We Crave Exclusive: Its IMANI rose.. the " KILLA "

Some fateful months, eek slash years, ago when I was sucked into the world of twitter by my best friends request I was on a mission to find people of like minds to flood my timeline. HOW I ever came across @itsIMANIrose I can not remember but she was pretty, in nyc, and quoting " Face ! Face ! Face ! I get face !Beauty Face!" I identified.. Rupauls. Drag. Race.

Since then Imani Rose has always been a steady feed in my timeline. A true creative soul. From Houston to NYC to Houston again this woman is a ever changing creature. One day you may see her on a photo shoot set styling others, or posing herself. Then wake up to her tweets of guest lists to events shes hosting. You may even see her on a stage in full character reciting lines as if she wrote them herself.

But..

Right now.

You can deff HEAR her. Imani Rose has been hard at work on her "Unapologetically" EP and booking shows for her first official single..

 " Killa "

After hitting the booth earlier this year to record her STYLE version of " Racks on Racks ", which she made an ode to her closet, Imani began tweeting of writing and studio sessions till she announced she would be recording a full EP. See, as a creative soul I understand her need to exhaust every outlet of self expression. I do the same. But match that passion with an articulate and cultured individual you are bound to produce something extraordinary.

Imani did bless me with another song that will be on the upcoming EP, "Sleeping with the Enemy" ft Kulture Rebel. If these two songs are an indication of the direction shes going in, then she has all the bases covered..

In full deco. Made of bullets. With oversized sunglasses to shade the mix of lust, love, pain, and joy seen through eyes full of bloodshots.

#CraveMusic through LYRICS..

For this weeks #CraveMusic chat I decided to switch it up a bit. Instead of a direct question about music I decided to get creative. There have been days where I woke up and just wanted to communicate my every though via song lyrics. This is a very possible task as well. So for todays chat we got responses of lyrics from Electro to Bluesy R&B. Let me take a moment to thank our weekly participants of whom are some of my fave people to follow because of the eclectic views they have in music and the arts.

I just want to highlight a few of the responses as they are from songs I have also listened to a been given my life in a verse and a hook before. Click the titles to listen.

 "  I decide when I decide, I am in the mood right now Baby baby" - Crookers - Royal T - via @LOUIS_via_ROMA

Crookers are one of my newer loves in the ElectroDanceHouse world. So these lyrics made me want to go Candy Kid real quick. Minus the LSD and Acid. 

"I'm about to dive in the ocean, kick off my shoes / swim for something bigger...Swim Good!" - Frank Ocean - Swim Good - via @TresFab

Franks writing skills amaze me.

"oh oh ohhhhh oh oh oh oh the right stuff" - New Kids on the Block - The Right Stuff - via @BinkieER
I had to share this one because I LOVE me some Binkie from Electrik Red. I just adore all those ladies.

" Cause today I swear im not doing anything !!!" - Bruno Mars - Lazy Song - via @itsIMANIrose

From a woman who STAYS in motion I see why Imani picked this. And I will cosign for a day like this soon.

Red Lipstick all on the paper.." - Rihanna - Red Lipstick - via @JessieMarieHere

This speaks my where my mind has been lately on many levels..

D.W.I. in StrappMag.com Interview

D.W.I. of Damatrixstudios.com recentley was interviewed for StrappMag.com..

" I got the chance to sit down a have an intimate interview with the Damien Williams Influence, about how his brand impacted the industry what makes him stand out and what advice he has for new and upcoming artist. We talked about what got him started and how he has been able to stand the test of time. Below you will find our conversation:

Tell us about the DWI Brand.

DWI is the acronym of Damien Williams Influence – which the brand includes of being producer, broadcasting, engineering and mentoring.
How long have you been in the industry?

I have been in the industry for about 10 years now and counting.. "

For the FULL interview and to find out how much of an Influence he has been visit Strappmag.com

We Crave Exclusive: Persia got next..

