In timp ce puteam articolul precedent, a venit Mihai, colegul de casa, care a dat drumu la o piesa remixata, o piesa celebra e adevarat. Totusi mie la genul respectiv de muzica imi palce varianta originala asa ca atunci cand am ramas singur am pus ORIGINALUL. Asa ca o sa va pun si voua … ORIGINALUL

Piesa superba care a venit cu un mic cadou care a facut ca “superbitatea” sa fie mai ……. superba. Doar o sticla de:

pe care m-am ofticat ca nu am putut sa o testez deoarece plec la munca si trebuie sa fiu apt de treburile mele de acolo…….. de dormit adica )

Oricum, acum in timp ce o ascult a doua oara mi-am dat seama ce vreau sa ascult in drum spre muzica. Ca sa dau un mic indiciu este vorba de valsul nuntii mele care o sa fie ….. candva

Il stiti pe marele tatic Johann Strauss, dar Johann Straus II cu The Blue Danube

Good lookin’ out Jeremy (Lounge of 3) for creating the mixes.  Last time the “Too Short” was the favorite.  Wonder which one of these will take first place during SOUL.

See you Dec. 2…..

Still can’t believe its around the corner (Wed. Dec. 2) but here we are at The Classics – Series 2: SOUL.

Been having just as much fun with this version as the first along with giving you guys, both online and off, some cool extras, strong if not stronger content, and if things go my way – my surprise feature will blow minds.

Big shouts to Karim (Smirnoff), Jeremy (Lounge of 3) Amy and Dana (The Source), DJ YZO, Nick Da 1da, DJ 2-Tone Jones, Soul 1 (Frank White Gallery NYC), Tom Nikosey, and Mike (Rock Pop Gallery).

Click the link below for the official press release and I hope to see you there….

Washington, DC – Soul. It’s considered by most to be a weighty word.  It’s used to describe a variety of people, places, and things and even the most intangible of ideas.  Soul has implications of every kind, from food to the spiritual, but perhaps none are greater than it being used to define an era and a genre of music.

And, coming off of the success of their RAP exhibition, on Wednesday December 2 Art vs Commerce, Smirnoff Vodka, and The Source Magazine will again partner on the second installment of The Classics – this time with Series 2: SOUL.  Similar to the first exhibition, this version will feature a bevy of album cover art however this one will consist of over forty classic Soul album covers, courtesy of DJ YZO.  SOUL, in some ways, will actually serve as a prequel to RAP, in that a variety of the albums on display contain songs that have been sampled and used in many classic rap music records.

Taking it’s lead from RAP, SOUL, which will take place on Wednesday December 2^nd at Lounge of 3 (1013 Ust NW), 5pm-9pm, will again have Nick Da 1da and DJ 2-Tone Jones providing the sounds, along with DJ YZO.  Guests will also be treated to a new series of complimentary signature cocktails (7pm-9pm), courtesy of Smirnoff, which include the Stevie Wonder and Gil Scott Heron (Note: Lounge of 3 still serves the signature drinks from the RAP exhibition).

In addition to the album covers displayed, SOUL will also have its own series of cultural projects and a few extras that include a:

• Interview: Tom Nickosey (www.tomnikosey.com)
• Instrument Highlight: The Clavinet
• Connoisseur Profile: Nick Da 1da
• Soul Food items added to the menu
• Surprise Feature

For more information visit www.gmoney77.wordpress.com or call 202.460.3594.

"Seja quem você quiser ser"

]]> http://justinsullivan.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/smirnoff-be-there-benefit-event-for-surfrider-foundation/ Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:58:34 +0000 justinsullivan http://justinsullivan.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/smirnoff-be-there-benefit-event-for-surfrider-foundation/

Last night LoftSeven played host to yet another great event. Smirnoff threw a benefit for the Surfrider Foundation and it was a blast. Free cocktails, live music featuring Lil Dragon, and some excellent appetizers. I love seeing so many people in the penthouse. That place was built for a party!

So…last night me, Alicia, Bernard, Cun Liang, Davis, Justin, Jim, Vivian and Wilson (my gang of best friends) were at Helipad @ Central, Clarke Quay.

Now for those who don’t go to clubs or bars often, you would ask: “What’s so special about Helipad?”. (Cause that was what I asked.)

Well, firstly when we reached there, we were greeted by 2 of their staff and there was an elevator right behind them.

Let me ask you all this…when you see an elevator door, you would naturally presume that the elevator would bring us somewhere up or down from the level that you’re at right?

But NO! Believe it or not, it was a door to the club! AN ELEVATOR DOOR USED AS A DOOR TO THE CLUB! How cool was that?!

So most of my friends who entered the door was, well, shocked beyond belief and excited at the same time!

So after we entered, we got us a table and Jim ordered us a bottle of Smirnoff.

Truth be told, I don’t really like drinking vodka very much.

Usually, 1 glass of mixer with vodka would last me the whole night…

but Smirnoff was great! I could drink more than I normally would!

