I think every artist should do this in some form...Zo! breaks down the making of his songs.. ~ Thoughts of A Predicate Lifer

I think every artist should do this in some form...Zo! breaks down the making of his songs..

I am only going to give one entry. That way you can go to HIS BLOG and read about the rest of the making of the tracks.

"10. Flight Of the Blackbyrd (ft. Phonte)
The actual motivation behind this song is pretty interesting. Those who know me personally understand that I am pretty laid back for the most part, but that I am very competitive. It is part of my personality, it's a motivator for me, and I guess it's simply just the way I am wired. Hell, I played baseball through college so it was a NECESSARY trait if anything and I definitely have not "grown out of it". The reason why I remember the exact date of my creating this song is because another one of my brothers and great friends in music, Nicolay released his excellent City Lights 2: Shibuya album. Where's the connection? Well, I haven't even told Nic this... But I remember sitting at the computer and logging on to Twitter and seeing everyone talking about the new City Lights 2 album. So I'm reading, retweeting the album link, checking out all the positive comments.... and it hit me. My competitive side began to talk shit to me...

"Uhhh... what the hell are YOU doing right now?! Your people are releasing dope albums and you're sitting up on TWITTER. GET yo punk ass in the studio!!" © My Competitive Conscience

This is yet another advantage to working closely with kats who are so great at what they do, because it causes you to HAVE to be on point at all times. I put my computer to sleep and walked into the studio and a drum pattern just kinda came to me (higher power) that happened to be written in 3/4... Hmmmm, that's kinda different already. The chord progression soon followed and not too long after that, a "B" part (a section where there is a change in the music - kind of a "part 2"). I laid the song out FULLY, the intro piece, main part, the piano solo, the percussion breakdown (where I used percussion instruments that I bought specifically for the "Perfect Angel" remake), and the B part. ...I got Phonte on the phone and told him I would be sending a new one through. I sent him the instrumental and heard nothing back...............

...The next morning, I woke up to a text at about 6:55am......

Phonte: You at the crib?

Me: Yeah

P: SENT.

M: Got it... putting it on the iPod and listening on the way to the craziness (a/k/a WORK)

P: Nigga, call/text/IM/two-way/smoke signal me as SOON as you finish that shit

Maaaan, look. There are some songs that you listen to the first minute or two of them and know you're sitting on something special... THIS was that song. As soon as I heard Phonte's vocals come in, I was like... "This is it, this shit is CRAZY." I called him right back on the way to work and we were hyped up about this new joint... and the ideas started pouring. The next thing I know, here's a final version of the song with trumpeter Stan Graham goin' off on the joint with Phonte doing horn arrangements. DOPE. Overall, this joint took us the least amount of time to complete... Less than a day.

Musically, this was my "show off" joint all because my competitive side took over for a minute. Thanks to my FE family for pushing me to make music like this joint in particular and not even realizing it! lol"

Get that album here

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Let me be clear. I need you to SUPPORT the artist whose music you see/hear in the music player here. Some of them are my FRIENDS!! I want them to make money. So while I may put up a link here or there that they didn't 'endorse', it is only out of the love for their music and the fact that I want you to SUPPORT THEM. So please do. Seek out their music. Some of them are VASTLY UNDERRATED and your FAVORITE MUSICIAN loves them. So it isn't 'talent'. It is exposure. Which is all I am trying to give them here.. SO SUPPORT THEM!!!

Text Widget

I post 'em up ON THE REG. I post 'em, pay the compliments I want to when necessary and leave it at that. Period. If you happen to be the 'man in the young lady's life', don't worry dawg, I don't want your woman. I'm good.

If the fact that I do post up women means that you don't 'respect' any serious topic I discuss then your 'Fuck You and your respect ' is in the link below...Go ahead and read it....I think that should about cover how I feel about what 'you think'..

http://thewarehous.blogspot.com/2011/01/shoot-messengermiss-entire-fuck-outta.html

As for the 'woman' who are afraid of being 'exploited' by a site like the one I run here..Or who feel like I 'stole' your pics or something along those lines.. I have addressed you as well...

http://thewarehous.blogspot.com/2011/07/so-i-guess-i-have-to-be-bad-guy-it-isnt.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%20blogspot%2FrDZx%20%28The%20WareHouse%29

I do occasionally interview folks so browse around. I don't call them interviews though. I call 'em 'Chats' 'cause that is usually what is like. Not claiming to be some CNN reporter over here. Just asking questions that many of us want answers to and some questions that some of you don't THINK TO ASK OR THINK CERTAIN FOLKS ARE GOING THROUGH/THINKING ABOUT/DOING. I like to dig deep so if you agree to an interview, be prepared. I might ask you anything. I probably will stay away from the majority of the 'standard' questions though. Just bare that in mind. Again..the site's official email is thewarehouseblogspot@gmail.com if you would like to be interviewed. Hit me up.

The popular posts usually contain enough POSITIVE examples of how this works great for both THE BLOG and the subjects of the posts. Usually, those post are a DIRECT RESULT of support from the young lady via a posting on THEIR OWN TWITTER, blog or Facebook. So thank you for that IN ADVANCE (and if you have done so in the past..) for that mutual support. It is appreciated. Truly.

Oh and one more thing...

I DON'T WATER MARK PICTURES THAT I DIDN'T EITHER TAKE OR WERE NOT ORIGINALLY GIVEN TO ME. I have seen folks RUSH TO DO IT and it is pretty damm sad. Not my style. I am not a fool. I know that most of what I do in regards to pictures can be replicated so there is no need to act like I'm out here doing more than what it is. I provide a space to see a collection of pictures in that regard. Nothing more. Nothing less. Watermarking pictures that aren't 'mine per say kinda comes off a little pompous to me. That's just me though..

I want you to be able to tell when I do TAKE THE PICTURE without me saying as much. What do I look like watermarking your pictures up if I didn't 'take them'?

You see the watermark on a picture here with the blog's name in it? Then you know I took the picture in some fashion. Screen shot. With the camera phone. With the Canon or the web cam. Or it was given to me for exclusive use. (At least at press time)

Thoughts of A Predicate Lifer