"NEW BRIDGING THE GAP FORUM NOW UP"

FORUM NOW UP PLEASE SIGN UP AND POST HELP US BUILD IT.
PLEASE CLICK THE LINK OR IMAGE BELOW!

-Picture made by "KZA"

Forum
http://bridgingthegap.darkbb.com/

Beautiful. Glorious. Fuck It, You Pick A Adjective!

Many of my friends may know I have transferred schools and now go to a different high school.
In a way I am happy to get away from all the poser and bullshit that happens at my old school. But I can't say im not gonna miss my two best friends.
I feel like I have dedicated my whole life to HipHop and it really doesn't seem to pay off so far all its doing is burning a hole in my pocket.
When Muh'Fuckas was out hanging, I was out buying albums.
It seemed like I had no life for a while but nobody knows what this means to me.
People Were Wondering Why?
Because to me HipHop is beautiful. It is an art. Its a culture. Its fascinating.
I started with two albums, Little Brother- The Minstrel Show and Supastition- Chain Letters.
After this I could successfully say that I had fallen in love for the first time. I had never felt this good before.
Its like they were teaching me life lessons through rhymes and beats.
I could now say I had found what I was looking for, I had fell in love for the first time.
After my first albums it triggered something, I found myself trying to buy a album as often as I can.
My collection expanded. My knowledge was greater.
The more I pondered along HipHop the more I loved it.
Then just last year I hit a big downside. I had figured out about this game of posers.
Posers who put HipHop in a web of lies.
The clothing of HipHop, all the brands are a culture. Theres no hiding it.
But lately people who dont know HipHop are wearing shit like this. Why?!
Im questioning myself.
They try to fit in into a world they aren't.
I hate posers because I feel they take away from lifestyle. Iv spent countless of hours just looking through CD's for a good dig. Trying to find a certain in hundreds of CD's. What have they done?
Taken away from the culture. It kills me to see posers.
As I left my old school I will cherish the memories I left behind. And dwell at what I see today.
A school filled with kids going for brands not HipHop. Sadly to say at my old school they killed great brands like The Hundreds and TRUE by just being posers more importantly I feel like they take a part of my lifestyle away.
I know joy because I felt the pain. I found joy in HipHop. They found joy in HipHop clothing.
There is a big difference.
HipHop and HipHop clothing go hand in hand.
Clothing alone when you dont know shit is wack. I mean why try it?
HipHop is beautiful no matter what happens to it. But these are some of the things that take away from the lifestyle.
If you wanna go down this path like me and plenty others did, then you have to face some consequences such as having to see posers every day ripping your hard earned knowledge out. Being broke as fuck all the time.
I hate some of the things about hiphop but in the end I can't complain cause its all worth it.
"You Need Some Soul Searching The Time Is Now" -Nas

Why Is The Game Going To Retire?!

After his latest album L.A.X the game has announced he will retire.
As the album is dropping on the 26th there is hype surrounding the singles that he dropped.
A friend of mine stated, "I just don't get it, it seems like The Game is spittin nothin but fire! Why retire when you are at the peak of your career."
My answer is that The Game is sick of the bullshit in HipHop today.
In a recent interview where game announced his retirement he had stated, "I don't belong in this era, I belong in the era with Public Enemy and NWA"
The Game had also wanted to make a song about the man who had gotten violently killed by police and shot 40-50 times to show the brutality in this world.
Nobody wanted to collabo with him on that track.
The Game stated, "We can make a mixtape about how much we hate each other but we can't address the real things that are happening in life, now that's fucked up."
Shortly after he said this he broke down into tears.
As many people called Game a bitch for crying, I thought he was speaking sense. He wants to bring back the era's where artists want to do shit for the people. And people do not want to support game in this path.
The Game truly believes that this isn't the world for him anymore. And I agree he has kids now and they need him more than ever, as he needs them based on the lyrics of his song My Life you can see his attachment toward them. The Game deserves more collabo's with artists he wants and deserves to address issues that he wants.
Truly, The Game isn't set for this world right now. He is going through a lot.
At his aunts funeral his relatives were asking him to pay for everything and he did being a generous person. Game's cousin said, "Whats that on your cheek?" And pushed Game at the funeral. Game punched him and this shows how much he is going through at this moment.
Family is even going against him. He has a rivalry with his own cousin.
To sum up my thoughts I believe Game will retire but no rapper can leave the mic alone for long, take Game's enemy Jay-Z for example hes back again.
I believe Game will retire but we will hear from him again in a couple years.
After all, the Game needs The game.

sightRIZE Questions Tajai Of Souls Of Mischief/Hieroglyphics

1. sightRIZE: You had the honor of being in the legendary hiero with your group Souls Of Mischief how was that?
Tajai: It is great (We are still a group, our new album, produced by Prince Paul should be out early next year). We have a good time, we have had longevity and that is important. Plus they are really talented, no one person is holding up the group.

