THE SHOP

We live in a world that has been polluted by chorus driven Hip Hop with no substance. Smog composed of ringtone rap, swagger, & trends, makes it hard to rely on real Hip Hop as a source of fresh air. It seems like every where you go; it is hard to get away from the Radio Bull Shit. I stopped attending clubs mainly because of the fights, and the atmosphere was always the same. People always say, “I just go to have fun with my friends,” which could be a true statement at times. #1 reason why I stopped going is because the DJ’s play Bull Shit!

I’m officially happy to say that I have found my breath of fresh on Saturday nights in Phoenix, Arizona, at a place called the Hidden House! If you are a fan of Rakim, The Chronic Snoop Dogg & Dr. Dre, M.O.P., J. Dilla, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Living Legends, Exile, Oh No, Slum Village, Atmosphere, KRS-one, Little Brother, Steel Pulse, Bob Marley, Erykah Badu, Old School Outkast, Chaka Khan, and the list can go on forever! As I was saying…..if you are a fan of Artist such as the few that I listed, The Shop on Saturday Nights at The Hidden House is the place the be.

The Shop was started by DJ Al Page. Being a DJ in Arizona, he was fed up with playing the music that everyone else wanted instead of staying true to his roots, so he created The Shop.

“My dislike towards mainstream comes from the fact that 99% of that shit is whack. Clear channel and MTV have a system that the average person buys. People are too lazy and settle for what is fed to them. There isn’t one artist on MTV or the radio worth a fuck as far as I’m concerned,” stated DJ Al Page.

The music and the positive vibes is what always keep people coming to The Shop. I also forgot the mention that the drinks are cheap to and you should always tip your bartender. The dance floor is always packed due to amazing the music and the incredible people on 1’s & 2’s. Rather be it DJ Al Page, DJ KGB, DJ Ms. Robs, DJ Osama Big Serg, DJ Dn3, DJ Kris the fist, or the sexy DJ Brazilia, playing best in Underground Hip Hop, Classic Hip Hop Funk, Soul, and Reggae, The Shop is always the place to be on Saturday nights in Phoenix, AZ.

Be Sure to Check Out the Hidden House At These Sites

http://twitter.com/thehiddenhouse

http://www.facebook.com/thehiddenhouse?ref=ts#/thehiddenhouse

http://www.myspace.com/thehiddenhousephxaz

giO BasiCali - I Choose You (Video)

Ya'll Remember West Coast Rapper Gio BasiCali From My Past Interview When His Free EP came out. Well the First Video Has Officially arrived, and it's dope! Gio BasiCali is HERE Ya'll.....CHECK IT OUT!!!! IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE EP DOWNLOAD IT NOW....IT's FREE & GOOD MUSIC FOR YOUR LISTENING SOUL!!!!!! Plan Setters & MOVE MAKERS!!!!

Basicali - I Choose You from Hip Hop Official on Vimeo.

The Basicali "I Choose You Ep" For FREE Download
at http://lnk.ms/04WNz

I Choose You EP is a project put together by the artist "Basicali" in partner with "Acrylick Clothing" as a gift, a FREE DOWNLOAD for for anyone to enjoy. The Project is uplifting, feel good, positive, conscience music much like the brand of the two. Basicali suggests: "You could play in morning to start your day." The EP was put together in hopes of inspiring others to do the same with their gifts and talents in helping the world become a better place. ENJOY!!!

Be Sure to follow Gio Basicali at these websites
http://www.giobasicali.com/

http://www.myspace.com/basicali

http://twitter.com/BASICALI

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Basicali/65908231261?ref=ts

I Was Bored Today

As I sit here bored out my mind watching MTV’s true and drinking an extremely nasty beer (Leinenpiugel’s Sunset Wheat Beer). The only thing I get out of this show is that there is love for everyone out there. I’m watching a broke fat guy with a beautiful model type looking chick. How did it happen…who knows? Can I hate…No! As I sit here and watch the TV I was thinking. Have you ever made it to point in your life where you get tired of working for someone else due to the fact it is not what you want to be doing in life? I’ve been at the point for a while now, that’s why I have made the move. I can’t wait to finish school and obtain a journalism degree but the same time I would It be amazing to own a night lounge and doing up the way I want it. Being your OWN BOSS would be the dream Job! Lot’s of stress and pressure but everything is done your way! I can’t wait for school to start so I can get back on track, and come back to California Successful! That is the plan in this small journey of mine while having a good time.

Two things I do not like right now are Black Guys in Skinny Jeans wearing UGG Boots and the Skin-It Commercial done in Auto-Tune!

I’m currently listening to the Kooley High Mixtape in my Car out the moment. My favorite track is Kooley is High. Check out the video Below!

Well I’m at a loss of words at the moment….So Arizona Peeps can catch here tonight! Cali Friends feel free to drive out and check it out!

