In The Sun

"Rain, Rain go away/ I need you sometimes but not today/ I wanna live, play, run, in the sun."

- Joi From Lucy Pearl
From "In The Sun" By Shaq feat. Common & Black Thought

I remember around 2001 hearing this song on a mix show here in L.A. Ever since then, I have scowled records stores and the internet for this track. As it turns out, the album that Shaq was going to put out with this song on it was never released. I looked at the tracklisting, he even had a track with Dr. Dre & Blackstar. Damn, Shaq was comin' hard with this record! I have never hear him so good on the mic like this before. So I decided to put out a "track request" for the song on the Okayplayer boards earlier this morning. Sure enough, I checked the post a couple hours later, and someone had uploaded the CD single promo version they had (good lookin tReblefree!). Man, have any of you every searched all over the place for a record and when you finally got your hands on it and when you played it, it seemed like the clouds opened up and your good day turned into a great day? In this 85+ Degree California weather, this record made the sun shine even brighter today. It's the perfect "summer feeling song." Next to DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's "Summertime" though. Which is the KANG of summer classics. Also can't forget about 213's "Another Summer," Jay-Z's "Dear Summer," and the joint that inspired Summertime, Kool & The Gang's "Summer Madness."

But summer is a special time for me. Reason being is I feel it's the time I grow the most. And I don't just mean physically, but really mentally. You see, when your an active student your school community, your on the grind 7 days a week, working sometimes 18 hour days. Summer is the time for me to reflect and think about the road I have traveled. What I did, what I did not do, what could have done better, and most importantly, how can I better myself for tommorrow. It's almost if I release any and all past troubles and refocus on the future. It is true you can never truly move on until you've looked back. But once you have looked back once, keep moving. I don't beileve in the saying forgive and forget. As my 5th Grade teacher once said, "Forgive, but learn from the experience." That is what I do.

Today a friend of mine reminded me that the first day of classes is exactly one month away from today's date (really for me it's August 16th because I have to move back early to help the new students during the orientation). I realized that I don't have a lot of time left and I need to get ready. Today, for some reason, as I put on this record, all the of the past pain I have been releasing for the past 10 months was finally gone. I am refocused, renewed and ready for new school year (although I'm still enjoying my vacation time and have an album to finish!!! V.I.S.I.O.N.S coming in September!!).

While on a friend's myspace yesterday, she had a picture of some of Little Brother's album covers with the statement, ""The type of music you listen to is a reflection of your character." This quote bought me back to when I was in Junior High, when I started to become fascinated Hip-Hop culture. At that time, up to around my last semester of my 8th Grade year, I could only buy the edited versions of albums. I used to argue with my moms saying "I'm mature enough, I watch R rated movies, I handle a explict album." Then she would look at me and go, "Music and movies are different. Movies can leave an impact, but Music you internalize. It becomes a part of you and effects how you think." She would annoy the hell out of me when she said that, because that meant that's end of the discussion and no means no. But as many of us have learned, when Mama is right, 9.9 chances outta 10, she's right. I remember being young and only Hip-Hop records that were in the house was either DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince or Hammer (don't front like you didn't have a Hammer record!). Then maybe some old school like Run-DMC (although I did find a cassette copy of N.W.A.'s "Straight Outta Compton" in the garage that one time that belonged to my father).

I recieved my early taste of Hip-Hop during the 90's from my older cousins who lived 10 minutes away from me. It was over there, I heard some of Dr. Dre's "The Chronic," 2 Pac's "All Eyez On Me," Biggie's "No Way Out," The Fugees' "The Score", Biggie's "Ready To Die," all of Snoop's joints, all the Ice Cube joints, DJ Quik, mostly all West Coast cuts. This was because my cousin, Jimmy, was a BIG west coast supporter (and still is to this day). I remember the VERY FIRST explicit Hip-Hop track I heard was at their house. It was Mack 10's "Backyard Boogie." I vividly remembering both Jimmy and I laughing our asses of because of cussing. I mean, I had heard people use profanity before, but on records?!?! This was funny and new to me.

