A GREAT QUOTE
Peep this quote:
“He saw them striving–and suffering and getting gray–over things that seemed to him completely unworthy of this price: over money, over small pleasures, over a little respect. He saw them chiding and insulting one another, he saw them bemoaning pains that the shramans smiled over and suffering from privations that a
shramana did not feel“The above quote is from Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse.
Word is blog.
VACATION IS OVER BLUEPRINT, BACK TO WORK
My apologies for the lack of blogging over the past 4-6 weeks. Its not that I dont have things to blog about that i don’t think are interesting, its more that lately all the stuff i want to write about is about music. It’s very rare that i really wanna write about music and share perspectives or philosophy. I tend to think that me blogging about music can come off pretentious or arrogant.
And the entire reason i have been wanting to talk about music so much is because over the past 6-7 weeks i feel more dedicated to music than i have the entire 7 years that this has been my job. I literally have been doing almost nothing but music, and have been more happy about doing it than ever. I honestly feel like such a lucky person just to have the chance to do this job, that when i put things into perspective it made me feel like i hadn’t been working hard enough.
And as wild as this may seem I can honestly say that for the first time in my career, I want to be great. I want to do great music. Not just be dope, have fun, get pussy, make money and all that shit that comes along with doing it for a living. I really want to commit myself to it, and take it as far as my talent can take me. But with that ambition comes a LOT of commitment, which is where i am now.
FREE SHOW THIS FRIDAY 9/11 IN DAYTON
I will be playing at Wright State University’s Fall Fest this friday 9/11 in Dayton Ohio. The show is FREE so please come out if you live in the area. The show runs from 11-4pm and i believe i play around 3pm. My weightless compadres Illogic & DJ Raregroove will also be playing.
(flyer and more details after the jump)
Blueprint in Producer Showcase 8/22
On Saturday August 22nd, I will be participating in a producer showcase at Check The Rhyme, a monthly hip-hop showcase in Columbus ohio. If you’re from columbus and want to hear a glimpse into what I’ve been working on lately then come check me out. Its going to be at Cafe Bourbon Street (2216 Summit street).
Peep the above flyer for more info on the event for more info:
Beat of the week 7/27
Direct link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEsSeMCLmXo
My youtube channel is http://www.youtube.com/printmaticmusic. Check it out and subscribe if you can. I’ll try to keep the beats and videos coming.
Word is blog
Faggot @ Carabar – April 14th
I’m somewhat drunk so i don’t even know where to start this one, but I think i will start from last week. Last week Ron (Carabar owner) was like “Al, i dont ever tell you to come to specific shows, so take me seriously when i ask you to come to this show next week…tuesday. Faggot is playing.” So i remembered it but still forgot today until around 1130 or so. At any rate, I showed up and just missed Dead Sea play, who happen to be my favorite live act in Columbus. Matt Minor from Teeth Of The Hydra’s new band (whose name escapes me) played next, and since i was ordering drinks i can only claim to have heard about 75% if what they were doing, but it sounded good.
But its time to cut to the chase. Which is this band Faggot. Ron warned me about them but words cant really explain this kinda shit . you have to be there. Either way, this show tonight might have been the most amazing show i have seen in my entire life. This band Faggort kicked so much ass that it was worth being in the middle of the mosh pit just to fully understand what was going on.
Blueprint beat of the week – July 20th, 2009
Had server problems last week that kind of took me out of the rhythm of blogging, but I’m back now. This week i will pick up where i left off. I figure i would start this week off with some music. Everybody has a youtube channel except me, so now I have one. I haven’t quite figured out what I’m gonna put on mine yet, but i figure posting one beat every week couldn’t hurt. So here is the beat of the week for this week:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ4jkPPRXEM
My youtube channel is http://www.youtube.com/printmaticmusic. Check it out and subscribe if you can. I’ll try to keep the videos coming.