It was much smoother than the popular Absolut Vodka and we finished the whole bottle within 2 hours.

So anyway, here are some of the photos from last night:

Davis acting cool...

Bernard and Justin

Bernard and Davis

Alicia

Painting the club floor with light

Light Glass

Hope you liked it!

Cheers!

]]> http://bourbonandcanal.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/drinking-well-in-a-recession/ Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:12:57 +0000 jerrylknight http://bourbonandcanal.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/drinking-well-in-a-recession/

“Attention Shoppers!”

You do not have to compromise on the quality of your drinks just because we’re in a recession!

(IF you shop at Bourbon & Canal, that is. Read on…)

Here are some tips on how you can continue to drink well on a modest budget:

For Beer Drinkers:

If you are a microbrew drinker and like to explore and try different things, there is almost always something on sale. Right now, we have Fat Tire 12 packs for only $13.99 (reg. $16.99).

For Wine Drinkers:

There are plenty of wines around $10 that are nice quality for everyday purposes. Because we are tasting new wines all the time, we are able to find the ones that offer better quality than most, and we flag those on the shelf with our recommendation card and tasting notes so you can find them easily. In the past two months we have more than doubled our selection of wines under $10, so you’ll have plenty to explore.

For Spirits Drinkers:

Our “Best Buy” right now would be Smirnoff vodka in the 1.75L size; we’ve just lowered the price from $22.99 to $19.99 and plan to keep it there indefinitely. And in case you hadn’t heard, Smirnoff is actually better quality than many people think. In fact, in a New York Times blind taste test, it was ranked #1… ahead of Grey Goose and all the others. Solid quality and a new, lower price equals a Best Buy.

So there are a few tips for recessionary drinking. By shopping at Bourbon & Canal you already get the benefit of our everyday low prices. And, if you pay attention and choose wisely, you can get some real bargains. So, don’t compromise. In fact, give a toast to smart shopping during a recession!

Cheers!

Congratulations to the Mule team for collecting this award last Friday!

http://www.itstartedwithamule.com/ 

And hats off to Soap for taking first.

@iclazie

Congratulations to the Mule team for collecting this award last Friday!

http://www.itstartedwithamule.com/ 

And hats off to Soap for taking first.

@iclazie

We’ve decided to set ourselves the task of making 101 alcoholic drinks be they simple or complex. We’re going to start off with the easy ones and as we get a bit more confident we’ll progress onto more daring and marvellous drinks. At the moment we have a limited knowledge, but we can’t wait to start learning more.
We hope you enjoy reading!

Croyez-moi Le Prince s’est amélioré! En passant G.D.R=Gang de rue pour ceux qui ne vivent pas dans les coins chauds de Montréal.

Rock it at Circa this Thursday!

The Smirnoff Experience parties have always been insane, definitely something you don’t want to miss.  When you combine it with the Casby’s after party and Circa’s “house party” theme, it’s kinda a no brainer.  You wanna go, so just go, okay?

The Casby’s are Canada’s awards for independant and alternative music, so expect to see a lot of Canuck musical talent around (think hot artists, and hotter groupies who want to talk with them – there’s only so many of column a, and tons of column b – you do the math…clean up with column b overloads), plus some more special guests we are working on…will leak once it’s confirmed (if you like erotica, you’ll be pretty excited, is all I have to say about that.)

But music and sex aside (though really, that should be enuf for the average bear) you’ll want to come to see the impressive get up Circa will be in.  Seriously, I can’t even think of a word to describe the madness.  They’re going all out to bring you a sensational night.  I don’t want to spoil it, buuuuuuttttt……..think huge installations.  And considering this is Circa, which already has huge installations, I think you can just imagine how intense these will be, if they’re to beat their usual suspects.  There will be a full kitchen in the main room, a large garage on the stage, that opens up to have USS (and Autoerotique and Jainism) perform from the inside… a hot tub with balls. skate boarders doing tricks, rockband…and…

Two lucky ducky U&F’ers (remember that game Lucky Ducky at Canada’s Wonderland? I used to love it, cuz no one could lose.  Not that I’m not down with competition.  On the contrary.  I just suck at carnival games) will get the ultimate fun pack.  This includes free cover (for you plus one), line bypass (for you plus one), and free somethings which we’re not allowed to legally post (for you plus one).  Which should be easy to figure out.  C’maaaaan put two and two together.  It can rhyme with all of the following:  cruise, crinks, and calcohawl.  If you can’t figure it out from there, you probably deserve to be U&F, and not in the good way.  You probably got fired for having stones in your brain.  You probably don’t even pick up on the dis and are not offended at all.  (So if that’s you, just to be clear, going back to the contest deets, there will be 2 winners who each have one guest = four lucky duckies in reality.)

How do you get this pack?  Send an email to unemployedandfabulous@yahoo.com with your best answer to the question below, we’ll pick our faves and contact you before Thursday night.

Contest Question:  If you were stranded at Circa with only Smirnoff vodka, and could only have three things with you, what would they be?

