Poetry Spotlight: MsQuoted

"Not Your Typical Black Girl Lost"
written by: MsQuoted (@shari_says)

Her face is the inner city back drop

Heels walked where rats stand at bus stops

Her hands been cuffed by hand cuffs, no cops

And her eyes seen so much her lenses have grim spots

Her body and mind is so............distant

And when it comes to trust she so [resistant]

Her heart been crushed and beating down by bulldozers

And every time she tries to walk away, shepullscloser

See this isn’t the typical story of a black girl lost

Because this is a story about a corporate Boss

Living in her corporate world in her uptown penthouse

Sitting behind her Italian desk watching HBO’s Cathouse

She worked hard to reach the top dealing with so much prejudice

But now she reaching for girls, wishing Craig had more lists

So she can have a Render-vous with one maybe two

To conceal the guilt of her abortions, one maybe few

Buried in her heart she thinks that’s what her mom shoulda done

Instead of leaving her at a Mc Donalds at the age of one

So Dad FEND for himself, his salary working on cars

He was the best father he could be, besides the nights at bars

So happy she never caught her daddy’s disease being an alcoholic

She wasn’t careful and got caught up being a shopaholic

Her eyes spends bigger than her Louie V wallet

And all her money washes down in her luxury faucet

So she is constantly at Chase bank chasing favors

You know addicts has multiple addictive behaviors

So she paying for escorts and not paying attention to her debt

Oblivious, she needs porn cause humans barely get her wet

But the best part is her best friend she met at Lincoln H.S. 9th period

Who been there throughout all her Lindsay/Britney periods

She helped her pay for college so she never had to touch a pole

Gave her places to live, never out in the cold

Nevertheless, she fucked her best friend’s husband, a female Brutus

Funny, cause her husband with the niceeeee caesar was named Julius

The one man she ever truly loved wasn’t even hers

Wasting nights trying to convince him to move to the Burbs

But all he did was m o v e money out her account until she was bankrupt

Her face filled with humility and abuse she can’t cover with make-up

Spending her nights under the tunnel laying with laymen

So calling her a black girl lost might be a ____________

.......................................................understatement

Follow MsQuoted's work @
twitter.com/shari_says

Song Spotlight: I'm About My Business

The Background

As a well rounded emcee, you have be able to say witty things, have dope storytelling, and deep substance.. At the same note, you gotta be able to control the crowd and give people something to nod there heads too.

This is probably the second song I had recorded for the project.. This song was actually completed from about a month ago.. I wanted to do a record with a bit of a southern bounce to it, and the piano's from the Gucci Mane/Bangledesh instrumental drew me in.

The Verses

I took the Jay-Z concept and had to "dumb it down" a bit.. I wanted to maintain a high level of swag on the record and make the lyrics easy for people to understand (as most commercial tracks are). Don't get it twisted, there's still a lot of wittiness buried inside the verses. Some of my personal favorite lines include..

"Listen, Im sittin' so far up on cloud 9
That I dont even come back to earth on my down time"

"Platinum or gold, no silver or bronze
Henny or Ciroc, either way I'm gone
I step into the studio like 'Home Sweet Home'
I don't wanna talk unless your name's Microphone"

The Hook

I was brainstormin' on a hook that was catchy but still dope, and maintained the same feel of the record.. I was runnin' thru some ideas with my homegirl who sings, and we happened to be listenin' to Drake's verse on "Forever".. and she just kept saying "Nigga, Im about my business" off of Drake's verse.. So when I took it to the studio I used that line and had the engineer chop and screw my voice, which is so commonly used in southern hip hop culture.

You can check out the finished product @ reverbnation.com/pennyshaw

Comeback Season (Song Snippet)

It's COMEBACK SEASON.. and I don't mean the weather !!

Here's a little snippet for a 'possible song' off my mixtape.. The "comeback season" concept came from me losing everything I had done for my last project.. I've never been one to look back, so I started working on some new material.. This was the first rhyme I had wrote for my upcoming release

Artist Spotlight: Nahlidge

Digi Boyz's debut release

Born in Sanford, ME raised in Boston, MA then shipped down to Fall River, MA. Kareem "Nahlidge" Dymond doesn't really have the cliche story of most rappers. Still with his own story and the world as he see's it, Nahlidge says "people will appreciate it, once they listen". The inner city back drop to someone that wants to see more than the city streets is what gives him the inspiration to make his dreams a reality.

After some ups and downs working with a few local artists, Nahlidge most recent release is an album that he worked on with his hometown friend/artist Colorz. They titled the album "Go To Bed Drunk, Wake Up Hammered". The name pretty much speaks for itself. Nahlidge spoke about it by saying..

"During this 5-6 month time, that was pretty much our mind state. Getting drunk every night. Waking up. Going to work. Clocking out. Hit up the liquor store. Then get drunk and record some more. The result is a 16 track and 2 skit album that reflects on the party life, alcohol, relationship issues, alcohol, and other stuff dabbled with a bit more alcohol. With a light story line undertone that goes from start to finish progressing as you get deeper into the album, you`ll notice the sense of commercial appeal mixed with thought out rhymes. While at other times, just catchy hooks, bridges and verses too alcohol inspired to be anywhere close to thought provoking. Listening to the album it`s clear to see that me and Colorz are complete opposites when it comes to making music. But somehow we found a mixture of styles that works out."