Word is blog
Blueprint “1988” (video version download)
Last year i did a little video for the song “1988”. It was basically a picture collage of all the significant things that happened in the year 1988 or were poppin in the year 1988. However the video version of the song is a slightly different than the album version of the song. I did this to make the song a little easier to perform and to have something special for cats to hear when they come to the show as opposed to how they hear it on the record. Since then I’ve gotten several requests to post this version of the song, so here it is:
LISTEN: Blueprint “1988” (video version)
Here’s the direct download link:
http://www.divshare.com/download/7840866-633
The video can now be viewed in the sidebar.
word is blog
Synthesizer Fundamentals with Bob Moog
The man in the above picture is Bob Moog, known as the father of the modern synthesizer. As much of a legend as he is in the world of music, and particularly electronic music, he isn’t exactly a household name. I have started learning more about him as I have started learning more about synthesizers, so i figured I would share this old video of Moog explaining the fundamentals of synthesizers. The real beauty of this video is how clearly and simply he explains concepts that seem so cryptic and difficult when other people try to do it.
Enjoy!
I’m on vacation
Every now and then a brotha gotta take some time off, so that’s what I’m doing. Dipped out Saturday morning to beautiful Vancouver B.C. and have been loving it. I’m about 3-4 blocks from Downtown, and the same distance from the beach. Spending a week someplace like this is pretty fly. Everything is pretty much walking distance and I’ve been lampin hard as fuck drinking beers enjoying life, skydiving on everybody. The people here are extra nice.
This blog is basically to explain that although i didn’t blog yesterday, it was simply because I’ve been doing the vacation thing and my internet connection has been sketchy to say the least; this is what happens when you bootleg somebody else’s shit i guess. I’m taking pictures and I’m gonna blog about my observations of Vancouver hopefully over the next couple days.
Hope all is well with everybody.
if any of you are from vancouver and know of any cool events or dj nights going on this week let me know.
Word is blog.
Press Hop – featuring Allen Iverson
If you’re a sports fan you’ll dig this. Hell, if you’re not a sports fan you’ll probably still find it entertaining. It’s just too funny to not post:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exOxUAntx8
Word is blog.30,000 Pounds of Bananas
As a person that makes beats, part of the job involves spending hours listening to old albums for things that are interesting enough to sample. I have thousands of vinyl albums at my house that range from rock, to classical, to soul, and everything in between. But i will keep it completely honest with you–I find that sitting and listening to records for hours on end to be the worst part of making beats. Its also kind of tiring because you have to pay attention all the time, because if you don’t you could miss one really amazing sample.
At any rate, I was listening to an artist named Harry Chapin today. I was actually in another room letting the record play, not even paying attention when the most amazing and rediculous song I’ve heard in a long time came on. The song is called “30,000 pounds of bananas”, and yes, the song is actually about 30,000 pounds of bannanas. The song is so bugged out that i had to record it and upload it so you can hear it. Its basically about the adventures of a dude driving around with 30,000 pounds of bananas in his truck, and its completely bizarre. It’s one of those songs that leave you shaking your head in amazement and confusion at the same time.
The record came out in 1974 so I’m sure my man was on some sort of psychedelic drug when he wrote it, and everybody around him must have been just as high to let him actually put it out. So my friends, here is Harry Chapin “30,000 Pounds of Bananas”. Please do yourself and listen to this song immediately, especially if you’re having a bad day.
LISTEN:
Harry Chapin “30,000 Pounds of Banannas”Word is blog.
Pictures from 6/3/09 show in Washington, DC
Here are a few of the pics from the DC show i played a couple weeks back taken by Oneviision. The show was good but next time I’m in DC I’ll definitely make sure Wale isn’t playing down the street at the same time. Tends to hurt turnout but all in all a good night. Shout out to my college homie John Burns for coming through in the clutch.
Word is blog.
Last Weeks Random Thoughts
I would probably have roaches if there was actually food to eat in my house. I think my house is where roaches go only if they wanna lose weight.
Ted Dibiase = Next Level Stuntin
When you think about people stuntin and flossin, the images of rappers making it rain, and episodes of MTV cribs come to mind. But I would like to reintroduce you to a man who was putting all those dudes to shame in the 80s, Ted Dibiase “The Million Dollar Man”.