2. sightRIZE: Who is your favorite hiphop artist and why?
Tajai: I would say KRS is the ultimate b-boy but Kane is my favorite.

3. sightRIZE: I read somewhere that you are a vegetarian, is that true and if so what made you make that choice?
Tajai: I used to eat really badly and drink and smoke. I decided when my daughter was born (she's 11 now) that I wanted to know my grandkids, so I quit all that.

4. sightRIZE: The song 93 Til Infinity is a classic and such a tribute to the bay, how did you guys at souls of mishief come up with that?
Tajai: We sat in the studio and tried to make something anthemic. Then the video just complemented the whole thing.

5. sightRIZE: When you started did you see Hiero getting this big?
Tajai: Of course. In fact we thought we would be much bigger. I don't think anyone makes music (maybe now, since EVERYONE makes music) but before the point was to be as huge as possible and touch as many people as we can.
6. sightRIZE: Speaking of starting how did your career start like how did souls of mischief hook up with Hieroglyphics?
Tajai: We all grew up together, Souls of Mischief is half of Hiero. The other members are Casual, Pep Love, Del and Domino. We have been Hieroglyphics since the beginning of our career, we just came out with a group album after our individual albums.

7. sightRIZE: What are the inspirations for your songs?
Tajai:Life and all of its possibilities. We try to be creative but not so far out you can't relate.

8. sightRIZE: Any upcoming projects we should be aware for?
Tajai: Souls of Mischief with Prince Paul - Untitled Tajai - Rap Noir Tajai and C7 - THC Opio - Vulture's Wisdom Volume One New Hiero album coming HIERO JEANS/ www. hierojeans. com

9. sightRIZE: Anything you'd like to end with?
Tajai:Check out Clearlabelrecords. com and myspace. com/clearlabelrecords. There is a LOT of talent in the Bay.

sightRIZE: Thanks for your time Tajai really an honor to have a Hiero member on Bridging the gap.

Turn Off Your Fuckin Radio!

As far as living in the Bay Area goes the most annoying thing to watch is people "going dumb". I have seen hundreds of muh'fuckas blastin the local wack radio station Wild 94.9 and thinking that they are the shit. Or buying the Soulja Boi album or The Pack album to blare in their car.
What happened to bumping some easy Biggie or Ice Cube in the car?
Its been corrupted.
What people view as cool now is wack shit. 80-85% of music on the radio is bullshit music with weak or wack lyrics.
I am a part of the new generation so people should learn to change.
"See who's the one to place that blame.
we're getting trapped in a cycle of pain,
we're the generation is going down the drain.
that's how we're turnin' out. " - Immortal Techniques reverse pimplogy.
This just shows where we are going. Its like "going dumb", and hyphy music is in. What happened to classic bay shit like Hiero?
The radio is murdering real HipHop and we have to stop it.
The first step is getting rid of your fuckin radio!
Now I don't care how you gotta do it. Just get rid of it! Rip it out if you gotta!
This also gives you an opportunity to explore other music. And find yourself instead of having the radio find it for you. It would give you a sense of originality and a sense of belonging.
And maybe I'm wrong. Maybe wack shit is in. Maybe nobody gives a fuck about true shit anymore. Maybe retarded lyrics are cool. But I can tell you HipHop wouldn't get far if this continues.
Peace.
-sightRIZE.
Be sure to peep me thoughts on why the game is retiring next!

sightRIZE Questions Substantial

1. sightRIZE: Your Cover Art For Sacrifice Was Quite Unique. What Was Your Inspiration For That?

Substantial: Thank you. Well, I've always had a thing for Japanese culture, Asian culture in general really. So one day I was checking out this photographers website, my boy Eddie B. Tombs IV, and he had these sick photos, like fashion photos mixed with martial arts. The idea hit me almost instantly. I just wanted to add the twist with the sword being replaced with a pen and a mic.

2. sightRIZE: I Ask Everyone This Question, How do you feel about all the wack tracks and posers in the game right now?

Substantial: I feel the same way I've always felt, if it's terrible I don't buy it. Bad music will always be here, it just seems like there is more of it these days. As far as the posers, I try not to waste my time or energy acknowledging anything that lacks authenticity.

3. sightRIZE: Outside of HipHop what are your interests?

Substantial: Youth work, visual arts, martial arts, movies (martial arts, anime, documentaries, etc.), old records, sneakers, a little bit of everything.

4. sightRIZE: You have a unique clothing style any comments about that?

Substantial: I rock what I like and I don’t go out of my way to rock what everyone else rocking. I definitely don't spend a lot of money on clothes I just try to make what I got look as fresh as possible. I definitely try to keep a lot of custom stuff in the closet and plus my folks Dylated Clothing, Up and Up, & Good Bully Apparel keep me with a fresh Tee too.