[via fashionwithherat]

Got a chance to interview a real music expert and pop culture maven in Emily Copeland – we met the other week and she gave me some great insight into the world of music and some great examples of what brands are doing right to connect with young people (and how they’re fucking up too) in the brand saturated space that is music.  Em  works at MCN and also hosts a music program on FBI radio. Check out her blog here.  She’s got amazingly deep insight into youth culture and how brands and ‘playing’ in the music space.

Em Copeland from OMGwithemily.com youth music guru

Here’s here perspective on brands and music, music tribes and what’s coming up this Summer.

Which brands are doing well to leverage music? Maybe a few different examples

I love seeing brands do something a bit different in music. The ideas of giving away tickets to have an ‘ultimate festival experience’, running an unsigned band competition, and setting up your own branded music event have been done to death. More importantly, there are brands that now ‘own’ these spaces (Festivals – Smirnoff; Unsigned Bands – Tooheys Extra Dry; Branded Music Events – Bacardi) , so it is incredibly difficult for anyone new to try to play in these areas, or to do it better than those existing brands.

 Ted Baker leveraged music well this year, with the creation of the ‘Gig Race’ to promote a new clothing range. Entrants had two weeks to attend as many gigs as humanly possible, whilst blogging and twittering about their experience as they went. Ted Baker used something their consumers were already doing (going to gigs, blogging and twittering) to promote their brand. And more importantly, they found a way to credibly link their brand with music – by having consumers do it for them! Every tweet and blog post that went out in relation to the competition mentioned music and Ted Baker – and came direct from the target demographic. (FYI – the winner was a 29 year old guy from Kent, who went to 27 gigs in 14 days. He now holds the Guinness World Record for most concerts attended!)

 Are there any ‘must do’s’ when considering using a music marketing strategy to engage youth?

There are two major ‘must do’s’ that I would recommend every brand look at before trying to engage youth through music:

MAKE SENSE

You need to do something that makes sense to your audience, in relation to your brand. Just simply deciding that you want to be ‘aligned with music’ isn’t enough. Nike are a great example of a brand that does this well. Nike are all about sport – so rather than trying to put on a gig, or use a band in their advertising, in mid-2008 they teamed up with A-Trak to create a mix to help people “Keep on Running’ – which adds a music element to their sporting brand. A few months back they also helped De La Soul to release their first new album in five years – which was designed to play as a workout soundtrack, and was produced by Flosstradamus. Nike found sneaker wearing musicians, who had massive credibility, and helped them to do their thing (release music), while still retaining their core brand focus (helping people to exercise).

BE DIFFERENT

Don’t just look for trends within your target demographic and try to copy them (like Taco Bell did in the US, when they tried to take an ironic look at white boy hip hop with their ‘Roosevelts’ campaign .  Look to do something unique, or look to support an artist or sound that is emerging (like BMW have done with The Presets and Empire of the Sun http://www.omgwithemily.com/2009/05/bmw-parters-with-empire-of-sun.html). The support of an emerging artist will almost always be looked upon favourably, as everyone knows that these independent artists can’t pay the rent with just hipster cred!

 Youth music tribes.. what tribes are popular at the moment?

Back in 2004, the British Council compiled a document that identified 9 youth ‘tribes’ – Townies, Goths, Nu-metallers, Soulstrels, Indie Kids, Pop Princesses, Clubbers, Grungers and Skaters. The interesting thing about this study was that every tribe was partly identified by a particular musical artist, or a genre of music they were all into.

Music is incredibly important to young people, primarily because it is something they all use to create their own identity. Music also helps define their other choices in life – from who they hang out with, to the clothing they wear, the bars they go to, the media they consume, and even the alcohol they drink.

In Australia, we have seen a rise in the popularity of Indie Kids over the past few years – and the music at festivals has reflected this. There has been a move away from techno and hard house, toward more indie electro sounds at major festivals. Even more traditional ‘rock’ festivals have seen an increased number of indie bands and indie electro acts in the lineup.

You will also find multiple sub-tribes within each tribe. The 9 youth tribes defined in the UK are massive generalisations. If you are looking at identifying youth by the music they listen to, then everyone who listens to electronic music would be a ‘Clubber’. However, when you drill down into the electronic music genres, you get everything from Disco, to House, Jungle, Trance, Nu Rave, and Garage. Then, if you look into sub-genres, you find styles such as Baltimore Club, Industrial Rock, Fidget House, Glitch and 8 bit. It will probably be hard for you to find huge similarities in lifestyle, fashion and speech between someone who passionate about Juke (similar to Booty House – think Kid Sister), compared to someone who is crazy about Psytrance (think something from Infected Mushroom) – even though both styles are in essence ‘electronic’.

 What do you feel will be the bands/artists which will gain traction with Aussie youth this summer?

There is a huge amount of female electro-pop currently hitting the mainstream. From the horrible (Lady Gaga) to the more interesting acts including La Roux, Little Boots, (both of whom we just saw performing around the country as part of Parklife) Ladyhawke and Bat for Lashes. I’m sure these sounds will continue across summer, particularly with Ladyhawke having just received five nominations in the 2009 ARIAs.