Check the album sample @ www.reverbnation.com/nahlidge508 and you can purchase his new release through the Digi Boys website which can be found @ www.digiboyz508.webs.com.

For future bookings you can contact "nahlidge508@gmail.com"

Check out NAHLIDGE via twitter, facebook, myspace and his blogspot @

myspace.com/nahlidge508

facebook.com/nahlidge508

knowledgespelledwrong.blogspot.com

twitter.com/nahlidge508

The TUNE IN - Blog #2

Only 19 days into the project, and I'm fallin' a lil behind schedule.. It's all good tho, I'll jus play catchup (ketchup) like heinz.. My schedule has been a lil hectic but I have alot of footage to show everyone.. I've also got some new recording equiptment, so the visuals are gunna be alot more crisp..


Project-tracker: 5% - I have about 3 full songs already written, but only 1 outta the 3 will probably make the project so far.. I'm hoping to have a concrete 3 - 5 songs by the end of July.. The other songs that don't make the cut, I'll probably end up releasing them before this project is complete.. This new song I recorded today called "Day by Day" Im gonna put up in a few weeks to get some feedback on it from y'all..

On Friday 6/25/10 - I went to the studio with my dude/producer "The Score" (@OluDamo for my twitter-heads) to start the first actual recordings of the "soulsearchin" project.. Here's some of the footage..


The TUNE IN - Blog #2

• When you talk about the greatest what you talk about? Me
• They said I was too young, oh wait, here's my ID
• Gimme one last shot I'm like Reggie from the 3
• Playin' at MSG, and Im tauntin' Spike Lee
  

The START UP - Blog #1

YOUTUBE VIDEO BLOG - The START UP - Blog #1

It's the first day of the 120 day project..and Im ready to work.. I already started picking out beats and working on some possible songs.. I figure since Im running with the whole "soulsearchin" concept, that'd I'd have a lot of soulful records to reflect that.. Kinda like Jigga did with his Blueprint albums, by taking it back to the soulful roots.. But we'll see how that goes, cause Im real sporadic when it come to music..

Coincidentally the first track I started working on happens to be the "current" intro track to the project.. It's called "Could You Believe It".. It's a real short track, straight to the point.. I'll probably end up wanting to remix this record.. Possibly working with fellow emcee Nahlidge, or possibly Nimrod.. I don't like working with too many artists, unless I feel like they bring the best outta me..

While working on the intro track, there were some gaps on the record.. But I didn't wanna put a hook or a bridge in the space.. Then I started thinking to have a female narrate the story on my project.. This would bring together a real cohesive album if I got this to work.. I know for years it's been the routine for a DJ to host your mixtape.. I still think that's coo, but I like to try some different ideas.. But as of now, Im a work on these tracks first.. and then the details after I get a few songs under my belt for this..

So check the video blog at

YOUTUBE.COM/SkyHighTV718

I'll end this with some lyrics from a song I was working on yesterday..

"I got the whole game behind me in my rearview mirror..

Its all smoke and mirrors but I couldn't see clearer..

My conscious be calling but I act like I don't hear her..

She all up in my mind but Im too numb to feel her.."

The WARM UP - Pre-Project Blog

"What I'm doing right now, Im chasing perfection" - Kobe Bryant

Working on a complete project as an artist can be a meticulous process.. We're half way through 2010 and I'm here with about 3 to 4 projects I'm working on.. Sometimes I catch myself being all over the place, with no final product.. I was working on material for an untitled EP with producer Alcatrakz.. along with my own "Sky's the Limit" mixtape.. and a collaboration mixtape with fellow emcee Nahlidge.. However, I wasn't making much progress as a whole.. Therefore, I decided to take a break for a few days to clear my mind and left the country during Memorial Day Weekend..

Upon my return from the land of Cancun, Mexico.. I had an urge to get back to what I do best.. MUSIC.. So Im there unpacking, listenin to some R&B (yea, I dont only listen to rap, lol).. I'm noddin to the sounds of Musiq Soulchild and an idea hits me like a lightbulb over Einstein's head.. For some reason the word "soul" stayed in my mind.. That led to me thinkin of the phrase "soulsearchin" and from there I just ran with it..


I found it interesting how all of his titles are together with no spaces.. I wanted to do the same, because that writing to me signifies that I don't wanna give anyone any space.. I wanna clog up the game until there sick of me.. I don't wanna give anyone ANY room.. I wanna be the key defensive stop at the end of an NBA game.. And as most of us are, Im still tryin'a find myself as a person, as an artist, etc.. So I think that the name hit me at a perfect point in my life.. But I didn't just want to make this a CD, it had to be a little deeper.. So..


This project will be 120 days long, and I want to give the viewers an intimate view of my work ethic/ recording process/ writing process/ along with videos and more.. It is more than a CD or tape, or whatever you wanna call it.. It is a story behind the music, the concepts, and also a way for me to grow and the world to see me grow.. (hense the title "soulsearchin") I will update my blogs every so often with update/ videos/ photo's.. I have no pre-picked beats/ lyrics for this project.. I am starting in two days, and everything will be done then.. It'll be as new for you as it is for me..

The clock begins on June 7th, 2010