Poison Pen Journal - 6/16/06

[complexity]

Tonight I'm doing this benefit show at SOB's. It's called A Groove for a Cause or something like that. I didn't name it that. I think the name is corny, but the cause is good. We do a lot of benefit shows. If you listen to the music, you might think it's a bunch of fake tough guys running around. People like me, Immortal Technique, and dead prez do a lot of shit for the community. We did the Brown Berets thing out in Watts, California. Now we're doing this benefit to Katrina. I know they've done a lot but if it's needed, that's what we'll do. We can donate our time for this. Royal Flush is going to be there. I haven't seen him in years. The A-Alikes should be there, Smif N Wesson, Immortal Technique, and a few other assorted miscreants and rabble-rousers. Hopefully the turnout is great. I heard it's $25 at the door. I hope it ain't because not as many people will come. I always say if you keep the price down then more people will come, but what do I know? This is basically the underground version of Summer Jam since today is Summer Jam. If you couldn't afford a ticket and you weren't Flex's 97th caller, you can always come out to SOB's.

The last Summer Jam I went to was with the Wu-Tang Clan. I couldn't care less that I'm missing that. I don't want to sound like I'm throwing darts, but it doesn't really intrigue me. I was looking at the flyer online and I didn't even know who half the people were by face. Who's this, who's this? I wanted to see Mobb Deep. Honestly, I'm a Mobb Deep fan. I don't care what anybody says, I thought the Blood Money was hot. I bought it at Amoeba's in Cali. I think that shit is hot. I haven't seen a Mobb Deep show in mad long but I want to see their show and who they bring out. Summer Jam is always good for the beefs and seeing rappers hit each other with chairs. I'm not really missing anything. I don't care. My boy bought tickets two days ago for that shit. Usually it sells out in five seconds. I'll probably go to the after-party and grab a cheek or something. Summer Jam parties are always popping, but we're doing our own Summer Jam at SOB's.

There was a myth that has been dispelled. I've been traveling for years but obviously I'm based in New York and I'm there most of the time. I said once, "Underground shows have no hoes, it's ridiculous, but if there's three broads there, I'ma leave with three bitches." On the road, that myth has been dispelled. That myth has been blown to smithereens. There were a lot of ladies out at the shows and I'm not going to be too graphic. Shout out to the ladies. I had to be easy a lot of times because places like Santa Fe, New Mexico, had all ages sows. You had 15 year-old girls grabbing your butt and I have a sister that age. If somebody my age tried to talk to someone that age, I would kill them. I don't need any big brothers coming at me. I left them all alone. Don't do an all-ages show in Santa Fe, New Mexico, unless you have no morals or you'll get in trouble. You have to think with your head up top not the one down below. The ladies treated us well out there. Big shout out to Arizona and Northern Cali. We love you guys. We'll be back. Definitely a big shout out to Albuquerque and Colorado. I love those places.

Me and Technique have a great chemistry. That's my brother. When we go on road, sometimes we fight. Not each other, but other people. I mean we argue all the time because we're both big loudmouths. That's my brother. On the road, we don't really do much. We handle our business. At the end of the day, we handle our business. We walk in there, handle our business, plus you can't get too faded when you're doing shows, especially when you're 2,000 miles from home. It's not like we're traveling with an entourage and security and cops. A lot of rappers act like they're gangster but they have cops, but whatever. When something happens at home, we can fix that immediately. But when I'm 2,500 miles from home in the middle of Fresno, California, I have to be able to depend on the people I'm with. We only travel with five people, so everybody had more than one duty. I was emceeing the show and doing my shit and then me and Tech are doing the show and then I'm bootleg security. We are our own security, so we have to make sure we're on point. We can't get too fucked up or faded. A few times it got rowdy, but we usually don't have too much trouble. Tech handles his business impeccably and that just makes me handle my business as much as he does. You have to make sure all your I's are dotted and all your T's are crossed. Sometimes the contracts were short and we had to fix that immediately. We weren't trying to go through lawyers and all that. We handle our business and that's what this tour was about, especially about doing things for the community.

Shout out to the Brown Berets. We were trying to promote Black and Brown unity. New York is a melting pot. It's okay for different races to mix. In LA, it's not like that. The blacks sit with the blacks and the Mexicans sit with the Mexicans. We were trying to promote unity with the Brown Berets, which is a strong organization. We did a workshop for the kids. Paying your rent is great, but it was great doing this. We had our regular shows wiling out doing some hip-hop shit. I'm here from Brooklyn but dudes from Compton wouldn't come to Watts. I'm like, "I came from Brooklyn." I don't spit the most positive raps. I'm a rowdy dude. What I spit is me, but it's also entertainment. I can still do positive things for the community. People acted like it was great we came together on some brother shit, but I was like, "We are brothers."

I have to get these mixtapes to Fat Beats. They put in a big order for them. I have to get this re-licensing form in so my mixtape can hit some other regions. I'm working on some new joints for the album. I have to get up with Sean Price this week for this joint called "Slick Talk." I had another rapper who was supposed to be on there but he's bullshitting. I have to get everything straight so I can pay my rent for the next few months. I'm working with a group called the Circle. They're on the mixtape. I'm executive-producing their project if that means anything to anybody. I'm just helping them with that. We're doing a few verses. I'm making sure they're in the lab. I'm kind of coaching them, making sure they're sharp with everything else. I'm also working with my partner Swave Sevah. I did the Pyramid last week for a mixtape release party. The mixtape is doing real good. I'm already in the thousands with it which is real good since it's only been in a few stores and on the internet. People are walking up to me saying my lines, which feels good. I'm not a household name like that. I have some friends I haven't visited in awhile, I'll probably go see them this week. That's about it.