SXSW 2012

In case you haven't heard, I'm spending the week in Austin, TX at the convention known as South by South West (SxSW) just networking, getting hammered and having a generally jolly ol' time. Between catching shows from vets like Mobb Deep and EPMD, stars like Wiz Khalifa and Future, and up-and-comers like Hopsin and Clear Soul Forces, I might be having the best time of my life.... Again.

This year, however, I did not come to Texas empty handed. This time, I brought an album preview. If you don't know, the Black Collar Movement LP / Mixtape / whatever is all but set to drop in a few months. I felt it made sense to let folks know what he deal is. So here are five random tracks from the record that I threw on the SxSW Sampler. Production by Sonny The Producer, Stewart Villain and Terminill. The sampler also features a guest verse by my boy Scrips and a hook by the lovely and talented Caitlin Cardier.

Enjoy and please provide feedback. #APM

Debauchery - Mac Smiff X Luck One Vs. DJ Chill

Check out my write up on WeOutHere on the "beef" with DJ Chill. In the meantime, enjoy this track by myself and Luck. I think it gooooessss....



~Smitty

Pass The Mic + Happy 2012

Welcome to the New Year, folks! Your boy is making a little more money but it's still Black Collar around here; no luxury vehicles or Louie luggage, just public transportation and a fly new watch. Been super busy as of late writing for We Out Here Magazine, but thought I'd take a moment to drop some dope new music on the page. Enjoy!

Who said Portland doesn’t have emcees? Produced by Terminill for Flatline Studios, Pass The Mic is the city’s ultimate rap cipher and the opening track for Flatline Studios Complilation Vol. 1. Inspired by the Pepsi Smash campaign of late, the crisp audio-video collaboration puts 8 of the city’s hottest, most explosive rappers on display.


Serge Severe (of Animal Farm) leads off repping Portland on an incendiary digital beat loop, and makes way for Th3ory Hazit (Humble Beast) and Jon Belz (Chill Crew) to work magic on the track. A quick skip in the beat and it’s time for Luck One (of Seventh Science) to add his bit before Quiz Zilla flirts with double-time flows. Next, Mila Gordana adds a woman’s touch with her distinctively sultry sound before Cassow gets in it, leaving the final verse for Braille (Humble Beast) to drop knowledge.

With this project, Portland becomes the latest in a long line of cities to create a Pass The Mic track. Houston, New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Dallas and Chicago have all represented their respective metropolitan areas in this manner with success. Now it’s Portland’s turn to show and prove. The associated music video – shot and directed by V1Creative – is sure to turn heads, and will hopefully attract more attention to the Northwest’s growing rap scene. In the words of Terminill, “I just want for the world to get a taste of what Portland has to offer hip-hop.” You can rest assured, this collection will not disappoint.
 

Opinion: Running In Circles (Why Google Plus Never Stood A Chance)

As Facebook began to replace MySpace as the preferred place for people to spam our walls with terrible music, get way too much information about people we do or don't know, and tag us in pictures of Jordan heels, many social media lovers flocked to Twitter for a more controllable experience. Seeing the value of owning a successful social media network, Google abandoned their failed attempt to mimic Twitter - Google Buzz - and re-entered the SM arena with Google Plus (G+) with the goal of capitalizing on the growing public frustration with Facebook.

With a look that nearly mirrors Facebook, and the ability to put people in "Circles" so that users can easily decide who sees what, internet addicts flocked to G+ with the hopes of "starting over". A few months later, it is an online ghost town. Despite having millions of subscribers, it simply seems that no one uses the platform for anything besides bashing Facebook and complaining that nobody ever uses G+. So what happened?

Aside from the sub-par mobile apps (or complete lack of apps for BlackBerry users), issues with Internet Explorer (no one's using Chrome), and the simple fact that people were not quite ready to move-on from Facebook, there is a more simple reason that G+ just never caught on. People use social media for instant attention and up-to-the-moment information, and Google Plus just doesn't deliver either. This all starts with the aforementioned Circles.

MySpace and Facebook had "Friends". In the friend system, people request to be your friend and you have the ability to approve or deny them. Simple. This leads to feelings being hurt sometimes, but it works. Twitter changed the game by allowing people to simply "Follow" people that they find interesting. This allowed celebrities to amass millions of followers with little to no effort (as they don't have to hire people to accept all of those requests) and makes following back optional. People wanting more privacy can setup private pages, which requires potential followers to pass approval. The elimination of the "friend" concept was a monumental change in the social media world.

The developers at Google decided to take it one step further with the Circles concept. Rather than have your information out for the world to see, G+ allows people to choose who they want to see their updates. Further, you can create various circles so that posts are only seen by those you want. Sounds nice and private, right? Right... and that's exactly the issue. Lets take a few examples, shall we?

A: I think you're cool, so I add you to my "Cool People" circle and let you see my updates. You don't know who the heck I am so you just skim over my updates. Where's my instant gratification? G+ fails because it lacks the ability to let people see into other people's lives; instead, it gives us the ability to push our lives (no matter how boring or mundane) onto others. But that's not how social media works.

B: Blake Griffin is awesome. I wanna see what he's talking about. But Blake is not going to find me on G+ and add me to a circle so that'll never happen. Thus, I'll just keep following him on Twitter. People who do interesting things don't (or at least shouldn't) spend time trying to find people to talk to. That's what fans do. In essense, G+ has the game backwards.