There are a few tools that I use to look at current trends in sounds and artists. One is Shazam (see Shazam’s picks for 2009 here: http://www.omgwithemily.com/2009/01/whats-that-remix.html), another is Hype Machine’s ‘popular’ feed. I also RSS feeds from around 150 different music blogs, of all different genres, and from right around the world – and keep an eye on these for hot tracks, and musical trends. Young Aussies are also getting better at supporting local talent, and we are seeing huge support for local artists in both the commercial and indie scenes.

…And what better to do then to drink a little bit of Smirnoff and listen to All Along the Watchtower?

In case you guys are wondering… Smirnoff Ice is awesome and it’s actually a MUST try… It wasn’t really the cheapest thing, I mean it’s only 275ml with 4% alcohool and it costs as much as 3 or 4 beers. But it trully is amazing, I love it’s taste.

And All Along the Watchtower..a great one, that song is, I mean seriously..I’ve always had a thing like: why do people say that I don’t know what song, really spoke to them? WTF? How can a song speak to you? Well… Bob Dylan and the guys from Battle Star Galactica made me find out. Dylan was a lyrics genius, his writting was amazing and he also does some great songs these days as well, yeah, you’d better check out his 2009 album Together Through Life.

SO go ahead and check out this song, for it is the best song in the world and mix it with a little bit of Smirnoff!

See ya next time;)

Dia 30 de setembro de 2009 tinha tudo para ser apenas mais uma quarta-feira de trabalho e faculdade para mim. Mas, não foi… eu estive LÁ!

Dizem que a gente só sabe que esteve LÁ após não estar mais e, dizem também que o LÁ é único, memorável e naquele momento, a gente não gostaria de estar em nenhum outro lugar, a não ser LÁ. Eu assino embaixo, isso tudo é verdade!

Eu tive o grande prazer de assistir a 3ª vinda da banda escocesa Franz Ferdinand ao Brasil e foi diferente de todos os lugares por onde eu já estivera antes. A começar pelo espaço do show, nada se parecia com as tradicionais casas de shows ou estádios superlotados. O evento tinha o clima de balada com os amigos e os meninos da banda nada mais pareciam do que os caras legais da turma que resolveram subir no palco para fazer uma farrinha – era tudo muito intimista! Exclusivo, podemos dizer. Havia uma sinergia tão bacana entre os presentes que, realmente, parecia que a banda estava tocando só pra amigos.

foto: divulgação

A festa – é assim que chamarei o show de agora em diante, marcada para às 22h30, começou com pouco menos de 10 minutos de atraso. Pontualidade britânica, não? Alex Kapranos, o vocalista do grupo, simpático como sempre, arriscou algumas palavras em português e arrancou gargalhadas quando disse: “Fudido!”.

Um show só para amigos - foto: divulgação

foto: divulgação

A festa seguiu um ritmo acelerado durante mais de uma hora, foram todos os sucessos, tais como: “Take Me Out”, “The Dark of the Matinée”, “Do You Want To”, “Walk Away”, “Ulysses” e “This Fire”. E, então, as luzes se apagaram e a banda sumiu do palco. O show poderia ter acabado ali, já teria valido muito a pena para um “pocket show”, mas não… foi muito melhor! Os garotos de Glasgow voltaram para o “bis” e embalaram mais umas 6 ou 7 músicas. Todo mundo cantava em coro, arrisco a dizer que tudo ali tinha cara de Flash Mob. O show foi encerrado com “Lucid Dreams”, que emendou uma balada e transformou a festa em pista de dança. Ninguém se importava com o que os outros poderiam pensar, ninguém lembrava do amanhã, do depois e, muito menos, do antes. A gente só queria curtir o momento mais “Be There” de nossas vidas – momento este que durou cerca de duas horas!

Estavámos bem próximo do palco

E foi graças à Smirnoff, patrocinadora do evento, que nós conseguimos chegar LÁ. Valeu Smirnoff, valeu Franz Ferdinand – vos aguardamos para a turnê de 2010.

Animadíssimos e suados

Estavámos próximos do palco, tanto que fiz vários videozinhos de menos de um minuto. Abaixo, o vídeo que mais gostei de todos os que fiz.

Ps.: Na quinta-feira cheguei em casa às 03h, acordei às 06h para ir trabalhar e até hoje estou em estado de êxtase. Valeu à pena… Eu estive LÁ!

Sobre a turnê de 2010
Os fãs que ficaram de fora da apresentação que o Franz Ferdinand fez nesta semana em São Paulo terão a chance de ver a banda em 2010. A banda volta ao Brasil para tocar em Porto Alegre (18/3, Pepsi On Stage), Rio de Janeiro (19/3, Fundição Progresso), Brasília (21/3, sem local definido) e São Paulo (23/3, Via Funchal). A venda de entradas começa no próximo dia 19.

