New Year, New Decade, New Outlooks
By · CommentsBlah blah blah…it’s a new year and yada yada yada. F**k all that, it a new decade. Let’s Goooooooo!
I mean, the past decade was a great learning experience…college, radio, crazy girlfriends, shortcomings, and more and more of the whole damn thing. It is resolute that many of those transgressions will not repeat themselves in the next decade because, well, I’m not havin’ it the way that I used to. It’s funny to reflect and know that I needed most of every single day to make me who I am today. Trial and error.
There was a time that I really thought that life was gonna be crazy easy without any kinds of circumstantial consequence; I was proven wrong. So enough about what happened and into what’s happening and what will happen.
I’m incredibly juiced up to leave the past in the past…situations, relationships, faux friends and so on and so forth. I’m going to go ahead and continue to do me and only me and if folks don’t like it…they can kiss my ass from here to across the street.
So on the horizon, we have some kick ass possibilities that will earmark this book of life and project the outcome of the close future. I’ve collaborated with some seriously talented folks that share a lot of the same passions. What makes the whole scheme work out is that we all have different things to bring to the table, yet, understand each other’s niches enough to respect and give our two cents as we see fit.
The funniest shit that straight kills me about the collabo is that for the first time in my life, I am the most mainstream cat in the circle by a long shot; like these clowns are so grimy, gritty, and underground with theirs that if we were compared with big name artists, they’d be Wu Tang and I’d be Nickelback…and you know how much I hate a damn Nickelback.
I am alright with being “mainstream” now without the “”. It’s taken a lot of years for me to be ok with the format and even longer to embrace it. I guess it took me being leaving the south, a place that I detested for the most part because of how extreme it is down there…Working radio was painful in many cases because of the inability to keep people informed; on every level possible. I really thought mainstream…sorry POP/TOP 40 was playing the same songs every hour and twelve minutes for 6-7 months straight. Not just regular ass pop either, the type of shit you’d hear at the dentist or a soccer mom’s favorite coffee shop. Maybe it’s because Colby Caillait, Nickelback, Rob Thomas, and Sara Barelleis doesn’t represent me. Maybe it’s because there was no energy and for the last leg a complete waste of 100,000 watts. Maybe it was because I had to sit and listen to a guy who…well I won’t blast him off like that… tell me, the only black person in media in the market, to tone it down because I sounded too “street”, which in layman’s terms meant that I sounded too black. Wrong for two reasons… 1. So the fuck what, I am black…and 2. He was probably the only person in my life that told me I sound black…funny shit though because people would actually call in and ask what race I was because evidently having the name “Dre” and proper enunciation of the English language was confusing.
All of that off of my chest, it took me driving cross country and getting back to The San Fran. Bay then getting up here to New York to get the full scope of why I hated the format…the fact was I didn’t. (Actually, in March, I heard a specific station sign on which had subliminals in their launch that prompted me to flee from the path I hath previously chosen.) At the end of the day, and if you’re a DJ reading this, really stop and ask yourself this question…especially in this “pause” era… Do I want to play a bunch of violent, angry ass hood shit to make your boys and random knuckleheads stand around the dance floor or do I want to play records that provoke a great mood where everyone is chill and has a great time? Plain and simple…it took two hood parties I DJ’d at that collectively had 34 guys and one of their little sisters show up…no bueno for a female based DJ. More than anything else, I’m a fun based DJ…no political agenda, not trying to save a withering genre, and no, I’m not last of a dying breed; nor do I want to be.
I will, in this year of 2010 make the following predictions:
- I’ll be back on radio in some capacity
- I’ll produce a string of kick as CD’s
- I’ll rock crowds of 3500+
- I will not turn over a new leaf and go in for the underground
- I probably won’t put out another boo hoo slow jam mix
- I’m going to work myself nearly to death
- I will exceed expectations
Part II of the journey has begun!