C: Terrible Rapper X adds me to his circle, and now I have to see his mess or block him. I hardly know this guy and I'm OK with that. Now I have to make a choice about him, and I'd rather be passive. So while my wall is safe, my timeline is hot garbage.

To summarize, Google Plus is perfect if you want a quiet, tame and occasional social media world. It's also a great way to keep in touch with pre-designated groups of friends. It has very little purpose to people looking to expand their networks and engage with dynamic personalities. Really, by focusing on creating a ratchet-less Facebook clone, Google succeeded in creating the first Anti-Social Media platform. Good job.


~Mac

NOTE: This article is not meant to bash Google as a company. Most of their products (especially Blogger and GMail) work great for me. Holler.

Real Talk: Roundtable with Mayor Sam Adams on the Oppression of Black Nightlife

In a medium-sized city like Portland, Oregon where Black people make up a dismal 6% of the population, it's not hard to imagine that African American culture is stifled at every turn. Two huge parts of any culture are music and attire... If you're local to this area, then you probably already know where I'm going with this.


"We" often talk about "they" and "the powers that be" holding "us" back. This sort of talk gets "us" nowhere, and more often then not leaves "us" both angry and frustrated at an unnamed enemy. Last Monday, a few of "us" got together to meet with some of "them" and delved into what may or may not be a futile attempt to make a change.


After a summer that featured the closure of one of Portland's few Black-owned establishments and the shut-down of Portland's biggest monthly hip-hop party (Massive), a good friend of mine and master networker, Keeara Taylor (of 360 Degrees Unlimited), used her City Hall contacts and some creative Twitter-jabbing to pull Mayor Sam Adams and some of his staff into a round-table discussion regarding the issues regarding Hip-Hop Culture and - to put it bluntly - racism in Portland's nightlife. Further fueling this discussion are issues such the blacklisting of hip-hop events and the use of vague dress codes to exclude (primarily) Black males from various clubs in the name of gang-enforcement.


During the summer, tensions reached a fever pitch. It seemed that every violent crime was labeled gang-related and every unsolved downtown assault and murder was blamed on a Black suspect in an over-sized white tee. As expected, this meeting was delayed until fall, and by now, most of us are over it as our focus on party-going has dwindled with the Northwest weather. How quickly we forget our past priorities in today's culture of disposable politics... But let me avoid that tangent for now.


The meeting went well. While a number of Portland's prominent hip-hop figures did not show up, a handful of intelligent, articulate and passionate members of the community did. The Mayor made sure to get the perspectives of the various attendees; Keeara discussed undercover racism, Chase Freeman (from Beauty Bar Portland) discussed difficulties in booking hip-hop artists, I discussed the difficulty for even a well dressed respectable Black male to gain entry to various establishments, Terminill (of Flatline Studios) discussed the lack of outlet for local hip-hop musicians. Alan Bell and Danny Davoodi echoed these sentiments, adding credence to the discussion. Danny also noted that the presence of foot patrols in high-occupancy areas have helped significantly and should continue.


On the proverbial other side of the table, the Mayor expressed, obviously, that public safety was his main concern. He noted that African-American gangs accounted for a large percentage of Portland's shootings and admitted that deterring the activity of Black gangs was a priority. Similarly, sergeants and lieutenants in charge of downtown operations and gang task forces discussed the ability of clubs to avoid violence with three simple rules: Don't Allow Entry to the Visibly Intoxicated, Consistently Enforce A Dress Code, and Consistent/Thorough Searching of Patrons. Unfortunately, we did not hear much of anything from the city's Director of Art & Culture, though I was especially interested in his take on the dilemma.


The major point of discussion revolved around the fact that dress codes are not consistently enforced; rather, they are used as a way to systematically exclude. We also touched on the blacklisting of hip-hop shows, or really any event that was expected to draw large crowds of Black people. The police countered that there was a lack of communication between promoters and police, causing a lack of trust, and admitted that events are blocked when they feel there will be violence. The Mayor added the claim that the police are able to predict violence at or immediately following certain events with remarkable accuracy. Everyone agreed that many people that should be at the discussion were not present, though it was not always agreed exactly whom those people were.


While seeds were planted on both sides of the table, there was no resolution attained. As such, the Mayor agreed to continue the discussion in November. One thing that I would love to further address is the dress code piece. After some prodding by yours truly, Lt. Steinbraun noted that while the police do not set the dress codes (or set quotas on the number Black people allowed in clubs), the club owners and security may be setting rules that are exclusionary in nature in order to ensure they meet police standards. In my opinion, it should be the duty of the city to ensure that business are not discriminating on protected classes (i.e., race, gender). Furthermore, if the city is not saying what the dress codes should be, why are most of the clubs setting the same dress code? Hats, sneakers, and athletic gear do not create or foster violence.. and what exactly is gang attire?


Clearly, there is a lot more work to be done here, but I'm happy we're setting the groundwork. When the lane's open, anything's possible.


Tis' all for now, kids. And remember, don't tweet about it, be about it.




~Mac, your undercover local activist.

Kicks: M7 Advance

Ahhhhh... The joys of being a Knicks fan... Not only do I get to endure constant ostrasization from sports fans across the world, I am also left out of the loop when special edition gear comes out.

I can remember years ago, desperately wanting for a home Sprewell jersey. Good luck getting those anywhere besides the Garden itself, circa 1999. Truth be told though, I probably dodged a bullet since the jersey was obsolete the next year and downright embarrassing shortly thereafter. Oh, the joys of hindsight.