Download and listen to The Classics – The Mixtape Vol. 2 (courtesy of DJ 2-Tone Jones) while you check out the event pics below….

Big Thanks to everyone that came out and supported The Classics on Wednesday.  Guests really seemed to take-to and enjoy the concept: from the albums, to the music, to the themed drinks (the ‘Too Short” was the best seller!), good vibes and energy flowed through both floors.

Its been a while since I’ve enjoyed myself that much at something I was doing, as I’m usually running crazy and the event is over before I know it, so doing this was a nice change of pace.

The scene, straight up, took me back - strangers interacting with each other, dancing, networking, sharing stories, people discussing their favorite artists and groups, letting the albums and music generate conversation, and a number of them reading The Source.  In addition to that, just meeting a so many people that appreciated an event of this nature, and even asking about the next series was especially rewarding.

Thanks to the supporting people and brands that helped make this possible: Jeremy (Lounge of 3), Karim, Victoria (Smirnoff), Amy, Dana (The Source), Cey Adams, DJ Roddy Rod, DJ 2-Tone Jones, Soul 1 (Frank White Space) and Hayat and Sam (Smirnoff Ladies).  You all really came through in a major way!

With that said, enjoy the additional event pics and keep checking back for updates on Series 2: SOUL.

Here is cultural project #3 – The Video.   Big shout to DJ Roddy Rod (Low Budget Crew, Humble Monarch Media) for producing the video for The Classics.  Here you can view a variety of the album covers (plus many more) that are featured in the show along with interviews on a few of Rap music’s pivotal artists and groups.

Here’s part 2 of the Cey Adams interview (see you tonight at The Classics):

Cey: This is the same building that Def Jam used to be in.  60 Varick, right here in this building and they were on the same floor that Def Jam used to be on so, it’s really special for me; they have three floors and so one of their three floors was Def Jam’s old space before they officially went corporate and moved uptown.

Soul 1: Nice.

Cey: So, this is like a homecoming for me, and so, working with them is really, it’s really emotional just being in this space again, and just seeing, you know, what different form it’s taken 15 years later or whatever it’s been.

Soul 1: What was this originally? (*referring to the interview space on the 1^st floor)

Cey: Well, this was a deli so, needless to say it’s taken on a different look and feel.

Soul 1: What is your approach to album cover design?

Cey: Well, usually I have two schools of thought when it comes to approaching a record.  One is if I am working with an artist that has an amazing creative vision and they understand what I bring to the table, as an artist and you know, given my history, I can have a lot of fun and I can do something that’s really fascinating.  And then the other side of the coin, without naming names, you have some artists that want what they want and they don’t understand what it is you bring to the table and what makes you special when it comes to working on their work, so, you know, depending on what kind of artist I’m getting, I make the decision as to what kind of work I‘m going to do.  That’s the first thing, right out the box, but, more times than not, I try to give everybody the benefit of the doubt because one of the things that I’ve learned in this business is that you can never tell what’s gonna become big.  So, I never judge artists anymore.  There used to be a time when somebody would walk in the door and I’d think “oh, this is not gonna be worth my while ‘cause this is gonna be a flash- in- the- pan,” then it ends up being the biggest record you ever saw.  So, I stopped judging very early on.  Now, every time somebody walks in the door I’m thinking this is the next Redman, this is the next Method man, this is the next, you know, Jay-Z!  My approach is very interesting. – I try not to think about the possibility of a hit success because I don’t want to over-think what will or won’t work for a particular artist.  I also think those things kinda just cloud your mind when you start thinking about popularity in terms of how you create your work and also I don’t want it to go to the artist’s head, you know, prematurely, but my approach is pretty organic.  Usually I’ll sit down and I’ll sketch something out.  I usually always start with the logo I says, “OK. I want a logo that’s gonna resonate and I wanna look at something and be able to come back years later and go “Ok, you know what? THAT still stands up today.”  So, I usually start with the logo.  And the reason I focus on that is because sometimes I don’t have the luxury of starting with the photography.  Sometimes there isn’t any photography, sometimes they’ve already done the photography so I’m not involved in the photo session, but the logo is something that I can always control.  So I kinda start there.

Soul 1: Cool. How much creative control do you usually have on most of your projects?

Cey: Quite a bit.  I have quite a bit of creative freedom.  Not 100% but, lately, when people call me to work on something, usually, they understand that they are hiring me and not just, you know, ‘we- need- a- pair- of- hands- to- put- this- together’ so, most of the time people are pretty open to hearing what I have to say and I’m not a control freak.  My thing is I like the idea of collaborating, whether it be a recording artist, or an illustrator or a photographer, you know, I like the process of collaborating and when you’re working on making a record, that’s really what it is, it’s a collaboration.  Everything from the recording engineer to the writer on the song to the manager, I mean it’s a team effort so I try never to get to crazy about ‘my way or the highway,’ because I know at the end of the day, if I put five amazing comps in front of ten people, they’re all gonna pick something different and usually, the artist will pick the one that you don’t want them to use if you seem too enthusiastic about the one that you do want them to use so, you know, I always try to apply a little bit of the ‘Jedi Mind Trick’ and, you know, keep my fingers crossed and pick the green one when I know I really, really want the blue one (Smiles).

