Blackballed Artist, Blackballed Athlete

Before we get into this, I ask you all to look at this from a certain angle... an angle of "what if I messed up and wanted a second chance?" Some mistakes can be overlooked, and an artist can be given a second chance. Independent artists can get blackballed from the industry as well as famous mainstream artists.

Let's compare this to an athlete getting blackballed from the league, let's compare this to the legendary Pete Rose's situation...

THE SOAPBOX
The Pete Rose Scandal

Bigboy Sportshow every Friday at 11am on Heart & Soul 92.1 FM and 1140 AM.

By: Ivory Soap of 103.5 FM (KVSP)

So, I’m doing my usual sport story scavenger hunting and I came across a sad, but very familiar story, especially with baseball fans. A story about the great, gambling, Cincinatti Red hit-king, Pete Rose wanting a second chance at being a part the MLB family again. The long-time, unremorseful Rose told a Philadelphia radio station that it basically comes down to the league giving him a “second chance”.

Now, some would argue that he blew that second chance a few times, like when he went on Oprah and denied he gambled on baseball. Some could probably recall a few interviews where Pete seemed to forget his own story, as he angrily stumbled and stuttered along. Next year will be the 25th year of Rose’s suspension.

And I’m here to say and ask, “Can we give this up, please?” It really looks like baseball (and a lot of its fans) just want Pete to go away so they won’t have to face up to any level of being the bigger person at some point.

Even though it was Rose that committed the foul, you would think Baseball at some point, after 25 years, could find a way to patch it up with one of its all-time great players. But understand that Baseball and its owners are bullies, and bullies never have to be the bigger person. Even today’s P.E.D. users get a second chance after their 50 game suspensions.

Pete Rose’s reinstatement papers have been pushed to the bottom of the pile by two different commissioners. Baseball is SOOO proud of itself that it refuses to evolve when it comes to technology, salary caps or forgiving a 2 decade act from one of its greats. It’s doing the game no-good to mistreat one of its stars when so many of its current luminaries disrespect the game AND lie about it on top of that. If you think about it, it’s kinda like our Government losing lives overseas every day in a potential World War over oil that’s not ours, but still wants to throw hissy-fits about cigars from Cuba. There’s bigger fish to fry Bud Selig, so let Pete back in slowly and I promise Baseball will feel better about itself.

twitter: @ivorysoap4

www.kvsp.com

Continue to follow my blogs where there's no popcorn, just a menu of cutthroat at my personal cafe'. In the words of the legendary Mick Foley, have a nice day.

Rebel Music Rant

Where oh where are my rebellious artists at?

From a listener's standpoint...

The only industry artists I hear saying anything even remotely close to "f*** the system" right now are Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, Ab-Soul and... hell I can't even think of any others off the top of my head. That's terrible.

We have gone from Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" to Molly, Swag, Turn Up. I understand Hip-Hop needs "fun" records also, but the balance is not there. The media is flooded with utter ridiculousness. I don't want to pop a damn pill, I don't give a damn about "swag" I am a grown ass man and I would rather go to a mild bar to have a couple of beers than "turn up" at some over-expensive club and make a complete ass of myself. Believe it or not, I am not the only person that feels this way.

I can feel the "hater" comments coming already -rolls eyes- ... but before you lynch me, hear me out. This is the part where I explain myself even though I shouldn't have to...

Don't you all ever get tired of hearing the same thing? There's literally HUNDREDS of songs called "Molly", THOUSANDS of songs praising "Swag", HUNDREDS of songs talking about nothing but "turning up." Why is the Hip-Hop community accepting it and not saying "hey, I want something else"? I have come to the realization that this type of "music" (if you even want to call it that) has been force fed to people so much that they have just grown accustomed to it. They've heard so much of it they are no longer annoyed by it. The people are used to it, they are not fighting it, they are making-do with whatever the media throws at them.

Here is where the problem lies, people need to speak up. We have voices. Lupe said "I think that all the silence is worse than all the violence" and I share that same sentiment. If you DON'T like something, say it! Yes, you are going to be called a "hater", yes, you are going to be vilified and looked upon as "uncool" or "not with the times" or whatever idiotic label people choose to put on you, but if you don't rebel, you may as well follow suit.

Now from an artist's standpoint...