Despite this wisdom, I am still a stupid and emotional Knickerbocker die-hard, and the current objects of my fashion affections are Carmelo Anthony's latest in the Jumpman collection: The M7 Advances.


I'm not a big fan of the blue/white/orange variation, but these black and whites are hella sick to me and would look great on the rack next to my CP3s.

Just my luck though, they are only gong to be available at the NEW YORK Nike Town, and probably won't even be made available for online purchase. Being that I live in Portland, Oregon, that blows chunks. But... this is the Black Collar Movement and we make our own luck around these parts.

I'm praying these shoes don't sell out like Scottie Pippin, because I'm actually planning a road trip back East at the end of June. No, not just for the shoes. I'm going to visit my parents in Richmond and planned to make a NY stop on the way anyway. So if these are still available when I get there, you might catch me in a pair of the most exclusive sneaks this side of the Appalachians!

NOTE: I'm still looking for a driving partner, so hit me up if interested. (Driving there, flying back.)

Wish me luck!


~Mac Smiff (Knickerbockers/Mets West Coast Afficionado)

Music: Shane Eli

Despite the fact that I listen to a ton of music, create music, and love music, I rarely blog about music. This has to change. So here goes...

When I was down in Austin for SXSW, I had the pleasure of meeting a friendly and charismatic fellow named Shane Eli. He was kinda holding up the wall at the 2DopeBoyz Showcase and while I can't recall how our conversation started, we quickly found ourselves laughing and exchanging info. When I asked what brought him to SXSW, he told me he was a producer, and that he rapped a little too. I told him that I rap, but that I've been slacking on my game and needed to get refocused. He shared some encouragement and let me know he had a free mixtape coming out soon. I promised to check it out.

A few weeks later, I was going through the contacts I'd gained and found Shane's rather stylish business card. So I went to ShaneEli.com and downloaded his mixtape I Can Do Better. I'd highly suggest you do the same.

Little did I know that this guy writes, records, produces and raps on his own music. I also did not expect to download a 19-track album with top-to-bottom quality. After my first play through, my initial reaction was, "This is free?" I was also surprised to learn that Shane has produced for a range of artists from Diggy Simmons to Earth, Wind & Fire. I'm going to say that again... Earth, Wind & Fire... Wait, is this the same humble dude I met in Austin?

I can't lie, I had to completely re-think my project once I heard this album. Guillotine is my favorite track on the record - there's just something real Black Collar about it - while Bo Jackson, City Never Sleeps (ft. Jenny Bapst), and Let’s Ride (ft. Playboy Tre & Rittz) are in a tight race for second place. Two months later, I'm still banging this in my car on a daily basis. Without doubt, this is in my top 5 albums of 2011, and I don't see it falling off the list. The only knock I can offer are that the intros provided by DJ Skee seem out of place and are kind of annoying.

Enough with the jibber-jabber, do yourself a favor and download I Can Do Better (via DJ Booth) by clicking on the picture below. And yes, I know he looks lke Drake. OK, I'm out.

Debauchery - My Drunken Epiphany at Luck One's True Theory Album Release Party at the Crown Room.

This post is dedicated to my good buddy Amsterdam, who should have rolled with us but instead elected to drive back to Salem at 8pm.

SATURDAY - April 10, 2011


My youngest son's first game on the "farm team" (read: coach-pitch baseball) was a barn-burner and he scored 3 runs, batted .500 and forced 5 outs while playing first baseman. Like a child he displayed an eager excitement, but at the same time exerted his will through passion and determination.

While he got the shine, I got to play proud poppa. I happily rooted for him, became vocally frustrated when he missed opportunities, and took compliments and looks of approval from other parents and onlookers. One of the people in the audience was none other than DJ Gen Erik (of Animal Farm) who stopped by with his family while taking a walk on that rare sunny Spring day in Portland, Oregon.

What did that have to do with Luck One's album release party? Nothing at all, but it certainly set the stage for what was clearly an excellent day from the get go. See, in Mac's World winning days turn into debaucherous nights... It also allowed me to brag about my ultra-athletic and undeniably handsome - albeit slightly undersized - 7 year old son, so ha!

Fast forward a few hours and I'm kissing my son on the forehead and kissing my mom on the cheek. She tells me to have fun and be safe, as always. I grin, as always, and promise to do the former, but that I can't guarantee the latter. She rolls her eyes and smiles as I jump in my whip, as always.

Forward another hour :: Goodwill and I are walking up to The Crown Room. It's 9:10 and there is a line around the corner. Doors are scheduled to open at 9:30, and the first hour is an open bar. When the doors open, Goodwill and I look at the bartender from our seats and he asks, "What can I get ya?" (Word to Eric, my favorite club security guy!)

Kevin, Craig and Brynden from V1Creative were there with the camaras already and documented the first few drinks of the night. People began pouring in and by the fourth round we were surrounded at the bar. Familiar and new faces came and went and some hellacious conversation ensued. Trox was an early enterer and wasted no time getting red-faced with us. I'm pretty sure I met a few Twitter followers and I certainly made a few new ones. My favorite bartender in the world, Christina, was not present that evening though, so I decided not to make it a Hennessy night and just chill with a half-dozen or so rum & cokes. Sonny, on the other hand, couldn't wait for open bar to end and at 10:30 on the dot he promptly purchased his cup of Heem.