VIDEO BLOG JUNE 18, 2009
By · Comments3WEEKS IN…well 20 days but close enough…part 1
By · CommentsSo I finally broke down and decided to blog from my notebook like any other person…that doesn’t have a smartphone…I guess my ordeal’s been that I cannot seem to figure out how to blog via my BBerry Bold…one of the only regrets of getting rid of the Iphone. But after my manager pointed out that I’m slippin by not keeping up, I have no choice but to go old skool and do this front real computer screen with a regulation keyboard. Whatever the case may be…the best way to get this where it needs to go is to back track some 3 odd weeks ago and just work my way up…
So before I even got to leave Cali, as in the day before I gave up my beloved car that I had never gotten into any accident with, I punk ass deer decided to jump in front of me while taking my younger brother to soccer practice. There’s nothing more irritating than hitting an animal and seeing pieces of your car fly off and then get eye contact with its bitch ass while it lays on the asphalt only to see it pop back up and disappear; this is why I maintain that deer are vermin. Luckily no one got hurt but it was a shitty end to a good run (3 years) without even a slight bump or fender bender (odd story to come…the guy who sold me me car just got busted for attempted murder a couple weeks ago…that’s later!)
That Friday, I managed to get on a redeye to Boston from SFO and made it in for the annual birthday party of both of my cousin Terry’s kids. I made the committment to be there about a year ago and was told that it was the event of the year. Sure enough, when I made it out there it was a family reuinion consisting mostly of family that I never met…all from my biological pop’s side. It was a cool ass time tho…wierd in a way though because I introduced myself to a gaggle of folks who I then found out were aunts, uncles, and cousins and got tired of hearing “it’s been a long time…last time I saw you, you were so young” look! that shit doesn’t apply to 27 years of separation!
Later in the evening, once the kids were occupied, the grown folks got to kick it listening to some good old skool music…as in our old skool…early 90’s joints and told funny stories, many of which were about my pop…was a bit painful because it was embarassing that I was the spawn of the black sheep. I give my mom shit about that hookup and marriage as much as possible tho…
I got here to NYC the following Tuesday; me, a backpack, and two dufflebags. I showed up motivated and hungry, ready to take on the world; so much to the point that I was trying to plan events less than 30 mins after I got into the house. I spent the duration of the week plotting and scheming how to make things do what they do. Got to meet up with some of the migrators that made there way to the same area to catch up and got to see upstate…which is not that far up and is actually green…rivers, trees, country lookin ass shit!
So the fun starts the first Saturday when I went to go hold down Karma night club. There I was, my first gig as a New Yorker and what happened’? I plugged my laptop into a faulty power strip and fryed it…That may be one fo the worst feelings…since I’m so focused on the importance of first impressions. Either way, My cuzzo had to come rescue me and I got to buy a new laptop! good move tho
Oh damn…The day before what is known as the dubious “laptop incident” I was approached to DJ for rapper N.O.R.E./Noreaga so I was looking forward to being apart of the movement.
Next blog…performing live @ Unity Fest in Boston
NEW JACK RENAISSANCE IS OUT!!!!
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On the Road…
By · CommentsSo because of weather concerns…I decided to leave a few days past schedule. Between tornadoes, damaging thunderstorms, and a general bad feeling, I’m pretty sure it was the right thing to do. For those following on Facebook and/or Twitter you pretty much got the full scope of what I saw through the lens of my 1.3 megapixel iPhone lol!
I had a lot of time to plan what is to be executed in the coming weeks and months with my move to NYC. What do I need to learn, how different are the politics going to be, and what direction do I want to go? Those that know me and how my mind works are already expecting me to be this way since everything is always under constant analysis. There are so many details that need attention before I even lift a finger once I touch down in the Rotten Apple.
