A Tall Glass of Water...

Some women are like food,
They only satisfy you until the next meal comes along.
Some women are like candy,
Sweet & fun but, bad for you.
Some women are like vegetables,
Good for you but, they lack excitement.
some women are like fruit,
sweet & full of life but,
lacking substance.
However, a wife is like a glass of water.
She's the one you can't live without...



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.

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.

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.

The Health Benefits of SugarCane Juice

So Today, I was at the Dekalb Farmers Market in Atlanta, Ga looking to grab a few items. I tend to bombard my body with various toxins on a daily basis but, the extreme eccentricity of my nature tends to make me a health nut as well. With that said, I am just as much into Herbology as I am into smoking & drinking (and for those of you that are more familiar with the part of me that makes up "SideStreet" you know how much I love to smoke and drink). Amongst the items on my list was Sugar Cane Juice. With my estranged son being a type 2 diabetic, I've done extensive studies on the benefits of Sugar Cane Juice over the past 2-3 years and was myself amazed by the properties contained in raw sugar.

While there, an older lady & a man and his wife (who herself was a Type 1 Diabetic began to ask me questions about the Juice after over hearing me speak so highly of it to another patron that standing in line before me so, it dawned on me that I should blog about it and share this information throughout my network... Enjoy!



It may sound completely ridiculous at first, but sugarcane juice is actually good for you. Though it is comprised purely of sugar, it is comprised of the right sugar; that is unrefined sugar. The juice is most widely consumed in Brazil, India and South East Asia, though today some 200 countries cultivate the crop. Sugarcane juice has a profound presence in the cultures and gastronomic histories of these regions; a primary indication that there must be something more than a sweet taste to this beverage that has kept it in the diet of variant cultures for so long.

Sugarcane is a field crop, and to many unaware of its identity, its appearance is remarkably that of tall field grass. It is a grass, though upon closer examination of the sugarcane stalk, it appears more in common with that of bamboo: thick and tough. The difference, however, from bamboo is that it contains---you guessed it---sugar. Though not the white powdery substance as we know it, but rather raw sugar. Juice can can be extracted from the stalk by sucking or chewing on an exposed end, though for quantity extraction, the cane must be pressed through a machine; an industrial juicer if you will.



Sugarcane juice is sugar in its basic form: raw. Raw sugar is naturally good for the body, as it contains nutrients and minerals. These are visible by natural brown tint and notably larger size of the crystal. Refined sugar has been stripped of the nutrients and minerals, therefore a process similar to the "bleaching" process of wheat flour. Refined sugar is pure carbohydrate and contains no other nutritional value, and during the refinement picks up unnatural chemicals such as phosphoric acid, sulfur dioxide and formic acid.



As raw sugar contains no simple sugars, sugarcane juice has a relatively low glycemic index (the effect a carbohydrate has on blood glucose levels), which keeps the body's metabolism healthy and helps maintain a healthy body weight. Roughly one teaspoon of raw sugar contains only eleven calories. The natural minerals and vitamins found in sugarcane are exceedingly valuable. Phosphorus, calcium, iron, magnesium and potassium. Sugarcane is an alkalizing substance, and therefore is beneficial at fighting cancer. Studies have shown that it has proven an effective at fighting prostate and breast cancer cells. Furthermore, it is exceptionally beneficial for rehydration as it not only cools the body but also energizes with a high quantity of useful carbohydrates and protein. The nutrients found in sugarcane are beneficial to inner organ functioning, including the kidneys, heart, brain and sex organs.

As it contains no simple sugars, sugarcane can be enjoyed by diabetics without worry. In diabetic and weight loss experimentation, the replacing of raw sugarcane juice for refined sugar and other sweeteners has shown positive results not only in stable glucose levels, but also in weight loss.



If possible, sugarcane juice is best enjoyed by sucking it from a raw stalk, or purchasing it freshly pressed from a vendor. If geographical location inhibits either, then there are a few commercial raw sugarcane juice products available, such as Raw Cane Superjuice. For an alternative flavor, sugarcane juice can be spiced up with lemon, ginger or coconut water.

The Effn.

SideStreet KED Presents... GangLeader Vol.4