Soul 1: (Laughs) Right.

Cey: And lately, I’ve been lucky enough to work with artists that kind of ‘get it’ and when it’s right, you know, (Snaps fingers twice) they’re on it.

Soul 1: Cool. You build strong relationships with a lot of your clients, what about your relationships with the (recording) artists?  Do you establish one with the artist or just normally with the people who contract you?

Cey: I try to always establish a relationship with the artist because that’s your strongest connection when it comes to really making sure that the work stays as pure as it can.  If you get the artist involved, usually you don’t have as much of a battle and, I found more times than not, that’s when it’s the most fun when you get the artist involved.  My favorites are obviously working with Chuck-D and Public Enemy because they get what I do.  The Beastie Boys are always great as well.  L.L. is somebody else that really understands the creative process.  It wasn’t always that way, but as time went on he became more and more trustful.  Jay-Z is another one that’s like that, right from the start, his very first record.  He didn’t question what I did, he just figured ‘if this is what you do I’m gonna trust you’ and we’ve always had a great working relationship. Puffy’s another one – he doesn’t hesitate, he’s like, ‘you know how to do it, do what you do.’  So to me, my strongest tool is always working with the artist and having them be a part of the process, which makes it that much easier to get your point across.  When you’re fighting with the artist, for-getaboutit.   I NEVER wanna work on a project where I’m fighting with an artist to have my way even when I know it’s in their best interest because if they’re not happy with the project, they’re gonna be hating on it every single place that they go.

Soul 1: Have you had that experience?

Cey: Yeah, but I knew I was doing what was best for them in spite of them.  And a lot of times that happened when new rappers came to the label and they had their friend that was an illustrator or, ‘you know, my man does graphic design’… and I’m thinking well, “where do you think ya’ man learned about the idea of graphic design from?”

Soul 1: It is what it is.

Cey: Yeah, they don’t KNOW! And so, I try not to knock those sorta things but, you know that happens sometimes when the artist’s just don’t know what time it is with me and they have to be schooled and, you know, by the next record they kind of soften up.  I’m not hating, I’m just saying, this is the way it was, when Method man first came to Def Jam.  He had his own ideas about what he wanted for his first record cover and he was kinda resistant and he was like, “This is what I want.  I want my man shoot it, I want my man to design the logo” and I was just like… (looks around puzzled).  He’s coming from the Wu- Tang camp so I didn’t have an “in” or a way of kind of connecting with him.   And little by little I’d show him examples of some of the stuff I’d worked on and he’s like, “Yo, that’s hot, that’s hot.” And I really had to explain to him that I didn’t just wake up and find myself sittin’ in front of a desk doing this work.  It was years in the making and then he became trustful, he trusted me, and then he says, “OK, I see what you’re doing, I see what you mean now, let’s go with your idea.”  Then all of a sudden his man wasn’t shooting the cover, his man wasn’t designing the logo, but you have to finesse those things because, you know, I’m not hating on other people that might bring something special to the table so, that was an example of something like that that had happened by the second record.  By the third record, no discussion: “this is the photographer?” “Great.” “This is the logo you came up with?” “Great.” (Laughs)

Soul 1: That’s dope. What do you enjoy most about your creative process?

Cey Adams: Being able to work.  The thing that I dig the most is, you have to understand, I come from a graffiti background and to be able to work with Russell Simmons, and Jay-Z, and De La, and bands that I haven’t even really mentioned you know, Eric- B and Rakim, you know, I’ve worked with everybody.  I’m not even mentioning the Stevie Wonders, you know?

Soul 1: Maroon 5. (Laughs)

Cey Adams: (Laughs) Yeah, Maroon 5 and folks like that and just to be able to work with the Eagles, like, these are bands that, man, I don’t even allow myself to think about it ‘cause it would make my head explode.  And just to be able to work and earn a living and have people look at this stuff and enjoy it is a big, big deal for me.  That’s the thing that I’m most excited about still: is to have this be my “job,” not to be doing some other thing and a lot of my friends that are artists aren’t doing that.  They’re not painting, they’re not traveling, they have a wife and kids or a husband and a family and they’re doing regular work, and I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with that, I’m just very fortunate to still be doing the same thing I was doing when I was 15.  And now, you know, I’m earning a living doing that and people know my work and corporations respect what it is I do and what it is we do, which, years ago, that wasn’t the case.  So, I feel like pushing this boulder uphill for such a long time has finally paid off whereas for a lot of other people it rolled all over them and they gave up and they’re like, “to hell with this battle, I’m going back to the thing that I know won’t betray me.”  That said, being an artist is that way, I mean, you’re a writer so I hope you know what I’m talking about… the creative process is, man…it’s a wonderful thing but it’s tough, man, because every day you’re selling yourself to somebody that doesn’t understand what it is you do and artists have to go through that whether you’re a musician, whether you’re a poet, a dancer.  If you’re not a doctor, you’re always convincing people that what you’re doing matters. And to me, that’s the battle of doing this sort of work, you know?  It’s something you volunteer for.  Nobody said, “Hey, I’m gonna make you an artist, and I’m gonna give you this great opportunity.”  You go in there and you think, “Hey, you know what? I dig doing this and it’s a lot of fun, and I’m gonna try to do this.”  And then all of a sudden, you realize, “Hey I still have to pay the rent,” and then you find a way to do that but, in doing that, you’re still constantly auditioning for all these other things, and you’re always selling, even while you’re quote- un-quote, “successful.”  So for me, that’s the thing that’s the most exciting and in some cases and some days, frustrating because I love what I do, but it’s always a weird battle.