The state of females in rap has declined by far since the golden days of hip hop. Just because the femcees haven't been in the forefront doesn't mean they don't exist though. And I'm NOT talking about bubble gum rap like Nicki and Kreyshawn. That is NOT Rap. That is simple rhyming at best.
When I say the femcee is alive and kicking I'm talking about the likes of this woman.. Persia.
Dissmiss what you have heard, this is REAL rap. Persia was kind enough to give me some of her time for an interview. So we got straight into a little hip-hop banter..

Q: Where do you think HipHop stopped being about the art and became about the $$ ?

1997 - Once Sean Combs got his hands on Hip Hop it was never the same.....


Q: What do you feel is to blame for the watering down of HipHop ?

I think there are plenty of passionate artists who embody the essence of Hip Hop, but the powers that be dont allow them to pay bills on essence alone. So in order to survive doing something you were born to do most artist must water down their message. I dont blame the artist, I blame corporate...The rapper is just trying to stay above water, literally...


Q: Do you see a revival of HipHop coming and what role are you playing ?

I've always said music is a revolving door, it will 360 back around to the raw message it once was. I think J Cole is prime example of this. He is what we have been missing in the game, and noone saw it coming - not even me. My roll........ I'm what the female rapper was intended to be, real - someone who spits with emotion....I speak from experience, I offer something alot of female listeners have been left without, a voice for them. I'm just doing what God intended me to do, my role has already been written.


Q: What do you feel has to be done to revive HipHop ?

I think the fans have to show the labels what they want instead of letting the labels give you what they THINK you want....


Q: How do you feel you differ from other females in the industry ?

I'm not afraid to be who I am, good or bad. People relate to me, both men & woman - not alot of females can say that. I represent a breed of people not a gender or race. And I murder the fuck outta any beat I touch ! *big smile*


Q: When you see people like Nicki and Kreyshawn get paid to basically make a mockery of your art what keeps you going ?

If Nicki made me realize one thing, its that there is a difference between Rap & Hip Hop. In all honestly I think Nicki is talented, she has just chosen who she wants to be in this game and I truly believe she is being herself. So my hat goes off to her to being able to be herself. I tell people all the time, it's easier to love Nicki for who she is than to hate her for who she's not. Now Kreayshawn *cough* is a totally different story. Rapping is a calling and Kreayshawn straight *82'd us. People make money doing all types of things so the money other people make isn't what bothers me, its more so the recognition. To hear Kreayshawn referred to as a white female rapper is just disturbing, and her blatant disrespect for the actual culture is what makes me want to slit her throat, on a beat that is... *wink*


Q: Being a female in a male dominated industry do you feel you have to hold yourself in a different manner to get the same respect they do ?

I'm sure I have to, but I dont.....I cant, it would alter my personality - and we cant have that now !


Q: Besides yourself who do you think has the talent to bring HipHop back to its roots ?

I've been riding with Joell Ortiz ever since he opened his mouth....Him, Emperor Chi, Fred The GodSon & J Cole just to name a few.....

Check Persia out at : PersiaGotNext and download a few tracks..

This woman got bars to no end, a refreshing breathe of air with a real story to tell.

#CraveMusic ?

Do you ever find yurself repeatedly clicking next when listening to your collection of music ? Its not so easy to just run across new artists with good music these days. The radio plays the same handful of artists all day ad night, and unless you really take the time to dig and weed through websites to find new artists of varying genres its hard to excape the masses of mainstream artists. Whether they will be around for long or not. 

We Crave Music Here is on a mission to supply that all in one outlet for music Junkies. Period. Not JUST hip-hop heads, pop lovers, candy kids. We are here to cover all that and more. From the best of the mainstream and underground. 

To help this process every monday via twitter we hold a chat called #CraveMusic, there is always a topic, or several questions, that everyone shares their opinions on. We take this feedback and information to fill the needs of everyones taste. Its typical today for people to like various genres of music, but often have a larger collection of one. We are here to give you all easier access to expand your variety. 