So in preparation for the next phase I did what anyone worth a salt in radio would do (not to say that I am…but not to say that I’m not…lol) I listened to a bunch of different stations as I drove through 5 states. To sum it all up, there are two factions as I see: good radio and bad radio…regardless of what the market size is.
the standouts
Tulsa – heard a chick doing middays on a “hits” (top 40 ) station…airing a caller that won a trip…the winner was excited, screaming, out of control…all of the things that we hope to find in “the right caller” and the jock was 97% on top of the presentation…all was good except for one thing…the damn music bed* drowned out the whole call…damn I felt bad for her because it was a perfect situation muddled by a small detail that got out of control…she’s good though! but I expect nothing less of that PD.
why is this relevant? It reminded me to pay extra attention to details and as an old Classic Country personality taught me, always be the most booming sound above anything else on air.
OKC – Caught a mixshow on a Hip Hop station (a 5′clock traffic jam of sorts) – Poor, poor DJ…He was clearly using Serato for the show but was trainwrecking and didn’t know how to blend in regular tracks so he bored the listener by dragging out instrumentals longer than neccessary while cue’ing up the next record.
What I learned: Master the craft in which you call your profession and don’t be lazy! Audition 1.5-3 are readily available at most stations…thank god I learned how to use non linear audio production software! If you’re a DJ reading this…learn how to make your own intro and outro versions for tracks…this helps in the long run; it helps continuity and allows you to blend in intros without the over the top production that gets old quick that a lot of services put out (ie. Funkymix)
OKC again: another Top 40 show with a guy I’ve known for arguably too long doing his benchmark tabloid check in…BTW Kram…I think Billy Bush stole the celebrity skanks name when he dubbed his little segment “rank or skank” …solid and to the point as usual.
What I learned: a continuation of the lesson of brevity…quick to the point and non drawn out segment. It also made me continue pondering the question…does it make sense to always bring up celebrity situations a la Perez? I go back and forth as countless jocks outside of the morning shows continue to rehash who did what and when. I’m personally over taking that on…unless I’m told to. There are too many things going on in the world for me to rely on which older guy Mylie Cyrus isn’t bangin’ this week (btw that didn’t come up in the segment I heard…just a common topic).
Same question arose when listening to a morning hip hop show in Albuquerque boasting “the hottest gossip every hour” I really wonder if gossip in really that much in demand or if it’s merely a crutch to fill time or a little bit of both…
The biggest thing I noticed driving cross country was the amount of open frequencies with nothing…NOTHING!
One last thing…I’m gonna call these fools out! KDUC in Barstow CA. Damn! I got to jam out to some nice old school funk and freestyle…a nice suprise and I felt like it was groundbreaking for a night show just to focus on throwbacks…then just as Stevie B’s “Let Me Be the One” was 1/2 way through the first verse, it was cut off and went into some sattelite show with some douchebag name Art Leboe…sounded like a fake ass Casey Casem…real 80’s cheesy and he immediately played “Benny and the Jets” …….WTF…….great trainwreck kids… so imagine hearing some old “More Bounce To The Ounce” and ”Brass Monkey” then some damn “Benny…” Leave the syndicated love show to R-DUB
So now that I made all of you non radio geeks bored, you can at least see some kind of thought process lol.
It’s been a great trip just to relax and get mentally prepared for the new life. More than that I’ve had to leave a lot of people that I care about…ALOT!!
On another note…I was listening to CNN on sattelite during my drive and happen to have HLN on right now and everyone keeps talking about this chick Nikki Catsouras. There’s reports on how bad the CHP (California Highway Patrol) are for leaking, what I have unfortunately come to see, horrific pics of her car accident. Naturally, did a google search on her name and the sick f***s that decided to mask a seemingly legitimate site with such insensetive regard for her and her family…I’m not trying to judge as much as I am asking “why?” Why would people say things about her being spoiled and make light of what happened because of affluence…Even if she was “spoiled” or a “bitch;” what does that say about the jealous, contemptuous, evil lowlife’s that are fed with joy by this situation.
I’m really putting this out there because it’s fresh on my mind…I honestly never heard about this until today. It’s a sad, sad story and I hope justice is served…not neccasarily monetary compensation as much as the pics being taken down. I mean, yeah, curiosity gets peaked when such issues make headlines but to rub it in the nose of the family is just sick! My heart goes out to them…
Music Bed: a song instrumental played while longer talk time occurs to either set the tone and/or guarantee that there is never a pocket of silence to suppliment the personality.