Most of time, when I was in the house or in the car with my moms, either it was old school R&B/Soul and Funk, or 94.7 The Wave (That is the jazz station out here in Los Angeles), which to this day, almost have the same playlist today as when I was 8 years old. But that's a whole 'nother blog in its self. Also, not to mention I was exposed to Classic Rock when I rode around with my father. To this day, I have to thank the both of them for doing that. Because it expanded my music horizon, and has helped make me the artist I am today. This accquired knowledge has helped me in songwriting, producing, and ESPECIALLY DJing (I can do party for 12 years olds to 50 year olds). Also, it has help me appreciate artists who have paved the way for me and many more.

Respect for our elders is something that is SERVERLY lacking in Hip-Hop. In Rock, artist such as The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Queen, and other are still revered to this day by their younger audience. In Hip-Hop, it's rare for someone younger than 16 knowing about EPMD, Eric B. & Rakim (they may know him from Truth Hurts' "Addictive," which I admit, was my intro to Rakim), Whoodini, Slick Rick & Doug E. Fresh (when They were The Kangol Crew), Kool Herc ("Kool Herc ain't never get a royality check" (c) Black Thought "Web"), The Rock Steady Crew, A Tribe Called Quest (they may know Q-Tip from his solo album with "Vibrant Thing" and "Breathe And Stop,"), De La Soul, or the Native Tongue Posse, Ice-T (youngers know him as a actor), Gangstarr, and don't know about Will Smith rocking crowds at Union Square as "The Fresh Prince" with Jazzy Jeff, before he was at the Oscars with Denzel and Hallie.

And the one that drive me crazy the most is when people watch "Flavor Of Love," and ask "wasn't Flav a rapper back in the day?" I wanted to punch my homeboy when he asked me that one day. Flav was an instrumental member of one of one Hip-Hop's most important and influential groups, Public Enemy (who I found out is going to release a new album next month with the original members of their signature production team, The Bomb Squad). Many think Hip-Hop started with BIG and Pac,(buzzer sound) WRONG!!!I believe one of the reasons why Hip-Hop has lost it's way because many so-called "fans" of the music, don't respect the past. If we don't respect the past, how can we create a better future? Most of these so-called "MCs" don't love or respect this music or this culture, they see it as a get rich quick scheme. But only will tell, and when the numbers on the check don't amount the same anymore, we will see who truly loves Hip-Hop. The real will carry on the culture, the ones "fakin' the funk" will just go on to another hustle. Or is it us that is getting hustled? If you know industry poltics, you know where I'm going with this.

To tie all this in, the music that influences me does reflect me. I may be from the West Coast, love Snoop, The Game, Cube (I wish the political Cube would come back. There was a showing on his last album), and think Dr. Dre is one of the greatest producers of all time, but the gangsta lifestyle is not how I was raised or what I was raised around. Therefore, I not going to be all on the record, talking about me slanging crack and shooting niggas. That's not me. I'm not going to start snappin my fingers and talking about 26 Inch rims when I really don't care for snap music and I don't own a ride with 26 Inch rims. I'm not going to do it because "it's what's in now." Artists that I look up to and respect our artists that I see in me. I identify with the everyday stuggle that Common speaks about, I can understand being underdog like Kayne, I am highly political like Talib, Mos or Nas, I have a bragdous swag like Black Thought, I understand trying to stick to your guns, having faith, and being yourself like Lupe, my thoughts can take people to new places like Outkast, I can be the biggest smart ass sometimes like Phonte, my musical taste breathe soul or funk like Preemo, Pete Rock, 9th Wonder, Tribe, ?uestlove and J. Dilla. This is me, and I can only do me. That is what Hip-Hop is. That is what "keeping it real" means, staying true to yourself. This music I love, the music we call Hip-Hop is a reflection of me. And right now, I see a piece of me reflected in this song. There is an old saying that states "You are what you eat." That is also can be related in music. And I eat multiple plates of Hip-Hop a day. So, my people, don't be shy, grub up, and join me while I "live, play, run, in the sun."



And on that note, I'm out.