NY GoGo: http://chrisclassic.bandcamp.com/track/ny-gogo

Anytime: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_9Z7YdS7is

My Prayer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hfiQzUvTgE

“When I investigate and when I discover that the forces of the heavens and the planets are within ourselves, then truly I seem to be living among the gods.”

Leon Battista Alberti

What can be said of talented men?  First, we should note that talent at a distance does not will airplanes or even kites into flight.  There must exist some union between that particular character trait and the fiercely determined and dedicated self in order to ascend. And this combination is rare.  This is why there will always be more fans in the ballpark than actual players.  It’s easier to observe all-stars, rather than pick up a bat and swing at something that is moving faster than you.  What’s the age old saying?  Those who can’t, tweet?

I would venture to guess that most of us know more tormented and yet talented souls than successful content individuals.  You could blame it on monsters or darkness or whatever you wish, as long as all of these words are synonyms for the self.  Discipline comes at a price.  Movement is not the same as progress.  And most remain in place.  Spinning.  Dizzy.  Afraid of the steps to success.

And that brings us to Chris Classic.  Chris is a product of Long Island, New York, where he grew up immersed in music.  The blog that he has created www.thelifeanthology.tumblr.com serves as a platform for his short film and accompanying soundtrack.  When we spoke, it was the middle of August and Chris had just released his summer mixtape, “The Summer Classic 2”.  Here’s a portion of that discussion…

DG: Who are some of your musical influences?

CC: My 1st musical influence was The Dude by Quincy Jones.  I grew up listening to CD 101.9, a former Jazz station here in NY. Mostly everything I heard before I was 15 was jazz music. I had to sneak to listen to rap. So at 16 I was influenced by A Tribe Called Quest, Nas & Camp Lo.

DG: How would you describe your sound?

CC: My sound is Truthful. I speak my mind. I like to make songs that are unforgettable in content. They wont always make you dance but they usually will make you think.

DG: Recently a friend on Facebook posed a question: If you were stranded on a deserted island, and you could only take one musician’s tunes, which artist would you take with you?  Names flew out: Michael, Prince, Marvin, Sade, but there were no new artists.  Are our best years behind us?

CC: There’s nothing new under the sun. It’s all being created again. Hip Hop started with very simple lyrics. We’re back at that point. New artists are forced to be more creative because most natural human emotions have been discussed.

DG: Let’s talk about the site.  What was the impetus for creating your site?

CC: I wanted something clean and simple that would be able to convey my ideas without clouding your mind with a bunch of other distractions.  So www.chris-classic.com and my Life Anthology pages are just that. Black & White.

DG: What do you want to happen next?  Will this become a movement?

CC: I’m hoping for a Brand to get wind of it and pick it up. The Life Anthology is about how we all relate to HipHop whether we know it or not. So an American brand such as Levis, Target or Converse would be ideal.

DG: What’s a typical day in the life of Chris Classic like?

CC: If I actually sleep, I wake up early to help get my son ready for school. He’s 6. I may sleep another hour and head into work at DeeTown.  After a full day there I go to another studio to work on my new group New Terrace Heights music. Then usually I take a break, go to a party or lounge or event and return to the studio after I’ve watched some people relate to music.

DG: What are your thoughts on airplay and the massive machines behind artists?

CC: If you pay it, they play it. It’s sad but true. Then again it’s called the Music BUSINESS for a reason.

DG: How’d you get your start in the music industry?

CC: I’m technically NOT in the Music Industry… people automatically assume that I am. I’m in the Film Industry.  I just happen to focus on music for film. I got my start in 1999 when I started working with a producer named Ali Dee. He had a genius idea of selling the songs that weren’t getting picked up by labels to Music Supervisors in Hollywood.  He told me to trust him and that the idea would work. I had faith. 10 years plus and it’s proven to be true. It’s a full time job and a blessing.

DG: Tell me about the creative process behind “NY GoGo”

CC: Well the beat was produced by my homie Keith Jones (@WayLeft_KJ).  He sent the track and I felt I HAD to make it about GoGo but it would be cool to get NYers involved in it…  I also made sure I gave props to almost all of the GoGo originators in the 2nd verse.

DG: Thanks for your time Chris.  How will we hear more from you and what’s the plan for the rest of the summer?

CC: Keeping an eye on me is easy. My 2 sites or twitter

(@_chrisclassic) are usually where you can find me. Other than that I just finished my 2nd Summer Classic MixTape.

Follow Chris on Twitter at @_chrisclassic visit his new personal tumblr @ www.alwaysclassic.tumblr.com.

Chris Classic’s official website with links to music downloads can be found @ www.chris-classic.com

Cee-Lo Green, you are onto something here

Its summer in NYC.  Everyday is packed with events, BBQs, or  rooftop parties, but we’re excited because Film Festival season is in full swing and we’re giving away tickets to the 11th Annual New York International Film Festival! Kicking off on July 27th and running through August 1st, the NYILFF will swill present over 100 films ranging from full length features, documentaries and shorts including several star-studded red carpet premieres.

HOW TO WIN TICKETS:

Follow us on twitter (@gakcity) and reply with “I want tickets to the NYILFF. Thanks Gakcity” .

We will randomly chose winners on July 22nd.

For more info on NYILFF – http://nylatinofilm.com/index.html

80 Minutes, 8 Candidates, 1 Answer, No Question.

Beautiful video and typography.

Belvedere Presents: A Day in the Life of Christian Rich

Featuring N.E.R.D

Download “The Decadence” at christianrichgoods.com

Directed by
Davy Greenberg

Belvedere Presents: A Day in the Life of Christian Rich from Davy Greenberg on Vimeo.

The Roots are back with “Dear God 2.0″, the first single from their newest album How I Got Over. A very reflection Black Thought rhymes his frustration with the Almighty and shows us the vulnerable side of himself we rarely get to see. Black Thought is what most most rappers should want to be when they grow up.

Almost one year to the anniversary of the passing of MJ, Redman releases his new single and the video is a tribute to Michael. I love love love it.

RedMan – Lookin’ Fly from DanTheMan on Vimeo.

Brina Payne

We’re not ashamed to see we’re huge “man-fans” of Dwele. He makes great soulful r&b music that dudes can enjoy with their women equally. We excited to hear about the commercials he has been putting out promoting his new album. This is a must buy.

Here are some of the commercials for his upcoming album -W.ants W.orld W.omen

And a classic Dwele track – A Pimps Dream