Money & The Message "Artist Statement"

Money & The Message

I was asked over a year ago by two of my best friends and musical colleagues (what up Nishe & Blaze, I see ya!!!) what I wanted from the rap game – music industry, whatever you wanna call it! After some deliberate thought, I happened upon "two great things that tend to conflict." Being a young, middle-classed African-American – excuse me, Presidential-American – I knew the first thing I wanted was financial peace of mind and prosperity; the ability to pay off my bills and live debt free. So, obviously money was my first answer.

Secondly, over the past few years I have noticed that Hip-Hop is certainly not dead but has been flooded with materialistic and misogynistic overtones. Similar to brainwashing, listeners and audiences throughout the country find themselves cut off from anything that doesn't deal with gun talk, rim size, jewelry, how many women I've been with, drug dealing, etc. The music I grew up to and respected that talked about social, economic and racial issues has become a thing of the past. I always felt that there had to be meaning behind the music you created. It had to be something you believed in, a part of YOU. If not, then it's not genuine, but don't get it twisted, I'm not here to preach. With that being said, my second answer was a message. I wanted to send a message to ALL music listeners that Hip-Hop IS a culture, IS alive and IS MUSIC. For a while now, music has been about the beat, I decided that we should flip that concept on its back and make it about the lyrics first.

In a nutshell, that's how Money & The Message came to life. A 19-track mixtape with original production by Danny "Beatchild" Brown, Jon Jackson of American New Wave Media Group, Blaze the Verbal Chemist of Beautiful Chemistry Productions and Power 102.9's own DJ Mike Swift in addition to beats from Will. I. Am., Just Blaze, J Dilla, and The Neptunes among others. Many song concepts found throughout the mixtape, infuse these two contrasting elements that make up our everyday lives to make you as listeners not only think about but also enjoy what you're hearing. Money & The Message was released on Tuesday, December 30, 2008. I sincerely hope you can relate and enjoy my take on Hip-Hop as I continue to push the envelope.

* Money & The Message is available for streaming on http://www.reverbnation.com/slangstonhughesand at any Slangston Hughes' performance.*