Movin way too fast'

Talkin' bout hustlin'? What u know about hustlin'? I hear many talk about it, but when it's gets down to it who can effectively make it happen? Niggas rap about being the new Freeway. The real Nino Brown. Scarface reincarnated. Poster children for Generation X. Fast money, fast women, fast cars and a fast trial. This is what we value. Speed.

The Fastlane.

You ever been on the freeway in traffic thinking if U can just get in the far left lane u'd be cool? Only to find out it's the hardest lane to get out of? It looked like it was moving so fast before u got in it right? We fall for that trick every time. And so the game is played. Cuz that applies to more than just the freeway.

Our borders have been flooded with hustler's bounty since the end of Vietnam. Heroine and Cocaine ran up and down the 5 like mile markers. Niggas got rich. Cops got rich. Congressmen, lawmakers, and foreign heads of state got richer. Then somebody found a way to cut so sharp and cook so well that they could feed the masses with a cheap product with a 500% return. Game over. Niggas died along with whole neighborhoods. It's the 80's and welcome to Crack. I was young but I remember all the older cats. I remember their conversations. Everybody had a plan' 'Imma hustle up to a key and when I flip that bitch I'm in!' It was like a script that everybody read. When I saw them same cats blowin' it up around me that script became scripture. The key to success fast is selling drugs straight up! Thaz the truth about this thing.

Yes we are the X factor. The first generation of American minority 'We don't give a fucks'. The 70's babies were the first on record to feel some sense of entitlement to happiness regardless. We were the first ones born under liberation instead of oppression generation-wide. The Civil/Women's rights movements were over. It was possible for a well off minority family in the US to live up in the hills. Or a woman up there by herself without the help of any man with no questions asked. The classe system in the US became economic instead of racial' In other words we caught up to the rest of the world. Me being called 'Boy' was now grounds to get ya ass beat. Blacks, Latinos, and Asians and regular old white folks became prominent and a part of American culture. White kids wanted to be like Mike as much as Bird and didn't have a problem with it. The thought of going from nothing to something has always been stronger in our minds than in that of our parents and Grandparents. I used the people who told me that I 'couldn't' as stepping stones. The generations b4 us took them as the truth.

Hell naw. Not us.

Fastlane to the late 80's. We as a family ain't doing so well. I'm getting older and there's some shit I want. I got sense. My fam ain't got it to give so I gotta go get it' One way or another. I had some homies that were making a fair amount of dough hitting trains late at nite. They were getting shoes, clothes, brick phones, and all kinds of shit to sell. I never fucked with them cuz they were the silly bunch. They liked to gangbang more than hustlin. I never really cared what color a nigga wore. That just didn't mean that much to me. I always played by the rules, but it just didnt move me like that. I didn't really understand the big deal. Now havin' thangs? I understood that perfectly. So when I got word that those trains now had some new and interesting cargo coming down Alameda on a regular I was all in.

The Soviet Union had recently crumbled. The wall was down in Berlin and the Cold War was over. FOR WHATEVER REASON (hint, hint) a lot of these trains were now filled with overseas made weaponry. All kinds of guns, military supplies, scrap metal and machine parts that were headed somewhere shady I'm sure. History was my favorite subject. My little mind got to wandering and the conspiracies started in my head. Hmmmmm' Let me hush now. Fastlane to the 90's.

Everything has changed at this point. I am speeding. I got a situation brewing. I got cats coming to my school fuckin' with me at the fence. I got lil dramas in my neighborhood cuz my homies say I don't wanna run if it ain't bout no money' Um' ok. They're also gettin a lil antsy about the fact that some of my closest family are from the other side of the freeway and relations ain't the best at the moment. Meanwhile I've been introduced to Mr. Mikhail Kalashnikov who is now the king of the streets. I know exactly where he lives and the rent is cheap. The last thing I'm trying to hear is bullshit from the niggas I grew up with. Most of my time at this point was spent with the older cats anyway. It had to be. I was young. I just wanted Jordans. They knew that so I stayed up to something. I don't know if that was good or bad. Most of them are in jail right now' Most of the ones my age are dead.

All of us were moving too fast.

Old Skippy and Thelda Jean were moving faster. I was on a plane to Atlanta with Lil' Cluck and none of the shit in the previous paragraphs meant anything. The Fastlane came to a screaching halt. I fell asleep at the wheel and ran outta gas seconds b4 a multi-car pileup. Now on the weekend I'm pushing a lawnmower in a Red 49er jersey and a Blue Dodger hat. It's hot as fuck. For some reason I'm as happy as I've ever been' At peace.

Like a 2 lane highway on a back road in a 83 Cadillac with the windows down bumpin' 'Under the Bridge' going 40 miles an hour' Slow.

Thank God 4 Slow'

This was the inspiration for 'The Fastlane' from my New Album 'Kind of Blue' in Stores and Online March 23rd, 2010. It features Watts native Glasses Malone who rocked the shit out of it. Support good Music!

WESTSIDE4LIFE!!!!