5. sightRIZE: My favorite song off Sacrifice was Let It Go, how did you come up with that?

Substantial: I had a lot of challenges going on in my personal life, both positive and negative, so I decided to take a little break from writing so I could deal with them. After nearly 3 months without writing, the first song that I wrote was "Let It Go". I clearly had a lot off my chest and the beat Burns gave me set the perfect mood. It was a while before I recorded it though. When I did, I did it one take to capture the feel of how I perform it live.

6. sightRIZE: How did your career start?

Substantial: I had been battling and performing for years and finally I was discovered by a producer in Japan named Nujabes who signed me to Hyde Out Productions back in 1999. Between that and grinding on the NYC scene with PackFM that's how I started making a name for myself.

7. sightRIZE: Who is your favorite artist in the game right now and why?

Substantial: I honestly don't have one favorite right now. There's a lot of different folks that I dig honestly. Lately I've been listening to a lot of Nas, Lupe, Common, Sean Price, Kokayi, Rhymefest, Guilty Simpson, and Elzhi to name a few. All of them have great lyrics, presences, personality, etc. But honestly, I listen to a lot of other music and try to cut back on hiphop when I’m writing.

8. sightRIZE: Any upcoming projects/news we should know about?

Substantial: Next project is a collab EP with Burns, the producer of Let It Go. It's called "SubstantialBurns". It will be a digital release dropping Late 2008/Early 2009 with QN5 Music. And don't forget, Sacrifice is stores now.

sightRIZE: Thanks for your time man! We appreciate it.

Substantial: Not a problem, anytime fam.

Donny on the myspace.

Support Donny Goines!(click here)

sightRIZE Questions Donny Goines.

I, sightRIZE had a chance to ask some questions to the rapper, Donny Goines. And must I tell you Donny is one humble down to earth dude. He let me ask questions just for this blog. This is an exclusive. Donny is a talented artist that is really making is name get out there. Cop his shit.
He really made our visions at BRIDGINGthe Gap come true.

1. sightRIZE: How do you feel about posers and the wack tracks in the hiphop game right now?
Donny: I feel there are just too many of both in the game right now. Honestly speaking I really don't care what other people do but the problem with it is that they are just taking up too much space. It's time for real artists to be in the forefront.

2. sightRIZE: You recently hooked up with Static Selektah for a song called what you expected. How was that?
Donny: That was dope. We knocked the joint out in his crib. I went over there and we listened to some records. Once we found that track he threw the scratches on it, I laid down the verses and there you have it. We sent it out that same day and the response was very good (got me played on Hot 97 among other things). He's doing a joint for my album too. Much love to Statik Selektah.

3. sightRIZE: Who your favorite HipHop artist in the game now and why?
Donny: That's a hard question. If I had to pick one I'd probably say Joell Ortiz. That dude is the epitomie of a Real MC in my opinion and I'm a huge fan.

4. sightRIZE: Did you have any inspiration for songs?
Donny: All the time. Inspiration is all around me and it strikes at any given moment. I only write my music when I'm inspired. I can't really tell you what inspires me because it's so random and sporadic, but for the most part I am inspired by people, vibes and life.

5. sightRIZE: How do you feel as you are getting more popularity?
Donny: I feel cool. Popularity is cool, but not really my thing to be honest with you. I've always been the quiet type as far as that goes so it's strange to me when people run up on me in the streets, or write me emails saying who much they love what I do, etc. but I love the people so it's all good. Im here for them and if they love what I'm doing then I will continue to keep doing it.

6. sightRIZE: Growing up how did you feel about clothing and HipHop? What were your interests?
Donny: Funny enough, I wasn't really a huge Hip Hop head growing up. I loved rap, and was always into fashion but I wasn't as into it as I am now. Hip Hop to me is a lifestyle and a culture and it's something that you have to really live to understand. Now I feel I have a full understanding of it so I embrace it with open arms.

7. sightRIZE: What can we expect in the future? Any upcoming projects?
Donny: Minute After Midnight. My official debut album. It's being Executive Prod. by Dame Grease and will feature many other producers such as Ron Browz, Statik Selektah and Kwame to name a few. Expect some surprise guests on there as well. That's something I am currently working on right now and should be done in the next couple of months.

8. sightRIZE: Anything You'd like to end the interview with?
Donny: Thanks for all the love and support. Be sure to look out for my "Bars" series every Thursday and keep an eye and an ear out for new music. Much love and God Bless.

We highly thank Donny and appreciate what hes done for the blog. Much love to Donny and good luck with his work!

Nas on the Colbert Report

http://www.prefixmag.com/media/nas/colbert-report-videos/20167/

click to go see, couldnt find a way to get it on here, enjoy!