Even as an artist myself, I have been told "you're going too far" or "you're going to get blackballed", and my response is so what? Do it! What are they going to blackball me from? A stage? A commercial? What? Are they going to spread nasty rumors about me? Say "don't work with him"? Say they are successful at the blackballing, there is hardly any money in music anyway. Blackballing an artist in this day and age is essentially accomplishing nothing at all, there's so many outlets, it's pointless. That threat holds no merit. I mean really, we wouldn't want a Record Label Executive to get mad, ball up his tie and put it in his wife's purse where he keeps his cell phone obviously because every time an up-and-comer calls they never pick up. Give me a break. Don't be afraid of these guys, show them that you are equal.

I guess asking other artists to have a similar outlook is asking a bit much. Not everyone is going to stand up to a corporation and say "y'all n***** can't control me!" like Kanye West did. I am not saying everyone should be a rebel. Hip-Hop has it's Yin and Yang. You have overly-commercialized nonsense on one end, then on the other you have music with a message. There is not enough music with a message right now, and I would completely blame the industry elites for it, but the fact of the matter is ... you have to blame a lot of artists for being scared of losing their job, and blame listeners for acting as if they are okay with it as well.

Continue to follow my blogs where there's no popcorn, just a menu of cutthroat at my personal cafe'. In the words of the legendary Mick Foley, have a nice day.

www.youtube.com/majormindsetmusic - www.twitter.com/iconokie

The War on Piracy

Everybody is looking for someone or something to blame for Hip-Hop "dying".

First of all, it's not completely dead, go to the Underground. Secondly, it's annoying the hell out of me. Here's an idea, you want someone to blame? Blame everybody. It's the industry. It's the guys in the suits. It's the corporate kiss-asses and nonsensical "Yes"-men. It's the "artists" that just want a quick paycheck, so they make up a dance and nonchalantly scat over instrumentals with a cute little digital enhancement on their voices. It's the people that watch BET, MTV and VH1. It's everyone that tunes into another scripted and predictable episode of Love & Hip Hop to see who's going to curse who out, who's staged to play-fight next, and who's going to publicly embarrass themselves... again. It's everyone who continues to contribute ratings to televised watered down Hip-Hop Award shows. It's everyone who settles. It's everyone who complains about what's on the radio but still listens to it. It's everyone that downloads their favorite artists music. It's you, it's me, we're all one big dysfunctional family!

Unless you are a saint and have done none of the above, you are responsible. However, I don't feel that people downloading music is a huge deal. Before you lynch me, hear me out.

A vast majority of artists in this era are making more money from everything but their albums being sold. They profit from their clothing lines, fragrances, beverages, sponsors, special appearances, tours, you name it there's probably an artist out there who has tried it or is doing it. Wake up people, record labels are reporting false first-week sales, they're reporting false sales overall, even Youtube caught Universal Music Group giving their artists videos fake views. Over 1 billion fake views to be exact, and you are telling me there's not a conspiracy to put corporate puppets in the forefront? That is the definition of a conspiracy.

Why do people download music instead of paying for it? Well gee, golly I don't know hmm maybe because if something is free why in the hell would they pay for it? If it's on iTunes for 10 bucks, it's somewhere else on the internet for free. What do you expect? You expect fans to feel some kind of sympathy or guilt for an artist's low record sales? You expect people to continue to throw artists their hard earned money when many of these artists rap in a condescending manner telling fans "I've got more money than you, more cars, more clothes"? Yeah, you should feel reaaaall sorry for not buying their album.

Do not be fooled by the imaginary "worldwide crackdown on Piracy". Yeah... corporations are really going to fight Piracy when they are the ones responsible for the leaks, promotion of the leaks and the convenience of social media to spread the word and even the link to the piracy site itself... really crackin' down there eh?

Even an artist that truly deserves for fans to buy their album does not deserve any sympathy. As an artist, you know what you are getting yourself into when you choose to be the one in front of that microphone, in that recording studio, on that stage, your name in bright lights, your face on the advertisements, you chose that. If you are an artist expecting to sell enough records to feed yourself for the rest of your life in this day and age, good luck with that... better pick up a side hustle, 'cause we ain't in Kansas anymore, Dorothy.