It was around this time that I decided I needed to do the Stand Up After Drinking A Lot Test. See, just a few hours ago I was asked by Luck One to perform with him at his album release. My acceptance of this task meant that I wouldn't be wearing a button-up, so minor wardrobe adjustments were made before leaving the house. Had to get back in rapper mode. But I digress... I passed the test with nary a wobble and was confident that my clear intoxication had me right in the pocket. I felt like Jackie Chan in The Legend of Drunken Master. I mean, I'm nice in my right mind, but I go Level 7 off a good one.

A bathroom break with no lines involved (#winning!) had me feeling kind of Charlie Sheen-ish and after washing my hands like several others didn't (I see you nasty effers and that's why you don't get daps from me!) it was about time to rock. I made no attempt to estimate the number of people in the building, but the building was clearly at, if not beyond, capacity. Maybe I'll ask Leigh for the official numbers later, but the point is that the place was packed, obviously.

We took the stage and once again I saw DJ Gen Erik attending one of my family events. Then I watched my younger brother maturely focus his excitement and masterfully exert his will on a captive crowd, much like I'd watched my son do earlier. This time, I was a little closer to the action though, and my rooting was magnified not only by my BAC, but also by the size of the moment.

As a respectable emcee in my own right, I'm often asked what it's like to hype for my little brother. To me, I'm doing the same thing on the stage with Luck One that I do at my son's games; that is, anxiously and unapologetically supporting my family while basking in the glow of potential greatness. On the days when it's my turn to be the star, they do the same for me and that's what family is about.

Yet and still, that does not answer how I feel. But if a picture is worth a thousand words, a video must be worth a nonillion sentances. So I'll give you two videos and leave you with some math homework. Oh, and Keak da Sneak still rocked after us. Brave guy.

Intro + 80's Back




Freestyle + I Believe



Over and out,


~Mac Smitty (the 7th Science Assassin)

Mac's Journey at SXSW

The following story was run last week on www.weouthere.net. Biggups to Jake Espinoza for putting me on.

Without divulging too much, I can tell you that the last few months have been an amazingly difficult for me. In desperate need of a temporary change of scenery, I decided to go to the music convention known as SXSW (South by Southwest) this year with my little brother Hanif, aka Luck One. Not having any current project of my own, I figured I'd use this trip to help promote his upcoming project (True Theory), network with the music community, and maybe inspire myself to get more serious with my music. I accomplished all of these these things during my trip, and not without a few stories to tell. So let's just go ahead and jump in, shall we?

Click here to read the rest of this story. Trust me, it'd be a wise decision. 

Press Release (By Me) - N.VS x Calvin Valentine - Trophy Cases

N.VS x CALVIN VALENTINE RELEASE FREE DOWNLOADABLE EP – TROPHY CASES

Let it begin. Portland-based producer Calvin Valentine has teamed with Chicago-based emcee N.VS to create Trophy Cases, the first of several releases planned from the seven-member Fang Tshida collaborative. The free and downloadable 5-song EP features cameos from rhymers Sam Trump, BE.Water and Epp – as well as musical input from DaiN, Hi-Res and Chase Moore – and is themed with radio clips from the Portland Trailblazers’ 1977 NBA Championship series; clearly a nod to the duo’s Oregon roots.

Valentine and N.VS grew up as friends in the Oregon college town of Eugene before settling, respectively, in Portland and Chicago. Calvin Valentine is an extremely soulful young man with a penchant for combining slappy beats with live instrumentation. His clientele list includes Two Time World Rap Champion Illmaculate and West Coast hip-hop legend Planet Asia. Meanwhile, N.VS – an audio engineering student at Columbia College Chicago – is a smooth syllable-slicing wordsmith turned beatsmith, eagerly finding his way back to the proverbial wax. Focused on producing for the last three years, Trophy Cases is his first return to the microphone as a headlining emcee.

The resulting combination is a free EP that works. N.VS’ well thought out rhyme schemes and experience performing with a live band help meld his voice comfortably with Valentine’s expressive head-knocking compositions. With a sound built to satisfy existing fan bases in two very different regions, this first installment from Fang Tshida is certain to garner significant buzz. The title track, which is also the single, is receiving radio play on both WGCI 107.5 (Chicago) and Wild 107.5 (Portland).
Download Trophy Cases for free at: http://trophycases.bandcamp.com/

What If: "I Started This Wanksta Sh*... Is the Motherf* Thanks I Get?"

11:00 PST

This morning, Ja Rule held a press conference to officially side with Jay-Z in his hardly-escalating beef with Oakland, California rap pastor Hammer.

Ja stated that he understands what it means to have people take shots at you, assured Jay-Z that their friendship was still intact, and shamelessly showed footage from the "Can I Get A..." music video and the motion picture "Backstage". When asked by a tabloid journalist why he was needlessly inserting himself into this mess, Rule responded, "I started this wanksta shit... Is this the motherfuckin thanks I get?"

Hammer's camp has been quiet, but strongly hinted that due to budget constraints, the response will not be as well produced as the Jay-Z attack.

Jay-Z has declined comment on either matter, but smiled at the paparazzi and mused, "Holla, holla."

No major news stations were present to record this occurrence; however, FOX News did show up an hour later and report "Live" from the scene.


What if...?

twitter.com/macsmiff

Flicks: The Town (or so they call it...) **NO SPOILERS**

Whoa... I know it's been a minute. Things have been hectic in the life of Mr. Smiff, and for some reason I let that stagnate my writing. My bad...

So what brought me back? A promise to a friend that after I saw the new Affleck-directed movie, The Town, that I would write a review. Not one to break a promise, here I am, keeping my word.

