ARTIST PROFILE: R.D.G. aka Murda Traxx

Listen to Murda Traxx on Reverbnation


Real Talk, this artist is straight out of Aurora, IL.
 His lyrics are tight and the beats are great to nod your head to. 
His name is R.D.G. aka Murda Traxx.
And Murder Tracks is exactly what he does.  

I just gave the man a listen, and he is pretty damn good.
So, I am putting his player up on this blog.

"Walk Away" is a strong track with a clear message.
"Fuck'em"--the title speaks for itself, but it is a message (obviously) to all his haters.
"Come Down" and "Doin my Thang" are available for free download.

Check him out!  And always support your local artists.

http://www.myspace.com/rdg460/videos/video/104436683

For booking information please email RDG  at

rdgmurdatraxx@yahoo.com

Check out music from R.D.G. aka Murda Traxx

Quarter key feat DraZ RUN IT video HD

ARTIST PROFILE: QUARTERKEY--"Bigger than life" AND LOVING IT.

    Quarterkey is a humble man from humble beginnings--except when he is on the mic. He has a take no prisoners style and a razor sharp wit. Take that and add stone hard, crystal clear metaphors and you have one of the hardest emcees in all of Lake County, IL. He is also one of the host of Legal Dope Radio on http://www.blogtalkradio.com/.
    Quarterkey's mixtape BIGGER THAN LIFE dropped on October 10^th of this year, but he has been making a name for himself as a rap artist for a long time. SO JUST WHO IS QUARTERKEY?  And what is he about?

Quarterkey has heart, and you can hear it in the delivery as well as the content of his lyrics.   That is what seperates him from most rappers in Lake County, IL as well as the mainstream.

This young man could have fell off along time ago.   As most of the youth of America do, he had everything going against him.   The streets where the father he never had, and the harsh reality of that has shaped the scope of his vision.

To find out more about the man that is Quarterkey, check out his bio on his personal website.
OR listen to him on your computer from where ever you are on BLOG TALK RADIO's Legal Dope Radio every Wednesday.  The call in number is 917 889 8016.



And to stay addicted, check out Quarterkey's reverbnation page and listen to his tracks.    And to become addicted, just watch the "Run it" video.

STREET BEAT Artist Profile: Juan Zavala

The idea for this blog came from an email I recieved from underground gospel hip hop artist Juan Zavala.  
I had the pleasure of buying Zavala's album HIGH from my local record shop Play by Play Records on Grand Avenue in Waukegan, IL.  And it was so worth it.

The album was so different.  I can only describe Zavala's music as Gospel hip hop with a street sensibility.   The beats were hypnotic, and the message pulls at the heart of the listener.  Some people say christian rap can't go hard.  I say that Juan Zavala's music proves that theory wrong.

Since we last spoke, Juan has been building his repertoire.   You can now find his music, as well as a gallery of links and photos on his own website http://www.juanlzavala.com/. 

Check out the songs  "Always you are God", "No Se", and "All I Need"

Street Beat Editorial: To vote or not to vote

Back in November 2008, this nation elected its first African American President on the pretense of change and upheaval of the status quo.   Whether you think that change has come or not, one thing has always been certain:  the vote and 'the right to vote' does make a difference.

In the past, I would often be scoffed at for wanting to discuss voting and politics.  It seemed like everyone had an "I am black so it doesn't matter" attitude every November.  My attitude was that those who were ignorant of there own history were the cause if it repeating itself.  And since, people protested, marched, bled and died for my rights in this nation, I don't see the harm of bringing it up from time to time that my vote counts.

Most people don't realize that their vote counts, because they don't realize that they have choices beyond Republican and Democrat, Conservative or Liberal.  Many people vote one way or the other, because it has been ingrained in there minds that one side is for them while the other is against them.  Still, we complain when the same amount of nothing gets done by these lying politicians and our taxes are raised to support their special interests.

Well, there are other parties, and other candidates, just as qualified to do the jobs of the ones running the attack ads against each other.  Right now, in Congressional District 10, we have GREEN PARTY CANDIDATES, (learn more about that party by clicking the link)  as well as LIBERTARIAN, and Independent non partisan (stand alone) Candidates.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THESE PARTIES

There is also the option of writing in your candidate for election into public office.   For Representative District 60 this is the case with Valerie Devost who is write in for Illinois State Representative and Micheal White who is running for Governor of the state of Illinois.  You can listen to Micheal White being interviewed by clicking the link to Lenny Palmer's podcast page.   Lenny's Podcast AM 1050 WLIP & AM 1220 WKRS and You can listen to this interview featuring write in candidate Valerie Devost by Jerry and Nick on WKRS 1220 AM Devost's Jerry and Nick Interview. 

If you have never heard of these people or these political parties, it is not a coincidence.   Ignorance drives the masses when you are playing a political numbers game.  And it is a numbers game.

This is a learning opportunity for all who read this before the November election.  But if you cannot make it out in November, please note that you still can vote early in October from the 11th to the 28th.  That means right now you can make a difference and let your voice be heard.  Right now, if you are fed up you can do something about it.

EARLY ELECTION OFFICES

The reason I vote is not only to preserve my right to complain, but it is also done by me to remember those who came before me who could not.    I have to live in this country, and by God, I am going to let my voice be heard.

Get out and vote.

Book Review: Beastmode by Marcus Hasty

In the streets, death lies around every corner.  Marcus Hasty, the author of Beastmode, knows this well and takes us on a journey through the belly of the beast.

For the author, this is more than just a work of fiction.  This is his life coming out of him and bleeding on the pages.   Welcome to the Jungle.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Marcus Hasty for my show RAC RADIO PRESENTS at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/. 

Listen here

In the book, Marcus gives us a glimpse into the darker side of street life.  Having written the story while incarcerated, the author gives us an unapologetic look at life in the hood.  The story is graphic, and clever.

The story begins with the lives of Twon and Qwon who, after discovering the lifeless body of their own mother on Christmas morning from a heroine overdose, are put on a path of discovery, power and revenge.  Their father is known as the King in their city, and the King has a plan for his progeny that involves getting back at the crooked cops that incarcerated him and making sure that his children are set for life. 

But be warned, street life is lowdown, twisted and grimy.  Some of the characters are as crazy and off the chain, as any you would find on your street corner hustling.  Just like in any tale, there are many twist and turns, but the clarity of a great story is in there. 

In Beastmode: Welcome to the Jungle, you want to cheer for the anti-hero.  You want the underdogs to get theirs.  That is the fun part of fiction.   Look for the sequel coming soon.

http://www.beastmodebook.com/
http://www.blocklife.ning.com/