Sunday Mixtape Edition

Welcome to a Mixtape Sunday edition at WakeUpMrBess.Blogspot.com. I thought I would keep it simple today because I feel as if I have a 60 year old soul within me. I went out last night and came home at 3am. I would work at 7am, and it just so happened to be the roughest morning ever! Woke up with bug bites on my ribs and I was crazy tired! I don’t know if I can go be going out like that anymore.

So I downloaded 2 Mixtapes last week that have the potential to be albums. The first is by an artist by the name of QuEST. One of the most anticipated mixtapes of the year. Back by major Hip Hop websites Hiphopdx.com, illroots.com, & 2dopeboyz.com. Well the wait was definitely worth it! The Broken Headphones mixtape is must download and is Wake Up Mr. Bess Approved!

The next Mixtape I took a shot in the dark at because I didn’t even know who Fresh Daily was! What a breath of fresh air! I am proud to say I that I can’t stop listening to it. The Tomorrow is Today Mixtape is one most creative concept albums. It needs to be in stores for sale, but it is here free for your listening ears. Both Mixtapes have the Wake Up Mr. Bess Stamp of Approval So Download them NOW!!!!

DOWNLOAD: QuESt - Broken Headphones Mediafire


DOWNLOAD: Fresh Daily - Tomorrow Is Today (Mixtape) zshare

D.O.V.N. (Death of V-Neck)

My creativity was caught in sleeper hold, and is now no where to be found. Can someone help me find my ART? Random introduction for today’s blog but I’ve been struggling with my innovative side lately. I don’t know if it is just me or the 115 degree weather. I may need like 50cc’s of creative juice injected or something. Well this is my page of random thoughts so the introduction fits I guess…..Let’s get into today’s topic!

Well I’m definitely no fashion guru, but the death of V-Necks is near! You can thank all the extra buff people and super skinny people for this blog. Before I get completely into this topic I would like to say that I do own a couple of V-Neck T-shirts that are one solid color and I occasionally wear them around the house.

Raise your hand if you are tired of seeing buff ass people with no neck in your six year old brothers Ed Hardy medieval edition V-Neck. They knew the shirt was too small when they bought it. Is it me or do all the buff ass people wear V-necks with rhinestones, crosses, lions, and cursive logos. If you see one of these buff ass people in the club with a V-Neck, they usually think they are the shit. The funny part is, they are always the one to wear sandals to the club….hahahaha!

NEWS FLASH: Hey Buff Guy in the toddler size V-neck & Sandals! You are just as cool as skinny little me…….Now go find some shoes and a shirt that fits!

Skinny People, Lean People, Thin People………(Pause)………(Sigh)………..Why must you wear the extended V-neck shirts that extend down to the tip of your belly button? You know you doing wrong when you walk out of your home with that shirt on. I’m ashamed to be skinny when I see that. You have actually left me speechless and thoughtless, and I cannot write anymore!

I don’t know if I am by myself, but I would like to see the Death of V-Neck!!!!!!!!

TWITTER: http://twitter.com/WakeUpMrBess

Wake Up Mr. Bess Update

It has been a long while and I am finally back! I would like to do something a little different today. I gave mainstream radio Hip Hop a chance again. That was probably one of the biggest mistakes I’ve made in a while. The worst Hip Hop lyrics of the month, goes to Southern Rapper Dorrough and his verse on the Ice Cream Paint Job Remix. He states, “Mama black, daddy black, uncle black, granny black, catch me in a Cadillac.” Can someone please let him know he needs to step his game up or will it hurt the image?

So lately Mr. Bess has been M.I.A. Trying to find me is like trying to find the clothes pin in an ISPY book. We definitely have a lot of things to catch up on. I now live in one of the four corner states. It is also known to be the home of John McCain, The Grand Canyon, and the Cactus Wren (State Bird). Yes I am talking about hot ass Arizona. When you wake up in the morning it is 108 degrees, and when you go to sleep it is 108 degrees. Since I’ve been here, the hottest day was 115 degrees. That is crazy hot and unnecessary indeed! I went to my first club in Phoenix last night. The club was called Stoudemires in Downtown Phoenix. The place was decent and had a really nice set up, but they did not believe in Air Conditioning. You literally had a two song minimum and then you have to change clothes. Despite the triple digit heat in within the club, people still had the nerve to wear leather jackets and fur boots. It’s crazy how people look for love in clubs which I witnessed last night and it was the first time I saw parking pimp’n work. Niggas never fail to amaze me.

A big part of my agenda is to get these artist interviews up and rolling again. I’m really backed up with a lot of request, but I’m going knock them all out the way. Speaking of good hip hop music, everyone should check out the The Lytics (http://www.myspace.com/lytics). Coming all the way from Manitoba, Canada, The Lytics are helping Hip Hop Stay alive and I hope to feature them on my blog!