Everybody is a star. Flat out let's even the playing field. Instead of performing for the fans we'll just play to each other. How many cd's have I received that I just couldn't do shit with? Didn't matter if I liked it or not. I couldn't do shit with it. Try to explain that to the cat the next time u in that city and he expects u to remember. When u don't?'Man fuck that nigga' Blah blah blah.' It's a fucked up game. Cats are putting they're hearts, souls, and hard earned money into this dream of making it big. How many of them end up bad? Did anybody ever stop to think that it's 2 sides to every story? Did anybody ever research the tragedies? Have u ever thought about the price of fame? Like, what if u made it? What would u do? Could u handle it?

Fool we don't give a fuck about that shit. We tryin' to ball. Fuck being broke. Imma rap! And there it is' At that point I sit back and wait to see 'em on BET' Or not. It's no set way for this thing to go. Call it what u want. Luck, Faith, or Fate. It either happens or it doesn't. I'm not waving the flag of everybody fails cuz that just ain't the truth. Most do, but on the contrary I've seen some real rags to riches shit. Some real proof that it has nothing to do with talent, status, or 'Who's the hottest. I got a picture with Luda when he was the on air DJ at the radio station in Atlanta. He was interviewing me about TNSMC. Him and his boy Poon was pissed about something with the station and u can see how mad he was in the pic. It's funny as shit cuz we look real young and he had on a TQ T-Shirt'lol! I remember dude distinctly saying 'This ain't gonna be 4 long''. It wasn't 4 long' I remember 50 in New York on the street next to then CM bus talkin' bout 'Yall don't know me now but yall gonna know me!' lol! Look at that fool now. Lol! Some niggas go against the odds and just make the shit happen. While I was with Cash Money, Baby coulda signed TI, Jeezy, Kanye, Boosie and Webbie, BONE, and Yo Gotti that I can remember. He said he didn't need them. I guess he didn't. I guess they didn't need him either.

To the other end of the spectrum, when I was signed to Atlantic, I actually had a labelmate kill himself'

Welcome to Hollywood.

The one thing I do know is that it takes more than somebody's good advice to make it out here. If u make it and keep your sanity you'll love it. Sometimes I just drop the top and drive up the coast. Shit I remember how bad shit used to be. That let's u know how much worse it could be now. Sometimes I take a deep breath and say Thank God I'm from the 90's. It's a blessing that nothing is new with this job these days'

For the ones with the huge ambitions and big dreams u gotta wish them luck. No feeling like a dream coming true' But if by chance u pop ur CD in and it sounds like stir fried dog shit don't waste people's time who do this professionally. I remember one cat coming to me saying 'Bruh check this out my shit garbage but maybe I can come up' Most of the shit I hear on the radio is garbage too!' LOL!

Dude had a serious point. This is a fact. Randy Moss would leave me at the line of scrimmage. Larry Fitz would jump completely over my head and score like I wasn't there. If I played a one on one against Bron I would not score. I don't care if we played to 100. I couldn't block a Wayne Rooney header if I had a brick wall in front of goal. All this is fact. So what makes a man listen to the new Wayne mixtape and feel like he's the new Wayne? Gotta be the pills' Or those purple drinks yall like'

How many times has the hottest girl in Ur lil hood gave away everything to pursue a life in Hollywood? How many times did she come home with her tail between her legs? How many times has she took up residence down the road on Skid Row? How many times has she taken home Mr. Oscar?

Anything can happen. Let the 1st question be, Am I serious? By all means pursue Ur dreams' By all means MAKE IT.  Get a star on the Blvd and take a bow. What the world needs now is good art! But if by chance Ur main thing is a quick buck, be real about it and handle it as such. All respect to T-Pain who's the first one to tell u that he ain't no Luther Vandross' But who can sing his songs better than him? Nobody. There's room here for creativity. CREATE! But understand that Frooty Loops on Ur laptop doesn't make u a producer' Consistently make hot shit with that laptop and Ur on Ur way'

And a word to the worthy' By all means keep it up. U never know where it comes from. Sometimes it just falls out the sky. Sometimes u get rejected and sent home' Make the trip back. We need u. What we don't need is another Akon. We don't need another Jay Z or Alicia Keys. We have them already and they still make good, successful music. We need another Luther. We need another Mike. Gimmie a 2Pac please! They're gone'  Actually we need some good original gifts in the form of Musicians. Where r u?

The quick buck has killed Black Music and it's lonely in Hollywood. We are a dying breed and we need some help.

Please Help.

This was the inspiration for the 6th song on my new album Kind of Blue entitled 'Hollywood'. It's a throwback to say the least' U'll notice when u hear it'

Kind of Blue will be in stores and online March 23rd' Tell Somebody to tell somebody.

Good Music is on the horizon'

WESTSIDE4LIFE !

Get it online on iTunes or at your favorite store!!!

http://itunes.apple.com/au/album/electronic-the-maxi-single/id354650754

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/electronic-the-maxi-single/id354650754

http://itunes.apple.com/de/album/electronic-the-maxi-single/id354650754

http://itunes.apple.com/fr/album/electronic-the-maxi-single/id354650754