Remember the good ol' days when local artists would pop their trunks, stand outside in sweltering heat and flag down random people in an attempt to sell their underground CDs for a few dollars? Well you should have said goodbye to that long ago my friend. It's almost an insult to try and sell someone a Compact Disc on the street now no matter how well it's packaged. These people are plugging up their iPods and Cellular Devices to their car stereos for crying out loud, they won't want your CD. It's inconvenient, it skips if you hit a bump in the road, they scratch easily, people are too spoiled for that now, let it go.

You don't like the fact that people download music? I'm an artist myself and I'm telling you to get used to it. Piracy is here to stay, you can slow it down, but ya can't kill it. The war is over, the internet won.

Continue to follow my blogs where there's no popcorn, just a menu of cutthroat at my personal cafe'. In the words of the legendary Mick Foley, have a nice day.

www.youtube.com/majormindsetmusic - www.twitter.com/iconokie

If I Owned Mainstream Hip-Hop

Let's say I am not an artist myself and that I own mainstream Hip-Hop, I have control over the presentation, the gimmicks, mainstream performance cards, hiring and firing of any and every artist. Now...

If I were a popular artist I would not want the Owner Icon Okie to walk through the door. Hey, let's be blunt about it. My first move, I let Lil Wayne go, I let 50 Cent go. I get a whole team of J. Coles, Kendrick Lamars, A$AP Rockys and Big K.R.I.T.s. Lil Wayne and 50 Cent have already hit numerous homeruns, they are not going to hit 100 more. I want someone who is going to hit hundreds of homeruns for me in the next decade. You may ask, well what about Eminem? Jay-Z? Both of them are legends capable of still producing and selling quality records even though they are well past their prime. Hip-Hop needs legends like these to keep producing quality product, for nostalgia purposes, and to keep the new blood in line as well as give them active legends to look up to.

With Wayne and Fif, one could argue that they have not produced nearly as many quality records since their prime. Some of their newer records are good but get old very quick. Wayne's Carter II was his last quality album, and 50 Cent's Massacre was his last. They can take artists under their wing, but other than that it's time to go. Move out of the way and let the new talent get over with the fans. To be frank, Wayne and Fif are not the only ones that get fired, Shyne, Fat Joe, Ja Rule and Snoop 'Lion' are among many others although I am a fan. God bless them, thank you for paving the road, hopefully we can use you in some capacity. Maybe you can make special appearances, sign some autographs, whatever the case may be.

I want artists that come in thinking, "I want to pass Eminem, I want to pass Jay-Z". I want artists that are fresh so I can mold them into the next big thing. I want young talent that gets mad when they don't hit a homerun. It's all about the youth, it's all about a long-term investment. Where do you want to be in 10 years? Give me that kid. Give me that up and coming hungry artist that can offer something new, different and original. I love legendary artists, I listen to them more than the new talent, but this is a problem. As a listener, I should be able to move on and play newer artists more than the classic records of old. Instead I find myself still listening to older hip-hop more than anything because many newer artists material is watered down and has little to no substance. Damn near every new hip-hop record on the radio sounds the exact same.

My next move. I let the autotune overhaul go. It is out of control. This is a huge reason why I am not interested in newer artists. Many artists now--and I use the term "artists" very loosely--are flooding airwaves with autotune song after autotune song. If you have to rely on autotune so heavily to sell records, well that's just too damn bad. You can start recording records either without it, minute use of it, or best of luck to you in your future endeavors... and luck is for losers.

With this methodical plot, I have already ridded of artists not releasing much quality product as well as much of the repetitiousness, and within five years I have a solid team of artists under 30 that are kicking everyone's asses, as well as active artists the masses are familiar with. Sound familiar? Golden Age much?

Award shows, why continue to throw two or three performance spots to guys like 'Rick Ross'? I am not allowing an artist more than one performance spot on a prime-time television flagship show. Give more time to the new guys. Also, why not solely give guys like Kendrick Lamar or J. Cole the main spot? Why not make the newer talent the main attraction? Hype them up. Make the audience excited about new talent. All eyes on them. Restore faith in the future of the genre. This way, the genre does not grow stale and get stuck at a stand still, it remains full of surprises and live shows are unpredictable.

Artists in their prime that I get rid of. 'Rick Ross' (I use quotations out of respect for the real Rick Ross), and Future. I do not approve of the 'Rick Ross' gimmick, neither does the real Rick Ross, knock it off. I do not approve of Future's autotune obsession. Future is actually a good rapper without the digital enhancements, he has had more than enough opportunities to showcase it, instead he chooses not to.