We Crave Music Here is a total experience of the musical culture. So soak it up.

When did Talent Become an Option in HipHop?

So I’m confused..

I could swear it was not that long ago where a rapper without lyracisim was shunned, career deaded. But today I turn on the radio and hear things like..

“ Make it rain trick “ (( bbm confused face )) No. No. No. No. No.

Don’t get me wrong we have some amazing artists. Tons. But, most of them BEEN in the game. It’s rare to see fresh new TALENT. And for the ones that do possess that key factor, they seem to be over looked. Its like God forbid you should have to think or should your brain start having thoughts provoked by song lyrics. Ever since souljah boy and snap music I knew we were in trouble. But when some guy told me, and I quote, “ F%*k Lupe Fiasco, he’s whack “ I. Was. Done. It’s official. They have been dumbed down.

They no longer seek that “Oh snaps ! What he just said ?” reaction. That reaction when you heard a line so sick you just had to run that back just to make sure you heard it correctly. When pictures were painted with words to tell stories of the good and bad times. Metaphors. Similes. Some of the illest word play.

Its like there is no appreciation for the art that is Hip Hop anymore. People rather have a sing songy chorus that they can slur along to drunk in the club where they can grind on something with repetitive lines and no real art in the lyrics. I never wanted to believe it but society is really falling behind. Being bombarded with mind numbing tv and internet access 24/7 has people losing touch with reality. People no longer want to think. I mean how many people you see reading a book in their spare time ? ((I’ill wait.. ))

Yes. Society is falling behind. Well American Society. The simple fact that this is what’s demanded and appeals to the masses shows ignorance. We have grown women acting like " Barbies " and men that went to art high schools wearing the façade of a “ thug “. I mean that shows just how much people care about the facts of what they are listening to. How much they care about the history of stories. Rappers once told their stories and thoughts. Now they just sell dreams. Dreams that have everyone wanting to be a rapper, model, actor, etc. Like college is just not an option. And the worst part is slowly these basic “ rappers ‘’ are infiltrating the industry and making mainstream names for themselves, while the rappers of caliber and talent are being pushed to the side. So when our vets like Jay, Andre, Nas, Common, etc decide to put down the mic for good what are we going to be left with?

Now this brings me to my point..

We, those still fans of only good music, must show support to the artists that give us these jewels in the midst of rhinestones. If we don’t, they will be pushed back behind the curtain by those whom control the media

We. Crave. Music. Here.

Plain and simple. We crave music here. All music. From your hip hop to your reggea, your pop to your techno. Classical. Rock. Jazz. Blues. The mission is to have a well rounded and eclectic ear.

So, we crave music here, everything about music. Not just the songs themselves but the culture as a whole and the many sub-cultures that exsist within music. Ones taste in music is often a refelction of their personality, or any given mood at a certain time. That is the beauty in music. It is something that can evoke and influence your everuday look and persona. That why we love not only the songs but the times had when accompanied by music. Whether it is going out with your friends dressed to kill for the night to dance and party, laugh and make memories. Or waiting for your favorite awards show to come on, your favorite performer to take the stage. Hearing a new song for the first time and feeling as if the artist was speaking your life in a 16 and a hook. That song that just starts your day off right when its blaring in your ear at 630 a.m. Music is a powerful art.

Music is an art that crosses over to influence the other creative arts. As a writer I know that I often accompany my time sitting seeking inspiration with a music in the background. I know painters that find inspiration inside sounds and so they often create while listening to music. Then from a fashion stylist perspective fashion is heavily influenced by music. That is why you will seldom see a runway show without a mix playing to add effect to whatever inspired the designer.

For this reason we crave music here. From every aspect that it touches. We will be sure to bring you the latests in new music from a variety of genres to inside coverage of exclusive industry events and interviews with artists, DJs, producers, and more. This is more then todays hottest single, mixtape, and album. This is a music culture reference point to connect you to all things music as well as introduce you to new genres, ideas, and uses for music.