-KZA.

More About sightRIZE.

Okay.
A lotta people ask me my opinions on music so imma give you everything in my opinion about my personal favorites. Keep in mind that this is my personal opinion so don't think you are going to like everything.
Best Song That Gives Focus: American Dreamin- Jay-Z, Choices- Median, One Mic- Nas
Best Song That Overlooks Life: Basic Instruction- GZA//Genius, Dead Presidents II-Jay-Z, Dreamchaser- MURS, Reminisce-9th Wonder Feat Big Remo
Best Hustler Anthem: All My Life- Jay Rock Feat Weezy
Best Chill Song: 93 Til Infinity- Souls Of Mischief
Best Lyrical Song: In Remembrance Of Me- Blu&Exile
Best Hardcore Song: Furious Anger- Shyheim
Best Sad Song: Dance With The Devil- Immortal Technique, You Never Know- Immortal Technique, Before The Great Collapse- Jedi Mind Tricks,
Best Group: Crown City Rockers, Hieroglyphics
Best Lyricist: Immortal Technique
Best Producer: 9th Wonder, J Dilla
Best Freestyle Artist: Papoose
Best Album: 36 Chambers- Wu-Tang Clan, Below The Heavens- Blu&Exile
Best Dressed: Pharrell
Best Classic Artist: Ice Cube
Best Classic Album: Eazy-Duz-It- Eazy E
Most Overrated Artist: Lil Wayne
Most Underrated: Freeway
Most Dissapointing: De La Sol
Most Hated: 50 Cent
Most Hardcore Group: Wu-Tang Clan
Most Unique: The Cool Kids
Most Consistent: Cyne, Talib Kweli
Most Inconsistent: Mos Def
Saddest Moment: J Dilla's Death
Wackest Artist: Soulja Boy
Cream Of The Crop: Chicago

Political Views: Barrack Obama

Barrack is a ignorant ass muhfucka.
Listen to my story before you judge.
At first when Barrack came out I liked him. Because he was a democrat and he seemed wise.
I loved how Barrack rolled with Ludacris even though I hate Ludacris. I just like how some president liked music other than classical. I loved how he said he liked Jay-Z's American Gangster.
The more and more I read up about Barrack the more I felt like this is the president for us.
I even read the fact that he used to do cocaine and was a chain smoker but I didn't even give a fuck! I thought his values and his actions were outstanding. At first he opposed the war on terror bullshit. He said that he would pull out the troops and put everything back together, and find a way to lower oil prices.
A very hypocritical move.
Barrack is now saying that he will reinforce the troops in Iraq with more to give them help when he should be pulling them out.
This is retarded.
The economy of the United States is on decline as banks are going bankrupt and the stock market is falling steadily. People coming out of Harvard cannot get a job in the United States instead they are moving to areas in Asia such as Hong Kong.
Numbers are declining worse than the great depression of the 1930's. Why? The war in Iraq. It is causing too much money over nothing. Bush is ignorant as fuck. As Barrack is supporting war he is no different from a republican.
The United States is done. Barrack and McCain are the same.
Hillary was the future. No doubt. People were getting mad over gender issues but it was the facts that people should be focusing on, her goal was to get all troops out within one year. And she would have done it.
Lately I'm always seein these tees that say Barrack is the future, but with Barrack as president its like Buck and 9th's, No Future.

Turn Off Your Fuckin Radio!

As far as living in the Bay Area goes the most annoying thing to watch is people "going dumb". I have seen hundreds of muh'fuckas blastin the local wack radio station Wild 94.9 and thinking that they are the shit. Or buying the Soulja Boi album or The Pack album to blare in their car.
What happened to bumping some easy Biggie or Ice Cube in the car?
Its been corrupted.
What people view as cool now is wack shit. 80-85% of music on the radio is bullshit music with weak or wack lyrics.
I am a part of the new generation so people should learn to change.
"See who's the one to place that blame.
we're getting trapped in a cycle of pain,
we're the generation is going down the drain.
that's how we're turnin' out. " - Immortal Techniques reverse pimplogy.
This just shows where we are going. Its like "going dumb", and hyphy music is in. What happened to classic bay shit like Hiero?
The radio is murdering real HipHop and we have to stop it.
The first step is getting rid of your fuckin radio!
Now I don't care how you gotta do it. Just get rid of it! Rip it out if you gotta!
This also gives you an opportunity to explore other music. And find yourself instead of having the radio find it for you. It would give you a sense of originality and a sense of belonging.
And maybe I'm wrong. Maybe wack shit is in. Maybe nobody gives a fuck about true shit anymore. Maybe retarded lyrics are cool. But I can tell you HipHop wouldn't get far if this continues.
Peace.
-sightRIZE.
Be sure to peep me thoughts on why the game is retiring next!