There you have it, new artists get a real push, familiar talented artists keep their relevancy, over-digitally-enhanced popcorn "artists" get the boot, and legends we all know and love take new talent under their wing. You can still have your fun records in the clubs and what have you, I won't rob you of all of your party music. I will meet you halfway. Fair? You bet your ass it is.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Continue to follow my blogs where there's no popcorn, just a menu of cutthroat at my personal cafe'. In the words of the legendary Mick Foley, have a nice day.

www.youtube.com/majormindsetmusic - www.twitter.com/iconokie

Icon Okie's Rant on Oklahoma Hip Hop.

Let's get started with a memorable, classic Icon Okie rant.

There is so much talent here in this great state, and so many artists I actually listen to consistently. With that said, there are also problems that need to be fixed... NOW.

Before we jump straight into this, let me say that it is not easy to just up and find your direction as an artist. It takes time, effort and most importantly, passion. I am not expecting a beginner to be the greatest artist, I am simply pointing out what in my opinion needs to change all around. Let's get to it.

Firstly, when it comes to hip hop, Oklahoma still does not have it's own identity. I am sick and tired of seeing people blindly follow suit with what is on their television and what is promoted to them via media. Be your own artist. Strive for perfection, do not try to fit in, hip hop will not grow that way and listeners will ultimately grow tired of your product.

Secondly, I hear artists constantly complain about unity. This is the digital age. You do not even have to be in the same studio to make a record with a fellow local artist, hell, you do not even have to personally know each other. We have the option of e-mailing one another vocal tracks, instrumentals, etc. We are fortunate to have access to such efficient social networking. Do not take it for granted. Work with one another. If you really want to, there is no reason why you should not be able to collaborate with another local artist when you have the capabilities to collaborate with an artist overseas. It's a lack of communication and flat out ridiculous.

Lastly, originality. If your product does not sound different or fresh, I will throw the disc out of the window or delete it off of my iPod/cell. I know what it's like, I personally have thrown discs out after paying for them. I was pissed off and felt disrespected as a consumer. Waste of time, waste of money. It also discourages consumers, making them less likely to continue purchasing local artist's product.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Continue to follow my blogs where there's no popcorn, just a menu of cutthroat at my personal cafe'. In the words of the legendary Mick Foley, have a nice day.

www.youtube.com/majormindsetmusic - www.twitter.com/iconokie

Cutthroat Cafe' - The Introduction.

Alright, let's get to business. Allow me to re-introduce myself...

My alias is Icon Okie. Born and Raised in Oklahoma. I am the Chairman of Major Mindset Music Group, Major Mindset Multimedia Group and Major Mindset Entertainment. I am a Video Editor, Artist, Engineer, Producer, Actor, Graphic Designer, Columnist and Editor. You can watch and listen to my work at www.youtube.com/majormindsetmusic as well as read my sports columns at www.pokespost.com. My twitter is @iconokie.

I have worked with artists/producers here in Oklahoma such as C.L. McCoy, Vyshus, L'z & Flame Dash G (which I am in a group with named SLP), Moufpece Da Rippa, 2Hunit, YD, 30-G, Vic, Yung Wezz, K'Sass, Boog, Roccbottom, Chantell Williams, Blacktop Democracy, PoeticCc tha Prophet, Lyrical Dre, Michael White, T-Rush, Ric-G, Yung Trife, Trouble Loc, Yung Neo, etc. I am not going to keep naming people, point made. My imprint (Major Mindset) consists of myself, Mike P. (cinematographer/graphic designer/agent), Rodney Fennell (cinematographer/artist), Mastamind (artist), Paper Cha$en (artist), PhokusMind (artist) and Rahsaa McKendrick (co-CEO).

Now that we have gotten that out of the way, let me tell you all my purpose of blogging at this awesome site... I am here to light a fire under everyone's asses. I am controversial, not politically correct, and quite frankly just don't give a damn, hence the name of this wonderful blog: "Cutthroat Cafe'".

This is a blog that is wide open as far as topics. I will comment on everything from the underground to the corporate conspiracies and great industry artists we all love .... or love to hate.

Continue to follow my blogs where there's no popcorn, just a menu of cutthroat at my personal cafe'. In the words of the legendary Mick Foley, have a nice day.

The All New CutThroat Cafe

Icon Okie

The CutThroat Cafe' is now open with Icon Okie as your host.