A new life, new adventures, new experiences, and a new chapter to add to my life story. A lot of great things to come, and I want to take everyone along for the journey!

Follow Me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/WakeUpMrBess

The Elevaters Interview (Answers provided by David Noily)

No homo intended but if The Roots and Maroon 5 produced a musical baby, they would give birth to a sensational group called The Elevaters. This diverse super group consists of six talented musicians with extraordinary gifts. Sam (Vocals/Keyboard), Miles (Vocals/Shakers), Ben (Vocals/Percussion), Itai (Bass/Guitar), Andre (Drums), David (Guitar/Bass). The Elevaters have shared the stage with groups such as The Roots, KRS-One, De La Soul, & Medusa just to name a few artists. They met as students at UCLA while studying different aspects of music. Andre joined the group after seeing them perform live at coffee shop before they had someone on the drums. Their performances have been known to be lively, ingenious, immense, and even divine. The Elevaters debut album “Rising” is a must have. It doesn’t matter if you like pop, jazz, blues, r&b, hip hop, funk, because the album has it all. Some of my favorite tracks on the album are, “Patience”, “Walken”, “L.A. Zoo”, & “Follow Me”. The album is currently on ITunes and available for purchase so you would be doing yourself a huge favor by picking up the album ASAP!

Mr. Bess: Who are the Elevaters?

The Elevaters: Six men, musicians, visionaries, groove-makers, urban planners.

Mr. Bess: How did the Elevaters come together?

The Elevaters: UCLA Theater students making poetry and music performances.

Mr. Bess: How did you guys come up with the group name, and what does is mean?

The Elevaters: In an Elevator. We changed the "O" to an "E" to imply that we have raised our game, and in turn our music lifts your mood, makes you think, move, and we hope it has an elevated intelligence above contemporary pop and hip-hop music.

Mr. Bess: Do you feel there is an advantage of having a diverse group?

The Elevaters: Diversity is a byproduct of living in a city as colorful as LA. We didn't plan it, nor do we think about it much. Our diversity, has helped us with our audience, we feel like we're looking in a mirror when we look out from the stage, you see Black, White, Persian, Hispanic, Asian, Haitian, Mongolian, Djiboutian, the whole spectra of race is in all our faces. The music brought that to us.

Mr. Bess: Where does the Funk, Rock, Pop, Hip Hop, Elevaters sound come from?

The Elevaters: Take a pinch of Chic, add a dash of Prince, churn in some Zeppelin, knead in some Earth, Wind, and Fire, And then smother it in Outkast, The Roots, and our own very special, top-secret ingredient. Let it rise overnight in the philosophies of John Lennon and Groucho Marx. Bake at 500 degrees Fahrenheit for a one-hour live set and it shall serve millions.

Mr. Bess: Do you guys have a special process for making songs?

The Elevaters: I write everything (David Noily).

Mr. Bess: I’m not trying to cause any trouble, but who would win in a freestyle rap battle between Sam, Miles, and Ben?

The Elevaters: For fun, Sammy. For blood, Benny.

Mr. Bess: If you could go on tour with any 3 groups/artist right now, who would you choose?

The Elevaters: Lady Gaga for the exposure
The Roots for the challenge
Daft Punk for the addiction

Mr. Bess: Name 6 albums everyone should own?

The Elevaters:Beatles- Revolver
Led Zeppelin- Physical Graffiti
Daft Punk- Discovery
Nick Drake- Pink Moon
The Clash- London Calling
James Brown- No one album, but he's got to be in the mix...

Mr. Bess: Your last album was released May 5, 2007. When is the next Elevaters album dropping and what can we expect from it?

The Elevaters: Better, Faster, Stronger, Harder, Sexier, Tighter, Deeper!

Mr. Bess: What is the best part about performing on stage together?

The Elevaters: There are moments where we're not in control, we are playing our parts- not missing a beat, but we've given the song control of the steering wheel. The music between us has arrested and is moving us. That's when the audience is most akin to putty, because we are too.

Mr. Bess: What is the message you have for the world through your music?

The Elevaters: Elevaters are the soundtrack to this new activated generation that we saw wake from their sleep Nov. 4th, 2009. A hot, fresh, and fun generation that is choosing a new direction of smart, green, responsible, and hard choices to make up for the excesses and shallowness of those that have come before us. We make this revolution sound good!

Mr. Bess: Who is going to win the NBA finals: ORLANDO MAGIC or LA LAKERS?

The Elevaters: LAKE SHOW in 6!!

Be sure to checkout The Elevaters Upcoming shows

Jul 18 2009
8:00P
Private Showcase
Studio City, California

Jul 22 2009
9:00P
http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.showDetails&friendid=52857066&Band_Show_ID=38559112
West Los Angeles, California

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/elevaters

Official Website: http://www.elevatersmusic.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Elevaters/31248329852?ref=ts

EPK from Elevaters on Vimeo.