Certainly a cops-and-robbers movie intent on recapturing the chilling suspense and brazen emotion of movies such as Heat and The Departed, the storyline in The Town revolves around a small gang of Boston bank robbers and the federale intent on bringing them to justice. Of course, these are no ordinary bank robbers... No, these elusive thieves live in the ghetto of Charlestown (aka "The Town") which is apparently a breeding ground for only the finest of bank robbers. The leader of the gang is played by none other than Ben Affleck (Dogma, Daredevil, Gigli) who also directed the film. Now I know, the idea of Affleck playing a crime boss is somewhat tough to imagine, but he does a decent - if not believable - job and was smart enough to cast Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) as his trusty and rather unstable second in command. The rest of the cast is filled with familiar-yet-unrecognizable faces and names who all do a pretty darn good job in their respective roles.

Through the film, Affleck takes us to and through his clearly imagined rough-and-tumble home-town of Boston where the law is apparently everywhere yet incapable of stopping his gang from victimizing bank after bank so long as he is masterminding the schemes. Naturally, Ben's character quickly falls in love with a witness to one of the bank robbers (Rebecca Hall) who is not aware of his identity. Not surprisingly, she is a very plain white girl. More surprising, she is NOT played by Elektra - err - Jennifer Garner. This twist (the part about her being a witness, not the part about her not being his real life wife) makes for an interesting storyline, and I must say they do a good job of not slowing the movie down with boring banter. This is, after all, an action movie!

Eventually Ben's character, being a nice-guy at heart and merely a product of his super-ghetto environment, decides he wants out of the game... And the plot again thickens.

While rather unbelievable, I submit that this action drama was done pretty darn well. There are some compelling scenes, and some cornball scenes. A few very good chase scenes and a good climax. Plus a recurring theme that snitching is not cool. Not unlike a Friday night at the club. The only real gripes I'd have are a) I don't think there were ANY minorities in the movie, b) the over-inflated and annoying Boston accents, and c) the fact that everyone in the movie was borderline stupid, except for Ben Affleck, and naturally, his father (played convincingly by Chris Cooper).

Other than that, it was a good date night flick. I won't be buying it on DVD though. Good standalone movie, but certainly no Scorsese or De Niro masterpiece.  B+

Debauchery: We Win 2.0 Charity Show - Salem, OR

So Saturday night I drove down to the Capitol so I could be part of the second We Win charity show at The Coffee House in downtown Salem. Much like the first, the second show was a success and I thoroughly enjoyed making the crowd scream "They Don't Want It" with me and making the building shake. In fact, my dude Chris' wife was in the bathroom of the bar next door and said we made the mirrors shake. Good business...

I am awaiting footage and pics from the event, but in the meantime thought I'd drop some video from the first We Win event. Here's the set that I rocked the first go-round. If nothing else, skip forward to the 16:16 mark and watch how live the crowd gets when I come with the hit.

Enjoy!!

Debauchery: Victor Shade Album Release + Twista Show

So it's been a while... For that I apologize, but I'm back like I never left (in fact, I never left) with more stories for ya. I know you're thirsty... So as I sit and listen to Trox's "Small Hands Big Slaps" beat tape, I contemplate the last few wild days I've had.

Victor Shade Album Release
I drove up to Seattle on Saturday night (and missed Massive, sadly enough) to rock with Luck One at the Victor Shade album release party. Now I had no idea who Victor Shade was, nor am I particularly impressed with his music after the fact, but I'll tell you who I was impressed with. But first...

So Luck and I arrived to the party location at 11 - an underground loading zone in the heart of downtown Seattle - and the only person there was a setup guy who insisted that they'd get started around midnight and that "it's gonna crack". Doubtful and upset I'd driven to Seattle for a wack show, I went and got some food and an energy drink. By 11:30, people were circling the block and hanging out near the building... By 12, the doors were open and there were a few dozen people dancing to the smooth spins of DJ 100 Proof and picking up drinks from the makeshift bar.

So DJ 100 Proof... Now that's one cool white dude! Even though he'd done a monster job scratching over my track "For the Gifted" for the Cut Em Or Pay Em record, I'd never actually met him and was really impressed with how he spun for our set. Also, he works with an entertainment group called Members Only, and I think we might see some collaborations in the future.

Oh yeah, our set... So Luck wanted to do They Don't Want It and let me tell you IT WENT HARD!!! We rocked about 12:30 and the place was packed. There were at least a hundred people packed in that cargo bay and they were jumping up and down, W's up still from when we did Warrior, yelling THEY DON'T WANT IT!!! Ha ha... Then the homies Jose and Nelson started getting me drunk... Yup, It "cracked"!

But before I took in too much liquor, I peeped a set by another Seattle mainstay I'd never actually met, Fatal Lucciano. Dude's only about 5'2" but he gets busy! His cadence is eerily similar to Biggie's so perhaps I'm partial to his style. Regardless, dude knows how to rock a crowd and we had some good convo afterwards.

Oh, highlight of my night actually came the next morning when I came out of Luck's apartment to find that my car had been towed... Boo!!!!

Twista in Eugene
After taking a day of rest on Sunday, the homie Nick drove me down to Eugene where I opened for Twista with my Salem family, Matty and Payne at The Blueprint This whole day was a crazy one and I'd love to explain why but I fear the FCC. Anyway, I just want to say ON THE RECORD that I'm hella jealous of Twista's security detail. Them dudes took over the club and at one point - while Twista was sound checking - they moved all of the "other artists" into a lobby and guarded all exits.  I felt like I was in a refugee camp.

