you SideStreet KED? Does this belong to you?" etc... Quickly, I realized that my "friend" was one of them! I felt betrayed.



The "friend" starts telling the other officers that indeed I was SideStreet KED and that the items did belong to me so, they immediately began to search my person and place me in custody. Confused I asked what crime had I committed and what was so illegal about my promotional material? The officer replied that my promo was considered to be "Ex Ámenté". Ofcourse, never having heard that word before I asked what exactly was "Ex Ámenté" and they replied "Look it up!". One cop even went as far as to tell me that everything in this world is ran by them and it's just a waste of time for me to focus energy on anything that's considered to spiritual because "there is nothing after death" so I may as well just focus on making money instead of trying to "fight for the people".



As they walked me to the back of the car I saw a motorcycle cop ride by and signal to the other officers with his right hand. The gesture lead me to believe that he was telling them to make the arrest. Instead the officer loosened the cuffs and started giving me instructions...

He took my shirt from me, kicked off one of my shoes, told me that once he released me he wanted me to keep walking and not to look back. After a few steps he pushed me down in some bushes and ran around a building that was on the corner. By the time I reached the corner he showed back up dressed like a bum and began to spray me with a water hose as if to give me the appearance of being homeless... I then walked a few miles home. at that point I was awaken from the dream.



Immediately, I reached for my phone and put "Ex Ámenté" into dictionary.com looking for a definition. Ofcourse, there wasnt one.

After thinking it over, I decided to claim the word and give it a definition based on how the word was used in my dream.

Ex Ámenté:

An urbanized guerilla warfare tactic known for using any and or all forms of art, music and poetry to change the social and or economic conditions of oppressed peoples by introducing new thoughts and concepts into society.



The Effn.

They Don't Want Me To Take A Shit...

They say opinions are like assholes... But, they don't want me to take a shit.



Anybody that knows me knows that I have no ill will towards anyone. I like to deal with people on an individual basis and not by generalized pre-conceived notions but admittedly I can be quite abrasive at times and I have a really big mouth.



Such was the case this past Saturday night... I was in rare form. From the stage at The Apache Cafe I made a comment to the audience which in my mind was about my music and my artistry which in turn offended some people in the crowd. After performing my songs "Gnarly" & "Uncool" I felt it necessary to prepare a mostly all male (and what I considered to be a predominantly true school hip hop audience) for my next song "She Likes" (with all three being more so in the vain of alternative rock than hip hop) by stating... "I apologize in advance but, most of my songs are geared towards a female audience but, I'm assuming that most of you in here like women as well so we should all be able to enjoy the music... If not, then you're probably in the wrong place because the gay club is across the street. This is the hip hop club" (which if I may add, was a total fact. There is a gay club across the street from The Apache Cafe). Now, I do apologize to any one in the room that I may have offended because that was not my intent but hey, It was a joke and last I checked jokes are always a bit offensive in nature but, I guess that one hit a little too close to home.



Homosexually has always been somewhat of a taboo subject in the black community but in more recent years the subject has become increasingly popular and very open... Especially in Atlanta.



Personally, I could care less about the sexual orientation of another man as long as it doesn't involve me and honestly feel the same way when it comes to the sexual orientation of any woman. If she's not my sex partner why should I care if she's Gay? To me it's the same as a straight woman that's off the market per se. I give little consideration to who a straight person is having sex with in the comforts of their own homes so what makes a gay person any different? I actually feel that the terms gay and straight are misnomers in the 1st place. To refer to someone that has sex with someone of the opposite sex as "straight" denotes that people that choose to have sex with persons of the same sex are "crooked". On the flip side of that coin, referring to homosexual people as "gay people" denotes that non-homosexual people are unhappy. Seems to me that we are all just people that like to have sex but, the subject has become yet another wedge to get in the way of the re-unification of the oppressed... Commonly referred to as the "black community". As if we didn't already have enough social and economic differences to be separated by.



However, as an artist in America... I wholeheartedly believe in my freedom to speak my mind on any subject. Just because I like women doesnt mean that I have to hold my tongue when it comes to homosexuality. Just as me being born black doesn't take away my right to make comments concerning white people or any other ethnicity for that matter. I mean where does it stop? Does me being broke take away my freedom to comment on the wealthy? Does having a car take away my right to talk about people on the bus? I have opinions on a wide variety of subjects and all of them are just that... Opinions. However, I refuse to mask myself for the benefit of anyone. If I can't be honest with you then I don't see how we could be friends. If this blog offends you then stop reading it. Simple. I agree that I have a very wry since of humor and I tend to be very crass. That's just me and it's ok for you not to like it. I'm fine with that. What's not ok is for you to want me to suffocate myself so that you can feel better about yourself.



The Effn.