24 Facts about Dollar$ & Daialogue (Pt. 1)

With the impending release of the re-up to Dollar$ & Daialogue quickly approaching, I decided to put together 24 random facts (D&D dropped on 2/11/11: 2+11+11 = 24) about the initial project. Check em out and see if you find out something you didn't know. Dollar$ & Daialogue 1.5 drops later on this month!

1) Dollar$ & Daialogue was developed as an official follow-up to Slangston’s first mixtape, Money & The Message. The idea was to continue the discussion of money and how it affects, hinders, and stimulates us for better or worse.

2) The original idea was for Slangston to do all of the writing/vocals with a Daialogue verse or two at the most with him remaining behind the boards the majority of the project, but with the energy and dichotomy that came about as songs manifested, a collaborative effort was a better fit.

3) Dollar$ & Daialogue was recorded in four studios, Wes B’s Blu Deuce Studios, Inner Recess Recording Studios, The Hut Studios and L’Daialogue’s home studio.

4) With Slangston’s Blueprint mentality, the only two features for Dollar$ & Daialogue are Hip-Hop Soul singer, Suave and fellow New Orleans emcee, Lyrikill.

5) If you listen closely, there’s a special hidden track at the end of this LP with a certain New Orleans flavor.

6) Despite the large amount of talented producers throughout New Orleans, Slangston chose extended Tygah Woods fam and Memphis native, L’Daialogue for this type of project because of the chemistry that developed in what Slangston calls “one of his best verses written” in the Tygah Woods x L’Daialogue collab “Marie Laveau” (http://bit.ly/odP2kh).

7) The artwork for Dollar$ & Daialogue was created the night before its February 11^th release and features the same font that's used on each denomination of US currency.

8) The first song written and recorded for the project was “Do It Tonight,” Slangston’s personal rebuttal to the pessimistic and negative Twitter posts ending in the phrase #FML or Fuck My Life.

9) Not an overtly avid fan of today’s bounce music, Slangston was surprisingly convinced to do a Hip-Hop track with a bounce beat after hearing L’Daialogue’s Triggaman sample flip and production on “Hands In the Air” (http://bit.ly/njIZcl)

10) The idea for “Ladies In The Crowd” came about after watching a Black Milk performance video that displayed a solid, enthused front row of female Hip-Hop listeners at one of his shows, something that isn’t often seen at Hip-Hop shows generally speaking.

11) Writing/recording for Dollar$ & Daialogue started around March/April of 2010.

12) Olde Soul, longtime producer and L’Daialogue contributor, added the Jay-Z cuts from “Some Like It Hot” you hear on the title track.

Support The Home Team!!!

If you're a fan of THE Connoisseur of Fine Rhyme or my Tygah Woods crew, please support us by requesting "Money IS The Message" off of my mixtape, Money & The Message and "Marie Laveaux" by Tygah Woods on local college stations WTUL 91.5 FM (Tulane University, 504-865-5885) and KLSU 91.1 FM (LSU, 225-578-5578).

You'll also be happy to know that "Never Can Say Goodbye" off of the stellar LP, Go Hard: The Moonwalker Edition by Tygah Woods can be requested on Q93 by calling (504 260-9393)

"Fall Back"

"Fall Back,"the lead track off of my mixtape, Money & The Message was written over a year ago sometime between September and November. I had just left a Hip-Hop group I was in for about six years and trying to come up with a song that was not only catchy but supplied a raw and emotional message that provided my new artistic direction. "Fall Back" was produced by DJ Mike Swift in 2001 from what I was told and goes to show you the timeless aesthetic of music. I had actually heard the beat before by at least a year or more when I was in my group and liked the production then but never really had any succinct ideas for the track. I did however back then think it needed a military like chorus or approach since the drums portray a "takeover" of sorts.

The lyrics came first as I saved the hook for last, wanting to end the song with something that made sense for not only me as the writer but listeners as well. The verses were my first attempt at having the first three bars be repetitive to a degree each verse. And, as some might know I took my cue from Nas' verse off the "Salute Me" Remix off of Swizz Beats' LP Ghetto Stories. The hook had to be powerful and obviously like so many choruses in musical history, summarize the song. My thought process at the time was that this would be my manifesto, my introduction into the game as Slangston Hughes, solo artist. Complete. and utter. domination.

With that being said, "Fall Back" was created. Over the past year, this has been my favorite song to perform. It provides me with the chance to display my lyrical ability and onstage energy. In all definitions of the word, "Fall Back" is RAW!!! I hope you agree and enjoy it.

* Note: the first vid is a little dark but gives you a good idea of what the song is all about. Tune in to the second vid about 8:42 in for an "amped" up version of "Fall Back."

Now THIS Is What You're Supposed To Blog About

* These events occurred on January 3rd of this year*

So it seemed as if the floodgates literally and physically opened Saturday night around 8:30 p.m…. flash flood and tornado warnings were in full effect… as my production manager and I continued to burn copies of Money & The Message… The Colts got ran over by one of the smallest rushers in the NFL… Living on the Westbank IS NOT all it’s cracked up to be… Getting home was definitely a challenge… flooded streets with shin high water all around me… felt like my middle name was either Ponce de Leon or circumvent the way I navigated those waters… driving a Scion tC didn’t help matters either… through it all the ride, was and is still intact… but I had a show that night, Grassroots!… which by my watch had already started… the homies; Blaze the Verbal Chemist and J-Dubble were already in the place to be (The Dragon’s Den)… got out the whip and braved the elements… with a Dockers slicker jacket and no shoes or socks… please believe I WAS NOT going to ruin the Barney Dunks…waded in that same shin high water like the old Negro spiritual… five blocks to my house… changed clothes like Jay… and was out the house within minutes… in a new outfit and rain boots that ran two sizes too small… Ouch to say the least… LOL at myself… drove up the wrong side of the street to get to the Interstate… found a good parking spot and rushed to the venue… what a coincidence that Blaze was next on stage… pulled a Clark Kent in the Dragon’s Den bathroom as I threw on some SB dunks and Express denim… premiered the Mayan Tamang purple bandana…WHAT YOU KNOW BOUT THAT ?!?!… made my entrance into Grassroots!… smashed the stage for the new year with THE Product of Greatness himself… and rocked out to Mr. Still Fantastic… sold a couple copies of the mixtape… received love from my peers and those above me who I deeply respect… shouts out to Lyrikill, Merc, A Scribe Called Quess, Truth Universal and DJ E.F. Cuttin… what a show, what a night… I’d do it all over again for the love of Hip-Hop!!!

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.*