The team performance went very well. The crowd was huge, and we owned it. After we finished, Mr. D.O.G. (who is really should not rap with his t-shirt tucked in) took the stage and continued yelling "They Don't Want It, heyyy!!!" Effin biter. LOL. On a random thought tip, I found that there's a nice population of Black folks that live in Eugene and are not students. This was very surprising to me, but very interesting...

Twista's set was amazing. As we already know, dude's got an incredible repertoire of hit records and he peeled them off effortlessly. From hard hitters to panty droppers, he wrecked shop for about 40 minutes before his security escorted him to the VIP area - as if he were the president.

Then came the hater move. Twista's impressive security squad - which appeared to be made up of former football players, MMA fighters and WWF stars - locked down the VIP section (which the other performers previously had access to) and only admitted pretty women. Sooo... after Twista rocked, the party was full of underage kids, thirsty men and goofy gals. This one thirsty male groupie followed me around the entire night and kept wanting to shake my hand... Who does that??? So we dipped back to Portland; and I had to drive because my "driver" got drunk. Ha ha!

Still had a blast tho... See?

Flicks: Shutter Island (No Spoilers)

Admittedly, I see a lot of movies. And while I like to critic and over analyze things, I feel I have a talent for taking things at face value. I like funny movies if they are hilarious, zombie movies if they make me jump, and action movies if people get to majorly jackin'. In other words, you'll never hear me hate on Die Hard With A Vengeance because the plot was unrealistic. Got me?

That said, I saw the above trailer for Shutter Island sometime last year (I think before Terminator: Salvation) and was instantly intrigued. That said, I've spent quite some time in eager anticipation for this movie to drop. Problem was, I wasn't sure what to expect... Whatever it was, I was thoroughly satisfied.

Scorsese and DiCaprio (the latter of whom I used to unabashedly hate on) have created another masterpiece here. A real cutting edge thriller where no one - including the viewer - can trust what they see or hear. The messages here center on sense of reality, trust, and the fragility of the human mind. In laymen's terms, this movie's a real mind-fuck (if you're looking for the definition of mind-fuck, see Requiem For A Dream) but also pulls together some brilliant acting, visual imagery, and an impressively appropriate score to create massive suspense at every plot twist.

What I once highly anticipated I now highly recommend. Spend the ten bucks and get freaked out. Shutter Island. One.

Debauchery: Birffday Weekend - Part 2

I know, it's been a week since I posted the first half of this "dualogy" but I really had to do some research to find out what the hell all happened on Saturday... I'll continue with the chapter structure.

Friday Night? No Thank You
So after partying from 8 PM Thursday till 7 AM Friday, I woke up at 11 AM - yes, Friday - got fresh and headed out. What can I say, I go hard... Besides, who cares about significant sleep when there's a Tour of Italy waiting for you at Olive Garden? What a breakfast! Then I hit the multiplex (as my friend from Yamhill calls any theatre with more than one screen) and peeped Book of Eli. Now I'm not a very religious man, but this here is a movie worth seeing. The messages are so deep... and the twist at the end? Ridiculous. I'd blog on it but I hate writing spoilers.By that night my phone was going nuts, but I wasn't going anywhere. Me and the fam stayed in and played Mario Brothers Wii all night, and when everyone else bowed out, I played Modern Warfare till 5 AM. Now that's how you spend a birthday.

"It's mutha fuckin Tony Touch!"
My Saturday officially started around noon. Exactly why I refuse to indulge in sleep I have no idea. Maybe it's because my stomach starts grumbling and I know that there's always mad food in my fridge? Anyway, I spent the day eating, texting, blogging about Modern Warfare 2 (see earlier post), ironing clothes and randomly yelling out "IT'S MUTHA FUCKIN TONY TOUCH!!!" as his songs streamed through my speakers. You see, I've been a fan of Tony Touch since I was knee high to a grasshopper, and he was Djing at the Crown Room that night, so there was no way I was going to miss it.

Hennessy Privilege with a Rum and Coke Chaser
Around 7, the homie Term (twitter.com/terminill) hit me up to ask if I was pre-funking. I was like, "Am I?"What promptly followed was an invite to la casa de G. Will (twitter.com/goodwill85) where I showed up around 8 with a liter of Coke & Bacardi Dark solution. We listened to rather irritating Bay Area music which G. Will insisted upon, then hit the road so we could hit the LIQ in the Pearl District before it closed at 10. I had no idea that there was a liquor store in the Pearl open till 10 so I was super-pumped already! What's hilarious is that they run it like a club, and they have bouncers and everything!! We scooped some Henny Priv (yeah the good stuff), and I commenced to drinking that while using my Rum and Coke as a chaser. Tasted great at the time... but probably not the best idea in the long run.

The Crown
Anyhow, we arrived at the Crown Room before 10:30 but still got charged to enter. False advertisement always brings a sour taste to my mouth but I was really not going to let five bones ruin my spirit... Especially not with a half a pint of Henny in me! Besides, in case you don't know, the best bartender in Portland (possibly on Earth) works at the Crown Room, and she pours me triple shots of Henny - for the price of one - for no apparent reason. (I wonder if Christina has a Twitter-page... Hmmm...) Everyone and they mama showed up; far too many people to mention by name and I damn near lost my mind. I kicked it in the VIP, danced on the stage and the floor, lightweight hated on Epp for getting to rock his set (just playing, it's all love) and bought a LOT of drinks. Not with my money though, people seem to know that Christina does me good at the bar *pause* so they often volunteer to buy my drink if I'll order theirs. Needless to say, this works for me just fine.