Soul 1: What are some of your upcoming projects?

Cey Adams: Well, one of the things that I’m really proud of right now is that I’m working on the Def Jam 25^th Anniversary and that entails working on a hardcover coffee table book, a five disc CD box set, and there’s a documentary in the works.  So, this is the year of Def Jam and really, in some ways, coming into it’s own and really being able to look back on the journey that we’ve all had whether it be myself, Russell Simmons, Lyor Cohen, Kevin Lyles, Julie Greenwald, you know, all the great artists that have come through Def Jam over the years.  This is an opportunity for me to sit down in front of all that material and look at all the photo sessions I’ve done with Jay-Z, and look at all the great imagery, and look at how far Jah Rule has come and Redman and Method Man, Slick Rick and E.P.M.D. and Onyx and, you know, some of the other acts that don’t get a lot of attention, like Downtown Science….

Soul 1: Wow.

Cey Adams: And look at all the early Beastie Boys’ photos and really soak in what I’ve spent the last 25 years of my life doing, in addition to working with other acts that aren’t on Def Jam.  In addition to that, I’m doing a lot of work with WNYC radio, helping them get their art program up and running and, in addition to that, I’m teaching at Brooklyn Academy of Music – teaching art to high school students that normally don’t have time to pay attention to art and that’s something that I’m really excited about.  In addition to that, I’m also painting a lot more and that’s something that I haven’t always had a lot of time for because of my graphic design career so, now, I’m picking up my oil paints and getting back to stretching canvass and making paintings and hanging out with some of my graffiti friends and doing art shows.  I’m going to Winnipeg, Canada for two weeks to do a mural with some of my old buddies that I use to paint graffiti with, you know, that’s something that’s a lot of fun and something that I don’t always have time to do because I’m working on other things and it’s nice that enough time has passed where people have finally embraced graffiti and now a lot of my friends are getting the opportunity to showcase their talents and it’s fun to go out and paint a wall with those guys and do a gallery show and get together and just talk about the good ole’ days because, you know, a lot of us have been doing this since we were 15, so, now we get a chance to see each other as adults and grown men and women and tell war stories.  It’s like that Bruce Springsteen song ‘Glory Days.’

Cey: So those are some of the things that I’m working on right now.  And in addition to that, I just published a book called “Definition, the art and Design of Hip-hop,” and so…

Soul 1: Bill Adler…

Cey: Right!  With my old buddy Bill Adler.  So, I’m also promoting that and that’s the other reason why I’m traveling, ‘cause I’m promoting the book and I’m doing interviews for that and I’m…

Soul 1: Who did the Lil’ Kim illustration? (on the cover)

Cey: A guy named Mike Thompson and…

Soul 1: He’s done a lotta stuff!…

Cey: Yeah, he’s a very talented guy.  He used to work with Marc Ecko

Soul 1: (recognizing) Okaaaaaaay…

Cey: So, he did all those illustrations that were in Ecko’s ad’s and what not.  I ran across his work and when I saw it I was like, “He’s gonna do the cover of my book,” and it was just no discussion in my mind.

Soul 1: Did he do the (Mike) Tyson bust? (granite illustration of M.T.)

Cey: That I don’t know about.  I saw his work and it just stopped me dead in my tracks.  I knew I wanted to work with him and made that decision right on the spot.

Cey: Those are some of the things that I’m doing and trying to just take in this great time that we’re living in.  I’m just so excited about Obama becoming President and that’s just keeping me high every single day, just the idea that he’s out there and he’s chipping away, trying to make a difference for people that can’t speak for themselves.  I’m happy to be alive right now because a lot of my friends, like I said, didn’t make it, or things didn’t pan out the way that they thought, and I’m just happy to be here.

Soul 1: That’s beautiful man.  Is there anything else that you’d like to add or anything you think I may have missed or…

Cey: No, no.  I think you’ve covered quite a bit in a short amount of time.  What I would love to do is get you a copy of my book just so you can see it and maybe there’s some stuff in there that might help for the story as well.

Soul 1: Do you have a copy?

