Q & A With Thinker (@Thinx19)

What was your introduction to production?  What about producing keeps you interested?
I'd have to say that I was introduced to the process of music producing by one of my closest friends and mentor, Onree Gill. Spending time with him in studio sessions with the likes of LL Cool J, Big Daddy Kane, Easy Mo Bee and so on... this made me realize that producing was something that i wanted to do. Music is my true passion. I find inspiration in almost everything so this keeps me interested in producing, I'm always eager to find out how my inspiration might manifest it's self.

Why Maschine?
In my opinion, Maschine is the best product out there. I'm a huge fan of all things Native Instruments because of their obvious commitment to excellence. Maschine is the perfect pairing of hardware and software. The hardware is light yet sturdy with durable pads and knobs while being aesthetically pleasing. The software is user friendly, it reacts fast and it's super convenient to be able to open it up as a plugin inside of your DAW.

Why are musicians Bill Evans and Chick Corea so fascinating to you ?
Composers are to a musicians what architects are to carpenters. The process starts with the vision and I've always been fascinated with the idea that one person can basically look into the future by writing and arranging parts for multiple instruments much like an architect that envisions a final structure. Bill Evans was an amazing composer. I grew up listening to Chick Corea, He might be my favorite musician of all times. His music captures so much more than my sense of hearing. There is a spiritual quality that I can feel and even see in his music sometimes.

What artist of the past would you have liked to produce music for and which
producer would have liked to construct a project with? Why?
I wish that I could have produced music for and with John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix. They were both supremely talented and they also represented ideals that helped mold my current state of awareness in regards to the rights that we all have as humans.

How often do you seek out new sounds? How do you discover new music?
I can't say that there's a scheduled time for me to seek new music but every so often when I've been listening to familiar sounds for too long I need to cleanse the musical palate. When it comes to new music, I tend to discover it via the web. Tweets and Facebook posts. Sometimes I'll get a link via gchat and other times I'll just chance upon something new while I'm browsing the net.

"FAN TO FRIEND" - PILOT with bloopers

Naughty By Nature just doesn't stop with their incredible use of technology and social media. This new series definitely warrants being seen on network television and quite frankly is better than most shows you'd see on the tube.

St. Paul Slim - Shut it Down

N.Y.M.I. "Days of My Life"

Let It All Go - Blackswiss Ft.Bobby Rose

Not very often do you hear a Hiphop song or see a video aimed at a mainstream type audience where the male artist takes full responsibility for a failed relationship. "In Let It All Go" featuring singer Bobby Rose, Blackswiss' infidelity is the nail in the coffin that sends his love interest into the arms of another man. In life there are times when an apology simply isn't enough.

5 Quick Questions for @Likwuid

How'd you come up with your rap name Likwuid? Did you have and other names before it? 

Before LiKWUiD, I had several names Uneeke, Mookie (don't ask), and some other ones.

LiKWUiD stuck as a name that exemplified my style and my personality. Liquid at room temperature flows and adjust to any contents in which its presented, when things heat up it evaporates as moisture, when it's cold it freezes as ice. All of these entities present water in different forms to maintain it's structure in any climate, however the chemical design remains the same. With me, I adjust to my environment musically, but my inner core elements as an artist remain the same. Consistent inconsistency....lol.
 
What are the pros and cons of working in a group? 
I absolutely love being a part of GNU. I'd say the pros are the creative expansion that a group brings to the table. Each one of us can see the same audio canvas and approach it with a different paint brush...and somehow it all blends perfectly. I guess the only con would be our schedules. We're all so busy and so many folks depend on us for other things that we are ALWAYS multitasking. (If only there were 28 hours in a day instead of 24. Lol.)

What film has most influenced your music? 
Pink Floyd "The Wall", no explanation needed.

What's Grace about? 
Grace is Gummy Bears & Champagne's first live album composed by 2Hungry Bros and my band mates. It's an audio theatrical peace about the life and times of Peach Claudine Brown who spends a summer in the south at her grandmother's house. I've always wanted to write a screen play and after my brief late blooming obsession with RENT, I kinda took a stab at it. It's loosely based on my summers with my grandmother in South Carolina.

 

If the opportunity came up where you could explore space would you? Why or why not?

OMG, I'm going to the moon tonight. Earth gets boring, I'm pretty sure I don't belong here.

With <3 L Shout out to Conscious, Project Mayhem, 2Hungry Bros and my #lovhers!
L is for Love

Follow  http://Twitter.com/LiKWUiD
Visit: www.iamlikwuid.com

@Black_EL x Durkin - Purgatory

"Purgatory" off of Black EL x Durkin's "The Collage." #ELxD DOWNLOAD: http://soundcloud.com/blackelxdurkin/purgatory TWITTER: @Black_EL x @CaptainDurk WEBSITE: BlackELxDurkin.com

SoulClap Budapest Feat. @ILLspokinn - Let's get it together

Bisco Smith X Peter Jay (Jackson P) - Corner Store Elixir

Even though he sorta abandoned us by heading west to continue his life's journey, we don't hold it against him. We have much love for Bisc. If you don't know'em you should. A very talented artist when it comes to both sound and visual work. His catalog continues grow as does his being. You can always rely on the one they call Bisco Smith to deliver passionate music that he believes in. After listening, you should too.

AtLas' (@Polaryss) - Side Show

When was the last time you attended a circus? According to AtLas' the rap game entertains quite a "Side Show" as she affirms this emphatically on her latest release. Tell us what you think about, the song, the state of rap music and your fondest childhood memory under the big top. You're not afraid of clowns are you?

Follow AtLas' on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Polaryss

Where's SOPA and PIPA when yah need'em? K'Naan Angry With Mitt Romney's Use Of 'Waving Flag'

By Katie Byrne If you've ever listened closely to K'naan's music, you'll note that the Somalia-born rapper paints pictures of the harsh reality of his upbringing in a war-torn country, so it's no wonder then that he's taken issue with Mitt Romney using his single "Waving Flag," as part of his campaign. Without permission, Romney has played the song during some events on his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination and K'Naan has now publicly condemned this.

"I have not been asked for permission by Mitt Romney's campaign for the use of my song," the Somalian/Canadian rapper said in a statement to MTV News. "If I had been asked, I would certainly not have granted it. I would happily grant the Obama campaign use of my song without prejudice."

"Waving Flag" became an international sensation back in 2010 when it was played at that year's World Cup. With assists from will.i.am and David Guetta, the soaring tune camouflages a song about poverty and oppression in a heart-stirring call to arms to let your banner fly.

This is far from the first time a politician has used a song without an artist's permission — actually, this isn't even the first incident this week. According to TMZ, Survivor filed a lawsuit Monday against Newt Gingrich for using their song "Eye of the Tiger" at his events. During the 2008 presidential election, Jackson Browne sued John McCain for his use of "Running on Empty," and John Mellencamp asked McCain to stop scoring his campaign stops with "Our Country."

After a decisive win in Florida on Tuesday, Romney will duke it out with his fellow GOP presidential hopefuls at Saturday's primaries in Maine and Nevada.

Source: MTV