I Run This Town Tonight
By midnight I was pretty hammered, and I'm not sure but I think I still owe DJ Fatboy (twitter.com/DJFatboy) a drink cuz it was his birthday. Sorry bro, I get ADHD when I drink and I can't stand still. At one point, I was outside (no, I don't smoke, I just need clean, non-funky oxygen every here and there) and ran into Annie (twitter.com/urbanannie) standing in line with her friends. Not really sure how or why this worked, but I yanked her and her friends out of the line and debo'd them into the side door, free of charge. I just remember yelling at the bouncer, "Do you know who this is?? You can't have celebrities standing in line in the rain!!!" Wow, I got 3 girls in the club for free and couldn't even do that for myself. Crazy. Later on my best dude Will showed up late - exactly when I'm not sure - but I was very happy to see him and gave him a hug like I hadn't seen him in ten years. Didn't see him again that night... or maybe I did and I just don't remember.

"Where is Mutha Fuckin Tony Touch???"
At this point, I was really diggin the spinning that Doc Adam was doing, and was fully accustomed to the fact that DJ Ronin Roc yells the lyrics to every song in the microphone... But I still had one drunken question, "WHERE THE HELL IS MUTHA FUCKIN TONY TOUCH?!?!?" Soon after loudly repeating this phrase several times, the man himself walked in the door, and I hardly recognized him. The skinny Puerto Rican kid from my pre-teen years is now approaching 40 and easily tops 200. He got busy on the ones and twos, and as I got drunker, I often forgot he was there and continued to complain that he hadn't shown up yet. Oh boy. Around 2 AM, a friend of mine - who came solely to wish me a happy birthday but whom I'd dipped on countless times already - notified me that she was leaving. Amazingly, I did realize at this point that I was beyond faded, and had her drop me off.

The Hangover
The next day, I woke up at 11... I was still drunk so I went back to sleep and got up at 3 PM. This is where I realized that the Rum and Coke chaser (some of which might still be in Arriana'a car) was not such a great idea. Sunday was certainly the lower end of my sin-curve weekend.. I'd say never again, but I'd just be lying to you. And we all know I keep it 100... Hollerrrrr.

Debauchery: Birffday Weekend - Part 1

So as you've probably picked up on, last weekend - more specifically, Friday - was my birthday. By no means did I reach any major milestone, but I figured that turning twenty-nine on the 29th will only happen once in my life, so I might as well live it up!

My initial plan was to go super hard from Thursday night till Saturday night, but as I'm realizing, recovery times are getting longer and longer as I approach the magical age of thirty. So, graphically speaking, my levels of debauchery - if charted - looked more like a sin wave than a standard deviation curve... (I know I just lost some of you with that one, but it's cool. You'll be back.) I could probably write a novella based on my escapades this weekend, but that would probably get me in trouble with various people and probably a few government entities... That said, I'll take the other path and break this up into a a few quick sections.

The Dookie Show - And no, I'm not talking about Tony Ozier's Dookie Jam, I'm talking about a show I rocked that had a boo boo crowd. Thursday night at Berbati's reminded me why NO ONE ROCKS AT BERBATI'S ANYMORE. First of all, it was an all ages show... Seemingly only because half of the artist's girlfriends were under 21. So, put immature hip-hop fans downtown with immature rap-and-leave artists and watch what happens. The attendance started off thin, but gradually started to fill in. At one point, the event had enough people that it could actually be called a crowd, then some kid started arguing with a homeless guy outside (why anyone inside a warm venue would engage in an altercation with a hobo outside in the cold is completely beyond me) and the crowd dissipated. The promoter also broke the too many rappers rule, and by the time I hit the stage people were pretty tired of live acts. I managed to rock the 20 or so people left in the building, but... Come on son? Twenty people?!?!

Funny note: I have a friend who always dates chunky girls (says they pay like they weigh), and I ran into one of his ex's and she looked GREAT. I complimented her on her physical transformation - just to be nice, really - and now she's after me. Damn my swag...

Midnight - Escaping Berbati's arond 11 was a good look. Fortunately the bartender there did pour nice glasses of Henn, so I was good and buzzed by the time I left. So I dipped up to the Candlelight Cafe where I knew a few of my friends were getting drunk and dancing wildly to a cover band. More Hennessy ensued, and I was rather surprised when people started texting, calling, FaceBooking & Tweeting me at 10 till. It was then that I realized that my watch was running slow (gotta get that battery changed now) but more importantly, I remembered how many friends I do have. I also got a really nice call from my bro, and that was the highlight of my night.

Bom Bom Di Whopna!!! - So when my friends at the Candlelight got silly drunk (one girl started freestyling and another recorded it on her phone - can you say blackmail???) I decided to part ways and see what else was going down. Got a clue from a friend that it was going down at the Crown Room, so I headed that way. When I got there it was reggae night, and the place was packed! The friend who'd texted me wasn't there though, and then I got a text saying the crew had just left. So as I was about to leave, I ran into Leigh Feldman (if you don't know, you should really, really ask somebody) and he was kind enough to buy me a Hennessy.