To end on a lighter note: This is the worst commercial out right now…and I’ve seen it a zillion times in the past week…ugh…I don’t give a damn who stole the damn cookie from the damn cookie jar…
Tomorrow, my new life begins…From the Silicon Valley/Bay Area to Arkansas to New Orleans to Arkansas to NYC. I gotta dip off to Cali real quick to drop of the whip….but in essence this is still the end of what has become my life out in this wilderness called Arkansas.
Amidst the packing, goodbyes, and ridding myself of all the things that I have acquired over the years, I hate to say that I have very little time to worry about the things that well don’t mean a whole lot to me now…even though at one point these things may have meant the world to me. It’s an attribute that some respect and others despise…not to say that I am conditional but I do know that when it’s time to let go… it’s time to let go.
In less than 24 hours, I will be legally a New Yoker…one thing is certain though; I will never forget how it all came to be.
I keep trying to figure out how to utilize my blog on my site…maybe aloud like this before maybe not. Should I use it as a “show prep” site to show possible radio employers that I can keep my fingers on the pulse of pop culture? Should I use it as an arena to brag, boast, and beautify the small moments of triumph that I recieve at different times to create a bigger and greater perception than really is? I’ve dabbled with all of the above and now I have the perfect idea…the absolute truth.
I’ve always been told I have a great story; I’ve also been told that I always have a great story so here is where I will bring the true things to life as I see them and as I make my way from certain obscurity to whatever destiny, positioning, and hard work take me over time.
Let’s face it…there are so many times in life where there is struggle, strife and insecurity and when we get out of that dark tunnel there’s only enough light to recoup enough strength to go through the next… But then there are time when life throws you things nothing short of magnificent that affirm the reasoning of taking the path that has been chosen. At the same, there are the little moments in between that just make you say WTF? This will embody all of the above.
For those of you that are new to all that makes the entity that is called Dre Boogs and a guy that’s known at home as just plain old Andre, I invite you to take this voyage with me. This will be nothing short of an experience that will at times make you strive for whatever dream you have instead of settling for what seems easy and also, there will be a lot of times where you will get a laugh at my expense…Thank you for being here!
To all my 479′ers I cannot thank you enough for all that you have given to me throughout the years…the support, the love, the fights, arguements, helping me fight my worst enemy…This is only the beginning!
STEPPIN’ OFF…THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
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Alright so here we go…the final week of this damn shit…the waiting, anticipation, the “hey I’m really leaving now” conversations and the end of an era…(In my big retrospective someone’s having a nostalgic moment radio guy voice)
Too long I’ve been here…long enough to treat the time spent like a woman’s age over 30….you’re not gonna get the truth…or troof depending who you are…
I’m not gonna get all mushmouth and shit just…sniff sniff…ready to get the hell on with this damn road trip on Fri.
Have any of you ever driven 15 hours drug free across country…if so, please email me and tell me how to make this happen! Part of me figures that since I sit at my desk so much doing what some would call nothing all day, that I could do the same with my foot on the petal and getting to get up and move around a little bit every so often.
Either way…time to slide back to tha Yay Arrrrrrrreeeeaaaaaaa! for 1, 2, or 3 weeks depending on how things go then we go on tour in June!
Nonetheless…the same ignorance continues here until…well…hmmm…probably well beyond the time that I leave; for example…one of my old interns who I lovingly referred to as ”Swampfoot” that had been known on the show for…being reall fuggin’ retarded about guys…like on some…”how did you fall for that?!” type shit.
here’s an abbreviated excerpt:
DUMB INTERN (DI) : Do not go to a concert on a Sunday night while sick and expect to be ok at work the next morning
ME: God, no matter how many days older you get, you’re still dumb! Adapt
DI: I thought I’d be ok…I chugged a whole bunch of daytime cough syrup and still had a blast…is that “Adapt” enough for yoU?
