Aside from XV, what other rapper out right now could get away with combining the Queen Of Funk with a boss bad guy from Mortal Kombat? Nobody. But, that’s why Vizzy’s…Vizzy. He came out the gate playing with Star Wars figures and freezing beats in carbonite, so it should surprise no one when the Wichita kid comes up with something like, “Chaka Shao Khan.” Read the rest of this entry »

Hennessy’s throwing a BYOB party for everyone and it’s taking place in the comfort of your home. In the upcoming The Art Of Blending film, Thibaut De Longeville, best known for the Just For Kicks and Air Force 1 sneaker docs, captures a one-off show curated for Hennessy’s Artistry series where several music mavericks – including Chaka Khan, Q-Tip, Mary J Blige, The Roots, Eve, Bobby Brown and Erykah Badu Read the rest of this entry »

Approximately three weeks ago on a Monday morning, I emailed Xilla (‘Nuff Respect!) to ask him a question. He answered, then asked me if I wanted to go to help cover the BET Awards as a member of the media.

At first, I thought he was pulling my leg so I said, let me think about it.

*brain starts churning*

“It would be cool.”

“This aggin lying though. I don’t even know him like that.”

“The BET Awards are two weeks away?”

“Enh…the BET Awards sound lame, but what else would I be doing on a Sunday night?”

After about a day of internal debate, I told fam “Sure, I’ll go.”

And by Saturday, June 27th, I boarded a plane for L.A., set to return on Monday morning. Yes, if you know me, I’m not straying far from home for too long. I’m one of those folks who has done pretty much all that a human being needs to experience in order to write a decent autobiographical tale. I’m not a tourist or sight-seeing type either. If you’ve seen the Statue Of Liberty in pictures & postcards, you’ve seen enough in my opinion. Plus, my kids, my lady & my bed > waking up in some strange place & being surrounded by entertainers.

Yes, Gotty’s™ a simple man enjoying the simple pleasures, yet I made an exception for this one. Since it’s not like Nashville has that many red carpet events (okay, none besides Country music), this was a new experience for me & that I couldn’t pass up. But it’s from that simple man angle I use to recount those roughly 48 hours I was in L.A. for the Awards.

Losing It: I only found myself slightly losing composure when I set my eyes on Alicia, Beyonce…and Carmelo. Yes, Carmelo, no pause.

As a lifelong Syracuse fan, my eyes lit up when I saw him, as he’s the man that’s responsible for ending the pain & suffering caused by “The Shot.” I managed to walk up, exchange a quick dap & thank him for that. Truth be told, I prolly would’ve hugged him if he let me.

Beyonce breezed right by with maybe about 5-7 security types around her. She was all smiles & shit though. Unfortunately, it was so random, I couldn’t snap pics fast enough as this wasn’t a part of what we’ll refer to as “the stroll.” I was standing there, most likely oogling @ someone or something else, when I heard a lot of high-ptiched yelps from the crowd. My ears rang for a second before I realized they were yelling “Beyonceeeee!!!!” I wheeled around and Read the rest of this entry »