Now I'm not sure what it was, but that Hennessy had me on one... I remember a random but really cute white girl dancing way to close and almost falling on or away from me a few times. I danced with her out of pity (and for safety sake) but then she started trying to make out with me... And, umm, I'm good. I quickly vanished and reappeared and within minutes she'd found a new victim. Thank God. Nonetheless, the house DJ there (whose name I never remember but whose Jesus-like beard I can never forget) really did his thing. The music was fresh and the crowd was fun. So around 2 AM I was set to leave and go home. Then I got a text, and the debauchery continued... I recall being lost amidst waterfront condos, getting angry, being calmed down, and getting home after the sun came up. Whoa.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Games - Call of Duty 6: Modern Warfare 2

 - A nearly new PS3 (courtesy of the homie Aracelia (twitter.com/celiabarba): $200

 - Bluetooth Headset: $30

 - Used copy of Modern Warfare 2: $55

 - Cursing at little kids that play M-Rated games online: Priceless

OK... So I know I'm late but I must admit that while I have no problem paying $45 bucks for a bottle of Hennessy Privilege, I sincerely disdain paying the sticker price for new video games. So I am the type that waits a few weeks for everyone to agree that a game is super-dope, then I go buy it used when some kid's overly-strict mom returns the terribly inappropriate birthday gift. Yes, I win.

So for the last month or so, rather than standing in line so I could be first to buy the most expensive copy of Modern Warfare 2 available to man ($70), I borrowed a co-worker's husband's copy - yes, with his permission - of the first Modern Warfare and decided I'd treat it like a bootleg movie. Needless to say, I was rather impressed with the game, spent countless hours playing it, and built up my own internal anticipation for the new one. In fact, I enjoyed the first installment so much that I started to question what could possibly be improved upon and debated whether I should even get the second!

But everything can be improved on, right? So this weekend (which just happens to be my birthday weekend - details of debauchery to come) I went out and bought Modern Warfare 2 for myself. I was also gifted with a wireless headset. I win again.

I haven't even begun playing the critically acclaimed Campaign Mode yet - which apparently has a level so offensive that the game has an option upon first load to turn the level off (yes!!!) - and I'm already saying that this might be the most amazing game I've ever played. The online multiplayer mode is amazingly clean, and I think I'm actually better at the new one than I was at the prior! There are so many options, and the level-up system in online mode is as intriguing and addictive as I've ever seen in any multiplayer game. The graphics are cleaner, the precision is ridiculous, the arsenal's are nuts, and the competition is amazing. Seriously, I played a little in the evening, went to bed at 11 PM, woke up at 1 AM and played till nearly 6 AM. And I'm not really even into games all like that... 

So anyway, I woke up this morning (I know, I don't sleep much) and had the urge to blog on it. If you own a next-gen system, I implore you to acquire a copy of MW2. If you own a PS3 - and you should - I dare you to add me online and get whooped! My gamer tag is "MacSmiff"... Imagine that. 

Aaaaand I'm out!

~Mac Smiff

Music: Northe'n Lights - Cut 'Em Or Pay 'Em

My first music blog might as well be in regards to a record on which I'm featured, no?

The production duo known as Northe'n Lights - comprised of Sonny & Terminill - have created a record which exists outside the bubble known as Northwest Hip-Hop. By capturing the voices of a variety of artists and melding them over hi-energy, synth-heavy beats, NL has created a sound which shatters the perception of local music. Long known for it's grimey, underground sound, the NW Hip-Hop scene is forever changed by the level of production offered by the duo's freshman project.

As eclectic as the creators themselves, the record draws from a variety of sources yet manages to maintain a shared vision. To name just a few, Cut 'Em Or Pay 'EM boasts features from:
- Portland-area mainstays Cool Nutz, Braille & Kenny Mack
- Battle circuit heavyweights Illmaculate & 9DM
- Nationally recognized non-local artists Playboy Tre and Punchline
- R&B veterans Toni Hill and Arjay

Throw in proven up-and-comers such as Luck One, Grynch, Mikey Vegas, Serge Severe and... *ahem* Mac Smiff (shameless plug, I know) and you've got as diverse and talented a cast as could be found on any commercial record. In all, 33 artists grace the album with their voices

... And make no mistake, this IS a commercial record. Despite a cast of largely underground artists, the production work on the album is top notch, making it consumable by the widest variety of hip-hop fans. No basement recordings or stock beats here, Terminill and Sonny have delivered a high quality product which by all accounts seems ready for mass distribution.

So don't sleep on this one! Check it out, and pay special attention to track 13 "For The Gifted"... Why? Because that's my song and it's hotter than liquid lava. I also seriously dig Cop Cars (Kenny Mack), Soldier's Burden (Toni Hill) and On Dat Other Shit (Playboy Tre). But - to quote Lavar Burton - don't take my word for it; check it out for yourself. Cut 'Em Or Pay 'Em is available for download and preview at the following sites:

http://www.emusic.com/album/Northe-n-Lights-Cut-Em-Or-Pay-Em-MP3-Download/11732469.html

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/three-the-hardway/id341810774?i=341811021&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

If you prefer your music on a disc and in a case, holler at me here or on my Twitter page and I'll be sure to hook you up. By far the best $10 you'll ever spend.

Signing out,


Mac Smiff

Northe'n Lights - "Cut em Or Pay 'em" from Chase.Freeman on Vimeo.

Introductions Necessary

Welcome to my blog. I've created this page because as an aspiring artist and social media nonpareil, I have been told on countless occasions that I should blog. So, as usual, I am giving the people what they want.

I dedicate this page to everything that is Mac Smiff--from art to science; from politics to satire; from consciousness to debauchery; from order to chaos. So hold on to your seats, and check back often. I'll be here, making the most of every moment, and bringing you life through a slightly different lens.

So without further ado, I bring you...