Announcing the King No Crown Tour
I would like to officially announce the first set of shows on my upcoming King No Crown tour with special guest Supastition and DJ Rare Groove. More dates will be added, but here are the first 25 confirmed dates so far:
Thoughts on the Economics of Hip-hop
Some thoughts on the economics of hip-hop that I shared on my twitter. Wanted to repost them here for those that missed out or don’t follow me on twitter. Follow me there now if you don’t already.
What A Night: Chapter 7 – Kalamazoo, MI
What A Night
Chapter 7: Kalamazoo, MIBetween 2003 and 2005, Kalamazoo, Michigan became one of the most supportive cities of my music. It all started when Western Michigan University’s student-operated radio station, WIDR FM, began putting the Soul Position Unlimited EP and my production album The Weight Room in regular rotation. Unlike most college radio stations—whose programming is directed entirely at the student-body—WIDR’s show programming and events calendar garnered the support of the entire community and the surrounding area.
What A Night: Chapter 10 – Seattle, WA
Chapter 10 – Seattle, WA
In 2006, I began working on my sophomore album, Adventures in Counter-Culture. From the beginning, my goal was to make the most ambitious album possible. I wanted it to defy genres, summarizing everything I had ever learned about music into this one album. I was tired of being boxed in with terms like “commercial” and “underground.” I wanted Adventures in Counter-Culture to escape those classifications.
Five Things I Tell Myself That Help Me Keep Going
Anybody that has chased their dream long enough knows that there are days when it gets tiring. Those are the days that you wonder why you do what you do and the thought of quitting enters your mind. Over the years, I have found myself leaning on several phrases that keep me inspired and help me keep going. I would like to share these with you. If you have any please share yours in the comment section.
What A Night: Chapter Four
CHAPTER FOUR: NEW YORK CITY, NY
There was a point in my life, between 2002 and 2004, that I became very interested in stand-up comedy. At first I was a fan like everybody else—renting the most popular comedy specials and watching them anytime they were on television—but soon my interest grew more intense. Fortunately, I didn’t have to start my comedy collection from scratch; I was a hip-hop producer, which meant I already owned a decent amount of comedy albums on vinyl. I began revisiting these older albums from comedians like Richard Pryor and Steve Martin, listening to them with a completely different ear and appreciation. Eventually, my favorite comedians made their way out of my house and onto my MP3 player, just as any great album would.
Announcing My New Book “What a Night”
After laying low for the past couple of months, I’m proud to announce my new book, What a Night is finally here. The book takes the reader on a journey through my twelve-year touring career to tell the stories of the worst shows I’ve ever experienced. What a Night is part comedy, part tragedy, and 100% entertaining. I hope you will support me by ordering your copy today.
Pre-order your copy of What A Night here: http://bit.ly/1vVF38T
The book will be available November 18th and available on paperback, e-book, and audiobook formats.
- Available in Paperback, E-Book, and Audiobook versions
- First 200 copies of the paperback version will be signed and come w/ 11×17 poster and Blueprint Sticker.
- Audiobook version is read by Blueprint
Blueprint “Perspective” Music Video
The official music video for the song “Perspective” from my latest album Respect the Architect was just released today. Check it out here:
And here are my remaining tour dates for the Respect the Architect tour:
I Love it Out Here
This tour, the Respect the Architect tour, will probably go down as one of my favorite tours. Not because it is the biggest tour I have ever done. Not because I am making more money than I’ve ever made. It will go down as one of my favorite tours because, more than any other point in my career, I understand how special this opportunity is.
There are times in life, many times for that matter, when time flies. We are doing things we enjoy, completely unaware of the passing of each moment and event. Then there are times when we are able to actually slow down for a second, and not just be in the moment, but to also feel as though we can observe the moment as an outsider; as an impartial observer.
That is exactly how I feel now.
Four Years Sober Today
At last night’s show in Winter Haven, FL, somebody in the crowd asked me to perform my song “Blame it on the Jager.” It’s one of the more popular songs from the Soul Position album Things Go Better with RJ and Al so it wasn’t an unusual request. In general, I actually like spending a good amount of time during the end of my set performing request from fans, but the request for “Blame it on the Jager” wasn’t going to get granted last night.
That’s because today, May 15th, marks my fourth year sober.
Life Without A Refrigerator
The first thing I noticed when I walked through the door, after returning to Columbus from visiting my family for the Christmas holiday, was the ungodly sound my refrigerator was making. Loud enough to be heard throughout the entire house, it sounded like the moaning of a person that had just been shot in the stomach and was waiting on the ambulance to show up. Although my refrigerator had been making weird noises for months, this was far worse than any of the random rumbles and shakes I’d only previously heard in the middle of the night. This time, it was for real.
The Difference Between Talent And Skill
The other day I made a decision I should have made a long time ago. That decision was to order two training DVDs. One is for Final Cut and the other is for Apple Motion. While it is true that I’ve been messing with video production as a hobby for the past few years, I’ve never actually studied the application I edit in. Like a lot of people, I got a copy of the program from a friend and just hopped right in. I have read dozens of books on video production and editing philosophy, but always told myself that studying the Final Cut program was something I would get to later.
Blueprint announces the “Respect the Architect” Tour
Blueprint announces the first set of tour dates in support of his upcoming solo release Respect the Architect, due out April 22nd on Weightless Recordings. The tour will span two and a half months, cover sixty cities, and feature support from Count Bass D and DJ Rare Groove.
Saturday April 26th – Columbus, OH @ Double Happiness | EVENT DETAILS
Thursday May 1st – Evansville, IN @ PG | EVENT DETAILS
Friday May 2nd – Huntington, WV @ V Club | EVENT DETAILSThe Most Useful Piece of Gear I’ve Bought in the Last Five Years
As I was looking around my house today, I started noticing all the things I’ve invested in to be able to do my job properly. From records and record players, to mics and recording equipment, to samplers and keyboards. To say the least, I’ve definitely invested a decent amount of coin into gear. All in hopes that it would help me better perform my job.
Unfortunately, there are no guarantees that anything you buy is going to totally work out. I have to admit that the amount of things I’ve bought that made an immediate impact isn’t significantly higher than the amount of things that were complete flops. You win some and you lose some, I guess. I wish there were a shorter way, but sometimes to only way to truly find out how beneficial something will be is to try it out yourself.
The whole thing got me thinking about what items I’ve bought that have been the most useful to my career. I thought about it for a while and came up with an answer that might surprise you.
Blueprint “Respect the Architect” Music Video
Directed by my guy Varras Tower. Yall know what it is…
Pre-order Respect the Architect HERE