ME: Not really…at least you’re consistent though
epilogue: the convo ends here because after my last response Dumb Intern goes into a text rant about blah blah blah…I don’t sleep around as much anymore….blah blah blah….haven’t been to a club in months…blah blah blah… I go to church now…Not once did she ask if I needed help packing or if I needed some good luck head (which I would have respectfully declined …she’s not pure.)
On another note,
We’ll see how I feel about radio in a few weeks It’s crazy…you can’t have role models anymore! Everyone that I’ve looked up to in radio has turned into a douche or and straight let down…and my standards aren’t even that high!
We’ll see what my management thinks about this whole thing when I actually get in town…more updates tomorrow and get ready for the travel blog…which will just be me wasting time as I drive; detailing the sights and shit I see driving back to cali!
TIME FOR A DAMN NAP…
So yeah man…Damn B’ I had the whole weekend but…
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Alright so…I liked B in Cadillac Records even though it was waaaaaaaaaaay obvious that this broad…ahem, diva…was tryna make up for the whole Dreamgirls debacle…I say that to say this DAMN B!
Can you sing? is this true? are you really sounding like a damn sick baby panda?
watch the vid…well after the damn interview
now listen to what I lovingly refer to as “this damn shit!” Shout out to Bro. Stern on Sirius…
Click Here
Tha shit isn’t bad…it’s haaaaaarrrraaaable!
Even Worse….
Britney…stringin’ us along!
So if ya missed it…you really didn’t miss much….OTHER THAN HER RAG TAG HANGIN’ OUT!!!!
Bin Laden could be dead, whereabouts unknown: Zardari
Reuters
Monday, April 27, 2009; 5:52 AM
he may be dead...
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari said on Monday that the whereabouts of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden remained a mystery and there was a suspicion that he could be dead.
Speaking to international media, Zardari said U.S. officials had told him that they had no trace of the al Qaeda chief, although they habitually say he is most likely in Pakistan.
Pakistan’s own intelligence agencies were no wiser, either, Zardari said.
“There is no news,” the president said. “They obviously feel that he does not exist anymore but that’s not confirmed, we can’t confirm that.”
Al Jazeera aired excerpts of an audio recording in March in which the speaker’s voice sounded like earlier messages from bin Laden, who has eluded all efforts to catch him since al Qaeda carried out the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
Bin Laden, if he is still alive, turned 52 on March 10, but he is known to suffer from ill-health.
There have been reports that he had died of natural causes in the past, but they have never been corroborated, and security analysts believe intelligence agencies monitoring jihadi websites on the Internet would have picked up some chatter.
(Reporting by Zeeshan Haider; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Dean Yates)
MORE LATER TODAY…
Irony
By · CommentsSo I was paying my property taxes today and I walked out to see this shit at the opening of a slow moving, country redneck construction site…LOL!
Friday and whatnot
By · CommentsSo I’m on my way to Philly checkin put the upcoming releases from some hip hoppers…Asher Roth and Ricky Ross… Feelin’ both of ‘ em …cautiously.
Bad day on Roth’s joint describe’s this flight! Obnoxious ass giddy high a school girls complaining about the six of regional jet and giggling like there’s no tomorrow!
Either way, those of you going b to buy Asher’s offering on Monday have a lot of good tracks to look forward to. At the end of the day… He does sound like Em…but he’ll acknowledge it tho…he really is nice on the mic and fills a void in the game…I mean hate all you want but anything is better than stanky laffy taffy ass soulja boo boo ass shit!!!
Damn I can’t wait until I get away from that shit fo good!!! How you gonna let PAC and BIG die and let these crab ass rappers live? Ahh… But I digress 
I know Officer Ricky is on the TOS short list for my blocs Shadyville crew but Deeper than Rap really didn’t suck as much as it could’ve. I just nope sells enough copies and merch to pay for all those cameos and that production.
Tonight I touch down in Philly for the release party for King and The Cauze…. It’s tuff.. Download a copy monday @ thisis50.com
Pow! Hit me any of ya monkey asses need anything!
Deuces!!!!