Open Letter To Whichever Con, Venue, or Event Is Guilty

Dear Anime Cons, Pop Culture Cons, Venues, And Other Geeky Events:

I posted this on IG once. Some broad tagged her g/f  with"WTF is she on? LOL"
I answered: "Another level. Next!"
📸credit: L.I.T. Photography

Yeh, so, I'm not visually Japanese or passable for Japanese.
I can't pass the Paper Bag Test or be part of the Blue Vein Society.

I don't have the fabled "good hair".
I'm not size 4. I don't have the ecchi body.

I don't do accurate full-on cosplays because I *am* my own cosplay.
I may not be your idea of kawaii, but frfr: Kawaii isn't *supposed* to be purrfect or the conventional beauty.

I'm not as nerdcore as I'd like to be (haven't found the right producer who has the stones to work with me on it).
I don't have the social media numbers of some of my colleagues.

Yes, I *am* a hip-hop artist.

This doesn't mean I am inappropriate, scary, that ALL my material is riddled with violence or curses or the N-word every three words, or I cannot be "family-friendly". Sure--I do have some stuff with profanity or provocative subject matter because life ain't Mr. Rogers Neighbourhood, but you will *never* hear me purrform any of it at a family event.

Awh. Loved this guy.
(via Tenor)

I am in my own lane, on the same highway as other people of my ilk. I know that some of you have overlooked me for something "safer", something more aesthetically pleasing...more Japanese. I have been in talks with some of you only to be ignored, and see other acts be chosen instead, who get away with using hip-hop in their music influences, and I am no worse than they are. (Yeh. I saw that.)

I totally did.
(via gifs.com)

I may not be any of the things above, but I am professional, I am good at what I do, and at least I'm not visually uninteresting.
I don't think I should be mushed aside because I am not any of the above. I was still relevant to your event. It's not as if you didn't have acts there.

ThaGataNegrra isn't a gimmick, and is just barely an alter ego. This is what you get all the time. I may not be as visually loud when I'm going to Walmart or whatever, but those cat ears may as well be grafted to my head because that's me. ALLA. DAMNED. TIME.

Again: The kawaii is real, not some shxt I made up to seem interesting or appealing.
The geekiness is real, not geek chic like some prominent female rappers I could name.

The ears are worn because channeling totems, not because they cute. If that were the case you'd only see me with them onstage and in pix (Catch me at Shoprite and see if I'm fxcking kidding).

I come to you because where *else* am I going to be appreciated? Certainly not with what you assume is "my kind" musically. But it's like everything else: it's okay if someone not as heavily melanated is doing it. Straight up-- if I could pass the paper bag test...you would be all over me.

Deal with that for a minute. Marinate in it.


A lot of you "nerdy" promoters are fxcking guilty of this harsh fact. Don't think I don't look at your pictures of your events. I do.

I have been lied to numerous times by promoters to deter me from participating in events-- any thing from "The dj doesn't have a mic" to "we don't have the space".

I have been straight ignored by photographers at events for whatever reason.

I've heard some people were afraid I'd outshine them so they didn't book me, which...what the actual hell? REALLY?

In some cases, I'm pretty sure my name has been smeared and rumours spread to cast doubt on me. If you listened or entertained any thoughts that they were true, for even one second, you are an asshole. Yeh--I *said* it. You should have come to me and asked yourself.

Yawl cannot have it both ways. Do *not* smile in my face then stab me in the back. At least have the decency to let me see the knife coming.

That said, I'm gonna thank those who took a chance on me and wasn't scared off by anything. I know that has changed now for a lot of you. It is what it is. I'll live. As I've said before, I don't expect you to get me now.

Maybe you'll see me again. Maybe you won't. Still going to be me with or without you.

30-Day Hip-Hop Song Challenge Days 6-7

Hey... late posting this. Ugh. Preoccupied with rehearsing (read: saying the words over and over in my head). May as well do two days and get it over with...

Prompt for Day 6: "Favourite track by Drake".

Uhm...how bout none?
No, srsly-- I don't have one.

Prompt for Day 7: "Favourite track that uses Auto-Tune".

Not sure I have one of these...
Wait--this kinda counts:    

Far East Movement-- "Like A G6".

N4N, when I first heard this I couldn't stop listening to it. Aaaaallll that 808.

30-Day Hip-Hop Song Challenge Day 5

Here we are at day five...

Today's prompt calls for "Favourite track by an artist from Atlanta".
Well, it doesn't say "artist that *lives* in Atlanta, so I can't pick my brother... but guess what--?

Gonna post his song ANYWAY.



Razi (aka PoppaRazi)-- "The Feeling"


Okay, down to business...

Here's the real entry.





OutKast-- "B.O.B."

30-Day Hip-Hop Song Challenge Days 1-4

So, it's three days into December, and I attempted something similar last year. I thought I'd try something a little more specific to my genre, so here it is: the 30-Day Hip-Hop Song Challenge. It's a year old, but eff it.

I'm prolly gonna fail a lot of this because I just haven't been paying a lot of attention lately to my genre as I'm not too keen on what direction it's taking. Weird, I know. But it's like family. You are a part of it, but you don't have to be down with whatever they're doing.

Come to that, I'm not sure I can do all of this at all. But then, it wouldn't be a challenge, would it?

I'm doing days 1-4 to play catch up. And apologies in advance if you get double posts on Fridays, because I have regular blogs scheduled.

Day One: "Favourite intro track to a project".

Ugh. Uhm...




De La Soul-- "Intro", "3 Feet High and Rising"

IDK. This is just the goofiest intro ever. It has an amazing level of "WTH?!" factor going for it, which is what makes it so endearing.