Cey: I do.  It’s a very good read, I think that, hopefully, it’ll tell you some things you didn’t know about Hip-Hop from a visual perspective.  One of the things that I’ve found is that Hip-Hop today is synonymous with “rap.” And it wasn’t always that way.  Hip-Hop was about the elements.  When it started out, we all had a thing that we did, you know? This person danced, this person could paint, this person could draw, this person was the DJ, this person was an MC; and then all of a sudden, when big money came into the picture, Hip-Hop became…

Soul 1: Bullshit

Cey: Well that too, but it also became records; and it’s not just about records.  I constantly tell this to young people because they’re the ones who really don’t understand this.  They don’t know that it used to be a collective.  And I know that the word has to be put out there over and over again to remind people, but I mostly talk about young people.  So, when I’m speaking to High School kids, or even grade school kids, I try to remind them that this is something that started very organically the way you and a handful of your friends would have started something in the park or the playground.  And it blossomed into this global phenomenon, but lets not forget the roots: graffiti, breakdancing, deejaying, M.C.-ing, and that’s what it’s about.  So, for me, I have to remind people, you know, Jay-Z’s a great artist but Johnathan Manning is a great photographer, Mike Thompson is a great illustrator.  Why does one have to be any more important than the other?  The answer is: it’s not more important.  Crazy Legs is a great dancer.  EVERYBODY’S great.  It’s not just one thing; it’s not just about the music.  So my book was a way of reminding people that it’s not just about the music.

Soul 1: I dig it.  I guess sidebar, but in addendum to that, I used to write (graffiti) in Philadelphia and lately, especially within the last ten years, there’s been this influx of suburban white kids that don’t even associate graffiti with Hip-hop…

Cey: Right!

Soul 1: Like they’ll listen to Bad Brains or they’ll listen to Slayer or some Death-Metal Hardcore and (they’ll say), “I just bombed trains man, I just bombed freights, and I don’t even listen to Hip-Hop, yadda, yadda, da…graffiti ain’t got nothing to do with that.”

Cey: Right.

Soul 1: And it’s like, “Dude… it really really does…”

Cey: And it’s not for them to decide that, and that’s what they don’t understand.  I say look, unless you were there when it started; and I was there.  And I’m trying to get people to understand that there were no rules about who’s down and who’s not down.  It was about you doing your thing and nobody’s saying,  “O.K. you’re not cool enough to be in this group, you know?”  You do your thing.  When you went to the Roxy there wasn’t like, “O.K. cool kids on this side,” you know, “fakers on that side,” it was like, if you were in the building…

Soul 1: You were down.

Cey: You were down Period.  And that’s all it is and so, now, you got all these different rules about who’s better than this one, who’s better than that one, and it’s like, all that stuff aside man, just listen to the music and that’ll remind you of what it was really all about ‘cause that’s what they talked about in the early records.  They talked about the U-N-I-T-Y that’s what it was about and people forget that.  I’m here to tell ‘em because I’m still here and that’s really the idea behind it.  My book is about the glory days of what was great about Hip-Hop, you know?  We’re all talented and I’m just showing a lot of other people that are talented that you may not have heard of.  Sure jay-Z is in there, sure Puff is in there, but Nika Sarabi’s in there, Mike Thompson’s in there, you know, cats that are making ink now.  It’s not just about the people that hit.  I also want to remind people that Keith Haring used to be here and he made a mark.

Cey: I’m here to tell you that ALL of those people were down, you know?  And THAT’s the great thing about this culture is that NOBODY gets to decide those things so, you know, if you’re a journalist and you’re saying, “Oh, it happened this way.”  I’m here to tell you, “you know what, it DIDN’T happen this way, it happen that way ‘cause I was there.”  That’s one of the things that’s so cool now.  We all get an opportunity to do what we do whether cats like F. Gary Grey are getting to make movies, Steve Carr’s making movies, Brett Ratner’s making movies – those guys are Hip-Hop.

Soul 1: Yeah.  Ratner’s making a lotta movies.

Cey: Those guys are Hip-Hop, you know?  You got Hip-Hop journalists, whether it be yourself, Cheo Coker, Toure´, those guys are Hip-Hop.  Just because they work in a corporate environment doesn’t mean that they’re not, still Hip-Hop.

Soul 1: Right, right.  That’s profound man.

Cey: It’s just the way it is and sometimes you have to remind people.  And that’s one of the things that we had to touch upon in the book is that, Hip-Hop is so popular, a lot of things at this point are almost invisible because it’s so consumed as far as the mainstream goes.  It’s everywhere, but, you know, I’m here to remind you, when you see a Kool- Aid® character breakdancing on T.V. – that’s Hip-Hop.

Soul 1: Cool, cool, cool. Well they say ‘save the best for last’, so that was… (Laughs)

Cey: That was a lot of fun and I’m glad we got a chance to do this because, you know, I’m really excited about all these new opportunities, and like I said just the stuff that Gerald is trying to do is really great man. I just wanna try to help in any way I can.