Day Two: "Favourite track on your favourite album".

That's hard. What even is my favourite hip-hop album?

I think I can pick one of my favourites. I'm warning you: most of these are like Golden Era af because that's my fave time. And prolly weird af too...







Beastie Boys-- "Shadrach", "Paul's Boutique"

I wore this album out. I had tracks that I loved more than others, but this one was definitely one of my faves. So many people slept on this album.





Day Three: "Favourite track of 2017  2018 so far".

(I did say it was a year old.)

Also hard. Like I said, haven't been paying attention...

Okay--you're gonna think this is a cheat but it really isn't.



  The Real Mike Wilson--"Blk Jesus"

So effin' what he's mah boy. This track here kills a lotta shxt out there. Deal with it.


Day Four: "Favourite remix to a track".

Here's one.




Naughty By Nature-- "Uptown Anthem"

I guess you could technically call this a remix, since the original mix did not have that "naughty" sample in it. IDKY, but that one tiny thing made this track better to me. It gave it a bit of purrsonality.

Open Letter To My "Peers"

Dear Local Hip-Hop Artists and Purists And Those Who Had Big Chat On What I Do:

Pretty much.
(via Black World Films)

Yes, my paws are on a different path from yours.
That hardly makes me any less valid.
I'm of a different breed.

I come from a school half of you younger artists know nothing about. A different code that many of you spat upon because those before you who knew better spat upon it to stay relevant and not look "stupid" in front of their/yer boys.

And I was never understood so I don't expect you to get it now.

I knew what I was doing, I knew my mission, and if you think that what I did was worthless--think again.

I knew that I was on a hard mission to have folx remember what the purrpose of the MC was and still could be. I haven't forgotten. The *rest* of you have.

Oh, BTDubs:

Did *you* get scouted for a popular show?
Did they use *your* music in two seasons?
Did LA Mag's Blog include *you* in a list of artists you should hear?
Are *you* collecting royalties from it?

Lemme know, nuh...

via Giphy

Are you versatile and flexible? Prolly not. "Flexible" does not equal being able to rhyme about bxtches in one track, hoes in another, and weed in the next, and knowing whether to use the hard ER in that N-word yawl like to throw around so much. "Flexible" does not mean "do I wear the snapback to the front or back? Do I swagger or do I just stand there onstage and hold my balls?" "Do I come for all the competition with venom and diss trax because I need to prove I'm the baddest bxtch out there cuz there can only be one?"

Yup. That's that REAL hip-hop (sarcastic font *heavily* on).

Yeah-huh. Sure.
(via Giphy)

See, my flex is what you *haven't* seen. Yawl too fxcking judgmental. Yawl was so busy looking at the ears, the hair and the gear that you just dismissed my ability altogether.

(I'm not talking to yawl con folx and event planners...that's a whole other post. I might have words for yawl, too, so be patient.)

I may not have been worthy to be doing yawl's shows, interview segs, and whatever the fxck else yawl came up with to clique up strong, but I know who I am and what I bloody stand for.

👏🏾I. 👏🏾LIVE. 👏🏾 IN.👏🏾MY. 👏🏾TRUTH.

Can you really say the same?
The kawaii is real, not some shxt I made up to seem interesting.
The geekiness is real, not geek chic like some prominent female rappers I could name.

The ears are worn because channeling totems, not because they cute. If that were the case you'd only see me with them onstage and in pix (catch me at Shoprite and see if I'm fxcking kidding).

And what I write is real, not manufactured for the fxcking masses. I didn't visually or musically genre-jump to seem fresh and new. Influences abound because I actually listened to and liked that music/those clothes.

I didn't bite off another's whole lyrical style like some mainstream artists and then win awards for it, and get praise for being "real". I *stayed* real from the jump.

Nobody cosigned me.

I'd give you my kicks to walk in but they might fit funny and not be your style. They're custom...and floss free.

Living in your truth *IS* hip-hop.
And that's all I've ever done from the get-go.
Maybe you should re-evaluate yourselves and live in yours...not what you *think* is yours.

On "The Industry"...

Someone said to me recently, whilst mansplaining and making the bitter mistake of assuming that I was some naive neophyte, that I "didn't understand The Industry" I'm "trying to break into". Said it to me because I'd stated that a song that's out right now is rather lazy songwriting.😹

Really, dude?

Here's the thang, though, Nancy.
👏🏾I'm. 👏🏾Not. 👏🏾Trying. 👏🏾To. 👏🏾Break. 👏🏾Into. 👏🏾The. 👏🏾Industry.

NTM I've probably ate, slept, and shat more understanding about music facts, knowledge, and trivia than that person could ever fathom. That person doesn't realise that the business has changed, or they wouldn't be so reliant on the machinations of "The Industry"-- or as Carlos Castillo would say, "the in-DUH-stry".

Eff The Industry.

Indies have proven time and time and time again that they don't need them. They can make a living on their own, and fame is just a bonus.

I'm about making a living, and doing what I love. I'm doing all the administration for my family's label with very little, so they need to go to the State Farm Arena or the Superdome, walk in, and have AAAAAAALLLLLL the seats. Any seats they want. And don't get comfy, because they will get a rather rude awakening.

It Me...

Hey...

So, long time no hear from...

I apologise. So much stuff in my personal life has been going on. You wouldn't believe it.

Anyway, I'm gonna --again-- try to keep up with this freaking blog.

For the next few posts I'm gonna repost some of my Facebook statuses that probably shooouuuld have been blog posts, LOL. I tend to get into these stages of thought where I'll just say something that was lingering there. They might make brief blog posts, though.

Get me and you back in each other's spaces...if you want.

I did miss you.

Come closer.